The advice from many on Twitter these days seems to boil down to a desperate quest to build a massive following. A tweet this morning promised a way to generate something like 20,000 new followers in a day. Then there are e-books about how someone built a massive following…by writing a book about how to [...]
From the category archives:
Social Media
Social Media for Clients, Constituents, and Customers
by Dave Atkins on February 7, 2009
Social media is fundamentally about conversations. Blogs, Twitter exchanges, even random comments in response to a Facebook status, represent new opportunities to connect not only on a personal, but also business level. My business is about developing strategies for getting those conversations started and using them to engage clients, constituents, and customers in a dialog [...]
It’s Blitz Time to Meet People!
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
I can imagine fewer more terrifying social experiments than what I signed up for last night. Blitz Time is a service for “speed networking” that sets participants up in a series of short, one-on-one phone calls with other people. Surprisingly, once I began, it was not nearly as scary as it was fun. That is [...]
The Camera Eye
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
Update: You can now view: Dave Atkins interview with Tory Johnson on ABC NOW Susan Kang Nam talks about Salty Legs Job Club with Tory Johnson Madeline Laurano talks about finding her new job Staring into a television camera for a remote interview was a surreal experience. I felt spontaneity and improvisation that is challenging [...]
Social Media for Economic Development
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
in Best Writing,Building Community,Local to Boston,Politics,Social Media,Urbanism
Towns, cities, developers, business leaders and activists should seize the communication opportunities available in social media to collaboratively and cooperatively plan their economic futures. I recently blogged about how Boston World Partnerships is developing a social media approach to facilitate connections between “movers and shakers” in Boston and globally promote the city. I subsequently chatted [...]
Blogging for Influence
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
in Building Community,Creative Life,Local to Boston,Social Media,Work/Life
Social Media writers describe how blogging can be used to connect with customers and influencers…and at a personal level, to build your brand and personal network. But so often, they are talking about people who are already established or who have now made it “big.” Blogging can be valuable for everyone, even if your objective [...]
Using a Wiki to Improve Town Governance
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
Town governments should consider using wikis to encourage citizen involvement, deliver greater transparency in the public policy process, and achieve faster, more comprehensive solutions to local issues. A wiki is a website made up of pages that users can add to or edit using a web browser. Changes are recorded and preserved in the version [...]
Blogging for Economic Development
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
in Building Community,Creative Life,Local to Boston,Social Media,Urbanism
Today, the city of Boston will announce a website that is described by the Boston Globe as a “Facebook-like social networking website.” That description fails on so many levels to communicate the value of what the city is doing. Boston World Partnerships is the non-profit created by Mayor Menino to promote economic development in the [...]
Blogging, Social Media Complements, Does not Replace Face-to-Face
by Dave Atkins on February 4, 2009
I am featured in a story today in the Christian Science Monitor, Blogs: An Effective Job-Hunting Tool?, but after describing my efforts positively, the article quotes one naysayer in particular who does not understand the context of my efforts: Not everyone shares his enthusiasm. “Blogging and Internet searching for jobs is worthless,” says Drew Stevens, [...]
Salesforce a Catalyst for Social Media?
by Dave Atkins on December 30, 2008
Social media strategists and consultants should take a good look at the Salesforce platform as a complement to activities like blogging, twitter, and facebook. Until I spoke with John Durocher, a VP at Salesforce who specializes in the Financial Services Industry, I thought of Salesforce as strictly a CRM product. But what Salesforce is doing [...]