Remember This is All Opt-In

There’s a whole layer of conversation possible on just those last two paragraphs–the attention economy, and how we participate in it online and off, and what our participation really costs us.

That’s the part that, to me, is interesting. There’s a reason we use the verb “spend” when talking about attention. Good stuff, Amber.

Oh, Amber … thank you! I have been engaged in, well, let’s just call it discourse with clients and other business associates, who haven’t yet seemed to grasp that it is THEY who have the control over their immersion in social media.

A perfect example is the current uproar at Facebook about photo sharing. Now, this isn’t about whether I think they were as clear as they ought to have been with regard to what sharing with “everyone” really means. But the long and short of the matter is that if you don’t want to share your photos, you don’t have to. Click, click, done. You’re not sharing anymore. It’s up to you.

And I agree with Kat. We really do PAY our attention, don’t we? Our time is valuable; for each of us, time really is money. So it really means something when we take our time to pay attention to what someone else has written. To consume something on which we place real value.

I spend so much time writing for my clients that I don’t write for myself (and my readers) nearly as much as I’d like. When I do, though, I hope to use a strong voice and to convey my ideas well and in fresh, interesting ways. And when people take the time to listen, interact, and offer their perspectives on my thoughts, well, that’s currency upon which it’s hard to place value.

Amber, that is such great insight! So much to think about and actually valid points to act on. It wasn’t too long ago that the concept of “attention” was being discussed as the key issue. But, until Social Media really came into its own, it didn’t really mean much as there wasn’t a method that was so closely aligned with that concept.
Now there is and thanks to folks like you, we’re all learning how to make a difference together as a community.
Thanks.

Amber,
I like your thinking. These tools have empowered lots of people to have a voice and to follow other voices. We have the power to choose what we consume. It’s not like we just on the water and out comes a flood. We can control the flow. Fill our cup, take a drink, and be satisfied. Or not.

I wonder a lot about this question you raised, “Are you using it to change something for the better?” What about people that don’t even have access yet to being online? I wonder what we might learn from unheard voices out there…

Amber thanks again for your crisp insight.

We have all found ourselves at the table answering clients questions on how they NEED to be on social media because everyone else is and they want 1,000 Facebook fans and 10,000 Twitter followers. No one NEEDS to be anywhere. We need to help organizations and people find IF they should participate and what value they have to offer to these communities.

The owner of my company is a busy man. He doesn’t have time to be on 10 social networks. We did some research and LinkedIn was the best fit for him and what he wanted to accomplish and he is dominating with it. The traffic we get from his participation is much better than the sparse efforts he would have made with multiple social media profiles. It is about what works for you, what you want out of it and what you can do with your voice.

Thanks again!

It’s amazing how people forget this. I know this isn’t the type of post that gets everyone all excited, but these are the ones that resonate a lot with me. I’m listening and I appreciate the perspective. You put your finger on the thing that’s been a source of quiet frustration for me lately. This is really, really fantastic – and just what I needed. Thank you.

Great post.

I like Amanda’s perspective about fit and focus in social media – there are a lot of people wasting a lot of time.

I’d add this to her point: Does the organization fit with social media? If the organization doesn’t obsess over customer satisfaction in the rest of the business, they won’t do it online either.

However, great examples of respected companies who get it right both online and offline can be a powerful catalyst towards adoption of an online strategy for those who don’t.

Amber:

I wanted to jump in from the email marketing perspective. It’s funny, when I saw that the title included “opt-in” and the image was a big ass “unsubscribe” I got a bit giddy. Yeah, dorky I know, but I get pumped about email marketing. My wife would tell you that I go a bit overboard. But I love it.

Anyway, as you know the term “opt-in” is a biggie when it comes to email marketing. We talk to clients all the time about respecting the subscriber. Send consumers relevant, timely, targeted email that they asked for. But also, make it easy for them to unsubscribe. Make it easy to opt-in, opt-down,opt-out. Your choice.

I realize that some SM tools like Twitter and blogs are a bit more pull vs push (for email), but in my opinion the same rules apply.

Agree?

DJ Waldow
Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow

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