Business Record - Iowa Biz

Follow through or I’ll spam you

Image by chispita_666 via Flickr

I'm not a great golfer. OK, let me rephrase that. I’m a terrible golfer.

But of the little I do know about the game, other than the fact that during the summer months more business deals may get done on the course than in the office, following through on your swing is pretty important.

And as our social networks grow, I’d like to suggest that following through is the most important thing one can do to stay ahead of the pack.

As media choices proliferate, messages are easily jumbled. E-mails are missed, voicemails are lost and feelings are hurt. And even when our message does get through, many times its significance is drowned out by a thousand other voices.

But in order to stay relevant in today’s digital world, we are expected to continually update our Facebook statuses, Twitter feeds and LinkedIn accounts, not to mention respond to e-mails and compose instant messages.

Then there’s that pesky telephone to consider.

I know it’s weird, but some folks actually still use the gadget, which was invented in 1876, the same year that the National League was founded in Chicago. (That one is to show all you sports fans that I’m cool and to illustrate that Wikipedia is the neatest thing since sardines were first canned that same year).

But I digress.

One popular twitterer, who has posted nearly 23,000 updates since October 2008, recently posted her take on all the various forms of electronic communication. She wrote: “Too many ways to be connected – text, IMs, emails, tweets, blah, blah. Yes, I get them confused sometimes. Deal with it ;).”

Nice.

So I guess until those geniuses over at BitMethod figure out a way for us to communicate telepathically, cutting out the need to develop technical skills or to meet people in person – wow, think of all the time I could spend watching “Mad Men” – I guess we’ll continue to spend our weekends memorizing passwords.

Heck, by the time I finish writing this post, some prodigy living in his mom’s basement will probably launch a new online social networking tool like Foursquare and I won’t have time to go outdoors anyway.

Ten years ago, a good rule of thumb was to give people three days to respond to an e-mail or telephone call before getting too worried. Today, if I don’t hear back from a friend, source or a professional contact within 24 hours, he or she had better be on vacation or in the hospital.

Then again, I’m coming from the perspective of a working journalist who this morning wrote a 1000-word article on deadline. And that was before breakfast.

So when I can’t get a local media “professional” to respond to an e-mail I sent on June 10 and a voicemail I left on July 21, I get cranky. It’s especially frustrating when I can see that he’s been active on Twitter.

Translation: My press credential says I’m entitled to immediate gratification and instant, unadulterated access to your company’s CEO. So deal with it.

Again, I digress.

Do I always manage to follow through? Nope. Do things sometimes fall through the cracks? Absolutely. Am I super busy? You bet. Is that a good excuse? Not really. Does blowing people off damage my reputation and credibility?

You had better believe it.

In the time it takes me to golf nine holes, a slightly above average athlete could probably run a marathon and still have time to eat breakfast. 

But I do know a thing or two about social networking.

If you want to build your brand, grow your business or advance your career, the best things you can do are play smart, play often, and play fair.

Did I get your attention? I hope so. Did you laugh? You’d better have or I’ll forward your home e-mail address to my friends in the pharmaceutical industry. You know. The ones who deliver those overnight e-mails so you won’t be disappointed when you wake up in the morning.

They will almost certainly follow through.

- Todd Razor

How discerning are we?

Image by FHKE via Flickr

Social networking has evolved far beyond the "let's do lunch" mentality of yesteryear as an ever-increasing number of individuals, businesses and organizations utilize inexpensive electronic publishing tools to reach new audiences.

But as the digital age leaps ahead, what questions are we asking ourselves to ensure that the norms traditionally associated with social interaction in the atom-based world are being carried over to the Internet?

I publish every day.

Whether in print or online via applications such as websites, electronic newsletters, Twitter and Facebook, producing and publishing content is not only a vital function of my job. It is a meaningful part of my life.

In recent months, while pausing from updating my blog on this site, I’ve had some interesting discussions on the ethics and etiquette of online publishing.

Here are a few questions I’ve been considering:

• Has the blogosphere helped blur the lines between the hard-news articles, opinion pieces and paid advertising traditionally separated by credible media outlets?

• How many companies shoot themselves in the proverbial foot with ceaseless self-promotion and clandestine sales tactics?

• Do some people use their online prowess to bully, manipulate or silence those with differing opinions?

• Does our ability to communicate electronically have any negative impact on real-world relationships?

• Should our true personalities shine through online or should our avatars take on a life of their own?

• How discerning are we, really?

On July 4, the Social Media Club, an international organization focused advancing social media literacy, celebrated “Freedom From Social Media Douchebaggery Day,” an event aimed at quelling self-promotional content.

I typically like to end my posts by asking HOW you are using social networking to build your brands, grow your businesses or advance your careers.

My penchant for consuming and sharing information goes far beyond my professional-development goals and regularly leads to fulfilling conversations that act as catalysts for personal growth.

Today, I’m asking WHY you use social networking to achieve your goals.

Regardless of the platforms we use to communicate – whether engaging with our peers and professional contacts at the lunch counter or on LinkedIn – we would do well to remember that it is our credibility – online and offline – that allows us to be taken seriously as we push out rich content to hungry audiences.

- Todd Razor

Networking: It's a natural

Image via Wikipedia

The first few times I heard or read the word “networking” it sounded so stuffy, so forced. I pictured myself standing in a semi-crowded room, business card in hand, suit pressed, elevator speech primed.

No thanks, right? Sure, events like these have their purpose (picture a job fair), and real connections do happen, but social networking isn’t about a bunch of suits meeting at a given time, at a given venue, on a given day.

It’s organic. It’s natural.

Whether at work, school, church, a restaurant, tavern, coffee shop or grocery store, it’s about building relationships, day-to-day, in the course of your customary comings and goings.

It’s relating to people, not solely because he or she can help you grow your career or business, but because you are genuinely interested in building each other up…while identifying those in your circles or circles of influence that you want to impact and vice versa.

I’ve identified a number of guys and gals in Greater Des Moines that fit the bill. They're fresh. They're diverse. They're young and old. They're businesspeople and young professionals. They’re movers and shakers, entrepreneurs, go getters.

They conduct business with integrity. They care.

Are they interested in growing their businesses, their careers? Sure. Who isn’t? But one thing they really have in common is a genuine desire to share in the lives and passions of other people.

I know more than a few of these folks plan to attend the next BYOB Gathering hosted by Jeff Garrison of JCG Consulting and the crew at McLellan Marketing Group. There will be no program, no agenda, no speakers…just a bunch of really neat people chatting over a few cold beverages.

So if you’re ready for some serious grassroots networking, get May 28 marked off on your calendars now and show up from 5 to 7 p.m. at McLellan Marketing Group, 1430 Locust St., Des Moines. And don’t forget to bring a few bottles of your favorite beverage. Coolers will be provided.

Like the invitation says, “If you’re doing business in Central Iowa, you’re going to want to be there.”

- Todd Razor