Five Reasons I Love Social Media

I was asked a question today about why I love social media. Honestly, there are so many reasons and it’s hard for me to choose only a few. So I did what any other social media savvy individual would do, and posted the question on Facebook, Twitter and other outlets. Of course, I got the opportunity to pick and choose comments (and it helps that I had written about most of the topics already anyway) but I was able to use social media to explain through social media why I love social media. I think fellow blogger Jenna McWilliams says it perfect when she says, "Social media is not a trend, but a fundamental human urge to communicate," and now we have more ways to do so.

1. 1 800 Customer Care numbers? Consider it a thing of the past. Remember long, long ago when we had to call that 1 800 number and wait on hold for eternity to finally get connected to someone in another country who was so far from executives that we were sure our complaint or problem would never be heard? Social media has changed that. Now companies have to listen to their customers, otherwise, consumers can broadcast their hatred (or love) of the company through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and hundreds of complaint websites, among numerous other sites. It’s no longer a one-way conversation. Some companies have even jumped onto the social media bandwagon (as they should!) and created sites to ask consumers to help create and improve their brand (there are so many, but here are two of the most notable, Starbucks' My Starbucks Idea campaign which prompts consumers to share their ideas directly with the company; and Burger King’s WhopperSacrifice on Facebook, where consumers can trade in 10 of their friends for the love of the Whopper).

2. Networking: It’s not just face-to-face anymore. Look at social media this way – imagine all your customers coming together on a daily basis and talking about topics that pertain to you and your company, thereby spreading even more information about your company and gaining more recognition and consumers. I’m a huge fan of networking and brand advocates and social media gives us several more ways to do it. One of my favorite quotes comes from my mentor and good friend, Griffin Farley of 22squared, “Don’t plan for the ones you reach, plan for the ones they reach.” (Check out more on how brands are building advocates in social media on my post on Talent Zoo media’s blog Beyond Madison Avenue, The Friendship Model, Brandon Murphy of 22squared Gives the Down and Dirty.)

3. Being connected (this was the most popular answer I received after posting this question online). When something happens to ourselves or someone we know, instead of keeping it to ourselves, we share it with others through pictures, comments, Tweets, etc. It’s a new way to get news, support, or advice on anything! Not to mention, the best way to learn is through others, so what better way to educate yourself on advertising and marketing than following someone in that field’s blog, Tweets, etc. Who knows, it could even get you a job (Tweeter Neal Schafer had it happen for him after he started his blog and web site).

4. Creative campaigns. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – If I had a TiVo, all I would record is commercials. I like advertising, but not because I want to learn about products, but because I like the creative ways utilized to showcase a product to consumers. And now with social media, they’re becoming even more creative. Viral videos, Twitter give-aways, Facebook fan pages, etc. I can’t get enough! Old school + new school = awesome, consumer-activity-inducing campaigns.

5. The best thing about social media? It is changing the way we think and is growing exponentially. Not one social media professional is sure where these new mediums will lead us, but I can tell you, it’s exciting to see this conversation connection evolution!

Grammar for Bloggers

Being that we have all become writers now, whether it's through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., I feel it's imperative that we all remember what our elementary school teachers taught us about grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Social media has become the newest way to network with those we would have previously joined organizations to meet, but, even if you had a stellar resume, would you show up to a networking event just wearing old jeans and a t-shirt? Neither would I. It doesn't give off the professionalism that most of us would like people to see and your great resume would be overshadowed by a pair of ratty jeans. It's the same with writing. Why write an outstanding entry with errors in it? It undermines your knowledge and ability.

Below I've listed five of the most common mistakes I have seen (I could go on for 100 more mistakes, but I'll keep it short). Take a look at these errors and put your best foot (and image!) forward when writing:

1. There, Their, They're - "there" refers to a place, "their" refers to ownership, "they're" is a conjunction of "they" and "are". Example, "Their house is over there next to the burger bar. They're planning on going there for dinner."


2. Bullet points - keep bullet points parallel to each other. If you put a period at the end of one bullet point, put one at the end of all of them.


3. Spell check - use it!


4. Its, It's - "it's" is a conjunction for "it is," "its" is used whenever "it is" should not be in a sentence. Example, "It's not that hard." "The company hired its interns."


5. You're for your - "you're" is a conjunction for "you" and "are." "Your" is possesive.
   

And lastly, I leave you with this tidbit - Always, always, always review your work! I have come across numerous blogs by top executives that have minor typos in them such as an extra letter in a sentence or at the end of a word, or even different font sizes and types. It does not make them look like the expert they are supposed to be!

For a future reference, when you're not sure the correct grammar or punctuation, use englishplus.com. If you're not aware of how badly your grammar, spelling and punctuation are, take this quiz.

Don't Understand Social Media? Take a Look...

After reading my typical daily blogs (Seth's Blog, BrandExtract, Propagation Planning, etc.) I stumbled upon a few noteworthy things; two of which directly correlate to the other.

Advertising Age printed an article by Matt Jones entitled, "Why I Hate Social Media." Before opening the link, I knew I would disagree. Why? Because social media is awesome. It opens new gateways to connecting with brands, consumers and corporations than ever. Not to mention, it gives advertising agencies and "normal" people an option to stretch their creative legs and find other ways to express themselves and their brand.

In Jones' article, he tends to focus on the "media" part of social media, not the "social" part, where it should be focused. He says that many companies who are using social media, are using it to replace Web sites and advertisements.

Truthfully, I don't know many companies that have gotten rid of their campaigns completely and simply used Twitter to market a new item. What I do see, is a lot of companies utilizing social media and adding it to their already growing campaigns. It also gives consumers the option to interact more with the company and give feedback. Like I said, it's the "social" part of social media that makes it so important.

The second interesting item I found was a video, Social Media in Plain English, created by Commoncraft.com. This video illustrates the power social media has.



So, Matt Jones, I ask you, why should we ignore social media?

The Quarter Life Crisis

Last night I received a message from one of my friends from college, "Ever just had one of those uneventful days where you just feel like life is purposely frustrating you?" My response - yes I have. It's called the Quarter Life Crisis.

Defined as (by Wikipedia) the "term applied to the period of life immediately following the major changes of adolescence, usually ranging from the early twenties to the early thirties."

If you are plagued with QLC, you might have the following symptoms:

• feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level
  
• frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
  
• disappointment with one's job
  
• boredom with social interactions
  
• loss of closeness to high school and college friends


• a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you


• extreme insecurity
  

And, to add to the already mounting personal problems, the awesome economy we have today is affecting our emotions as well.

The closer I get to 25, the more I notice all my friends taking off in their careers, getting married or buying a house. Sure, I'm a tad jealous about some things, but I also know that the one thing that connects us all is the constant question of, am I going in the right direction?

When we all graduate, we have this incredible idea of where we will be and where we are going. I'm going to get married and have an awesome career, etc. But, as the saying goes, life doesn't always go as planned. And even if it does, many of us are wondering if its the right career for us or what is the next step. And Real Life steps in.

Our generation is different from our parent's. More is expected of us, we have more choices and financially we're not as well off.

The Remedies:

• use the value of networking and ask for someone to be your mentor. They can help make the transition into actual adulthood easier and may even be able to offer insight on things they may have done wrong and what they wish they would have done


• start a blog. Write about what you're feeling and I guarantee a flock of people our age will readily comment about their woes. Also, writing always makes a person feel better


• look at the decisions we make today as important, but not irreversible


• write down your goals and plans for the next month, year and five years out and post them where you can see them everyday. It'll keep you on track and show you how far and accomplished you've become (if you don't know exactly where you want to be, find out where you think you'd like to be, i.e., buying a house, moving to a new place, etc.)


• talk with others on online sites and get some advice from people who have been there and done that


• realize you are not the only one - we're all in the same spot!

Although I can't guarantee that all this will make you feel 100% better, it'll help. And it'll get you on the right track.

Related Links:

• http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~shane/text/quarterlifecrisis.html


• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2180552.stm


• http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com/