Normally I would counsel against using adversarial/militaristic terms*, but engagement has meaning beyond the mercenary.
We like rules and rubrics and frameworks. We need 'em.
I introduced one of my rules in a previous post and I realized I should throw them all out there. I have THREE (3) Rules of Engagement. I do most everything in threes - I don't like the black-white binary absolutism: 3 is the magic number of the Universe. If you care to debate me on it, bring it on. Anyway, I digress, and I do tend to do that on regular basis.
Point being, these three rules are the superstructure upon which I will hang my awesome-incredible-how-the-Hell-did-he-come-up-with-that Social Media Engagement for Causes framework. Twist THAT, M. Night.
Again, I digress.
RULE #1
BE HUMAN
Speak your mind. Be nice and polite, but say what you mean and be direct. It is social media, after all. By the way, be very careful with sarcasm, wit, and satire - from a text-based perspective, it may not go over as well as you'd like; worse still, you may be considered too clever by half :-P. It's better to appear wide-eyed rather than cynical.
RULE #2
ESTABLISH & MAINTAIN PRESENCE
Form a consistent persona, and promote it, even if there are multiple people working the line - you (and your partners/volunteers) ARE the CAUSE. You represent it, you own it. You are now in the business of collecting Likes, Follows, +1s, Shares, Retweets, ad infinitum.
RULE #3
PARTICIPATE
Pretty straightforward, yes? Reply and respond and, well, ENGAGE. It's an enormous conversation - a massive cocktail party where every one wants your undivided attention, and you want theirs. Be a social butterfly! Pollinate and flutter along. Understand the difference between quality and quantity: 20,000 followers who want you to read their blog, buy their crap, and view vanity projects versus 100 dedicated spirits retweeting your replies to their concerns and hopes - you do the math!
So. There. Rules.
FYI - MONITOR - the M in the framework - would attach to Rule #3. I think. Sure, we'll run with that.
*For instance strategy, campaign, target. Not much of a fan of audience, too, as it suggests a unilateral association between message transmission and reception. You don't want an audience. You want relationships.
Showing posts with label social media engagement for causes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media engagement for causes. Show all posts
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Passion!
I do this thing, but really - What is it I am "doing"?
More to the point, what GOOD am I doing? I'm promoting the good works, good causes, and good messages of good people - true, enough - and I'd like to think in time I will contribute to the conversation with regards to social media engagement.
But, aside from those things, what is it I believe in? What are my causes? What is it I stand for?
You gotta have PASSION. Maybe it's a passion for your one and only true love; doing good; pets; reading & learning; teaching; skydiving; or, comic books. SomeTHING must grab you, hold you, speak to you. You can't live with out it because it hurts when it's absent. It compels you.
Granted, we should temper our passions. It makes them sweeter, and there are some passions that are unhealthy and even danger compulsions, e.g. neuroses and psychoses. Your passions simply cannot harm others. It's just plain wrong, and this is one of maybe a few things about which I am absolute (not relativistic): DO NO HARM.
(I once was passionate about politics - but that drove my blood pressure up high and ran off some friends. I tempered that passion, and I'm better for it.)
So our causes - those things we believe in so ardently, so fervently, so adamantly that we serve them without question - and, thus, our STANDS are the functions of passion. They can be exclusive of our careers and incomes. In fact you pursue them without regard of cost and time.
The question then, for me is "What am I passionate about?"
In no particular order to imply importance...
Broad passions - yes. I am working to stand for them all.
Join me, won't you?
More to the point, what GOOD am I doing? I'm promoting the good works, good causes, and good messages of good people - true, enough - and I'd like to think in time I will contribute to the conversation with regards to social media engagement.
But, aside from those things, what is it I believe in? What are my causes? What is it I stand for?
You gotta have PASSION. Maybe it's a passion for your one and only true love; doing good; pets; reading & learning; teaching; skydiving; or, comic books. SomeTHING must grab you, hold you, speak to you. You can't live with out it because it hurts when it's absent. It compels you.
Granted, we should temper our passions. It makes them sweeter, and there are some passions that are unhealthy and even danger compulsions, e.g. neuroses and psychoses. Your passions simply cannot harm others. It's just plain wrong, and this is one of maybe a few things about which I am absolute (not relativistic): DO NO HARM.
(I once was passionate about politics - but that drove my blood pressure up high and ran off some friends. I tempered that passion, and I'm better for it.)
So our causes - those things we believe in so ardently, so fervently, so adamantly that we serve them without question - and, thus, our STANDS are the functions of passion. They can be exclusive of our careers and incomes. In fact you pursue them without regard of cost and time.
The question then, for me is "What am I passionate about?"
In no particular order to imply importance...
- Family
- Community
- Justice
- Fairness
- Liberty
Broad passions - yes. I am working to stand for them all.
Join me, won't you?
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
You're Gonna Give It Up For Free
"Free" is not always free.
Are you a member of the creative community? A shooter, a producer, an editor, an actor, a writer, a graphic designer, an artist, a musician? As you see it, are you well established?
You think you are talented & skilled. I understand that - I feel much the same way about myself. You should feel that way. It's called confidence.
By now it is possible you have served an internship, for higher education credit or otherwise. Mine didn't exactly break me into the business, but I'm told others have benefited more.
It is also possible you are still working for free: on the promise of favors, points, future consideration, or partnership.
I personally feel creatives should get paid, every time. The Biz, the industry, the scene does not always share my point of view: there's a tradition of using the creative. It's like hazing, only They call it paying dues.
So you're definitely gonna give it up, put out so to speak. You might even go to some personal expense, experience some measure of financial loss, all on the wink and nudge of hopeful reciprocity.
WHY NOT DO IT FOR A GOOD CAUSE? Volunteer your time, effort, talent, skills, and even your equipment to a charitable event or public service production. You'll make connections and build a reputation for independence and reliability. Heck, there may even be some room in their budget for an honorarium.
EDITED to include mention of musicians! Sorry about that - I'm more attuned to the visual components of entertainment given my background, training, and general tone-deafness :)
Are you a member of the creative community? A shooter, a producer, an editor, an actor, a writer, a graphic designer, an artist, a musician? As you see it, are you well established?
You think you are talented & skilled. I understand that - I feel much the same way about myself. You should feel that way. It's called confidence.
By now it is possible you have served an internship, for higher education credit or otherwise. Mine didn't exactly break me into the business, but I'm told others have benefited more.
It is also possible you are still working for free: on the promise of favors, points, future consideration, or partnership.
I personally feel creatives should get paid, every time. The Biz, the industry, the scene does not always share my point of view: there's a tradition of using the creative. It's like hazing, only They call it paying dues.
So you're definitely gonna give it up, put out so to speak. You might even go to some personal expense, experience some measure of financial loss, all on the wink and nudge of hopeful reciprocity.
WHY NOT DO IT FOR A GOOD CAUSE? Volunteer your time, effort, talent, skills, and even your equipment to a charitable event or public service production. You'll make connections and build a reputation for independence and reliability. Heck, there may even be some room in their budget for an honorarium.
EDITED to include mention of musicians! Sorry about that - I'm more attuned to the visual components of entertainment given my background, training, and general tone-deafness :)
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Social Media Engagement for Causes
I realize I need to write more: content is king!
That said, I'll begin to roll-out what I consider a framework or methodology of Social Media Engagement for Causes (in particular) that I've been developing as a matter of trial-and-error, some research, and deductive reasoning.
I am NOT a social media expert! In fact I take exception to the word "expert" in the context of the new frontier "social" represents, as well as "best practices." Once upon a time experts insisted the world was flat and best practices included bleeding to balance humors.
Of importance to my thesis is the distinction to be made between engagement as a variable of social media MARKETING (an exploit of what I term Big Marketing), and engagement as a function of relationship communications.
The first rule of social media engagement is: BE HUMAN. I did not make this up.
The first letter of my framework is M.
M is for...
That said, I'll begin to roll-out what I consider a framework or methodology of Social Media Engagement for Causes (in particular) that I've been developing as a matter of trial-and-error, some research, and deductive reasoning.
I am NOT a social media expert! In fact I take exception to the word "expert" in the context of the new frontier "social" represents, as well as "best practices." Once upon a time experts insisted the world was flat and best practices included bleeding to balance humors.
Of importance to my thesis is the distinction to be made between engagement as a variable of social media MARKETING (an exploit of what I term Big Marketing), and engagement as a function of relationship communications.
The first rule of social media engagement is: BE HUMAN. I did not make this up.
The first letter of my framework is M.
M is for...
MONITOR
Engagement suggests the building of social relationships. In order to engage you must be aware of where you exist in the virtual conversation. This is both more or less an understanding of your own SEO in practice. Monitor your social, inside and outside. Pay attention to who Follows you, Likes you, +1s you, etc. and writes anything at all about you and your cause. Just Google it!
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