Just In Case You Still Thought It Was A Waste of Time

The Internet is forever changing the way we do everything. If you need a little more proof that things will not be reverting anytime soon look no further than this week's headline from the UK. The British government is now recommending that Twitter, podcasting, blogging and social media become part of the mandatory curriculum in elementary schools.

There are still a lot of hard core skeptics that think this "social media thing" will soon pass just like all the other trends and fads. "It's a waste of time, pointless, not worth the time to learn."

That's what they said about the television and even the internet.

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networks may not be around in years to come, but the ideas are here to stay. The choice and consequences are pretty simple. Knowing that things are going to continue to move in this direction, you can start to learn about it now and think about how it will affect your business/industry/career/life. You can then have a head start and start to evolve those areas. Since you are reading this blog, you have probably already decided to go this route. The other option is that you can avoid and reject change. Ignore it long enough and you might become the next music industry or newspaper industry.

Social media and Web 2.0 are here to stay.

10 Reasons Not To Join Twitter

Yes, I am on Twitter (you can follow me here), but it might not be for everyone. Lots of people have been writing about their reasons to join Twitter, so I thought I would give you a few reasons not to join. Maybe more than reasons not to join, this list are expectations and goals you might want to change before joining.

10 Reasons Not To Join Twitter:

1.) If you don’t know why you are doing it. Don't get me wrong -I think that you can develop skills and better reasons for tweeting as you use it longer, but you should have some idea about why you are joining in the first place. Just because someone told you that you should or because it is really popular right now doesn't mean you should. While there is no substitute for actual experience with Twitter, reading Twitter articles, tip lists, and blog topics can help you to develop a better idea of how you want to use it before you jump in. By developing a game plan ahead of time, you can also hit the ground running and make the most of your Twitter time.

2.) To talk about yourself most of the time. You have some really great ideas in your head and valuable things to share, but Twitter is about how you can help others. You will gain more permission as time goes on to talk about yourself. The quickest way to not improve your Twitter network is to join Twitter, instantly follow 1000 people, and then insesently talk about yourself. Help others.

3.) To become an internet celebrity. I'm not sure I can point to anyone specifically who is doing this, but I have my guesses. Twitter is no doubt a good way to build personal brand, but if you are solely trying to use Twitter for your own good, please take a dose of humility.

4.) To get instant results. Social media is not a short-term project. It doesn't happen right away. It takes time, effort, hard work, and patience. Many join Twitter thinking its a silver bullet for the marketing project and that things will happen right away for them. Patience is possibly one of the most crucial traits you can possess when dealing with social media.

5.) To talk about what you had for lunch. Please do not perpetuate the false image that Twitter is just a bunch of people talking about worthless drivel. Provide actual content. Tweet a helpful article you read (because someone else will find it helpful too.) Learn to use the "@" to reply to people. Learn the value of ReTweeting.

6.) Because you think everyone else on Twitter will want to be your best friend. Not everyone on Twitter will care what you are saying. And that's okay. You need to find the group of people that does and become close to them. The Long Tail actually works in your favor because you no longer have to be everything to everyone. Find the tribe you can lead and engage them. Quality over quantity.

7.) To talk about your political beliefs or complain all the time. Maybe its just a pet peeve of mine, but when someone builds up a network of friends on Twitter and then stands on a soapbox to spout their political beliefs, I get turned off. Your personality does need to come through, but Twitter may not be the best place to whine about your problems or talk about things you really don't know that much about.

8.) To spam people. Definition of spam: "Unsolicited mail/e-mail [Twitter messages] sent out in mass quantities. Usually not even addressed by name to the person who receives it." Also this includes get-rich schemes, pyramid scams, and other untargeted pitches. Spammers, you (mostly) know who you are. Stop it.

9.) To program a massive que of messages that get tweeted every few minutes and then proceed to never actually talk to anyone. This kind of fits with the spam. Auto messages can help you get info published efficiently, but when the ratio of robot vs person messages is out of wack, people can tell. When I see someone Tweeting every few minutes (night and day and weekends), I get a little annoyed. Twitter is about real people connecting with real people, not just constantly pushing messages out.

10.) To just lurk. Sometimes I even find myself guilty of just reading other people's Tweets and not actually contributing anything. If you join Twitter plan on talking with people. Plan on learning how to follow people. Plan on answering questions. Get involved in the community.

Social Media Is Not A Short-Term Project

Jacob Morgan's most recent blog post inspired me to write this post. Check out Jacob's blog on social media strategy - its good stuff.

Sandwich Fever is the biggest sandwich blog out there (and is fictional). Thousands of avid readers visit the site every week to learn about the newest and best sandwiches out there. My restaurant would really like to be on Sandwich Fever because that would mean more customers would come to eat our great food.

Short-term mentality - I'll send Sandwich Fever an email about my great sandwich and because it is so great they will have to put it on their front page. The most likely result is that the email will get ignored or quickly deleted.

The correct mentality - I will begin to read Sandwich Fever regularly. When I get a chance to contribute something meaningful in the comments, I will post my response in hopes of beginning a conversation with the writer and other readers. If possible, I could connect to the writer (and readers) on other platforms like Twitter and Facebook in order to have more conversations with them. As I build my personal brand, I will have more credibility to get people to find out about my great sandwich. Eventually, I may have an opportunity for my sandwich to be on Sandwich Fever - The writer may even be the one to ask me!

To try to pitch to a blogger in a 'cold-call' style more than likely will produce little result. The best option for getting attention online is to build relationships. Just as you would not ask someone you barely knew for a favor, so it is with online relationships. We need to be realistic with our expectations with time lines; if we truly wish to make a lasting impact online it will take time to build a proper foundation on meaningful conversations, genuine interactions, and beneficial information shared between people.

Social media is not about a 2-week marketing plan. Social media is not about throwing an idea out there to see what works. Social media is not about quick, easy results.

Social media is about careful planning and intentional actions. Social media is about relationships that are two-way. Social media is about long-term plans and hard work.