How important are your privacy settings, when using Facebook?

Image by suburbanbloke via Flickr

This is not a hypothetical debate, this is what happened to me this morning:

Everyday, I go for a morning walk in my area, (Bondi to Bronte, see pic to the right) VERY early in the morning…(today it was actually night time, by some definitions..) . Half way through the walk, I found a Drivers Licence, lying on the pavement. Picking it up, the owner was not a local Australian. The DL belongs to a Canadian woman, maybe a tourist, or a short term resident.

I had the option of leaving it in the bus stop, and forget about it. I couldn’t. I have lost my Drivers licence once, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience, to put it mildly… So I needed to find her, and quickly.

Having no idea how to locate this woman, I emailed a friend in Canada, whom I believed could help me locate the woman’s family. Being effective as she is, within a couple of hours (having a meeting in between), she emailed me, saying:

“I believe I found her family, left a message with her sister/mother….Will pass on your contact details if she calls back”

I was happy with that, yet a voice in my head said – “she can be found online, I’m sure!”

Googling her name returned too many results. The name on the woman’s Drivers Licence had her first and second names, and her surname. Searching for the full name generated no results, and searching for only one of her names at the time, showed too many results, as both her names are quite common.

so I went to Facebook – where else can I find a 26yo girl?

Within minutes I found her, confirmed her info (name, residence, home town) with the information on her DL, and sent her a message…
Within 45 minutes (!!) she called me, and she’ll pick it up tonight, after work!

Lesson:

As an advocate for online connectivity, I love this story! Seeing the glass half-full, I love the fact I could help this woman reunite with her DL, saving her days of frustration, hours of waiting inline at police stations/RTA (or DMV or whatever they call it in Canada), all because her Facebook privacy settings gave me just enough information to make sure it was her, without exposing her life completely.
But I’m sure some people would be scared that they could be found to quickly and easily, as if George Orwell’s 1984 is coming to life.

What is your opinion?

Better communication tips, using social media.

// This article is written by Soren Gordhamer, who  is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference. I’ve summarized it here: (Read the full article on Mashable)

Social media allows us to discover, connect, and engage with new people of interest. While most people are open to new connections and receiving messages from people they don’t know, there is a fine line between reaching out and “spamming.” The challenge is to make a connection clearly and effectively without wasting people’s time.

Many of us are on both sides of this relationship — sometimes making the connection, sometimes receiving the invitation. To help navigate these waters a little better, I’ve outlined seven key lessons for improving your social networking skills.

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1. Find a Person’s Preferred Communication Channel

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If you want to contact someone you have never communicated with before, do some research. Find the person’s preferred communication channel. Search which social network they are most active on, and try contacting them there ( a simple google search will help you find that piece of info).

Get a sense of their preferred means of communication, and make contact where they are.

Lesson: Go where they are.

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2. Say Just Enough

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This cannot be emphasized enough, and it is probably my toughest challenge. In the age of social media, we may be able to get the attention of more people, but we get it for a much shorter amount of time. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make, is that they send long e-mails or social media messages explaining all the reasons they want to connect. You are likely have not earned not earned the five minutes of the recipient’s time that it will take to read that message.

Lesson: Less is more.

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3. Don’t Expect a Response

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I often see e-mails with phrases like “Please respond,” or “please get back to me.” Unless it is an old friend or a colleague, if you are contacting someone new, you are not entitled to a response. If the person wants to get back to you, he or she will. It is much better to say “If this is not of interest, feel no need to get back to me.”

Lesson: Say what you need to and then let it go.

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4. Clarify Early

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This may seem like common sense, but don’t wait for the last line of your message to say that you want to meet for lunch, or ask your contact if he’d like to speak at an event. Put it right up front. If he cannot provide what you’re looking for, he’ll know sooner rather than later, and will appreciate you for it.

Lesson: Say it up front.

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5. What You Want is Not the Point

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You may think that what you want is a phone call or lunch meeting to discuss your big idea. But communication is more than any one project or meeting. What you really want is an authentic connection.

In a very real way, it doesn’t necessarily matter if the person is interested in discussing your project idea. What matters is whether you are making a connection.

If you focus on the relationship more than the specific request, and the person has a pleasant experience reading your opening communication, it is likely the door will remain open for possible collaboration in the future, and the next e-mail you send will more likely be fruitful.

Lesson: No one knows what the future may hold, so make the moment count. Ensure the door stays open, even if no one is walking through it right now.

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6. Be Open Without Needing

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Needy never goes over well. Statements like “I really need to talk to you,” or “it is essential that we speak,” show your general insecurity. There is a huge difference between being open to collaboration and “needing” it.

Do not make contact until you find that place in yourself that is totally comfortable with any outcome, including a strong “no” or no response at all. Only then can you make authentic contact. When you do, openness rather than need will come through in your words.

Lesson: Speak from openness rather than need.

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7. Give Space

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The key questions people have when someone new reaches out to them, particularly those who are quite busy, are “Do I have time to bring this person into my network? How much time will they take?”

Give communication some space. Unless something is very timely, let a bit of time pass before sending a response. Let communication have some breathing room. Once there is some level of trust, you can experiment with more immediate information exchange.

Lesson: Focus on thoughtful instead of continual contact.

Planning 2010 before it starts…

Setting goals, New Year resolutions, promises, promises. yeah right!

Most of us will re-join the gym, for 4 weeks (at the most), quit smoking (1 week), go on healthy diet ( could last… I don’t know… 2 weeks??) and make all sort of “commitments” which will be forgotten by 1st of Feb.

But we want to change, don’t we? we want to make a difference, to develop ourselves, to become better people, healthier, friendlier, more successful, less stressed, spend more time with the kids, exercise more, take more time out…….

Saying these things will make us feel better. Without a doubt. For a coupla weeks – at least! But then – “life” interferes with our plans, and we’re going back to our comfort zone, and forget about the great plans we made for the new year.

This time, I want it to be different. I want to look back on 2010 and proudly say – ” I MADE A DIFFERENCE” . I’m gonna work at it, and make sure my commitments are kept, and to the highest standard! 2010 will be the Year Of Change.

I have gone beyond just preparing a list of goals, which I’ll stick on my shaving cupboard.  I’ve prepared a document ( it is not full yet, but I’m working on it), and I’d like to share it with you. Wishing you a Happy New Year wouldn’t be enough for me. I want to give you a tool to make it happen.

Click on the image below, download and print it, and take a couple of hours to sit, by yourself, and work through it. Think about it – two hours of your time now, will make a great difference, this time next year. Don’t hesitate: Just Do it!

Social Media Best Practice

I read this great article, written by By WILLA PLANK from the Wall Street Journal, which I’d like to emphasize some key points. Read the entire article here.

How else can we say it: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as tools to promote your services and products online. Many businesses already including social media tools in their marketing strategy.

But don’t feel pressured to jump in quickly and create a profile on every site. First, decide if it’s right for your company. As mentioned above, Social Media should be INCLUDED in the marketing strategy, assuming you have one. There is no reason to set up accounts on the social networks, for the sake of it. These social network can be used as a marketing tool, and need to be handled as such.

For instance, a Facebook fan page probably doesn’t make sense for a business-to-business outfit, and companies that target older or retired customers might benefit more from direct-mail campaigns, or even knocks on doors. Work out what fits your business, don’t just dive into it.

If you’ve decided to incorporate social media, remember that YouTube videos, blog posts and status updates are just a part of your entire marketing arsenal. Here are three best ways to use social media.

1.Stand out by trying less-crowded or up-and-coming social-media sites.

Everyone knows about Facebook fan pages. But if you’re a neighborhood business that relies on local clientele, you might want to consider Foursquare, which combine elements of other social-networking sites (Twitter, Facebook or Yelp) to help spread word of establishments and provide rewards to encourage customer loyalty. If you’re strapped for time, at least maintain a blog that provides good content and answers consumer questions.
You could always create your own social network, on a ning platform.

2.Don’t expect instant sales, but make sure to get actual results.

Social media is more about brand outreach. Make sure you have a reasonable goal and a well-thought out strategy to achieve that end. First, listen to what is being said about your business and competitors on Google alerts, RSS queries, Twitter, Yelp and BackType.

Make sure you have your profile account names on all print communications you distribute, such as flyers and menus. Identify your biggest fans, and figure out how to organize them or point them out in some way. Reach out to other bloggers in your industry. Have them contribute to your blog, and create cross-marketing activities

3. Don’t forget social media is a tool to strengthen offline relationships.

Many small businesses already have personal ties to customers in their communities, and these tools are designed to enhance those relationships, not replace them. For instance, you can use social-media tools such as YouTube to give customers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of your company, or display more of your personality than you can through an ad. Create videos to show the personal side of your business, your people, your premises – people attract to REAL people, not to companies.

Use social media as a tool to “meet” potential clients or business partners, but make sure you follow up with an in-person meeting or phone conversation. Tweetups are very common everywhere. Find out what is happening in your area, and join the conversation. Show up (or send employees), and if there isn’t one in close proximity – create one! It’s fun, and very beneficial for everyone involved.

How to maximise your Linkedin profile (Tip #1)

For about 3 years I’ve been an active user of Linkedin, and an active advocate…. Last week I’ve decided (with the help of the newly appointed MD for Linkedin Australia – Clifford Rosenberg), to share my knowledge, and help other people improve their careers and business using this fantastic tool.

Today, after delivering a 3 hour workshop, titled  “What is Linkedin, and Why you can’t afford to ignore it!”, I discovered another feature, I wasn’t aware of before : How to add a video presentation to your profile.

To my defense, it is not a Linkedin functionality, but a round-about way to insert a video. The video below will explain how, step by step.