In my morning blog roundup I came across a very interesting post from Corbett Barr over at FreePursuits.com.  In the article he was discussing how the “fake it til you make it” mentality has gone somewhat awry in the arena online business and marketing.  I’m sure we can think of a people who brand themselves as “experts”, “visionaries”, etc in the contact of social media and marketing.  Admittedly I have been guilty of this as well with my own tag line as “social media visionary.”  However, the way Corbett puts it: it’s how you apply this  mentality that will eventually lead to your success or downfall.

I’ll use myself as an example.  When the concept of IRM was being formed I immediately jumped on the wagon and branded myself a “visionary.”  That’s a pretty strong branding title considering I was brand new to twitter, but not so new to other social media platforms.  When speaking to clients I made sure to explain my own journey in understanding how social media helped (and continues) to build my own brand through various endeavors.  I brought the confidence I had to the table assuring that with my help someone could realize their own personal success with the help of various online platforms.  After reading and re-reading Corbett’s post it gave me a little nudge that sometimes happen when you become complacent in your current settings.  The F.I.T.Y.M.I mentality is only helpful if you are constantly staying ahead of the curve absorbing information that can help you achieve another piece of the puzzle or otherwise you are in for a rude awakening.

I approached my first online profile with trepidation, and it went downhill from there. I was afraid of giving up my privacy and embarrassed to put myself “out there” so boldly and for all to see. This wasn’t a resume hardly anyone would see, it was a broadcast document, and the process of creating it made me see myself in a whole new light.

 I want to be available to a wide network of potential clients and employers, so I elected to write a strictly professional LinkedIn profile that does not compromise my personal life. I put up work-related information, and I make it as available as possible. My privacy qualms evaporated. 

As I started writing, I got confronted with the big existential questions- who am I? What do I have to offer? What’s it all about, Alfie? The resume’s accumulation of life’s work didn’t work at all in this format. I saw that this format demands that I show who I really am and what I really have to offer. I’m not two-dimensional after all!

 Over the course of several revisions, I determined key words and taglines –  pithy descriptions of me. I then expanded, but in a succinct manner. As I developed my profile, I become a sleeker, more elegant creature.

 After overcoming the discomforts, I began to have some real fun. I got great feedback from several of the people to whom I linked. I reconnected with long lost work friends, including my first great boss. I got a coveted volunteer position when the recruiter read my LinkedIn profile.

 Online profiles are now an almost living, breathing part of me. They work better when I tend them a few times a week, as I do my garden and my health. They are another avenue of communication and connection with people who are important to me – those I know and those I will meet online.

- Megan A. Bourne

Image Credit: “An Uncomfortable Figure” by Daniel McKernan

This morning I awoke to a very unusual thunderstorm taking place.  While certainly strange for San Francisco it oddly resonated with me as I began my weekend ritual of coffee and catching up on various reading materials. The spark, the motivation to shake things up and reflect on what events have lead me to current disposition.

It has been 18 months since Carlos and I decided to embark on a journey that has allowed us to meet some many creative people both in the social media realm and out.  The mission of IRM was very simple: Offering the Free Gift of Success.  Although, my past couple of months have been spent in the medical industry Carlos has been steadfast in helping people achieve their dream through the use of social media.  Through workshops and speaking engagments, Carlos has been able to display that all you need is an idea and vehicle to get you to success.  Although a simple concept often times it’s difficult to implement against the backdrop of outside demands on one’s time and energy.  But as I am reminded again of the displaced thunderstorm, stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to truly begin your ascent to success.  Things may be bumpy, uncertain, and sometimes bleak, but your passion should continue to blaze a torch to something greater.

While brainstorming with a colleague, he mentioned how he wanted to work more on own business but after a long day at his job the energy to work on his passion was just not there.  For most of us, our dream career does not often align with the job we have to sustain life on a daily basis. This often means that our dream gets placed on the back burner til we have more time.

With this in mind and a backlog of articles sitting on my desk I came across R.O.W.E or “Results-Only Work Environment.” This theory behind this concept is that if you allow people to work on their own time and at their own pace they will be more creative and focused and more work will get done.  Applying this to my endeavors it became clear that I would have to give this concept a try. The convenient feature of creating  your career through Social Media is that it can be done anywhere and at anytime. There is no office, no company structure, and you are free to utilize it as much or as little as you please.

So for this next week, I will take the R.O.W.E challenge and apply it my goals for iRM Consulting.

With Social Media comes the temptation of being constantly connected.  “Digging this,” “Tweeting that” or “Stumbling on something.”  Granted some people find their greatest reward in sharing information with other 24 hours, 7 days a week. But what about those who want a healthy balance?  Having a fulfilled lifestyle yet being on the pulse of related to Social Media and cutting edge technology.

Recently I came across FreePursuits.com.   It is a site dedicated to exploring the different ways that people use their creative prowess and new technology to excel in their professional life without compromising their personal life.

I found it absolutely interesting because in my opinion those who rely on social media professionally (and other high tech careers) often times feel the uneven balance between work life and personal life.  In your own Lifestyle Design how intertwined is your professional and personal life?

Carlos Hernandez, @carloshernandez  along with Des Walsh, @deswalsh and Barbara Rozgony, @wiredprworks appeared with host Toby Bloomberg, @tobydiva on BlogTalkRadio (click for link to podcast) to discuss how baby boomers are stepping into Social Media.  As a Gen Y member this discussion was interesting to listen on because it highlighted some fundamental differences between on how social media is being harnessed by an older generation vs. 20-somethings.

Be sure to check it out!  http://tinyurl.com/cndsra

Today, I was reading an iMedia Connection article entitled “ A Scalable Agency Solution for an Ailing Economy.”  In it David Shor was discussing that due to the plummeting nature of our economy many brands are outsourcing their sales initiatives to their marketing agencies.  In turn the marketing agencies share revenue that is generated for their client, which Shor calls DPM or Digital Performance Marketing arrangements.

While this type of partnership seems as a win-win some brands are hesitant to share with another party who’s primary objective is to further their own brand.  I pondered how this collaboration exists in the Social Media environment.  For example, iRM is an advocate for the small business entrepreneur.  Those who want to see their professional dreams expand, but may not have the resources to harnesses their potential.  We actively share our knowledge with those willing to engage which in turns allows iRM to thrive as we develop our own dreams.

Although there is little revenue involved I see this as a type of DPM partnership as it is knowledge about social media communities and experience that is being shared between two parties as a stepping stone to greater success.  Whether you have 1 client or 100, the question you must ask yourself at some point is “How much are you sharing with your clients, and whether or not both parties are benefiting from the partnership?”

Within the past week I have noticed a slight increase in the number of people who are following me on twitter.  While most are new social media gurus looking to connect and share ideas, others are recognizable old friends.  “How did they know I’m on Twitter,” was my first thought, but then I realized that I had a Twitter app located my Facebook profile.  Still these friends were die hard Facebookers, and in the past when we discussed Twitter their simple response was, “I don’t get Twitter.”  Given the new revelation I decided to hold an informal debate regarding the issue.  The consistent theme of this debate was the difference between static and dynamic conversation.

A number of the new Twitter converts were recently unemployed and tapping every possible outlet for job leads.  With Twitter they felt that they had a better chance of stumbling upon someone who were currently in their desired industry, and hopefully by following their tweets could get the jump on possible job openings.  “Why not use Facebook for the same purpose,” I asked at the height of the debate.  Although the Facebook status update is similar to a tweet, they function somewhat differently in their perspective environments.  FB status updates are normally viewed as a user’s personal real-time diary; how they’re feeling, what they’re doing.  Where as a tweet, while used for the same purpose, by in a large contains a dynamic piece of information whether it be a question up for debate or a link to outside information.

The intersection for these two mediums of social media is of course the ability to import your tweets to your FB status updates.  While this tool is handy, I believe that sometimes the chaotic nature of the tweet is lost when translated over to Facebook.  It becomes lost in the jungle of photos, fan page updates, and friend profile changes that  have a tendency to clog the News Feed.  The debate ended with everyone exchanging their Twitter handles and a couple of “I’ll be sure to follow you!”  However, I was left with this question:

How is it that two seemingly similar social media tools function entirely different in the same environment?

How can Social Media Tools enhance a B2B Relationship? Having always thought of social media as a way of establishing one’s brand, I never really paid much attention to the various ways that companies could use SM to establish a relationship with other companies.

In my opinion B2C has been more flexible and open to using somewhat unwieldy social media resources. However, it is becoming apparent that B2B relationships are tapping into social media to enhance their perspective brands. iMediaConnection’s article “How to use social media in B2B Marketing.” Is a great starting point for those looking to strengthen their B2B relationships. The article points out that B2B use of social media is centered around the idea of creating profitable exposure for both companies by harnessing the viral force that social media communities offer. I would take this notion a step farther and suggest that in order for this venture to succeed both companies have to already have some type of presence in the social media realm. Chris Brogan describes this principle as “Be there before the Sale.” In order to get any type of value out of social media you have to be willing to engage on a very basic level in order to see any type of return. Through both companies, the consumer needs to see and feel that there is a realistic interaction occurring between them and both companies to warrant future brand loyalty.

Although B2B is different from B2C, their focus is ultimately the same: finding an innovative way of connecting with their audience.  What are your thoughts?

And now the day after.  While witnessing what I consider to be a major event in the lives of all Americans I realized I had the best seat at the inauguration..right in front of my computer screen.  Attempting to remain productive during the events of yesterday proved even more tedious as my CNN/Facebook screen was constantly updating with my Friends’ statuses who were also watching history in the making.  We, the people, involved in this real-time exchange of information also made history.  Social Media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter saw their traffic reach outrageous numbers as more and more people joined the conversation about the installation of our 44th President of the United States.  Carlos Hernandez, iRM’s Chief Evangelist, wrote an awesome piece, “On This Day…Ultimate Networking,” about how social media was at the forefront of sharing information during this historic time in America.

“As for me, the day held great significance, not as a person of color, but as an American.”  These words spoken by my mother during our daily conversation sums up how I feel about the recent turn of events, and keeps me inspired for what is to come.

The iRM blog is not political in nature, but Carlos and I felt that it was important to share our thoughts.

Yes we can!