Did you REALLY want to share that?

I admit it. My filter is broken. Sometimes I… well… I overshare.

Lucky for me, the business of social media is literally built on the concept of sharing. But this doesn’t mean that everyone wants to hear everything that you have to say.

On a personal level, I know that I’ve seen some people (Fine… I won’t mention specific friends’ names here) share things that make even their closest friend shudder for a second.

So it’s no surprise that many of my business clients struggle with the questions “What do I have to say?” and “Why would anyone care?”

In a world where people share photos of their meals (WHY?) and vague passive-aggressive updates (Seriously… WHY?), it can be hard to find the balance and still share your voice.

For those who primarily use social media personally, what sharing trends do you wish would just go away?

For those who primarily use social media for business purposes, what obstacles related to sharing sometimes keep you from posting consistent updates?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW and YOUR feedback just might be the focus for next week’s blog!

Need to Smile? THIS is EVERYTHING!

While the Wednesday workday is coming to an end, some of you still may need that extra little push to get through the rest of Hump Day. Lucky for you, I”ve got exactly what you need!

Photo Credit: Kevin McNair Photography

Meet seven-year old Charlotte Masi, part of the children’s ensemble from the Bridgeport Theatre Company‘s production of The Wedding Singer. Charlotte is always entertaining on stage, but check out what happens off stage when she shows us how to rock out to “Linda’s Note” from The Wedding Singer in the video below!

ENJOY!

 

 

SURPRISE!
It’s a WEDDING This Weekend!

That’s right… a WEDDING!

Oh calm down. It’s not MY wedding. But it IS a wedding that you are all invited to, and one that you won’t want to miss!

Let me backtrack and say that I owe you all an explanation for where I’ve been lately. A few months ago, I got involved with the Bridgeport Theatre Company when I joined the team for their production of the hit musical, THE WEDDING SINGER.  I initially joined the team as Associate Producer, and along the way I also became a part of the cast in the ensemble with a couple of small character roles. I have to tell you that I am having the time of my life! It’s been nearly 20 years since I have performed on stage, and every night with this cast performing a high-energy show set in the 80’s is a dream come true!

Any of you who have been involved with theater will know that there is a lot that has to happen to take a show from rehearsals to performance, so yeah… that’s where I’ve been.

Anyhow – this weekend is our closing weekend, and I’d LOVE to see you there in the audience! Only 4 performances are left – Friday, June 7th at 8:00PM, Saturday, June 8th at 5:00PM & 8:30PM, and Sunday, June 9th at 2:00PM.

It’s a lot of fun… you can bring your own food, wine, beer, etc. and set up a picnic at your table while enjoying the show. And if you come to the Saturday evening performance, be sure to dress in your best 80’s look as there will be an audience costume contest!

The audiences have loved this show, so you won’t want to miss it! Get your tickets now by clicking HERE!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Are You Choosing To Be Negative?

(Artwork by Randy Bish)

You may have noticed that I often start my day online with a positive, motivational quote.

So what does that have to do with social media? Why post quotes if they’re not directly about social media?

Well, the first (and far less important) answer to that question is a business who ONLY posts about their business shows no personality, and that frankly becomes boring!

But the REAL answer is this:

I want to do whatever I can to bring some positivity to this world each and every day!

That’s it. That’s the answer.

The horrible tragedy this week at the Boston marathon was a sobering reminder of the evil that exists in the world. And the violence continued throughout the night last night and early this morning with more explosions, gunfire, and the fatal shooting of an MIT police officer.

Throughout this week, both the news media and social media have been flooded with bloody images and heartbreaking stories. And though the news this week has been especially brutal, there is always negativity out there. It may be in the form of another news story, online bullying, or even something as simple as a friend with chronically negative status updates and tweets.

With so much out there, it’s easy to fall into this trap. But remember – for every one shooter, there are hundreds of heroes. For every bully, there are multitudes of friends. And though we will all have our bad days, there will always be people surrounding us to make it better.

So each morning, I make the choice to do my small part by posting one positive and motivational quote on my social media profiles. It may be the tiniest gesture, but I truly believe we all have a responsibility to make this world a better place, and this is one simple way I can do just that.

So… let’s make a change! What actions can YOU take today to spread positivity?

SOUND OFF in the comments below!

 

Facebook is CHARGING! Membership Packages Introduced.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog! Mondays are always SO busy (especially Mondays after a holiday weekend), so I wanted to take a moment just to thank you for stopping by.

Especially on a Monday.

April 1st.

Some call it April Fools Day.

(See where I”m going with this?)

So PLEASE tell me that you didn’t believe the headline that Facebook is charging?

(You didn’t believe me, right?)

Good. Because that is one of the oldest online hoaxes out there!

But there are some great new April Fools pranks out there online today. Here are some of my faves:

Google Nose

 

YouTube is shutting down!

 

Twitter

 

So… did YOU fall for any of these?

What other April Fools pranks have you loved today?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

 

 

Social Media Gets Offensive!

Let’s be honest. We all have friends on Facebook that might get a little bit… well, out of control in one way or another, right?

Seriously. You”re thinking of at least one or two of your Facebook friends right now.

In my last blog, I shared my list of 5 Things NOT to do on Facebook. So it’s no surprise how much I LOVE these Social Media Citations that I purchased from my friends at Mirth In A Box. (If you love these like I do, get your own here!)

 

So… Which of these offenses are you guilty of?

Which one is your biggest pet peeve with your friends?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

 

 

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart! (5 Things NOT to do on Facebook)


HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, EVERYONE!

Whether you are celebrating today with flowers, chocolates, and dinner, OR if you are cursing Cupid, Hallmark, and the entire production, I want to share with you how NOT to break my heart online.

 

Here are my TOP 5 THINGS NOT TO DO ON FACEBOOK:

 

 

5. Habitually click like on “LIKE THIS IF YOU / IGNORE THIS IF YOU” pics.
You know what I’m talking about, right? Those pictures or status updates that say things such as “Like this if you hate cancer. Ignore this if you love cancer”, etc.

Seriously??? Why would someone post this? Desperation? Need for attention and “likes” on their profile or page? In any case, please don’t feed into this. It”s OK to keep scrolling past these updates. No one will judge you. In fact, they”ll probably thank you.


4. Copy/Paste status updates that say things like “Repost this. 99% of my friends won’t do this”.
This is another one that really grinds my gears. It doesn”t matter how beautiful or important the status update may have been until that point, because when I see “99% of my friends won’t do this”, my response is “You’re right!”

Don”t stoop to guilting people into sharing your post. Focus on creating interesting and engaging content (whether for business or personal), and if it’s good, people will share it… without the guilt trip!


3. Share a large number of photos of wounded and abused animals.
I love you, Sarah McLachlan and I support your cause (and other causes with the same mission), but STOP IT! Shock Marketing does work sometimes, but too much is too much.

Admit it. When you”re watching TV and those commercials come on, you dive for the remote control and change the station, right? So why would you post those photos on Facebook? I understand that this is a very important cause, but who wants to log in to Facebook to find their News Feed full of injured puppies? You don’t have to shock to convey a message.


2. Post non-stop pics of your food
We all know someone like this… they post photos of their meals almost every day.

Do you do this? You do? Really?

Come here.

No. Closer.

Closer still. I need to tell you something…

STOP IT!

Posting a photo of a really special meal or something from a new restaurant from time to time is OK, but every day? Why?

Unless you are a chef or a nutritionist like my friend Lisa, then please… Please stop it!

 

And the top way to break my heart on Facebook…

1. Share conspiracy theories and spam without checking Snopes.com first.
“There’s a new virus!”
“OMG! They’re giving away free iPads!”
“Facebook is going to make us PAY!”

AAAAAARGH!!!

Here’s my rule. If it sounds fishy, then it probably is. So before you give in to the adrenaline and click SHARE, take a second to copy the status update with these claims and paste it into the search bar over on Snopes.com.

Snopes is a website that researches and reports on urban legends, internet hoaxes, rumors, email forwards, etc. If Snopes says it is true, then fine… share away! But if it’s false info, break the cycle and do not share lies with your friends or fans! We are all responsible for our words and actions online, so do the right thing and briefly check the content for accuracy before passing it on to others.


So there it is…

How about you? What breaks your heart on Facebook?

Sound off in the comments below!

 

Nemo is coming! Four Tips for Today’s Snowstorm

Ready or not, here comes NEMO!


No, really… that’s the name of the big blizzard that is slated to hit the Northeast US today. (Seriously… Nemo? Who names these? OK. I’m over it.)

So if you are like me and live in an area where the snow forecast is in feet instead of inches, you may end up stuck inside with a whole lot of time on your hands. Here are some suggestions to keep you busy:

1.) Review your Facebook Privacy Settings

After so many changes to Facebook’s Privacy Settings over the years, it looks like they finally may have got it right. They are now broken down to answer three basic questions:

  • Who can see my stuff?
  • Who can contact me?
  • How do I stop someone from bothering me?

It’s pretty intuitive, actually. Take a minute and click through these options by clicking on this image on the top right corner of Facebook (desktop of laptop) after you log in.

 

 

Mobile device users should scroll in the app menu to find “Privacy Settings” and go from there.

Trust me… you’ll be glad you checked this out. Why wonder what people can see? Go find out!

 

2.) Join in a conversation on Twitter

So many people on Twitter, just watch… and that’s OK, but you’re missing out! If you’re going to the party, why cling to the wall? Dive on in and be part of the fun!

If you know me, then you’ll know that I am absolutely clueless when it comes to sports. But tweeting during the Super Bowl was a blast! Seriously… I couldn’t stop laughing with all of the witty commentaries on Beyonce and the commercials. (Apparently there was a game, too, but I wasn’t following that.)

Find a topic that interests you (perhaps in the Trends list), or do a search for a hashtag.

How do you do that?

Once logged in to Twitter, go to the search bar and enter the number sign in front of a word or group of words. But don’t use any spaces or punctuation.

When a hashtag is used in a tweet, it creates a hyperlink where you can search for others commenting on the same topic.

For example, today people are talking about the storm using many hashtags such as:

#Nemo     #blizzard     #findingnemo     #snowfail

You get the idea. Search, click, read, retweet, and REPLY! Keep the conversation going!

 

3.) Photo Time

Whether you’re a fan or Pinterest, Instagram, or anything else, take some pics of the snow! Get creative! You know there will be a TON of snow pics out there today, so yours better be special if you want it to stand out.

I absolutely LOVE snow, so if you’ve got a good pic from Nemo, be sure to post it HERE on my Facebook page.

 

4.) Disconnect and Reboot

No, I’m not talking about your phone. I’m talking about YOU!

Sure, we all live in this virtual world in Social Media. And I LOVE it!

But chances are you may be stuck inside with friends and family, so take a few minutes to put down the phone, tablet, or keyboard away for a little while. Make some hot chocolate, light a fire in the fireplace, and have a good conversation.

After all, it will probably give you something to post about in a status update or tweet later anyhow. Whatever you do, stay safe, stay warm, and have fun!

So what will YOU do during the storm today?

Let me know in the comments below!

 

Will Social Media Make Me Watch The Super Bowl?

It’s almost SUPER BOWL time!!!

Yes. If you know me at all, you know that I am pretty much… well… “Sports Illiterate”. Seriously, I’m pretty much the guy that might yell out “Homerun!” at a party on Sunday and get pelted by flying Buffalo wings from angry fans. But mix in social media, and I’m there!

With that in mind, I’m pleased to share that this year’s Super Bowl has enough social media fun to keep me interested.

Whether you’re a real sports fan, the spouse who is dragged along to the parties, or a techie kind of guy like me, you won’t want to miss out on some of this!

Of course you can do the traditional things like following your favorite team and players on Facebook and Twitter, but here are some other fun highlights:

Coke Chase Coke is always in the action for Super Bowl commercials, and this year is no different with CokeChase.com. When you visit the Coke Chase website, you can view the first part of a commercial where Showgirls, Badlanders, and Cowboys rush through the desert towards a large bottle of coke.

And the interactive element? You get to choose which team you want to win the race AND you get to choose to “sabotage” one of the other teams. Go vote now! Tomorrow the winning ending will be revealed during the Super Bowl.

 

LikeBowl Which team do you want to win? Go to LikeBowl.com and “Like” and “Share” your favorite team to help them score in this poll!

 

VineBowl Twitter’s new service Vine gets in the action this year with VineBowl. Fans are encouraged to create 6-second looping videos to answer the question – Whose fans are louder?

 

Shazam Remember Shazam? It’s the smartphone app that you “listens” to music and tells you the name of the song and artist. They may not be talked about very often lately, but this year they are in the game (so to speak) by making Super Bowl commercials more interactive. Use Shazam during the game to unlock special offers and more content.

 

Mobile Viewing For the first time ever, this year’s Super Bowl will be streamed for mobile devices at www.cbssports.com. Of course everyone prefers to watch on the big screen, but when you access the game on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you can pick your own camera view! No… really. How’s that for technology hard at work?

 

So let’s bring on the game and score a social media homeru… umTOUCHDOWN!

After all, did you know that 60% of people watching the Super Bowl will be on their mobile devices during the game?

What about you? Which of the items above interest you the most? Any others you want to share?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS!

From Tom to Timberlake – MySpace is Back!

Can it be? Is it true?

Yes. MySpace is BACK! And it’s all new, thanks to current owners Specific Media and Justin Timberlake.

Do you remember when MySpace used to be all about music?

(No… long before gaudy glitter graphics brought profiles to a screeching halt in load times.)

Well, that’s what the new site is supposed to be all about – “music discovery”. They’re trying to compete with the likes of Pandora or Spotify, with a touch of the Facebook social elements.

Of course I logged in today to check it out, and I have to admit the look is quite different. There is a significant focus on musicians and artists… so much in fact that I couldn’t find my old friends. No, really. Where did they go?

While it was clear that this was a complete departure from the old MySpace, I didn’t find the site to be very intuitive. It was chock full of “404 Not Found” errors and lots of shameless self-promotion for Timberlake. I know this is Day 1, so I’m not giving up on you yet, MySpace. But let’s get those bugs worked out and see what you’ve got in store for us!

So… have you checked out the new MySpace yet? What do you think?