A lot of what I talk about these days narrows down to how to be a good citizen in the world of Social Media. So, for this weekend’s presentation, I thought I would tell you about the 10 rules I try to follow to make sure I am living up to my own standards of citizenship. I have gotten more rewarding experiences and more enjoyment since I started following these rules. I hope they work for you as well!
Why Teaching is an Important Part of Being Human
This guest post is by my friend Mark Dykeman. Mark Dykeman is the founder and main brain of Thoughtwrestling, a blog devoted to better ideas, better achievements and better life. For more great ideas, follow Mark on Twitter
Margie honored me by including me in her group of teachers to follow on Twitter. The thing is, I’m not a teacher. But I am… sort of…
I’m surrounded by teachers in my family tree. Everywhere I look there’s chalkdust and exercise scribblers strewn about the branches of my genealogical cedar. (I like the smell of cedar, plus it’s an evergreen. Evergreen is good.) Both of my parents spent a lot of years in classrooms, trying to insert knowledge into audiences of varying receptiveness.
Teacher used to be a dirty word
I never wanted to be a teacher and I’ve never had that word in my job title. I never wanted it to be my job, never wanted to deal with children on a daily basis and I never thought that the summers off was really that much of a carrot. Students have a love/hate relationship with teachers. Teachers sometimes have to take a lot of crap from their students. Classroom teaching doesn’t equate to fun for a lot of people (which is an unfortunate thing).
However, we’re faced with many opportunities to teach, whether it’s on the job, as an informal mentor, a friend, or a parent. With rare exceptions, we always have some bit of information that someone out there doesn’t have. Actually, I’m not sure that I have anything to teach Bill Gates or Steve Jobs: it depends how many comic books they’ve read in the past two decades. But I digress.
Who teaches the experts?
You know how someone watches the stuff you do and sees something completely different? That’s how I feel about Margie’s comment. This isn’t a criticism, just a surprised reaction on my part. When Margie referred to me as a “teacher” within Third Tribe (3T), an online community that we both belong to, I was really surprised. I mean, that place is full of entrepreneurs. Pretty much all of them are more successful than 90% of the people who “work for themselves” for a living.
What in heck can I teach those guys? It’s like a leaf telling a tree how to get big and strong. I am not an entrepreneur, at least not in the self-employed sense.
There are three thoughts that have allowed me to get my head around her kudo. So, let me teach (!) them to you, dear reader.
Keep on learning
Good teachers don’t stand still. They continue to learn. They read about their subject matter, their skills and techniques. They practice and refine their delivery. They try different things. Many of them go back to school themselves on a regular basis! I’m a lifelong learner, no question about it. So yes, this fits.
Share what you know
Despite my lack of entrepreneurial experience, I do try to share things from my own experience. I’ve been doing that on my blogs for years. I’ve done it in a work context many times and outside of work as well. I’ve shared parts of my online (social media) knowledge in a number of places. So, yes, I’ve probably earned the Share badge in social media scouting.
Here’s the way I look at it. You might not be a genius or a master, but there’s always someone somewhere who might benefit from your experiences. If nothing else, cautionary tales are valuable!
Answer questions
Like I mentioned above, you always know something that someone else doesn’t know. If you’ve been an active member of a community for awhile then you’ve absorbed knowledge. If you see someone asking questions, especially beginner questions, you’ve just found an excellent opportunity to be helpful. Just think of the kid who’s lost on their way to their homeroom at school… you could be a hero to them by giving them five seconds of help.
Learning and teaching is a continual cycle
Maybe I am a teacher, even if that’s not my official title. That’s OK. In fact, it’s pretty cool. Any occasion to make a positive difference in someone’s life is an important opportunity. The thing is, you don’t always know when your knowledge can be the thing that turns a frustrating situation into a happy ending. It pays to keep your eyes open just in case.
Bonus: if you keep learning and growing, you will find many more opportunities to help people, which is really what teaching is.
So, Margie, you were right: I am a teacher. But so is Margie. And you can be, too.
Being a teacher is not a dirty word. It’s just a part of being human.
[Editor’s Note from Margie…I told you so 🙂 ]
Image by Piotr Lewandowski. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ywel
#30Thursday Post Number Nine (Yes it’s fine!)
Well, I have to say, I am pretty excited about how this week’s #30Thursday turned out. There are a few resounding themes, and I’d love to say that I planned it this way, but this is just what people are writing. They are writing about bullying and why they care. They are writing about how to be the best you you can be. They are writing about how to lift others up.
Pretty amazing, huh? I think so too.
And no, I probably won’t make all of the titles of my #30thursday posts rhyme – but it’s fun in the meantime. Please enjoy these fantastic posts!
1. The first post this week comes from @LouImbriano, who notes wisely that our focus should be on building, not selling. Scott Stratten of Unmarketing would adore this post 🙂
2. A very thoughtful post by @Juliemangano called “I was bullied.” I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this post. It reminds us that bullying, whether online or offline, can leave deep scars that are hard to forget and hard to ignore.
3. Mike Myatt wrote one of the best definitions of influence I have seen. How to create lasting influence – a post that shows influence is probably more than just about numbers and who clicks what.
4. My friend Paul Konrardy sent me this post from ProBlogger Darren Rouse. It’s from 2007, showing that the problem of online bullying has been going on for quite some time. Check out What A Buddhist Monk Taught Me About Blogging
5. This post created quite an uproar across Social Media sites. Great post by SME Examiner regarding three myths about guest posting. Lots of actionable items to think about here!
6. My friend @CelsiusMI brought this post from, well, MediaPost, to my attention: “Why Marketers Shouldn’t Give Up on Twitter,” by Jessica Michaels
7. This was a really interesting post by Alan Belniak for MarketingProfs (The Daily Fix). I saw Jason Falls tweet it out. If that isn’t a clue how great this post is, I don’t know what to tell you 🙂 So check out Are you really marketing or just advertising?
8. My friend David McGraw has a great idea for the month of November – remind yourself of why you should be grateful every day, all month. It’s a project called 30 Days of Gratitude. Are you in? Because I sure am!
9. My new friend @Greetums, who has been a major supporter of my efforts in the Social Media Safety project, wrote a beautiful and insightful post called Confessions of a Bully. A must read for sure.
10. @melissa_ful tweeted this post to me by Ezra Klein, and I think he has a great message: Why it gets better. Neat way to piggy-back on the “It gets better” campaign.
11. @galactic sent me this extraordinary post from August Turak at AdAge.com. In What Bolsters the Bottom Line? Selfless Marketing, Turak invokes Joseph Campbell’s concept of the hero’s spiritual journey and what advertisers can learn from the success of movies like Devil Wears Prada. Read this extremely interesting post, and you won’t regret it!
12. My friend Heidi Cohen got published at Clickz.com. Her post, titled Stop Experimenting with Social Media, offers some fantastic actionable items for integrating Social Media into your marketing efforts. Some of the comments she received are a bit shocking as well.
13. This was a fun post that my friend @gagasgarden recommended. By Clint Franzen, “It all started with a call to a local guy offering guitar lessons in piano” notes the wonder of seeing a student exceed expectations and head right towards the pinnacle of great success.
14. Speaking of my friend Gaga, she has a delightful little post this week about greenhouses, tequila, and how kids will hold on to the strangest sayings 🙂 Check out OUI Built a Prefabricated Greenhouse for $142.00 by this lovely lady.
15. Is “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” the best approach? Carol Phillips tweeted out a post by Mariam Shahab that ponders this question, and whether it’s just Generation Y that doubts this old adage.
16. My friend Tommy tweeted out this very useful post from Hubspot.com called 6 Easy Ways to Get More Visitors To Your Blog. A must-read!
17. My friend Allen Mireles tweeted out an interesting post written by Erica Naone for The Technology Review. The post is titled Social Coupons: Good for Business? The answer might surprise you. Then again, it might not 🙂
18. My bloggy bff @pushingsocial said this post was a must-read. I would tend to agree, although again it might be a bit self-serving posting a link to this from #30Thursday. Still, the info is great! Curating Information as Content Strategy, by Valeria Maltoni
19. Jordan Cooper (@notaproblog) wrote an outstanding post for Jason Falls’ Social Media Explorer called Community Managers: Whose Best Interests Do You Serve? The question extends to any portion of the marketing world these days. A lot to ponder here.
20. Chris Brogan introduced me to a fellow named Jim Mitchem, who wrote a FABULOUS post on the bullying issue, simply called On Bullying. Jim comes at the issue from a logical space, and he creates a great read.
21. An amazing Vlog by Keith Ferrazzi called Your Turning Point. Who was there at the moment in your life when you needed someone the most?
22. Suzanne Vara’s fantastic post of the week for me was 8 Tips for Embracing Change in Social Media. Suzanne and I agree that a lot of what advertising taught marketers can be carried over into the world of Social Media. She details why, beautifully as always, in this post.
23. Sure, I’m biased, but I think this post by Jay Baer rocked the house. The 7 New Roles Agencies Must Play to Survive Real-Time Business. For insights into the ever-changing world of us agency folk, go here!
24. Megan Knight hits another one all the way out of the ballpark over at DawnWesterberg.com. Expanding on her original post, which I highlighted last week, Megan details how nonprofits can use Facebook, and best practices. Tremendous information!
25. @tommyismyname notes that we seem to be heading to a world where Minority Report seems kind of feasible. Normally, this would scare my wee pants off. However, Tommy writes about The Future of Marketing so well I’m almost kind of excited about it. Almost. 🙂
26. This post by Mark Dykeman is really really interesting – a game of “Where’s Waldo” with truly severe societal ramifications. Check out Develop your observational skills by spotting the photoshopping. Great post!
27. Jason Mikula did not rest on his laurels after last week’s fantastic post about Apple and customer service. This week, Jason analyzes a spectrum of Twitter customer service, then explains how companies can use Twitter to respond the right way. Give part 2 of Customer Service in the Social Media Era a read!
28. My friend Patrick Prothe wonders if there is room in business for kindness. This is a very detailed post, a mixture of helpful information and the human touch.
29. One great thing about my friend Maya (@MayaREGuru) is that she makes you want to jump up and save the world with her posts. Point of Ignition is no exception. I love reading uplifting blog posts like this!
30. I really thought this post by Chris Brogan, called Move On, was interesting. What is kind of a thorn in my business side (Social Media conferences) is like the kitchen table at home for him and many others. And yet, we all have a kitchen table somewhere, don’t we? What really matters, though, is what you do beyond it.
I Thought You’d Never Notice
This post is by Dawn Westerberg of Dawn Westerberg Consulting. You’ve heard me mention Dawn many times. She is a great teacher, she is passionate about business, and she practices what she preaches. In this post, Dawn reminds you how you can make sure you are putting your customers first.
This one stopped me in my tracks: More people are on the Do Not Call registry than voted in the last presidential election.
This country is absolutely united in our fervor to tune out one another’s marketing message. Avoidance wins in a landslide. Oh, Mirror in the Sky what is love, and, while you’re at it, what is a marketer to do?
Let them know that you are interested in their story before you begin telling your story. Or, put another way, get to know them first, and wait for them to ask you, “What is it again that you do?”
This really applies to anyone whose attention you want to have: prospects, customers, colleague, boss, prospective employer, influencer, Twitter friend. A sincere, gentle, appropriate curiosity is infinitely more attractive than a formulaic, hammering, forceful pitch.
On a scale of one to a hundred, if you lead with the pitch, the listening score on the part of your prospect is in the single digits if not zero. I’d be willing to bet on zero and that their thoughts are racing around devising all possible ways to detach themselves from your monologue. However, if you get to know them first, demonstrate that you are interested in their story, in their business – after they are done sharing, they are very likely to ask you “What is it again that you do?” When they ask the question, their focus is on your answer. They are actually listening. And with each follow up or clarifying question or comment, they are inching towards the right and double digit interest. Much better conditions for gaining mind share, don’t you think?
So how do you gain the information necessary to ask questions that demonstrate your sincere interest in them?
Google Alerts Set up a Google Alert on all customers, prospects and individuals as well as the industry or sector they serve. When you see something of general interest, you can send them a link with a personalized “I thought you might find this of interest” note. When you see that they have won a key account or an award, you can send a note of congratulations. When you see them quoted in an article, you can comment on the topic at hand. I really like this approach because I’ve found that 70 – 80 percent of the time they had not seen the article mentioning them or their company. It’s welcome news that lights up their day and you’re the one that brought it to their attention.
HARO, Help a Reporter Out Recently I signed up to be a “source” on this free site. Three times a day I receive summaries of the various stories reporters, writers and bloggers are seeking input. I read them first to see if any of my clients, prospects or referral partners would be qualified to respond (then I look for opportunities for me). So far, I have found three opportunities for prospects and two opportunities for clients. All five people that I contacted were very happy for the lead. Give to get.
Handwritten note I look for any opportunity to send a handwritten note. A card, hand addressed and stamped, tends to stand out from the rest of the pile. Often it is a repeat or continuation of a thought conveyed via email (with the link from my Google Alert reading or the tip on the HARO story). I include my business card in the notes. If there is an occasion for me to call instead of getting voicemail 80 percent of the time or being asked to leave a message, my call is getting through; and my handwritten note and email communications are always mentioned.
RT and a #FF It is a small kindness to ReTweet or give a Follow Friday mention on Twitter. Most of the time, the folks who are on my lists are new or not so active on Twitter. I look for their Tweets and look to provide encouragement in this very easy way.
Referral Because I do a lot of homework on the business of my contacts, I’m always on the lookout to provide them with referrals. Granted these opportunities are few and far between, but when you are actively looking for these opportunities, youíd be surprised how many instances present themselves.
Margie has written a lot about The 7 Habits here, and this post is probably an example of making deposits into the emotional bank account. More importantly, your relationships have at their foundation an attitude of service. What are the ways you demonstrate that you are willing to listen and learn in order to develop relationships?
Image Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/amminopurr
Maybe offline manners need fixing first
First, I must give credit where credit is due. I asked my Twitter friends what they thought I should write about. Instantaneously, @darleenw, @j2_whittington & @corpwriter4hire mentioned different aspects of politics as it meets Social Media. So, this is what I came up with for you guys especially 🙂
A few days ago, my family was discussing the political realm as it exists today, and we all agreed that it gets worse every election cycle. More and more 3rd parties are getting involved in ad development. More personal attacks that have nothing to do with politics are being made. Neither side is more or less guilty than the other. Things have happened over the last couple of years that seem hard to believe. Slapping, yelling, spitting, cursing – all by people who want to lead our country out of these hard times.
The Bad Manners Epidemic
The more I think about manners and etiquette, the more I see that common courtesy in general seems to be pretty lacking. Our leaders just highlight and underline this deficiency. It stuns me how many people will cut in front of another car, at a pedestrian cross-walk, to get to a parking space first. People almost never turn their brights off when they are right behind you or coming at you. Patience in banks and at stores seems to be at a low ebb.
With all of this going on, is it a surprise that many people don’t have good manners when it comes to Social Media?
If these are symptoms, what is our ailment?
I think a lot of people are trying to approach the cyber-bullying problem by trying to write up new legislation and regulations, but I don’t think that’s going to do the trick. I think we need to figure out where the shadow in the real world comes from first.
Why is it so easy for so many people to be rude? Why can we no longer argue with civility? Why are our leaders spitting on each other and telling each other that they are bad human beings? Maybe it’s about fear. Maybe there’s a greater sense of desperation than we are really accounting for. Maybe people need to feel important and powerful as their savings wastes away.
In a way, Social Media is like a screen capture, ever evolving, of what society is like right now. Right now, the big news in Social Media, along with Justin Bieber, is that people are dying because they are being abused on sites that are supposed to be used for Social Networking. What does that say about our society at large?
The Real Leader
I will say one thing about the current state of politics here in the US. I can’t think of a single person right now whom I feel comfortable with as a leader. Why? All of our leaders and leader wannabes are stooping to disgraceful acts of bullying. Is cattiness and bickering really going to put more money in our pockets? Is slamming stuff around and calling each other names really going to prevent anything from getting worse? I don’t see how it is so. I am waiting for the person who says, “Um, hey guys…our educational standards are faltering, our kids are suffering, people are dying from stuff that is preventable. Can we focus on that?” I don’t see anyone singing that song as of now. Maybe I’m missing it.
Rude is as rude does
In the meantime, is it really surprising that cyber-bullying is becoming a huge problem? If you teach kids that it’s okay to drive 75 miles through a residential area, how will they ever know any better? If you teach kids that it’s okay to make racist jokes on Twitter, or to “out” people of different sexual preferences via YouTube, how will they know better? If our nation’s leaders are bullying each other on national television, is it surprising that everyone thinks they have the green light to bully people online?
Maybe the first step towards ending cyber-bullying is to follow the advice given so aptly by the cult classic Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. “Be good to each other.” (and party on, dudes!). I nominate all of our political party participants to set that new example.
Somehow, I don’t think Election Day 2010 will bring that revolution. Stay tuned.
10 Tricks for Twitter Newbies
Looking back on how I got started with Twitter, and then digging back into how to get started via these tutorials I’ve been doing, I have come to realize there are a few pieces of advice I would give without question to any new Twitterers. These are things that don’t seem to get a whole lot of attention, but I believe they are quite integral to getting started on the right foot. I wish I had known this when I was getting started! So, here you go. Ten Tricks for Twitter Newbies!
1. Do not depend on the people Twitter recommends for you: When I got started on Twitter, I clicked on the “business” category and went down the list, clicking “follow follow follow.” I thought, “OK, so if Fast Company *and* the Wall Street Journal retweet me in one day, I’ll be on my way. This is I think a common approach, but the recommendations Twitter makes are based on sheer numbers. It is difficult to get attention from those accounts because they are already being followed by thousands of people. This can make your journey seem discouraging.
2. Learn how to search for and participate in chats: I can’t emphasize enough how important I think chats are for getting plugged in with people of a like mind. When you hear about a chat, all you have to do is search for it in the search bar (#xyzchat). Participate, don’t just lurk. Even if you find just one comment to respond to at first, you’ll be getting to know people who have similar interests.
3. Do not worry about numbers: I know this is really hard. I’ve detailed many times how I used to watch my followers number like a hawk watches a family of mice. When you begin, numbers really don’t matter. You are looking for quality people to talk to and network with. When you are on your way, numbers matter even less 🙂
4. Do not worry about the silent treatment: It’s not you. People could easily see hundreds of tweets in just a couple of minutes. If they don’t know who you are, they will probably not respond at first. This is why chats are really important – people are in a conversation and you can jump on in. Find someone you can chat with, and eventually people will start responding. However, a little secret – most people don’t get responses to most of the tweets they do.
5. Have an avatar picture: People will feel more compelled to talk to you if they can see your face!
6. Fill out your bio: Fill your bio with a combination of important keywords and a touch of personality. Let people know that you’re not a bot…you’re a real person whom they should get to know.
7. Learn how to link: Linking is really important. You need to be able to do this for linking people to your blog, to a funny video, or to other posts you like. I cover this in my Twitter basics tutorial, btw…or ask me for help 🙂
8. Add comments to your retweets: It’s easy to just hit the retweet button and think you’re being engaging, but to really start showing your personality, add a one or two-word intro to your retweets, even if it’s just, “Great post.”
9. Promote others: Do this carefully and authentically. If you see a tweet or a post you really like, let someone know. If someone is newer than you and they just hit a milestone, lift them up. Participate in Follow Friday (#FF) but do it with thought. Instead of just listing lots of big names to try to get attention, list 1 person you genuinely enjoy following. Maybe it’s someone you met at your first chat or someone who wrote a post you really enjoyed.
10. Ask questions: Using Twitter is like driving a car. After awhile, you just start doing things and you don’t really think about it. It’s easy to forget how much there is to learn, and people will take it for granted that you just know how to do everything. Ask questions. You may not get a response at first, but that’s okay. When I was first getting started, new people like me would often say, “Yeah, I want to know that too!” You can meet people who have the same question as much as people who have the answer (and never be afraid to direct questions to me @margieclayman)
If you are new to Twitter, I hope you find these tricks useful. If you’re not so new, what would your ten tricks be for getting started?