The one word that keeps most businesses mystified about Twitter
2. Decide to put some WORK into building a REAL Twitter Following, HECK think "Cult" or "Tribe" - that's the mentality to have
3. Be willing to do whatever it takes to be authentic, and transparent - let the real business come out, THAT is what todays marketplace is looking for... Deliver.
The value of connection: The real value of Twitter
Today, I was browsing through my email and I ran across an email from Jeff Keni Pulver. The email immediately caught my attention because of the subject: twitter is worth Billions... AND then it went on to say something about the up-coming 140 Conferences that will be held in various locations all over the world. My attention here is on the valuation of Twitter. Though I have thought about this proposition many times, it was not until I watched this video...
http://video.foxbusiness.com/9858678/twitter-how-much-is-it-worth/?category_i... ... that I really put some brain muscle behind the idea.. "How much is Twitter worth??" Jeff Keni Pulver made some pretty compelling observations as it pertains to the impact that Twitter has had on the media, in fact he bought to light that Twitter has fundamentally changed how we communicate as a people in a wide range of industries and facets of life, he calls it "The State of Now" - Real-Time Internet... Now THAT is compelling. This type of disruption causes me to think about things like the telephone, heck... THE AIRPLANE, as well as a dozen other "game changers" that have basically "re-shaped" how we connect with one another. What are these things worth? IF you are indeed the owner of a "game changing" technology, what value do you bring to the table. Can we REALLY place a value on such a thing?Are we totally out of control?
2. Colorful expression
3. Being courageous
4. Being fearless
5. Rule breaking What I am against... 1. Thoughtless speech
2. Thoughtless expression
3. Thoughtless courage
4. Thoughtless fearlessness
5. Hell... Just being THOUGHTLESS Now that we have that straight... Let's get at it... The idea: Are we totally out of control as Thought Leaders? ... Key word here "Thought". Now let's get it! The other night I was watching the VMA awards along with millions of other people, and I witnessed something that not only shook my soul, but quite honestly it embarassed me. An Artist that I have absolute respect for, Kanye West, executed what I felt was a blatant toss of power that should have never happened. While an Artist was on stage (a young Artist), Taylor Swift (19) was receiving an award for hard work, and the courage to do something that many only aspire to do, Kanye West, a Thought Leader in an era where thoughts are easily spread, and ideas are weapons came on stage and, in a nutshell stole a moment from Swift that she will never get back... Never. Period. AND what did Kanye gain? Attention... The single most valuable commodity of our culture, and he got it at the cost of Swift. This saddens me.... Are we totally out of control? No. BUT we have lost sight of what's really important. In a culture where people would literally put babies at risk or hurt animals on YouTube for "hits" or ATTENTION, it's becoming increasingly important that we do self-checks often. We have to be able to hold ourselves accountable to the things we say and or do. We must do the most critical part of being a Thought Leaders... We must be more thoughtful. Kanye was not thinking, or perhaps he was, I have no clue, BUT I bet if he was being more thoughtful, he would have thought about the "word scars" that he left on Swift. He would have been more thoughtful about the robbery he was executing, Swift will never get that moment back... Shame on you Kanye... Let's be more thoughtful. Period. Closing thoughts... 1. Yeah you can say what you like, but what's your motive? Think about it...
2. Are you being thoughtful in your day to day interactions? These "little interactions" can and will turn into "adult interactions" don't get caught slippin...
3. Attention is EVERYTHING and NOT everything... Period. Boom!
A Deeper Meaning...
the mob that tried to kill me...
This mob tried to kill me yesterday. The Pecan City Peddlers?? Yeah... 30+ miles... No mercy.
My Number One Business Tip: Let Love Precede You.
Today (well this morning), I was asked a very interesting question by a recent Follower on Twitter... They asked: "...what is your NUMBER ONE business tip..." And after thinking about this for all of about 5 minutes (between a couple of gulps of Coke and a couple of bites of my morning Reese's Cup) I came to a solid conclusion, well for the time being at least...
Let love precede you.
Though this may sound totally out of the line of business and totally off mark from the original question, it is indeed, relevant. AND here is why I say this... LOVE, I believe, is the single governing factor to the totality of success. Love is the fuel behind passionate work, it's the catalyst to amazing customer service, it's the ethos to building serious brand loyalty, and above all - IT in it's self is the meaning of charity. I have NEVER seen a business that did not give from it's take, fail... I HAVE seen them go OUT OF BUSINESS; BUT I have never seen one "FAIL". Every business person I have EVER met that has made "GIVING" part of the mission statement, has lived an amazing journey, and even IF The doors close on the "business" the doors to abundance of spirit and heart seem to always remain open and vibrant.
So... YES!! Let love precede you, is, and always will be my NUMBER ONE business tip.
Twitter Streams Should NOT Look Like RSS Feeds. Nope.
Often I get the question from colleagues, and clients... "How do I take my Twitter activity to the next level??" AND right out the gate I want to ask them - "What is the next level of Twitter??" AND the second question that I have for them (that I tend to keep to myself) is... "What level are you at now??" And to avoid making the entire scenraio more complicated than it could already be, I simply give them one word of advice...
Answer the impeding question that Twitter so elegantly ask you as soon as you log onto the site.. "What are you doing?"
While this sounds easy enough, I have undoubtedly found that this question is much harder to answer than it appears on the surface. I come to this conclusion because though it IS the question asked, it's seldom (VERY SELDOM) the question answered. AND if it IS answered, it's answered in a way that is not really believeable. Heck - I AM EVEN GUILTY of not answering this question on Twitter. In fact, IF I am honest, I never really answer this question AT ALL. However; this is not what I want to talk about in this post, I just wanted to lay down a foundational idea that we could spring from...
Twitter Streams Should NOT Look Like RSS Feeds. Nope.
From time to time look at some of the Twitter Streams that are really gaining some momentum and what I find, absolutely counter trends the idea of the "conversation stream" that Twitter bolsters, is in-fact - the "one-way communication" approach that tends to negate the idea of conversation yet prevails in over 70% (or MORE) of the streams that I note. News organizations are NOTORIOUS for this. Here is an example...
Q. What are you doing?
A. Man shot on the far east side of town - http://manshotonfareastside.com
Huh? So... What you are doing is... Ummm... What? You are doing the man shot on the far east side of town...? I would think not, BUT this is generally the way broadcast and news identites have leveraged Twitter, for the most part. NOW it would not be fair for me to give this example of poor Twitter execution without giving the example of good execution... So here you go...OR my best shot at it...
Q. What are you doing?
A. Sharing a story about a man who was shot on the far east side of town, would love feedback!! http://bt.ly.com/45xl
The difference is obvious, however; there are subtle things added to the conersation that transforms the Tweet from a broadcast to a conversation or a broadshare (broadsharing... totally different idea that we will deal with later). Here are the differences...
1. The tweet was written in context to the original question... What are you doing? Answer: Sharing
2. A call to action OR a request to engage was injected... "... would love your feedback"
3. A short URL was injected to insure "retweeting" or spreading ...
The problem that faces almost every "Tweeter" that I have ever shared ideas with, is they have a hard time tweeting in an open ended way. Answer the question (what are you doing?), invite conversation, insure ease of idea spreading (short url's, shorter tweets, ect.). At the end of the day... The goal is to make sure that your Twitter stream does not look like an RSS feed. RSS feeds are generally one way communications, and have no window for engagement - and righfully so.
Ideas
1. News Stations/Broadcasting Identities - Do not do away with continual news updates, simply add some engagement. ANSWER the question from time to time.
2. Businesses - ANSWER the question. Tell us that you are starting an program that raises money for building sustainable housing in thrird world countries... AND ask us what we think about it...
3. Individuals - ANSWER the question - What are YOU doing... You could be thinking about something, OR looking at something that I wanty to see or engage in a conversation with you about...
BUT in all of this... Try to resist the idea of your Twitter stream being an RSS feed.
There is a Thin Line Beween Trust and Disgust...
This entry is more of a "rant" than anything, but I really feel that there is some value in the idea.
"There is a Thin Line Between Trust and Disgust..."
Earlier today I was on the phone with a really really good friend and we were talking about a certain Hairdresser (Stylist) that they know. We tallked about how this certain Hairdresser had gotten to a place in their professional growth where they were literally covered in clients, and when I say "covered" I mean COVERED - like three month waiting list COVERED. Well... This certain Hairdresser had developed an attitude where they felt they could talk to clients, and treat them in ways that were unfavorable BECAUSE of the high demand on their services. So this is where I want to go with this idea...
Be careful not to cross the thin line between trust and disgust. If you are a Designer, or Stylist, or any other kind of "Creative Guru" be mindful of your ego 24/7. It matters. I have seen it a thousand times where creative types (heck... MANY TYPES) have gotten themselves to a level where they are a commodity, and they allow their ego's to rise up in a way that pledges war against the factor of trust that clients invest. For example... If I had a Stylist that took care of my hair, REALLY good, and I delt with their attitudes or arrrogance because of the idea that I "trust" them, all it would take is one major "slip up" - and now the trust will fall victim to the undercurrent of disgust, and there could be a "ripple effect" of lost trust turned now, "built up disgust" and this could be quite catalytic to the professionals business... So here are some closing thoughts...
1. Always keep your ego in CHECK!! It matters! It does not matter how good you become or how much trust you build up, if there is a undercurrent of "disgust" factored in with repeated un-favorbale handling of the clients, you will find that one "slip" can destroy your business...
2. Professionalism carries a responsibility. Be kind to your clients, build trust, and create an undercurrent of fair treatment and mutual respect...




