Five months into my gig as a Social Media Coordinator at AutoNation, it seems I am still ironing out a work flow that feels comfortable for me. Even though the nature of being social on social networks means there shouldn’t be a rigid structure of tasks in place, I grew very accustomed to that work style at my last job at the Miami Herald. We worked on deadline. I had my entire work shifts mapped out in advance. I knew when I could take short breaks. The structure of the position became very routine to the point where I could have almost done it blindfolded.
With social media, it’s fluid motions; reacting as necessary when conversations arise. I enjoy this leisurely (I use that word loosely) approach, but sometimes when your interactive and engaging juices start to flow and your Twitter stream becomes more active, you’re greeted with a fail whale and there’s not much you can do. Your work flow is halted. How can you be social when the social sites are down?
1. Browse for links. When I can’t actively tweet because of Twitter’s standard wonkiness or if Facebook is having issues (which is commonplace), I turn to Google reader and see what I can find. I’ve got folders for automotive blogs, RSS feeds and resources that I scour and save for tweeting at a later time. I use delicious and tag these links with #ANtweets so I can find them later easily. This leaves me with an arsenal of info I can pull from to share on slower days. Find a system that works for you that allows you to quickly find resources you can share with your fans and followers when the Internet starts to behave again.
2. Schedule blog posts. You don’t even have to write them. Take @brucefloyd‘s advice and map out a post schedule based on the topics you plan to write about. Put them into your Google calendar. If the networks are down for an extended amount of time, throw a few paragraphs together or compile an outline. This will keep you from putting off posts in the future, though it may be easier said than done. (Can we pretend that this blog post isn’t the first one I’ve written since February? Cool.)
3. Go analog. Grab that writing utensil that we call a “pen” and place it on one of those square white sheets of “paper” and swirl it around a bit. Some of your best ideas come from the simple act of writing things down. Your brain muscles react and stretch in different ways when you use the written word. It’s what @jasonrukusdoes. Put down your iPad and give it a shot.
4. Organize miscellaneous tasks. Our team at AutoNation has become big fans of Action Method. It serves as our project and assignment organization application. We input action items for one another, give them a due date and a priority. We keep it organized by project and topic. On days when the social networks are slow or acting up, I go into Action Method and organize. Did this action item need to be updated? Postponed? Is there a status update I can offer to keep my team in the loop? I do all of these things. It makes me feel productive.
5. The dreaded e-mail. As a last resort, I’ll answer e-mails that I’ve put off. There is no better time to conquer them than when I can’t use Twitter or Facebook as distractions. It’s one of the heaviest weights you can lift off yourself and for me, it makes being active on social sites more enjoyable and fun because I don’t have the cloud of e-mail floating over my head.
What do you do when Twitter and Facebook are acting up and you can’t engage your fans and followers? Share with a comment.
There is no doubt about the amount of good that has been done in the aftermath of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti as a result of social media. Text campaigns to raise funds, alerting rescuers to buried survivors and allowing Haitians to search for missing loved ones only scratches the surface. The outpouring of support and eagerness to help is reminiscent of the weeks following the 9/11 attacks.
With a death toll that may soon hit the hundreds of thousands in a place that was already ravaged by poverty and violence to begin with, nobody knows yet how large the scale of this disaster will reach.
In light of these events it would seem obvious that this wouldn’t be an appropriate opportunity to try and bait a mass of new Twitter followers, but apparently that isn’t obvious to everyone. Take Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth for example:
Sorry Donte. I don’t believe your intentions were bad. In fact, I’m a huge cheerleader for people who have been graced with high-paying careers who make a point to give to those in need in times of crisis. I just want to give you some outside perspective here.
We all know NFL athletes make the big bucks. Big enough bucks to be able to negotiate a settlement out of court last year after accidentally killing a pedestrian in Miami Beach. You clearly don’t need Twitter followers to be able to write a check. I understand that this may have been an oversight in your efforts to raise funds, but the nature of this emergency makes your quest for followers seem petty. The doctors in Haiti who need the supplies to help the dying could care less about your follower count, but they could certainly use the monetary donations to buy what they need to save more lives. Why waste time tied up in Twitter?
Yes, use Twitter to ask your followers to donate if they can. Yes, use Twitter to organize relief efforts. But please, don’t play follower games during tragedies. Things like that need to be left out of the equation altogether.
We know it’s been about two months since our first #HeraldTweetup (which totally rocked because of all of you lovely people) and South Florida is getting antsy. In case you haven’t heard, we’ve set a date, so you should save it! Set a reminder alert on your cell phone and RSVP on our twtvite for Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at Crazy Pianos (@CrazyPianosMIA) in Coconut Grove. The Miami Herald staff of reporters, bloggers, designers, editors, producers and tweeters are looking forward to happy hour with our followers on Twitter.
We ask that you RSVP so we can get an estimate of how many people to expect. We will be announcing some very exciting events that the Herald is planning and there will be plenty of people on hand to demo our new Dolphins ’09 iPhone app if you want to check it out (come find me or @loritodd and we’ll show it off). Hope to see you there!
The power of Twitter shined bright again yesterday as I sat in the conference room at Burson-Marsteller PR on Brickell Key, surrounded by about 15 public-relations minds that were ready to pick my brain apart.
I was scouted on Twitter by Felix Leander (@fleander), the lead digital strategist for their Latin American division, to come and take part in B-M’s NewsFeed program, coordinated by Senior Associate Bradley Gerber (@bradleygerber). About four times a year the company brings in journalists from all backgrounds to give a little inside scoop about the nature of the current state of business.
They’ve welcomed guests in the past who have given the company insight into the online realm of media like Joachim Bamrud from LatinBusinessChronicle.com. In keeping up with the ever-changing landscape, B-M wanted a glimpse at how journalists are using social networks like Twitter and Facebook in their day-to-day work routine.
I couldn’t help feeling nervous. This was the biggest interrogation I’d ever been the target of.
But I’ve got to hand it to them. I was met with some fantastic questions that not only gave them a peek into the duties of an online producer in the media world but I learned a ton about my job’s importance to public relations associates. Who knew that there actually ARE people up at 3:30 in the morning waiting to see the stories from the morning’s print edition go live on the Web? Now I know better.
We discussed everything from an average day at work for me, to the strategies I use when I tweet for @MiamiHerald, to the guidelines we give ourselves for moderating comments on our stories. All completely relevant to PR folks who are keeping a watchful eye on what the media are saying about their clients.
Most of the associates had joined Twitter but were nervous about the inevitable first-tweet and still hadn’t sent it. This is an issue I hear all the time, even among my personal friends who have yet to succumb to the grips of Twitter addiction. I used to not understand it, but the more I realized that PR people are the epitome of what representation means, I laid off a bit. Their personal image IS the image of their clients. The disconnect is fuzzier so I can see the apprehension.
One of the strongest points we touched on to counteract first-tweet-phobia is to approach your tweeps as if you are already buddies, putting business tweets on the back burner until you can garner some real personal connections with fellow users. There ARE things to tweet about other than business (I like to tweet about music, our garden, my niece and nephew, South Florida) and the Twittersphere is much more likely to embrace newbies who don’t start out by blasting us with what they do for a living. Once I get to know you, I’m more likely to care about your line of work because it is important to you. In this case, PR.
There are plenty of PR associates who use Twitter successfully from personal accounts without saying anything that would harm the image of their clients. Toby Srebnik (@FSUToby) and Heather Whaling (@PRtini) are some great examples from Florida, check them out. If you know of others please add them to the comments.
So don’t be scared to tweet, PR peeps. Just don’t scare me away with a pitch stream either.
Big, giant, huge, monstrous thanks for the opportunity to learn and discuss with smart minds at B-M. I hope to see all of you at our next Herald Tweetup!
P.S. I just thought this was too cool. My picture on their digital welcome sign!
So you’re a Twitter rock star with an impressive list of followers. You’ve got a killer score of 99.6 on Twitter Grader, you carry on interesting conversations with @reply after @reply and get retweeted a decent amount, too. All is well in your Twitterverse, except…
…none of it is doing you any good in real life. Close your laptop and turn off your iPhone. What happens to your Twitterverse now? Exactly.
GIVE TWEEPS A CHANCE
If for any reason you’ve been weary of making your way to a tweetup in your area, I beg you to get off your rump, take a shot of social courage and meet these virtual tweeps in reality. Sure, there may be a brief moment of awkward introductions. “Hey, so… you’re @johndoe…you look nothing like your avatar…nice to meet you.” And even after that it may seem like there isn’t much to talk about besides the last four tweets you’ve read from each other or the hottest tweeted link of the day. This is not the case.
Your tweeps are more than handles and avatars and links and hashtags. Because you share interests (Why else would you follow them?) and converse with them throughout the day, there’s a pretty strong chance you’d have a great time at the pub/bar/pizza joint shooting the breeze for an hour or two. It solidifies the connections you are using Twitter to establish anyway and like any good relationship, it needs work.
It’s usually not hard to find tweetups since they are, of course, arranged via twitter and we spend a good bulk of our day there anyway. If you are a casual twitter user and not an obsessed fiend, check sites like Meetup.com or Tweetups.org for local gatherings. Also search for local twitter accounts that announce tweetups in your area (i.e. @soflatweetup, @ftlaudtweetup, etc.).
RECESSION FRIENDLY
Believe it or not, it IS possible to have a social life without breaking the bank. Down here in South Florida we are lucky enough to have quite a few tech events/tweetups that have generous sponsors who will chip in for the booze and food.
This is in no way meant to promote twitter mooching. No one likes the guy/girl who hovers around gatherings just for the free stuff.
Last night at Boca’s First Pizza Tweetup, Tucci’s Pizza (@tuccispizza) in Boca threw in all the pizza (which, by the way, was stellar) if you paid for a drink. There was no shortage of food, the owners were grateful and by the looks of it everyone had a great time. Thanks to @lapp for coordinating and @oweno for the awesome video:
So go forth my noble tweetup scaredy-cats. Drop the anti-social front and meet the people who pleasantly distract you from work on Twitter.
