Thanks to everyone who participated in the Google Wave invite competition.  There were lots of great thoughts there, but I chose ones that focused on one single idea, as opposed to many, and stated that idea well.

The question was:

What has so far been the single biggest benefit of using Social Media for you?

The six winners and their contributions (in no particular order) are:

Madhuri
“Social media has helped me make intelligent just-in-time connections to conversations in my professional community. Its my source for being ‘in the know’.”

Andy Dragt
“I earn a living as a freelance video producer. Just a 4 or 5 years ago I could not have imagined doing this for a living, but the advent (and wide use) of Social Media in my area has made it possible. I have connected with and forged significant relationships with countless clients over twitter, facebook and blogging. On the other side of things, I’ve connected with a network of others that do what I do for advice, support and collaboration. So what is the single biggest benefit of using social media for me? It has enabled me to do what I love and earn a living at it!”

Afonso Thury
“A world without frontiers, without barriers. Breaking down walls that separate and helping others do the same.”

Richard R
“Finding and joining those very important conversations that I would otherwise miss if not for this larger community. A connected way to share and debate ideas as well as test out new theories among peer groups (again, that I may not have otherwise been aware of), and finding new thoughts and ideas daily.”

Raghav Chiluka
“Social Media makes the world smaller, more accessable, global knowledge access and global sharing & linking.”

Sonia Tranter
“Social media allows me to share perspectives with others on an area or interest while continuously learning new things that are directly related to me.”

The email address you included with your comment is now on its way to Google.  Please note:  it can take a week or longer for Google to create your account and send your link (I have no control over this).

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8 Social Media Strategy Mistakes for Businesses

This is a summary post that highlights a useful and interesting article from another blog — in this case: Eight Ways to Ruin Your Social-Media Strategy on the BNET management website.

Although not all commenters agree on the details of this post, the general advice is sound: social media is not easy to use well. If you want to get it right, you need to put lots of time into using it and significant thought into your strategy of how to use it. The following are eight things to avoid:

Mistake 1: Pretend you can do without it.

Social media is here to stay, and the rocketing growth of some outlets makes it foolish to ignore them. Don’t get left behind.

Mistake 2: Play down the costs.

Although the individual accounts may be free and advertising within them inexpensive, social media is costly in time and effort. Eventually, however these costs pay off.

Mistake 3: Act like you own the conversation

Don’t treat social media like your own pulpit and blast away with heavy-handed sales tactics. It’s a conversation, and you’ll use it to best advantage to listen to what your customers are saying. This kind of market research is worth it’s weight in gold for an organisation that really want to meet its potential.

Mistake 4: Fear empowering your employees.

If you trust your employees with telephones, trust them with social media.  Let them help you create a reputation for responsive customer service.

Mistake 5: Assume you have little to learn.

Hubris is fatal — businesses that take to heart what they read about themselves in social media can use the experience to make great improvements.

Mistake 6: Take negative feedback personally.

There will always be gripes and complaints, but a company that makes an effort to address individual customer problems will see their reputation for service rise.

Mistake 7: Fret about return on investment.

It’s very hard to measure ROI in social media, but that shouldn’t stop you from keeping an eye on brand engagement in the various sites.

Mistake 8: Underestimate the power of seemingly small efforts.

You may sometimes thinking you’re shouting into the wilderness, but even small things can be picked up by masses of people.

For more information and specific examples, please visit the original post: Eight Ways to Ruin Your Social-Media Strategy.

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Nancy Weitz

Nancy is Director at Architela and specialises in internet strategy, collaborative learning and user-centred design

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Want a chance to get in on the Google Wave preview?

I have six invites available. All you need to do is answer the following question in a comment to this blog post by Friday 20 November, 5pm UK (Greenwich) time.

What has so far been the single biggest benefit of using Social Media for you?

The six best answers will win. Good luck!

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Architela

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