Stay Humble, Bloggers: Superficiality and Social Media

Many of you know I am a huge lover, enthusiast and advocate of all things social media. Still, sometimes even I have gripes about its various aspects.

The Web never sleeps, which makes being an active and engaged social media player practically a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week job. It's not enough to maintain your own blog, but you are also expected to be a blog commenter and a Twitter player, participating in conversations and discussions. And while I love blogging, reading others' blogs and tweeting at all hours of the night, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.

As Commencement looms nearer and the end-of-semester crunch is upon me, I've been succumbing to a greater degree of stress lately. This past weekend, I decided to take some social media time off, making a quick little getaway to Maine, sans technology. It was just what I needed, but even when I returned, I felt a sort of unspoken pressure to play catch-up in the blogosphere.

This leads me to discuss my biggest social media pet peeve: its element of superficiality. It seems like everywhere you turn, we bloggers are screaming,

"Look at me! Look at me! Look what I've done."

We're out and about, trying to promote our latest content: blog posts, applications, podcasts. Don't get me wrong - I'm definitely a perpetrator. You can find me and my accomplishments all over the Web - LinkedIn, Del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, my blogs, etc. - all aggregated on my Social Media Resume. Heck, wasn't that last sentence exactly representative of the type of shameless self-promotion I'm talking about?

It makes sense. If you spend a great deal of time creating content, wouldn't you want people to read/listen/watch it? Still, while I have no doubt about my self-promotion's help in establishing my personal brand and helping me secure my post-graduation job, I can't help but feel like a bit of a braggart sometimes. This bothers me, because the last way I want people to view me is pretentious.

I completely agree that being an active member of the blogosphere encourages the fundamentals of social media. It's when people take it to the extreme that I get bothered. Twitter should not be a popularity contest - who cares if you have 6,387 followers? And personally, I don't think it makes sense to surf the blogosphere with the goal of commenting on ten people's blogs in a given day. It's one thing if something they say is thought-provoking. It's another if your comments are forced for the sole purpose of getting your name out there. This "popularity contest" I speak of reminds me of middle school-age behavior, which weren't exactly the most mature years for a lot of people.

In a nutshell, I think much of the superficiality I've witnessed in the blogosphere lately completely contradicts the transparent ideals social media champions. I hope it starts to anger bloggers in the same way flogs have, and I hope authenticity prevails.

Stay humble, bloggers!

A Lack of Social Media in Higher Education?

My latest entry is in the form of a guest post on Steve Spalding's blog, "How To Split An Atom." Check it out here!

My Social Media Résumé

Check out my first stab at a Social Media Résumé, based on inspiration from Chris Penn and SHIFT Communications' Social Media Newsroom Template.

Take a closer look, and feel free to dish out some constructive criticism!

Judgment vs. Enthusiasm: A PR Crossroads

Lately, I've noticed a flurry of conversation surrounding a particular dilemma in the new age of PR and social media: judgment vs. enthusiasm. All the big boys seem to be talking about it ...

In an era of increasing transparency, leaders in the PR industry are battling over which type of practitioner is more vital to the success of their agencies - is it the wise, senior-level professional who has the experience to exercise the best judgment, or rather the social media-savvy youth, enthusiastic and eager to engage in all things fresh and new?

In David Meerman Scott's new rules of marketing & PR job description post, he advocates the importance of the latter. While he makes no mention of their age, he stresses that companies are looking for "smart people" to fill a new, atypical job description that fits into the the new age of PR. The description, developed by Jeff Ernst, VP of marketing at Kadient, looks something like this:

"She (or he) created her Facebook profile well before any of her buddies did, then encouraged them all to join, and now has 700 friends on Facebook. She writes her own blog where she talks about her favorite bands. She loves to experiment with new ways to drive traffic to her blog. She's read David Meerman Scott’s book The New Rules of Marketing & PR, and is passionate about combining her love for social media with her work by applying the new rules in a B2B marketing environment."

Ernst's new media job description makes an excellent point about the newly desired qualifications of PR practitioners. The only problem I see here is no mention of a judgment requirement, and after reading Paul Holmes' article, "A Manifesto for the 21st Century Public Relations Firm," I have never been more convinced of its importance. Sure, it's fun and easy to think new media can solve all public relations problems, but it takes carefully executed good judgment to keep transparency in check, otherwise the outcome might be more harmful than helpful. As Todd Defren affirms, "Even the best intentions might be met with a sneer of indignation." With the emergence of Web 2.0, there is no room for rash, devil-may-care PR decisions.

Certainly, the logical conclusion is that PR firms will need to hire people who are some sort of hybrid of the two personae, which is exactly what Holmes' attempts to bring home in his manifesto:

"Finding people who can combine youthful enthusiasm and good judgment ... will be critical to the success of the 21st century public relations agency."

This is exactly the type of PR professional we should all aspire to be. Be a part of this budding class, and you'll be one fine catch ... without a doubt.

The Power of Networking

"Network, network, network."

It's been drilled into my head by employers, educators and family members since my first day of college. Let me tell you, I'm glad it was. There's no doubt I've already used networking connections to my advantage, and during this critical stage in my life (which I like to call "Job-Hunt '08"), I've never been more of an advocate of their potential.

The thing is, while I feel I've been adequately convinced of the influence networking connections can have, I don't think my peers have. Sure, they're on Monster and Career Builder, constantly searching for updated listings and trying to actively participate in Job Hunt '08, yet they're missing the mark. Let's face it - many available jobs are never even posted. So how do these positions get filled? You guessed it: networking.

I think a big chunk of the reason people don't use networking is because they don't know how to get started. The first time I was advised to network, I remember thinking, "Great! And now what?" The fact is, you're networking all the time without even knowing it. That professor you had sophomore year? Your boyfriend's cousin's best friend? They can both be a part of your network if you play your cards right. The key is to make a name for yourself. Let the new people you meet know who you are and what you're about. Work on your elevator pitch.

Luckily, my generation also has this wonderful resource called the Web. Luckier still, along with the dawn of social media came social networking communities. Case in point: Twitter. While I've only been a member of this community for a matter of months, I'm already forming valuable relationships with several influential figures in the PR field.

Another reason people dismiss networking as a tool is they are too timid to use the connections they've made. For these people, my advice is simply to get over your fears and suck it up. People are generally willing to help, even if you have only met them once or twice. And hey, if they aren't, move on to another connection!

The connections are out there - find them and use them. I may never have interned in the publicity department at The CW Network in Los Angeles had I not mentioned my search to the random girl in Boston that my friend was dating at the time. Her dad: Senior VP of Communications, The CW. Bingo! And the woman who interviewed me for my internship in publicity at E! Networks? A Boston University alumna.

So, fellow job-hunters, I encourage you to start sending out your feelers and generating/tapping into those resources. Now's the time.