DISQUS

There's a lot to think about here. I completely agree with paying your dues, but not necessarily with, "So stay at your job, even if you hate it and feel that your talents extend way beyond the job description." If it's a talents issue, sure, get over it, but if you truly hate your job to the point that it makes you miserable... well then crappy or economy or not life is too short and I for one won't bail on you if you quit.

That said, you better be looking for something in the mean time and do you damnedest to ensure that your next job is a 'better fit,' prior to taking it.

Most of the people have touched on the living with your parents issue to the point that I'm not sure I have much else to add. I have friends making 50K+ living with their families. Some don't have any debt. Others have private school loans up to their eyes. Some are (were) in between jobs. Some pay rent. I try not to judge anyone's circumstances because usually I don't know the whole story. Maybe it's such commonplace (in big cities? in the South where family-time is -really- emphasized?), but I don't think twice about it. That said, am going to live at home with my parents one day? I doubt it, not for more than a couple of months. I could see it transitioning from somewhere to my own consulting business gig (one of these days), and staying at home just to ensure it's what I want to do (moving expenses are expensive.)

Finally, I agree that there are a TON of Gen Y bloggers that are pontificating all kinds of bullshit, the value few and far between. That's okay with me to because I just won't read it. Some of them genuinely believe they're providing this 'amazing advice,' and Lance is welcome to bring them back to reality for me, but others are just trying to navigate their space, and their lives.

No, they don't have the experience to tell me how to confront my boss, how to ask for a raise/vacation, how to become more efficient, etc. They can tell me what ways may have worked for them, or what they THINK may work for them. I'll take that information (should I choose to read past the headline) and glean any insight there is, and go on about my business with the assumption that they put that down on paper because it helped them think about the challenges they're currently encountering in the workplace. SOMETIMES I even suspect that leaving a comment helping them 're-evaluate' their thoughts will help them delve deeper (after all the resistance and bullshit comments they try to fight back with of course.)

Am I even making sense anymore? I think what I'm getting at is that all of your points are valid, and Gen Y bloggers should take them to heart, but the rest of us shouldn't sit atop our thrones casting stones and telling them they suck either. To be clear you haven't done this (neither did Charlie, and neither does Lance), you illustrated how they can start providing value -- and I think that's what most of us are trying to do.

Thanks for inviting me to add my $.02!

I really wish I was that skilled with a camera. What a unique gift, and without a doubt those are photos that will always encapsulate how you felt during this time in your life. It's fun to see you outside of the social media realm (and without your pirate costume on.)

Congrats Justin!

<abbr>Ryan Stephens’s last blog post..Do’s and Dont’s of Managing People in Social Media</abbr>

"The people willing to get obnoxiously dirty are going to win." -- I couldn't agree more. You got to be in the trenches doing it for your peeps, not for the dinero.

Per usual, Gary rocks, and spreads the message everyone needs to hear!

I have no problems with celebrities on Twitter, especially if they're being authentic and providing value and interesting tweets the way @The_Real_Shaq and @aplusk are, but I think that the vast majority of celebs will still use them to post stuff you'd see in a press release. This is unfortunate because Ev and Biz are promoting the celebs as "suggested users" and they're going to garner a lot of social capital and push people that are providing real value down the list of influencers.

Ryan Stephens's last blog post..Would You Like a Free Consulting Session?

Amen Gary. I couldn't agree more!

@Andy - Solid pick. I was actually working throughout the entire game so I didn't get to catch them all, but from what I saw I liked the Doritos snow globe commercial, and I liked the Bridgestone Taters commercial. This one is solid too, I had missed it.

Thanks for sharing!

Ryan Stephens's last blog post..Top 10 Gen Y Blogs: February 2009

@networkingguru - I'm glad you found the information valuable. Feel free to pass it on or e-mail me or find me on Twitter if you have any additional questions. I'd be happy to help you out or answer any potential questions you might have. Best of luck!

Gary,

I think a reason so many people are scared to listen to themselves is that if they do not succeed they only have themselves to blame. It's a lot easier to point fingers if you listen to others, worry too much about metrics, etc.

This show reminds me a lot of one of Seth's November posts, The You Show

The fundamental flaw for podcasts (not videoblogging) for me is that most of them are just TOO LONG, and I don't want to listen for 30-45 minutes for 3-5 minutes of something that's relevant and important to me. Even interviews with industry leaders, thought leaders, etc. I'm NOT listening to it.

I can easily skim to the parts I want to read and know more about within a blog post. I think for MOST podcasts to succeed with a 'general audience' they need to stay short and sweet, and I agree that making money via podcasting needs to be based on the media it represents.

If it's short and informative it is a great way to share some information and give your audience a sense of your personality (and if yours is dynamic and charismatic like Gary V's then that's a good thing).

In our space maybe it's less important (especially when you're at the top of that space), but names matter it some spaces to some people; that's just the nature of this world we live in. Vice President of Strategic Insight sounds more important than Account Manager, but what if that VP is part of a 5 person company and that account manager handles HUGE accounts for Coca Cola?

As for me, I've been dubbed a social media consultant by some, but I usually correct them and call myself a social media experimenter. I'm always learning, reading, trying, and executing. The more I learn and experience the better equipped I am at helping other people, but I don't claim to know enough for you to call me a 'consultant.' Save that for the big wigs making the big money. Give me enough to warrant my time (I love what I do, but I also love spending time with friends and family) and that doesn't necessarily have to very much, and I'll take good care of you and help your business. Call it what you want.

Thanks for the insight Chris. We're definitely on the same page here.

R

David,

I definitely try to utilize social media to help relationships make the transition from an online connection to an offline network. When I start feeling genuinely connected to others or feel like I can contribute value to the projects they are working on I will definitely reach out via the phone. It's no surprise that the people I have amplified the connection with the people I speak with on the phone and there's a lot of cool projects and opportunities as a result.

There's a lot of movers and shakers in the social media space, that's for sure.

Like you I am about to make a treck across country where I will know virtually nobody, and I definitely plan to start reaching out to my new location via Twitter and other social media tools.

Welcome to Jason's Social Media Explorer, and looking forward to more of your posts!

Bets wishes.

Chris - At first glance it feels like you have everything. One of the things I'm certain you're planning on doing, but to keep in mind regardless (and I know this bootcamp is on the basics) is to briefly interject why many of these are important in the large scheme of things as you teach them.

I suspect you're three steps ahead of me here, but there's plenty of people out there that can teach many of these things. What separates you is that you're so good bringing them all together and making them relevant in the large scheme of things.

In the things you mention as basic etiquette, I definitely think there will be room for you to emphasize just how important those aspects are and why they matter to the person attending the bootcamp.

Best of luck with this project!

While it is true you should certainly work on improving yourself, not necessarily racing your competitors I find that when I'm actually racing (see: running) I drop as much as 2 minutes on my 5K times. Competing against other people pushes me and challenges me further than I seem to be capable of pushing myself.

I think this can apply to blogging as well, and you've hit on that too. I can train and work harder than anyone else in the world and I'm never going to run a 5K as fast as Bernard Lagat, but I can pick someone that is of a similar skill level and measure myself against, and push myself to attain their status.

The best part about blogging is that an ordinary person CAN achieve remarkable status with enough hard work, learning, and perseverance. This isn't necessarily true of running 5Ks. Thanks for the insight Chris!

I was a little bitter about not being able to get ryanstephens.com, though I intend to make the guy a couple of offers on it.

I think the -real shit- as Gary puts it, is the fact that he's straight pimpin' a beanie inside with a fly dress shirt.

Thanks for the tip Gary!

Jacob,

For the most part I definitely agree, and it's one of the primary reasons I get tired of hearing people gripe about measurable ROI as a result of social media efforts. If you want to measure something, measure the relationships you cultivated that led to future partnerships, consulting opportunities, new accounts, word of mouth, etc.

My most recent blog post is about the benefits of starting a blog, and I mentioned many of the things opportunities I have received as a result of having a blog and participating in the social media world.

Enjoyed getting acquainted with your blog.

Best wishes.

@Hiren - I do not mind taking a look at your site. In fact, with the popularity of cricket especially in other parts of the world (not the US) you probably have a great niche, potentially one that you can monetize. All that I ask is that you send me an e-mail at: ryanstephensmarketing@gmail.com and include some specific aspects of your site that you would like feedback on.

@Andrew - Let me know if you need any help at all during your adoption of Twitter.

@Jason - Anytime. I enjoy your content and I am confident that people like you, Lewis, Kathleen and others can continue to help lead sports networking, marketing, connecting, etc. into its next phase.

@Carol - I'm glad the fact that most of this could apply across the board to virtually any industry was not lost on you. While this article was specifically for the sports audience, as it has been slow to adopt and use these tools, the vast majority of the content is certainly applicable to many other industries.

@Scott & @Tia

Thank you both for the kind words. I'm glad you both found the post
to be informative and helpful for people in the sports industry!

Chris,

I think a lot of you. I think you're a great marketer, and I think you provide some of the most practical and tangible advice on social media online. All this said, I can assure you that I would NEVER stick my tongue in your mouth.

I don't re-follow people that have very uneven distribution in how many they're following and I often unfollow people that have a habit of too many tweets. Even if they're trying to provide value on the 13 posts they just did in a row, chances are I might unfollow; there's just too much noise.

Chris,

What an awesome video. Thanks for taking the time to share stuff like this with us (your readers). And to extend what Ricardo said, there's no excuse anymore.

All the Best.

Thought I've never done it, I'm pretty convinced that hitting a walk off home run to win a conference championship, world series, etc. is better than sex, but hey, that's just me.

And honestly, the only thing that surprises me is how many people "still don't get it," that dont' see this shift happening right in front of their eyes.

Chris,

Thankfully I workout/run alot because I'm definitely keeping the soda companies in business staying up so late night after night "hustling," but then, that's what it's all about eh?

This is another great actionable post, particularly with so many people really seeking information like this right now.

I'm kind of like Seth Godin though, right now is the perfect opportunity to jump in and start taking risks. Now, more than ever, you need to be building your brand equity. Even with the economy in its current state, there's still opportunities (or you can make your own) out there for rockstars. There always will be.

Looking forward to some of these conferences as well, though it's virtually impossible for me to watch a whole one, much less many other people's. I definitely have to pick and choose and some of them exceed 40+ minutes.

While I would never deny that Mitch Joel is a genius, I think I'd have to link back to Bryan Eisenberg first as the original creator of this concept.

Finally, I think everyone needs to include Gary V's NYC keynote. That speech just gets me pumped up!

And can we expect a Chris Brogan Pixelated Conference?

Mark -

Like Kim, I especially like your tip of contacting someone prior to the conference to let them know you'll be there and you would love to connect with them. Like you mentioned, it gives you a couple of touch points and also enables that person to put a name (they've already encountered) with a face.

I'd like to add, and I think Chris may have touched on this recently, that it's always great to have a couple of questions prepared. Having some solid thought-provoking questions to ask someone is a great way to ...

A.) break the ice
B.) take the attention of yourself, particularly if you're shy
C.) show that your intuitive w/ a solid question and geuninely want knowledge
D.) plays to their ego a bit in that they can showcase their expertise.

Anyway, great contribution to Chris' Blog.

Gatekeeper: ESPN.com
Gatejumper: Deadspin.com

I think the hardest things for blogs that can't get over the hump (my own included) are #3/#10 reaching out to and engaging the community you intend to serve, and #5/#28 getting outside the echo chamber.

I think the challenge with the first one is that it is something that is hard to do even if you're making the effort. I think a lot of people will do it initially and give up, but don't realize that they need to keep planting little seeds for their field to grow. From my experiences great communities tend to build slowly, organically.

You have great gift of getting others to participate with your content, and often I will read and re-read the end of your posts and try to emulate ways you get others to contribute to the conversations you're starting.

With regard to getting out of the echo chamber, I think this is something that is very hard for bloggers that don't have lots of experience. I think one of the keys to be able to create your own content and having your own voice is #25, to read, read and read.

I try to read many blogs in my blogosphere; those that I aspire to be like, and those that are my more direct competitors. Then I try to read others articles in other publications and learn as much as I can. I think I've shifted from being just a "me-too" guy to someone who can take a couple of different resources and continue the conversation with my own spin (which is good), but I still don't have many posts where I'm truly creating my own unique content.

Thanks for putting together this phenomenal list Chris! I have enjoyed interacting and thinking about the way many of these things impact me!