Last week an acquaintance asked me for social media tips. I’m not entirely sure why, but I guess I’ve got a little bit of a following locally and people are interested in that kind of thing.
I in no way consider myself to be a social media influencer. I don’t even really know what that is. I don’t believe in Social Media as being something that someone can be influential in. I don’t believe that the internet is something someone can be influential in.
What I do believe is that people can have intelligent conversation about topics they care about. I think that people that are passionate about what they do will generally gain some sort of following through simply talking about the things they want to talk about anyways. The world is like a giant venn diagram of interests – there’s always going to be a certain person or people who cross over with you in more ways than one.
The only tip I can ever come up with to capitalize on marketing your own interests, is to simply be nice to people. If people interact with you, interact with them back. Don’t be rude. Try not to be excessively cynical. Be nice to people.
That is the only tip I can come up with. I truly believe in it too, in terms of life. Social media and the internet are mediums, nothing more. Being a good human being, or a company ran by outwardly good human beings, is a really great idea.
Have a nice day and be nice to people during it. You’ll be surprised with the results.
Well-put! These days, there are too many examples of trolls and unnecessary hate on the internet, and not enough positive reinforcement that it can be a tool for good. I believe that we can make this change, but it requires a smack-in-the-face wake-up call for some, like the Steve Butts letter on IGN. I, for one, advocate the discussion of different perspectives and principles, but only when done in a constructive manner. The fact that Marie-Louise Parker from WEEDS said publicly that she wants to quit acting due to the negativity the internet has thrown her way is terribly disconcerting, and a perfect example of how and why we need to work as a whole to be better people and foster positivity. I will be forwarding this to many of my friends and colleagues, if you wouldn’t mind. In closing…BEYOND!
-Joe
Thanks Joe,
IGN has been doing a great job dealing with rude comments lately. I think they’ll be able to really increase their readership through it. Beyond!
Hey, nice blog. One thing… Could you tell me why you “don’t believe in Social Media as being something that someone can be influential in. I don’t believe that the internet is something someone can be influential in.”
Just curious.
Regan
As I say, social media is a medium.
A painter is not influential in paint, they’re influential through the art they create. Their techniques can be inspiring, and we can learn through them, but they shouldn’t be a guideline necessarily.
Social media is a way of talking to people. Our words and our actions are influential, and they’re documented – whether by us or through others, through social media. If I were to write about someone in a letter – the paper I used wouldn’t be the influential part.
PS. Thanks for reading, Regan.