The Internet is filled with end of year reviews, highlight articles, and wrap-ups. Predictions for what will and won’t happen in 2009 are also a popular topic for bloggers this time of year. There’s plenty of nostalgia and speculation out there already – I don’t know how much I would add that hasn’t already been said. Instead, I’ll focus this post on something that I can control – my social media resolutions for 2009.
The parameters of these resolutions are simple – I have to be in total control of whether they happen or do not happen, they are realistic, and they’re somehow related to the work I do with social media.
- Blog more often – I know, I know, this is always on everyone’s social media “to-do” list. However, I actually mean it (and yes, I know everyone says that too). When I started this blog back in October, I had one goal – to give me an external “home base” from which I could become a part of the social media and government conversation. My goal for 2009 is to build on this humble base and collaborate with all of you in bringing social media to our government.
- Focus attention on things other than social media - As Andrea Baker and I have discussed before, I suffer from the fear of missing out. There are SO many things I want to read, so many blogs I want to comment on, so many initiatives that I want to take on – I have to realize that I can’t (and shouldn’t) try to do it all. I need to do a better job at doing what I can when I can, while still taking some time to go spend time with my family, go to the gym, and do things outside of work.
- Re-read the ClueTrain Manifesto - Whenever I feel overwhelmed or discouraged, I find myself going back to the 95 theses at the start of this book to get new inspiration for what it is that we do. Business and government are changing before our very eyes – despite the social media world that I find myself caught up in, I realize that I’m still an early adopter. I’m riding the wave of something entirely new that is fundamentally changing the way our government operates.
- Spend at least one hour each day reading about social media - I’m not sure when it happened, but reading, whether it’s blogs, books, newspapers, etc., became the first thing that got dropped when we all got too busy. In 2009, I’m going to move reading back up my priority list and start dedicating time each day to my Google Reader, my stack of unread books, magazines, and Twitter stream.
- Turn more of my virtual connections into real-life ones – Om Malik had it right – Twitter followers aren’t really friends. Following someone on Twitter or commenting on their blog doesn’t make you friends with someone. I think we lose sight of that sometimes and forget that actually meeting people in person really helps develop and maintain that relationship. In 2008, I’ve worked to develop “virtual” relationships with plenty of people from both the social media and government worlds, but in 2009, I hope to turn these connections from simple @’s, retweets, and comments to lunches, meetings, and phone calls.
- Use email less (internally) – One thing I’ve realized is that if I keep answering people’s emails, people will continue to send them to me, even if I explicitly tell them that they’re more likely to get a hold of me by posting their question/comment to my internal blog, contact me on Yammer, use my internal wiki page, etc. I want to be the leader within my organization in getting folks to use email less and our internal collaboration platforms more.
- Proactively reach out to more senior leaders in my organization to teach them about social media – One of the biggest challenges that I’ve had in gaining buy-in for our internal social media efforts is that senior leaders often don’t understand how a blog will help them in their day to day life. In 2009, I want to do more to illustrate the “What’s in it for me” to our everyone at my company, especially our managers.
I’m curious to hear what your social media resolutions are. Remember that you have to be in control of making them happen, they’re realistic, and that they’re related to the work you do with social media. Good luck!
*Image courtesy of Flickr user xmascarol
December 31st, 2008 at 3:14 am
Great post, Steve! One of my social media resolutions is actually the inverse of your #s 4 and 5: I resolve to write more (both original posts, but more also comments on others’ blogs) and to branch out from the people I already know in person. In 08, I went from email-only to RSS feeds to EVERYTHING ELSE, and did a lot of reading. I currently subscribe to 81 blogs, but have only ventured to comment on the handful written by people I actually know (e.g. this one). In 09, I hope to spread my wings more and offer [meaningful!] contributions to other forums…which will hopefully become in-person connections in the future.
Regarding #7 (also on my list!), have you read “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath? It’s a highly enjoyable study of why some ideas survive and others are promptly forgotten. I think we can apply these principles to our messages of why social media is important, how to use it, etc.
I look forward to working with you in the new year!
Reply
sradick Reply:
December 31st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I haven’t read that, but I’ll add it to my wishlist! I also hope to write more on other people’s blogs too – both commenting and guest-posting.
Reply
Andrew Krzmarzick Reply:
January 5th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Steve – I would second this book recommendation – read last year and passed it on to our head of Marketing and Communications.
Reply
lewis shepherd Reply:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Made to Stick is excellent, and will reinforce several of the resolutions you’ve made. #4 is going to be key for me, I refuse to fall further behind! Enjoyed reading the post…
Reply
December 31st, 2008 at 3:40 am
Really great list, Steve. Many, many of my resolutions mirror yours. Hard part: time. Any insights on this? Where will time come from to blog, connect, read about social media, etc…? I don’t mean this in a flip or skeptical way: I really am looking for advice on this. Happy, happy new year!
Reply
sradick Reply:
December 31st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Hmmm…I really don’t know – maybe I should add #8 to my list – “Find more time in the day!”
Seriously though, I think you’ve spurred me to write a new blog post on time management and social media – how to manage your own time and hwo to get the best bang for your buck, so to speak.
Still thinking on it though…anyone else have any advice?
Reply
December 31st, 2008 at 4:42 am
Steve, your blog gets better with each successive post. Consistently solid, substantive stuff, written with clarity and style.
I’m with Maxine/@mixtmedia on time management being paramount. Of course, if there are any social-media-optimized productivity breakthroughs — either from your own experience or from the bubbling Booz cauldron — you’d be at liberty to share, I suspect many of us would find real value there.
Likewise, appreciate your shoutout for Cluetrain Manifesto. Having done this work (online communities, collaboration, user-created content, etc.) for 10+ years now, I think the immutable truths in Cluetrain make it a must-read for every serious social media professional. (At least read the faux-Reformation “95 theses.” And remember them.)
Just one last thing: Will this blog still be called Social Media *Strategery* after 1/20/09?
Reply
sradick Reply:
December 31st, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Thanks for the kind words Mike – I really enjoy reading your newly-redesigned blog too!
I’m not sure if I’ve got any social media/time management magic bullets, but I can certainly try to explain how I do all that I do, why I never feel like I do enough, how to determine what opportunities to go after, etc. Look for it in a future posting.
I LOVE the cluetrain manifesto – I’m writing an internal post now on why I do what I do (I get lots of questions from my colleagues about why I spend so much time blogging, tweeting, etc.), and that book forms the foundation.
And no, I don’t have any intention of changing the name – that is, unless you have a great new name that I can use? I wanted something that was both serious and funny (like me?)…
Reply
December 31st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Great post! My resolutions are pretty similar but here are the top three:
1. Get external blog up and active (will open anyday now) and blog there daily.
2. Similar to your #5, I want to make my virtual connections into IRL connections. Which means attending more meetups and local tech events.
3. Use some of the upcoming software to link all my social networks/comments/online activities together. I don’t mean just friendfeed. I want to increase my presence as a whole and want to keep it as time efficient as possible, so I will be trying out tons of new things in the next few weeks.
Thanks for blogging/tweeting this. It actually made me articulate what I want to get done in soc media for 2009.
Reply
sradick Reply:
December 31st, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Kirby – make sure you drop me a note once your blog is active! I’m sure that our readers (all ten of them!) will have similar interests in both!
Reply
December 31st, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Nice post. I have similar aims too for 2009 but most importantly for me is to better manage the info stream I have now. Also to get back to my external blog and posting there…but #7 is big to-do for 09′ w/in my org.
Reply
December 31st, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I’m working on a collection of thoughts about 2008 and 2009, and social media definitely figures big in both. However, in 2009 I hope to branch out into some of the more aggressive 2.0 technologies like MixedInk and interactive transit routing. I’ll also be looking at lot at leadership and administrative strategies as I pursue a Masters.
I like your #5. In 2008, I found Facebook enriching and reconnecting my offline relationships. In 2009, I hope to meet face-to-face with more of the great folks I’ve meet this year on Twitter and GovLoop.
Reply
January 1st, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Good list that i could follow myself! Some points are particularly true, especially #4 and #5. Working on social media is highly time consuming and sometimes we tend to forget the basics.
Reply
January 5th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Steve,
I think I could take many of yours as my own…especially 1, 2 6, and 7. With the last two, I would like to reach out beyond my internal sphere as well and do more building of leadership acceptance of social media across government.
Thanks – great post!
- Andy
Reply
April 18th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
furlough leading Massachusetts saleslady suntanning c99 shell McCullough observing .
Reply
February 15th, 2010 at 11:53 am
I agree with a lot of what you?re saying here but it could do with more detail. – Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. – Woody Allen Born 1935
Reply