"How To" Book in Progress

The Reality of Social Media

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Have you ever seen the cartoon that might best be titled “What the customer needed?” After much Googling, as far as I can tell it first appeared here (a site now defunct). I’d really like to use this image with official permission (if it’s copyrighted), so if you’re the owner/creator, please let me know and we’ll talk terms. That stipulated, here’s the cartoon:

As you might guess, I’m the “business consultant” portrayed in the fifth panel of this cartoon. If you’ve been reading for years, you know that my blog has described some of the biggest successes,


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Killer Presentations – A Report from the iPad Frontier

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This week, I actually did it for the first time. Yes, I presented my 3.5 hour high-end Keynote presentation to three groups of CEOs in Birmingham Alabama and Southern California using just my iPad. It’s unbelievable.

It didn’t exactly start out that way. Here are the gory details:

I went to the Apple Store in Shadyside, PA to buy my iPad on Day 1, not even realizing that I could get a VGA adapter ($29) or Keynote ($10) (Apple’s version of PowerPoint, only 100X better). I purchased both on the spot.

Then it got harder!


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Book in Progress – Chapter 8 (LinkedIn)

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Chapter 8: Connecting with 85 Million Professionals Via LinkedIn

LinkedIn is based on the idea that everyone on the planet is connected to everyone else in six or fewer steps. I know Jim; Jim knows Sue; Sue knows Bob; therefore I am three degrees away from Bob. And three degrees is as far as LinkedIn pushes it.

Still, the math is impressive. Recently, I had 674 direct LinkedIn connections. Factoring in all of those associates’ connections, I could reach 99,500 business professionals via a direct introduction (two degree connections; asking Jim to connect me with Sue). That’s 150 times more people than I know directly.


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Book in Progress – Chapter 7

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Description: I’d be thrilled to see your comments/suggestions for my new book: Social Media Changes Everything (for Business). Read on and reply…

Chapter 7: Writing a Business Blog

An ideal social media starting point for many businesses and organizations is blogging. It’s relatively low-tech compared to podcasting or creating videos, and it can be a significant time saver in many situations.

Further, blogging is more controllable (a word I am loath to use when talking about “conversations”) than many other forms of social media. Unlike on many platforms, with a blog you can approve or block (use sparingly) readers’ comments on a case-by-case basis.


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Ten Social Media Mistakes (Do’s and Dont’s)

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When participating in social media, here are ten basic rules for what to do and not do: DON’T:

  1. Don’t get started in social media if you have significant product weaknesses or customer support issues. Engaging in social media makes good products more successful, and bad products… dead. But don’t delay for long; address the issues and then jump in.
  2. Don’t use social media to overtly market or sell. Instead educate, enlighten, inform, and entertain your audience. In so doing, you’ll position yourself and your company as an expert in your field and benefit from the “media halo”.


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Book in Progress – Chapter 5

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Description: I’d be thrilled to see your comments/suggestions for my new book: Social Media Changes Everything (for Business). Read on and reply…

Chapter 5: Social Media Personality…

One of the most popular videos of all time on YouTube is called “Evolution of Dance” (on www.youtube.com, search for that term). It was created by an unknown “inspirational comedian” named Judson Laipply and has been viewed more than 125,000,000 times. Devoting six minutes of your time to watch it will almost certainly be an enjoyable investment. You’ll probably want to share it with others.


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Book in Progress – Chapter 4

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Description: I’d be thrilled to see your comments/suggestions for my new book: Social Media Changes Everything (for Business). Read on and reply…

Chapter 4: Read a Blog in Your Field

Now that you’re getting a sense of what people are saying and thinking about your company, let’s find out what’s happening in your industry. We’ll do this by reading a relevant blog. With 130 million blogs and growing, there’s guaranteed to be one (and more likely hundreds) out there that exactly match your interests no matter how narrow, specialized, or esoteric.

The word “blog” is a shortened version of the original term “web log”.


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Book in Progress – Chapter 3

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I’d be thrilled to see your comments/suggestions for my new book: Social Media Changes Everything (for Business). Read on and reply…

Chapter 3: Start by Listening

So where should you begin? Start by listening. Although it can be frustrating, it’s a good idea to listen for a few weeks before starting to respond, just to get the lay of the land. Type “A” personalities: If you absolutely cannot resist jumping in immediately, at least read the Chapter on “10 social media mistakes to avoid” first.

Let’s pick an easy place that will almost certainly motivate you to wade in deeper.


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Book in Progress – Chapter 2

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I’d be thrilled to see your comments/suggestions for my new book: Social Media Changes Everything (for Business). Read on and reply…

Chapter 2: Social Media is…

Social media is characterized by three basic concepts[i]:

  • Content created by anyone, without requiring expensive production studios and access to limited over-the-air broadcast spectrum
  • People connecting online to form personal and business relationships
  • A combination of technology and sociology that for almost every type of organization is transforming monologue into dialog

You can think of social media as publishing and broadcasting democracy.


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Book in Progress – Chapter 1

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I’d be thrilled to see your comments/suggestions for my new book: Social Media Changes Everything (for Business). Read on and reply…

Chapter 1: Word of Mouth Gets a Megaphone

Recently, a friend of mine who runs a public relations firm in Chicago scheduled a last minute meeting in Denver. Her assistant called Avis, her preferred car rental company, only to learn that they were out of cars at the Denver airport location. Because Gini was a loyal Avis customer of 15 years, her assistant asked whether Avis could arrange to have a car delivered from one of their other locations.


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