Social Media

Is Social Media Turning us into Pathetic Losers?

by Jeff Hester · Aug 30, 2013

This week I ran across two videos that you should watch. They paint a rather bleak view of technology and how it’s not really helping us become more connected. Not that this is the fault of technology. We are (I’m painting with broad strokes here) misusing technology.

The first is titled The Innovation of Loneliness. Based on Sherry Turkle’s book Alone Together (affiliate link), this video suggests that we are using social media to collect connections, rather engage in deeper, meaningful communication. We are curating our personal brand rather than interacting with transparency, openness and vulnerability.

The second video is titled I Forgot My Phone. It focuses on our fixation with these little devices that have invaded our every waking moment. What’s telling is the title itself. Is Charlene making a personal choice to not use her phone, or did she–as the title suggests–simply forget her phone?

In his book You Are Not a Gadget (affiliate link), Jaron Lanier explains how we restructure our lives and the way we do things to conform to the limitations of technology. We become slaves to the tools, rather than the masters we are meant to be.

Where are you on the social spectrum? Are social tools and technologies helping you build deeper, more meaningful connections? Or do these short videos ring true?

Social Media Explained (with Donuts)

by Jeff Hester · Mar 19, 2013

Social media takes on many forms, and is ever-evolving. This infographic explains the common perceptions behind some of the popular social media applications, illustrated with a use case that we can all relate to: donuts.

You can quibble over the inclusion or exclusion of particular social media applications, but the intent remains much the same.

What exactly does this tasty infographic imply? Each social media application serves a unique purpose.

Twitter allows people to share brief updates and popularized the concept of #hashtags that has spread to Instagram and is now spreading to Facebook and Flickr. Of course, the real value for me is to connect with people around a subject (usually based on a hashtag), collecting and sharing ideas. Personally, this has been extremely useful to me in keeping up with the latest on #KM (knowledge management) and #hiking (my weekend passion).

#Hashtag Trivia: Chris Messina was the first to suggest the use of the hashtag in Twitter, back on August 23, 2007.

Facebook makes it really easy for people to share what they like, and in the process, collects valuable demographic information about you that they can sell to marketers. Mark Zuckerberg has promoted the concept of frictionless sharing, making it even easier for them to know what makes you tick. The benefits to you? The social graph search. This also benefits marketers. With over one billion users, is Facebook too big to fail?

Location-awareness application Foursquare gives you the opportunity to check-in at restaurants, stores, and businesses. The initial idea was that your friends in the area might see that you’re at a certain bar, and that would prompt them to join you. That never really took off (at least for me… my friends are apparently privacy-shy Luddites) but it has evolved in to a useful app for finding tips, recommending places near you, and even occasionally offering discounts and special offers for checking in. Facebook and Google have both been trying to get in on location-awareness for local marketing, but no clear winner has emerged.

Instagram isn’t the only smartphone photo-sharing application out there, but it’s one of the most popular. Instagram’s major innovation wasn’t the groovy, retro-photo filters that people either love or hate, but that it launched as a mobile-only social network. When they launched, you could only view or interact via your mobile phone. That’s since changed, but they recognized that a significant shift had occurred — we use mobile devices to connect to the Internet more than traditional computers.

YouTube has given everyone a chance to become a video star, and established itself as a black hole that bends time like nothing else. I’ve only dabbled with YouTube publishing, but some people have embraced the social network capabilities, using them to connect with others in new ways. And almost everyone I know ends up viewing a few videos on YouTube at some point during their week. For higher quality content (but lower views) check out Vimeo.

While most of the social media tools listed are primarily for personal use (and yes, I know there are businesses using all of them), LinkedIn is squarely focused on professional networking. Connecting with colleagues and clients takes precedence over grumpy cat photos and selfies. Although some people find LinkedIn boring, the focus on business is what sets it apart.

Pinterest approached the idea of sharing content from a fresh angle, letting people “pin” their favorite things to a board. With a focus on great images, it really took off, especially with women. Dozens of copycats have tried to replicate their success, but none have come close.

Many people haven’t heard of Last.fm, but this venerable social network has been capturing music listening habits for many years. Last.fm lets you autoscrobble the songs you play and–over time–knows what artists, genres and songs you like the most. Based on that, it can recommend new artists that it thinks you’ll enjoy, and can connect you with other people who share your taste in music. I’ve setup Last.fm to scrobble my plays on iTunes and Spotify, and occasionally listen to the Last.fm app on my Xbox, streaming music through my home theater system.

The punchline in the infographic is Google+. Of course, many, many more people use Google+ than just the folks employed there, but from the people I know, they are the early adopters. Google likes to tout high adoption numbers, but their figures are murky; clouded by the inclusion of users of other Google apps like Gmail. How many people really use Google+? We may never know. But they have a lot of potential users.

The Business Case for Social Media

Most people look at these social networks as primarily targeted at consumers, using them for the personal benefit. But that doesn’t mean the companies don’t have a business focus. And while all of these products are free for you to use (although some offer premium versions), you should remember this advice:

If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold. – blue_beetle

Advertisers and marketers love the rich demographic data available as a result of our living out loud through social media. This helps them deliver highly targeted advertising that you are (theoretically) more inclined to find useful. And it gives advertisers the tools to hyper-refine the targeting of their messages. Instead of merely targeting camera enthusiasts they can target female Canon DSLR enthusiasts in the Los Angeles area. Hyper-targeting.

And though they were the punchline of my infographic, Google stands to gain handsomely from all of this data. They reign supreme as King of Search. And as their other suite of applications grows, they gain further opportunities to aggregate, correlate, and repackage you to advertisers.

So WIIFM?

What’s in it for me? Why do I use these various social networks? I use them to make new connections, and strengthen existing ones. I also use them for my personal data collection, as I grapple with the concepts behind the quantified self and how to apply that data for positive change.

What about you? What do you get out of social media? What do you love (or hate) about these tools?

Does Anybody Really Care About Klout?

by Jeff Hester · Oct 26, 2011

Yes, today Klout changed their algorithm for calculating your Klout score — their attempt to measure your online influence via Twitter, Facebook and several other social networks. And the Twitterverse exploded with complaints about falling scores.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/BrandFlair/status/129244646516854785″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/staceysoleil/status/129071763064750080″]

And even the well-known Klout gamers like Mark Davidson are up in arms (or is that just a game?).

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/markdavidson/status/129243994424225792″]

But really, does anybody really care about your Klout score? We’ve already seen how easy it is to game the Klout system. Is your Klout score really helping you get more work, a better job, or a hotter date? And even if it has, if Klout adjusts the algorithm in a way that improves the scoring (even if the net result is most people see a dip in the number), won’t you still essentially stack up the same in a comparison?

The whole hoopla reminded me of a song by Chicago, that if written today, might go something like this:

Does Anybody Really Know What My Klout Is?

As I was walking down the street one day, a man came up to me
and asked me what the Klout was that was on my Mac, yeah, and I said-
Does anybody really know what my Klout is? Does anybody really care?
If so, I can’t imagine why we’ve all got time enough to cry.

And I was walking down the street one day. A pretty lady looked at me
and said her diamond Klout score had dropped cold dead and I said,
Does anybody really know what your Klout is? Does anybody really care?
If so, I can’t imagine why we’ve all got time enough to cry.

And I was walking down the street one day (people running everywhere).
Being pushed and shoved (don’t know where to go)
by people trying to beat the Klout (don’t know where I am)
oh, no I just don’t know (can’t see past the next step),
I don’t know (don’t have the Klout to influence the last Tweeter),
I don’t know, (have no K+ in my topic areas),
And I said, yes I said (just run around, run around and think why)-
Does anybody really know what their Klout is? Does anybody really care?
If so, I can’t imagine why we’ve all got Klout enough to die. Everybody’s running.

What’s your take on the Klout changes? Personally, my Klout score dropped from 59 to 49. And personally, I don’t care.

Social Computing and Knowledge Management

by Jeff Hester · Oct 3, 2011

Social networking tools have taken off in the past five years. Facebook has over 800 million users, Twitter over 200 million, and even newcomer Google+ with over 50 million. The ubiquity of these tools in our personal lives has spilled over the firewall and into the enterprise, re-labeled as social computing.

Social computing is a broad term that encompasses a range to tools, including blogs, wikis, profiles (with social/professional connections), microblogging and discussion forums.

Are you an advocate for social computing? A knowledge management practitioner? Join me on Tuesday, October 4th for a Twitter Chat I’ll be moderating at KMers.org. To participate in this Twitter-powered discussion you can use your favorite Twitter app with the hashtag #KMers or even easier — just sign in with your Twitter account at the live chat page on KMers.org. The chat will begin at 9am Pacific and run for an hour.

During this chat we will discuss the differences and similarities between the social computing movement and knowledge management, how to reconcile and integrate the two, and the implications for KM over the next five years.

Agenda

How do you define social computing, and how does it differ from KM?
What social computing tools and approaches are working well for you?
Where do informal social computing “communities” or team rooms fit in the context of communities of practice?
Should social computing tools be “managed?”
When does social computing and collaboration become KM? Is a boundary necessary or even beneficial?

Interested? Join us, and you can follow me @jeffhester and keep the discussion going.

Connected, The Film

by Jeff Hester · Oct 1, 2011

Every month a terrific group of bright minds meets in Los Angeles to share, challenge, drink and discuss how we can live an enlightened life. The gathering is known as Mindshare, and if you live anywhere within driving distance of downtown LA, I highly recommend it.

This past Thursday, Mindshare hosted a preview screening of Tiffany Shlain’s new film: Connected.

Connected takes on what it means to be connected in the 21st century. How does technology factor in? Why do we connected? Is our growing interdependence the next step in human evolution? Shlain went in with this vision, but as so often is the case, life gets in the way. In her case, it was the cancerous brain tumor in her father, and her own high-risk pregnancy that caused her to tweak her vision for the film in a personal way.

The end result wasn’t revolutionary or mind-bending. The key premise is that we are evolving as a species, specifically by becoming more interdependent. To continue to grow, we must connect with each other — rely on others — and build stronger connections not only between the two hemispheres of our own brain, but between each other. The ideas are not ground-breaking. But Shlain tells the story in a way that is both personal and memorable.

Connected is currently playing in Los Angeles at the Arclight in Hollywood. If you get a chance, check it out.

Follow Friday: #CoWorkers

by Jeff Hester · Aug 26, 2011

Follow Friday has been a long-standing meme on Twitter where users recommend people that their followers might also like. Today, I’m going to share some folks that I’ve met through a Facebook group known as #CoWorking. Some of these people I’ve met in person. Some I know better than others. But all of them are actively engaged through social media and a range of social networks.

As much as possible, I’ll let them speak for themselves through their own tweets, and only comment where I warranted. Oh, and if you’re so inclined, you can follow me on Twitter, too.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/staceysoleil/status/107166207060361216″]

Stacey is a social media maven. She’s founder of #CoWorking and very active in the SoCal social media scene.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/sbeasla/status/107129066536181760″]

Suki is a SoCal foodie with social media prowess.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Snakkle/status/106848406919577600″]

Snakkle is not just a weird name, it’s the official Twitter channel for Snakkle.com – a site that specializes in cataloging photos of celebrities before they were famous. Silly fun.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Smandi8/status/106317978307534849″]

Mandisa is a publicist in South Africa.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/sbhsbh/status/107086646045974528″]

Steve Hughes is based in New Jersey and tweets about social media, sports, and SEO (among other things). I don’t know if he visits tanning salons.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/kimgarst/status/107166020640309248″]

Kim Garst runs SocialMediaBranding.com in Tampa, Florida.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/SuryaRay/status/107093658993565697″]

Surya lives in New Delhi and is active on Empire Avenue.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/DniseSonnenberg/status/107144342090678272″]

Denise is a social media consultant and also active in the SoCal social media scene. And I’ve hiked with she and her husband!

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/cindyronzoni/status/107163164705173504″]

Until I met Cindy (she’s active in the local social media and WordPress community here in So Cal), I had no idea that people in Orange County were into any form of curling that didn’t involve irons.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/VillaCucina/status/106846280654925824″]

Villa Cucina is the official Twitter account of one of my favorite little stores in downtown San Clemente. It’s maintained by Christina Morgan.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/MingleMediaTV/status/107173048473501696″]

MingleMediaTV hosts both live and produced web TV programming.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Gabriella51/status/107171496505524224″]

Gabriella needs to change her Twitter font color!

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/juliefogg/status/106779350594105344″]

Julie tweets about VoIP, call centers, Avaya and the “Immersive Internet.”

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/alisonstripling/status/106804649788579840″]

Alison consults with businesses needing help with social media.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/campusexplorer/status/106785784979390464″]

CampusExplorer tweets news, advice and tips for preparing for college.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/DvinMsM/status/106875061448867841″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/LifeAfterKidsTV/status/106877443486400512″]

Marla Schulman hosts a couple of webcam shows, proving Seth Godin right — we can all be creators!

As you can see, there’s a heavy focus on social media (not surprisingly). If you’re looking to connect with people that can help you sort out what works and what doesn’t, give them a follow.

Want to be followed by me? Leave me a comment with your Twitter handle or retweet this post!