Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

February 17, 2010

10 Tips to Ensure That You’re NOT A Social Media Sucker!

Learn all you can from the mistakes of others.  You won’t have time to make them all yourself“.  ~Alfred Sheinwold

Mistake

If only we, for once, actually took the time to understand the value of this quote, most of us wouldn’t have gone through most of the crap we had to deal with, whether on a personal level or business wise! But we are humans and we are stubborn!

My mother knew better than to try to teach me from her mistakes, however, I still have faith in you, my readers, and in the fact that you will trust me enough to learn from my own experience on social media venues as to not commit the same mistakes I did!

Top 10 Tips You Should Follow When Using Social Media!

Are you ready for this? Here we go..

1. Culturize!

Being culturally aware and sensitive is very important when using one or multiple social media platforms or venues. Cultural ignorance is highly destructive in your relationships with the communities you are trying to be a part of!

2. Emphasize!

When active inside a realm as impersonal as social media, it is very important for you to be able to emphasize any point you are trying to make in order not to be misunderstood. No one can hear the tone of your voice or see your body language so your words are your weapon and your executor!

[read full article >>]

August 3, 2009

Should Twitter, Youtube & Facebook be Banned from the Workplace?

Do social media tools, channels and sites pose a threat to the quality of work produced in the workplace? Do we realize the actual negative outcomes of using social media within working hours? Is it morally unethical to spend a portion of the 8 to 9 daily working hours utilizing social media for personal use? Do you think social media use should be completely banned from the workplace?

The Web's top visited sites are social media sites - should they be banned at the workplace?

The Web's top visited sites are social media sites - should they be banned at the workplace?

Whether it be Facebook, Mixx, Reddit, Digg, Youtube, Twitter or any other social media channel of your preference, it is a fact that most of the tools, sites and channels, which flourished as a result of Web 2.0, are of a time-consuming nature. Naturally, if you are to waste your own private time working around those channels; sharing information, watching clips, meeting new people, chatting or listening to music, then it would be acceptable. But what about when your utilization of those channels gets out of your own room, home and free time and steps into your working hours?

The way I see it, and from personal experience, unless your job description dictates that you utilize social media for public relations, marketing, promotion, engagement and interaction with potential clients, social media could cause severe discrepancies between the quality of work you do and the quality of work that should be achieved!

Why would that happen?

Allow me to present you with the 5 top reasons why I am completely against the use social media within the workplace: [read full article >>]

July 31, 2009

Do Larger Social Media Channels Always Have the Upper Hand?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of small scale communities vs. larger more popular ones? Is bigger always better? How does communication differ amongst larger social media channels as opposed to smaller yet more specialized ones?

Come to think about it, it’s true what they say: “sometimes less is more“! Allow me to further explain.

During our ordinary lives, we are always faced with situations that make us wonder: Do we really need many friends or just a few true close ones? Do we need fame or simply a good reputation? Do we need many meals a day or only a few healthy ones? This applies to everything we do offline and online as well!

Earlier on this week, while doing some usual research on the web, I came across the video sharing channel, Vimeo, which is very much similar to Youtube yet on a smaller scale. The first idea that popped to my mind was trying to figure out the reasons why Vimeo is not as popular as Youtube, treating the situation as a problem. After some research, I was able to find out that maybe, just maybe, this smaller number of users is there for a reason: specialization! Although Vimeo and Youtube have a lot in common, Vimeo’s competitive edge probably lies in its ability to create a more intact and integrated chain of users who make up communities that know each other by face and name and who interact with each other on a more personal level than any large social media channel can possibly provide!

But the buck doesn’t stop there!

There are many other social media channels for which this theory can perfectly apply, namely: the infamous social bookmarking sites Reddit and Mixx vs. Digg.

Got 69 points and 25 comments on Mixx, but not even noticed on Mixx!

Got 69 points and 25 comments on Mixx, but not even noticed on Digg!

Let me break it down to you in simple points to bullet-proof my argument…

[read full article >>]