You’re cranking out some solid blog posts for your company. And you’ve just convinced the boss to let you set up a Twitter account and a Facebook fan page, too. But the boss is worried it’ll take up too much time, and she asks: “Can you automatically update Twitter and Facebook with our new blog posts?” Yes, you can. Here’s how to do it reliably and for free.

Update: When I wrote this post, the method outlined in the post was the way to go – at that time. In the past several months, the social application HootSuite has evolved significantly and will take care of all this for you. I recommend trying Hootsuite first, and only messing with the following information if you have special needs.

This method will allow you to link out of Facebook’s walled garden and get maximum traffic for your publishing efforts.

Step 1: Getting RSS Updates Automatically Posted to Twitter

Twitterfeed is a handy, free website & application that will “feed your blog to Twitter.”

1. Go to Twitterfeed. Sign up for an account. Verify and login.
2. Click “Create New Feed” button

3. Click “Connect your feed to your Twitter account” button. Enter your (company) username and password on Twitter’s site and click “Allow.”
4. Enter in a name for your blog’s feed, and enter the RSS feed URL.
5. Click on “Advanced Settings” and you can choose the hourly update frequency, URL shorteners, titles, suffixes, etc.

It might take a couple of hours to get working. Once going, it’s fairly reliable unless Twitter goes down or has API issues. Check the stream every few days to make sure all is well.

Step 2: Getting Twitter Updates (‘tweets’) Automatically Posted to a FB Fan Page

Once you have your content automatically posted to Twitter, via Twitterfeed, you can then have it automatically piped to your Facebook fan page with a free (donation supported) application called “Selective Twitter Status.” Whenever you tweet with the hashtag #fb – (example: “666 Signs You’re NOT a Social Media Expert – http://bit.ly/poser #fb“) – Selective Twitter Status will selectively grab that tweet and post it onto your FB fan page. Here’s how to hook it up:

1. Go to “Selective Twitter Status” when you’re logged into FB.
2. Enter your (company) Twitter username and “allow” the pop-up permission to post updates.
3. Click on the “Your Fan Pages” tab and enter the (company) Twitter name next to the page you want updated. Click “save changes.”

4. Open up another browser tab and log back in to Twitterfeed.
5. On the main Feed Dashboard, click the oval “Edit Feed” button.
6. In the box marked “Post Suffix,” enter #fb.
   

   
   This tells Twitterfeed to put these characters at the end of each tweet, so that FB’s Selective Twitter Status will “selectively” post this new content to your FB fan page. This way you are free to chat with people and tweet random things, but only the actual blog posts marked with #fb will be rebroadcast on Facebook.

(Note #1: Facebook has a new built-in application that will allow you to update your Twitter feed from your FB page, which can be handy for some people. Check it out. But personally I don’t want to log into Facebook everyday and tinker around with the clunky interface and endless distractions – I want fully-automatic updates.)

(Note #2: Facebook has a popular, built-in application called “Notes” – that will easily import your blog content and/or pictures onto your fan page – and keep people stuck in Facebook’s walled garden. But as a marketer, I want to drive people out of Facebook and onto my clients’ pages – and I want to post external links.)

What If I Don’t Want the #FB Tag to Show Up On My Tweets?

The Selective Twitter Status app requires that you put the tag #FB on all tweets you want to show up on your Facebook Fan Page. This can look a little ugly, and it can slightly discourage people from sharing or retweeting the content. Here’s how I get around having a visible #FB tag on all my blog post tweets:

1. Make two Twitter accounts. Have your “main” one with the preferred username and nice background, and a secondary “dummy” account with a random username. (The purpose of the “dummy” account is just to update Facebook – it doesn’t matter who follows it.)
2. Make two Twitterfeed accounts. Have the first Twitterfeed account update your main account, and under “advanced settings” make sure it does not add any prefixes to the tweets for a nice, clean look. Have the second Twitterfeed account pipe your RSS feed to the “dummy” Twitter account and make sure the “#fb” prefix is added to every tweet.
3. Go into Facebook, click the “Application” option in the extreme bottom left bar of the screen – and find Selective Twitter Status or just click this link.
4. Set up the Selective Twitter Status application so that the dummy account, with all of the posts marked #fb by Twitterfeed, gets piped into the fan page of your choice.

Hooray! Now you’re pimpin’ the power of Web 2.0 – and you have one Twitterfeed account feeding beautiful links to your main Twitter account, and a secondary Twitterfeed account feeding #fb-tagged RSS updates to your dummy Twitter account… which all gets imported straight to your Facebook fan page – free of tags and noise!

If this sounds a little complex, it is, but for me it works well. I get an RSS feed turned into clean, clickable links that are broadcast out on Twitter and FB automagically. If you have a monthly budget, you might want to investigate Involver – which claims to offer premium features for FB page fan management – or explore other apps.

Good luck and let me know what you find or discover in the comments below!

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Social media isn’t really “new.” While it has only recently become part of mainstream culture and the business world, people have been using digital media for networking, socializing and information gathering – almost exactly like now – for over 30 years:

The Phone Phreaking Era (1950’s – Early 90’s)

Early phreaks on “phone trip” to tinker with payphones – image: Mark Bernay (@phonetrips)        

Social media didn’t start with computers, it was born on “line” – on the phone. Phone phreaking, or the rogue exploration of the telephone network, started to gain momentum in the 1950’s. Phone phreaks weren’t motivated by fraud, but rather, they were technophiles and information addicts trapped in a telecom monopoly long before Skype or “free nights and weekends” existed. (Calling a friend in another state could rack up a $40/hr charge.)

These early social media explorers built “boxes“… homemade electronic devices that could generate tones allowing them to make free calls and get access to the experimental back end of the telephone system. Phreaks sniffed out telephone company test lines and conference circuits in order to host virtual seminars and discussions.

Apple Co-founders Steve Jobs (left) and Steve Wozniak (right) phreaking with homemade blueboxes – image: woz.org

The first real “blogs” / “podcasts” took place on hacked corporate voice mail systems called “codelines,” where phone phreaks would hack into unused mailboxes and set up shop until they were discovered and kicked out. You’d call a corporate 1-800 number, enter an extension and hear recorded audio broadcasts packed with social greetings and useful phone phreaking content: hacked calling card codes to make free calls, “bridges” (audio conference call lines), and plugs for other codelines. You could leave your comments and information as a voice mail, and the phreak would likely respond to you in his next update.

The first “tweetup” type social media events were 2600 meetings. I fondly remember my first one in 1993… in the back of a Ft. Lauderdale bowling alley… with lots of fast food, stolen Bellsouth telephone equipment and industrial music-influenced fashion.

Bulletin Board Systems (BBS’s) – (1979 – 1995)

image: Robert Watson

The first BBS or electronic “Bulletin Board System” was developed and was opened to the public in 1979 by Ward Christensen. The first BBSes were small servers powered by personal computers attached to a telephone modem, where one person at a time could dial in and get access. BBSes had social discussions on message boards, community-contributed file downloads, and online games.

The early BBSes had no colors or graphics, but with the advent of MS-DOS 3.0, a predecessor of HTML called ANSI was used to make colors and underground online artwork.

In the 1980’s, the social media scene had a very edgy, underground flavor. There were some legitimate BBSes that offered “shareware” only, but a fair percentage of them had secret “adult” or pirate software rooms in the back. Many were strictly underground – dedicated exclusively to niches like warez (pirated software), H/P (explicit hacking and phreaking information discussion), Anarchy (articles on fraud, bomb making, drug chemistry), and Virus code for download. “Handles” or online pseudonyms were the norm. Real names were closely guarded and generally only revealed to real-life friends (or in the newspaper story when someone got arrested).

Commercial Online Services (1979 – 2001)

Prodigy offered a clean-shaven, moderated social networking environment in the early 90s

Online services, like Prodigy and Compuserve, were the first large scale corporate attempts to bring an interactive, “social” online experience to the masses. Online services rose to popularity concurrently along with BBSes and catered to a more corporate and mainstream-home-user kind of set. They offered a safe, moderated environment for social networking and discussions.

CompuServe was infamous for the high cost ($6 per hour, plus long-distance telephone adding up to almost $30/hr.) – but it offered the first online chat system called CB simulator in 1980. The first real-life wedding from a couple who met via real-time internet chat happened shortly thereafter and was featured on the Phil Donahue show. Prodigy launched nationwide in 1990, growing quickly in popularity for its color interface and lower cost.

AOL brought the social features on the web into the mainstream.

Later, America Online (AOL) gained critical mass with aggressive CD promotions and direct mail campaigns. AOL also did one of the most epic product placements of all time in the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail!” starring Tom Hanks – bringing “social” online culture and romance into the Hollywood mainstream.

The Dawn of the Word Wide Web – 1991

The internet existed since the late 1960s, as a network, but the world wide web became publicly available on August 6th, 1991.

The Well was a Bay Area BBS that evolved into an ISP and web community.

At the beginning of the 90s, internet access was available only to those with legitimate with university / government / military connections (and to hackers). But around 1994 or 1995, private internet service providers (ISPs) began to pop up in most major metro areas in the United States. This gave millions of home users the chance to enjoy unfiltered, unlimited online experiences. Usenet was the first center for most of the high-end discussion – but early internet users were extremely outspoken and opinionated by today’s standards. The first online social media etiquette standards were proposed, and called netiquette, as a reactionary to stop the rampant flaming and keep things somewhat civilized.

By the late 90’s internet forums grew in popularity and began replacing Usenet and BBSes as the primary nexus for topical discussions.

IRC, ICQ and Instant Messenger

IRC was a popular way to chat and share links in the 90s

People have been addicted to “tweeting” their real-time status updates (using hash tags (#) and at-signs (@)) for over 20 years. IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, was created in August 1988 by Jarkko Oikarinen. It was notably used to break news on the Soviet coup attempt during the media blackout and keep tabs on the first Gulf War. Many people stayed logged into IRC constantly… using it to share links, files and keep in touch with their global network – they same way Twitter is used today.

ICQ technology raised many important questions, such as: “What R U wearing?”

IRC clients were primarily UNIX-based… but in 1996 four Israeli technologists invented the instant messenger (IM) system for desktop computers called ICQ . This was quickly purchased by AOL and it became a mainstream hit. IM technology helped developed the emotional lexicon of social media, with avatars (expressive images to represent yourself), abbreviations (A/S/L? = age, sex, location?) and emotion icons (or emoticons).

P2P – BitTorrent – and “Social” Media Sharing

The “Summer of Music” in 1999 after Napster’s debut was an exciting time for music consumers.

Napster… a peer-to-peer filesharing application that went live in June 1999, marked an radical shift of distribution power from record companies to the consumer. I’ll never forget the (unprecedented) technological thrill of downloading an album in .MP3, burning it to CD on an external $500 drive, and playing it in my car. Music started to freely flow across the internet at an astonishing pace, stripped of hype and payola… on the merit of real people’s tastes and personal collections. The online music party raged through 1999 and 2000 (just like the tech stocks), until it was declared “illegal” and Napster was forced to filter out all the copyrighted content.

Competing peer-to-peer applications like Limewire took Napster’s place – until BitTorrent technology arrived and provided a robust, centralized way to share files without being blocked. The Swedish website The Pirate Bay became a cult online destination for “social” media distribution.

Social Networking & Social News Websites

The first social networking website was SixDegrees which let people make profiles and connect with friends in 1997. This kind of interactive, social web application style became popularly known as “Web 2.0” and it really gained momentum with Friendster around 2002-3.. followed by MySpace (2004 – 2006) and then Facebook (2007 -> ).

Digg gives people a constant, community-filtered stream of potent & engaging content.

Slashdot got famous for generating tons of traffic and buzz around its editor-picked stories, but the modern social news revolution took off when Digg gained critical mass in late 2006 and sites like StumbleUpon and Reddit followed. Delicious became popular as a way to share bookmarks of static pages.

The Real-Time Statusphere & Location-based Social Web (2008 – ???)

Twitter is a form of communication that people needed, even though they didn’t ask for it.

The big trend on the web is moving away from static “pages” and into real-time stream of status updates on what is hot and happening right now.

Location-based software will unlock the mobile experience to its full potential.

The iPhone was the tipping point for hardware, a functional mobile web browser after a decade of delayed hopes and false promises from other manufacturers. Location-based social networking sites like BrightKite allow people to use their mobile devices to “check in” at public locations and be seen by other network members who are physically close by, and let people to transcend the awkward social taboos against interacting with strangers in public places.

Google is trying to build an indispensable, real-time social web app with Wave.

What’s around the corner? No one can say for sure, but Google’s Wave looks like a promising new tool to bring productivity to real-time social media… allowing people to actively co-create and collaborate on projects, documents and events… not just announce them.

——–

What’s your history with social media? What were the most exciting moments and milestones on your own personal journey?

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Ever feel like there’s too many cards in your wallet, or way too many accounts and passwords to remember online? You’re not alone. Even the most die-hard social media users experience registration fatigue and sometimes don’t want to sign up for “yet another account.” But if you have the right attitude and a simple system for managing all your personal social media accounts, you can dive deep into the social web without getting tangled in it:

• Set up a dedicated “social” e-mail account.



Once you’re signed up on lots of sites, you’ll start to get dozens of e-mail notifications per day, and it can feel like “spam overload” when mixed in with your personal messages. Therefore, I recommend setting up a dedicated social Gmail account just for site registration and notifications. I keep tabs on my “social e-mail account” with a POP e-mail reader that can easily be turned off when I’m working or don’t want to be distracted every time someone follows me on Twitter, etc.

• Register early, before your name is taken.



As soon as you hear any genuine buzz about a new site, sign up for it right away – even if you don’t have the time or interest to explore it. This will make sure you get your choice of username, and it will start aging your account and making it look more legitimate when you get active. UsernameCheck is a handy tool that will show where your username is available and where it’s not. KnowEm offers a subscription service to automatically register your name on 120+ social sites.

• DO use the same username and picture everywhere.



People are blitzed with thousands of new online names and faces every month. Make it easy for people to remember you by using the same name and the same avatar (picture icon) on each site. This way you can carry the personal brand you build up on one site over to the others.

• DON’T use the same password everywhere.



Social media accounts are increasingly valuable and they get hacked all the time. Therefore, it’s foolish to use the same password everywhere. I recommend using a simple password algorithm based on the individual site, something like: “first 4 letter of your name + last 3 letters in the sites name + a numeral showing the number of letters in the domain” or “last 3 letters of the domain spelled backwards twice, plus your favorite number” – this would deter all but the most die-hard cracker. Make sure you fill out the security question and pay special attention to security on valuable accounts like Google and Twitter.

• Use automatic form-filling tools.



Professional form-filling tools like RoboForm (Windows) or 1Password (OS X) automatically fill in your username, age, zip code, phone number, etc., — with a single click — when you register for a new site. (Plus they can also auto-generate a complex, unique password for each site and automatically enter it for you.)

• Compile and print a physical “list of accounts”



Make a spreadsheet with all your social media passwords and logins… especially the “vital” stuff like system, router and hosting passwords. Store it securely on your computer and also keep a physical, printed hard copy. While you might not think you’ll need it, accidents and memory lapses happen over the years.

• Embrace OpenID.



OpenId is a open-source protocol designed to greatly simplify registration and password hassles. You can log into a 3rd party site like Mixx using your Yahoo, Google or Facebook password. Using and supporting OpenID helps evolve the web past all these the “multiple account and password” headaches.



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]]> http://socialmediarockstar.com/tips-for-managing-multiple-social-media-accounts/feed 160 http://socialmediarockstar.com/how-to-stay-near-the-cutting-edge http://socialmediarockstar.com/how-to-stay-near-the-cutting-edge#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 17:00:41 +0000 Brett Borders http://socialmediarockstar.com/?p=2680

It’s fairly easy to get started in social media. But constantly learning, expanding, and evolving your skills as the social software universe expands is harder. A doctor or architect’s tools and materials might change every several years… but the social media game changes every several months.



Homouroboros Art installation – Burning Man Festival 2007. image: Tristan Savatier

Social Media’s “Upward Progressive Spiral”

Why does it move so fast? Technology (especially social software) is driven by what cyberneticists and biologists call positive feedback. It never returns to a steady state but constantly seeks a new equilibrium at a higher energy level. Unlike family life and politics – which tend to operate in cycles – technology is driven by upward spiraling, “progressive” current with infinite tangents and no brakes or down time. As the online population expands, so does the number of new problems and individual desires — along with the number of new engineers and innovators expanding the space. The digital universe starts to pop “off the chart” rather quickly.

Neophobes vs. Neophiles



A neophile at Burning Man 2005. Image: Tristan Savatier                  

According to cyber-philosopher Robert Anton Wilson, there are two basic types of human minds. Neophobes are the traditional majority who instinctively dislike new things and change – because they associate new experiences as “unsafe” or anxiety producing. They do well in traditional professions, conservative religions and political movements, law enforcement, military and government bureaucracies. Neophiles are people who like new ideas, technologies and experiences. Social media adepts are digital neophiles – people who have evolved high-bandwidth, multi-tasking minds. Their ravenous information addiction and lust for novelty spurs to them to learn new technologies quickly – for the immediate gratification and positive feedback it brings them.

Tips For Staying Mentally Fresh, Flexible and Vigilant

If you discovered this article through social media, you’re probably already a neophile and an early-adopter. But you are now being blitzed with more new information to digest than any other human in history, at a faster pace. Unless you can step past the “normal human” mode and train your mind to keep expanding and adopting new ideas and tools, without getting stuck or lazy… you run the risk of burning out and fading into irrelevance in a few short years. Here are some tips for finding and embracing important ideas and trends early on:

• Follow Trendsetters

Find a handful of people you think of as “more advanced” than yourself, and closely follow them on Twitter and FriendFeed. Pay special attention to the tools they’re using, the sources they’re reading and how they work and manage their online lives. Integrate the best of it into your work flow, but don’t just blindly copy people because they are famous.

• Adopt Early

Whenever you first pick up on genuine buzz about a new tool or online destination, go check it out ASAP. Don’t be a laggard and wait until all your friends are pressuring you to join, because you’ll be too to late to get noticed (and your username will be taken). Subscribe to RSS feeds of blogs like Read Write Web, TechCrunch or Mashable and skim the headlines every day.

• Dedicate Ample Time for Learning

If you’re not spending a sizable percentage of your time learning and exploring new tools, you’re probably falling behind and sabotaging yourself. Sacrifice some of your workday (and some nights and weekends) – or sacrifice your career. Social media isn’t “traditional” work and you can’t be expected to keep grinding away on profit-producing projects, like a secretary or a shoe repair guy, for 40 hours a week and stay current.

• Balance Consumption with Production

Social media can be just as mind-numbing as the TV “boob tube,” and it can be even more addictive and time-wasting. It all depends on how you use it. In principle, I try and spend a good portion of my time online producing or creating something – new blog content, videos, code, new business and connections. Sure, it’s important to surf and keep tuned in to social media “pop culture” – but draw the line at some point… and use the blast of information and inspiration to create something other people will enjoy. It’ll will get your mind in “the zone.”

• Play Video Games

Video games are a easy way to interactively play with a new digital reality or interface, and I’ve found it can help keep my mind limber for “cracking” into new projects, sites and strategy puzzles. (If you like puzzles, check out World of Goo – it’s the best game I’ve played since I was a kid).

• Attend Technology Conferences

Going to tech conferences is a great way to break out of your usual online routine and get confronted with new ideas and people that you would never encounter in front of your keyboard. Get it straight with your boss that you are a true professional who is interested in learning and development. If your employer won’t pay, start by going to local events and meetups… and invest your own money into going to one or two bigger conferences each year instead of vacation. The connections you’ll make can pave the way for brighter employment and business possibilities.

• Go to Burning Man

Burning Man is a annual festival where over 40,000 tech-savvy neophiles gather in the desert of Nevada, build a futuristic city, and then burn it down at the end of the week. This exuberant celebration of creativity, psychedelics, high technology, sexuality, human potential and extreme-cutting-edge art inspires people to transcend psychological limits and think bigger than ever before. Larry and Sergy raged at Burning Man in ‘99 right before Google went big: Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

• Transcend Limits with Athletic or Spiritual Practices

Doing high-intensity physical activities like surfing, snowboarding and trekking adventures helps loosen my mind and push it to new levels of awareness and receptivity. The oxygen, adrenaline and endorphin quiets the noise and clutter in the mind, making it cleaner, calmer and more “open.” In a different way, meditation and prayer can do the same thing.

• Equalize Your Brain Hemispheres

I’m mostly a left-brain person who enjoys verbal tasks like selling and writing… and I have a harder time getting deep into analytical and numeric stuff. But I notice I feel significantly more balanced and “tuned in” after I challenge myself with some right-brain stuff like spreadsheets, bookkeeping and code. Don’t try and ignore or delegate every task you don’t love – take a crack at it. It will allow you to see hidden details and opportunities you otherwise would have blinders to.

• NEVER Get Complacent

The second you get intellectually lazy and feel like you know “enough” – and there’s no more effort you can make at processing and discovering – is the second you start to go downhill. Whenever you notice that you’re stagnating or getting stuck in a routine, take a break and then try one of the above things on this list to break out of it and keep on going.

Enjoy the Ride



Riding an art car at Burning Man. image: Ryanicus

Actually innovating and being on the cutting edge takes uncommon levels of intuition and creative inspiration – beyond the scope of this blog post – but I believe that almost anyone can learn to stay “near” the cutting edge with the right attitude.

Social media is a challenging game to play… But it’s creative work that is, to me, far more exciting than most other professions. So be grateful, be nimble, be playful, and strive to stay near the cutting edge… the rewards are great and the possibilities are infinite!



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]]> http://socialmediarockstar.com/how-to-stay-near-the-cutting-edge/feed 89 http://socialmediarockstar.com/10-simple-ways-to-show-kindness-online http://socialmediarockstar.com/10-simple-ways-to-show-kindness-online#comments Tue, 05 May 2009 14:56:44 +0000 Brett Borders http://socialmediarockstar.com/?p=2547
S

ome of the top social media “rockstars” come across as incredibly nice people. They’ve cultivated a conscious, polished online interaction style that makes other people feel included, welcome, important and appreciated. An “aura of awesomeness” is crowned upon them, in part, because their fans feel good after interacting with them.



DL says, “Showing kindness makes others feel good, while building up your personal brand equity.” image: Upaya

Being in front of a computer all day can feel quite isolating. People turn to social media for human connection and solace… so they respond exceptionally well to warm, personal, supportive signals. Being kind costs nothing, it’s easier to do online than in real life, and it’ll score you major bonus points:

1. Say it With a Smile



You can add a emoticon, or emotion icon, to almost any statement and make it seem more positive or expressive. You don’t have to start typing like a Japanese schoolgirl who’s obsessed with Hello Kitty , but if you find the occasional place where you can add some positive vibe your Tweet or IM with a smile, go for it. =)

2. Praise and Show Affection



Everyone responds well to sincere praise. Telling someone “Nice blog!” or “great question!” or “You rock!” usually creates a warm, fuzzy feeling on a cellular level. If you’re sure it’s appropriate, adding a cybernetic expression of physical affection like “*hugs*” “xoxo” or even a Borat-style “High five!” can make someone feel special.

3. Use Terms of Endearment



Using a term of endearment tells someone you consider them a member of your online ‘inner circle.’ “Bro,” “mate,” “dude,” “brother,” “buddy,” “bud” or “man” is what guys use. Girls call each other “sister,” “girlfriend,” “chica,” “hun,” and even “dude” (!), according to @KezzaMcDezza and @Linguna.

4. Respond to Everyone



Anytime someone reaches out to you by name, it shows they’re thinking about you and trying to make a connection. As the size of your network starts to grow, it becomes exponentially harder to respond to everyone who mails, comments or replies to you – but you should still try to respond. You can save time by talking to multiple people in @replies, and responding to comments & unsolicited e-mails very briefly… “Thanks for writing. Gosh, I have no idea how to fix that problem… Best of luck!”

5. Express Your Appreciation & Thanks



Thanking people for little things like e-mailing you, retweeting you, inquiring about business, or even asking a question — is an easy way to brand yourself as a gracious, approachable person. Power users like @cheth,@sharonhayes and @zaibatsu have built up large, responsive followings — in part — by thanking people.

6. Agree With People



When someone feels strongly enough to state their opinion in public, they are oftentimes looking for a little validation and support. Letting someone know when you agree with them is a thoughtful and effortless to strengthen your connection.

7. Make Other People Look Good



Everyone wants to be around someone who highlights the good works of others. You’ll create a strong bond with the person who is recognized and it makes you seem like a chivalrous ‘good guy’ to others. Win win.

8. Help Other People “Get It”



“Want big points in my book? Be the person who helps a community of others get it, too,” says Chris Brogan. Offer to freely help other people figure out technical challenges or “learn the ropes” on a new site or service – and they will feel chock full of gratitude every time they see your name or avatar. They’ll be sure to help you next time you need it.

9. Avoid Negativity, Hostility, Criticism and Snark



It can be tempting to take a quick dig at someone you disagree with or slam something that seems wrong. You might score a few points from sympathizers, but others — who probably won’t speak up – will unconsciously associate you with negativity. They’ll begin to see you as crank or bad-mouther who isn’t safe to trust or connect with. Think before you hit “send” or “enter.”



“I have a snappy wit and a tongue that can be razor sharp. But I never forget the venue and never forget that this is a public forum. So I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I treat others as I’d want to be treated,” says @ShellyKramer.

10. Keep Your Promises



Be sincere. If you say you’re going to do something online, it’s a written contract. Do it. If you don’t you’ll score definite “negative points” to the people who were expecting you to come through. If you can’t follow through with something that will be (unfairly) implied or expected of you, say so upfront: “I’m releasing this free guide ‘as is’ and don’t have time to update it.”

Kindness Does Not Equal ‘Fakeness’

This isn’t to say that everyone must always be a cheerful Mr. Rogers with no personality or edge — you should be yourself. But be conscious of how you come across to others (who might not know you so well). I’ve noticed that a majority of people like to follow those who show friendly strength: intelligence, knowledge and authority + kindness, humility and tact.

Kindness isn’t fakeness. It’s a powerful, civilized way of showing consideration for others, first, in order to earn their respect. It’s easy to do: try it and see how far it will get you!



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Social Media Rockstar Runs on Thesis Theme for Wordpress



Thesis is an easy-to-customize, premium Wordpress theme that comes with full technical support. The beautiful style and pixel-perfect typography makes your writing look more polished and professional. If you’re serious about blogging and you want to focus more on your writing and do less hassling with PHP code… then check out the Thesis theme for Wordpress now! – Brett

]]> http://socialmediarockstar.com/10-simple-ways-to-show-kindness-online/feed 6580 http://socialmediarockstar.com/wayne-sutton-interview http://socialmediarockstar.com/wayne-sutton-interview#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:27:38 +0000 Brett Borders http://socialmediarockstar.com/?p=732


Wayne Sutton is a social media professional with a huge passion for both people and technology. He is also a top 100 Twitter user, a podcaster, technology trainer, blogger and a speaker on the national conference circuit (including SXSW).

Tell us a little bit about your current work?

“I’m a social media strategy and technology evangelist. I help companies bring their business online, grow their brand and use social media as a customer support application — finding the right tools they can use to grow their business.



 


I’ve launched a new blog called SocialWayne. A lot of blogs talk about social media, but I want to talk about how to actually use the tools. I’ve got WayneSutton.TV where I have a worldwide internet television show.. interviewing people and exploring the industry. Also, TweetShops, or Twitter workshops for everyday people. Everyone is talking about Twitter… I say, if they don’t ruin it with their business model, give it 3 months and there’s gonna be a mainstream Twitter explosion.”

Social media gives us literally thousands of new ways to connect. How is this interconnectedness gonna change the game?

‘Social media is about two things: relationships and conversations. New media just gives us the tools to build these relationships and have these conversations at a whole new level… a world-wide level. For businesspeople, this is an important way to communicate with associates. And it’s a way to get people to talk about your business over the internet!

Especially in the media and news industry – which are really hurting for sales right now – (some) are using social media to re-strategize their business model. And to find new ways to communicate with their community that they never had before. A lot of people in the news industry think ‘Broadcast! Broadcast! Broadcast!‘ Well, now, it’s about the conversation and the community. So you build this community, you have this conversation online and then you broadcast that… and this builds your relationship, with trust, and you bring back your audience when you have your next show or broadcast.



 

(Social media) can have a good return on investment. Dell has made over $1,000,000 in revenue using Twitter. They reached out and listened to what people were saying on Twitter about their brand and their product, and they pitched sales on Twitter, as well. You don’t have to be Dell… you could be a local computer shop in Raleigh, North Carolina. I can post updates about my life, business and sales.. listen to what people are saying about certain keywords and trends… and then easily reach out to those people because they are potential clients and customers of mine. That’s just one example of how social media tools can help businesses…”

You have over 11,000 followers on Twitter. What’s your secret to winning friends and influencing people?

“I was an early adopter: #847 to sign up for Twitter. That was a big advantage. I used to be featured on the Twitter homepage when it first got started.

At first, I used to tweet a whole lot. I asked, ‘What would happen if I were to post 100 Tweets a day?‘ A couple people wrote back and said they’d unfollow me – but the exact opposite happened. The community was so techy, so early and so new… I got a good start. Other people signed up and they’d see my profile and follow me. Soon, I started listening to other people, listening to the conversation… sharing information and building relationships. Twitter is the site for building relationships. I shared information about my life, my marriage, about my favorite team (UNC), about clients and my favorite shows…



“I looooove NASCAR, go-karts and going fast!” says (Lil) Wayne.

But because Twitter was an early tech community, I posted a lot of information about technology. I was always a heavy technology person, ya know… I was blogging before it was called “social media”.. podcasting before YouTube got big. So I became a resource to some people. Some people would tweet ‘Wayne’s a great person to follow if you wanna learn about X or Y…’ And as the technology community grew, then my following grew

Now that I have 11,000 (followers), I have to change my structure. I did a poll recently… and most people want to learn about blogging, Wordpress and getting Twitter followers. So, I listen and try to provide the type of information that they want.”

What’s the most challenging part of having so many connections?

“The first word that comes to my mind is: expectations. Professionally, I help people establish a personal branding line, and I’ve done that for myself, also. But, by building my personal brand… I’ve been put into categories with famous people like Chris Brogan or Problogger – and I just don’t think I’m in the same category with those guys. I have a long way to go. But there’s still expectations.



image: Flickr

I get between 50 to 100 direct messages a day. Some are from people that everybody knows, others are people I’ve never heard of in my life. A lot of conversation happens behind the scenes. I try my best to respond back…

People are like, ‘Oh, you’re an internet celebrity!’ and I’m like, ‘Nah… I’m just a guy who tweets a lot.’ A friend recently made a really good point: if Twitter goes down, how am I gonna stay in contact with all my followers? I just launched a new blog (without all my followers there yet) – so that’s a big challenge! I want the people who follow me on Twitter to read my blog and have the same type of relationship with them. And that’s a challenge.”

What part of the social media lifestyle do you hate the most?

“One of the hardest things is the time. There are moments where I just want to step away. I think about ‘Why am I doing this?,’ and ‘What is this all for?’



Maintaining a social media presence takes lots of time. image: Håkan Dahlström

Not from a business standpoint – I do this because it’s my job… but there are times, on a personal level… where you wonder ‘Is all this really worth it?’ and ‘Where is the retirement in social media?‘

When you think of it in terms of ‘time investment‘ vs. ‘What am I getting out of it?‘ – it can be challenging. Because it takes time. Unless you’re Shaquille O’Neal… who just comes on Twitter and gets 27,000 instant followers. If he wrote a blog post right now, he could easily get 10,000 to 15,000 people to read it.”

What are the biggest etiquette mistakes you see people making on social media?

“On Twitter, I think people try to follow too much and post too much content.. without actually listening to what other people are saying… and without thinking about what their target audience wants. Basically, not engaging in the conversation.

Also people don’t spend enough time setting up their profile, not making it easy for people to know who you are and what you do. It goes back to relationships. There’s so much content online right now… you have to make it easy for people to remember you.



Social media takes real work. A half-baked effort is likely to fail.

Look at what Barack Obama did using social media: he raised a half billion dollars. But the thing is, unless you’re a strong, worldwide brand with lots and lots of money… or a famous celebrity… it’s gonna take work. So just putting something up, posting a few tweets… putting up a Facebook fan page and join MySpace… if you think you can do 1, 2 or 3 things and it’ll all work – you’re setting yourself up to fail. It’s gonna take time to build an effective social media campaign, there’s no simple strategy – it’s gonna take trial and error. And lots of research and listening.”

Which social media producers / publishers / thought leaders do you admire the most? Who is worth paying attention to?

“I could almost break it down into categories. In social media, you’ve got Jason Keath, Chris Brogan and Jeremiah Owyang. In blogging, I’ve got passion for what Pete Cashmore and the Mashable guys are doing. Also Kip Bodnar (on twitter) he’s a really smart guy who I think doesn’t get enough credit for his contribution to the social media world.

I look up to Gary Vaynerchuck of WineLibrary.tv. Also 1938 Media: I’m a fan of his work and his passion to continue with success. I’ve done some video with Robert Scoble and I’m a fan of his work as well. Also Loic from Seesmic.

There’s some up and coming local folks like Jason Keath (jakrose on Twitter), who I mentioned before. I met him at a Wordcamp in Charlotte and we had a great social media conversation last Friday… I think he has potential to become the next Chris Brogan. And Justin Ruckman – I think he’s gonna be the next rockstar designer that the world is gonna know about. I think he recently did some business cards for Guy Kawasaki.



MC Hammer rapping at the San Francisco Digg meetup.

I just spoke with MC Hammer on a podcast with TalkSocialNews.com — and I literally was blown away. Not saying that I didn’t expect him to be techy, ‘cuz I knew he was a smart guy. Look at what he’s accomplished in his life – and despite his bankruptcy, he’s still standing. But I didn’t know he was a super geek. His passion for technology and the music industry blew me away!

And there’s just no way I could leave out Louis Gray. I think Louis is the next Jerimah Owyang or the next Jason Calacanis.”

What point of success will you think “I’ve really made it big time!”

“Wow!… When I’m on the stage, on a panel.. with GaryVee, Michael Arrington and Jeremiah Owyang… talking about online technology… and I’m either pitching my company or talking about something I’ve done online… or I’m up there because of my experience… at that point, I know I’ll have made it.



 

Either that, or… when I can stay home but I have a business that is employing 10+ people and they’re all taken care of financially.. and I know that we’re gonna be in business for a long, long time.”



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