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May 04, 2010 - In life we expect outgoing people to be better at tasks like networking or sales. We use terms like “extrovert” and “Type-A personality” to describe what many of us believe to be true about many of the people we work with… that seemingly natural parts of their personality make them ideal candidates to do certain types of jobs. Chances are as you have built your own small business, a part of any success you have had has come from your own natural abilities and skills. The problem with how we think about our natural abilities (and those of others) is that it also forces us to consider that the exact opposite must be true as well. After all, if you can be naturally good at some things, surely you could be naturally bad at other things, right? And being naturally bad at something is a great excuse to just avoid doing something. If you’re “not good with numbers” then you get someone else to handle that. Or if you’re not a technology guy (or girl) then you can justify not investing in better systems to optimize your business. This is just silly. Having an inherent ability certainly helps, but it is not a prerequisite – particularly when you consider social media. Many small business owners falsely believe that the more technical you are, the more readily you should be able to use social media. Actually, being good at using social media has very little to do with your technical ability. It does, however, require learning some basic principles and to some degree developing the right instincts. These are guiding principles that anyone who effectively uses social media already knows – but will dramatically help you to use social media like an expert, even if you still think Java is a kind of coffee… Be conversational. The first and most important instinct to develop when it comes to social media can be surprisingly difficult for some, and that is to speak, write, and share content in your own real voice. This means using conversational language and writing as you would speak. Social media is rarely a place for marketing or legal type of language – so leave those for your important documents and get as real as you can whenever you post anything. Listen and respond consistently. It is often said that the basis of social media comes from listening. You insert any cliché here that you like about having twice as many ears as mouths… but the point is that through listening to what people are saying you will know what you need to respond to – particularly if someone posts a message about your business or industry and is seeking a response. The more often you respond, the more social credibility you can build for your organization as one that is listening and cares about the sentiment of the group. Proactively comment and share. Responding to questions that involve you or your business is the relatively easy [...]

It’s been about a year that i’ve been using social media on a consistent basis, and i’ve certainly had my moments – That said my interactions have been overall positive.  However today I briefly wanted to jot down down some of my thoughts that most people don’t like talking about.  If you’re new or “one dimensional” please keep an open mind… Connecting: Social media isn’t the  connector we think it is.  Meaningless relationships on many social networking sites hold no value when translated into the real world.  Look for people who you’d like to meet in person, and who are genuinely interested in your stuff. Volumes: Just like most business is about reaching the masses so is social media.  If you want to make it, target the masses. Value: Twitter (in particular) fries your brain, I feel the more you tweet the more you lose your concentration.  Stick to about 5-10  value tweets a day, blog more if you want to participate positively and contribute value to the overall eco-sytsem. User Base: If you’re looking to build your brand / name using social media  attract the normals, as opposed to the digital early adopters (or) influentials. Men Behind The Curtain: Lot of social media is rigged by the men behind the curtain.  Just today i logged into an old Twitter account of mine and i was following people i had never seen before.  Guess what, they were all  verified Twitter accounts… Noise: Who needs more than 10,000 followers?  I’d say who needs more than 1,000. Information: Interesting information is the key to success.  Draw your fans in by posting informative content.  Not regurgitating other peoples stuff. Sharing vs Over-Sharing: Don’t over-share, strike a healthy balance between your friends and your stuff. Numbers / Metrics: It’s not about the  numbers, you’re setting yourself up for the trap if you think that’s what social media is all about. Monetization: I’ve thought alot about this. We all like to share, but there comes a point when you think to yourself  ”Am i making any money spending so much time here?”  If you are, great!  If you aren’t try learning a new skill or building something awesome instead. Ego: How much butt do i have to kiss to get noticed?  Alot, and what you have to ask yourself is “Is it worth it?”  If it is great! How to get noticed quickly: Try getting to content before others (or) share strong opinions on your blog (and) bash news content for more visibility (also known as negative publicity). Sometimes taking a different perspective can add a new dimension to you as an individual.   That’s what social media should be about, new dimensions, different perspectives and the willingness to embrace multiple strategies. Source: Fluid New Media