Can social media be done while 'on the clock'?

It's one thing to convince the 'powers that be' that social networks are worth a gander for brands, but it's another to reason for social media time while you're working. A recent conversation with a PR friend led me to consider how our own agency is embracing social media and if we're actually being paid for the hours we put into it.

My short but rather long answer: everyone is open to social media, but has yet to rationalize long hours spent on Twitter and writing blog posts. I don't blame anyone for being turned off by what could be considered a very unconventional approach to reaching reporters and building relationships. I, too, oftentimes find Twitter as nothing more than a coffee shop where people are shouting "Smell my coffee!" and the aromatic tweets draw one or two or a couple-thousand to the community table. Unfortunately, not everyone will get the same welcome reception-- especially if you're not popular enough. To become popular, it means hours and hours and hours of @-kissing and finding unique and original content all the day long.

Luckily, you can rest assured that social media is not about popularity. It's not about who says something bigger or better. What it boils down to is relationships, so if you're frustrated that Joe Schmo with 7,000 followers isn't responding to your @ reply referring to his recent social media blog post, don't worry. Focus on building the relationships that matter to you and your agency/organization/corporation, and I bet you soon enough your skeptical colleagues will take a second long, hard look in considering what they're missing out on-- while on the clock.

What's your organization saying about your time dedicated to social media?

Twegg Video Update #1

So far we've gotten 85 entries in the form of hard-boiled egg donations and tweets about the contest. Our goal is 2,009 eggs by Easter's end so please keep your entries coming... bringing you one step closer to possibly winning a Kindle 2!

Reading that has changed my thinking and behavior

Many of us do a lot of reading in the course of a week. There is a myriad of newspaper articles, blog posts, emails, and books that we can choose to skim or dive into, but which ones really make a lasting impact on us? While not every piece of writing is meant to dramatically change our thinking or behavior, I do believe we should be seeking out those that challenge and even change the way we do things. The following pieces of writing have left a lasting impact on me and many of them have dramatically changed the way I look at the world and interact with it.

“Ads Are the New Online Tip Jar” by Seth Godin
After reading this blog post from Seth, I now view online ads completely differently. Instead of avoiding them like the black plague, I now find myself actually clicking on some. My click, which is free and easy, is a great way to reward good writing and chip in a little money to the writer for his/her hard work.

The Long Tail by Chris Andersen
The power of the small pieces combined. Did you know there is a whole world of small niche markets out there that are dramatically changing how the market looks? It starts with the iTunes model, but affects every sphere of business. The Long Tail shows that today you don’t have to be everything to everyone - you need to be everything to your audience.

“There’s A Better Way To ReTweet!” from TwiTip by Miles Tinsley
Miles made an excellent point about adding original content and thought to a ReTweet instead of just passing it along. I like this method because it is good way to show the author/blogger that you actually read their article and comprehended it (the traditional “RT” method could just look like an attempt to suck up due to the lack of thought and effort).

“The Hedgehog Concept” from Good to Great by Jim Collins
Companies (very) often fail because they loose focus on their Hedgehog Concept. What can you make the most money at, dominate the market at, and be very passionate about doing? Don’t do anything outside of the intersection of these three things. Try to broaden your vision too much and you will loose focus.

What have you read that has changed the way you think?

2009 Easter Twegg Drop Contest

Moving the message of “social media for social good” across Twitter, Axiom has created a special holiday partnership with Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLFNOW) for the first annual Easter Twegg Drop. Our old English phone booth will house 2,009 plastic Easter eggs filled with Twitter ID contest entries – representing the tweets and hard-boiled egg donations of 2,009 Twitterers.

For every contest entry, a single egg drops into the booth. One lucky participant will win a Kindle 2 after the eggs roll out post-Easter Sunday and a name is announced. The winner will be featured here on our blog, which will also show video updates on reaching our goal of 2,009 eggs.

Directions for entering the contest:

Twitter users can enter the contest one of two ways, but those wishing to increase their chances of winning may choose both options:

1. Tweet the message: "Real Eggs for the Hungry. Win a Kindle 2! http://twurl.nl/maj4x6 #tweggdrop" and your Twitter handle will be put into an egg in the Axiom phone booth.
2. Make a direct egg donation of $5 or more to Mobile Loaves & Fishes at their site (www.mlfnow.org/egg) and you will receive an additional entry (make sure to leave your Twitter handle on the donation form).
   

Contest Prize:

One lucky egg will be chosen on April 14th and be awarded the Kindle 2!

*Deadline for entries is midnight April 12th.

Thank you for spreading the message of feeding the hungry and Happy Easter!

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is an Austin-based nonprofit that provides food, clothing, dignity, and housing to the homeless and indigent working poor. MLF accomplishes this mission through the use of catering trucks that go out onto the city streets of Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Providence, and Nashville every night of the week, thanks to the hard work of over 12,000 volunteers. For more information, please visit http://www.mlfnow.org/

Contest to Be Announced Monday

Our apologies for not having a fresh, new blog post about social media for you today. Tim and I have been hard at work on a secret contest that will launch Monday. We are really excited about this campaign, but we can't tell you about it until next week! Here are a few clues about the contest to wet your appetites over the weekend:

- Twitter
- Easter Eggs
- and a very special prize...