Tag: Twitter

Social media can help leadership

Esmee - Deloitte Insights


My current reading kick has been on leadership and non-profits. There are many reasons why I think a non-profit is successful, including it’s need in the community, the volunteers, passion, available funds, etc. But ultimately, it can come down to the people running the operation. Thier passion, respect, and drive to see it through can make or break the organization in times of crisis.

Social media and great leadership have much in common. Some people might think that social media is a self serving outlet for those that are misunderstood or (my favorite) can’t get any ‘real friends’. Ouch.

Where it’s cool to hear other voices

Leaders could learn a great deal from social media. Ultimately, everyone wants:

  • a voice
  • community
  • support
  • and conversation…

However, the people that don’t recognize the community possibilities are the ones that are losing the resilience factor. They see what it can be for their sole purpose, not a big picture. Most leaders in organizations are big picture thinkers and shakers. Tag on a little tweeting and blogging to that and you have comments and conversations that support, oppose and challenge your world. This can result in high accountability and support in a time of need. They put themselves in the light voluntarily, instead of being dragged in later when the going gets tough. By being an active participant, people get to know them.

Why do you think that (good/decent) managers and owners show their faces around factories and boardrooms? They want people to know them, and what they stand for, whatever it may be.

What’s wrong with a little public accountability?

I believe that people say that Gen Y-ers spend too much time online, or don’t have ‘real life’ skills. What if the definition ‘real life’ skills, is changing… or evolving. If I learned anything in school, it’s that 1) history repeats itself and 2) that the only thing for certain is change.

When you’re trying to get business, having a presence online can really make or break you. So, you need to invest in learning how to manage yourself online. Some of the Gen Y-ers can do this, from their phones (I can’t). Others are able to at least acknowledge that it’s a reality, but choose not to participate. That’s different than ignoring or pushing social media away because you think you’re bigger than that. FYI: If you can’t be found online, you might as well not exist.

Are you prepared to communicate online?

Great leaders are constantly listening and learning- what social media has become, a living, breathing, changing thing. We now live in a perpetually ‘beta’ world. Online communities are growing, dying, reviving and thriving. It’s a cycle- it repeats, but change is kept constant.

Who knew?

How are you preparing or growing in the online world to better your company or organization? How can you see leadership evolving with the online world?

Talkin’ Brazen and Non-Profits

This week I took some time to talk with Ben from MapTechWorks. Ben gathers information and interviews to post on YouTube so other non-profits can benefit from specialists and experinced tech workers. It was a blast and check out the finished product below:

MAP TechWorks – Brazen Careerist in the Twin Cities

A Social Resume

What are people finding out about you online?

Yup, they’re doing it. Googling you. YouTube searches- it can happen. In fact, Emily Jasper over at ‘From the Gen Y Perspective’ talked about using a search engine to investigate her dates. If I wasn’t engaged, I’d be right there with her.

Show the stalkers what you want them to see – your ideas.

However, what if we could all turn that to work for us instead of against us?

Continue reading A Social Resume

Moving on, tweeting for a salary and customer service

*spo0ky*I have recently accepted a position that will have me Facebooking, tweeting, managing  YouTube accounts and several other marketing and communication tasks… I couldn’t be happier! However, it got me thinking about the stigma of these positions and how it’s always so much more than just updating Facebook and bit.ly links.

There are many facets to positions that manage a company’s social media outlets. While people are responding to customer questions and concerns, workers also organize and implement marketing campaigns that are apart of larger plans. However, I believe that many times there is one major section that isn’t seen- the role of customer service in social media.


Continue reading Moving on, tweeting for a salary and customer service

Social media changed my networking and job search

There are many people and organizations out there that preach about etiquette and need to incorporate social media into your job search. I knew that, but I didn’t understand how until I had been really tweeting for about four months, had attended a few events that I heard about online and begun following people that really interested me. I only chose to dive in because I was still a new face in a big city. Moving from Nome, Alaska to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN was quite a transition. I needed to get moving on my networking efforts because whatever I was doing, wasn’t working.

Currently, I blog for SocialMediaMarketing.com. I found this gig on Twitter- same thing with BridePOP.com. They tweeted about how they were looking for people to blog on certain topics, I direct messaged them, followed-up, gave them a link to my blog to use as a writing sample and the rest is history. Now I have my first post up on BridePop and I have written one post every week since mid-December for SocialMediaMarketing.com.

How is this different compared to my last freelance/writing gig search? A conversation happened. I responded – on Twitter – that I was interested. For me, it was similar to talking with a group of people and saying ‘I’m interested in ______ position. Can you tell me a little more on what you are looking for?’ I used my experience from job fairs and interviews and brought it online. It was like a preliminary round. They checked me out online and we moved forward. Fantastic.

Those things would have not happened if I hadn’t been participating in the conversation!

Here are also some ways I expanded my networking circle:

Continue reading Social media changed my networking and job search

Pandora and YouTube have been increasing my musical appreciation

I love music. I think it feeds the soul when you’re clueless that you’re hungry.

There is one band that’s been in my head for weeks- Mumford & Sons. I’ve been reading about their music on blogs, streaming their tunes and watching their videos on YouTube.

Social media makes this possible. Today, someone can tell me about a band on Twitter, I can then check them out on YouTube, create a channel in Pandora.com and get the latest news via RSS feed.

Enjoy.

What music have you encountered because of social media?

How social media expands my world

Today was exceptional. Why?

Besides being employed and generally happy about being alive… I met up with Katie Schutrop for happy hour (even though Don Pablos in Roseville apparently doesn’t do that???) and some geek talk. She blogs here about her life in the Twin Cities and a load of various topics. Her latest blog she interviewed @GirlMeetsGeek on Getting social with your job search.

Katie has been busy in the Minneapolis/St. Paul! Between founding AND organizing the Young Professional Communicators – Twin Cities to keeping up with the PR and social media world, she’s an amazing young professional that you want to keep track of.

Back to me…

Why was today awesome? Well, overall it’s great to be around someone else that speaks my language. From discussing how a local chain isn’t up to social media par to how twitter can be used to enhance and create relationships, she’s all about some insight and conversation.

It’s mostly awesome because none of this would have happened without Twitter. Skeptical?

Continue reading How social media expands my world

Tweet & they will come?

A while back I was surfing my twitter feed and I came across a tweet from someone saying that since the the doctor had no presence online, she canceled her appointment.

Is the online world and social media turning into a lifestyle? I believe it already has.

My vegan friends won’t eat at restaurants that use any animal products. The only reason I’m a fan of Green Mill is because of the great work they do on social media.

Does their online presence raise their credibility?

Continue reading Tweet & they will come?

Social media- what is it & why should I participate?

These two words hold much power. They can make people uneasy, skeptical, excited and even a little queasy. Some ignore them as much as possible. However, social media is here, and is as much part of our culture as the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle.
But what is social media?

Dan Evans is the author of Social Media Marketing: An Hour A Day, and Read This Dot Com both of which focus on social media in business.

Evans defines social media in his book as ‘…a natural, genuine conversation between people about something of mutual interest, a conversation built on the thoughts and experiences of the participants. It’s about sharing and arriving at a collective point, often for the purpose of making a better or more-informed choice.’

So, this online born phenomenon isn’t as scary after all? It’s about learning what you are looking for and what you need.

For instance, if you are looking to keep track of your friend’s blogs, your granddaughter’s articles from her graduate work and your co-worker’s website updates, facebook might not be as helpful, unless they directly post every item and update they make. So, you have a few options instead of facebooking everything. Why not try Google Reader?

Continue reading Social media- what is it & why should I participate?