Social Media Snake Oil

Dear Mr and Mrs business owner,

If someone comes to your business and tells you that they can get you involved in social media and pitches FaceBook and Twitter juuuuuust a little bit too much….
Do this: just say No!

If they tell you that they themselves have a large “following” that can help you…
Do this: just say No!

If they tell you that they can run these accounts for you…
Do this: just say No!

Please don’t be intimidated by these new online tools. They really are not that difficult to understand ONCE you have gone through a STRATEGY that outlines what they can help you with, what the potential ROI is and why you belong there (if at all!!!!!). Don’t be bullied, do your homework and ask around about this persons reputation and ROI with other clients.

And I will say it again, DO NOT outsource this to someone that you would not want to represent YOU in a board meeting with investors and/or potential clients.

Good luck.

Promotion Of A Friend: Brad Shaw

I was just looking at my email signature & had to giggle in this new year about it.  Everything is “jenHarris09”.  When I started labeling myself, “JenHarris” was taken (she is a California photographer) so I added my college volleyball number to the end.  After being laid off at MPC & the eventual closing of the computer manufacture, a friend of mine that I worked with decided to finally get on twitter (more to shut me up more than anything else).  When he first appeared (Christmas of ’08) I urged him to change his handle to his real name (which was taken) with an added number to it.  So being the funny man he is….he added “09” to the end.  Of course I thought it was a pretty funny-smart-arsh-clever way to, again, shut me up…but his reason was:

“I figure that ’09 is, and has to be, better than ’08”

So with that looooooooonnnnnnnnngggggg background story, here is why I want you to check him out: he is an AMAZING artist!  He use to doodle in meetings the most amazing vines, lines, stripes and designs that took my breath away.  He does these family trees (see to the left) that make me tear up almost every time I look at mine.  Everyone in our family has one & it has been a huge conversation piece when we have friends over.

I have no reason in writing this except that I love his artwork and I want you to check it out.

Brad Shaw is on FaceBook.
Brad Shaw is on Twitter.
Brad Shaw has a website.

Enjoy & here’s to making twenty ten SO MUCH better than “09”
xoxo
-jen