Orwell vs Social Media

“Modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug.”
George Orwell – Politics and the English Language

(Opening a blog post with an Orwell quote? Pretentious, moi?! Well, I suppose, perhaps, but stick with me, there’s some swearing coming up.)

I’m not a great writer. I understand that. The vast majority of people writing blogs are not great writers, and that’s perfectly fine. But what really irks me are those blog writers who, rather than attempt to write clearly, deliberately write in that buzzword-heavy, cliche-ridden, business speak that is so prevalent on corporate blogs.

And especially on social media blogs.

In the essay quoted above, Orwell rewrites a well know verse from Ecclesiastes in modern English, so that:

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

becomes

Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.

The point being that bad writing is not only uglier, but also more vague.

If Steve Rubel writes in AdAge that people “engage with a unit of media” he hasn’t done anything to help clarify what he is trying to say. It has a ring of scientific evaluation, but in fact it divorces the meaning from the words in order to suggest that there is a Great Big Idea hidden behind them. But he actually just means “read a book or watch a movie”.

Language like this doesn’t express new ideas. It can’t. The use of stock-phrases keeps us locked into patterns of thinking like a train unable to move from its tracks. I had someone DM me on Twitter that they were following me “because they found my content compelling”. That wasn’t a phrase they conjured up themselves, it was a phrase they had learned. A bad habit. A cliche designed to suggest a more rigourous thought than simply saying “I like what you say”. The irony* is, it has the opposite effect.

Nothing makes your content less compelling than using words like ‘compelling content’.

(*that is irony, right? Since I learned that Alanis Morissette was all wrong about what irony is I get so confused)

Now I understand that this isn’t a new thought either, but it has been on my mind lately. And then I came across this site yesterday - What the F#&* is My Social Media “Strategy”? (See? I told you there was going to be swearing).

Inspired by ‘What the F#&* Should I Make for Dinner?‘, WTFIMSMS parodies the social media world’s art of saying nothing in as complicated a way as possible, by giving you a random nonsense sentence to sum up your goals. For instance, I just clicked and got:

Activate audience by giving them compelling social experiences, encouraging advocacy

Great stuff! So I thought we could play a wee game here. Which of the following are from WTFIMSMS, and which are from actual Social Media/Marketing professionals. Ready?

“Humanise the brand by driving the audience conversations”

“(Help) to humanize the interaction with our community while maintaining brand identity and growing a centralized community.”

“Convert every one of your store associates into well-informed product experts by providing an interactive, course-based social platform/community that educates, engages, and rewards them, while showing them how they stack up against their co-workers.”

“(create) user-centric approach to social media design, implementation, and strategy that accounts for how different kinds of users engage with social media, and how sites and application design and execution lead to emergent social practices.”

OK, you get the idea. Obviously (?) the first is from WTFIMSMS, while the others are real. You get the point.

I’m sure there is plenty of hypocricy in me writing this. I’m sure there have been times when I’ve been as guilty as the worst offender. I honestly don’t mean to attack anyone in particular here. I just think it’s about time that we all slowed down a little and thought about what we are really trying to say, and how we can best do that.

And if that means quoting Orwell and getting all pretentious up in here, well, then that’s just what I’ll have to do.

July Social Media Star: Misty Lackie

These days, companies of all sizes are diving into the world of social media, and Misty Lackie, CEO of Go Smart Solutions, LLC, is making it easier and more affordable than ever for small businesses and individuals to create and customize their social media “brand”. Misty started Twitbacks.com, a tool that helps create free and affordable custom Twitter backgrounds. Twitbacks.com is a huge success and has been featured in BusinessWeek, CNET and PCWorld.

Misty has been involved with social media for years, and learned early on how valuable social media can be. Currently she sees how powerful and valuable Facebook is for businesses and has created FaceItPages, a do-it-yourself system that allows businesses to create a professional Facebook business page without the designer price.

Here’s what Misty had to say about social media:

What is your job/company/profession/title?

I am the CEO of Go Smart Solutions, LLC. We develop self-serve online marketing solutions for businesses.

What was the first social media technology you used?

Back in the day, I would use discussion forums. I lived and learned in forums. I know there are some who may not consider this as a type of social media, but my belief is that forums were – and still are – an aspect of social media. The technology has been around for a while; it just wasn’t always in the form we’re familiar with today. Forums, social bookmarking, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are all forms of social media technology, in my opinion.

What is your favorite social media tool?

I use a lot of them, and some more than others, but my favorite social media tool at this time is Facebook. I feel like with Facebook I can engage on a deeper level with not only our members, but my family and my friends as well.

How have you used social media for your business/company and how has it benefited?

We mainly use social media to connect with our customers. We actually end up doing a fair amount of support through social media. In fact, our customers will sometimes contact us directly through Twitter or Facebook rather than by email or phone. We see these platforms as another way to be able to provide quality support to our customers in a setting they are comfortable with. We also use many social media platforms to monitor our brands and what’s being said about them. We have received some new business through social media, but it has mostly benefited us by keeping us visible with our existing customer base.

How much time would you say you spend a day engaging social media?

I normally spend about an hour per day unless we are releasing something new or dropping a press release. In these cases, I will spend more time managing the messaging for the new release.

How do you incorporate it into your day so it’s not a time waster?

Great question! It is easy to get caught up and spend hours in the different social media platforms, which can cause you to become less productive in other business operations. I have been guilty of this. I set my schedule to check the major platforms in the morning and in late afternoon. I also have alerts set up that I monitor at least once per day. I don’t allow myself to spend more than 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour in the afternoon on these platforms (collectively). I have also trained myself not to get distracted throughout the day while working on other things. This same type of discipline can also apply to things like email or phone calls. As a small business owner, it is important to manage your time; if you are spending all of it in the social media platforms, on the phone or answering emails, you may be loosing valuable time growing your business. I have set times throughout the day where I will answer emails, take or return calls, monitor social media, and do anything else that may need my attention.

Is there a social media tool/technique that you think is underutilized that you would like people to know about?

I think Facebook business pages are underutilized. Our company uses various Facebook business pages and each send a decent amount of traffic to our sites. I also think many companies are not using social media as a support channel. Being able to support our customers through these channels has been invaluable to us.

How did you come up with TwitBacks?

TwitBacks started out as an office conversation. We were discussing how there was a new business trend with Twitter backgrounds and how designers were charging hundreds of dollars for these. I mentioned that I could create an app that would allow people to create their own Twitter backgrounds using templates and have the output save as an image. It was statement that I wasn’t really even serious about but Candis, our marketing communications rep, thought it was a great idea and hounded me for weeks about it. So I registered the domain and decided to make it a weekend side project. The very first release was very minimal, but it went totally viral. CNET and some other big sources picked us up. From there we built onto it and have just been adding more features over time.

Do you have any new services coming out?

Our latest service is FaceItPages. It is a DIY system that allows businesses to create a professional Facebook business page with your branding, links, etc.  Following are a few pages that have been created through the service.

FaceItPages.com

Estudiar Hoteleria

Shoes Online

Lauren Mcmullen – Your Social Media Marketing

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland

We are also working on a video advertising platform, VidShout, which will allow business to create video ads (commercials) with landing pages and have those video ads published online to video portals, shopping comparison sites, directories, etc.

Where can people find you online and via social media?

http://www.gosmart4u.com

http://twitter.com/gosmart4u

http://www.facebook.com/gosmart

http://www.linkedin.com/in/gosmartsolutions

Social Media News of the Day: July 6, 2010

Up and Coming Trends:

Being on top of social media can be difficult because it changes so frequently. You start to feel like there is a new app or social media outlet coming out every day, but here is a list of the top 5 up and coming social media trends. Check them out and tell us if you agree with this list or what trends you would think should be added!

The Wonderful World of Google:

If you’re thinking about a career change, you might want to check out the openings at Google. Social news site Reddit had Google employees say what they do and don’t like about working for the Internet giant. If the fact that you are working with a group of super intelligent people all day long doesn’t entice you, then maybe the free gourmet breakfast, lunch and dinners will have you rethinking your career path! Read this article to see what other employees of Google had to say.

Foursquare Adds Layers:
Can you imagine seeing the world through the eyes of the Huffington Post or how about the Independent Film Channel? Foursquare is letting you do just that. According to ReadWriteWeb, Foursquare has added “layers” letting you subscribe to tips from these organizations about locations you are near. Now, you can hear the Wall Street Journal’s version of New York City.

Social Media News of the Day: June 22, 2010

No one puts social media in the corner! Dell Inc. incorporated a social media team into their payroll in 2006 and they continue to believe that social media is vital for any company and here’s why.

LinkedIn adds familiar features such as likes, follows and group discussions to their network. Do you think these changes will help LinkedIn compete with other social media outlets?

The iPad is still H-O-T, HOT! Apple has sold more than three million devices in the past three months. How many of you want the iPad and for those lucky enough to already own one, what’s your favorite feature?

Social Media News of the Day: June 17, 2010

Have you seen the Samsung commercial with the guy breaking the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest texting? He is using an application called Swype and it will be available for a limited time only to Android customers. Check out this video showcasing Swype’s capabilities and then you can be the fastest texter on the block!

Still not sure what being a Mayor on Foursquare can get you? Well, if you are the mayor at any of the 463 Sports Authority stores nationwide it will get you $10 off your purchase. What other stores and offers would you like to see next?

Social Media News of the Day

Will you be watching France vs. Mexico in the World Cup on ESPN2? Even if you aren’t able to take off work for this 2 p.m. game, check out this NPR story that discusses the impact the World Cup has had on social media.

If you’re a wino then you have to check out vinyou! It‘s an online event venue for wine lovers that locates wine tastings in your area and gives you the opportunity to post your own wine tastings.

The iPhone 4 will be coming out next week, but it’s becoming more and more difficult to preorder. The large number of customers eager to get their hands on this new smart phone has overwhelmed Apple and AT&T. Anyone planning on getting the iPhone 4? Who WANTS to get the iPhone 4?

Social Media News of the Day

The wait is over! Starbucks will start providing free WiFi beginning July 1. Click here to see everything the Starbucks Digital Network has to offer to its loyal caffeinated patrons.

Would you like to be able to check out of your Foursquare locations? So does Robert Scoble, read his blog on other ways Foursquare can improve their growing social media network.

Martha Stewart has left the kitchen and entered the world of social marketing. If you are a fan of her cupcakes you might enjoy a taste of her social media tips to promote and grow your business.

Obsessed with clipping coupons? Help Charleston get Groupon!

Are you guilty of waking up early on Sunday morning (the day of rest) in order to clip coupons before anyone else touches the paper? If so, imagine a world where one great deal a day came directly into your inbox; this is the world of Groupons. We are more than excited about this “collective buying power” that services not only the consumer but is a great social media tool for businesses.

Groupon sends a daily email containing an unbeatable deal on the best stuff to do, see, buy and eat in your city. As long as the minimum number of people sign up for the groupon then the deal is on! This is where social media kicks in — if you see a groupon that you just can’t live without you can post it on Facebook and Twitter and invite your friends to buy in as well.

Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO of Mashable, commented at the Mashable Media Summit last week that Groupon is the obvious next big thing in social media. Groupon, however, is only in select cities and our fair city of Charleston has not made the list yet. The more times Charleston is requested on www.groupon.com the better the chances are that we will be able to cash in on these amazing deals.

Visit www.groupon.com , check out the deals happening in other cities, request Charleston and tell us what you think!

Social Media is Just One Big Referral Network

Hop onto Twitter or Facebook pretty much any evening during prime time and you’re almost certain to see some friends posting comments or tweeting about TV shows. Who hasn’t seen many a comment about Lost or Glee? In fact, I’ve seen so many comments about Glee, I’ve thought about watching it just to see what all the hype is about. Those friend recommendations piqued my interest more than any TV commercial I saw about the show.

That’s the power of social media. And it’s a power NBC is harnessing as it continues its “Fan It” initiative into the 2010-2011 TV season. Fans signs up on the NBC website and then earn points for talking about NBC shows on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Points are good for NBC merchandise (wonder how many points I’d need for an Office bobblehead?) or for entries into mega contests (wonder how many points I’d need to appear on Parks & Recreation?).

In an Associated Press article last week, Adam Stotsky, president of NBC Entertainment Marketing, is quoted as saying, “A recommendation from a friend is infinitely more powerful than any message we can put out through conventional marketing channels.”

That’s sums up nicely what social media is all about and why it’s critical for businesses to be part of the landscape. Social media has expanded the concept of word-of-mouth marketing beyond asking our neighbors to recommend a good plumber into a global network of referrals.

If your business isn’t paying attention to social media, it’s missing an opportunity to reach potential customers, reward them for their business and respond to their questions or complaints. Last week I asked on Twitter if anyone could recommend a good company to pressure wash my house. I received a recommendation from a Twitter follower so plan to call that business this week.

What would have made that example even more powerful is if this particular pressure washing business was on Twitter and could have reached out to me directly, possibly offering a free estimate or a discount.

I applaud NBC for recognizing the massive referral system that is social media and hope it serves as an example to other businesses that engaging your customers, rewarding them for their efforts and thinking beyond conventional marketing channels has to be a part of your business plan.

Social Media: A Full Time Job

The good news about social media is that businesses are finally understanding that it needs to be a part of their marketing plans; the bad news is they aren’t allotting enough resources to make it really work for them.

If I had a dime for every poor PR person who I see straddled with the job of keeping the company Facebook and Twitter page updated, I’d be a rich woman.  I used to be the company PR person and I know how much that person is already carrying on their shoulders. Often their job entails: marketing, community relations, event planning, advertising, employee relations, government relations … oh, and that little thing called media relations, which by itself can be a full time job for a decent-sized company. Social media has now gotten thrown into the mix.

Now, if you had to pick an existing job to add social media duties to, PR is definitely the one I’d choose. Afterall, those people understand the company’s brand and message, and hopefully are skilled communicators and writers. But it’s matter of time – and social media takes a lot of it!

So what’s the solution? I whole-heartedly believe if companies truly want to do social media right (and to me, there’s no point in doing it any other way, because it just becomes a waste of money when the results don’t match expectations) they need to either 1) Add a new position whose job is entirely social media (and better yet, create a social media team) or 2) Hire a social media firm with proven success.

Adding it to a plate that is already full is a recipe for disaster and is the reason why social media sometimes gets a bad rap for its bottom-line results. You can’t expect that by posting to your Facebook page once a week, taking several days to respond questions and comments, and linking your Twitter account to Facebook, which always cuts off your posts because they’re too long for Twitter, to cut muster.

The only time it really works to add to an existing job is if you can find someone extremely into social media, who’s willing to be on at home, check in on their phone while out and generally be on all the time. That does happen occasionally, but you want to be sure that person doesn’t ignore their original job duties and that they don’t burn out.

The benefits of paying someone to do social media are:

1) That is their sole focus, so other duties aren’t neglected.  Social media is no longer a distraction.

2) They can keep accounts updated multiple times daily.

3) They can quickly respond to questions, comments and complaints.

4) They can proactively monitor tools like Twitter and Foursquare for mentions of the company and for prospective customers and interact with them, rather just be in reactionary mode.

5) They have time to brainstorm creative promotions.

6) They can stay up to date on the changes in social media (which goodness knows is a daily occurrence) and adapt campaigns accordingly.

7) They can put together a plan with goals, strategies and tactics.

They can compile and review metrics to see what’s working well and what isn’t.

What do you think? Should social media be added to an existing job? If so, who’s? If not, should you add a job? Hire a firm? In a future post, I’ll offer some tips on what to look for when hiring an outside company to manage your social media presence.

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