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discussing online interaction & networking from the corner table...

Category Archives: social media

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Working Together

Written February 13, 2012 by in connections, networking, social media

I’ve told folks that I’m more into the relational aspect of social media – the “social” more than the “media” side. This article tweaked me in it’s ideas for collaborating and brainstorming together:

Put more simply, it’s a way for a group of people to get together and brainstorm with structure. It’s a way to be sure even the introverts have a voice. And it’s a way to be sure not one person does all the talking and is the only voice who gets a say.

The meeting was divided by charrette. You had 15-20 minutes to present your thinking and then debate its merits with the other experts, staff, and trustees.

It worked really, really well. Better than any brainstorm I’ve ever sat in on.

via Take a Different Approach to Brainstorming | Spin Sucks.

Read the whole article, and imagine some of your own meetings going in a similar direction. At work, or church, or at the country rec league getting ready for spring soccer tryout – what if we took time to think without some of the fear or the politics that often go into these scenarios?

For the past few weeks, I’ve been noticing negativity more and more online. It’s been on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram even. And my first self-judgment is that I’m noticing it because it’s welling up in me more than normal, too. My own judgmentalism and negative reactions are leading to me noticing it more all over – so I’m to blame more than anything for the “noticing” part of the equation.

So hopefully it’s without pointing fingers that I am now looking at this from the perspective of relationships and being together in the good stuff of life. We cut each other off in negativity. I cut others off when I’m looking through mud-colored glasses. And we/I end up losing more than we gain when we/I do that. One of the areas we/I lose out on is working  together, letting each other influence and impact the whole separately and collectively.

I guess it’s the knowledge that I’m not perfect and that I don’t know everything that leads me to want to get more cooks in the kitchen. I want to know what you think. I don’t want to miss out on your addition to our experience. And this article outlines a way to get everyone thinking on their own – in my reading, it means everyone has an equal opportunity to fling it out there. And that separation of egos can then come together as a better, more well-rounded whole.

  • Value everyone’s ideas – all thoughts on the table because with this framework, it’s already been individually vetted before being brought to the group.
  • Value YOUR OWN ideas – this is huge, I think, because when we brainstorm in certain groups we often think too highly or too inferior about our own ideas depending on who’s in the group. Stop that – foundationally here. you’re the boss of your own ideas and it’s up to you to work out the particulars before presenting to the group.
  • Listen – this is big in all of life, and it’s important here because you’ll get to hear other folks share something they’ve spent time and effort on, hearing firsthand how it might mesh into what you’ve also put time and effort into on your side.
  • Blend graciousness with pragmatism – let each other dream; let each other try things out mentally and philosophically; and then collectively bring the pieces together into a doable/workable whole that’s better than any one piece would’ve been alone.
  • UPDATE: another bulletpoint from Gini from SpinSucks.com in the comments below: “One thing I would add to your list. People go into brainstorms or meetings or discussions thinking everyone works and thinks the same way they do. Be cognizant of other personality types (introverts and extroverts) so everyone has a voice. That’s why I like the charrettes so much – they give everyone a voice.”

So this week, I’m looking for more ways to work together with those around me. Whether it’s in the office or in various extracurricular get-togethers, how can I be a part of something collaborative and more truly representative of everyone together? That’s what I want to be a part of. That’s some of the meaningful stuff that’s been missing in my own recent descent.

What about you? How are you collaborating and working together with other lately?

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Conversations And Content

Written February 8, 2012 by in connections, education, social media

This morning at the SC Arts Commission THRIVE Conference, I’m leading the Conversations And Content: Social Media Is A Two-Way Street session. For me, it’s an opportunity to share  that “social media” is more about the social than anything else. Or as Kelly put it on Twitter last night:

So we’ll be talking about the available tools and platforms, but the emphasis is on how we use them, how we share, how we really touch base with folks to build a community and see our business/creative outlets grow.

If you want to follow along or can’t make it, follow the #SCTHRIVE hashtag on Twitter. And for our morning meeting, here’s the preso:

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… or you can click the link here.

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Big Brands, Little Shops, and Branded Twitter

Written January 28, 2012 by in business, social media, twitter

[Management Note: The post below was built with Storify and the Storify plug-in for WordPress, but that does not mean it's all good. Our testing has shown that most netbook/desktop browsers have rendered the piece well. But further time with mobile/tablet devices have been hit-or-miss. Please use caution in opening the following post. Well, at least don't hold it against Rick when you can't read the blasted thing. He's trying, and that's something. Thank you for your continued support. - p.s., there's nothing evil or corrupt about the post, just that it's goofy on some screens.]

[Management Note #2: On second thought, we've replaced the scripted conversation with a link to the Storify page. This has been deemed by our IT/R&D department to be safer for all concerned. Please click through and enjoy - and don't tell Rick. We're keeping it from him to protect his fragile ego.]

I had a conversation on Twitter about the new branded pages they platform was offering. And I’ve added the Storify plug-in to this wordpress blog. So, synergy being what it is, here’s my first storified-twitter-conversation blogpost. Any thoughts?

On Storify: Big Brands, Little Shops, and Branded Twitter

My thoughts in and around the use of social media for business is that most things I learn and try out are very scalable. That means that the big corporate wonks can do something, and the small mom & pop shops can emulate it to a point. In a locale, the two different-sized companies have a more equal footing.

But the new Twitter offering for corporate pages, to me, seems like overkill at best. It’s not necessary for the bigger companies who can already do much of their sales/profits push on other platforms.

At worst, it looks like it’s giving the bigger companies an edge that might not be as scalable for the small local businesses that needs to be able to point to a level playing field in today’s economy. Smaller shops don’t have the time to do much in the way of social media. Where twitter was pretty even for conversations, now having the extra branding/sales capability might be more than a local businessowner is able to bite into.

But that’s just my thoughts, and I see the points in the conversation above as well. I’m open to seeing what’s going on as Twitter rolls out whatever this new thing is. And I hope local/small is able to build on something positive to stay in the game with global/big.

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South Carolina Primary and New Media

Written January 21, 2012 by in personal, social media

Part of growing up in the South is a healthy respect for politics and religion. Two topics that might be more taboo in other areas of the country, they fit together here like fish and grits. But I’ve learned over the years that there’s more to life than my way, then my belief, then my voting bent.

[Politics past from rickstilwell.wordpress.com]

Sitting here in the kitchen on 01/21/2012, South Carolina is holding a primary for the Republican candidate for President. I find that most of my Facebook feed is posting “get out the vote” and “doing my duty” status updates, while Twitter so far locally has a few folks post lots more than normal and others just enjoying the day and not voting.

What’s cool to me this afternoon is that I’m at home blogging on my CR48 Google chromebook, tweeting and facebooking with friends on my iPhone, and streaming CNN on their iPad app. I’m more connected now then I was just two years ago. If not actually more connected, I’ve at least got more viable channels to bring in information and to send out information, to learn from and to converse with.

[Current political/everything philosophical bent]

Regardless of your own political persuasion, there’s something to be said for the availability of information and of conversation channels open to just about all of us. With that in mind, THERE’S NO REASON TO NOT KNOW WHO’S RUNNING AND WHAT THEY’RE RUNNING ON. In a world that still relies way too heavily on soundbites, on network talking heads, on quips and pithy negativity to make up its mind, it’s wonderful that there is NO EXCUSE to not be a knowledgeable voter.

I don’t use all caps very often.

It behooves us as citizens to know what we believe, to know why we believe it, and to question the stories and soundbites to get after the truth. With all the information at our disposal and all the tools available, it’s easier than ever to make good choices. We might still disagree, but your ability to do the right thing by your conscience has greatly improved. And that’s always going to be a good thing.

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