Carol Stephen, Author at

Common Sense Social Media

November 5, 2013 By Carol Stephen 10 Comments

Common Sense Social Media

Hello, my name is Carol. I am a nice, polite lady. Usually. But nowadays on the Internet, all these kids with their loud music and their bad manners are getting under my skin–and on my lawn. I’ve been seeing such rudeness that I really do want to ask people if they were raised in a barn. Maybe to some people the Internet is a new, new thing, all shiny and just out of the gift bag. I’m seeing some things that I haven’t seen for a long time, like extreme rudeness, ignoring people’s comments, and worse. So here are my maybe not-so-polite views on a few things.

Saying Hello

If you have followers, fans, likers, and whatnot, how about saying hello to them once in a while? They’ve taken the effort to follow you, so how about an occasional shoutout? Would that be too much to ask? You could just say “How’s everybody doing tonight?” or “Good Morning, World!” or some other cheerful expression that you love to use.

Say Thank You

Saying Thank You Makes You Stand Out

As my friend Bridget says, “in what universe is a retweet a thank you?” and I’ve gotta agree with her. If someone shares your material or retweets you, say thank you. Retweeting their tweet is not the same thing as thanking them. Say thank you often. Don’t be a social media snob. And if you’re a Baby Boomer, you’re already way ahead in the politeness game.

Pretend There Are Real People on the Internet

Because there are. Except for the bots and spammers, that is. If someone complimented you, you wouldn’t ignore them, right? If they tried to start a conversation with you in real life, you’d say something back, unless you were literally unable to speak. If you’re too busy, say you’re too busy. It’s really pretty simple. And if you’re a brand, ignoring conversations or not being present on social media could be even more detrimental.

Follow People Back

Yes, everyone wants some “social proof” by not following people back. And at first, I felt the same way. But if that other person has some value to add to your online conversations, follow them back. Being polite is one way to get followers on Twitter or on any platform.

Doing Online What You’d Never Do In Real Life

If you did in real life what you do online, people would think you were creepy. So if you wouldn’t share those 99 photos of your filing cabinet in real life, why are you doing that online?

Got a Pet Peeve?

Do you wish people had more common sense manners online? Please share with me! And thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: common sense, Follow, Following, manners, offline, online, please, Social Media, thank you

Baby Boomers and Social Media

October 31, 2013 By Carol Stephen 13 Comments

Baby Boomers and Social Media

If you’re a baby boomer, you already know a lot about how to be social. For instance, would I have to ask you twice what the “magic words” are? Would you know what elements make a good letter? Could you go on a picnic and just be at the picnic, without having to whip out an electronic device? There you go! Each one of these instances is a good reason why you, as a Boomer, is a perfect candidate for social media. Here’s a funny article about the differences between baby boomers and Gen Y.

Insecurity

Let me backtrack a bit by saying that I meet Baby Boomers all the time who feel insecure about social media. I think it doesn’t have to be that way. They think they have nothing to say, and yet they have more experience than younger people, and have been through all kinds of economic downturns, changes in employment, divorce, and much more. So of course you as a Boomer have something to say. The issue may be that you feel insecure around younger people who have grown up with Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and YouTube. And if you’re a Boomer connected on social media, I like Brian Solis’ “Gen C” label.

The Magic Words

Most Boomers know how to use the words “please” and “thank you,” and they know when. Believe me, (please), when I tell you that saying “thank you” is very important. In a world of ingratitude, your thank you means so very much. Maybe good manners can be taught at a later age, but since you probably already have good manners, you have an edge on social media, so that isn’t an issue.

Writing a Letter

Another skill that many Boomers have is the ability to write a letter–a skill that can be transferred to writing email, a blog, crafting a few Facebook posts, or tweeting. Seriously. The ability to write in one form can easily be transferred to another. So you have the edge there, too.

Going on a Picnic

Going on a picnic without checking a phone is easy for a boomer

Now this one might sound a little strange to you. But the ability to just talk without checking an electronic device is getting more and more rare. The other day, with some of my friends, I realized that no one had checked in, tweeted, posted, or made a video for a couple of hours. Weird, right?! And how wonderful to just have a conversation without thinking it might end up being posted on someone’s wall.

Drive Your Online Conversations Offline

It’s great to meet people online, but there is really no substitute for meeting people face to face and having an actual conversation. And that is where baby boomers really shine. Having grown up without cell phones, tablets, and laptops, boomers know how to talk! Because if you really needed to talk to someone, you’d go over to their house and knock on their door. Who does that any more? So take those conversations offline where you’re really comfortable.

Social Media is Just Tools

Really. Social media is bits and bytes, but in the end, it’s just a tool. You can meet and talk to a lot of people (sometimes all at once) using social media. But if you think of social media as something like a telephone or another appliance to be learned, maybe the intimidation factor will go away. Because as a Boomer you already have the tools you need. Don’t you?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Baby Boomer, conversations, electronic device, Facebook, Google Plus, Social Media, thank you, Tools, Twitter, YouTube

Hashtag Wins and #Fails

October 29, 2013 By Carol Stephen 15 Comments

Hashtag Wins and #Fails

Recently, someone asked about hashtag etiquette. How do you use hashtags, and if you’re using them to do a search on Twitter, how do you know they’re legit? What’s the difference between a search done with a hashtag or without a hashtag? Would you use hashtags differently on Facebook than on Twitter?

What Is a Hashtag?

If you haven’t used a hashtag before, simply add a pound sign (#) before a word. On some platforms, that word now becomes searchable. It’s a great way to organize an idea. For example, #SanFrancisco, like so, is now a searchable term. You can click on it and you’ll see other tweets and posts (depending upon which platform you’re using). If you’re new (or even if you’re not), Mashable has an excellent Beginner’s Guide to Hashtags ~ recommended reading. That said, a hashtag can make a search easier.

Hashtags on Facebook

Let me say that I’m not a huge fan of hashtags on Facebook. Most people seem to overuse them and just annoy everyone. When Facebook allowed users to employ hashtags in June of 2013, they opened up a Pandora’s Box, in my opinion. People go crazy with them and they don’t mean anything. Most of the social media managers I know don’t use them and find them annoying in the forums where I’ve heard discussions. If you overuse hashtags on Facebook, you even run the risk of being hidden. And the last thing you want to do is be unfriended on Facebook.

Hashtags on Twitter

Hashtags on Twitter are a whole other ball of wax. Hashtags originated on Twitter, so they make sense on Twitter. You can use them to organize a search, to make a sarcastic remark, and more. Personally, I use Twitter for the occasional joking remark, and using hashtags in this way sometimes separates the newbies from more advanced tweeters. This use of hashtags is more for entertainment or to set the tone of a tweet.

#kidneychat tonight starts at 8pm EDT. Hope you can make it!

— Amy Donohue (@TheFabulousOne) October 28, 2013

Hashtags are useful in organizing Tweetchats, which are discussions about a certain topic, usually about an hour long, held on Twitter. For instance, #KidneyChats is on Mondays evenings and #POCChat on Monday mornings, are a couple I recommend. Used in this way, a hashtag lets you see what the other participants in a chat are discussing. And by the way, if you click on the embedded tweet, above, you can see some of the top tweets about #KidneyChat.

As a brand, a hashtag can be quite useful to add authority. Many brands have their own hashtags. They may also start a tweetchat using a hashtag to get people talking about a specific topic.

And in case you didn’t know, hashtags weren’t always a part of the Twitter lexicon. The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article on how hashtags came to be.

Other Supported Platforms

Hashtags are used on Pinterest as a way of searching, just as they are on Twitter. On Instagram, certain hashtags are used specifically to describe photos. Google+ lets you search from Google to Facebook or Twitter using a hashtag, too.

How Do You Use Hashtags?

Do you like them? Find them irritating? Think they’re too nerdy? Let me know in the comments! Thanks!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: etiquette, Facebook, Google Plus, hashtag, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter

Twitter: Get More Followers

October 24, 2013 By Carol Stephen 10 Comments

Twitter: Get More Followers

You’ve read about this topic a gazillion times and it’s the first thing people always ask. How do I find people to follow? And how do I get them to follow me back? My method is not foolproof, but it’s pretty damn good (not bragging). You will get followers, and they won’t be fake followers. It is work, however. You might not like that part. Then again, it’s not rocket science!

See Who Your Friends Are Talking to

Start by looking at who your friends talk to. Look at their profiles and their top ten tweets. If you like what you see on their profile and what they’re tweeting about, chat with them. Follow them if you like the way the conversation is going.

Say Something Directly to That Person

This could be anything. “Where are you from? Your profile doesn’t say.” “I like what you said on your profile about rapscallions.” “It looks like we went to the same school.” Start with something easy, just like you would in a real-life conversation. Start there. LifeHacker has some good, simple conversation starters that work in real life or online.

Retweet Them

Find a tweet that would be important to them. This requires a little more work. Preferably find something about their business or something you think they’d like you to retweet. If they have a small following, they’ll probably notice right away. If not, you may need to retweet a few to get noticed. If their tweet is short, you may have space to add a comment. And I recommend that you use an “old-school retweet,” for many reasons.

Comment on Their Blog

A blog comment is even better than a retweet, and is much more likely to get you noticed if you’re trying to establish a relationship. Bloggers love love love comments! And most will write back to you, I’ve found. And be happy to follow you.

Follow, Retweet and Comment

Be Generous First to Gain Followers

This is the trifecta of engagement. If you do all three of these things, then your new friend may be oblivious or a snob. And if they don’t want to engage with you, then why are you following them? Some accounts may give you really good content, but most people aren’t Katie Couric (and need to converse with others).

Have Good Content

Think of your followers (or your potential followers) as friends. What cool and interesting stuff would you like to share with them? It doesn’t always have to be related to your business, but you’ll be more likely to attract the right crowd if it is. Don’t trick people by saying, “Hey guys, I liked this” and then a spammy link. Share things you do truly love if you want to make friends either online or in real life.

Is This Approach Too Much Work?

Let me know what works for you in the comments! Thanks!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blogpost, Content, Engagement, Followers, Twitter

Audience: Engaging with Techies

October 22, 2013 By Carol Stephen 6 Comments

Audience: Engaging with Techies

Perhaps you read my earlier blogpost about common issues with audiences, and how to figure out who your audience is on Social Media. Or maybe you’re just wondering how you, as a non-technical social media manager, will be able to talk to those more technically savvy than yourself. Have no fear: you have Google. Not only that, but you have the ability to discuss your own niche, and are a subject matter in your own right. Here are some other ideas that may work for you.

Ask Questions

People love to talk about themselves, and techies are no different. So let them shine by asking questions about their areas of expertise. Listen and then ask more questions. Dale Carnegie suggests that “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Have you found that to be true? Did you see what I did there? lol

Do Your Homework

If you need to engage more with techies, you can study what they study a little. On social media, see what your favorite techies are reading, tweeting, and discussing, and do Google searches on those topics. Read a little bit every day. I like TechCrunch, GigaOm, and VentureBeat at the moment.

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

Without going completely overboard, why not show your favorite techy a little love by adding them to a list of your favorite people on Twitter, reposting their content, or commenting on their blog? Everyone loves attention. And if you don’t use lists (yet) you might want to read about Twitter Lists for the Power User.

Find Something in Common

Maybe you grew up in the same city, went to the same school, or like the same baseball team. Establishing some similar footing helps you gain rapport. Sharing your outlook on a technical subject or a newsworthy current event might also be a good topic of conversation.

Food, Weather, Pets

These are all easy topics to start a conversation. I often like to comment on something in a person’s profile. They might have a beautiful picture of flowers, or some funny expression that you’ve never heard before. Ok. That’s all I’ve got. Did I leave anything out?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: chat, Conversation, Engagement, flattery, Google, questions, tech-savvy, techies, Twitter

Tweeting for Engagement: Links Versus Text?

October 17, 2013 By Carol Stephen 11 Comments

Tweeting for Engagement: Links Versus Text?

You’ve been on Twitter late at night looking for conversations, and all you’ve seen are tweets with links and people broadcasting. You’d really like to have a conversation and engage like you’re supposed to on social media, but how? Here’s one idea: Why not try plain text?

Tweeting Without a Net

If you don’t schedule a tweet with a link what does that look like? Will people still respect you if you don’t include a link? Well, yes, they will respect you. In fact, they might even try to **gasp** try to talk to you! How strange and wonderful that could be! And how different from the majority of the tweets out there! This isn’t about creating the perfect tweet; it’s about using Twitter to talk to people!

@Carol_Stephen Links are a bigger commitment for new conversations.

— Riggins Construction (@RigginsConst) October 9, 2013

No Link = Less Commitment!

As Riggins Construction says, “Links are a bigger commitment for new conversations.” If you broadcast a tweet with a link, people have to click the link (if they trust it), read the whatever-it-is, think about it, and then get back to you. Without that dreaded link, people are much more likely to say hello, reply, or retweet. So it’s easier for your audience to talk to you–and for you to talk to them!

Fewer People Engaging Means You Stand Out

Listen!

When fewer people are actually listening on Twitter, you get to look like a superhero when you engage! Well, maybe not like Spiderman, but you will get to be social on social media, which seems unusual some days. Now, I’m not saying to entirely stop putting out links, but adding in some tweets without links makes your Tweetstream friendlier.

The Road Less Tweeted

With all the broadcasting there is, you will definitely be in the minority if you listen. Sometimes taking the road less traveled can be a very, very good thing. You might even make a friend or two along the way!

More Spontaneity

Text without a link is more spontaneous. You can tweet about something that just happened to you, or something you’ve been thinking about, and start a conversation that way. Or you could look at your Twitstream to see if anyone is having conversations at the moment. You could also put those talkers onto a list, so that you can check back with them easily from time to time.

How Do You Like to Engage on Twitter?

Do you have any special things you like to do on Twitter to find people to talk to? I’d love to hear from you! Really. I would.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: conversations, Engagement, engaging, links, plain text, Spam, superhero, talk, talking, Twitter

Random Pinterest Annoyances

October 15, 2013 By Carol Stephen 6 Comments

Random Pinterest Annoyances

If you’re like a lot of the people on Pinterest, you’ve formed some strong opinions about the right way to use this social media platform. You’ve spent hours (or maybe weeks or months) pinning, so you have a pretty good idea of what to do or not do. (By the way, if you’re using Pinterest for a startup, here are some first steps.) These are some of my completely grouchy and random thoughts.

Using the Wrong Description

Maybe we should be happy that most spammers are so lazy that they use one picture and a completely unrelated caption underneath it. But that gets pretty old on Pinterest. For instance, a picture of a purse and underneath: “EARN MA$$IVE INCOME FROM INTERNET CALL ME NOW I MAKE $38,000 FIRST WEEK. MY BROTHER IN LAW CANNOT BELIEVE IT”

Taking Credit for Original Artwork

Pinterest has gotten pretty good about telling people to take down pins when the owner requests it. So please don’t take my pin. I’m not seeing this happen much any more, but when it does, it’s still annoying.

Spam on Shared Boards

When you (that is, I) go to a shared board all excited and then realize that it’s nothing but spam, that is the definition of disappointment. Yes, it is.

Stealing My Soul

Do not swoop in and steal all my pins without changing a single word. It’s creepy when I visit your board and every single picture and every single caption mirrors mine. Sheesh. Use some of your own ideas. What do you like about the pins? Say that.

Items with No Description

While we’re at it, why do people post things and then just put a period (.) underneath them? Doesn’t that drive you crazy? Huffington Post has a pretty good list of what not to do on Pinterest, too.

No Way to Search Your Own Pins

As Vanessa Van Edwards says in her article “Why Pinterest Will Not Be the Next Facebook,” scrolling to find that perfect taco recipe just takes too long. It’s easier to use Google.

You’ve Been There

What annoys you? Did I leave anything out?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: annoyances, no description, Pinterest, search, Spam, stealing

Audience: Use Their Language

October 10, 2013 By Carol Stephen 5 Comments

Audience: Use Their Language

Once you’ve figured out who your audience is and a bit about their demographic, why not start to use their language? There are many ways to determine if you’re using the correct language and these are just a few hints. If you still don’t know who your audience is, a survey is one way to get to know them. On social media, each platform has a different language as well.

Get Focused on Your Audience

So let’s imagine for a moment that you have figured out that your audience is mostly women who love athletic shoes. What could you assume about this athletic-shoe-loving woman? Maybe she thinks about what she’s going to have for lunch and dinner while she’s working out. She might be more willing to eat a salad than a pizza, she might love to watch sports on TV, and she might also be interested in athletic wear. She might be interested in ebooks about health and diet, buy pricey bottled water, and take lots of vitamins.

Charm Your Giraffe

If you were a zebra trying to market to giraffes, it’s entirely possible that you could succeed at that. Finding out what giraffes talk about would be a start: where to get the freshest leaves, how far the nearest and best trees are, and where the carnivores are hiding could be some big topics for a giraffe. However, having a giraffe on staff who could keep your giraffe client in mind would greatly help with your marketing efforts. Because it’s not about you! It’s about the giraffe! You know what I mean.

Don’t Use Jargon

Acronyms abound in marketing materials, and you don’t want to make your potential clients guess what those acronyms mean. If your brand is in high-tech or the medical field, be very careful to explain everything so you don’t alienate your audience. Sometimes you’ll see a brand with a social media page and have no idea what they do. When you create a page, why not ask someone from a different industry to take a look. That is, unless you only want to appeal to those in your industry.

Use Emotional Language

Find out how you can access the inner life of your audience. Using friendly language can make your brand more accessible, especially on social media. You can go farther and stand for ideas like freedom, romance, or compassion when you use emotional language in your marketing. And images can speak even more loudly than words.

Male Versus Female Lingo

If your audience is mostly men, your language will be different than if your audience is women. You can do a little research about gender differences in language. Keep a particular person in mind if you’re a woman addressing a male audience, or vice versa. And remember that the images should also reflect that gender bias.

Do You Target Your Audience with Language?

How have you changed your style to fit your audience? Or, if you haven’t, why not?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: audience, emotion, Friendly, gender, jargon, Language

Using Surveys to Define Audience

October 8, 2013 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

Using Surveys to Define Audience

Your startup or company is still forming, and although you have a great product, you’re not sure who is using your product. If you haven’t read the high-level document about defining your audience, you might want to take a look. A survey is a perfect way to help figure out who your users are before you go chasing the wrong demographic. Here are a few tips.

Keep it Short

If you’ve ever answered a survey yourself, you probably appreciate the ones that are simple and to the point. Don’t make people answer 20 frillion questions! Ten questions would be about the max most people would answer before they bail on you. And keep each question as short as possible, too.

Avoid Yes or No Questions

Like a conversation around a dinner table, a yes or no question doesn’t encourage talking. So keep most of the questions open and you could get some surprising answers! Some suggest opening with a yes or no question and then following with a more open-ended one.

Eliminate Unnecessary Questions

For instance, you probably don’t need to know a person’s reading habits, where they went to school, or the kind of car they drive. So cut back on those questions so you’ll get more people to finish the survey.

Have Someone Else Rate the Survey

Have a friend take the survey and give their two cents on how successful it is or isn’t before you release it to the general public. Then go back and edit the questions. Better still, have two or three people give their opinion. If you absolutely have to edit your own work, print it and then be ruthless, as Caroline McMillan explains in her Lifehacker article, “How to Edit Your Own Writing.”

Be Willing to Hear the Truth

You may not hear things you want to hear, so be open-minded when creating your survey. If you only want to hear positive, glowing reviews of your product, don’t create a survey! So for instance, if you ask, “We’ve created the best product on the market, don’t you agree?” you’re probably not going to get feedback that will help you improve. Like Twitter and other social media platforms, a survey is a listening tool.

Give a Small Incentive to Finish

Sometimes incentives are given during a survey to encourage people to finish. If your survey is longer than average, you might consider giving a discount or a free trial of your software as an incentive. Some companies even give cash incentives (just make sure the amount is affordable!).

Do a Phone Survey

Some people respond better to hearing someone ask questions, so you might consider this option. Studies suggest that phone surveys get a higher response rate.

How Do You Like My Awesome Blog Post?

Just kidding! But is there anything you’ve found in a survey that got you riled up or that you really liked? Please leave a comment! Thank you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Conversation, feedback, questionnaire, Startup, survey, yes or no questions

Startup Management Shuffle: Survival, Part 2

October 1, 2013 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

Startup Management Shuffle

You’ve become known as the “organized one” at your startup, since you’ve started to take notes and call for meetings. People may be looking to you as someone to lead them out of the chaos and into the sunlight of a well-oiled machine. That might be a mixed metaphor, but you know what I’m getting at. What other ways can you use to help yourself survive and thrive in a management shuffle? Here are some ideas.

Be the Archivist

If you’re prepared with notes from past meetings, that will enormously help the entire team. You can use a footer to note the name of the document and whether it’s version 1, 2, 3, etc. Don’t forget to date the notes, too! If you send notes to your team, send a .pdf. In the olden days, this used to be called “version control.” You can change the version in the footer every time you make a change (and don’t let a bunch of people work on the same doc at once, unless you’re working in Google docs).

Manage Expectations

Every time there’s a new bunch of people in charge, you have to figure out what they expect from you and what you can expect from them. If you can quickly let go of past expectations that will help a lot. Learning to go with the quick change tide is what happens in a startup.

Figure out Your Job Duties

With new management, your job duties may suddenly change. You may suddenly have more or fewer duties, and those won’t always be communicated directly, so asking lots of questions can help. Your title may change as well.

Know When to Fold ‘Em

Know When To Fold ‘Em

Some degree of pushback is to be expected during any reorg. There may be a kerfuffle or two. Realize that you can have a resume ready to go in a couple of hours if you really need to bail. It’s so easy to think that where you work is the center of the universe, but there are other jobs, and many other good jobs.

What Strategies Have You Used?

If you’re at a startup, what are you doing to keep your sanity?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: changes, expectations, Management, shuffle, Startup