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Life in the DayngrZone

Serving up real-life adventures along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast one food and travel experience at a time.

20 Ways Social Media Is Like Your Crazy Ex

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You’ve read social media comparisons before but when it comes to strategy, have you ever stopped to think about how social networks are like your crazy ex?

Both had you enamored at first, and then you realized how much time and effort it was going to take to keep things going. Thrilling, exhilarating and sometimes a little scary, here are 20 ways social media is like your crazy ex.

20 Ways Social Media Is Like Your Crazy Ex

  1. Neither should be left unattended
  2. Both require plenty of attention
  3. Ignoring them can be a really bad idea
  4. You don’t want to mess with them when you’re drunk
  5. You probably shouldn’t leave your kids alone with them
  6. They can be totally addicting
  7. They can feed your ego
  8. They can build you up
  9. They can tear you down
  10. They can be fickle
  11. They can give you a false sense of security
  12. They can make you fall in love with them
  13. They can drive you a little crazy
  14. Both can be exciting
  15. They’re accessible 24/7
  16. You remember exactly what drew you to them in the first place
  17. They can surprise you in unexpected ways
  18. You should have a plan before you approach them
  19. Both should be monitored
  20. Much like your crazy ex, you shouldn’t rely on social media for all your needs

Though this post was meant to poke fun, social media for business is no joke. Like any relationship, the ones you have cultivated through social networks require nurturing in order to be successful and stand the test of time.

What made you fall in love with social media? Has your relationship with social media grown and gotten better over time, or are you frustrated and leaning toward a breakup? What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below! 

If you enjoyed this article, check out 25 Ways Social Media is Like a New Lover!

25 Ways Social Media is Like a New Lover

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We’ve all read social media comparisons before but have you ever considered how social networks are like a new lover? All-consuming, exhilarating and euphoric, here are 25 ways social media is just like a new lover:

25 Ways Social Media is Like a New Lover

  1. You can’t get enough of either one
  2. You never want to leave its side
  3. You rush to them in the morning
  4. You give them all your attention
  5. You’d never think of ignoring them
  6. You’re constantly thinking about them
  7. You can spend all day wrapped up in each
  8. You remember exactly what drew you to them in the first place
  9. You believe they’re the best thing that ever happened to you
  10. They can keep you up at night
  11. They can evoke strong emotions
  12. They can be very exciting
  13. Both are totally addicting
  14. Both can make you forget you had a social life before them
  15. Both can stroke your ego
  16. Both can make you feel invincible
  17. Both can invade your dreams
  18. Both can make you fall in love with them
  19. Both can totally make your day
  20. Both can be stress relievers
  21. Both can surprise you in unexpected ways
  22. Both are nourished by quality instead of quantity
  23. Both can open your mind to new experiences
  24. The thought of losing either makes you break out in a cold sweat
  25. Too much with either can make body parts cramp or fall asleep

In order to keep your love affair with social media as thrilling as that first encounter, be sure to continue nurturing the relationships you’ve cultivated. That’s the best way to ensure they’ll stand the test of time. I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

What made you fall in love with social media? Does social media still feel as exciting today as it did the first time? What would you add to this list?

3 Tips for Keeping the Social In Social Media

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The best part of social media is being social. So don’t limit yourself to being social only on the web; nurture your connections by taking them offline. Today, I’m giving you 3 tips for keeping the social in social media. 

1. Help Connect

It’s not just about your product, brand, or organization now that the conversations have kicked off and you’ve made all these amazing connections. The people you’ve been communicating, interacting, and engaging with really need to connect with each other, too. Events are really important for community building. Create meetups, tweetups and other offline events to get your community together and interacting – not just with your brand, but with each other. Facilitate introductions to help others get connected, and build their networks both online and off.

2. It’s All About Relationships

Think of social networking the same way you think of networking offline. It’s all about relationships. People want to do business with people they know, and support the people they like. Make time on your social calendar for attending industry events. That will provide an opportunity to meet your followers one-on-one, reconnect with clients, meet new prospects, and deepen your relationships within your community. The personal connections you make at these events will also help drive referrals to your social media channels and corporate website.

Platforms like Eventbrite (see: others like Eventbrite) can help you find and share events to attend. Don’t stop there though. Let your community know where and when they can find you, by sharing this information on your website and in your blog.

3. Close the Circle

Once you get back to the office, be sure to close the circle with all those great people you’ve met. Let them know it was great to meet them and thank them for chatting with you. Also, take a moment to think about projects you can work on collaboratively. When you genuinely take an interest in what others in your online community have going on, they’ll be more inclined to check in and see what you’ve got going on as well. Real connections help you to feel more invested in people’s projects.

Cement these relationships by meeting routinely. If you’re bound by geographic restrictions, pick up the phone (or use FaceTime, Zoom or Skype) and connect. Face-to-face connections are wonderful, but when that isn’t practical, hearing someone’s voice is the next best thing.

Do you connect offline with the people you met online? What’s one simple step you would add to help keep the social in social media? Let me know in the comments below.

What the Heck Are Hashtags and How Do I Use Them?

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Hastags, What are hashtags, How do I use hashtags

If you’re new to social media, you’re probably wondering what the heck hashtags are and do I use them effectively. You’re in luck! In this blog post, I’m going to cover those questions and so much more!

What The Heck Are Hashtags?

hashtag

Hashtags assign topics to your posts, status updates, and articles. Using the pound sign # {or hash} on a social network {think Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and even Facebook}, turns any word or group of words that directly follow it, into a searchable link, allowing you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. That means, if you wanted to post about your visit to NYC like I did above, you would include #NYC in your status update to join the conversation. Click on any hashtag to see all the posts that mention that topic/subject in real-time.

How to Format Your Hashtags

The first thing you should know is that you don’t want to use spaces – even if your hashtag contains multiple words. But you do want to differentiate those words by using upper and lower case. For example, Pen Island would look better, and make much more sense, as #PenIsland than as #penisland, don’t you agree?  Uppercase letters won’t alter your search results so people searching for #abc will get the same results as people searching for #ABC.

Numbers are supported, so #EasyAs123 works. Sadly, punctuation marks are not supported. So commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks, and apostrophes are out. While you’re at it, skip asterisks, ampersands and any other special characters.

There Are No Presets

There isn’t a master list of hashtags, but you can search your social networks {and search engines} to see if there’s a hashtag already in use for a particular subject or topic. You can even check services like HashAtIt, Hashtagify, and Hashtags.org. Remember, every time you add a hashtag in front of a word or phrase, you’re creating a hashtag. Try it out!

How You Can Use Hashtags

Hashtags are supported on Twitter {where they started}, Instagram, Pinterest, and even Facebook, now. There are so many different ways you can use hashtags, the possibilities are almost endless. However, I wanted to give you a few ways you can use them, along with a few tips.

  • Don’t forget, hashtags turn words into searchable links
  • Always start with a # and leave out spaces
  • Use upper and lowercase to differentiate words
  • Use them during conferences and events
  • Use them in conversations around specific topics
  • Use them for Twitter Chats
  • Use them during television shows (#CNN, #GreysAnatomy, #JurassicWorld)
  • Hashtags can be used anywhere within your post or update
  • Use them to find like-minded individuals
  • Use them to find people discussing the topics you’re interested in
  • Use them to create a following for your brand/blog/business
  • Use them to complement photos you share on Instagram (This helps you discover new accounts and pick up followers)
  • Use them to show off your personality, brand voice or tone
  • Use them for fun!

Again, these are just a few ways you can use hashtags while you’re using social media. What would you add to this article to help people trying to understand hashtags? How are you using hashtags? Let me know in the comments below!

How Social Media is Driving Reality TV

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Reality TV – There’s no escaping it and for many of us, we don’t want to. From American Idol to Survivor reality television has taken over. But how does social media play a part in reality television or the making of a star? The “Social Media as the Driver of Reality Television” panel touched upon these questions, and many more yesterday, at Social Media Week Miami.

“Social Media as the Driver of Reality Television” Panelists

Photo Credit: Ivan Nava – Steve Berke, Lesley Abravanel, Alexia Echevarria, Louis Aguirre

The panel was hosted by Emmy award-winning TV host of WSVN 7’s “Deco Drive”, Louis Aguirre. The local all-star panel included Lesley Abravanel (pop culture writer for the Miami Herald), Alexia Echevarria (Executive Editor for Venue Magazine and cast member Real Housewives of Miami on Bravo), Steve Berke (Contestant on Fox’s The Rebel Billionaire) and was certainly one of the more popular and entertaining panels of the day.

There’s no doubt you’ve heard of Bravo TV’s hit franchise “The Real Housewives.”  Part of what makes it so popular is that Andy Cohen had the foresight to give people the power to share their stories around the shows and directly interact and engage with him, the network and the reality stars themselves. All reality show housewives are required to have social media accounts. They tweet, they blog and they have Facebook pages and clearly, their audience loves it and it’s working for them.

Also, driving the link between Reality TV and social media are apps like Into Now and Get Glue, that allow you to check in to the shows you’re watching and talk about it with others who are watching as well in real-time.

Social media has already changed the world as we know it… – Steve Berke

At one point, Steve Berke stated that social media has already changed the world as we know it stating that if it wasn’t for social media, today’s U.S. President wouldn’t be Obama, it would be Hillary.

Social media is turning the average Joe or Jane into celebrities

Social media is turning the average Joe or Jane into celebrities. Don’t believe me? Ask Justin Bieber. Steve Berke mentions that in order to break into the music business, you’d better have a pretty healthy following on YouTube if you even want to be considered by a record label. His suggestion for creating videos that will get watched – digital shorts. He added, “If a video is too long (10Min) I’m going to skip it, but if the video is 3 min long ok.”

Journalists vs. Social Media Influencers

Speaking of celebrities, it’s said that they will measure your level of celebrity by the number of followers you have on your social media accounts. Which leads me to the conversation about Klout. If you don’t think people are paying attention to Klout or that your Klout score doesn’t matter, think again. Fashion Night Out at Bal Harbour Shops selected their VIPs based on high Klout Scores, stated Louis Aguirre. Respected journalists with years of hard work couldn’t even get into some of the VIP Parties, yet there were bloggers who were in attendance because they had more clout than traditional journalists.

Key Takeaways

  • 90% of the television shows being produced right now are digital oriented.
  • Teenagers watch 5 times more YouTube videos than TV.
  • Social TV is where it’s at with apps like Into Now and Get Glue.
  • Everything is heading toward being web-based – so social will become even more important.
  • Attention spans are getting shorter, build your content around that fact.
  • SuperBowl had over 1 million viewers watching ONLINE.
  • Twitter is the new focus group.
  • Social networks have become the online water cooler.
  • Don’t underestimate the power of YouTube (or social media in general).

And finally, Reality TV much like social media, isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

There were plenty of great conversations around this panel and I could write for days, but in the interest of accommodating those short attention spans, I’ll let you check the recorded version yourself for more. You can watch the livestream playback at http://new.livestream.com/smwmiami/realitytelevision

You can read Lesley Abravanel’s blog “Scene in the Tropics” in the Miami Herald, check out Alexia Echevarria’s magazine “Venue Magazine”, keep up with Louis Aguirre on his Facebook page “Louis Aguirre TV“  and learn more about the projects Steve Berke’s working on at his website “Steve Berke for Mayor”.

Do you think reality television is here to stay? What reality shows are your favorite? (You can tell us, we promise we won’t judge) Do you use Twitter and Facebook while you’re watching TV?

If Social Networks Were Reality TV Shows…

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Ever feel like you’re starring in your own reality show each time you log on to your favorite social network? In a way you are, so let’s play on that idea and consider what it might be like if social networks were reality TV shows.

If Social Networks Were Reality TV Shows…

Bravo TV's RHOA

Pinterest would be  Hoarders because you can never have too many pictures of outfits you’ll never wear, crafts you’ll never make and adorable baby animals.

Facebook would be The Real Housewives franchise because executives want to duplicate its success, there’s always some kind of drama going on around it and some status updates and photos really should not be broadcast to the masses.

Twitter would be Chelsea Lately because it’s wildly entertaining, it shares the top stories of the day, and you can count on at least three or four inappropriate comments to be made, along with a few people speaking as experts on subjects they aren’t really qualified to speak about.

Google+ would be Survivor because people can’t stop talking about it, and Survivor’s tribes are like G+ circles. You can organize your interests into separate circles with the option to merge whenever you please, as well as remove people from your circle who aren’t contributing.

LinkedIn would be The Apprentice because everyone is eager to contribute their expertise, further their professional development, and be recognized as a thought leader.

All kidding aside, social media and the time you spend on these social networks can be powerful for your business. Just be sure that what you’re sharing across these platforms is thought-provoking, helpful, interesting, necessary and provides added value for your online community. Take the time to consider what you’re sharing across your social networks and how it reflects on your brand.

Your Turn to Comment on If Social Networks Were Reality TV Shows…

What’s your favorite social network, and do you have a favorite reality TV show? What shows would you add to this list? Would you change-up the comparisons? Add your thoughts in the comments below or tweet them to me @Dayngr.  

How Your Local Business Can Use Social Media

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I had the pleasure of attending two panels as a part of Social Media Week in Miami. Miami has a flavor like no other city and those in attendance for “Locally Social with Republica World” were as diverse as the city itself.

“Locally Social with Republica World” panelists (Arlene Linares, Patricia Guarch, Josie Llado, Susset Cabrera, Danny Rivero), moderated by Will Freyre discussed how a local approach to social media can build your brand within the local community and lead to great success. From food to fashion, the Miami scene is thriving and social media plays a huge role in bringing the community together to experience it for all its worth.

Create Culturally Relevant Content

Locally-Social-Panel

“Locally Social” Panel during Social Media Week in Miami

With South Florida being a popular tourist destination, @RepublicaWorld commented on communicating with tourists and non-Miamians, but their advice could work for any local business, “Know your audience. Mix it up and create culturally relevant content.” Excellent advice, indeed. The audience, on the other hand, debated the official language of Miami. Was it English, Spanish or Spanglish?

Keep Learning

Danny Rivero, who handles social media for local station WLRN, reminded us all that social media is ever-evolving when he stated, “Social media is something you can never master, but rather need to adapt to.” Whether your business is large or small and has local customers or international ones, you’ve got to continue to learn about new platforms as they emerge to see if they have value for your business.

While discussing which social media platforms the panelists found most useful, Pinterest seemed to be the one people were the most interested in. Though Pinterest has been noted as driving more traffic than Google, many in the audience had yet to embrace it, or fully understand its usefulness. They were, however, extremely curious to see how it could be used for business and if the “Locally Social” panelists were using it.

Set Guidelines

The conversation turned to Facebook and whether or not businesses should open up their Facebook page walls for all to post or close them for admin only posts. The general consensus was that open Facebook walls, though requiring more work to maintain, were the best way to go if you wanted to facilitate community and conversation. Some suggestions for preventing spam were to set ground rules upfront so that the community knows what will be allowed and what will not. With @MiamiNicePopUp adding that “If it’s not slanderous, then anything can go for the sake of discussion.” Removing negative posts was listed as a BIG no, no. Instead, it was suggested to turn negativity into an opportunity to open up dialogue – when possible – and to be transparent.

If attendees doubted the power of social media’s impact on a business, they quickly changed their minds when @Versailles revealed that 99% of reviews on Yelp for Versailles Restaurant come from out-of-towners. And, that since opening a Yelp account, traffic to their site has tripled. That’s powerful!

Key Takeaways

  • Social media is always evolving and you need to be in a state of constant learning.
  • Be open and transparent.
  • Allow for open dialogue and conversations but set boundaries in advance.
  • Personalize your responses.
  • Know your audience. Mix it up and create culturally relevant content.
  • Mobile is where it’s at and your site better accommodate it.
  • Yelp, and other geo-specific sites are worth looking into.

All in all, it was a very informative session and the panelists did a great job covering a variety of topics and answering audience questions.

Is your business tapping into its local market socially? Is your business using sites like Instagram, FourSquare and Yelp? What advice do you have for businesses looking to use social media in their cities?