Mike, I have read your article with great interest learning more..being new to all things Social Media, in that I had not really understood what it was until I was directed to read about Joanna Geary (now at The Times) and via her site found you (yes I am following you on twitter for the reason I see you as an expert in the field) and through both yours and Joanna sites have been able to understand what it is all about, having never had a facebook account not wanting my life available to everyone!! I am now using twitter and linked-in selectively but am actually build a social networking site that will sit behind my website and will be only accessable to paying members by invitation only - therefore keeping all things within our golf community as much as we can..after all I would rather be out on the golf course!!
Louis Gray
· 9 months ago
Mike, solid post as always. You have one of the best signal to noise ratios out there. Those of us who engaged with you on FriendFeed and the other networks realize your value, and I know I've personally gained from our 1-1 relationship as I've gotten to know you better. You are a tremendous talent, a strong thinker, and a sharp writer. That you've got a wonderful daughter and two awesome dogs makes you very real and not just virtual. There's no one right way to use social media, as we all know, but the way you do it can be set as a hallmark for anyone to watch and follow.
stonyeagle
· 9 months ago
Well written piece. I am new to the social networking scene and what you say is right on. I am realizing that a lot of people involved in the whole social networking / media thing treat as a competitive sport to see who can be the alpha leader or king of the hill. I like twitter for the breaking news aspect but beyond that I really see no real use to it. I find friendfeed a better avenue to actually find, learn and discover new and interesting people. I once again have to give a shout out to Louis Gray for having directed me to this well written article. Thanks Louis.
Wayne Sutton
· 9 months ago
Great post, it's good to here how you have used social media (twitter, facebook) over the past year and your rules of engagement online. I totally agree, it's about the relationships plus communication and not about the numbers.
I found this post via Louis Gray backtype comments, he's someone who I've developed a relationship using social media.
victorseo
· 9 months ago
Hi Mike, Still looking forward to lunch sometime. Interesting post. I think I was blessed with never having a need or desire to be a power user or to amass a mess of followers. If everyone I follow on twitter posted as much as the power posters, I would have to reduce the number I follow, as I read every single tweet, every day. For me, it is mostly a listening tool, a great way to learn from other peoples efforts. Although I have a blog, I don't consider myself a blogger. Rather I am a technology consultant who also blogs a bit. I don't use MySpace or Facebook personally, though I advise clients who do. I am a registered member on 154 social networking sites but I only "listen" on a few of them. Most of the others I joined to evaluate their usefulness for my clients and there are some GREAT entries on the list. Great for different people, different purposes. And some are truly crappy overall and still manage to provide some occasional great content or thought streams. I use "follow this thread" email notices to keep up and that works fairly well and is becoming more ubiquitous. I use Skype and other video chat services to keep up with all my inner circle.Skype is an awesome tool. We use it for dozens of different things and are always finding more ways to benefit from it. Over half my innercircle is "mobile" throughout the day and iPhone and sms get a lot of play. Social Media works well for me, and I see it working better as more and more people master the tools. Although I consult on a wide range of technology from designing networks and evaluating software, Social Media is both the most fun, and most rewarding niche I consult on. It is the most dynamic endeavor on the planet. It is awesome, refreshing, enlightening, stimulating and extraordinarily powerful. My interests in ecology and the online shopping business really broadened my horizons this past year and it has been great to see the role social media is playing in shaping the world's future. All this, and it is still in its infancy! I am excited to see what two man garage startup next takes the world by storm! Two of my favorite quotes help sum up how I feel about the past, present and future of social media. The first is "It's the internet, don't take it too seriously." The second is "It's the Internet, don't ever underestimate it." Hope the new job is a great move for you. Please keep on posting good stuff when you get the chance.
Mark Dykeman
· 9 months ago
Good post. I don't follow back automatically, nor do I always follow back. I was more inclined to follow back until I started seeing more and more list builders and spammers starting to follow me. That became tiresome really quickly. Nonetheless, you have a good point about a diversified following.
rebkah
· 9 months ago
Mike, I always enjoy reading your posts and I learn something from them, but this was the one most enjoyable to me. So well written and to the point. About a year ago I found myself spending almost 24/7 on FriendFeed ... even though I found it intimidating most of the time! Guess that says a great deal about me, huh :-) but I found so much new stuff there and learned so much from what they were talking about. Email is still the core of my communication.
Cindy Ahura
· 9 months ago
On point! As a newcomer on the social media scene and cautious one at that, I do not necessarily reciprocate when I am followed on twitter. And with such followers, I find that they 'unfollow' me soon after. I would title your post, Model SM Morals. I am convinced that if people use the SM unscrupulously, they are most probably like that out there.
Acknowledging Wayne Sutton for sharing.
Birger Hartung
· 9 months ago
Hi Mike, a good post. I like the way how you try to break the "value driven" cirlce. I believe you are on the right track, but try to discover why all of this is happening. Decades of commom marketing left a footprint on the individuals who are involved in this business. How it should come to leave all this "efficient working stuff" behing, only tipping at the point that this is a new media channel?
jaybie
· 9 months ago
Great insights ... Have to admit that I'm way newer to the Social Media Game than you are!
andyjacobson
· 9 months ago
"If you follow me, I will follow you back"
Assuming you end up following several hundred people, how do you filter them so as not to be overwhelmed?
Robert Seidman
· 9 months ago
Nice post, Mike. It's still not clear to me that Twitter won't be the next pet rock or Livestrong bracelet, but it is clear that social networking in general isn't going away. The issues you describe won't either, because they are not technology driven so much as human nature driven. Technology usually magnifies certain aspects of human nature rather than changing it. Social networking in a lot of ways gives people at least the illusion of control, and for many, even the illusion is very powerful.
BTW, if you really want to build one-to-one relationships, I'd strongly encourage putting your e-mail and phone number directly on your "contact" page. The e-mail can be entered in ways that spammers can't scrape it. Your phone will not ring non-stop, and your e-mail box won't overflow, but over time you will build some good relationships by doing so.
partywedo
· 8 months ago
Finding the right combination of networking connections is especially challenging when there as so many options. New users have a problem sorting out the best correcting tools for their needs. They then find that learning how to use each social tool takes time and a dedication to the art. Mike, thank you for sharing with us the way you paint your social canvas.
All of these options for social connection are a wonderful addition to our life. Eventually we will develop a multitude of small niche networks that are inspired by the success of these massive network systems.
These small networks will parse up many highly specific human needs and deliver the connections more efficiently. Targeted mommy networks, party networks, hobby networks and more will grow to feed off from the audience that the social giants have developed. The huge networks will remain as the best ways to reach the masses, but the targeted networks will win in the niche services.
Medela
· 8 months ago
I am into social media from about six months, I know almost all the social activities around. I liked the way you wrote this post. Just keep posting such great posts.
Kimberly Saia
· 8 months ago
Social media marketing has proven it needs to be regulated.
I believe social media will be viewed under scrutiny by the immediate public (everyday users/consumers) as they learn it is infiltrated by marketers, hustlers and bustlers. They will be more likely to be picky and choosy about their association and utilize resources by trusted friends before rummaging through average search results to access their needs.....In years to come, users will be more aware of the pitfalls and act accordingly.
johnjonatan
· 8 months ago
I’m optimistic and yet a little disheartened about the current state of social media that we are in." - Meryn Stol. Mike, thanks for sharing the story ... golf ball
Super article! I am unsure of the "Social media becoming less social" aspect. My hope is that the Twitter environment does not get deluged with tons of ad-bots. I am already getting tons of MLM people adding me just so that they get a ton of new followers for their pitch. This is a poor use of SM.
All Comments
I found this post via Louis Gray backtype comments, he's someone who I've developed a relationship using social media.
Still looking forward to lunch sometime. Interesting post. I think I was blessed with never having a need or desire to be a power user or to amass a mess of followers. If everyone I follow on twitter posted as much as the power posters, I would have to reduce the number I follow, as I read every single tweet, every day. For me, it is mostly a listening tool, a great way to learn from other peoples efforts. Although I have a blog, I don't consider myself a blogger. Rather I am a technology consultant who also blogs a bit. I don't use MySpace or Facebook personally, though I advise clients who do. I am a registered member on 154 social networking sites but I only "listen" on a few of them. Most of the others I joined to evaluate their usefulness for my clients and there are some GREAT entries on the list. Great for different people, different purposes. And some are truly crappy overall and still manage to provide some occasional great content or thought streams. I use "follow this thread" email notices to keep up and that works fairly well and is becoming more ubiquitous. I use Skype and other video chat services to keep up with all my inner circle.Skype is an awesome tool. We use it for dozens of different things and are always finding more ways to benefit from it. Over half my innercircle is "mobile" throughout the day and iPhone and sms get a lot of play. Social Media works well for me, and I see it working better as more and more people master the tools. Although I consult on a wide range of technology from designing networks and evaluating software, Social Media is both the most fun, and most rewarding niche I consult on. It is the most dynamic endeavor on the planet. It is awesome, refreshing, enlightening, stimulating and extraordinarily powerful. My interests in ecology and the online shopping business really broadened my horizons this past year and it has been great to see the role social media is playing in shaping the world's future. All this, and it is still in its infancy! I am excited to see what two man garage startup next takes the world by storm! Two of my favorite quotes help sum up how I feel about the past, present and future of social media. The first is "It's the internet, don't take it too seriously." The second is "It's the Internet, don't ever underestimate it." Hope the new job is a great move for you. Please keep on posting good stuff when you get the chance.
I always enjoy reading your posts and I learn something from them, but this was the one most enjoyable to me. So well written and to the point.
About a year ago I found myself spending almost 24/7 on FriendFeed ... even though I found it intimidating most of the time! Guess that says a great deal about me, huh :-) but I found so much new stuff there and learned so much from what they were talking about.
Email is still the core of my communication.
Acknowledging Wayne Sutton for sharing.
a good post. I like the way how you try to break the "value driven" cirlce. I believe you are on the right track, but try to discover why all of this is happening. Decades of commom marketing left a footprint on the individuals who are involved in this business. How it should come to leave all this "efficient working stuff" behing, only tipping at the point that this is a new media channel?
Assuming you end up following several hundred people, how do you filter them so as not to be overwhelmed?
BTW, if you really want to build one-to-one relationships, I'd strongly encourage putting your e-mail and phone number directly on your "contact" page. The e-mail can be entered in ways that spammers can't scrape it. Your phone will not ring non-stop, and your e-mail box won't overflow, but over time you will build some good relationships by doing so.
Mike, thank you for sharing with us the way you paint your social canvas.
All of these options for social connection are a wonderful addition to our life. Eventually we will develop a multitude of small niche networks that are inspired by the success of these massive network systems.
These small networks will parse up many highly specific human needs and deliver the connections more efficiently. Targeted mommy networks, party networks, hobby networks and more will grow to feed off from the audience that the social giants have developed. The huge networks will remain as the best ways to reach the masses, but the targeted networks will win in the niche services.
I believe social media will be viewed under scrutiny by the immediate public (everyday users/consumers) as they learn it is infiltrated by marketers, hustlers and bustlers. They will be more likely to be picky and choosy about their association and utilize resources by trusted friends before rummaging through average search results to access their needs.....In years to come, users will be more aware of the pitfalls and act accordingly.
golf ball
I am unsure of the "Social media becoming less social" aspect. My hope is that the Twitter environment does not get deluged with tons of ad-bots. I am already getting tons of MLM people adding me just so that they get a ton of new followers for their pitch.
This is a poor use of SM.
Cheers,
sweethomeimprove.com