Satisfy, Justify, Mystify

You’ve probably heard of Spotify.  I have it on my iPhone, laptop, and all three of my desktops.  I love it.  It has changed the way I select, play, and listen to music.  If you haven’t yet checked it out, you should.  A new world of free music is just a click away…  Yes, you can use it for free, but it is much better if you buy a premium package which allows for better streaming and unlimited music, no advertising.  $9.99 a month. Gotta love that…

You may not have yet heard of Chirpify.  I was so excited when I heard about this.  Why? Because I seriously cannot wait to use my phone to pay for everything.  And Chirpify is one step closer to that.  This app is lovingly referred to as Twitter Commerce – get it, chirp?  With Chirpify, you can pay for services and goods, as well as make donations over Twitter.  Start transacting on Twitter now…

Likify Me

And now, we have Likify.  This is a new semi-automated way to social market.  Combining the power of QR Codes and social networking, Likify allows the marketer or supplier to create a code for consumer-choice sharing.  Once downloaded, the consumer can select how they will social share a product or service.  They even have case studies from Nike and Sephora.  Their website is simple, self-explanatory and makes me wonder… have we gone too far?

By the way, a QR Code is a Quick Response Code. They were first created by Toyota to track auto parts.  You can learn more about QR Codes for HR & recruiting here .

Isn’t social media, social networking, and successful social marketing all about organic sharing? How much automation before we lose touch with the reality of true sharing?  Will virtual living, buying, and selling take over?  Will IRL only be an acronym?

I know, hard to believe that I, me – Rayanne – is saying this/writing this.  I am a fanatic when it comes to mobile technology and social media… I have 8 social profiles that I visit daily.  And countless others that receive weekly and monthly attention, as well. One of my favorite books and plays has always been Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  It thrilled me while scaring the crap out of me and there are days when it feels like we are headed that way…

Books becoming obsolete, thanks Kindle, Nook, and iPad.
TVs the size of walls.
Big Brother and Marketers watching everything you say, write, read, watch, buy, sell…

And yes, I am a marketer.  And yes, I specialize in social marketing.
But I think at some point,  it will come back to  me – you – every person  strolling through the market, squeezing avocados, checking the color of tangerines, stopping at a shop, trying on shoes, stepping inside a little bakery to pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread that smells incredible…

That’s organic.
That isn’t automated.
That is sensory…

And that cannot be squelched, or stifled, or silenced.       Thank goodness.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

CSMD – Chronic Social Media Disorder

Yep, that's me...

I once had a client whose intern managed the Facebook page for his Business.  She left him in a lurch when she returned to college without transferring or updating key data.   Changing the user name / email address, as well as the password(s) proved a treacherous and formidable task. I know what you are thinking… it should have been easy, just go to settings and alter them. Easier said than done, as the email address used to create the profile had been deleted, try confirming a change without access to the confirmation code.

Yes, all was eventually righted.  My own email account had been hacked into three times that year, so I was surprised at how difficult it was to update the info and create a more secure profile. I have had no issues in the past with updating or changing other profiles or user details, this one just seemed to have a glitch. I actually resorted to the phone and spent a couple hours on hold to rectify the issue.  Good thing I am patient and not compelled to violence.  The early stages of CSMD had set in enough to help me sort through that mess.

I have diagnosed myself with CSMD - or Chronic Social Media Disorder.  A condition brought on by continual exposure to various forms of social media.  It is often described as an addiction – usually by those who do not suffer from said condition or who resist change.  It comes and it goes, but usually, it stays.  Social Media has proven to not be a passing fad, as so many want to believe.  It is as much a trend as the mobile phone.  Neither one is going away, any time soon.  To be sure, innovation is constant.  That means what is popular and imperative today may very well be obsolete tomorrow (think Gowalla – who just last year partnered with mega tech conference SXSW and today its demise was announced).  For me this means, I must keep learning, I must keep growing and I must stay informed.

I function well with CSMD.

As it is, I could not possibly function in my job without this disorder. It is a requirement in my self-written job description.  The use of the internet and social media has not only provided new resources and tools for our use, but it has also increased the speed with which our work is performed, expectations have been raised, and communication has been blown wide open.  This is a good thing.   But I also understand that this is a scary thing and can be a debilitating thing for many.  It doesn’t have to be.

The life and work management tips I have given to myself and shared here have helped me keep my disorder in check – knowing when it is good (work) and when you have gone overboard (personal life).  I no longer bring my phone to the dinner table or to meetings. Check.  The world will continue to revolve should I not tweet or update my status.

We all have different definitions of success.  Maybe it’s owning a Lexus.  Perhaps it is having ten beautiful grandchildren.  It could be making your first million or launching your own business.  Maybe it’s seeing your name in lights. Pursuing personal or professional success can be a great motivator – it is for me.   And while it often feels elusive, it is important to remember that every step forward, every next rung you grasp adds to your own definition.

*WARNING – SXSW is not the best twelve-step program.  Then again, I am not here to be cured.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Are there rules?

When important decisions, big or small, line your day or business path, they must be taken seriously.  And while light-heartedness is good, it must be kept in check when facing important choices. Gathering insight can be an arduous task.  Looking into a situation and knowing which direction to move requires commitment and engagement.  Insight is more than just intuition: it is the delicate balance between feeling and thinking and toss in a healthy dose of experience.

Not too long ago, I posted a link on my Facebook profile page that I thought was profound and it was important to me. It was my profile page, right? I should be able to post whatever I choose, right? It was slightly political, something from which I usually stay far away. And addressed an issue that I had studied in school that had recently been brought back into light. Mind you, this wasn’t my writing or even my opinion, I just thought it should be reflected upon.

A couple friends posted opinions and then others attacked these opinions with nastiness and blazed their own hot views across my page. Typically, I do not mind inciting educational banter. I believe an open mind is a good thing and you never know when your words or the words of others might do just that, open a mind or induce conversation – educate.  However, this particular thread quickly turned nasty, as is often the case in political posts. It was not my intent to encourage a mob mentality or promote personal attacks.

Just as I was contemplating the deletion of said thread, another friend sent me a private message, very carefully and gently worded, apologizing to me but stating that he felt the conversation had turned offensive. I agreed. And sadly, I deleted. Yes, my intent, my purpose was to be inciteful, I wanted to mix it up. My purpose was also to be insightful, I wanted to educate. I am sure neither was achieved.  AND it was my page, mine.

Social Media has created open forums where cyber-trespassing is easily committed, and often. It may be difficult, at times, to keep oneself in check, to know what lines are worth crossing. We often feel freer in the virtual world to effortlessly say what is on our minds.  Individuals wrote things on my wall that had they been said in person, punches would have been thrown. The lesson I learned was important, know your intent and know your audience. I failed to realize that it is not just “my page” when it is a public forum.

Respect must be key when inciting or insighting.
Be careful what you unlock.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

When clicking “Send” led to “You’re Fired!”

A couple weeks ago, I shared a story about a young woman who was fired for sending an email to the wrong person. You might recall that she struggled significantly and was very distraught over the loss of this very important job to her, to which she had been recently promoted. I gave her the sappy standard advice: all things happen for a reason, this type of thing happens all the time, it will be ok, you will bounce back from this. And while I was certain that each of these statements were true, she was not.

Avoid "Boom!"

I helped her re-work her resume and set up a LinkedIn profile. I directed her to a couple job board aggregators and assured her that we would be able to find something.  She was less than certain and was facing something many individuals currently face: the chance that she might not be able to pay her rent. She felt like a ticking time bomb; her nerves were shot and she was very unsure of herself.

Luckily, one of my connections contacted me through Facebook after he realized what I did for a living and that I might be able to help him.  He was self-employed and due to the economic downturn, he had laid off his Executive Assistant.  Time had improved his company’s situation and was ready to hire some help.  His previous assistant had left with very hurt feelings but was able to gain other employment.  He was certain she would not return to work for him. He needed my help to find a new assistant, could I help?

Of course, I could help and my thoughts turned instantly to my young friend and her recent experience. I messaged him back through Facebook and told him I had someone in mind and I would forward her resume to him. He was very glad to review her experience and called her immediately for a phone interview which resulted in an on-site meeting the next day. She was hired by the time her interview had been completed and was asked if she could start the next day. In total, she was out of work barely two weeks.

I didn’t receive a fee for this one. My Facebook connection offered to pay me but I refused. My payment was something far greater and more personal than any fee could come close to satisfying. I had connected two people who would have never known each other were it not for me, and it had been accomplished through the use of social media and what I like to call in-depth networking.
In a day and a half.

My young friend called me not too long ago and asked if she could send someone my way who is looking for a job. Her trust and self-assurance had been regained. That is the greatest payment of all.  Sometimes, you just have to do it because you can.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Love.

I have been threatening to write this post for a while.  Why has it taken me so long? Because this story is living, it is breathing, and it continues to evolve.  But I can no longer “not” write it.  It is written indelibly across my heart, to be sure. 

Loving someone has never been easy for me.  Maybe loving me has never been easy for someone.  Either way, I have struggled with the thought and ultimately with the course and existence of true love.  I was and am a fairly decent human being.  I try to treat others as I would like to be treated, I ache for human rights, I want animals to be treated well and I adore my children.   They range in age from 14 to 25 and they know of my struggles with true love, of not even wanting it to not even believing it existed.  About fifteen months ago, someone asked me if I would ever consider getting married again.  I guffawed and said not only no, but “Hell No!”  Love had been a source of hurt for me, of unfulfilled expectations and marriage fell right along side love – it was a joke.  I no longer believed in castles on clouds or knights on white horses.   Dragons ruled the earth and my best bet was to learn how to breathe fire.

For several months in 2010, I dated someone with whom I was not in love – I had decided the year before that I would never say the “L” word again and that I would never allow myself to become involved with someone who might make me want to say it.  There was no risk of “love” in that relationship, I was uninterested in love or what it could/would do for me.  I believed it would only bring heartache – for that had been my only experience.  Late in the year, however, I met someone.  I didn’t think when I met him that a relationship would develop, as a matter of fact, I was only interested in his work.  He taught at a local college and directed college theater - and he was good at it.  I have been involved in community and independent theater since I was only three, so yes, his work intrigued me.  Because we had mutual friends, we later connected on Facebook.

And something was happening to me.  I ended my dating relationship because I started to think, “Why am I spending so much time with someone I don’t love?”  What?? I was shocked that I thought that and even more shocked that I acted on it.  The person I had been dating was “nice” – and that is what I said every time anyone asked about him, “Oh, he’s very nice.”  That relationship ended right after New Year’s.  It wasn’t exactly a new resolution, but it was more a new attitude.  Meanwhile, Facebook conversations continued with Thomas, the college professor.   Midway through January, I realized I really liked him.  I realized that maybe he might be worth the risk I had been avoiding for so long. I realized that my current conclusions of love would only lead to loneliness.  I realized that not only did I not want to be lonely but I actually wanted to be loved.  Dear God – what was I thinking…

Late night writing sessions and endless conversations, chasing each other around our Facebook pages, commenting on previously posted pictures, reading random posts and asking thoughtful questions in Facebook Messenger ignited in me something I thought was not present, something I had feared and avoided…, and incessantly joked about –  that damn “L” word.  Was it possible?  Could my heart be softened?  Could someone actually love me?  Could I actually love them back?  Could they accept me for who I was?  Could I accept them for who they were?  The answers all bounced around my aching head and they were a resounding and loud “YES!”

January 25th of this year marks the one-year anniversary of our first date.  I gave in.  I shared confessions of love, confessions of wanting to be loved and I shared my pain and previous hurts. I let it all go… I knew it was a risk and for some unknown reason, I was willing to take that risk.  I knew that only through that absolute vulnerability would I be able to experience absolute love.  And I was right.  Love had not only found me, it had come to rest lightly on my broken heart and it began the healing process I had been aching for, needing.

Given that there is a fine line between credit and blame, I could easily blame Facebook or I could easily credit the smart phone that was held tightly to my ear each night that we spoke to each other… all those times we let go of hurt and took steps toward healing.  I jokingly say that I fell in love on Facebook and it is true that love letters were written to me on that forum.  It is also true that I wrote poetry and sent it through the web like an arrow leaving a bow.  And it is true that desire for love and more grew and that it continues to grow today…

Christmas Eve brought a question I never thought I would hear and an answer I never thought I would give… And the next morning, on December 25, 2011, eleven months after our first date, Thomas and I synchronized our relationship update on Facebook.  We updated our status to “engaged” simultaneously and this summer, after we say our I do’s – we will synchronize once again.

So, I guess my “hell no” to marriage has fallen by the way side, it has left my vocabulary, and I look forward to becoming  Thomas’ wife and living in love for as long as I live.

The power of words, the unselfish sharing of feelings, and our ability to communicate made all the difference.  And guess what?  I am happy.

Who knew?

**And while 33% of UK divorces are being blamed on Facebook.  I am going to offer a bit of credit for this marriage.  :-)

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Like Me!

I sat on my couch munching the contents of a bag of regular Tostitos. Nothing better than hanging with my kids, tortilla chips and some homemade guacamole.  Chips and a movie, this time?  Ghost Ship, a family favorite  - there is a fantastic twist scene when all is revealed, check it out some time.

While snacking, I went to grab the bag of chips and noticed the Facebook button on the bag. Yep, Tostitos expects consumers to login, look up their fan page, and then “like” them.  I think the fact that I am eating right of the bag proves I like them.  But there you have it, Permission Marketing. Bring the consumer to you. Compel the consumer to follow a trail of bread crumbs and convert curiosity into brand loyalty. If you “like” the product, you have consented to contact, you have consented to receipt of future coupons or emails or ads up and down the right-hand side of your Facebook wall.

I have been talking about this exact thing for a few years now, actually advocating for it. But I must admit, it’s kind of scary to see it come to fruition. The potential was undeniable, it was exciting and different. It was new, it was contemporary and Corporate America seemed to shun the possibilities – for awhile. That is until a few took the plunge. I remember just two years ago seeing random companies adding Twitter and Facebook buttons to their advertising. Over three years ago, I consulted smaller companies and convinced them to create fan pages and start engaging. They were eager to learn more, especially when I told them their competition wasn’t doing it. Yet.

Currently, I like over 170 pages – translatable into a brand, product, service, person, or form of art. That’s down about fifty from last Fall, as I recently went through my Facebook likes and deleted those that I didn’t remember even liking, those I no longer liked, or those I saw no need to like and no longer wished to receive messages from. I will filter through my “likes” again soon – Spring Cleaning, as it were.

Facebook is now considered a strong and necessary marketing strategy. With its rate of growth, it will not be long before the number of FB profiles reaches One Billion, predicted to happen this summer or sooner. That is a lot of consumers – all in one place, all in one database.  Most companies get the picture of what that represents. Chance. Opportunity. Growth. Branding. But it also means maintenance. It isn’t easy, it won’t be easy. Make it worth the endeavor, not a wasted effort. The payoff will be a direct result of what is put in. It will require consistent work . That means exertion, which means it isn’t free.

So the old selling point of: Social Media is FREE?  Umm, no longer applies.

Do you think liking a brand, product, service, person, or art form that you don’t really like, that you don’t really use, that you don’t really care about helps that company / person?  Facebook is about YOU.  It is about you getting what you want.  I personally love the ads on Facbook, I love the tech/algorithms that make that happen.  It is incredible where we have come from and the future is intriguing and a bit scary, as well.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.