Recently I was asked whether I thought that social media was just a procrastinator’s paradise or if it was a constructive community for the cyberliterate. Putting aside the irony of the fact that this question was itself posted on a social networking site, I answered that it can be both, and I went on to explain why.
While many people use social media for fun, it’s become clear that there are definitely serious business and professional uses as well. If that’s not the case, why are there so many companies offering of courses in “social media marketing” and the like these days? One key problem is that many organisations have a corporate culture that encourages and “either/or” approach: either something is good for our organisation (it’s a constructive community) or it’s bad (because it’s time-wasting for staff). These organisations find it difficult to grasp that the same tool can be both fun and useful at the same time. They haven’t noticed that for many people life and work are no longer strictly separate.
Take me as a case in point. While I follow several well-known comedians on Twitter, as I like to read their jokes, I also follow a large number of people who are active in the professional fields that interest me: technical communications, information design, user experience, content strategy, e-learning, and so on. Reading updates from these professionals helps me keep up with the latest trends in these fields as their updates often contain links to blogs and articles of interest.
Similarly, when I send out my own updates on Twitter, which includes links to articles I’ve written, or to articles other people have written that I think are of professional interest, I attract followers, who may well forward my message. I hope that this activity may enhance my reputation as a specialist (I hesitate to call myself an expert) in my field.
It’s clear that what works for professionals and organisations also works for commercial marketing brands. People who dismiss Social Media as “time-wasting” miss the point: you need to address your “market” – your “audience” – wherever they are, not where you’d like them to be. As more and more people spend more and more time online, if you want to get your message across – whether that’s a professional or a commercial message – you need to be online as well.
And here I was following you for your jokes, David! Seriously, I agree with you. My experience on Twitter has been very constructive and educational. I have learned so much from the people I follow. In fact, I can hardly keep up with all the learning I get here. I have grown to know and respect people, which has led to learning even more. Fun has been there – pictures of cakes, Dilbert cartoons, and so on – but that has enhanced the overall experience. I feel I have made positive and constructive contributions in my job from my networks. This week, I gave a colleague in my new workplace several links. We had talked about an issue, and I said that I had some excellent information to help her. Where did I get that information? From my Twitter network.
I agree with Karen. Twitter is constructive and educational as well as fun. I’m struggling to adapt to Agile and Twitter is my primary resource, both in following the #agile hashtag as well as following links to blogs like yours.
Keep the advice coming!