Doug's Blog
Social Media
The US federal election is on tomorrow. The Canadian federal election is still a fresh memory. In reflecting on the impact of social media in those two elections I have to make a few comments. Social media is a great tool for communicating, especially for communitication to the next generation that is not as inclined to buy a newspaper, or watch the news everyday at 6pm, but would rather catch their news all day, or rather catch their news when it is convenient for them. This intergenerational band of social media-ites get information quickly when they need it, and they pass it on even faster . . . and of course, it often has a personal pitch or interpretation to it.
If you are going to use social media to get out the message and communicate I believe there are a few guidelines that should be followed, given my observations of the two elections. First, don't jump into social media thinking that it will just happen overnight. It takes time to build networks and adapt it into you personal priorities. You have got to have good and meaningful and regular content or you will turn people off who experience gaps in your communitication, and you personally can't expect to just jump in because in our busy lives we often have too many things to do everyday and unless, or rather until, it is build into your life and daily duties as a priority, you will leave those big gaps that turn off the social media-ites. Plan carefully, build up your communications and networks and work it into the fabric of your job.
Secondly, make it personal. Putting out spins and headlines is not what social media is about. It can be difficult to understand, but social media is about putting YOU out there, putting your personal message what you are saying, and reaching a world of people through a personal communication tool. Those politicians and the like that hire and pay staff to 'post' all of their stuff for them lose the sense of what social media is about, and that turns off social media-ites too. I know it opens a person up, exposes them to criticism and ridicule, and can be a scary thing, but social media tools are not as much about posting information as they are about real communication between people. Try to picture it as sitting down for coffee with one person to tell them where you are coming from, or your perspective on an issue, or just to tell them about your life and its challenges . . . and now picture doing that 1 million times, but all at once.
That is what social media is for. Real message, from person to person, regularly and meaningfully. The power of that is incredible. I have been working heavily on my social media skills. It has really become integrated into my job, and my person, and I love it. I am doing an interview with a Journal reporter this afternoon on social media and my use of it . . . but you won't be able to read it in the paper . . . you will have to go to his (Archie McClean's) site at the Journal and listen to it as a podcast. Nothing says more than using social media to discuss social media.
