Social media allows us to do so much more than even a few years ago. It allows us to interact with people and businesses otherwise inaccessible. For me, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are weekly play places and my fun turned into my internship. When I started on Twitter a few years ago, I followed a few of the local SEM and SEO companies who I was interested in working for. One of those was Anvil Media in Portland, OR. Their president and founder, Kent Lewis, was another person I started following and interacting with. I was using these tools to hopefully help me in the future, which it turned out, they did.

This all couldn’t have happened without some help from some friends, another part of social media. Kristy Bolsinger, from RealNetworks, came and talked with my marketing class at Willamette. I friend-ed her on Twitter and she infected me with Foursquare Fever. At that point I had a different marketing internship for a company who created cockpit awareness hardware and software. They had a tough first quarter and decided not to have an intern. I launched into action and the friendship that Kristy and I had really helped. She helped with boosting my resume and sent it off to a few people she knows, including Kent Lewis. She also told me to get involved with SEMpdx.

SEMpdx is an amazing networking and business organization. I wrote about my meeting with them Best of SEMpdx so I won’t go into that.

What I didn’t talk about was meeting Kent Lewis and introducing myself to him. I had asked him about what to wear on Twitter before the meeting, which he suggested “pants”. It was a great conversation starter! After talking with him I got connected with Hallie Jansen from Anvil, had a meeting and the rest is history. You’re looking at the Anvil intern. Without the friendships that I cultivated on Twitter and my enthusiasm for SEM, SEO and social media it could have never happened, but I am so glad it did.

THANKS INTERNET!!!

Sign Up-Go to Twitter and sign up for a free account

Fill Out Your Profile-Fill out everything and include a picture. Part of Social Media and Twitter is making real relationships with real people and a picture helps.

Pick a Twitter Program-I suggest Twirl or TweetDeck. I use Twirl at work and Tweetdeck at home. I like both because one is extremely simple and the other is extremely complex. I would start with Twirl.

Find Some Fellow Tweeters-If you read any blogs, see if they Tweet. Many of them do since it is such a huge traffic builder. Search for people using the Find People tab on your twitter home page.

Listen-Watch your Twitter stream for 1 week. This lets you see what is acceptable conversation and how to interact with your fellows. As you listen to others, see who they are responding to and follow them if they interest you.

Respond-Start Retweeting others content and answering questions that others have through the @ feature. Begin to add different links you like into your twitter stream. If you blog, add some of your posts.

Connect-This is the all important mother load. I have made many connections with people that I otherwise would have not had the ability to. Lisa Hoffmann, Scott Hepburn, Jesse Liebman, Kirsten Wright, Mike Volpe and many more. Now I have only met one of these people in person, but each of them have helped my company or my person growth.

Nick Footer

“Why should I care what my friend had for dinner?”

“I like to keep my life private.”

“I don’t get it.”

These are not so common statements that I still hear now and then about social media and Facebook. Normally from people who are in the aging demographic, but even today that demographic is the fastest growing on Facebook.

Ok, is this whole movement to the net just a fad? I have to say no. Years ago our society went through a major change, maybe you heard of it. The industrial revolution. Today we are witness to the internet revoltion. Since we now have a networked world, many people interact with others that we never could have before.  We can talk with and be-friend people in Europe, Africa,  Australia or even your neighbor that all have the same interests, problems, or thoughts. Now how do we find these people. Social media. With Twitter you can search for different words or phrases that others are talking about to see what the world is saying instead of just your local paper. In Facebook, you join groups and gain access to others who enjoy marketing, skateboarding or even other people’s girlfriends.

Now I know some of these ideas seem to be outrageous or even unimportant. How did you feel the first time someone explained email instead of sending a letter. How do you think people felt about the invention of the automobile? Today if you don’t have an email you are in the super minority and probably live in a bomb shelter in the mountains surrounded by land minds and  barb wire. If you don’t understand social media ask. Try. Play. And please come out of that dark, mildew filled space you’ve been living. It’s beautiful outside and you have many friends and family waiting for you at the click of your mouse.

1. Be real
2. Give and you shall receive
3. Add to your tweet stream
4. Find like minded people
5. Read, Read, Repeat

Twitter is what really turned me on to social media. I had a Facebook and LinkedIn page, but didn’t “get it”. I only participated because I wanted something…friends, connection and the like. There have been and will continue to be people who help me along my way. The human spirit is a unique entity to interact with on a regular basis and I never knew it was possible over a computer screen. Without the good nature of others I would still be asleep to the power that some of these tools have to offer.