Practical Conversations

For the September, 2009 Social Media Breakfast NH (#smbnh) at the Manchester, NH Public Library I gave this talk about my rules for community.  I call it ‘Kev’s Rules for Community’.

I try to live these rules every day–whether I’m engaging online via twitter, blogs, or any other tools.  The rules are simple:

1. Be Real (don’t be a bot)
2. Address the Need (not just the explicit ones)
3. Be the Gatekeeper (never be the roadblock)

These rules are part of a project I’m working on to get the Dimdim support team on Twitter, directly engaging with customers.  My goal was to go beyond just teaching the tools.  Anyone can create a Twitter account and jump into the conversation.  I wanted to make sure we are consistent in our approach.

I personally have a hard time following rules if there are too many to remember.  What are your rules?  Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@kevinmic)

-k

[Special thanks to Matt Turner (@onmatt, www.onmatt.com) for helping to pull all the examples together for this talk, and Leslie Poston (@geechee_girl, www.uptownuncorked.com) for the opportunity to speak.  I do so love to talk.]

‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said, very gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’ – The King, Alice In Wonderland

If only.  Unfortunately, most things in life are not that simple, including social media and online conversations.  There are so many possibilities.

Let’s start at the beginning with some basics.  I recommend these two videos to get a quick understanding:

Social Media in Plain English, from Common Craft

Social Networking in Plain English, from Common Craft

If you’re ready, now dig into these:

• Blogs in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Podcasting in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Twitter in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Wikis in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Online Photo Sharing in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Social Bookmarking in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• RSS in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Trackback in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• Google Reader in Plain English, from Common Craft (video)
• LinkedIn, from Common Craft (video)
• Categorizing Social Media, from MarketingProfs

More to follow soon.  If you are engaging in online conversations and have a system that works, please let me know, I’d like to interview you.

-k