One thing I’ve heard a few times is that Twitter is trying to be like Facebook. If that’s true, I hate to break it to you Twitter, but you’re not Facebook. That’s ok! You don’t want to be Facebook. We already have a Facebook. Twitter is valuable the way it is. Really this conversation boils down to what Twitter and Facebook are.

Facebook is a network for friends. It’s a much more intimate network. In general, people don’t want to be friends with complete strangers. On Facebook people are more willing to share personal updates and expect to converse with those they’re close with. Yes, Facebook has features like pages, questions, and the public posts feature that allows your posts to be seen by the world, but in general people on Facebook want to be more private.

On Twitter people can connect with pretty much anyone. They can connect with industry leaders, celebrities, random bloggers, and anyone else you can think of. You may have a conversation with a complete stranger or even someone you admire that otherwise you would never be able to connect with. It’s a wonderful way to network, get your name/business/project out in the open, to promote yourself and your product and to connect with the world. Twitter provides opportunities that, at the moment, are impossible on Facebook.

In the end, I really don’t think Twitter is trying to be Facebook. I think Twitter is finally trying to get their product up to snuff. Don’t forget how far Facebook has come over the years.

I love Pat’s face at the 44 second mark.

This is probably my favorite one

Here’s the short version of the story: On March 5th Conan decided to randomly follow one person on Twitter. He chose Sarah Killen, a.k.a. @lovelybutton. She immediately went from a few followers to almost 25,000 in six days…crazy. Click here to read more.

So what? Good for Sarah, no big deal right? Wrong. If Sarah is smart she will do something with this unexpected fame. If you watch this ABC report, you’ll see that she got a few things for her wedding. She is even encouraging people to donate to a cancer fund. That’s wonderful, but she needs to do something more. This is an amazing opportunity!

So Sarah, here are a few ideas on what you could do with your new-found fame:

1. Start a blog: You already have thousands of people who are listening to what you’re saying on Twitter. As a result, you would get thousands of hits on your blog. You already have people sending you free stuff for your wedding, just think of how many people would pay you to have an ad in the sidebar of your blog. You could generate a pretty good income just from advertisements. Make sure your blog has focus and isn’t just a diary of your life. Make it about something of worth and it will grow instead of fading out when all of the hype dies down. If you’re not a good writer then take a writing class ASAP!
2. Start a business: What do you like to do? What are you good at? Start a business and use your audience to help it grow.
3. Become an unofficial spokesperson for a good cause: Pick a topic or cause that you’re passionate about. Maybe it’s helping to cure cancer. I’m sure the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation would love your help and support, and may even pay you to be an official spokesperson for them.
4. Connect with other celebrities: You could try to connect with other comedians or celebrities. They may be interested in getting in on the joke. As they connect with you more people will follow you, which would increase your ability to influence.

Please be smart, Sarah! Do something more than just tweeting random stuff. You could do so much. Of course if you want more advice let me know!

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My week is too busy… My clients come first… I need a break… I don’t have time… Tweeting is so much faster… I don’t know what to write about… Isn’t LOST on right now?

Blogging on a consistent basis isn’t easy. There are many good excuses and even more bad excuses to avoid updating your blog. Regardless, the excuses do not out-way the importance of keeping a blog for your business. If you need convincing of why you need a blog for your business, click here, or go pick up David Meerman Scott’s book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

I have a confession. The last few months have been super busy with clients and I have slacked off in posting to my company’s blog. In fact I’ve only posted once since a week before Christmas. I know…I’m a horrible person. I need to repent.

Repentance is not an easy process. I have fallen into bad habits and need to break them. So what do I need to do? Here is the blogger’s repentance process according to Chad:

1. Admit there’s a problem: If you refuse to admit there’s a problem, then you won’t repent. Stop ignoring that nagging feeling in the back of your head and admit you need to post to your blog! Stop making excuses and get to work.
2. Re-commit yourself: Why did you first start blogging? What got you excited in the first place? Was it a book you read? Did you see another company have success with their blog? Did you have a young employee who got you all excited about starting a blog for your business? Whatever it was, revisit what got you excited.
3. Set a goal: If you don’t set a goal, then nothing is going to happen. If you set a goal then you have something to work towards.
4. Tell someone: Tell someone at your company your blogging goal and ask them to keep you accountable. Sometimes we humans need a little extra motivation. If we know someone else is going to keep us accountable for our actions then we tend to perform a little better.
5. Set apart blogging time: Blogging takes time. Sometimes writing a blog post seems like an insurmountable task because it’s going to take you a few hours to research, write, edit, and post an entry. You may not have a large block of time to blog, but you probably have 30 minutes a day to do something. You can get a lot done in 30 minutes if you put your mind to it. Set apart that time at some point in your day and develop a habit.
6. Don’t sin again: The most important part of repenting is not falling into your bad habits again. Your readers and customers need consistency, they need to know what to expect. When you are inconsistent, your reader or customer will be inconstant.

So I will repent of my heinous blogging sin and commit to posting at least once a week! Keep me accountable!

In addition to having large numbers of supporters on the major social networks, Obama has done a great job galvanizing his fan base. Outside of his official pages, there are thousands of groups, profiles, YouTube videos, websites, forums and blogs supporting his cause.

Obama has proven himself a worthy campaigner. Edelman, one of the top independent PR firms in the world, wrote a great report on how Obama used social media to win the 2008 Presidential Election. Click here to read the report.

A warning to all politicians

President Obama isn’t the only one who has used social media effectively to influence elections. A more recent example can be seen in Scott Brown’s surprise victory in Massachusetts. As of Jan. 1, Brown had over 70,000 fans while Martha Coakley had just over 13,000. Click here to read this Wall Street Journal report for more telling statistics about the Massachusetts election.

If you want an idea of who may or may not win their elections this upcoming November, just compare how the candidates are doing in the social media race.

Politicians beware; do not ignore social media!

I love The Christmas Story. Such good writing:

The latest Christmas great:

I can’t believe this movie ever happened, but it still hilarious:

I’m always grateful when Heman explains things like Christmas to me:

This is a Classic:

What are some of your favorite Christmas movie clips?

This post is more for personal rather than for business use. You can modify most of the ideas to apply to a business if you want. You can also modify most of the ideas in this post to apply to other religious beliefs or nonreligious holiday practices.

Christmas has always been a wonderful time for me. I love family, the traditions, the music, the movies, the decorations, the spirit of giving and love, and all the other elements associated with the Christmas season.

So how should you be using social media this Christmas? Here a few suggestions:

1. Share some of your favorite traditions with your Facebook friends or Twitter readers. As you hear of great traditions, make a list and post it on your blog or as a note on your Facebook profile.
2. I used this idea for Thanksgiving, but it fits well for Christmas too: Share your favorite recipes! We all love the delicious foods that accompany Christmas. Stop hoarding your favorite dish and share it with the world! (My favorite Christmas treat is my mother’s delicious cinnamon rolls.) After you’ve posted your recipe, ask for other people’s favorite recipes and try one of them this year.
3. Make and share a list of your top ten favorite Christmas movies, songs or T.V. specials. Here’s a link from one of my favorite holiday T.V. specials…I still can’t believe that ever aired.
4. Ask people to post pictures of their decorations on your Facebook wall. You could even get people to post pictures of the craziest decorations they’ve seen this year.
5. Share heartwarming Christmas stories you’ve heard. Here’s a link to a story I like.
6. If you have the courage, in this ever-politically correct world, share your gratitude for the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, that’s what Christmas is all about. Linus explains it well.

These are just a few of my ideas. What are some ways you’re using social media this Christmas season?

Today I want to write to those of you who are struggling to find a job. Maybe you’ve just graduated, maybe you’ve just been laid off or maybe you need to go back to work to pay the ever-rising bills. Regardless of why you’re looking for a job, the fact remains that there are a lot of people who are vying for the jobs you want.

So what do you do to separate yourself from the competition? What do you do to get the job you want? The answer: social networking.

Social networking is an extremely powerful tool and I’ll list a few suggestions that will get you well on your way to the job of your choosing, but you must understand that it will take time and effort.

Businesses spend a lot of time and money developing and improving their brand. You are no different than a business. You are responsible for your personal brand. What do people think of when they see your name? What do they think of you when you walk into the room?

Here are a few tips you can use that will help you develop your personal brand. I’ve linked to multiple articles written by Dan Shawbel, an expert in developing an online personal brand. So be sure to read Dan’s posts too; they provide additional in-depth, how-to instruction.

Get online

The first step to building your personal brand is to pick the most appropriate networks to join. The biggest social networking tools to consider are Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogging.

Twitter – You’ve probably heard a lot about Twitter, but you still aren’t clear on what it is or how to use it. Stop being confused and get started! Twitter is more than just a place to tell people what you’re doing. It’s a place to share links to relevant news, blogs and stories. Twitter is a great place to connect with important people in your industry and to become one of those important people as you further develop your personal brand.

LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the social network for professionals. Many people think LinkedIn is just an online resume, but there is much more to it. You can drastically improve your personal brand as you join and participate in groups, as you utilize the Q&A tool and as you build a larger and more interactive network.

Facebook – Facebook is more personal that Twitter or LinkedIn. LinkedIn is like taking people to your office and Twitter is like going to a networking lunch or talking at the water cooler. Facebook is like bringing people to your home. As you connect with people on Facebook, they will begin to see more of who you are as an individual. The more they like you, the more they’ll be willing to work with you.

Blogging – Building a blog is a great way to show off to potential employers. I would recommend starting a professional blog as opposed to a personal blog. Your professional blog should talk only about things in your industry. You should absolutely inject your personality into the blog, but have the focus of the blog be in your field of choice.

Become an expert

What are you interested in? What did you go to school for? What job do you want? Answer these questions and become an expert in your field of interest. Find the most popular blogs in your industry and start reading them regularly. Study books and other resources that will help increase your knowledge. Follow industry leaders on Twitter and read the updates and links they’ve posted. You can find a wealth of information online, just be careful that you don’t overload.

Voice your opinion

After you’ve studied and feel like you can carry on a relevant conversation in your field, start voicing your opinion.  Re-tweet posts that are interesting to you. Comment and have conversations on great blog posts. Answer questions in the Q&A section of LinkedIn or start discussions in the groups you’re a part of. Share relevant links on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Write blog posts that others will value. The more you study and share with others, the more you will be perceived as an expert.

Connect with the right people

The business world runs on connections. The more people you’re connected to, the more powerful you become. If you go into a job interview already knowing someone of influence in the company, your chances of landing the job are much better than someone who doesn’t have a connection. Connect with people at companies you would like to work for. Choose a few companies and look up people in the departments you would like to work in. See if they’re on Twitter, LinkedIn or if they have a blog. Connect and interact with them. Once you’ve developed a relationship with them, you can approach them about employment.

Don’t stop

If you don’t get results right away, don’t give up! And once you’ve gotten the job, keep networking on your own time. Effective social networking takes a while to develop. But the ball is now rolling, and it’s much easier to keep it going than having to start over again later when you may need social networking again. So never stop.

ProBlogger and Copyblogger – These two blogs are probably my favorite. They are both chalk full of useful information. They don’t focus so much on the latest news as much as they do on general principle that will last for a very long time. If you want to get a solid understanding of social media and the principles that will fuel your business to success, then you need to read these blogs.

Mashable – If you want up-to-date info on what’s happening in the social media world, this is the blog for you. They cover everything from Facebook and Twitter news to the latest iPhone apps and social networks. In addition to news, they also produce some very helpful how-to posts. Be careful though: if you subscribe to their general RSS feed, your reader will explode daily with new posts. Mashable has a bunch of authors that post often. If you don’t like your reader to feel cluttered then find the authors you like and follow them on Twitter.

Chris Brogan – Every industry has a handful of celebrity-type super stars. You know, those people who speak at every big industry event and who everyone clamors to connect with. In the social media world, Chris Brogan is definitely a celebrity. When I first started following Chris he actually kind of annoyed me. I thought he was a self-promoter and was disingenuous. I was wrong. The more I read his stuff, the more I realize how much he cares and how smart he is. His blog is a great resource for general information on how to become a more powerful user of social media.

The Brand Builder – I really like this blog. Olivier is a strait talker who doesn’t beat around the bush. He will call you out if you’re wrong, but he’ll build you up if you’re right. He brings a great business perspective to social media. He spends a lot of time writing about ROI and measurement.

Inside Facebook – I like reading Inside Facebook because it’s the fastest source for news on Facebook. Facebook is the biggest social network out there and I like to stay up-to-date on what’s happening. I’ll usually just scan through their most recent posts for juicy info.

What are your favorite social media blogs?