Studying your way through a 4-year college degree used to be a clear path to jobs, success, income and more. To graduates, having a college degree was the essential tool for career advancement.

But more recently, those notions are coming under fire. Recruiters and business owners alike are seeing young social media talents finding ways into jobs and career paths without a formalized 4-year education. Using Web development skills and social media expertise developed in their teens or younger, these Web-connected social networkers are focusing their energies on online smarts rather than their grades.

Sprout Social wrote that even though middle schoolers may not yet be on social media, the skill sets they are gaining are exactly the ones required for today’s successful social network jobs. Gaming, touch-screen technologies and more are all contributing to a new breed of smart young worker — all from experiences gained in classrooms before college.

The latest salvo in this education vs. social insights standoff comes from a report by consultancy McKinsey and online student site Chegg, suggesting that nearly 50% of recent college grads surveyed are working jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. While the report doesn’t determine in which exact jobs these college grads are in, one might assume that these are either service-oriented jobs, or entry-level jobs using skills picked up along the digital pathways.

And that’s just those who have found jobs. The most recent unemployment rate for youth was at 16% in April, the highest level of unemployment for youths since WWII. Because of this, more young people are trying to obtain a college degree, regardless of their financial and family situation. More students are hoping to find online college courses and are enrolling in online courses, according to OnlineSchool.com. Individuals who must work full-time to support themselves or their families are turning to online solutions to obtain a post-high school degree.

Social media may still play a part in a worker’s day-to-day operational capabilities, but gaining an online degree can still push one’s career in the right direction. Let’s explore some of that below.

Online Degrees

Online degrees, especially those that are accredited by major national agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, are becoming more widely accepted by employers. Some of these agencies include the American Psychological Association (APA), The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Most universities are now providing online education, with 98% of universities offering at least one online course. Some major universities offering online degree programs include Cornell University, Penn State University, Purdue University, Ohio State University, Arizona State University, Boston University, University of Southern California and many more.

By 2014, 18% of college students will take some or all of their classes online, according to Knewton.com. And by 2020, it is projected that 98% of students will be taking blended learning courses, which contain both classroom and online components.

Why Online Education?

Though many employers seek candidates with college degrees, there are always companies that prefer speed, tech savvy and online smarts over degree-ed knowledge. Having an online education mixed with social media skills could be the perfect blend of attributes that today’s employers need. Other considerations for someone seeking an online education are:

1. Location — For some students, a traditional college might require a long commute or even relocation to another city or state. Those living in a remote area or small town may not have the ability to commute to a school. Online education gives students the opportunity to earn a degree without commuting or relocating.

2. Convenience — Convenience is an obvious advantage to online education. Most online courses do not require students to attend or tune in at a particular time. This allows students to study and complete work on their own time and schedule. This is especially important for those working full-time or who have families they are trying to juggle in addition to getting their degree.

3. Cost — In some cases, online courses can be less expensive. Not only can the tuition be less costly than a traditional college, but the cost of commuting, parking or on-campus housing can make traditional colleges more expensive as well.

4. Fewer Distractions — Some claim that online education is more personalized and offers fewer distractions. According to onlineschool.com, the ability to have virtual discussions in an online setting “appears to ease much of the tension experienced by students who feel a question or comment may seem too ‘stupid’ or ‘worthless’ when physically spoken in front of a professor and room full of students.”

The Downfalls to Online Education

The pros of online education seem great, with convenience and cost being obvious benefits. But as with most things in life, there are drawbacks to online education as well.

1. Limited Social Interaction — While some enjoy fewer distractions of an online environment, there are also limited opportunities to interact face-to-face with other students, mentors and professors. Social media skills can help circumvent this, Using online networks require social interaction, so this can certainly be an asset in your eventual job, but unless you’re comfortable in that style of work, this may be a drawback for a student.

2. Technology Accessibility, Costs and Issues — Online courses require online connectivity. Students need to be as up-to-date as possible with their technology, or they may suffer in issues of coursework, online tests and more.

3. Effectiveness of Assessment — How can online teachers assess that the student is actually getting it? Traditional classroom tools are difficult to apply in an online environment, making it difficult to measure program results. Assessment tools may be a ripe field for entrepreneurs to explore in future years.

Knowing the ins and outs of Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Google Plus, Twitter and more may pay dividends in your job. It may even BE your job! But gaining accelerated online learning in core disciplines like business, science, math and humanities will be a great plus for an educated worker.

When you go looking for a job you think you do everything right.

You dress nice, you have a great CV, and your experience is stellar…however, are you checking your social media accounts to see if they are a bit questionable?

There are many things we do we don’t even think about, pass on that funny sexual meme or that hilarious religious pic. Employers will look at your accounts and see how you present yourself.

Arguably Active

People get on your nerves. You actively take part in verbal matches online, complete with swearing and other negative comments. You go after them, stalking them and belittling them.

All in all, you may be seen as an online bully. This viewpoint may take with it your chances for getting hired. If you are a bully online, what type of employee could you be for them?

Crude Humor Active

Are you actively passing along sexually suggestive or crudely funny messages?

While all your online friends may get the joke and realize it is all in good fun, that hiring manager may not share your sense of humor. If they take offense at anything you’ve passed on lately, you could be finding yourself still searching for that great job.

Politically Active

You repost everything you can find to slam the opposing party, making it clear that your political views are the only right ones.

Which is fine if everyone you come in contact with thinks the way you do, but what if your hiring manager you’ve just seen is an avid advocate for the other side?

Socially Active

You date. A lot. Your social media shows all your progress, from pics to nightly reports.

While it may score you a high-five, chances are you aren’t going to be viewed as a person they could rely on in their company. If you can’t commit to a person longer than a few days, why should they think you can commit to the job?

Religiously Active

Many people might argue that everyone needs some type of faith in their life.

While there are many religions and gods, you post up memes, quotes, and messages regarding your faith. Your god is the only true god, and you don’t care who knows it. But what if the hiring manager isn’t sharing that same viewpoint?

Along with being careful in what you post, keep in mind that potential employers and just about anyone else for that matter can use companies such as Intelius.com to gather information on you, including performing background checks. With that in mind, care should be taken when you create online footprints.

I’ve been a huge believer in always having two social media accounts per platform.

Keep your personal Facebook account private where only your friends list can see it, and have a separate public account where your boss-to-be can look and see what a great find you’d be to the company.

You definitely don’t want those Mardi Gras pics to be what tanks that dream job.

Photo credit: thesocialize.com

Roofing is an important business.

Everyone needs a solid roof over their heads. Bad roofing jobs can cost people thousands in re-roofing, lost items, and property damage. There’s so much that can stem from a bad roof, while a great roof sits above your head and protects you and loved ones from the elements. In fact, unless there’s a problem most people never notice their roof at all.

So how can you convince people to use your roofing company over a competitors?

Social Media Speaks Volumes

Plug your company into social networking.

A lot of people believe that all they need to do is buy or build a website, then people will appear, knocking down their door for service. That’s not quite how it works, which if you’re reading this article you are probably already aware of that.

It’s great that you want to get active in reaching customers. Now, you’ll need to get connected. The first thing you’ll need to do is create accounts on social networks. The two most well-known are Facebook and Twitter. From there you will need to follow people – preferably in your local area.

Tweet or post status updates about jobs you are on. Take pictures and share them (after you have property owner’s permission!).

Explain why you need to replace a damaged roof and how you will do this. Answer questions from followers concerning their own roofs.

Customer Service

This one tip will make or break you in social media – give good customer service.

Use social media as a way to connect and help your customers. Have a complaint?

Handle it politely and offer to come help. You never want to be rude to a customer or previous customer, no matter how nasty they are. If the posts are malicious, delete them from your page or feed, then report them if it gets to the point they are cyber-stalking your company.

Social media offers an almost instant communication avenue for you and your customers. You might find that you’ve answered a question that many more people have – and you’ll only have to do it once.

Be The Expert

Social media gives you a special position. You can share your knowledge to help others.

Roofs are less likely to be a do-it-yourself job, as most people aren’t keen on climbing around that high, so roofing contractors and experts certainly come into play.

Shingles are heavy and the other equipment needed for roofing is as well. You can share your knowledge of when a roof needs to be replaced, the best shingles for the job, and why colors are important without worrying about losing business. Even if your customers decide to wait before buying your service, you’ll be the person they remember when they do decide to do the project.

Social media is a must for almost every business today.

Roofing is no different and if you want to be on top of the best advertising trend, you need to get online.

Don’t throw away your static website, but do focus more on reaching out to the untapped social media customer network.

Photo credit: rooferguidesite.com

Researchers warn that social media networking sites may affect your life by causing psychotic episodes, as a result of a tiny typo. Internet access becomes increasingly widespread, so has typos for which one can face a harsh public scrutiny. An erratum is possible in any case; one has to learn from it. However, a good professional is one who responds to a given mistake appropriately.

Let’s see some smart ways to recover from a typo on social media:

1. Acknowledge your mistake

Immediately acknowledge your wrongdoing. There are greater possibilities that the users post your mistake all over if you do not admit. Instead of making it more shameful and widespread by ignoring or deleting the typo after being caught, accept it and keep it small. If you do so the user will not be annoyed and will not be obstinate to prove his/her point.

2. Give specific explanations

It is easy to be faulty when delivering a long explanation so make it short and to the point. Keep it short and keep it sweet. Justified is the fact that less is more. One becomes susceptible to attack with a long explanation. Sometimes you tend to be disparaging towards something unknowingly, this can be offensive to the concerned person.

3. Be a sport even when being accused without a typo

Sometimes it is possible that you are declared guilty without any typo, it is suggested to quietly accept it. When you are publishing something on the social media, you are actually welcoming people to like, comment, share, and tweet and more, therefore it is indispensable to be ready for a reaction that may be unwanted. When on social media keep your head held high, do not take things personally and be a sport.

4. Correct your mistake; guide your customer to the right path immediately

Contact the client in case of a misspelled link typo; guide him/her to the correct page. Believe me you will receive excellent feedback from the customer soon. Providing direct access to your page than offering links to your clients is always a better idea. It is a very common typo that the provided link is misspelled by a small and predictable percentage of the words or symbols; this can lead your client to a completely different page. There is a possibility that the page to which your client got misguided is offensive. To limit this kind of typo, it is suggested to provide direct access.

5. Re-post and better make apt reparations this time

As soon as you realize the typo make amendments to the original post with the correct wordings and sent apologies to those who re-tweeted your post or voiced concerns from earlier and click- re-post it. For example say: I made a typo! I knew what you meant. Did not mean to misquote you! Going to clarify and then write down the correct version or you can say: hey! I realized I made a typo in my tweet, please attend the corrected tweet.

6. Remove it fast, if you have just posted it

In case you post a comment or status or tweet and you discover your mistake as soon as it appears in front of you after posting, don’t waste time over thinking; just remove it or hide it from your timeline before anybody gets a chance to check it out. Correcting your status or deleting it is very easy on Facebook. The provision of editing your comment is recently introduced by Facebook that gives the users a chance to amend their mistake by just clicking on the edit option. It is faster as you do not have to first delete the comment and then re-write it plus it also helps to keep the correctly written part copied as before. You can delete your post from Tweeter as well. However Tweeter has no such option to re-tweets once re-tweeted you are left at mercy of others who check.

What is most important is learning from your mistakes. Be cautious while writing and yes; copy editing is still valid, so do not panic. Be ready to correct the typo as soon as possible. Remember one can earn respect and goodwill from their followers when honest and transparent. One should not forget that in a professional industry diligence is crucial. It is anticipated that people should be able to transmit information clearly and correctly to express any thought or detail. In case you make a social media typo learns to tackle it and recover smartly.

About The Author – Kelly is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, traveling and reading books. She contributes on Hydroxycut

Is your business a non-profit and you’re wondering how social media could benefit your cause?

Having an online presence can definitely help nonprofits spread their message and their demographic range. While more and more people spend their time accessing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites, you can get your name out there when you are plugged in as well.

Tap Into Increased Social Media Views

According to Experian Marketing Services, those in the United States will spend 16 minutes per hour on social media sites online. When your organization is part of that social media, they are tapping into that market.

Keeping a viable presence on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can help get you in front of a much bigger market. You can also change your demographic. Some nonprofits are seeing their key volunteers and investors go from one age group to another when social media is involved.

Spreading the Message

When you are on social media sites such as Facebook and post inspirational messages or knowledgeable status updates, you have the opportunity to have “likes”, “shares”, and new followers.

Daily posts can make sure you are not only increasing your demographic, but getting your message or mission statement in front of people who may not normally see it. Keeping the page current and loading it with pictures and share-able quotes and phrases can keep your followers increasing and your reach expanding. If need be, you can even remove personal information in the event it may lead to questions or issues regarding your overall mission.

Increasing Volunteer Work

When you reach out to the social media masses, they tend to reach back to you.

If you are looking for help or volunteers, many will come to your aid. It is like knocking on every door in your region, simultaneously, when you post a cry for help on social media sites. While you won’t have everyone saying yes, you can vastly improve your volunteer positions. With added volunteers, your nonprofit can give back more to the community and their cause.

Fundraising

While the majority of your posts should never be for asking for money, you can do some fundraising in a more subtle manner.

Posting a statistic with a “can you help” link to a web payment site can boost fundraising for your nonprofit. Do this only when absolutely needed, and make sure that 80 percent of your posts have nothing to do about money. Money is one of the quickest ways to turn off a reader; no one wants a sales ad pounding their news feed daily. Inform, entertain, and keep them thinking.

Social media is here to stay it seems, and your business needs to be on top of the latest technology.

Having accounts can mean the difference between struggling to keep up and staying afloat.

Photo credit: Alabamanonprofits.org

]]> http://www.socialnomics.net/2013/05/15/social-media-and-nonprofits/feed/ 0 http://www.socialnomics.net/2013/05/15/social-relationship-platforms-forrester-wave-review/ http://www.socialnomics.net/2013/05/15/social-relationship-platforms-forrester-wave-review/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 20:41:28 +0000 Mike Lewis http://www.socialnomics.net/?p=9933

As part of Stand Out Social Marketing, I offer marketers a window into the crowded landscape of social marketing management software. One the points I raise in the book is that the landscape is crowded, congested and confusing to buyers. Last month, Nate Elliott of Forrester Research released a comprehensive Forrester Wave report covering the Social Relationship Platform vendors and reaches many similar conclusions regarding the space’s complexity.

The report profiles and evaluates vendors who provide software that “...helps marketers publish content to third-party social networks as well as monitor, moderate, and respond to customer posts on social sites.” The category is similar to what Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter Group coined as the Social Media Management Software space a few years back. Elliott’s evaluation includes a detailed look into eight products including Adobe Social, Hearsay Social, Buddy Media, Shoutlet, Socialware, Spredfast, Sprinklr and Syncapse. The most noteworthy omission from this list is Vitrue who was acquired by Oracle last year. It would be interesting to know if they did not meet the Forrester evaluation criteria (which I doubt) or they simply opted not to participate. Either way it would have been good to see how they stack up against the other players.

A former board member often described this space as ‘frothy,’ meaning that is was confusing for purchasers to understand the inherent differences and differentiators of each player (which is clear by taking a passing look at each of the vendor websites). That said, Elliott does an effective job at highlighting the benefits of the space as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each player. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Little differentiation between vendors in the space. What Elliott does not capture is that buyer confusion extends well beyond the vendors covered in the report. The overlap of messaging extends to the peripheral players in this space and those that offer best of breed functionality.
• There is no clear leader in the space. What the report makes clear is this space is still very much in it’s infancy. Elliott states ‘the strengths and weaknesses [of the products] are all over the map.’ This suggests that the vendors are still in the process of figuring out what marketers need in a social relationship platform. Buyers are likely to face challenges with vendors who are likely balancing customer demand with innovation of their long-term strategy that aligns with broader market demands.
• No platform has all desired functionality. This could lead to organizations taking a ‘best of breed approach’ to acquire the best functionality for each aspect of their social marketing strategy (for example, a client may cobble together Hootsuite for engagement, Radian6 for listening, Wildfire for Facebook campaigns, etc.) while forgoing integration in the short-term.

UPDATE: The Wave diagram was included however Forrester asked it to be removed.

Elliott also summarizes the vendors as follows:

• Sprinklr offers the most powerful technology in the market but usability is difficult.
• Hearsay is the tool to evaluate to empower your sales people within social.
• Spredfast gets the top score for ‘strategy’ and boasts a very satisfied customer base.
• Shoutlet claimed the top score for ‘current offering’ with a long list of solid functionality.
• Buddy Media is solid for posting and syndication of content and will be an even stronger solution when it completes integration with Radian6.
• Adobe is solid with the basics and deep integration with Ominture makes it the tool to turn to for detailed measurement.
• SocialWare is strong for risk and compliance, but not a marketing tool.
• Syncapse is built for services, not technology.

I’m really looking forward to watching the evolution of this space over the coming months and years. What is going to make this exciting is that there is a lot of room for growth for the players on this list (or those not included) to emerge as leaders.

Earlier this week, HubSpot introduced a new product called ‘Social Inbox‘, which integrates social monitoring & content publishing with a marketer’s Hubspot contact database. The concept is something that has been long desired by marketers, enabling them to replace the broader interruptive social marketing activities with a more 1-to-1 approach designed to develop individual relationships, through social channels, with partners, prospects and customers. This is of particular personal interest to me as it’s a concept featured within my book ‘Stand Out Social Marketing‘. Conceptually, it will allow marketers to hypertarget conversations and activities through the social web, without getting lost in the noise and clutter of social, and aligning activities with a definitive ROI.

As part of Hubspot’s promotion around the new offering they published the infographic (below) which illustrates how social media – specifically for marketers – has lost its way. Hubspot Co-Founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah said in a press release, “When social media first began, we all felt a rush of excitement, because we had new and unique channels to interact with the people most important to us. Over the last five years, social media has lost its way: companies have lost sight of the “social” element and instead have focused on networks as media channels through which to broadcast mass communication. Social Inbox emphasizes people over posts, humans over handles, outcomes over activity, and ultimately, makes social media personal again, which is a win for marketers and consumers alike.” I completely agree with Darmesh and can’t wait to see Hubspot’s Social Inbox in action.

TEDx Nashville took place on May 6, 2013. Erik Qualman got the opportunity to speak at this event, and spoke about leaving a digital stamp.  He started by reflecting on a quote he had just heard by Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.  He argues that in the digital age, this is incorrect. After asking many different people how they wanted to be remembered in our digital age, or rather, what they wanted their digital stamp to be, Erik found that most people wanted to achieve their best life, leadership and legacy.

TED Speaker Erik Qualman

So what are our digital stamps made up of?  There are two elements, our footprints and our shadows.  Our footprints are easy to control, as they are anything that you upload yourself.  Any text, tweet or post you put online becomes your footprint.  Your shadows on the other hand, are things you cannot control.  Shadows are what others post about you.  Both footprints and shadows make up your digital stamp, which determines your life, leadership and legacy.

To leave your best digital stamp, there are five simple habits that Erik has, that conveniently follow the acronym STAMP.  STAMP stands for simple, true, act, map, people.

1)    Simple

In the today’s world, everyone tries to multi-task but the key to being successful is to stop trying to multi-task.  When multi-tasking, you lose efficiency and therefore do the exact opposite of what you were trying to accomplish.  On average, IQ’s drop 10 points when multi-tasking, which is the equivalent as being up for 36 hours, and far more than after smoking marijuana. So stop trying to do everything.  Focus on the most important thing and do it well.

2)    True

It is very common to do vanity searches- we all have done it, but now the question is what do we want to see.  If there is one specific thing you want to see when you search your name, Erik suggests that you write it down.  Remember what that goal is, and make sure that everything you do correlates with it.

3)    Act

Erik stressed that it was very important to focus on the output, not the throughput in everyday life.  Throughput is answering texts, tweets and emails all day long, never resulting with anything physical to show for what you did.  Instead of focusing constantly on responses, focus on what you want to do- whether that is redesigning your kitchen, or writing a book- do something that you can point to and say, “I did this”.

4)    Map

It is imperative that you know where you are going.  The best leaders in today’s worlds have had many pushbacks, but they never lost sight of their final destination.  Erik went back and reminded us of Steve Jobs story.  Steve Jobs wanted to impact the world of technology, and after starting Apple, the board kicked him out, because his ideas and goals were seemingly impossible and far fetched.  This did not stop Jobs from becoming CEO of Pixar, so when he returned to Apple, he was a better leader with far more experience.  Jobs was flexible in his path, but firm in his destination.  It is important to know its ok to fail, but when you do, fail fast, fail forward and fail better.

5)    People

One of the biggest setbacks in online leadership is getting a following.  Instead of focusing on “how can I get you to like me”, focus on “how can I give you something”.  With this change in attitude, more people will follow you and listen to you.  Do not think about what you are getting from a post, think about what you are giving.

By following the acronym STAMP, you can take make sure your digital stamp leaves an impact.  Like Maya Angelou said, people remember how you make them feel.  Erik also argues that people will and do remember what you said and what you did. 

To watch Erik Qualman’s clip from TEDx, click the following link!

http://bit.ly/QualmanTED

TED Motivational Speaker Erik-Qualman talks about our Digital Legacy

You might be surprised to know that Twitter currently has fifty million users active every day. But these days, people’s Twitter account has been getting hacked regularly. And, not once, but also twice every month! But, don’t worry. Don’t be that vulnerable to let others attack you. So, here are some tips to avoid your Twitter account from getting hacked.

Pick a strong password of eight characters and make sure that it has numbers and symbols

This is probably the simplest tip that I can provide to prevent your page from getting hacked. Well, if you want the title to be clearer, then I can simply tell that use some word which is not there in the dictionary. There are computerized dictionary attacks which are effortlessly capable of finding and abusing those words within no time.

Whenever you log into your account, make sure that www.twitter.com is in the address bar

There are many fake sites, viruses, spyware and malware which are often masked as common links. Also, you need to be very careful whenever you click on the links that you receive in your Twitter messages. Especially, all those people whom you do not know personally. For your benefit, I’ll give you a tip. Just observe that all those words that come between twitter and the extension.com are sure pointers that you will not be connected to Twitter.

Limit third part access

Trusted applications should have only popular and trustworthy sources like Facebook, Hootsuite, TweetDeck etc. although applications and programs developed by third party developers can be convenient and easy, they should be made use of very cautiously. But now, an article recently published reports that Twitter has rendered all third party applications out of date.

Change your password regularly

These days, password hacking has become very advanced. People usually use passwords like iloveu, love and such. Well, they are like welcome mats to all hackers around the world. So, I suggest you to use passwords which are quite random and very long. Also, frequently keep changing it.

Don’t share passwords via email

You should never ever share your passwords through email. No matter for what purpose it is. You can instead call the person and tell him personally. Or, your account might probably get hacked within an hour.

Add your phone number

Through text messages, Twitter helps you to interact who people whom you follow and also people who follow you. At the same time, it also acts as a security measure. So, if you add your phone number to your Twitter account, it is impossible for others to change your password until they get hold of your phone.

Require personal information

There is a security setting available on Twitter where you need to include your personal information like your phone number or email address before changing your password. But, this information is not required by default. So, you need to enable this option. You can do so by ticking a particular box which says – Require personal information to reset my password.

Log in and out with care

As mentioned earlier, whenever you log into your account, make sure that there is only www.twitter.com displayed in the address bar. Or, your username and password have possible changes of being stolen. And, see to it that you always log out after using Twitter, especially on your smartphone. As smartphones can also get lost or be stolen.

Regularly check your account

Well, I know this is common sense. But, it is necessary that you check your Twitter account on a regular basis just to ensure that everything is going on fine. Because, there are many cases where Twitter accounts have been hacked when not used for a couple of days.

Do not reuse passwords

Many people usually have the same passwords for all social networking sites as they find it easy to remember. But, this is another open doorway for hackers to steal your password.

Save a back up

You should always save a back up of your website on either a flash drive or any online service. It does not matter even if the website is too small. So, in case your account ever gets hacked, you can reset your password and put on your old site.

About The Author: Kelly is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, traveling and reading books. She contributes on Lex Kogan