Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

I find that in the course of writing out these posts for this challenge, I keep repeating the same phrase over and over again.

“I’m very fortunate…”

Since that is the whole point of these lists, and of the challenge, I’m not going to be upset by the fact that I’m repeating myself.  So, once again, it bears saying that I have been damn lucky to have been involved with some really fantastic projects over the past years.

Most of the projects that I get involved with are on the small side.
But small projects with good people can make a huge difference.

So, right here, I’m going to introduce you to one of the little projects that have made a huge difference to me.

It Starts With Us.

Meet Nate St. Pierre. No, really. Go and meet Nate. Nate wanted to change the world. And so, he did. In fifteen minutes a week. Not just that, but Nate built a global community of like-minded folks who also give fifteen minutes a week to change their own world, too.

This project is simply amazing. Who can’t spare fifteen minutes to make a difference? The weekly email project is something that I look forward to each and every week, and I love Nate and the whole ISWU community for helping to make the world a better place. Please, do and check out the site. Introduce yourself to Nate. Become a part of one of the best projects that you will ever find, headed up by one incredible individual who gives of himself so fully that it’s impossible for that feeling not to rub off on you. Have you got fifteen minutes a week? Sure you do. Use it to change the world.

While you’re off reading up on changing the world, you’re gonna also see something called Love Bomb. Check that out, too. Five minutes to make a difference? Count me in. Just sayin’.

Nate? If you get the time to read this, I want to thank you for changing the way I think about changing the world. And I want to thank you for letting me be a part of one of the most stellar groups of people I have had the privilege of knowing.

This next group of hooligans isn’t really an official project or organization. It’s more like a rag-tag group of like-humoured people that were all tossed together in a sarcasm salad and came out on top. You know, like the croutons that some people pick out. And we were all marinated in the vinegary goodness that we call The Dobernerds.

Brought together because of a dude that lives in his parents basement and cries all over himself.
No, really.

All fans of Tremendous News, we came together and just never left. We support each other, we make each other laugh, and we put up with each other. Just like family. We’ve been through good times, bad times, funny times and even small appliance times together. Without these people, I’m pretty sure that I might have had to go on a murderous rampage.

So… Doc, Chrissa, Tim, Jess, Jen, Darren, Yo, D, and Phil?
Thanks. For being you.

Oh, and TN? Thanks for being you, too.
Manboobs and all.

what would you do?

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.

Since it seems that anyone can do it, I believe that I shall declare myself to be a Social Media ROCK STAR! Yes, the words ‘rock star’ need to be capitalized if I’m planning on becoming a Social Media ROCK STAR! And no, you may not leave off the exclamation point at the end. The exclamation point is what makes it true. And important. Sheesh, don’t you know anything?

From what I can tell, there are really only two qualifications to become a Social Media ROCK STAR!

One, you must declare yourself to be a Social Media ROCK STAR! Well, that’s easy enough. I’m pretty sure I just did that. Or weren’t you paying fucking attention? Just for you, I’ll do it again… I. Am. A. Social. Media. ROCK STAR! Got that?

Two, you must be a complete douchebag. I might not have a lot of douchebag experience, but I learn quickly. I’m sure I can figure it out.

In order to facilitate my whole move to the state of douchbaggery, I shall do the following things:

As of this moment, every single person that follows me shall get an auto-dm explaining to them that I am, in fact, a Social Media ROCK STAR! and that I will help them reach new heights of awesome simply by doing nothing but using my auto-dm powers. I will also send this auto-dm to all my current followers. Just to reinforce my douche-factor.

Secondly, please take note that I will no longer be responding to any @ replies on Twitter. I am far too busy and important to deign to respond to you. One caveat. If you have more than a hundred thousand followers, I will not only respond, but I will re-tweet your ass like money falls out of it. That’s how we Social Media ROCK STARS! roll.

Lastly, my tweets will now become so much more valuable than yours, y’know because of my whole Social Media ROCK STAR! status.  Therefore, I shall be tacking on a ‘please RT’ to each and every motherfucking tweet. That’s right. You need to re-tweet that shit. Because I’m a fucking Social Media ROCK STAR! dammit, and what I say matters.

That aught to do it, I think. I don’t believe I’ve missed anything.

Oh, and for you people out there that will unfollow me because I have declared myself to be a Social Media ROCK STAR!?

Let me just say that I don’t blame you in the least.

I’d fucking unfollow me, too.

/rant.

Tweet courtesy of @iamkhayyam. I just #ranwithit

Someone tweeted out my Klout score the other day.

I only noticed because it showed up in my mentions. I looked at the tweet and thought two things. The first thing was, “I don’t care.” The second thing was, “Neither should anybody else.”

There are a ton of ways that people measure their “Social Value” on the internet. Klout is just one – albeit one of the most widely used and recognized. And that’s just fine and dandy.

I mean, not for me.
But if it’s your thing, go for it.

I don’t know what my Klout score says about me. I don’t plan to ever know. I don’t use Klout, and I will never use Klout. I’m sure that for some people or businesses, that score is of some importance. Maybe. It’s just that I couldn’t really care less what some algorithm says about who it thinks I am.

And I certainly don’t give a teeny little rat’s ass as to what a faceless equation says about how good I am at the internet. Or at life.

I never did like math.

To me, there is a real danger in measuring your success as a person based on what some overly complex system of measurement says about you. Looking at that score can lead you to believe that (A) you’re not good enough and make you feel bad about yourself, or (B) make you think that you are the best person on the net and thus, turn you into a (C) raging asshole douchebag.

All Klout does is measure what is possible.
It doesn’t measure what you do.
Or if what you do is positive.

I have a much less complex way of measuring Social Value.

Every once in a while I am completely floored and humbled by someone out there in the wilds of my social media landscape. An email telling me that one of my blog posts helped get someone through a tough time. A comment telling me that I have inspired someone.  A tweet thanking me for making someone smile. A retweet by someone I admire – someone who’s “value” to me is incalculable.

I am also very fortunate to have a number of people in my online life that make me feel like doing those things for them, too.

That’s value.

Those things equal more than a number.
And they mean so much more to me than anything that comes after (x+y=me).

I don’t care if you have one hundred or one hundred thousand followers or friends. It’s not the number that matters, it’s the message you’re sending out to them. Numbers can be compiled by a machine, messages can only compiled by humans. I try to make sure that mine is good.

Snarky and sarcastic at times, sure.
But I gotta be me.

If you’re a Klout fan, so be it.  I won’t be seeing you there.  But I fully support your freedom to use it as you see fit.  Maybe you could try one thing, though… Next time you check your Klout score, at least remember this:

No matter what the score, a number is not reflective of what is real, only of what is possible.

Let's measure smiles, not scores.