Social Media Insanity

Is the number of venues for “social media” getting out of hand???  I’ve been asked to speak to DiGem in August about social media and also to sit on a panel at JCK Toronto on the same subject.  In order to have anything to offer, I’ve tried to involve myself and see what works.  Do I have it figured-out yet?  I don’t think anyone has because as soon as you get into a groove using one successfully, it changes or another social media site pops-up that might also benefit you.

My current take on the subject?  Facebook is the dominant social site, and brilliantly offers Facebook Pages (or “Facebook Fan Pages”) so that you can separately promote your business.  The Toddwaz Report has followers from my personal Facebook friends as well as business only connections.

I have a Twitter account, however I very seldom “tweet.”  If you regularly check your Twitter feed at least once per day, follow me @toddwaz and I will begin posting my blogs and more to Twitter as well.  The 144 character limit allows concise pronouncements, but mostly requires half of the tweet to consist of a link to “read on…”  F.Y.I. 144 characters ends part-way through the word “will” in this paragraph.  I enjoy following Brent Butt and a few other comedians who seem to enjoy the challenge of putting out amusing tweets within the character limit.

Linkedin is beginning to develop importance for those who are involved in an industry.  Today I finally broke-down and began requesting connections with numerous retailers and wholesalers.  I belong to a couple of industry discussion groups and have participated in some great debates already.

If you aren’t involved in any of these and you want to be, the first step is to throw your name into the hat.  It takes time to build your network.  It’s like starting to frequent a pub, or joining a private golf club or moving to a new town.  First you move there and then you start building your network.  You likely know a few people, so immediately you connect, friend or follow those close to you.  Then one introduces you to another and so it grows. 

As for Google+, Flickr, MyLife, Myspace, Bebo, Foursquare, Nexopia, Meetup, Pinterest and the host of other social networking venues?  You can’t be everywhere, all the time.  I’ve said before that social networking is like Cliff Claven walking into Cheers.  You look around and see who’s doing what.  You may engage in a conversation or you might not (in Cliff’s case a virtual impossibility.)  But you go there most days and pretty soon it’s a place “where everybody knows your name.”

By reading this, you are a member of the Toddwaz social network along with a select number of retailers in Western Canada.  I have been using my Facebook as the “social” part of my blog, but you’re not all Facebookers.  Now there is a new way to interact within this network.  If you have something to say, something to comment on, just click the “POST A COMMENT OR REPLY” link below.  It will take you to a page where anyone can post comments and lookup previous posts (even sorting them by subject matter.)

Socially yours,

Todd