Talk It Up!

Who really owns your brand?

A collection of wisdom (that is to say, a brain dump) from today's Twebinar on branding and social media, hosted by the Energizer Bunny of social media, Chris Brogan:

• Companies share control of their brands with their customers
• Think of PR/social media as starting a conversation with customers about your brand
• Customers react to and shape your brand
• No one owns your brand
• Your company brand is a co-creation with your consumers
• Sean Bohan: Tell a story with your customers
• Sally Falkow: What you say doesn't matter if my experience is different
• Sally Falkow: your brand is collaborative with your consumers
• Richard Binhammer on some companies not engaging in social media: "Someone explain to me why we shouldn't interact with customers"
• Richard Binhammer: "What we own is our actions based on what we hear from [consumers]"
• Joe Jaffe: we partner with consumers, not cede control; create a balance between us and them

One of the things I was looking for by participating in this Twebinar was something to replace the negative message "you can't control your brand/message" when I speak with clients. I'm happy to disavow them of this notion, but I've been seeking a more positive way to promote the idea of social media. I'm a fan of C.C. Chapman's phrase "no-control PR," but that can sound a bit negative and scary to some. You know, kind of like the "anti-federalists" of yore. What, we can't come up with a more positive nomenclature than to say what social media doesn't do for your brand?

So as I digest, I'm hovering around the words "collaborative," "partner" and "balance." And I'm a big fan of Binhammer's statement for PR and personal responsibility:

What we own is our actions based on what we hear from [consumers].

Brilliant. True whether we believe in and participate in social media or not.

How little privacy is too little privacy?

After a lengthy cocktail-conversation-debate with friends about expectations of privacy in the social media space, my brain cells started churning and pondering individual's levels of tolerance for varying levels of transparency and privacy. With social media folks like me pushing clients and friends alike to "have an online presence," I worry that some have rushed in without considering how they are portraying themselves online.

Think about it this way: when we go on a job interview or pitch a client, we convey an image. We choose a suit, polish our shoes, make sure our hairstyle is kemp and updated. We make sure our laptop case looks respectable and that our phone don't pop up with any personal photos. We structure our message to target our audience's key needs and concerns. We don't use profanity, and even if we were cut off in traffic and flipped off on the way there, we aren't unprofessional enough to let that show.

So with clients and employers Googling prospective employees day and night, are we giving enough care and thought to our online image?

Next, Jim Stodgill muses in his Radar O'Reilly review of the latest HOPE convention that we happily post a plethora of personal information online that the paranoid might fear The Man getting his hands on in other circumstances. He cites speaker Steve Rambam's comments:

Over and over he expressed disbelief at how willingly we post ourpersonal details everywhere from Twitter to Facebook while thanking usall the while for making his job as a private investigator that mucheasier. What the marketers and government don't actively take, weactively give. Naturally I twittered the whole thing.

How much about our personality and personal business is appropriate to reveal online? What do your Facebook, Twitter and Flickr accounts say about you? After reading this, I took a look at my own accounts with fresh eyes.

Personally, I'm not worried about PI's tracking me down. Even without all the social media accounts, my blog and photo come up #1 when you Google "heidi miller." I'm pretty easy to find to begin with. If Mr. Rambam ever needed to find me, he could pocket the money and go out for a nice stroll and a latte. So what online image is the Heidi Miller brand portraying here?

Sure, the site , podcast page and blog are reasonably professional. All suits, all business, all the time. However, in Facebook and Flickr, I let my personality show. Yes, you can see that I'm a fan of Joss Whedon's work and that I went to the local Renaissance Faire a few weekends back. You can find out how I love my iPhone and how frustrated I get with Skype. To me, this is all part of the online transparency of it all, and it also gives me a chance to connect with others I might not meet otherwise due to common interests.

Lee Hopkins is a great example of this as well. Sure, this energetic Australian Social Media bunny has his professional site, but take a look at his blog--his wacky sense of humor comes through in post after post and offbeat 50s image after offbeat 50s image. That is, after all, the point of social media, right? How can you connect with others in the community if you're not willing to be your own passionate self?

Then, Sarah Perez reviewed the new Facebook interface for the excellent ReadWriteWeb, with the observations that some users were becoming more circumspect with their friend choices and overall use:

As the college kids move into the real world, the social network needsto reflect their changing needs in order to stay relevant while stillappealing to the next generation of users, too... Forthe Gen Y workforce, getting the point across that their set of socialmedia tools can be the new way to get things done, it helps whenprofiles aren't filled with pointless, time-wasting apps that don'tjust fill your screen but also spam you and your friends with theirnotifications.

Everyone, even the young Gen Y'ers (born after 1977, in case you were wondering), is becoming more conscious of privacy and image while still wanting to make full use of the power of social media for making connections and building community. And now, some are editing personal information not just for privacy's sake but to more appropriately reflect the online image they want to portray. As Web 2.0 becomes more and more social, we are seeing more and more of a balancing act between privacy and transparency, image and honesty. We can be honest and transparent and still not reveal anything to a private investigator that wouldn't be appropriate for a potential employer or client to know. We can still maintain a level of privacy while still actively, honestly and transparently participating in online communities.

DSSP #103: Radio Agers, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Y, oh MY!

Show Notes for Diary of a Shameless Self-Promoter #103: Radio Agers, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Y, oh MY!

Coming up on this week's show: communication with people of different generations--how to understand and reward them.

Direct download is here.

00:00 Introduction
Welcome to DSSP! Send comments to OUR COMMENT EMAIL: shamelesscomments@gmail.com, call 206-209-0806 and be sure to check the Talk It Up! blog. Sounders are graciously provided by BuzzCutzAudio.com. If you're interested in podcasting, check out all the free resources at www.podcastingprincess.com

1:15 Announcements

• Heidi's Podcasting Your Passion class at Chicago's Discovery Center is back! August 11th, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Register here.
• Check out Empowering Women Network's latest podcast, The Women's Team

2:15 Communication for Intergenerational differences in the workplace

A review and commentary of a particularly interesting segment of Barbara Braunstein's audio series, Dealing with Different, Diverse and Difficult People. Understanding Radio Agers (born before 1946), Baby Boomers (born between 1947-1964), Generation Xers (1965-1976) and Generation Y/Millennials (1977 and later). Delving into misconceptions, values and ways to motivate each one--now that you understand, don't they seem less difficult?

23:50 Geek Girl Minute: Review of BlogIt!

A review of Typepad's new app, BlogIt, which allows you to post to your Typepad blog, Facebook and Twitter simultaneously, either from within Facebook or from your iPhone. Suh-WHEET!

25:00 Wrap-up
Why not recommend Diary to a friend? Send the link via email and spread the word! Visit us at Blubrry.com; email Heidi at shamelesscomments@gmail.com and don't forget to visit the show blog, Talk It Up! during the week, for articles and updates. Thanks for listening!

Trying out TypePad's New BlogIt App

I don't spend as much time in Facebook as others do (my Twitter addiction takes most of my time), but I'm warming to it a bit. And when I got the email from TypePad saying that I could post to Facebook, my blog and Twitter simultaneously using BlogIt, well, that just appealed to the efficiency goddess within me. I don't need more way to multislack (that is, simultaneously waste time in different ways, like checking LiveJournal while channel-surfing), but simultaneous posting? Saving time? Not having to remember to Twitter what I just posted the the blog? NOW yer talkin'!

And yes, I'll admit that what really got my attention is that TypePad billed this service as for the iPhone. What? I can easily post to my blog, Facebook and Twitter from my iPhone? Now THAT is something I can use! And no, I'm not blogging from the iPhone right now. But I can see the power of this program--the interface is simplified so that it would be easy to post directly from the iPhone. So even though I felt too silly to blog from my iPhone while still in my office, I'm already trying to come up with excuses to leave so that I can blog remotely.

Ah. I know. I'm doing a read for a French voiceover this afternoon. I'll blog from there. Wait for it.

Marketing lessons from the swing dance floor

This year, I've got back into swing dancing, and my rusty chops are gettin' shiny and back in their groove. Most of the folks here are Lindy Hoppers, which is an eight-count swing I'm not all that used to--I do mostly East Coast and West Coast swing, even some Jive when I was competing.

But I digress. As I've been going out and straining to remember steps, flow, posture, etc., I recall how much dancing is a risk: you have to be willing to look like an idiot for a long time in order to dance well. No ifs, ands or buts. You will look like a dork on the dance floor, over and over again, before you become a decent dancer. Hell, you'll probably look like a dork on the dance floor repeatedly after you become a good dancer, too! (Ask me about the header I took into the floor once during a Viennese waltz!)

That being said, a few things I learned from my first dance instructor also have put me in good stead in the marketing world:

1. Dance with everyone who asks you (at least once). Marketing is an art, not a science. You have to try something to see if it will work. Go out there and be willing to look like a dork; you can always choose not to pursue it if it doesn't work for you.
2. Never sit out a dance. Try the new media options. Just try them. Dip your toes into blogging or podcasting, even if it's only listening to other people's podcasts and blogs. The dance is going on without you, my friends, and there's no need to sit on the sidelines.
3. Ask the old guy to dance. Don't let the osteroporosis fool you--that guy can probably really cut a rug. Sometimes the option that doesn't look like what you need will actually end up being the best strategy for you. Ditch your preconceived ideas and keep an open mind and be willing to try new (and old) things out to see what works best for you.
4. Thank every partner, even the crappy clueless ones. They gave you their time and their best effort; even if the effort was awkward and unproductive, be gracious and understand that one more "no, I don't think so" will get you that much closer to the strategies that will work for you.

Google Reader: a casualty of Twitter?

Is it just me, or are others abandoning their feed readers due to high Twitter activity?

Shel Holtz talked about this one a recent episode of For Immediate Release, so I'm thinking it's not just me. I've all but abandoned my feed reader, in spite of its tantalizing ties to content-rich blogs by presentation and new media superstars such as Garr Reynolds, C.C. Chapman and Chris Brogan. I've discovered that with the advent of my Twitter addiction, I'm much more likely to follow a link to a blog post that someone posts a Tweet about than to go to my clunky, slow feed reader and wade through all the posts contained therein.

Did I just call Google Reader "clunky" and "slow"? Sheesh! What is this world coming to when technology that hasn't seen its second birthday is considered "slow"?

Is it possible that our attention span has gone from full-lenth white papers to articles to blog posts to 140 characters? I must know if anyone else has noted spending less time on their feeds and more on Twitter.

Shoutouts for Interviews that ROCK!

Thanks to Dian Schauffhauser of the Web Worker Daily blog for her concise summary of the Interviews that ROCK seminar from Podcast Expo. Josh Bancroft of Tiny Screenfuls found it less useful, but I still appreciate any comments that can help improve content and become a better speaker.

And also thanks to B. L. Ochman for including Talk It Up! on her W list, the top list of women bloggers. I blush and promise to blog more--sometimes the Real World takes over the blogging one, doesn't it?

Blogging basics

I want to start blogging.

When I hear these words, usually the first response is, "Why?" (the answer can be very telling, especially if it's "because everyone else is" or "because I want to leverage" something or other).

And the second response is to suggest that the would-be blogger read The Cluetrain Manifesto. Yes, I know it's a bit older, but it's really a classic for explaining the revolutionary shift from the idea of one-way communication to two-way, authentic, human super-engagement. Cluetrain is like a social media bible for me; it's a great jumping-off point for understanding why we're here and how we're supposed to act  within a community and fosters a lot of discussion of how exactly we accomplish that. Some favorite quotes include:

One definition of "community" is people who care about each other more than they have to.

Engagement in these open free-wheeling … exchanges isn't optional. It's a prerequisite to having a future. Silence is fatal.

The point is that these conversations are already happening in the blogosphere  and podosphere, with or without us. For example, people are talking about trade show speakers and spokespeople already--on the phone, in forums, via email, in blogs. I can join in that conversation and defend the value of the intelligent, experienced spokesperson against the stereotype of the "booth babe," or I can ignore the conversation all together. To shorthand good reasons for blogging:

1. People are starved for conversation with a real, live human being speaking in a real, human voice
2. The conversation is already taking place, with or without you--why not join in?
3. People want to be spoken with in a conversation, not spoken to with marketing messages
4. It's a lot easier and more fun to be authentic than coming up with a marketing message, anyway

So what do you need to know before you start blogging? A few basics I'd recommend:

1. Begin by reading other blogs. Go to Technorati and type in a keyword of something you're interested in--health care industry, creativity, dog-walking. Read a few articles from a lot of blogs and see which authors speak in a voice that you can relate to.
2. Then start commenting. Add your voice to existing conversations. Click the "follow this thread" button to get responses to your comments emailed to you and get a feel for the conversation a blog post can engender over time.
3. Create a focus for your blog. What do you want to talk with the community about? Remember, the answer is not "my business." What do you want to start a conversation about? What are you so passionate about that you can't shut up about it?
4. Choose a blogging platform and start writing. You don't have to write every day or even on a regular basis, but you should write about what you're passionate about. You don't need to write formalized, structured articles or sound like an authority, either--remember,  you're just starting a conversation here. Just be you and ask for feedback.
5. Comment on other blog posts related to what you've written. Do more Technorati searches and read what others have written on topics similar to yours. If they have an interesting perspective, comment and link back to your article to further the conversation. (For a step-by-step on this, read Amy Gahran's excellent post on strategic commenting.)
6. Stay real. Stay you. Don't sound like a company. Don't lecture. Feel free to rant.

More blogging basics resources:
Easton Ellsworth of Business Blogwire has a good starter article
Chris Cree of SucessCREEations has a great Business Blogging 101 series
Amy  Gahran's How  to Persuade Your Boss to Allow Blogs
Shel Holtz' book Blogging for Business
Common Craft explains the differences between message boards and blogs

Social Media Stupor Syndrome

Update: Even Ike Pigott is claiming to be overwhelmed with "net debris," Brad Grier has also agreed to step away from the computer, Donna Pappacosta is going to work in her garden, Sallie Goetsch of the Podcast Asylum is already working on a cure and Lee Hopkins, also of the Podcast Asylum, included the symptom in his latest report.

Wondering where I've been? Well, I took a little bit of a summer hiatus to enjoy the rare 80-degree weather in Chicago. So the blog and the podcast have been sitting quietly by.

... but that's not entirely honest. I've been ill. I've had a terrible case of Social Media Stupor Syndrome, with underlying Microblogging Paralysis. And it's not just me--it's an epidemic. Lee Hopkins spoke about this in his latest vidcast, and Mitch Joel discussed this very serious issue on Six Pixels of Separation. I was in quarantine. Away from my iPod's podcast menu. My Newsgator feedreader sat neglected as over 800 feeds piled up unread. Flickr sat un-updated. Even Twitter wasn't allowed inside the no-media bubble due to danger of contamination. FIR's 250th episode came and went, and I missed it, as 100 unread (non-client) emails from its creators wasted away in my inbox.

It was a tough case, and I battled it for weeks. The first-round treatments didn't work--unplugging only called in armies of podcaster's guilt. But in time, the disease ran its course. The best treatments, I've discovered, are weekends spent camping barefoot and Sunday brunches with friends. Calling colleagues to meet in real life, sending promotional materials via snail-mail with handwritten notes and talking to unplugged friends also helped reduce the symptoms. Jumping in the pool several times a week and watching back episodes of things written by Joss Whedon were also helpful.

I took 200 mg of Perspective a day, and now, I'm happy to say, I'm doing much better.

So please, don't let this epidemic hit you and those you love. Social Media Stupor Syndrome with underlying Microblogging Paralysis is a serious condition that is devastating the blogosphere and podosphere. Don't let this happen to you or to someone you love. Wash your hands before using your keyboard. And go put a stamp on something you wrote by hand.   

Kathy Sierra and violence in the blogosphere

For those who are following the despicable situation that led brilliant blogger Kathy Sierra to take a break from the blogosphere, Dan York has complied a list of links to bloggers and mainstream news sources weighing in and reporting on the situation. [Edit 4:22 p.m.: to this list, I'll add Violet Blue's excellent column as well].

When I checked this morning, there were 1,165 comments to Ms. Sierra's blog post explaining the situation. I didn't check every comment, but the first 500 or so were overwhelmingly positive and supportive, not a negative comment in the lot.

There is much to say about this. At the moment, I'm vastly furious on her behalf. The type of language and threats that she was subject to were heinous to begin with, but the fact that they were overly sexualized simply because the anonymous commenter was attacking a woman and not a man is disgusting.

First, there are trolls everywhere. This does not mean that they should always be allowed to speak, and we should hold them accountable for when they do speak inappropriately or illegally. The general rule for my own blog is to treat participating in it as if you were invited to attend a party with my friends in my home. Feel free to disagree respectfully. Have a lively debate. Be yourself. However, if you want to use obscenities, I will ask you to leave politely. And if you want to start a fight, take it outside. And by no means is anything illegal (threats of violence) allowed in my home or on my blog.

Second, I'm appalled by the nameless nature of the attacker. The comments and posts are anonymous, which is the refuge of cowards with more mouth than guts. In several of my blogs, I do not allow anonymous comments. Why? Because while I welcome disagreement, I insist on knowing with whom I'm disagreeing. You just have to tell me who you are so we can talk as people, not as Heidi Miller to anonymous blob.

And finally, the sexualized nature of the attacks say a lot about the commenter. I doubt that if this anonymous guy were attacking another man, he would have incorporated a thong or other sexual images and language into his attacks. This was an attack on a woman, and it should not be tolerated in the blogosphere any more than it would be in real life.

And I'll disclose that on my personal blog, I've been subject to similar attacks. I've been called similar names and have been at the receiving end of some venomous postings attacking my character with a similar violent and sexualized overtone (I won't repeat the language here, but you can guess the gist). In my case, however, I was able to track down the attacker, who happened to belong to a group that I was a member of. Since the attacks violated our by-laws, the attacker was requested and (under great protest) agreed to remove the posts.

And I'll admit that it was a difficult decision, in my case, to make the group directors aware of the situation. I felt, as it seems Kathy did at first, that this was just words and not a real threat and that I should be able to be thick-skinned and handle the conflict on my own without publicizing it.

In the end, I'm glad that I did as Ms. Sierra did and made the authorities aware. In fact, I'm ashamed that I even considered tolerating that kind of language and behavior as acceptable or dismissable. Name-calling and threatening language should simply not be tolerated--there is having thick skin, and then there is taking responsibility for one's own self and for making the blogosphere a safe place for everyone to talk.

Widget

And just 'cuz... I finally clicked that "make your blog into a widget" button, wondering how the heck that would work.

It does just what it says it does. Want a new widget for your Typepad blog? Now you can add the Talk It Up! widget! Seriously. How cool is social media?

Digg me!

Time to call on the community yet again!

I'm trying out Digg with the new vidcast--if you like the video, would you mind giving it a Digg? I haven't been Dugg before, and I'd like to give it a try. Thanks!

Blogging your passion

Ann Hadley has written a great post on what constitutes great business blogging (well, and let's face it, great blogging in general. Who wants to read a boring blog?).

To her list of seven steps to great business blogging, I'd add one more:

8. Blog about what you are passionate about.

A trap I fell into when I started was to blog what I thought I was supposed to, not always what I cared about. Now the rule (for me, anyway) is: if I'm not up in arms or tickled pink, don't bother writing it!

I get up in arms about trade show strategies. I start writing about booth babes, and you can't shut me up. I also get serious bees in my bonnet about customer service, partially because, as a small biz owner, this is an area where I feel we little guys can make a HUGE difference and partially because I've just received so much rotten customer service in my life that you can't shut me up about it.

So what are you passionate about today? What can't YOU shut up about?

You choose my next headshot!

I talk a lot about the power of social media, blogging and podcasting; it's a network; blah, blah, blah.

So to see just how powerful my network is, I'm going to try something revolutionary in my industry: I'm going to let YOU choose my next headshot--the photo that will be on my business cards, website and plastered over every promotional item I produce for the next five years!

I'm nervous. Normally, this process is industry-only. Actors and speakers take their proofs to their agents and others supposedly in the know who give their professional suggestions on what photo will best represent the most sellable aspect of the speaker's personality. But since most of my clients these days are private, I'm taking a leap and trusting y'all to know what YOU would hire, not what some agent thinks will sell.

Now, when I say "taking a leap," I mean it. It does make me a bit nervous to do what I'm about to do--post a link to all the photos from the shoot, including the ones with my eyes closed or where you can see that really big zit or the sardonic expression I was giving the photographer. But I'm determined to invest in the power of social media, so for those who are interested in giving input, here's what to do:

1. Click here to get to the private online proof site for the shoot.
2. Enter this password: eLJgmd358
3. There are over 250 images in the shoot. Click "Favorites" in the upper left-hand corner to see the 20 or so I've selected as the best possibilities.
4. We're looking for one business look and one casual look, so cast your vote for each!
5. Leave comments and feedback here on the blog or email me at heidim@heidimillerpresents.com
6. When commenting, refer to photos by their code.
7. The most important thing to look for is eye contact and implied interaction--a look that would make you want to invest a lot of money in, well, ME for your next trade show.

Thanks in advance for your participation and comments!

Truly social media

This weekend, I had a real treat: Amy Gahran was in town for a conference, and I finally got to meet, in the flesh, one of my favorite online writers!

For those who say that online buddies and communication isn't "real" or that it is a poor substitute for face-to-face meetings, I'll heartily disagree. From the moment she arrived, we chatted as if we were old friends; anyone listening might suspect that we were high school friends reconnecting after a few years. And truly, I do believe that this is a function of social media: reading someone's blog over time and getting a feel for her passions and her voice can be a much better way to get to know someone than a face-to-face meeting or two.

The hardest part of the weekend was actually shutting up long enough to find a new topic of conversation (other than relationships and blogging/podcasting/social media, of course!) :-) And yes, Amy, now that I've secured a space, we need to do that Wonder Woman and Dyna-Girl blogging-podcasting seminar soon!