Ok, I’m seriously being sarcastic.

My Twitter stream has been FILLED with “so and so gave me a +K in such and such”.

I’m all for metrics albeit meaningful ones. But when you don’t really know what something is measuring or just doing things to raise your score for the sake of it, what value can we attach to the score?

And besides, what has the score given us besides some arbitrary social ranking? A score can only be as important as the value we give it. I know very few people who have actually received a perk and hang out regularly with people who have some pretty good Klout

Back in school, we were graded and marked on tests/reports and given a corresponding percentage. Whether you liked the result or not, you pretty much knew what you did to get that percentage and what you had to do to improve it. Right now, Klout regularly changes with no clear details on what it actually measures or takes into account.

Don’t even get me started on the job posting that required a minimum Klout score of 30 or the project posting that is looking for “Klout experts to increase score immediately”.

Seriously?

We need to end the social media puppetry and numbers game and get back to what social was all about. Connecting. Sharing. Engaging.

What do you think?

The Art of Social

We talked about this last night in our newly formed informal monthly gathering #socialplus that meets….in REAL life!

Yup, you read that right. Were you fooled by the hashtag? Well, we are social media geeks (you too, Ray) so how could we not have a hashtag to commemorate this monthly gathering?

What started out as a ‘let’s meet-up’ since we ‘talk online’ has turned into a somewhat serious gathering of local-minds interested in socializing and discussing (but not limited to) social media.

After all, that is the point, is it not of ‘social’ media? To be social? To interact and engage?

It seems (and we all agreed on this) that more often than not brands and businesses just want to have a Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn (and soon enough, Google Plus) page created and then want to sit back and watch….(and of course, nothing happens!)

Being social is not instinctive to all businesses, nor is engaging and interacting.

Perhaps it’s just easier as individuals?  Fabrice brought up a good point that this should be an area that businesses can and should focus on.. individual employees and their networks and not just putting all their emphasis on a Facebook page. That investing and teaching your employees how to use these tools can help the company’s overall social presence and that social as Ray put it, “is not limited to one department”.

Social has no boundaries!

What do you think?

Leave a comment, or tweet one of us with the #socialplus hashtag or better yet join Azi, Ray, Fabrice, Luis and I next month in the flesh!

That I find strange/odd/bizarre.

I can’t quite put my finger on it so thought maybe you could help.

For some  reason, when someone I don’t know follows me on Twitter, I don’t think much of it. I reason that

a) I said something that was interesting

b) They auto-follow based on keywords

c) I was suggested to them

Which is fine. I actively participate on Twitter so it’s normal. And if someone puts me in a public list, I can see it.

Now on Google +, I haven’t done much more than put up a profile pic and the occasional comment,mainly about how I don’t know what do to there and have only shared it with my existing circles.

Yet, I keep getting circled. By men.

Apart from the people I know that have added me to circles, I keep getting ‘circled’ by random men. And yes, if you look closely there is a fake Hugh Jackman that has been making the rounds..or circles.

I’m kind of curious to know what they are circling me in?

Person who hasn’t said anything but may eventually say something interesting?

Is it really true that there are ‘no girls on Google Plus‘ as indicated by a recent Forbes article? Or do women just not go around circling random people? Mashable has even gone so far as to call it a “sausagefest”.

Perhaps men are quicker to make the land-grab while us women observe and wait to see if it’s really worth spending our time on?

I think Google + is that grey area between Facebook and Twitter, which we’re all trying to figure out.

I did come across something I liked about it recently. The ability to share links to public discussions such as this one, which isn’t something you can do on Facebook unless you’re already friends or like the same page where the discussion is happening. So maybe there is a place for Google + in all this.

Are you on Google+? What has your experience been so far?

Watch out!

All of the geeks are abuzz with the latest and greatest from Google, G+. Here a few thoughts that come to mind:

Buzz vs Woody

Google has had plenty of time to watch and learn from Facebook’s mistakes and simplify the user experience in G+. But is it simple enough for the average non-tech user?  Time will tell. Right now it’s the darling #shinynewsocialmediatoy for all the social media ninjas/experts and rockstars (I’m sure ebooks are not far off!) out there.

I’ll leave the others like Chris Brogan and Scobleizer to do the thorough analyses but here’s my..

#MyTwoCents

While I’m not ready to rebuild my social network yet (that has been 4 years in the making on Facebook) there is something about a fresh start. With Facebook, lists  and limited profiles came after you already (begrudgingly) added people that you may have not wanted to add (aka boss/coworkers) and to go back is just a whole lot more work than a lot of us cared to do. I really like the drag and drop UI of G+, which lets you select people and drag them into existing or new circles. A true separation of the many sides of you.

Geeks vs Mainstream

Right now though, it’s only the early adopter geeks on G+ so I don’t see it becoming too overwhelming just yet. By the same token, I wonder though how widely adopted will it be by the mainstream? Putting on my product manager hat, what problem is it really solving? The fact that there are privacy concerns with Facebook? (not sure) The fact that managing your friends is not that easy on Facebook? (not sure). Or is it just giving Facebook the competition it finally needs to stay in-line? And Google the social presence that it so desperately needs to get right?

Familiar vs Unfamiliar.

I think most people have come to terms with Facebook and ‘get’ it and are comfortable using it the way it is. To switch over and start over may not be realistic for most just yet. But if you must go and take it all with you, there are plugins that allow you to extract your contacts on Facebook and rebuild your social graph on G+.  There are also ways to make your Facebook look more like G+ and your G+ look like Facebook, if you must!

And for Businesses?

No pages (yet). You don’t have to drop everything and move over to G+  but it’s worth keeping an eye on as Google integrates more and more of their web properties.

Another +? There’s no sign of Farmville. Yet.

Are you on Google+ ? What do you think about it?

Photo: Arts & Entertainment

Yes, another daily deal related post but this time I’m on the losing side! In the past, when I’ve bought deals it’s always been at places I haven’t been to before but I have blogged about how the disadvantages of daily deal sites, one of them being that is alienating for existing customers who pay the full price.

Today I am the alien.

From the Beginning

Those of you that follow me will probably see that I often tweet about activities which include things like bootcamp. I’ve been an avid bootcamper for the last year or so and pretty loyal to a certain provider here in Montreal.

This morning I get my usual onslaught of ‘daily-deal’ emails which I pretty much ignore now but one of them caught my eye. It was this:

(Slightly modified to remove any trace of the vendor and deal provider)

My initial reaction was “What!” considering I just paid full price for this very deal not two days ago. And the session was postponed until they got more students (and therefore probably why they are offering a deal).

And then I thought, no worries, I’ll just contact them since I have a good relationship with the owner and have been a customer for over a year.

So I reached out to them and proposed that I get 2 months for 1 and pretty much bypass the deal site. It’s win-win, they don’t lose out on the cut they have to give to the deal site and they get a happy customer.

When you’re a brand advocate but the brand doesn’t care or realize or notice or appreciate it

I tweet about them regularly, tell my friends about them and have even blogged about them in the past. And I’m not saying that’s why I should get anything because I was doing this out of my own-will but surely they should see that as valuable.

So is it wrong of me to expect more or think that I deserve more?

Loyalty is a two-way street

I understand that they are running a business but they are already operating at a loss by offering on a deal site.  I’m not asking for special treatment, I just want the same offer. In fact, if this was a retail store and the item went on sale two days after I had purchased it, I would be allowed to go back and get the difference. It’s the law. So are deal sites above the law?

The Shortsightedness of deal-sites

I also realize that there is the possibility of dealing with more people like me ‘complaining’  but surely repeat customers have more value over new customers who potentially may not return?

There are stats showing that most deal-buyers don’t return, don’t buy more and pretty much are flaky (..hey I would know, I’ve been one of them!)

Going down the deal path is a slippery slope and I still think businesses can do better by building their own list and really attracting customers who are interested in their services not just one-offs.  aka. Loyalty.

And the response to my offer

“You’re a great businesswoman’ and ‘We Love you, Sandy!”

But no deal.

Like I’ve said in the past, deals alienate existing loyal customers.

I don’t think there is a simple Yes or No answer to this question.

I see the Community Management role as a sub-set of the Product Management and Marketing role in a company. Meaning, the Product Manager is the one the drives the road-map and makes decisions about what features will be in the product and works closely with all departments within the company. Similarly, the Marketing Manager looks closely at who the target customers are , how to communicate with them and generate quality interest in the product.

The Community Manager has more of an outward-facing role: interacting with potential customers, existing customers and growing the community. But at the same time the Community Manager needs to have intimate knowledge of changes happening in the products, services that you offer as well as who ideal members of the community are.

So can the Community Manager role be outsourced?

At a small company, it’s hard to imagine that you already have the person in-house so it’s understandable that you may need to look outside to fill this role. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you may already be wearing the Product Manager and Marketing hat but not quite sure if you are ready to tackle the role of Community Manager as well. And as a small business owner, you realize the importance of getting out there and interacting with your customers, but you can’t just outsource to anyone!

• It’s really important that you find someone that resonates and believes in your brand because they are going to be living and breathing it.
• You also need to have someone who will be able to work closely with your existing teams to be able to stay on top of the inner-workings of your brand and product.
• It’s also worth noting that Community doesn’t necessarily happen between 9-5 and you may need someone who is flexible and willing to be present at offline events as well as off-regular times.

These are just some of my observations and experiences. What do you think? Have you successfully outsourced this role?

The quest for new likes/followers/fans/groupies seems never ending.

I see it everyday and am asked often,

• “How do I get more followers“  

Show up. Participate. Interact. Provide value. Basically, you have to ‘do the work’. But you have to also decide why you are doing it.

and then there’s the :

• “I need 1000 fans by tomorrow”

If you like bots and zombie followers, then by all means go right ahead. And please fill the rest of us in on your methods! (kidding).

The more followers the better, right?

Well, not necessarily. You want people to join your community who will benefit from and also provide value to your community. Numbers are just that, numbers. You want real people behind the numbers.  Less can be more especially if those smaller numbers are more engaged.

Then there is the:

• “I don’t want to follow more people than are following me”

Because? I don’t get that one either, especially from coming from the mouth of a newbie. Who cares!! Forget the ‘rules’ and start participating! It’s not a popularity contest.

And this one takes the cake-

• “Klout says that I should tweet 3x a day to extend my reach and influence my audience”

A quick glance at this person’s account shows they’ve only tweeted maybe 50 odd times and joined Twitter a month ago.

Perhaps, it’s better to focus on actual participation and worry about your Klout later (if ever). (And what will a high Klout score get you, anyways? Besides adding more to the ‘high-school/popularity contest’  mindset of social networking.)

Growing Your Community Authentically

..takes time

Starting a Facebook page or opening a Twitter account is easy. The real work comes after.

If you don’t know yet what you’re going to do with your page (besides shameless promotion), or what happens ‘after the like‘, take the time to develop a content strategy as well as look at other pages that have an engaged community.

And, ask yourself-Would you join your community?

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

But what if it is the first step that is the hardest?

The first step to beginning a whole new adventure? A new job? A new project?

I experienced this type of resistance recently. And by resistance, I mean à la lizard brain/Seth Godin/Linchpin style.

It is  “…the voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise.”

In my case, I had recently joined a community for women entrepreneurs and there was a contest for a girls-getaway (men do golf, women do girls-getaways) for an opportunity to meet entrepreneurs and business owners from all over the States for networking and mentoring.

First sign of resistance: Why sign up? It’s not like I’m going to get chosen.   [Major lizard brain in effect]

I managed to work through that resistance by applying on a whim anyways but somewhere in the back of my mind still thinking that I was just trying for the sake of trying.  Read: But not really trying for fear of being letdown. Not really wanting it, in the case of being rejected it wouldn’t hurt as bad. The lizard brain is our ‘protector’, right?

And then…a few weeks go by and I pretty much forgot about it and..

I got an email saying I was one of ten chosen to participate in a weekend of mentoring and networking in Atlanta, Georgia.

All I had to do was show up.

More resistance. Sure I was excited but then at the back of my mind, I started to think, “Would I like it? Would it be worth going all that way?”

Finances were not an issue since I had air miles to cover the flight and all other expenses would be covered.

I just had to show up.

I’m not sure what I was really afraid of or maybe it was a sign of really committing to being on this path of taking charge of my life and creating my own work. Maybe I was afraid of going because I would actually like it. Ironic how this lizard brain works.

The lizard brain likes comfort and abhors change. It holds you back when you need to move forward. The key is awareness and pushing through. Sometimes it’s just small steps on a bigger path.

I pushed through and went. And it was amazing.

Lizard Brain: 0  Sandy: 1

How do you deal with your ‘lizard’ brain?

Photo

We hear about the Art of Marketing and the Art of Sales but what about the Art of Patience?

You know the part where you have to patiently wait for a response from a customer or prospect?

You know the days in between hitting send in Outlook/Gmail and refreshing your inbox (even though most services offer push notification these days so there really is no need) and the time you receive a response where you obsess over hearing from them.

The part where you start to fret and think twice about your proposal and go through the “Did he/she like me/it?”

And this applies to pretty much everything.  Yet we tend to forget.  Because we are living in fast-paced, instant message, I needed the information/answer yesterday world, we forget that not everyone is going to make a fly by the seat of their pants decision and respond to your offer right away.

And your potential clients may not be wired to their pc/smartphone and checking their messages instantly (like you) or as often as you like.

Take a deep breath.  Back away from the refresh button.

Relax.

And be patient.

Running a business, whether you are going at on your own or with a small team,  puts you on a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. There are highs and lows. Every win is a celebration, every loss a momentary blow but you recover and learn.

Patience.

Needless to say it’s an art I’m working on everyday. How about you?