Social Honeycomb

Happiness

Everyone has bad days. Days when you question yourself and you feel like you just suck at life. I know I’ve been spending a lot of time blogging about communities on Twitter lately, but I have another example of this network coming together with kind words. I recently had an unhappy day and reached out to my community on Twitter, asking for inspiration and ideas about how to “happify” myself.

Susan Reynolds saw my happiness thread a couple weeks ago and requested that I write a post about the suggestions people had for me on how to feel happier each day. Here are my favorite responses:

@shonnoll says exercise

@thattalldude says listen to happy music

@mindchaotica and @linkedmn say to remember that things could always be worse

@cambeck says to become Joseph Jaffe

@iAlbert says to take a walk and be around nature

@geoffliving says happiness is an inside, spiritual job that external things can’t determine

@vanhoosear says learn to accept and let go

@podcastmama says to be kind to yourself, allow yourself to change your mind and get enough rest

@Paisano says to help people every day, engage in random acts of kindness and take naps

@jackvinson says to make a gratitude list

Building relationships and cultivating communities is central to our jobs as PR professionals and social media evangelists, and sometimes we get to see the strength of these social groups in ways that truly show how meaningful this stuff can be. Being a real person is SO important on the social Web. Asking, helping, advising, suggesting, being there for others. For me, I’m finding that being real and being happy go hand in hand.

If you have any suggestions of how to be happier, please post them in the comments section. Maybe we’ll all find some new ways to feel happier day-to-day.

Facebook Chat is Here, Ridiculous

Facebook‘s chat feature launched today. In my opinion, we all have PLENTY of chat and conversation options separate from Facebook and this new feature is just redundant. I already have AIM/iChat, GChat/GTalk, ooVoo, Skype, Twitter and SMS that enable me to have real-time conversations with my friends. Facebook was never about that for me. It’s a place to store and share information–including the contact information I choose to display for the conversation-enablers mentioned above. I won’t say that I’ll never use this new Facebook chat feature, but I maintain that it’s ridiculous and unnecessary.

Below is my reaction. What’s yours?

Social Aggregators: FriendFeed vs. Socialthing!

When I explain FriendFeed and Socialthing! to my non-social media friends, they think the general idea is pretty cool. A place where you can aggregate the updates from your favorite social communities? Very nice. Borat style.

I recently got a Socialthing! invite from modern journalist and friend Brad King and signed up for FriendFeed at the same time. I’ve been using these two services side by side to see what I think and get a flavor for what the buzz is about. Although the case can be made that each service is bringing users a unique solution, so far I’ve been using them the same way.

Initial feelings: I like the Socialthing! UI much better than the look and feel of FriendFeed. The Lifestream thing is working for me. However, I have a lot more social networks aggregating in FriendFeed, making it much fuller as a one-stop shop for checking in on what my friends are up to. I don’t think I’d choose one over the other at this point. The thing is, I’m not sure that I even like mixing up all my networks in one place, even though social aggregators are so hot right now.

There’s something familiar and comfortable about going to each distinct site to find that separate content. I know what to expect from each different network and they’ve all become like favorite hangout spots for me. These social communities are not just about contributing and absorbing the content my friends are creating, but about the experience of going to a comfy, cozy place I’ve come to enjoy.

Do you find tools like FriendFeed and Socialthing! to be useful for you? How do you use these services?

Twitter: Get Well Cards 2.0

So, I spent last night in the hospital, where I found out I have a UTI (don’t get any ideas, it isn’t from what you’re thinking) and a kidney infection in my left kidney.

When I tweeted this last night, I had no idea I would receive such an outpouring of kindness, concern and get-well wishes from my friends and followers. Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing your messages made me feel almost as good as the Percocet did. Really, it was heartwarming. There is no way I could ever properly thank you all.

Last night and today, Twitter was my mailbag of get well cards, minus the cheesy artwork and envelopes. And the best part about these “cards” is that they’ll never get lost or thrown out. I was really blown away by how many people reached out just to say they were thinking of me. Below is just a smattering of goodness (edited together very poorly) from some of the wonderful, caring people in my Twitter network:

To everyone who tweeted and sent DMs, you helped me so much when I was feeling terrible. I can’t thank you enough: @skalik, @caseysoftware, @britrock, @pamelump, @dmitrigunn, @jdeverter, @nathansnell, @whojaybe, @rondean, @beckymccray, @ariedana, @taxman45, @etesla, @bruno1378, @jentaro, @jpostman, @cechastain, @conniereece, @susanreynolds, @profr, @timcoyne, @davedelaney, @theburbblog, @dougmeacham, @nazgul, @lisaa123, @ikitty, @tibbon, @alexa, @sbspalding, @jackhodgson, @bigtc, @mattjmcd, @sarahwurrey, @robertcollins, @ialbert, @podcastmama, @vanhoosear, @repcor, @albertmaruggi, @jyarmis, @techpickles, @mobasoft, @bpolensky, @dartagnan373, @disruptive, @strutting, @amyyen, @gregverdino, @hooeyspewer, @travis9to5, @cspenn, @jaffejuice, @uberrob, @jayberkowitz, @chelpixie, @spiver and @tdefren.

Social Media Vocab: Friend

The word “friend” is thrown around a lot in the socnet space. What is interesting to me is that the new definitions sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are creating seem to be spilling over into everyday life (yes, outside of social networks). Variations like “de-friend” “friend me!” and “friend request” aren’t just buzzwords on social sites–I hear them spoken aloud all the time. It’s strange. I mean, since when do you meet someone and formally request her friendship? It’s not like a proposal or something. Oh yeah, before you request my friendship, maybe you should ask my dad for permission first… So, so weird. In my opinion, the definition of “friend” has undeniably and permanently changed.

Tonight I deleted 90 “friends” from my Facebook network. I was at 1,097 friends. In my opinion, that’s pretty absurd. I don’t have that many friends! A lot of the people in my Facebook network are acquaintances, friends of friends, classmates, teammates, colleagues, family members, exes… MOST of those 1,000-something people aren’t even my friends in the traditional sense of the word. But the meaning of the word “friend” has changed, so if we met once at a party or worked on a project in class sophomore year and are connected on Facebook, I guess we’re friends. Weird, huh?

Earlier this evening, I asked my Twitter network to define the word friend. Below is a screen shot of the results:

These are some pretty good definitions, I think. But I’m not sure what a friend REALLY is anymore–all I know is that the word “friend” has been distorted because of social networks and it is often used in ways that do not reflect what we all grew up believing friendship to mean. It’s not a bad thing, necessarily–just different meanings for an old word.

Are we friends?

Now it’s your turn to take a stab at it. Give me your definition.

Boston Tweetups + Security Conferences = Fun

Last night I had the pleasure of attending another Tweetup here in Beantown. Ah, I love me a good Tweetup. The night, which started at Fajitas & Ritas and led us to FELT and Good Life’s Vodka Bar, was full of great conversation, new friends and footage captured on Alexa Scordato‘s MacBook Pro (coming soon).

There’s something about the people who use Twitter that inspires a fun, electric energy at meetup events. It seems there’s never a dull moment, and I always end up learning new things. At this particular Tweetup, I met Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter), Raffael Marty (@zrlram), Dmitri Gunn (@dmitrigunn), Adam and Sophy O’Donnell, Kee Hinckley and a bunch of other movers and shakers in the security industry who were in town for the SOURCE Boston conference.

Topics of conversation ranged from security compliance standards (how cool is it that I got to bring up SOX and PCI outside of work?!), to what, if anything, can or should be done to correct malicious online behavior among teens and college students, to glitter MySpace layouts, to Danny, the door guy at Good Life, being a seriously cool dude.

Thank you to Bryan Person and Joe C for being cool cats and making the night awesome.

Next weekend–get ready.

Greg Verdino Shares Seana Mulcahy’s Musings on “Brand Loozrs”

I think Seana succinctly gets to the heart of a widespread issue that marketers and PR people are facing right now. It truly is not enough to use a tool just because it’s available and people are saying it’s the next big thing. Put the tool in the context of your brand, find out why it can work and make it work for you in a meaningful way. Thanks to Seana for a great post and to Greg for sharing her gems.

clipped from gregverdino.typepad.com In her Online Spin for this week, Seana Mulcahy writes:“Social media marketing is not just throwing up a page on MySpace, Facebook or any other social media site for that matter. You’ve seen some of the biggest U.S. agencies do that for their clients over the past year or so. These folks have patted themselves on the back for being trailblazers. Newsflash: That is not trailblazing, that is ignorant. I could go on and on. However, the bottom line is, look at the ethnographics of such audiences. Consider their life styles and how they use technology. Watch and learn. Don’t just hop over the fence of a walled garden with a sign saying you have 500 friends.” Truer words were never spoken.

Sociological Public Relations

There are tons of social networks on the Web. Tons.

As a PR practitioner, I can look at these various networks as resources and brand conversation opportunities. Full of people who are connecting for a purpose and open to meeting like-minded or interested individuals who understand why they’re there in the first place.

As a (structural functionalist) sociological thinker, I can look at social networks as nebulous, fragmented subgroups integrating themselves into the societal population on the Web in meaningful ways. It’s the idea of organic holism–each network is a functional organ in the overall body of the social Web.

If we combine these two ideas, I think we get something really powerful. Function, connectedness, purpose, opportunity. The more we understand and live up to the social, human aspects of public relations on the Web, the bigger and better our opportunities will become.

A noun is a person, place, thing or idea, right?

Public relations, n.

Which is it? 

We Were Born Between 1978 and 1988. Oh, and We’re Bloggers.

I recently joined the Ning community Twenty Something Bloggers. You may have noticed the little badges in my sidebar, proudly displaying that I am in my 20s and a fan of that there blogosphere thang.

I think it’s important that young people not only spend time reading and consuming the content that our older blogging (podcasting, vlogging, etc.) mentors are creating, but that we make sure to look around and see what our twenty-something counterparts are producing as well. NOTE: for the sake of clarity, the word “older” in the previous sentence simply refers to the state of being 30+ years old. This term should not be confused with the word “elderly” or any synonym thereof…

If you go to the site and browse the members, you’ll find that there are a lot of different interests and focus points within this community. One thing I love about blogging (cheesy as it is), is that we can all open each other’s eyes to new perspectives and ideas. I mean, I’m hearing music I never would have known about, reading about things I would never say publicly, feeling connected with people I never knew existed–blows my mind sometimes. I’m really looking forward to making new friends in this space and getting an inside look at what my peers are passionate about. We’re all becoming adults and truly finding our voices together, which makes for a very sexy place.

Join us?

Social Media Vocab: Engagement

Two of my dear friends just got engaged. When I heard the news, I was so excited for them, but also incredulous at the thought of being in the age bracket where your friends begin to mate for life. Their engagement came when I was without a computer, so it got me thinking about what it means to be engaged and about engagement itself as a word and a concept.

Engagement is an obvious social media and mar-com buzzword, but its meaning takes on different forms and meanings for different people. To my friend Jenna, engagement means a diamond ring on her finger and an outdoor wedding in the summer of 2009. To me it means a potent give-and-take in social conversation and brand awareness… Until now, I had never really stepped back and thought about how many ways this word is used.

Exhibit A: The American Heritage Dictionary’s list of definitions for “engagement.”

en·gage·ment (en-gaj’ment) n.

1. The act of engaging or the state of being engaged.
2. Betrothal.
3. Something that serves to engage; a pledge.
4. A promise or agreement to be at a particular place at a particular time.
5. Employment, especially for a specified time.
6. A specific, often limited, period of employment.
7. A hostile encounter; a battle.
8. The condition of being in gear.

Some of these definitions are really interesting to me. It is so strange that the same word can mean an intention to get married and a “hostile encounter.” But I suspect that some married (or divorced) people aren’t surprised that these two definitions are connected, haha. More than that though, the definitions that jump out to me are 3, 4 and 7.

I really like the idea of engagement being a pledge. I think in social media and public relations, this makes sense. Engagement is a two-way commitment. It isn’t enough to just pop into Twitter, say hello once a month and consider that meaningful participation in social conversation. By joining this conversation and by making this space part of your life, you are, in a way, making a pledge to be involved and active on the Web. It’s about feeling connected and giving others an opportunity for connection. We are making a choice to join the community on the Web, and when we choose to take ownership of our presence here, we really do make a pledge to engage with each other and with the technology we use. This relates to the No. 4 definition as well, in that by establishing ourselves here, we sort of promise to contribute on a regular basis and enhance the environment we are all constantly creating. Our agreement is to be active on the Web in our daily lives. Our pledge is to be engaging and to engage. (Diamonds sold separately.)

Since my old Dell laptop kicked the bucket right before Christmas, I spent more than a week without a computer to call my own. Consequently, I felt very disengaged. I wasn’t able to live up to the pledge I made in wanting to be engaged with my blog, my socnets and my social media pals. Now that I have my sleek, new MacBook Pro (w00t!), I’m back in the game of engagement. I haven’t had a chance to really catch up on all my blog reading yet, but I really liked the Resolutions post Jason Falls made on Social Media Explorer this week–really good advice on how to kick start or re-energize your engagement in 2008, plus you get the use of the word “tech-tard.”

So, I’ve been disengaged. My darling friends Jenna and Thomas got engaged. I’m about to begin my professional engagement at SHIFT. I’m looking forward to several social engagements coming up in the next few months. Oh yeah, and I’m getting in gear.

What does engagement mean to you and how are you engaging or being engaged?