Communicators Anonymous

Turning Over a New Leaf

Welcome to my new playground!

A year ago, I left my Federal Government job of eight years and accepted a position with Radian6. I was so excited about being free of the red tape of my former job. However, I learned very quickly from the clients Radian6 serves that it does not matter if an organization is government, small business, B2B vs. B2C…every organization faces the same basic challenges. And the majority of these organizations are trying to solve for the symptoms and not the root cause of concern.

I am turning over a new leaf and am excited to see what is on the other side. The inspiration behind my new blog, The Root Report, is from this quote:

“When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.” – Anthony j. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book

Collaboration is key to unlocking the strengths and weaknesses of any complex issues, so I will be inviting some very special people from within and outside the communications industry to discuss how we can stop hacking at the leaves and how to live the strategy.

When I published my first post in 2006, I never dreamed my path would lead me to where I am today. Through the Communicators Anonymous blog and other online channels I have met some brilliant minds. Along the way you have taught, challenged and inspired me to go above and beyond. Just think, four years ago, I was twenty-something with a chip on my shoulder and ready to conquer the world. Um, I think the world conquered me and has prepared me for the riches ahead. Sometimes you have to let go of being in control.

I have not been as fervent a writer on Communicators Anonymous in the past several months. I have had to re-discover my voice. While writing for Salute to Your Service, I was not in danger of repeating myself because I was writing about and discussing AAFES and the military family. At Radian6, I discuss the ins and outs of the communication/social media industry and struggled to find a dividing line between my voice on my personal blog and on the Radian6 publications.

There has been a burning desire to write about so much more. Get to the root of business issues. Even on Communicators Anonymous, I felt we did not have to reinvent the wheel, but discover and fix the cause of the problem, rather than finding a Band-Aid. When I first began Communicators Anonymous, it was with the mindset of getting back to the basics of the public relations industry.

Now, it is so much more. It is beyond tactical. It is beyond being pigeon-holed into a public relations position. It is about being a successful communicator who can work harmoniously inside and outside the organization. Putting theory into practice and living the strategy. We, as communicators, are in the prime position to have a seat in the C-suite, spur a culture change, drive long term relationships and be accountable for business goals.

Whether you have participated on the Communicators Anonymous blog or have just discovered The Root Report, I am happy to have you along for the ride. We are in this together!

Let’s get started shall we? Begin by subscribing to my new blog (if you have already subscribed to Communicators Anonymous, there is no need to re-subscribe) and the first post will be served up Wednesday.

Higher Ed Communication Evolution

Higher education is near and dear to my heart. Over the past three years, I have seen instructors, students and curriculum evolve to embrace new ideas and technology at an astounding rate. In every class taught, I have incorporated hands-on social media training. Sometimes the addition to the curriculum brought about backlash from fellow faculty members and complaining from students who feared the additional work. Yet, at the end of the semester my perseverance was rewarded with the smiles and work of students who overcame their fear of the unknown.

Much of how and what I taught about social media was discovered through trial and error and discussions with fellow instructors. This is why I applaud Jon Hussey of American University for taking the institution to new levels of communication and relationship building. However, after reading the interview between Jon and John Moore, I am concerned about those developing social media strategies in the highered space and their views regarding policies, CRM integration and ROI. And it is not just American University who is struggling to find their way, I recently sat down with a group of educators who wanted to embrace social media, but were encountering road blocks at every turn.

Go Beyond the Channels

Social media goals, objectives and strategies cannot be based on channels (such as Twitter and Facebook) exclusively or there will not be any longevity in your social media endeavors. Strategies will forever be contained to campaigns instead of invested programs if there are no measurable goals and objectives (aligned with overall business goals) in place prior to social media engagement. You have to know where you are going to obtain the results desired. What are you measuring? Why? Yes, do listen for and determine where your community is talking and creating so you can begin to engage in those locations, but do not limit your opportunities because of the channels.  

Embrace Policy

Did a shiver just run down your spine with the mention of a policy? Sharing best practices and conversing with fellow employees does not replace the structure needed when an organization enters social media. Having a social media policy in place is not to box in the participants, but to provide education and structure for how to engage online, and empower your workforce to operate within accepted and encouraged boundaries with the freedom to be themselves. Online interaction is 24/7. Your policy will need to address how the workforce is engaging online during work hours and when they are not at work. Your workforce is representing the organization every time they interact online, even if you have a single “official” voice or limited number of official online spokespeople.

Provide clear guidelines for engagement and disclosure, so that all employees can represent themselves and the company clearly and professionally. By allowing your workforce do what they do best and act as your representative, your organization can gain valuable social capital, credibility, and opportunity. Radian6 (my employer) has some great resources about how to develop a social media policy and engagement guidelines. Check it out and discover you no longer have to be afraid of policy.

Speak C-Suite Lingo

ROI is not about influence, but about talking the same lingo as executive management. It all comes down to dollars and cents. Tracking clickthroughs is superficial information unless you can map the navigation to actions such as downloading a whitepaper, requesting more information or purchasing a product/service. If you aren’t familiar with Olivier Blanchard, he knows a thing or two about how to properly calculate ROI. View his presentation on the Basics of Social Media ROI and go beyond HITS.

Organizations spend millions of dollars to implement CRM tools and processes. Ensure you understand how your social media tools and strategies mesh with back-end systems like CRM. Relationship building through Twitter is not CRM unless the data is being captured in the same profile as all other correspondence. What is CRM? According to DestinationCRM.com, “True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organization (and where appropriate, from outside the organization) to give one, holistic view of each customer in real time.” Remember, you want your social media strategies to become more than a campaign, but integrated into your programs…so learn to speak the language of those pulling the purse strings.

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Kudos to those universities that are diving into social media and transforming higher education. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Do what you do best…educate yourself on the ins and outs of social media and how it integrates into overall business practices and objectives. You will take your lumps, but keep on trudging after lessons learned.

Zany: Tap Into Your Curiosity

Lately, I have taken for granted our ability to tap into our curiosity, embrace our imagination and think beyond our current norms. In the doldrums of the Twitter feed, many are often sucked into the activities of content regurgitation and knee jerk assumptions. Discovery is buried deep within the retweets and status updates; golden nuggets are rare, that when found, it is unknown what we should do with it.

In a recent TED talk, James Cameron discusses how he tapped into his curiosity to create the blockbuster, Avatar. He delivered these pearls of wisdom:

1. Curiosity is the most powerful thing YOU own.
2. Imagination is a force that can actually manifest reality.
3. Respect (of your team) is more important than all the laurels in the world.

“Don’t put limitations on yourself; others will do that for you,” Cameron says.

Every great discovery originated with creative imagination sparked by curiosity. What is your great discovery? Here are some ways I keep my mind and imagination active…How do you tap into your curiosity? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

• Read some good children’s stories. I recommend C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia (read entire series, not just those books that have been made into a movie). Currently, I am reading and analyzing Alice and the Looking Glass for a blog post series on online etiquette/privacy/community.
• Embrace the natural talents bestowed upon you. Since I can remember, I have enjoyed writing…fiction, non-fiction-it did not matter as long as I had a pencil and notepad. To cultivate this talent, I start each morning with a writing exercise from A Writer’s Workbook by Caroline Sharp.
• Think visually. Perhaps the written word is weighing your down original thought? I am no David Armano, but I love to mix up my thought process with mind maps and drawing exercises.

Take ownership of your curiosity.

Failure Is An Option – Fear Is Not

The title of this post is courtesy of James Cameron’s closing words in a recent TED talk. Cameron is of the opinion that failure must be an option-contrary to the NASA slogan, “Failure is not an option.” I am of the same opinion. Failure is OK. It means there is room for intellectual growth. Fear of failure hinders our ability to broaden our mind and innovation. Unfortunately, in social media, “failure” is a term that has been thrown about way too casually.

When all else fails (pun intended), I turn to Yoda:

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Our collective fear of failure has turned the social media culture into an extremely negative bubble. Saying something has failed is the new equivalent to “whatever.” When we don’t take the time to learn from our mistakes or to understand the situation before jumping to conclusions, we label the situation/product/brand/company/person as a failure. There is no reflection or analysis; we move on to the next failure/dead meme. Poof! Our fear of failure is causing original thought to become stagnate and our relationships and businesses are suffering.

Failure does not mean we have done something wrong. No, we have done something right by taking a chance and seeking out alternative solutions as new opportunities for growth. We need to foster a culture to make mistakes-not to fail faster, but to fail at the right time.

How can we embrace failure and help end this vicious cycle?

1.  Experiment: Lessons learned are the results of failures. Our lives are one big experiment. Just think, with this frame of mind, the possibilities of discovery are endless! Ask questions. Go beyond your comfort zone. If we allow our Ego to think we have figured this thing called life out, we are doomed…personally and professionally.
2. Reach: If we never reach for the stars, we will never know our true abilities. Fear limits our opportunity to take risks. You never know you will not succeed unless you try.
3. Strengthen: What did your parents always tell you? When you fall, get back up, dust yourself off and try again. Let that childhood lesson remain true into adulthood and in professional situations. Failure builds our character after we have fallen, been humbled and rise back from the ashes.
4. Embrace: Failure is inventible. Write down your mistakes and failures. Look at your failure as a problem to be solved and break the issue into components that you can analyze and brainstorm additional paths to success. Change your thought process to be solution oriented.
5. Inspire: Celebrate your failures and use this as an opportunity to make yourself, others and your industry better. Share your stories. Be open about what worked and did not. Accept feedback and ideas other than your own. This is true transparency.

By no means am I an optimist. Those of you closest to me or who have read this blog long enough, know I tend to look at the glass half empty. Despite this, I don’t want to live a life full of regret. Fear of failure will result in a drab existence if we allow this cycle of hate to consume us. Becoming more comfortable with failure builds a tougher skin, boosts courage and gives us the strength we need to pursue and achieve success. Don’t you think triumph is a bit sweeter after we have tasted and overcome the bitterness of failure?

So, before you label something with #failure or proclaim something dead, take a second look. Perhaps what has failed is your ability to see the bigger picture.

Food Network: Do Not Let Community Control Leave a Bad Taste In Your Mouth

Guess what? I still read print magazines. (GASP-the horror!) One of the few magazines I still subscribe to is Food Network Magazine. Every month, I look forward to this colorful magazine (actually a closet foodie that does not have one domestic bone in my body) because of the exotic recipes and tidbits …not social media advice.

In the April 2010 edition, the Ask Ted column takes on restaurants and bloggers. The Ask Ted question specifically is, “If I don’t like a restaurant meal, should I blog about it?” I applaud FNM for tackling this question and that Ted Allen addresses this social media truth, “Chefs have to confront the reality that anyone can publish withering report cards-instantly, even in the middle of a meal.” However, the column takes a turn for the worst when Allen outlines new-media foodie “rules” of engagement before publishing a review.

The advice given by Allen is actually a set of guidelines…not to be confused with rules. As an interesting side note, in small print at the end of the column and beneath the call-out for questions for Ted is this: Check out the Food Blog Code of Ethics at http://foodethics.wordpress.com/.  Nowhere in the body of text is this source mentioned. This source is a wealth of knowledge and brainy tidbits for the burgeoning social media foodie critic. But once again, this source outlines suggestions, not rules.

There are no rules. Social media is fair game for all to participate at any time and on any subject. Perhaps it is a matter of semantics, but the wording of “rules” scares me into thinking the chefs/restaurants can control the conversation and the magazine can manipulate the actions of the readers because most are ignorant about their online activities. Rather than position this advice as definitive, Internet publishing responsibility and suggestions for how to be a better amateur food critic should have been communicated.

Food Network Magazine, take a virtual page from the Nestle Facebook Fan Page and note that you cannot control the community voice. Embrace the engagement. Use the chatter to highlight evangelists and right the wrongs of those who are disgruntled.