I’ve been enjoying a computer and Internet free week. I’m kind of proud that I was only tempted to go online once on Wednesday and that was all of one hour just to grab a phone number to call a colleague and approve some blog comments.
It’s Friday and I am continuing to enjoy this break. I won’t be online again until Monday. Then, it’s full steam ahead, tying up some loose ends from the Social Media Telesummit and planning my next program, Social Media Mastery and starting my breakfast seminars on Podcasting for Profit.
Something in my feed reader prompted me to post to my blog today. It was a post by Janet Barclay. You probably don’t know who she is and that’s okay. You see, Janet did something 2 years ago that has drastically changed her life.
After hearing me speak at the Professional Organizers in Canada AGM in October 2006, Janet took on my challenge. She was one of 2 professionals organizers in a room of 150 who stepped out of their comfort zone and launched a blog. She’s enjoying this experience and hopes to grow her audience in 2008.
I’m happy to have helped so many people, including Janet Barclay who is using a blog to break out of her shell and build her business online. Or John Molendyk who heard me speak at an event in June 2006 and launched a blog to chronicle his mother-in-law’s struggle with cancer.
Over coffee last Christmas, John shared with me how touched he was that strangers were leaving comments on his blog to share their comments and feedback. He found this sense of community comforting while dealing with his mother-in-law’s illness.
This to me is so amazing. People who are using their blogs, not just to blog, but to tell their stories. Ramon Williamson, who provided the closing keynote at the Social Media Telesummit, gave the best definition of social media that I have heard to date. He said:
“Social media is collaborative storytelling accelerated by technology.”
While social media is being used to make money, build brands and generate leads, it’s the storytelling that will build communities. This has always been my goal – to teach business people how to use social media to build communities where stories can be shared.
My question to you – How can I help you tell your story? What information should I share on this blog that will benefit you and your business? Should I review tools? Should I provide step by step video tutorials? What is your biggest question about podcasting and social media? What do you want to see here? Leave your comments below.
I wrote a book that has been very helpful to married couples and my blog is getting more and more traffic. But I’m fascinated by the idea of using podcasting to expand my reach to people. It’s a bit more daunting than blogging was initially, so I’m dipping my feet in slowly at first.
To answer your question above, video tutorials would be great. Covering the basics and also covering ways to promote the podcast itself. That would be very helpful.
I can’t believe I am only finding out about the Social Media Telesummit now – I would have loved to hear some of those speakers! Oh well, I’ve signed up for the podcast and that’s better than nothing!
hello! Social media is promising. You can learn a lot and share ideas, communicate, share experiences and all. It’s one way or another a mentor, a friend. You just have to look things on other people’s perspectives.. keep it up!!
It is in this way that the Internet is used to help bridge people from all over the world. While technology still poses a great divide to those who have access to it and those who don’t, at least it seems like more and more stories are being heard, shared and circulated all over the web. Hopefully, the number of voices will increase in due time.