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Whether it’s a meetup, happy hour, conference, PodCamp, or something else, it costs you to attend. First, it costs you time. You could be spending the time doing something else that could earn money. That’s the opportunity cost.  Secondly, unless you live immediately where the event happens, you require transportation to get there. Gas money, wear and tear on your vehicle, cab fare, etc. And parking fees.  Additionally, unless stated otherwise, you may have to buy your own food and drink.

So there’s a cost to consider when choosing to attend an event.  How can you decide if it’s worth it to you?

Recently

I recently attended an event in Cincinnati, and I spent some money to do so:

• I paid to get in.
• I drove about 20 minutes to get there.
• I got some drinks at the bar and gave the bartender a tip.
• On my way out, I realized that I’d forgotten to pay my parking fee and now get to pay an additional fine.

The total cost to me will wind up being close to $100, not including my time and gas, etc. NOT an amount I expected to spend! When I left, I didn’t have a great attitude at first.  It forced me to ask the question:

What is the ROI (return on investment) for attending a social media event?

which I naturally did on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. More on that in just a bit.

Quantifying the Experience

Return on Investment is an accounting term. I look at these things as cumulative, and it’s hard to quantify the monetary value I get from experiences like this.

What is the value of encouragement, of reconnecting with old friends and making new ones?

• As part of my admission to this event, I got a book and was invited to a future event at no charge where the author will be here to speak about it.
• I got to hear about how a local news organization is adapting and embracing new media.
• At this event someone I’ve known online introduced me to a recruiter.
• I was also able to touch base with someone who had interviewed me for a job a short while back.
• Someone I’d hardly known drove a long distance, and we were able to reconnect.
• A relationship with a friend had appeared to have gone sour over the past year. We were able to chat and catch up.
• I met new people and made some new connections that may turn into something in the long-term.

Let me say this up front – well, reiterate something I’ve said a number of times before:

Your use of social media will vary… and that’s okay. Everyone has his or her own level of comfortability with interacting online and how they approach making connections.  In this post, I’ll share my current approach, with respect to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Connecting is easy

In 2002 I found myself in a job search. I knew that I needed to meet other people as I weaved my way toward the next phase of my career.  I began looking in newspapers for local networking groups or professional organizations where I might be able to meet together. It was frustrating because it wasn’t easy to connect with people in these groups.

LinkedIn

Then came my first LinkedIn invitation, somewhere around 2003 – through someone who had been a contributor to my Get That Job! blog. I started making connections online through LinkedIn, often re-connecting with old colleagues and people I’d known from other circles.  That’s actually one of the beautiful things about being able to find people you know when making online connections, isn’t it?

Twitter

I signed up for Twitter in 2006 when it was still a mere side project. One of the neat things to do was to connect with people I’d known from podcasting circles and elsewhere. It was yet another touchpoint for our online connection. My initial approach also was to connect with as many people as possible in the Greater Cincinnati area (where I live) and the Greater Dayton area (where I worked). More on that in just a moment.

Facebook

I joined Facebook in 2007 and have been able to reconnect with a number of old colleagues and former classmates. I’ve also connected with people I’ve known from various circles on Twitter, podcasting, church, etc.

Changing Strategies

One of  the nice things about Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn is that it’s possible to group connections into one or more lists, which lets you filter your update streams as you wish.

Over the years my strategy in using LinkedIn has changed. Same with Facebook and Twitter.  I’ll still connect with you when you send me a LinkedIn connection request, provided that you are more creative than the “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” or “Since you are a person I trust, I’d like to add you to my professional network.”  Please be a bit more creative than this and let me know how we might know one another. Or, just let me know you’re a human being behind the account. Or, send a follow-up message to introduce yourself.

Facebook is a little bit different. I used to connect with anyone who sent me a connection request. Then one day, as Facebook’s privacy settings had changed yet again, I re-evaluated whom I was connected to, how well I knew them, and wound up removing a number of “Facebook friends”. Similar to LinkedIn, if you want to connect with me, include a message how we might know one another.

My strategy in using Twitter has also changed over the years. I turned off the email notifications that someone had begun following me on Twitter. Now, if you start following me, I might never know, unless you do an @danieljohnsonjr to mention me. I just don’t have time any more to keep up with everything.

What happens next is what really matters

Once we get connected, then what? The big reason I’ve wanted to especially connect with those in the Greater Cincinnati area is because I’m interested in meeting you in person. We are only able to glean a small part of one another’s lives from what we see online.

Maybe you’re different. Maybe you share every single thing you’re doing online. I’m not that way.

Once we’re connected, there should be more that we do than just have a connection. When you connect with me on LinkedIn, I typically send a message, thanking you for the connection and asking how I can help you. I’ll also share something that I’m looking for so that you’ll know how you might be able to help me.

Connect with everybody – recommend only those you truly know.

What is a recommendation? It’s a statement that adds credibility to work you’ve done.  If I recommend you, that means I’m vouching for work you’ve done in the past.  So, if we’ve just connected on LinkedIn, and we don’t already know each other beforehand, it’s probably not a good idea to request a recommendation.  Unless you know me or the work I’ve done, I don’t think your recommendation will add much.

Now, let’s say we get to know each other well online and through one another’s work. Then we might be able to recommend one another on that basis.

What do you think about all of this? What are your personal strategies for using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter?

Connecting is easy – it’s what happens next that matters.

Possible related articles

• LinkedIn power tip: your headline (getthatjobonline.com)
• Where Job Seekers Should Be Online (money.usnews.com)
• Why LinkedIn is More Valuable than Facebook (blogs.forbes.com)
• Want To Make Your Profile Interesting? Try The InMap! (globalthoughtz.com)
• So, I’m on LinkedIn. Now what? (theglobeandmail.com)
• SIMPLIFY Your Social Media Communications, especially for LinkedIn Users (rocktheworldbook.com)

Here are some video comments I recorded in response the the reaction to this month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday being monetized.

Audio and video are not well-synced, and that probably indicates I should stop trying to record directly from my webcam into YouTube.

Click here to watch the embedded video.

As mentioned in the video, I think the discussion on finding value is one we should continue to have and it will be the topic for next month’s Second Saturday event.

Some related posts worth checking out:

• Laura Fitton is right. PodCamp was never free. (christopherspenn.com)
• Finding Value (managingthegray.com)

Crossposted to newmediacincinnati.com

The past week has shown me a lot about building community in person and online. I thought I’d share some thoughts here.

A multi-viewed, transparent approach

I am wired in a way that I’m able to see things from many perspectives in order better understand motivations. I’m okay with being the devil’s advocate sometimes.

In the time I’ve spent online, especially in recent years, I’ve noticed that people in social media value transparency. That is one major reason why I’ve tried to be the same online as I would be when you meet me in person. I think authenticity is very refreshing, and I’m sure many others will agree.

How I became a community builder

I wasn’t really interested in founding a social media community in Cincinnati in October 2007. I was very busy with a commute and work in Dayton, Ohio. And yet, I’d become passionate about networking online with others in Dayton and the Greater Cincinnati area because I wanted to find work closer to home.

In discussions with others via Twitter, instant messaging, and elsewhere, it became apparent that no one was going to step up and get something started, so I stepped up. I knew there were many podcasters in the area already who wanted to meet up, but I also saw a need to broaden the scope. I looked at what other community builders had done in other cities, being very new to this community-building thing, and decided instead of naming the group Podcasting Cincinnati to instead call it New Media Cincinnati. “New Media” at the time was the buzz word used to describe all emerging forms of media technology.

It took a few months before I got comfortable with this new role. I was still very surprised that people were coming to events I’d organized.

Two years of learning

A lot has changed in the past two years here in the social media community in Cincinnati. Social media has become more widely adopted, and this group is joined by many other great social networking groups that meet regularly – more than I even know about.

I’d like to think the reason why New Media Cincinnati is around is to provide a vehicle for people passionate about and interested in new and emerging technology to meet together. I’ve also wanted it to be a place where someone new to social media can come and feel welcome. Others have said that I’ve done a pretty good job in creating that type of environment, both online and offline.

The success of a group like this doesn’t happen through just one person, and while there are many people I can mention, I’d like to especially single out Jeff Hertlein, who created the logos for the group.

These logos have done so much to establish the New Media Cincinnati brand online.

A “newer” group

When I recently learned that someone else had created a “Newer” Media Cincinnati presence on Twitter, I checked it out and initially thought it was hilarious and interesting. I even reached out to see if there were any collaboration opportunities.

Well apparently the individual behind this group would have nothing of it, referring to the “newer” group as an elite one. I wasn’t sure if they were joking or not, but I was okay with playing along.

Brand confusion

Then I saw that many of the updates became targeted in an attempt to ridicule, and demean things I’ve been doing. Even further, since this individual has taken the logo Jeff Hertlein made for the group and added upon it, it’s no wonder that many have become confused. It would appear that the “New Media Cincinnati” brand is being undermined.

In an effort to clear up confusion, I’ve spent some time engaging people directly through private messages on Twitter, to let them know that this other account is in no way related to me and the group I run. To some, it was a surprise since they had been confused. To others, it was no surprise. All were grateful.

Personal attacks

The individual hiding behind this other account has gone at lengths to publicly mock what it is I do through the Twitter account. I have been “called out” for being a “poser”. This individual likes to point out that I currently don’t have a job, which is true. I, like over 10% of the working population in Ohio, don’t currently have a job. I’m working on that.

Some say I should let this go and just admit that criticism is going to happen.  I’ll accept that to a point.  It appears that this person, who has the ability to stop receiving updates from me by simply clicking an Unfollow button on Twitter, instead wants to take what I am saying and who I am and twist it into something stupid.

The individual behind this account has crossed the line, as evidenced by many others who are telling me they are trying to get as far away from this person as possible.

Because these comments have been targeted at me personally, I have wondered if there was something I’ve done to make this individual upset. If that is the case, I would really like to do what I can to reconcile or at least understand where this person is coming from.

Different approaches to building community

So, I see two very different ways of building community at work. On one hand you have someone hiding behind an online presence, tearing other people down. This person creates confusion by repurposing another group’s brand identity. Harassment and impersonation. Division. What does it say to you about someone who can simply unfollow someone on Twitter but instead looks for ways to be critical?  What does it say about individuals who align themselves with someone like that?

That’s certainly one approach to building community. Some would say this is the “newer” approach.

Then you have another approach. I have openly shared who I am and what I’m about. What you see online is basically what you get when you meet me in person. You can choose to follow or not; it doesn’t matter. I want to be useful, but I’m also using social media for my own purposes. If it’s not for you, fine.

I began having New Media Cincinnati community planning conference calls a few months ago to help clear the air and talk about what’s working well and what we can do better. This group remains open to anyone interested in the social media space.

Which type of community do you prefer?

[photo credit: Day 323: Come Together]

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?

Related articles by Zemanta

• New Media Cincinnati August 2009 Second Saturday Recap (danieljohnsonjr.com)
• 3 Steps to Being Productive in Social Media (kylelacy.com)
• Social Media is not about your company. It IS about YOU. (insights-group.com)

(Cross-posted to newmediacincinnati.com)

Chances are, if you were following Twitter on Saturday, August 8, 2009, between 4 and 7 PM Cincinnati time, you saw updates from this month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday.

The format once again was Questions from a Hat, similar to the “Scenes from a Hat” party game on Drew Carey‘s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”. I can tell you emphatically that this format WORKS with this group! Not only does it appeal to our social natures, but it also helps spread a lot of information around in a relatively short amount of time. I’d like to say special thanks to Amybeth Hale, who live-tweeted the questions and answers on Twitter. We’re going to miss you, Amybeth, as you move to Washington state. You’re always welcome back whenever you visit!

This first video is 38:39 long.

I am SO thankful for Don and Vickie Sceifers and Tom Rockhold, who have taken over the UStream channel during the Second Saturday events. They’ve done a fantastic job managing this aspect of the event so that I don’t have to. This second video is 14:16 long.

John S. Kennedy, a local Cincinnati connection in my professional network, is gone.

I just got off the phone with his mother-in-law. I was concerned by some comments I saw through his Facebook and Twitter.   His mother-in-law confirmed that John passed away last week.

I first met John at the LinkedCincinnati LIVE event last August, and over time we became acquaintances through social media and even exchanged some instant messages through GoogleTalk.

When I chatted with him over the phone in January, we talked about his recent job loss and what he was looking to do.

I am stunned and I hurt. I hurt for his family, who is, of course, devastated by their loss. I know the pain they feel is real.

John’s mother-in-law gave me the details for his memorial service and encourages everyone to spread the word.  They do not know how to access his Facebook or Twitter accounts just yet. The details for the service are as follows:

John S. Kennedy Memorial Service
Thursday, March 5, 2009
11 AM EST
Charles Miller Funeral Home
3464 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45223 (map)

Please spread the word.

If you’re on Twitter, please “retweet”:

RT @danieljohnsonjr: @JohnSK Memorial Service Details: http://bit.ly/xl51l

 UPDATE: There is a guestbook at the Chas A. Miller Sons, Inc. website with informaton and a guestbook for you to leave your condolences.

EVENT DETAILS

The next meetup will be this coming Saturday, November 15, 2008, from 2-4 PM EST at the University of Cincinnati. Please RSVP via the Eventbrite page.

PECHA WHAT?

Pecha Kucha setup with MacBook and projector

What is Pecha Kucha, you ask? Simply stated, it’s a presentation style in which the presenter has 20 slides and talks for 20 seconds per slide, so that you wind up with a punchier presentation. Read these two articles (the second one has an embedded YouTube video that illustrates the point nicely):

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha Kucha
• Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 slides and then sit down

KEEP THIS IN MIND

Sound like fun? Wanna take a stab at this format and share something with the rest of the group? Here’s what you need to do/keep in mind, should you decide to present:

• The topic should be something related to New/Social Media
• You will need to come up with your own 20 slides
• You can put the presentation onto your own laptop or bring a thumb drive with it (I believe UC’s computers run MS Office, so think PowerPoint if you’re going to use that option.)
• We will set up the presentation so that it will automatically advance to the next slide after 20 seconds
• Sign up at the New Media Cincinnati wiki page: http://newmediacincinnati.wetpaint.com/page/Our+Next+Meetup

PARKING

Since we are having the meetup on a weekend, parking may be available on the streets. Paid parking is also available in various garages. Please check out

• UC’s Visitor Information page: http://www.uc.edu/visitors/
• University of Cincinnati on Google Maps

LAST-MINUTE UPDATES

As always, late-breaking announcements will be announced via Twitter:

• http://twitter.com/newmediacincy
• http://twitter.com/danieljohnsonjr

If you have any questions, please contact me by phone: 513-373-4442 or via email at daniel AT newmediacincinnati.com

I’m so looking forward to meeting up with everyone again.

Daniel Johnson, Jr.,
daniel AT newmediacincinnati.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
513-373-4442

http://danieljohnsonjr.com

photo credit: For Inspiration Only

This blog post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com

“If 80 percent of success is, as Woody Allen once said, just showing up, then 80 percent of building and maintaining relationships is just staying in touch.” — Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone, p. 181

You may know that I currently work in Dayton, Ohio, about an hour away from home in Cincinnati.  I mention it often on Twitter and Facebook, in fact.  While I’ve been able to make good use of that commute time listening to podcasts and my music library, I also see it as a great opportunity to connect and maintain the relationships I’ve developed over time with others.

I often post on Twitter and Facebook when I’m getting ready to leave work, that the “Call Dan game” is on and I leave my phone number: 513 373 4442. I have occasionally posted this when I’m on my way to work or out running errands.

So what is the Call Dan Game?  It’s an opportunity for you and I to get to know one another better if we’ve recently connected. Or it’s an opportunity to touch base if we’ve connected in the past.

The truth of the matter is this: I don’t know how else to know what you’re up to.  I’m only able to take a small sip from the “social media firehose”, and I might only see a small bit of what you post online.  As my friend BarbaraKB always says, the phone is still the best social networking tool around.

Is that my real phone number?  Yes and no.  I was fortunate to pick up a Grand Central phone number some months ago, and I have that phone number forwarded to my cell phone.  When you call 513 373 4442, you’ll probably be asked to identify yourself – please do so.  Otherwise, I won’t know who you are and might not pick up the phone.

So let’s connect.  If you want to call during work hours, feel free.  I’ll let you know if it’s a good time to chat or not.  And I’ll often post on Twitter and Facebook when “the Call Dan game is on”.

I look forward to the next time we get to chat!

Related post:

Crying while Eating Alone

This post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on LUCRUM Radio with LUCRUM Marketing Manger David E. Bowman. Over some coffee at Winan’s in Vandalia, we talked about my experience in business intelligence and new media, with a bit of marketing mixed in.

David started off by asking about how I got involved in social media, and it gave me the opportunity to share how I got into blogging and podcasting, as well as to share some of the ways I’ve been managing all my presences in social media.  I shared how my passion for intelligence dashboards enables me to keep track of a lot of content I’m consuming and producing.

We also talked about New Media Cincinnati, and I loved sharing about some of the great face-to-face connections I’ve been able to make through that group and how much the group has grown over the past 11 months it’s been around.  I mentioned, for example, that at the last meetup we discussed some ideas for having a new media conference in Cincinnati as well as some ideas for community outreach.

Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

Finally, David asked me for my take on how businesses are embracing new and social media and what it will take for more businesses to do so.

I really want to thank David and the team at LUCRUM for the chance to be a part of their program.  I had a great time!

Links:

• LUCRUM Radio Interview with Daniel Johnson, Jr.
• Direct download (mp3, 21:01, 28.8 MB)
• LUCRUM Corporate Web Site
• LUCRUM Blog: The Future Value of Business
• davidebowman.com

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• Awesome time at LinkedCincinnati LIVE last night
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This post originates from http://danieljohnsonjr.com