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Keep on with the good work!
I don't think everything is entirely stupid, but I wish I could get more out of everything I'm doing when it comes to Twitter and what not. How big of an impact do you think having real-world relationships have in terms of online social network success?
But seriously, your posts rock my socks off! Hooray for being creative, using the tools at hand and building community.
For the other 99% of us, it'll probably never happen.
In the same light that BoFlex tries to tell me that I can have 6-pack abs in three-minutes per day - I sort of feel like you are selling to me here.
I, for one, never said anything like it was "stupid" - I said that life continues without logging into numerous online services.
After AdamD made a suggestion on my blog about posting links to unsubscribe from services, I registered snsdropout.com - so, I guess I'll post pictures and links there in case anyone else is having trouble waking up from the Matrix.
http://www.mobasoft.com/wordpress/?p=143#comments
Oh, here come the robots to take me away.
;-)
I recently quoted my pal Dave's entry about the social media scene in Vancouver and just how connected and down right cool it is to be a part of it all. You should definitely check it out sometime... Vancouver that is :-)
People think it's so HOT to be the first to say "that's so old" "____ is the new _____" "it's a fad". Or, my personal pet peeve, to rush the web odometer forward to 3.0 4.0 5.0 ad infinitum.
But fer chrissakes, it's the web. It's messy and screwy and mushy as hell and it's never going to play by integers and be convenient for pundits.
People have spoken to each other, introduced friends to friends, passed word of mouth on worthwhile things to do, kept in touch and yes, even poked each other for, like, ever. But every year that passes with all this newfangled 1's and 0's stuff, doing all of the above ("and more!") gets easier. Wormholes. Shortcuts. Access to big ideas. Playing fields leveled. Everything gets thrown into a blender and comes out more interesting every time. Many lives are changing. Economic models are changing.
Everything in the first paragraph is completely right and everything in the first paragraph is dead wrong. At the same time. Cuz it's not the software, it's the people, and that's how people respond to change. At first.
j/k!
i'm sure there are plenty of folks out there who are perfectly happy with their lives not being on twitter, facebook, ustream etc etc...
i personally enjoy keeping up with tech and internet trends, as any good aquarian would. seems like i keep finding cooler and more convenient ways to do what i was already doing, without going to a physical building, mailing packages, making phone calls and the like.
btw, your pnme comment about single handedly destroying the environment with all your travel plans cracked me up. who accuse you of that again?
You're far from broke. You're being paid to do this stuff -- Something I've been working to do for two years now. Like yourself, I've built some pretty interesting connections via social networks. Via my lifecast, I'm not reaching an entirely different audience.
However, I'm still broke. I've talked to more millionaires in the last two years than you can shake a stick at -- and they all say the same damn thing: "You do awesome work and we'd love to help." And then they forget you like you never existed.
Perhaps I missed something, but I don't think I've done anything wrong. I've knocked on doors, I've made the phone calls. Right now, I'm on a cruise control and will go back to focusing on what I first fell in love with: The content.
It'll never change or grow unless these conversations take place - but lookie here, we did it on a blog via twitter and that's ALL it took.
Basti said "blogs subvert hierarchies" and then Carlie comes along and calls me "Mr. 99%" as if to create an US/THEM hierarchy.
There isn't any right or wrong.
Interesting indeed - this will the the one to watch, for sure.
In all honesty, knowing what someone else is doing on Twitter right now is a waste of MY time and THEIRS, unless they are in an industry where They need Me to know what they are doing. All of the benefits you've mentioned, that come from being involved in Social Media, well, I've received all those benefits from being involved Socially.
In the end, it's about the People, not the process. Don't ever forget that.
Dangit Chris, you've got me to come out of the woodwork and be a part of the discussion. I never do that. Shame on you. ;-)
yours, except I have my own biz rather than a job.
Corporate types will be listening a few years from now. :>)
I followed your tweet on twitter to this blog post and its comments. And there you go making me think yet again!
Rats. I hate all these new-fangled ideas.
;-)
Eye rollers and teeth gnashers are permanent fixtures in the halls of innovation. Be it fatigue, fear, or only frowns, they are frozen in their positions like old statues collecting dust.
There is a way to make money and it, but it is just like any other metier: You have to work hard and sell to the right people, with the right message. The rest is just details.
I personally had given up on my the blog I kept for 3 years. I lost sight of what I was really blogging for. Why have a blog at all if no one is commenting, if it is always the same 3 readers? It felt as though I'm just yelling out into the silent darkness. Aren't I safer staying off-line anyway?
Then I went to Podcamp Philly a few weeks ago. Afterward, I revived the blog. Why? Because fellow attendees kept asking "where [I] was" on the net. I needed to have a home, a URL. It doesn't matter what I write, or if I write at all. People want a way to ping me, and a flat e-mail address is colorless and formal. Twitter and an active blog show me as a living, breathing, learning, advancing person. This is great and connections happen, but it also puts me at risk.
As was mentioned here before, fear comes into play. And when a person like me is afraid in my meat world community, I rely on neighbors and friends and the local government to help keep me safe. Who do I rely on on-line? How many of the men here talk about safety? How much energy is spent in the social networking community on making people feel secure? I feel like I'm on my own in this respect. If I wasn't technically oriented already, I'd given up being on-line entirely long ago.
Parents ask me about myspace, etc., and the typical "no-no's" for social networking minors, but I never go into how to protect your information from general whois searches or other more technical concerns. It would confuse and frustrate any end-user.
So I ask you and other veterans to not just be an evangelist for social media/networking. Be true ambassadors and address issues that are important to the newbies among us.
-Christine Cavalier, a.k.a. PurpleCar
I had to explain what I was doing in California to several people over the weekend and I kept coming back to that one simple idea: It's like e-mail ONLY BETTER. A Passive way to become enriched by another person's expression of their life (provided they post).
Thanks Chris, I think your official term should be referred to from now on as Chief Galvanizer.
The technology itself does NOT make you a different person. It does make it easy to lump you into a group of "friends" and lazily push out my message to you (what that message is, isn't really the point).
So, if you don't mind being marketed to (a lot) along the way, and you find some use out of the social networks, then by all means do keep using them.
Once you figure out that for the most part, you are just another entry in an endless list of contacts, and you find that you're really hooked on the people, and not the process - you'll stick with the people and drop the process or the technology itself.
Having said that, you may find out who would rather just keep you on their list.
(for anyone who likes to read meaning into things, rest assured - there isn't any hidden message, nor am I talking about anyone here).
The bottom line is that we can use social media in whatever way is practical for us -- that's the beauty of it. You know, I have a car, but sometimes I walk instead of driving.
I don't see how blogging, FB etc; can do any harm. It's really about how we use it ... technology is only as good as the people behind it. Technology is there to serve us, not the other way around.
I've chosen to adapt it organically and go with the flow, but I am hesitant to let it take over my "real" life. On the other hand, I am extremely grateful for the bounty of work and human connections it had brought and continues to bring. Ultimately, it's all about balance.
This is what I found myself saying again and again the entire time I was at PNME.
Douglas
Social Media can not be discounted, and anybody who does so is ignorant and can not see the future ahead.
Social Media connects people and add color to the media landscape. It brings people together and enables social interactions.
A few years from now we will be celebrating the success of Social Media. And folks who are struggling today, and are broke, are the future heroes and celebrities who will reap the reward to their hard work and passion.
Now, imagine 100,000 new marketers all doing the same thing. For me, it's too much noise.
I was going to comment on your blog, but you require registration first. May I suggest adding Akismet and some form of CAPTCHA - it'll help with reducing your spam, and also open your blog up for more participation, which of course, is what new media is all about.
Chris - I also wish that you could break this blog post into some future posts and perhaps separate blogging, IM's, and tools like Twitter into one group - in another group things like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.
I'm fairly certain that you make a distinction between them, but if their use to you is one in the same, then boy - was I way off.
We probably can’t make an across the board statement that 'spending a lot of time cold calling is a waste of time.' Cold calling may be completely void of value for some…but others are realizing results from sitting down with a telephone and phonebook in hand. Value is specific to people and the contexts that they work/live/operate in...so let's all agree that (any type of) technology is improving and as it becomes more relevant, and more valuable, it will be more widely adopted and used….
First things, PurpleCar, I agree. This social media stuff allows you for more colorful expression of your personality than email. We can use audio and video and blogging and facebook and whatever else to get ourselves expressed in a way that makes us feel happy. There are LOTS of ways to express ourselves, and I agree that you've found yourself a creative set of tools to express it.
@ScottStys - Great to meet you, too! You talked about people selling things that aren't evangelism? Gary Vaynerchuk sells wine. Nothing more offline than wine. Wood Whisperer sells woodworking. BlendTec sells blenders. There are plenty of ways to use blogs and podcasts and stuff like that to build real world brands. But you're right that getting towards personal contact is a great goal to make it all work.
Know who has the worst time with social media? Folks who haven't built a strategy for it. I think that choosing NOT to use social media is a strategy too. Lots of people don't need it to build their world.
And yet. : )
So there.
Gee, sorry to make you "cringe." Sounds serious. Rest assured, I am more myself on-line than I am at any one time in my fragmented "real" life. But the whole on-line persona/avatar/anonymous blogger thing vs. "real life" persona is always an interesting discussion...
As for being marketed to: I want the markets I'm interested in to come to me. I am lazy. I want to be courted, or at least my money to be courted, in a way that interests me. I like quick things that I volunteer to hear/read/watch. I like opting out. Social Networking like Twitter rocks for this (Craft magazine tweets are my newest time-waster). Having multiple e-mail accounts also helps.
But honestly, is marketing really the whole point? My focus is safe exploration and connection. Marketing can bring in the money that greases that wheel. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I'm surprised to find that I prefer the tweets over tv commercials, and I actually appreciate some of it.
Man, I'm turning into a republican online. Speaking of cringe! What were we saying about disparate personalities thing?
-Christine
I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person and I can grasp some pretty far out concepts (try reading Julian Barbour's "The End of Time") but for some reason the concept of Social Media escapes me. Maybe nobody every explained it to me in plain layman's terms. Maybe I'm slow.
But I love what you write, Chris, so if that's part of it then I think I like it. I think I never realized how very closed up my social circle was until I saw the list of people you've met through the various online groups. I think I need to get out more.
http://del.icio.us/crosbyc/socialnetworking
I'm sure this was an efficient use of my time.
Great blog. Perhaps some random tips illustrating how using these tools creatively can be used in the business world. (i.e. your tax man example?) I'd love to hear more ideas that'll get the wheels turning.
However.
Social media for social media's sake IS a waste of time, if you could actually be doing something MORE productive.
I'm all for Twitter, or Facebook, or whatever you personally enjoy using to maintain a wide swath of web-based communication. But people who use these tools without perspective or a clearly-defined goal are simply caught in the echo chamber.
Ask yourself this: if you removed yourself from the social media sphere tomorrow, what would happen? What would change? Who would miss you? Would you survive?
What would you do instead?
If the answer is "nothing even remotely as fun as this," you should probably quit and re-evaluate your life...
So what was I doing last night ? (well apart from sleeping ) I had a conversation over Skype ( social media ) about a Website design using a Content Management Systems ( social media ) using CSS ( web 2.0) with a designer whom I had met via Linked In ( social networks) that I couldnt have been introduced too except via an existing Connection ( Chris Brogan ) whom I had met via Twitter ( social Network ) .
The result of the conversation is that a level of business was agreed ( Money ) for the provision of a service ( Money ) which would benefit my own clients ( Money )
Thats Nik Butler, Chris Jennings and Chris Brogan whom can all point to an active value in social networks.
The ones who keep hammering away with the comment that it doesnt work and theres no cash in it are just Hoping that they might be right, we seem to know better though.
Great post and yet again thanks for the thoughts.
I'd agree with Laura's comments (#10) about the genie already being out of the bottle.
So we can only row forwards not backwards - with people like you testing some of the water out ahead.
That's not to say we've got it right yet, as I think you've been alluding to yourself - things like how to manage offline relationships when you meet a lot of people who 'know' you or think they're 'friends' with you - and what happens when too much stuff catches up with you.
None of that means going backwards - only working out how to go better forwards.
Joanna
Instead I'm flying to Texas to speak at an event. So, I'm pretty ok with the ROI.
The old media is as as dead as Custer ! I only use the NYT on line for news ! The new Media elements Groban,Rubel.Scoble , Jaiku and Twitter keep me informed ! Most of my retired friends are
Couch Potatoes in front of a TV or Bartender. Binding information in our lives is the benefit of being alive!
Really? That sounds weird and judgy. And it also seems to directly contradict how you started out your comment:
For me, it all comes down to, nobody gets to tell me how to live my life, and nobody understands better than me what's important in my life and why. And people who think they know better REALLY chap my ass.
Why does everything have to be "productive"? Why does everything have to have a "clearly defined goal"? Why do I get the feeling those terms have specific meaning to the speaker, that not everyone might agree with? What if my "goal" is having a damn good time? Is that not worthwhile? And why do I get the feeling there's a little projection in there, somewhere...?
Besides, a defensive response isn't exactly going to foster the atmosphere of openness that some say they'd like to see extend to those outside the "echo chamber".
Here's a question: how much appeal do you think social media would have to outsiders if it were perceived as full of amateur marketers clumsily pursuing the golden chalice of monetization?
The problem, I think, is that the "blogosphere" as evidenced again by the TechMeme leaderboard flare-up is too insular and circular. That's not a criticism, per se. But it does make seeing the big picture tough. There's no doubt the average person/worker/small business today lives on the Web to some degree -- but maybe not in the same way as you do Chris. I think the habits of the other 99% are worth paying more attention to....
Love the blog, btw.
Marshal: Yes, everything is relative based on perspective. Like when one person says something isn't useful to them, others may perceive that they're being called an idiot for using it.
Ummm... yeah, probably.
I guess I'm just not grokking what (or why) your gripe is here.
Here's a tip - go back up and read only my comments - I'm not griping about anything.
Then scroll back through and read everyone else's - see how they're justifying their use of technology (fine by me) and also calling others "idiots" for not "getting" how it can help them.
True, today's technology makes it easier than ever to reach out to a large number of people - and for some, they get lucky enough to actually meet in real life - that's all wonderful - but for most of it, imho, it's just blatant marketing and social role playing - I opted out, others took offense - the rest is history.
S. I. Hayakawa
HAYAKAWA, Samuel Ichiye, a Senator from California; born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 18, 1906; educated in the public schools of Calgary and Winnipeg, Canada; received his undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, 1927; graduate degrees in English from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 1928 and University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1935; psychologist, semanticist, teacher, and writer; instructor, University of Wisconsin 1936-1939 and at the Armour Institute of Technology 1939-1947; lecturer, University of Chicago 1950-1955; professor, San Francisco State College 1955-1958; president, San Francisco State College 1968-1973, becoming president emeritus in 1973; columnist, Register & Tribune Syndicate 1970-1976; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1976, and subsequently appointed on January 2, 1977, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John V. Tunney, and served from January 2, 1977, to January 3, 1983; was not a candidate for reelection in 1982; was a resident of Mill Valley, Calif., until his death in Greenbrae, Calif., February 27, 1992.
Justin Kownacki blogged about it.
Then your post appeared.
I'm guessing then that you are offended by it.
For the rest of it - I comment on blogs, write on my own, and use Twitter - but for the services where it's all about adding friends, sending virtual drinks, and poking people - not for me.
Somebody else wants to use it? Fine - I don't care, it's not my time (
But to say it's not working for 99% of people? I'm not buying it.
It's just like any other industry -
How many people want to become actors? Tons - how many people actually make it? Few
Sure - as in anything, you can find those which make it work for them - but to give credit to the technology itself (social media) is totally inaccurate.
It's a tool - nothing more - the person who leverages that tool through persistence and hard work - yeah, they're the rockstar - and good for them.
If you distance yourself for a bit - take a look at the entire thing as a whole - the big winners are the ones who are combining and aggregating the information (like the record labels did, way back when).
Have you heard of any VC money going to someone because of a single video blog? No - a sponsor here or there - yeah.
Being a cog in something like LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace - well, again, that's not for me - I spoke on the phone yesterday with three people - in my view, that was a great connect - but then again, I have no message that I am trying to push out - as I said before - I don't need a "strategy" to make friends and help people.
Anyway I guess I missed some backstory. I didn't read Justin's post. And honestly, Michael, I am getting a bit of a "holier than thou" vibe from some of your comments. If I'm reading it wrong then apologies.
No snarks here - just working on another project - I don't always feel like adding in the initial 3 paragraphs which lead up to my main point.
Might be that my "different perspective" comes across that way.
apology accepted
;-)
My initial thought on that was probably that they should never render an opinion which is different.
It's okay, I'm not feeling attacked or anything - but it's wearing thin that a discussion about the usefulness of a technology could even go on this long.
So - I think that it's more than just the "technology" itself - I think it ties in to personal feelings of acceptance, or being recognized in a smaller version of society.
Again - I like to think out loud, and I am not passing judgment or rendering any opinions.
"Michael!" above excellent statement ! It seems by you taking the opinion away, your words evoke thought! The element of anything written is to make the viewer collect their thought otherwise we confuse effort with results! Language in Thought and Action!
Words with built-in judgments are words which, in a language community, immediately call forth an emotive response or value-judgment.
"If the answer is “nothing even remotely as fun as this,” you should probably quit and re-evaluate your life…"
Definitely your opinion you are entitled to. Not sure how to interpret this statement, though. If the most fun you are having is with social media then there is something wrong in your life? Or if it is fun you shouldn't be doing it? Social media is very much my hobby, my enjoyment. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but commenting on blog posts as part of it. I'm not that big on Facebook or Myspace myself, but if that is what my friends are using, and I want to talk to my friends, then that is what I use.
I "waste" my time taking walks, reading books (fiction even!), playing Sudoku, watching TV, listening to music, and working out at the gym. I also like to "waste" my time partaking in social networking and social media. I use social media to talk to people around the world with interests similar to mine, or with ideas that challenge mine (such as you are). We learn from each other, test new tools and ideas, share our findings. I learn about new events in my city, attend them, meet new people, some of whom have become good friends.
I have had both professional and personal opportunities come my way directly as a result of my social media participation. My career has easily accelerated by five years as a result. I am now writing, speaking and teaching as a result of my participation in blogs, wikis and other tools. I'm not sure what there is re-evaluate. I am happier, getting more job satisfaction, better pay, and *gasp* I am having fun.
Is that so wrong?
If you aren't interested in using all the tools, that is quite okay. We won't take it personally. And if your personal and professional lives hold way more fun than you can find social media, that just rocks! Maybe you will blog about it for us sometime. ;-)
One of the reasons is that I can never usually find anyone that can hold an actual conversation with on any of the sites. It sounds odd but all I run into is people who add me cos of a band I used to be in or cos they know someone I know.
The other reason is I just find them really boring, there never seems to be anything worthwhile on the site to warrant spending copious amounts of time on them. But I dunno, maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.
social media tools seem to be great things
if used productively
some folks can manage 50 things at once
and not have it seem chaotic
i manage 3 maybe
the average guy...i dunno 10?
I bet a ton of social media thing a ma jigs are great
but what about if someone is putting all their energy and resources into working them
maybe some folks are too caught up in being everywhere at once that they lose the reason they wanted to be there in the first place
Has that been talked about in any of the gatherings
like podcamp etc?
along the lines of social media tools being used to produce or destroy quality social media
and how to know the difference
even if you know *how* to use a tool
that doesn't really help you know when and how often to use it
Social networking tools are for more than just business. Quite often people use them for personal socializing too. It is more than one big market. The idea of appealing to social networks as a market or "monetizing" these tools is a more recent one.
And social media go beyond things like social bookmarking, twitter and facebook. Those admittedly are part of the "partial continuous attention" phenomenon. But we seem to be having something of a conversation here---and a blog is also social media. So is Flickr if I post photos of my vacation for my friends and family to see. Or if my book club uses a wiki to get organized.
I'm not sure people need to be told when they should use these tools. It helps to know what they are useful for, which types of projects or efforts, but people have to take responsibility for their own lives. I don't understand why others have the right to judge them as wasting time or not having meaningful interaction.
People have found lots of ways to avoid meaningful interaction long before the web.
I know you discount your "secret super power" but the glimpse I saw of it lets me know it exists. You were "present" and intent on everyone who approached you (even over zealously). Your quote, "Storytelling is more important than ever," was a great reminder that EVERYONE has a story and each is valid.
Your willingness to take time from your family to fly down and encourage a room full was gracious and appreciated!
Carry on....we're listening.
I am not quite sold on microblogging (twitter) yet.
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