Imagine Your Reality

“Access and attention are finite currencies” Chris Brogan

From my own experiences teaching at a university, I’m inclined to agree with Chris that access is a finite currency and resource. Some students will have more access than others to contemporary technologies and consequently have an advantage over others. This also applies to some degree to businesses. Some businesses will have more resources available to them that provide them more access, while others will not.

From a social media perspective it could be argued that access to social media is infinite, particularly with the mobile phone technology, but I’d argue that if we conceive of access as more than just being able to login…specifically if we think of it as the ability to use technology fluently, then access is limited by the amount of time and also tech skills a given person has. And with businesses an additional layer is finite access due to the need to run a business and pursue other avenues of marketing, networking, and promotion.

Attention is also limited, especially in this age of information overload. Because we have so many vectors of information now available to us, we need to be able to monitor that information and also parse out the useful vs non-useful information. The amount of attention you can give is also divided by other factors such as the relationships you cultivate and activities you are engaged in.

Attention is a finite currency due to physiological demands such as sleep and eating. Ultimately what captivates attention is what interests a person the most, and being able to hold a person’s interest is dictated by what that person wants. The currency of attention is the interest a person feels or expresses.

Taken together both access and attention can determine what a person will spend time on, and how that person will access what s/he wants to spend time on. In fact, we could argue that time is the expression of the currency of attention and access as ultimately it is the time we spend that determins how that currency is used.

In the latest episode of Social Media Coach radio, I discuss what an online community is and how to support it. Next week’s show is about spammers and how they affect online communities.

Book Review: Who’s got your back by Keith Ferrazzi

Once again Keith Ferrazzi reveals the value and importance of cultivating genuine relationships in order to realize success at your business and life. I read this book during a difficult period of my life and the insights and wisdom that the author provided, especially on being vulnerable helped me reach out to my network during my time of need with a clarity and honesty that showed me just how much I am valued by that community, and made me want to give back even more. That’s the real gift of Mr. Ferrazzi’s work: He shows you the value of helping others and being generous. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to cultivate better relationships.

5 out of 5

Upcoming social media webinars are coming up on Twitter, Biznik, Internet radio and much more. To learn more, click on the link.

For the final post in this series, I want to focus on video. I’ve admittedly used this medium the least in my own efforts, though I’ve been slowly increasing my use of it, in order to show as well as tell people about my perspective on social media. Video is going to become more prevalent as the tech demands become easier to manage. The proliferation of sites such as Youtube, Vimeo, Blip.tv, show that video is becoming more and more part of social media. Additionally mobile phones are integrating video components into their tech, which will make it easier for anyone to upload video.

When creating video, it is, again, important to think about your audience. Because video sites are used by a wide variety of people for a wide variety of purposes, businesses don’t have the advantage of using video in a niched site that reaches to a specific audience. This means that businesses have to be very specific in the first minute of the video to weed out people who aren’t part of their audience, but also hook the audience they want so they’ll watch the rest of the video. Some of this can be done with the description of the video, as well as search tags, but some of it ultimately comes down to the actual video content that is used.

Video content should introduce people to what the video is about within ten seconds, if not earlier. If it takes longer than ten seconds, then the person will probably move on. A person should get a sense of what they will learn from the video, so they can determine if its something they want to watch.

One other thing to  consider with audience is what type of video service to use to present your video on other sites. While youtube is the most popular video site, blip.tv looks like it could be more useful because it doesn’t include a logo or other videos which are made by other people on the same topic. Your audience isn’t just on video sites, but also can be found looking at your website or blog, so it can be very useful to use a video service that doesn’t blatantly advertise other videos to draw your audience away from your website.

It’s really easy for someone’s social media to not be social. In fact, I can usually tell if someone’s social media isn’t social by the kinds of posts that persons and specifically by the lack of conversation. That lack of conversation will tell you if it’s worth it to follow the person. For me, no conversation dictates no following the person. I don’t want to read a bunch of posts that don’t show personality.

If all I see are quotes from other people, I know that person isn’t social and probably doesn’t even know what to do. Quotes from other people, while inspirational don’t tell me much about you.

If all I see are posts about how you can make money, and how you can by followers, I know the person is a spammer and is probably trying to make money off of me, with lurid promises of how s/he gets social media to pay for his/her lifestyle. Needless to say such blatant greed turns me off to the idea of following a person.

If all I see are posts with a brief description and a link to some website, I again consider you a spammer and likely someone trying to make money off the links I click to, if you’re an affiliate marketer.

And with all of these above I never see responses to other people. I’m not even sure if these people are people or just some automated program set up to try and make someone money.

So what makes social media social? Post about what you do, without sending people to a link with every single post. Reply to people about what they are writing are about and get into a conversation with them. Build relationships that have meaning to you and to those people. In other words, participate and converse. It’s so simple, yet many people don’t do it, and I suspect they don’t, because they don’t want to put time into social media, but feel they have to have some kind of presence. If you want to have a presence, invest the time and effort into making that presence real.

I have to admit I’ve made some friendships via social media and gotten closer to other people I’ve known for a while. I think that’s pretty significant. In fact it’s the best ROI I’ve gotten from social media.

I run two radio shows (though I’ve taken a little break lately due to life circumstances). Both of these radio shows are online radio shows. Each show is somewhat different from the other show in terms of its focus and potential audience. Social Media Coach focuses on discussing on-going social media trends, social media behaviors, and other relevant topics. It could appeal to businesses, but will also appeal to people in the social media industry. Imagine Your Reality Radio is a show where I interview other businesses about what they do and how they reach out to their clientele. Its audience is primarily other businesses and/or clients of the people I interviewed.

With each radio show, I had to be very clear about who the ideal audience was as well as what I hope such an audience would get from either show. And I also need to be clear on what I hope I will get from doing such shows, since there’ a fair amount of time and effort that goes into putting the show together and then actually doing it.

Many businesses haven’t really adopted internet radio. I think its because they aren’t sure if its really useful, but I’d argue it actually is very useful in terms of raising awareness about the business and key people in the industry the business is in. In fact, done right, internet radio can be used by some businesses to really help their clients out and in the process ensure client loyalty. Afterall who doesn’t want to be interviewed? A business that interviews its clients can leverage that interview for social capital with the client as well as showing potential clients how the business looks out for the people who do business with it.

The reason Radio and other mediums aren’t focused on as much when it comes to audience boils down to the fact that many businesses aren’t fully utilizing the available technology for its optimum value. But if businesses can determine who might listen to a radio show (which with ipods and other tech is pretty much any and everyone) then they can create specific shows that allow them to provide information, interview, and otherwise develop themselves as resources and experts for the audience who listens to the show.

I’ve discussed social media and audience in regards to social networking, but lets turn now to other mediums of social media, such as blogs. A blog, such as this one, can be its own website as well as directing readers to the primary website. But a blog is much more than a website, when we factor in the interactive elements such as comments that allow people to participate in a conversation, or the relatively recent addition of social bookmarking and social networking share buttons that allow readers to promote the content of a blog to other mediums.

Additionally, if you are like me, you might repost excerpts of your blog, with a link back on some of your social networking sites. For instance, on a few different Linkedin groups, I post excerpts of these blog entries, with a link back to the blog. It’s my hope that I’ll start some conversations on Linkedin, but also get some more readers.

However for that to work, I also need to think about who my audience is for this blog. Who do I ideally want to be reading this blog? What message am I conveying and is it a message that someone needs to read? Is the information useful?  Am I willing to respond when people make a comment on the blog?

All of these questions are important in determining the audience of a blog as well as how you will engage that audience. If I were to post my blog entries to random groups on Linkedin, it would be annoying to the people in those groups and also an uncoordinated and uninformed approach to getting an audience to read my blog.

Audience in this case is determined by a mixture of communicating with people in the industry and to current clients and potential prospects about the information, but this applies to any blogger who is focused on writing about a specific industry and the on-going trends in that industry. It’s important to consider not only what you will write, but where you will get your blog distributed to, in order to catch reader interest, and gain a following who will consistently read your blog. By determining where you can place excerpts of your blog to catch reader interest, you can then build a following and also ensure your blog is getting more visibility than if you simply posted.

I’ve discussed social networking sites by niches and also the big three social networking sites that most people in the U.S. know about, but there’s one other type of audience to consider, which is a very important one for many businesses: An international audience. Now while it’s fair to say that Linkedin and Twitter have an international audience, the same can’t be said for Facebook. And it’s unwise to assume that just because a social networking site has an international audience that you’ll reach the people you want to reach.

There are some social networking sites that have developed geographically, so if you want to connect with people in other parts of the world, it can be useful to get on those social networking sites.

Ecademy is a social networking site, with a large population of Europeans. Bebo is another one that caters mostly to Europeans. Orkut is a social networking site that is popular in South America. And there are many other social networking sites that are popular in specific parts of the world.

It is useful to know abut geographic specific social networking sites if you want to do business internationally and feel that using social media will get you in front of the audience you want to do business with. You also need to keep in mind that certain cultural norms will be different, dependent on the culture, and this could effect your social media interactions. It would be a good idea to join one of those sites and spend time watching how people interact, to get a feel for what might be expected of you.

It should be clear that audience is not a simple matter with social media. There are cultural and geographical aspects to consider, the purpose and layout of a social networking site, and why other people are on there. In the next few posts, I’ll also look at audience in terms of other social media platforms, such as blogging, radio, and video.

Book Review: Understanding, Leveraging, & Maximizing Linkedin by Neal Schaffer

In this book, the author spends a lot of time focused on the strategy for using Linkedin for job hunting and networking. To some degree the book is focused on technology, but the author manages to also get the reader to examine how s/he will use linkedin as well as best practices for doing so. This is an informative book, and it’s only slightly dated in the sense that Linkedin has updated a few features. However the author also keeps his blog updated with the latest information about Linkedin. This is a useful reference guide for Linkedin.

5 out of 5

Upcoming Social Media Webinars

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Linkedin for my Business?

Think Linkedin is just for job hunting? Think again! Linkedin is a dynamic site for professionals that can help you reach out and connect with them. In this class I’ll discuss how to use Linkedin for your business, as well as what strategy you need to use to make it work for you.

• Learn how to optimize your Linkedin Profile with applications and other useful features
• Discover how to use the forums, groups, and other Linkedin features as a resource for your business
• Come away with an understanding of how to use Linkedin and what the do’s and don’ts are for it.
• When: Feb 3rd, 2pm to 3pm PST, 5pm to 6pm EST, From the comfort of your office or home

Cost: $45. To register, click the paypal button

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Twitter for my Business?

Are Tweets driving you crazy as you try to figure out how to use Twitter? Twitter is is an excellent site for keeping up to date on what other people are doing and what the latest news is in your industry. In this class I’ll discuss how to use Twitter for your business, as well as what strategy you need to use to make it work for you.

• Learn how to set up an effective Twitter profile, and use Lists and Search for your social media strategy
• Discover if your business should really be on Twitter or on other sites
• Learn about applications you can use to manage your Twitter presence.
• Come away with an understanding of how to use Twitter and what the do’s and don’ts are for it.
• When: Feb 10, 2pm to 3pm PST, 5pm to 6pm EST, From the comfort of your office or home

Cost: $45. To register, click the paypal button

Social Media Webinar: How do I use Biznik for my Business?

Did you know that Biznik is a dynamic small business social networking site that can energize business? Biznik is the best social networking site for a small-to-mid sized busienss owner, but a lot of people aren’t sure how to use it. In this class I’ll discuss how to use Biznik for your business, as well as what strategy you need to use to make it work for you.

• Learn what Biznik is and how to create an effective profile.
• Discover how to make Biznik a resource for your business through its forums, articles, other features
• Come away with an understanding of how to use Biznik and what the do’s and don’ts are for it.
• When: Feb 17, 2pm to 3pm PST, 5pm to 6pm EST, From the comfort of your office or home

Cost: $45. To register, click the paypal button

Social Media Webinar: Successful Social Media Behavior

Social Media isn’t just technology. Social Media is a medium of communication and conversation. But many people who us it don’t understand how to excel at social media. In this webinar I’ll discuss social media behavior and how to be successful, as well as what not to do.

• The value of following-up in social media
• How not to be a spammer, and how to recognize someone who is.
• What successful social media behavior is and how to start doing it consistently
• When: Feb 24, 2pm to 3pm PST, 5pm to 6pm EST, From the comfort of your office or home

Cost: $45. To register, click the paypal button

Social Media Webinar: Blogs and Social Bookmarking?

Have you started a blog, but not known what to do with it, or how often you should write a blog? Have you heard of social bookmarking and wanted to know what it is and how it relates to blogs and websites? Blogs don’t have to be complicated. You can learn how to use them to create a credible resource and also drive traffic to your website.

• Learn what blogging is, what good blogging platforms are, and how often to blog.
• Discover how social bookmarking can help you improve your search engine optimization for your website and blog
• Come away with an understanding of good blogging behaviors that will get you subscribers and visitors to your site.
• When: March 3rd, 2pm to 3pm PST, 5pm to 6pm EST, From the comfort of your office or home

Cost: $45. To register, click the paypal button

I’ve discussed the value of niched social media sites for businesses, but lets focus on the big three as well: Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. These are the sites that just about everyone knows about, but not surprisingly what people know is usually not accurate to the reality of each site. For example, I’ve heard that Linkedin is a job hunting site, which I only partially accurate to what Linkedin really is, or I’ll hear how people don’t really get Twitter, and usually haven’t even gotten an account for it. And Facebook…sometimes the only thing people see about Facebook is the number 250 million…for the 250 million people on it.

It’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of misconceptions about these sites and how they can be used. I can’t tell you how many business owners I’ve met who set up a twitter or Facebook profile and then quit, frustrated by the interface and unsure how being on those sites helped their business. There’s a lot of hype about these sites, but not a lot of good explanations about the importance of them.

Just as with niche social media sites, its important to identify the audience using the site, as well as the underlying purpose for using it. Linkedin is a site for professionals, job hunters, and entrepreneurs, while Facebook tends to be more family and friends oriented. In fact, Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin are niched social networking sites. They just happen to be very popular sites as well.

When we recognize that they are niched sites, we can then begin to determine if the audience on them fits or if it doesn’t. For instance just because Facebook has 250 million users doesn’t mean its an automatic fit for your business. In fact, it may not be an automatic fit, if your business can’t find an audience on there.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t use these sites, but you should consider carefully if there is an audience for you on these sites and how you will reach them effectively and memorably. For instance, until recently I didn’t feel Facebook was a very effective medium for my business. Then I started watching how other people used their fan pages and groups and I realized how I could leverage it more effectively to reach my target audience. Suddenly Facebook seemed to be a lot more useful than it had been before, but I had to identify how other people were using it, in order to determine how I could use it to reach my audience.

One of the questions I ask new clients is who their audience is on social media sites. I think this is one of the most crucial questions that can be asked, because not knowing who your audience is can really hurt your efforts on these sites. With social networking sites alone, there are literally over a hundred sites available, with more growing. When you add in other elements of social media such as a blog, radio show, or video channel, this question becomes more crucial.

Determining who your audience is can also help you find which social networking sites you need to be on. In general, I’ve found that businesses focus on the big three: Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter without really considering if those sites are appropriate for their needs, or if there are other sites that might be better. And for some industries there are specific social networking sites that are niched specifically to them.

Lawyers can join a site such as avvo, which is a social network specifically focused on the legal industry. Lawyers can be reviewed on the site, but it can be an excellent way for them to interact with potential clients.

Real estate agents and brokers may find Active Rain, a social networking site for residential and commercial real estate to be useful for some of their social media activities, and for educational purposes.

For any specific industry you may belong to, it can be useful to do a search for words related to that industry that help you find social networking sites that are specific to your industry. Joining a niche social networking site can help you get in front of a specific audience or provide resources that can help you grow your business. Additionally it can raise your credibility in your industry, because it shows others that you’re involved in your selected industry on more than just the popular social media sites.