The Social Path

Why teens aren't blogging.

2010-02-05T17:13:04-06:00

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

Four attributes that will land you a job in social media. | Guest post by Sonny Gill

2010-02-03T14:49:40-06:00

Today, The Social Path is pleased to welcome guest blogger Sonny Gill, who was recently named social media manager for DeVry University. We asked Sonny to help share some of the lessons from his hard-fought journey as a social media job seeker.

What can we say about the monster that is the job market? It’s overwhelming, jam-packed with job seekers, and, for most, has gone on long enough. I personally don’t remember a time where I’ve had so many friends on the hunt. It’s unfortunate, but it also provides others and myself an avenue to help those going through these trying times.

There have been a slew of posts talking about how to leverage social media in your job search, but I’m sharing something even deeper than the actual tools — attributes. Attributes are things that come from within, and though they can be related to job seekers of all industries, I’m sharing four that are super important in the digital job-seeking world:

Hustle

We’ve all heard it from Gary Vaynerchuk — who is inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs with his book, Crush It! — but it’s something that we need constant reminding of.

Hustle used to have a negative connotation, but today the word has taken on new meaning within the hyper-connected digital world. Your competition is out networking, creating content and staying plugged-in more than ever. The job search was always time-consuming, but now it is a full-time job.

Guts

Are you sending your résumés off and then following-up a week later with an e-mail? Stop. Right now.

OK, well don’t stop with the résumés, but take your “next steps” to a whole new level. The openness of the social Web and how companies are embracing it is evolving every day. Leverage that to venture outside of the box and reach out to prospective companies in new ways.

Find their HR managers on LinkedIn and connect with them there. Make a page on your blog dedicated not only to your résumé but also to the prospective company and create content that shows them you have what it takes to make a difference for their organization. Have some guts, go against the grain, and get noticed.

Vision

With any goal (personal or professional) there’s a vision in our mind that gives us a peek at what success looks like. There are questions we must ask ourselves” Where do I want to take my career? Who do I want to do great work for?

But it’s easy to find yourself wondering, “What do I do with this vision?” Map out a plan that helps you identify the necessary steps to get you to that goal.

Is your goal to be a Social Media Manager for an NBA team? Your plan of action better include producing quality content/media on an NBA-focused blog, attending games (as many as you’re able to go to), networking with fellow SM basketball fanatics, plus, a number of other steps that builds your authority in the space and gets you seen as someone who would make a great addition to a team’s social media effort.

Patience

I close out this list with patience for a reason. Above all, through the ups and downs of the job search (there will be both), you have to be patient. I understand everybody’s situation is different and we each have our own responsibilities to handle. But the key to patience is having faith, continuing to bust tail, truly believing that the right opportunity is out there, and persevering through the obstacles that present themselves during this time.

The combination of these attributes and the capabilities of social truly allow us to build a solid framework not only for the job hunt but also a for community, which in turn offers us continued support and affirmation on the work we do today and the opportunities in our future.

These are my four main attributes, but what others would you add that any job seeker could benefit from? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Sonny Gill is Social Media Manager at DeVry University. You can read his thoughts on social media at SonnyGill.com or on follow @SonnyGill on Twitter.

Photo credit: Banjaxx on Flickr.

Day 30: Stop letting social media stress you out.

2010-01-30T12:09:57-06:00

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

I wanted to close this month-long series with a simple message, one that's perhaps obvious but also worth keeping in mind:

You can't keep up with social media. And that's fine.

I spend just about every day immersed in social media, professionally and personally, and I still only scratch the surface of what's possible, what's effective and what's coming down the pike. The smartest digital pundits in the world aren't much better off. They spend so much time looking ahead, they grow blind to the here and now.

As a result, we all end up feeling left behind, like the last kid picked for a kickball team. But in truth, the distance between the technology leaders and the laggards is getting shorter by the month.

You'll never reach your potential in social media until you're able to get comfortable and find your voice, a process that inevitably takes time. That's time that should be spent focused on content and quality, not worrying about where the technology will drag you next.

So what if your blog doesn't have the hottest new widgets and plug-ins?

So what if you're still using Blogger instead of WordPress?

So what if you don't see the magical allure of FourSquare or FarmVille?

So what if you break some rules, write too little, write too much or use equipment that an AV club would have laughed out of the room in 1997?

"Perfect is the enemy of great."

Voltaire wrote that way back to 1772, and yet I find it more pertinent every day. The biggest problem in social media isn't a failure to adopt the right technology and tactics. It's a failure to make the most of what we have, a reluctance to focus on content over novelty.

So as we wrap up a 30-day series of tips, tricks and tactics, I want to leave you with one guideline that supersedes them all:

Social media isn't about adapting who you are to better suit the newest technology. It's about adapting the newest technology to better suit who you are.

Look at it that way, and you'll see the digital world as a place of unlimited options, not missed opportunities.

Photo credit: Sybren A. Stüvel on Flickr.

Day 29: Embrace SlideShare, and discover a whole new audience.

2010-01-29T23:42:51-06:00

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

When it comes to building a reputation for knowledge and creativity through social media, most people think the only options are blogs, Twitter and podcasts. Often overlooked is another key option, SlideShare.

It's easy to think of SlideShare as just "the YouTube of PowerPoints." I originally started using it as a back-up for presentations I was preparing to give, in case even my extra thumb drive conked out. But then I started to notice something: Those presentations were racking up views. And not just a few.

Soon, I found that presentations given to a crowd of about 50 were getting thousands of views within a few weeks, sometimes even days or hours. I began to focus on optimizing presentations for SldieShare so that they'd make sense, even if I wasn't there to describe the slides. As I figured out these simple tricks, the presentations started getting better play on SlideShare, often being featured on the front page of the site.

Most surprising was when I realized that a Google search for "Twitter Tutorial" brought up one of my presentations as the first result. I'd like to say I planned that kind of search optimization, but in all honesty, it was just a quick presentation I threw together for a lunchtime staff training.

If you've never used SlideShare, or you've only tried it out a few times with limited results, here are a few ideas to help make the most of it:

Make sure you've got a great cover. Nothing is more important when it comes to getting featured on the front page of SlideShare.net. A good presentation name is a close second, though.
Don't wait for a public speaking gig. There aren't a lot of those to go around, so think about how you could repackage information you have on hand, like, say, a blog series.
It doesn't have to be PowerPoint. It can be a PDF or even a Word document. So if you're not comfortable with PowerPoint (or don't even own a copy), don't let that stop you.
If you are working in PowerPoint, save your deck as a PDF before uploading to SlideShare. This will save you a world of hurt with font wonkiness.
Tagging is crucial. People are looking for very specific topics in SlideShare, usually revolving around their industries. Use descriptive words and phrases to make sure yours will be easy to find.
Share what you've posted. By embedding or linking to your presentation from Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn or your blog, you'll greatly increase the potency of your post.

I don't expect that you'll start using SlideShare as a place to post daily content, nor should you. But SlideShare is definitely one of the most underestimated resources on the Web, and I bet that with a little experience, you'll find it's a great way to get long-term exposure for yourself, your work, your company and your ideas.

Day 28: Follow these seven PR and marketing mavens.

2010-01-28T18:02:13-06:00

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

Considering the incredible diversity of people and professions involved in social media, it's shocking to me that so many folks turn to the same small set of social media luminaries.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of Chris Brogan, David Armano, Jeremiah Owyang and the rest of the top-tier thinkers in the social space. But I get just as much or more inspiration from my own subset of thought leaders, and I think you will too.

One warning: this is a marketing-oriented list because, well, that's what I do. But even if you just do social media for fun, you should still give these folks a read. No matter where the industry and technology shifts, I find that each of them keep me feeling excited about the opportunities.

(Want to follow them all on Twitter with one click? Here's an easy way to do it.)

• Leigh Householder, brand strategist and author of Advergirl.com. I can never say enough good things about Leigh, a longtime friend and confidant. Her perspectives on social media are meticulous enough for the executive set and clear enough for the rest of us.

• Shannon Paul, community manager. If you could get a cup of coffee with any social media pro in the country, Shannon would definitely be a top pick. As insightful as she is approachable, Shannon always offers a candid take on the human side of technology.

• Brian Morrissey, Adweek digital editor. Brian brings a much-needed skepticism to social media. In a world where bloggers are the primary source of news on all things social, it's nice to have Brian to scrape away the bull and talk about what companies are really grappling with as they struggle to reach new audiences online.

• David Stutts, Luckie's director of brand planning. I'm not one to glorify coworkers willy-nilly, mostly because I work with a lot of incredible people and would have a hard time playing favorites. But I'm constantly learning about trends and emerging ideas from David, who posts his many findings on Twitter and Tumblr. If you're not already subscribing to his free e-mail newsletters, Trend Trackers and Generational News & Views, you really should. Just drop him an e-mail, and he'll start sending it to you each month.

• Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich. For an executive, much less a PR executive, Gini is always refreshingly honest on her blog, The Fight Against Destructive Spin. She offers a fantastic mix of practical tips and big-picture thinking. She's even re-imagining what her agency "does," and anyone is welcome to chime in on their transition from PR to social engagement.

• Alan Wolk, creative strategist. I've long been a fan of Alan's sharp and witty takes on the marketing industry, which he posts on his blog, The Toad Stool. What's nice is that Alan's never afraid to go against the grain and disagree with the big-time social media gurus. Some people do this just to inject themselves into a conversation, but Alan's restless insight comes from a more earnest and experienced place, making him always worth a read.

• Mack Collier, social media consultant. My biggest problem with Mack is that we agree way too much, on issues as small as Twitter semantics and as large as corporate marketing strategies. His zeal for transparency and customer-focused conversations have made him a hero to many of the unsleazy social media pros around the country. Be sure to check out his blogs, The Viral Garden and MackCollier.com.

It's always hard to create a list of smart folks like this, because I end up wanting to include dozens more. But if you follow this crowd, you're bound to find my other favorites soon enough.

Who are your personal, somewhat-under-the-radar thought leaders? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

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

2010-01-27T19:45:18-06:00

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.

2010-01-26T14:16:46-06:00

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 25: Join your local Social Media Club.

2010-01-25T18:17:00-06:00

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

You want to know the sad truth about Google?

I can't think of a time I've ever faced a truly difficult challenge and found the solution in search results. But put me in a room (or even in a chat window) with someone who's been in the same boat, and I'll probably walk away with 10 great ideas that could save me from 100 hours of wasted effort.

There's just only so much you can accomplish in the glow of a monitor. Or in a one-sentence status update, for that matter.

The primary goal of this 30-day series is to leave you feeling re-energized about social media, and nothing will accomplish that quite like getting out and meeting people who share your passion and your principles.

Maybe that just means going out to a local blogger lunch or a "Tweetup" for local Twitter users. But if you want something a bit more lasting, I'd recommend looking into whether your city or region has a Social Media Club.

I'm proud to have been a charter member of the Social Media Club of Birmingham, which first met here at Luckie & Company under the leadership of my former colleague Scott Schablow. What started as a handful of tech enthusiasts in 2008 has grown into an incredibly diverse pool of more than 200 writers, marketers, entrepreneurs and digitally savvy folks from all walks of life.

Unlike many organizations, the Social Media Club is not focused on professional networking, although that's a nice side effect. Founded all the way back in 2006 (when almost no one was even using the term "social media"), The SMC operates under the mission of, "If you get it, share it."

That's a simple but powerful statement, one that really captures what's so great about social media in the first place. It's a group aimed at sharing knowledge for the sake of sharing knowledge, which is rare indeed in a field plagued by self-interest and excessive egos.

Specifically, the club's national goals are to:

Expand Media Literacy
Share Lessons Learned Among Practitioners
Encourage Adoption of Industry Standards
Promote Ethical Practices through Discussion and Actions

Chances are, if you're reading this blog, each of those guidelines has some relevance to your life and your job.

So if you've been feeling a bit isolated in your fascination with all things social (ironic, I know, but all too common), check the Social Media Club roster and see if there's one in your town. If there's not....heck, go start one yourself.

Estimated time needed: 2 hours once a month or so.
Benefits: Great source of knowledge, feedback, commiseration, etc.

Photo credit: London's Tuttle Social Media Club, shot by Tony Hall on Flickr.

Day 24: Comment on three of your favorite blogs.

2010-01-24T14:05:06-06:00

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:

It's a massively popular blog where my comment will just be lost in the noise.
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.
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.

Day 23: Switch to Firefox or Chrome.

2010-01-23T08:00:00-06:00

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

As you can see from the chart above, courtesy of StatOwl.com, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is still the overwhelmingly dominant player in the Web browser market.

That's why I feel it's worth taking the time to say — despite the fact I'm probably preaching to the choir — that if you haven't already, you need to switch to Firefox or Google Chrome.

I'm not a Microsoft hater. Internet Explorer is a perfectly fine Web browser, one that you can use for years without feeling like you're missing a thing.

But once you've experienced the customizable joy and social flexibility of a browser like Firefox, you'll never look back. (I'm also a big fan of Chrome, which I find to be lightning fast and intuitive, but I'll be devoting most of my attention in this post to my true love, Firefox.)

Thanks to its thousands of available plug-ins, Firefox redefined the Web browser into — well, whatever you want it to be. Sure, Internet Explorer has done its best to keep pace, but I simply don't believe you can beat the crowdsourced innovation built into an open-source juggernaut like Firefox.

If there's one social media trend you can bank on in 2010, it's the fact that people are looking for ways to tame the rivers of data and make sense of all the real-time information at our disposal. With so many options for social networking, bookmarking and chatting, Firefox has become an indispensable hub of my online life.

I'm far from being a Firefox power user, but when I'm forced to use IE or Safari, I quickly miss even the small number of plug-ins I have installed at home and work.

Specifically, I'm a big fan of:

• The StumbleUpon Toolbar, which lets you share great finds or discover new sites within your areas of interest.
• The Digg Toolbar, making it simple to promote content or share it on Twitter, Facebook and e-mail.
• Delicious, which places a "tag this" button next to your browser's URL bar and helps you remember cool sites when you need to dig them up later.
• Shareaholic, yet another social tool, but one capable of sending your discoveries to almost any blog, social network or bookmarking site on the planet.
• FireFTP, an invaluable FTP tool for file-transfer jobs such as WordPress theme editing.
• Screengrab, letting me create image shots of any site I'm browsing.

I could go on for quite a while longer, but you get the idea. Imagine if I had to go to a specific site or application just to do each of these tasks. It would be cumbersome to the point of discouragement.

Which gets to my real motivation for this post. I'm a firm believer that social media will never feel like a comfortable part of your life until you find ways to roll it smoothly into your daily routine. Since you know you're going to browse the Web, why not use a browser that puts so many resources in one place?

If you're not a Firefox or Chrome user, I'd love to hear what's held you back in the comments. If you are a fellow convert, please share some of the plug-ins that have made the new generation of browsers especially handy to you.

Estimated time needed: 10 minutes to download and install.
Benefits: Far greater flexibility and productivity from your Web browser.