Social Media

Shhhhh…Do You Hear That?

by Mike Vallez on November 4, 2009

Apparently there are still a lot of corporations that are very disconnected from their employees. The most disconnected corporations are those whose employees are their number one resource to generate revenue yet they don’t listen to them. The end result is a canoe going up a creek with holes in it and no one has a paddle, I think we all have heard that expression before. But why is there such as disconnect? Complacency.

An environment exists where corporations are so fixated on generating revenue that they unwittingly overlook there finest resources, their people. They create great operational plans that in the board room make fiscal sense, but the human element is left out of most of their slick equations. I don’t have an MBA and frankly I don’t want one. I appreciate the folks who have worked hard to accomplish an MBA, but if we all had an MBA then no one would think like the employees the resources who generate revenue. Corporations that get it are communicating with their employees and actually listening to what the employees say. The “I get it” corporations are not complacent, they are fostering a sense of communication that exists in social media. A give and take communication environment that creates trust (see Chris Brogan) , which makes employees feel important, wanted, and happy.

As social media changes our culture people expect more honesty, trust, and respect in their communication with others. People are quick to cue in on less than honest communication or complacent communication that makes them feel unimportant. People are expecting honesty in the communication they receive from their employers. No, this is not where I play a few versus of Kum-bi-ya. The idea of an employer providing honesty in their communication with their employees is not science fiction. Take that a step further and show the employee that you are listening to them. That what they say is actually important and you will win that employee over. Jump up to the next level and implement an employee idea (only good ones) and you will score a huge morale victory with your employees.

Funny that people don’t want to feel like they have no say in the work place. People spend more time at work than they do at home, so it is only natural that they want to find value and importance from their employer while working. I don’t care how sucky or unimportant the job is you can still and listen to an employee. It just may so happen that the garbage man has an operational process improvement that will save money or the police officer on the beat has an “out of the box” idea to reduce crime. Maybe the employees that work at your corporation have the next great idea to help your company generate revenue from streams never considered. Maybe that sound corporations hear is their employees talking about these ideas, but because they are not listening there missing out.

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Why Honesty Is Coming Back Via Social Media

by Mike Vallez on October 26, 2009

So to prep for this blog post I decided to post a question on two of my Twitter accounts CrazyMikesapps asking “what is honesty.” I got only one question, but no answers. Is that surprising? Does honesty mean different things to different people? Probably. So not to get too morally righteous, but honesty to me is telling the truth. The truth would be reality, what really happened as opposed to what did not happen or made up excuses.

As I spend more time blogging, Tweeting, posting Facebook updates, I readily see that people do not want to communicate with someone who appears to be fake, dishonest, or a narcissist. One of the fundamental characteristics of social media is transparency, which one could equate to honesty. People want to share their life experiences, but they don’t want to share them with a 54 year old pervert who has a Facebook picture of a twenty year old girl and communicates as such. That is just plain creepy. So ask that person you are communicating with through social media some basic questions. Like what they like to do, what they like to eat, what year were they were born, etc, and do this quickly. If they provided weird answers, or they provide unreasonable delays in answering then maybe you should consider who you are communicating with. Consider they are not who they say they are.

When it comes to social media one who is dishonest can only hide for so long. Bloggers call it the way they see it and if a blogger provides wrong or discrepant information the pack tends to right itself. People unfollow, weirdos, or those who have proven to be untrusted. That is what I love about social media and the honesty that comes from this forum. Not to get political, but from Bill Clinton to George Bush there is this belief that lying is acceptable in a sense by people on both sides of the political spectrum, which is nonsense. Lying is never acceptable and I don’t try to foster some “greater than though” moral righteousness. I have lied and probably will lie again, but that is not the point. The point is a true sense of honesty is alive and kicking in social media websites where millions of people are having conversations.

Who would have thought that “social media” websites would be the catharsis for honesty, not me. Not to be naive, I realize there is plenty of dishonesty on the web, but if you pay attention you can ferret out the dishonest, but you must pay attention. People want honesty. They want truth, they want to feel like they are actually being told something that is not a fairy tale. Take 5 minutes and look at Mashable the social media website for case studies in social media success by corporations. The corporations that are winning at social media are those that are engaging their consumers with a funny little thing called “honesty.”

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What Does Transparency In Social Media Really Mean?

by Mike Vallez on September 24, 2009

As I navigate through the many different social media websites, blogs, microblogs and beyond the continued mantra of “transparency” is apparent. As a blogger and someone who consumes the internet approximately 12 hours a day I understand why it is so important to be “transparent” when interacting with others on the web. But, what does “transparency” really mean in social media?

Some would say “transparency” is the half naked picture of a woman or man’s Facebook profile picture along with enough details in that profile for the average serial killer to locate that person. I would say that scenario is a little to “transparent.” Some would say “transparency” is being honest when dealing with others on the web, this I would agree with. The sarcasm in the first example is heavy, but in reality there are plenty of individuals who are way too “transparent” on the web. But, again I ask you are there different meanings of “transparency” on the web?

Personally, I believe there are different degrees of “transparency” in social media. A blogger has to be ‘transparent” in his or her posts to gain trust with the reader. Anonymous bloggers on the other hand are the antithesis of “transparency” and frankly are more like bomb throwers than anything else. Corporations, businesses and anyone trying to convince others to buy their product on the web should either be “transparent” or get ready to become “transparent” by fending off accusations of “non-transparency”, which frankly can undermine their brand. Can the police or federal law enforcement dare to be “transparent?” Yes, they can and have to be to gain credibility with others on the web and in social media.

“Transparency” by police is no different than the average Joe or Jane, except in cases where “transparency” would undermine an ongoing investigation. Police have a great opportunity to build trust with their citizens through blogs run by police executives, communication officers, or street patrol officers. The interaction between the police and citizens in social media opens up the opportunity for relationships to be built and for a level of trust to be formed through “transparency.” What about the “hue” and “cry” of officer safety. Well Google your name and find out how much information is out there already on the web about you. Unfortunately, if someones heart is set on doing another serious harm a private investigator, hitman, etc can find you and I. That last sentence is not meant to be dramatic, but realistic.

Being “transparent” is a must in social media. This does not mean getting naked in your Facebook or MySpace profile. Rather it means being sincere and honest in your blog posts, Tweets, Facebook threads, etc. Be yourself, be sincere, don’t curse at others, use facts and professional discussion to prove your point, and if not agree to disagree. If you get caught with your pants down, being “transparent” means stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility, not shoving it off on others. This is my view of “transparency” it may not be yours, but if you are going to have discussion on the web and you lie get ready to get righted.

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Mike’s Blog: Social Media Today 09/20/09

by Mike Vallez on September 20, 2009

Some of today’s hottest social media stories and what not:

[Facebook 5] This is a very interesting article and one to watch. Basically, it is a legal proceeding determining if Facebooking messages on your own time is a private discussion. I hardly think this argument is going to fly since everything said on Facebook is open and recorded. Problem is I am not a judge, jury, or an attorney and these issues will be evolving in the future to determine the answer to the question posed.

[Obama Slips Off Record, Twitter Kicks In]This article from Social Media Law Student blog raises another very hot button issue and shows how “social media” spreads like wild fire. The article is about Kayne West’s poor behavior at the MTV VMA awards last week. President Obama was caught off camera, but recorded and overheard calling West a “jackass”, while true this is hardly something one would here the president say. A reporter did hear this, Tweeted about it and the match lit the gas. Yes, even after ABC asked reporter Moran to delete the Tweet it was too late. The post from the Social Media Law Student is rather long, but worth the read and definitely hang in there to the end where you can see a rather humorous fake Twitter feed, hilarious.

[Scott Monty, On Social Media Experts] Scott presents a very important question, “what makes a social media expert?”. Scott who I trust, presents his readers and now you with 6 very good social media books from tried and true social media experts. I picked up Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel to continue my search for the “social media grail”.

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Mikes Social Media Today: 09/06/09

by Mike Vallez on September 6, 2009

Mikes Social Media Today: 09/06/09 a montage of several links referencing social media, social media and law enforcement, and social media and law.

[audio:http://michaelvallez.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/09.mp3]

The Crime Report:This is Why Law Enforcement is Wary of Social Media

Cops2point0.com:Lauri Stevens: The Social Media Policy

Social Media Law Student.com: Online Privacy v. Defamation Law

ConnectedCOPS.net: Making the case for using social media tools in policing

Lawiscool.com: Heather Morrison of CNW Group on Social Media

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Marines Ban Social Media, But Can They!

by Mike Vallez on August 13, 2009

A little over a week ago the U.S. Marine Corp banned all social media, or as they call it “social networking sites” from the Marine Corp enterprise network. Marine Order Banning Social Networks Let me clarify what the Marine order constituting the ban gives as a “social network site” example: Twitter, MySpace and FaceBookNow. These are truly the powerhouse’s of social media and obviously the most commonly used amongst the general Marine population. This story to someone not involved in social media may be viewed as just another news story, but really this is much more. The ban by the U.S. Marine Corp of all “social networks” for one year is monumental challenge against our culture. I am not trying to get all “Kumbya” here, but let the Marine ban sink into your “Cerebellum” for a moment. If the Marine ban goes well, perhaps this action could be picked up by mainstream U.S. businesses and perhaps not. If U.S. businesses pickup the ban it will be interesting to watch how our culture changes. You would see a huge work around by individuals to continue their social media fix. On the other hand, perhaps this does not go well for the Marine administration and they suffer a morale setback, not sure if that is possible (Marines are damn tough). I sympathize with the Marines’ who will now be unable to communicate with family and friends through their work computers. How about those Marines that cannot afford a personal computer and are away from loved ones. How are they supposed to stay up to date with those loved ones? Is this going to be good for Marine morale, not likely. Working in the National Security Industry I am sensitive to the possibility of someone trying to obtain information from Marines’ through “social network sites.” But, is it possible that “classified” information is less likely to be lost this way than through traditional personal issues such as financial problems, drug problems, alcohol problems, etc. Personally, I don’t think even the U.S. Marine Corp can stop their Marines from being involved “in the conversation”. The social media revolution is here! The Marine administration can take the Marine enterprise network out of the social media, but the conversation will take place without the Marine’s being involved. Michael Vallez

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