This is a presentation for soon to be graduates and recent post grads, given at University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The presentation is aimed at giving people a starter set of ideas around how to dive into social media; my experience has been that the majority of <25>t using much beyond Facebook, and at that are using Facebook for social purposes. I consider there to be a blind spot that also presents a massive opportunity for these young future professionals to leverage social tools to find jobs they love, get ideas off the ground, or otherwise connect with people and communities that inspire and motivate them.

1. Using Social Media to Win at Life.
Derek Shanahan
CCO at Foodtree
@dshanahan // @foodtree

2. 1. Who am I?
2. Who are you?
3. Win at Life?
4. What is Social Media?
5. Where to Start
6. Final Thoughts
- Damien Hirst, For The Love Of God

3. Who are you?
(This wasn't me.)
- Herald Sun, "Riot Romeo"

4. Derek Shanahan
Foodtree // www.foodtree.com
Chief Community Officer & Founder
"Where is your food from?
20 Something Bloggers // www.20SB.net
Chief Guru & Co-Founder
19,000 blogging twenty-somethings?
Stanford University
Human-Computer Interaction
- Herald Sun, "Riot Romeo"

5. Raise your hands if you use...
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/

6. ...these social tools.
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/

7. What's it mean to "Win at Life"?
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/benramirez/

8. What's it mean to "Win at Life"?
(not this)
- http://explodingdog.com/title/ineedanewjob.html

9. What's it mean to "Win at Life"?
(maybe this?)
- http://explodingdog.com/title/itsmyfavoritejob.html

10. What's it mean to "Win at Life"?
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

11. What's it mean to "Win at Life"?
Reaching goals. A job you love.
Tons of money. Happiness.
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

12. What is Social Media?
Social Media is like teen sex.
Everyone wants to do it. Nobody knows how.
When it's finally done
there is a surprise it's not better.
- Avinash Kaushik,
Digital Marketing Evangelist
@ Google
(there is no secret or magic)
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

13. What is Social Media?
The use of web-based and mobile technologies
to turn communication into an interactive
dialogue.
- Wikipedia
(boooooorinnnnng)
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

14. What is Social Media?
Access to any insight, person,
or opportunity imaginable.
And pictures of kittens.
- Derek Shanahan
dshan.me / foodtree.com
(me)
(less boring)
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

15. Isn't Social Media a time waste?
That depends...
morning day night
...on how you're using social media.

16. Who uses social media, anyway?
At this point, about 4 out of 5 internet users.
- Nielsen, 2011
- http://homestarrunner.com/

17. Sidenote: Self-Identified SM Experts...
...should be eaten by mountain lions.

18. Where do
you start?

19. Start here.
LinkedIn Niche Communities
linkedin.com ning.com, socialgo.com
Facebook Meetup
facebook.com meetup.com
Twitter Blog
twitter.com wordpress.com
blogger.com
tumblr.com

20. LinkedIn
A public resume.
Likely a must have.
Groups: listen, watch,
then contribute.
Network: the community is built for this.
Status updates: industry news.

21. LinkedIn #protip
Complete and keep it updated.
Write recommendations!
Research jobs, industries, and people.
Volunteer. Intern. Get experience.*
*I got my first job this way. I hire this way.

22. LinkedIn
#protip
Stand out with a homepage or infographic!

23. Facebook
People you already know.
More personal than
professional. Networking
at Thanksgiving?
That said, most people get jobs from people
they know.
Otherwise, not built for career stuff.
Disclosure: I'm not a fan of Facebook.

24. Facebook
#protip
The internet is forever.
Learn your way around privacy settings.
Logging out isn't really logging out.*
*They're still tracking your internet use.

25. Twitter
Think of Twitter as a conversation between the
people you find interesting.
Behave as if you just walked up to that conversation, and might like to
chat.
When addressing someone, check out their
profile & stream and say something relevant.

26. Twitter
It's kinda like we're all emailing each other in
public.
That presents you with an opportunity
to speak with someone
you have no other connection to.
Use that opportunity wisely.

27. Twitter
A conversation about nearly any topic.
It's not about what you had for lunch.*
It's about sharing ideas.
And connecting with people based in interests.
*unless you ate a unicorn.

28. Twitter
#protip
Don't waste your 140 characters.
Don't auto-DM new followers.
Don't overdo it; take real convos off twitter.
Don't worry about follower numbers.

29. Twitter
#protip
Do follow people who interest you.
Do listen before you contribute.
Do share and retweet great links.
Do use @replies often.*
*tweets that begin with @dshanahan are only seen by me
+ anyone following us both.

30. Niche
This is the secret sauce of the internet.
Join or apply to relevant communities.
Then listen and watch.
Then, contribute
meaningfully.
Give gifts.
Gifts go a long way.

31. Niche
There are 100‘s of 1000's of niche networks.
All shapes and sizes.
Interests. Causes. Location. Age. Anything.

32. Niche
For twenty somethings, some suggestions. :)
20 Something Bloggers - www.20sb.net
BrazenCareerist - brazencareerist.com

33. Meetups
Take the online offline. Meet people IRL.
Because nothing replaces face-to-face.
A chance to interview
before you interview.
280,000 meetups
worldwide
each month.

34. Meetups #protip
Reach out beforehand via Twitter & LinkedIn.
Email is good. Twitter is better. No lunch.*
*Mark Suster, VC - www.bothsidesofthetable.com

35. Blogs
The word blog is irrelevant, what’s important is that
it is now common, and will soon be expected, that
every intelligent person (and quite a few
unintelligent ones) will have a media platform
where they share what they care about with the
world.
- Seth Godin, Author
sethgodin.typepad.com

36. Blogs
A living resume.
A contribution to
your community.
Forced learning; writing means thinking.
A chance to interview before you interview.

37. Blogs $0.00
www.wordpress.com
www.blogger.com
www.tumblr.com
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprengben/

38. Final Thoughts
Quit counting fans, followers and blog subscribers like
bottle caps.
Think, instead, about what you’re hoping to achieve with
and through the community that actually cares about what
you’re doing.
- Amber Naslund
brasstackthinking.com
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

39. Final Thoughts
Social Media:
Access to any insight, person, or opportunity
imaginable.
And pictures of kittens.
- Derek Shanahan
dshan.me / foodtree.com
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/

40. Final Thoughts
1. Get on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
2. Join niche communities.
3. Listen, then contribute.
4. Attend local meetups.
5. Start a blog.
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/altus/

41. Not using social media
to get more out of life
is the one and
only way
to do it
wrong.
- Derek Shanahan
dshan.me / foodtree.com
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinwkern/

42. Thanks!
Derek Shanahan, CCO
Foodtree
@dshanahan / @foodtree
www.dshan.me / derek@foodtree.com
www.slideshare.net/dshanahan
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/altus/