social media revolution - creating your personal online profile

Social Media Revolution

Getting started - creating your personal presence and brand

Walter Adamson

Presentation to Future Directions – Young People in Property

Property Council of Australia

Victoria Branch 24 September 2009

2

What the !!!! is going on?

3

Social Networking Sites

4

Contents

• What’s it all about – the fuss and the social media?

• Identity and public versus private persona

• How to get started

• Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter: including recruiting, and monitoring

• Some business examples

5

It’s big – real big!

Australia – June 2009

• Twitter 800,000 visitors - 13,000 in June 08

• Nearly 9 million social networking site visits in June

• Facebook most visited (now more than 6 million - 87 million in US)

World

• Social networks and blogs 4th most popular online activities

• Facebook as a country - fourth most populated place in the world

• 80% of companies use or planning to use LinkedIn as primary tool to find employees during 2009 (45-million members)

• Took radio 38 years to reach 50 million listeners. Terrestrial TV 13 years 50 million users. Internet four years to reach 50 million. Less than nine months, Facebook added 100 million users.

6

Who’s using social media?

• According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the median

Twitter user is 31, compared to 26 for Facebook and 40 for LinkedIn.

• US - fastest-growing FB users August 2009 were males ages 13 to

17, then men ages 45 to 54, rising 12.8%, then women 45 to 54 and

55 to 65 age ranges, up 11.8% and 11%, respectively.

7

“Online social networks are more than just a fad among the younger generation. They've become an integral part of our personal and professional lives. They're an effective way to keep in touch

with people, connect with friends and family, and network with colleagues.”

8

What is social media?

Social Media is the name of

the bucket that contains

all the catalysts that

enable people to

collaborate and converse

online.

Social Media

9

Identity

How accurately do social media profiles reflect the individual?

• Recent research - 73% of those surveyed felt their social media

profiles accurately reflected their identity:

– who they are; values; and personality.

• In setting up a profile there is always a little self-analysis going on

• You have the opportunity to showcase traits or aspects of your life

that will attract others looking for the same.

• In addition, common interests, passions, common history are things

that unite many in face-to -face situations, why not online?

10

Private versus Public?

• Create a balance between personal and professional branding

• Are you somebody else on LinkedIn versus Facebook?

– Often the initial answer is clearly YES

– Facebook = “my personal / private life”

– LinkedIn = “my professional profile”

• Some people try not to split personal and professional brand and presence as all represent various shades of persona

– e.g. “in 2008 it became best practices for me to understand a person as a person not as a functional entity in business or personal life”

• An evolutionary gap between Europe/US:

– US most users use their real photo, their real identity and are rather honest in their profile

– European, 2 - 5 years behind, still use icon style avatars, nick names, don't expose their real profiles and "hide" behind a fictitious identity.

– Less so in Australia and Asia.

11

How to get started - 1

Your profile – your brand

• Give yourself a purpose – customers, topic, learning

• Allow yourself a 6-month learning curve

• Limit your places – Linkedin, Facebook

– Real name, real photo (no avatars), real background

– Be open and approachable – you’re not a rock star

• IMAGE: In the social media, a photo needs to be your logo.

• IF YOU HAVE EXISTING SITES: Go to every site that has your profile and image and update the photo and make your bio as consistent as possible. For sites that are primarily personal, add some of your interests in addition to your professional description.

• Link your initial sites e.g. create a link between Facebook and Linkedin - will feed updates from one to the other

• Go mobile where you can e.g. iPhone & Facebook, Linkedin

12

How to get started - 2

Promotion – spread the word

• Invite all your connections – don’t be shy

– You’ll be surprised that many are already there

– Don’t embarrass friends or connections or alliances by not connecting with them if they ask

• Confirm, connect, converse – not just another address book

• Search for interesting groups, topics, people

– Listen, contribute – don’t sell, don’t imitate others who sell

• Few weeks into it – review what works, what doesn’t

• Don’t get frustrated that “you are not doing business yet”

13

How to get started - 3

Expand your networks – your influence

• With confidence, expand one step – say Twitter, or Friendfeed

– Consistent profile, use experience from first 2

– Search for relevant people and tweets, follow

– Don’t “collect” followers or join those schemes – followers are for the celebs and stars

• Explore other social media hotspots – Youtube, Slideshare, Digg

• Try out tools or tips recommended by friends or connections in the social media

• NOTICE by now how much you have learned, with NO advertising telling you what to use

• Look back after 6 months, and you can see through the haze to the power of social media

14

Linkedin

• Spend serious time on your profile

• Join Groups

• Contribute and participate

• Invite relevant people

• Don’t accept all invitations

• Don’t send random invitations

• Link your other activitiese.g. blog, Twitter, Slideshare

15

Looking for an employee?

• 75% recruiters search social

networks

Look:

www.twitterjobsearch.com

http://www.brazencareerist.com/

Be careful:

16

Recruiting 2.0

1. Google - Look for a complete and up-to-date Linkedinprofile – this means someone cares about their online persona and credentials

2. Twitter and Facebook Profile - Check that this is consistent with other information e.g. Linkedin. You can also see what a potential employee talks about and how they conduct themselves online.

3. Contact Details - You will usually easily find preferred e-mail address and a preferred telephone number –private and business.

17

Twitter Employee Search

In 140 characters or less, list your key skill

requirements and what makes the job attractive.

Keep in mind that these are what that will set

you apart from the competition. Link to your

recruitment page.

18

Facebook

• Decide private/business balance

• Sign up with real name/affiliations

• Fill in as much detail as possible

• Appropriate privacy settings

• Search for groups or pages

• Become a fan

• Invite people you know

19

20

Twitter

• Use real name

• Complete bio and website link

• Use Tweetbacks

http://www.twitbacks.com/

• Use search for topics

• Review person + followers

• Follow those of interest

• Connect & converse

• Manage your followers

21

Fans, friends and followers

• Followers on Twitter

• Friends and fans on Facebook

• Connections on Linkedin

These are your patrons – not ducklings

• This becomes your social capital

22

Social media behaviour

• You are invited to a dinner party. You arrive without flowers for the hostess or a bottle of vino for the house.

• You sit at the table and dominate the conversation about how great you are and why everyone should buy your product, service or brand.

• Chances are, you’re likely to be shown the door.

�

• You are invited to a dinner party. You arrive with flowers for the hostess and a bottle of vino for the house.

• You sit at the table and listen, observe and engage the conversation when you see an opportunity for you to help enable someone’s idea or conversation.

• Chances are, you’ll be invited back.

�

Online networking and socialising is like “real life”:

23

YOU in the social media must support, uplift, and

reinforce the meaning and integrity of yourself

and your affiliations.

24

Alerts, trends, monitoring

Google Alerts

• Track yourself

• Customers, competitors, projects

Twitters

• Twendz.com

Social networks

• Philtro.com

• Collecta.com

Business Uses

Challenge and Opportunity

26

For businesses – a challenge

• ggg

27

28

Leading business uses

Ford

• Leaders in SM

• Marketing

• Service

29

Contact

Walter Adamson

walter.adamson@newleaseg2m.com

walter on Skype | g2m on Twitter

m: +61 403 345 632

www.linkedin.com/in/adamson

www.facebook.com/adamson

30

31