One of the great benefits of social media is the ability to connect with people you want to know. Most people recognize this benefit but don't know how to leverage it. They either do nothing or they do too much and turn into a stalker or spammer. There's a happy medium between being "the ask" and "the wait" when you reach out. You need to take the first step to ask in order to connect, but then wait on them instead of pushing for a response. It takes some patience and restraint to do it the right way, but that's really the only way it works well.

Enter the Intern
Tess Feinberg gets this. She graduated from Michigan State University last year and moved to Nashville over the summer. She did some research online to look for internships with local companies. She discovered MicroExplosion Media and contacted me via Twitter to make an internship request. After a few email conversations it was done. Intern accepted. Tess became the first MicroExplosion intern using, as you might expect, social media. Seems fitting to me.

So, I'd like to introduce Tess to MicroExplosion readers. She's blogging and Tweeting as you would expect. She also wrote a post about how she contacted me. I think it's a great little case study for anyone looking for an internship or a job.

One peppy song from Beyonce plus a cute kid in a diaper equals YouTube goodness...and this week's video of the week. Enjoy.

I'm going out on a limb here: most of us are guilty of saying things we don't mean sometimes. I know I am. For instance, when I get a phone call and can't talk at that moment I am likely to say something like, "Hey, let me call you back in a few minutes." In reality, my "few minutes" may be anywhere from five minutes to several hours and in a few unfortunate cases, a few days. Why don't I just say, "Hey, I'd love to talk to you but I don't really know when I'm going to be able to, so I'll call you sometime within the next week."

I know why I don't say that. I don't say it because it doesn't sound as good. It's more honest, but not as appealing to both the caller and me. Why is that? Isn't honesty the best policy?

Can We Handle the Truth?
Social media is largely about companies being more honest and transparent as they connect with people using some new technology. When we talk about organizations getting into social media it's easy to say, "They just don't get it. They need to be more transparent." The thing I'm wondering is, what if they are transparent and we aren't ready for their transparency?

There's an assumption that corporate honesty will be broadly accepted and always result in positive outcomes. In reality, honesty can be harder to hear than most anything. It's like preferring the doctor tell you that everything is fine when you actually have terminal cancer. I just wonder if we're ready to hear that level of honesty from companies we choose to engage in social media. Are we willing to have them tell us why prices are going up (and why there's nothing we can do about it)? Do we want to know a beloved CEO is really a jerk? Will we be interested to know a company is actively firing their most difficult customers? I think the answer is "Yes!" but those may still be tough pills to swallow.

In the end I know I'll gladly take the transparency with everything good and bad that comes with it. Personally, I believe the truth is always the best route, even when it's hard. In the current marketplace, the transparent companies are viewed as refreshing bastions of brutal honesty. They're celebrated for being that way, which I think is great. It's really refreshing. I'm certainly not trying to talk an organization out of taking the transparent route. I guess I'm just wondering if there's ever going to be a time when the truth isn't considered refreshing and transparent and is instead viewed as heartless and insensitive.

Billboards are one particular form of traditional media I have always found interesting. They, like any other marketing tool, must be used correctly for the advertiser to receive the benefit they hope for. I think it's good to look at the right ways to use traditional media as we consider the social media. Below are three things we can learn from effective billboard marketing:

1. Good billboards meet people's needs. Believe it or not, a well-placed billboard can be the best bang for the marketing buck. For instance, unless I have an iPhone or some other web-enabled device when I'm traveling, I find billboards very helpful in informing me which exit to take to find food and restrooms. When I'm on the road, I have a few very specific needs so billboards aren't see so much advertising as much as they are information about my options just down the road. They're meeting a need I have at the time, and for that reason, they work in those scenarios. In social media, you need to earn attention by giving people something they'll find valuable. Whether it's the EIEO approach to creating good content or valuable committing to engage in meaningful conversations, the bottom line is it's not about you.

2. Good billboards lead you to find out more information. The really good billboard designers know they only have a few seconds of your time as you go speeding down the road. They need to make an impression and give you somewhere to go for more information if there's a call to action. We need to do that in social media as well. Whether you post a video to YouTube or Tweet a little known fact, provide people with a way to get more information in everything you do. Build out your Twitter profile, add links to the end of videos, or use a URL shortener if you have to. Just don't miss opportunities to allow people to find out more information about your company, products, or services.

3. Good billboards communicate clearly. Great billboards are simple and clear. Conversely, bad billboards have mixed messages or no message at all. For instance, there's a realty company here in Nashville that has billboards all over the city that say, "Our company is really growing." That's it. That's all they say. What am I supposed to do with that? There's no contact info, no call to action, no explanation for their claims to growth and certainly nothing to tell me why I should even care. It's very unclear.

In social media, we can be busy doing a lot of Tweeting, Facebooking, and blogging, but if we take a step back, are we really clear? Do we really know who we're talking to and what we hope to communicate? Are our conversations a series of one-off exchanges that aren't going anywhere? Are our blog posts building a foundation of expertise and value or are they just a jumbled concoction of ideas or promotions? We need to be clear in our own minds about what we're trying to accomplish and then communicate out of that clarity. The POST method is a great place to start getting that clarity.

As a father with young children, I think this video is pretty funny. I've seen this sort of thing play out in my own home from time to time, especially when they're at the table waiting for everyone to sit down to dinner.

I think we can apply this same marshmallow test mentality to the way some businesses approach social media. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. are like the first marshmallow. Having the patience to understand how they work so you use them correctly is like waiting to get that second marshmallow.

The the latest episode of The New Mediology, Nathan and I discussed a PR blunder that relates to bloggers, marketing people, PR pros, and anyone interested in social media marketing in general. You can listen to the podcast (online or via iTunes) to get the full story.

The quick version is that several weeks ago the firm Brody PR pitched a large list of bloggers, podcasters, and social media/technology media outlets. The pitch itself was bad and missed the mark, but the way it was done and with a technical issue that went along with it, the whole situation made Brody PR a case study traditional PR people doing a poor job of understanding how to pitch in social media. The whole situation provided an opportunity for numerous bloggers to comment on the situation.

The bottom line is that anyone trying to reach out to people for business purposes using social media MUST understand what they're doing or it has a high probability of blowing up in their face. Just ask Brody PR. A mere Google search of "Brody PR" brings up numerous negative posts about this situation. That's hardly good for business but it's the reality of business today. In the words of my childhood heroes G.I. Joe: "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

[This is the first of a series of posts about how social media has changed what celebrity means and how businesses can use it to succeed.]

I've been fascinated by people's interest in celebrity since I was a child. With the last name Seaver, my grandpa used to jokingly tell people we were related to the famous New York Met's pitcher, Tom Seaver. He wanted to tap into Tom Terrific's celebrity status, if only for a moment. Then, my brother Mike, really got a dose of the celebrity halo effect when Kirk Cameron made Mike Seaver from the show Growing Pains a cultural icon. To this day, people make that connection.

Celebrity and business have been longtime partners in mutual success but I think we're seeing celebrity as we've known it change. I think if we understand the change, the partnership between celebrity and business will be more beneficial than ever, it's just going to look quite different from the way we've always seen it.

Redefining Celebrity As We've Known It
To understand the idea of celebrity, we have to first redefine celebrity from our conventional understanding. Celebrity is no longer reserved for moviestars, rock bands, and pro athletes. Celebrity at the most basic level simply means "being known" among a group of people.

Historically we've attributed the opportunity to "be known" to an exclusive type of person who has broad exposure through traditional media channels like movies, television, and print media. When the Internet started to get really popular a decade ago, it tested the original definition of celebrity for the first time. A new brand of celebrities emerged as they danced, blogged, and treadmilled (if only that were a word) their way to fame. The term “Internet celebrity” was born. It was the beginning of the era when anyone had the chance to be known about virtually anything.

Celebrity For The Masses
While Internet celebrities were getting their 15 megs of fame, the Internet itself was changing. It was becoming cheaper (often free), easier to use, and more social. Those first Internet celebrities were really just early adopters of what would be a tidal wave of word, image, and video content by the masses. Media was being handed to the masses and celebrity for the masses was on its heels.

At the same time the masses had the opportunity to freely and easily create media, social networks were emerging to let them find people who would want that media. A wonderful cross-pollination process began to emerge where people could both create content and engage like-minded people in conversation. That gave content creators the opportunity to simultaneously promote their content and learn from others to spark new ideas, and thus, more content. This social cycle was born. Social media was born.

Today, we see this all over the place. It's commonplace for individuals to create content (media). The new definition of celebrity is common too. Most of us have heard stories of people who started blogs, podcasts, or online video channels and gained a following over time. Those are all cases of the new celebrity status playing out. Today, the opportunity for anyone to “be known” is available to those who choose it.

If, then, celebrity is being redefined and is more accessible, the question for all of us is how it works so we can use it and how it affects the way companies do business. I have some thoughts on that I'm going to share in the coming weeks. In the meantime, who are your favorite Internet celebrities? What companies do you think understand and cultivate this redefined celebrity to help their business?

This week's video is a literal roller coaster of emotion for a boy's first coaster ride. Seems like a fitting video of the week to finish out the summer. Enjoy the video.

Last week I had the chance to sit down with Ray Carman, an auctioneer who has been using social media to promote his business for well over a year now. Ray has seen his blog push his Google results up to the top of a search for auctions in his county which has resulted in new clients and new business. Ray also said his active participation in Facebook has generated several clients. According to Ray, 80% of his business comes from his various social media efforts.

One of the more interesting things Ray said was that his business remained steady this year despite the negative economic environment that was impacting the real estate industry. Ray attributes his social media efforts for keeping his business steady this year. Here's the video to see the full conversation.

In the last few weeks I have observed and participated in a series of interesting discussions about social networks for business. The conversations have centered around the usefulness (or lack thereof depending on one's perspective) of Facebook fan pages and private and/or personal social networks like those offered by Ning. The discussions have ranged from how to use them properly to whether or not they were hurting an organization's existing web presence.

One of the more interesting debates was the Facebook verses Ning verses company website debate. For now, I'm not going to talk about whether or not social networks compete with a corporate web presence, but I want to address and underlying question. The question is this: are all social networks the same? Some people think they are. Some people think they aren't. I agree with the latter, and here's why.

Making A Choice: Facebook vs. Ning
When choosing the social network that is right for your business, you have to consider who you're trying to reach and where they are currently engaging people in the social network space. I'm actually less concerned about whether Facebook is better than Ning (or vice versa) and more interested in knowing I choose the right social networking platform to reach the right people.

Facebook and Ning have strategically different purposes. The one you choose is more a matter of strategy and purpose rather than "this one is better than that one."

Generally speaking, Facebook is open and Ning is closed. Facebook makes it easy for people to become fans, so you can boost your numbers rather quickly. The down side to this is that people may be fans but never really connect with you. If that happens, Facebook isn't the problem, you are....but that's a topic for another day. Ning makes it more difficult for people to join than Facebook fan pages, yet the people who are there are more likely to be truly engaged. Facebook gives you exposure to people you don't know as new fans tell other people within Facebook, which broadens exposure and awareness, but Ning will be the place where you get the cream of the crop. You just have to be patient enough to wait on the cream to rise.

Why I Start With Facebook
When it comes to choosing a social networking for my clients, I'm finding that I lean toward Facebook first and work with the client to use it well and engage people there. I like the broader exposure it can provide when done really well. I see the opportunities with Ning and have seen people like Dan Miller and LifeWay's VBS team do a great job with them. In both of those cases, they knew who they were trying to reach and saw that a separate social network made sense for them.

Whether you choose Facebook or Ning, make your choice because you're convinced it's the right strategic decision. Don't just choose something because it's getting a lot of buzz.

It was bound to happen sometime...

In case you didn't hear, today Gmail was down for over an hour and a half. This was a really big deal to the millions of people who rely on Gmail as their main email service both personally and professionally (like me.) Gmail is generally reliable so today's outage was very much out of the ordinary, but thanks to people talking about it on Twitter and a few blogs that were covering the story as it developed, there was no need to panic during the outage.

Here's what every business can learn from this though: stuff happens. You can't be perfect and frankly, nobody expects you will be. The question isn't whether you're going to fail at something, but how you're going to recover when you do. There's a small window of opportunity to clear things up after a failure. Gmail did a great job today of doing just that. After the service was back up and they had some time to assess the situation, they posted an apology and explanation on their blog.

Here are five things the Gmail team did that every business can do after a failure. Incidentally, blogs, Twitter accounts, and Facebook accounts are great channels to distribute your information to people very quickly. This is yet another reason to be actively participating in the social media space.

1. Have a good attitude. Be appropriately concerned but conversational as well.
2. Own the problem. In Google's case they could have blamed a bunch of servers or something that would have sounded like passing the buck. They didn't, and neither should you.
3. Explain what happened. Tell it like it is. Assume that the people who care are smart enough to understand the basics of the situation.
4. Tell how you're going to prevent it from happening again. Once you tell me what happened, tell me how you're going to fix it.
5. Be appreciative. The worst thing that could ever happen to any business is that they would go away and nobody would notice. Sure, customers can be annoying at times, but they're still customers and that's kind of what you're in business for, so don't forget that...especially when they're complaining about something you screwed up.