Category — Social Media

Photo by i33

If it isn’t bad enough that the economy is in disaray, or that gas prices are skyrocketing, or that natural disasters are constantly knocking at our back door, now I HAVE BEEN BANNED ON DIGG!

I have been a member of the Digg community for over a year and just in the last few months have really tried to boost my presence and utilize Digg as the great social media tool that it is. A good friend suggested I use the Greasemonkey Script to help in Digging my “friends” submissions. Sure, it made for faster and more convenient digging; but then, Digg changed their minds about allowing their users to use this kind of tool……

“A few folks have been discussing the use of scripts on Digg recently, so I wanted to jump into the conversations that happened this weekend. Scripts/bots place additional load on Digg servers (slowing things down for everyone), so using them is a Terms of Use violation that will result in losing access to your Digg account. We are currently looking deeper into recent script activity.”

As of today, there have been about 500-600 accounts banned from Digg and those that have e-mailed their apologies to Digg Support are being turned away with more than a slap on the hand………

“The account has been banned permanently, and will not be reinstated. Because we must be vigilant in protecting against activities that compromise the Digg community, this decision is final and irreversible.”

Wow! That’s harsh. My question is, why no warning, like if you are spamming? Why no e-mail letting us know of the changes to the terms of service so that we might have the opportunity to adjust to their rules? This type of behavior is just going to frustrate Diggers even more, because not only are accounts now banned but many have lost a lot of their friends.

How am I handling my particular execution? I’m hurt, offended and angry but be that as it may, it won’t bring my account back, so I guess I’ll just settle on being an example to all Diggers and say “Don’t use Scripts!”

Today’s guest post comes from Brian Wallace, founder of social media consulting group NowSourcing and the social media rockstar blog, Collective-Thoughts.

Social Media Time Vs. Family Time

Social media sites, for those that already consume them, take up a great deal of our day. I don’t mean this in any negative light: it’s just a matter of fact.

So, once you really become a strong member of a community, it’s your duty to keep up that commitment. Then, the next new new thing comes along. Take Plurk for instance - you can actually lose karma by not participating! Microblogging brings the social media time management conundrum to a whole other leve, as it is something that you feel compelled to keep pace with not just from day to day but minute to minute! Whether social media is your work, play, or both, they really can take up a huge amount of work, family, and sleep time. This raises a powerful question…

Where does family time fit in?

Thankfully, I have a large family. It’s important to keep balance in your life, or you can really burn out quickly. I’ve seen far too many driven people that have driven straight up the wrong tree.

Here are 5 tips to help you come back to earth:

1. Be a ninja, social media style.

Tools like ping.fm will allow you to quickly make your mark and let you say what you have to say, when you need more time for your kid’s baseball game than to sit there watching the Twitter public timeline.

2. Get your family involved.

Kids can wear Mixx hats, can’t they?

And no, that doesn’t mean that you need to make them wear social news site hats It means that since you’re at the cutting room floor of world news all day long, you can relate some amazing, breaking, shocking, or just plain odd news that happened to your family at dinnertime. Just don’t overdo it.

3. Avoid burnout at all costs.

Social media burnout ain’t pretty. I’ve seen some take a break and recover, while still others just never come back. And not coming back is just such a shame, considering the time and effort that some people put into the game. Exercise, take walks, sit by a river, knit a sweater, hug your kids - remember what is important in life. We aren’t here to live to work; we should be working to live! I’m a social media dad, and my family is counting on me. Burnout is not an option.

4. Let go of some control, get time back.

So let’s say you are a blogger. Guess what? Lots of people are as well! If you are a solo blogger and you are always feeling the pressure to produce, this may burn you out just like any other social network. Learn to relinquish some of the “perfection” in your own blogging and allow some guest bloggers in. It’s a real win-win: the guest blogger gets a new audience to get their name out, and your family gets you back! Once you have this abundance mentality, you’ll be in much better shape for the future.

5. Learn time management.

If you don’t have some concept of what time management is and you work in social media, you’re toast. Maybe not today, but soon. I’m not suggesting that you need to ascribe to the Getting Things Done (GTD) mentality, just that you should be careful in your time commitments, especially social media ones. Social media has a habit of growing on you and taking up more time than you expect. So, it may be worth just setting aside specific times of the day for social media and staying off it, dare I say for other times. The late Randy Pausch gave a great talk about time management and has some tips here.

Brian Wallace is a social media consultant - get it touch with him on his blog, or follow him on Twitter and Plurk.

Darfur, a country just about the size of France, is currently the scene of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the biggest U.N. aid operation, and the 21st century’s first genocide.

As of July 3, 2008 the Genocide Intervention Network estimates that more than 200,000 civilians have died due to violence, malnutrition, and disease and a further 2.2 million people have been displaced within Sudan and an additional 250,000 refugees have crossed the border into Chad.

What does this have to do with social media? Bloggers from all over the United States have realized that this horrifying situation has gone on for too long and are now taking action. My dear blogging friend Mark Hayward made a committment not too long ago and is spearheading the Train For Humanity project………

While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, Mark Hayward spent his last night in the village listening to the horrific screams of the young woman on the left dying from the effects of cerebral malaria because the proper medication was not available.

That evening he made a promise to himself that one day he’d give back to the world by starting a humanitarian organization.

Years later, Mark was out running, and thought of the successful campaigns like Team in Training (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) and Joints in Motion (Arthritis Foundation) that have raised funds and awareness for their health-based organizations by utilizing everyday athletes and their training.

Mark thought, “Why hasn’t anybody used a similar model of endurance athlete training to assist with humanitarian fundraising and awareness?” and the seeds for Train for Humanity were planted.

The concept is simple: getting fit + social media + blogging = social good

Mark is so right! By using the web, social media, and blogging in tandem with everyday athletes in training, Train for Humanity is set to support those organizations that help prevent suffering and alleviate the pain of children, orphans, and refugees who have been displaced due to genocide or internal strife and war within their country.

How can you help? For starters, you can sponsor a TFH athlete. You may recognize the names Leo Babuta and Dan Clements. Both are big time bloggers and along with Mark Hayward are trying to raise $50,000.

If a donation is something that you just can’t do right now then consider spreading the word about this organization through a blog post, Plurk post, Twitter post or some other viral social media tool. TFH has even made a sample post that you can use to make it easy for you to communicate the tragedy that is taking place in other parts of our world and how we can help.

You can financially support Mark, Dan and Leo here.

I’m doing my part, what are you doing?

Today I was reminded at how important manners are when it comes to online profiles. Evidently, two wrestlers, from The University of Nebraska, have been removed from the wrestling team due to their appearance on a pornographic website………

“This incident has made the sports officials realize that web usage by athletes may pose a serious problem and should be addressed properly since it can damage the image of a team and a university - not only of the athlete in question.”

The fact that this incident occured while these two young men were already enrolled in a four year school is one thing, but what concerns me about today’s youth is the careless attitude of high schoolers that will soon be looking for college opportunities and may be turned down due to their lack of discretion on their online profiles……..

“Usage of internet, including social networking websites, is becoming a serious issue for athletic departments across the US.”

What it boils down to is brand management. Institutions are realizing that the profile of any employee, representative, and/or student, may pose the threat of damaging their reputation so they are taking precautions to prevent that from occurring. For example:

“Chicago’s Loyola University has barred its athletes from having profiles on social networking sites completely.”

It goes without saying that social networking sites are a great way to connect to others when used appropriately. But the schools, the teams and your child really do have a “rep to protect” so teach them how to use these tools for their benefit and not their disappointment.

This guest post comes from Jonathan Fields. Jonathan is the author of Awake At The Wheel and the twelfth in my series featuring social media dads.

Kids Connecting

I’ve always had this deep desire to show my 7-year old daughter, Jesse, just how interconnected we are to others around the world. Living in NYC has made the task quite a bit easier. It seems at some point, someone from nearly every culture ends up here. And we get to meet them.

But, the power of social media to demonstrate this point and fuel her exploration really hit home the other day as she strolled in from camp. I was sitting at the dining room table, finishing off a few quick thoughts for a blog post, she came running over for her post-camp hug and kiss. Then she turned to my screen and saw twitter open with all the photos of the folks in my timeline and began to ask questions about each.

“That one lives in Australia,” I shared, “and this person is in Malaysia. Oh, and here’s a friend from North Carolina and another in Spain.” In an instant we’d found ourselves gathered around the dining room table, chit-chatting with friends from all over the world. This simple tool made clear to her how technology can bring together people from all walks of life. It allowed her to see, with her own eyes, how immediately connected we are. And, it also revealed how similar we all are.

And, though I make a point of extracting myself from work when she’s home, it’s not unusual for Jesse to ask me to take a quick peek at who’s on twitter, just so she can see the faces and giggle at the messages (at least the ones I pre-screen). In fact, seeing me blogging and dancing around a variety of social media led her to ask me whether we could create a blog for her. And, with my trusty Macbook Pro in hand, we did just that (it’s passworded).

The whole experience makes me wonder how powerful it might be to have a twitter that was devoted exclusively to fostering conversation among kids around the world in a safe, monitored environment.

Imagine the impact.

Millions of kids, forming impressions, bonds and experiences not through information filtered and colored by the grown-ups who provide access, but rather by their own, direct experience. Imagine them simply having the ability to invite friends from all over the world to hang out and chat. To ask questions about life, relationships, values or even simple daily activities.

To me, if there is a killer application for social media, it doesn’t lie in the realm of grown-ups. It’s not about business or marketing or content-sharing. It’s in the opportunity to allow kids from radically different cultures around the world to connect, to form their own opinions and break down barriers that have created artificial separations for decades or even centuries.

How different, I wonder, might the next generation be if we could foster such an experience?

Follow Jonathan on Twitter here.

Being a mom is challenging and if it weren’t for the workable balance created between my passion for social media and my family, I might just lose my mind entirely. That is why I love success stories that involve moms and using the tools of social media used to enhance their lives and establish careers.

Kelby Carr writes a fantastic post about how social networks are changing the way women do just about everything-from making friends to sharing news as well as finding jobs……..

“Well, one of my fellow moms on Twitter and my Type-A Mom beauty and fashion editor, Jessica Smith, just landed her dream work-at-home job. She didn’t get the Sunday classifieds (who does anymore?). But she also didn’t use some of the more modern methods, such as a job portal site like Monster.com or the uber-popular Craigslist. She used a much more Job Hunting 2.0 method. She posted on Twitter.”

One of the coolest things about this story is that by Tweeting her desire to work in marketing/biz development, Jessica did not have to participate using traditional “job search” strategies. Now, don’t get me wrong, this form of career placement will not work for everyone, but the fact that it worked at all and got the CEO of Wishpot, Max Ciccotosto, to recognize her, is in an of itself a great story.

Jessica still went through all the normal steps like sending in a resume and going through the interview process, however her new job title is nothing typical. She is now the Chief Mom Officer of Wishpot, a social network for shoppers.

The key here is the fact that Max was watching the conversation to see if anything “interesting” caught his eye and that just happened to be…..Jessica! Max goes on to say that the Chief Mom Officer position is a very valuable one and companies would do well to consider tapping into this form of conversation…….

“I think that it’s invaluable to have a great passionate insider in the markets that are being targeted. If a company is targeting moms than I’d definitely recommend getting their own Chief Mom Officer.”

Moms today are rearranging their schedules to handle not only family but a career as well. Jobs that are family-friendly, and allow one to work from home are ideal for the CMO. The tools are there it is just a matter of companies realizing the value of social media and making it work for them and their employees.

Everyone knows that homemade chicken soup warms the chill and heals the ill, but I would like to take this concept one step further and suggest that social media can not only nourish us perhaps heal the cynicism in our hearts. What I’m trying to say is, it might just very well be good for our soul.

Several years ago I began selling stuff on Ebay. I would go to garage sales, store sales, and find things around my house to market in my Ebay store. The few, and I mean few, extra bucks I made was not nearly enough to warrant the time I spent taking pictures, listing items and shipping boxes but the positive feedback I received was what made the experience totally worth while.

Why does something so insignificant as a positive vote or a quick thank you mean so much? Because by nature, we need affirmation, we need appreciation, and we need acceptance, at least I do anyway, and that’s why I love social media.

The tools of social media can be used as a key to open the door to connections to those with similar interests. The joy of meeting people from all over the world and developing those interactions into friendships is exactly one of the reasons Shana Albert loves social media. It’s about the strokes and we all need to be stroked. Without them, life is like living in a vacuum.  Happiness comes when our efforts are appreciated and in some way rewarded. A stroke–a smile, a word of praise, or a thank-you note–shows that our contributions are valued…….

“The laws of karma state that our personal actions & behavior influence future experiences. In other words, we’re responsible for our own destinies and the ultimate happiness & success we achieve. I can’t think of any other environment in which karma is more relevant than social media”

But is it really about karma and the return of our investment or is it about feeding our soul a nourishing bit of connectivity that fulfills an inherent need? I asked some friends on Plurk their opinion of why social media is good for the soul. Here is what they said……..

I must say, I agree with those above that mention things like needing interaction and friendship, connecting with someone and interacting on a level playing field. In a world where technology can often lead to isolation and loneliness social media can open a door to a new realm of connectedness. For example:

Donna makes a very good point here in her example of Tim Jackson’s biking accident. Strangers have come out of the woodwork (or Plurk world I should say) to support, connect and love on Tim. Not only has it been a huge encouragement to Tim but the relationships built around Tim’s situation are a perfect example the fact that conversations carry thoughts, ideas and emotions, and these are fundamental building blocks of relationships and relationships help form who we are now and what we will be later.

A good example of these relationships forming into who we are now is the recent evolution of Plurkshops. As Beth Harte explains, “through the tools of social media, democratic communities form to provide a global platform for sharing of thoughts, knowledge, experience and kindness.”

Its been said that no man is an island unto himself…….

“The magic of social media, if there is any, is simply in its ability to let people connect and share ideas more easily than ever. It allows us to build bridges to connect our individual islands and to find each other.”

We are all one part of an interconnected world that thrives on even more interactivity. What we do online in these social networks reverberates for days, weeks, months and maybe even lifetimes after we have long since gone. We are doing more than conversation, we are building legacies that will touch people’s lives, their businesses, or on a simpler level, helped somebody relieve stress at work (if only for a moment).

In closing, my questions to you are these, How do you think your Tweets and Plurks are affecting people in your life? Did you think that your Facebook profile would be used to support a cause and cure a disease? And, did you know that your comments on a blog may have given someone the encouragement they needed to carry on another day? How is social media good for your soul?

A blogging friend of mine recently wrote a post about July being Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, a topic that is very near and dear to my heart.

You see, when I was in 6th grade, about 30 years ago (yikes), I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Essentially, it was described as an infection of the large intestine resulting in debilitating arthritic flare ups in my ankles, knees, hips, and wrists. Some times it was a “hot” pain that required ice packs and some times it was a “cold” pain and relief came with a heating pad. Regardless of what kind of pain I was in, even Motrin (back when Ibuprofen was only available with a prescription) did not work.

After many doctor visits, hospital stays and medications I am happy to say, that I have been free from joint pain and intestinal infection for many years. However, many children aren’t as fortunate as I have been and suffer with similar symptoms and pain. In fact, 1 out of 250 children have been diagnosed with some form or another of arthritis and many cases often go misdiagnosed or overlooked.

In order to create awareness and fight for the cause, I have recently joined the Arthritis Foundation’s Facebook group, Flickr group and I have downloaded a widget on my blog. I hope that you will be encouraged by my story to leave a comment about how you have used social media to promote your cause and if you don’t have one, feel free to place the JA Foundation widget on your blog, because kids get Arthritis too.