Practical Social Media Part 3 of 3

Here is Part 1 and Part 2 if you are joining late.

In my last two posts, I mentioned doing part of a presentation on social media for Siemens. One of the slides I presented (above) was a typical work day.  My day is not that scheduled but this could easily be  a real day for me. You can see how social media (red) is woven through my day.

I also gave a list of some practical things that have helped me be more efficient (updated a bit to keep up with the times).

• Don’t make social media a task.  Make it something you do between tasks and avoid creating new interruptions.


• Use social media apps (e.g. Tweetdeck or similar for Twitter, Facebook app for your smart phone) for quick direct access.


• Create single click links to your social media sites.  Clicking and checking can be done in less than 30 seconds.


• For CAD productivity, the biggest bang for the buck you can get is by adding a second monitor and I’m willing to bet it is the same for social media. Park your social media apps next to outlook and leave behind inefficient iconifingand window cycling.


• Make use of unused snippets of time like while waiting in line, at the doctors office, half time at the football game, while doing an FEA solve, etc.


• Too busy for Twitter?  Check out apps like Twinbox that let you use use twitter from Outlook. At the minimum have your DM’s and mentions show up in Outlook. (thanks to John Chowner for this tip)


• It’s a mole hill, not a mountain. Don’t think you need to do it all and follow it all.  Just because you heard a good idea by the coffee pot doesn’t mean you should put your desk there (however, do try to check in once a day)


• •IMHO The first 30 minutes you spend in social media is valuable.  The second 30 minutes is less valuable, the third is even less valuable. Know when your time is better spent elsewhere.


• Leverage what you know and what you are interested in. Facebook is easier if your kids (or parents!) are already there.


• Don’t talk about what you don’t know.  Don’t pick fights.  Don’t be defensive.


• Be helpful.

Finally, I’ll wrap up with some final thought that came from the latest “What the f**k is social media” slide share presentation.

1. Listen


2. Engage


3. Be Real


4. Be Respectful


5. Have Fun

In my opinion, too many people in business forget some of these(and yes, having fun is important).