Highway to Hale

Which organism best represents you in your career? Are you a tiger: fierce, strong, overpowering and at the peak of your game? Maybe you are an owl: wise, established, traditional and viewing your area of expertise from a high level. You could even be moss: slowly gaining momentum, sticking to the ground-level principles, and working hard to [photo?]synthesize the landscape.

At this moment, I am an ant. I realize that doesn’t sound like an impressive answer, but let me tell you why I’m an ant in the industry.

The first thing that stands out is an ant’s physical size. There is no denying, they are small. You could probably take out 50 with one step depending on your shoe size. I have yet to break into a social media related career, my name is relatively small. My professional experience lacks mass compared to those I want to work with (fortunately my experience stands up pretty well against those in my situation). But think back to 5th grade science – ants have an exoskeleton and, compared to their size, are basically indestructible. Also, despite their size, ants are one of the most influential organisms in an ecosystem.

Size is a default, but ants live in one of the most complex social structures in all of nature. One of the most exciting aspects of social media is the fact that we don’t really know where it is going (though there is no shortage of guesses). We are all working together to harness the complexity of a social network that encompasses elements from previously separate corners of the business world. For example, (this is not a rhetorical question) do you pitch social media as marketing, PR, research, evaluation or another? With my background in psychology, I can make the argument that social media is a large scale psychological/sociological movement that businesses are reacting to and influencing simultaneously.

Most importantly, I am willing to work and carry at least ten times my weight. I know I have plenty to learn upon entering a career, but I am excited to gain that knowledge and carry the weight of clients and employers that trust me. Ants are notorious for perfecting worth ethic and committing to achieving a goal. Without a single class devoted to my career path, I have been committed to learning all I can. Perhaps it has come naturally to me because of instinct (shameless animal reference)? Possibly studying why humans do what they do for four years has contributed? Undoubtedly classes in marketing and public relations have given me a sense of business and strategy. Whatever the case, it has become obvious to me that I am built to be a worker ant navigating and straightening out the world of social media.

While my progression is small thus far, evolution in business happens quickly. I will not be an ant in size much longer, but I will always appreciate working with those around me and I will always work hard to impress. If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense because social media is currently the Ant of the Business World.

So, with which organism do you most closesly identify? What about your business or employer? Should you strive to relate to a different one? I’m interested to hear the different qualities that different careers value.

After a short trip* to Minneapolis for the MN PRSA Classics Awards that resulted in an award in Planning for my chapter’s SOSD Polar Plunge campaign**, I faced a four hour drive home with some graphic designer friends (@ajosborn and @brennifresh). Our business interests overlap quite a bit, so we ended up on the topic of the impact of social media on advertising. We also kicked ourselves for not entering the social media category in which their were zero student entries…

What is the future of print advertising? This won’t be quite as long as most of my posts for two reasons: 1. I don’t claim to know the future and 2. I would much rather have a discussion about the subject. So, let’s chat.

Some fairly influential people are already considering print advertising dead. I don’t necessarily think that is true, but the future is questionable. Is my generation reading hard copies of anything these days? Newspapers are closing or moving to the internet exclusively; will advertising need to do the same? In both cases, print will not completely disappear. The major newspapers will survive because people still want tangible artifacts and advertising is an undeniable form of art that garners appreciation for more than a corporate message.

For me, the deciding factor on what survives vs. what does not is creativity. Creativity has always been valued pretty highly, but I think we have arrived at a point where creativity will equal survival in the business world. No matter the generation, creative pieces and creative ads are recognized, appreciated, and responded to. So, print advertising may decrease substantially, but it will not disappear.

Another characteristic that may save some print advertising is an element of transparency. A key for business in social media is transparency and consumers are loving it. With the economic issues right now, consumers do not have patience for shady business practice.

Creative and transparent advertising will survive, what else?

* Left Sioux Falls at 8am Thursday, returned at 4am Friday.

** Check out my contributions as New Media Director to the Polar Plunge campaign at www.sosdpolarplunge09.ning.com and www.twitter.com/sosdpolarplunge with art by @ajosborn and @brennifresh. (Neither have been promoted yet, we are just waiting for kickoff)

As I explain Twitter to friends (and reporters) I have been using the word networking quite a bit. Just the other day, I realized that networking has quite a different meaning for students than it does for the general Twitter population.

Networking: supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

That might be the definition Dictionary.com gives (actually, it is), but students might ask “where is the part where I meet a bunch of professionals and they give me a job?” Students view networking as meeting enough people to find a job. Do you see the disconnect happening here?

The central idea of networking on Twitter is not about finding a job. Networking is sharing ideas, conversing about new products/ideas/services, and building relationships with people that have common interests. I saw a great tweet the other day (unfortunately I can’t remember who posted it or the exact wording):

The first people you follow on Twitter should be people you have no intentions of selling to or buying from.

This applies to corporate accounts, and personal accounts. People can tell when you want something from them. People do not like being manipulated. Networking involves a two-way convesation (sharing). Students, do not jump on Twitter and start asking for jobs (or job openings for that matter).

First, join the conversation and prove you are valuable to a community with common interests. Listen to the people that interest you. Ask questions to learn about the things that interest you or that you might need to know in a career. Do not be frustrated when nobody is jumping to give you a job based on 140 character updates that talk about your great skills and how much you need a job.

I don’t know if Twitter can get you a job…it hasn’t ever got me a job. But I plan on working in the social media strategy realm, so I better have some experience. I have searched, found, and listened to the people that can teach me about my career. I have also added my ideas. I don’t broadcast that I need a job in a month because people don’t necessarily care (not in a bad way, just that my job status is less important than Why Kids Are Not Using Twitter).

Find new people, listen, interact, add value: network.

First, by kids I mean college and high school students. Now, I’m a college student and I am no stranger to the internet’s hottest tool, but apparently this is abnormal. The first time I thought about this subject, I was positive that it was an issue of awareness (not so sure anymore). Perhaps kids just don’t know that Twitter exists and once they figure it out, they will jump on the bandwagon the same way they did for Facebook. There’s a clue – Facebook. Almost every time I hear somebody explain Twitter to a college student, the quick solution is “it’s like Facebook status updates in 140 characters and that’s it.” The natural response is to ask “then why don’t I just keep using Facebook and updating my status?” Now that Facebook has changed the game (really did a nice job too…), that is a legitimate response.

As far as the high school crowd goes, I think they are just behind. They were only allowed on Facebook recently and there is no way they would have heard of Twitter this early in the game. It’s also hard to convince a high schooler that a world exists beyond their own. In other words, Twitter is a community more than any social media site and very few high school kids are able to think beyond the community directly in front of them as far as sharing and interaction goes. So, high school kids aren’t aware and are simply not ready to move on from Facebook because they are comfortable. What about college kids?

As a college Twitter user it is unfathomable that people aren’t seeing the value. I read an article the other day from a man that spoke about social media in a large marketing class. A majority of the class had heard of Twitter (or claimed to), but only one was actually using it. It is an isolated case, but brings up an interesting idea.

The way in which Twitter has been branded on the surface does not offer anything new to college kids. Two great examples: (1) “What are you doing?” Assuming a student believes that people care what they are doing, they do not care what others are doing (as proven by the recent data about Facebook as a broadcast rather than community). (2) As stated above, Twitter is compared to status update on Facebook. No sense in updating a status so two sets of people can see it.

It might be time for Twitter to add a more accurate description to the front page. Also, be careful next time you are teaching about Twitter. This applies to business pitches as well – If Twitter offers a fraction of Facebook’s value, nobody wants it. For students, focus on networking, news, and knowledge.

How do you convince non-users to create a Twitter account? How do you talk about Twitter with those that are unfamiliar? Do you care if others join the community or would you prefer younger people stay out of the entire arena?

*Thanks to @hughweber for suggesting the topic – convincing me to organize some free-floating thoughts about the topic.

We have all heard the saying “money can’t buy you happiness,” but is it true or is it just a nice sentiment to teach children about greed? Unfortunately, there is evidence on both sides of this argument, so there is no straight forward answer.

I’m going to begin with the conclusion for those of you with little time and short attention span (evidence follows for those that question). With some important caveats, money can buy happiness. Rich people tend to be happier than poor people and people in wealthy nations tend to be happier than those in poorer nations. Despite a few cases, lottery winners are happier than the average person, especially when they focus on how the money can help them and others, and boost happiness. This is not all bad news for less affluent people (lucky for me as a college student). While money can buy happiness, the exchange rate is not in favor of the dollars. Extra money only results in small gains in happiness. More important than the money itself is your attitude toward money and the way in which you spend it. Regardless of income, material aspirations tend to have the greatest impact on well-being. Even wealthy people living outside of their means suffer from a feeling of dissatisfaction while poor people living within a budget feel secure. It is good for your happiness to have money, but negative to want money too much.

First, the side that says money does not bring happiness or well-being. Those that encounter a large sum of money (such as lottery winners) often end up worse than they started. Take the case of the man that won a $314 million lottery (Jack Whittaker – Powerball; 2002). He planned to spend a good chunk on pleasurable things and donate a healthy portion to charities, or even to start his own charitable foundation. Instead, his granddaughter died of a drug overdose after he lavished money on her and he was sued by a local casino for bouncing checks. While happiness is subjective, I can’t think of anybody that finds that situation too enjoyable. Two years later, Jack was arrested for two DUIs and an assault, had been burglarized multiple times, was separated from his wife, and closed down his charitable foundation. This is not an isolated case, but also not the only possible outcome for lottery winners. More evidence: people in poor societies tend to reside above the neutral point on indicators of happiness (but richer societies tend to be above the level of happiness seen in poor societies).

Now, evidence that money can buy happiness. In a survey sent to the 100 top names in the Forbes list of richest Americans, 49 returned the survey and 47 of the 49 returned surveys indicated they were satisfied with their life and overall well-being. They weren’t ecstatic, but they were considerably happier than the average person. Those are extreme examples; let me generalize a bit more. Societies with the highest life satisfaction are wealthy nations (Ireland and Denmark) and the lowest level of life satisfaction can be found in poorer nations (Sierra Leone and Togo). The wealth of nations is actually one of the strongest predictors of societal life satisfaction (the correlation is .82 – any higher would likely indicate an error in methods). While money is a predictor of life satisfaction, it is not necessarily the cause of happiness. Instead, happiness comes from the side-effects. It is no secret that money leads to social status, personal control, and ability to help others. Furthermore, those with wealth often enjoy the process of obtaining the wealth and find more joy in spending the money they have earned. These factors basically come down to control and security. Both are heavy indicators of well-being.

It is important to consider that money does not simply equal purchasing power. Purchasing power does not lead to happiness. In fact, materialism is usually toxic to well-being and can interfere with work and family life. Instead, the determining factor is expectation. The amount of money necessary to achieve well-being is directly proportional to the expectations you have about life. If you do not have much money, but expect luxury (cars, food, houses…etc.) you will not be happy. If you do not have much money, but expect to live within your means, you will be very much satisfied with life. Here is the catch: While it is good to have enough money to live within your expectations, excess money does not continue to produce further well-being.

- Huge thanks to research by Ed Diener and partners. Without clippings from his book (Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth) this post would not have happened.

Who would have thought that a website with over 175 million active users would be desperately trying to keep up with a microblogging app? Facebook just had a conference about some upcoming changes to their front page and user pages that will create a more Twitter-like environment.

If you remember, a few weeks ago, Facebook offered $500 million to buy Twitter. While some of that money would have come in stocks, a whole chunk would have been cold, hard cash. Now, Facebook is trying to create a heavier two-way conversation website by allowing the front page to live update (rather than every 10 min.). From what I see, there is a good reason Facebook tried to buy Twitter. It is great that Facebook has 175 million dedicated users, but it means change is met with heavy resistance and those dedicated users like the function that Facebook provides.

Facebook is afraid that internet users will move to Twitter to connect with celebrities. More importantly, businesses will move to Twitter to get connected with their market. If you don’t believe this is happening with celebrities, follow @miley__cyrus for ten minutes (I warn you…it is a bad experience, but it illustrates what celebrities are doing on Twitter that they aren’t on Facebook) *Update: Miley Cyrus’ account it suspended because it got hacked* If you don’t believe businesses are getting on Twitter because of the two-way nature of conversation, follow @laskaroy. This man can see the future. He once said if your business is not on Twitter, you are behind. Already. You need to be on Twitter and you need to use it the right way.

Americans are especially individualistic by nature and as we have recently found out, Facebook allows us to join a “social” network while still simply broadcasting our lives. We fail to realize that everybody else is broadcasting as well. Twitter is built on community. We all feel a sense of accomplishment when Twitter succeeds and our followers perform well in their jobs. Facebook revolutionized social networks (and continues to), but Twitter is creating a shift in mindset. Those that are broadcasting simply don’t get it and are forgot about very soon. Celebrities and businesses that do not interact are put aside for those that do pay attention. We are impatient and we will move on if you don’t understand what you got yourself into.

I heard a reference to Twitter on Around the Horn (and ESPN show that airs at 5pm est so many of my midwestern brethren haven’t heard of it) for the 5th day in a row today. John Stewart tried to explain it last night on the Daily Show. Award Season mentioned Twitter in nearly every broadcast. You seeing what I’m getting at? Facebook should absolutely be scared out of their mind.

What’s next for Twitter? How about competing with worlds only search engine – Google (I understand its not the only one, but according to usage, it should be)? Check out that post – it lays out the specifics of how that can happen.

Facebook offers something different than Twitter, but they are seriously frightened.

I am not the good kind of viral. I’m not getting thousands of hits every 10-20 seconds. We can’t all be Skittles today. I have got Influenza. Here is a recap of my past four days: Get in bed, sleep for an hour, wake up, turn on tv, fall back asleep within five minutes, repeat for four days.

Apparently I missed a blizzard, a dance, and an assignment. I had quite a bit of time to scour the internet, but not much was going on this weekend. The big news is happening today. Right now. Skittles has confounded the world by whipping out a totally redesigned website.

Genius or concerning? I’ve been going back and forth, beginning with concern because a Tweet on the front page of Skittles.com said “I put Skittles in my rectum.” While it could have been worse, Skittles opened up their website to some seriously strange stuff. In fact, they have opened themselves up to anything 140 characters can portray (technically only 131 assuming the user added #skittles).

I quickly jumped over to the genius side when a friend framed the question in a way I had not thought of. Is the conversation about Skittles more important, or is a beautiful company website more important? Skittles gave up the front page of their website for a Twitter feed. No more company-driven content. Yes, I could go to Flickr and search for Skittles myself, but if I go to Skittles.com wanting to visualize Skittles…genius. Skittles has the money to hire a photographer to take some picture of the sugary morsels, but there is no sense hiring infinite photographers with infinite creative direction when a page on your website is dedicated to a search of your very well-known product on Flickr. Some really nice images come up (some crap also gets in the mix, but it is fan crap).

Back to the conversation. The Twitter feed shows you what everybody else is saying about Skittles. Today, the talk is about the website, but the that will subside in time. We will be left with whatever people want to say about Skittles in their everyday life. Just the other day, a local company asked which candy to put in their board room via Twitter. I answered Skittles with some kind of fantasy reason. I would have been their website content under the new procedure. In the case of Skittles, the conversation is far more important than website. The website can tell you that Skittles are tasty sugar balls. The conversation can tell you that 40 people need Skittles to make it through the work day. Or that the big jar of Skittles on your co-worker’s desk needs refilling bi-weekly. The conversation can let you know to stay away from the new color because it tastes horrible (maybe not great for the company…but sometimes true).

This week of media explosion will probably be enough to justify the switch, but I hope it works out and sticks around for awhile. I don’t know if others will follow, or if they should, but Skittles hit a winner here. I see some negatives, but they just might be worth it to be the creative leaders.

What do you think? Opinions are flying like wild today, I would like to hear yours. Comment a link to your blog if you have talked about Skittles today, or leave some thoughts here to build on.

I remember the first time I heard about Facebook. My older, wiser sibling told me I absolutely needed to start using it the moment after I finished high school. I ran into a major problem when Facebook didn’t support my small private college in South Dakota. I know it is hard to imagine such a hideous time when Facebook was exclusive to a pull-down list of colleges and universities across the US, but seriously, it happened. Solution? Join MySpace. That was fine for connecting with a few people prior to walking on campus, but my usage took an immediate dive the first day Facebook added my school to the exclusive pull-down list (about a week into my freshman year).

Fast forward four years.

The novelty of Facebook has dissipated a bit in favor of emerging social media tools. I have four years of experience using Facebook…but who in the next generation of the working force doesn’t? The internet is just what we do. As much as this idea is running rampant through the current class of people in the business world, I do not find the general college crowd to have the same passion for social media that I do.

In a class of 30 (journalism no less), two people had heard of and were using Twitter. 7%. It would have been less in my marketing class of 35-40 (I know because I asked during a presentation in which I used Twitter). As cliché as it is, I am learning new information about social media every day and even getting a good chunk of my news from blogs and Twitter (most recently the Facebook controversy over ownership of info). My school (like most others) does not offer any social media or interactive web marketing classes, so I am doing my best to pick up the information on the fly through practice. I am not stopping at ‘getting familiar’ with social media; I am searching for new ways to utilize these tools. That is where business is, that is where I want to be. I do not want to start at zero in May; I can jump right into improving the company I work for and begin by offering clients ideas and value that they can’t find elsewhere.

So, what is the truth about the Facebook Generation? The truth is that most of us do not have a clue what Social Media means in the big picture. Be careful about what you assume when talking to the incoming work force. Many people I know in my age group cannot navigate the internet efficiently or write well enough to convey an idea. The personal game of Facebook is where the average college student lives, practices, and stops exploring. We may have grown up with the internet, but it still takes work and learning to use all facets of the internet effectively to promote an idea, persona, or client.

With every blogger on the planet having written a Twitter Etiquette post, I’ve noticed a few trends (common sense, add value, don’t spam…you get the idea). One trend has caught my eye on occasion and recently played a role in some real life experiences for me. When choosing a Twitter tag or blog name, what should you consider? I’ve seen opinions ranging from using your real full name to using a name that stands out and provides insight into your personality.

I tend to place myself directly in the middle (@sjhalestorm for example) of these extremes. I spent the day in an unfamiliar city the other day where I met up with some people I converse with exclusively on Twitter. It was obvious that my little profile picture and info box were not the most recognizable aspects of my Twitter account. This is no surprise, but I found myself introducing myself as “Scott Hale, at sjhalestorm.”

Whether intentional or not, my internet brand is Sjhalestorm. As some of my more veteran followers may remember, I’ve had a few name changes along the way. After some time, I was able to create a hybrid of my name mixed with a memorable twist. Those I have engaged in conversation remember the name Sjhalestorm. It is a conversation starter.

When starting out, play with some options. I understand that the relative few users with tens of thousands of followers might not want to throw off a loyal group with a strange name change, but when starting out, test the waters. Find the name that others can pronounce, remember, and talk about. Stay consistent in your online presence. Part of branding is creating a coherent image across products that can be recognized, but not identical. Everybody has the luxury of building their own online brand, beginning with a name…so work hard to get it right.

What is the name/theme that represents your online presence? What does it say about you? Where can I find your brand (which sites)? Does your online brand leak into your physical life?

My name is Scott and I am currently (but not for much longer) a student at Augustana College. After some tweaking, exploring, and evaluating, I have decided on pursuing Communications/Business and Psychology degrees to be completed this May. They tell me it is time to grow up after that…

My four years at Augustana have been wonderful partly due to engaging professors, interesting classes, freshly formed friendships and my wonderful girlfriend that has been here the entire time (4 yr anniversary coming up soon).

As I transition out of school, I realize that I may have finally come up with a plan (in the loosest sense of the word). I have survived four+ years of “what are you going to do?” questions and think I may have finally come up with an answer that I am truly excited about. That will come out clearly as this blog evolves…

Things that keep me busy outside of school and trying to get acquainted with some career options include graphic design, photography, improv, lacrosse, snowboarding, tweeting (yes, that counts as a hobby), watching sports, board/video/card/any games, reading, and of course a special lady. While I would never survive classes in Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, I will take any opportunity to learn about each because I like to stay up on my nerdiness and knowledge in diverse areas keeps me on my creative toes. That same sentiment generally applies to any subject…I like to think it would be difficult for you to come up with a conversation in which I could not add my own semi-educated view (probably not true, but I dare you to try it because it will cause me to learn).

My psychology interest has pushed me to really explore what makes people tick and how people relate to each other and their environment. Coordinating groups and keeping ideas consistent and coherent brings me joy because I want to provide big pictures/concepts that are supported by fine details. I’m actually kind of anal about details which is how I landed Baseball Statistician and Editor-in-Chief roles.

Under it all, I’m a sucker for humor. Simple things, including sarcasm, make me laugh randomly. I could have easily been that guy you saw driving next to you that was smirking or laughing while riding alone because of a new thought. I hope I provide some laughs for the people around me because people are most relaxed when they are happy and perform at their highest levels during tasks when they are happy (check the research).

Follow me at: twitter.com/sjhalestorm

Read my randomness at: halestorm.tumblr.com