The Common Thread

With the release of Humanize, I’ve been invited to be a part of several new Twitter Chats. I’m starting to really enjoy them, though they do have their limitations. A twitter chat is made up of three things: a hashtag, a specific time, and a host. In the association world, the primary chat is the weekly #assnchat, hosted by Kiki L’Italien (yes, for those of you who are new, it is actually called #assnchat, which stands for Association Chat). It’s Tuesdays at 2pm. At that time Kiki starts tweeting, adding #assnchat to her tweets so people can start following the conversation through a twitter search. Other twitter chats I’ve been following lately: #swchat (Social Workplace Chat, Thursdays 4pm eastern) and #leadershipchat (Tuesdays 8pm eastern).

I will admit, though, that engaging in twitter chats has taken some getting used to. Part of it is obvious and easy. The host asks questions throughout the chat, and then the participants answer them and respond to each other. But when the chat gets large, the volume of tweets grows, and it becomes hard to follow along. Then on top of that, I’m trying to figure out how to respond to a complex conversation in a sentence or two that is less than 140 characters. Here’s how I manage it all to make the most of twitter chats:

Use TweetChat. This is a site where you can log into your twitter account and add the hashtag you’re following and then all you see on the screen is the stream of tweets on that hashtag. You could do the same with a twitter search, but the best part of tweetchat is that it automatically adds the hashtag when you post something. Remember, with each tweet you have to add the hashtag or others on the chat won’t see it.

Strategic RTs. With lots of people saying interesting things, you don’t have to say it all yourself. Re-Tweet (RT) the good ones right when you see them. I find it interesting to watch which tweets get re-tweeted the most. It helps define the flavor of the chat.

Embrace the Constraint. I know it’s hard to say intelligent things in only 140 characters sometimes, but I embrace that constraint rather than feel limited by it. I take more time to post my tweets, because I force myself to be clear using fewer words. I don’t stress out that the question I’m responding to  is no longer visible on the stream. I take the time to get clear. I’ve enjoyed developing this capacity.

Build relationships. Twitter can feel pretty random at times. People follow me every day, and I follow new people every day, and for many of them, I never really get to know them. But the real value of Twitter (learning) is enhanced when the relationships grow, and chats are a great way to get to know people a little better. The people I follow on these chats are often the people I engage with more on a regular basis.

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Whether you’re trying to expand your business, or you’re looking to build your brand in general, establishing yourself as an industry expert is a great place to start. But how do you get started? … By sharing your opinion…or writing a white paper.

You know you have opinions—from the latest business trends to what’s your favorite technology for your industry. Why not share those views in a white paper format.

You may view the concept of writing a white paper as a daunting task and be asking yourself: How do I write a white paper? What should the objective be? Am I qualified to write it?  This document is a white paper itself with the objective of guiding you through the process of developing effective white papers and persuasive business documents.

What is a white paper?
WHITE PAPER is defined as an authoritative report issued by any organization; or formal written work whose purpose is to educate the reader. Originally, white papers came from white books, which are official publications of national government. Now, any organization can create a white paper and it is a common tool to introduce technology innovations or products. White papers are also powerful tools used to help key decision-makers and influencers justify implementing solutions.

Tips for writing white papers
Define your audience—Properly understanding the disposition of your target market is essential to writing a well received white paper. A white paper should quickly identify problems or concerns faced by that group and lead them down the path to a solution. You want to grab the reader’s attention in the first paragraph, so that you will achieve your objectives.

Decide on a method –There are really only two ways to write white papers; self interest or interests of audience.  Both types are explained below, but keep in mind that the second method is generally preferred.

The first type of writing method would be to focus on a particular self interest. The self-interest method focuses exclusively on a product, service, or solution by expounding on its benefits, features, and implications. While effective in some circumstances, this method is best left for something other than a white paper, such as a data sheet or product brief.

The second and recommended method would be to concentrate on the interests of your audience. This can be effectively accomplished by leading with the problems your solution overcomes, rather than the actual solution itself. To many people, this seems counterintuitive, but it really is just the opposite. By focusing on the problem and the struggles experienced by the reader, you are establishing credibility with the reader and simultaneously filtering out unqualified clients.

White papers written in a self-interest style run the risk of sounding advertorial—which can turn readers off. Readers may feel more inclined to white papers written towards their interests as it will seem more educational to them. They have the chance to learn about a new technique that could solve their problem.

Possibilities—You can take it a step further by looking at issues such as historical precedents, describing new solutions that address the problem, and even identifying what to look for in a solution; while never once mentioning your name or company (at least not yet). This altruistic method will score major points with the reader and greatly increase the likelihood he or she will actually read the entire paper.

You’re white paper’s written. Now what?
So, you’ve decided on your topic and you’ve written you paper to address your audiences’ concerns—now what? How do you share it with the group you’re trying to reach? Here are just a few suggestions:

• Upload your white paper to your website under a tab of “Helpful Articles”. Then post a snippet of the article on your Facebook page, or Tweet about it, including a link to the full article on your website—now you’re building traffic!
• Submit your paper for possible publication in industry magazines and newsletters your intended audience reads.
• Propose your paper for consideration as a presentation for a conference your intended audience would attend.
• Include your paper in proposals/bids for clients who would be interested in the topic matter.

I was at the ASAE Technology conference this week, and from the opening keynote to several of the sessions I attended there was a key theme when it came to association technology: mobile.

I actually lost track of the many different sources on the huge increase in accessing the internet via mobile devices, but I think we’re at the point where if you need the proof, your behind the curve. Use of smart phones is going through the roof. Use of PCs to access the internet in some cases is actually going down. The desktop use won’t go away, of course, but if you’re ignoring how your web presence interacts with mobile devices, you’re in trouble.

But the point about mobile internet use that really stuck out for me came from the opening keynote, delivered by Luke Wroblewski. He pointed out that the constraint of a smaller screen has required web designers to have some discipline in their design. They have to limit what they show, forcing them to focus on what matters. This is Southwest Airline’s home page on the web:

A little distracting and all over the place, don’t you think? And this is what their mobile version looks like:

Let me be honest. I like the mobile one. I like that it just gives me what I need. I like that it doesn’t give me a lot of choices. In fact, as a general theme, I’m growing tired of choices. The institutions that will gain my loyalty are the ones who are both smart enough and bold enough to offer me fewer choices.

That’s no easy task. Offering fewer choices requires some really brutal clarity. That’s something that many organizations simply don’t have the discipline to achieve. But given the explosion in mobile use, I think we all better get on the clarity bandwagon too.

Check out the very cool “takeover” of ASAE’s already very cool Acronym blog by the Young Association Executives. It is a project of the YAE Committee, and in full disclosure, I did some work with them over the last year (though not about the blog takeover), so I am already a fan of this group. Thanks, Aaron Wolowiec, for the kind words about my work in your post during the takeover.

I have a couple of different reactions. First, as an expert on generational diversity, I want to point something out. Young people are smart. They know how to write. They know how to think. They understand organizations, and they have a lot to contribute. The posts on Acronym make that clear, though I did not need convincing. Unfortunately, I think too many people do need convincing. I hear it when I talk on the subject–people complaining that young people don’t know how to write or can’t articulate clearly. Honestly I find examples of that across all generations.

Second, I love this tactic for a blog. One truism for blogs is that it is good to mix things up. If you write the exact same kind of post, with the same tone, and the same structure, day after day, you’ll likely lose some readers. I am a regular reader of Acronym, but I loved this sudden flurry of new voices. It brought me back to the blog.

In case you didn’t know about it, the association community has its own wiki for tracking which associations are using social media. It was started by association social media pioneer Jeff De Cagna, but Lindy Dreyer of SocialFish has taken it over lately. Of course it’s a wiki, so the pages themselves are actually created by the users. ANYONE can go on that site and create or edit a page.

I just added a page for NARI Metro DC, one of the associations I manage. I just put in our Facebook Page and our twitter account. Some of the other associations on there have more detailed listings including stories of why they started social media.

So if you’re just dipping your toes into social media, check it out and see what others are doing. And if you’re actually doing social media, then create an account and make a page! (Hint: if you’re nervous about the coding, just find a page you like and copy the source code.)

I spoke at the ASAE Great Ideas Conference last week with friend and colleague Maddie Grant on “Truth and Authenticity in the Digital Age.” The session explored some of the impacts that the social internet is having on us, both as individuals and as organizations. Following the lead of fellow MSP staffer Jon Benjamin, we did our presentation using the online Prezi software, so you can view the presentation yourself.

One of the basic points of our presentation is that the way we manage our identity has changed. In the “analog” age (before the social internet), we were able to divide our individual identity into separate pieces. There was the part that I shared with my family and very close friends, and there was a part that I shared with work colleagues, and there might be separate parts that I only share with other smaller communities related to my interests or hobbies. When you applied for a job in the old days, you were able to present a fairly thin slice of who you were (via a resume and some hand-picked references), and, more importantly, you got to control what that slice looked like.

Today it is different. We create online identities by leaving our mark on Facebook, Linked In, Delicious, Flickr, YouTube, etc. We review books on Amazon, we comment on blogs..there are many ways that our identity shows up on line. It is still true that we have some control over how we present ourselves. Like many people, my linked in profile has a more professional tone to it, and my Facebook profile is more personal and casual.

Yet we can’t keep all those different identities as separate as we used to, because one search on Google and all those pieces can be listed next to each other, not to mention what other people are saying about you online. If anything, the trend is toward EXPECTING to find a diverse identity when searching for someone.

So what do do about all this? There’s no one right answer, but it does require some clarity on your part. I know a lot of people who simply won’t create a Facebook page because they don’t want their work friends to have access to their personal lives. That’s fine. But this can be a big challenge for people who work in AMCs. For example, I have several clients who each have either a Facebook or LinkedIn group, and I want to be connected to those conversations. Do I have to create a separate account for each of those identities, or can I handle the fact that the Historical Archaeologists will realize that I am also connected to Remodeling Professionals?

I have chosen to keep it mixed. We will see how much “confusion” it creates, though I suspect it won’t be much. And sure, I’m careful about what I post or say on Facebook because I know everyone (related to all my separate identities) might read it. But I also have concluded that I am human and I don’t need to hide that.

You don’t have to do it that way. You can keep things separate, or not reveal as much. But I think that should be a clear strategic choice on your part. Have you thought about the implications of your choice?