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Pinterest is a Coffee Klatch. Facebook is a Kegger. Twitter is a Cocktail Party.

By Social Media, Uncategorized

“Oh, hello there. So nice to meet you. Why, yes, it IS a new top. I got it here. And where have you been lately? Etsy, I presume?”

That is sort of how the casual sharing of ideas happen on Pinterest. Sharing visual ideas, creative concepts and exploring new products is what it’s all about. I follow women in Germany and also rural Georgia who I am positive I will never meet, but they have great recipes and fantastic interior design ideas. All that is missing are coffee and bear claws.

“Dude, I was bombed at the conference! Boss read my post and fired my ass!”

Ah, Facebook. I have seen more former classmates and coworkers drunk in Facebook pictures than in real life. Perhaps Google+ will successfully manage to separate what is and is not appropriate to share for these folks. But I definitely do not want to hear how many beers my mortgage broker downed this weekend. If Facebook were a place in real life, however, there would certainly be a keg.

“I just posted a comment about Whitney Houston’s life story. Link here.”

So I didn’t just post a comment on Whitney Houston’s life story, but my point is that this is where the stories are shared. This is (or at least, can be) the intimate cocktail party conversation. You know when you’re meeting new people and someone says something like, “And that reminds me of this one time in Bangladesh . . .” I don’t know about you, but I shut up and listen because it sounds like something good is about to come out of his mouth. That is the quote and link for me. It’s the promise that there may be a good story if you follow the link. I’ll have a glass of Malbec, thank you.

What I’m saying is, it makes sense to know the cultural climate. I wouldn’t give my weekend update on Pinterest anymore than I would attempt to share a philosophy nugget on Facebook.

But what do you think? Do you agree? What would you serve in your social media reality?

 

The Marketing Data Creep-Out

By Social Media

I’m a huge fan and user of social media. I have plenty of profiles out there and love to share relevant information, events in my life, pictures of my family and friends or where my band is going to be playing next. I’m also a big debit card and CVS swiper, so I’m not too worried about purchasing data being collected when I shop.

But the story that came out last week in Forbes about Target’s data collection practices was just a serious creep-out. Apparently, Target was interested in whether, through purchase data obtained at the checkout counter, they could determine whether someone was pregnant and if so, how far along she was. They would then use that data to send said someone offers for baby-related products.

In one such Minnesota case, Target determined a certain someone was pregnant before her father did. As it turns out, the father of this someone opened some mail addressed to his teenage daughter, only to see these offers. Appropriately appalled, he then went to his local Target store to complain. In the end, after a talk with his daughter, he learned that she was in fact pregnant and admitted it sheepishly to the Target rep he had previously berated.

I’m not sure what’s creepier—that Target (and no doubt many others) collect data in this much detail about someone without their knowledge, or that it’s so powerful and predictive. I have to admit that my first reaction to this article is that I wanted to quit using debit cards forever and seriously dial back my social media use. I felt violated and dirty, and it wasn’t even about me. Jay Dolan wrote a hilarious post about this as well, right here.

I have decided I am not a fan of behavioral targeting, Big Data, or ceding control of my life to those who are. But it feels more and more like in order to function in today’s digital society, you have to basically throw in the towel and let them see whatever they want. Cash is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. So is privacy.

What do you think? Is this creepy to you also, or am I overreacting?

Q. I’m 64. Can I slide by without learning this social media stuff?

By Uncategorized

A.  I answered this question from a local businessman who called yesterday with another question: how long do you plan to work? Since he replied, “Until they carry me out feet first,” I knew I didn’t have an almost-retiree on my hands.

The call was prompted by a colleague of his who suggested that his business could grow if only he would invest some time in social networking.

My advice is this: focus on social networking as a start. Begin with LinkedIn because, let’s face it, everyone has at least signed up for LinkedIn. Make sure your profile is at 100 percent complete and load all of your contacts. This is not difficult stuff to learn, it’s just moving your Rolodex online and connecting it to everyone else’s.

Depending on your type of business and the customer you’re hoping to attract, Facebook will probably be valuable – in this man’s case, and the kind of business he’s in, it would be.

For those who have not expanded beyond e-mail and visits to a small handful of Web sites, social networking is a manageable bite to chew, and one that the user can feel successful in using and if effort is put in to expanding, updating and interacting within social networks, business growth is bound to occur.

The caller said that all his business comes from word-of-mouth. As a solo practitioner he needs to use social networking tools to take word-of-mouth online and extend his reach far beyond what he can accomplish in person and on the phone.

How do you counsel members at the upper end of the Baby Boomer generation in taking the first steps into using social media for business?