Comments on: Social Media Won’t Work if You Aren’t Social

By: Julian Perrera

Julian Perrera — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:41:49 +0000

I would say the maximum value will not be gained from social media if you aren’t social… but you can use it as a broadcast medium and get results.
The catch is that you have to broadcast stuff people want to watch, read, hear. It can’t be non-stop promotional messages.
Treat it like your own mini commercial radio or TV station: mostly play music or televise entertainment programs, then play some commercials *every so often*.
People will stay for the promotional messages if you’ve earned with giving them something they want *first*.

By: Ian Wright

Ian Wright — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:38:59 +0000

Great article, funny how courtesy, consideration for others and respect can go along way in social media. Were our grandparents way ahead of us all in Social Media etiquette?
Keep up the great work and thank you.

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:01:02 +0000

Mack – great post, simple, easy to remember. Make a lot of sense. The internet has given some people a sense of anonymity and they really act badly (read the YouTube comments! Good Heavens!)
We’re all on a learning curve with this new world, and I appreciate your help! Thanks Elaine Fogel for pointing me in this direction!

By: Regina

Regina — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:15:46 +0000

Thanks for a great post. So much of this, as has already been pointed out, is about being social. Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn are tools, they can’t take you where you don’t know how to go, they just get you lost in new ways. Listening is still very important, and you can’t share about others if you are all filled up with what you want to say about you. Thanks again for pointing this out.

By: Floost

Floost — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:26:31 +0000

Very interesting and amusing subject. I read with great pleasure.

By: tiffany taylor

tiffany taylor — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:22:12 +0000

What a great post…yes there are times that social media is not very sociable. it’s all about building relationships and making a connection with people that will take you a long way.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:06:36 +0000

What’s most interesting about this is how you are explaining how to simply be a social being, something that should be obvious but somehow has been ignored by many social media users. Simplicity rules in social media: Be friendly. Be helpful. Collaborate. Contribute.
Simple, yet effective. Thanks for the positive outlook. It made my day, Mike

By: Make Money Online

Make Money Online — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:54:21 +0000

great said I don’t mean what you say, but HOW you say it. How you interact with others greatly determines if and how they will respond. If you speak in statements, that shuts down communication

By: Sacha Cohen

Sacha Cohen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:37:13 +0000

Mack–Sounds fun. Let me see if I can swing it.

By: mack collier

mack collier — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:40:27 +0000

Sacha, I should be in Chicago for the Digital Marketing Mixer in Oct. Wanna say hi there?

By: Sacha Cohen

Sacha Cohen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:22:48 +0000

Hey Mack–well, if I ever run into you at an event, I’ll come up and say hello!

By: Arvind

Arvind — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:09:27 +0000

I found this discussion very interesting and feel it treads on the larger discussion of people’s personalities in real and virtual worlds. On the web the netizens take the lead and will have total control over how social they want to be. Can this behaviour really be influenced across the diverse networld?

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:16:39 +0000

i like the “having a hammer doesn’t make you a carpenter” analogy (w/social media)

By: Peg Mulligan

Peg Mulligan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:27:47 +0000

One of the most generous things folks can do in social media, especially on Twitter, is connect folks with similar interests or goals. It’s almost like being a good host, at a house party… making introductions and helping people who don’t know each other to settle in a bit. @MarketingProfs (Ann Handley) is a natural at this, both online and in person, and I’ve seen other folks like @CBWhittemore bring people together online, too. On Twitter the other day, @Java4Two sent out a tweet with a hastag #MakeFriends, grouping people together whom she thought would have common interests. What a nice service to her followers, and an even more helpful way to help each other connect than #FollowFriday. I’m going to try to start providing a similar service to my tweeps.

By: CK

CK — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:18:20 +0000

Actually, this list applies to “life” as well–and by following the points it can only make you a better person, too
Thanks, Mack.

By: Jake Rosen

Jake Rosen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:25:51 +0000

Good sentiments. At its core social media has to be about relationships and conversations. I think this post speaks well to that. How you act in real life should be how you act on social media.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:25:45 +0000

Thanks, Mack! This post ties in perfectly with the content of my August newsletter. I’m going to link to it. Your advice is simple and easy for people to implement.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:02:22 +0000

Very true! Check out this blog post which also talks about social media etiquette - http://www.libertyinteractivemarketing.com/blog/social-media-issues/

By: Robert Celaschi

Robert Celaschi — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:49:48 +0000

As part of item 2: Be careful when attempting humor. I’ve written things that “obviously” were meant in a lighthearted way. But it wasn’t so obvious to people reading it.

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:49:35 +0000

As part of item 2: Be careful when attempting humor. I’ve written things that “obviously” were meant in a lighthearted way. But it wasn’t so obvious to people reading it.

By: Jeffrey Tang

Jeffrey Tang — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:54:29 +0000

Point #2 is subtle, but very important. I’ve been trying to ask more questions and be more open on Twitter lately, and the results have been almost immediate.

By: Trey Pennington

Trey Pennington — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:33:09 +0000

You qualify for the Tom Peters Blinding Flash of the Obvious Award for today. What’s remarkable about the BFotO is that it actually isn’t obvious in practice!
There should be a training school for celebrities and politicians, especially, BEFORE they jump into social media. Your post should be required reading.
“Say ‘thank you’ early and often.” It’s not just “social media;” it’s core to being an actual human being.

By: mack collier

mack collier — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:28:03 +0000

Scott that’s a problem for me, because if I am in the middle of an ongoing conversation, like during #blogchat, I could be getting a dozen replies a minute. Which means I won’t have time to reply to about 10 of them. I don’t want people to think I am ignoring them, so I try to answer as many as possible.
Sacha that is a GREAT point and I am the poster child for what you stated. When I am at an event, I still assume that no one knows who I am, besides the people I know. So I can appear stand-offish, and moving forward I am going to make more of an effort to be ‘accessible’ at events and not just stay stuck in ‘packs’ the whole time. Thanks for the reminder

By: Jonathan Kranz

Jonathan Kranz — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:26:30 +0000

Good, solid sense, Mack. I think it leads to a basic acid test for a tweet: Does this encourage relationships? If so, it’s probably a good tweet topic/post. If not, maybe one should reconsider.

By: Sacha Cohen

Sacha Cohen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:18:37 +0000

Hey Mack–great advice! to your list I would also add “be nice in person”–I’ve met a few so-called social media experts f2f and they are stand-offish and socially awkward. Not everyone can be a social butterfly in person, but a smile and a friendly hello go a long way.

By: Scott Townsend

Scott Townsend — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:09:35 +0000

Good post. I appreciate the fact that you admitted not being able to respond to all followers, but how you try to get around to as many as possible. I once thought I had to respond to everyone that tweeted and have since got way past that. However, if someone sends me a message (@unitedlinen) I make sure to respond.
When I send someone a tweet and get no response, I find that a bit off-putting.