I am taking a class this semester called Changing Environments and one of my assignments is to interview people in an area of business that I want to learn more about. For this assignment, I chose social media as my area to learn more about because I love blogging and I want to find ways to turn my blog into a career. So, instead of interviewing individual people about social media I figured I would use my blog to get advice from all of the wonderful people that I am connected with in social media.
What I would like to know:
What advice do you have on what to do and what not to do with social media?
What are some ways that a person can make money with their blog?
What do you read and/or do to stay current on changes in social media?
Do you have any other advice and/or tips that would be helpful for a person looking to make a career out of blogging?
Please leave a comment with your advice. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving a comment but have something you would like to share you can email me at jessdtorres4@gmail.com. I look forward to the feedback for both my school assignment and for my personal adventures in social media.
My Time as Mom 
Feb 02, 2011 @ 09:56:11
One big lesson I took away from Blissdom is that we have tons of great and free social media tools right now, that we don’t fully and/or properly utilize. And really, we can’t effectively use a dozen different social media tools, ya know? Pick a couple to focus on and use to engage your audience, and you’ll be a lot more successful with those efforts.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 10:02:57
That is really good advice. I found that when I started my blog I opened up all sorts of different accounts: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc but I can’t use all of them becuase it is too much time. I spend most of my time on Twitter and reading/commenting on other people’s blogs and I think that has helped me best connect with others. I look forward to reading more about what you learned at Blissdom. Thank you for the comment and for your help!
Feb 02, 2011 @ 12:17:16
Please do not try and make money by blogging. Blog about what you do professionally, what you have learned personally, and what you know to be true in your heart. Professional bloggers and tweeters are beginning to become very tiresome, mostly because they actually contribute nothing – truly just “surfing” the wave of the web without ever really getting very far beneath the surface, to stretch the metaphor.
Please DO pursue a career you love and become very good at it, share your wisdom through blogs and tweets and with whatever social media is coming next without expectation of monetary gain. You may be surprised what comes of it.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 15:23:13
That is great advice JT. Right now I am a stay at home mom so my blog is centered around that. I love using my blog as a way to connect with others and to share my experiences. Once I figure out what I want to do with my career I will probably create another blog centered around that topic. Thank you so much for the comment and for the help on my homework and my future with social media.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 12:23:33
Hey there Jessica,
I just saw Dr. Bret retweeted your post. I work as a social media/ marketing expert. I also just co-founded a Start-up called Checklet and we make apps that make it easier to sell on Etsy and other e-commerce platforms. We like to think that we work for the crafters and makers of the world. Anyways, I would love to meet with you and answer any questions you might have. You sound like a go-getter. Cheers!
Ashley
Feb 02, 2011 @ 15:24:39
Hi Ashley, Thank you for the comment and for the offer to help with any questions.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 12:52:17
Not long ago I wasn’t very active in social media. Now like Liz suggest I focus on 3 and it has brought me great wealth of information. I am fairly new to the blog world and am learning something new almost daily.
Thanks for visiting my little corner of the blog world Jessica, I am just so glad that you visit and leave some awesome comments. Ah I am now your newest Twitter follower and add you to my reader as well.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 15:27:27
Hi Sandy, I am new to social media also (I have only been blogging for a month now). I love blogging and connecting with other people through their blogs.
Thank you for adding my blog to your reader. I have been following yours and I enjoy reading. Thank you for the comment.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 13:13:00
I feel I will never learn everything there is to know about Social Media. It seems to be in constant flux. But I can say to take it slow. That is very hard to do when you are dealing with something that can change overnight.
What I mean by take it slow is don’t join every social media site you can get your hands on. Start with Twitter and a few of your favorite blogs/forums and get a feel to what everyone else is doing. Then customize to your needs and wants online.
I also find that I only stay and read or follow people who are genuine. If I feel the only reason they need me is for link backs or a number for sales, I leave. Stay genuine. Many of are online to make money but that doesn’t mean you need to treat people like cattle. Laugh, stay connected and say thanks often.
The best way to make money is to genuinely back a product. This goes back to the 2 points I just made. If you stay true and don’t spread yourself too thin so you can make solid contact relationships then people will trust to buy from you.
I think many times people get impatient to make money and forget customer service. Your social media circle is your customers (and many times friends) and therefore use great customer service.
I love to read and learn from:
http://thinktraffic.net/
http://www.sitesketch101.com/
http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/
And the best advice is stay patient and work hard.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 15:33:54
Hi Allie, Thank you so much for the advice. When I started I joined lots of communities and sites and have found that I have not had the time to keep up with them all. Now, I am focused on a few where I can really connect with people. I love Twitter but I am still learning how to best interact with people there. I have subscribed and follow many blogs (including yours) and I try to comment as often as possible when a topic is interesting to me. I completely agree that is important to stay true and genuine and to make solid contacts. Thank you so much for the comment and the help with both my homework assignment and my future with social media.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 14:32:50
I would say the same as Liz, there are lots of tools out there. One of my roles in my organization is social media coordinator. I monitor and engage the audience on twitter and facebook (the primary networks). I use tools such as TweetDeck and Seesmic. Both offer multiple columns so you can see more than the timeline.
To stay up-to-date on the social media world I would recommend following the twitter feeds of the major networks, @twitter, @facebook, @google, @mashable. I add Google even though they are search they do offer additional information from time to time on their blogging and social media integration. A site to put on your radar is Mashable.com. They provide a lot of information also on what is the latest and greatest.
Good luck in the social media world. It is fun and always changing!
Feb 02, 2011 @ 15:40:24
For Twitter I use HootSuite and I like it for the ability to see multiple columns unlike Twitter where you can only see the timeline. I will start following those Twitter handles, thanks for the suggestion. I have seen articles from Mashable.com before but never really looked into the site. I will add that to the list of sites that I follow. Thank you so much for your advice and feedback for my homework and my future in social media.
Feb 02, 2011 @ 18:39:05
I think the most important thing about social media is to ENGAGE..be social. Thankfully, from chatting w/ you on Twitter and seeing your blog, I know that you already do that, so it’s a great start! I definitely learn the most about social media through Twitter, by following others in marketing/PR/social media, listening to what they have to see and reading articles/blogs that they link to. Good luck!
Feb 02, 2011 @ 18:58:26
Social media has its name for a reason, to be social. I agree that engaging is an important aspect of social media. It is nice to be able to engage and connect with others, even when they are far away. Through Twitter I learned that we both have crazy kids! Thanks for the comment and the advice.
Feb 09, 2011 @ 05:02:07
I have decided to just focus on a few social media outlets and make my interactions there quality. It is sometimes hard just to keep up with those, but I’ve committed to Twitter and a facebook page. I also go to Blog Frog (www.theblogfrog.com) and I can find information, feedback and just “chat” with other bloggers. It’s a great network. Another place where I get fabulous information is The SITSgirls. You can also submit your blog to be featured through SITS. They have over 8,000 followers – so they’re great for exposure.
I’m glad you enjoyed my Bloggy Idol Interview series! Tomorrow’s the last day when Liz from Belle, Bean and a Chicago Dog will be featured. 🙂
Feb 09, 2011 @ 10:34:44
I really like Twitter also. I have a facebook page but I don’t use it often, I’m thinking of starting a fan page and using that more. I recently joined BlogFrog and the SITS girls and have found both of those places to have a lot of people that I can connect to. Thank you so much for your advice.
The Bloggy Idol interviews have been fantastic. Liz is awesome so I’m excited to read her interview.