Interaction. Interaction. Interaction.
In real life, people commonly ask me, “how in the world did you get so many followers on Google?” Of course, being an early adopter helped, but the most important thing I did when I arrived here wasinteracting with other users. I can’t say it enough, interacting with people’s content shows them two things: 1) You’re paying attention. 2) You invested time in starting a conversation.
Recently I spoke with +Derek Ross about some of his posts about #Android and why they weren’t getting the type of interaction he was looking for. +Derek is an original content creator and a great resource for all things related to #Android.
After taking a look at some of his posts at the time, I noticed that a lot of things he was posting were unembellished hyperlinks–simply a link to a website and the default snippet without any sort of summary or call to action.
When you post things in social media, especially on Twitter and Google+, sometimes it is hard to determine how many people are receiving your message. If you are posting unmodified hyperlinks in your post, you won’t be able to track how many people are clicking through.
By using a link shortening service such as goo.gl you can track how well your posted links are doing. Simply copy the link you wish to track, visit http://www.goo.gl/ and paste it into the window. Once you click the button, the link will be shortened to the right using a series of letters and numbers. When you copy and paste this into your tweet or post, you will be able to keep track of how many people clicked through.
You will be amazed by the difference between +1’s, comments and click-through of your posts.
Step-by-step instructions for the “less geeky” ones in your life.
So maybe they still have a Hotmail account. Maybe they don’t watch +YouTube. Who knows, maybe they still search on +Yahoo!
No matter which way you slice it, there are probably some friends or family in your life that simplyaren’t that tech savvy. Maybe one of the big things keeping them from joining +Google+ is the simple fact that they don’t know how to join!
I’ve created a very easy to follow step-by-step video showing them exactly how to sign up for an account. If you want to get them on board, just simply e-mail them this video!
Are you sharing responsibly?
Most of the content that gains traction on the Internet, whether message boards, social media sites like Google+ and Facebook or through e-mail chains (although becoming less popular) has an origin. A lot of people take for granted the fact that someone took the time and effort to create this work. Instead, they share the image with reckless abandon as if it was their own original work.
Now, that’s not to say that everyone that downloads and image to their computer and shares it on a social network is necessarily in the wrong. A lot of the images that are found throughout the web are not copyrighted and are usually “modifications” of existing images. Think of all of the memes where people take an existing image and populate their own text on top. Just because they captioned the image does not make it theirs, per say.
I was approached today by +Bud Hoffman who pointed out that he shared an image he had found on the Internet and was surprised by the amount of interaction and attention it drew. Bud shared an image of two men smoking and standing beneath a mural to make it look as though they were being buried at a funeral.
Continue reading Photographic Archaeology: How To Find the Source of an Image on the Internet
Why I am teaming up with +KOMU 8 News +Sarah Hill.
Person Energy Transportation (or P.E.T. for short) gives the gift of mobility to people all around the world that suffer from paralysis, disease and other circumstances which have caused them to lose their ability to walk. Each of these hand-cranked carts allows these individuals to use their own energy to power themselves through third world countries which lack the infrastructure that you and I take for granted every day.
For a mere $250, the P.E.T. organization can gather materials needed to construct a hand-powered cart that allows people lacking mobility to commute through their communities, find work and restore their personal freedom. No longer will they have to crawl on the ground or depend upon the support of others to get from point A to point B.
If you live in a metropolitan area like I do, you might take the infrastructure around you for granted. Most modern suburbs in the United States even boast sidewalks on every street. However, in countries like Honduras and Vietnam, accessibility is a major problem for most people. Especially those with mobility issues.
+Sarah Hill is undertaking a project to raise One Million Dollars which would fund the construction of over 4,000 P.E.T. carts and restore mobility, freedom and jobs to 4,000 people in third world countries who suffer at no fault of their own.
How +Sarah Hill Plans to Do It
Sarah will be using +Google+ Hangouts to her advantage. As she has integrated the technology into her +KOMU 8 News U_Newscasts, she will be offering people the opportunity to “sponsor” segments and get their name out in exchange for their donation to her project. With over 600,000 followers on +Google+ and the ability to touch people with her stories, I have no doubt that +Sarah Hill will be successful with her endeavors.
How You and +Peter G McDermott Plan to Help
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Since I don’t have 600,000 followers and don’t appear daily on an NBC affiliate, I’m going to depend on +The Internet to help me get the message out and show +Sarah Hill that the little guys can make a difference too.
Since my following count is about 5% of Sarah’s, I’m going to recruit you and all of your friends, family members and colleagues to help me raise $50,000 towards Sarah’s goal of $1 Million.
What’s In it For You?
If you have seen my YouTube videos or read my blog, you know that I am a fairly competent speaker, engager and story teller. I like sharing new ideas and innovation (you would know that if you ever read my profile). So, if you want to help me with this project of raising money, I want to help you with getting the word out about your product or service. I will be offering my consulting services and audience reach at no cost to those that help me raise funds and meet my modest goal of $50,000.
So what are you waiting for? If you want to join in, be sure to join my team on Crowd Rise: http://www.crowdrise.com/mcdermott/
Only $50,000 to Go!
If you’re just starting a blog or trying to learn how to be a successful blogger on the Internet you have probably read a lot about what you should be doing. Have you considered thinking about what you shouldn’t be doing?
I polled my network of experts on Google+ and got some great responses on this topic. I wanted to feature +C Bret Campbell‘s thoughts as a guest post. Here’s his top ten list of mistakes that bloggers commonly make:
Top 10 No-No’s:
So, tonight, after attending a meeting for speakers interested in +PodCamp Nashville, I went out to dinner with the lovely +D’nelle Throneberry and talked about teamwork and how it relates to social media as a business strategy.
The first thing we talked about is something that “social media experts” are afraid to admit. Social media has grown so much that it is no longer under one umbrella. There are so many aspects of new media that one person can not simply master them all.
Currently the game is being played on a no-frills referral basis in this market. If you’re looking for WordPress, there’s someone for that. If you want to do a Twitter campaign, I can point you in the right direction. Looking for Drupal? There’s a couple of guys in town that do that…
Clearly, what I learned from our conversation and observing the relationships and businesses in this market, I know that everyone is really excited about social media. Especially the people that do it for a living. They are all working independently and love it. Why?
I can understand leaving your M-F 9-5 to become an independent entrepreneur and do what you love, but why do it alone when there is a team of people there all passionate about the same thing?
As this space continues to evolve, more technologies and networks start popping up, we are going to need more than just a few experts. Regardless, though, of how much it grows and changes, all of these things that propagate are all related. There is no reason we should work in silos. That’s why we left Corporate America in the first place, right?
I think that if a group of people with a diversified range of talents band together they will be much more successful than a bunch of people all out doing it on their own.
I don’t care how wide or great your referral network is, there is strength in numbers and if you band together, you can do amazing things. Teamwork is where it’s at.
I just had two incredible conversations with two of my favorite innovators within this space. How did we meet? Google+ Hangouts of course.
Although we might not talk all of the time or keep up with each other on a daily basis, when we feel the need to tap into each others’ creativity and critical thinking skills, we know we are there for each other.
Continue reading Never Discount the Importance of Your Connections
I spoke with him today about making money with his passion. Boris has been struggling trying to find a way to earn a living with his art. During the first episode of my new podcast (available on iTunes, Blip, YouTube and my website) we discussed a few opportunities that could help Boris make money from his photos.
Along with my friend, +Bruce Garber, we challenged +Boris Gorelik to try something out. It involves a bodega and overcoming being shy. It’s a great story and I can’t wait to share it with you. Until then, check out +Boris Gorelik‘s photos and let me know whether you think he has what it takes to make it in the Big Apple.