Let take me take a #SELFIE - The Social Evolution - A Historical Look

There is a popular song out now by the Chainsmokers called #SELFIE.  It pretty much sums up the social culture today where you would go into any public place and everyone has their smartphone in their hand texting about what they are doing that night or generally about nothing at all.  The texting and selfie craze is getting out of control and is destroying normal interaction between people in public places.   However, this is not a new thing.  Every decade had its own version of #SELFIE.  Let's take a look.

So I was born in 1969, so I will start with the 1970s.  In the 1970s, the popular culture was Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll.   People interaction meant going to a club, getting a little high with a little help from their friends, chainsmoking and listening to some long drawn out rock and roll songs from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Yes.   The sex part was evident with free love and the case of looking for someone to make out with at the end of the night.  This was the decade of no technology so you had to talk to people.  Some of the best stories came from the clubs.   The #SELFIES consisted of turning that old Polaroid camera around and hope that you take a straight picture after one too many vodka tonics.   The 1970s lets just say is a classic time.

Then we move onto the 1980s., my favorite decade.   After all I was a teenager and it is a time in your life to embrace the popular culture to the fullest.   This was the decade of great alternative rock and gender bending.   Guys wore makeup, had long hair and girls wore those leggins.   It was probably the best decade to take those selfies since there was a lot of color and individuality.  After all from a music perspective, it was the decade of Duran Duran, Culture Club and my favorite heavy metal, think Motley Crue, Poison and Van Halen.  People interaction, like the 1970s meant, you go to clubs.   There were still no cell phones except those mega bricks in the later half of the decade, but who wanted to carry those.  A #SELFIE was more like taking a picture of the people you were with instead of taking a picture of yourself, since everyone looked so interesting.

In 1991, someone happened that killed the great 1980s culture.  It was called grunge rock.  Thanks Nirvana.  The songs got darker, people started staying inside and if you did go to a club, it meant slam dancing into people to angry music like Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward and Korn.    It was the decade of least people interaction, why? it was when email was the main way to communicate.  You probably did not want to take a selfie since you probably had a black eye and no makeup.  This was the decade where the internet became mainstream and going online was the main way people interacted.   Yes there was email and beepers.  Yes, beepers, remember those?  It was the start of carrying about those devices in your pocket so anyone can get in touch with you anywhere you are.  Social interaction was determine on how much black clothes you can wear in one week, yes,the social angst decade.  Don't talk to me!

Going into the new decade meant the advent of cell phones and eventually smart phones.  Everything changed?  Why?  Since those little devices have cameras now.   By the latter half of the 2000s, all of a sudden those cameras tied to the internet to create what we know as the new social media interaction.   After the downward spiral of the 1990s, the 2000s and 2010s were a welcome change in the social evolution.  People got out more and interacted, but in a different way, online.  At first, it was pretty cool to post pictures on social sites and yes, taking a selfie.  But that was in 2010-2012.  Now in 2014, it is out of control especially when even the president is taking selfies and listening to EDM Music    Rock and Roll as you knew it, is dead.  Thanks Avicii and Daft Punk!

So remember back in the 1970s, chain smoking was the most popular activity and now in 2014, the most popular activity is taking that #SELFIE.    Wow, this little old group called the Chainsmokers knew something when they named their group tying the 1970s culture to today's culture.  What will be the next group name with the latest craze?  I am open to suggestions.   Now to go to Starbucks so I can join everyone for a meeting of not looking at each other and but texting each other about how I need to take a #SELFIE.

Why are Some People Afraid of the Word Free?

Have you ever come across one of those advertisements for something free?  What do you normally do, go for it?  Run the other way? or think about it until you are blue in the face and then the free offer expires right in front of you?

What amazes me is how afraid some people are of free stuff.  You know, that free sample in the supermarket, or that free report from Social Media Monthly or even that free car wash at the gas station.   The best one of all is an offer for a free account on an online shopping site where you can earn cash back.  Yes, a free account on a website where you can make money for shopping online.   Some responses where, "I am not sure I want to earn cash back for shopping online" or "what is the catch?".  Really?  Is it a trust thing or is there nothing upstairs?  This one is legitimate.

Perhaps we are in a world where some people of tentative of taking the bait of free stuff thinking there is a catch or it will lead to pressure to purchase something.  In some respects, they are right.  Am example are those Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad free seminars.  Be careful of those.  I have gone to a few of them, and every time they lead to a three day training that they pressure you to purchase.  In the middle of the session, they ask the people that will be attending the training to go to the back of the room to get their prize while the "cheapskates" stay seated in the seminar room.  Ok, in this case, I can see why some people are tentative of free stuff.  

My suggestion is to do your homework and research the company that offers free stuff whether it is a class, a social media competitive analysis for your business, or that free coffee with a purchase of a donut.  Check out the company with the Better Business Bureau and note if there were any complaints specific with any free offerings.  Knowledge is power and builds trust in a company.   Always think of the value of the offering for yourself or your business and always remember, nothing in the world is free.   Maybe this is why some people are afraid of the world free.

Why it is not good to go cheap on your website for your business.

I have had my own IT, Social Media and Website business for a few years now and have met thousands of people through my extensive networking in Greater Boston.   About 75% of the people I meet either have their own main business, a side (part-time) business or are in sales and marketing.   About 50% of those people have their own website or are working on their own website.

A website is the focal point of your business.  Not the Facebook page, Pinterest page, your website is the main source of revenue, interaction with clients/customers and where people land to learn about what you do.   The first page of your website is the most important page.  It is also the page where you would want the connections to take action whether it is to sign up for a webinar, purchase a product or service or simply contact you.   Your website should be hosted on a secure platform that allows you to change the content as much as you want.   The buzz word is content and without changing it, you will never get on that first page of Google.   Your website should also be on a platform that allows you to grow your business to meet your financial and customer goals.  Finally, your website should have the capabilities to be able to reach out to potential clients in a professional manner.   Think email marketing or outbound marketing.

So why do the majority of business owners go cheap on their website?  When I meet professionals at events, the typical answer on who is building their website is that they are eithlarge company that could care less about your business.  In all respects, your business website is the most important marketing investment you are going to make, so why not spend your marketing dollars wisely and build a great website that your connections will remember you for?    In today's world is all about being online, even if your business has a brick and mortar presence.

er doing it themselves, having an intern or their cousin build it and hosting it under their desk in their living room or for heavens sake, they got sold one of those expensive SEO/Website packages from some

Finally, when you are in business, get your website up and running as quickly as possible, build it with the take action on the first page, and don't look for that free labor or make it your side project.  What will happen is that potential clients will not take your business seriously and then you may be out of business.

Content is King in the Marketing World, Really.

I have been involved with social media and marketing for about six years now in addition to my core career in Information Technology and has always heard a consistent message from marketing experts that the content on your internet platforms determines your success on the web and in business.   They say content is the fuel for your marketing engine.   So why do some company's avoid this stated fact and stick with those static web platforms.

There are three types of content.  There is high content which is paid content such as trade blogs.   There is medium level content such as a question/answer forum for a product or service a company provides.  Then there is low content which is user generated.  Medium and low content have a 60-80% direct referral rate where this type of content has the potential to generate the most leads for your business.   This is pretty impressive but it doesn't initially lead to a sale/deal.   With all of the information on the web and the intense research people do today, it can take up to ten pieces of content before a purchasing decision is made.  So, what does that mean?   By refreshing your content on your web platform, you keep your potential customers engaged, and engaged potential customers would become real customers.

So, just like the old SEO buzzword, you will continue to hear that you will need keep up your web platforms with fresh content.  A great example of a platform that is considered the content king is the UR Business Network.   Content is refreshed almost hourly on the site and the result is the site gets over 500 thousand hits a month.   Not bad for a startup company.   Content is king in the marketing world, really.

The Evil of Social Media

We are now in different times where the social media empowers people to use the First Amendment to their advantages voicing what is on their minds.   With some of the events as of late with the Donald Sterling/LA Clippers episode and now PK Subban from the Montreal Canadians, social media users basically say what they want when they want even it is causes a controversy.  

For the readers that don't know, the Boston Bruins went into double overtime last night against the rival Montreal Canadians and lost Game 1 of the Second Round series in the NHL Playoffs.  PK Subban was the star of the Montreal Canadians that scored the winning goal and he happens to be black.   Professional Hockey is the reverse of Professional Basketball where there are not many black players just like in basketball there are not as many white players.   PK Subban is inspirational just like Larry Bird was back in the 1980s showing with a little commitment, desire and talent, you can succeed no matter what your ethnic background is.   Unfortunately, since he is black, a very small select of Twitter users used the social platform to voice their displeasure of PK Subban in a disgraceful way using strong degrading language.  I can understand the passion of being a Boston Bruins fan, but at the same time, I do not understand why people needed to be so unprofessional and mean toward a talented hockey player the happens to be black.   What is also concerning is that the city of Boston has come a long way becoming a world class diverse city that is accepting of all backgrounds and this now takes Boston back.

The unfortunate aspect of social media is that once something is posted, it will always be somewhere on the internet even if they removed the tweet or even the account.   The old saying is that if you need to be negative or controversial, it is better to not use a social platform to voice your opinions.   This is actually not the first time a select few Boston based tweets were directed toward PK Subban.

The evil of social media will always be there, but hopefully we have finally learned a lesson that it is always best to not anything hateful.   Take out your hate in other ways like go to the gym and workout or turn it into positive energy.

Finally, on another note, this makes me think of the non-profit called Sneakers To Beakers, that my good friend Bob Sansone is running and how its purpose is to break down the color barriers and introduce sports and STEM for underprivileged children of all backgrounds.  If only the select evil few on social media had the same mindset as Bob and his non-profit, we would be in a better place.