For Every 2 Cents, I forgo a Book Deal

I’m full of it..coins in the corner, that is. Coins which are essentially my 2 cents. Thoughts I share freely with online (and offline) friends. Thoughts which some of my IABC colleagues may, from time to time, find amusing and useful. Or maybe not.

Finding your own writing voice is typically a long, studied process. And sometimes you’re just a natural. But whatever it takes and however long it takes to do it, I deeply sympathize with those who struggle daily in this pursuit.

But here’s 2 cents of advice: just open your mouth. and project (using your diaphragm). Oh great! Really helpful Autom..you and your smarmy analogies..

I digress.

While appreciative of the encouragement I get from many to write a book, I tend to shy away from doing the guru thang. Can you picture it? HOW-TO-WAKE-UP-FROM-YOUR-OWN-STUPIDITY-AND-WORSHIP-A-BLOWHARD-LIKE-ME

Er..nyah.

Sharing content instantaneously online is more spontaneous, genuine and, wait..there’s that word du jour: organic.

So here I go, yet again showcasing some of the marvelous people who have given me reason and confidence to show the tangible value social media offers: their questions, my answers. No book.

How do I…

reach my audience online and start a dialogue with them? (@eMichaelPower) Create a web presence and start your own blog. Write about frank opinions you have surrounding your own experiences, industry-related trends, legislative developments and comment on precedent-setting stuff that may have significant impact on your clients and prospects. Ask them what they think. And respond to them whenever possible.

prove to academia that examples of social media in action needs to be from outside the educational ecosystem? (@MyriamBalian) It’s a toughie. Myriam and I had a lengthy discussion on the challenges she is facing with her masters programme. It would appear that the curriculum limits sourcing examples of case studies from only within the university’s internal community. The approach is insular and risks omitting more fulsome evidence of practical world applications of social media. So I encouraged her to go against the grain because no sensible post-secondary institution should ever discredit external, substantive sources, especially if the theoretical application is with NGOs and non-profit communities.

start to effectively build my online community? (@jared_parmenter) Jared’s audience is a particular set. After a few weeks of lackluster reactions on the Twitter account he set up for the film school he works for, we talked about some ideas he may consider to help generate interest from his tough-to-sell crowd. I won’t reveal the specifics of the ideas we hashed out, as they will be part and parcel of a longer term strategic plan he is crafting over the course of summer term right through into fall. But the face-to-face discussion alone helped create enough sparks to affirm his own notions and add a few new ones into the mix.

nurture and grow my online community for the long-term? (@ChristinaKudym) Whatever you do, don’t moderate your blog content. Haha. Yes, that would be you CK. I know you tweeted ” Hmm…I will talk to you more in depth about this before I set up my own moderation guidelines” Well, I’m telling you now: it’s really not worth moderating your content. The experience is jarring, and if you want to encourage the flow of conversation online, you don’t need those types of barriers. I know you’re probably thinking, “but what if I get some atomic comment that blows up in my face?” Then you’d deal with it right there and then. Pronto. No hiding; no backroom whispering and debating. Just respond back and guide your commenter into a line of dialogue conducive to talking about the benefits of your brand.

use Twitter so that I’m not just broadcasting content? (@next2eden) Well first, you need to actually use Twitter on a regular basis Chris. Yep. I know what your hectic schedule is like. But there are mobile apps for that you know..aha! Also, I know you’ve had a lot of great web development work done on http://next2eden.com and right now would be the perfect time to create content that speaks to it and to tweet about it. But to go beyond broadcasting means to spend some time talking to the folks that follow you. Just strike up a convo at the spur of the moment! Ask a question you’ve been reflecting on, or comment on someone’s tweet, or refer them to a link that you thought useful. Get to know who your follows are and speak to (“tweet to”) them more frequently. It’s certainly helped me and my efforts.

So there. A few cents piled up in the corner and thrown randomly onto the mouths of a few fountains.

If someone offered to run a full-on marketing campaign to sell my content like hotcakes and offered to throw in an action figure or two, I’d probably say no. Well, okay..maybe  not to the action figure. Especially if Robot Chicken gets a hold of it.