After all, the size of the iPad makes many people feel like its “not truly a mobile device” or “it’s too large to use in the field.” Au contraire, I say:

There was another post in the queue for this week, but I had to move it after running into a slew of sites that made some basic errors that made it almost impossible to link to them because I knew the that people on the other end were going to have a bad experience.

I’m not going to publicly excoriate these guys.. but they’re major agencies and companies that have the budgets to know better that are making this crucial mistake.

This week, we’re going to kick off the series with the first of three critical mobile site mistakes.. The walkabout link.

The Walkabout Link

You receive a link in email on your iPhone, Android, iPad or other mobile device to a deal. Or a press information. Or whatever. You click it. And then end up on their.. home page?

Many poor implementations of mobile sites will redirect any page that isn’t in the mobile site tree to the home page. This is a critical mistake, because people want to go where the link is advertised to take them. Users get frustrated and leave in this scenario, and there’s also a high probably a savvy content person isn’t going to share your link because they know their mobile audience can’t see it.

The solution: Every link on your site, if you’re going to have a mobile version, should auto-detect that it’s being used by a mobile device and reformat the content with the same URL. Also, at the bottom of the page, the user should have the ability to turn off said mobile formatting. In almost all cases, there should not be a separate setup for mobile sites. At the very least, let people see the regular sized page and give them the content they were expecting.

Stop by next week for part two of mobile site madness. Your users will thank you, and so will your pocketbook.

But how high will you jump for a QR code? On the way to a birthday party, we found this out.. and that two slightly out of shape guys can’t quite get the pro basketball level “air” to be able to snap it with our phone. We were trying our best Michael Jordan impressions to read this QR code off a banner from the street, which was placed a good twenty to thirty feet off the ground. Suffice it to say, it didn’t work.

Here’s the deal. We were both into this social stuff. We’re going through a lot of work the normal person just isn’t going to do. These QR codes were put on these banners to look cool without a single thought of usability.

And I see this all of the time.

Funnily enough, days after, I was meeting with a client of mine who the folks on high at their office were all high on QR codes. “Where can we put them?”

I then pointed to the billboard across the road. Thing is, if there was a QR code on it, there’s no way either of us could scan it. And while you’re driving? Forget about it. And here comes the intrinsic problems with QR codes.

QR codes sound cool at first, but usually they’re implemented without thought so they become useless decoration.

To most of the population (i.e. your likely customers), they’re funny looking boxes that take a lot of work to use. It seems silly to put so much work and devote so much visible space to something when you don’t actually understand how to use it to your benefit.

Simply, a QR code is a visual representation of a link that your phone can read.

There are times – when it’s right in front of you – a QR code can work. But even if it physically works, so many people are doing things like sending people to flash sites and other non-mobile optimized places, rendering them useless to most mobile devices.

See, if someone is using a QR code, they’re probably on their phone. So you need to make the experience an easy one, as well as a clear conversion point (that is, know what you want people to do). It needs to be a page that initially loads fast and gets the point across immediately. But many marketers, in their zeal to up-sell clients for extra bucks and make them “look cool,” throw user experience and conversions out the window.

So in certain print situations, I can see a use and have seen efficacy for them (as opposed to a list of ‘theoretical’ ways someone could). And when you’re in production, always have a phone that has a QR code reader and TEST what you are going to put out there and make sure it’s truly easy before you green light.

Here’s some ways QR codes have been or could be useful:

1) Facebook and Twitter - I’ve seen some good user stories around taking people straight to pages. But the social outpost you take them to needs to be engaging.

2) Mass transit – if you could scan the QR code on the sign that is right at your level, and it gives you the next bus or subway time at that stop, that would be awesome (already being done in Florida).

3) RSVP – You have an invitation and the link takes you to a mobile-optimized page where you can sign up/RSVP to an event.

4) Enter to win – Contests have seen a modicum of success in tech-savvy areas.

5) Tour or historical info – I could see a QR code next to a landmark or other site and that takes you to a mobile info page for that exact site with possibly an audio MP3 that plays on your phone as part of a tour.

And some dubious suggestions I’ve seen on the internet:

1) On billboards – Really? Are you serious? Have you practically tried this? I’ve tried numerous times and it doesn’t work.

2) In e-mail – Pointless. You’re already on a computer. QR codes work best on mobile, they’re intended to take the physical digital. Provide a link.

3) Foursquare – Most people are not logged into their mobile browsers and a QR code with your Foursquare address will not always work. And if you think people are going to do the work to log in, you’re wrong. Scanning a QR code for check in is not currently embedded in the app, either. So that’s a pipe dream. Once it is native to the mobile app, people would truly take advantage of it.

Another thing to note – I’d cite some data about who uses QR codes, but research shows lots of contradicting information right now. It’s up 50%, 500% or 1200% or some other number depending on the study, and some will tell you it’s 18-35 and others will tell you 25-46 or some variant. Some studies will say more iPhone users use QR codes, other say more Android users. In short, there’s no consistent data because so to say that the “data” proves it’s good for “x demographic” would be incorrect.

However, if you are literally street smart and focused when you use QR codes, you can connect with new customers. And once app makers include QR reading in-app, you could see a lot more usage (i.e. Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, etc).

One of the criticisms of the tablet is that it’s not a content creation device. Well, over the past few months, I’ve found that supposition to be completely incorrect, especially with the coming of the iPad 2. Sure, the video camera on it isn’t the best ever – but it is sure functional. And some might feel that not having a real keyboard is a deal breaker. But that can be quickly remedied – and honestly, I’ve found that if you just trust it you can get very excellent results off of it (in fact, I’ve posted many pieces of content with it, never touching a “real” keyboard). One of the things I’ve learned is that it’s not always about the quality, but what you have on hand, and the iPad helps you become a mobile reporting maven if you let it.

In my travels, I’ve live-blogged, live-tweeted, shot, edited, then uploaded videos on a tour bus, on a boat, and on the street – all off of the iPad 2. But, it doesn’t come out of the box with the functionality you need. For the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on blogging and video creation.

Blogging

First off, forget the official WordPress app. It’s from all appearances made for nerds, not writers. Get Blogsy. It has so many bundled-in features, and most of all, it gives you supreme control over formatting and the ability to post to different platforms. You edit your text, properly format pictures, access your media library, and without as much of the nerdy coding subtext. Yes, you can have that control if you want it, but writers need to write, not be bothered with the fiddly bits. Here’s a few key points:

• Make sure you have permission to use the photos you select. Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean there are not rights attached to it; look for “Creative Commons” with the appropriate license on Flickr, purchase stock imagery, or use what you shot yourself. And always make sure to give proper credit when using photos with a link.




• I really like the cover Apple sells for the iPad 2. It provides a nice typing surface when you flip it over at a good angle. If you really need a physical keyboard, the Bluetooth Apple Wireless keyboard works as well I’ve heard some through a USB adapter for the docking port.




• Might wanna think about Photoshop Express for the iPad. Then you can really get the photos you take how you like them.

Video Creation

iMovie for the iPad 2 is surprisingly powerful. I love watching people light up when I show them how to edit everything from sideshows to voiceovers to news packages. I remember the days not ten years ago where you needed insanely expensive equipment that made loud (albeit satisfying) noises as the tapes whirred and clunked to make edits happen. A few words to the wise are important, though.

• Don’t worry about being too fancy. Any editor worth his or her salt will tell you that what you really need are cuts, dissolves, and solid camera work to tell a story, and everything else like funky transitions is usually superfluous noise. Yes, they have themes. And unless you’re trying to be cutesy, stick with something like “Simple.”
• The camera is easily comparable to a vaunted and discontinued flip cam, but one caveat – when it is dark, the picture will start to fall apart. Always go for the outdoor or well lit shot if you can, and this stuff is for online video. I’ve taken a look on larger screens, and the video, although it says HD, isn’t as pretty as Apple advertises. But it does the job.
• Remember, message power over megapixels. In news and social content, most times the best camera is the one you have with you. For quick, live, on the scene media, having all of this in one device is really handy, and videos I’ve shot have gotten thousands of views from the iPad 2. That said, know your limits. For finished productions, things requiring color correction or effects, corporate, and advertising work, you’re gonna wanna stick to your pro cameras and editing gear. People still really do notice. Also, your titling options in iMovie are very limited (but functional).

Uploading your content

Both Blogsy and iMovie have YouTube support. It has been my personal experience that if you want something to really travel, despite the higher visual quality of services like Vimeo, YouTube is where the big community is and that’s where you need to be. If you find the comments too vapid, you can turn them off; however, remember, comments many times drive additional views and you can take the initiative and moderate them.

So there’s a few tips on the iPad 2 as a blogging and video creation tool. What techniques/apps/etc. have you found in your experience?

Postscript: Turns out a major update is coming very soon for Blogsy (thanks to them reaching out and spreading the word). I’ll be sure to grab it as soon as it comes out and give you the skinny.

But then I learned about Trey Pennington. Trey, although I didn’t know him in person, retweeted this blog and we interacted with me back and forth online, and was one of the top social media folks in the country. He took his life today after fighting depression, which I found out on Facebook.

This is not a post about Trey, per se; but this post is the story he has inspired me to share, and along with heeding the call of David Murray to not be afraid to talk about this tough subject.

“Mommy, Why Are You So Sad?”

It was a question I’d ask every once in awhile, because my mom wouldn’t go out and see the other moms at events. She didn’t didn’t go to the PTA conferences, never volunteered for much with school, and didn’t otherwise interact socially with people she didn’t know.

She was eventually ostracized by neighbors, and that turned into the ostracising of me until I reached the middle of high school. There must be something wrong at the house, “obviously.”

But instead of helping, people wrote nasty unsigned letters and left them (I know because I’d get  the mail and sometimes the envelope wouldn’t be sealed or there would be no envelope, and they fell out and I would read them). Or they would tell their kids outlandish stories and I’d hear, “My mom said that your mom…” which I’m sure were a combination of actual gossip and pre-teen bullying.

Of course, coming home after such incidents, I remember asking that question of “Mommy, why are you so sad?” and “Is there anything I can do?” And she’d answer that she just is and she’d try to be better.

I remember her very clearly, when I was 8, 9, 10 years old.. and sadly, her condition got much worse. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask any questions by the time I turned eleven.

She died in her sleep, best as anyone can tell, due to a heart attack caused by an overdose of anti-depressant drugs. Was never ruled a suicide, but frankly, as we had very little money and she had no insurance, there wasn’t much time spent on her so we’ll never know all the particulars.

And, 20+ years ago, a lot less was understood about all of this in the medical field, and also in the public.

I remember after she died, the class and parents of students I was in wrote me notes.. and I got a few really nice ones. Some, however, included messages like, “I’m glad she died. She wouldn’t talk to anyone anyway.”

There’s a definite stigma with depression, and those who are different. People tend to not understand that when someone has depression, it’s rare if ever they can just “snap” out of how they’re feeling. And I can guarantee you they don’t wanna feel depressed. But what they really need is not your chiding, not your exclusion, but a hug and a kind word.

It’s possible my mom would be here today if that love had happened, instead of reinforcing that negative overwhelming feeling as evidenced in her last writings about how she was pushed away by everyone and wished she could do something to make it stop.

Every single case is different, but being close to quite a few people in my life who deal with depression, sometimes what they really need is a dose of “love-ium” and understanding. It can help people, from my limited experience, with stopping depression turning into more drastic consequences, such as illicit drug use, alcoholism (a very common self-medicator), and destructive negative behavior to get attention.

So go forth and hand out love-ium this week in mass quantities. Help make it okay for people to share their stories. Maybe it’ll help someone else.

My prayers are with Trey, his family and loved ones this evening. If you have thoughts of suicide, reach out. There are resources to help.

But there’s a bigger play afoot. One that is representative of the economic forces we contend with in this day and age.

Accepting the reality that credit as we know it will be harder to come by – possibly for decades to come (due to the economic reset of the past few years – see “The Great Reset” by Richard Florida [affiliate link]), the idea that people can loan money to start their businesses or ideas is becoming less and less of a possibility. Traditional sources of leverage such as the home are out of the picture, as many are underwater in this country. And sure, there are healthy venture capital-funded industries and areas of the nation.. but what about the rest of us?

Throw into the mix the reality that the idea of having a “regular job” is disappearing (most I know who are making it are sewing together 2, 3, or more income streams).. and what is a person to do? What if you need tools? What if you need support?

That was over a decade ago, when my life hit a crossroads. I could either take a job in a TV newsroom in the director track, or an assignment was waiting for me to become a professional umpire.

Although I chose the media track, with twists and turns, there are indelible lessons that being behind the plate taught me that also make me look at life and my work a little different than everyone else at times.

1) Do it 100%. And with confidence.

When you’re umpiring, like in life, people will constantly question your calls, even if the instant replay says you’re right. Why? They have their own agendas, and many times, criticism isn’t about you but their situation. That’s why it’s also important to “sell” the call. That doesn’t mean overdo it; it means go up, make your call, and stick behind it. Own it. It’s your call, because if you don’t, the whole ballpark will rain down on you.

2) It’s not about you. It’s about the game and everyone else.

A good or great umpire you never hear about. Umpires are, and maybe it’s my biased opinion, intrinsic to the game of baseball. Their calls keep the game moving; their pacing can make the game more fun. But if you’re talked about too much, you’re taking away from the game. That’s a humbling lesson a lot could learn in social media. In this era of “personal brands,” I so often see the “me me me” show across the blogosphere – and the people who are really making it? Actually cashing a paycheck for doing the work instead of the scheme of “here’s my kit to learn how to make zillions in social media?”

You don’t always hear about them. They may not have 25,000 Twitter followers. And if they are really active? They’re lifting others up, unselfishly.

That’s because they’re not always in front. The people who need to know who they are know them. And frankly, over the years, I’ve found companies that actually spend money usually prefer it that way. Much like in baseball, your name is on the lineup card, but if the broadcasters are talking about you after the opening lineup is read, you’ve done something wrong. They need to be talking about the game and the work of the players.

Wanna combat me with the “well such and such athlete has a sponsorship deal..?” Let’s get real. That’s maybe a couple hundred people. Unless you make millions of dollars to throw a football or a shoot a basketball, those rules do not apply to you.

3) Be consistent.

It’s said you can call any strike zone you want, as long as it’s in the same place all game. And that’s how you should be. Deliver, deliver, deliver. Every time in my life I’ve not been consistent is when I’ve gotten into trouble.

4) Make it fun.

I’d have a signature “Foul ball!” call. It made people smile and knew I was paying attention. If you’re having fun with it, in some ways, people know you’re actually involved because you know enough about what’s going on to crack a joke or two.

5) Safe is safe, out is out. Making the right call means some days a whole city hates you, and you will learn who really loves you when you come home that day.

Although the world is full of grey, safe is safe and out is out. It’s part of the allure of the game of baseball. Definition. And that definition is going to get people mad at you.

But it’s also good to remember that when you’re looking at the social graph or anything else; all of your friends may be going in one direction, and it may feel “cool” to be a part of something, but is that REALLY the space you need to be spending your time in, if you’re being a professional about this? Have you looked at the data and seen if maybe you’re leading your clients astray by having them in the “new cool thing” that actually overlaps so much with what you’re already doing it’s not worth the effort?

Are you clear on what you actually will get out of your work? Kudos are great, but don’t always pay the bills. Are you spinning your wheels in a direction that doesn’t line up with what you need to do? Or, do you need to change your model to fit with current conditions?

5.5) You can’t quit until the game is over.

One thing that irks me that I see all too often – people get the equivalent of an inning or two into a project, and then flake out. We’ve all done it at some point. But you gotta finish the game, no matter what. One of the hardest things when I first umpired – the girl I was dating at the time wanted me to go to a movie. Well, extra innings happened – and she kicked and screamed about it. Well, it turns out that my base umpire had a similar situation and left – and it was just me on the ballfield (to add insult to injury, that base umpire ended up going out with her!). I lost that girl (good riddance), because I should of just quit the game in her eyes.. but you can’t. There were 18 players, who knows how many coaches and whoever else counting on finishing the game. You can’t walk off the field. It’s a responsibility you can’t push off. Things happen. Just remember to set aside time when you’re not on the field for the ones you care about.

What did previous careers or hobbies teach you that you bring into your current occupation?

p.s. Thanks to Amber Naslund for pushing me a few weeks ago to do this post.

“Fail!”

“Never gonna happen!”

“Why do you keep trying these light filaments? You’re NEVER going to succeed!”

“Stupid idea!”

“That idea was a complete #Fail! Fire everyone there. You should hire me instead!”

That’s what Thomas Edison would of seen on the internet as he’s doing the thousands of experiments with his team to create the lightbulb, and reflective of what many say today about any topic. As he was a public figure even before project, the public reactions would of surely been worse.

And many times, when it comes to Detroit, some people have the same sentiments. I thought of this as I stood in front of the Edison fountain in Grand Circus Park yesterday, taking in the beauty as a young couple took their engagement photos in front of it and some folks were running around it like crazy (happy) fools getting soaked. Yet there are people who will inevitably say “that never happens, what were they thinking, they’re gonna get shot” even though I saw it with my own eyes (I didn’t take a picture of the young couple out of respect, but I can tell you, they were beautiful).

Frankly, anyone who has attempted anything has been at the bottom, one with our darkest moments. We really think we’re going to stop trying (I personally have been there).. take the road most traveled. But many times, if you look for it, there will be a light for you at that tunnel.

But you have to believe that light will be there and be open to maybe the solution being something you never thought of before. Letting go of a pattern you’re comfortable with is very hard. Letting go of old scores is very hard too, but also, necessary.

Look at the new Somerset retail partnership downtown – it’s a different way of approaching and trying something and seeing if it works. Who knows if it will. But they’re trying. Which is a lot more than most of the people can say who sit on the sidelines of any project and say, “it’ll never work!” or “it’s not REAL retail!”

Not to say don’t be realistic – there are many challenges to any great work and we should know they are there. Anyone who has ventured anything has been knocked down countless times. But the real measure of a person is the ability to get back up. The ability, as I’ve learned the hard way over the years, to not freak out but to focus and come up with innovative, positive solutions.

One thing to do is to not bring your mental resources to bear about what you don’t have – “if we only had financing, if we only had THIS, we can’t do anything unless we have THAT” (which I’ve learned that’s among the biggest self-defeating lies we tell ourselves as a culture). When you start ignoring that negative crosstalk (a chorus which will always arise when you make forward progress) and start thinking of different ways to overcome the challenge, it’s when you starting making something happen.

So I’m working on expunging the word “Fail” from my vocabulary starting this week.

It’s a “meme” as they say on the internet that needs to die, as it’s useless. The truly successful people I’ve met? They don’t revel in failure.

No one is perfect.. but I also call on you to do the same thing.

If you’re gonna criticize, be constructive and offer a real solution. Ask the questions you’re afraid to ask, because many times that’s the only way you get answers. Don’t be afraid to listen to people who do not agree with you and have reasoned arguments. Walk a mile in their shoes. Find new sources of information to get insights you didn’t have. Don’t completely surround yourself with people who look at the world the exact same way you do, as many great leaders in history have lost their way by surrounding themselves with advisors who only rubber stamp every idea without improving it or discussing it. Sit with someone way older than you and be a sponge to their knowledge.

Work every day realizing you’re not perfect. After all, the goal is not and cannot be perfection.. but progress.

As the Motown song goes, "Stop - In the name of Love"

I’ve been a fan of Hootsuite for quite awhile now. I don’t know when I first signed up, but it has made my life a lot easier as a communications professional.. not to mention the lives of my clients and colleagues who I’ve turned onto the platform. I’m also Hootsuite certified, and trained numerous people how to use it. I’m a fan of the owl.

So much so that I didn’t complain when you started charging – if you’re a pro, you should pay for pro tools. I agree.

Instead of yelling and screaming my disappointments, because I do love you, dear Hootsuite, I’m going to offer reasoned criticism because your last update highly disappointed me for the second time, and it’s not the content of the update but how you went about it.

Earlier this week, dear Hootsuite, you rolled out overnight (without warning) a very neat update to their publisher tools. The new scheduler  is great. It’s awesome.

But the change was without warning. And, you also eliminated the old way of doing things, your “Pending Stream” with no warning.

Well, when you’re working in workflows that you’ve developed with your clients and friends, overnight eliminating something is NOT ok. See, when you’re in a business environment, incremental change is key. Yes, please roll something out. But allow people time to adjust.

When I woke up that morning to emails – “Why are they forcing me to remove my pending stream?” “Why didn’t you tell me they were rolling out a scheduler?” – it was obvious people I work with were in a panic. It now affected my work – because I recommended this tool, and overnight, it changed on them and was disconcerting.

Yes, there was a dialog box explaining, but in a business environment you cannot expect to work under the impression that changing things overnight is ok. Hootsuite, as I see it, is supposed to be a professional tool, not a flaky Web 2.0 toy that could change at any time.

So I hop on Twitter – and was highly disappointed with how that went. I was disappointed before, because I tried to @ reply you a month ago multuple times about a billing issue and they never responded (we’re still paying double for one account for a team member that transitioned to us from being solo), and I’m not paying premium support to get an answer when I already pay money to you. But this time, I got:

“It is a massive change, but this is not the first time we’ve done massive overhauls to HootSuite’s interface. ^CT”

OK. Way to make ME feel like the idiot. I’m the paying customer. That response is what I expect from a U.S. utility company, not a “friendly owl.”

So, while I love you Hootsuite, you need to make some changes, because you’ve left yourself way open for another alternative.

1) Stop charging for customer service to paid accounts. Really. Myself and my clients pay money every month PER SEAT. I deserve support. Charge the free users, fine. But it’s like going to the car wash and then them telling you, “you have to pay more or we can’t guarantee your car will be clean.” The reality is, after using your service, without premium service you pay little to no attention.

2) Pre-announce updates. Even if it means to only certified folks as a value add. We NEED to know these things in advance and those of us who work in teams, it leaves us without answers and we have to drop everything and learn what happened when frankly, we’re professionals and have a lot of things to do.

3) Do not eliminate features without warning. You’re getting bigger now, and a larger user base. I saw the Twitter streams, even though you deflected it to your @Hootsuite_Help account. People are not happy. I saw how rough of a day your customer service person was having.

4) Your pricing structure is what is considered by most corporate buyers as predatory. They won’t tell you this, they’ll just hit the ignore button. I have worked around a lot of corporations, and it’s almost impossible to sell it up the chain for that one reason. In corporate and business settings, you pay LESS per seat with a volume discount the more you buy. Let me explain.

Why on earth if each individual seat (not counting the individual plan) is $15 per month that once you hit more than five additional team members you jump to $30 per seat (which you don’t tell people when they sign up). That’s the reverse of how the rest of the business world works. Oh, and you insult to injury by charging that customer service fee (see #1). I won’t even get into the joke of pricing that is the Enterprise plan, that works out to almost $50 per seat.

So Hootsuite, I love you – but if you don’t get your act together, you’re leaving a ton of room for a viable competitor that I’m willing to pay good money to. Your poor service, your predatory pricing, and leaving me (and others) in the lurch has to stop. Much like a mentor has taken me aside and told me in my career to shape up in the past, as your loyal customer and supporter, I’m publicly asking you to do the same.

But I’m not. Because in general, they’re not.

The problem, however, is just as critical, if not worse. It’s apathy.

Take a look. Is your communications team leading a double online life? It’s a strong sign your strategy and content isn’t really strong enough and that you don’t have buy in from your team.

Dear Chief marketing/PR/head muckety muck of all things digital, before you go mandating they turn off their second accounts, please take a moment and listen. It’s not their fault. This is hard medicine, but the reason is probably because your content isn’t worth sharing yet. If someone’s heart is behind something, they’re willing to stand behind their work personally. You’re not in the sweet spot yet.

The bar of your content should be high – because in general, people tune out pure marketing messages in social media. They generally don’t go to Facebook to interact with ads, they go to interact with people. With all of this talk that digital and social are supposed to be different, I rarely see that “different” talk put into practice.

For instance, although people may “like” your page on Facebook, the reality is EdgeRank (their system for showing posts to users) can be really difficult to bust through and get visible. Facebook is generally non-linear and algorithmically curated content. In short, just because you posted the update, it doesn’t mean all of your fans (or even a majority) are seeing it. You need to create content that is “likable” to folks for it to start appearing (even if they hit most recent news, Facebook curates that and brands usually lose out in that curation).

The best way to break through that challenge is to be compelling, so that people in diverse yet somewhat connected social circles actually enjoy your stuff and share it themselves. Facebook knows it’s pretty easy to get a ton of junk “likes” to fan pages – so they’ve made it more than just about the raw numbers of “likes” your page has.

But if your own team has personal followers or friends, and then you end up making them (through mandate or content that is mundane) have some rarely used secondary account to fulfill the quota, you’re just eviscerating your efficacy, because those secondary accounts do not have the pull or interest that their “actual” accounts do.

Your team should be excited and proud enough about your content, many times content they created, to occasionally share without prompting or mandate. Additionally, you can’t ever expect them to blast their stream constantly and keep authenticity. The public can tell when there’s no soul – if the people involved are simply punching a clock – and that mandated share doesn’t really accomplish anything other than making that Tweet or Facebook Like button number go up one notch. If it’s forced, it’ll much less likely be the firestarter that jumps it ten or twenty.

So do a quick gutcheck. Review if you’re making content for yourself – or are you making it for the people you want to engage? Because when I’m doing reviews of things that aren’t working, the sad truth is that what’s being put out just isn’t good enough or it’s completely targeted wrong.

Many times music applies to life in other ways.. and here, I quote Stevie Wonder, “Just because a record has a groove don’t make it in the groove.”