Archive for online communication

Are you Jack-of-all-trades, master of none? Know your expertise!

Know Your Expertise and Stick to It. Don’t Be the “I do that too” guy!  ~ Lissa Duty

Don’t be a Jack-Of-All Trades: Know Your Expertise
In today’s economy it is very easy to be tempted to take on projects that are not your expertise to pay the bills. (And, yes, I have been there. Being a small business owner is not always easy.)

When you work, speak or write out of your realm of expertise no matter what the reason, it has an affect on you, your brand, your clients and even others.

Risks to Your Brand

  1. Brand messaging gets cloudy. What do you do again? 
  2. Strategic partners are no longer strategic partners. You are now their competitor
  3. Loss of respect from industry peers when you misspeak on your supposed expertise

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Stop Using Social Media as a Communication Crutch!

Do you use social media as a communication crutch? Are you saying things in 140 characters that you should NOT say at all? Have you said anything online or via email and wanted to hit the DELETE button immediately? Once you hit send, share or post it is too late in most cases.

I was inspired earlier today to write this post after several direct messages back and forth with a fellow social media professional/friend. All of us techies and social media junkies have become addicted to being casual about our communication.

We need to stop having conversations online via social media networking sites and email that should be done in person, or at least via telephone/Skype!

How many times have you sent a Direct Message (DM) on Twitter and realized it didn’t send as a DM, but instead to all of your followers? Now everyone that follows you could be reading it. Go in and DELETE it promptly and apologize PUBLICLY to the person you shouted the message to. (Twittiquette Tip: Remember, you sent in to the public, be prepared to admit your failure to the public!)

How often have you seen someone post something negative on Facebook that made you want to HIDE them from your News Feed or even UNFRIEND them? I know I see it all the time … I saw two updates just yesterday that made me cringe. You could be turning OFF your friends and followers with your negative tweets or Facebook status updates.

We have gotten comfortable about what we say to others online. We have learned to say it short and sweet (sometimes not-so-sweet). We have gotten so use to character limitations in our tweets and status updates that we even think in 140 characters. I feel like I am talking in 140 characters sometimes.

Ask yourself these questions before communicating online to others:

  1. Does the communication contain anything negative?
  2. Can what you have to say be misinterpreted?
  3. Can you say it unless than two sentences and the person understand what you are saying and feel good about your message?

If you have to consider the above when communicating trust me and make a phone call, have a Skype conversation or have a meeting in person instead! Perhaps, maybe you shouldn’t even say it at all. There are many times I will type something to vent and then hit DELETE immediately. (That is right guys …. you read that correctly – I get frustrated too. Did I run my perfect image you had of me? Hope not! LOL!)

Tips to good online communication:

  • Write it and take pause. Read it again before hitting send. (Then read it again afterwards.)
  • Type it in a Microsoft Word document first. This will also help with catching typos and grammar errors.
  • Preface the message with how you want to delicately discuss something and thought a email communication might be the best way to communicate effectively (for those that feel a phone conversation might make it even worse).
  • Get a neutral third party to read it and give honest feedback and critique!

I am definitely not a communication expert; my focus as you know is social media! These are just my ideas and strategies that have helped me along the way. Hey, you, communication experts please chime in and give us your expert opinion!

Now it’s your turn … Successful communication starts with all of us collaborating and sharing our secrets to success. Can’t wait to hear from you! Comment away!