Watching the mini-mites play hockey at today’s tournament in Durango, Colorado, it struck me that these kids play for the pure joy of it. They don’t care who wins, who scores goals, who gets to be goalie. They care about having fun, and what the post-game snack might be.
And as social media matures, I hope you can keep that same perspective.
But, it’s not easy.
We’ve moved beyond “what is social media?” We’ve largely gotten past social media experimentation. We’re entering the era of normalization and best practices, and learning how to operationalize social media.
As we get more and more serious about social media, and concerning ourselves more with accountability, ROI and whether we’re doing social media “right” it’s easy to lose site of what makes social media special. And that’s joy.
Social media is transformative because it’s fun. It’s about people, not logos. And it gives consumers the opportunity to interact with companies in an informal and engaging way.
Remember that most of the social media successes we point to like Ford Fiesta,Comcast Cares, and IKEA on Facebook all have elements of fun that engage consumers.
As we focus more on the business of social media, don’t lose the joy. How do you know if you’re doing social media wrong? If it’s not fun. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by social media responsibilities, reduce the scope and scale of your involvement until the joy returns.
Twitter Comment
Don’t Lose Your Social Media Joy [link to post] #socialmedia #news
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Thanks for the reminder, Jay.
Some day, social scientists will examine the psychological impact of all this sharing, connecting, consuming, etc. and tell us to scale back. We’ll ignore them, of course. Ever upward, right?
I’m a big fan of “Do one small thing right today.” A handful of good is often better than a grandiose plan.
.-= Scott Hepburn´s last blog ..Can You Quit Social Media? =-.
Twitter Comment
Don’t Lose Your Social Media Joy | | Social Media Consulting … [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
Social Media Don’t Lose Your Social Media Joy | | Social Media Consulting … [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
Don’t Lose Your Social Media Joy | [link to post] | Hear, hear!
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
RT @jaybaer Don’t Lose Your Social Media Joy | | Social Media Consulting – Convince & Convert [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Twitter Comment
I agree @jaybaer! Social media is fun. It’s why people do it. Don’t lose sight when drafting ur social media “policy!” [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
It’s so easy to forget what social media is npw that it has become such a important marketing tool.
But social med is about meeting new people, tlaking building relationships with no expectations. Today that has change a lil.
Now when people say hi I automatically think,, whats he selling..lol and 9 out of 10 I am right.
Great post to remember why you cam to SM in the first place.
.-= John Paul Aguiar´s last blog ..How I Built My Twitter Marketing Monster From 1 to 36,000 =-.
I totally agree with this! I wrote about it last week:
http://ktvan.posterous.com/social-media-is-funremember
I feel like the mechanics of social media – the “job” aspect of what I do – has overrun the reason why I loved it in the first place. I’ve decided to take on some side projects IN social media without being ABOUT social media to get some of that feeling back. It’s been really fun so far, so for anyone else feeling a little burnt out I recommend that!
.-= Katie Van Domelen´s last blog ..How To Stop Facebook From Publishing Recent Activity To The News Feed =-.
Joy & fun have always been part of the successful strategies of companies who believe in the customer experience. Look at Southwest Airlines, who bucked the stuffy industry trends and gained loyal customers. The same attitude applies to their social media strategy.
Nice reminder of what it’s really all about. Keep having fun, Jay! Thanks!
Amen, brother. Got a kick out of your video, especially the little tikes in the back. I’m with you the “fun” thing. Sometimes it can get so grueling. In fact, at SMAZ I’ve restructured my social media presentation titled, “The Cold Shoulder of Social Media: Why it hasn’t worked for me, and probably won’t for you, unless…” Fun plays a big part in that “Unless” element. Looking forward to seeing you at SMAZ.
BTW, I heard you were working on a Facebook webinar. We recently have taken a new approach to our agency Facebook page and would love your feedback: http://bit.ly/6AdbB7
2010 is going to be WAAAY more fun than ’09 : – )
.-= Park Howell´s last blog ..Is Your Brand a Sapling or a Redwood? =-.
RT @jaybaer: Don't Let Pressure Steal Your Social Media Joy. http://bit.ly/6jqGJO
[...] same things are true in the “social media” world. First, never forget it’s social! Have fun!! Jason Baer wrote a blog about this I loved. Yes, when you physically go to that Chamber meeting it’s for work but c’mon – you’re [...]
Ahh, Youth…Always Great for Keeping Things in Perspective. I Can Remember the Times When I’d Be SOO Excited to Go to Baseball and Soccer Practice – I Never Wanted It to End…Of Course, It Was Great When We Played Games, But I Would’ve Just Been as Pleased as Pie to Keep Going Until It Got Dark.
And in Some Very Real Ways, Social Media Has Done That for PR…At Least It Has For Me…It Gave Me a Nice Little Jolt and Stressed to Me That Just Because Something Has Been Done One Way for X Amount of Years, It Doesn’t Necessarily Mean That It Has to Stay That Way.
It was a Nice Reminder…!…And So Was This Post!
Gracias, Jay!
.-= Narciso Tovar, Big Noise Communications´s last blog ..After a Little PR Nirvana… =-.
Great message here: Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy | http://ow.ly/VNFd #socialmedia
Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy by @jaybaer http://su.pr/7iGZkz
RT @clementyeung: Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy by @jaybaer http://su.pr/7iGZkz
RT @clementyeung: Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy by @jaybaer http://su.pr/7iGZkz
RT @tweetmeme Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy: http://bit.ly/6jqGJO
Twitter Comment
[link to post] – Dont lose the joy in social media…
– Posted using Chat Catcher
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ConvinceandConvert/~3/dlqDwR0YQ68/ – Dont lose the joy in social media…
http://is.gd/6xMmL – Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy
RT @tweetmeme Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy | | Social Media Consulting – Convince & Convert http://bit.ly/6jqGJO
Don't Lose Your Social Media Joy http://ow.ly/ZMRO via Jay Baer #Latism
Don’t Lose Your Social Media Joy @jaybaer http://bit.ly/9cenXI -Will be interesting to see how folks keep joy but make SM fit in biz metrics