Six Social Media Rules From Your Mom

It's a little lot disconcerting to me that we now need books, blog posts and experts to tell us how to engage in social media.  I've read a slew of pointers and lists of things to do and not do from people who charge lots of money to tell me what they think.  Here's what they always say about getting started:

Listen.
Don't spam.
Be helpful.
Give something of value.

That's it.  No Big Idea here, is there?

Are we really so far gone in our social interactions that we need dozens of Social Media Emily Post gurus to tell us something as simple as how to begin basic relationships?

What's even more disconcerting is that there are still plenty of businesses and self-proclaimed thought leaders who ignore this most basic advice.  They can be found with no @ symbols in their Twitter timelines, or Facebook wall posts that shout out to no one in particular.  I'm assuming they've never taken to the lessons of childhood, or never had the benefit of a good teacher of common courtesy and decency. Why else would they not yet know that it's in poor taste to speak without pausing to listen?  Or that repeatedly shouting your name in public is almost never a good idea?

From what I can see, there's really not a lot of mystery to building a successful social media foundation. It seems to be as simple as keeping to some of the most basic rules taught to a child.  Let's say you want to walk into a new social media playground with lots of people having a great time and you want to get in on the fun. Here are Six Amazing and Foolproof Rules my mom offered me, and I won't charge a dime for writing them down here.  They're just too idiot-proof.

1. Say hello.

2. Listen.

3. Figure out what game they're playing. 

4. Ask questions if you're not sure.

5. Wait your turn.

6. Share your toys.

As you listen and play you'll begin to learn all the subtle rules of the game and how to get in on creating new ways to play.  The others will trust you once they see you really like what they have to share with you, and that you're willing to share your toys too. 
 
That's it, all Six Rules you need to build a good start. Once these lessons are done, then go read books by the gurus.  You'll find that you're a lot smarter about figuring out who the good ones are.
 
 
Tell me, did I forget anything?  Because it's my turn to listen.
 
Photo credit:  macsimc on Deviantart

Twitter, FourSquare, and a Social Media MindVirus

It's hard to believe it’s been an entire year since I got this bright idea  to get goods from foreclosures delivered to those in need. My Search For An Ethical Pirate yielded a wonderful source from Australia, Ethical Brand. But the overall idea, in my hands, flattened like a crushed pancake. Why? There were too many dependencies and too little time. But I found some great people along the way and the experience was more than worth the effort. I learned a few things:

I dream really big – The only time this can hurt is if I expect to achieve every piece of the goal. Progress, though, is not to be taken lightly.

When I find a passion, there’s no stopping me from trying. I’ve been described as a tenacious bulldog, but you won’t see that side of me often, only when I find a great cause.

My friends are very supportive- No matter how hair-brained my idea, I have good people around me who will champion it.

Good lessons.

But what's this got to do with Foursquare, Books, and Twitter?

And now I’ve got another, smaller idea along a similar vein. It’s about my gently-read books. The plan is to start leaving them, one at a time, at coffee shops and waiting rooms all over town. What makes this a little more exciting is that I’m going to use social media tools to help. For each book I leave, I'll check into FourSquare and send a tweet about the title and author. And that is how I’m going to employ a guilt-free method to rid my overflowing shelves, nightstands, and coffee tables of some really good books.  This social movement requires just one person with a tweet and a book. 

I’m inviting you to do the same in the places you haunt.  Make paying books forward your own little mindvirus campaign.  #bookshare #bookforward!

Photo credit:  *m0thyyku on DeviantArt

11 Ways You May Be Sabotaging Your Vacation

Sometimes and maybe most times, it's best to go back to the basics to gain a little perspective.  That's the case with me and the concept of a good vacation experience, because frankly, I suck at planning them.

Full disclosure here.  I make my living working in the world of vacations, so you'd think I might have a handle on this kind of thing.  And yes, the fact that I've centered my work around vacation experiences sounds like the beautiful oxymoron that it is.  I'm surrounded by crisp palm-laden images of gorgeous resorts and happy families skiing moguls or strolling white sand beaches all day.

But even with the prospect of relaxing somewhere in an inventory of over 45 resorts my employer offers, I still haven't planned one.  It's not that I don't have the time, but that I've lost the practice of treating myself to a good getaway, Away being the word I need to underline here.  And that's true for not only me.

Having access to spacious resorts means I've got it good compared to most of my friends.  For them, the concept of a family vacation has dwindled from a yearly relaxing treat to a high-pressured scramble to plan hotel accommodations in cramped spaces.  By the time they've finished coordinating days off then pouring through ratings and price comparisons, they've all but given up on the idea of taking the trip.  As a result they end up staying home, and like me, convince themselves it's ok to"just take it easy this year".

All that experience really ever does for me is to make for a very short water-cooler conversation on my first day back.  There's no embellishing the experience of cleaning out my closets or wandering for hours at the local mall.

It was while reading Stephen Wilke's post on his blog by that name that I realized the error of my ways, and that a revisit of my personal definition of vacation was in order.  Mistaking "time away" for "vacation" has become a personal habit, one I have ample opportunity to correct this year.  There's no excuse, no frenetic planning or hotel price comparisons to make.  I just need to decide to actually book it.

Sometimes a simple time off seems like a decent way to recharge, but every once in a while a true break from routine, familiarity, and especially location is the best thing I can do to get my groove back.

How many of these 11 excuses are sabotaging your idea of a great getaway?

Gorgeous Vintage Graphic from Hawaiian Days

Mining the Collective Brain Reserve (Begin at the Beginning...)

I'm on a learning curve, and according to Todd Kashdan's book Curious, it's the reason I'm currently happy.

What's got my time and attention is social media, and if you're reading this blog, you've probably spent enough time online to become tired of the words.  Yes, the term is ubiquitous and by now, after everyone whose ever had to market online through a single tweet or facebook page has titled themselves a social media expert, I'll bet you're about ready to stop reading this post.

And that's ok.  You can stop reading.

But if your eyes have hit this sentence and you decide to continue, I'll tell you about my latest plan to have segments of this blog dedicated to what I learn about measuring and monitoring social media.

How did I decide to include that topic in a blog about ideas?  Because my worklife role now involves gathering social media metrics and like all things I become keenly interested in, I dive head first.  Especially a project I'm passionate about.  Especially a project that involves one of the Biggest Ideas to come along since television, and especially since the field is so wide open that there's exponential room for creativity. 

The mind reels with the possibilities.



So when you see my post titles include Mining the Collective Brain Reserve, you'll understand that I'll be writing about the progress of my self-imposed bootcamp.  I'm doing that in this Big Idea space because there are lots of folks like me out there, tasked with understanding, measuring, monitoring, creating, and listening.  And they want a plan, or they'd like to read about how others have done it.

I'm a fan of performing lots of research for anything I set out to do, so you'll get lots of links and pointers as I write out my journey.  It'll be a winding path, but here:  I've just taken the first steps.

First Link, First Step:   Radian6 says, is to Listen

Starbucks, Amanda, and her Tea Leaves Idea

Routine has got to be one of the biggest killers of creativity. Agreed? 

As I sat at my local Starbucks at lunch today, a now routine go-to spot for my daily cubicle break, I ordered not my usual drink, but a cup of tea.  Tazo tea.  And that's normally not remarkable except that I noticed they'd gotten in a new style of tea bag. (well, new for Starbucks anyway).  It's a sachet filled with whole tea leaves. 

A barista I hadn't seen before today watched me remove the sachet then examine the soggy bag with a quizzical expression.

"Isn't it nice?"

Her question took me by surprise.  I hadn't thought about a used teabag's better qualities, but there it was, sitting there on top of my lid, just looking kind of, well...  nice, like a tiny silk pillow of colorful potpourri.  It smelled really great, too.

"They use whole tea leaves now.  I use it for an air freshener in my car."  

Then she told me she'd even written to the powers at Starbucks (my terminology, not hers) and handed them her idea - air fresheners that smell like tea.  I thought it was genius.  No harsh chemical smells, no scent-alikes that have absolutely no business trying to mimic nature.  Just tea.

"Do you mind if I write about this?," I asked.  "I have a blog about creativity and want to include your idea."

So here it is, Amanda DeRienzo's little idea, which is actually rather Big.  It's green (recycled tea bags, natural scents).  It enhances the brand because it serves as a reminder of where the customer has purchased the item, and after use to make a lovely cup of tea, is absolutely free to freshen my cubicle all afternoon.

You go, Amanda.  Starbucks, are you listening?

Two-Oh-One-Oh

Good Lord, it's December already and it looks as though this blog thing has been.. shall we say, sporadic?

Giving good thought to what this blog is supposed to be all about - Ideas (forget Big Ideas because those are hard to come up with, consume way too much time, and require the kind of fortitude and undivided attention I'd rather divide.), I've decided that this shall be about Littler Ideas. Manageable Ideas. Nonthreatening Ideas. Brilliant Ideas. After all, this, I claim, is the space in which they can be nurtured and grown. Besides, it's all most of us with bright dreams and full time jobs have the time or energy for.

With that being typed, I can tell you that I've also been giving lots of thought to ways in which I can bring lots of terrific Little Ideas to my personal life in order to grow a bigger and better 2010.

Whew. 2010. I think that may be the first time I've written that. (By the way, how will you pronounce that? Are you a modernist going with Twenty-ten or traditionalist sticking with Two thousand ten?)

Back to growing Little Ideas. See, I'm feeling the whole hope of a new year thing and have been inspired by various Happiness websites like, well... The Happiness Project for instance. But I'm not going to follow the project online because that probably involves more commitment than I've time for. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make one tiny resolution per day in 2010, and they're going to be the kind I can complete in a single day and therefore easily keep. They're also not going to be the kind that'll set me up with a dreaded daily task in order to fulfill empty self-improvement goals. They're just going to be the kind that'll force me outside myself and get me to to live mindfully and purposefully, if even for one resolution.

The tiny, manageable, less than earth-moving resolutions are going to look like this:

Day 1: Make (from scratch) a thank you card.

Day 2: Spend time with my spouse watching one entire televised sporting event from beginning to end.

Day 3: Do 1 nice thing for someone I really can't stand.

Etc.

The challenge is to come up with 365 new little things to do in 2010. And, then, of course, write a weekly wrapup of them Right Here. See? There's the goal right there, the place where this Little Idea rolls right up into its bigger one, to regularly write throughout the coming year.

Easy, right? That's it. That's the 2010 Biggest Little Idea I could come up with.

Is human potential lost, or just crippled?

The key question isn't "What fosters creativity?" But it is why in God's name isn't everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything.

- Abraham Maslow

Maslow's got a point when he asks, "Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled?" But I think he's off base in asking why everyone isn't creative. I don't buy it. Part of the reason this blog exists is because over the course of years in the corporate world, I've worked in cubicles alongside some amazingly creative people who were wellsprings of bright and big ideas, regularly churning out three or four at a time. It's possible that one or two of those hundred ideas is currently in the works, but most never made it past the point of being bounced off of a few friends. How many are abandoned only to evaporate into thin air?

The problem is not that we're not creative, but that few of us want to gather up the strength to fail. We know chances are good that a bright new concept will find itself facing a series of tall brick walls. That risk is exactly what big ideas are made of!

Risk aversion is the counterweight balancing human potential.

That statement is an obvious one, but acknowledging it is most often used to give ourselves an out. We can explain away our reasons for limiting our own potential by convincing ourselves we're just being smart. Unlike Maslow, I don't believe the potential is lost at all. Instead, it's crippled by the fact that though we know a degree of risk aversion is necessary, we have no idea how to work past that counterweight even when we'd like to try. Maybe we should try desensitizing ourselves to failure. Why not build, right from our conceptual launchpad, a clearly outlined plan for several potential areas of failure and an even stronger and more detailed plan for the steps to recovery. So what if we don't fail in the exact way we'd imagined, we will still have worked through the exercise. Why not gather a group of friends who not only pat you on the back for your bold new idea, but help you face the potential for public humiliation, then assist in formulating that plan for recovery? Put the possibility that you will make a mess out there for your friends to see and let them give you feedback.

Is a better question the one no one really wants to ask: "How do I practice my failure"?

I want to find a mentor to teach me just that. If you have a wellspring of experience in that area, you can count me in as a fan.

Your Next Big Idea: You.

Here's a snippet from comment left on my last post on how to screw up your next Big Idea:

"How do things change if the purpose of your big idea is *you* and not *the idea*? "

What an excellent question, and my assumption is that the writer is asking about promoting their personal brand. Well, it's quite obvious from the long hair on my head and the fact that I don't have my own action figure that I'm no Seth Godin, but I don't think the rules should be changed one iota whether you are asking strangers to look favorably upon a person, place, or thing.

I'm an advocate of promoting things, Big (and small) Ideas, and even people, by the artful weaving of damned good stories. We already know that storytelling is how we most authentically connect to each other. Advertisers who spend hours crafting even the smallest tagline are attempting to condense an entire story, relying on common knowledge to fill in the rest. Do we give that same energy to our own tagline?

As an experiment, write out the story you tell yourself about yourself when no one is looking. While most of us throw a lot of negative self-talk around, why not indulge in crafting yours out in its entirety, then when you've finished your masterpiece run back through the tale and toss out every negative point you've made. Take out the part about how you always say something stupid in the meeting, trip on your high heels, or miss the error in your blog post. Remove the lens of clients, family, and friends, because if you look at yourself through their eyes, that's when you'll have the tendency to describe what you do in cliches.

Rather than: Senior Database Programmer

You are: Knowledgeable in the craft of finding meaning in random bits of information. Weaver of bytes. Restorer of order from data chaos.

You get the idea.

Take your new story from the reworked positive pieces. This is your forward-facing personal brand.

Use it to tell your new story often, and tell it consistently. Create your blog, dream up your posts, write your 140 character tweets, and pimp your LinkedIn profile with this new tale in mind. Let it go viral whether through word of mouth or your social media bio. Append as your story grows and allow everything you publicly post filter through it. That's how you live the Big Idea that is You. Now, I'm off to take my own advice.

So, what's your story? Because that's the Biggest Idea you'll ever have.

3 ways to screw up your next Really Big Idea

The last time I was involved in the comeuppance of the next Really Big Idea, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company ended up owning it. Well, that's because it involved renting out their motorcycles, so I guess it was a foregone conclusion. But we'll get back to that later.

In 1996, my husband and I became involved with a group of "regular guys" from New England who came up with the notion to get Harley talking to Budget Car Rentals about a Big Idea. Why not add Harleys to Budget's fleet of rental offerings and let us run the operation. BAM! We had an instant phenomenon that went viral. And this was before the internet went completely mainstream, when people were still asking about web pages, "What's the point?"

In technology terms, we were still light years away from social networking. News of budding Hog rental outlets went wild and people would stop us on the streets to ask how they could "get in" by buying a franchise.

It was exhilarating.

It was heady.

It was scary.

Within months of moving to Daytona, Florida to kick off the first Grand Opening, the guys from New England and their new concept would be written about in major publications like The Wall Street Journal, Playboy Magazine, USA Today, and the like. The company, American Road Collection, was even the subject of a Jeopardy question. On the night the episode aired I thought,

"Wow. For a bunch of jamokes from the littlest state in the union, this has to be a sign that we've made it!"
What was made was a lot of publicity for the Motor Company, amazing memories for riders, and introductions to the concept for many groups who would later break into the business in partnership with Harley. It's not that the concept hadn't been thought of before, but that no one thought to bring two giants together and get authorization to operate under their iconic brand umbrella.

And now if you try to google American Road Collection it'll lead you to a lot of hits, but they will no longer lead you to the company.

The following is written with a disclaimer: As an observer and participant who stood on the outside of the more top-level decisions, my observations are just that.

Notes from the field - How to screw up your Big Idea

Big Idea Screwup #1

Don't decide, right from the start, whether you want to simply be an idea generator or take the concept all the way through and then some. It's not important to think about whether you want to make your own brand or just make money by borrowing someone else's.
Sure, getting Harley talking to Budget made the business a huge attention-grabber. But once the giants began advertising the concept, forward momentum started a steamroll that ran its own course. American Road Collection gave their business a very respectable run but got caught in the dust and noise of the giants. How do you avoid this? Ensure that your own brand is carried forward in the momentum of the giant's media strategy. Make sure they take your brand name on their ride, and that you negotiate a prominent seat on their party train.

Big Idea Screwup #2:

Don't protect your idea beyond its implementation.
Sometimes a Big Idea is born and that's where a whole lot energy is expended. Thinking beyond the initial launch may have been done in the business plan, but maybe you sabotage yourself by secretly believing that the idea won't really take off. Don't be foolish. It's just as important to emotionally prepare yourself for the long haul if you want to stay in the game, and assume the idea will succeed into the next 10 years.

Plan B? Engineer your graceful exit when you're through with the launch phase and have passed it on to the next torch bearer, and determine what you'd like to take with you. Is it simply the experience? Start publicizing your Rainmaker credentials early and take advantage of opportunities to learn best practices for launching your next Big Idea.

Big Idea Screwup #3:

Don't become indispensable to those who use the idea.

Ok, so you've got a great plan that's guaranteed to go viral and have decided it's ok to borrow someone else's brand umbrella to kick it off. Start working your way into becoming indispensable to the movement you've started. Establish your voice as THE leader so that when this particular gig doesn't work out, you're still the person in the know. Start your blog now, especially for a brick and mortar business, because the internet is where people in the business will seek out the resources and knowledge. Push your personal brand to the forefront by creating accounts in your own name with a clear tie-in to the business.

Finally, and on the other hand, consider this:

Maybe you're "just" an Idea Person.

If that's the case, and you value the creative spirit more than the glory, then forget all of those suggestions and just keep churning them out and watcing them catch on. Because sometimes that's where you'll find the best fun.

Meanwhile, until my next Big Idea takes off, I get to write blog posts about "when I used to be a playah".

Pulling the Rug Out from Under

What struck me first was the look of resignment on their faces, the shoulder shrugs, and the dragging feet. And they weren't even the newly homeless.

South Florida is facing many more months of foreclosures, and lots more runs by Trash Out Teams whose job it is to destroy and dump the personal possessions left behind by families whose last efforts to keep their homes has failed. The companies hired by banks to clean the homes face a mounting collection of children's toys, clothing, family photographs, and even pets, and there's no clear end in sight. Everyone involved in trashouts in this video I hate to watch (yet can't turn away from) seems to feel, well, just bad and that's understandable because according to reports from USA Today and other sources, since 2003, many of us have been just one paycheck away from homelessness. How many of us can identify with the feeling of rubbing up against the threat of poverty during at least one point in our lives.

I'm not a public relations or social media guru, but I'm going to use their resources to find you. I believe that the goods left in the homes are waiting to become part of a positive outcome, and this can be facilitated through a web app which connects area charities to their local trash outs. Not only that, but the app would ideally give all area charities an equal chance to see a listing of the homes, and/or bid on the goods left behind. I'd like to see the items go to charities who redistribute them free of charge to those starting out all over again, but saving the stuff from the local dump is the higher priority.

I've got an idea, but could use some help. If you are involved in a charity, have a background in public relations/social media, and real estate or banking, I want to hear your feedback on this project. Tell me how to work to make a positive story come out of this idea.

Contact @elevenser on Twitter or elevenser@yahoo.com.

Goods Waiting, and a Call Answered.

My call to assist in efforts to place abandoned goods from foreclosed homes into the hands of those in need has been answered by Ethical Brand! They've stepped up to help bridge the gap between the supply of furniture, clothing and other household items, and charities wishing to assist in redistribution.

Who is Ethical Brand? They are about ethical consumption. EB is a branding company genuinely committed to organizations recognized for 'doing the right thing'.

In EB's own words:

...'doing the right thing' is simply a matter of making a service, product, employment or investment choice that is obviously right.

Branding with good conscious is clearly in need as increasing numbers of families turn to charities and services dedicated to keeping them on their feet.

In this article, the Sun-Sentinel reports that in South Florida foreclosure activity has risen 43 percent since February. Unfortunately this means that there will be a lot more usuable goods left waiting while area families go without. In addition to the folks at Ethical Brands, I'm certain there are plenty more people and organizations willing to help. This project will mean just a single step in the walk to close the gap.

To help, contact me at Twitter: @elevenser or via email at elevenser@yahoo.com.


If you are facing foreclosure, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has developed this guide to avoiding foreclosure.

All the best,
Elevenser

The Search for an Ethical Pirate

Television sets, clothing, computers, and everything else left behind when families flee imminent forclosure need to find a new home with those in need. Seems like a simple enough idea, but the exchange of goods is apparently a tough thing to coordinate.

Just take a look at this Consumerist video to see the amazing list of things left behind.



Last week while brainstorming with Sunil Sebastian and a few friends, we came up with the idea of a web app or website which would do three simple things:

. Allow charities to sign up for free goods within their area (by zip code)
. Allow companies who come in to "clean" the foreclosed homes to post their scheduled visits (by zip code)
. Allow the charities to contact the Cleaners offline to arrange a "meetup"


Anyone up for further brainstorming? Is the idea viable?

If you've got thoughts, skills, or ideas to make this happen, contact me via Twitter @elevenser or send an email to elevenser@yahoo.com