Daniel Johnson, Jr.

Last Saturday, as well as back in June, we did Questions from a Hat at New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday.  I told the group to ask any questions they wanted, whether related to social media or technology or not.  The questions were as varied as the group.

You can find some answers the group came up with via the UStream recorded videos, including ones from yesterday’s blog post.  But, I’d like to know what you think, so I’m including the questions people at last Saturday’s event asked. Pick one or more of these and share your thoughts. Feel free to add your answers in the comments or trackback via your own website.

Thanks in advance! Ready? Here we go:

1. Is anyone interfacing social media with the traditional media outlets? (i.e., combining social media with traditional media. Examples?)
2. Is Classmates.com a viable value proposition for social media in the future?
3. What was Twitter like in 2006?
4. Best place to start: Twitter, Facebook, blog, or other?
5. What WordPress plugins are you using, and what do you like best about them?
6. Explain FriendFeed.
7. Has anyone created a realistic R.O.I. (Return on Investment) measurement for social media?
8. What’s the best social media tool for a portfolio?
9. How can I drive traffic to my WordPress blog?
10. LinkedIn or Facebook? Or both?
11. Does anyone have the ability to coax info off a mostly dead laptop’s hard drive for less than 12 zillion dollars?
12. Do you see mobile marketing on the increase in US?
13. Why do you still have that profile pic? Need a new one?
14. How much networking is too much?
15. What are some tips for starting a social media community like New Media Cincinnati in an area that doesn’t have much going on?
16. Is The Pub at Rookwood Mews (where we held New Media Cincinnati) a good place to get fish and chips?
17. What is a virtual business card, and how can someone create one?
18. How can you measure Twitter conversation?
19. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck could chuck wood?
20. What are some tips for an aspiring blogger to get started?
21. How do I record video from my Firewire camera and audio from a separate microphone into my Mac computer?
22. What tools do you recommend for cleaning up your Twitter follower list?
23. What are the best Twitter applications for Blackberries?
24. How can we best monitor our children’s activities on the internet?

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My primary goal in using social media is to connect with as many people as possible in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas in order to find work much closer to home in Cincinnati.

Your use of social media will vary from mine and others, and that’s okay. Really. Let that sink in because it’s important. Don’t let others tell you how you SHOULD be using social media unless they really know what your goals are.

Did you catch that last part? That’s right. I mentioned goals. Objectives. Who would have thought that in this social media playground that goals were important?

I bet you already have goals, even though they may not clearly be defined yet. It may be something simple like exploring and learning how things work. That is perfectly fine. Seriously. Just be careful not to get caught up in the latest shiny object that comes around. Soon you’ll be wondering where the days have gone. If that has already happened to you, I’m sorry. Now is the best time to get some focus.

How I Use Social Media

I have been around this space since 2002, so in once sense that makes me feel a little bit old. But the social technology landscape has been constantly evolving, so I still consider myself as a learner.

Nevertheless, I have been able to develop some dexterity with some of the social technology tools that exist like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, podcasting, blogging, and others. I set up a page at my website, my About page, as a Virtual Business Card/Social Media Resume to indicate what I’m up to and where you can find me.

Amid all the channel fragmentation (TV, Radio, Internet), it’s important to know what your goals are in using social media. They don’t need to be the same as someone else; it’s okay if they are unique to you. I know I’m repeating myself, but it bears repeating.

My goals are selfish: I want to find work closer to home.
My goals are also unselfish: I know that in order to find the opportunities closer to home, I need to reach out and connect with those near where I am (Greater Cincinnati, OH area). I believe that the more I know about you and vice versa, the more we can help one another. The more I’m able to communicate my brand message – consistently, the more they’ll be able to take that with them and share with their connections, too.

What I Do

If you’ve connected with me on LinkedIn or Facebook, chances are you’ve received a note where I share a bit more background about myself; namely something like the following:

At my last job, I would pull information out of the business system to help other people do their jobs and make better business decisions. I did business intelligence work for a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) in Dayton, Ohio, using mainly Microsoft Office tools.

The company served as a corporate HR department for small- to medium-sized businesses. It uses a version of Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics customized by ThinkWare out of Cincinnati for the PEO industry, and it used the SQL Server database platform, where I’ve tended to spend a lot of my time.

All IT keywords aside, I was laid off last month and have a bit more time for my new and social media efforts, one of which is the New Media Cincinnati group, which I founded in October 2007. My primary goal in using social media is to connect with as many people as possible, especially in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas to find my next gig closer to home, whether it’s using my business intelligence expertise, social media skills, or a combination of both. It’s been an interesting journey so far.

Of course, I customize the message for the specific individuals I’m connecting with, but that’s the basic message. That’s my story and how I’m using social media: for connecting online and offline to find my next job.

How are you using social media to accomplish your goals? What advice would you give to help me and others on how to better use social media to reach our goals?

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I initially started this blog as more of a portfolio of my work. I’ve described specific projects in narrative form, but I see an opportunity to share more code.

Sanity Check Fail – You’re Doing IT Wrong: Coding Tests.

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When I saw this link – on Twitter, no less – I knew I had to check it out. I don’t know if I understand it enough yet to try it out, but it’s definitely something worth looking into.

Access twitter from SQL Server 2005 and above using the Tweet-SQL CLR Stored Procedures

I’m going to have to look further at the Twitter API. I bet there are some great opportunities for putting together something really interesting.  What other interesting tools for using Twitter have you found?

This post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com

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We had a great meetup at Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers in downtown Dayton this afternoon.  About eight of us showed up in-person, but I also was able to UStream the event via the New Media Cincinnati channel, so even more people showed up!

• Rich Palmer
• Jerry Minnich
• Nathan Driver
• Bill Green
• Steve Brack
• Teri Lussier
• Mike Cornett
• Daniel Johnson, Jr.