Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2009

: Image via Wikipedia

Well, the week whizzed by and today is Christmas Eve. Yes, I’m still in denial but did not want to miss the opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! I hope that your holiday is filled with love and laughter. If you are taking a break until year end, I wish you much peace and joy and a wonderful new beginning.

I am so blessed this year to have had an opportunity to connect with so many wonderful people online. For each person who has dropped by, subscribed, commented, debated, laughed, tweeted and Facebooked with me – thank you from the bottom of my heart. I treasure your every contribution and appreciate you. I hope that you receive the very best gifts this season of love, peace and joy!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Posts I loved this week:

Brad Shorr makes merry

Joanna Young let’s it snow

Who is your patient zero?

Santa Master Project Manager

Match(.com) Your Way to a New Job

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Social Media | 18 Comments

The World’s Not Small It’s Just Sliced Really Thin

October 26, 2009

We often remark how much smaller the world has become. Technology has facilitated our ability to seamlessly connect with people around the globe. Social media has added a new depth to this ability by allowing us to connect around common points of interests.

Yet, while the world seems small, it is vast and largely unexplored.

Only a small percentage of the world’s population travels with regularity around the globe. It is both impractical and cost prohibitive for most people, but is the not the primary reason for the limitation. We are creatures of habit. We may venture out of our comfort zones on occasion but even the adventurer follows a predictable pattern.

Online, the limitations and boundaries are removed and still we confine ourselves to one little part of the globe. The cyberworld is not small it is huge but highly segmented into tiny little pieces.

We find micro communities or tribes based on interests, activities and hobbies and we settle into a comfortable networking community. Our tiny little segment seems big because it’s populated with people from around the globe. We marvel at our ability to connect across cultures, time zones and languages as we join virtual hands to sing “We are the world.”

We venture out from our big, tiny world on occasion but we return back to the familiar with predictable regularity.

I happen to be fond of tribes as a human and marketer, but I am not blind to the downside of tribal affinity. Tribes make it easy to get caught in an echo chamber where perception is mistaken as fact. You can fall into the belief that others understand the language, and share the same beliefs as the tribe.

The tribe can dull your senses and stunt your innovation. Without realizing it your world shrinks to the size of your tribe. You see the same topics discussed, products pushed and methods used by members of the tribe and your mind concludes that this is the way of everyone. Welcome to the echo chamber.

Luckily, there is an easy fix. Go visit other cultures. You will find that a simple change of internet scenery will expose you to a whole new group of people with their own language, and tribal traditions.

You may find that the change of conversation will spark new ideas and enable you to see your business challenges and triumphs in a new way. You may even find a previously untapped market eager for what you have to offer.

Tribes are good except when they’re not. Get out and see the world, after all online it’s virtually free.

Have you ever found yourself caught in the echo chamber? How did it affect your views and decisions?

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Marketing, Social Media | 11 Comments

How Bulletproof is Your Reputation?

August 25, 2009

Written by Karen D. Swim

This morning my friend, Dwann Holmes Olsen had her Facebook page hacked. The hacker posted vile and ugly rantings on her wall alarming many of her followers. The hacking was disturbing, but even more disturbing were those that believed that Dwann had written the uncharacteristic words.

Misrepresentation and slander are nothing new. Corporations and high profile figures have long dealt with these issues. However in this new era of user generated content, where anyone can have a platform, the dark side has gone mainstream.

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” –Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky’s quote paints the need to have both a good offense and defense. When it comes to your reputation you should fiercely guard it against attack but also be prepared to respond against negative attacks.

Whether you are a solo professional or a large corporation, there are steps that you can take to protect your good name.

Monitor your name/brand. In addition to Google Alerts there are a number of monitoring tools that will help you track how your name and/or company name is being used. The following tools will help you track name/brand mentions, comments, even social chatter.

Tweetlater – Set up keyword alerts for your name, @name, company name and receive an email digest whenever your alert terms are tweeted. There is also a paid option offering additional features. Similar to tweetlater, is Tweetbeep (free and premium options).
Backtype – track blog comments. You can track comments with your name and keep track of your own comments.
Yacktrack – allows you to track social comments. You can serach for URL or use the chatter tab to search by term.
Boardtracker – monitor forum threads with your name/company name.
Addictomatic – monitor mentions on user generated content sites such as Digg, Flickr, Blogs. I always find mentions not delivered by Google alerts.
Filtrbox – real time social media monitoring. Filtrbox offers the basic product and Twitter Influence for free. There is also a paid product. Fairly robust monitoring service with lots of intelligent features.

If you have a higher visibility or want to take your brand monitoring to the next level, consider using paid tools.

Radian6 – offers near real time metrics, in depth analysis and reporting and a customizable dashboard.
Trackur – online reputation and social media monitoring tools. Plans start at $18 per month.
ReputationDefender – Four monitoring tools, MyChild (safety tool for parents), MyPrivacy (remove your personal information from the web), MyReputation (monitor and manage your online reputation), MyEdge (control how you look in search engines).
Cision – Social media monitoring tools
BrandsEye – monitor your online reputation, quantify brand perception. Blooger rates are $1 per month for 5 phrases.

These are only a few of the tools available to help you build a good offense. The next step is to ensure that you are prepared with a good defense.

Prepare a crisis communication plan. Are you ready with an answer when negative press hits the digital airwaves? Do you have a documented plan accessible to your staff? This is where working with PR professionals can really be beneficial. Professionals are not only masterful at obtaining you good press but defending against negative attacks.

Do you have a master non-digital list of profiles, sites and passwords? If you are hacked, it is essential to be able to change your passwords and access. Do you have employees or volunteers with access? Do you know who has access to what sites?

Protect your digital footprint. Use Virus protection software to alert you to potentially harmful sites. If you are a solo professional or small company without an in house IT department, contract with a company to protect your system. For small companies, local computer companies are a great, affordable option for quarterly check-up and cleaning. Be cautious about allowing applications access to your profile. Do not trust every application just because someone in your network tweets about it.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Please feel free to add tools and tips to in the comments. Have you ever had your reputation hijacked? How did you respond?

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Business and Career, Social Media | 28 Comments

Not Quite Breaking News

July 7, 2009

*Beep, beep* Regularly scheduled programming has been interrupted for this special broadcast. I’m interrupting my own programming today because let’s face it most of the world will be watching the public memorial service for entertainment icon, Michael Jackson.

I will be watching some of the events as well and examining the outpouring for life and business lessons. I’ll be back with a new post on Wednesday, and would love it if you’d join.

Please don’t forget to sign up for the free Twitter course being offered by me and Trish Lambert. The intro course is Wednesday, July 8th at 12 PT. It is not a Twitter fan story or boring talking heads teleseminar. It is an interactive tele-workshop appropriate for all levels of Twitter users and non-users.

If you’re not watching the memorial, you can get started on your entry for this month’s WILF groupwrite project. Personally, I think half the fun this month is writing it. Also pop over to Joyful Jubilant Learning and check out the spiffy new digs. The topic this month is communication and the new site and look provide a nice open place for readers to connect. Speaking of communication, Emma Newman is celebrating 6-months of blogging with gratitude and new ways of communicating. Stop in and see why this milestone is so important and the absolute perserverance she is demonstrating in pursuit of her writing dreams.

See you all on Wednesday!

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Marketing, Social Media | 1 Comment

Why You May Not Be Smarter than a 5th Grader

June 24, 2009

I stood up from the pile of work on my desk to stretch. I was hot, my hair was sticking up and I was tired and cranky. I looked out the window and sighed. It was a beautiful summer day. The branches lifted ever so gently, the cloudless sky was clear and blue and the sun seemed to beckon me with its rays.

As I took in the moment and simply breathed in, two little girls came into view. Both wearing brightly colored shorts and tops chatting happily. They part ambled, part skipped as they made their way closer to my window. I watched them with a smile remembering the summers of my youth.

The little girls sat down across from my window where there’s just a bit of curb at the end of a grassy hill that leads to a pond. They sat facing each other in intense conversation (which at age 10 could be about anything from Hannah Montana to world peace). I cocked my head as I watched the ease they exhibited. One of the little girls held up her cell phone and snapped a photo as they continued to chat away (now that’s one thing I didn’t own as a kid!).

Children buy, sell and negotiate every day of their life. They do it naturally, without sophisticated strategies and tools. They sell their ideas to other kids (which is how you find yourself playing boogey man instead of dress up); they negotiate with teachers and parents. Children do it without questioning the ROI or metrics, it is as natural to them as having a conversation.

Those two little girls reminded me of our “new era” in marketing. We talk about engagement, transparency and conversational marketing but are we really doing it? Have we simply took our fancy corporate branding and toned it down with everyday language or are we really talking to people?

While I am very much in business to make money, I want to do business with other human beings. I want my marketing to talk to and not at people.

If you really want to reach people, then talk to them. Lose the industry jargon and corporate speak and talk to them as though it were just you and them sitting on a stoop on a hot summer day. If you want your messaging to convey authenticity then be real. What would you say one on one in a non-sales situation when asked about your business? Compare that message to what’s on your website and in your printed collateral – how does it match up?

We have fallen into this trap that people will only take you seriously if you use the “right” language. So, we start there and we strip our messages of all humanity and warmth. People are smarter than that, give them a little credit. Talk to them, really talk to them and you may be surprised at how they respond.

Do you find that you describe your business or even job differently in social settings? Are you more natural in social settings? What makes you not use that approach all the time?

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Business and Career, Marketing, Social Media, Writing | 5 Comments

Personal Uses for Social Media

June 16, 2009

In my work with clients I spend a great deal of time assessing, developing and executing social media strategies for business. Yet, there is a very real personal benefit to social media and each platform offers something different.

In recent weeks, I had been largely absent from the social media scene. There were no new posts, or tweets, no links shared on Facebook or FriendFeed. It can be difficult coming back after an absence as Joanna Young recently detailed but social media was a huge help.

After my absence, I felt a little shaky, much like regaining your land legs after a period at sea. Facebook proved to be a nice launch point to regain my balance. The smaller, more intimate nature of Facebook proved less demanding. I could give a thumbs up and never say a word. I could have discussions about ice cream or ants and others happily jumped in with comments.

I viewed photos and read status updates which helped me to regain that sense of connection. I had felt so alone for so long, but somehow less so as I enjoyed what was going on in the lives of my Facebook friends.

My business only accounts on various networks including Twitter gave me an opportunity to stay plugged in and share without having to explain my absence in other places. This helped me remain productive and relevant even in my silence.

Skype allowed me to have one on one conversations for business and personal. It was much easier to focus what energy I had on one person at a time, and each conversation left me feeling upbeat and useful.

Connecting with others is essential to our physical and emotional health. Sometimes it is not possible to connect in person and social media can fill or supplement that vital need.

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Insights, Marketing, Social Media | 12 Comments

March of the Illiterati in E Flat

May 27, 2009

Written by Karen D. Swim

Two weeks ago, my Grandmother retired her old school TV Antenna for a digital converter box. If the FCC had not mandated that the US switch to digital on June 12th, my Gran would have kept using the rabbit ears.

In the world of early adopters one might say my Gran is a no bloomer. Yet, her diehard dedication to “rabbit ears” is not unlike those who hopelessly cling to the notion that social media is worthless and digital media is solely for the illiterati.

In a recent conversation with an erudite writer, I listened to what has become a familiar litany:

People who publish on the internet are not real writers. I am a noted journalist/writer/editor and accustomed to spending 6 weeks, writing 15 drafts before publishing.

My crowd is very literate and will not possibly be on Twitter. ( I pull up Twitter screen) Oh, look there’s Bill /Jane/ Buffy, they’re on Twiter?

I do not have time to waste engaging in urbane conversations with plebian strangers.

Internet publishing is for hacks.

Overlooking the fact that I had just been called a moronic hack who spends time on inane platforms talking to a motely bunch of idiots, I patiently explained this new world that has “killed newspapers” and made superstars out of the unknown. I politely declined to point out that a truly impressive insult would have described “my people” as having brains as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage.

Alas, we no longer use insults such as: “Away!, Thou art poison to my blood.” Yet, in spite of the evolution of the English language we have managed to make amazing discoveries, and advances. Who’da thunk it? (See what fun online writing can be?)

Those who view online writing as a dumbing down of provocative thoughts and ideas are missing the point entirely. It is an expansion of creative thought, discussion and collective collaboration. While other forms of publishing aim to “talk at” digital publishers “talk to.” It’s the sharing and exchange of ideas and information in real time.

Literature, and great writing are not dying, we are simply evolving in the way we communicate. Many will hold on until the bitter end, until change has steamrolled over them leaving no other choice but the truly erudite will not only embrace the change but lead the way.

What do you think? Are we diminishig the art of writing with online publishing?

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Social Media, Writing | 24 Comments

Let’s Connect – Maybe

May 11, 2009

: Image by simonech via Flickr

Written by Karen D. Swim

The invitation arrived in a velvet box tied with silk ribbon. Inside the box atop dupont silk was the quirky greeting inviting me to join the party.

Excited to meet new friends, I dressed in my best party clothes and showed up on time. I tapped on the door holding my invitation in one hand. No one answered so I gently pushed the door and it swung open. “Hello” I called out softly. I stepped in and as my eyes adjusted to the light I saw that I was in a narrow waiting room of sorts. There was a gated door and a small table to the right.

I walked toward the table and picked up a plain white sheet of paper that read, “Please fill out this form to be invited to the party.” I dropped the paper on the table. Was this a joke? I was invited to apply for entrance to the party.

Inviting someone to connect with you on a social media platform and then blocking entrance is no different from this party scenario. Choosing to have your Twitter or FriendFeed stream protected from the public is a legitimate choice. Social media platforms are an excellent way to connect with work teams, friends and family. You can share real time updates, photos, links and files on an easy to use platform that allows group and one-on-one discussion without the hassle of email.

: Image by BGLincoln via Flickr

A private stream for private purposes is a smart use of technology. However, many are inviting strangers to participate in their private stream. Well, sort of. The internet is wonderful but privacy concerns are real and everyone should exercise caution in the amount of information that is revealed. However, if you are going to network, it is difficult to open the door and then slam it shut when someone attempts to reciprocate.

I have worked with many clients who have had to overcome their concerns about privacy and transparency in order to participate in social media. Some joined and lurked a bit before fully participating; others jumped right in and over time grew comfortable with the “personal” conversations. Still others network as they do in real life, all business with nothing more personal than an occasional comment about traffic or a lukewarm latte.

I am not a fan of issuing rules around social networking. It is not one size fits all. You will use the tools to fit your purpose and personality. However, if you are considering the “kind-of, sort-of” model I have described here then be prepared for others to refuse to play. If you really want to connect and you’re a little shy, just stand next to me, I’ll hold your hand and introduce you to my friends.

How do you balance networking with privacy? Any tips to share with new networkers?

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Social Media | 8 Comments

Of Unicorns and Rainbows

May 8, 2009

Written by Karen D. Swim

I sat at my desk watching the steam from my morning cup of coffee curl and dissipate in the quiet morning air. Technically at work but not fully alert I gazed out the window as command central booted up for the day.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the aroma of the Arabica beans allowing my senses to awaken. *Beep* I sipped deeply and smiled at the familiar sound of the doorbell to my digital community.

Three years ago my “digital community” was limited to an email list of women praying for and supporting one another. Today, the connections are not easily traced from end to end, stretching across borders and communication platforms, multiplying along the way. In this community people never move they simply add on growing from digital condo to mansion with a mouse click. Foundations shift but connections are never lost. With each new neighborhood, the community grows, more stoops to visit, and stories to exchange.

My digital community has taught me that the power of human connection does not require you to inhabit the same physical space. A kind word when you’re on the verge of tears, a photo of a chocodote and talk of gorillas and pizza cheer the heart as powerfully as if you were in the same room.

I have learned that love and kindness are not diluted by the digital medium but strenghtened and multiplied as it is shared and spread, hashtagged and retweeted swelling as each adds to it as it travels through the digitial continuum. A cuppa with your digitial fence neighbor as deeply satisfying as a visit in a cafe.

We humans are amazing beings. Creative, fierce, determined and loyal. We find ways to forge deep and lasting connections in spite of geography, language differences, time zones and all manner of challenges that seem to stand in the way. We have conquered time and space using bits, bytes and memory cards. Refusing to be defeated by physical barriers, we support, encourage, inspire, and teach our tribe.

*Beep* the horn has sounded, the tribe has spoken, it is time to engage. The circle widens allowing my presence and I smile in humble gratitude.

What have you learned from your community?

This post is my humble thank you to all of you and my conntirubtion to Middle Zone Musings’ 24th Group Writing Project, What I Learned From Community. Care to share? Entries are being accepted until Sunday, May 10th at Midnight CST.

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Posted by Karen Swim | Filed Under Insights, Social Media | 9 Comments

Buck up or Break Down?

March 17, 2009

: Image via Wikipedia

Written by Karen D. Swim

Have you ever spent a day or two fighting off an illness? You feel sort of lousy but solider on at half speed not wanting to give in to being sick? Finally, you decide that it would be better to admit defeat and spend a day or two in bed. You realize that you could fight for a week and operate at reduced capacity or simply give in for a day or two and emerge recovered.

Sometimes holding back negative emotions is exactly like those days you waste pretending you’re not really sick. You exert your energy pretending that you’re not hurting, sad or angry – energy that could be directed at solving your problem.

There are times when bucking up is truly the smart thing to do, but at other times you really need to be kind enough to yourself to break down. In those times, to ignore what you feel can actually prevent you from taking positive action. So go ahead and cry, scream, rant, and eat a big fat bowl of ice-cream if that is what you need to get it out of your system. When you’re done, you can then focus completely on taking action to change your situation.

Are there times in your own life when you should have chosen to break down or vice versa? How do you decide when to cry “uncle” and when to tough it out?