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Social Medea

That’s not a misprint in the title. Medea was best known as an enchantress.

As I’m wading through the mostly inane ramblings on Facebook (”I’m hiking,” “Tried a new cat food” (personally?), quotes from John Adams or Henry Winkler, or Soupy Sales, “Tommy scored 90% in ‘How Well Do You Know Your Own Rear End?’”), I am having these thoughts:

1. If you did not view or post on Facebook for, oh, one week, to what degree would your life be poorer? What would you have missed, and to what extent would you be less of a person, a professional, an object of interest? It it weren’t there, would it make a difference, or is it just occupying time, like a game show rerun?

2. If you were off Facebook for that week, and assuming you didn’t use the time to become a potted plant, what would you do with it to enrich your life? Would you interact more in person, or read another book, or learn a new skill, or pursue a hobby, or just think about your relationships and future, or play with the dog more? How much would that benefit you?

3. The people most vociferous about social media are clearly those who stand to gain by it, giving seminars, providing coaching, and somehow making money by encouraging use. It’s almost like a huge Ponzi scheme in some respects. I’m reminded of Y2K, or the guy with the pinky ring and Cadillac who rents the hotel room for a presentation to get you to buy soap suds and “recruit new members.”

4. People actually talk about “monetizing” presence on social platforms. See point #3. Even the people who OWN Twitter, for example, aren’t making money from it! If someone can find a way to get me 50 cents from each of the 4 million people connected to me on linkedin, I’ll split it with you!

5. There are examples of just abominable taste, not merely because some oafs feel free to use obscenity or scatological references (for some reason, more women than men), but because they are oblivious to the fact that they are at a virtual public gathering and they think there’s nothing wrong with it. These must be the same people who curse out loud on airplanes and spit on sidewalks and talk back to movie screens.

6. You can start some serious conversations on Facebook and elsewhere, but they peter out. Moreover, the amount of postings that have NO responses, NO commentaries, is huge, meaning that, well, perhaps no one among your “friends” cares! It’s all about personal “air time” and being heard and seen without having to be interesting, be helpful, or have ideas.

7. When you challenge any aspect of the social platforms or act in a non-conformist way (e.g., I don’t “follow” anyone on Twitter, though I have 700 followers) you get angry ripostes from the self-appointed owners of the secret decoder rings. They want to give you etiquette lessons. How can there be etiquette standards in what is, for all intents and purposes, a social free-for-all where most people don’t care how they use the cutlery?!

I’m yanking chains here to have some fun (I don’t believe you can easily debunk something you’re not part of), but there is a fundamental truth that people will have to come to grips with. These sites are huge time dumps IF you allow them to be. They don’t “amplify” anyone’s message because they “amplify” ALL messages, meaning the cacophony is so intense that nothing stands out. The exceptions claiming business gains—I’m talking making money, not making “contacts”—are rare and, frankly, I don’t believe most of them.

But the key question, outside of spending a few minutes a day on this stuff is: Am I better off, is my life enriched by the hours I spend on virtual social platforms each week, or is there something I’m not getting to, something I’m avoiding, something detracting from my growth?

The articles are starting to appear debunking the entire scene, which is a predictable cycle. There are claims that Twitter has only a 40% retention rate, for instance (Nielsen Online). I think in a year we’ll see some kind of vast combination and amalgamation which might just make all this more practical and fulfilling. But with rare exception, right now, it’s like chewing air.

Beware the siren call.

© Alan Weiss 2009. All rights reserved.

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Posted by Alan Weiss on July 12th, 2009 filed in King of Social Media |

35 Responses to “Social Medea”

  1. Adam Fein Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 9:34 am

    As my 12-year old daughter would say: LOL!

    I think you will enjoy this brilliant t-shirt summary of social medea:

    http://www.despair.com/somevedi.html.

    Adam

  2. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 11:45 am

    That shirt has already appeared elsewhere on this blog. But thanks for the thought!

  3. Bruce Andor Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    You might enjoy Tom Asacker’s comparison of Twitter to CB Radio.

    http://www.acleareye.com/sandbox_wisdom/2009/06/where-twitter-is-heading.html

  4. Gareth Kane Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    I like to distinguish between social media and web 2.0 business tools.

    For me, social media is social - the main downside of solo working from home is that lack of water cooler chatter and Facebook does that for me. I wouldn’t be learning the oboe with the time I spend on it!

    LinkedIn has helped me reach some senior people in large organisations, so has been useful. I have also successfully publicised events and services through this and other business tools which has had a small return, but most business still comes through traditional routes.

    I have resisted Twitter as I can’t see how it would fulfil either role, but simply suck up time.

  5. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    Fair enough, to each his own. I find linkedin to be primitive and pretty useless, a bunch of stamp collectors, but that’s me. Web 2.0 is one of those strange constructions like “War on Terror” which means almost nothing.

    But I do agree with you that the focus should be on business medial platforms.

  6. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    Very well done, thanks for the reference Bruce.

  7. Tim Wilson Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Alan,

    What an interesting choice for a topic Social Medea. You refer to Medea as an enchantress. But she was much more than that. She wasn’t a very nice person at all.

    I am not disagreeing with your comments on how these social media tools can suck up one’s time. It’s that Medea is such and interesting choice to of how you capture the reader’s attention around how vapid these tools can be toward growing business while causing many to think they will open windows to long lasting opportunities of long term client relationship and increase sales.

    Medea with all her charms and wonderment, wrecked havoc wherever she went resulting in people having to pick up the pieces after her destructive path. Not unlike the time we all can waste thinking that we advance our business through the use of things like Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter.

    Interesting choice Alan, very interesting.

  8. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 12th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    Wanted to make you think, glad you found it of interest!

  9. Pat Ferdinandi Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 10:11 am

    The point of anything is “time.” If what you are doing (social network, TV, blogs, the kinds of books you read) is not improving your life or the life of those you care about, then…why are you using your valuable time this way.

    If what you are doing will help others and it helps you feel better, then it is good.

    Facebook I keep for personal connections. It is how I found out that my nephew was on his way home from Iraq! (A VERY HAPPY MOMENT). It was how I found out that my niece was pregnant with her first child. It is how my 8yo niece announced she had the winning catch at a game. For all of these examples, FB is good…as long as it is only a very small percentage of my time.

  10. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 10:44 am

    Time is not a resource issue, it’s a priority issue. When someone says, “I wish I could see my kid play soccer but I don’t have the time,” it really means, “I choose not to use my time for this.”

    So, to each his or her own, but they key is, as you say, what’s the return vs. spending it elsewhere? Personally, I rather not find out about a family pregnancy on Facebook! And so much family stuff I do see on Facebook falls into the category of WAY too much information.

  11. Pat Ferdinandi Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 11:12 am

    Agreed on the priority issue that has an associated time resource issue.

    So…for someone to announce personal issues (like my niece) the line of privacy to speediance to get the word out was the priority (living in a different country from her large family).

    Granted, I’m of the generation to keep things private…yet this younger generation seems much more open and using social media as a way to get the word out quickly. If you don’t read it, its your choice. For that reason, Social Media will continue.

    Now, is it for good for personal and/or business?

    I agree with the point of this discussion. What value do you as a person provide using social media. Is it worth the time you are investing. Are you providing value or just words? Just because you can us it as a means to express yourself doesn’t mean you are heard. Spend more effort and time on things using a method where those want to hear what you have to say.

  12. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

    Amen. When I try to use it intelligently, I still learn a whole lot more about other people than I care to know.

  13. Philippe Back Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    Social media has never brought me a dime. But, there are good use cases for it.

    I am not logging on my Facebook account anymore, except when some old friend wants to reconnect, since it is a huge time dump. It was fun for a while due to the novely but that’s all.

    Twitter is another story. When at gatherings and so on, it is very nice to connect to people before, during, and after the event. Email and other IM platforms do not allow people to connect in these ways. This is not going to bring customers but it is creating awareness and makes me come up with new ideas, which is goog. The time spent in there is limited as well. Using the tools for bridging the blog and twitter are useful for adding more publication channels.

    But I agree with the fact that they are way overhyped.

  14. Ash Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    Can I please quote item #3 on my site? That one is a gem. I have never seen so many Social Media “gurus” out there who will help you “navigate” the social media landscape for only $199.

  15. cfletez Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    I have been using LinkedIn to search for contacts from past work and to interact with people I am recommending for their work. I have however learned more from one day’s worth of reading from your website about consulting than I ever have learned on LinkedIn. It does seem to take a lot of time though!

    Thanks for Medea…a truly great reference!

  16. cfletez Says:
    July 13th, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    I meant LinkedIn takes a lot of time, not your website!
    Carol

  17. Alan Weiss Says:
    July 14th, 2009 at 7:58 am

    Ash: Just saw the first minute of a video (I couldn’t bear to watch more) promising calculations for ROI on social media. It was shot on a train track, which I found quite appropriate.

    cfletez: Try starting substantive conversations on social platforms. Some people are fine, but most either shy away or are extremists of one bent or another.

    Everyone following me n twitter with over 1,000 followers is a
    “social media marketing guru.”

  18. John Felkins Says:
    August 2nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    Huh-oh

    The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has warned social networking websites, texting and e-mails are undermining community life. Do you agree?

    http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6827&edition=2&ttl=20090802183445

  19. Alan Weiss Says:
    August 2nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    John, I don’t like these blanket statements, as in “video games are corrupting youth.” It depends on the individual, other influences, and so on. Almost anything taken to an extreme is going to be a problem, so excess is seldom good.

    Some people use social platforms as hobbies or small businesses and do well. Others wander in and out (Twitter has a huge dropout rate). But there are some who should be spending some of that time more productively, personally and professionally.

    What percentage? Who knows? If you were to look at Facebook alone, MOST of the posts I see, perhaps 60 percent, are inane or ego-driven, and clearly are the result of someone who doesn’t know what else to do with his or her time, which is alarming. We already have a large cohort of people who can’t do math in their heads, don’t know geography or history, and cannot comprehend 12th grade sentences well, and many of them have college degrees.

  20. John Felkins Says:
    August 2nd, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    The one thing I know is that my business ROI on social media is near zero. I’m on a curve of getting known, getting in the door, have the talk and getting to help some one. So far I’m just beginning to get to step #2. I like social media but so far just for fun.

    It’s interesting that some church’s are speaking against it and some are welcoming it.

    http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1895463,00.html

    Nothing new there I guess.

    BTW: I finished reading Process Consulting.Now on to Value Based Fees. I’m getting speaking gigs now. I’ve had one mtg. with a CEO and this week am scheduled for a mtg. with a COO. Thanks!! I’m signed up for the Sales Talk Tele-conference. I need to learn how to have “the” talk or “the series” of talks. Watch your “six” I’m on your trail! ;O)

  21. Alan Weiss Says:
    August 2nd, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    See if you can keep up!

  22. John Felkins Says:
    August 2nd, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    Hope to. Either way I’ll have the download and then can play it while I’m sleeping until it soaks in. :o)

  23. Laura Kinoshita Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    I’m surprised at all the negativity over social media — folks, it works just like the radio. Tune in to what you want, ignore the rest. Why all pent up rage? Do you want to connect with your customers or not? Yes or no, but why blame the platform that makes it possible? Or perhaps you’re blamming the marketers. Well, that’s fine then, I don’t blame you. But these things are just tools — do you blame a hammer when it fails to change a light bulb? Did you ever get business just from walking into a Rotary Club or Chamber of Commerce meeting? Oh! There you are! Here, let me throw money at you! Why should social media be any different? It’s about the relationships. It becomes what you make of it. Measure social media by your GOALS. Personally, I use it to connect with people who are on the outer islands, with whom I would otherwise not have a chance to get to know. My hope is that when I see them in person, we’ll feel familiar with each other and begin a long-term relationship. I don’t plan to measure my ROI for another 2 years!

  24. Alan Weiss Says:
    August 4th, 2009 at 7:04 pm

    My point has been that you don’t get corporate consulting work, my field, on social media platforms, just like you don’t get it in a Rotary meeting. I have no rage, but I do enjoy poking fund at people who think every new thing is a panacea. The goal is to get business in a corporate setting. It’s not going to be enhanced by excessive time on social platforms replacing more successful methods.

    If you’re after a different market, then maybe it works, though I think the vast majority of claims to that effect are from people trying to make money by convincing others to use social platforms. No rage, just observation and expertise.

  25. Graham Franklin Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 10:14 am

    laura,

    I would buy value based fees as fast as you can if you are not intending to measure your ROI for 2 years.

  26. Laura Kinoshita Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    I’m just saying it takes time to build relationships and you can’t expect to measure raw output in a few week’s time. You can, however, begin to measure early indicators of relationship-building, which I think most Social Media “ROI” folks are trying to get at. But these are not true measures of ROI. A talk I once gave turned into a lucrative business a full year AFTER the presentation, and just last week I received even more business from that same presentation — now 2 years later! Though I walked away from that event thinking it might have been a waste of time. See how the ROI took longer than I expected?

  27. Alan Weiss Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    But how many things are you doing where you never get that ROI? And, frankly, in this business, you’re working on far too long a pipeline there. If social media time in minimal in the hope one day “something might happen,” no harm done. If people are spending time there in lieu of more effective marketing strategies, then that’s just dumb.

  28. Laura Kinoshita Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    I’m going to add that social media is not a new business platform, but it is valuable in maintaining contact with former clients and staying top-of-mind. Facebook is becoming a better business tool this way. I was shocked to get new business from a former client just because she saw my face at the time she needed help — this is what display advertising used to be for. Experienced consultants would be wise to connect with their clients in the manner that best suits them. I realize for the over 50 crowd that’s traditional media, but when tech gets going again, at least be prepared to engage on some of these newer platforms. Facebook is the 4th largest site on the Web; it won’t be going away in 5 years.

  29. Tim Wilson Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 4:55 pm

    Laura,

    I think you just proved Alan’s point. A talk you gave resulted in business two years later. It’s an outlier it’s not the norm. If you don’t think Alan understands social media, then I can only guess you haven’t checked out his website he’s very adept at the use of social media. Further testimony is your participation of the discussion on his blog. But I’ll leave it alone as he’s capable of explaining himself very well. As someone who is over 50 I felt obliged to chime in.

  30. Laura Kinoshita Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    Yeah, okay, whatever. You can insult people on the Internet. I’m impressed. Just to be clear, my post is directed to Philippe, not Alan, per his complaint that SM never “brought him a dime.” I agree with most everything Alan has said, especially about the part about not wasting time doing things for no purpose. I’m just writing this because Alan has made me a lot of money and I want to boost his search rankings with all these posts!

  31. Alan Weiss Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

    Laura, what business are you in?

  32. Laura Kinoshita Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    Well, following your advice I never wrote a business plan so … wrong answer? :) You’ve been to Hawaii — it’s a mixed plate. Today I’m procrastinating on a project for a large charitable trust for which I provide facilitation and communication services. My bachelor’s degree is in public relations. I worked at the Keck Observatory for nearly 7 years (NASA/Caltech/UC) and my feature in Sky & Telescope about how social media is changing amateur astronomy is on newstands now! (Sept. 2009 issue)

  33. Tim Wilson Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    Laura,

    You stated an opinion, it was countered by another.

  34. Alan Weiss Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    Laura, I still don’t understand: What business are you in? What’s your value proposition? How do you improve clients’ conditions? I’m just curious and I can’t tell.

  35. Laura Kinoshita Says:
    August 5th, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    I strategically link an organization’s communication efforts to measurable progress toward their goals and mission. I reduce marketing-related costs by at least 30% while doubling impact in a very short amount of time. I also work with organizations to identify and mitigate areas of high-risk.

    For non-profits the benefits of my work have been changes in behavior and attitudes among target populations. For legislative action this has translated into support for candidates and issues. For individuals this has meant more sales and higher rates of referrals.

    What areas of your business would you like to see improved? Are there new markets you’d like to expand into? Would you like to spend less time and money on marketing, public relations and advertising, while increasing demand for your products, or the impact of your services?

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