LIVE notes:  12/6/07 (arrived late, first meeting I've attended of this group)

Looking at Topic, discussion, vote format as a possible format for a proposed Real Estate Unconference

Format:  Questions debated for approximately 10 minutes, then participants vote:

Topic 5:  Social media is dead

Discuss:

Messages coming from everywhere about tonight's meeting:  blogs, email, twitter. It's the message, not the media, hence no need to talk about social media as a free-standing.  Tools are being incorporated into communication.

Word of mouth between neighbors over the back fence has now become many to many over the internet.  If you intended the conversation to be one to one, or private, you would not put it on the web.

Vote:

Topic 6:  SEO (search engine optimization) is unethical because it games the system

Discuss:

People assume that pages which appear first have higher credibility

Social media optimization should also be included in this discussion because it can be "gamed" too

Vote:

Topic 7:  Social media leads to ADD and poor work performance

Discuss:

Participating in social media can be driven by ego needs.

When your personal life becomes more important than your online life, then you

Social media attracts people who need a lot of stimulation and interaction.  There have always be people who are attracted to the world of ideas, social media is just the latest venue for them.

Maybe we are just asking that question because social media is new.

New comment:  Let's look at the 2nd half of the statement, does the use of social media have a negative impact on productivity?

Only time for two responses: 

One woman said she supervises a lot of college students, and they seemed happier when they use social media so she lets them.

Another supervisor:  Don't mind if my staff uses social media to blow off steam.  It's employee retention for me!

Vote:

Topic 8:  Does sharing links without adding editorial content make sense or is it spam?

Discuss:

Question posed by Blogger in Canada about the use of delicious links in RSS

Vote:

Topic 9:  Has personal branding in the blogosphere created egomaniacs?

Discuss:

There have always been egomaniacs, social media and blogs are just their latest communication vehicles. 

I don't see a lot of people changing their mind in the blogosphere, just people promoting their perspective.

The cult of personality or egomaniacs can't use social media to influence people if internet users simply don't follow or read their content

Self-importance is all in someone's head, so the social media hasn't created egomania, it valids an inflated perspective that is already there.

Let people have their five minutes of fame, everyone is entitled to their own voice, and should feel that is important

Boston Globe recent did a story on a personal branding coach, who wasn't actually doing very well herself financially

In Britain, self-depricating humor is the norm, so if you get a bit self-inflated others will put you in your place in the pub

British people will often ask a question, and expect a response with another question

That's not the case in America, in his experience.  People here can be both inauthentic and in your face

First time I heard the term, personal brand, I was offended

The more popular my blog became, the more I realized that personal branding is real

Ironically, that's when I moved away from revealing my personality in my blog, and took a more professional voice

Vote:

Wrap up:

Which of the topics above should we look at in more detail next year?

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See http://socialmediaclub.org and http://socialmediaboston.org for future events