We Have a Facebook Page...and Fourteen Fans!!

Image via CrunchBaseWoo hoo! Alert the media. Studio 4 PR has launched its Facebook fan page. We are ready to engage, share, and exchange information and ideas with creative types, kitchen table entrepreneurs, and anyone else interested in unleashing their passion with PRsonality.

Now, we just need fans. Well, actually we have fourteen (thirteen, if you don't count me). When we get to 25, we can get a custom URL. (and lose the forgettable one with a string of numbers that looks like a prisoner ID badge.)

My goal is that in 25 days, we'll have 25 fans. Will you help me?

It's easy. Go to our Facebook page and "like" us. I promise that once you get to know us, you'll love us. As a thank you, I'll send you a copy of my "Top 11 PR Mistakes that Businesses Make." 

Then, come to the page--often--and tell us what you think. What are your biggest PR challenges as a creative entrepreneur? If you could wave a magic wand, what is one thing that PR for your business could fix?

Let's create a community of creative types and "kitchen table" entrepreneurs that ROCKS this world.

I look forward to sharing this space with you!

Best,

Robin

3 Key Things to Remember About Social Media

Image via CrunchBase

Ah, it's a "problem" we all should be so lucky to have -- having too many friends. Or, as in this case, too many "friends", which are classified as people who found you through some form of social media and because of your expertise, reputation, products or services, have decided to follow you. Think of it as the high tech version of the Pied Piper.

Social media is a great thing. You can keep in touch with Aunt Millie in Minnesota, reconnect with your college roommate, and forge new frontiers in business by leveraging new markets, creating partnerships, developing relationships with vendors, and finding customers. And, you can do it a lot faster than you did when you were passing out business cards at a trade show or networking event.

That said, like everything in business, and in life, you have to frequently reevaluate and reassess whether your "friends" are continuing to provide you and your business with the value that makes it worth keeping them  in your rolodex.

Apparently, this is an issue that internet marketing guru Joel Comm has been pondering as well. According to the bio on his web site, Comm is an "entrepreneur, bestselling author, public speaker, social media evangelist, and mobile marketing innovator."  I don't even remember how I ended up following him, but I liked the fact that he wasn't afraid to address the sticky issues, even those that involved his colleauges, like this post he wrote on ethics (or lack of) in internet marketing. I've never ordered his products or read his books, but I've continued to subscribe to his blog and followed him on Twitter because I liked what he stood for.

Until I read his post this morning. Titled Unfriending for Fun and Sanity, he let his Facebook followers who he'd "friended" on his personal page know (along with the rest of the free world) that he was "unfriending" everyone he didn't have a personal connection with and suggested that they instead follow him on his fan page.

Although I have no problem with what he said, there are a number of things about the way he said it that I think were unnecessary (and I said as much in my comment.)  They are things that I think can be a lesson to all of us:

1. Pack Your Message in Your Headline

This is the first rule that every journalism student learns. Your headline should convey the essence of your story because that will determine whether anyone even bothers to read it. "Unfriending for Fun and Sanity" sounds just plain mean.

2. Keep Your Business and Personal Pages Separate

If you are using social media to market your business, create a strategy that does just that. Joel calls himself a "social media evangelist and mobile marketing innovator", so I'm not sure why he'd invite total strangers to "friend" him on his personal page. That's kind of  like inviting a whole city to sleep over at your house, and then realizing you have to always be on your best behavior, you can never leave the towels on the bathroom floor and you always have to watch what you say in mixed company.

3. They're People, People!

I'm not sure what happened, but for some reason, the advent of social media has caused us to forget our manners. Now, things we never would have dreamed of doing pre-Facebook, we can do anonymously (like cyber bullying, or destroying a person's or business' reputation,) and then not give a second thought to the lives we wrecked or the feelings we hurt.

If you find yourself overloaded with a few too many "friends" who are taking up prime real estate with their silly Farmville games or nonsensical chatter, or as in Joel's case, if you had a "what-was-I-thinking-by-inviting everyone-and-their-brother-to-friend-me-on-my-personal-page?" epiphany, invite them to follow you on your fan page. Then, instead of making them feel like gum on the bottom of your shoe, you can have your blog post be about how you're streamlining your marketing efforts and that you look forward to providing them with more dynamic and meaningful content.

Lest I sound like a 95 pound weakling who's used to getting sand kicked in her face, the concept of kindness in business is big business. A quick search on Amazon for books about "kindness" and "business" yielded nearly 50 titles, and I'm sure there are many more.

Bottom line is this: being nice pays.

Related articles

• Blog: Social Media engagement doesn't always have to be strategic (musingsfromsussex.com)
• Should You Unfriend A Dead Friend On Facebook? (allfacebook.com)
• 9 Surprising New Facts About Social Media in America (e1evation.com)
• Low productivity: Social networks or irresponsible employees? (zdnet.com)
• Can I just make them go away? (debsanswers.wordpress.com
• Unfriending for Fun and Sanity (joelcomm.com)

Sometimes My Life Feels Like a "Saturday Night Live" Skit

                                  Image via Wikipedia

Picture the scene. You're in the bathroom and your four year old opens the door (without knocking, of course). He's wearing nothing but camoflauge bikini briefs (his), white socks, and very high heels (yours).

Then, in a style reminiscent of Mondo Mango from "Saturday Night Live", he sashays in and picks up the plunger.

He says with the eerie calm of an evil dictator, "the next time you and Daddy are bad (holds plunger high), I'm going to use this (demonstrates best plunging move)."

"That's the RUE-ELLS! (rules)." Then, he turns and walks out.   

I Can't Keep Quiet Anymore

Full Disclosure: I am not a political pundit or trying to make a political statement.

I grew up in the 60s and 70s during a hippy dippy time of love, war, peace, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. My parents raised me and my little sister the same way millions of others raised their kids. With the belief that having and expressing your opinion was important, that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything, and that anything worth having (from the cute boy in class and great shoes to the dream house in the suburbs and amazing job prospects) was worth fighting for.

They (being the collective "millions of others") also taught us the importance of respecting and appreciating that not everyone has the same opinions or values, and that our God-given freedom to have them, is what made America the greatest country in the world.

They taught us that engaging in a lively debate with someone who had a different point of view was enlightening. And that, along the way, we might learn something that would expand our perception, perhaps improve our way of thinking, making us more tolerant, appreciative, and kind toward others. We were taught that these things would make us stronger as individuals, communities, and ultimately, a nation.

We were also taught a harsh reality of life: that not everyone believes these things. Not everyone teaches their kids to play nice. Not everyone with a differing point of view respects those who don't think like they do. We were told that they may even do or say some horrible things as a way to be heard, but we were reminded that, like us, they were entitled to their opinion (after all, that's what free speech is all about) and that, thankfully, they were in the minority.

I, along with millions of others, got to live in this fantasy world until 2008 when a man who felt that he had what it takes to really make a difference in so many lives stepped forward to become the President of the United States of America.

Those who didn't agree with his views were not happy. And, they exercised their God-given right to say so. But, then something happened. Suddenly, they chose to make it personal. They chose to make it about skin color and sexual orientation and religious beliefs. They chose to rant without offering constructive solutions and point fingers without holding themselves accountable. They chose to believe rhetoric and people, who when given a microphone and camera, wielded a lot of power (and the capability to inflict a lot of damage) without really saying anything of value. They chose to be unbending and inflexible in their support of the opposing leaders who were helping (and encouraging) their followers to fan the flames.

What breaks my heart about all this is not so much that the fantasy world I happily lived in for 47 years has come to a screeching halt, it's that many of the "they", the collective millions who grew up with the same values I did, are participating in, and contributing to (excuse my french, Mom) this bullshit.

When my fantasy world was still my reality, I could see (or try to) all sides of just about any issue that affected mainstream society. I peacefully co-existed with family, friends, co-workers, etc. who had a difference of opinion. "I like red because..." one would say. "Well, we're going to hell in a handbasket without blue because..." another would say. And, then we'd admit that we could see both sides of the issue, laugh, kiss, and make plans for lunch.

Today, the new reality is much less peaceful. It's downright ugly. News about a church protesting a funeral of a little girl has so many things wrong with it, not the least of which are the words "church", "protesting" and "funeral" in the same sentence.

No, the ugly part, the really, really vile part of this is not that such disrespect or hate exists. It's not even that the members of a  "church", who supposedly worship the same God I do (and whom I believe is the only God) could be doing something in the name of expressing their opinions that so flies in the face of what I've been taught God would want for His followers. It's a difference of opinion that, despite what I was taught, I cannot, and will not, under any circumstances, ever, ever respect.

No. The worst part about my fantasy world coming to an end is far more awful and stomach-turning than I could have ever imagined. It's the reality that enough people are buying into the rhetoric and willing to be led by these crazies waving a bright, shiny object that "they" are no longer the minority. "They" are mainstream.

Which means that chances are good that of all the people I've known, respected, loved, liked, worked with, lived with, grew up with and had lunch with during the past 50 years, some of them may actually believe this crap.

Thankfully, I have not engaged in too many political discussions with too many people, so I don't really know who might fall into this category.

And, I'd like to keep it that way.

My personal plea to anyone I know is that you never tell me which side you're on. Having a difference of opinion no longer has the appeal it did when I was growing up.

I'm Not Taking My Own Advice

I admit it. I am not good about taking my own advice. As the owner of a PR business for creative types and "kitchen table entrepreneurs", I extol the virtues of social media with my clients. From blogging and Facebook to LinkedIn and Internet radio, there are unlimited channels in which to unleash your passion.

But, you have to use them. Duh. If you have a blog, you have to update it. Not once every six months. Not when you feel like it, but often. Granted, you have to have something of value to say. No one wants to read nonsensical jibberish anymore than they want to listen to it, but the way to build a community of followers is to create and deliver high value content on a regular, consistent basis.

And, this is where I stopped taking my own advice.

In the past month, I have had two craft shows to get ready for, which always seems to result in many late nights despite my best efforts to be organized. My husband and I also finalized the adoption of our adorable little foster child, Justice, on National Adoption Day.

Two days later, we had a huge celebration at our house. Now, I have two more craft shows to get ready for, plus Christmas. My house still isn't decorated, I don't know what I'm serving for Christmas Eve dinner, and I haven't started my shopping yet. And, I haven't blogged in three weeks.

What puts me to shame, though, are all the amazing (and I do mean amazing) blogs of creative entrepreneurs who are moms to many more kids than me, who already have their decorations up, whose kids and homes look like pages out of a magazine, and who post a new craft project everyday and write about it. Check out Jellybean Junkyard, Little Pumpkin Grace, Today's Creative Blog and you'll see what I mean.

So, in the spirit of authenticity, I'm going to start taking my own advice. I'm not going for perfect and I'm not trying to be Supermom. I'm just striving to be consistent. And, that's something I think we can all be better at.

To Infinity and Beyond...

I consider myself pretty crafty. I watch HGTV and do the occasional craft show. So, when my four year old announced that he wanted to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween, I thought, No problem, I'll make it. I refused to fork over $40 for a costume he would wear once.

I have to admit I'm pretty proud of the results. And, when he said I was "the best Buzz Lightyear making Mommy ever," that made it all worth it.

It also made me think about the importance of having a vision and believing in it, no matter how impossible it may seem.

At CGI Communications, the internet video company where I do PR, we ran a contest called "My School's Cool"  for all the students in our County's school districts. The students each submitted an essay (written or video) that answered the question "My school's cool because"...

Each entry was different, yet captured the essence of what each student's school means to them

The winner will receive a 60 second video produced by our company along with an avatar for the school's website. The student will be able to write the script, star in the avatar, and shadow our production team during the entire process. It's an educational experience outside of the classroom that's invaluable for the student.

But, it was invaluable for me, too, because it reminded me that creativity knows no boundaries, and we have to unleash it to appreciate its true power.

To infinity and beyond!

I Wanna Be a Cover Girl!!

My parents tell me I was a beautiful baby. So beautiful that, apparently, I could have landed a modeling contract when I was two. And, been living a life of leisure, today, from all the money I made.

Yeah, right.

When I was 12, I landed a modeling gig for Sears. It paid $500 and I got to take the day off of school. I was told that it was for the catalogue the buyers used to choose which fashion lines would be carried in the stores the following season. It didn't sound very exciting, especially since no one would see it, but I got to miss school and pretend I was important, so I didn't care. (Several months later, during the holiday shopping season, my grandpa was in Sears picking out pajamas for my sister and I, and saw my face staring back at him from thousands of packages of PJ's.) That was my funny 15 seconds of fame.

I've never had a burning desire to be a model. Not really. Well, maybe a little.

I possess zero of the qualities required of models. I'm short. I'm not a size 2. Nothing fits me without needing drastic alterations. I have a bump on my nose and a scar on my forehead from the many times I flipped over the handlebars on my bike or ran through a plate glass door.

The only thing I really had going for me was that I was blessed with good skin. That, and I'm told I look younger than my 49 years. Apparently a lot younger. Up until a year or so ago, when they made it a law to ask for ID on everyone (even if there was no doubt you were over 21), I was still getting carded.

A. Cameron, a local salon and spa in Rochester, is having a contest to find the next face for its marketing campaign. The prize is a year of free salon services. I submitted an entry.

As a frazzled mom to a busy four-year-old who is lucky when she can take a shower in peace, I entered because I really want the salon services (and to be a pampered princess for a year and not feel guilty.)

But, as I get ready to turn 50, a teeny tiny part of me wants that modeling contract I never got. With your vote, I might have a shot. Vote for me!