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Perception vs Alternative Reality: Change Your Mind

By on October 13, 2011 in Blog Coach, Conversations, Social Media with 0 Comments


Our minds play funny tricks on us sometimes. When you recognize that happening, change it. Your mind that is, change your mind.

Below are some scary perceptions (and therefore reality in your mind’s eye). Offered are alternative realities for each.

The Popularity Contest

Perception: Everyone is watching your every move. What will the popular crowd think if I say this (or that) {or nothing!} Maybe if I retweet them, they’ll retweet me back. How can I get more followers. Why isn’t anyone “liking” or linking to me?

Alternative Reality: Think of your target audience (customers, students, congregation, etc.). While your peers and colleagues are important, they should be secondary. Primary reason you’re using these tools is to serve your customer. Here’s the formula: 1st is your target audience; 2nd is the person you’re RTing or linking to; 3rd is you. Do that and find peace.

The Overwhelm

Perception: There’s just too many tools! Do I really need another thingie to learn? And this takes too much time. I need to write a blog post. Oh! My RSS feeds are full. Stop!

Alternative Reality: Ask yourself a few questions – How will this new tool benefit my target audience? Will it help me reach my business goals? If so, how? Can I multitask and accomplish more than one thing using this? What tool/practice gets set aside if I start using this?

The Misunderstanding

Perception: They didn’t thank me for ReTweeting them! How come they didn’t comment on the post I mentioned them? They wrote about the same thing at about the same time, do you think they stole my idea?

Alternative Reality: There now, it’s okay. Again, your target audience is the main thing. Serve them. Would you have shared that article because of the value it had for your folks regardless of who wrote it? As far as new ideas, when was the last time anything was really new? Everything is a Remix these days.

The I Don’t Understand

Perception: Be aware of poking fun or hating on something (tool, practice, timing, etc). I know, Klout isn’t perfect and Google + isn’t mature and Triberr is too automatic and Facebook has privacy issues and did you see that LOL . . . deep breath:-) {I know – you hate that too, sorry}

Alternative Reality: When we poke fun or hate on something, it usually a defense mechanism. We’re adults – we should know this stuff by now. Be careful that your own proficiency doesn’t become your deficiency. Every new thing has a new learning curve. Love the learning.

Piece things together and everyone will have peace in gathering.

What other Perceptions v Alternative Realities do you find in Social Media?

Photo on Flickr by daftgirly

 

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Grocery Store Social Media – How Do You Cart?

By on October 11, 2011 in Blog Coach, Social Media with 0 Comments

I saw a few friends at the grocery store, each of us arriving at the same time. Seemed like a meeting about to break out or something. We finished about the same time too – Curious, I asked what each of us came to the store for:

  • David came to pick up something from the pharmacy
  • Will got some food staples: Milk, Bread, Ice Cream (he said it was a staple)
  • Lee got some necessary paper products (they were down to one roll, with 4 people in the house)
  • I was buying some dishwasher soap and laundry detergent. I also got some Chinese food to go.

Four guys. All using the same store as a tool to “stock up” – yet, each using this “supply depot” for different reasons.

Isn’t that like Social Media? Difference is that with the store, David didn’t get called out for not buying food, and nobody told Will that ice cream really isn’t a staple (because . . . it is for some folks).

So why and how do you use Google+? And if I don’t Facebook the way “they” do, is that a bad thing? Is there a single right way to use Twitter? Really?

Who wrote the Immutable Laws of Social Media anyway?

D’oh! I forgot the Maple Syrup!

Photo on Flickr by anselm23

Dialing 8: $271 for a Year of Premium Coaching and Content!

By on October 10, 2011 in Blog Coach, Dialing 8, Social Media with 0 Comments

Let’s take things to another level. An opportunity to get deeper, better, stronger – smarter – together.

For years, ConverStations has offered tips and suggestions, mostly about how to use Social Media to grow business, professionals, and organizations. I’ve tried to help extend your reach and make new or deeper connections with your audience.

Many times, I’ve kept the posts and instructions short. In part for the sake of readability or planned repetition. In other ways, we had to rely on ambiguity as a teacher. Almost all the time, I tried to model how you might post for your business.

While all that continues, it’s no longer enough. Most of what ConverStations has been able to offer is – at best – a “Taste on a Toothpick”.

With the launch of “Dialing 8 – Premium” we will now get deeper into the coaching, the collaborating, and working together to make sense of the rapid and constant changes in how to purposefully and profitably use social media tools. The strongest conversations will probably be the community conversations, but there will be opportunities for

  • live webinar-style coaching sessions
  • detailed, step-by-step guidelines in text and videos
  • recordings of “think out loud” sessions as I test new tools
  • Lots of “What If . . ., I Dunno, Let’s Find Out” type of brainstorming

The investment started slowly, but then it escalated Fibonacci-ly, Dialing 8 – Premium is $271.00. That’s just 271 dollars and you get 12 months of access to all the Dialing 8 premium stuff. Just 74 cents a day.

Feel free to share this with friends who own small business or solopreneurs.

All Aboard . . .

More info coming around the bend . . .

Your investment is just $271.00 and filling out the form

Show ‘Em Your Backstory

By on October 10, 2011 in Blog Coach, Social Media, Video with 0 Comments

We see  a video of a juggler extraordinaire or some mechanical dancing dudes and our jaws drop. And we wonder . . .

As we look at the video, we recognize the talent. Some may ask “Why” A great question – but only if you follow it up with an “I Dunno – Let’s Find Out” – but watch your attitude, because many of us fall into asking “Why would anyone do that?”

Douglas Karr shared a creative video on Google Plus, a stop-motion short of a talented artist creating a chalk lettering sign for a spirits company.

Why?  ”I Dunno – Let’s Find Out” (or at least consider some possibilities):

  • Shows off the talent for hire
  • Shows off the passion
  • Shows off the way work gets done
  • Shows the end-of-the-DVD type of backstory we are attracted to – the “inside” scoop
  • Repurpose your content, your creation, your “can’t miss” whatever that may be

And find yourself on the top (and maybe throughout the top ten) results of Google for your market. And as folks find you, they watch you . . .and by the time they call you . . .

They’ve already decided, because they’ve already seen. And now they believe . . .

They want to hire you.

Aren’t you glad you showed them something?

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Show ‘Em Something

By on October 9, 2011 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 0 Comments

Own your stage. Turn Heads.

There is Always Room for One More Good One.

Kindle Pages Provide Crowdsourced Quotes & Highlights

By on October 7, 2011 in Blog Coach, Cool Tools, Quotes n Notes with 0 Comments

Are you looking for a great quote to punctuate your blog post, or perhaps to motivate your Twitter stream?

I sent this to Twitter this morning. A quote from Dan Pink’s book, Free Agent Nation

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Having both the print and Kindle edition, I’m pretty familiar with the book – but I grabbed this quote from a source not many are familiar with: Kindle Pages

Amazon Kindle book pages are a resource rich with what readers resonate with. Kindle readers can “highlight” phrases and quotes from a book that gets stored in their own Kindle Highlights page

In addition, Amazon also stores the collected highlights on the book page (Kindle Edition) right below the reviews. Here’s the Kindle page for Free Agent Nation. Can you see the Kindle highlights under the reviews?

So, if these highlights resonate with those that have already read the book, chances are likely it will resonate with those in your readership who haven’t yet read the book.

If you’re looking for a writing prompt or a Twitter quote – check out the Kindle pages.

 

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EVENT: Google Plus Hangout Testing

By on October 6, 2011 in Blog Coach, Conversations, Social Media with 0 Comments


There will be a couple of Google + Hangout tests I’m running in the next few days, specifically how G+ Hangouts can be used for Small Businesses, Education & Trainings, and Ministry & Missions. Hangouts could change the way we connect, socially and professionally. So many possibilities!

While this isn’t a “closed” event, it’s not a “public” one either. I’ll send an “invite” out to the list (already a dozen or so folks at this writing).  Ideally, anyone with a mindset towards small business (yours or a client), ministry, or consultative work will find value in the test

Using Hangouts with Extras, there will be opportunity to share documents, collaborate using a whiteboard-like tool, and trying to “capture” sections of the video. It’s my belief that Google+ Hangouts can be a fantastic communications tool for:

  • small business owners
  • sales teams
  • trainers and tutors
  • ministry or missions leaders
  • collaborative, distanced teams
  • and many, many more

If you’re interested in participating, watching and listening, or just getting a feel of a Google Plus Hangout – “circle” me on Google Plus or drop me a note (you’ll need a Google account and get Google’s Voice and Video tool).

Time doesn’t cooperate with this test? That’s okay, here is a topical list of Google Hangouts

Here’s a quick clip overview of Google Plus Hangouts:

I’ll be testing a few times the next few nights. If you’re available, I hope you can join in.

Dialing 8 in Social Media: Strong and Long

By on October 5, 2011 in Blog Coach, Marketing, Social Media with 0 Comments


Don’t treat unequal circumstances equally.

Every business is different and unique, therefore the Social Media strategy and its tactics should also be unique to each business and its customers.

Still, it is helpful to have a starting point, a template if you will. To build roots for a business just beginning (or refreshing) its social media play, I’ve designed a model we’ll call “Dialing 8″

Dialing 8 was once a term used in business travel, to get long distance on a hotel telephone or hitting a home run in baseball. For others, the number 8 stands for New Beginnings or Infinity. Personally, I’ve used the term as a reminder to stay strong and last long – and that’s what we hope to do with your social media plan.

We can use the metaphor of a tree with branches or of a wheel with spokes. We could even use the metaphor of a spider (eight legs) spinning a global web. But let’s not get hung up on the metaphor, hmm?

This series is going to focus on using the blog at the core with eight branches or spokes extending your business reach. Here’s the outline:

Business Blog Site

  • Content Curation
  • Resource Sharing
  • Visuals
  • Rolodexing
  • Circles of Influence
  • Consumer Central
  • Outreach
  • Calls to Action

Each module has five questions:

  • Why are we doing this?
  • What do we need to learn?
  • What assets or tools do we have/need?
  • What actions will we take (and where)?
  • How do we measure success?

Let’s not forget perhaps the most important question, one that drives most of what we’ll be doing: Who?  Who is our core customer?


So why a blog at the core? Blogging affords you better “branding” potential since you have more (if not complete) ownership over design and content. Additionally, the three things we should understand about blogs and the inventory of content we create on them is how much blogs improve:

  1. Page Depth
  2. Findability
  3. Repurposing capabilities

With every post or page you publish on your blog, you create Page Depth. Relevant Page Depth  improves your Findability in searches. And as we publish onto other sites such as Twitter or YouTube, your blog becomes a place to collect or repurpose those pieces of content.

Welcome to the Dialing 8 series.

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Mind the Gap and Get #Unstuck

By on October 3, 2011 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 0 Comments

Tony Morgan is providing his most recent ebook today – Hanging Up The Leisure Suite: How to Get Unstuck.

It’s free. It’s Short. It’s Important. Focused on how leadership teams in church can gain forward movement (rather than standing-still motion), the ideas and principles here would also be effective in business and educational administration.

  • Have you clearly defined your organization’s strategies and systems – and does everyone know what they are?
  • How many of the 6 Elements of a Healthy Organization do you recognize?
  • Are you instructing towards independence?
  • Putting the 8 Characteristics of a Healthy System into play within your organization

That’s some of what you’ll find in this, this second of three ebooks Tony is doing in this series. (I think you can still grab the first one free too)

Having worked with several in the ministry (and having been “in-season” for a time myself), I understand some of the traps that can befall the leadership of a church. I’d encourage you to – with your own team and with ministry leaders you know.

Why and How I Use Twitter

By on October 3, 2011 in Blog Coach, Social Media with 3 Comments

There are as many different ways to use Twitter as there are types of products in a WalMart.

Possibly the best way to use Twitter is whatever way it makes meaning or creates value for you. 

For my own business purposes, I use Twitter for research and resource-sharing. While I occasionally engage and exchange in a conversation, most of what I use Twitter for is to share information with clients and to those who find value in what I share.

Since I coach business, educational, and ministry leaders to use a guideline of 70-20-10, I try to practice the same:

  • 70% Be the Resource: The largest portion of your tweets should be resources or value-added messages to your core audience. Links from other sites (found in your surfing or RSS reading or RTing) or quotes that will motivate your gang.
  • 20% Chit-Chat, How’s Your Cat? This portion of your stuff are replies of general-type conversation (with context please). This is the “chit-chat, how’s your kitty-kat” type of stuff. Polite, engaged, caring (but not overbearing).
  • 10% Pimp Your Own Stuff – the ‘here’s what I wrote’ or ‘ I’m speaking at’ type of tweets. Less of this is more. You’ve been depositing with Resource Sharing and Relationship Building above. Keep this type of tweet at the lower end of the scale and you’ll see more click-through.

Again, this is a guideline, not a policy.

I always do my best to give proper attribution to the author and site of any resource I share, and the person who RTs the item if that’s how I found it.

I share items with three peoples in mind (in this order):

  1. Customers I Serve (and to a certain degree, the followers et al who are part of my “audience”)
  2. Those I link to – a distant second place. I don’t practice “linkbait”.I may share on occasion as a way of saying “thanks” to the content creator.
  3. Me – Sure, findability and keywords and all that is in my thought process, but if there’s no value for my customer – there will be no value for me.

Since my goal is to share resources and much of my time is away from the computer, I find that services such as BufferApp help my reach both my Twitter goals (by scheduling Tweets) and my business goals (offline meetings, project work, etc) without always having to be “on” Twitter.

Although I don’t participate in Twitter Chats, mostly due to time constraints, you’ll likely find they are of great value in both learning and connecting.  There is a dynamic listing of all Twitter Chats available to the public to help find a chat that fits your niche. If you don’t find one, consider starting one.

I appreciate you following the stream of resources or listing me. I hope you find value. If not, feel free to unfollow me (I promise not to be offended). By the same token, I will probably follow you and/or list you if I find you can add to what I share outward. Please note that I keep many “private lists” so that I can better manage my Information Consumption – what I call “InfoSumption”

Again, I believe there is no single “right” way to use Twitter. I hope my presence aides in your journey, I know yours will help mine.

(PS. This post will also serve as a “Welcome” page that I’ll put on my Twitter Bio)

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