Social Media Archives - Page 11 of 15

Do You Paper.Li?

02/10/2011 By Jayme Soulati

When I received the first Paper.Li daily, I groaned and thought about yet another resource to review, read and keep track of. I’ve been forever curious about how these are put together and who has the time to make it so, and I’m encouraged by @JodyKoehler “What? You don’t have one? It’s automated!”

Apparently, it really is. I went to investigate and grabbed this content from Paper.Li website:

From Twitter, the newspaper will be created using all the links (articles) shared in the past 24 hours by yourself (editor in chief) AND the people you follow (contributors)
From a Twitter #tag, create a paper using all the links (articles) shared in the past 24 hours by all Twitter users that have associated the selected #tag
From Twitter links create a paper using all the links (articles) shared in the past 24 hours by all Twitter users on the selected list
From Facebook create a paper based on a search of all public posts on Facebook.

You can even customize your own paper with more options coming soon:

Title it
Select tweeps (Twitter people) who can contribute or restrict those you don’t want on board
Define a topic you want people to be talking about on Twitter

What’s even more interesting to me is that people have about as many subscribers as my blog; an average of six. The wow factor is how many views the papers are notching – 4,000 to 5,000 for the more established and branded papers.

What this says about influence, is that it’s not the number of followers, it’s what you’ve got to say, apparently. Take a look:

The Location Based Daily has 129 views and 3 subscribers
The Marketing/PR/SocialMedia Daily by Monyelle Mingo has 1,187 views and 5 subscribers
The PR Post by Jody Koehler has 4,320 views and 7 subscribers
TCSocialMediaSmarties by Top Rank Marketing has 6,535 views and 7 subscribers
Fraser-Valley Daily by Owen Greaves has 5066 views and 5 subscribers

So, do you Paper.Li? Subscribe, pop in and scan, use as resource for blog fodder? I’d like to know if yet another resource is worth the attention.

(Photo Credit: bigthink.com)

Social Media & Global Democracy

02/08/2011 By Jayme Soulati

It took one sentence to prompt this post – “Why ‘21^st Century Statecraft’ – the idea that America can use the Internet to influence global events – is more dream than reality.”

I’m going to write first with my immediate stream of conscious reaction to this powerful statement, and then I’ll read the article from which I extrapolate – Bloomberg Businessweek, Feb. 7-13, 2011, “Opening Remarks: The Fallacy of Facebook Diplomacy” by Brendan Greeley.

I am bi-cultural; born in the U.S. of a Persian father and mixed-heritage (German/Irish) Midwestern mother. When I lived in Iran as a kid, the country was on the way to westernization aka freedom. The Shah, weak monarch puppet of the United Kingdom and U.S., was loosening the strict codes and feeding the yen for a democratic monarchy by hordes of students who demonstrated powerfully en masse, and their voices were heard. Educators ruled, and students attended university in droves with the promise to make a better life and get a ticket to the promised land – the U.S.A.

The Empress basically banned the chador, and women wore the latest Parisienne fashion in short skirts, lots of ruby lipstick, eye liner and shadows with heads uncovered to the chagrin of clerics who believed women unequal and inferior to men (still to this day).

We lived a happy life as children in Iran with no television and no telephone. We drove an American Chevrolet which was considered high luxury. We had to hire a housekeeper who essentially taught my baby sister better Farsi than she spoke English.

My mom made us peanut butter from scratch, and we loved her homemade pizza, too (our favorite meal). We used foil and straws to make garland for our pseudo Christmas tree (there were no pines in the desert), and Mom bought ornament kits so we could make our decorations.

The hostage crisis in 1979 and revolution thereafter stole those freedoms – for women to attend university alongside men; for students to demonstrate on streets; for women to choose which attire they wore; and something we all take for granted – handholding. Those events uprooted families throughout the country, and it impacted who I became as an adult.

While attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison, I easily hid my heritage; when asked, my name was of Italian descent.

The most recent elections in Iran a year ago were fueled by social media; the world watched, and the people of Iran took to the Internet buoyed by global support and cheers of encouragement for freedom – all in silence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and elsewhere with people they had yet to and would never meet.

We gave the Iranian people false hope, yet we gave them hope. Then, it was all taken away; the bloodshed a black mark on freedom and the Green Revolution. Now, we watch and add our tweets, posts and remarks of encouragement to Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and other developing nations soon to come.

The desire for freedom fueled by social media and Internet ubiquity is palpable when we engage with emotionally charged activists who bravely tweet and Facebook. Those who present their true identity on social media are forever tagged by cyber police.

Until you get a flavor of what’s over the mountain, you live comfortably within your boundaries. I understand.

Now, let me read Mr. Greeley’s piece and see what he’s intended for his opening remarks to this week’s issue of Bloomberg Businessweek. I offer these direct extrapolations that give credence to my personal musings:

“America would take sides by building tools to route around censorship.
A country that would deprive its citizens of information, the Secretary of State argued, would deprive them of a market advantage.
The dissident who organizes on Facebook, for example, leaves behind a map for security to follow.
Facebook is not staffed up to fulfill its new accidental mission.
The Internet is American in origin and spirit; it is one of the best expressions of what the nation’s economy, and yes, its government can accomplish. America’s instinctive support for the right to speak and assemble can be hard to square with its need for stability. That’s as true online as it is on the street.
We like to make the world a better place, to mold it in our image.”

Read the article; it’s well worth pondering. Think once when you meet a global compatriot on social media whether you’re supporting their cause for freedom with hope and encouragement or stoking the flames for what may not be on the other side of the mountain.

(photo credit: sexysocialmedia.com)

Social Media: Are We Talking To Ourselves?

01/28/2011 By Jayme Soulati

Recently, I wrote a post that received many comments, some supportive, some harsh. I’ve not written my follow-up, though it’s pending, and in the interim, there’s another comment that is so lengthy and insightful in its approach that I’m going to run it as a post today.

Social Media: We’re All Talking to Ourselves spawned thoughts up front, on the side and behind the scenes in many a discussion about whether I was being whiny and needed a swift kick in the pants, or whether I was on to something. The jury is still out because they’re pondering.

I thank, and am grateful to, the genuine remarks presented in a highly professional fashion by Patty Swisher, director of public relations and marketing at IKM, Inc. in Pittsburgh. She read the post and asked me via Twitter whether she could add a lengthy comment to my blog, and that she preferred to email it first to ensure I was accepting of her thoughts. After receiving her email with comment, I immediately picked up the phone (thanked her verbally) and asked whether I could instead use her comment as a full-on post. She agreed.

(I shared this with you to show folks how social media begets amazing engagement. I am inspired by Patty’s reaction and actions today.)

Here is what Patty offered up today; let’s keep the conversation going…who else would like to weigh in with more perspective?

Your post, “Social Media: We’re All Talking to Ourselves,” really hit home with me. I feel the same way. This is much of the reason that I’ve resisted starting my own blog. I recall not too terribly long ago when you started yours, eager and excited and the bumps and hurdles that ensued. I applaud you for your efforts.

I get the sense, daily, that Twitter users (especially) have no interest in “conversing.” They are all about self promotion, although by our own account this is the dirty little secret that nobody talks about.

It’s very much like the “rule” of adding a little personality to your tweets. Really, no. People don’t want to know nor do they care if you have life beyond your keywords. If you mention them, they “unfollow” or quit. The great little program “Qwitters,” offers almost instant proof of this.

I am a “learner” and “relator” by nature – and still a Pisces, I might add despite the latest news reports, perhaps relevant as a “small fish,” but I digress. Gallup’s Strength’s Finder 2.0 reinforces this and tells me so. Given this, I love reading what people have to say. And I love connecting on Twitter (and Facebook and LinkedIn, among others). I think it’s fascinating to be able to connect with people from Atlanta to Australia with a click, from my desk here in Pittsburgh, or my soft chair in my North Hills suburb.

In addition to avoiding ‘self promotion,’ the social media and “Twitter Elders” have also put out the notion that its “improper” to follow too many more people than follow you. I understand. In dating it’s never appropriate to be too needy or too clingy. But, in my opinion, it defeats the purpose of connecting.

I’m upside down right now following to followers. But, it’s a result of what you speak of, and what Mark Schaefer suggests – it is what I’ve created. When I get bored with my Twitter feed I look for new and interesting people to follow. I get tired of hearing the same old chants.

The good thing is the net is an ocean of information. Again, as Mark suggests (although perhaps a little harsh), if you’re not happy where you’re fishing, move your boat to a new spot.

I know if I had a blog (albeit, well-written and relevant) it would help to increase my relevant followers. But, as a learner and relator, I don’t consider myself an expert. I leave that to the other guys – and there are plenty of them out there. [Plus in daily marcom, to throw in a little jargon, I’m begging for blog/content from our firm’s principals who haven’t signed on to the value of social media yet. More on that later.]

I also agree with your statements about the social media leaders who publish the “most followed” blogs and share the lime lite. I think that’s a natural progression in business, in life for that matter. If you’ll indulge me, in the business sense, think of the product life cycle, there are the ‘firsts.’ Those who see the trend first and can capitalize on it. Then there is the growth stage. A big build up and growth in a new arena, all of the ‘me-too’ companies or individuals and those who think they can do better. At maturity, the good ones, or maybe the ones who shout the loudest, seem to ‘bubble to the top.’ And this might be what we’re seeing/feeling in the social media/marketing/pr circle right now.

I was doing some list maintenance this week, partially for this very reason. It’s great to share comments and stories with like-minded individuals. It makes us feel good, reinforces that we are right and we do know what we’re talking about even if that last client didn’t hire us or our bosses don’t know it yet.

The other reason I was re-evaluating my lists was to get a better idea of where my interests are heading. The thing I love about social media is that there is something new to learn every day. To me, as a learner, that’s exciting – addictive. So, I’m still learning about using lists and not sure how it will all pan out. Quite frankly, there are not enough hours in the day to read all that I would like to.

While I’m sure there are tons of people out there who are making money and lots of it in social media and they’ve really made a name for themselves as experts, like you, I don’t think it will ever be the magic bullet for SMB that we’re hoping for. That’s ok, as long as we set our goals and objectives appropriately.

The other point that I would like to offer you, that I suspect you already know, is that Social Media has become an industry. Not unlike advertising and PR, sometimes a part of it; sometimes on its own. This industry continues to grow and mature and its trajectory has been phenomenal.

My point, to keep in mind, is that other industries are still way down on the learning curve. I can only speak of my own experiences. I’m in professional services as I briefly mentioned above. I’ve been watching it. It’s not bubbling yet, but it’s coming. Like a pot on the stove, the water is heating up but it hasn’t begun to boil yet.

I don’t disagree with any of the comments. Sometimes we all need a kick in the butt!

But thanks for being willing to speak up. I bet lots of people feel the same way.

Social Media: We’re All Talking To Ourselves

01/20/2011 By Jayme Soulati

Six months ago, I presented to a DeVry University business class and was cheerleading about social media. Last night, I presented an updated deck to a new group of older students taking a intro to business course (many of them re-inventing themselves), and my thermometer around social media took a nose dive. So much so that the instructor asked me what had changed?

We’re all talking to ourselves in a big ubiquitous bubble. Among my Twitter peers, bloggers I follow, comments I post and read, and Facebook pages I like, those engaging are we in public relations, marketing, video production, virtual assistants, website and application development, and other professional services. Invariably, the same names pop up over and over again in the same locations; you can run, but you can’t snare a comment first without someone else getting ahead of you.

Saw a product download tonight “Amplify Your Echo.” Indeed.

It seems to me, the mashup is slowly receding to boundaried categories with confined conversations:

Social media leaders who publish the most-followed blogs and have the most followers on Twitter. These folks share in the limelight and their content is rich while they educate the masses. Likely, they’re monetizing their social engagement investment with books, speaking gigs, or paid projects.

Small to Medium Businesses might be engaging online direct to customer or prospect to create their own community, but they are definitely NOT joining the conversation in and amongst the professional services crowd. (The latter want to identify an SMB owner to sell their services.)

I can back up this statement with my own research to find small-to-medium business owners to enhance my Twitter stream (for my second blog at The SMB Collective). My search on Twellow and Listorious spawned many business coaches seeking new clients, blatantly.

Public relations professionals at many varying degrees of career development are thick into social media (and if they’re not, they ought to be) to learn from the leaders who, in spite of themselves, are also teachers of the pack. Wonder how many thought leaders relish the idea that they’re de facto teachers when they’d likely prefer to gain a few new clients instead?

Public relations people prefer to talk with their own kind, share in the jargon and marketing speak with which we’re all familiar. That, however, gets us practitioners nowhere fast. Creating a brand as an influencer is dandy; but, what’s the next step to get beyond the time investment with no ROI?

Taking this one step further, what would happen if you stopped blogging, tweeting, Facebooking? Do either of these social channels earn you new business? If you’re in professional services (like public relations, financial planning, legal, accounting) have you been able to productize your online engagement investment in order to monetize it?

In the last week, these thoughts have begun to surface as I begin to bump heads with an amazing “in” crowd on social media. While I never tried to integrate that way, I naturally gravitated to them and them to me. Like breeds like in the case of public relations, and the banter is highly rewarding with people who “get it.”

I don’t have the answers right now, but I sense a sea change coming – like the talk around the blogosphere about the bubble bursting (in re Groupon valuation and Google’s $6 billion offer).

If you can shed some light, I can sure use the help; meanwhile, see you on comment 26 on that A-lister blogger’s next post.

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