I hate chalking my inherent spaciness up to hair color, but sometimes I do struggle with very simple things. In my defense, I am a ridiculously good speller and communicator, and not to shabby at analyzing literature, popular and otherwise.
Ask anyone who knows me well - it's the small stuff that trips me up. Uh, like enabling comments on the blog I've been writing for the better part of six months.
Sorry about that.
But, now, with the help of Katie (guiding me through the blondness that she too understands so well) the lines of communication are open! Comment away! Criticize my taste in home décor! Differ with my political leanings! Offer advice for my next press conference (coming up on April 23, more on that later)!
Seriously, some days I suspect I need a brain transplant. I've already posted my request for a donor on Facebook and got two offers for barely used ones...
For future reference, when Blogger offers the option to embed your comments under the post, just say "no". Because apparently "embedded comments below post" actually means "hide comment field and disallow any feedback on your blog". Pop up windows all the way from now on.
More social media musings coming soon, including Rick Liebling's Periodic Table of the Social Media Elements - the grail that will help me begin to explain all of this to my colleagues.
Among other things for work, I have been tasked with analyzing the major social media outlets and recommending which of them I feel would be a good fit for our organization, and at what level of participation.
Between Facebook, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, Digg, countless Ning communities, Twitter and the countless other outlets out there, I've come to a couple of major realizations:
- In order to remain current in social media you have to be one of two things (1) young, with time on your hands and the confidence to play with each new wave or (2) an early adopter.
- Becoming an effective early adopter of every. trend. out. there. requires time. Lots and lots of time. Like, full time.
While I am a devotee of social media (thanks initially to Robert French and a little class called Style and Design in Public Relations Messages), I do get overwhelmed. This is not my full time job. This is one aspect of a much larger job - and as the designated "social media girl" I am the only one officially charting these waters at the office for the organization.
Questions I'll work on - and pass along here - as I find answers:
- What new media outlets are the best for organizations? Specifically, non-profit, science heavy organizations? It seems to me a lot of social media (Twitter, online communities and others) are best utilized by individuals unoficially tied to an org.
- How much time out of my work day should I spend on these outlets? On which should I concentrate most of that time?
- Other than reading Mashable and Twitter... and about 500 marcom pro's blogs religiously, is there a good, consistent way to stay current with the latest technologies?
Staying current is key, and I am aware of this - but I also want to tailor these outlets to work for me (as an individual) and more importantly, for my organization. Any ideas or suggestions for a new approach? I'm overwhelmed!
...
Oh yeah - and I think I'm quitting Facebook soon -
TIME Magazine on Why Facebook Is for Old Fogies
My favorite is number three:
3. We never get drunk at parties and get photographed holding beer bottles in suggestive positions. We wish we still did that. But we don't. (See pictures of Beer Country in Denver.)
Funny, while I'm slightly irked about the fogies overrunning Facebook, I am envious that they (aside from the occasional, unphotographed, indescresion) have outgrown this phase. I have not.
Enjoy!
And, if you have some pointers for me about the former, please help!
Photo from the mentioned Time article.
I hate chalking my inherent spaciness up to hair color, but sometimes I do struggle with very simple things. In my defense, I am a ridiculously good speller and communicator, and not to shabby at analyzing literature, popular and otherwise.
