Embrace the good monster
—By Dave Cummings
“A monstow in ayy, Daddy.”
For those without your 2-year-old to English dictionary at hand, that was our daughter Rosie (“There’s a monster in there, Daddy”), who has recently become fascinated with a beast that her older brothers have convinced her exists in her room, atop the dryer, in the tub, under the bed, in the refrigerator, and most anywhere else she would possibly venture within our home.
“A monstow in ayy.”
But unfortunately for Noah and Mason, whose singular goal seems to be to strike fear in their little sister’s heart, Rosie has spun their tale in a direction opposite terror.
“S’a good monstow, Daddy.”
Bad news for two impish boys, to be sure, but more broadly is seems there’s a lesson to be had among those of us who’ve stared into the electronic eyes of the social media monster and, to date, have only turned away screaming, or at least quietly buried our heads in the pillow and waited for it to go away.
Rosie knows best. It’s not going away and in fact is, as she suggests, a good monster.
Sure, taken as a FacebookLinkedInFlickrPlaxoWikiTwitter whole, the social media phenomenon is a daunting and seemingly untamable beast. But in bite-sized pieces, which is the only way you need consider it for today, it is highly worthwhile and powerful tool that many of your peers are not only facing but utilizing — and here’s the key — to greatly enhance their business.
To say it’s a whole new world is actually a step or two behind the curve. Believe it or not, like it or not, ready or not, it’s been a whole new world for some time now. But it’s ever-changing, and there’s always room on the bus. You’re encouraged to get on.
So, are you ready to embrace the good monster and put him to work for you? Have you already? How did you get started?
Please share your reservations, and/or your successes. Rosie wants to know.
It is a good monster and one that is very easy to tame. I use time blocking in my schedule to keep up with social media as best as possible. My favorite is to use Twitter to update Facebook. Two down with one click!
I’ve been blogging for about one year now. It took a while to find my online voice but once I decided my strategy, it was so easy to stick with it. Because I naturally love to write (journal style) this has always been a simple and kind of fun task. I’ll go about my week when, suddenly, I get hit with a blog worthy moment. Sometimes I’m inspired by a metaphor I just can’t pass up, othertimes it’s to write a review for a local business owner who’s service was so outstanding that I want to tell the world.
If I can help bring business to others by sharing to the world how great they are, then I’m a believer it will come back, and it has. Other social media fans are using their voices to help communicate to the world about my business and, though it takes some time to build up a solid web presence, it’s well worth it in this day and age where opportunity lies in the hands of a computer owner.
My greatest experiences come when I sit in front of a new client and they have already sold themselves on me, the rapport has been built already through learning about me online. The real challenge is for me to get to know them but what a great place to be. Those first appointments have been so comfortable and I look forward to more.
Dave – LOVE that graphic!! And you’re right about taking things like social networking and social media in bite-sized chunks until you find the one(s) you want to embrace.
There’s no right or wrong when choosing which to take part in. Find what works for you and fits in with whatever your social networking goals are. Don’t let the so-called gurus and experts out there tell you how to use any of them – whatever works for you is what’s best for you. It can certainly appear to be monster-like to many people until they find the one, or ones, that they want to be a part of.
“The way to eat an elephant is by one bite at a time”, and that’s truly how to tackle the world of all these on-line social networks and social sites. No one says you have to belong or take part in any of them, either. That’s the beauty of the world we live in – so many options to choose from, and one of those choices is to take part in none. And that’s okay, too!
Great post – loved the analogy of the monsters in your house!!
Monika got me started blogging back in November of 2006 and we haven’t looked back. I joined Twitter in November of 2007 and slowly moved over to Facebook and Linkedin a little while after that. I think it’s best that you find what works for you and concentrate on doing that well.
We have had great success engaging others with social media and urge everyone to at least get started with one of them if not two.
I would suggest Twitter and Facebook for starters.
It is surely a scary monster for those who can’t speak monster language! But listen closely and watch intently to see that this monster is nothing more than a complex being who wants to be loved. Get to know it before you judge it by the many long arms, eyes, and tentacles. The power this “monster” has will help any who use it to improve all relationships in general. The business relationships that come of it are an excellent bonus. I agree with Jay, get on Facebook and Twitter.
I thought this was a great post. And I agree. this may be a big monster…wait, it IS a big monster with many arms, but since when do we judge anything by looks alone. When you start to focus on some sections and take your time to learn more about each section, they start to look normal. Really when you break things down, we have always been social (hopefully) and will continue to be. so why NOT befriend this monster and have fun with it.
I’m lovin this big monster. Personally for me it has made a huge difference in my business. As an early adapter, along with Jay and Ann, I have learned so much and grown both professionally and personally from my participation in blogging and social media. I think we need to have a #NHARTweetup real soon.
It can be extremely overwhelming at first but like any business it’s about education and learning to grow with changing times. I’ve been blogging now for almost 2 years and have found that it is an excellent addition to my business plan. I also agree with Jay & Ansel and strongly encourage people to get their feet wet exploring Facebook and Twitter—just don’t forget that face to face communication is the best!