How Can I Help You?

A man walks into a clothing store to purchase a pair of pants. The moment he crosses the threshold, he hears that annoying phrase “How can I help you today?” He immediately says “Just looking, thanks.”

He does need help with tailoring and advice on a shirt to go with his new slacks, but the salesperson invaded his space too quickly and took over the exchange.


Are we doing that to each other all day long?

With the explosion of the social web, we are taught early on to stop selling and start sharing – I love that. Be curious and helpful, have conversations and don’t pitch each other. That is awesome.

Are We Saying 'No Thanks' Too Quickly?

The purpose of connecting is not solely to share website links and dinner recipes – there is commerce going on, new business relationships being formed and more intimate connections to customers are being realized.

If someone asks you how they can help…

• Do you wait and have a conversation?
• Do you get leery of their possible motives?
• Is it possible they really just want to help?
• Are you worried they may steal something?
• Do you think they have a hidden agenda?

So I ask again, how can I help you?

@knealemann
knealemann at gmail dot com

Let’s create experiences, not campaigns.

image credits: perthcomputerplus.com | forbes.com

The New News Cycle

We are officially overwhelmed with content. It’s everywhere. Blogs, podcasts, news, media, books, pamphlets, it’s being created faster than we can consume it.

The movement in the last couple of weeks on Twitter with regards to the Iranian election has been inspiring.

The Power of We?

The people do have the power. Will any of it change the horrific situation over there? Hopefully. But if not, it will change the next one. We must believe that we can change things as a group.

Thursday 5:10pm

I checked email and in came a series blasts from the various news agencies all reporting that Michael Jackson had suffered a heart attack.

Tune It In

My immediate reaction was to post something on Twitter. No phone call to any of my other media friends, I didn’t turn on the radio or television, I didn’t first visit a website, I tweeted it.

Reports were flying around faster than the speed of 110wpm and an hour had passed. Checking sites, tweeting, reading tweets, checking sites and the confirmation came through that Jackson had passed away.

The Scramble Was On

There were the rumor mongers, the unconfirmed reports, the confirmed reports, the recanted posts, the tweets about the cause of death, the unconfirmed confirmations – it was mayhem.

Twitter servers were vibrating from the pressure. News sites were crashing from the traffic. Traditional media outlets were scrambling to get things on the air.

...Then There Were Three

Earlier this week, television icon Ed McMahon passed away. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in the same day. And with channels like Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeeed and others, the reaction was instantaneous.

We live in a tabloid laden quick to the mic/cam/site world. In the quest to scoop, many don’t bother to check for the truth. Hence the Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldlbum rumors that followed Jackson’s passing.

Is There A New News Cycle?

Is journalism no longer about fact checking and respect? Are the rules out the window while most hide behind the thinly veiled “public’s right to know”?

Some claim social media channels aren't reliable journalism. Well while the Twitter stream was searching for real information, TMZ was quick to get the scoop on the news of MJ's death before CNN and NBC while Entertainment Tonight had a picture of him on the stretcher on the way to the hospital on their website.

In a day of two famous deaths, a President's health care town hall, the Iranian election story and the money crunch; perhaps we're all just a little too tightly pressed against the glass.

Our thoughts go out to the friends and families of
Ms. Fawcett, Mr. McMahon and Mr. Jackson.

Ed McMahon: 03.06.23 - 06.23.09.
Farrah Fawcett: 02.02.47 - 06.25.09.
Michael Jackson: 08.29.58 - 06.25.09

@knealemann
knealemann at gmail dot com

Helping you better utilize all media.
How to make it, use it and profit from it.

photo credit: michaeljackson.com

Social Media: Racoons and Evangelists

There is certainly no shortage of chatter right now about the explosion of social media. "It’s everywhere”, a buddy said the other day. But the Twitter numbers are mind blowing. There has been a 1400% increase in membership in the last 12 months. Add to that, the largest growth has been in the 35-49 demographic.

And some wonder why venture capitalists keep pouring money in to this project. It's safe to say they aren't waiting for banner ads to recoup their investment. It's about the numbers and with 10 million members in three years, that's a lot of influence.

Twitter Pro or Premium or whatever they will call it, will bring in revenue but like Google, there is enough evidence to suggest money could be made behind-the-scenes.

The Social Media Big Three.

So Twitter is now a legitimate player along with Facebook (175 million) and MySpace (250 million). But with the current American auto industry mess fresh on our minds, it's important to note that companies don't necessarily stay on top forever.

Estimated revenue for these sites in 2008 (figures in USD)
MySpace $800M | Facebook $300M | Twitter $0

A warning from The Hacks.

In this week’s Media Hacks podcast - a must listen - Christopher S. Penn cautions anyone who thinks they can make a living solely from focusing one social media site. There are examples of people doing very well at that, but there is concern if the space goes under.

Diversify your social media portfolio.

Penn says that if you pour all your time and resources into Twitter (for instance) and for some reason they go out of business, so could you. But if Twitter is part of your overall strategy – which in many cases is a wise move – if it goes out of business, you can shift your energy to other places.

Let's check again with those venture capitalists.

Too often those who run screaming into the night saying "how will we monetize this thing" are measuring it against mainstream metrics and advertising. Meanwhile social marketing and behavioral scientists are watching all of this very carefully.

Social spaces, our need to connect and our desire to build communities is not going to change. You may just want to remember that there are millions of people still not immersed in the social media. Yet.

Would you be happy with a 7-share?

It's difficult to determine how many people are participating in social media today. Many have multiple profiles on several sites but if we were to guesstimate that half a billion was the number, that's still only 7% of the world's population. So odds are, you have met plenty of people who haven't even tried this thing that's "everywhere".

Something to keep in mind if client strategy is part of your job. It's an important part of the strategy, but dangerous to assume you will get more buy-in than raccoons in headlights. And simply having a Twitter account without understanding what it can do for them or how to properly use it, is a dangerous game as well.

Have you tried social media? Have you found people who have not tried it yet? What are your thoughts on companies embracing social media?

People Are People

I got an email yesterday from someone who had sifted through previous posts here and found one I did last May about taking the social media experience to the human level. It was inspired by CC Chapman who suggested that once you establish a new relationship perhaps you should just grab coffee and get to know someone better. That is the essence of all this online chatter.

Tools vs. Humans

We have websites and profiles, friendfeeds and tweets, followers and connections, microblogs and status updates; but those are simply the ways in which we reach each other.

Mitch Joel suggests that Twitter may become the next Google. Jeff Pulver thinks that it will be sold to Microsoft or Google in the next 18 months for $2-4 Billion. All could be true, all could be irrelevant. Those are tools and without the human element, we’re right back to the dot com bust.

We Are The Change

The point is we are the ones creating change; we are the ones connecting with each other across different industries from far off locations. Mitch and I had lost touch for 15 years and frankly he’s the one who pushed me in the deep end in the first place. Then he walked away to let me figure it out. Glad he did.

The Web of Social Connections

From geek dinners to podcamps, blog comments to phone calls, tweetups to webinars, the world really is a lot friendlier and a lot smaller than you think.

We all have the opportunity to gain new connections, contacts, colleagues, friends and perspective. There may be a dimension missing from some business plans and that is a better understanding of human behavior. And most of all it means we are just people trying to figure it all out and if we share more often we can help each other do just that.

Whether you meet someone in a coffee shop or through contacts in a social networking site, it’s up to you how much you want to pitch in. If you do, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how much we will appreciate it. #followfriday

@knealemann

Connecting the Connections

Keith Burtis gave a great presentation at PodCamp Toronto last weekend. It’s especially engaging when the entire room gets involved and Keith let the discussion run wild. It was fantastic! I love Keith’s story too. Eighteen months ago he was working in a warehouse and now he is helping others around the world embrace social media.

These Are The Days Of Our Lives...

Keith compared traditional business models (the funnel) to social media models (the hour glass).

Traditional business shoves as many through the pipe on the hopes to be left with a handful of paying customers. While in social media, you may start with a larger group of people but each one represents the chance to develop a deeper personal relationship.

The funnel starts with a large group and ends with a small group. But the hourglass starts with a large group, develops into small one-on-one connections with people who have their own network, and can result in a larger group.

Traditional model is transactional
Social media model is relational

It was amazing how much chatter ensued after getting back to the office. There were people who reached out to say they wish we had had a conversation at PodCamp and I did the same. Perhaps you experienced this as well.

I have started applying Keith’s suggestion even more to develop stronger one-on-one connections past the follower/friend relationship. After all, we are all just people. Extend a hand or an email, perhaps a call or even a meeting and break through traditional circles.

One-To-One Across The World

Proximity is the single biggest way to meet people: you work together, you’re in the same industry, you are blood related, or you know someone who knows someone. But with social media you can meet people from all walks of life, all over the world, and expand not only your scope of relationships but your knowledge base.

Hop into the conversation. Dig a little deeper. See if you can learn more about someone.

What do you have to lose except the chance to meet someone you otherwise would never would have met?

@knealemann

ustandout.com

Unscientific Study in Networking Socially

I took a few days away from the social media space and the emails have been hilarious. I’m okay! Thanks for your concern. But it did get me thinking about the power of social connection.

You Started It

Last April, I attended a Geek Dinner which was the birth of this thought space. Without realizing it, I have been conducting an experiment in human behavior for the past 10 months. The results have been astounding.

The friend, follower, and connection counts have grown but it isn’t about that – it’s about the human stuff and it all stems from one dinner.

I Know A Guy Who Knows A Guy

The amazing element of all this is the people you meet through the people you meet through the people you know. The six degrees of separation. Every person on the planet is linked to every person on the planet in six steps or less.

Have you experienced a situation where you couldn’t remember how you met someone? Through your network someone knows someone you know who introduces you to someone who is now your friend. Gladwell writes about it in The Tipping Point. The connectors, mavens and salesmen are everywhere - often all three reside in us at the same time.

The Network of Networks

Are we creating communities that coexist online as we do in life? Or are we making more true human connections than we would (say) by passing people in the mall?

The numbers are irrelevant – the human connections are important.

We Are All Just People

I have gained mentors, friends, colleagues and contacts. There is non-stop information and knowledge shared and all because someone reached out last year and asked me to join a group of people for dinner.

What is important is that if you are going to take from the social network you must be willing to give back and share.

Is Anybody Out There?

I received emails in the last couple of days because I hadn’t posted an Opinion or contributed to the Twitter conversation or posted information in my newsfeed. At the core of all this, we’re just people.

I worked for many years in radio, and just when you didn’t think “they” were listening, you’d get a sign. Thanks for the sign.

What are your thoughts?

km

Motivating Change

Perhaps you’re like me. You begin the day with a warm beverage and sift through hundreds of pages of information. Google Reader, FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Facebook, and news sites. The list is endless. So is the information.

We all do our best to stay on top of information while contributing to the endless news cycle. I feel out of uniform if I’m not finding and sharing some pearl of wisdom every now and then – it seems like the price of admission.

We are all talking about the financial situation these days but what has jumped off the screen for me is the amount of pontificating there is lately on what is next. How will we share information, befriend each other, forage and gather? My answer perhaps naïve, is rather simple - nothing will change.

We will build new sites, find new interfaces to incorporate, invent new gadgets to play with, discover more efficient ways to share information, but nothing will change.

There are three reasons why we don’t do something:
1 - We don’t know how to do it.
2 - Some sort of mental or physical limitation prevents us from doing it.
3 - We don’t want to do it.

You could list “busy” as a reason but it’s not. If I told you that there was $1 Million in tax-free cash waiting for you in Cairo, you would book your ticket immediately. If your child or a dear friend needed you, you would drop what you were doing and tend to them.

You can take two people with identical professional backgrounds and you may discover vastly different motivating factors in each. No website or gadget will change that.

In order for you to have your way, you need to remember others want theirs too. What will never change is human behavior and that is worth celebrating.

km