It Used To Be All About Me
My parents never told me Santa Claus was real. I always knew it as them that put the presents under the tree. Even when other people in my family would write “From Santa” on the cards I knew. I played along, but I knew where those gifts were coming from. Later my parents explained to me the reason they did that was because they didn’t want me to find out later in life that they had been lying to me this whole time making me believe in something that was made up. As I grew up they didn’t want me confusing the imaginary Santa that they had lied about with the real Jesus that they had also told me existed, but I couldn’t see him and he did nice things for us. That’s always seemed to make sense to me.
This post has nothing to do with Santa.
Over the past few months I’ve seen, read and heard countless “influential” bloggers, authors and musicians suddenly come to a realization that for “so long it’s been all about me, but this time it’s different”. It’s typically coupled with some request for something or right before explaining some new venture they are about to embark on. They’ve come to their senses and this time it’s really not about them. This time it’s about the children, or the church, or the ministry, or the outreach. This time it’s different.
Well good Mr. Influential Blogger Guy. It’s nice to know that for however long you’ve been doing this that you’ve been lying to me and the masses that are following you. It’s great to hear that the campaign that you did last year that I supported was really just a ploy to get yourself attention and it turns out the whole thing was ‘all about you’. But at least now that’s different. It’s good to see that you’re coming clean now and I can fully trust your motives this time.
See, saying something like that doesn’t make you more authentic to me. It doesn’t make me want to support your cause this time around. It makes you someone I don’t want to trust again. It makes me feel like you burned me already by thinking that you were authentic last time. So, all you folks thinking that the best way to get someone to believe you is by saying that you lied last time, that’s not the case. In fact, I don’t need to hear it at all. Just start making things not about you and we’ll be just fine.
Anyone else notice this ‘tactic’ or am I the only one?
Do What You Want
This whole internet thing has been around for a while. And the past few years I’ve seen it’s really take off. I have an eye for these things you see. Seriously though. With this whole blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Social Media boom, I’ve noticed more and more “experts” popping up. Experts that tell you how to become the best Social Networker in the world, or become the best at Twitter. Really?! Become the best at something called “Twitter”? I don’t know about you, but I’m a little sick of the advise. I’m sick of being told how I should do something to widen my digital footprint. You?
“But Brody, that’s what you do for a living right? Social Media strategy?”
No.
Some people might think I’m an “advise guy” or “Social Networking person” and as uncomfortable as that makes me, I can see where they are coming from. I know more about certain things than they do. Fair enough. What I do is passionately encourage people to be themselves online. If you’re not a “catchy title” person. Don’t force yourself to write catchy titles. If you like video blogging over typing, grab your flip and go to town. If you want to focus on Facebook, do it. If you’re the quick one liner type, rock Twitter. Who cares how you do what you do. Just do what you want and be yourself.
“But Expert A. says in order to get more followers I need to do x.”
Okay. Well, if you are doing it for more followers than what happens when those followers find out that you tricked them? What happens when being yourself sneaks out and you offend the masses?
Now, I’m sure there’s ‘advise’ on this blog. Times where I’ve tried to sound like I know what I’m talking about and again, I might know more about something than other people. There’s a thousand other people out there that know more than me about different things. That’s what makes the internet fun right? See, I look at it like this. I’d never walk into your living room and start telling you how to decorate to maximize space. I’d never say that the color you decided to paint the walls wasn’t accommodating to the general public. Or that your carpet was ugly. I’d never say that your ‘style’ wasn’t good enough for people. I look at blogging, and Social Networking the same way. Do what you like. Who cares if it’s not “right”.
This morning I read a blog post by Don Miller briefly touching on this and I couldn’t agree more with him. This internet is a huge place and no one needs to fit into a perfect box to ensure readership. Sure, learn from people. Take what they say and apply it to YOU. I’m never going to be Seth Godin, but you know what? He’s never going to be me.
Social Networking
Now, I’m no ‘Social Networking’ expert by a long shot, and everyone knows all you need to do is Google those words to find a thousand people out there that claim they are, but today I stumbled onto this article by Steven Overly for the Washington Post that absolutely everyone trying to have a business or music career online should read. In fact, I’ve already emailed this link to every artist and manager that I work with. Now sure, some of it has nothing to do with the music industry, but if you look at an artist as a ‘brand’ or a ‘small business’ and in that context some of these things are great. Here are three of the ten ‘mistakes’ pointed out in the article that jumped out to me. I added the bold.
Giving It To The Intern
Too often, social media responsibilities will be piled on the most inexperienced staff members, or worse, someone who abhors social media. Debbie Weil, a local corporate social media consultant, said proper use of social media requires someone who is not only communication savvy, but comfortable with exposure to the public. You can’t hide behind a brand, Weil said. Social media needs a personal touch.Only Using The Freebies
Free social network and media Web sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube may be easy to activate, but they don’t give an organization much control. Weil, who also authored “The Corporate Blogging Book,” warns that companies that rely solely on external networks relinquish a certain degree of autonomy. She recommends that organizations and companies using social media have a hub on their primary Web site where users can find links or feeds to blogs, Flickr photo galleries and other third-party Web sites. This also gives customers or constituents a single go-to URL.Making It About Money, Money, Money
Most nonprofits and other donation-driven organizations recognize the potential to raise funds through social media, but Fair said it is too often viewed as a funnel to the organization’s coffers. She said nonprofits stand to collect more money from a community that participates, through social media or otherwise, in an organization’s cause. You can’t initiate social media as part of a fundraising effort, she said; it has to happen beforehand.
Oh my goodness. Is this saying that it’s (once again) not about the numbers? It’s about community and quality over quantity? Is it saying that ‘Social Networking’ is an important part of today’s society and should be addressed as such?
I love the idea of bringing people together for a cause or a goal more than just selling things. It’s something we’ve have been trying to do for almost three years now with SkörInc, and I think it’s amazing to see the relationships and connections that have been achieved through these artists interacting online more. So obviously I’m on board. Anyone have any other thoughts on this article? Read the rest here.
The New skorinc.us/brodyharper.com
Hey so check it out. Welcome to the new skorinc.us/brodyharper.com. Doesn’t it look professional? Randy and Jordan worked a long time on this one. Mostly because I was procrastinating on things, but I think they knocked it out of the park.
A couple things I really like about this new site is the photos section. I love the gallery thing with the popup windows. Can you tell I’m super technical when it comes to those things.
Anyway, take a look around, let me know what you think. Let me know if there are any errors you find. Have a great weekend.
‘I’m Just Being Honest’
I saw on Twitter the other day a guy laying into MercyMe because he thought that the “theme” of their new song had been over done. Apparently ‘Worship and Love’ is so 2009. He went on to berate the guys publicly for a while and then I saw it. The Tweet that I had been waiting for. It went something like this: “Am I the only one on Twitter who tells it like it is?” then he went on to say how everyone else was weak and he was awesome or something like that. Funny thing is, the guys in MercyMe dealt with it graciously and he ended up apologizing a couple days later. But I thought he was just ‘telling it like it is’?
Now, that’s not even remotely the only instance where I’ve heard someone proclaim on Twitter, Facebook or blogs that they are “just being honest”. It seems that we are all allowed to ‘just be honest’ whenever we want even if that means that we come back a day later and apologize because we realized our ‘honesty’ may have been inappropriate at that time or place. You’ve seen it too haven’t you? Someone spouting off from their soapbox that is Twitter or Blog and tag it with “I’m just being honest here”. Then there’s a whole bunch of comments about how “authentic” they are, or how “real” they are being. Meanwhile the destruction in their wake leaves people feeling beat up and hurt.
I think if we’re really being ‘honest’ the posts would look a little more like this:
I’m an insecure person. Technology has allowed me to have a platform to a handful of people who agree with my views and opinions on certain things. Because I have this circle of people digitally surrounding me I feel safe to lash out at people I’ve never met because I know that a good percentage of ‘my people’ will agree with me.
Because of this digital expression I have also found a small niche of things that I have thought about maybe a little more than others, and can now claim to be an expert on it, thus giving me the right to berate people who feel differently or haven’t thought about it as much as me. After all ‘my people’ will agree with me right? And if they don’t “I’m just being honest and, they apparently just can’t handle my honesty. That’s not my fault. It’s theirs.
Never mind that we are called to love each other, this is an expression of ‘me’ and if you don’t like it, that’s just too bad. Jesus never had a blog or Twitter, so there’s no rules on what can or can’t be done there. It’s fair game blanketed by ‘honesty’, and the way I am ‘honest’ makes me feel better about myself as a person. In fact, when I attack people digitally I walk a little straighter that day because I ‘stuck it to someone else’ and proved to my readers how much I know about my niche topic. It makes me feel good about myself and that’s really what I’m after. That’s what we are all after when it comes down to it.
I know that I’m supposed to put others before me, but I try not to let that affect the way I Tweet or blog because sitting in my room it’s really about me and what makes me feel good. And that’s just me being honest.
5 Steps To Reading Step-By-Step Blog Posts
Recently I’ve noticed more and more ‘Step-By-Step’ blog posts popping up and I thought I’d jump in the game. It seems that everyone has five, eight or ten steps to becoming better at something. Little tidbits of advice that help you advance as a person. But what about the steps to reading these blog posts? How can anyone expect to advance as a person if there aren’t clear steps defining how to read these ‘Step-By-Step’ posts. That’s where I come in.
1: Obtain A Computer: Computers are your gateway to the Internet where these ‘Step-By-Step” blogs are located. More recently the advances of “Smart Phones” has also enabled the Internet to be accessed ‘on the go’, but your best and most reliable way to access the Internet is through a desktop or laptop computer. These devices can be purchased at several technology retail stores such as Best Buy, Apple Stores, ect. Computers accessing the Internet are also available at Libraries, and most friends houses.
2: Locate The Power Button: There are times when computers have tricky power buttons. Sometimes they are located at the top of computers. Sometimes the side. Many times computers will come with a manual of some sort explaining exactly where said Power Button is located. Once this step is mastered proceed directly to step 2a as to not lose valuable time. (2a:) Press The Power Button: This step is integral for Internet browsing and ‘Step-By-Step’ blog reading and allows for countless hours of other actions found within the computer device. Typically Power Buttons will illuminate when pressed however, allow for some time for the computer to ‘Boot-up’ before taking any further steps. Grab some coffee and mentally prepare for step 3.
3: Access Wireless or Wired Internet Network: This step can be tricky. There are several Internet providers out there depending on where you live, what plan you want to pay for. Typically a technician will be sent to your home or office to “connect” the network and give you some pointers.
4: Locate Internet Browser: There are several different Internet Browsers available depending on your preference. Also, depending on what computer you have obtained (See Step 1) a pre-set Internet Browser will be already installed for your Internet browsing. I recommend downloading Firefox or (if you are using a Mac computer) using Safari. Almost never would I recommend using a browser like Internet Explorer, but there are times when that is the only browser available.
5: Locate And Read Step-By-Step Blogs: This step is really the finish line. You’ve made it! Once a couple of ‘Step-By-Step’ blogs are located you are more than likely going to stumble on to more. They are everywhere. Click around using your computer’s provided mouse and instantly feel yourself growing as a person. There’s really no end to your growth at this point. See with the Internet and blogging there are endless avenues for offering your own recommendations on how other people should live their lives and now you are part of this amazing community.
There it is folks. Five simple steps to reading ‘Step-By-Step’ blog posts. I hope you find this post enjoyable and resourceful. Stay tuned next week when I address 12 steps to starting your car.
What’s Your Blog About?
Typically I’m a negative person. It’s easy for me to notice the negative things in life, the negative things people and the negative things in myself. It’s hard for me to not want to call people out on things that I believe are wrong especially in this blogging age where everyone has a soapbox. Everyone can blast anyone they want and I can too. In fact I almost did yesterday. I almost wrote a post about a Twitter that was flying around and everyone was praising…. and it was wrong. It was a slam on people in a “Christian light” and I completely disagreed with it. And I wanted to blast it. I wanted to hop on here and give “my side”. But I didn’t. Mostly because Kristin wouldn’t let me, but she was right.
I started thinking about it more. I started thinking about what I wanted this blog to represent. I started thinking about the way that I wanted my blog to be “categorized” as. Did I want it to be a place where all I did was prove to people how right I was? How awesome I was because I disagreed with other Christians? How I could sit in my office and spout off anything “controversial” and hope that someone popular would ‘Re-Tweet’ me or something? Or did I want my blog to be something that you could come to and, God forbid, actually enjoy? Something positive? Something that is there to encourage people, lift people up and actually edify?
Remember when we started Positive Post Tuesday? That seemed cool. There’s still some folks doing that and I love it. I wish there could be more of that. That started because I was tired of negative garbage that fills up Christian blogs where all we want to do is tear down people so we look awesome, or like we know more than someone else. Is anyone else tired of that crap?
So, anyway, all that to say, I hope this blog is something that, if nothing else, represents positivity. Is that a word Positivity? And I’d like that for my life too. Years from now when our grandkids are making fun of us for “blogging” I want a positive spirit to still be something that I am associated with. Now, does that mean that there won’t be times that I disagree with something? No. Does that mean that every post that I write on here will be flowery and shallow? I hope not. But I think you can address things that you might disagree with in a positive way. And I hope to be able to do that.
So here’s my question to you. What’s your blog about? What do you want it to be about. Let’s say there’s a “Legacy” that your online life can leave. What do you want it to be?
Ready? Go.
Influence
I’ve heard a lot of talk about ‘influence’ the last few years popping up with this whole blogging craze. You know, ‘word of mouth’ stuff, ‘cultural influence’, ‘consumer driven publicity’, all that. I’ve heard talk of movies being scared of what Twitter will do to their opening weeks if they have a few bad reviews floating around. I’ve heard of viral tactics of indie bands overshadowing popular mainstream artists. All that stuff. I’ve heard it and so have you.
So here’s what I’m wondering today. We all know about the Seth Godin’s and guys like that, but what I’m wondering what are top ten most influential bloggers you know of. And don’t give me a list of Huffington Posts or anything like that. I’m talking about real people, who actually sit in front of their computer and blog. And when they do, they influence people. I know Carlos will be on the list a hundred times so I’ll just mention him up front, but who else? Give me your top ten.
Ready? Go.
It’s In The Pudding
Blogging is a weird thing. And it’s become an even weirder thing the more ‘popular’ it’s gotten. We all have a platform to ‘preach’ whatever it is we believe, sell whatever it is we are selling, condemn whatever we are condemning and promote whatever it is we are promoting. We kick and scratch our way to readership and then spend our time telling those readers how great we are for getting them to read what we write. Seems weird doesn’t it?
Then there are the exceptions. The blogs that don’t follow the unwritten rule of self-promotion. The one’s that don’t seem to really ‘promote’ themselves at all, yet still have a massive readership. Now, I know that there are plenty of massive blogs out there, but I’d like to focus on three familiar ones that really got me thinking about this today.
First up is Mr. Michael Hyatt. Now I don’t know Michael, in fact, I’m not even sure if he would appreciate me calling him Michael, instead of Mr. Hyatt or something, but he seems like a pretty cool guy based on his blogging. Today he wrote about “What keeps you going when you want to quit”. Something we all deal with I’m sure. But it wasn’t this post specifically that got me thinking more about Michael’s blog, but it was a starting point. What it got me thinking about was his content in general. You know, I don’t know if I have once seen Michael Hyatt shamelessly promote himself, or preach his greatness to the masses. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him talk about how popular his blog is, how many Twitter followers he has, or anything like that. It almost seems like he allows his content to speak for itself and readers show up.
Boomama is another blogger that I have never seen type how great she is, or how many readers she has, or how popular she is on the world wide web. It’s almost like she doesn’t need to convince anyone or something. Seems like she spends her time actually blogging rather than convincing her readers that they made the right decision by reading her blog. An appropriate phrase would go something like this… ‘The proof is in the puddin’. Again, good content without the shameless “look at me” tactics.
Lastly is a blogger that we all know. Mr. Seth Godin. Now, I know that everyone knows that Seth Godin is a popular blogger and he’s at the top of the social media food chain and all that, but here’s the thing. Not once, have I seen Seth Godin mention his readership, his pageviews, his Twitter followers, his “milestones” or anything like that. He’s not walking around saying “Go ahead, Google the word “blog” and see what’s one of the first personal blogs to comes up.” It’s always about the content. And I think people respect that. I respect that.
It’s tough though. It’s tough to not get caught up in the numbers game. It’s hard to see someone with thousands of readers and not compare yourself with them. And on the flip side of that, it’s easy to find the flaws in others tactics of getting those numbers, keeping you right in the middle of the numbers game rather than focussing on content. Seems as though the proof really is in the pudding and these three very successful bloggers
Social Media Expert?
I completely stole this from this blog, so if there is any credit to be given for any of this it’s not to me, but it was too brilliant to not post. I’ve added the “bold” to the ones that made me smile the most.
Ways to tell your Social Media “Expert” Might Not Be An “Expert” After All
1. They call themselves an evangelist, guru or expert, and no one else does.
2. They use “expert” or “evangelist” or “guru” or our personal favorite, “influencer” as any of their user names.
3. They “discovered” social media in the last six to 16 months, and there’s nothing online from them in the social media space prior to that. (Remember – Google is your friend.)
4. All of a firm or agency’s, (Or Record Label’s) “social media strategists” come from traditional PR or Marketing agencies.
5. Everything they learned about social media they learned by reading blog posts (i.e. no application). You can learn a ton about sex from reading Kinsey’s manuals, but I’d still rather be with someone who has some practical experience.
6. They haven’t done anything of significance using social media (i.e. demonstrating they know how to apply the tools). Again, see point on Kinsey.
7. They keep shouting about “widgets.” (Or worse, they’re still talking about push marketing.)
8. Their resume doesn’t include anything that has to do with social media (i.e. no results using social media). And no, having a Twitter account doesn’t cut it.
9. Their sound bites eerily resemble what you just heard from Chris Brogan and Brian Solis. And quite frankly, following them and a few others can usually answer 95% of your social media questions to begin with.
10. Their firm (or Record Label*) has added social media as an additional service (as opposed to integrating it into a comprehensive PR approach). If they say “And we’ll do Facebook and Twitter!” beware.
11. Any use of the term “MySpace” unless you’re only targeting 14-year-old males, or independent bands.
12. Their networks don’t reflect that they are connected. (You should probably research them before hiring them. If their blog hasn’t been updated since 2004 yet they tweet every time they take a slurp of Yogurt, something’s up.)
13. When you Google them, it’s difficult to find them. If they don’t show up on the first page of Google, how are they going to get you up there?
14. They never talk to you about free ways to monitor your online presence (like Google alerts and Twitter search). Perhaps they’re afraid you can do it yourself?
15. They don’t maintain an active blog (at least two posts every month).
16. Any case studies they present only involve very big companies with very big budgets
17. Their lead social media strategist is “this kid we picked up after his internship ended.”
18. When they talk strategy, there is no approach that encompasses a discussion about: communications, marketing, advertising, business development, internal communications and/or customer service.
19. They see “Social Media” as a replacement for customer service, when in fact, only good customer service propels positive social media.
20. They want to charge you to get you signed up on social media sites (yuck).
21. There’s a pay structure that includes a pay-per-post model. Run very far away, very fast.
22. The strategy they provide you primarily includes a Twitter profile and a Facebook fan page.
23. Measurement to them means building up lots of followers and fans.
24. After you work with them you’re just as confused as when you started.
25. They’ve never used Help a Reporter Out (added by Sarah, not Peter). To Sarah’s point, they’ve also not suggested any of the wonderful free services out there before they recommend paying.
So what do we think? Pretty accurate? Again, all credit to this post goes here. I’m not clever enough to come up with this stuff.
* I added “Or Record Label” because it seemed to apply.
