Social Media Frustration: What Makes You Say @#*%?

Have you ever attended an event that was clearly over capacity? The bar was under-serviced and over-populated. The room was too packed to move through or identify anyone. The food service trays were empty and cold.

Let’s be real, social media can feel like a party that wasn’t planned too well more times than not. It makes you want to reenact the scene in Office Space where the office employees destroy the infamous printer they could never get to work. What frustrates you the most? read more »

Social Media Hoarders

This a Public Service Announcement:  Attention, you or someone you know may be suffering from social media hoarding.

Warning Signs Include:
1.    You follow and friend people only with the expectation that they will follow you back.
2.    You waste productive time counting followers and friends.
3.    #You #hashtag #everything  #!!!!!
4.    You have no idea who is in your social media networks.
5.    You talk all the time, but have no idea who is listening.
6.    The thought of trying to organize your efforts by connecting them to real goals is overwhelming.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: You are My Biggest Influencer of Them All

Three years ago, I created my first twitter account @lovemorenow. I understood from the minute I was exposed to social media tools how to use them successfully and how they would revolutionize the way we communicate and do business. I was inspired to learn and share. Somewhere between month three and month six of using twitter, I found myself taken in by the social media current. I was getting obsessed with online interaction; watching, participating and predicting outcomes. I took a break from tweeting when I realized my obsession. My break lasted for a little over a week. When I came back one of the first @replys I received was from someone telling me my tweet statistics have slipped significantly. I replied, “That’s funny because my life stats have significantly improved.” read more »

My New Year’s Resolution: RIP LOL

A couple of days ago I caught myself saying, “LOL,” to a friend in a conversation over lunch. Texting LOL is bad enough but saying it out loud is just ridiculous. LOL is the most overused “conversation cop-out.” You might as well initiate each LOL with, “I can’t be bothered to take the time to communicate with you.” Ha, Ha, Ha, LOL. read more »

Want to Get to Know your Neighbors? Consider Sleeping Around

Growing up, I lived in the kind of neighborhood in Michigan where everyone looked forward to snow days. On these days, after the dads in the neighborhood would finish plowing their driveways and sidewalks, my dad would be putting snow chains on the riding lawn mower for a different reason. All the neighborhood kids would bring their sleds over to hook up to each other while my dad pulled us around the neighborhood doing dramatic fishtails at every corner. I knew everyone on my street. On the other six streets in the neighborhood I knew at least two or three families on each street. read more »

Socially ILL

My Confession
In the fall of last year, I tried to combine advocating awareness to a social epidemic that I am passionate about with my actual consulting work. At the heart of both is a promotion of relationship building and social awareness. So in a tongue in cheek way meant to inspire conversation, I named the joint project/business SocialBling. Considering how our culture only seems to want to talk about material things (bling) I thought I would promote relationships as an over-indulgent luxury. Everyone told me it was ridiculous ambitious. They were right, but I don’t have a fear of being wrong so it did not matter. The only thing I truly fear is being alone and I did not feel like I was doing anything that was promoting that fear so I pressed on. After all, how could someone that promotes the value of relationships as an essential element of well-being and success; who loves meeting people, helping people meet others and who loves to entertain ever end up feeling isolated? Now reading through that list I know exactly how. It is a simple equation of inclusion vs. exclusion. read more »