Four steps to getting started with social media

October 28, 2010July 23, 2017 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I had the opportunity to be part of a panel discussion on social media at the most recent Agent Reboot event in Washington, DC. It was great to be back to a place I lived for several years "back in the 90s." Lots of familiar places and was able to reconnect with some friends while I was in town.

I framed my comments at the event to take a step way, way back from the hype and excitement around social media and explain what it is and that everybody can, and already does, do it. Learning all the tools, tricks, and tips is another issue but there really is very little mystery surrounding it.

Here's why:

Fundamentally social media is about communicating with people. Something we all know how to do and do every day in a variety of ways – meetings, phone calls, emails, etc. The "social" piece of it focuses on participation.

More people from more places can come together and share, interact, and get updated all at one time or, more importantly, on their time complete with links, pictures, and a threaded view among other things.

I suggested the following four steps to get started and this has been a recurring theme of ours in all of our presentations.

1. Listen

You don't have to have anxiety about your writing, if you can be witty, or even spell correctly. Start out by reading what others are sharing. There is probably already somebody in your neighborhood doing this. In Kirkland, WA (where I live) there are two local blogs I read that keep me informed about what is going on in my community – Kirkland Weblog and Kirkland Views. Beyond where you live, find others writing about your interests, skills, or hobbies. It is really easy to use Google to find these types of bloggers and you can also use Twitter search.

2. Share

Now that you are reading interesting things by people in your neighborhood or written about your interests, you will no doubt want to share those with others. Enter email. Copy a link and paste it into the body of an email or share it directly via email from the post. You'll probably even add a bit of commentary on it as you share with friends or co-workers. Congratulations, you have now shared content.

3. Comment

Now it is time to come out of the shadows and share some of that commentary you are adding to the emails with the world. Read a post and comment directly on it. The comments on a blog, especially a heavily trafficked one, are where the real conversation and insight unfolds. Remember, do not self-promote. Add something of value to the discussion…like you would if you were talking to a group of friends at a coffee shop.

4. Contribute

If you have made it this far and really want to strike out on your own by publishing yourself, you have a variety of choices to make about tools, costs, time commitment, etc. The tools are cheap, easy to learn, and just put yourself on a schedule to write a blog post a week. Carry a notebook and write down random thoughts. If you find yourself answering the same questions over and over for friends or co-workers, write a post and share that link next time (see #2 above). Simplify your broadcasting by linking your blog to Twitter to Facebook to LinkedIn. Or don't and control it. It is your call and you are in control.

Even if you never move past Step 1 you will be better informed in your job or even at your next cookout.

Some thoughts on your “brand”

October 16, 2010 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

There is much discussion floating around these days about personal branding and how to use it to your advantage.

Like most things the Internet has brought us, this is merely an extension of an individual's reputation and influence broadcast electronically. The rise of blogs, short messaging services like Twitter, and social networks has intensified and increased the personal branding movement. Unfortunately, along with it has come manipulation and false indicators of influence and relevance.

Don't just look at how many people are following someone on Twitter (these can be purchased or easily collected), look at the ratio of followers to following. Serial connection collectors are not building electronic networks that matter, they are merely chasing numbers like hapless road warriors chase frequent flyer miles (I can say this because I use to be one).

I had breakfast with a good friend last week and we were discussing this concept and how he could use elements of it to project his skills and creativity. Here is my advice to defining and projecting your brand:

1. Write

You need a platform to broadcast and a blog is an easy and cheap way to get one. No formal writing experience required. Two paragraphs make a blog post and you are the editor-in-chief. Connect it to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn and you have now tripled your reach and targeted your content to those in your network. I use Typepad for this blog and WordPress is another great service.

Write enough blog posts and you have the foundation for a book. Anyone can publish a book these days at relatively low cost and it remains a great way to put a tangible package around you and your brand.

2. Share what defines you beyond your job

What are your hobbies, personal interests, what do you do on weekends? All of these things define the complete picture of you beyond a stale resume or one dimensional on-line profile. The dynamic nature of sharing content about your life gives you a ready made place to point people to learn more about you and what makes you tick.

You'll be surprised how this can differentiate you from others. Imagine looking at two proposals where the technical skills and price are the same. One person has a blog that tells me about his love of the outdoors, a children's book he wrote with his wife, and the community where he lives. He wins because he has shown creativity in other ways (a children's book plus the fact he writes a blog) and I expect that same creativity to be applied to my project.

3. Look across your skills and use that to drive content

If you are an accountant, don't write about accounting. Write about your involvment with that non-profit and the good/bad/ugly about raising funds and supporting causes. Take your spin on the unique activities that you do everyday. Also, avoid words like guru or expert to describe yourself. Here is my take on self-described experts.

4. Capture your thinking

I just wrote about my penchant for writing things down. Do what works best but as thoughts cross your mind, get them down. Whether that is paper, electronic, or even voice (try the voice recorder on your phone) the things that come to you randomly will be the best jumping off points to create content around.

5. Be real

We now can each tell our own electronic narrative of our lives and this is part of your personal brand. Share but share wisely and understand that you are publishing for the world to read. If you choose to cover controversial topics, do so with the understanding of the impact on your brand and the impression you will leave.

Editorial protocols remain so be sure to get the green light from others if you are going to mention them by name or share details on a conversation. I've had a few times where I wish I had put the NFYB (not for your blog) label on conversation which has now evolved to "don't tweet that."

Don't be someone you are not. No one likes a phony and one thing that will happen in a connected and collaborative world is that you will be called out – either in person or on-line.

You'll be surprised how much you know, the exceptional things you do or are part of, and the rewards that come from forcing yourself to distill these things into words.

I seek to do elements of all of these things but don't have a laser focus on specfically building and projecting my brand. I have chosen "Reply to All" as a brand for this blog and that extends to my Twitter handle as well although most would advise to brand around your name first and foremost.

I appreciate all who read and comment on my posts…and have actually made some cool new connections and re-established lost ones from this effort. All more than enough reward for something I just merely enjoy doing – writing.

Hope this is helpful. Have thoughts or want to chat about it? Leave a comment below or email me and we can connect.

Why I write things down

October 10, 2010July 23, 2017 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

It does seem a bit peculiar to write a blog post about the reasons I still put pen to paper but as the number of electronic gadgets explodes and we spend more of our waking hours with our noses stuck in smart phones and iPads, I thought explaining why there is still a place for writing things down in my world seemed appropriate.

I have always carried a paper pad of some kind (steno, legal, etc.) around with me to take down notes or lay out my thinking on a topic or problem. For years, I used a leather portfolio given to me when I graduated from college. It is black, fits a legal pad, and has a pocket for papers – simple, but effective.

Always on the quest to learn new things by reading other's blogs, I saw a post from someone about using a Moleskine notebook to capture thoughts. Paper and portable, I thought, count me in.

The Moleskine has a distinguished history hailing from Milan and used by the likes of Picasso, Hemingway, and Matisse. More on the history here including its demise in 1986 and rebirth in 1997. I capture nothing as distinguished but do find reviewing previous entries pretty fascinating and like the way it fits in my back pocket.

I was in Chicago last week meeting with some great folks ahead of an event and took out my Moleskine to jot down a name and phone number. From the other side of the table, I heard "Don't you work for a technology company?" This was all in good fun and I replied "Why yes, I do, but this is my secure and portable note taking application. Instantly searchable (thumb pages) and encrypted because my handwriting can become undecipherable even by me."

We all laughed at the situation but it stuck with me and is the inspiration for this blog post.

I write things down because I want to remember them, reference them, and demonstrate to the other person that it is important enough to capture by hand. A phone number, a name, a place, or a random thought…it doesn't matter. I find it much easier to jot down a quick note when an idea comes to me or I am trying to organize tasks.

This is part of my workstyle and I'm not saying it is for everyone or that a Moleskine is the key but it is how I capture important thoughts, detail follow up items, and organize my activities.

Having effective conference calls is key to achieving a high value outcome

August 27, 2010 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

This is awesome. If you've ever participated in or hosted a conference call, you have lived this…

Heading to the Personal Democracy Forum in NYC this week

June 1, 2010July 23, 2017 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I am headed to New York this week to attend the Personal Democracy Forum. Why? Because, as the tag line says, technology is changing politics and what we are doing at Gist is very relevant to this.

We have been having discussions with folks from left, right, and everywhere in between about their need to quickly collect, consume, and act on information. Whether you are working on a campaign and want to get a complete view of your candidate and the opposition, advocating a certain issue or cause, or working to raise the money needed to power a campaign, Gist constantly works to bring the latest traditional and non-traditional news together in one place about the people that matter most to you.

The rise of the on-line influencer (someone who is an empowered individual with a following of readers) and the increased speed of communication have given rise to the need for a whole new approach and tool set to connecting with people and, more importantly, connecting them to each other. Glenn Reynolds wrote a fabulous book some time ago called An Army of Davids which takes up this topic and details the power the Internet gives us all as individuals to connect, organize, and drive our democracy among other things. All very cool stuff.

Looking forward to sharing my thoughts after the event wraps…

Lasting impressions from TEDx Seattle

April 17, 2010July 23, 2017 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend TEDx Seattle yesterday. If you are not familiar with TED and its purpose, I highly recommend you check it out and watch some of the previous presentations. They promote "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world." The "TEDx" events are local, independently produced events that follow the format and flow of the main event held annually which is definitely on my list to attend at some point.

Essentially, TED is about spreading ideas and providing a forum for sharing information and broadening perspective.

There were lots of great speakers and thought provoking presentations yesterday. I kept my computer closed and phone off during all the sessions choosing to go old school and actually write down a few notes during the presentations. Here are a few of the things that made the most impact on me:

Storytelling is an essential part of communicating and sharing diverse experiences.
Mobile technologies are about more than making us more productive, they can directly impact the health, agriculture, and economic development of nations (I have previously written on this here and here).
Mobile technologies can both improve the delivery of health care in developing countries as well as serve as data collection devices in and of themselves (for vital signs, etc.) creating the ability to capture, transmit, and compare data over time and among populations. This helps bridge the gap in countries where there is one doctor for every x thousands or tens of thousands of people.
The transparency provided by social technologies brings up questions like if we know everything about everybody, will we even care any more or what is the true impact of having everything we have ever done documented to be used by us or against us?
Something as simple as access to a savings account can make a huge impact on helping people escape poverty. Less than half of the people in the world have a bank account.
Our interconnected and information rich world has created "information poverty" for those without the means to access it.

One of the more meaningful sessions (to me) was Eugene Cho's presentation about One Day's Wages. Truly inspirational and something I plan on learning more about.

Also, be sure to read Todd Bishop's nicely written summary of the day and you can get a feel for it 140 characters at a time via the Twitter chatter here.

I believe it is important
to hear speakers present on things outside of your daily tasks, lives,
and subject matter expertise. I use to be better at finding the time
and venues to learn about new things and have made a commitment to
better prioritize this in my life.

My presentation to the TAG Enterprise 2.0 Society this week in Atlanta

April 8, 2010 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I had a nice visit to Atlanta where I had the opportunity to make a presentation to the Enterprise 2.0 Society of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). It was a great group and I am impressed with how TAG, Georgia Tech, and the ATDC continue to drive innovation. The Centergy facility in downtown Atlanta is especially impressive.

The focus of my discussion was on using social media in the sales process and specific measurable results that can be realized from using these tools. Slides below but my main points were:

IT “Personalization” is blurring the professional/personal divide
Social media efforts must move beyond listening to effective engagement to see the greatest benefit
Social media can drive revenue but sales is still a process
Inboxes proliferate and are becoming more social
Available information is overwhelming and effective filtering is essential

Getting the Gist of Digital Communicationshttp://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=tagent2v1-100406220547-phpapp02&stripped_title=getting-the-gist-of-digital-communications

View more presentations from Robert Pease.

Going It Alone: Four Tips to Becoming a Consultant

February 8, 2010 / Robert Pease / 1 Comment

Having spent a bit of time as a consultant, I thought this was a good article in the Wall Street Journal about how to do it right. Here are the four tips with my commentary.

Think Long Term – have a business plan and understand what you offer vs. being reactive to doing anything. Don't be afraid to say "no" but make sure you know what you want to say "yes" to.
Join a Network – cannot emphasize enough networking and even formal referral selling relationships with others. This means doing more than joining a group on LinkedIn but truly having and engaging with a professional network. The time to get involved is not when you are looking for business.
Have Your Own Space – working from home can be a challenge without a designated place preferably with a door to separate where you live from where you work. If you don't have one, find a company with some excess space and see about renting or bartering for a desk.
Think Like an Entrepreneur – you are running a business so you must be look at it from that perspective. Understand your cash flow needs as well as have a plan (see #1) around what you want to accomplish on a quarterly and annual basis.

The interesting data point that jumped out to me in this article was that "20% to 23% of U.S. workers are operating as consultants, freelancers, free agents, contractors or micropreneurs." Wow! That's quite a large number and an interesting trend to grasp as it relates to the services and support this category of worker needs.

*Thanks to Scott Stanzel for pointing me to this article.

How to say something by saying nothing

January 16, 2010 / Robert Pease / Leave a comment

Watching White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs try to explain why President Obama is not broadcasting the healthcare negotiations on CSPAN as he repeatedly promised during the campaign is painful enough but the timid questions from the press are even more concerning.

The strategy of directing an audience to previous comments you didn't make is actually pretty clever however in our connected, real-time and overly documented world, it falls down pretty quickly.

I also suggest reading this great article from techPresident that talks about the passion and energy that the Obama campaign tapped during the election but seems to have forgotten now that they are governing. The ability to connect and organize via social media has only accelerated and not embracing it as a way to drive change and deeper involvement in government by citizens is more than a bit disappointing.

Video here for your enjoyment…

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