Be Like Panda!

This one is dedicated to all my fairly new to social media friends who are trying to pick up tools like Twitter, Facebook, Pinstagram and do not know what to post about it. Even more - they do not trust me that they should really start treating the web as extension of their lives with a pinch of understanding how those public conversations work. It's also probably about telling stories...Stories keep circulating the web, you see. Once you start one topic, share it and discuss it with your friends they will take it, digest it and sometimes bring it back. It's also about gestures. About touching others with your ideas, inspiration, sometimes really silly observations too. This one at least started this way. Few days ago I shared on Facebook Panda meme. Today I met a friend for a coffee. She is a blogger who quite recently decided to stop writing one of her blogs so we had plenty to gossip about. We went to a good coffee shop, sat down and while we were waiting for our drinks she gave me a magnet with...the Panda from the meme! She simply saw it in a shop and thought of me but to me it was such an important gesture! Once I came back home I shared it on Facebook again and got into a chat with another old blogger friend who uses panda as her avatar and posted about pandas a lot. 

It's a funny feeling how stories circulate and how simple tools and observations can turn into gestures - both on-line and off-line:) 

How to save time with social media - my top tips.

I know, sounds crazy - specially to some of my friends who see me in front of my mac all the time. If not there then on my iPhone. Or finally if not on the phone...on the iPad....but hey...I can always use the explanation - I need to be on the top of things for work. When actually I am browsing Instagram for inspiration!;)

But seriously - how do you save time with social media? I am sure each of us had at least one example of finding a solution to specific problem much faster on Twitter than through more traditional channels but is crowd-sourcing ideas all? Again I have to refer to my work experience - it has truly be an eye-opener for the last two years and I think I have just now learned to talk about it all. See, majority of people I talk to nowadays start to look for solutions to their major problems with social media: amount of noise and too large networks. And quite often first signs of addiction too;) 

Here are my top tips and I would love to hear from my fellow bloggers how they handle their own time management to learn more about it:

1. Have a content plan...

....even if just for tweeting or Facebook updates. To have a content plan means you know what you are using each tool for. I have always used this main blog as my personal journal and as my life changes it changes with me. I am pulling into it all other core presences and here you can keep track of most of my work in other social spaces too. I have a calendar on my wall in which I am writing down a plan for my posts - more or less specific, in the end blogging IS supposed to be fun too;) As for Facebook and Twitter I use them mainly to communicate while I work (I am getting used to managing all my hats at the same time), so the content there will be probably related to the small chunks of time I take off work to rest, to read news or to check an update on something relevant to my passions. I talk about coffee a lot in there;) I take photos and upload them to Instagram or before going to bed (watching popular section on Instagram leaves amazing landscapes in my head for when the dream arrive;)) or when waiting for a coffee. I upload them in smaller chunks because editing takes a little bit of time. I use Qik and Bambuser or podcasting tools only when relevant - for this blog or when travelling, at events. I save stuff in Pinterest boards or on Storify when I feel that I cannot keep up with events real time and know that I will want to use those materials later. I am still trying to work our Google+ as it embraces many other social media activities, so for now it's somewhere close to Twitter and Facebook. 

If you want to have a content plan it might be useful to actually write it up, add to your work calendar and then practice keeping it in your head and evaluate. See what works and what needs to be changed. 

2. Stay where your networks are, allow yourself time to experiment with new tools but wisely!

Many people ask me why I am so passionate about Google+ despite the general scepticism. Simply because my networks are there and I see it makes sense to talk to people there - then the tool's real features become apparent and I start appreciating it. I do not think you will appreciate G+ unless you actually start joining hangouts for example. You will find me in many social media platforms simply because I am connected to many other social media practitioners and we all need to test many tools. But when it comes to daily, active usage I am using Twitter, Facebook, G+, Google tools, Skype etc because my friends are there. 

So if you want to experience sensible on-line interactions and save time on communicating with your friends and colleagues do use the tools they are active on. This way you might be able to get them to answer your last email or simply message them faster than if you were to even give them a ring. I personally think social media is way less intrusive than mobile calls. And if you know your contacts well enough you will know which social network to use when getting in touch with them. 

When you need time for experimenting and you feel that something is "cool" (Pinterest nowadays?) you will feel like you are drawn to it. It's great! It means you are discovering and testing the new tools. But make sure you do not spend too much time on it. I guess it's a question of personal common sense, but I am sure you will feel where is the limit. 

3. Use productivity tools. 

I like to keep things simple so I am using Gmail priority inbox (helps me to mark all my messages that need responding to), calendar, RSS feed readers (Netvibes and Google Reader), Gist for contacts and finally SproutSocial for all social media interactions (though I still prefer to sit in Facebook and G+ during the day). I am looking for solutions on various level of tech experience and I strongly encourage you to do the same. If you save all your important websites in bookmarks, you will be able to access them with one click. If you need a spell check or email signature do check add on's to your browser or apps for your device. You can even monitor your work with additional programmes like Rescue Time (the recent newsletter by Euan reminded me of it) though if you work in social media you might be doomed there;) (it picks up Facebook as waste of time, which made me giggle).

4. Automate your updates wisely. 

There is a huge discussion between fans and opponents of automated updates. I personally think that cross posting between platforms is allowed if it makes sense and is not offensive. Feeding all tweets to your fan page does not work - some of them might be irrelevant to your Facebook audience (or restrict you from genuine conversations...about coffee on Twitter;)) and mean that you do not have time for your Facebook networks. Look around and see what wise solutions are out there. I am using Selective Tweets (adding #fb to my tweets sends them to Facebook) and I use it rarely. I am making the most of feeding photo, audio and video content from my mobile to the major social networks (Instagram photos usually all land in my Flickr account, some on Twitter and some on Facebook - pending their topic). Again, experiment and revise time to time. 

5. Use hashtags.

Hashtags are there to help you browse through the noise but also to help your friends and readers to find your content - use them both in research, as well as in posting. I think noise is great! You can find out amazing stuff about the world if you browse through the noise - I have found an amazing Banksy on Instagram today (the recent one is pretty relevant to some of my own ideas so I was really happy to see it out there!). So get used to speaking in tags, #becauseitsavestime. 

6. Have a coffee!

..or tea...or a walk. AWAY FROM THE WEB. You need to go out and relax a bit. I know many of us pick up technology (I am looking at my son and I see it every day) and simply want to spend all day making the most of the new interactions it provides us with. Let's face it - connecting with people of similar attitude, passions and experiences does save a lot of time in itself. But it can also restrict your vision a lot. Discuss with your friends off-line how you and they spend the time on-line. If you do it for passions, for family or for work - it's all the same. You need to maintain the right balance and if you think you do not have it, you need to re-think the way you are using social media tools. 

Good luck with it! This is my humble take on the matter, but I am sure there are plenty other ways or approaches to social media productivity out there and I would love to hear about them, so let me know;) 

How do you communicate?

There are so many ways to establish the right relationship with people! I have just seen this video a second ago - and I have to admit that I usually spend at least a few hours re-thinking my posts nowadays - but I would like to share my first impressions on this one because they are very relevant to my day. I had a meeting today. A strange meeting indeed. I usually teach people to use tech and social media more effectively, you see. Today I felt like I was in the right place and the right time but my messages very a bit lost in translation. yet the context of the entire meeting was pretty obvious - the help is needed and it does not seem to be there. So my presence was justified by the mere need for it. I went back to my home-office happy actually. 

The other reason why I am so amazed by this video is...simplicity. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did...I still do...listening to it all over again "as we speak". 

Tell me, do you even feel like the most important is the unspoken? If so, how do you communicate then? And what about the on-line? How do you use social media to "touch" people? 

How to start tweeting - my top 7 tips

Some of my readers might get a minor shock, I know. How to start tweeting? What is going on? I know, I know...but you see, the last two years of work have opened my eyes to the reality to the social media situation: we, geeks, web addicts and "enthusiasts" live in a box just as much as anybody else. Only that our box is probably full of buttons, touch screens and push notifications. 

So what do you do when your friend is asking you suddenly - what is Twitter? Why do people tweet? How do I start? People ask me those questions on a daily basis. Actually nowadays I start to see more and more people around me increasingly expressing interest in basic social media tools. So, let's look at how we can help them in kicking off their Twitter adventure! (I would like to point out that I am not being sarcastic here, I genuinely want to share some basic tips for those who need them.)

1. Sign up to Twitter.com.

It sounds dumb, but Twitter sign up is pretty intuitive and once you start entering your data you will be guided through the entire process. Simply let it take you! I know it's a difficult step to make for those who distrust tech and hear many terrible stories about privacy issues going wrong, but at this stage you really do not have to worry about it. 

2. Check all the available settings. 

Play around with the design of your Twitter profile. Click through all the areas of your Twitter dashboard. Do not worry if you are a bit confused - it's ok, you are supposed to be, it's all new and really you will get more and more familiar with it once you start reading and later posting. 

3. Think about your bio and avatar.

If you are happy for your friends and public to see your tweets (check privacy settings if you want to protect your updates) and fairly open about yourself why not to replace the default avatar with your photo - it makes your profile genuine and friendly. It also makes it easier for your friends to recognise you. If you are shy just use a photo of your cat;) Bio is a short intro about you so you can be creative here too. Usually it works better to say something genuine, something that will make your followers smile maybe? 

4. Start following others. 

It's a nice habit to first listen then speak up so look around Twitter - search box can be amazing! Find your favourite "celebrities" (writers of your favourite contemporary novels are probably here already;)), search for people you know off-line (you can ask your friends if they are on Twitter). Use other social media, for example Facebook, to find out if your friends use Twitter. Follow them and read their tweets. Learn from them. Just by following their stream you will pick up a lot about the current Twitter etiquette. 

5. Write your first tweet. 

Now, here is where my friends and clients often stop! "I do not know what to write!" - honestly? I think this statement in itself is a perfect tweet;) Simply be humble, open, honest. Say hi! Say what you think of Twitter. Admit how you feel about it. Make it clear that you are new in this "Twittersphere". And I am sure people will come back with warm welcome, your friends will also help you out. Just imagine you are walking into a party and need a quick ice-breaker;) As long as you are nice and genuine, it's all going to be a beginning of a great adventure. 

6. Respond to tweets. 

If you see something interesting, inspiring, moving - retweet it or reply to it with your opinion. See where this conversation will take you. Your friends will say hi, respond to them. Remember: you really do not need to impress anyone. 

7. BE YOURSELF. 

Twitter is what you make of it. (The entire web is, I think). Keep it as your mantra and make the most of it for yourself, your friends, your networks. Reach out to new people, browse through search for topics of interest, your hobbies or current events. There is so much out there! I am sure you will learn and meet great people on Twitter - just be honest with everyone, polite and show your real self. 

These are very general rules. I have a collection of first tweets of some of my friends and clients and I find it amazing to look back at those when all of their authors have moved to really passionate conversations and stage when they meet their Twitteratti friends off-line at events, work on projects together, help each other. But then again, if you do not make those few first steps, if you do not experiment a little bit, you will not embrace Twitter. You really need to get on and do it! 

Good luck and let me know how it goes (@presleysylwia - say hi!;))!

Instagram now owned by Facebook - my tak

I feel strongly about this because in the last half a year or so I have increasingly felt less and less love towards Facebook. When I say this I mean my personal attitude towards the tool (not opinion about their business model or value of the social network as community). I am using the tool, it's free and some people would say I should shut up when I say I am upset about Facebook purchasing Instagram (don't get me wrong, I think James has a point in this post on the matter). However having a choice between Facebook and Google+ I tend to navigate to Google+ more and more nowadays not only because of the functionality of the service or the fact that my networks happen to be in both service, but because my personal trust towards each brand is different. Even if both contain a healthy dosis of "don't drink and post" attitude and I do not share on-line what I would not like to be owned by any company (when it comes to photos if I want to license them I simply do not share them at all). It's the question of professionalism, reliability and usability of services that matter to me. Brands need to understand that their consumers, users or any other stakeholder will be there watching over their shoulders all the time. 

Facebook as a brand has changed a lot in recent month and I think John D. Sutter is right - it is not cool anymore. That all there is to it. I completely understand the fact that Instagram had no business model, that it's a great deal for both companies and that maybe it will provide a better future for a pretty cool app. But as a user of the service I do not feel happy at all. I guess it's the amount of the uncertainty that bothers me the most. Instagram's future was unclear, but with Facebook on board I think it's hanging in the air even more. I am using Social Folders to back up my photos and feed most of the uploads directly to Flickr, and I suggest you do the same.

Never ever rely on one tool and no matter what you feel remember that those free services are also businesses. Businesses change. Instagram to me was cool BECAUSE it had nothing to do with Facebook but I will continue using it. It's a good product. I will just enjoy it less as I happen to be very personal when it comes to brands. As you can see, very mixed feelings!