Comments (0) When I tell people I work in Social Media, I often get a blank stare.. so I often state “I Twitter and Facebook for a living..”
That, they can understand.. but don’t really “get” how this can actually BE a job… and they often don’t understand why anyone actually participates in Social Media… I explain that it’s this century’s word of mouth advertising.. watch and learn..
Everyone on earth has challenges.. problems.. insecurities..
For the sake of the metaphor.. let’s call them Lions and Tigers and Bears…. Oh my.
The Wizard of Oz was on television the other night. It’s one of my very favourite movies in the world.
I’ve met very few people who have never seen the movie.. and most who have tend to list it among their favourites as well.. And as much as it has to do with the catchy musical numbers and heartwarming story, I believe there are lessons to be learned….
Dorothy is a somewhat brave girl.. a bit of a dreamer but seems to have some common sense about her.. She longs for adventure and imagines better things for herself. But really is at a loss at how to make that happen.
Scarecrow: I haven’t got a brain… only straw.Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?
Scarecrow: I don’t know… But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking… don’t they?
Scarecrow feels he could accomplish so much more if he “only had a brain”. However, throughout the course of the film, he has several good ideas and proves himself to actually be the brains of the group.
Likewise the situation with the Tin Man who believes he needs a heart, yet is actually very kind and sympathetic.
Wizard of Oz: A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.The Cowardly Lion is terrified of his own shadow.. never mind the presumed danger whilst on the Yellow Brick Road. Yet, he’s willing to put himself out there and take a risk in order to help Dorothy and her friends.
Cowardly Lion: All right, I’ll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I’ll tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but I’m going in there. There’s only one thing I want you fellows to do.
Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow: What’s that?
Cowardly Lion: Talk me out of it.
I know not a single person who hasn’t felt helpless, lost, scared, stupid or confused. But the difference between those who stay stuck in those situations and those who don’t is sheer belief in themselves. Believing that they can overcome those feelings of doubt and fear is most of the battle.
Wizard of Oz: Frightened? Child, you’re talking to a man who’s laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe… I was petrified.Everyone has their Lions, Tigers and Bears (oh my). But as you may recall.. the foursome never actually ran into any. They faced many other challenges .. but through believing in themselves and one another, they over came them.
Be smart. Be kind. Love. Have Courage. Believe. …. and you’ll find what Dorothy found.. that she didn’t have to run away to find her heart’s desire. She and her friends just had to look inside themselves for the answers..
But keep an eye out for those flying monkeys.
Serendipity: A very good coincidence, often leading to something really awesome. (Urban Dictionary.com)
I had occasion to take a cab yesterday.
I do one of two things whilst taking a ride with a stranger…. I either end up having a lengthy conversation about current events, the weather or the city I’m in or where I’m going.. Or I don’t talk much at all except to give the address and such.
When I got into the cab, the driver gave me a friendly hello and of course asked where I was going. I had to tell him where exactly it was as he wasn’t familiar with that area of town. I told him as well as I could, explaining that I was a recent transplant to Niagara region and therefore really didn’t know my way around too well just yet. He asked why I had moved to this area and I gave him the Reader’s Digest version.. explaining that my life had been something of a challenge for the past year or so, but I was working on it. He wished me luck with my situation and told me that he knew through experience that if someone wants something badly enough, they just needed two things.. to believe in it, and work hard for it.
Just to create conversation, I told him that there had been a mass of emergency vehicles in the area that morning.. a random girl I ran into while waiting had told me that some guy had jumped from his apartment balcony across the street. We both exclaimed how sad and shocking that was and I internally said a short prayer for the poor soul.
Mr. Cabbie went on to tell me that he could understand someone becoming so depressed .. so hopeless.. that one would consider such extreme measures.
He explained to me that he had been sober now for 34 years. I asked him what led him to that decision and he explained that it was his second wife.
He had been married very young.. at 22 .. and it barely lasted a year. He was a young buck who partied hard and his first wife could not withstand his wreckless behaviour and left him.
For several years he was alone and went through some great challenges, including being homeless.
He had been living in an apartment in Niagara when one night there was a fire. He barely escaped with his life, never mind any of his clothing or possessions. He didn’t even have a set of clothes… no insurance. Nothing was left.
He managed to talk a local store into giving him a small wardrobe and a winter coat on credit (it was February). He had to live in a shelter for a time until he could get some work and rebuild himself and his life.. it was a very low period and there were times where he self medicated so often with liquor that he considered his life empty and perhaps not worth the effort to continue.
But he managed to find the inner resolve to push forward and rebuild as best he could. Then he met a girl and remarried.
They were together for a year and he had once again succumbed to his hard partying ways and she left him.
He was devastated. He finally called her and said he’d do whatever it took to win her back. She told him that he would have to pursue addiction counselling and quit the drinking and the drugs forever. He agreed.
It was a tough go, but he had the resolve to do it because he knew that something better was there for him if he chose to work hard for it. He continued by saying that he and his wife recently celebrated 35 years of marriage.. and 34 years of his sobriety. They’ve had a wonderful life together .. three children.. and continue to share much happiness.
He was tempted a few times over the years, but knew if he faltered he’d lose everything that truly mattered to him. He’d been broke, homeless, addicted to booze and drugs. He resolved at one point to change his life. And although sometimes it was a struggle, he did it despite the obstacles.
“Anything worth having is worth working hard for”.. he said. I agreed with him wholeheartedly.
We pulled into my driveway and I scavenged in my purse for the money to pay him. “I’ve enjoyed our conversation… by the way.. what is your name?”
“Ian”.. he said.. “I’m Beth”, I replied.
“That’s my wife’s name!” He remarked. For some strange reason that did not strike me as a such a weird coincidence.
Every once in a while, you have what appears to be a random conversation with someone who teaches you something or brings you a valuable message or a life lesson or an opportunity. It’s serendipity. Finding something fortunate you really didn’t expect to find.
Everyone’s personal and professional lives are rife with challenges at some point or another, and it can certainly be discouraging. However, here was a man who built himself up with far less going that what I have right now. Proving to me once again that through sheer will and belief and hard work, you can succeed. And it also drove the point home that despite the internet, social media and all the incredibly high tech ways we communicate these days, sometimes a simple conversation drives the point home far more than any self help book ever could.
Ian.. it was a pleasure to meet you.
Now, I’d better get back to working hard. Because I already have the belief.
Success will follow.
When I was a young girl, my father would often take us to a carnival that was set up along the beach strip between Hamilton and Burlington.
My sisters and I would love to go on all the rides.. we’d take turns ringing the little bell on the front of the boat ride.. pretend to be riding Harleys as we spun in circles on the motorcycle ride, scream in terror as we thought we’d go flying out of the Scrambler… and of course, there would always be the roller coasters.
The clicking as the coaster ascended the track.. the build up… the anticipation of being hurled through the air at incredible rates of speed. The sheer terror of the drop.. the euphoric rush and heart palpitations as we soared up and down…
I recall my family visiting Wonderland for the first time.. waiting in line for a good 30 minutes or so in order to climb into a metal box and have our bodies thrown about for a mere 3 to 5 minutes of electrifying exhilaration.
This summer my son and I went to Marineland and he convinced me to ride the Dragon Fire six times in a row. At the end of the ride I came to the conclusion that perhaps I had become far too old for this joyride.. the feeling of my brain being jostled around in my head and slammed against the side of the car now far outweighed the elation I once felt whilst flying through the perceived time space continuum.
This past week life has felt like a veritable roller coaster.
What started out as a fun little trip quickly became an accelerated, terrifying adventure. The slow build of the ride escalating to its peak.. then the sudden dangerous thrust of being hurtled toward the ground … wind whipping through your hair, feet dangling… feeling as if you are almost airborne… only to rise once again up the track, spinning about until dizzy and then come crashing to the bumpy stop. End of the ride. Please don’t forget to pick up your belongings as you depart to your left.
But as much fun as rollercoasters can be, they are a brief thrill ride..fervent, fast, furious….jarring your brain and body. Much excitement and fun while the fleeting ride lasts, but intense and jolting and always coming to an inevitable screeching stop. And you are sometimes left feeling a little disappointed and nauseous at the conclusion.
However, it’s all about the experience. And the thrill you feel when you take it. Even if it is only for five minutes.. for that short period of time it’s exciting, exhilarating and amazing. Although you had the fear of stepping into the cart, you took a chance. You were brave.
Life is so very, very short. Take a chance on yourself. Take a chance in business. Take a chance in Life.
Then give yourself a pat on the back.
Enjoy the ride.
**I originally posted this on my blog in June 2009 when I first started supporting 12 for 12K. In light of tomorrow’s big GG24 event for Doctors without Borders, I’ve updated it and reposted on this site**
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. ~Edmund Burke
One of my favourite things in every career I’ve had (there have been a few..) is that I’ve had the ability to assist others in some respect. At one point I worked in not-for-profit and loved it. During my time in the music business, I organized fundraising events, concerts, food drives and other helpful things. Often, these were the “best” parts of my job.
As well as my media/marketing experience, I also have a background in Volunteer Management. I have both been a volunteer (Girl Guides, Scouts, etc) and organized volunteers. I enjoy the experience of helping others. Most of the time when I’ve ended up helping out, it’s because someone had to do it. It’s as simple as that. We need a parent to work the book fair.. well, someone has to.. I have the time and ability.. so sure. I’ve had a bunch of charitable experiences.. from sitting on volunteer boards and committees to being a Brownie leader.. to sponsoring a child in another country. My experience with volunteering, or with assisting anyone for that matter, is that you don’t do it with any expectation for yourself other than a genuine desire to help.
In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy. ~Karl Reiland
In June, one of my Twitter friends, Jon Aston (@JonAston on Twitter) was looking for “ten good people” to help out with The 12 for 12K Challenge. I had seen the logo on Twitter in various peoples’ profile photos and noticed it on their Twitter pages, but really didn’t know a heck of a lot about it, so I asked about it. And I asked Jon what he wanted these “ten good people” to “do”.
The 12 for 12K Challenge is the brainchild of Branding and Social Media Expert Danny Brown. The concept is very simple. Using social media the participants would raise $144,000 in 2009. Each month a different charity would be the recipient of the funds raised.
For the GO GLOBAL 24 event September 29th, the charity will be Doctors without Borders. Henie Reisinger (@hennartonline) will be tweeting for 24 hours.. there are sponsored hours, and all donations are certainly welcome. Please get more information here.
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill
Here’s why I’m writing this: all I had to do was commit $10 a month. Seriously. $10. And of course, it would be nice if I could spread the word about the movement. So I said yes. I can do $10. Not hard to find. A few less Tim Horton’s coffees. A couple less beer, one less bottle of wine.. (ok, let’s not get ridiculous)…
The point I’m making is this: it’s a simple thing to do. $10 once a month. Easy. It’s just a little bit… but if everyone does a little bit, it will be a LOT. And I understand that not everyone has the $10. So do WHAT YOU CAN.
For the GO GLOBAL 24 event, there will be auctions, donations and more while Henie tweets for 24hours straight. YOU can help. Whether it’s contributing time, money or effort.. YOU can help. Because if everyone helps out even just a little bit.. it all adds up to a lot.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. ~Dr. Seuss
Still working on tweeking the site and adding content, but you can still read my posts and all.. and please feel free to comment!
To contact me (Beth Warren) .. evilgenius@live.ca or 289-214-2384
That is all for now.
A couple of weeks ago I read a post by brilliant radio consultant Jaye Albright of Albright & O’Malley – it was about a Twitter promotion a station in Texas was doing and how it’s only a matter of time before you see more Social Media contesting. 
Which makes sense.. it’s ALL media.. radio, television, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.. it’s about connecting with others. It’s a win/win.
Except for the fact that the majority of Radio fails miserably at Social Media.
Very few radio stations are using social media well. Most aren’t using it at all. In this economy and the state that terrestrial radio is in, you THINK they’d be all over it.. after all, more listeners = more ratings = more money.
But they aren’t. They are either just not bothering or they are doing it poorly.
There are over 12 THOUSAND radio stations in the United States and only 121 of them are on Twitter. (http://radioontwitter.com/)
Radio is missing a huge opportunity to drive web traffic, create listening appointments and increase time spent listening.. but they don’t seem to recognize what they are doing wrong.
When I was in radio school, not to mention working in radio, the Program Directors would encourage the jocks to talk on air as if they were speaking to their best friend. One on one with another human being. Entertain them. Engage them.
So why isn’t radio doing that with Social Media? They are breaking their own rules. Most radio stations have a disproportionate ratio of followers to following on Twitter and seem to rarely interact with those “friends” on Facebook.
I randomly selected stations that I listen to as well as other stations from the U.S. and Canada.. Ninety five percent of the stations I researched are following less than ten percent of their followers. Some aren’t following ANY. HINT: The more you follow, the more will follow you back.
Many stations had less than 100 followers. And they’re only following 10 or so. Most of these seemed to be following celebrities and the like. Great for research. Bad for communication. Dudes… I have more followers than you. And I don’t have a big ol’ broadcast centre.
If radio would become “friends” with these listeners, the listeners would be far more likely to be loyal. Plus, sending out one “tweet” a day just doesn’t cut it. Nor does being unresponsive when listeners send messages to you. Hard to have a conversation with someone when you’re the one doing all the talking. Just sayin’.
p.s. Having your jocks “blog” by writing 3 lines with a link to a cat singing Happy Birthday. Yeah, not riveting.
I know! Hard to believe! Think about how many followers and friends Joe Average would have if he were on your local radio station every day telling everyone his Twitter handle and/or Facebook address or YouTube link. Lots, right? Thousands..maybe even bajillions…
If radio actually DID such a thing, they would. Listening to some of these stations, and checking out their websites.. most did not even have a link to any of their social media sites. Nor did they talk about them on the air.
Unfortunately, many in radio think that social media sites are competition for hits to their own websites.
They’re wrong.
Most listeners will go on a social media site at least once a day.. not so much their favourite radio station’s website. Using social media effectively, radio could drive far more listeners to their own websites.
Using tools like Facebook, Radio could have listeners upload their own content for contests.. much simpler than Buddy emailing a pic and webguy having to then upload it to the station’s site.
Connect the dots people. It’s what links are for.
Unfortunately, most in radio don’t think social media is a valuable tool for them. However, now I will speak in their language. Demographics.
Looking at the facts and figures provided by Mashable, Neilsen and Quantcast there are currently 14 million Twitter users in the U.S. alone. Which makes it sound kind of piddly when you realize that Facebook has over 200 MILLION users.
And, my radio friends, sixty-six percent of those using Facebook are between the ages of 18-49. 58% of users make over 60K a year. 54% Female.. 46% male. Sound familiar?
Twitter usage has jumped from just over 5 million users to 27.6 million users in 6 months. Twitter is most popular with working adults between the ages of 35-49. Accounts for 42% of their audience.
Seventy-two percent of Twitterers are in the core demo of 18-49. 54% Female. 46% Male. The vast majority of Tweeters are not only regulars, but they are “addicts”. From February ’08 to February ’09, Twitter usage increased 1382%.
Go look at the cold hard facts.. www.quantcast.com … www.nielsen.com . And read this .
Yet, most stations don’t even have a social media strategy. Why not?
Radio: Let me know if you need help with that.. evilgenius@live.ca
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” — Oscar Wilde
When my son was about 3 he had a horribly annoying habit of swearing.
I refuse to post a picture of Kanye. Plus, Taylor Swift is much prettier.
He unfortunately learned the “F word” from his father (not to say that I’m not known for being a bit of a potty mouth myself..) and once my boy realized the power he had with this word, he proceeded to use it whenever possible to get the biggest possible reaction. He specifically enjoyed using it to torment his father, who would FREAK OUT when the boy swore.
On one specific occasion, my lovely son and I were at church when the boy broke free and ran full tilt to the altar with me chasing after him like an idiot (the boy has always been fast.. he’s on the track team after all). I grabbed him on the altar, just as he turned to the packed house and just managed to utter.. “F…” my hand went over his mouth before he could get out the other three letters.
Father Charlie made a joke about how cute kids are (if he only knew….) and I hoisted the boy outside.
Unfortunately, I was not at the VMA’s on Sunday night and therefore wasn’t able to provide this same service to Kanye West.
Here’s the thing… the boy liked to say the “F word” because it provoked a reaction… and he would suddenly be the centre of the universe. And he has always liked attention — good or bad. As long as you’re talking about him, you’re still talking about him. This is called being an attention whore.
His father and I would argue about this. He would get very angry with the boy whenever he said something inappropriate. I, on the other hand, would calmly tell him that it wasn’t very nice to do such things and have little or no reaction. The boy didn’t swear at me.. but he did at his dad.
Think about it… were we all talking about Kanye West a couple of days ago? If he hadn’t been so rude to the incredibly cute Taylor Swift, would we be talking about him today? No. What about Joe Wilson? Did most of us even know who he was before he called Obama a liar? Were either of these guys “trending” on Twitter?
Not so much.
They can both go ahead and claim they were caught up in the moment, got all emotional or even they were hepped up on goofballs. Bottom line is, now they are “news”. Bad publicity is still publicity.
Wilson’s received over a million in campaign donations since his outburst. It will be interesting to see what effect Kanye’s little stunt has on his public image. Either way, they are both in the news and hot topics.
Sure, you can argue “free speech” (I’m all for it with the background in journalism and all..) but there’s a time and a place for everything. And interrupting someone’s acceptance speech to “speak your mind” certainly isn’t the place nor the time. I just can’t help but feel that both of them were being somewhat manipulative and acting like attention whores…. or kind of like 3 year olds.
I tweeted this earlier today: “I refuse to tweet about that rude man on the VMAs. I refuse to help him trend. That’ll show him”… After all, if I’m not going to reward a 3 year old with “bad” attention, why would I reward a grown man who ACTS like a 3 year old?
Mind you, I guess I just did by posting this…
p.s. Rec’d the following tweet from @wordpost : @beth_warren Hey Beth, thanks for your latest post about that guy who did that thing at the VMAs. I’m still chewing through the irony. I KNOW! I struggled with whether to add to the circus or not. …yes, I understand the irony..
I was re-tweeted multiple times the other day after posting the following:
“How to gain 1000s of twitter followers! Just be real, stay cool, & stop using BS widgets to make yourself popular!”
I have to say that this wasn’t MY original tweet.. I RT’d my friend Robert Casanova (@theh2hproject) .. but the message was such that many many people agreed and passed it along. Definitely struck a chord.
Apparently there are still some that think whoever has the most followers wins (*cough* Ashton Kutcher *cough*) But here’s the thing that some people really don’t seem to “get” about Twitter, Facebook and social media in general.. It isn’t all about the numbers. I KNOW! SHOCKING!
It’s about actually connecting and having relationships. If you don’t actually have conversations with these people, what’s the point of it all?
Therefore, I spent some time yesterday “culling the herd”.
Unfollowing. Un-friending.
It had to be done.
“It’s not me, it’s you.”
I had to break it off with a few of them. Looking through who had recently started following me on Twitter, I realized that some were not people that I had any interest in following (or not people at all for that matter..) and so deleted or blocked as the case may be.
Sorry, but I have no interest in learning about buddy’s MLM scam business… nor do I wish to view anyone’s webcam.. and my teeth are quite white already, thanks.
Aside from the usually spamminess that was purged I also stopped following a few people for various reasons.
If I reply to something you’ve tweeted and you can’t be bothered to EVER respond, that’s a monologue, not a dialogue. We are not interacting. See ya.
Only talking about your biz offering and all that you can do for me.. thanks but no thanks. Bye.
If all you ever have to say are quotes by someone else or just RT’ing everything.. appreciate the thought but…. you are not enthralling. Just sayin’.
And if you’re some guy who’s major interest in Twitter is hitting on women in a not-so-subtle manner.. again, not interested dude. Feel free to check out POF or Lavalife.. that’s what it’s there for.
The bottom line is.. if it’s all about communication, community and connections.. I’ll go for quality, over quantity.
You can keep your 1000’s of followers. I like real relationships and conversations much better.
“Hi neighbour!” said the little kid next door. “What are you doing?”
The daughter answered that we were just hanging out, enjoying the patio. And what was he doing? “I’m playing trucks! Wanna see my trucks?”
Earlier we could hear him on the other side of the fence dancing around and singing “I’m five years old! I’m five years old!” in that sing songy voice that little kids do so well.
Of course, we looked at his trucks.. they were very impressive. He was happy we liked his “diggers”.
The whole interchange made me think about social media and how it brings down the barriers that we put up as adults… and essentially allows us to be five years old.. if we want to be.
Think about it.. would you randomly walk up to some stranger on the street and ask if they wanted to see your trucks? Or your dolls, or your business offering or what have you. No. You likely would not, as you would be perceived to be insane or at least borderline creepy.
But if you’re 5 years old, you can do that. It’s socially acceptable. (Mind you, most 5 year olds don’t have a biz offering, but I digress…)
Social media removes that barrier. You are allowed to act like a five year old. You can be forthcoming, friendly and brutally honest like only the really young can be. You can chat with people, be a little silly if you choose… ask people to read your blog posts.. take a look at your new application, check out your website…. look at your trucks. And most will.
And then, like most five year olds do, they share. Introducing you to many new friends who you wouldn’t have met if you hadn’t let down those barriers and in essence, acted a little like a 5 year old. Without the tantrums, we hope.
Wanna see my trucks?
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