Archive for January, 2009

@ducttape (John Jantsch) recently had a post about his social media strategy, then @chrisbrogan (Chris Brogan) talked about his. Both were great – but I found them overwhelming. I don’t have quite the number of followers that they do, and don’t have as much to monitor, but I do have a strategy that works for me. I had never really written it down or thought about exactly what I did,  but after talking about how to be a better social media-er, I figured it would be a good ‘continuation post’. So, here is my social media strategy:

All day (10+ times a day)

• Tweet, which also updates my FaceBook status
• Check my email & respond: I categorize the important ones (15+ categories) & flag the ones that need to be following up

Daily

• Write a blog post – Twitterfeed picks it up, sends it to twitter, which sends it to facebook and friendfeed
• Search twitter for conversations about copywriters, fashion, and scan my current followers conversations for new people to follow
• Add 1 or 2 new blogs to add to my subscriptions
• Read my RSS feeds through my Outlook and comment on posts that I find interesting
• Stumble any sites that I like, this goes to twitter
• Jot down 5 ideas for future blog posts
• Monitor my blog stats through statpress and feedburner
• Check Facebook updates of friends, send a few messages
• Look through my calendar for upcoming events
• View my socialtoo stats on followers
• Look through my new followers and choose to follow back or not
• See what conversations are going on in FriendFeed

Weekly

• Check linkedin for questions or conversations to be a part of
• Create one new graphic for my blog, or just for fun (keeps my photoshop skills sharp)
• Update photos or information about me in FaceBook & Flickr
• Look through my ‘dones’ for the week and plan my ‘to-do’s’ for the next week
• Write a post for the sites I guest post on, including Kyle Reddoch’s “The Web Expert“ 

Please share you social media strategy – what works for you?

Forget everything you think you know about business, networking, marketing and sales. Forgotten? Ok good, now you can actually participate in social media. Social media has many names (and personally I hate all of them, as none of them really capture the true meaning). But, no matter what you call it, it is here to stay so you might as well learn as much as you can about it.

I am not a professional social media-er (although who knows what that even means?) but I have a passion for the concept, and have had some great results from the way tha I have used social media. So, here are a few tips from my experience:

To be a better blogger… you have to forget the idea of selling someone something and help them instead. People don’t like sales pitches.  So why would anyone want to read a blog entirely made up of sales pitches? *hint: They don’t*. So, before you write that next post about your porduct and how it can change my life, why not writing a post about how to make my life easier, without mentioning your product?

To be a better tweeter… you have to remember to be human. Communication on twitter is meant to be two-way and open. If your profile as no picture, no description and no link to a website (or any of the 3), you are not getting the most out of twitter. For those businesses who use it by adding everyone under the sun and tweeting a million spamalicious tweets – I would love to hear from you and find out if any of that actually works for you, because I highly doubt it’s effective. Be who you are, and people will want to follow.

To be a better social media-er… you have to think about the key word in the phrase!  Without getting too ‘English teacher’ on you, simply thinking about the meaning of ’social’ will give you the clearest definition of what you should be doing. Social media ceases to exist if people do not share (and share interesting things) with eachother. If you are not a part of the conversation, you are not a part of social media. In addition to being involved, you also have to trust your network, know that things you discuss will be respected makes it easier to be open an honest.

And lastly, in all categories:  If someone is bringing bad mojo into your network, ask them to leave. In social media, you don’t have to interact with anyone you don’t want to.

Agree? Disagree? What do you think is needed to be better in any of these categories?

I screwed up yesterday. If you saw my tweet around 5:30 last night, you’ll know what I did. For those who didn’t…

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a joke (as many of the reply’s to my tweet thought). I really did drive in the wrong direction to get gas, but luckily I didn’t run out of it on the way…

The point to talking about my attempt to find a gas station? To explain that screwing up is not a bad thing! “Screwing up” is an opportunity to “learn”. For example, I went 8 miles out of my way to learn:

1. There is a closer gas station to the toll road entrance on Bonita Canyon Rd.
2. That if I had just turned right instead of left, I would have known that in ¼ mile.
3. And that I should always look something up before I get in the car and drive.

Now it’s your turn: When is the last time you screwed up – and what did you learn?

I love to read, listen to music and be out with my friends. All of the above help me to maintain my creative ideas as life stems creativity. But, I spend most of my time during the day in front of a computer and must find creativity there as well. In order to do so, I participate in social sites (twitter, facebook, friendfeed, linkedin, etc), I read blogs (on average, 15-20 a day), and I love stumbleupon for finding new sites. But, one person can only do so much, so I often rely on my contacts to recommend new sites to visit and new blogs to read. This has not only introduced me to some amazing new sites but has given me almost a limitless supply of creative ideas.

So, today I polled all of my contacts on twitter to have them answer the question: What is your favorite blog to read (funny, serious, business, whatever) and why? The results were tallied and here is a great list to get you started on some new creativity:

@ CraigKessler Here is different type of blog I read of a NYC cabbie: King of New York Hacks

@ aquarius12385 Serious Eats . Top Chef recaps, food porn, seriously frequent updates & good mix foodie/not-so-foodie content, what’s not to like?

@ MarshaHudnall Cranky Fitness . title says it all

@AboutLisa favorite blog….hmmm….love @BawldGuy’s blog right now, it’s business and funny and economics.

@ dalwolf_now design blogs, design and the ideas behind it effects everything. It often pulls from multiple disciplines, like @SwissMiss .

@mayhemstudios  Designers Toolbox : Handy print/web templates and resources.

@MatchesMalone Ok, the rest of you, mine is well, mine!!!

@mcritz NOTCOT.org

@marinemajor sorry, i don’t read blogs…. but I use twitter . I find challenging people here.

@ mschmulen Dataopedia , which is a great and very useful mashup for researching any website.

@barchbo Elements of Style : smart, stylish, comprehensive on the topic, thoughtful, good writing.

And of course, my recommendation? WrightCreativity.com (teasing…) Honestly, I recommend reading any of the above, or find your own to love.

Feeling like there is a site missing or disagree with any of the ones listed? Leave it in the comments!

Today is day 10 of the “10 bold moves to stir up your creativity”.

Here is a quick recap of #1-#9:

1. Read in public

2. Quit your job

3. Contact someone you look up to

4. Do something you never thought you could

5. Disconnect

6. Don’t follow the crowd

7. Be nice

8. Ask questions

9. Let yourself be wrong

Bold Move #10: Stop reading and start doing!

Not to sound ungrateful to my readers, because I love each and every one of you, but stop reading (at least until tomorrow’s post ). Seriously, stop reading about being bold and GO DO SOMETHING BOLD.

Click here to see the other 9 bold ideas

Today is day 9 of the “10 bold moves to stir up your creativity”.

Bold Move #9: Let yourself be wrong.

Think about it: If you are never wrong, you never have the opportunity to learn something. We all like being right, ask any of my friends, I don’t do ‘wrong’ well. But, I have learned more about business by being wrong than I ever have by being right. When I am wrong about something, it allows someone who knows more than me to teach me something. It is the same in all walks of life – from business to relationships. We can’t all be right all the time, it is a physical and mental impossibility. Let yourself be okay with being wrong and you’ll be amazed how much more you learn, and in turn, how much more often you can be right. The minute we stop learning, the minute we stop living.

Have you been wrong recently and had it teach you something amazing?

Click here to see the other 8 bold ideas

Today is day 8 of the “10 bold moves to stir up your creativity”.

Bold Move #8: Ask questions…not for the answer but for the conversation that it creates.

Creativity is not a solo sport. If you were to lock yourself in a room and cut off all interaction, you would lose creative steam fairly quickly. You might get a few more things done in the beginning, without the distractions, but how long would it take before you couldn’t think of anything creative or new? Other people are what give us ideas. Things that happen in our lives inspire our writing and our ideas.

Today is about starting conversation. Find someone on twitter that interests you, and respond to something they ask. Ask a question on Facebook and see where the conversation goes.

People love to participate. People want to participate. So, give them the opportunity to participate.

Here is your opportunity to participate by answering today’s creative conversation: What makes a creative expert? What makes you stop and take notice of their ideas?

Click here to see the other 7 bold ideas

I assumed that people on twitter knew I wasn’t paid to write my blog. I’m not sure how or why I came to that assumption, but I did. Yesterday, I wrote a note on Facebook talking about the fact that because of the economic downturn, my hours had been cut back at the office. I got a lot of well wishes and thoughts, and a few people that I knew personally offered to help me try to find something. But, I got a lot of people that were confused by my note. The most common question I got was “I thought you worked for yourself? Isn’t that what your blog does?” I probably didn’t help things with my post about doing what you love (after re-reading it, it does sound like I work for myself…). I decided that I should probably clarify a bit about this blog. Not only will it explain me a bit better, it might help me to remedy the lost hours situation.

So, who am I, what do I do and what is this blog?

I am Kirsten Wright, a 24 year old, Long Beach State Graduate, Communications Major, passionate writer and graphics addict. I have spent the last 4 years (since I graduated college) trying to figure out what I want to do for a career. I have always loved writing (passionately, honestly, wholeheartedly). It has been the one constant in my life, from carrying around notebooks everywhere I went, to writing stories and many attempted blogs. But, I knew that I needed a concrete job, not just a passion, so I looked for something serious. I crossed off sales, both inside and outside, very quickly. I then was the assistant for a marketing entrepreneur. That job taught me about my passion (and talent) for graphic design. But, life happens and I had to move on. I took a job doing marketing and PR for a plastic surgeon (my current position). I guess I didn’t really read the fine print of the job, and so when the market really took a dive for us (which apparently just happened yesterday?), I had my hours cut down. I didn’t think that could happen, and actually, there is a lot about this job that I was surprised by.

What does any of this have to do with my blog? Pretty much nothing. The blog has no ties to my business or my paycheck. It was my passion for writing, and my need to share and help others with their creativity that drove me to start the site. I didn’t even think about getting traffic until the last few months when people commenting that they liked what I wrote. Even more, I had never thought about making money off of it. I never liked the blogs that ran ads, or were obviously money driven, they just didn’t seem as honest or useful. I have written a few guest posts, all for free, just because I like to write. This blog has been, and will remain, my opportunity to share what I know with people who are looking for creative ideas for writing and business.

This all leads to the question….so what do I want to do/what am I going to do? The unfortunately true answer is: I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out, and thanks to some great motivational advice from @LaFemCreative, I am turning the cutback on my hours into a good thing and taking a chance. I’ve never tried to go after the job that I really love, partially because I am not sure it exists, but more out of fear of failing (yes, I am scared to fail, and okay with admitting it!). But – what I do know, is if I don’t at least attempt to find the job I really want, I will never find it. So, I am looking for a position with a company, preferably in South Orange County (or one that allows me to work virtually). The job would allow me to manage their blog, write their press releases & web copy (or those of their clients), do some graphic design and work with photoshop (for them or their clients), develop and execute social media strategies and use twitter. If you got this far and are still reading – thank you and I ask that all you do is think about people/companies that you know. Does what I am looking for exist? Do you know a company that is looking for someone like me?

Thanks for sticking with me through this, I hope that it clarifies a bit about me and my blog (and why you’ll never be hit with ads for product when you visit me). Later today I will have day #7 of my 10 days of bold moves for creativity.

Today is day 7 of the “10 bold moves to stir up your creativity”.

Bold Move #7: Be nice. Genuinely, honestly and truly nice.

This sounds like a very simple, and not-so-bold task, but it is often forgotten and has a larger influence than we often think. Creativity is driven by the interactions in our lives, so why not have those interactions be kind ones?

Rather than tell you a story about how someones kind attitude stirred my creativity, I want to hear your stories. Have you met someone that surprised you with niceness and made you think? Have you treated someone well, just because, and had it reward you? Feel free to share a name or keep it annonymous.

Click here to see the other 6 bold ideas

Today is day 6 of the “10 bold moves to stir up your creativity”.

Bold Move #6: Don’t follow the crowd. There is nothing we have to do, nowhere you have to go and no path we all should take.

The best way to look at this is to think about some of the things you heard about college growing up: “You have to go to college”. “Without a degree you’ll never be successful”. “You need to join a corporate world, get the 401K, the benefits, work til we’re 55 and then retire”. “Starting your own business is a pipe-dream”.

Were they right? I don’t think so.

Growing up, I watched my mom build a Mary Kay business from the ground up and become a successful senior director – with only a high school degree. Good thing too, because I learned more from her about business than I did in any of my colleges classes. She taught me the power of networking and talking to people (face to face, imagine that!). I learned how to market a business (by actually giving people something that benefits them, not just a bunch of ad-speak). She showed me that hard work didn’t have to mean 9-5 (she usually worked before I was awake, when I was in school and after I went to bed, so she could be a mom too). Don’t get me wrong, college is great, and I absolutely loved my time at CSULB – it was a time to learn, mature and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. But, college isn’t for all of us. Some can’t afford it, and others just don’t fit into college curriculum. My mom couldn’t do the college thing because she had to work full-time to support herself from the day she graduated High School.  What was more impressive was the fact that she never used not going to college as an excuse. When business was hard, she never complained about not having a degree, she just worked harder. Not only did she prove college wasn’t necessary to be successful, she did it with class and self confidence. Now just barely 50 (sorry for revealing it mom), she has been happily retired for 5 years and is spending her time traveling the country with my dad and visiting me because that is what she wants to be doing.

My point? As my mom always reminded me, in business and in life, “If you think you can; you can. If you think you can’t; you’re right.”

What do you think? Is college a must? Share your thoughts and experiences.

Click here to see the other 5 bold ideas