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2 ways I've been weak in social media interactions.

I met a friend last night to talk about blogging. We started our meeting with what platform I recommend for folks new to blogging, what platform I recommend as you get more involved with blogging, why I recommend them, how to install it, and so on. But, as we continued with discussions about RSS, subscribers, analytics, integration with other social networks (specifically: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), it was clear we weren't talking about just blogging anymore. Rather, we dipped into the area of social media, best practices and the importance of listening and engaging others.

It was a great discussion that got me all fired up. Ironically, I was fired up about some key things in which I'm failing.

For all our discussion last night about the importance of listening and engaging others, I realize that I need to do a more "complete" job myself of engaging others through social networks and social media. It's a shortcoming I've been aware of and is one I'm committed to improving.

I know, some of you reading this and who are connected with me through other social networks might find that a bit disingenuous given how much of a blabber-mouth I can be and a photo-fiend I've been known to be in Facebook, Twitter, and so on. But, I'm serious. And here's what I mean.

Engaging others through social media isn't just about producing content and producing media for other people to react to. (That's been my tendency to the exclusion of the next thing, which is to say...) It's also about each of us taking time to seek the content that has been initiated by others--and then responding to them.

I think I've done a pretty good job about responding to those of you who drop by and comment on my blog, video, Facebook post, tweet, and so on. But, as I reflect on the portion of time I've personally invested in commenting on the content initiated by some of you, my investments have been quite skewed. I need to do a better job finding your content and visiting you.

There are a couple of reasons I think I've been deficient here.

1. I need to make time for your posts.

One main reason is that there's no mistaking the fact that social media is a lot of work.  And, I often get so wrapped up with my own content production (and other projects) that it's so easy to get a blog post out the door, or a video produced and posted on YouTube, and subsequently click the mental checkbox next to "social media." (Some of you know what I mean, "Blog post is done. Great! Off to dinner!")

'Problem is, I realize that unless I'm also taking time to pro-actively seek a blog post you have contributed and leaving a response to it, or pro-actively visiting the YouTube video you have uploaded and responding to it with more commitment than simply clicking one of the 5 associated stars, then I'm not really completing the "engagement loop."

We each have to understand that, in the context of relationship building, it's not just our own content that's important. We also have to concede value in the contributions of others; we do this mainly by leaving comments next to the piece of content or media they have taken time to contribute.

2. I need to be stroked, too.

The other key reason I think I've also been a bit skewed in my engagement efforts is, well, I'm a bit high maintenance. But I think some of you may agree here. When I leave a comment on your blog post (or video or tweet or whatever) and you don't say anything back to me with your own comment, then it sorta makes me feel like you didn't hear me. 'Same thing when I comment on something you've blogged about, only to be presented with "Your comment is awaiting moderation." Don't worry, I understand that some industries require comment moderation for some very real legal and regulatory reasons. But, I ask you, are you in that industry? Is there a legal reason? Please make it fulfilling for me to engage with you, as well.

Please don't take that last paragraph as an attempt to "turn the table" and make excuses for my own "engagement deficiencies." Rather, all of this is just to say I had a great conversation with a friend last night and it got me all fired up to...do better.  And I think I can do that with some concerted efforts on my part, and with a little help from you.

I'll do better to stop by, visit and leave comments on your blog posts. I hope you'll comment back, invite me to your "home," and let me know about your posts.

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Engaging With Purpose

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Note: This is the second in a series I'm writing to directly address those with whom I've had some great conversations in workshops and meetings. The preamble in the first post of this series explains what I have in mind. I hope you'll check back regularly or, better yet, subscribe. You can do that either via the RSS feed or email in the right sidebar.

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In the previous post I left off by previewing thoughts I've shared with others who are looking to start wading into social media. Where to begin?

Curiously, my thoughts here don't always start with recommendations about social networking platforms. Rather, they begin with a nod to something very low tech. Not much more than paper and pencil.

Beginning With Purpose

Borrowing from Stephen Covery's philosophies about being proactive and beginning with the end in mind, I think it helps for each of us to first put pencil to paper about our purpose. Part of our answer here relates to what it is we hope to accomplish for ourselves or our business by wading into the online social sphere.  

Without clear and concise statements about these points, we run the risk of falling into the trap of aimless exploration. That’s what I call the scratch we itch when we’re presented with a shiny new thing to explore. This might come to us through our own web-browsing activities, or the well-intentioned sharings from friends and colleagues suggesting an interesting new social media tool or application that we should sign up for and begin using.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying exploration isn’t worthwhile. After all, many successful companies are just that because they allocate a portion of their capital to budgetary line items such as “research and development.” I happen to believe we should make similar investments of time into our own research and development efforts as new social media platforms come on the market. But, when we do, we should do it with the temperament of purpose.

Writing your purpose statement

Your purpose statement, then, articulates:

• What you do,
• For whom you do it,
• How you do it.

Armed with that, you'll be in a better position to evaluate which social media platforms are right for you to invest your time. And, more to the point, which communities and/or groups within each platform you should commit your time and resources.

Step 1: What is it that you do?

Unless you've got a lock on this already, try approaching this as a brainstorming activity. With paper and pencil in hand, take no more than five minutes to quickly list all the things you do in your business. For example, for my friends in the real estate industry, a partial list might appear as follows:

• I negotiate contracts.
• I counsel home buyers about the home buying process.
• I creatively market homes to get the best price for my selling clients.
• I serve my clients and their families.
• I create long lasting relationships.

After you've created your initial list, make note of some of the action words. These give a clue about the things you give attention to in your business. For example, from the list above you might make note of the following action words:

• I negotiate contracts.
• I counsel home buyers about the home buying process.
• I creatively market homes to get the best price for my selling clients.
• I serve my clients and their families.
• I create long lasting relationships.

Step 2: For whom do you do what you do?

In this step, take another look at your list and pick out the nouns representing people or groups. Don’t be shy about adding to your list if something new comes to mind. Using our example above, your refined list might look like this:

• I negotiate contracts (with lenders, buyers, sellers, and their agents).
• I counsel home buyers about the home buying process.
• I creatively market homes to get the best price for my selling clients.
• I serve my clients and their families.
• I create long lasting relationships (with agents and clients alike).

As afterthoughts, the list above might jog your thinking to add the following:

• Other agents.
• Investors.
• Generation-Y buyers.
• Baby-boomer sellers.

Step 3: How do you do what you do?

Continue the process of refining your list. Only this time, focus on descriptive words you’d use to describe your unique approach to service your customers. Examples here might include:

• Skillful and ethical negotiation.
• Consultative philosophy of service.
• Seeking first to understand my client’s situation before I seek to be understood. (Again, borrowing from Stephen Covey’s principles.)

Step 4: Assembling the pieces

Now, as a final exercise, try forming a few sentences using some of the nouns, verbs and adjectives in the steps above. This part of the exercise will be a little like trial-and-error. You’ll likely follow an iterative process as you combine words into meaningful statements that ultimately resonate with what you feel are true about the value you and your business add to the community.

Furthering the real estate business scenario, I did a quick search for compelling purpose statements written by real estate agents. Here's a good one that resonated with me. This one's attributed to Debbie Calvin from her web site.

“To serve families and create long standing relationships with people for their real estate needs.  

To ensure that every family who has entrusted me as their Realtor is provided with real estate services that reflect knowledge, integrity and commitment.  

To continuously understand how important my job is in the lives of others and to “awe” them with my performance while making the most of their hard-earned equity.  

To always remember that not only is a home most likely the single largest investment of the average family, but a home is where families build their lives.  

To always remember that my job is that important.”

I love it. Here are a few things that stand out for me:

• What: To serve... (to) create long-standing relationships.
• For whom: Families.
• How: ...(by providing) real estate services that reflect knowledge, integrity and commitment... to "awe" them with... performance while making the most of their hard-earned equity.

Movin' On

With these steps complete, write your statements on a clean sheet of paper and keep them in front of you. They should serve as guiding principles, not only for your business, but also for your business-related activities with social media.

Your purpose statement will help when you're asked--either by friends, colleagues or that other part of yourself--to deviate from your path by "taking a look" at new social networks or automation tools because of some wonderful new shiny promise of relationship building, or other.

With each new invitation, ask yourself if that application, network culture or user-base fits with the vision you hold about your customer and your business.  

This vision becomes an important tie-breaker when you later find yourself wading into the online social stream and begin experiencing the fuzzy logic of shortcuts and automation. These are distractions of the type that tempt you to consider automation in building lots of followers quickly, automating your “DMs”, playing Mafia Wars, or to accept a connection simply because “…you are a person I trust…”.

By having a clear idea of what you do, how you do it, and for whom, you’ll be better equipped to use social media as an enabling tool for your business, rather than as a crutch for it.

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Automating Social Media - Good or Bad?

I've been tweaking a presentation for a training session I'm facilitating this week on the topic of (what else?) social media. I'm jazzed about it.

No, not just because I'll be playing a role in helping a great group of folks understand the topic a little better (at least, I hope!), but also because it sounds like they, too, are excited about the topic. I've been informed that some folks are skipping other modules to attend my module on social media. (My piece is only one portion of a four-part marketing series.)

For my part, in addition to the little "how tos" and "where fors," there are a couple of high-level concepts I find myself revisiting. One of these is the concept that social networking is a lot of work. The other, which I've written about in a previous post, social networking isn't a point-solution. I'll revisit that second one in a follow-up post.

But, for this post...

Social networking is a lot of work.

Based on feedback and discussions with colleagues, I've found this is definitely one of the underlying messages that needs to be communicated. The lamentations of one of my colleagues comes to mind--an executive with a small business I consult with--"So, Mel, I set up that Twitter account... but nothing happened..." (Ho ho ho. Silly rabbit, Tweeps are for kids... who work at it!)

On another occasion, I was asked by another executive about how he could maximize his time getting 1,000 followers over an upcoming weekend. (Whooaah... easy boy.)

'Turns out, it appears their thought process was that, social networking, being technology-based, should "make it easy" to connect with a lot of people at once. So, why wasn't this happening?

Well, as it turns out, it's not the case that you should just set up a LinkedIn account, or just a Twitter account, or just a Facebook account and then "things" will happen. The fact is, the word "networking" is an operative word. At the end of the day, online social networking isn't really too far removed from live networking in a brick-and-mortar setting.

Similar common sense manners are in play:

• Don't lead with a sales pitch (though an "elevator pitch" may still be appropriate with proper context),
• Don't come with the sole intent of seeing how many business cards you can pass,
• Be interested in others,
• Be engaging without making it all about you,
• See who else you can connect with those you meet,
• Find opportunities to help someone.

The list above works just as well for online social networking as it does in a brick-and-mortar social networking venue. And, while I think most of us understand this, many of us run into trouble when we try to automate the points above because, let's face it, there are a helluva lot of social networks to have to engage folks in.

So, we tend to lose the bubble when we allow auto DMs, auto-follows, and LinkedIn Inmail-blasts to supplant the relationship building process.

Ahh, well, hence the header... social networking is a lot of work. And it is a process.   

So, Automating Social Media is Bad, Right?

... Well, no. But, if you're going to lean towards automating anything in your online networking activities, don't delegate your relationship-building and conversation-engaging activities to a 'bot. Rather, use technology to automate some of the listening processes.

Google alerts, boardreader, blogsearch, tweetscan and twittersearch are just a few free tools that can get you started. (Exception: tweetscan has a nominal charge after an initial free trial period.)

By placing keywords and phrases into these tools on topics, themes and trends that interest you--or that relate to you or your business--you'll be informed about conversations as they happen now and have an opportunity to reserve the core of your efforts to engagement and conversation with actual people.

Rather than re-hash a list of listening tools in this post, let me offer these excellent articles from which I, myself, have learned much:

• John Bell's Links for Listening,
• Chris Brogan's, Five Tools I Use for Listening,
• Mike Fruchter's 10 tools for listening in social media.
• Kyle Lacy's 5 Quick Tools for Listening in on Social Media.

Later this week, I'll hit another point I'll be touching on during the training sessions: Social networking isn't a point solution.

Until then, I wish you success and hope to hear from you.

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If you liked this, or any of the articles on this site, please subscribe!

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An eight-step process using Post-it notes to gain meeting consensus.

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If you've ever participated in a brainstorming session, then you know how quickly a group of folks can fill up a series of flipcharts or the white space on a white board. Like some of you, I've participated in meetings, and facilitated others, where we successfully whittled the brainstormed list down to a prioritized short list. Then, yet further to actionable tasks. That's the ideal result.

That said, I've also been in meetings (too many) where, at the end of it all, we concluded with nothing more than a lot of great ideas on a bunch of flip charts.

It's for this latter set of managers that I'm sharing this post.

What follows is an eight-step consensus-building process I've used successfully in meetings to get down to a short list of prioritized and actionable ideas after having begun with a long list of brainstormed ideas.

Now, I can't take credit for this. It's something I learned from others, and I doubt any of us know who started the whole thing. But, it's worth sharing. If for nothing else, then maybe I won't have to waste my time sitting in on too many more fruitless brainstorming meetings in the future.

So, if you learn something new here, then pay it forward. Pass this information along.

The tools

What you'll need: Post-it notes, markers, flip charts (or white board), pens.

In anchoring a starting point, let me begin by assuming you've already generated a long list of brainstormed ideas. (For more about brainstorming techniques, check this reference for a Step by Step Guide to Brainstorming.) Then, with list in hand (or strewn across multiple walls), do the following:

1. Group and categorize the list of ideas. This is an iterative process where the facilitator goes down the list of ideas in succession. With each list item, the group is asked if there is anything in the list above it that might make for combining or grouping. Some things to keep in mind:

• To facilitate a smoother round, each idea should be given a letter label. ("A," "B,", "C,"... and so on.)
• Avoid using numbers. A numbered list often conveys a sense of implied rank ordering or prioritization.
• When you combine ideas, cross out the letter (not the idea) of the list item being combined. Then, write it's letter next to the line item to which it is being combined.

2. Clean up the list.   Usually, the brainstorming session itself, and Step 1 above, will have taken a bit of time. The flip chart will be messy, the group will have felt like they've really worked hard. (Which is why some unskilled facilitators allow the meeting to adjourn immediately after brainstorming or after the grouping step. Fight this temptation.)

Instead, put everybody on a break while you (or a co-facilitator) clean up the list by re-writing the resulting grouped line items onto a clean set of flip charts.   

After you've created a clean list, give each line item a new set of alphabetic labels. (Again, "A," "B," "C,"... etc.)

Conduct a weighted talley using Post-it notes.

And herein lies the crux of this process.

3. Count the number of items in the list and divide by three (3). Let's assume, for argument's sake, we have a list of eight items, as the image on the left shows from a recent meeting.

Dividing by three (and then rounding), we end up with the number 3. (Well, 2.67..., but practically speaking, let's round up.)

By dividing the number of line items by the number three, you're defining the number of "votes" each member will get in the next step. (Note: Don't get hung up on why we're dividing by three. I've heard this referred to as the "N/3 Method." It's largely arbitrary, but generally it gives a result that reasonably assigns an "appropriate" number of votes for each participant.)

4. Distribute Post-It notes. The number of Post-Its you give out to each participant should equal the result in Step 3. So, in our example, (after rounding up) you would give three (3) Post-it notes to each participant.

5. "Pick what you like." Instruct each member to write one letter, from the list, on each Post-it note. Each letter represents a unique line item from the list. And, no duplication of letters is allowed. In other words, no fair stacking your votes. (Unless, for some reason, the group agrees that's okay... remember, the key thing here is to get the group to agree to the process. If they agree with that, they'll go along with the results.)

6. Rank order. Once each participant has had an opportunity to write a letter on each of the Post-it notes they've been given (three in this example), instruct them now to focus on the letters on the Post-it notes, and the idea that each letter represents.

Challenge them to rank order each Post-it note by placing a number next to each letter. (1 = Lowest in their set. And, in our example, 3 = the highest. Clearly, if the result of Step 3 above dictated 5 Post-its for each participant, then 5 would then be the highest rank.)

7. Reveal their weighted tallies. After each member has had an opportunity to complete their rank ordering exercise, instruct them to all come up to the white board at the same time (or, if it's a large meeting, then in smaller groups of 6 to 10). Have them place their respective Post-It notes next to its corresponding line item on the flip chart.

Note: This is a powerful step. It psychologically reinforces the "wisdom of the crowd." Each participant is less likely to challenge the resulting tally since, by their participation, they've agreed to the process that is currently at work. And, therefore, the results.

8. Sum and prioritize. Once all participants have had an opportunity to place their Post-it note on the flip chart, you or your co-facilitator should then tally the numbers (on the Post-it notes) associated with each line item. Write the sum boldly in the margin next to the idea to which it corresponds.   

The result is a prioritized list: those ideas with the highest sums (e.g., D, E and A, in our example) are assigned the highest priority.

But wait, what if there's a tie?

Look at items B, C, and F in our example. Notice the Post-its associated with each of them add up to 3 on their respective lines. That's not a problem. You can either follow the same steps as above or modify the steps slightly using a simple tally with a simple show of hands while focusing on only those line items that require tie breakers.

Of course, this may be moot if the goal was to prioritize and, say, identify the top 3 items from which to develop action steps and assignment of responsibilities.

Summary

What I showed you here is a basic technique that many trained facilitators may be familiar with. (While not all may do it exactly this way, each has a similar process for achieving group consensus.)

But, if this is new for you, and it helps you at your next meeting, then remember to pay it forward. Pass the information along to a friend. By doing so, you and I may be saving each other from another dreadful "go nowhere" brainstorming meeting sometime in the future.

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Social networking - how much time?

I've been off the grid for a few days working on a project which is nearing completion. It's not quite done, but I'm real close.

Unfortunately, my social media activities kinda dropped off while I was off-grid Is that a good thing? I didn't think so. But, some friends who are rooted in the tangible world say yes. "You're getting a project done," "You're doing something real," they say. "And, besides, you spend too much time as it is doing 'that stuff.'"

That got me thinking. How much time should it take? What's the proper amount of time to invest in social media?

Ironically, I've actually felt that I don't do enough. Even as I champion to my friends the need to budget time investments in social media, I admittedly, tend to go in fits and starts myself.

Over the course of a waking 16- or 18-hour day, my total RSS-ing, blogging, twittering, facebooking, linking-in activities might average about an hour or two. On others it can spike to 3 or 4. (Oh, on those days you should see "the look" from my wife when we settle into the couch for the evening news. She with her book in hand, me with my laptop.)

Beth Kanter, someone who I follow and respect greatly for her work in using social media for humanitarian purposes, tackled just that question recently. Her article "How Much Time Does It Take To Do Social Media" is a good read. For me, it validates what I've suspected, at one or two hours a day, I'm likely not budgeting enough time for my social media efforts. (So there, wife. Nyah, nyah, nyah...)

But, on another point, it's not all about the absolute value of hours invested. It's also about efficiency and getting the routine of the workflow down pat. To paraphrase how another web strategist puts it: Time is like money. It's limited in quantity and you have to budget time for it. And, just like the financial advisors put it, you have got to get into a routine of paying yourself first on a daily basis.

I've included some of the high points from Beth's article below. One caveat, don't fall into the trap of reacting to the total hours and then declaring these activities unrealistic. I don't interpret these as being additive. Many of the activities below overlap.

Listening. This involves investing in activities to keep up with what's being said aboutyour organization and/or the field you work in. Tools to help: Google Alerts, Technorati, Twitter, RSS readers. Key: pattern analysis. (5 hours per week.)

Participate. You gotta do it; you have to interact. By making a human connection online, you influence their perception of your brand and help them find meaningful ways to support your mission. Tools to help: Twitter, Go-comment, other bloggers and blogs. (10 hours per week.)

Generate Buzz. This activity is about raising your organization's profile and spreading awareness of your programs and campaigns. Tools to help: FriendFeed, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg... (10-15 hours per week.)

Share Your Story. Share the impact of your programs. Tools to help: Blogging, podcasting, photo sharing (e.g., Flickr, YouTube, Picassa, and others...) (15-20 hours per week.)

Community Building and Social Networking. Build relationships online, nurture a community, engage and inspire others to action. Tools to help: Ning, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace... (20+ hours per week.)

What're my takeaways?

• About 18-22 hours a week (as compared to waking hours available) seems reasonable for my objectives across all the activities combined.
• And, additional key ingredients are efficiency, efficiency, and consistency.

What do you think? Am I over-estimating? How many hours do you budget and are you getting the desired results for your budget?

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Web Strategist: Manage your time as you do money

Words of wisdom about managing the flow of personal productivity. (I'm guilty of violating some of these principles myself and need a kick-in-the-butt reminder every now and again.

• Web Strategist: Manage your time as you do money
  

  tags: web2, social-networks

  • For us web strategists (those who make decisions for web sites) time is a precious, limited resource that we’ve come to cherish. Here’s a few tips on how to manage your time effectively:
  • Time is Like Money:
  • Remember the limited quantity: Cherish your time as you do your wallet or purse...
  • Budget your time like you do money: Set aside time for you, for work, and for passions. I do this before I check my personal email (second priority) then any work email (third email). As soon as you answer emails, you’re now paying for someone else’s time...
  • Pay yourself first: I don’t let anyone cut into this time...budget 2 hours every morning to do online reading (to get smarter) and to blog (increase...long term value, and connect with others). Like the advice from most financial advisors, they encourage you to pay yourself first...
  • Manage meetings with software: Try to avoid meetings, instead use collaborative software of social software after initial the initial kick start meetings.

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How well do YOU prioritize LIFE ahead of WORK?

I had an opportunity recently to re-read Dirk’s post about Time Blocking and thought it was right on point -- especially where he suggests blocking time for our personal life before time blocking anything else.

In a similarly-themed post, Don Hobbs talked last year about “that look of utter exhaustion” when he sees real estate agents at his various speaking engagements.  And, if 2006 Real Estate Apprentice award winner, Kendra Shearer’s testimony of 14-hour work days straining the proverbial balance wheel is suggestive of the work-life balance of many agents -- indeed many professionals across other industries -- then we’d do well to pay more heed to how we view the “life” part of “work-life” balance.

But, it’s an age-old battle, isn’t it?  I came across these results recently from a LinkedIn/BusinessWeek poll about the most significant workplace challenge business people face.  (That’s what brought all this re-reading to mind again.)

(source: http://polls.linkedin.com/polls/63/answers)

Significant to me is how Work/Life challenges rates among the workplace challenges we face.  Add to that the related challenge of Managing Time and together they comprise more than 50% of responses.

The fitness/runner in me views it as a “discipline thing.”  Yet, the corporate trainer in me wonders if many of us even possess the appropriate skills to begin with; skills  that allow us to properly manage our time such that we can appropriately prioritize Life into the day-to-day activities of life.

To that end, and short of enlisting in a Covey course (which I’d recommend, btw) I scrubbed through some of our archives for related themes.  I'm happy to share with you below previous posts from our esteemed contributing authors that are worth re-visiting.

And I wonder, do you feel you do a good job today of prioritizing Life ahead of Work?

o  From Dirk Zeller:
    -  Time Blocking Your Way to Success
    -  Avoiding Time-Blocking Mistakes
    -  Attitude and Expectations

o  From Don Hobbs:
    -  A telltale sign that you’re a workaholic...

o  From Cheri Alguire:
    -  Pure and Clear Goals
    -  Knowledge Really is Power

o  From Robyn Hardy:
    -  Creating a Nurturing Culture