To dovetail Geoff’s latest post and to prevent anyone from making themselves appear like the animal represented in the post’s picture, it is essential to define listening.  As a university professor, I incorporate the basic skill of active listening into all of my class curriculum. Most students new to my class do not know how to actively listen.

To apply the mind, or pay attention, with a view to perceive, understand, or comply; to pay regard; to heed.

versus to hear…

To perceive (sound) by the ear.

Too often we choose to selectively listen. To succeed in a social media environment, such half measures will doom any presence. Relationships require devoted attention. Rather than focusing on our own messages, we must relearn how to listen to others. 

• Prove your understanding by asking for clarification.
• Focus on the speaker; take notes.
• Resist distractions.
• Be respectful.
• Acknowledge speaker.
• Paraphrase.
• Ask open-ended questions.

Golden Rule: "Listen unto others as you would have others listen to you."

It is tempting to slip into the social media world and become googly-eyed. You know, the rush of excitement to see your name as author of content or your company being discussed online or receiving your first blog comments. In the midst of stressing over a social media event, my friend so wisely reminded me, "It’s not about you." So true. It is about your community. All aspects of your community dictate the ebb and flow of the social media strategy, conversation and technology platform. Keeping an eye on the bigger picture will affirm your relevance in the future.

"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." Will Rogers

The words authenticity and transparency are not just buzz words, but key traits of any successful social media strategy. It is important to stress that nothing is off the record. What occurs externally of the Internet will become part of the Internet chatter and vice versa. You nor your company can lead a double life. It is important to take off the masks. A company cannot simply present a stage character via Internet and expect perceptions to change overnight. Each and every action is being documented. In this age, people are using mobile video and text to record and distribute content at an alarming speed. You and your company must truly live your promises in all your actions. Your "parrot" is your associates/customers and the world’s social networks is the audience.

Last night, my speech communications students watched the 2006 TED presentation by Sir Ken Robinson, Do Schools Kill Creativity? Robinson’s thesis is kids will take a chance. They are not afraid of being wrong. We educate the creativity out of our young generation; educating from the waist up to their heads and slightly on one side. This suppressive behavior is similar to how many companies treat employees. Their bodies are nothing but transport for their heads from meeting to meeting. Many of us have been educated out of our creative capacities.

For any social media strategy to be be successful, you must find the spark to ignite successful social media strategies. This spark comes from passionate people. Their creativity and openness is not hampered by fear of risk. Too often in the planning stages of a social media strategy, the passion is not considered a priority nor creativity of content necessary. The social media strategy emulates a cut and dry business plan devoid of life. It is important companies establish the rules of the sandbox before executing social media strategies, but we need to embrace diverse, interactive and distinct creativity to flourish in our objectives.

Robinson likens the creative void to the stripping of our minds like the stripping of earth’s precious resources. "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never comet up with something original." Are you prepared to be wrong?

Would you sit next to your brand at a dinner party? No, not your personal brand…your company. Was your brand on time for your dinner date? Does your brand have good table manners? Perhaps your dinner party date talked the entire night and didn’t let you speak a word. Would you go out on a second date? Ponder these questions and many others asked in the latest Brandjunkie Survey.

According to survey results, people chose Apple to be their ideal brand dinner party companion.

Apparently, for brandjunkies, the most desirable characteristics in a dining partner are sex appeal, intelligence, sense of humor, celebrity status, and of course taste—both on a literal and figurative level. Picture Steve Jobs wearing Victoria’s Secret but smelling like Chanel while drinking a Coke on Comedy Central (all mentioned as responses).

Brandjunkies are also, well, economical—but at least honestly so. Many chose to bring brands that would pay the bill, from American Express to Oprah. Our readers also seem to enjoy plenty of booze with their dinner, as these brands made the guest list: Absolut, Bacardi, Black Label, Budweiser, Ciroc Vodka, Dom Perignon, Guinness, Heineken, Jack Daniel’s, Johnnie Walker, Kaapzight Wine, Laurent-Perrier, Moët, Mont Blanc, Smirnoff, and Tanqueray. Cheers!

On the surface, such questions may appear ridiculous, but not when you consider your brand equity is dependent on being an integral part of your customer’s social lives. No surprise that Apple took the cake as being one of the most desirable and sociable brands overall.

Consider energizing questions on your next survey. Too often the questions asked are corporate speak and do not explore the link between human behavior and your brand. Instead of basing your SWOT analysis on stale pain-points, consider answering the BRandjunkie questions of your brand and analyze. Shift the context of how you view your brand equity.

In, Who Is Talking About Your Brand, Jay Deragon summarizes the shift of branding into the social mediasphere, "Brands have two choices: deny the process, or engage in it. Now consider how much social networking and related emerging technology has created the phenomena in which the masses are becoming connected with influence. Your brand is largely influenced by what customers testify as to its quality, responsiveness and ability to identify personally with the customer, people."

As an aside, I found the answer to this survey question the most revealing of customer perception, What brand do you think is truly (going) "green"? Answer: NOBODY. Ouch. Doesn’t Al Gore have $300M invested in a global warming ad campaign?

You can have a social media strategy and the best IT in the world, but without passion your social media future is lost. In fact, the future of your company is lost. On this blog, you hear from communicators; now hear from one of your own in the business community.

Gary Vaynerchuk, host of Wine Library TV, talks about more than just wine.

Ike is correct; Talk is cheap. Marketing Lauren Vargas is much different than marketing client brands. You must get out there and get your hands dirty. As Lori Dolginoff of Johnson and Johnson discovered earlier this week, you don’t always come back smelling like roses after delving into the blogosphere! Susan Getgood, Marketing Roadmaps, does a brilliant job outlining the Camp Baby Blogstorm.

Even in the midst of this blogstorm, Johnson and Johnson has a great opportunity to strengthen blogger relations by their actions now and through Camp Baby. Practicing Blogger Relations Tips as depicted by Todd Defren assists in gaining the blogger’s ear, but fostering a deeper relationship requires more effort and authenticity. Remember you are building long term relationships. Do you use canned responses in conversation with your own friends and family?

I am a huge fan of the movie Office Space. Do you recall the Jump to Conclusions mat? Use your head… and your heart. Don’t jump to conclusions about your blogosphere community because they are just as fast to pass judgment.

This past Tuesday, the 2008 SXSW Interactive Festival adjourned. Unfortunately, my employer felt SXSWi too expensive and unworthy for me to attend 7-11 March. Why spend money to attend a conference about social networking tools when I use many of these tools and virtually interact daily with several of the conference attendees already? Luckily, on my own time and dime, I was able to obtain a day pass and attend Monday, 10 March, events. 

Upon my return I was asked by another conference attendee if I would have paid $500 to attend SXSW for the networking benefit excluding speakers/panels . My immediate answer was “Of course!” The enchantment of a day meeting social media mavens and awe of being a kid in a candy store has worn off a bit and I have reconsidered my answer to the question. I am still digesting Monday’s conversations, the SXSWi Twemes, live blogging, and podcasts posted during the conference week.

The panels, speakers and evening events are conversation starters. Kami Huyse, SXSWi Future of Corporate Blogs panel speaker, reflects why conferences are more than just free cocktails and bs, “I always learn a great deal from the attendees when I present at these conferences.  There are a lot of challenging questions and interactions that help to shape and energize my thinking. I am sure that teaching is one of the best ways to refine old ideas and develop new ones.  In fact, I wonder if presenters don’t learn more than attendees from these things.”

There will always be the bobble heads in the room lacking original thought and agreeing with everything and everyone. At SXSWi, I encountered more stimulating conversation than followers. Without the panels and speakers I would not have been introduced to new ideas and thoughts from those outside my circle.

Photo courtesy melody.gates.

Whether your social media efforts include blogging, podcasting or video, valuable content is king. Other than the logistics of executing these tools, I find the most asked question and highest concern is “Who/what feeds this beast?”

You don’t have to look very far for the answer. Your community of readers, viewers and participants are the keepers of enough content to last you decades. 

• Survey Feedback: Be honest. You have reams of data. Begin addressing common concerns and comments. Do not dwell on the negative. I am not fond of open ended survey questions because of the analytical nightmare, but this data is great brainstorming fodder for story content. Does your company conduct customer/associate/manager satisfaction surveys (CSI/ASI/MSI)? Look for trends. Drive content at the same time as you address issues and show your community you ARE listening and acting upon suggestions.
• Customer Comments: Whether you have a formal customer comment program or you monitor informal conversations, trend this data and address key topics.
• Editorial: Peruse trade and entertainment magazine articles. 

Listen. Learn. Create.

(Social media fatigue is another issue addressed brilliantly by Chris Brogan.)

Last week, Geoff issued a Social Media Content Process outlining 14 steps to execute social media strategy. Steps six through eight determine relevance and expectations before content creation begins.

I understand many readers of Now Is Gone are not public relations or marketing affiliated, but the conundrum Sam Lawrence, CMO at Jive Software,  poses on his Go Big Always blog is applicable for consideration by any business.

“I want our new PR Agency to blog about us but they don’t want to.”

Should the PR Agency blog?

Now Is Gone co-author, Brian Solis, answers Lawrence, “It depends.”

Social media brings out the extremes. Go full force and claim social media the savior of all that ails or stick your head in the sand and pretend the world is not changing. A social media effort that is forced or running scared will not be successful.

Solis continues, “Yes, so openness and transparency are “the new black.” But don’t take it at face value. Think about it first.”

You don’t have to put all your cards on the table. Understand derived value and expectations of your long term social media strategy. Business is still business.

What do you think?