the sephone blog

Over the weekend, on Facebook, there was a post from a peer.  I have never done business with this person, but I do know them.  The post was in regard to how to use certain things tools with social media, I gotta say, the post left me shocked. The tone was just wrong to me (and it was not directed toward me.)

Look, social media is changing every second and I am a believer of trying things out – even if you do them WRONG as this person’s post indicated, relax -you can always fix it.

OBJECTIVE is key if you decide to use Facebook, Twitter or if you decide you want to blog (or to pay someone else to do it), on your behalf.  A PLAN is important too and a stash of content, stuff you read, links, etc. for when you are in the mood to write.  Frequency in posts makes you interesting and lets face it, it is like a re-run of Seinfeld.  You may love Seinfeld, but you will find yourself surfing off the channel because you know what is coming up… new posts regularly is always a good thing.

To say that we, (Sephone) haven’t had the challenges you may have, would not be truthful.  We get busy, customers need jobs done and our Sephone Blog may become stale.  My own personal blog has fallen victim of that.  Sometimes, I just don’t feel the urge or sometimes I just don’t feel interesting enough to post anything.

I look to people that I only know online to encourage me.  I call Chris Brogan my online therapist! (We have never met in person.)  Here is a post he wrote two weeks ago that really hits the nail on the head for me. Brogan helps, he doesn’t scold.  You are an adult you don’t need scolding, when you are trying to learn something new. Generally, you are trying to teach yourself – in between work, home, kids, etc. Chris Brogan has a book.  Yeah a hard cover book, an old-fashioned printed on paper BOOK!  It is called “Trust Agents,” VERY easy to read and to understand and not intimidating.

So what is my point?

Learning is GREAT.
Learning about Social Media and how it can work to promote your business is GREATER.

Don’t feel guilty, if you don’t get it right the first time.  Some “EXPERTS“  can be arrogant, generally, they are the same in person and it takes a bit longer to recognize it online.

Reaching out and asking for help from someone that understands that you are finding your way is the GREATEST!

So don’t be discouraged or embarrassed. Don’t feel intimidated enough to turn away.  You can do it and there are so many people to help that don’t “ball you out “ when it isn’t perfect.

Most people aren’t trying to “cheat,” they are just doing something that is familiar to them and within some of the social media platforms-Facebook for example, are rigid.  These aren’t bad, but you need to learn them and sometimes you make mistakes.

NEWS FLASH you are human.

Every penny counts. And even before the latest economic challenges, I can say those of us up here in the Pine Tree State are famous for doing more with less, we drive our cars longer, we fix things instead of buying new, so being thrifty, green and recycling isn’t a new concept for us, it is a necessity and a way of life.

This goes the same for businesses. If you are a business owner (or a Marketer that has been sent to the Principal’s office because “nobody cares about your website”), then here are three questions you need to ask yourself:

1. When you built your web site did you have an objective in mind?
2. Were there expectations that were set for what things the web site was to accomplish? Save money, make money, sell your product worldwide?
3. Do you measure the traffic and view those numbers regularly? (Do you know what the numbers mean?)

At beginning of 2009, this blog was posted for statistics on the internet for 2008.   Click here. The highlight being, the number of websites on the Internet in December 2008: 186,727,854. The number of websites added during 2008: 31.5 million.

If “nobody cares about your website,” do you know why? Has your site been online and not changed for a while?  If you are doing the 3 things mentioned above, then perhaps some tweaking to the construction, the background keywords or some content in order to make sure that today’s search engines are finding you.  If you answered “No,” to the above questions, perhaps you might sit down and think about it or call “someone in the business” to help out.  After all you are competing with 186,727,854 and 31.5 million of them were built recently. As daunting that these numbers may sound, remember these are from year end 2008!

For another post on this subject, click here.

HELP! “SOMEBODY”  needs to fix this. I have a tendency to like going to remote corners of connectivity, (which Maine has many) to spend my spare time. It used to be that I found it restful, I found it a great escape from the day to day pounding of the keyboard, ringing of my cell phone, the constant urge to be connected. Sitting in a kayak or standing in a stream fly fishing are my ZEN moments. Or better even, walking with my dog Sam, in search of birds.

But I am finding those moments more challenging as every day passes, I find myself anxious when I cannot connect or be connected. Who knows where that path will lead us? Text messaging from friends, relatives, or my cell phone going off in the middle of the night, with an email that can wait until Monday- it isnt their fault it is mine! I know lots of people and I love them all, but sometimes I need to unplug and I am sure everybody is feeling those pressures.

But if you truly disconnect for a bit, will your customers and friends feel abandoned?

Has our microwave mentality (need it now, need it done) over taken the understanding for personal space, family time or just time to regroup?

Last week, I went to a soccer game of my best girlfriend’s son and I truly wanted to be there.( As I am sure many others did.)

But what did I see?

Blackberries and iPhones going off everywhere in the stands and people craning their necks to look at the small screen – meanwhile they miss their son making the play of a life time.

This post is a bit of a reality check. We are HUMANS and as George Costanza so eloquently put it, “We are a society!”

But are we burning ourselves out worrying about NOT knowing everything that is going on with everything in the world at every second of our 24 hour day?