I spoke today with the Slippery Rock Business Association about social media and how they could use it to build business. Here’s the slideshow I used as a framework: 15 Minute Social Media for Business View more presentations from Big Big Design. Key questions you might ask 1. Where can social media make the greatest impact for your business? 2. … Read More
What’s the value of social media?
Today I spoke on a panel* on the topic of Media, for the current Leadership Butler County class. On the panel with me were Joe Taylor of ARMSTRONG, Scott Briggs of the Butler County Radio Network, and Keith Graham of the Butler Eagle, each representing their business and, to some extent, their media (television, radio, and print news respectively). My … Read More
Follow Me: How to Use Social Networks to Build Visibility & Drive Sales
Today I’ll be speaking on a panel at the 5th Annual Business Technology Conference, organized by the Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University. Our moderator will be Betsy Benson, Publisher and Vice President of Pittsburgh Magazine, and sharing the panel with me will be the delightful Victoria Dilliott, owner of Affogato Coffee Bar. Our session title: “Follow Me: How … Read More
Privacy, social networks, and our online selves
Two interesting discussions of personal privacy and online social networks. First, this article about the permanence of online information and its implications for an individual’s reputation: “The Web Means the End of Forgetting,” by Jeffrey Rosen, New York Times Magazine. We’ve known for years that the Web allows for unprecedented voyeurism, exhibitionism and inadvertent indiscretion, but we are only beginning … Read More
How to simplify your privacy on Facebook (and everywhere else on the web)
Yesterday the New York Times made a noble attempt to map Facebook’s new, super-complicated privacy settings, via a few well-designed graphics and an accompanying article (“The Price of Facebook Privacy? Start Clicking,” by Nick Bilton, 5/12/2010). The new opt-out settings certainly are complex. Facebook users who hope to make their personal information private should be prepared to spend a lot … Read More
Results versus hype: can small businesses realize value from social media?
An article in the Wall Street Journal last week (“Entrepreneurs Question Value of Social Media,” Sarah E. Needleman, WSJ 3/15/2010) said that a recent study showed that small firms were having mixed results in their use of social media. In and among the survey results, the article gives several examples of companies seeing a positive ROI on their social media … Read More
Handling negative chatter on Twitter
Short and clear report from the Wall Street Journal on how companies can and should react when they notice negative posts on Twitter, and on blogs and other social media. Here are what I see to be the key points:
Social media, diversity, and human resources: a lively mix
Yesterday I was a panelist for two sessions on social media at the WPDI Diversity and Inclusiveness Conference. The focal point of our discussion was human resources issues: how can social media tools can help recruit and engage great employees, and what issues social media creates regarding HR management. But as always, we also spent a lot of time talking … Read More
The 6 Types of Social Media Sites
In introducing social media sites and tools to business people, I’ve found it helpful to group sites into categories based on what they do best and how a business or organization might find them useful. Here are the categories I use, and the strengths I see in each: Blogs and podcasts primarily value passion and interestingness. For business, they are … Read More
20 Presence Management Chores *for Business* You COULD Do Every Day
Photo credit: enviziondotnet A few weeks back, new media marketer extraordinaire Chris Brogan shared ideas and suggestions for maintaining a personal presence online. (“19 Presence Management Chores You COULD Do Every Day“) The list is dense and ambitious, but the time you put into this kind of effort pays off. If you’re charged with maintaining the social media presence of … Read More