Archive for the ‘Facebook’ Category
Friday, May 2nd, 2008 |
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Image by BdwayDiva1
Are Texting & Social Media Platforms causing teens to lack in Interpersonal
Communicative Skills?
I received a text from my oldest son last week that was very disturbing. He
was obviously too freaked out to discuss the topic with me face-to-face and
instead chose to tell me this uncomfortable piece of information via text messaging.
I feel I’m a very "with it" mom when it comes to
these things. Especially since being involved in Social Media is pretty much what
I specialize in. But, after this particular text I was left wondering….
“Are teens today lacking in Interpersonal and Communicative Skills?”
Generations have been dealing with the change in Technology for Decades…
- Rock-n-Roll
- Television
- Record Players
- VCR’s
- Telephones
- Computer’s
- Internet
- eMail
- Cell phones
- Web 2.0
- etc…
I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for any generation to make the transition and
today’s generation is no exception. I use text myself, but I don’t use it to
replace normal everyday conversation, but it appears that many of our teens
do. Many of
my friends and
colleagues I spend
time with
online have
children and
I’m very curious
of their thoughts on this…
Is Mobile Technology and Social Media taking away what our Children
should be learning during face-to-face Communication?
When I was a teen growing up I was forced to discuss things with my parents
face-to-face….. even the uncomfortable discussions. And, through each of these
discussions, as difficult as they were, they each were a learning experience.
Could Instant Messaging and Text be robbing our children from learning
some social skills?
Teens are breaking up with boyfriends and girlfriends over text…. and this
is completely normal. These uncomfortable discussions that all of us hated to
have were all a learning experience for me. Mostly, I learned tact and empathy.
Are our children growing up more selfish & cold because they can
avoid these conversations entirely?
I was never an overly brave teen. I didn’t have as much confidence in myself
as others and this made confrontation much more difficult for me. If I had social
media platforms and mobile devices available to me back then I’m positive I
would have been using them instead of how I had to deal with things.
Maybe I wouldn’t have succumb to peer pressure. Maybe I would have been braver
in what I told my peers…. in saying, "No!!". Or, maybe I would have
dealt with confrontation in ways that maybe teens are dealing with it now…
"text and Instant Messaging".
This might not sound like a major issue, but after the text from my oldest
son I’m not so sure about that.
I believe that many of the uncomfortable situations and confrontations I dealt
with growing up taught me many things and made me into the person I am now.
Who knows…. maybe I’m reading too much into this. But, I really don’t think so.
Teen Crushes
As I mentioned earlier I lacked a certain amount of confidence growing up,
so certain things were especially difficult for me. For example, telling a boy
I liked him. I remember having crushes growing up and the boy never knew. By
the time I was in Junior High I was still extremely nervous to tell a boy I
liked him, but I would try very hard to push through the fear. Making a point
to talk to him, pausing by his locker, dropping something nearby to see if he
would pick it up, and dialing the phone to call him. I say dialing the phone
because unless one of my friends was calling for me I don’t think I ever stayed
on the phone long enough to talk to the boy. Most of the time I would dial the
phone number and once someone answered I would hand up. Thank Goodness this
was before *69…. otherwise, I would have been busted for sure.
How would Texting & Social Media changed this process?
Well, I wouldn’t have had to be brave and start a discussion… Simple texts
are so much easier than real words. I would no long have to worry about blushing
in front of a boy. He wouldn’t even have to know how nervous I was. There is no
way via text he could hear my shaky voice, see my knees tap together from nerves
or see me blush from fear. This fact would have given me the confidence to flirt
via text.
What learning experience would I have missed out on? Over
the years of pushing through my fear of talking to guys I built confidence.
I learned what worked for me and what didn’t work for me. I realized that guys
thought I was sweet when I blushed. Actually, over the years I wasn’t nervous
to talk to most guys at all. My confidence increased enough that I could easily
talk to a guy. Would teen develop this confidence if they were doing all interaction
between themselves and guys via digital methods?
Breaking up with a guy
Okay, if telling a guy I liked him wasn’t bad enough….. breaking up with
him was so much worse!! I hated making someone unhappy or feel bad about themselves.
I am still horrible at that, but disappointment is a fact of life and dealing
with it is part of it. Break ups can be some of the most difficult conversations
to have, but to move to the next relationship… break-ups must be done.
Many of my friends were broken up with by notes in school. I was mortified
by this and fortunate enough that this never happened to me. However, in High
School I was in the middle of a long distance relationship, so all of our communication
was via phone and "snail mail". We would see each other only on weekends.
How would a Break-up have been different if I had text or Social Media Platforms?
What makes a break-up so difficult is the confrontation. It’s
usually not an easy conversation because many times the other person feels a
bit under attack or defensive. Texting a break-up (which let me just state….
is cowardly and never okay in my book) erases any face-to-face contact. No confrontation.
As a matter of fact you don’t have to answer any further calls or texts. This
is an easy way out. There is something to be said about "closure",
people!! How the heck do you get closure from a text or instant message? Unless,
of course, the entire relationship was done via text or Instant Message then
a break up should NOT be done in this fashion. I couldn’t imagine
sending a text like….
"Have I told you just now how much I’m in love with U???
No??
Chew on it, have a nice life… "
Check out these other "Break-up
Texts" . They are unreal!!
But, texts like the one above are being sent to innocent
(or not so innocent) boys and girls everyday.
What I have learned from having to break up in a face-to-face
way…
- Break-ups hurt
- Break-ups are an end to something that you might not be ready for
- tact
- empathy
- sensitivity
Dealing with Friends and Social Life in High School
I know that Social Life in High School means a lot to teens. It meant a lot
to me and still means a lot to kids. But, I also know that the peer pressure
and saying, "No" can be a sticky situation. I would never want to
go back and do high school over again due to the peer pressure I experienced.
I dealt with the peer pressure the face-to-face way, but how are the kids dealing
with it now-a-days?
Teens are using Social Media Platforms to deal with Peer Pressure.
They use text and instant messaging to say what’s on their minds. It not as
confrontational. Sounds less threatening, right? Nope!! To get revenge these
teens sometimes are using malicious ways to deal with their anger such as YouTube
videos, MySpace & Facebook public messages, non-private instant messaging
and other embarrassing ways. My thoughts are that because of the convenience
of social media ways of dealing that these same platforms are giving teens a
convenient & easy way to get revenge. This is making Peer Pressure tons
worse than it was when I was growing up.
What I have learned from dealing with Peer pressure face-to-face?
- knowing you have to deal with them face-to-face makes you be choosy who
is your friend
- Over time I realized what/who makes me happy
- I don’t always have to say, "Yes" to everything
- Could shut down the peer voices after school…. with text, Instant Messaging
& other Social Media platforms this is much more difficult.
I’m wondering if the lack of closure causes a teen’s need for revenge?
Could it be that communicating verbally face-to-face with someone forces closure?
Maybe with text and instant message there is no "end".
Telling Parents Bad News
I would like to think that conversations with parents hasn’t changed much since
I was growing up. But, even I know that’s not the case. I already admitted that
my son text me a message that he should have talked to me about in person. Why
did he do this? Because he felt it would be easier.
Was it? Well, probably. Temporarily anyway. And, probably by the time he approached
me in person I calmed down quite a bit. Did he learn as much from the whole
experience…. I’m not so sure.
And, I have some fond memories of when I was growing up of conversations with
my mother. I also have some memories of scary conversations with my mom. But,
bottom line…. they were face-to-face conversations. They were banter back
and forth that I believe made a difference in my life. Not only did I learn
something from it, but I also bonded with my mom. And, there is one other thing
that it left me with… something I can smile at later. Embarrassing situations
that I can smile at because I survived. Something I can laugh at by myself or
conversing with my sister.
I look back on those moments with my mom fondly…. now. However,
had I had the opportunity to get out of a sticky situation in an easier fashion
I totally would have.
Which brings to me back to the question, " Are teens today lacking
interpersonal communicative skills?"
What do teens have a fear of??
- Confrontation
- Rejection
- Disappointment
- Failure
- Embarrassment
What are they missing out learning??
- tact
- sensitivity
- empathy
- respect
- anger management
- communication skills
I asked the following question to my friends on Twitter, "What would have
been different 4 you had you had text & IM as teen? How would Break-ups,
dating, peer pressure been different?" This were some of the answer I received:
Click on the image to see in full size & with Profile Links
What are your thoughts? Are teens today lacking interpersonal communicative
skills?
Posted in Facebook, Parenting, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Basics | 21 Comments »
Thursday, April 17th, 2008 |
Image by Miky
Jpeg
I have been a little disappointed in Facebook lately. Well, maybe not Facebook directly, but instead some of the people that I have agreed to Facebook Friendships. And, due to the tactics these people are using on Facebook to pass the word about things they feel strongly about has caused me to not spend as much time on FaceBook in general.
In case you aren’t aware…. it was only a few months back that I was
singing my praises about Facebook. I spent a lot of time there. I was able
to do my social networking in ways that I couldn’t do in other Social Media
arenas. I love Social Networking in all different ways, but what is so cool
about Facebook is some of the very
cool Applications that Facebook has. Some of these applications helped me
interact with fellow marketers and bloggers that I didn’t know too well before facebook,
but due to the fun networking via these applications caused me to take a closer
look at their websites and blogs. But, recently something has started to happen
that has not happened to me in this last year of using Facebook until recently….
"Chain Messages."
I’m not sure if Chain Messages is what this "thing" is actually called.
But, this is what I’m going to call it. Chain Messages reminds me of a chain
mail, but is is done through Facebook Applications. These Chain Messages are
rude, forceful and threatening and I’m more than a little bit irritated that
they have entered my
Facebook space.
Here is an example of a message I received earlier today that has me so upset.
I have removed a couple things from this screen shot. I removed the name of
the person who sent me this FunWall post. I have also removed the name of my
Facebook Friends from the "forward to:" section.
Now, this isn’t the first Chain Message I received, but this one really has
me bothered. I’ll get into the reasons why this particular Chain Message has
me irked, but in the meantime let me list what makes a Chain Letter a Chain
Letter, so we can compare the Old Fashioned Chain Letter to this Chain Letter
2.0.
Wikipedia tells me
that a Chain Letter is…
"A typical chain letter consists of a message that attempts to induce
the recipient to make a number of copies of the letter and then pass them
on to as many recipients as possible… Common methods used in chain letters
include emotionally manipulative stories, get-rich-quick pyramid schemes,
and the exploitation of superstition to threaten the recipient with bad luck
or even physical violence or death if he or she "breaks the chain"
and refuses to adhere to the conditions set out in the letter."
Wow, that definition sounds very much like the FunWall Post I received above.
Let’s check out another. The following is from FraudBureau.com.
Here they explain the Anatomy of a Chain Letter.
"Every chain letter is comprised of three components:
* The hook. The letter will try to grab your attention so
that you will read the rest of it. Some common themes are "Get Rich Quick",
to appeal to our desire to make money or "Virus Alert" to hook us
by arousing our fears.
* The threat. Once you are hooked, the letter arouses your
fears by telling you about the terrible things that will happen if you do
not continue to keep the chain in tact. The threat is usually realistic enough
to get you to continue the chain.
* The request. The request is usually the demand to distribute
the letter to as many individuals as possible. "
Ahhh, so there are three components to every chain Letter. Very interesting.
Well, Let’s see if there are three components to this Facebook Chain Message…
The Hook - "Someone will either call you
or talk to you and tell you that they love you."
Not a get rich scheme, but definitely something that many people are
desperately looking for.
The Threat - "I better not see anyone breaking this one or
see deleted." Well, I know this is not a specific threat,
but it is an empty threat at least. It is playing on the fear of many people
with social networking…. not having other’s support.
The Request - "These are ribbons for Soldiers fighting in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Pass it on to everyone and Pray." Definitely
works on the emotions of many.
Hmmmm…. very interesting. Seems like this FunWall Post has all the makings
of a Chain Letter to me. Dress it up whatever way you want to, but it is what
it is… a chain letter.
What has me so upset about this particular Chain Message is the fact that it
plays on the emotions of many people. We all know and love someone who is helping
fight wars in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. And, this message is using our emotions
to get us to do what they want us to do.
You know what really gets me is that I might have helped passing around the
support ribbons to my Facebook friends had I not felt threatened. But, after
reading the entire FunWall post I didn’t want any part of it. I wonder how many
others who received this same FunWall post felt the same way I did and didn’t
forward the message to their Facebook friends as well.
And, that brings us to another topic which I won’t delve to far into at this
time….. friends made online. Should they have the same qualities of real life
friends? OF COURSE!!! The social skills and etiquette
that your mother and father taught you should still apply online. No parent
in their right mind would teach their children the skills of threatening their
friends. So, if you wouldn’t treat your friends in the real world with
threats then don’t do it online.
You want to be my friend online?? Stop threatening me!!
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Networking, Web 2.0 | 15 Comments »
Friday, December 28th, 2007 |
Photo by luc legay
2007 will be ending in the next few days and 2008 will be beginning. It has
been an amazing year for me. It was In 2007 I became very involved in Social
Media Activity. I am looking forward to 2008 and everything that it has to offer,
but before I can simply say Hello to 2008 and Goodbye to 2007 I wanted to list
my favorite posts from all of my favorite Social Networking sites…. StumbleUpon,
Sphinn, Twitter, and Facebook. *Keep in mind that these posts are my favorites
and nothing official.*
Favorite StumbleUpon Posts of 2007
StumbleRank - Ranks the
Top StumbleUpon Users.
A
Comprehensive Guide to StumbleUpon: How to Build Massive Traffic to Your Website
- Maki of DoshDosh wrote this mini guide on StumbleUpon because he thought StumbleUpon
has enormous potential in maximizing brand exposure while fitting nicely with
a long term site building strategy.
How
to Use StumbleUpon for Your Business: The Definitive Guide - Tamar writes
this great post for 10e20.com.
The
Why, How and Who of Marketing in StumbleUpon - Garrett French writes this
very in depth post regarding StumbeUpon and using it for Marketing purposes.
Building
Your Blog With StumbleUpon - A ProBlogger Guest post by Skellie showing
how to use StumbleUpon to increase your Blog Traffic.
Stumbleupon
mathematics for stumblers - Tim Nash gives us his thoughts on how he believes
the StumbleUpon algorithm works.
How
to Use StumbleUpon to Promote - David Risley of WebbyOnline explains in
detail how to Use StumbleUpon.
StumbleUpon
Will Love Us Even When Google Doesn’t - Brian Wallace writes about
the effectiveness of StumbleUpon.
5 Tactics
For Driving Traffic From StumbleUpon - Cameron Olthuis writes for Search
Engine Land showing you how StumbleUpon is a great way to bring large amounts
of traffic to your site…. at times even bringing more traffic than digg.
How
to Set Up a Domino Effect of Traffic - Vandelay Design writes how he greatly
increased his traffic by setting up a Domino Effect with StumbleUpon.
25
Reasons You Get Thumbs Up - Andy Beard comes up with a list of 25 reasons
why you might get a Thumbs Up on StumbleUpon.
Analysis:
StumbleUpon’s Top 50 Stumblers - Glen Allsopp felt there wasn’t a
lot of information on StumbleUpon on how to become a Top Stumbler. Glen researched
and posted his findings.
6
Reasons to Love StumbleUpon - Marty tells us the 6 reasons he loves StumbleUpon.
Writing
for StumbleUpon: High Impact Content “Above the Scroll” in Four
Easy Steps - Muhammad Saleem points out that with StumbleUpon having your
important content above the scroll is extremely important.
How
Important is StumbleUpon? - Rose Sylvia shows us how to use StumbleUpon
to its fullest.
Favorite Sphinn Posts of 2007
Sphinn
- The Social News Site Every Search Marketer Should Be Using - Rand writes
in detail 10 reasons why Every Search Marketer should be using Sphinn.
Please
Don’t Ask Me to Sphinn Your Stories (and How to Use Sphinn and Similar
Social News Websites) - Tamar writes this excellent post about Social Networking
Etiquotte.
Why
Sphinn Needs a Dumbass Button - Digg has a "bury it" button….
Greg Boser suggests a "Dumbass Button" for Sphinn.
Fool Proof
Sphinn-Bait Tactics to Reach the Front Page - Kelvin Newman writes in detail
how to reach the front page of Sphinn.
A
5 Pack Of Sphinn Interviews - Todd Mintz Interviews 5 members of the Sphinn
Community.
How
to Dominate Sphinn in 4 Easy Steps - David Harry comes up with the Sphinn
Domination Plan.
The
First (un)Official Sphinn Awards - Day 1 - Jeff Quipp at Search Engine People
offers days 1 of the (un)Official Sphinn Awards…. freakin hilarious.
The
(un)Official Sphinn Awards Part 2 - David Harry Holds Part II of the Sphinn
Awards at his site and it is equally as funny as Day 1.
A
Very Beginner’s Guide to the Sphinn Network : Tips and Tricks - Mack
offers up some tips to New User’s of Sphinn.
Sphinn:
In Depth Traffic Analysis And Advice - Matt Jones did his research and offers
his traffic analysis and some Sphinning tips.
20
Top Sphinners You Should Know - Here is a list of 20 Sphinners and their
sites that you might not know, but should.
Sphinn Google Gadget
- As if I didn’t adore Pat of SEOish enough he comes up with this amazing Sphinn
Google Gadget.
Favorite Twitter Posts of 2007
The Big Juicy
Twitter Guide - Caroline Middlebrook puts together a very detailed guide
to Using Twitter for Marketing.
Guide
to Twitter as a Tool for Marketing and PR - Lee Odden puts together a great
post with tips on using Twitter as a Marketing Tool. Lee’s community offers
tons of wonderful Twitter Tips!!
The
Several Habits of Wildly Successful Twitter Users - Bren at Slacker Manager
offers tips and advice for Successful Twitter Wanna-be’s.
Eight
Ways Twitter is Useful Professionally - Anne Zelenka offers 8 ways to use
Twitter Professionally.
Use
Twitter To Boost Your Marketing Strategy, No Really - Chris Bennett offers
his ideas to user Twitter as part of a Marketing Strategy.
The
Top 5 Ways Smart People Use Twitter - Sharon Sarmiento suggests focusing
on these 5 smart uses of Twitter to keep from falling into the Twitter abyss.
Is
Twitter TOO good? - Kathy Sierra writes this post showing her struggle with
Twitter…. In this post you can see her struggle with Twitter being a waste
of time and the rest of the world chanting Twitter’s wonderful goodness.
Twitter
vs. Pownce: Who Pwns? - Tamar takes a close look at Twitter and Pownce and
compares the two.
Twitter is Paying
My Rent - Marshall Kirkpatrick writes how he uses Twitter to come up with
stories to blog about. At the time of this post 6 out of his 7 last posts wint
to the front page of Digg… the same stories he came up with thanks to Twitter.
Twitter
CAN be Useful! Who Knew? - Due to Twitter coverage of the fires back in
October Jennifer Laycock saw an incredibly useful way to use Twitter….. Her
brother and his wife were able to subscribe to the Twitter Feed and quick and
easy access to instant updates as they drove across the country safely.
Favorite Facebook Posts of 2007
The
Facebook Marketing Bible: 24 Ways to Market Your Brand, Company, Product, or
Service Inside Facebook - If you are looking on exactly how to Market on
Facebook this is a "Must Read" by Justin Smith.
12
Ways to Use Facebook Professionally - Judi Sohn explains why Facebook can
be a great addition to your web working toolbox.
How
to use Facebook to Promote your Blog - Brian Wallace compliles some tips
on how to promote your blog using Facebook.
Not
many people know this, but I invented Facebook - Lyndon says, Let us all
rise up and shout, “I INVENTED FACEBOOK.”
Your
Private Facebook Info Isn’t So Private - Lisa Barone shows why adjusting
your Facebook privacy settings may not be enough to keep people from seeing
inside your Facebook Windows.
Seven
Steps to Graphing Your Facebook Strategy - Dave McClure offers an indepth
look at Facebook. This is a great post for anyone new to Facebook.
A
Successful Facebook Marketing Campaign - Social-Media-Optimization.com compares
a successful Facebook campaign (Target) with an unsuccessful campaign (Walmart).
How
to Develop a Hit Facebook App: 29 Essential Tools and Tutorials - SoftwareDeveloper.com
comes up with Resources to help you build a successful Facebook app that users
will love.
You
too might be a Facebookaholic, if: - Dave McClure gives us 17 hints that
we might be a Facebookaholic.
Who
needs Google? Facebook’s stealth ad system - ValleyWag
gives us the details on Facebook’s Ad System.
Mash
Pets, SuperPokes, Vampires, or Zombies? What are Your Social Network Ice Breakers?
- Mark Laymon shows us how he uses certain Facebook applications to "Break
the Ice".
A
Girl’s First Time….. being Poked - Ok, this post is one of mine.
Sorry, I just crack myself up. 
Is
The Horde At Facebooks Walls? - Tim Nash writes this post for Clicks.ws.
on the how-to’s of Advertising on Facebook.
Web
Strategy: What the Web Strategist should know about Facebook - Jeremiah
Owyang tells us what we need to know about Facebook as a strategic marketing
channel.
Technorati Tags:social networking, social bookmarking, stumbleupon, sphinn, twitter, facebook, 2007, social media, social media marketing
Posted in Facebook, Humor, Link Love, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Sphinn, StumbleUpon, Twitter | 18 Comments »
Monday, December 17th, 2007 |
Photo by Fabbio
I love you so much I hate you!! Or, I hate you so much I love you!! Oh boy,
is my head Sphinning!! I keep
Stumbling over things
and getting Mixxed up because
my head is totally in the Social Media clouds. Let me explain my battle a bit…
I love you, Social Media…. Let me Count the Ways:
- People – I have met
so many people from
all over World.
Many of these
people I would consider a dear
friend and/or Colleague.
- Traffic - With the correct Social Media Marketing Strategies
you can bring a lot of amazing traffic to your site.
- This is Work?? - I can call Social Media part of my job,
but yet it is so much fun.
- Voyeurism - I can be a Voyeur and it’s okay….
Watching where my friends have been and what they did while they were there.
(StumbleUpon,
MyBlogLog,
etc…)
- Conversations - Conversations via blog comments, Instant
Messaging, blog posts, facebook,
twitter, blah,
blah, blah.
- De-Stresser - Take my mind off of my Stressful Work / Life.
- Not all about Google - No longer have to rely on Major
Search Engines for all of my traffic.
- Keep Updated - Easy to keep up with new and updated information
on the topics that interest me. RSS Feeds
- Link Building - Building Links is fairly easy with Social
Media and a lot of fun. No more emailing for link exchanges.
- Creativity - I feel More Creative now than I ever was.
- Sweet Dreams - I love Social Media so much I even dream
about it at night while I’m sleeping.
- Opportunities - Joined in on projects
with fellow colleagues I have met online
- Standing Out - Social Media Activities can make you Stand
Out - A successful Article or Blog Post can do very well on Social Networking
Sites which can make you stand-out in your Niche.
- Social Media Fame - Having a Blog with a Readership can
make you feel like a Superstar.
I hate you, Social Media… Let me Count the Ways:
- Pressure of keeping up the Pace - Feeling if I slow down
I will get lost and no one will be able to find me.
- Inevitable that someone will be unhappy - This is very
difficult for a people pleaser such as myself. Unable to make everyone happy.
If you make someone unhappy you might hear about it in a follow-up post or
a blog comment.
- Voyeurism - Just like I can watch other people travel through
the Blogosphere, people can watch me too. Knowing this makes me feel a bit
weary about popping on to someone’s blog or StumbleUpon Profile too many times
in a row. Not sure why, but it does.
- This is Work!! - Social Media is very time consuming. And,
even though it is a lot of fun it is so much work!!
- People - Most people that I have met online have been wonderful!!
But, not everyone is as nice. Some people pretend to be your friend because
ultimately they want something from you. Don’t use me!! I hate that!!
- RSS Feed Reader is Too Full - As I mentioned in #8 above I use
a RSS Feed Reader to keep updated. However, my Feed Reader has become so full
that lately I have been missing important posts. Because my Reader is so full
I tend to read the Titles of the Posts to see what sounds interesting enough
to read and landed up missing some really wonderful posts.
- Poor Time Management - What little Time Management Skills
I have had in the past have totally went down the toilet since I added Social
Media Activity to my To-do list. UGH!! I think I’ve already complained
about this in the past, huh?!
- Productivity - Productivity on some of my other duties
has begun to slip.
- Sleepless Nights - Don’t get enough Sleep. Even my
dreams are overcome by Social Media Activities.
- Social Media Pressure - The pressure to achieve a certain
Social Media Status or keep this status is incredibly intense. Sometimes it
is hard to enjoy the fame due to the constant fear of losing it.
I will be following this post up with other posts detailing the specifics on
each of these Love/Hate dilemmas.
Technorati Tags:social media, social networking, social bookmarking, sphinn, stumbleupon, social media marketing, blogging
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Humor, Mixx, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Time Management, Twitter, Web 2.0 | 20 Comments »
Friday, December 7th, 2007 |
Yesterday I wrote a Post on Collective-Thoughts, Wow,
Social Media is a lot like High School!! . It is a humorous look at how
Social Media has many similarities to High School. Both Social Media and High
Schools have Popular Crowds, Clubs, The Bad Boys, Rule Breakers, Goodie-Goodies,
Parties, Peer Pressure, and Gossip. I hope the readers enjoyed it as much as
I enjoyed writing it.
I’ve learned that using analogies is a great way to explain things that are
normally difficult to explain. There are many people on the net that find Social
Media and Web 2.0 very confusing. Analogies help explain something confusing
to an individual by comparing it with something they already understand. So,
here I have listed 12 articles that use cool analogies to explain different
aspects of Social Media.
Join the Conversation or Break
Into the Conversation? - Sean at Grin & Grumble compares Social Media
being a Pool and Bloggers being the different types of swimmers in the Pool
of Social Media.
The
“symphony” of social media - Dee Rambeau at CausePlanet.org
writes a creative analogy comparing a symphony orchestra with social media.
Why Corporations
Should Blog (Hint, it’s not SEO) - Josh Hallett at Hyku uses your love for
your significant other to prove a point.
Marc
Canter’s vision of the open social network - Chris at Particls Blog comparing
Facebook and other Social Networks are like Shopping Centers.
Fly-Fishing
Where the Fish Are - Ann Handley at Marketing Profs Daily Fix writes about
fishing using flies was not unlike marketing using the tools of social media.
Social
Media, the Pond Analogy and the Old Media Disconnect - sean at Scrollin’
On Dubs compares Marketing with the spreading of ripples in a glassy pond.
The
Ethics Of Social Bookmarking - xrayspecs at The Internet Marketing Neophyte
compares a new site to a piece of driftwood.
Social
Media Marketing is Similar to a Fishing Tournament - Mark Laymon at Collective-Thoughts
Bookmarking
Solutions: Quick Access vs. Long Term Storage - Jay White at Dumb Little
Man compares Social Bookmarking to paper filing systems.
Advertising
Tips (with Sex examples) - talisman.org explains what marketing is using
Pick-up Lines and the such.
Online
social networking, an extension to human evolution? Arun Radhakrishnan at
TechRepublic talks about the relation between social networking and human evolution.
The
Virtual world and the Real World - An Analogy - Karthik Vijayakumar at Water
Droplets compares The virtual world to the real world.
Technorati Tags:social media, social bookmarking, social networking, analogies, social media marketing
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Humor, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Web 2.0, Websites | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 |
Social Media is an important part of my daily routine. Since I started adding
Social Media to my Daily Schedule I’ve seen an increase in daily traffic,
incoming links, sales on my Preschool
Curriculum eCommerce site and I’ve met the most amazing, brilliant
people that enjoy the same interests as I do.
It sounds wonderful, right? Well, up until last Friday I would have said an
energetic, “YES!!” Now, I’m not so sure.
Last Friday I was comparing what my goals were for that week and what I actually
accomplished. I was horrified to see that I fell short on many of my goals for
that week. For me, that rarely happens. I am ridiculously structured. I need
to be… I run a business out of my home while taking care of three children.
Schedules and "To-Do" Lists are what helps keep my crazy busy life
a bit more sane. So, when I saw my list having tons of items not crossed off
I was determined to see where all of my time was going. This is what I came
up with:
The following times aren’t exact, but gives you a rough idea of the
time I spend doing particular daily duties.
7:30 am
- Get up and start getting my 5 year old ready for School and make sure my
11 year old is awake and getting himself ready for school.
8:30 am
- Feed 4 year old Breakfast.
- Check email
- Print off ABC Home Preschool orders for the last 24 hours
- Process all Credit Card transactions
- Email Customers with their ship dates.
9:30 am
- Use my Feed Reader to check out the new Posts on my Favorite Blogs
- Stumble
and Sphinn posts appropriately.
- Comment on any Posts that I feel I can contribute to.
- Bookmark posts to come back
to later.
10:30 am
- Check out what’s new on Sphinn. Sphinn items I find interesting
- Stumble and/or Bookmark items I find interesting from Sphinn.
- Comment on Sphinn items.
- Check what’s new on FaceBook.
Respond to FaceBook messages and Notifications.
11:30 am
- Quick Stop at MyBlogLog
to see who stopped by my Profile
- Reply to Messages
- Quick Thank-you emails for Stopping by.
- Check what pages StumbleUpon friends sent me to check out…. Respond to
each.
12:30 pm
- Lunch for 4 year old and myself.
- Work-out and Shower.
2:30 pm
- Finish Writing a Post for one of my Blogs
4:00 - 9:00 pm
- Dinner, Homework and Family Time (Trust me, this time is not a break….
I’m sure you Mommies and Daddies know what I’m talking about.)
9:00 pm
- Begin online research on the next days post.
- Make Notes on the direction I want to go with post and any outbound
links I want to use
10:30 pm
- Process orders for ABC Home Preschool
- Package Orders for tomorrow’s shipment
12:00 am
- Go through Feed Reader once again
- Make Posts and Comments on other Blogs
- Sphinn / Stumble Posts
- Go thru Sphinn once again
- Stumble a bit
- Twitter
- Try to finish catching up on emails
Bedtime is between 1 am and 3 am. Lately it is closer to 3 am.
Keep in mind a few things about the above generalized schedule:
- Nowhere did I mention any interaction or quality time with my children.
I have a 4 year old who spends his days with me. So, the work I mentioned
above is done around my time with him during the day.
- I mentioned nothing about extracurricular activities for my children which
happens at least 3 times a week in which I also attend.
- In addition to this blog I have many
other sites that I work on.
- On a daily basis I speak and / or chat with the people I network with online. This
must be squeezed into my daily schedule.
- Daily tweaks and article writing for my static websites
The above schedule was just to give you a very rough idea of how my basic work
day goes. And, how much time, at a minimum, I work on Social Media. My plate
was full before Social Media entered my life. Today my plate is over flowing.
I love Social Media I just need to learn how to manage my time with it better.
If I attempt to keep going at this pace with a schedule like this I’m
sure Social Media will take my life. I am determined to come up with a Time
Management Plan for Social Media that works for me. As it is something that
is not only working for my business, but that I love very much.
During my research in the past couple of days I came across three wonderful
posts that offer some time management skills when it comes to Social Media.
- My
Half Hour Social Networking Plan - In this three part series Kevin Palmer
gives us the details of his 30 minute Social Networking Plan. Kevine breaks
his plan down into three posts 1. The
First Ten Minutes 2.
The Second Ten Minutes 3. The
Final Ten Minutes
- The
10-Minute Daily Guide to Building Your Social Media Profile - Ben Yoskovitz
offers some of his amazing Time Management Tips for Social Networking.
- 7
Ways to Own Social Media Before it Owns You - Brian
Wallace explains that Instead of suffering from social media overload,
look at a few other disciplines and tips for help.
So, please…. please Help Me!! Social Media is trying to take my life….
Do you have any suggestions? I would love to hear them.
Technorati Tags:social media, time management, social networking
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Time Management, Twitter, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Basics, Websites | 21 Comments »
Friday, November 2nd, 2007 |
A Funny Look at my First Time Being Poked on Facebook
Anyone who is a fan of Facebook
has probably been poked. Maybe you have even been lucky enough to be SuperPoked!!
I know I have. Normally I am not a person to have been poked and tell, but I’m
sure you can be trusted to keep this a secret.
I remember my first poke. His name was Michael.
He was so sweet. He even asked permission before poking me.
He and I joined Facebook
around the same time and both of us had no idea what being poked was like. We
agreed to try poking each other to see what would happen.
I must admit, it was quite disappointing. I’m sure it was not Michael’s
fault. After all, it was his first time too. But, I was left saying to myself,
“That was it? What was all the fuss about?” He and I shared a nice
conversation on each other’s wall after that. But, held off poking each
other for a bit.
Then, something changed. I discovered SuperPoke.
This changed everything. Once I tried SuperPoke I couldn’t stop. This
was so much better than being just poked.
He and I have superpoked many times since then, but I must admit there have also
been others since Michael. And, not just poking. I have been high fived, spanked,
shanked, thrown out a window, goosed, body slammed, chest bumped, and drop kicked.
I have even had a chicken thrown at me. But, there was something about Michael
that kept drawing me back to him. I’m guessing it was because he was my
first.
One lonely night after not hearing from him in a while I drunk dialed him.
I’m pretty sure Michael was pissed. Either that or he was aware of my
superpokes with others. Within moments after I drunk dialed him, I got a facebook
notice that he took my sexy back. Oh, I was not happy!! I trout
slapped him, threw a cow at him and even body slammed him. But, he just wouldn’t
give me my sexy back. I wrote on Michael’s Wall demanding he give it back
to me…. After all, it was the weekend and no girl should
be without her sexy for the weekend.
What happened next I am not very proud of… I Dry Humped Michael via SuperPoke
that night. Needless to say, I got my sexy back. A girl has to do what a girl
has to do.
Don’t worry. I have since got Michael back for what he did to me that night.
"I hope the Vampire that I sent after you, Michael, didn’t hurt
you too bad"
Technorati Tags:facebook, superpoke, humor, social media
Posted in Facebook, Humor, Social Media | 16 Comments »
