Below is my Radio interview with Paul Chaney and John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka.  We had a great disucssion about how to use Facebook for Business.  We talked a lot about Facebook personal profiles vs. public profiles (aka Fan pages) and what it means to share in the Social Media space.

(Plus, it was just a ton of fun!)

You can visit User  Friendly Thinking Radio show at http://www.userfriendlythinking.com/ to listen to all their archived shows.

I have glanced at Alltop from time to time to skim through the what’s hot section, but never really spent a great deal of time on the site unless I was searching for blogs on a particular subject.  It is a fabulous resource when looking for information on any subject under the sun (and some of those subjects are quite obscure).  Now that I have finally set up my ”MyAlltop” page it has become even more useful.  I can now go to my page and skim through blog posts from my favorite blogs and quickly read what I want.

However, I do have two wishes:

1)  When I was setting up my Alltop list, I was searching to see if a particular blog was listed (in one case I knew it was somewhere in the Alltop directory).  When I went to search for it, my only option was to search by subject not by blog name.  That slowed down my additions. 

2)  When I am logged in, I’d like to see the green check mark next to blogs I already saved to my Alltop page. 

Other then the above, it’s infinatelly more readable the my Google reader and gives me the chance to skim my favorites and stay on top of the latest news.

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According to MX Lab - there is an email going around stating that Facebook has reset your login information.  Delete it – it’s a spoof.

As I was reading the MX Lab post – I got this in my email.. Talk about timing!

According to All Facebook “This virus only appears to work on Windows computers as it runs an executable file when downloaded. Spoofing official emails from large companies is a pretty standard method for spammers and you should always avoid any email which asks you to download a file. For those that are unaware, we thought it would be useful to keep you up to date about this latest virus.”

Stay aware!

A simple tip that is often forgotten:  Have your incoming mail sorted in folders for logical reading and storing (if need be).

I never really thought about organizing my emails until I had to.  With upwards of 150 emails a day coming in for business, business associations and community organizations I am involved in, I was forced to organize them in a coherent way.   I also receive a lot of notifications from the various Social Networks I am a member of and the News Alerts I have set up for my business.

I use Outlook.  I created rules (Tools, Rules & Alerts) based on the sender, message subject or incoming email address.   As the message comes in, it goes into the appropriate folder for me to read when I can. 

I have folders for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Rotary, Business Associations and News Alerts for email to be “auto-filed” into.  I have a client folder that is further broken down by client name that I manually sort.  The same holds true for college information for my daughter and school notifications for either of my girls. 

My inbox has had as many as 1100 emails in it.   Currently I am down to a little under 600… most of which should be sorted into a sub-folder, but that is a task for another day.  At least I am one step closer and learning to practice OHIO = Only Handle It Once J

… even the ones you think are “just social”.

Many clients tell me that they are reluctant to join Social Networks for business because they do not want to bump into old high school and college acquaintances.  Well… let me tell you… I’ve been hired by both.  So don’t pass up an opportunity to connect with anyone because you never know where it will lead.

Image via Wikipedia

Set up some rules:  Anytime someone from my past or current social circle connects with me, I let them know that my primary purpose for being on a network is for business.  While I don’t mind some “personal” interaction, I have a very well defined line.  If anyone crosses it, they get an email warning that says something like “I appreciate you wanting to share, but please don’t put anything like that on my wall.  If you want to relive those memories, feel free to send me an email.”  If that doesn’t work, I will disconnect (aka unfriend) them with a note that says something like “I told you so”.

Our old college and high school friends have grown up, moved away, expanded their knowledge base as well as their position in life.  As such, they are an excellent referral source and it is just a ton of fun to reconnect and BS for a while.  I’ve been given several such opportunities and feel truly blessed for them.   My former college roommate has enlisted my help in her social media marketing campaign and a former high school buddy passed my name on to someone for an opportunity that I would have otherwise never had access to. 

Whether or not either pans out is almost irrelevant (to me), the idea is, I reconnected with old friends, enjoyed the experince and perhaps gained some income as a result.

So… the moral of the story is… do not discount any connection as unworthy unless they prove themselves to be via spamming you, or treating you poorly online.  Life is full of surprises and some of them are much closer then you think!

The majority of my seminars focus on the why and how of Social Media Marketing via two tools, Facebook and LinkedIn.  Most business owners “get” LinkedIn – but when you compare them side by side, you can see how both tools can be very useful.

LinkedIn:  The online resume with gusto! 

Not only do you have the opportunity to share your past experiences with people you connect to, but you have the opportunity to tell them where you are going (or want to go) and why.  In the summary section, write about your why and give your connections the opportunity to gain some insight into your work.

LinkedIn is the ultimate recommendation letter.  A few rules here though… only ask for recommendations from people who you have actually worked with and only agree to give recommendation to the same.  If you recommend every person you are connected to, not only are you being less then honest, but you dilute the purpose of a recommendation and your word.

Participate in the Answers section and show off your expertise. 

Facebook:  Networking the whole you!

Facebook offers the above and a level or two more.  In Facebook you can share pictures, links, directly communicate with your connections publicly and offer greater insight to you – all of you, the person behind the business. 

In other words, you are networking the whole of who you are.  Like motorcycles, share it… avid reader, let your connections know.  Facebook allows your connections to get a closer glimpse of your who, what, when, where and most importantly why.  Facebook also offers fan pages:  Public profiles that focus on your brand, product or service.  IF you are an author, start a fan page for yourself and one for your book.  Niche away – just keep the pages active and engaging to encourage fan participation and create some advocates.

In my opinion, you need both – one to serve as an introduction to you and your business and the other to build closer connections with those you hope to help and do business with.

There are a ton of other tools out there… start with these and build up into your comfort zone, then look for more.

As a Rotarian, I try live my life by the cornerstone of Rotary:  The 4 Way Test

Of the things we think, say or do

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

As an active social networker the third principle speaks the loudest to me.  It is my goal to share my expertise, knowledge and information (mine or not) with the hundreds, if not thousands of people I touch on a daily basis.  I do this to build goodwill and strengthen the connections I’ve made along the way.  I often talk about adding value to the conversation., which is, pulling people into your circle of influence to benefit them – not you.  I also work very hard not to be seen as the  “snake-oil salesman” persona that seems to befall many other online marketers.  I am not that… nor do I ever want to be.

Participation in the conversation is not only about sharing information, but it is about listening as well.  Listening enables you to offer what your connections and friends want.  Listening also enables you to take action – for example, to protect your reputation.  As regular readers know, several months ago I was accused of plagiarism.  It is only through listening to the conversation that I was made aware of it and was able to take action in regard to it.  The entire situation was cleared up in a matter of hours and it all took place in front of some 3000 participants in the conversation.  While I certainly could have lashed out at the accuser, I kept in mind the Four Way Test and took what I consider to be the better route: 

1. I received notification of the accusation. 
2. I bit my tongue and waited so I would not behave in a reactionary way. 
3. I listened to see if the message was spread elsewhere. 
4. I contacted the accuser directly. 
5. He apologize to me personally and publicly to the community he made the accusation in. 
6. It all ended fabulously. 

Kudos to him for taking ownership of his mistake, it is a pleasure to interact with him in the conversation.

I have mastered a level of confidence in my professional life as a result of always working with the above principles.  I am learning to master that level of confidence in my personal life as well.  These are important lessons to remember.  I strive to practice what I preach.  Whether it’s a competitor talking poorly about you, or an unsatisfied customer speaking loudly about their experience with you… try to remember the above principles.  If you are acting to Build Goodwill and Better Friendships, you know you have nothing to fear.  If you are not, you need to start asking yourself why you are here.

Facebook fan pages (a.k.s Public Profile Pages) are a special space within Facebook that is dedicated to your business.  It acts like a small, but very powerful web site. 

These pages are easily shared among members of Facebook.  Public profiles are also indexed by the search engines and easily viewed by anyone on the Internet.

Through the Insights, you can drill down and see the demographics of your fans.  What percent are male vs. female, age groups, what cities are they located in and predominant language.  You can also see what your post quality score is.  Post quality measures how engaging your posts have been to Facebook users over a seven-day window. 

Your Post Quality is determined by the percentage of your fans that engage when you post content to your Page. It is calculated on a rolling seven-day basis. The number of stars depends on how your Post Quality compares to similar Pages (for example, Pages that have a similar number of fans.)

Engaging fans through your page entails providing relevant, engaging information that encourages participation.  Ask questions, offer the opportunity for your fans to provide feedback.  Allow fans to post questions and interact with your business.   Status updates, notes, wall posts, photos, videos, all flow into the news feed, keeping your fans abreast of the latest updates to your page.  Providing engaging content is the best way to get fans to interact with your page. 

Custom tabs and boxes can be created to further engage your fans and encourage new fans to join.  You can offer Facebook only promotions, fan only specials or simply show your fans the goods and services you offer through a custom tab or box.  Using eye catching graphics and incorporating them into the custom boxes and tabs is a sure fire way to get fans attention. 

While a fan page will not replace your web site, it is an excellent supplement.  If your business does not have a web page yet, this is a viable way to get your feet wet.  Customizing the public profile allows you to further engage your fans and differentiate you from the competition. 

Media Man, Michael Massey has as his guest, Managing Partner of NewWard Development, LLC, Melissa Ward

The popularity of Twitter has sparked a whole new level of communication.  Being able to communicate well in 140 characters can be a challenge, but before we even talk about that, there are a few basics to remember:

Image via CrunchBase

1)  Have a profile picture:  Leaving the default icon on your profile is just… well… lazy!  Put something up that is uniquely you.  An actual picture would be best, but if you are feeling shy, at least put up your logo or something that is representative of you.

2)  Your web site URL:  If you don’t have a web site, then the alternative would be a link to a social networking profile (yes, even MySpace counts).  Something that will give people a closer insight of who you are.

3)  Fill out your profile / bio section:  This is easy and very important.  You must have something to share about yourself, even if it is your favorite hobbies.   Leaving this section blank does nothing to motivate people to follow you.  

4)  Post some tweets prior to asking for followers:  How else are people going to know what you are about or hope to share?  Requesting followers with no tweet history is like saying “Hi, I’d like you to buy this widget.  I don’t know what this widget is or does but you need one.”

5) Your user name:  This should have been first… Select a user name that is either 1) Your name, 2) Your company name or 3) Representative of what you are sharing.

Here’s the deal:  Twitter is a great platform to position yourself as an expert in your field.  It is a great platform for sharing links and information relevant to what you specialize in.  Yes, there are spammers – the web has them in every corner, but, if you want people to trust you, at least take the time to do the basics above. 

I get a lot of people expecting me to follow them back when they follow me.  I always look at their profiles first to see what they are about.  If I believe that they have something to share that will increase my awareness in a particular topic, I follow them.  But if they look like spammers – or people just trying to bloat their following then I do not. 

It’s about sharing, about benefiting the community, about engagement (sometimes entertainment), it’s about being authentic.  If that’s not what you are about – then you need to ask yourself why you want to be in this space in the first place.

Do you twitter?  What do you share?

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