As 2009 draws to a close, I am somewhat surprised at the extremely high level of commercial activity small businesses everywhere are undertaking! I thought, possibly naively so, that a handful of small businesses might be winding down at least just a slight bit ?? I was having thoughts about a good chunk of small biz owners possibly getting to enjoy a slower pace during this holiday season. Man, I don't think I could have been more wrong! At each place I turn, it appears that just the opposite is happening.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a small local tweet up in Shepherdstown, WV hosted by a lovely PR copywriter and small biz owner. When I asked her if she was going to have an opportunity to enjoy the holidays a bit (assuming that her pace may have slowed down somewhat due to holiday season), she scoffed. Her response: she's busier than ever!

Ditto for the super sweet vegetarian lady and nature conservationist I sat next to while ironically tearing into my medium-well-done New York Strip steak. During our casual chit chatter I learned this woman creates original sandblasted jewelry which she sells on Etsy.com. This is her full time job. She attends more than 30 some craft shows a year and when she's not traveling to craft shows and fairs, she's quite busy doing the homepreneur thang! When I posed the same question to her as I had done earlier to the copywriter about the possibility of business winding down somewhat for her at this time of year, the jewelry maker's answer echoed earlier sentiments: no way! She's *still* getting lots of last minute orders for custom gifts with only just a few days from Christmas away. No way she can fulfill all the orders in time.

A local farm owner also stopped by the tweet up a bit later during the gathering. After sharing with our tiny group about his daily carrot juicing morning ritual (apparently carrot juice is delicious; I will simply have to take his word for it LOL), a few minutes after joining our convo, the farmer -- too -- indicated he has been super busy. "I just sold 70 of our breads and have several more orders to fill right before Christmas."

As I drove home after the tweet up ended, I thought about how awesome it was to see real-world, everyday type of entrepreneurs working hard to keep the marketing, sales and customer service aspects of their businesses in full throttle during a period that for many can often be a slower-paced time of year.

Nearing my home, thoughts about local small biz owners and their holiday hustle and bustle continued. I couldn't help but to think of my own small biz clients who are being just as active and aggressive in their operations during this time of caroling, mistletoes and egg nogs. One client is launching a new product line. Another is diving into very nitty-gritty aspects of search engine marketing and preparing to develop various niche landing pages with targeted email campaigns shortly after the New Year. And then there's the medical practice who is soft launching their new site a day before Christmas Eve. Boy, come to think of it ... the list goes on and on ...

Hell, if I look at my own small biz and the pace I've been keeping myself as of late, I guess I start wondering wtf would make me *think* for even a moment that small businesses were going to chill out for a bit during this holiday season??

Quite the contrary, folks.
Quite the contrary indeed ...

A question posted on LinkedIn today prompted this blog post.

Here's the question:

"How to tell if an agency that says it specializes in social media really does? What criteria should we be using to judge? I'd like to hear from agencies that say they are social media experts."

Here's my response which I hope will be an educational and good read:

This is such a great question and one that is highly relevant as I see clients and prospects always wanting to know what is the true measure of a "real" social media savvy agency or service.

You say you want to hear from someone who says they are a social media expert. I, however, am not an expert. Despite the fact that I live and breathe in social web stuff daily for a variety of diverse clientele, the last thing I am is an expert :) I am learning every day because this arena changes hourly with new tools, services and trends cropping up even as I type these very words here.

I am not an traditional agency ... I own and operate more of a digital marketing and social media shop. And i have to tell you I know a lot of peers and folks, as well as agency and non-agency types, that claim social media marketing fame. But there are many folks, companies large and small and services, etc. (it's scary to see just how many) that I personally know say they are experts or offer these kinds of services BUT sadly, they are not ... despite their well intended claims.

Without throwing specific folks or organizations under the bus, here are some real-world examples of social media boasting that are *really* happening, folks ...

• A self-described digital marketing agency claims it has social media expertise yet all it does is mass autoposting and broadcasting the same message to different social network accounts
  Mass autoposting and broadcasting the same message to different social network accounts is not social media engagement. Neither is opening up a handful of twitter accounts that site idle for weeks and weeks or throwing a bunch of photos up on Flickr. Social media marketing and engagement requires much more creative, target-relevant and conversation-rich juice than merely mass broadcasting or opening up multiple profiles/accounts.
• An elite, highly visible tech organization with industry prestige assembles a social media committee ... yet none of the committee members are socially engaged or have much presence, engagement or experience in social web circles.
• An interactive agency with millions of dollars in revenue claims they are social media experts ... yet the most they have done for their clients is open up social networking profiles. They offer no strategy, no direction or guidance or really provide any value to their clients on HOW to maximize social web awareness and engagement.
• A freelancer who has developed a strong reputation for social media savviness but is not out there on the social web very actively (they're more "passive" than they are engaging) or blogging true, original content on a routine basis.

From my extremely little humble spot on planet Earth, I see this kind of thing happening every single day ... and many innocent prospects and folks get duped because they just don't know how to really vet social media marketing folks beyond believing the hype or being swayed by huge follwer numbers (equating that to intrinsic value, wisdom and influence).

Bringing it back to your question, then, you as the prospect of ANY vendor — be the vendor a freelancer, a company, an agency, a small or large digital marketing shop — needs to do some homework because the reality is that just about everyone who's anyone is claiming social media talent and capabilities.

You will need to become a very savvy and informed prospect and look for the following:

--> Is the vendor (agency, freelancer, etc.) practicing what they preach?? It's easy to tell clients what they need to be doing on web 2.0 but is the vendor doing this for themselves? It's easy to tell a client they need to actively blog or post comments on other blogs or tweet X times a day or respond / participate in conversations related to topic A, B or C, etc. but someone who is instructing clients to do these things really should have some proven experience of doing it themselves. Clients need to see examples of how it's done from the very person/agency/organization that is instructing them to incorporate these tasks into their marketing own folds.

--> Are the vendor's clients using social media/web 2.0 to their fullest advantage and maximizing their own online presences? Go look at the agency's client roster and side step if you can any agency-scripted case studies as they are purposefully written to sound successful. What you want to see is the agency's client own social media presence. What is that agency client doing or not doing? How active or passive is the vendor client in web 2.0? Is the vendor's client doing some cool stuff on social web arena or more keeping it more conservative? I personally know of 2 specific agencies who have several social media case studies on their sites that sound fabulous ... but the reality is that in both counts, the social media work has been done by someone else and not the agency of record. Trust me, this happens.

--> Review any articles, white papers, blog posts, etc. being authored by the vendor and determine, with your own intuition and knowledge, if the information being published online by the vendor is accurate, in line or counter current trends, highly opinionated one way more than the other or even-keeled in their messaging. Based on all your vendor-authored readings, you can easily begin to get an idea of what kind of vendor a vendor is or isn't.

The above activities (which are far from being all inclusive in so far as criteria but do provide a good starting point) will not guarantee that you won't end up kissing a frog. However, when a prospective client takes the time to do dig deeper than usual and do some independent homework to get to "The Truth" about any specific vendor or service, the likelihood that you'll find a stud rather than a dud increases significantly!

Keep an open mind and remember that while there is no perfect agency or service ... there is a perfect social media marketing match out there for you. Sometimes, you just have dig a little and not get seduced by big numbers, pretty graphics or wooed by glamour, fluff or hype. Look for a proven track record, for a service that practices what they preach and overall look for someone who not just understands the many tools but who can also "manipulate" the tools to achieve more targeted and relevant ways of connecting. Mostly, you want to find a service that can take all these social media efforts and integrate them smartly into your existing marketing endeavors.

Good luck!

Just mindless, random wondering: Someone please tell me why do countless PR/marketing-related services, agencies and so on constantly use a "bee" or refer to "buzz" in describing or visually presenting their marketing and PR services??

Yes ... I get the whole "buzz" concept but the bees, the honey, the buzzing ... I just think it's such an overused metaphor for marketing and promotion. In last month alone, I've bumped into more than seven (7) different marketing-related services, etc. that have the yellow/black/bee/buzzing concept.

Maybe I'm just smoking too much honey but if you are a marketing or PR service then shouldn't you aim for leadership and market positioning with something, i dunno ... a bit more *original???*

Yes, I have to absolutely admit -- hands down -- that there are some really cute variations of the whole bee/buzz thing out there. I saw a marketing site not too long ago that was rather nostalgic with an old-fashioned bee cartoon as the main character or mascot for the company.

Then there's the modern hip bee used for a small business online directory where the bee is shown buzzing all around with all other bee friends who leave the hive to "network" with other bees ... hence "buzz-of-mouth" for word-of-mouth marketing.

And the other day I shared here on my Facebook biz page a link to a relevant resource: a new, beautifully designed book called The Honey Pot. This is a super catchy concept. I love everything in so far as the visual presentation and surely the content is targeted, relevant and useful. But again ... it's back to the bee thing, which kind of stings, I mean ... stinks LOL :)

I just think that if we are going to pollinate the web, pun intended, with our message or voice or position, then shouldn't that effort result in the most original concept we can muster?? I mean, as marketing and PR people, don't we encourage our clients to "be unique" and "be original" and "do something different??"

Yes I know, some will say that the bee examples I've shared here are all "original" takes on the same idea. OK. That's true, I can't argue with how differently and beautifully presented each example above was treated but at the end of the day, it's still the same bee/honey/buzz/yellow/black concept that clearly hundreds of other competing or related marketing and PR services and products are deploying as well.

I think originality and out-of-the-box thinking starts with us and we just need to "bee" a bit more mindful of that as we launch our own creative concepts and market position. And I surely hope that marketers as a whole aren't all associated with buzzing bees, thick nectar pots, colonies and hives and so on. If bees and buzzing are what prospects immediately think of when retaining a professional marketing service, I guess for one am in a whole heap o' trouble LOL :)

Look, I love honey just as much as the next person but, geesh, I'm just sayin' ... :)

Thanks for listening to my mindless, silly buzzing on this Saturday morning.
Queen Bee <wink, wink>

What is up on LinkedIn these days?

I have heard countless folks complain about *all the limitless spam* that can be found in groups. Geesh! Groups are well intended and can offer value when they are crowdsourced well and when the group owners actively manage their communities ... but the junk levels in groups these days has become so high-caloric that one must start to watch their inbox waistlines from swelling with so much greasy spam ... one can't help but question the value of LinkedIn's group feature from time to time.

Just today I and other group members of Group X received a notification from the group owner complaining about the ultra-high spam levels seeping through into the Discussion areas:

As your group manager, I'm frustrated with the amount of spam appearing in our Discussion section. I've spent hours removing Discussions and telling people where their "spammy" stuff belongs. Some of you really get it and others do not.

Please be advised that the Discussion section of our network has the following purposes:
1) To simulate a conversation around something new in the field of X.
2) To ask a genuine question that might help someone expand or grow their X business or skill
3) Share a resource (not your own!!!) that you found helpful.

If you want to share your resources or events, use the Shameless Promotion Subgroup. If you want to share your blog post, you can do that in the News section or post it in the Article subgroup.

When I see repeated violations of the Discussions from people I've previously warned, I will have no choice but to remove them from our group.

And recently, well-known marketing diva Beth Harte, who now manages the LinkedIn group for MarketingProfs sent out a much more explicit notification as well:

"Unfortunately, due to the amount of ‘spam’ (and not the kind that’s edible!) that is being shared within the group it was only a matter of time before we needed to send out guidelines. I will keep them quick, simple and easy to follow...so please be sure to read them! ... These guidelines take effect October 28, 2009. Anything posted after that date that doesn’t conform to these guidelines will tangle with the delete key (and I think I know which one will win!). ... I understand that these guidelines might make for a more tight-knitted and smaller community/network, but I am okay with that if you are."

I see these notifications as good, healthy signs that the community leaders recognize the value of branded or topic-specific groups are and have become "endangered" to the excessive spam pollution as of late. I, for one, really appreciate these efforts and *hope* that some how the spam noise levels do become more controlled over time.

Beyond the spam, there's also intense rivalry (or stupidity) afoot

But spam stories are not the only drama sagas happening on LinkedIn these days. The other curious activity I see some clients wrestling with is having folks in the groups moving discussion items constantly into the job area. One poor client has every single item she shares on the Discussions area almost immediately moved into jobs. And this is not just happening in one group...it's happening in multiple, different groups. Clearly something's not right here. And each attempt to contact the group managers has not produced any results or a significant response as to how to better manage this kind of activity.

LinkedIn itself was not very helpful with regard to this specific matter. Their response was appreciated but rather useless:

Dear ___________,

Thank you for contacting LinkedIn Customer Support.

Regrettably, we do not have the functionality to prevent this from happening.

Discussions can be marked as Jobs by any member; due to this being a newer feature, it may have been moved in error. Discussions moved to the Jobs tab can currently only be reinstated by the group owner or manager. We are reviewing alternatives to enhance the process and reduce issues in the future.

To reinstate a discussion that was moved to the Jobs tab in error, please go to the Jobs tab of the group. There will be a link to reinstate the job below the listing. Please note:

- If you need to check who moved it in order to educate them on proper use of the link, please click on the title of the job to see the details, including the member who moved it. You must do this before you reinstate it to the Discussion area.
- If the posting was originally created in the Jobs tab, it cannot be reinstated to the Discussion area.

I want to apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and we appreciate your commitment to making LinkedIn a stronger community!

Regards,

Rosa
LinkedIn Customer Support

So who else is singing the LinkedIn blues these days???

The other day, I got a great email from a close peer of mine who spends a lot of their time time educating clients and prospects too. The note contained some anectodal stories about the kinds of questions they are asked and the questions shared are very similar to the ones I get asked frequently as well. But towards the end of the message, my peer said something that kind of stuck with me; they said that it's all about educating right now. Even though we (my peer and I) may find ourselves in the social and web 2.0 space every day, there are many people that are not as entrenched and who just don't know, period. As a result, education is a major aspect of our collective outreach.

That got me to thinking -- a rather dangerous activity I must say :) -- that my prospects and clients alike are always learning both independently on their own as well as from me. The process of acquiring new knowledge is (and should always be) a never ending one but sometimes, it really helps to have someone help you make sense of information that is new and unfamiliar. When we go to school, our teachers are instrumental in helping us sort through volumes of new information ... everything from sounding out the alphabet to trigonometry equations in your junior or senior years of high school. And in college it's no different. Instructors and professors are there to help us to make sense of even more massive amounts of information.

In professional life, however, there's no one designated to show us the way, per se. We are left to our own passions, interests and efforts to learn what we choose to learn about and do the best we can interpreting the data we aquire along the way.

I often see my prospects and clients alike embark on educational journeys in search of information about search engine marketing, digital marketing, email marketing, content marketing and of course, social media marketing. Along their way, they may stumble upon information about product X, Y or service Z. They sometimes try to decipher the information as best as they can but some have shared it's a bit daunting because the sheer volume of information on these subjects on the Internet is (a) never-ending, (b) always changing and (c) somewhat "technical" in nature being web 2.0-related and all. Other comments shared have to do with the availability (and somtimes overabundance) of disparate, inaccurate, confusing, conflicting or hyped up information which just raises the noise level and adds to the confusion.

The fact is simply that there truly is soooooooo much information out there about social media "best practices," digital marketing "approaches" and web publishing "tools" and often, the information being shared is opinionated (such as a blog post with a product or service review) or marketing copy describing features and benefits meant more to close the sale rather than objectively inform. Yes, there's good information out there, too, but one cannot ignore the vast amount of not-so-good information as well.

As with any field or wealth of knowledge, it's important to seek someone out who not only can help you sort through the deluge of data but who can also help you to make objective sense of it. Right?? I mean, anyone can help sort or organize information but not everyone can actually distinguish between good wisdom, sound advice and crapola.

If you find yourself on the hunt for someone who can help you milk the goodness from countless piles of social media and digital marketing information out on the 'Net, here are some questions to ask yourself and things to consider:

• What is the social media mentor's background?
  Do not dismiss someone who's only been in the field a relatively short amount of time. While the breadth of their knowledge may not have "years of extensive experience" tied to their belt, often newer entrants to the digital marketing and social media space are eager readers, voraciously imbibing relevant information about the subject daily and with great passion. Likewise, if someone has a more seasoned background, what was their career track? What unique perspective do they bring to the table?
• Although they will surely have opinions, can the social media mentor be objective in their sharing of various schools of thought?
  A perfect test of objectivity is the topic of ghosting on social networks or on blogs. There are folks that are absolutely repulsed by the act of ghosting and find it to be a despicable practice. Others are far more accepting. And still others are middle-of-the road on this subject. What you are looking for is someone who, despite their allegiance with one specific school of thought or approach, can they be objective when they share or impart opposing views. Read the prospective mentor's blog posts and check out some older posts, too, to identify the moderates. The arena of social media and digital marketing changes far too frequently to be limit oneself to a very narrow way of thinking or seeing things.
• Can the mentor do more than tell a story?
  A good mentor will not only tell you stories, e.g. case studies, of good social media or digital marketing usage. Anyone can look up how Zappos.com uses Twitter and how successful Ford's been with their social media outreach. What you are looking for is for someone who can translate these stories into a language that makes relevant sense for you and your business. You are seeking someone who can identify the lessons learned aspects of a story and correlate them to your every day digital marketing activities.
• Is the mentor highly specialized in one aspect of web 2.0 or is their knowledge more diverse?
  One is not better than the other, per se. Someone highly specialized in one social utility tool like Facebook may not be as familiar with other online communities. Likewise, someone who knows a little bit about many subjects in the web 2.0 space may not have enough depth or range on more specific, detailed topics. Again, neither position is right or wrong. Each angle can be helpful; the highly specialized Facebook mentor can be an excellent resource who can keep you abreast of Facebook-friendly applications and Facebook trends ... and the mentor who's more well rounded and not tool-specific may not know enough about any specific topic beyond the surface but could surely steer you in the right direction. Ultimately, you should just be aware of which way your mentor leans so you can adapt your learning and expectations accordingly.
• Is the mentor also a student?
  A good mentor is also a student. He or she is always learning, too. They never reach "enlightment" -- rather, they are constantly seeking out new information, data and meaning. As you assess your prospective social media mentor, make sure they can and do often wear both mentor and student hats. There are no subject matter experts no matter what you've been made to believe. We are all learning together and doing our best to keep up with a topic and space that thrives off information overload and never-ending change.

Good luck in finding that mentor!!! :)

I led quite an interactive social media discussion and workshop last Sunday afternoon in Huntington, West Virginia (more info here). It was a 3-hour seminar and I have to say, it was rather intensive. I purposefully did NOT have Microsoft PowerPoint slides because I really wanted to just engage attendees in a strong exchange of ideas, thoughts and commentary. And boy ... did I get what I had hoped for! The workshop was really interesting. Attendees had some super questions, were very hungry about the topic of social media marketing and really had many of their own comments and opinions to share which was just great.

But as always, not just in this workshop but in practically every single class, course, seminar, workshop and conference I've ever organized and/or led ... there's always at least ONE person (sometimes more than one but always one) that, no matter what you have to share, impart and contribute, they are just not "sold" on new ideas or a new way of thinking, in general. Sometimes, they just don't get it ... meaning the subject matter may have been a bit ambitious for them to take on and perhaps really needed a more basic foundation or course.

Other times, however, you may experience The Pocahontas Effect, a term I am coining after having been inspired by one of the attendees last weekend. This attendee, a well meaning gentleman and Baby Boomer who lives in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, was ... I think by far, to date, absolutely the most skeptical person I have come across with regard to the specific topic of social media.

So strong was this man's skepticism that he used very strong words in an effort to express his view towards mostly anything related to social media. Words like "hype," "fad" and "fickle" were some of various adjectives he used to describe his thoughts and opinions. Later in the workshop, he even expressed his belief that targeting folks on social networks with any messaging is unwelcome and even down right manipulative. Wow! That was new for me. Still, the man continued. He shared with the attendees that "this stuff" was being "sold" to everyone as the way to go online but who really has the time, who's really on these networks, why should anyone care, who wants to receive all this information (if they didn't ask to) ... and oh yes ... who is patrolling the information being shared to make sure things aren't so skewed.

Yeah ... ok.

Here's the deal ... this man -- whom I'll simply refer to as J -- is just precious. He meant well ... and despite his intensive, inquisitive nature, he really wanted to understand what this social media stuff is all about. But let's back up for a second. I need to give you some perspective first. You should know this man lives in a very rural county of West Virginia. He indicated that the age of the population in this county is, on average, 50+ and most folks do not have access to the internet. So ... HOW can all this social media stuff work in a place like Pocahontas County?? Huh?? Huh??? Huh??? Tell me, Mayra ... tell me now! LOL :)

OK ... actually, I've been asked these kinds of direct questions before. The answer, my answer, is not a perfect one. Basically ... it (social media) can work ***IF*** you let it. Yes, it may be challenging to reach folks in a rural area BUT that should NOT be a deterrent nor should it be the reason to NOT engage or embark on social activity and conversation. Just because the majority of folks are unable to access the information due to limited or lack of broadband issues, this does not mean that EVERYONE has limited internet access. Even if that minority of folks who do have internet access is really a super small group, say ... less than 5% of your population, hey ... that is *something* to work with; this segment is a wonderful niche community and could offer a solid starting point so why not start there? Why negate social media engagement and ignore this small segment of folks with internet access only because the masses do not have access??

offer various options for ALL parties, not just the majority

Call me crazy. No ... better yet, how about a crazy optimist :) but I just don't think that "limited broadband access" by the masses is a good enough reason to NOT attempt to communicate via social means. Clearly, in such extreme cases such as the one the man described in Pocahontas County, communication is ALREADY happening without social media. Social media should not and could not replace existing communications means given the spotty broadband in this county... but it could help complement and augment existing forms of outreach because, again, there is a small micro population that does have access to the internet. These folks could even assist in the delivery of the information to the masses through word-of-mouth because they would help to disseminate information to their fellow neighbors, family members and friends.

mature people *are* online ... just fyi

Additionally, I must say that another point of resistance J had was the age population of his county, which he stated is a much older demographic. But in the audience was another gentleman, Pete, who was clearly an "older man" ... I would have to guess in his 60s (Pete, if you are reading this and you are YOUNGER than 60, please forgive!!! LOL).

Pete was/is a live, breathing example (sitting just 3 seats away) of a mature male who was/is clearly quite active on Facebook, MySpace and other social networks. So the claim that "older folks" aren't out there engaging socially was rather debunked somewhat by Pete who was very vocal during the workshop, sharing specific experiences he's had online via his own engagement on the social web. Moreover, most recent research about traffic on social networks clearly indicates that a growing segment on Facebook in particular is by people 55 and older (more women than men but definitely an older population as a whole).

not much headway, it seems

Alas, much of what I or other attendees shared with J did not to penetrate through his adamant position but that's ok. In the end, you can't win them all, right??? Plus, my job was not to push any agenda; rather ... I was there to share, educate and impart information about social media engagement, outreach and communication. Bottom line: social media engagement in all kinds of communities *is* happening, like it or not, want it or not, agree or not.

hmmm .... this is interesting!

I wanted to learn more about Pocahontas County after my J experience so when I got settled into my hotel for the night, I did a quick Google search for the keyword term "Pocahontas County WV." The very first item to come up in the organic search results is a link to "Pocahontas County, WV - Nature's Mountain Playground" which takes you to http://www.pocahontascountywv.com. And wouldn't you know it but smack dab on the home page (above the header, in fact), this site showcases links to a WordPress blog, a Twitter account and a Facebook page. AND ... the Facebook page has 630 fans!!!

Ok, I feel somewhat validated :)  ... J had me thinking for a few minutes there that I was absolutely nuts to ever think for even the smallest nano-moment that perhaps at least *some* folks in Pocahontas County might already be engaging socially ??? I mean, c'mon people ... I know that I am nuts, this is true LOL ... but there's always a method to my madness, trust me!

A few days ago, I was on my laptop in the wee hours of the morning, logged into this blog and wrote a whopper of a blog post. I was in a groove and really had pumped out what I thought was a really solid post. Feeling good about it, I was finally ready to publish ... and when I went to push the "create post" button ... the worst thing happened ... my internet connection died unexpectedly and my whopper blog post ... well, let's just say it, too, died along with my connection. Ugh!!! All that brain power and time exerted into blogging an original post went down the tubes leaving me with zero way to recover my content. 

Yup. It totally sucked, trust me. So much so, in fact, I couldn't even look at this blog for a few days :) Couldn't handle the loss that well but it's been a few days since that blog loss crime and I've managed to forgive my intenet connection and my blog for the hiccup; mostly I've been able to forgive myself for my own stupidity and laziness in not backing up my blog post before submitting it.

Oh well ... I'm "ok" now :) and have decided to spend this Sunday morning, which finds me all comfy'd up in a Ramada hotel room in Huntington, West Virginia (near Ohio), blogging and sharing some updates.

the drive

I got out here last night pushing 9:30 pm'ish. I am out here because my dear Create West Virginia buddy, Jeff James (also of Mythology Marketing) invited me to lead a social media workshop today from 1-4pm. The 5 1/2 hour drive began around 4pm and the scenery from Charles Town, WV to my half-way point in Morgantown, West Virginia was just stunning. The hills and mountain sides were peppered with golden and fire-like orange and red hues that were simply breathtaking. The air was cool and crisp and the weather was extremely rainy so the roads were rather slick ... which was a bit daunting here and there. Nothing could have prepared me, however, for the incredibly thick sheets of fog that lingered near Cheat Lake. The fog was so incredibly dense during this part of the road trip, I often felt I must have been driving near heaven.

thanks, axl

Normally on these long road trips, I take my husband or a family member but on this trip, I was driving solo. Or was I?? At times, I could swear I had Guns n' Roses lead singer, Axl Rose, was keeping me company right there on my passenger's seat. Thanks to St. Alban's 105.1 classic rock radio station, which played back-to-back classic GNR tunes for over an hour as I approached the state capital of Charleston, I felt Axl was right there with me ... serenading me with November Rain and Sweet Child o' Mine as I drove through mountain ranges so pitch dark you couldn't tell *where* the mountain tops and the sky actually met. I also found another radio station that only played 80s tunes and I got to jam to some oldies but goodies like Samantha Fox's Naughty Girls Need Love (Too) and omg, Survivor's Eye of the Tiger!!! How fun :) Jammin' to all kinds of music got me through the lonely road trip with relative ease.

today

So for today ... I will be leaving my hotel room around 11 am or so to go get ready for my workshop. Looks like there are about 20 or so attendees all eager to learn more about social media marketing and outreach. I, too, am eager to learn more about each workshop attendee and see how they are using (or trying to use) social media to enhance their outreach and communications. As usual, photos, vid clips and blog post recap forthcoming. I know I sometimes do run behind on this blog but I always catch up and share as much as I can.

Be back later with more updates :)

You know, lately I've been bumping into some really super nice people who want to censor me. Not in a mean way at all but in general, they want to control the very words I type into this blog *if* it has something to do with them or their group. While I totally understand not disclosing something that is sensitive and not ready to be shared with the masses at large, I do not understand folks trying to tell me what and what not to write on my own blog.

I think it's that fear and control issue that keeps coming up time and again. People are just fearful of negative commentary or constructive feedback (real or perceived) that is shared openly and especially in a blog format. I understand that fear because I too am human and full of insecurities. And we all want to please and have nice things said about us all the time.

It's just unrealistic, however, to think everyone's going to like you and/or have nice things to say about you (or your products or your services). Kind of reminds me of last night's Project Runway show. One of the designers had to make a pants outfit while all his counterparts got to create dresses. The designer stuck with the pants outfit was *not* happy but acknowledged he understood that "no one can live in glamorous dresses day in and day out; once in a while you need to wear pants." The tie-in here is that hey, we can't all live surrounded by complements 24x7. Sometimes, we bump into negative feedback or constructive commentary because that is life. Not everyone's going to be a huge fan or a passionate supporter. And not one thing or person is perfect; thus imperfection means there will be mistakes made along the way.

I'm not sure why many organizations, businesses and companies can't accept these facts. Sadly, as opposed to embracing these realities, many organizations run from them. They hide. They try to prevent staff from engaging online or block comments on blogs or require approval of anything to be shared with the public fearing uncensored opinions.

Look, the sooner people can accept that conversations -- good and bad -- are going to take place with or without one's consent, the sooner folks can get over the control issue(s). It's hard for folks to accept that they have little, if any, control. What folks often forget, however, is that while they have little control over publicly shared conversations and uncensored opinions, they DO have the ability to actively monitor and participate in conversations and use any less-than-stellar reviews or commentary as opportunities to rise above negativity and right any wrongs.

There! These are my random .02 cents during the wee hours of this Friday morning...

I didn't know October was Self Promotion Month but hey, in case you didn't know, there it is.

Not sure who comes up with which month is what but at any rate, when I learned about Self Promotion Month earlier today, I thought it was rather ironic because the act of self-promotion is not one that is too welcome on many social networks, blogs and the like. In fact, time and again we are told that no one likes a braggart online (or offline for that matter).

So how does one self-promote if they aren't "allowed" to self-promote??

BTW, this is rhetorical because I can answer my own question. I am, after all, a marketer, right?? There's always more than one way to skin a cat, correct?? LOL :)

Still ... I'm just curious to see if anyone has their own specific thoughts on how to show off without looking like we're showing off??? Is this even possible? Boasting without boasting? Tooting your own horn without tooting your own horn???

You get the idea... thoughts, anyone??

I came across a comment on a blog where the person commenting stated that he was surprised at the amount of people that "need help telling their story." This person works at a senior executive level at a large company and has been "stunned by how hard it is for each business owner to get involved with telling their story, blogging and in general jumping into the conversation." This person also noted that "the average employee at a company just isn't equipped at telling their story."

So my question to you is why is it so hard to tell our stories as business owners? Or as PR or marketing folks of a product or service with a great story? Or as regular people with a charming or entertaining tale to tell?

I, too, have noticed that folks have a hard time articulating their stories particularly in printed words (to be shared online in the form of press releases or blog posts). I work with a wonderful marketing manager who, whenever tasked to compose a press release, struggles to come up with headline, subheadline and copy that anyone would care about. "I stare at my computer screen and have no clue what to say," she says. "It's terrible. No matter how hard I try, everything I write all sounds just so stupid."

Look ... everyone's got a story to tell. And most people in general want to hear what you have to say about your story. The catch is you have to tell it in a way that is interesting, moving or entertaining in a meaningful way that will capture someone's attention within the first nano seconds of your telling it.

Not always an easy thing to do, right? I know...

In the online space, we are all story tellers, right? We all have something to share, something to update, something to recap or detail. Those who can master the art of story telling will always find the right angle in which to tell that story from, which often depends on who they'll be telling that story to. Every audience needs a story that is crafted just for them so identifying the niche of your audience and what they care about most is critical; your story should be something that will satisfy their hunger for value, problem solving and relevance.

Just my random thoughts on yet another evening spent blogging well past midnight :)