Acknowledging the Why Factor

photo credit: Flickr.com - Plymouth Devon

Five fundamentals taught in every freshman journalism class are who, what, where, when and how. Questions that form the basis for every news article in print or broadcast media. These same questions are also relevant when it comes to social media; whether it be online news sites, blogs and, even, social media marketing.

Lurking in the shadows is that rogue sixth question of "why". The “why” factor is speculative and, at times, dangerous; especially when the story is still fresh and the facts haven't been fully fleshed out. The writer staying true to their craft and omitting any reference to the "why" factor question avoids the risk of appearing biased. The reader or viewer will automatically be left to insert their own perspective into the process. It is this use or non-use of the "why" factor that creates a bias in the ever evolving world of social media.

No media outlet (whether it be in print, broadcast or online) is exempt from utilizing some sort of bias in its reporting. Bias is simply another word for opinion. It has been present in both an overt or covert form since the inception of mass media. There are several gospels of the bible which never made it to the final edit based on the church’s bias. Town criers did not report all the news in the village square unless it served the whims of the village elders.

This bias is not restricted solely to the news media. Question five people who have read the same book, or have seen the same play, movie, music video or television episode. At least three, if not five, different interpretations will be received in response. Society has been inserting its own bias since the beginning of time. Case in point would be to compare what the impression two separate groups have upon viewing the Mona Lisa or the ceiling at the Sistine Chapel for the first time. People bring their own life experiences into the mix when processing information.

The explosion of social media sites on the Internet has heightened this bias. How people process what they come across on the Internet is more reflective of their own preconceived opinions on the topic. Once this innate bias is acknowledged, online information can be processed in a more informed manner.

The Internet has afforded society the opportunity to familiarize itself with a larger spectrum of opinions and ideas than our forefathers. Once people realize that a modern day town crier’s view on an issue, product or brand is never going to be free of a certain amount of bias, our social media experience will be less stressful and frustrating. 

Going into the process already acknowledging an existence of the "why" factor on social media channels; we are given reason to pause before going off on an all capitalized rant or, worse yet, unfriending our childhood sweethearts because we couldn’t agree on why we broke up back in high school. There it is again, that dreaded “why” factor.

Marketing Strategy: Staying the Course

Photo credit: Patti Schwartz/Pattilovesbing.com

Whenever a company hires a social media marketing manager, either internally or through an outside agency, they are entrusting them to promote their brand, image or service to a diverse audience across the wide spectrum of social media platforms; usually given carte blanche when it comes to the content posted. However, are they always keeping the best interests of their employers (or clients) and those of the brand's fan base in mind?

I recently came across a Facebook page for a local business. Since I was interested in the service they provided, I liked their page and began following it. Unfortunately, my initial interest quickly waned due to constant posts about sports which had no bearing on the company or its services. It's not like I hate sports; I have been known to cheer on a favorite team virtually. However, continually posting about the local water polo team on a company's business page doesn't entice me to spend money on that business' products or services. It might, however, cause me to buy season tickets to the matches being held at the local swim center. I don't think that was the original intent of the company's social media marketing strategy.

This is not an isolated incident. More and more, personal preference seems to be permeating throughout posted social media content. We have all been told that marketing on social media needs to be kept light and friendly. The hard sell approach is as much of a turn off as continual posts of the office cat or the boss' Caribbean cruise. We need to engage our followers in a conversation; a conversation that's relevant to the brand or business. Targeting your content is one thing; but targeting it in a way that it does not benefit the company or brand that you represent is a big marketing misstep. 

Clearly, there is nothing terribly wrong with an occasional post featuring the office mascot or pictures of the receptionist's new baby. In fact, they do tend to lend a human touch to our marketing. It all comes down to knowing when the conversation has completely strayed off course. Being creative in your posts and finding a way to showcase Fluffy with one of your products or services will keep your marketing strategy on track while at the same time keeping the conversation light and whimsical. 

There is also nothing wrong with the occasional sharing of a post by another page. While it shows that you are willing to be an active participant in their social conversation; be wary of it becoming one sided. Your sharing of their posts with no reciprocity on their part simply turns your page into another marketing tool for them; a free one at that.

Take a hard look at the pages that you follow. Are you seeing irrelevant content popping up more often than you would like?  Are you beginning to second guess why you followed them in the first place? Is your brand loyalty strong enough for you to stick it out?

The Consistency and Fluidity of Branding

Photo credit: OwenBrown.com via Flickr.com

Congratulations, you did it!  You broke that elusive 100 Facebook page fan mark. Granted, the initial fans of your page are usually your own family and friends that felt obligated to accept your invitation to "like" it. 

Nonetheless, you have crossed over the mark that many find unattainable. What you do next will set you apart from the all the other business, nonprofit, community and political pages out there.

Many Facebook page administrators see their pages as merely an advertising tool; which is fine as long as you have established your brand and set your marketing strategy. We all do not start our Facebook pages as universally established brands; ones evoking childhood memories such as Coke, McDonald's or George Takai. It takes dedication and hard work to get to that point. 

There are businesses and organizations that bypass branding; jumping directly to marketing and advertising, especially via social media. Many tend to forget that there are distinct differences between branding, marketing and advertising. Before you can successfully market and advertise, you must establish your brand. Branding establishes who you are or what your business stands for.  Marketing is your plan to tell people about your brand. Advertising encompasses the ways in which you tell those people. 

It doesn't matter if your business or organization has been in existence for 100 years; utilizing social media opens you up to an entirely new audience. Branding messages are what drives the conversation on your page. Being consistent is the key.

For instance, you run a page dedicated to saving the world against the imminent takeover of zombie minions. A worthwhile cause; however, inconsistency in your messaging dilutes its importance. Posting a video of a cat dancing by a window does nothing to advance your cause; although cat videos can be awfully darn cute.  Or, you run a page for a local political candidate. For arguments sake, let's say the candidate is a member of the liberal party. You share a photo of the candidate at an event. Unfortunately, the event is held by the local ultra conservative party. Consider what that simple picture does to the candidate's brand. Your job and theirs just became much more difficult to manage.

Even after you have established your branding message, determined your marketing strategy and have begun your advertising; you must always be willing to revisit your branding. The focus of your business, organization or cause may have changed over the years. You started out as a mom and pop pizza shop that has since morphed into a full fledged 5-star Italian dining experience. Does your current branding strategy reflect this change? Are you posting conflicting messages; confusing both your current and potential customer base?

Branding is all about being both consistent and fluid. Finding that perfect balance. Listening to your page followers and taking your cues from them. They will be the most honest and tell you what is working and what isn't. When it isn't working; you will see that in the decrease of page likes and the lack of engagement with your page.

Being heard above the noise

The world of social media is noisy. As users and practitioners, we are consistently hit from all platforms with what can only be described as "noise". How does one group of social media marketers, in particular, insure that their message is heard above all others?

Nonprofits are just such a group. They must struggle, on very limited resources, getting their message heard. 

Simply having a presence on social media does not automatically make their voices any louder. One of the biggest mistakes being made by nonprofits is that they make the attempt to start a conversation among their followers but rarely participate fully in that conversation. They will post or tweet an event notice or a link to a relevant article with the hope that it will take on a life of its own. As marketers, we know this is not the case.

However, for profit businesses have the edge on the nonprofits. They have the resources to hire marketing professionals to lead and drive the online conversations. Nonprofits, more often than not, must rely on limited resources; both in terms of manpower and financial capital.

So, how does a nonprofit make itself heard?  How does one differentiate itself from another? How do they promote their prime objectives without coming across as desperate and obtrusive?

1. Make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to its social media objective. If the nonprofit's board of directors, executive director, paid staff and, even, volunteers are not in agreement on the social media marketing plan; all attempts to be heard will fall on deaf ears.

2. Simply creating a Facebook page, a Google Plus page or a Twitter account for the sake of having one does not create the conversation necessary to promote the nonprofit's objectives. There must be someone, whether a paid staffer or a volunteer, whose primary function is to market on social media.  Many nonprofits, again due to staffing and/or financial restrictions, assign this task to those that are already overwhelmed with their primary job responsibilities. If one person is tasked with both payroll and marketing functions; it is a given that the payroll functions will trump all other tasks.

3. The nonprofit needs to actively partner with community pages in their area. Not only does it promote the nonprofit, it builds the reputation of the entire community. Facebook community pages which promote a town or city are continually on the lookout for events and causes to showcase that shed a positive light on their locale.  Unfortunately, without these partnerships, they usually find themselves scrambling for meaningful content. These partnerships are a win-win situation for all involved.

These three simple steps are a start in enabling nonprofits to raise their voices; to make some noise of their own. Noise worth paying attention to.

Is Facebook failing us or are we failing Facebook?

First, let me get it out in the open that I strongly believe in the power of Facebook when it comes to branding, marketing and overall connection with friends and family. However, as I look back on this election season, I have to admit that I am torn over whether Facebook failed or whether it was our preconceived notion of our role as users that failed our entire social, political and religious belief system.

A majority of Facebook users interact with friends and family who hold the same set of political, social and religious beliefs as they do. A vast number of users will share links that correspond with these sets of beliefs; and most often with their security settings adjusted to share to friends and family only. Many of us make a conscious choice of who we share posts with. Having been the victim of internet trolls more times than I can count; I purposely decide on my audience before each and every post on Facebook. Is this selective posting process, under the guise of internet security, preventing the dissemination of important social, political and religious issues to a wider, more diverse audience?

Granted, Facebook is not the ultimate deciding factor in political elections, charitable donations or religious enlightenment.  However, are we shortchanging the issues we believe in through this avoidance of online confrontation with those who believe differently than we do? To those that put themselves out there without fear of confrontation, I commend you all.  As for myself and others, we have allowed ourselves to become so self conscious of how we are perceived by fellow Facebook users that we are failing, not only Facebook, but ourselves and our own belief systems.

When did we decide being positive was a "thing"?

There have been an overwhelming amount of local, national and international issues that are acknowledged, discussed and debated on social media. All too often, many find themselves getting so caught up in the negative posts that they fail to see anything positive in the world around them.

For every negative or hateful post that we share, comment on or retweet, though our intentions are good; is actually helping to spread the negativity to a much broader audience. We are inadvertently forcing the hate and negativity upon our Facebook friends, Google connections or Twitter followers. The haters are essentially winning.

There's been much written about the overwhelming amount of negative posts made on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, etc. and their effects on the social media experience.  Lately, even being a positive poster has become a "thing". So much so, that many, including myself, are called out for putting positive, cheerful twists on a large majority of our posts.

We have been chastised both publicly and privately for not caring about what is happening on the world stage; we have been called to task for posting too much fluff and not enough substance.

On behalf of all the positive posters on social media, I would like to set the record straight:

• Are we oblivious to what is going on in the world around us?  For the most part; no, we are not.  We would rather promote the organizations and events that address the inequalities and injustices through positive action, than bring attention to the negative and often misinformed views of the haters. Many of us care as much as the next person. We would rather promote how to combat the negative through positive and productive means than to perpetuate the hate.
• Don't you get tired been upbeat all the time?  One thing many people tend to take for granted is that positive posters are positive 24/7 both online and off. That is far from the case. There are many times when we are as moody as the rest of the online community. We make a conscious effort to put forth a certain public positiveness while we deal privately with whatever may be bothering us at a particular moment in time.  We are not heartless or uncaring. Sometimes we may even find ourselves caring too much.
• Don't you feel guilty when you do, on occasion, post something of a negative nature? Yes, there are times we may have something to gripe about or simply share that may not be our usual positive post. That is just part of life's reality. We do our best not to dwell on it and move on to what we hope is a more pleasant and positive topic. However, that does not mean that we don't continue to work toward a common resolution in our real, offline lives. 

There are enough online forums for people to spew their hate and venom either about us, our friends, our community or the world, in general.  We refuse to allow it to seep into our online personal space. It that too much to expect? Are we being unrealistic? Maybe so; but we would rather face that world with the figurative smile on our faces and bounce in our steps; then not face it at all. All we ask is that you don't make it a "thing".

How Engaging Are You?

As I delve further into the world of Social Media, I am dumbfounded as to the quality; and in many cases, the lack of customer interaction by local and national businesses and organizations. I realize that I have touched on this topic in previous posts. However, recent events have compelled me to expand on my original thoughts.

Corporate America has jumped on the social media bandwagon in order to build its client base and drive up sales.  Nothing wrong with that; so far so good.  We also know that the larger your client base the more likely you will receive complaints along with the compliments. No business is perfect. There is always going to be something the consumer is going to complain about; whether it be pricing, product quality, etc.  It is the nature of doing business.  

Engaging and interacting with your client base in a positive and forthright manner is one the tried and true ways to build both your online and offline brand reputations. Copying and pasting the same "canned" corporate approved response to each and every complaint and comment posted to social media platforms does not qualify as sincere customer engagement. It only serves to add credence to the original complaints due to its lack of sincerity and originality. 

I am of the old school where personal interaction always takes precedence when dealing with both established and potential clients.  Many of those same tried and true techniques are easily transferable to the social media environment.  It has become apparent that many administrators of these various platforms are not skilled in these time honored customer engagement skills.  We can blame it on corporate downsizing resulting in the loss of veteran employees or simply that these "newbies" in the field just are not being mentored properly in these skills.

When something goes awry whether it be with a product or messaging, acknowledge the mistake and share the corrective actions that you plan on taking.  Many times, we do not learn of the mistake until someone points it out; usually in a very public setting.  The tendency is to immediately go on the defensive. Do your best to avoid the urge. Becoming defensive and redistributing the blame is as bad as responding with a canned corporate response

Businesses and organizations that continue on this track will eventually end up with no one to engage with.   

The Microfiche of the New Millenium

Before Facebook, Twitter and other online media sites, sources for news and information were newspapers, radio, and grainy images on roof antenna tuned black & white televisions.  To satisfy their curiosity about a certain subject, people made their way to the library, browsed the card catalog, and actually opened books and periodicals. Many a student had a "love-hate" relationship with Encyclopedia Britannica and the Dewey Decimal System.  The closest thing to computer monitors was the microfiche.  Endless hours were spent scrolling through screen after screen of ancient images and text.  It could be argued that it was a much simpler time; or was it?  

Fast forward to the 21st century and the means of obtaining information has changed dramatically.  While there’s still print media, radio and television; a vast majority of the information is obtained via online sources. There is no time to comprehend a posting before the next bit of information is online ready to be viewed.  Is this need for instantaneous information,  a byproduct of man’s technological advancement, doing the world a disservice?

Imagine how the events of the past would have been perceived if they were transmitted via the Internet.  Would the NY Jets' 1969 Super Bowl win have been as exciting?  How fast would images of the Bill Buckner’s error during the 1986 World Series have trended on Twitter? Would YouTube videos depicting neighborhood children waving at the moon to astronauts in July of 1969 gone viral? Would the massive civil rights, anti-war and equal rights protests have simply been relegated to online petition campaigns such as moveon.org and change.org?  If so, would their historic significance have been diminished or increased?

Prior to the Internet, news came at a pace comfortable enough for people to readily absorb and subsequently formulate their own opinions. Information is now received so quickly that many are unable to form objective opinions. The wave of information is streaming to laptops, tablets and smart phones at a record pace. Opinions have become more subjective and from gut instinct.

Granted, the Internet does offer more options than the library of the mid-twentieth century ever could.  Even so, how many take the time to Google or Bing a topic prior to posting their commentary?  These are questions that should be answered.  Can the answers be found before the next breaking news post since the Internet waits for no one?

Are You Marketing Socially?

As a social media marketer, do you find yourself simply marketing on social media platforms or are you marketing socially? Many may ask, what's the difference? There is a big difference; one that determines whether your social media marketing campaign is a successful one or not.

Social media is all about connections and conversations. This is what sets social media marketing apart from print, radio and television advertising. While they are one-way streets, social media platforms allow us to have two-way conversations. Conversations that enable us to engage with our followers (or customers). 

These conversations; however, are important to develop relationships more so than selling a product or brand. Many social media marketers tend to forget this. Developing a personal rapport with your followers and customers should be a priority in all your social media marketing campaigns.

As a marketer for several different brands, businesses and organizations; I can tell you it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right mix for each one. What works for one organization may not necessarily work for another. However, there are some basic tips that, if followed, will help anyone either just starting out or reevaluating their social media marketing strategies.

1. Keep it simple - When posting about your product, brand, organization or community, keep it simple. Users of social media platforms are not apt to read through paragraphs of product descriptions or reasons why they should like your brand. They will probably lose interest after the first couple of sentences and move on to something else.

2. Personalize it - Posting images of the organization's staff out in the community will draw your followers into the conversation. Of course, the appropriateness of the image must always be considered. An image of your human resources director partying it up at a local bar is probably not as appropriate as an image of them attending a employee benefits workshop. 

3. Keep the conversation going - This is probably the most important tip of all. You have gotten a conversation going whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or any of the many other social media platforms. Followers are commenting, sharing or retweeting. Acknowledge this engagement. Reply to their comments; both positive and negative. 

Unlike a 30 second television commercial, social media marketing has an unlimited life span. It is up the the social media marketer to continue to breathe life into it.

Page Manager's Biggest Fear: No One Showing Up to the Party

Your event, sales or fundraising team has come up with the best (in their minds, at least) event concept ever. The date, time and venue are set. Now, it is on your shoulders to promote it via your social media channels and get the people to walk in the door.

You create the event; putting in the extra effort of including an eye catching event image and a captivating event description. You even remember to invite your personal online connections. You are confident that people will be knocking down the doors to attend; you may even have to have the event budget adjusted to include the cost of a bouncer.

A little too optimistic?  Of course it is. Anyone who has set up an event on social media knows that 9 times out of 10; a majority of the people that say they are going to attend an event never show up.  

So, what is a page manager to do? While, no one tip or technique is a surefire cure all; there are a few things you can do (and not do) to increase your chances of success.

1. Utilize the social media platform that is appropriate for your event. Industry or professional specific events are best shared on LinkedIn. A workshop on the bioethics is not going to garner the too much interest on Facebook as it would on a bioethics group on LinkedIn.  Conversely, sale events at a local business would garner more traffic on Facebook than it would on LinkedIn.
2. Encourage traffic to the event page; especially on Facebook, by posting updates and images about the event. It will draw those who have already accepted their invitations to the page; an action which will then show up on their friends' news feeds and tickers.
3. Tag community or business partners in as many ways as you can. Their fans will have their curiosity peaked. However, do not fall into the trap of sharing the event on every single community page as you can. There are clearly certain events that do not belong on certain pages.  Posting the link to a political rally on a business' page will not only not help your cause but also may harm the business by alienating some of their followers.
4. Never wait until the last minute. Creating the event online too close to the date is never a good idea. First, it tends to look like you and your organization waited until the last minute; even though months may have gone into the planning. Second, we all lead very active lives between work, school, family and social activities. Finding the perfect date to hold an event is never easy. The sooner you begin to promote your event, the better.
5. If you are also sending out email or snail mail invitations, include the link to your online event so the invitees can keep up to date on any last minute changes.  
6. Always acknowledge and respond to any and all comments made on the event page. Make your guests feel welcome and appreciated. 
7. Post pictures during and after the event. Nothing says success better than images of people enjoying themselves.

Do you have any tricks on increasing attendance at your events? If so, please feel free in sharing them. 

Facebook Page Likes: More than just a number

You have a great product, service, blog or an idea to engage a certain segment of your online community. Whatever the case, your next order of business is to create a Facebook page.  

Five minutes later, the page is active and open for business. Simple enough.  Next on the agenda is to build a fan base. Facebook makes it easy; allowing the page administrator to send page invites to their personal Facebook friends.  

The hard part is getting the invitees to click on the LIKE button and getting them to engage with the page.  

With the possible exception of George Takei, page fan/follower engagement is the number one hurdle to overcome. This may well be an area where time honored marketing strategies need to be thrown to the wayside. 

To transform your product, service, blog or idea into a Facebook "brand", one must think outside of the box. Yes, that is cliche and, while I do regret using the term; it is appropriate in this instance.  

A few of the strategies, I have found that work are:

• When possible, tag your friends, coworkers, fellow organization members when posting photos of events. A simple way to direct traffic to your page and elicit engagement;
• Engage with other pages as your page persona either by liking, commenting on and/or sharing their posts. To create engagement, you must also be engaging.  
• Always acknowledge those that are engaging with the page. Do not ignore the comments or posts made by your followers. Whether it be just liking their comment or responding with a full blown reply, it shows that you are interested in them as individuals and not just for their contribution to the page's number of likes. 
• Never ignore the page insights that are available to all administrators.  The data is invaluable to determining what it working and what isn't.
• An important thing to remember is to know who your target audience is. If you are running a page about cupcakes, posting pictures about cheeseburgers is not quite going to work; that is, unless you can somehow creatively tie the two together. 

That brings me to my final point; be creative.  Simply creating a page will not bring on fans or sales.  It takes a lot of trial and error to find the right mix along with the realization that a successful page will not happen overnight.  Also, you need to realize that success is fleeting if you do not continue to work at it.

Peeling Back the Layers of Facebook Insights

Are you are one of those Facebook page administrators that waits to receive the weekly insights email from Facebook; or are you one that checks the online statistics on a daily basis?  Whatever the case, there is a lot more behind the numbers than meets the eye.

You posted a great image and caption that seems to have reached quite a few people.  However, look closer.  Expanding your page's reach is a positive step; but you need to go a few steps further.  Are those reached engaging with the post or the page, for that matter?  Are they fans of the page or friends of those you may have tagged?

To thoroughly appreciate the Facebook insights report for your page, you need to take the time to peel back the layers.   You need to keep a Facebook page fresh and interesting while still staying true to its primary mission. Personalized (and fun) posts do seem to reach more people but we need to keep everything in perspective. While it appears that certain posts are reaching more people, a review of the page insights shows that those posts are not reaching the page's fan base but rather only the friends of those who are tagged.  Here is a screen shot highlighting this: 

In this example, engagement with the page's fans needs to be increased. The more you can engage those that like the page by getting them to like, share and comment on your posts, the more page likes you will garner.

Please do not get me wrong; I am all for keeping a Facebook page (any page) fresh and interesting, but above all else it needs to be relevant to the brand that it represents.

I recommend that all the administrators of a page explore the page insights. There is some interesting data there; especially when you begin to peel back the layers.

Amazing Grace of the Page Administrator

Inspiration for article topics come from the oddest places. While using a new shower gel this morning, I read the following inscription on the bottle:

Philosophy: Life is a classroom, and each day we receive a passing or failing grade in one particular subject: grace. Being the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented, the richest or even the poorest can’t help. Being a humble person can, and being a helpful person can guide you through your days with grace and gratitude.

Excellent words to live by, for sure; but how well do they translate to the world of social media? Should we even expect them to?

Social media has become the modern day Christmas Card letter. You know, that treatise you receive every year from Aunt Millie bragging about every great thing her family has done since the previous Christmas. However, this modern day version is now a daily occurrence. As well it should be for the individual users of social media. I take exception to the community and business pages that cross the line from brand promotion to individual promotion.

Page administrators are there to promote the brand that the page represents (whether it be an organization, a business or community); not themselves. Please leave those self serving posts where they belong and will be better appreciated; on your personal time lines. The only exception would be when the page in question is that of a celebrity or political candidate; and even then self promotion posts should be made with a certain sense of decorum and yes, grace.

Of course it's true; it was on the internet!

We find ourselves consistently bombarded by news and information on the Internet; either on Facebook, Google Plus, YouTube, Pinterest or Twitter.  We are now a society that gives credence to Internet legends rather than the old fashioned Urban ones. Even seemingly benign "news" reports tend to distort the truth to align themselves to the media outlet's political bent.  Even seemingly harmless images of children, pets or food with instructions to like and share may be disguised means to capture your friend's list, personal information or worse.

There are days where I spend more time on Snopes and FactCheck than on any particular social media platform.  

Keep these two websites handy the next time you are tempted to retweet Moses' twitpic of the parting of the Red Sea, hit the share button on the video of Abraham Lincoln extolling the virtues of Facebook or clicking on the +1 button in Google Plus on the meme of George Washington endorsing the charity du jour.  Chances are they are all hoaxes or scams.  Who is to say this post isn't a hoax?

Bragging Bordering on Narcissism

We use social media for many different and personal reasons. For a majority of us, it is used as a means to stay in touch with friends and relatives in a more dynamic way than the weekly or monthly phone calls and letters of the past. Posting about your children's accomplishments in school, your husband's promotion or any number of positive milestones in your family's life are well served on social media. However, there does come a point when the status updates are more along the lines of "hey, look at me"?

We all have that one online friend or connection who's every single post or status update is about them.  They seem to spend their every waking online moment posting about how great they are.  I am not referring to the legitimate updates about their promotions, engagements or pregnancies; and, of course, we should all be entitled to post an update bragging about our children, partners' accomplishments and our pets. 

I am speaking about those updates as mundane as:

"How lucky am I?  I snagged the last coke from the break room vending machine."

Then there are the updates which serve no purpose other than to point out the fact that your friend believes they are better than everyone else.

"Had a great dinner (meeting) with {INSERT NAME OF WELL KNOWN CELEBRITY HERE}.  Don't you wish you were me?"

Even the two examples above are not that offensive on their face. However, when each and every update is along the same lines without even a passing mention or share of someone else's good fortune, then they start to border on narcissism.

So think before you post.  Or better yet; why not comment on, like and share your friends' good news?  Who knows; they may reciprocate in return.

Five Simple (yet Powerful) Words

We see these words on websites, business cards, menus and storefronts. We have even seen them on the bottom of our television screens and have had them read to us over the radio airwaves.  

We are intrigued and make the conscious effort to search for the Facebook page and connect with them as we have been instructed.  We even make sure that we check the appropriate "Show in News feed" and "Get Notifications" links so as not to miss any important updates. As consumers/fans/ followers (however we want to label ourselves), we did as we were asked and now we wait.  

However, we may end up waiting an eternity. There appears to be a problem. A quick check on the page's timeline reveals that there has not been an update to in several weeks, months or since the page was created.

All too often page administrators take the attitude that the simple act of having a presence on Facebook will drive hordes of dedicated followers and fans to them.  They need to realize that their fan base needs to be engaged on a regular basis. Updating and encouraging engagement can take anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours.  In fact, Facebook makes it easy with their post scheduler feature where you can schedule page updates days, weeks or even a year in advance.  In addition, there are several third party applications (i.e. PostPlanner) which help to relieve some of that time management stress.

There is no set rule of thumb of how often a page should be updated. However, ignoring those that made the conscious effort to connect with you on Facebook (at your request, mind you), defeats the whole purpose of having a social media strategy.  

Facebook makes it easy for the administrator by providing statistical analysis on a weekly basis.  You know how many new likes you have, how many people have seen your posts and how many are talking about your page.  But what is the sense of having all these statistics at your fingertips to be analyzed when you are not providing your page followers anything to engage with? It is time for page administrators to put that social media strategy you worked so hard on developing to good use.   

The Internet Continues to Surprise Me

Even after all these years, the Internet continues to surprise and delight me.  Even with the steady stream of breaking news; mostly bad, every now and again I come across something that triggers a sense of nostalgia and overall good vibes. Usually these items come at just the opportune time; lifting my spirits or validating a moment in my life. I am sure we have all had similar experiences. I cannot be the only one who has experienced this. 

My most recent experience was just last night. I decided to check out the website of my alma mater, Adelphi University; only to find that the student run weekly newspaper was available online.  Imagine my surprise to find my very first published article on a computer screen.  You may not think this is such a big deal.  Many student newspapers are readily available to view online and have been for quite some time.  However, the article was written in 1981; before personal computers. It was typed up using a Smith Corona electric typewriter minus the more recent invention of the correction ribbon.  It then had to be manually typeset and proof read before publication.

While not ground breaking journalism by any means, I ask your indulgence as I share with you a transcription of the article.  It is my way of making sure one of my proudest moments continues on...on the Internet, of course.

Wednesday, November 4, 1981 THE DELPHIAN Page Thirteen

Do Americans Truly Understand The Cockroach?

BY PATRICIA DELAHUNTY

In years past, we have encountered such crusades as "Save the Dolphin," "Save the Whale," and "Save the Baby Seal." The basic complaint of these crusades has been the senseless slaughter of the animals. I feel it is time we organized yet another crusade. We must fight to save the cockroach.

It has been an American societal ritual to step on and murder every innocent cockroach that is seen scurrying across the floor. The slaughter of these innocent creatures does not stop there. There are many chemical sprays, foams, and other devices which are sold to murder cockroaches "where they breed."

Do Americans truly understand the plight of the cockroach? He leaves his home and seeks food to support his family. The average American goes through the same routine. How would the Manhattan businessman feel if something stomped him to death while he was rushing between office buildings? Americans need more than that to understand the cockroach's dilemma.

How about the chemical attack on cockroaches' homes? How does their home being bombarded by chemicals differ from such Instances as the Love Canal, the Suffolk County dump, or Toxic Waste Disposal? Millions of Americans are fighting for a chemical-free environment, especially in or around their homes. Is it fair to treat the cockroach's home differently from the way we treat ours?

The arguments in favor of the senseless slaughter of the cockroach Include such ideologies as "they're only bugs," "they are dirty and germ spreaders," or "the world would be healthier without them." If I may. I would like to say something about each of these misconceptions to defend the

cockroach.  

First of all, it is true cockroaches are bugs, but it is also true that they were the first bugs to Inhabit the earth. In fact, cockroaches were around way before humans. There is now a fight taking place to increase the respect given to the elderly. Shouldn't we also give respect to the cockroach who inhabited this earth longer than my 102-year-old grandmother?

Second, cockroaches are thought to be dirty and germ spreading. Cockroaches clean themselves more frequently in a twenty-four hour period than most adolescent boys. If it's okay to kill cockroaches because they are dirty, then let's kill adolescent males for the same  reason. This whole idea of being dirty is a myth. Cockroaches breed in what humans consider filthy areas. If people want to live and breed in sleazy because they want to, then why can't cockroaches be able to choose where they want to breed? Would it be fair to kill all these “motel dwellers”?  

Finally, who has the right to decide if the world would be healthier without cockroaches? Is it the research scientist at Dow Chemical that disposes of its toxic waste inefficiently? Or is it the food manufacturers who use more harmful substances than natural food in their products? With the way society is going, it seems that everything we eat, drink, do, and even say, is harmful. Instead of trying to correct any one of these harmful things, why do we pick on the poor, harmless cockroach?'

Cockroaches have acquired a very undesirable reputation over the years. This reputation must be changed. Americans are very concerned about public image and reputation. We are also concerned with the decline in the American family. We are very concerned about how other countries view our family structure and relations. According to family policy makers, the nuclear family must be preserved  If the mother or father cockroach is senselessly murdered, what becomes of the rest of the family? Sure, the  survivors will probably continue to get by, but without the comfort of the nuclear family. If an American family loses one of its members, whether it be by way death or movement away from home, many emotional and/or financial difficulties may arise. If America wants to revive the sense of the family, it should start with its cockroaches.

Cockroaches are highly discriminated against. The discrimination which they must endure is worse than the discrimination blacks, women and college students must attempt to handle. The senseless murder of cockroaches is the greatest form of discrimination we could ever create. This must stop. We must practice what we preach. We supposedly believe in the value of life, but we contradict ourselves decide if the world would be by killing cockroaches. Is death what the hard-working cockroach deserves? According to the Protestant Work Ethic which helped shape this country, if you work hard, you will receive what you deserve. The cockroach is getting the raw end of the deal.

I propose that we join together and help save this unfortunate creature from an untimely demise. It is time that we begin to any one of these harmful things, think about all creatures on this earth and not only about ourselves. If life is to continue, we must treat all life equally with no exceptions. The world is big enough for both humans and cockroaches to live together in peace.

When Social Media Encroaches on our Everyday Lives

Normally my posts focus on what I encounter on various social media platforms.  However, today's article is more along the lines of how social media has made its way into our everyday lives.  In this particular case, it is the job interview process.

It began as most interviews do. The hiring manager, along with a subordinate, run through the checklist of the job description, what would be expected and then proceed to tout the wonderful things about the company which sets it apart from all the rest.  Now, comes that much anticipated question, "do you have any questions for us?"

Having done my homework; I had researched the company the best I could on the Internet. Yes, there was a website. There was even a Facebook page for its corporate office.  Honestly, I was not impressed with either.  

Since  I was not applying for a social media or marketing position; I was reluctant to initially express my actual opinion.  However, in response to their question and as a follow up to a comment made by one of the interviewers regarding the lack of consistent traffic coming into their establishment during our meeting;  I proceeded to advise them that they were missing out on an important source of potential business, both locally and nationally.

The hiring manager seemed taken aback at first.  "We have a Facebook page and a website, what more do we need?"  I proceeded to explain that having both does not constitute customer engagement and that their corporate office was letting a golden opportunity slip through their fingers both on a national and local level.  Their website was a basic, right out of box site without any of the bells and whistles visitors have grown accustomed to.  In fact, it is set up so generically that a first time visitor would be hard pressed to determine what products or services they sold.

Okay, so maybe corporate wants the website to be streamlined and just "plain".  Maybe it is part of their corporate philosophy or strategic plan.  Who am I to question?  At this point, I am only a potential customer as I have not officially been moved to the next step of the interview process.

As a potential customer and one of the millions who utilize social media in researching companies and the brands they represent, the total lack of engagement on the various social media sites is astonishing.  Their Facebook page has 76 followers and nothing has been posted by the administrators of the page since its inception.  There is one post from someone thanking them for their help 6 months prior with no response or acknowledgment.  I even dared to bring up Twitter and Pinterest backing off once their eyes started to glaze over.

A lot has been said recently about prospective employers using social media to research potential employees.  In this case, I researched a potential employer. If I had been moved to the next step in the hiring process and eventually be offered a position - would I declined based on the lack of information on the company and their obvious lack of customer engagement?  Or, would I have accepted the position knowing that I would have been able to assist them in beefing up their social media presence resulting in increased traffic?  Increased traffic would ultimately result in the potential of increased commissions for me.  Alas, that is one bridge I did not have to cross.

While I went with all intentions of selling myself as the ideal candidate for a basic sales position, I may have also taught the hiring manager a thing or two about social media and its importance to a business and its success. In a way, I left the interview feeling more confident than in previous ones.  Not because I thought I landed the position; but because I actually was able to pass on just a little bit of advice, that if taken, will enable this particular company to flourish. Granted this situation, though real, occurred over a year and a half ago and I have continued to on my journey to learn more about the world of social media.  Hopefully, this company has as well.

Surviving the Inevitable Friend Purge

We have all been through it in some form or another.  We have clicked that unfriend button or have had it done to us. It may have been because they offended you with something they posted; or you just weren't clicking in the virtual friendship arena.  Maybe you posted something that they took offense to. No matter what the circumstances, both of you are down 1 less friend; or, are you really?  

There are many reasons why we cultivate online friendships.  Of course, the most popular reason is that we are friends in the real world and that friendship carries over naturally to the virtual world.  More on that later; first, let's explore some of the other reasons.

1. Mutual friends - Having mutual friends is probably the most common reason we friend someone online.  We rationalize this as, "If Jeff can be friends with Joe, then why can't I?"  Unfortunately, Jeff may be friends with Joe only because they also share a mutual online friendship with Sally.  Eventually, we find that we do not share anything in common with Joe other than Jeff, making it extremely difficult to maintain a positive and fulfilling friendship.
2. Shared social and/or political values - Many of our online friendships are based solely on shared social and/or political values.  Are we shutting ourselves off to learning and understanding other cultures, religions and political values when we only surround ourselves with like-minded online friends?  What becomes of these "friendships" when the issue of the day is no longer relevant or conversation worthy?      
3. Networking opportunities - There are those that collect online friends like they would business cards at a real world networking event.  They rationalize it as "You never know when the relationship will come in handy".  Nine times out of ten, these friends will sit idly by on your friends list just as their business cards will sit in a pile at the bottom of your briefcase.  Friending someone solely as a possible way to advance your career may have its place on sites such as LinkedIn; however, when it comes to Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus, which are inherently more social in nature, all it accomplishes is an increase in your friend list count.
4. Real World Family or Friends - The ultimate reason to friend someone online is that you are actually friends (or blood related) in the real world.  It is a way to remain in contact and share the good, bad and, at times, ugly that life tends to throw our way.  There is a special connection that carries over seamlessly between the virtual and real world.  If either one decides to perform an online friend purge and you find yourself one of the purge victims; the relationship is not affected in the grand scheme of things.  

With the exception of number four, these should truly be considered connections rather than friends.  Facebook, in particular, has led us to believe that everyone of those listed on our "Friend" list are in fact friends in the true sense of the word. Can we honestly say that we maintain a close bond with everyone on that list?  Is it truly possible to have a meaningful relationship with, let's say, 1,000 people?  In reality, if we are the victims of the inevitable friend purge; are we really losing a friend?  Even in the case of a real world friend dropping you from the list; you have only lost that friend if they have dropped off your radar in the real world. Then we must ask ourselves, were they truly a friend in the first place?