Introduce CommonCraft video about Social Networking.
Introduce ourselves and our companies.
Blogging – Longer formatted posts or “articles” displayed in reverse chronological order so that the newest thing is always on top. Started as online diaries.Twitter – Sometimes known as micro-blogging, basically sends out status update messages to followers in 140 characters or less.Facebook – Social Networking site that is mostly for social interactions, but can be used to keep up with business contacts as well. LinkedIn – Professional Networking site that is mostly for garnering work relationships, is helpful in looking for jobs, looking for vendors, etc.
Do – No one likes the mystery man, using the default icon makes it look like you are not legit, not active. You can have a logo, avatar or photo depending on your intended use of the medium. You should have the same avatar across all of your social networks.Don’t – Changing your icon too frequently can make it tough to spot you in a stream of updates, most people are scanning through a list and if your photo is different every week, they are going to miss you.
Do – The Social Web is a place for authentic communication. You have to add something of value to the community to be relevant, otherwise people will drop you. Search out the conversations and participate.Don’t – It’s Social Media not Sales Media. You aren’t pushing a product, you are networking. It’s a mixer, not a meeting.
Do – Share links on Facebook, Retweet. Make sure to pass on information that you pick up in your networks, if you think it’s relevant. Don’t – Blatant sellers, spammers, self-proclaimed experts on the web are annoying and most people avoid them. Also remember that it’s not a numbers game. No one cares how many followers or friends you have. Quality over quantity.
Do – Take some time and scrub through your Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail accounts, etc and see which of your contacts are on each social network and add as you see fit.Don’t – Don’t blindly add all of your contacts to all of your social networks. You may be punished by the website for “spamming” your contact list if not all of them remember you. Don’t feel obligated to follow everyone that follows you.
Do – Sign up for an account on most any user-based website you hear about, because you may have a use for it someday. You never know which site is going to be the next big thing. You also want to try to keep others from grabbing your username and messing up your personal brand.Don’t – There are hundreds of social networks, anyone with a life would have a tough time keeping up with all of them. Find out which ones your friends are on and which are best for your industry.
Do – You want people to think you are active, so updating at least once a week is good for most mediums. Twitter should be updated daily at least. Don’t – You don’t want to be classified as a dead account. If someone sees your last login or last update was a month or more ago, they might drop you. Don’t post that you are too busy to post. Everyone’s busy.
Do – This is an interactive medium so make sure you are responding and holding up your end of the conversation. Don’t leave people hanging. It’s rude in person, it’s rude online.Don’t – Don’t post 30 updates in 10 minutes, pace yourself. Try to update throughout the day/week/month.
Do – In Real Life your brand is: your hairdo, your clothes, your manner of speaking, your personality. Online – Your avatar, your communication style, your photos, your interests, what you choose to share. Try to unify your online persona and make it consistent in across all of your social networks.Don’t – Drunk photos, mean comments, don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in real life.Google is the #1 HR tool now. Most anything you post online is findable on Google and the person in control is the person doing the searching. So you need to monitor what is out there from you and your friends.
Do – Make sure to roll out your updates through your social networks, then make sure to go back through and read your responses.Don’t – No one will mind seeing the same thing in 2 or 3 places, so don’t think you have to always be posting something new.
Do – Ask friends and colleagues what networks they are on. What is Tumblr? What is FriendFeed? People are always will to give you their recommendations.Don’t – Benefits: build relationships, make new friends, let people know what you do day to day, etc.
