Eric Pudalov
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RandomShelly Oh, you stalk Spin Sucks too? And I thought I was the only one...don't worry, I'm unarmed.
ginidietrich Well, to answer your question about the computer: I guess there were no speakers installed when I got here; although I've had the opportunity to buy some, I do have to admit I'm a little less distracted without them. But more recently, co-workers have sent me videos and such, so maybe it's about time I found an inexpensive pair of speakers! :-)
Hey Gini! Unfortunately, I don't have sound on my office computer here, so I won't be able to hear your response until I get home...but I can honestly say that I spend at least 1-2 hours reading blogs every day, including yours (and often, other bloggers I discovered through you, like nittyGriddy). And I believe at my job, that's acceptable, especially because the knowledge I've gained from blogs like yours has proven invaluable the further I get into social media, marketing, and PR. I shall stop by later (figuratively speaking)!
Fun read as always, Gini! I'll have to take some time out to actually follow some of your "Follow Friday" folks. And of course, the more I read, the more I learn, and the better chance I have at advancing in this field.
By the way, I always find your anecdotes entertaining as well!
Excellent advice, Doug...and it's obvious you "walk the walk." Being that I work at a nonprofit, I feel that our organization (and others like us) generally take a different approach to methods of earning revenue (and thusly, marketing as well). The statement that stands out the most to me here is "If you don’t understand how customers are created, revenue is produced and profit is shaped, you can’t earn a seat at the table." A co-worker and I were just talking about how in the case that we lose a client, we personally reach out to win them back on an individual level. We also gain a large percentage of our funding from grants, which, as I'm sure you know, require that the providers feel the cause is worthy. I've been trying to integrate social media into these concepts...do you think I'm on the right track?
rachaelseda You know, Rachel, although in my earlier comment I had expressed that transparency is a good thing, I also agree that in some cases, confidentiality is important.
I watch a lot of crime shows, and constantly, there are cases in which someone has to reveal very personal information relevant to a case. While I believe there are exceptions when it comes to the law, I think that individuals, especially, still have the right to privacy.
However, in the instance of large corporations and branches of government, I also feel that if these entities are supposedly acting in our interest, we do have a right to know what they're doing. Is there a "middle ground" here? I'd like to think so.
meganbeausang Megan, do you actually know anyone who's come out and said that about the Internet? If that's the case, I can only conclude that such people (no offense to them) are living in the "Dark Ages," so to speak.
I love your statement about how you used to say "I just don't get Twitter," and then simply took a webinar and educated yourself to correct that. If only more people were so forward-thinking.
I had heard about this site through a friend, and yes, I think overall, it's a good thing. Like "meganbeausang" below, I also find it fascinating that there are adults who think only "kids" use the Internet...who are these people and what rock have they been living under? The Web, and all of its associated tools, are the primary drivers behind business for the most part (or is that an over-generalization?).
If a company (or a branch of government) is engaging in unorthodox or illegal practices, I think people have a right to know. While it may frighten us, at least the truth is out there.
In fact, while we're on the subject, someone posted a complaint on ComplaintsBoard.com about our company, and I responded to it. However, it turned out that said individual was actually a former employee posing as one of our clients. While it may have been "negative press," so to speak, looking back on it, the person had a weak argument to begin with.
At the moment, I don't know if our company is big enough to make it to WikiLeaks, but if we do, the best thing for us to do is try and correct our errors. Am I right?
fionabell I just followed you on Twitter...will check out your company's site.
Thanks again for this great "Follow Friday" profile, Gini! I'll do my best to catch up on some of Valeria's blogging and advice. It's also funny you should mention the PR/"you lie for a living" reaction, because when I've mentioned the name of your blog to people, I often get, "What the heck does 'spin sucks' mean?"
Yes, in my heart, too, while I know for certain that there are people out there who simply "spin" companies' images to make them look good, I take comfort in knowing that there are professionals like you who emphasize the good points, and teach clients how to improve their weaker areas.
It also pleases me to know that you're doing something that (I assume) you, in your heart, feel good about, rather than deceiving people for profit (which I also know is all too common). So once again, I'm glad to be one of your readers, and I enjoy our "social media relationship"!
P.S. We could do more to follow the example of meerkats.
Gini - you must have read my mind this morning, because I was literally thinking, "Why social media?" even before I read your post.
And you're right...it IS so much easier to see measurable results from social media than from traditional communication.
Which brings me to my next question...although we have a smaller organization than yours, as a whole, I'd still like to know - how can I best get more people reading our blog, and directing them to our website?
Though I realize I wrote a blog entry here on this very topic, I've still noticed that certain entries on WordPress receive quite a few more views than others. When looking at the stats today, I noticed that StumbleUpon was one of our biggest referrers, which was a surprise!
But a woman also commented on our Facebook Page recently that she was unaware of a major event we'd had, and didn't know about it until after I posted pictures of it. Is there something I'm missing here?
DianaH Hey Diana, I had meant to respond to your comment sooner, but had to give it some more thought. Interaction from our followers...well, it's a tough one. On our Facebook page, we only get occasional comments, although we have 38 monthly active users and 61 people who "like" us. I think it helps to continuously update the page, as well as link to it on your other social media sites, etc.
What's the name of your nonprofit, and do you have a main website? One of the initial issues I had was that even people in our organization were unaware of the blog, etc. I worked with our Webmaster to make those links more visible on our main website, and also sent out a mass e-mail to let our employees know about them.
In addition to that, we now have a "Cause" on Facebook, which you could do as well. If you're unfamiliar with Causes, it's a nonprofit (http://www.causes.com) that helps other nonprofits succeed. It's not necessarily the best way to raise money, but it <i>is</i> helpful in gaining a following and letting people know what you're about.
I hope this was helpful; if you have other questions, you can e-mail me at eric.pudalov@gacommunity.org. Glad to hear from you!
ginidietrich wabbitoid When I fly out of Atlanta, I ALWAYS have to take off my shoes, steel-toed or not. Must depend on the airport. It just helps to know this...I do it way before I even get in line. I also make sure to take the metal plate out of my skull (talk about an inconvenience).
ginidietrich a_greenwood Hmm...you make a scary point, Gini. It's quite possible that terrorists would go after a target we've never considered. This is especially disturbing, considering that the other day I was reading an article on 9/11 conspiracy theories. I guess whatever the event (JFK assassination, landing on the moon), there will always be those people out there.
Hilarious post, Gini! Luckily, I'm staying in Atlanta this Thanksgiving, and it's my folks who are doing the traveling. Hopefully, neither of them will have to go through an "enhanced" pat-down. Dad once forgot he was carrying a very large hunting knife in his carry-on, which was confiscated and never returned (and this was pre-9/11).
Howie Goldfarb Thanks for your wonderful comment, Howie. I hadn't thought about the example of a walk-a-thon using Social Media, but like you say, clearly that would work in the same way! And yes, the SM does help make it clearer exactly what our money is going to. For example, the application Causes on Facebook tells you the name of the organization that receives any money you donate. You also have the option of donating a small amount to Causes, Inc., which is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits. Our organization also has a Facebook Cause (which I should have mentioned!). What's the name of the nonprofit your sister works for?
I'm so glad I revisited this post - there are loads of great ideas here (including those contributed by readers), and I'm always in need of inspiration!
Hey, I like how this came out! Thanks for your help, Daniel and Gini! However, I do have a question; is there a way I can get this read by more people? I appreciate it.
ginidietrich KarenARocks Why thank you, Gini! I'm honored to receive the title (now where's my Maven certificate?).
KarenARocks Well, I looked this up...apparently it doesn't designate gender in any way, but according to Dictionary.com, the word is derived from Hebrew, meaning "connoisseur." Interesting, eh?