Aliza Sherman: She Knows Social and Mobile

Do You Know What You're Sharing?

I was dismayed to read the Tech Crunch post "Facebook and the Age of Curation Through Unsharing" by Josh Constine. I found it to be an arrogant and even frightening look at how online information sharing could be going with a call to action to "learn to filter out the noise in reverse, opting out when we don’t want to share instead of opting in when we do."

Of course, this was just my gut reaction, but here a few things that bothered me about the piece. I've italicized excerpts.

Facebook’s Open Graph is ushering in a monumental shift in how we curate what we share.

This lede right away tells me that Facebook, once again, may be trying to push through a major change in how our information is being handled, and to some extent, we are at the mercy of the company leader's careless whims. Already, I'm on the defensive.

Curation used to mean opting in to sharing...I believe we are entering the age of curation through unsharing, and it will force us to change.

Curation still means opting to share. If we are forced to change our online behaviors to opt out of sharing - if sharing is automatic with every action we take online - that is not called curation. That is called Invasion of Privacy.

Your Klout score is killing YOU

I've been tweeting little digs lately about Klout questioning its importance and relevance...

Don't look @klout today. Instead see what your followers/friends are saying/doing & give REAL kudos. #zendigital

I find @klout to be like the Kool-aid that none of us should be drinking but some of us do. I personally find it silly.

Wow, my @klout score went from 72 to 60 with the new changes. Quite the ego buster. ;)

Why is everyone so caught up in their Klout scores? Why does anyone think Klout scores matter or actually mean anything important?

Geoff Livingston talked about the importance of actually being in the dialogues, in the communities you want to build through social media if you are looking to have success and be "influential." Plus he noted that real influencers in the offline world we live in are not using social media to be influential. See: Wasting Time on Klout and Influence Metrics.

What any of us who gives Klout any real creedence seems to forget is that Klout, the company, is just like any other company looking for their business model, looking to make money for their investors, and looking to siphon off some of the millions now being spent on the new shiny object of marketing called social media. You can't fault them for trying.

But you can't call Klout's mystery algorithms and scoring anything more than a novelty, a fun experiment, a game. And guess what? You get some cool perks by playing their game, too! Woo Hoo!

Klout isn't any more measuring your success using social media or your influence over others any more than Foursquare is making you the actual mayor of anything. But we keep checking into places because its fun, because we get perks, and because we can compete with our friends to have the most points. Checking in on Foursquare doesn't make us a better customer of the businesses where we check in and it doesn't make our experiences at the places where we check in any more meaningful. It's just a game we like to play.

Let's all step back a moment and remember: Klout is a GAME. It isn't really helping you become more proficient at using social media tools. It isn't connecting you to others in meaningful ways. It isn't changing your world in any way. It really isn't measuring actual influence on anyone.

If you have to measure, you'll get much more accurate results by tracking the activity (clickthroughs, conversions, retweets) on the links you provide in Twitter or by the actions taken when you post something to your friends, family and followers. That is, if they are genuinely interested in what you are saying and doing and take action on their own accord.

It is far more concrete to say that when you tweet something, you get retweeted 50 times, you get 1,000 clickthroughs and 300 people signed up for your offer than "I have a Klout score of 70." We don't even know what that Klout score REALLY means and Klout will never reveal that as they laugh their way to the bank.

No measurement tool out there will ever be able to gauge you real influence or capture the nuances of human interactions. And by the way, why are we so hung up on being influential? No wonder we pay attention to Klout. It is an EGO game!

Boy, Klout has got us there. We all want to be considered important and influential. We all want to matter.

Guess what? You matter. To someone out there.

So get on with your life and work and do meaningful things. Stop giving creedence to some arbitrary scoring game like Klout that oversimplifies HOW we matter in this world and in social media.

Do really good work from the heart, add value, be kind to others, and you get an "A" in my book.

How are you measuring the influence of your social media interactions? Or are you not measuring it at all and is that a good or bad thing?

Doing it "just because"

I haven't had a good cup of coffee at Starbucks in years, probably since their massive expansions when Starbucks became less of a treat and more like an omnipresent reminder that we are settling for less. At some point, the pride taken in each cup of coffee turned into a factory line production of sub-par beverages and experiences. 

What's worse about inspiration and passion being squeezed out of the coffee-making? That we still stand in long lines waiting for our cup of mediocrity. Why do we do it?

Convenience, mostly. And bad habit.

When you start to do things en masse or by rote, some of the delightful and meaningful aspects of what you are doing can be gradually - or abruptly - eliminated. You can apply that to anything you're doing in your life or your work. 

Think of how you are using social media in your communications and interactions. Do you have a checklist, a daily calendar, an automated tool, and some theories that there are formulas to your conversations? Stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and rethink your approach.

We are human beings wanting to connect. And eventually, we will get wise to the burnt coffee you're serving up as fresh.

How are you keeping it fresh and real?

Google+, Meet Diaspora - Or Maybe You Know Them Already

This weekend I received an invitation through Facebook to join Diaspora. I had tried to join Diaspora last year when I learned about their Kickstarter success while writing my book on crowdsourcing, but I couldn't get in. So of course I was curious and went immediately to sign up.

And then I was puzzled. Diaspora looked just like...Google+. Or did Google+ look just like Diaspora?

 
The stream interface looks like the same layout down to the black bar across the top and the profile image on the left, contacts upper right. It's essentially the same site.

While not as feature rich as Google+ for obvious resource limitation reasons, the very functionality and implementation of Diaspora's "Aspects are Circles. Sparks on Google+ are Tags on Diaspora.

One thing that is better about Diaspora is definitely their integration with Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr which clearly Google+ doesn't want to do (and probably feels it doesn't have to). What is better about Google+ is that they have additional features like Hangouts (although I'm still on the fence about Huddles). And also the stream feature on Google+ is much more robust, pulling in images from sites based on links and the ability to add more than just a photo.

And Google+ has MILLIONS of members already. Diaspora feels very tiny and empty. Or is that intimate?

From a chicken/egg standpoint, based on my understanding of the timing, I think the guys at Diaspora created this first and the folks at Google+ copied it. Hey, I'm just guessing here. If I were Google, I'd just buy up the Diaspora folks right away. There really isn't room for both, and anything but Google at this point is going to get crushed.

What are your thoughts about Diaspora versus Google+? 

Ending the Money Grab

I think I've seen enough "Discover the Secrets of Social Media" messages, haven't you? I'm also starting to get riled up when I see what some agencies are charging for basic social media channel set up. It's absurd. Highway robbery.

I watched this happen in the 90s with Web development. As soon as the big agencies got involved, suddenly something that took a few minutes or a few hours to do went from costing hundreds of dollars to thousands then tens of thousands then more...

It doesn't cost that much to set up a Facebook Page, a Twitter account, a YouTube channel, a blog. At least not the basic framework along with a clean and professional design (or in the case of Facebook the minimal add-ons to make it useful). It doesn't even take that long to do, and there are many third-party tools out there that can help even a novice or non-techie handle it.

The higher fees should be for the other stuff, the more complex stuff, like coming up with the strategy behind having a Facebook Page or a Twitter account or a blog. And for the planning for how to integrate these new tools into an existing toolkit. And the long-term management, monitoring and measuring of these things. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a cost for someone's time for setting up these channels, but if that is all they are doing - and if that is all the customer wants (or can afford) - then they shouldn't try to rip someone off. 

Now I do agree that someone who knows how to do this kind of work should be properly compensated based on their experience, their portfolio, the usual gauges we use to vet a service provider, particularly a creative designer/developer. And I don't think it is wrong that one person charges a few hundred dollars for a Facebook Page while another charges a few thousand as long as you know what you are getting and from whom. I also am fully aware that building a page or channel doesn't mean anything will come out of it. Just like the websites of the 90s, it isn't automatically "Build it, and they will come."

But I feel like there needs to be a shift to bring quality and affordable social media services to the masses. It's time. 

This isn't a dis to agencies. I think there is a place for them, of course. Some of my best friends are at big agencies - and I even co-founded one myself. But not everyone can afford an agency. And those are the people who shouldn't be led to believe there are "secrets" to social media. There are just things they may not yet know yet.

Of course, people can put their money toward a slew of "secret revealing" documents and try the DIY method. Or they can partner with a reputable, trust-worthy consultant - and be able to find one in their price range - and be able to start using social media as another tool in their business tool kit. I just think people should have a choice from an array of good, solid, reputable options where they aren't getting ripped off.

If someone wants to blow $100,000 on their social media foray, personally I wish they'd give some of that money to a worthy charity and spend a fraction of that on their social media efforts. Then I'd recommend they spend some of it on learning. There is so much we don't understand about how our businesses, communications, marketing, customer service, and everything else is changing because of social media. We can all benefit from becoming smarter about the way we use it both in our work and our lives.

We're all just babes in the woods on this stuff. Those of us around in the 90s doing similar work have a huge leg up on those who entered the foray after 2008, but they may have some fresh ideas, too. I hope folks move away from this Wild West land grab and gold rush into a more sensible exchange of goods and services at a reasonable price.

How do you feel about the current landscape - and pricing - of social media services?

Respect Your Audience

If there is one thing I've learned over the years as a public speaker, it is to respect my audience.

People who come to hear you speak - especially those who pay to hear you speak or pay for access to a conference or event knowing you are a speaker - are taking a risk (I just learned this concept from Jill Foster aka @jillfoster of Live Your Talk). They are investing time, money and attention in hopes of getting insights, nuggets of information, guidance from people who are on a stage or placed in front of them as having valuable knowledge to impart.

But the concept of respecting your audience goes far beyond just public speaking.

As a consultant, as a businessperson, as anyone who puts themself in front of others with authority, you must first and foremost respect your audience to be effective and, above all, to be respected in return. Here are some of my quick thoughts on how we can better respect our audiences. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well.

1. Be prepared. Whether you are going to be on a stage or in front of business colleagues or clients, don't wait until minutes before the event to cram for the encounter. Start thinking about and preparing for the exchange days or weeks in advance. 

2. Know your audience. You may know what you want to impart (or not), but a sure-fire way to show your audience you repect them is to have a sense of who they are and what they want. If you're speaking at an event, as the host of the event who they expect to attend. Even when you walk on stage or into a room, if you can, ask the audience some questions so you know a little more about them. If you can't ask them, assume they want good, solid information they can take home with them or back to work with them to improve on something they are doing. 

3. Create value. Even if you're entertaining them, your audience wants to walk away experienced something or learned something that they can talk about in positive ways. In general, people don't want to walk away uncomfortable, upset or angry unless it is toward a positive end (such as stirring people to take action to right a wrong). Strive to make sure that the investment of time, money and attention from your audience is not wasted.

4. Make good. If you feel you've failed to produce value and demonstrate respect for your audience, make up for it. Look for ways to follow up or send additional information. You can make good on a promise.

And if you really screw up, own it and apologize. Maybe you had a bad day, maybe it was the jetlag, maybe you misunderstood the assignment. Ultimately, if you know you failed to respect your audience, an apology is appropriate and can sweeten up the bad taste in their mouths.

What else do you think we need to do to respect our audiences?

Where Are Women Speakers at Conferences? Do Something.

Today, Edward Boches posted the question "Where are the women?" and he poses some specific questions about why many panels and presentations at conferences are made up of mostly white males:

So what’s going on?  Are we witnessing an outright prejudice on the part of event organizers and award shows? Do we simply perpetuate the problem when men invite men who invite more men?

Or is it just the natural outcome of inviting whoever is top of mind when we make lists of leading talent, selecting the people we already know and with whom we’re comfortable? 

Read more of Edward's post.

What IS going on? For every conference that consciously and conscientiously looks to bring more women speakers into their event (and hopefully more ethnic diversity, too) like Blogworld Expo, there are many others that say "well we tried to book some women speakers but just couldn't FIND them." And still others that respond to this question with, "Huh?"

As a woman speaker who used to be on the tech speaking circuit in the 90s, I find it to be quite a struggle these days to get to speak at conferences in my industry for a myriad of reasons. My appearances this year at conferences are the culmination of almost three years of pitching and building relationships.

If the issues are related to the conferences, I ask questions of the organizers and learn how to pitch better speaking topics in more effective ways. I also offer to introduce them to my network of amazing women speakers (see Chain of Daisies) because there ARE great women speakers who just need an intro.

But then there are those internal issues - the things in my own life, in my own head that keep me from "going for it." I've summarized 5 things that keep us from pitching to speak at major tech, business and venture conferences and 5 things we can do to overcome those things, and I'll be presenting these along with Jill Foster of Live Your Talk at Blogworld Expo on Thursday, May 26 at 9am.

After this workshop, attendees will walk out with a draft of their awesome pitch for Blogworld Expo LA or a conference of their choosing. Here's the session description (yes, men can attend):

Speak Up: Empowering Women to Find Their Voices

Despite all of our best efforts, there is still a dearth of female speakers at business, tech and venture conferences, particularly keynoters. But we can all do something about this imbalance, including women themselves. This workshop is a dynamic, interactive session about overcoming fear in public speaking and taking deliberate steps to craft speaking proposals.

Everyone weighs in about the issue of the lack of women speakers at conferences. I just say: "If a problem exists, find ways to fix it." Please support our workshop by sharing this post and information with anyone you know who is at Blogworld Expo. We appreciate your support! Let's DO something.

Where do you stand on the "lack of women speakers at conferences" debate & what are you doing about it?

Why Do You Wear That Tiara and Boa?

I've been asked numerous times over the last several years, "Why do you wear that tiara and boa?" I often vary my answer depending on mood and context, and all the answers I give are valid because the reasons are many.

Over time, I've learned that the reasons people ask are many as well, and in some cases, people seem to be waiting to see what I say before they make a final decision about what they think of my accessories. That's fine. I appreciate that my choice of adornment hits people in different ways so I expect the myriad of reactions. In general, however, they have been overwhelmingly positive.

My First Time

Here is the backstory to when and why I adopted this "look."

I was given my first "official" boa at BlogHer years ago and swiped a pink tiara from my then 3-year-old's dressup trunk and brought them to Blissdom two years ago when I co-presented with Maya Bisineer of MemeTales. We taught a Wisdom Workshop for women about finding one's voice. Both Maya and I stood in front of a room full of women telling our stories, some difficult and painful ones, putting ourselves out there and encouraging other women to be in touch with their life stories.

My premise for the workshop was that each of us has powerful life stories, experiences that give us a wisdom that we don't give ourselves credit for, and by telling our stories to others - other women especially - we empower ourselves and empower others. I could almost hear women cringing inside with the on-the-spot writing assignments I was giving but when women began to share their stories, the energy was off the charts.

In honor of one woman really digging deep and being vulnerable and strong in front of us all, we adorned her with a tiara and boa and honored her courage. (Footnote: She told me recently that it was that experience that gave her the seeds of strength to leave an abusive husband. I am humbled by the power of what we were all able to do for her and what she was able to do for herself.)

As I left the workshop, I started to remove the tiara and boa, but as I exited the session room, people turned and smiled in my direction. It put me in a great mood so I kept both of them on the rest of the conference. When I was preparing for the next conference that year, I purchased a new metal and bead boa so my daughter could have hers back and promptly tucked it into my suitcase (it was conveniently bendable) along with a boa. 

Before I put them on at the next conference (I think it was Web 2.0 Expo - a decidedly non-female event), I was terrified. "What are you THINKING?!" that little voice of self-doubt demanded. But then I shut that negative voice out and went out in full regalia. The response was fantastic and positive. I decided that I'd wear them at every conference and create a sort of trademark look for myself. 

And you know what? It has worked wonders for me business-wise in ways I never imagined. Yes, business-wise. I've attracted more business and clients with this "look" than ever before - and all the RIGHT kinds of clients, the ones who "get it" and who appreciate strong branding, attracting attention, being out there and being visible. 

I've realized over the last few years that the naysayers are probably people who I don't want to do business with and probably don't actually want to know. They aren't "my kind of people." I don't need stuck-in-the-mud fuddy duddies or uptight types in my work or life - life is too short to worry about them. Don't get me wrong - I honor the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but frankly, I don't need someone telling me what is right or wrong for me or to criticize what I do when it is so positive on so many levels - and not just for me. How, you ask? Let me explain further...

Why I Do It

Here are just some of the reasons I wear a pink tiara and boa to conferences that I attend:

1. It makes people smile.

2. It starts conversations with interesting people.

3. It is easy to find me in a crowd.

4. It gets people out of their shell.

5. It makes me feel bold and in the moment.

6. It generates excitement and papparazi moments.

7. It helps me show other women that it is okay to draw attention to oneself in a fun way.

8. It helps me show other women that we don't have to be so serious (or like men) to get taken seriously by men. (Just today, I had a number of men say "Now THAT is smart. I had no trouble finding you in a crowd." Then we proceeded to have conversations about high tech and business. 

9. It gives others permission to be silly.

10. It opens doors, literally and figuratively.

Again, not everyone likes my tiara and boa, but you know what? That's their problem, not mine. And for every stuck-in-the-mud potential client I lose because they don't like my getup, I get many more fantastically adventurous and bold clients who are fun to work with - not to mention new friends who are a blast to be with - so I'm not worried.

If I make 1 person frown while making 100s of people smile with my faux royalty wear, I think I'm doing okay. Don't underestimate the power of a tiara and boa. And if you don't like it, you can always mind your own business, right?

What do YOU do to be bold and get noticed in a crowd?