The Productivity Pro® Blog by Laura Stack - Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

When it comes to time management, social media can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can help you make connections and expand your professional network faster than ever before. On the other hand, you can dump countless hours into social networking sites and see little return on the investment. Here are five things you can start doing right away to help you use social media efficiently and productively.

(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com

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The Top Ten Commandments of Social Networking Etiquette:

1. Thou shalt develop a purposeful social media strategy.
2. Thou shalt dedicate yourself to really learning how to use the ones you choose.
3. Thou shalt not sell yourself before earning the right to do so.
4. Thou shalt not keep your browsers open all day.
5. Thou shalt turn off all notifications and alerts.
6. Thou shalt do real work during the day.
7. Thou shalt not use social media to waste time.
8. Thou shalt limit the number of visits to your social media sites.
9. Thou shalt post once and let the third-party software post the rest.
10. Thou shalt not update us when you go to the bathroom.

What would you add to this list?

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When it comes to time management, social media can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can help you make connections and expand your professional network faster than ever before. On the other hand, you can dump countless hours into social networking sites and see little return on the investment. Here are five things you can start doing right away to help you use social media efficiently and productively:

1. Separate your business life from your personal life. Not only is this a good idea in terms of maintaining professionalism and not boring your friends, but it also has big implications for productivity. If you comingle your personal social networking with professional social networking, you are basically inviting your friends and family into your workday and your clients into your personal life. That means that when you are at work and decide to focus, for example, on marketing yourself, that you will almost certainly be distracted by updates and messages from family and friends. Just glancing through those personal posts is going to make your social media activities take a lot longer than they need to.

I use Twitter (www.twitter.com/laurastack) and LinkedIn for my business network (clients, prospects, vendors) (www.linkedin.com/in/laurastack). I use Facebook for my personal network (actual friends, family, speaker buddies). I do have a Productivity Pro® tip of the day that gets posted to both, but the rest is separate. I announce business seminars, news, and updates on LinkedIn. I put personal updates on Facebook and don’t want to wonder what a client might think. Instead of “friending” my clients, I invite them to become a Fan at my Laura Stack Fan Page instead (www.facebook.com/ProductivityPro), so I can choose what business items to post separate from my wall. I only visit Facebook when I’m on personal time, rather than thinking of it as a marketing activity.

2. Get into a regular social media routine. Keeping current on social networks really doesn’t take that much time – provided you are approaching the task efficiently. It’s easy to spend the better part of an afternoon reading blog posts and checking status updates, but generally speaking, that’s not what you’re there for. In fact, the things that eat up the most time for social media users are typically not things that add value at all; they are just another form of procrastination, like lingering at a coworker’s desk or surfing the web.

The best way to approach building a social media routine is to establish dedicated blocks of time to handle social media. This might be a single 15 minute session each morning or maybe a few quick sessions spread throughout the day, whatever makes sense with your needs and situation. If you keep the time period short you will be more likely to maintain focus and accomplish what you logged on to do and less likely to fritter away time with idle chat or mindless wandering.

Or do what I did: write a year’s worth of postings at one time. Yes, I wrote 365 daily Productivity Pro® tips over the course of a couple focused days, so I don’t have to think of something new to say each day. I currently have over 1500 people following on Twitter, doing nothing more than posting once each day. And I don’t post them manually…read on.

3. Embrace third-party applications to automate manual processes. If you’ve determined that it makes good business sense for you to participate on several social media platforms, it probably won’t be long before you realize just how big a time commitment it takes to keep current on each one. It was hard enough back when we just had to keep our blogs up-to-date. These days, that’s just the beginning. Chances are, at some point, you’re going to need a little help.

That’s where third-party applications come in. Rather than posting to multiple places, sites like Ping.fm allow you to go to one place to make updates to all of your social networking sites. That will save you the trouble of jumping from site to site and generally streamline the experience across the board.

To get even fancier, load your future postings into hootsuite, and have that update Ping, which updates Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, delicious, typepad, aim, gtalk, myspace, etc. That means that while you are sitting in a meeting, it can keep your account looking alive. Obviously you don’t want to be disingenuous with such a tool, but it is perfect for reminding followers of special events, sharing professional wisdom, or anything else more strategic than a simple status update.

I also like www.SocialOomph.com (formerly TweetLater) to help manage multiple accounts. It also provides a number of business tools to help you leverage social media effectively. For example, it automatically follows back anyone who follows you on Twitter with a custom message. I also get a digest every day of key words I’m searching for on Twitter.

Last, blip.tv is a video uploading site that posts to YouTube, TubeMogul, iTunes, your blog, etc. automatically. I definitely recommend at least checking out Ping.fm, HootSuite, SocialOomph, and Blip.tv. Your specific needs and personal tastes will influence which platforms makes sense for you, but the best way to learn about them is to give it a try.

4. Decide what you’re really trying to do with SM. The biggest reason that otherwise productive, well-intentioned people end up wasting a ton of time on social networks is that they never sat down and figured out what they were trying to accomplish with social media. It isn’t just about how many friends/followers/readers you have. It’s about what your business has to gain. That might mean interacting with existing clients, reaching out to new prospects, or simply building your online reputation. Whatever makes sense for you, be sure to have a goal in mind whenever you commit yourself to another online profile. Otherwise, you could spend 40 hours a week bouncing from thing to thing without ever adding real value to your business. Meaningful goals might be based on sales (establish one new lead per week), generating awareness (post industry-related content once per day), or even something more subjective, such as establishing a reputation as a valuable online resource for customers and prospects. The bottom line is that you need to know what you are trying to accomplish. After all, if your goal is simply to create an account and make some noise, that’s probably all you’ll do.

5. Connect, listen, and contribute. This is the easiest one to forget. You’ve already decided that you are going to invest time and energy into social networking, don’t forget that you aren’t there to simply broadcast your sales pitch to anyone who will listen. Just like you make time to Tweet, update Facebook, or post on LinkedIn, you need to set aside a few minutes just to see what other people are saying. This will give you great insights into the needs of the community and help you better focus your message when you do have something to say. Even just carving out five minutes twice a day to pop in and see what others are saying can add tremendous value to your social networking activities.

Just as an example, Twitter provides plenty of great opportunities to listen, but realistically, this social media network that is famous for broadcasting what millions of users are eating for lunch does come with its fair share of background noise and low-value information. A third party application like TweetDeck and Twhirl can help you scan, sort, and filter the conversations taking place on Twitter and help you hone in on things that matter without wasting time on things that don’t. If I were to just scan the tweets of everyone I am following , I would be overwhelmed by mundane updates (“eating lunch”), annoying promotions (“retweet to win XYZ”), and complete nonsense (“which Harry Potter character are you?”). TweetDeck allows me to focus on the handful of people that I know well and even keep an eye on important topics through search terms like “productive” or “Outlook.” That saves time and keeps me focused. And make sure YOU don’t post ridiculous updates.

Hopefully I’ve given you a thing or two to think about as you pursue whatever social media endeavors make sense for you and your business. I also hope you’ll drop me a line out there in the social media sphere. See below for my social networks of choice.

Make it a productive day! (TM)

(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.

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Like it or not, social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are here to stay – and it isn’t just kid stuff anymore.  In fact, businesses and individuals worldwide keep finding interesting ways to use social networks and other interactive online media to do some pretty amazing things – from building their brands to getting to know their customers. How do you keep it from sabotaging your productivity?

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Like it or not, social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are here to stay – and it isn’t just kid stuff anymore.  In fact, businesses and individuals worldwide keep finding interesting ways to use social networks and other interactive online media to do some pretty amazing things – from building their brands to getting to know their customers.

Where do you stand in this new phase of the internet revolution, which many techies are calling “Web 2.0”?  Perhaps you avoided it altogether…or you’re an addict…or you’re somewhere in between.

Like most technology, social networks and other social media tools are great resources but lousy masters.  You could spend all day hopping around to different sites, updating your information, and connecting with people all over the world.  But how does that add to your daily productivity?  

Since it’s a brand new year, let’s take a look at how you’ve been wasting time online.  Or perhaps you should be spending more time dipping your toes in the social media waters!

What is social media?

Don’t worry if you’ve never quite gotten your head around the term.  Even the experts don’t have a great definition for it.  Think of it this way: social media generally refers to web-based tools that help you connect with people and share information.

This means networking sites, such as LinkedIn and MySpace, as well as information sharing tools like blogs.   Social media is really about connecting people with one another and/or information.

What’s the point?

There was a time when social media was just a novelty—something that people did just for the sake of doing it.  The technology was new, and it was fun to connect with people and find new sources of information and new perspectives.  (It can still be a lot of fun!)

The explosion of blogging created an environment where anyone could be a publisher and share their ideas for little or no cost.  The advent of social networks gave individuals unprecedented access to one another; suddenly chatting with your old friends from college wasn’t limited to the class reunion.

And today, social media has evolved beyond being just a toy for tech-lovers.  As more and more people get involved and the concepts become more mainstream, social media has also become more useful as a professional tool.  For example, my favorites are:

• LinkedIn is a great site that allows you to create a professional profile and make business contacts online.  Most users see the site as a relatively no-nonsense one, which makes it a great resource for building professional relationships and for reaching out to people that you’d like to meet virtually.  I have 400+ contacts currently, all of whom I know personally and would do business with or refer to others.  You can view my LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurastack.

• Blogs, such as TypePad or WordPress (part of your site or not), have become a great way to share your expertise with the world and build your personal or corporate brand.  My blog www.TheProductivityPro.com/blog allows me to share productivity news and insights in an impromptu, informal way.  That means my clients and those interested in productivity are more likely to be familiar with my work, my personality, and my qualifications.

• Twitter is a micro-blog, and has a concept that is perhaps the simplest of any of the social networking sites out there.  Throughout the day, you post the answer to a straightforward question, which is “What are you doing?” Your updates (“tweets”) are limited to 140 characters.  Others can elect to follow your updates and view your posts.  Because of the no pressure, minimal approach, you’d be amazed at how quickly you can build your network on Twitter.  It is a great, fast-paced way to meet people, keep up with your friends and colleagues, and build your personal brand online. You can follow my tweets at www.twitter.com/laurastack.

I could go on about the different platforms that are out there, but that really isn’t the point.  The thing to keep in mind is that there are a variety of sites available to you and that you need to pick and choose which make sense for you.  My favorite is LinkedIn, where I can ask people in my network for introductions to people in their networks.  I’ve gotten business from doors that have been opened by others for me.

Don’t spend a whole lot of time doing research or comparing sites.  Go with your gut and start exploring what is out there.  Some things you will like and see the value in, some you won’t.  The best way to figure out what’s what is to experiment a little.  These sites are extremely user-friendly and are designed to be intuitive.  Generally speaking the site will ask you for your information as you go and help you get started.  The best way to decide what appeals to you is to do some browsing online and try a platform or two to get your feet wet.

Laura, my feet are already wet.  Now what?

Once you have accounts set up on one or more social platforms, there are a few things to keep in mind concerning the day-to-day activities associated with staying connected online:

• Keep up with it.  Whether you are maintaining a social networking profile or your own blog, keep in mind that a neglected site gives a bad impression.  Especially when networking professionally, information that is inaccurate or out of date is going to reflect badly on you.  If people see, for example, that your LinkedIn page has been untouched for months, they just might assume that you are no longer a player at your company or in the industry.

• Censor yourself.  For whatever reason, the internet has an odd way of releasing people’s inhibitions, and often not for the better.  Especially if you are planning to tap social media for professional networking purposes, think about what you are putting out there!  You really need to look at every post assuming that it will be read by your boss, coworkers, clients, your parents, your kids—anybody.  If you already have a site that features some less-than-flattering content or images, now is the time to clean it up.  Need more convincing?  Social networks are increasingly becoming part of the hiring process at many companies.  What would a potential employer find out about you if they put their mind to it?  Would a prospect decide not to hire you based upon the attitude you exude on your page?

• Limit your social networking at work.  The internet is one of the biggest enhancers of productivity in our lifetime, but it is also one of the biggest productivity drains.  Social networks are no exception.  Make sure you keep your social networking—whether that means reading blog postings, updating your profiles, or checking out other people—under control.  Set proper boundaries for yourself.  Some people simply can’t do this and waste inordinate amounts of time on social sites each day, leading some companies to block websites such as myspace.com.  It really doesn’t take that much time to sit down once or twice a day to check in on things and make sure your communication is up-to-date, but it is extremely easy to find yourself wasting half the day doing it.  There is limitless information out there and millions of people available to meet and interact with.  Be sure to keep a handle on how much time you’re spending.

• Limit your social networking at home.  Just by the nature of the beast, even if you use your social networks primarily for professional purposes, you’re going to end up having some fun, too.  Just remember that even though there are countless interesting people out there in cyberspace, there are a handful of much MORE interesting people right under your nose, in your very own home.  Don’t neglect the real people in your life because your busy interacting with the ones on your computer screen.

So get out there and start communicating.  Once you’re up and running, see where it takes you!  Just don’t let it take you out of the productivity zone.

Make it a productive day!tm

(C) Copyright 2008 Laura Stack.  All rights reserved.  www.TheProductivityPro.com

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