Social Mediation

Friends -
I love "social media". I am a big fan of Twitter, LinkedIn and this Blog. I find the process of expressing one's thoughts, with your name attached to them for millions to see, to be an exercise in accountability.

Make no mistake about it, social media takes courage. It is an act of bravery to express ones opinion and field the backlash. You will learn to be accountable to the material you produce as soon as you submit a comment that is unpopular with any of your cohorts. You will learn from insults and compliments alike to be considerate in the line of your our truth. All good things!

The cowards are those who criticise social media platforms without participating in them. Those who submit criticisms and then cannot take the retort. Those who attack and become defensive when attacked. Those who mask their true intent in watered down, politically correct bravado. Those who (literally) pretend to be someone they are not.

Think before you respond, try to consider all the angles, express yourself at the expense of being unpopular with the crowd and own the results!

Here are 3 things to consider:
* I get as much out of reading tweets from skateboarders as I do from Business Advisers.
* LinkedIn Groups are a Trap!
* This Blog is as much for me as it is for you.

Express Yourself: I love twitter for the dissemination of information that I feel to be relevant and the group I have chosen to disseminate it. In one read through Twitter I can learn more in 5 minutes than I would in a 20 minute read through the newspaper.

I feel it is important to consider the following in the Twitter world:
* Don't tell me about your personal actions
- No one cares if you just dropped your kid off at school
* Have relevant information
- Attach a link to greater thought development
* If you tweet more than 20 times a day you are being excessive
* Show me your personality
- If you love bowling attach a link to a You Tube video of King Pin

Don't Get Sucked In: The world of social networking is full of people who are unemployed or bored at work. They will bait you into conversation just to discredit you. Opinion polls on LinkedIn groups are a way for salespeople to bait you into explaining your programs so they can offer you an alternative. Your competitors will invite your opinion to bait you to expose your strategy. Do not participate in LinkedIn discussions - final answer!

For Us (not them): I am always approached by people who have SEO platforms that will improve my blog viewership by 5000%. I don't care how many people read this blog. I write it for a select group of people who are genuinely engaged in progressive thought. It is also profoundly beneficial for me to get my thoughts on paper, re-read them and continue to grow.

Epilogue:
Don't be afraid to express yourself but know that when you do you are subject to criticism. Don't take any backlash seriously but be willing to learn from it. As soon as you read feedback try first to laugh at it.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave