The Social Path

Job seekers, stop writing about yourself and start writing about your industry.

“I am passionate about social media.” I’ve seen this line in dozens of cover letters, resumes and LinkedIn profiles that I’ve reviewed in recent weeks as we try to fill an opening for a social media planner.

But often, I find myself doubting that the candidates really mean it.

Why? Because when I take the time to read their blogs, their Twitter feeds and their Pinterest boards, I find musings on everything BUT social media. They talk about their opinions of movies, celebrities, politics, fashion, sports and music. They talk about what they’re buying, watching, hoping, eating, drinking and regretting.

But what they don’t write about is the industry they claim to be “passionate” about joining. And that leaves me with the impression that these candidates are looking for a paycheck, not a career.

Biz blog vs. Facebook page: Tune in Sunday for #BlogChat

Could your business get more mileage out of a blog or a Facebook page?

That's the topic for this Sunday's #BlogChat on Twitter, which I'll be cohosting with corporate blogging baron Mack Collier. Here are the details:

BlogChat on Twitter
8-9 p.m. Central
Sunday, Feb. 20
To participate, simply follow the #BlogChat hashtag and jump on in.

I'll be singing the praises of Facebook, while Mack defends the flexibility and search-friendly mojo of blogging.

Obviously, I don't have a real beef with business blogs. You're reading one right now, and I'm far more active in blogging personally than I am on Facebook. But I do think this topic raises a fun debate about whether blogging is right for every business — or whether Facebook is as all-encompassing as some might think.

I look forward to the chat, and I hope you can join in.

Photo credit: Kate Gardiner on Flickr.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

The blogger who saved Christmas.

As we prepare to take a brief break for Christmas, we wanted to share this tremendously uplifting story, one that just makes you want to go out and hug strangers. Or at least bloggers. Or at least Jenny Lawson.

Lawson, aka "The Bloggess," is one of the funniest women on the Web, hands-down. But this Christmas, her trademark snark has been set aside in favor of tremendous generosity.

It began as a simple plan to send $30 Amazon gift cards to 20 families who couldn't afford to buy presents for their children. When far more than 20 commenters began sharing their stories of hardship, other readers offered to pitch in to help.

Here's the first update Lawson posted:

"When things seemed dicey and I was about to call for an end to comments a wonderful man emailed me and told me that he’s so enjoyed the community on this blog that he wanted to donate $1000, no questions asked.  So, ten people who were really struggling woke up this morning to $100 in their paypal accounts.  Another reader offered $250 to a family in desperate need.  A doll-clothes store owner sent sent seven beautiful Madame Alexander/American Girl dolls to wait under the tree for seven little girls who truly needed a single happy surprise in their lives right now."

That was posted Dec. 17. It was just the beginning.

Several updates and heart-warming anecdotes later, Lawson posted this conclusion:

"Over 900 gift cards were sent out by 689 people who were so thrilled to help. 450 people who needed small Christmas miracles received small donations for medicine, food and presents under the tree for their children.  No large corporations got involved.  No one only offered to donate if they got something out of it themselves.  With no sponsorships, no ulterior motives and with only a simple need to reach out and help a perfect stranger 689 everyday, normal people (Jewish, Christians, Atheists, Muslims and more) sent out over $40,000 worth of donations to make sure Christmas came."

I think Washington Post blogger Melissa Bell captured this phenomenon best with this summary:

"Reading the comments is like watching a ticker tape equivalent to the end of 'It's a Wonderful Life,' with the whole town coming out to pay off George Bailey's debt."

For those of us who might have grown a little more cynical about social media this year, I hope this story serves as a warm reminder that the community spirit is just as alive today as it's ever been. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple, wonderful gesture to remind us.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

 Photo credit: Michael Hicks on Flickr.

 

Corporate bloggers should get to the point, unlike the execs at Twitter and Facebook.

As I write this, Facebook is announcing its new, streamlined approach to privacy settings. I'll have more on that topic soon, but first I wanted to get something off my chest.

Corporate bloggers need to get to the point. And that's exactly what the leadership teams at Facebook and Twitter are not doing. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's blog post today on the new privacy settings waxes introspective for 550 words before actually describing the new settings. You're a Facebook user, right? Do you really care about how the site has evolved from a college community to feature-rich, global powerhouse? More to the point, do you care enough to plow through such a history lesson before reading about the breaking news on privacy settings?

Earlier this week, Twitter took a similar (but even more meandering) approach to announcing its new restrictions on ad networks. Under headlines like "Enduring Value" and "Ecosystem Clarity," COO Dick Costolo devoted 611 words to praising Twitter's role as an information hub before even beginning to describe the new advertising rules.

People, the Gettysburg Address is only 246 words long.

I know that it's important for companies to give context when they're describing a change in policy, especially a major one, but can we please dial back the self-indulgence a bit and respect our customers enough to value their time?

I could keep going, but you get the point.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Photo credit: Molas on Flickr.

Why moms shouldn't feel guilty about blogging.

It’s hard to believe that, more than 10 years after the advent of blogging, mainstream news outlets still crank out so many cringe-inducing articles on “those crazy bloggers and their narcissistic ways.”

The most recent offender was The New York Times, which belittled tens of thousands of online moms Friday with its piece, “Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building My Brand.”

Most of the article (about a recent conference for mom bloggers) is pretty vanilla fare, but the overall presentation was insulting not only to mom bloggers but also to almost any working mom.

A few things that set a bad tone for the article from the start:

• It’s in the Fashion and Style section. Not Business. Not Technology. Fashion and Style.

• The headline, which essentially tells you, “This is a story about women neglecting their children.”

• The accompanying graphic, shown at right, which elaborates on the idea that, “This is a story about women neglecting their children.”

Now let me say, I have no problem with a news outlet that examines how mom bloggers do or don’t balance their online lives with their parenting responsibilities. But that’s not what this story is about. In fact, it never even comes up, except in passing.

Heck, I would argue that this is actually a pretty good story that delves into lots of the complicated issues facing bloggers. What it’s doing in that section, with that headline and that graphic, I have no idea.

It’s like finding an earnest story on feminism in the 1950s, under the headline, “Sorry, Billy, you’ll have to steal lunch from a railyard hobo, because mommy’s getting a ‘job’!”

There’s obviously been a lot of debate among mom bloggers already, and I think they’re more than justified to be incensed.

Here’s an excerpt from the stellar rebuttal on Mom-101.com:

“I guess it could also have been titled Honey Don't Bother Mommy. I'm Making Ends Meet for Our Family in a Tough Economy but that doesn't seem as enticingly condescending. Also, then it would have to go in the business section and not fashion + style and that would just mess up everything!"

(You should definitely read the whole thing. It covers a lot more ground than I can even attempt.)

So what should the media know about mom bloggers? I feel like I have enough professional and personal experience working with many of these women to share at least a few ideas:

1. They are individuals with completely different motivations and goals. They’re not part of some Park Slope hivethink, and they don’t all aspire to become Dooce.

2. The best of them work harder than almost anyone I know. You don’t run a site like DealSeekingMom.com, TypeAMom.net or BargainBriana.com without busting your hump. For women like them, it is a job, one that requires a rare and intense degree of writing ability, organization and initiative.

3. Should some mom bloggers pay more attention to their kids? Maybe, but whose place is it to say? What’s the right thing to do? Dote on your kids every second instead of working or maintaining any connection to the outside world? If that’s good parenting, then my daughter is in for a rough road.

4. The reason mom bloggers always seem to “clump together,” whether it’s at conferences or in digital communities, is because they support each other. They respect how difficult it is to be yourself, be a great writer, be a great mother and scratch out a living in a crowded field, all at the same time. Also, it’s easy for them to get the feeling that they’re chronically misunderstood.

Wonder where they get that idea?

UPDATE: The author of the piece has written her own blog post in response. It's worth a read and has sparked quite a bit more discussion in her comments section.

Five ways to avoid writing a blog post you’ll regret.

Whether you’re a corporate blogger, a paid contributor or just a self-appointed scribe of modern culture, you’re destined to write a blog post or two that you’ll come to regret.

In rare cases, these are the posts you’ll be forced to take down or “clarify” multiple times. But most often, they’ll go unnoticed by everyone except you. They’re the posts that, in retrospect, just weren’t ready for prime time.

Today, I wanted to share five tips on avoiding posts that will come back to haunt you:

1. Don’t use popular Internet lingo.

“FAIL!” “Pwn3d!” “I can haz ROI?” Seeing words like these in a professional’s blog is like hearing your parents say them in public.

Co-opting Internet culture isn’t just irritating; it’s like giving your blog post an expiration date, one that likely passed months before you wrote it.

I’m a big fan of giving your blog — even a corporate blog — a conversational voice, but the key word is “conversational.” Would you actually say one of these phrases out loud in a professional environment? If not, leave the lingo on Xbox Live and write the way you talk.

2. Sleep on it.

Thanks to the immediacy of social media, it’s easy to feel pressured into a quick reply when you want to write about something topical. But this sort of hair-trigger blogging also makes you vulnerable to rumor, retraction and overreaction.

I’ve long warned people, “Don’t blog angry.” But in a professional environment, it’s rare that people are writing in an emotional frenzy. More often, they’re just writing about initial reactions to breaking news. The next morning, they awake to find there was more to the story and that their snap judgments weren’t quite dead-on.

So next time you’re about to weigh in on something hot and saucy, make the hard decision. Leave it in draft form and come back in the morning. If it still holds water in the harsh light of day, post it with confidence.

3. Check your facts as carefully as your spelling.

Maybe it’s because I began my career as a newspaper reporter, but I never feel comfortable with second-hand sources. I love original, verifiable documentation.

But it’s become common practice for bloggers to quote bloggers who quote bloggers, etc. You end up with an increasingly inaccurate chain of coverage that never looks back.

So next time you’re basing a post on someone else’s post, follow the (often byzantine) trail of “via” links until you find the original. You should still give credit to the blog where you found it, but I doubt they’ll take offense if you spend some time checking their sources.

4. Being critical of someone? Call them up.

This is the one bit of advice that makes my fellow bloggers look at me like I’m some kind of backwoods rube who just wandered in off the carrot farm. But I still stand by it, even if I violate it nine times out of 10.

If you’re going to critique someone’s work, you should give them a chance to defend themselves. And one of the strange ironies of the Internet is that the phone is now more effective than ever as a way of getting in touch with someone right away.

I need to be better about this, and so does every other blogger. For all the talk of how bloggers are supplanting mainstream media, journalists continue to be superior when it comes to giving people a fair shake.

Calling sources is a standard and inescapable part of news gathering. But it’s also time-consuming and awkward. Unfortunately, it has never become a norm for blogging the way it has for journalism, and I feel strongly that our culture has suffered for it.

5. Read it out loud.

This is as easy as it gets. But it can also give you a harsh dose of reality.

Before you write a blog post — any blog post — you should read the whole thing out loud. Does it sound strained? Repetitive? Vague? Overly long?

You can learn a lot from the sound of your own voice. But you’ll learn even more if there’s someone else in the room. If you really want to test your blogging mettle, read it out loud to a friend, coworker or spouse. I assure you, it won’t sound the way it did in your head, and when you read the final product, you’ll thank yourself for doing it.

What are your secrets to responsible blogging? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Today's photo credits: The Regime band photo by massdistraction on Flickr. Telephone by Splorp on Flickr

Why teens aren't blogging.

This week, the Pew Internet & American Life Project released the results of its fall 2009 survey focusing on the internet habits of teenagers (defined as 12 to 17) and Millennials (18 to 29).

While it's not necessarily news that teens haven't jumped on the Twitter train yet, what is interesting is the drop in teen activity on blogs. The study found that 14% of online teens were blogging, compared to 28% just in 2006. Additionally the number of teens commenting on blogs has dropped from 76% to 52% since 2006.

But this report isn't about changes in teen attitudes over the past few years. What it's highlighting is the result of drastic changes in the social media landscape.

In 2006, college-oriented Facebook was just two years old when it changed the social media game by opening up to high school students. Soon after, the city and regional networks would open it up to the entire world (and their cats).

Until then, blogging had been the best option for teens who wanted to express themselves and share with their friends. The problem is that blogging is a largely open form of communication and teens are a notoriously private bunch. Teenagers blogged because it was one of the only social channels available to them, not because it was necessarily the best fit.

Outside of LiveJournal, few blogging sites provided the level of privacy and security that teenagers want.  So it’s not surprising that, as soon as they had the option, teenagers retreated from the blogosphere and embraced Facebook, with its privacy settings, networks, friend requests, pictures, status updates, and so many groups, pages, and apps your head could explode with opportunities for self-expression.

Kammie Avant is a social media planner for Luckie & Company. You can contact her by e-mail or follow @KammieAvant on Twitter.

Photo Credit: CakeFace Originals on Flickr

Day 27: Create a digital notepad of great blog ideas.

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more.

One Saturday, many years ago, I was parking my car on an otherwise empty street in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. A sign near the space said, "Meters enforced 8 a.m.-6 p.m.."

"Wait," I told some of my fellow newspaper reporters, "does that include the weekend? I mean, there's no one here."

I was mostly just annoyed and wary of wasting a quarter. But my friend Mike already had his gears turning. He pointed at the meter.

"That's a story."

He was right. In fact, I ended up with a front-page story, one that motivated the city to begin updating and labeling all its parking meters with accurate hours. Not a high-water mark in civic journalism, perhaps, but I was proud.

We were all pretty good reporters, but what continues to make Mike great is his ability to spot a story idea anywhere. More importantly, he writes down these random thoughts as soon as they surface.

Looking at that weathered, gunmetal-gray parking meter on a Saturday morning, I resolved to start doing the same.

I fell out of the habit when I left journalism, but now I've embraced it once again, and I encourage you to do the same. It's hands-down one of the simplest tips for increasing the quality and quantity of your blog output — at home or at work.

The note-scratching system you use is obviously up to you, but I definitely encourage you to create an online document that you can access and update from anywhere.

These days, I'm a slave to Google Docs, which let you create Microsoft Word- or Excel-style documents and pull them up anywhere you have Web access.

So today's goal is simple. If you don't already have a content calendar or online notepad for your blog ideas, take a few minutes to create one. If you already have one, I'm guessing it could stand to be purged and polished for 2010.

Here are a few tools that might help:

• Google Mobile App: The good news is, you can use this popular app to edit your Google Docs from any iPhone or Android-based smart phone. The bad news? If you're on an iPhone, you can only edit spreadsheets, not Word-style documents. So if you want to type your notes directly into Google Docs from your iPhone, be sure you make it a spreadsheet on Day 1.

• Google Tasks: If you don't mind a bit on-screen clutter, I love using Google Tasks for short-term lists. It pops like a chat window on the bottom of your Gmail screen and can integrate with your Google calendar. I like making one-week lists of blog posts for The Social Path and the other sites I write for, then checking them off as I get finished. It's downright cathartic. You can also access and update these through the Google Mobile App, and it's quite a bit easier than doing the same with Google Docs.

• iPhone Notes: You can theoretically sync the built-in iPhone Notes app with Mac OS X Mail or Microsoft Outlook, but I have to admit I've never done it. This was a very late feature to the iPhone, and it rolled out so slowly, I never really took the time to make it part of my routine. But if you're a zealous iPhone Notes user, it might be worth considering.

• Evernote: This service helps you create and recall notes from almost anywhere, and it's had a pretty devoted user base for the past few years as similar sites came and went. I personally like that it incorporates screenshots and photos from your cell phone, which can both be valuable to a blogger.

• Remember the Milk: One of the truly classic and useful apps, Remember the Milk is a task organizer that's so flexible, it can easily be repurposed into a blog idea aggregator.

Heck, maybe you just end up using an old-fashioned notepad and pen. All that really matters is that you make a list of good ideas and keep it up to date. Otherwise, you'll spend your small amounts of free time wishing you had more things to blog about rather than, you know, blogging about them.

Estimated time needed: 10 minutes, maybe an hour to start seeding it with good ideas.
Benefits: Better planning and more creativity in your online writing.

Photo credit: Szymon Kochanski on Flickr.

Day 26: Highlight the best of your blog.

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more.

Whether you've been blogging for years or weeks, you've probably got a few posts you're proud of.

Today, I encourage you to think back through those posts and find some that best represent your voice, your value, your goals — you know, the ones that show why someone should be reading your site in the first place.

I've always loved blogs that feature their "best of" posts. When you first discover a new site, this is a great way to get a feel for the place.

And yet I've never created such a list for The Social Path. Why not? Maybe I don't like playing favorites, or maybe my general aversion to self-promotion has kept me away. Whatever was holding me back, it ends today.

Featuring your best content isn't about bragging. It's about introducing yourself to new readers and taking pride in your work. Think of it like a portfolio for your blog.

So how do you do it? Well, there are a few approaches you can try.

1. Create a "Best Of" sidebar on your blog.

This takes little more than a few minutes to create, though you might need longer to pick your favorites. Mine is a simple list on the ride sidebar of TheSocialPath.com.

2. Get scientific with it.

If you just want to highlight your most popular posts, there are quite a few tools at your disposal, especially if you're on WordPress.

One of my favorite WordPress gurus, Tammy Hart, recommends the aptly named "Popular Posts" plugin, which you can see in action on her blog.

If you're using a third-party comment system like Disqus, it probably offers a similar feature for your most-viewed, most-commented or most-Tweeted posts.

3. Feature related posts with each entry.

One simple way to keep readers on your blog is to offer up some related content at the end of each post.

To this end, I'm a fan of LinkWithin, a simple blog add-on that uses thumbnail images and headlines to link to related items on your blog.

After we began using it for AdFreak, I quickly grew to like this tool, even if its idea of "related content" can be a bit quizzical at times.

I hope these tips inspire you to unearth the best of your blog and give it a bit more prominence. If you've already had a "best of" list, maybe now's a good time to revisit it and see if it could use some freshening up. Or maybe you're just so good, every new post is your BEST EVER. Hey, at least then you know that your best work is always right at the top of the fold.

Estimated time needed: 30-60 minutes.
Benefits: Increased internal traffic and loyalty on your blog.

Photo credit: terren in Virginia on Flickr.

Day 24: Comment on three of your favorite blogs.

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more.

One of the first topics I ever tackled on The Social Path was one I grapple with even more today: Are blogs still good places for conversation?

Usually, when I read a blog post, I end up not commenting for one of three reasons:

1. It's a massively popular blog where my comment will just be lost in the noise.
2. I have little to say beyond "nice post," and I don't want to look like I'm just planting backlinks to my own blog.
3. I know the author well, so I'm probably more likely to talk to them about the post via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, instant messenger or just over lunch.

On the one hand, this might be where Internet conversation is headed, so fighting the tide could well be wasted effort.

On the other hand, something important is being lost here: permanence.

If I read a good blog post, then decide to chat about it elsewhere, that conversation is essentially lost to history. Twitter, Facebook and Friendfeed are all based in real-time communication, so your discussion -- no matter how insightful or enlightening -- is fleeting at best.

Blog authors know this better than anyone, which is why they're so appreciative of posts left on their posts. Sharing a post on your social network can help build buzz, but comments are the currency of a post's long-term value. 

I should note too that, yes, consistent commenting on blogs can be a considerable traffic generator for your site, assuming of course your signature includes a link back to your blog or other account. But I prefer to see this as an added bonus for leaving a meaningful comment, not a motivation to leave the comment in the first place.

So take a few minutes today to roll up your sleeves and leave strong comments on three or four of your favorite blogs. The authors will be glad you did, but more importantly, it'll help you get in the habit of leaving your comfort zone and contributing to a conversation that will last for years after the retweets have gone silent.

For those curious, here are the three I commented on today:

• The Toad Stool: "Multimedia Madness." A quick but thought-provoking piece by Alan Wolk on why we've never been able to weave text and video together seamlessly.
• LouisGray.com: "XING Closing The Door On Socialmedian by January 31st." Silicon Valley analyst Louis Gray updates us on the fate of Socialmedian, a socially powered tech news aggregator whose role (in my opinion) was supplanted by real-time forums like Twitter and Facebook.
• MackCollier.com: "I’m leaving, and I’m taking your social media strategy with me!" Corporate consultant Mack Collier asks what would happen if your company's one-person social media team up and left.

Estimated time needed: 10-30 minutes.
Benefits: Better social involvement and enduring conversation.

Today's photo credit: Merezha on Flickr.