Summary: Most people would agree that hiring social media experts – whether you’re looking for a consultant or to fill an in-house role – is a dicey proposition, especially for buyers who aren’t very digitally sophisticated themselves. This post provides general guidance for organizations looking to hire consultants, contractors, and/or employees to lead and helpRead… Read more »
Summary: Many people are critical of the notion of social media experts, falsely claiming they don’t exist – and by extension implying they aren’t necessary. These criticisms, combined with the pervasiveness, low cost, and relative ease of use of social technologies, lead many people to assume (also falsely) that DIY and “give it to theRead… Read more »
On September 12, 2013 I had the pleasure of speaking to both MBA and undergraduate students at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. I was invited by professors Mary Hinesly and Amy Young to give a presentation entitled Your Digital Era Career to their Social Media and the Changing Nature of Business CommunicationRead… Read more »
The results of a unique and ground-breaking research study (n=644+) indicate four main barriers to increased adoption of social technologies in organizations: lack of knowledge and understanding, unprepared leadership, fear, and the absence of a well-grounded business case. This post highlights those findings and offers recommendations for overcoming the barriers. It also provides a linkRead… Read more »
The anonymous story of “The Old Phone on the Wall” offers five Digital Era lessons about technology and human connection. This post shares the story and highlights the lessons. Readers are invited to share their take-aways from the tale as well. (Phone image from Bill Barber) In the summer of 2012, someone shared the storyRead… Read more »
This post reminds readers – especially technology hold outs – of ten Digital Era truths that individuals, organizations, and communities must accept and (eventually) embrace. Other truths are welcome. In the summer of 2011 I wrote a blog post about the vital role social and digital technologies played in the planning and execution of aRead… Read more »
One of the most powerful features of LinkedIn is the ability to share online resources via status updates, in groups, and/or with individual contacts. Doing so allows professionals to open a dialogue about the topic being shared and learn from others in their fields. The LinkedIn bookmarklet is a great tool to facilitate this sharing;Read… Read more »
(August 28, 2013) This post addresses the social media ROI (return on investment) question, focusing in particular on whether we’re making progress in terms of the challenges put forth by organizational leaders and other experienced professionals who have been resisting increased digital engagement. Playing off the ROI acronym, it provides alternatives for interpreting the ROIRead… Read more »
Wordle is a great – and free! – resource for creating word clouds. This post offers a primer for organizations and individual professionals in particular that addresses Why, Where, What, and How and shares specific Wordle tips. Additional tips, examples and applications are welcome. Most everyone knows what a word cloud or a tag cloudRead… Read more »
In the time-crunched, information-overloaded, do-more-with-less world we work in, maintaining the right level of social media engagement is a daunting proposition. For individuals and organizations just getting started, it can be completely overwhelming – there’s so much to do! This post strives to reduce some of the barriers to social media engagement by illustrating theRead… Read more »