Social Media and Face to Face Tips - Friending People

Asking someone to be your friend did not start with Facebook and MySpace. I remember several people asking me face to face to be my friend when I was a little child. As time passes in our lives, we hesitate to request friendships from other human beings, especially in person. Facebook has made this process much easier. I am not the type that gets offended if someone I do not know makes a request to be my friend on Facebook. I either think that they want to make a connection, and maybe they will even end up being a "real" friend to me. Who knows?! When we make a connection with someone, you never know the possibilities. Make it a point to make some new friends this month, online, and also in person. Make relationships that contribute to your social growth, and not those whose wish to limit you and box you up. They are just building their own empire, with the same old people they have cliqued with for years, and they are all better than everybody else, hahaha. We are building an open network, and friendships with others! No membership required :) You are already accepted!

Asheville Social Media School - Questions and Answers Class #1

1. Is it okay to tweet about your business? It is definitely okay to tweet about your business as it is a part of your life. I tell my clients to do approximately 75% business and 25% personal if it is a business account, and approx. 40% business and 60% personal if it is a personal account. Be not afraid to sell and promote yourself. If you do not do this, who will?


2. How does someone write a tweet that references other tweets and/or other users? There are buttons that appear when you hover over them to the right of each tweet where you can retweet what that person has written. You write other users on Twitter by writing their name in the update box like “@GSocialMedia Hi Gary, we would love to talk to you about social media” and then hit the update button. This would be a public message. You can only send a private direct message to people who are following you. You can do this from the update box by using a “D” before the tweet like “D @GSocialMedia We need to talk” and hit the update button. Always make sure that you have a space after the name and a space before if there is any type of writing prior. You can also use a Twitter management platform like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to manage your Twitter account better.

3. How does someone answer a question on a tweet? There is a reply button that appears when you hover to the right side of the tweet that was sent to you.

4. What kind of commitment is needed to effectively tweet? If you prepare correctly, you can effectively tweet in 5 minutes a day. Do not make it a burden commitment. Learn the ropes, have fun, and make it a part of your daily life.

5. How can I get people to connect with me in person after they friend/follow me on Twitter? You have to build the relationship comfortably to bring people to that point. It takes planting the seed, watering it and helping it grow. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme where you meet people on Twitter and they run to you.

6. Is there a particular form of social media more effective than others? I promote a balance of social media platforms which connect with the many groups of media networkers. Each platform has its own specific purpose.

7. What about identity theft with social media? Identity theft is always an issue. Limit the ultra-personal information shared.

8. What phone do you have for social media? I use a Blackberry for my social media and networking. (and I love it)

9. Pros and Cons of different phones when doing social media? Most use Blackberry for business and IPhone for biz mixed with more apps and some fun.

10. Will future meetings be more focused on the nuts and bolts techniques for Facebook and Twitter? Yes, this next meeting on March 23rd will deal with Twitter and Facebook for beginners and some pro tips as well.

11. Benefits / Negatives of Blog vs. Newsletter? A blog is online permanently with your content always available and working for you constantly. Newsletters are great for establishing following and keeping fans via the email platform. Even if people send out a newsletter, I recommend that they take the articles and post them to a blog after.

12. Blog or Newsletter more beneficial for which type of business? Both are used for their specific purposes and niche. Blog takes the priority with me because it is online forever, visitors can see your other content and other sidebar info that you wish to keep in front of them.

13. What is the main difference in Facebook and Twitter? Facebook is used for a closer relationship with more personal information. Twitter is used to get straight to the point and make smaller comments. Twitter technically took the “Status Updates” model from Facebook and made a platform of “greener” communication.

14. Why should I do Twitter? Think of Twitter as a social club where there are millions of people who are members. If you want to make connections, get business exposure, reach out… Twitter is the hottest platform on the market today.

15. How does my business become a fan of other businesses on Facebook? Only people (or personal pages) can become fans of business fan pages on Facebook.

16. What percentage of “no shows” can you expect from Facebook event invitations that RSVP? This could vary. Some people just RSVP yes so they can get some picture and profile exposure. Of the serious people, it could be anywhere from 25-75%. A follow up a few days before the event could prove to be very helpful.

17. When I am on a site and it has a button for Facebook, is there a way to have it post to my group directly instead of profile? No, you have to copy the URL and paste it to your Facebook group page.

18. On Facebook, how do I control the stupid stuff that I have to read? (Example: Jerry is preparing dessert) You don’t control it. You are exposed to the people that you are connected with. There was a button that said “less of these” that will show you less of another users updates, but as of now all I see is just the “Hide” button.

19. Our company has employees in 7 States and the Caribbean. What is the best way to engage employees in all locations, destinations and departments in social media to reach company goals? Both train and assign one person in each State, or each facility to be in charge of the social media. When corporations handle the social media from out of State, it sometimes becomes very impersonal and unsociable. You want to have someone close to the action promoting these individual places. I can help. Please send me to the Caribbean first and I will get them started. Thanks!!

2010 Schedule for Asheville Social Media School

Okay, so for a brief itinerary on the Free Asheville Social Media School; we are going to layout some plans for the next several months. It is more than just making a blog, or meeting new people. All of these things are somewhat important, but without connecting it all together and creating a balance; it will not prosper effectively. We are going to take Western North Carolina and AVL on a journey of what social media is all about.


Class #1 – February 25, 2010 from 5pm-7pm – Our first class in Asheville NC is going to be at the Downtown Market on 45 South French Broad Avenue 28801. We are expecting about 200 people to attend this first social media class. We are going to start with an introduction and some basic info. Some questions that will be answered will be… “What is Social Media?” – “Why is Social Media Important?” – “Who created Social Media?”

We are going to discuss the simple importance of creating and maintaining an email. Learn the difference between emails options and why one may be better than the other. We are going to talk about being sociable in Asheville North Carolina and beyond. How can you express your media if your social skills are limited? We are going to show you some easy integration to meet more people and learn more about them. This is not just necessary for business, but for your whole life in general. We are going to learn some of the “unspoken” rules of social media and how to learn them online and then improve your daily living using them also. We are going to learn about the many different social media platforms that are available, how they reach different crowds and how you can use them all to circulate your message to millions of people.

We are going to have 1 minute intros at the beginning of every class from several people. If you would like to say something about you and your business, please let us know. But only one minute to show you the importance of making your initial message short and sweet for this new media society. At this first class… PaleoSun will be joining us to talk about some basic information about websites, and the Asheville Citizen Times will discuss some of their moves into the social media world.

*Since we are doing this right after work, food and drinks will be available from the vendors at the Downtown Market for about $4 per plate. Simple and good!

Class #2 – March 23, 2010 from 5:00pm-7:30pm at the Garage At Biltmore 101 Fairview Rd Asheville NC 28803 – Learn Social Networking using Twitter and Facebook. Besides G Social Media, we are going to have some guest speakers including Trey Pennington from Greenville South Carolina and Social Village from Asheville discussing some very important social media information. We will also show you how to set up a Twitter and Facebook account and some great tips for you and your business. Drinks will be available during the meeting and a music and social time will follow our class at 7pm. RSVP on Facebook or by Email (Email is on my blog website)

Class #3 – April 23, 2010 from 5pm-7:30pm at Elaine's Piano at the Grove Park Inn 290 Macon Ave Asheville NC 28804 – Learn Social Media Marketing using Video platforms from G Social Media, Asheville Video Productions and Bourne Media. Video communications are very important in today’s society. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a short video is worth at least 10 thousand to the targeted viewer. We will also show you how to set up a YouTube account and some lessons when uploading videos.

Class #4 – May 10, 2010 from 5:30pm-7:30pm – Learn Blogging as a personal journal project, a community awareness platform and business blogging from AskAsheville, Ashvegas and BlogAsheville in Asheville North Carolina. You will learn how to set a blog up, a few tricks to get it presentable and optimized, and how to fill it with the proper content and wording for your specific niche. Creating a blog for your business (and doing it right) is a very important part of your social media circle.

***More classes are planned for the rest of the 2010 year, with shorter spans during the warmer months. We have a few outdoor activities and social media retreats planned as well. This is going to be too much fun!!

***If you have a venue or place that you would like us to consider for hosting a Free Asheville Social Media School event or if you have something that you would like to donate as a raffle item at our events; please contact us. If you think that you know someone or are someone that would fit in good with one of these school sessions; please let us know. Thank you.

Social Media Backwards

Sometimes, in this day and age, social skills start online and then could be integrated into your person to person instances. Many people possess great communication and networking power online, but when it comes to face to face; some introversion can take hold. Being able to break open a conversation with a complete stranger in public can be difficult sometimes. Even making a "cold call' on the telephone can be hard. Making that "cold call" on the many social media platforms makes it so much easier for all of us. There have been several times in the past where someone friended me on Facebook and I accepted them because I simply wanted more friends and connections. Recently, many people have sent me a friend request with something like "Hi, I see we have 47 friends in common and wanted to connect." Great! I usually make the connection if it seems sincere. There have also been times where I have friended someone and they sternly shot back at me and said "I don't know you!" No problemo. If you know anything about me, you know I love to reach out to people that I don't know. Maybe it is the sales experience I have brought to the social media table that allows common rejection to disappear pretty quickly. I don't have to "know" you to request a business connection, social connect, or possible friendship. In sociable media, we are able and permitted to reach out and ask for an online handshake back.

Social media is not something new, but taking it online kinda is. Remember when we were scared about anyone that we met online? If we got an email from someone we even thought we did not know, we used to freak out a little. We felt invaded; like someone was attempting to enter "our" world. Times have changed and we have now become used to someone asking for a connection. Many times it is a flattery of sorts if a "stranger" asks to enter our online world. And sometimes, if we meet those people in person after getting to know them online, we are like old friends that have not seen each other in years. Social media has changed our society.

After we have learned to initiate and make the proper advances online, we may be ready to take these skills to the streets. I am talking about learning some social skills and connection practices online, and then practicing them in public, when you go to the store, and while you are working - eye to eye, personal, in-person conversation. Some people have claimed that all of these online connections are deteriorating our outward society. Ha; take a look at the how much it is and can evolve our networking world if used properly. In the time it used to take us to make a few connections, we can now make hundreds. We can meet dozens of people in days with common interests, goals, employment, and missions. How many people have walked up to you in public and said "Hello, I want to be your friend." Probably none, but many have done so to me every day online through social media and networking platforms such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Blogs, YouTube and others. I believe this new media age is going to greatly improve community if we start thinking of "Social Media Backwards" and make a conscious effort to use it in public. Social media and networking builds community and allows us to take those relations deeper, and in much less time. It can and will improve your social skills and grow your whole life in general.

Now everyone... say "thank you" to social media!