Reposted from November 2008

In marketing, we hear a lot about target audience and get concerned whether we're hitting that target. I'll agree that we need to be aware of who we want to build relationships with most, but every relationship you build in social media can be valuable — if building relationships and connections is what's important.

Back in the day (and still today in LODBAU*, USA), target audience was a key phrase. After all, we need to know how many qualified prospects would see that half-page newspaper ad or hear that 30-second radio spot. While the term 'target audience' is still important to think about, 'key relationships' may be more important to think about.

I encourage my students and clients to look at social media and social networks like a dartboard. Even if we miss the bulls eye, just about everything outside of our target has some value. And eventually, it all adds up. But first, we must join the conversation.

If your business sits along Main Street in Smalltown, USA, your target audience is probably the folks living in Smalltown. But developing conversational relationships with like-minded people well outside of that target will help you in several ways:

• By those connections (both with the person and most likely, hyperlinks to each other), your learning and influence network grows.
• By the relationships, collaborative opportunities will become present.
• By the conversations, you become smarter and better in your business.
• By the activity, you and your business become more findable.

So, don't be afraid to miss the bulls eye. In fact, sometimes it's better to do so.

*Land Of Doing Business As Usual

Reposted from Sept 2008

Marcia Hersh recently ranted about feeling like a wallflower of the blogosphere anxious to get on the dance floor.  Well, Marcia – just by blogging – you’re tripping the lights fantastic.

It’s my belief that wallflowers (and wallflower season) are an important part of the conversphere (the online conversation space). A couple of years ago, I asked (and answered), “Are Wallflowers Part of the Conversation?” My contention then (and still now) is a resounding “YES!”

Wallflower Writers
If you’re a new blogger or twitterer, this space is like farming. Every new blogger goes through a ‘wallflower season.’ Plant some seeds, continue loving it, even spread some fertilizer now and again.  Eventually, you will reap a good harvest of conversation.  Remember, that everything you post is an individual-archived page that lives forever – so don’t fear nobody’s reading. If they don’t today, they may tomorrow.

In Marcia’s wallflower post, she mentions a top edublogger Yes, Marcia,she is a role model for blogging.  But did you know that you echo her very words just a year ago. She wondered if anyone would comment; if anyone would link; if anyone would subscribe to her RSS feed; if anyone would even read her blog.  Perseverance is a Habitude – and this edublogger has plenty of that.  I think you do too.  So keep at it.

Wallflower Readers
If you’re not getting comments on your blog or links to your blog, it doesn’t mean folks aren’t talking about you. I find this especially true in education, where even the most avid bloggers still don’t practice reading RSS feeds (and they should).

In Marcia’s wallflower post, she also mentions Vicki Davis (another great model for great blogging). I’ve been talking about “Cool Cat Teacher” as an example in workshops and coaching sessions for two years. Offline. I think I made my first comment on her blog this summer.  Was I a wallflower? Yes. Did I help spread her gospel? Absolutely.

Wallflower Writer and Wallflower Readers.

Both  are important parts of the conversation.

Welcome to the dance, Marcia:-)  I think you’re doing super so far!

Photo on Flickr by unukorno

Reposted from October 2008

There's more to this thing called blogging than meets the untrained eye. Most folks start their blogging adventure from a soapbox, hoping someone will respond. But it takes more than a blogsite to engage in the conversphere.

Here's my take on Blog Engagement A through Z:

A) Analytics is more than one score- There is more than one metric to measure your success. If your page views are down, but your feeds are up, that's a good thing. If your comments are light, but lots of sites are linking to you, that's also good. 
B) Begin with listening in mind- With any conversation, listening is always the best foot forward. This is why I always teach reading feeds before blog posting.
C) Comment elsewhere, often - The ratio we shoot for is at least 5 comments on 5 different sites per week and track your comments.  If your reading your feeds, this should be a piece of cake.
D) Diversify your influence - I speak often about reaching out to the fringe. The range of conversation makes you smarter and sometimes, the fringe will introduce you to your target.
E) Eye rests in your posts - I can't say this enough. If you're blogging with your reader in mind, you'll include eye rests. They'll slow down to read your post — and even if they don't, they may grab a memorable portion on the fly-by.
F) Form relationships - Write emails to those who comment on your blog, or perhaps email a blogger sharing your appreciation for their work.
G) Goal setting - Know what your writing and readership goals are right from the start. When you have a goal, you're more likely to reach it, yes?
H) Hit it or Quit it - Blog or don't. This "let's give it a try" baloney never works – so don't waste your time if it's not all in.
I) It's all about the "Us" - If you're all about what blogging can do for you, drop it.  It's about the "us" (yes, you're a big part of the team). Together we're smarter.
J) Jump into the pool - I used to say "Let's dip our toes into the water first" – but not anymore. Best way to learn how to swim is dive in.
K) Kingdom of Community - Content may be king, but community is the kingdom it serves. 
L) Learn from everyone - Learn from everyone. Writing styles, image placement, what you like or dislike. Remember that behind every blog is a human being you can learn from.
M) Makes Mistakes - If good is the enemy of great, perfection is the enemy of good.  Mistakes are tuition. Embrace the opportunity to make mistakes.
N) Never Give up, Never Grow Old - You might hit a dry spell. You might get to a point where time to blog is difficult. You might think nobody's reading. Forge ahead. Try new things. Have fun. But never, ever give up.
O) Outbound Links Often - It's the core of our mantra. Find relevant links and link out. Frankly, it's a great way to get new eyeballs, but more importantly — it's sharing resources with your readers.
P) Participation as a Practice - Participate in Blog Carnivals, group writing projects, Tweetups. It's a great way to cement the relationships you've built.
Q) Quick. Write. Now. - I watch some bloggers wrestle with words while writing. It's like they're stuttering. Just spill. Then edit. Don't edit while you're writing.
R) Rigor is not a 4-letter word - You're may struggle at first. You'll wonder if it's worth it. It is. Struggle is the welcome mat to breakthrough. With hard work comes great reward.
S) Seed your field - If you have an abundance pie mentality, you'll reach out first to bloggers with like minds, even those in your field of work.  You'll be thrilled with the collaborative possibilities and the great relationships that come out of the conversations.
T) Talk Write - If you can talk, you can write. The best compliment you can get about your blog is, "You sound just like your blog!"
U) Understand your mission - Know your purpose for blogging
V) Variety is the spice - Remember the term multimedia? Use text, images, video, audio, sketching, poetry, charts, and various other software or content types to deliver your thoughts.
W) Work Smart, Not Hard - Blogging should synchronize your communication, not add to it. Get smarter faster. Reach more people with less effort. But remember, it is work.
X) X-Factor - Things change. Always. Embrace change before it tackles you.
Y) You are the key - Be yourself. 
Z) Zones of Writing - Discover your writing territories and use them as a compass and roadmap to continued blogging success.

What's missing?  Pick a letter (or the whole alphabet) and engage here (or better yet — on your blog).

Note: While A-Z lists are not original and many more will come, a good portion of this list was inspired by the wonderful book, Classroom Motivation: How to Engage Your Students in Learning by Barbara R. Blackburn.

Reposted from January 2009

I love a good passion. Give me hate. Give me love. Standing in the middle is what Kathy Sierra dubbed, "The Zone of Mediocrity" or what I call the Area of Apathy.

There are some who still ride the fence about social media. They don't "get it" but they want to be "in it" – so they open accounts, say something once and sit the fence. They don't try to find a task, engage in a conversation or even do something ballsy (Mistakes are Tuition).  And then, they blame social media.

Let's look at Social Media as a swinging door. You're either IN, or you're OUT. Just don't stand in the middle.  

If your task is listening to what others are saying, that's great! But for the love of Scoble - don't say that and then say you don't subscribe to any RSS feeds or search strings.

Things change (improve?) fast. If you stand in the middle and do nothing, the door will knock you on your apathy.