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This week Linkedin added a new element to their platform, Endorsements. They are a way of saying amen to the bullet point skills that one is hoping to be seen as skilled in. I have a feeling this will be the new game in town; I’ll endorse you if you endorse me. Who can get the most endorsements, will popularity win? HR folk will have to decide how many endorsements equal one recommendation.  Maybe we can add points, 1 per endorsement per subject, and 25 for a written recommendation? I joke, but I know it is only a matter of time before we hear someone trade endorsements and recommendations to build your Linkedin value, vs earning it. Your picture shows as having endorsed someone, does this encourage or discourage you to endorse? Notice what happens when I hover over my picture on a friends endorsements (snapped the picture from a 3rd party account, as your own picture does not do this for you)

T his could be a good way to be noticed. Now you need to recognize the difference between endorsements of those who really know the person, and people blindly endorsing everyone to increase the possible links to their own profile. I really don’t have an answer for this yet, these are just things to consider, let me know what you think. Feel free to endorse me if you feel I deserve it, and I will reciprocate if I can do it and feel good about it:)

Just thought I would throw together this quick note on #HappyBirthdayMissdestructo. What do you get for a girl like Amber on her birthday, well I had to think hard. She does such an awesome job helping so many others with her reach, she has selflessly busted her tail on so many charity projects, so today we are asking everyone to tweet using the #happybirthdaymissdestructo hash-tag with a goal of getting her special day trending.  Many of her “Big-Dog” friends are joining in, with out any hesitation, and that just reflects the kind of person she is. I am so happy to have her as a business partner. You can watch the fireworks at HashtagTracking.com . Have some fun and plug in #HappyBirthdayMissdestructo into Twitterfall.com and watch the day unfold Thank-you to all who have joined in:) Happy Birthday Amber!

Last week when working with a new client that I am coaching in social media integration, we focused on Twitter, and I was reminded of my first home buying experience. I was in real estate for a few years, but always worked on the seller side, and never went to a closing (in NY the attorneys handle the closing details). Everyone involved seemed to forget it was my first time buying a house, and going through the buyer side to closing, as a result assumptions were made and I was frustrated and made uncomfortable. I realized the need for a buyer training program that assumed they knew nothing and that held their hand through the process and created one that was very popular…flash forward.

This week I read three good twitter articles (see below) that made me want to share my experiance.

Many of us who use Twitter regularly have a hard time remembering  what it was like to not have an idea. People new to twitter don’t know what we know, and we need to assume they know even less then we did, or they would have jumped in sooner. With that in mind I wanted to share a few things we discussed after setting up the initial account. First, Do fill in your profile, as more experienced tweeters will not follow you if they can’t tell what you are about.  Now mind you newbies who might be reading this, this is not an all inclusive, but instead, the tip of the iceberg of things to consider.

You need to figure out who you want to follow, and you should keep in mind why you want to follow them, and why they might want to follow you back. Check and see who you might already know on Twitter; Twitter makes this easy as it will search your Gmail, Yahoo, Linkedin and AOL accounts to see who you might already know using twitter.

You can also search by interests on Twitter or search by names. After adding the easy to find, your friends, now it is time to look to other resources.  TweepML is a great tool to look for lists that might already have groups assembled that you might wish to follow, I was introduced to this by @WhoisGregg back when we were working on the first Foursquare day and it was new to me, I did learn that when you sign in at the bottom of a list the app will automatically follow everyone who is checked on the list, so read carefully before you accidentally follow a list of several hundred. In addition to the importance of a profile filled in,  it is helpful to announce yourself, and let people know you are new, seasoned tweeters are much more forgiving of blunders when you are new, and will even offer advice when asked…ok sometimes when not asked also:)

Search on Twitter Search for keywords that will guide you to people tweeting on topics that you like. I also like to use Twellow as it gives you the ability to search for businesses and individuals that you might wish to develop a relationship with by categories or area. Last week we were searching for doctors in Florida, and guess what, we found them. Keep in mind most people will look at you following them and wonder why, answer that in your initial tweets and in your profile. i.e. I focus on new technologies and social media, so it should not be rocket science to individuals who study social media why I am following them. The bonus is that hopefully they will follow you back. Do create lists within Twitter to help you better manage the people you follow. I recommend: Friends, People I’ve met, prospects (might want to make this or other lists private) and what ever other groups you might need. You can add people to a list without following them, you might choose to demote those with thousands of followers who don’t follow you back to a list, I have a Media list of people I don’t expect to follow me back. BTW you can follow other people’s public lists, so look and see what lists your friends have.

When you start out, if people see you following a bunch of people and only a few following you back, not to mention very few tweets, they are going to look at you a little skeptical as this could easily look like a spam account, so try to be active showing your real, and discuss being new and wanting to learn from others in the medium the proper etiquette as well as what to do and not do.

When someone follows you, follow them back, you could dm (direct message) if you wish, but it is not a big deal if you don’t. Just make sure if you do, it looks authentic from you to them, and DO NOT PLUG your business. If people think you are only their to sell them, they will un-follow you fast. My favorite is when real estate agents ask if the can help me with my housing needs on their first DM, Unfollow.

Make sure you look at these articles; The Lemonade Stand Approach…Twitter for Home Based Business, 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business, and Treat Your Social Media Contacts Like You Would A Third Date.

It is funny, I have been wanting to write an article about social media pet peeves, and I tripped into this well written piece today, so why bother reinventing the wheel. Check this article out. Great job Aliza.

8 Social media pet Peeves (and what to do about them)

This morning I was reading an article from a business that offers assistance with social media, and I had to laugh when I saw they had under 50 followers and even less tweets. I have noticed more and more people wanting to be included as “in the know” when it comes to using social media in business, and I can only feel bad for them and their would be customers as they are obviously missing something. Knowing what social media is, and knowing social media is as different as knowing how to talk, and knowing how to inspire, engage and motivate others.  I feel like Jeff Foxworthy with his “You might be a redneck”, but in this case, you might understand social media if:

• You’ve been to a tweet up
• You keep in touch with friends using a location based check in service
• You know what #FF or #FollowFriday means
• You have a smart phone and you know how to use it to check in or tweet
• You’ve made friends irl (in real life) from online.

Tweet-up: this is an in-person meet-up of online people with the intention of getting to know some of the people you have met and been talking with online. I personally host a tweet-up in my area the 3rd Friday every month under #Pascotweetup, and it is always exciting when new people show up and join in the fun.

This past weekend I went to a #PizzaOvenTweet that was put together in a few days and had about 25 people show up, with Twitter in common. I decided to bring my kids as did a few others. The funny thing is the location would have been crowded with 6 people; We ended up bringing in extra tables and sitting out on the walkway in front. This was an experience of living life and having fun doing it. Oh yeah and the Pizza was good

The thing with social media is that it involves being social and reaching out to others, opening yourself to them and them doing the same. If you are entering the medium figuring that you provide a service and you don’t understand these basics tenants, you might make a quick buck or two, but I predict you will not be around long. You might say it takes a “get by giving” philosophy to truly understand and succeed in this business. Go to a social event, get involved in the community, you will see that it is an open and accepting group who are all excited to meet others with a similar love for social media.

Recently Izea unveiled their Android version of their location based App WeReward, so of course I had to jump on board and do my diligent research. Like Gowalla and Foursquare, WeReward is location based, offering you a choice of locations near you. The difference is where Gowalla and Foursquare offer a focus on the social aspect of where your friends are, and non-tangible rewards, WeReward actually tries to monetize your reward, much like cash back on a credit card.

With WeReward you receive points for your visits to different locations, or for trying certain products. Here is a simple video from their site that highlights the product.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDOZheA7GA&hl=en_US&fs=1]

While I like the fact that WeReward tackles head on the question of Wiifm, what’s in it for me, I found it annoying having to photograph every visit at a location. This novelty wore off real fast, considering that I averaged 5 points per visit. Taking a picture took more of my time then I am willing to spend on a check in. I imagine that down the road they might come up with easier ways to check in, maybe via a code on your receipt, something that does not require you waiting on your camera opening up.

Another app that I am in the process of checking out is Face2Face let me know if you have played with it yet and what you think. I will post my thoughts on it after I have played with it a few weeks. I usually try any app for 3 weeks before passing my judgment.

Wow, things have been busy here with the Head of Lettuce. I recently teamed up with some developer/designers who have enabled me to start offering custom designed Facebook Fan pages, and I am really excited about the opportunities this will present. Check out our Fan page for more information.

A few weeks ago I was at a Social Media day event here in Tampa and I overheard an exchange with my friend @ThatGirlAllie and a guy promoting himself as a Social Media expert. Allie caught him off guard by asking him, what mad him an expert, did he have a degree in it. While the exchange made me laugh, it also made me think more and more about what qualifies one as an expert in this field. There are those entering this field from IT, advertising and Web developing, and where each one has specialized education that helps them cope with Social media better then others, they carry their preconceived notions of what “social media” is. My opinion is it comes down to those who understand developing and managing innovations.

My Degree in Organizational Innovations and my background in training have not made me an expert, but they have given me the tools that I need to better understand managing and training others in this new disruptive innovation that is confusing so many businesses. The fact that I have been actively involved in one platform or another of social media since the 1980′s, has fostered in me an appreciation for how much of a relationship with customers a business can build. I have also learned that you never stop learning. I have focused on the habits of being involved in the social media community, reading and reviewing new technologies so I can constantly be learning about new technologies and how they can apply to the business communication channels. I surround myself with those who I can learn from, and they all do the same. I think if anything, a social media expert might just be that person who realizes that there are no experts and that we all just play a small roll as a cog in the machine that is social media.

While there are many entertaining and social reasons to use location based checkin services like Foursquare and Gowalla, there are also some strong benefits that you might be missing out on if you are in a business that calls on others businesses, whether it is for service, deliveries or just sales calls.

I have a friend who owns a discount toner and ink company that delivers their products to many local businesses in the Trinity area. Imagine if every time she delivered, she checked in via a Location Based Checkin app. This would be like a plug for every delivery…did you know “xyz” buys from us, how about “abc”, in fact, everyday there would be reinforcement of who her customers are, and how active she is. There is an adage that “activity breads success” Well as more and more people notice on Facebook and Twitter that so many people in the area are using her services, what do you think that would do for her business? Best of all, guess what this simple campaign would cost her to run? nothing but her time. In this economically challenging time, social media is a low cost option that can deliver much better results then some traditional advertising campaigns that might cost a lot more.

As a Real Estate agent I use Foursquare to checkin to different neighborhoods when showing homes, and this message shows people that I am being active in their area. If the business you are calling on is not in Foursquare (or other app) you can enter them, then let the business owner know what you did and what it might mean to their business to be findable in this location based app. You are going to earn some respect from them for being on top of opportunities and more importantly for showing them an inexpensive way that they to can promote their business.

here are two great blog posts that discuss case studies with Foursquare, one from research and one from one persons experience. Both are good reads.

21 Unique Location Case Studies from Foursquare, Gowalla, Whrrl, and MyTown From Socialfresh

and Foursquare Check-ins: The Low-Hanging Fruit From Kevin Lyons

There have been several articles from people declaring their decision to quit and leave Facebook; One in my local paper the St.Pete Times Why I unfriended Facebook, By Arleen Spenceley, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, April 11, 2010 ; Another article Why I Quit Facebook; and another By SAM GUSTIN Posted 1:25 PM 05/14/10 and an older one Reasons to Quit Facebook by Chad Mumm.

While each of these articles bring up some good points, it is important to consider all that one would be giving up by turning their nose up to what has become an incredibly powerful medium. Sure you can quote privacy as a reason to not get involved, but you might as well use that same quote for becoming agoraphobic. The fact is that with technology’s consistent growth and development the only way to maintain that privacy is to live off the grid, almost everything else is “public” record. Consider this when you are out and about, what you do is witnessed by the world, act accordingly. The other thought is that Facebook has no $ cost associated with it, all they have in information and access to you, you would be very naive to think they got in the business because they are humanitarians.

I do have to say that I like Chad Mumm’s list and do agree on some of them (see summary below) so I thought I would share, however I also know how to tweak my custom security and privacy settings, as you should all learn.

Summary of Chad Mumm’s article (I put my thoughts in )

* Friend requests from your needy ex or crazy uncle… (never had this problem, but there is an ignore button)

* Embarrassing/rude messages on your ‘wall’ (Check regularly and delete if a problem, tell your friends what you expect of them if they wish to stay on your friend list)

* Invitations to things we don’t want to go to… (Ignore)

* Chain-letter-style apps (Ignore)

* Pokes (Ignore)

* The latest redesign… (part of life, voice your concern and deal with it, Like commercials on cable TV, it is just one of those things)

* Gifts (Sadly I use to do these, I think it is part of the training wheels for new users, humor them then teach them better)

* Pseudo game apps like ‘Ninjas Vs. Zombies’; what are we, like, six-years old? (Ok I was a Mafia Wars fan for a few years, guilty pleasure yes, but don’t post this crap to your wall, it will get you ignored or kept off peoples news feeds)

* Quizzes (again ignore)

* Embarrassing pictures from our pasts (that we can’t remove) (If someone tags you in a Pict you are unhappy with, un-tag yourself and think twice next time you are at a party with cameras)

* “___ Likes This” feature on ‘Status Updates’ (Sorry Chad, I “like” this as it lets me know my audience is nodding in agreement, I don’t need to hear comments from everyone, but a nod is good)

* Stupid group requests (I agree with this, but at the same time understand it is just for fun, ignore)

* Stupid notes (I like notes, but understand some like junk e-mail are annoying, remove yourself from them)

* Facebook apps taking over our news feeds (Block them)

* Too many people, too much information… (Digital life)

summarized from the article
Reasons to Quit Facebook
BY CHAD MUMM — APR 16TH 2009 AT 1:59PM

My personal pet peeve, people who respond to all on a message that was sent to several people, it is like responding to all on a group e-mail, annoying.

What are your thoughts on this?