DISQUS

Classic that VistaPrint is a sponsor. he he.

The one thing to remember is that if you are doing away with business cards for REAL reasons, that is great. If you are doing it cuz it seems trendy and cool, that is lame.

When networking, you want to make it easy for the other person to remember you and find you later. If you don't carry cards and thus the other person need to hunt for your information later.... you will miss opportunities (sorry, many people will not put in the effort to find you, they will just turn to you competitor if they made it easier for them).

Many folks are thinking it is very cool to say "I dont carry business cards". They have lots of reason: environement (I believe them if they drive a Prius and buy carbon credits), or just that it is fun to say that cards are "so yesterday". But the idea in networking is to make connections that can lead to mutually beneficial relationships. Meeting someone on time does NOT make them part of your network. Meeting them once makes them a stranger who you once met.

If you have a great system to always follow up and get your info to the other person, great - do it all day long. I by no means think that business cards the only way. But they do serve a purpose of getting both parties the necessary contact information to follow up later. But if neither person has a card, how will you do it? Not having a card could lead to a missed opportunity. While it is fun to be trendy, actually doing things that lead to mutually beneficial opportunities (by which I mean: business, jobs, deals, money, etc...) is more cool.

I recommend recycled paper for card, as the enviroment matters. But I am not convinced that business cards are really a HUGE problem in ruining the future of the planet (anyone know how many tree it takes to supply the world in business cards??? Maybe it is significant!).

thom singer
www.thomsinger.com

Hey.... didnt she already sing this song over the weeks on this show? Or does she only have one sound? I was thinking she should close out the finals with a little Kayne West.or .Eminem.

I recently launched into my own gig. My wife said that in week one she thought I was in denial, in week two she thought I was lying to her... but now she sees that I am not gripped by fear (something that might have happened to me in past times of facing the unknown). If it feels right, the trick is to ignore the fear and not invite it inside. Fear is out there lurking.. but you are right that it will slow you down!

On Twitter, like high school, even if you are popular, people can see you as stuck up. RT others often to show your not just focused on your own wonderfulness. I am amazed how many people forget that Twitter is not their personal marketing platform. Sure, it is a great tool for getting the word out on all the things you do that are brilliant... but you need to help others promote their stuff too or you are just about you.

Social Media is all still so new that mid-sized and profitable has no way of proving to anyone that there is any sustainability. The HUGE hype that Twitter and Facebook have is the most important part for them.... as people are fickle and could lose interest for a new toy. MySpace is rarely mentioned, but two years ago was all the rage (although they still have users, I have not heard anyone mention them in a long time).

The problem with Twitter is that there are a lot of users who never do crap with their accounts, and too many people have followers who ignore them by using Tweet Deck (and others). Thus, what is the point if nobody is listening.

But hype will always be a wonderful tool for companies if they can ride the wave.

Don't get me wrong, I use Twitter (and like it) and have discovered some captivating personalities from whom I learn. But not sure it has really grown... most folks seem to open an account and get bored quickly, which makes me question its real impact.

Thanks for the clarification.... still don't get it from the post. Confusing, and as I said, and I expect more from your articles!

The fact that "Mashable" answers comments like this is very impressive.

You forgot the MOST IMPORTANT way to "Control Your Personal Brand" and that is always act consistently. If you put on a mask and act one way in when people are watching and then another way in private, you will be viewed as a fraud. Most important part of your brand is that it is reliable.

This can be hard in a world where cameras are everywhere (think Michael Phelps).

HUH?? I dont get this post at all.

Wait. 49% are over 35, yet you say that most users are young? (sounds split to me)... Now, as a 42 year old male Twitter user (handsome to my wife, most of the time), but so what? .... I am questioning the validity of your headline. Being over 35 is still young (contrary to what I thought when I was 25) .... but your statistic makes it sound like users are neither mainly young or old, but instead a good cross section of the population.

Now, if your stat showed 15% are over 35, I would say "YES" to your premise.... but I think your headline was created to get people to read an article that sort of has nothing to say. I read this whole short article twice and I have NO IDEA what the point of this post is really about.

Come on Mashable, I expect more from you.

***Now, I am sure that readers of my blog often scratch their heads and say "WTF?"... but I am just some old dude pontificating my opinions, thoughts and ideas (which are sometimes clouded by too much red wine). You should not get away with "mindless filler" if you have as many readers as you do!!!

They key to twitter in being consistent and authentic. If your strategy is somehow to "use" twitter, people will see through you. It is not about having a "number" of followers if you are just part of the noise. With TweetDeck and other tools many are ignoring most of whom they follow anyway. To succeed in Twitter, as in life, you need to make it not just about YOU, but about cultivating mutually beneficial relationships.

my 94-year-old father thinks that "Google" and the "Internet" ARE the same thing.

If figured at 94 he did not really nead to hear his 40-something son tell him the difference. Thus, for some, Google IS the internet!

This is an interesting article if you are NOT a Twitter user. After the 7 minute point it got higher level, but the 1st third was too basic and did not hold my interest. Even at minute 15 I had not heard anything I did not know. But Evan is a smart guy who has real vision.

It used to be that to have any street credit you needed to have a big New York publishing company behind your book. But those who have noticed that technology has changed the world in the last decade now know that big NY publishers do not hold ALL the cards any more.

A print-on-demand book, micro-publisher, small press, or other self-publishing options now can allow anyone to create a credible book. There are publishers and consultants out there who can assist you for a fee in getting your book into print and distributed (my publishing company, New Year Publishing, is one option)

Unless you are a celebrity, do not believe for one second that a big publisher will get you much more PR (yes, it helps with newspaper reviews, IF the paper will review you...as with 100K - 200K books being published each year there is not that much room for all to get reviews anyway!). Almost every author I have ever talked with says that promoting their book was all up to them.

Writing a book is hard. Promoting your book is 1000 times harder. But do not let this stop you from your dream. I didn't and it changed my life. The NY publishers try to make it seem like there are roadblocks, but not for those who just leap the hurdles.

Sure, I think there are some authors who should go with, and need, the big NY Publishing houses. I also think there are others who are better served by small presss or self-publishing options. Never let anyone tell you one is "bad". The reality is some are just better depending on your goals, situation, needs, desires and topic/genre.

There are so many options for the wanna be author. Do not let anyone tell you that any ONE way is the ONLY way. I know first hand that you can do it if you just do it.

thom

Again, lots of talk, and a lot of laughs, about bail outs. But why are we not demanding that the Gov't and the media stand up and champion the entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial spirit that has always helped us create jobs and wealth in this country and beyond.

I realize this post is just about a silly joke site where you can print a bogus check (which is not unlike what the Congress has done... randomly spending money on "things" without real regard to the effectiveness). But there seems to be a silence about the real saviour to the economic woes and that is the people who take risks, create products & services, start companies, create jobs, etc.... We need to quit sitting on the side lines.

The people who read Mashable are the heart of those who understand and strive for entrepreneurship. Why not some noise being made here and on other tech related sites. Why are we not clamouring for attention to be paid to those who can make things happen?

Instead we get posts about fake checks to send your friends? Come on.

I disagree with part of your point #5. You said: "You book advertising
and it’s guaranteed to work". There are no guarantees in advertising. There
are many people who spend millions of dollars on ads with little ROI.

You are correct that the lack of understanding of how social media will
produce any results freaks out the big brands. They want control, and social
media is not there to be manipulated. You cannot fake viral. They want to
"manipulate" it and when they find that they can't they dismiss the whole
idea.

Your points do not just apply to big brands. Companies of all sizes have these
same issues. It depends on the visionary outlook of those in charge. Big companies just
have more people to have to buy in.

Ok, most trinket stuff I see is either crap or dumb. For some reason I like this one. But I went to go order a shirt and the service is down. Seems too many people read your article and crashed the system.

This is a great observation. Everyone is getting back to basics. But why do we forget the basics when we are flush with cash. The other problem is they are looking for reach and returns on social networking and trying to measure it in ways they measure advertising reach, etc... You have to be committed, engaged in give and take, and authentic to make any progress in the social mediums. You can't just toss money at it. Everyone is looking for a quick fix, and there is no magic answer.

Your advice is great, but you forgot to caution people
about what NOT to allow to become part of their online
persona. Beware of TMI about your personal life in regards
to dating, sex, parties, booze, etc... on any of their
social media platforms.

Those beer-bong YouTube videos or the photos with the
stippers seem funny to some while in college.... but hiring
managers frown on such things when they discover them
online.

Many, especially younger professionals, think that is just
part of "who they are" and that it will either not be
viewed by recruiters and hiring managers. They create a
professional site for their career, but then have the other
site for personal life. But too often they are found by a
simple google search and it can lead to the job going to a
different candidate.

It is not just the social media resume that you need to pay
attention to, but all your online information.

I agree with your points, but every bust is followed by a boom - and booms will make people leap into the VC pool. So while the current situation is clearing out many, as soon as those good businesses "on the beach" have exits, if those exits are high profile, you will see all kinds of people "becoming" venture capitalists again. The problem is that after the tech boom of the 1990s and early 2000 anyone with a pile of cash decided they were a VC. Being a venture capitalist is more than just being some rich dude, To do it right you really do need the experience and the skills - but the lure of the big pay out and the "sexy" nature of calling oneself a VC will always bring too many into the pool when times are good.

I am thankful for so many thing.

Most of all I am thankful that my parents taught me to be thankful for the good thinkgs in my life. so many people were never shown how to express and understand gratitude.

Beyond the main things (family, a great place to work, a career as
a professional speaker, amazing friends, 3 books, etc...) I am most thankful
for how much I have been able to learn in the past year because of
social media. Not pandering here.... I have found my online involvement
to be the single most enlightening activity.

Also thankful for getting to live in Austin, Texas. It is every bit as cool
of a city as you have heard.

I talk too much to just have 3 words, but for you I will try:

Love
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The post is good, but I disagree with your first "Dont" of 2009. You said stop writing about Twitter. Alas, I think you spend too much time around people who have jumped into the deep end of the social media pool.

the truth is that most folk I encounter off of the internet look at me like I am from Mars when I talk about Twitter. ("I just dont get it"). Alas, I think in 2009 people need to keep writing/talking about Twitter. Maybe not on a blog that is read by social media gurus.... but many many people still have not heard the real story yet.

Just my two cents.

thom

I am glad to see this useful feature return. It beats having to guess people's twitter names. I hated seeing it gone, as I used to use it a lot. I did not know it was back...nobody twittered about it. How can I expect to know anything any more if my twitter friends do not mention it often.

I think that the SXSW ill-fated interview of Mark Zuckerberg by Sarah Lacy deserves and honorable mention. The Twitter stream derailed the interview. Over time the story has softened (and changed), but during the on-stage interview and over the following days it was an amazing example of the power of Twitter. It was right then I knew that Twitter was a real movement.