by David Derrico
This weekend I bought a new bed as I moved to a new place. Before purchasing the bed I actually read reviews and tried it out. I needed to lie in different positions on a variety of different mattresses and then I didn’t buy right away. I went home and googled the different brands and even read customer reviews. Then after a period of reflection, I went back to the store with more certainty and purchased the bed. The purchase didn’t occur as a result of walking into the store, but instead some interaction with consumer review sites such as Yelp were in order before taking the leap. I thought today that I could apply this experience to social media.
You can’t simply “set it and forget it” whether it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or your own blog. It is called “SOCIAL” for a reason. The power in social media lies in the ability to engage in a two-way dialogue to directly connect with a potential reader, customer, or new friend. This ability is uprooting traditional one-way media where a potential buyer might be motivated by a billboard or other static advertisement. I wanted to know what other Chicagoans thought of the store I was going to purchase from and what they thought about the product. I wanted to listen to the chatter, and then jump in and make a decision.
So how do you listen to the chatter? How do you engage in a two-way conversation? I hope to explore this in more detail in the coming weeks. I do know that I am going to try to make an effort to read comments, comment on comments, explore tools for tracking the chatter, and try to better engage in the conversation. It is not anti-social media after all.
David Derrico
Tweets by davidderrico
My guest writer David Derrico, esq has decided to dive in to social media. Every Monday his blog posts will illustrate what he has learned, and what he has to share. Hopefully those of you new to social media will find his posts helpful. In addition, I will be holding FREE weekly conference calls each Friday at 10:00 AM EST to help new professionals as they try to figure out social media. This Friday’s call is titled, “Overcoming Common Objections to Social Media, and the ‘Grumpy-Old-Man’ Syndrome. ” -you can sign up for the call here.
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David and Adrian:
You make great points about the purpose of Social Media. We all need to decide what we hope to “get out of” social media, which will then help us determine what we need to “put in to” social media. If we just want to learn from others, then researching and being silent can actually work. We can read as many blogs, articles on RSS feeds, Follow as many as we like on Twitter, and sit on the sidelines until we need something. However, if we truly want to develop relationships that can benefit our businesses in multiple ways, then we must find ways to interact. Commenting on blog posts, following and actually conversing with others on Twitter, Retweeting others’ Tweets and blog posts, you name it, there are many ways we can accelerate the discussion and the development of the relationships that are critical to our businesses.
Nancy,
Great points, it really isn’t about technology- its about engagement. Reading blog posts brings in about as much business as sitting at a cocktail party and talking to the other attorneys from your firm.
For the last few days, I was pondering the the dynamics of social network interaction vs. personal interaction. While both are necessary, I agree that the power of the interaction in social networking is significant. But as you say, it does require interaction. If you just stand back and read what other people write without engaging, that’s not networking, that’s stalking (I think I read that somewhere). And while it takes a while to come to an understanding of the SN dynamic, at some point you have to jump into interaction, or you will never understand the power and the empowerment of participating in this global conversation. Being a summer recruit to the SN environment, this truth is becoming more & more significant to me. And like having a child, it’s not something you can understand unless you’ve been there.
Nothing has really happened until it has been recorded. – Virginia Woolf
You have done nothing until you have “engaged” yourself and participated, adding feedback or commentary. Movement and Growth require action. I am relatively new to this whole idea of Social Media, but it is certainly dynamic – that is the only way for it to survive and/or to be effective.
Ilana,
Absolutely, it is all about engagement. The dynamic nature of social media is what makes it such an exciting new tool.