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HootSuite – Really?

With our new website, www.thriveinc.com, now up and running, I find myself much more interested in exploring the vast territory of social media.  I realize most of you reading this are far more advanced than me.  I admit I have only in the past six months spent any significant time on Facebook.  Yes, I have solid number of connections in LinkedIn – but honestly have not done a g4878039reat deal to really advance those connections.  It all seems so time consuming.

My good friend and CIC (Chick-in-Charge) of her own company VivoTeam Consulting, Renee Safrata, has tried to help me.  There have been various in person visits where she’s taught me to tweet, and it was Renee, who launched my blog site and got me moving in the online world.  However, her efforts were only sustainable when we got together.  I did not follow-through, and of course, after a bit of time away from Tweeter, Facebook, LinkedIn, any of these fast advancing mediums, I would lose my skills, forget my password, and soon I was back to email!  It is amazing my blog site has survived, though I often hear now that blogging is way out of date.  Still, I love it – so I will stay with it!

However, with the new launch of www.thriveinc.com I have a new drive, intention and commitment-to-action for diving further into the online world!

I have been getting some great new excellent advice from my coach, Jessica Steward.  The first bit was to pick one medium and get good at it.  Well, that left me to my own indecisive methods and resulted in no major progress.  There are many personality labels that might explain my inability to advance based on one focused activity – ADHD from the DSM IV, high INFP in Myers Briggs, and high Quick Start in the Kolbe Index – just to name a few.  Personality assessments are a bit like social media – lots to choose from – all have possibilities for adding value and some insight into my psyche – though none can really take away my own self-responsibility for how I interact with my world – which basically  does not involve focusing on only one thing at a time.  (even if it would be good for me!!)

So my friendly expert, Jessica, mentioned HootSuite – which I just thought was too funny!  The name alone was cause for a smile and giggle. So of course, I was willing to give it a try.  The interesting thing about HootSuite is that it offers one platform for many social mediums.  All you experts are likely about to say, there are many other platforms as good, worse, more personal or business-focused out there, that do the same thing.  Please don’t let me know that.  I have decided to try ONE, and since HootSuite generates a giggle in me – well, that’s where I am starting.

Even with this level of commitment, I am still far, far behind in my marketing campaign.  However, I am taking a stand and doing my best to lean-in to this new world.  Please note, I will try not to bug the hell out of folks.  I am hoping to discover ways to utilize HootSuite to share meaningful material.  It’s so difficult to know what works.  It seems the best option is to communicate in many different ways – blogs, articles and books (old school), hashtags, tweets and endorsements (a bit newer school), plus making sure there’s some time built in there somewhere for good old face-to-face (no not Skype or Facetime) – but real-live contact with someone.

My main purpose in life is about making connections and communications between people real and authentic, and like it or not, the internet has become a space that plays an important part in making that happen.  So I’m in – HootSuite here I come!

Also please check out the new pages on this website.  There’s one on Living Alive Phase I @ The Haven and Couples Alive @The Haven. (Did you notice I added the links so you only have to click on the link to go there? I know. Very cool, huh?!)  If you have friends or family who might find these links helpful, please pass along.  Also, if you have taken a Living Alive Phase and want to share your take on the value that added to your life, please write me back or even send a video of your own making!  Same with you couples out there who may get this and want to share how the Couples Alive Series helped you.

Living in this digital age does make relating all the more challenging, interesting and important – connected means so much more!

 

 

 

 

Communication, Connecting, Life Experiences

Doggy Facebook

sooke“World’s most awesome stick – take a right at the tree near the skunk trail – left it there for you!” – Dusty

“Long time – no word – you doing okay? Leave a trace – miss the chase!” – Nico

“Don’t even think of taking my treasure – deer bone is MINE!!” – anon

I am fairly certain now that this is what totally slows Sooke, my wonder dog, down when we are heading into the woods for a run.  She has to check Doggy Facebook.  The first 50 feet of trail are just like 6PM on Facebook.  Every dog has left some sort of post with details of their canine experience. Usually, once past the initial trail head, she settles in for the jog.  However, like my friends, she is not able to stay off Facebook for long.  I imagine much like the sound of an incoming new Facebook post on my cell phone, Sooke gets a strong hit of a recent doggy post through her nose, and off she goes. First, she checks out the latest news and then finds any reported treasures.

Sooke, unlike me, seems to enjoy posting as much as she does following her friends.  I have no doubt her frequent stops have less to do with need to relieve herself and much more to do with passing on important information to the rest of the canine world that frequents our woods.

I have never really given it much thought until I began to compare her need for gathering information and passing on her own personal notes, to my own current interest and experiences on Facebook.  I realize that dogs have been facebook’ing much longer than their human counterparts.  It’s clear that animals, and especially dogs, thrive on incoming input from their buddies, posting seems to be their way of life.

Often CrisMarie is bugging me to get off Facebook to chat with her or fix dinner.  I am thinking it really is no different than when I am yelling for Sooke to catch up.

“I want to run – hurry up, Sooke!”

“I want to post – you’ll have to wait!” – screams Sooke!

Facebook has definitely taken over the world and it seems the woods as well!

Communication

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

How to decide – to tweet or not to tweet? to join Linkin or Plaxo? Facebook or Myspace? These are the questions that are running through my mind.

Now that I am blogging, I can not help but want to take the next step and link myself further into the world, wide web. Yet I find myself overwhelmed with the choices. Plus I admit I am in fear of becoming someone who sits in front of my computer screen all day commenting, posting, tweeting and networking without ever getting out of the house.

This possibility of becoming totally connected and feeling responsible to reply or tweet whatever and wherever is intimidating.

Just a little over a year ago I moved to Montana to get away from the big city and enjoy open space, big sky and life in a ski and summer resort town. I love biking, hiking and just driving through beautiful country. My friends worried that I might become a gun carrying hunter who smokes and votes conservatively. I had no worries of anything like that. But I never thought the real concern would come from becoming too linked into to the internet.

I’m not there yet but I can feel the pull. The plugins call to me whenever I login to my dashboard in see that indeed my blog could be linked to more tags and search engines if I comment, post and tweet throughout the day.

I am a slight introvert so the pull to be able to remain here in the comfort of my own home and reach out and touch the world is tempting. But so is the sunshine and so far getting on my bike is more appealing then creating a Facebook page. But fall is coming and winters in Montana are an easy invitation to stay, sitting by the fire, plugged in to the web for contact and connection.

Yes I will have to make the leap. Tweet and post, comment and link but for now the open space of Montana still wins out over the world, wide web, face to face contact with people who’s names I recognize beats nicknames and RSS feed for communing and socializing.

But I see the day coming …. what will I decide…. to Tweet or not to tweet?