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social media

Working for Free: Why Exposure Just Isn’t Enough

by Dan Perez November 10, 2013

I came across an article in the New York Times recently titled Slaves of the Internet, Unite!, a scathing observation on the practice of asking creative people to offer their services for free in exchange for “exposure”. I mean, if you’re a writer, painter, illustrator, musician, singer, photographer, video producer, or purveyor of any other creative artform, you’ve probably been asked to hand over that thing you love to do and are trying desperately to make a living at – for free.
Well, not exactly for free – for “exposure”.

Exposure. You hear that word enough you begin to hate it. The practice of investing time and effort doing something you’re good at just to hand it over to someone who will most likely benefit from its use right away while you wait and hope that whatever “exposure” you receive will create an opportunity for you to actually earn some dough.

But one exposure opportunity usually leads to more exposure opportunities and before you know it you’re giving that gift of yours away like it’s merely a handful of extra change.

It ain’t easy making a living as a creative person, especially in this “content crazed” online society. Everybody wants content to share with their website’s “audience”, content that their “audience” will enjoy, content that will help boost their site’s popularity, attract a new “audience” hungry for fresh content – and they want you to provide it for them at no charge. Oh, my bad, I meant in exchange for exposure. Everybody else is giving it away – why should you get paid?

You do all the work, they get the immediate reward. It’s kind of like the relationship between a pimp and a prostitute, no? Except you don’t have to worry about getting gonorrhea – even if you do get burned most of the time.

“So what you’re saying, Dan, is that we should never give up our unique talents in exchange for exposure, right?”
Wrong.
“OK, so WTF are you saying?”

What I’m saying is that exchanging your work for exposure can indeed produce positive results; even lead to acquiring new business opportunities. It helped launch my business and I still produce a few videos a year in exchange for exposure. What I’ve learned, however, is that when we give up our good stuff for nothing more than exposure, sometimes we leave money on the table; we give too much and settle for too little.

And sometimes we even start believing that our good stuff ain’t worth that much; that as long as one exposure opportunity leads to another exposure opportunity (then another and yet another) that we’re making progress. Ultimately, we find ourselves merely working for free – and comfortable doing it. Comfortably numb.

It all begins with an honest look at your abilities; your expertise. Is what you do even worth paying for? There was a time when I started my business that I was happy to just get exposure. I wasn’t sure if my work was really worth paying for (yet) and if it was, how much? Then I stumbled upon an opportunity to produce a big video for Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation‘s annual “Diamond Ball”, a $1000 per head fundraising event. A friend of mine who was an event planner and liked my work brought me in on the project, even got me paid very nicely (for that time). The scope of the video, however, was more ambitious than anything I had ever produced. I was a bit nervous about it but I sure as shit wasn’t gonna turn down that money.

So I shot it and edited it and then took it down to show the folks at the Foundation. They watched it in a conference room as I sat outside waiting. I thought the video came out pretty good but I was still very nervous. When it was over, they called me in to discuss it. I had a pad and pen in hand ready to jot down all their feedback and any changes they wanted. My palms were sweaty. When I entered the room, they were all smiling; they loved the video and didn’t want a thing changed. For me, however, everything changed on that day.

I started to realize that maybe I was better than I thought I was; that I could actually provide real value to a client with my video productions; that what I did was worth paying for – that was a game changer.

The following year, when my very first documentary film (which I shot and edited by myself) won an award at a film festival, I was a true believer in Dan Perez. I believed I was not only worth paying for, but paying well for…

And that’s where the change begins; where a hobby becomes a career; where exposure alone just isn’t good enough anymore.

{But Dan, you said you still produce a few videos a year for exposure – what gives?}

You gotta still market your business, yes? Find new eyes for your work, yes? I’ve found a few worthwhile exposure opportunities that help me “dig my well” so I won’t go thirsty. They usually involve producing videos for organizations that will play at fundraising events and award galas – events with an affluent audience that might have the need for my services. These “exposure” opportunities have proved beneficial to my business over the years but now I don’t just stop at exposure – I ask to be listed as an event sponsor with my company name, logo, and/or ad listed in the event program and invitations. I ask for more now because I believe I’m worth it.

Are you maximizing your exposure opportunities? Ask for more exposure than you’re being offered and you just might get it.

Creative people are usually very passionate about whatever art they produce. They’ve realized the ability to create something, whether it be with the written word, a song, a photograph or a painting, that can touch the soul of others. Their creations can make you laugh, make you angry, make you cry, calm a savage breast. They have a gift that the rest of the people who just work to make a living don’t have.

There’s value in that, no?

I know it ain’t easy making a living being creative – for many folks it’s damn near impossible. Being good isn’t enough. Passion isn’t enough. The difference between a guy selling his paintings for $250 one year then selling his paintings for $10,000 a few years later is merely a set of circumstances. Exposure helps create circumstances but once you get into the habit of giving it away, you’re gonna find less and less people willing to pay for what you’ve got to offer.

Exposure is never enough.

Eventually, we need to take a good look at what we do, gauge how good we really are at what we do, determine who would want to pay us for what we do (and how much we’re worth) and then target those individuals. Social media has made it much easier to get our work seen by others; facebook, twitter, linkedin (plenty of good groups to join there), and google+ (check out the many communities) are good places to start – if you’re not already there, get there and get active. Then consider first how your work can benefit *you* before passing it along for others to benefit from.

As creative people trying to make a living doing that thing that we do, we’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run. For many creatives, exposure and keeping their fingers crossed is as good as they’re gonna get because that’s all their talent can command. But for those of us whose creativity is worthy of more, when we keep giving it away, what we do begins to lose value – in the eyes of others and, more importantly, in our own eyes as well.

And we’re better than that…

right?

[Photographs by Donnie Nunley]

November 10, 2013

Blog The Written Word

Fear and Loathing in the Social Media Space: An Observation

by Dan Perez May 19, 2013

written by Dan Perez

How many times have you read a blog post from some social media marketing consultant about how the industry has become overrun with false prophets and phonies? How the current fast track to social media success is more about creating perception than producing results? How the path of the righteous social media man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men?

A few times, yes?

Now, how many times has said post actually named a particular person? Identified by name the object of their scorn and/or frustration?

Not too often.

This past week, I came across yet another such post titled “Is it time to embrace the social media faker?” by Matt Ridings, a popular internet marketing consultant. In the post, he calls out the authenticity of “this guy” (and “others like him”) in the social media business scene whose garnered quite the online reputation but, in the opinion of Mr. Ridings, “tweets nothing unique”, “writes nothing original” and seems “more concerned about image than reality”. Fighting words for sure.

Unfortunately, at least for me, this nefarious person’s name is never mentioned in the post. Why?

Now, I don’t know Mr. Ridings personally but I’ll hazard a guess that he didn’t want to shit where he sleeps; divide the so-called “leadership” of the social media world and have people choose sides. Perhaps, he’s concerned that he’ll be excommunicated from the social media fraternity; cast out like the leper. Maybe he just feels it ain’t nice to call people out publicly.

Then why write the post?

Sure it’ll get you plenty of, “I totally agree with you!” comments but is it really effective in creating change? If there’s this level of frustration in the social media space with who’s a real expert, a perceived expert, or a poseur (and it has existed for quite some time now), how the heck is anything supposed to change if these frustrated people don’t start not only identifying those who frustrate them but, more importantly, explaining why?

Without the name, it’s merely sound and fury signifying nothing. Barking without the bite. Blog fodder.

It’s really not a matter of whether Mr. Ridings is right or wrong in his observations about “this guy” but at least it presents an opposing viewpoint; another perspective for folks to consider. I mean, a large percentage of people on the social media space are just sheep and/or stupid; you just have to show up with 100,000+ twitter followers and many of them will follow you like the rats enchanted by the sweet melody of the Pied Piper.

Most of them won’t bother checking your past history, real work experience or credentials anyway. Heck, if you’ve got that many twitter followers, you’ve gotta be pretty dang smart!

One-eyed Jacks is what they are – why not show the sheep the other side of the card?

We have no problem publicly expressing our views and engaging in healthy (and heated) debates on politics, religion, gun control, immigration, etc – but when it comes to social media, it appears it’s better to stay shut and keep your social media club membership than to speak out against the practices of an industry whose credibility has fallen just short of used car sales. And guess what? It’s the fault of its own “leadership” that it has become so.

Again, it ain’t about who’s right and who’s wrong – it’s about giving people something else to consider.

Maybe one of the sheep will say, “Gee, I never thought of that” or “Wow, why didn’t that guy ever disclose that?” or “Boy, I’m glad Mr. Ridings pointed that out about how that guy handles his business – I’m gonna go find someone else to follow and this time, I’m gonna do my homework!”

“Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” John 9:25

Ridings, when asked in the comments section of his post why he didn’t name a name, defended the point of his post as merely “that internal struggle with my dislike for something I find distasteful with the objective point of view that perhaps it can sometimes drive positive change.”

You wanna really drive positive change? Start naming names. It may make for an awkward situation if you and the person you call out are both attending the same social media conference but if you’re gonna take issue with how a person handles their business then give them a smile and a bro-hug at SXSW or Blogworld, then you’re a just a hypocrite anyway, right? Why not just draw a line in the sand and choose your side?

{But Dan, many of these social media “A-listers” are used to having their egos stroked by their following – they’re a bunch of thin-skinned cry-babies who take the slightest disagreement with their ideology as a personal attack and sic their zombies on you, call you a “hater”, say that you’re just “jealous”, “trying to make a name for yourself”, mock you to their followers (Guy Kawasaki, anyone?) or even ban you from ever commenting on their blog again!}

So what?

If these people are gonna proclaim themselves as experts by merely regurgitating the words of Dale Carnegie, Jim Rohn, and Stephen Covey; label themselves as “thought leaders” by introducing fantastic ideologies that are totally disconnected from reality, and write “How To” business books despite never having held an executive position in any company AND PUT IT OUT THERE FOR THE WHOLE DANG WORLD TO SEE – shouldn’t we be able to challenge its validity? Yes. Yes we should.

If not, then keep silent and simply repeat to yourself over and over again the words of Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone in “The Godfather II”, “This is the business we’ve chosen” – and then go write a post about Klout or something.

People love those, too.

Now, where’s my “Serpico” dvd?

[Photographs by George Christakis]

May 19, 2013

Blog The Written Word

Are You A Blogger Sell-Out?

by Dan Perez April 14, 2013

written by Dan Perez

This past week, I spent a day at Hispanicize, a self-proclaimed “iconic annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, marketing, film, music and innovation”. In just four years, it’s become quite the event. Corporate sponsors, celebrity film screenings and Latino music stars were aplenty. I was actually contacted a few weeks before the conference by the good folks at General Motors, who were one of the event sponsors. Apparently, they got the crazy idea that I was a blogger of some import and invited me to attend the four-day event on their dime. They let me know that I was free to attend any event I wanted but they would love to have me at one of the GM sponsored presentations.

Now, I’m many things but I’m not ungrateful. So, despite a busy week of video shoots, I managed to make it down to Miami and pop in on their “How to Plan and Execute a Great Latino Blogger Event” presentation. And no, I have no intention of ever planning and/or executing a great Latino blogger event, but again, I’m not ungrateful. Moreover, I had always been curious about the growing interest from corporations to bloggers and the seemingly endless blogger events of all kinds going on weekly (it seems) around the globe. Attending this particular presentation, however, did make one thing unreservedly clear.

Bloggers are being used by corporations.

Now, I’m not talking about the A-List blogs with tens of thousands of subscribers; the interest there is pretty obvious – tap into their massive audience. That particular blogger, however, doesn’t really need the brand boost as they’ve already built up their audience and possess quite a bit of leverage. I’m talking about the mid-level blogger with a few hundred subscribers; the guy or gal that holds down a 9-5 job (or is supported by a spouse) and blogs on a particular topic (tech, fashion, parenting, filmmaking, etc) in their spare time. That blogger.

The blogger who saves up every year to attend conferences like Blogworld and SXSW because they feel they “have to” be there. The blogger who emails/tweets (stalks) the folks from the high-traffic blogs in the hopes of landing a guest post spot. The blogger who desires to earn a living by blogging. The blogger who dreams of becoming the next Arianna Huffington or Pete Cashmore (but deep down knows it’s just a dream). This is the blogger I’m talking about.

Now, let’s move on to where I start getting suspicious, yes?

The presentation featured a panel of social media/PR folks, Connie Burke, Communications Manager for General Motors, Rory Lassanske of Mama Contemporanea, a Spanish mommy blog, Megan Connelly, PR & Events Assistant Manager for Bloomingdale’s, and Jose Resendez, Account Executive for Fleishman-Hillard.

During the hour presentation, the panelists all stated that they give certain bloggers exclusive access to VIP events, offer them free beauty products, even give them a brand new car to drive for a week. What’s the catch? A blog post, that’s what. A positive blog post.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of a blogger who spends lots of time on their blog in the hopes of an eventual return (we all know that there are probably several dozen better ways to spend your time in the hopes of making money but to those who blog – more power to you). Along comes a major brand inviting you to an exclusive event, or giving you free products to try and/or to give away to one or more lucky readers of your blog, or offering you the opportunity to drive a brand new car around for a week.

Wow! All the hundreds of hours I spend blogging is finally starting to pay off!

It’s called validation. And when you spend a lot of time doing something for little to no money, we need it eventually, no? Validation means somebody has acknowledged that what you do has value; that you’re on the right track, that your tiny little blogger voice crying out in the online wilderness has been heard; that you matter.

Anybody who’s been there knows that feels good, right?

Ok, so here’s where I get suspicious. Corporations validate the blogger, reach out their hand to them like the cartoon guy to the girl sitting in the diner in the A-ha video “Take On Me“, get them thinking about that private island they’re gonna buy with all the dough they’re finally gonna start making with their blog. But what the corporations really want is to channel their voice through the blogger to the blogger’s audience. I get that and I’m cool with it.

So here’s my dilemma: How credible is the blogger’s voice after that?

I get the whole full disclosure thing, but am I really gonna expect a poor write-up of a company’s product or service after they made that C-list blogger feel all warm and fuzzy with their validation? After they offered them free products? Gave them exclusive access to VIP events? Gave them cool stuff to give away on their blog? Let them drive a new car for a week?

Sure, it can happen. But then that blogger, who finally broke on through to the other side, can kiss away that relationship with that brand. Maybe even land on a corporate blacklist (“Bloggers Who Might Just Tell It Like They See It“) and go back to just blogging as a full-time hobby. And what about the “perception” by your audience that your blog suddenly matters because GM gave you a car to drive for a week?

“Wow! GM let you drive a brand new car for a week? You must be a really important blogger!”

“Yeah, but then I wrote that the car sucked monkey balls on gas mileage and didn’t have enough horsepower to pass a Fiat on the highway. Now GM won’t return my tweets or emails. Oh, well.”

There goes the private island.

I spoke about this after the presentation with Connie Burke of GM. She assured me that blogger honesty and integrity were very important in deciding who to let drive a brand new car. I believed her. My problem lies more with the blogger and their sudden feeling of importance. And what about ROI for GM using bloggers as spokespersons for their automobiles? Burke stated that other than the usual social media metrics (hashtags, mentions, etc), tracking sales is still a work in progress.

Megan Connelly of Bloomingdale’s informed me that she goes as far as establishing long-term relationships with her bloggers; staying in touch with them and really getting to know them. A wise move. People like people who like them…but do they really believe in the product? There’s the rub, yes? Do I still trust you or are have you sold out?

Ultimately, as in all things business, sales and profits will determine whether catering to bloggers (and the so-called online “influencers”) can move product or not. But what about the integrity of the blogger? One day you’re sharing with your audience the deepest fears and desires of your soul, the next day, you’re pushing Pam Non-Stick Cooking Spray on them. When you stop telling and start selling, people are gonna get suspicious.

I’ve seen it happen. So have you. Especially in the mommy blogger circuit which has quickly become a main target of those eager corporations. So has the Hispanic community, as evidenced by the overwhelming corporate presence at Hispanicize. Hispanics accounted for most of the nation’s growth (56%) from 2000 to 2010. Moreover, with a purchasing power of $1.2 trillion dollars, big brands are looking for a way to engage with this fast-growing and fiercely loyal demographic.

And they’re also looking for a few good bloggers.

So as more and more corporations dig deeper into the blogosphere for brand ambassadors, I wonder what effect it will have on the state of blogging, which has already become a rank toilet bowl of redundancy and thrice told tales. Blogging today is more of a strategy than an artform anyway. Coloring by the numbers will often get you farther along than those who dare to color outside the lines. The buzzwords of “authenticity” and “transparency” have become as bastardized as the word “author” these days. People are gonna do what’s best for them – now and always. As long as you can live with yourself, I guess it’s all good, right?

If Metallica’s massive sell out with The Black Album taught us anything it’s that if you fail one audience, another, larger audience might just appear. That’s why we sell out in the first place, isn’t it? To get more. Lots of big brands are looking to hook up with bloggers to spread their message and lots of bloggers are looking to hook up with big brands to boost their blogging cred.

The blogging game has certainly changed, people.

But is it changing for the better?

[Photography by Helen Warner]

NOTE:
I want to thank Catherine Cuello of profero.com and GM for their kind invitation, it was very nice meeting you all.

April 14, 2013

Featured

Panera Bread: A Social Media Customer Service Story

by Dan Perez January 13, 2013

written by Dan Perez

Having moved down to South Florida from New York over 10 years ago (has it really been that long?), I’ve come to realize a few things: Hot, humid with a chance of thunderstorms is pretty much the daily forecast for about 8 months of the year, wearing shorts in the winter is pretty cool, and the service industry down here is deplorable. You think New York is bad? It’s even worse down here. We might call ourselves the “Sunshine State” but there ain’t no sunshine to be had if you go to just about any supermarket, retail store, diner, hotel, or restaurant down here. Chances are good you’ll be treated with indifference or worse. I’ve given up on expecting anything less and have become comfortably numb – that’s how I deal with it.

Now, when I go to a local McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc, my only expectation is to receive my food. The cheaper the food down here, the cheaper the service. I’m not expecting a warm greeting or a “Have a nice day!” – just my food, please. But my wife and I really like going to Panera Bread for a couple of reasons. For starters, their nationally recognized community involvement (check out their revolutionary Panera Cares initiative). They also have a fancier sandwich menu, it’s a comfier environment, and they sell a wide array of fresh bread (it smells good in there). Now, the food costs a bit more than at your average fast food place so I expect just a little better service when I eat there.

Usually, the service there is quite good which makes me (and Mrs. Perez) feel quite good (they have a few cashiers there who are as friendly as any I’ve encountered down here). But during our last few visits, we’ve noticed somewhat of a decline in the above average service we’ve come to expect; most notably in the cleanliness of the place and the accuracy of our order. During our last visit there, however, things got real.

When we arrived (around 2:30pm, well after the lunch rush), there was an unusually long line of people and only one register working. There was a young lady who appeared to be a manager working the register (while two other employees appeared to be trying to figure out what was wrong with the other register) and she wasn’t in the best mood. We didn’t get much of a greeting when we got to the register (I was cool with that – this is South Florida) but in her hurry to move the line, she failed to listen to my wife’s order (we order the same dang thing every time) then snapped at my wife for having rung in the order incorrectly (“You didn’t tell me that!”). Not cool with that.

At Panera Bread, after placing your order, they give you this small buzzer that will light up and vibrate when your food is ready. So we place our order and go and look for a place to sit. We like sitting in the booths and there are four available. However, two of them still have dirty trays of food on them and the other two are just plain dirty. Not cool with that.

I get a few napkins, wet them with water and wipe down a table. After a few minutes, my “thingy” starts buzzing so I head to the pick up area to get our sandwiches. More issues…

Me: “My sandwich isn’t toasted.”

Him: “It didn’t say it was supposed to be toasted.”

Me: “Check the ticket.” (Did I mention we order the same dang thing every time?)

Him (after looking at the ticket): “Oh, OK. Let me toast that for you and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Me: “You do that.” (I’m still kind of cool with it – people make mistakes, right?).

So I take Mrs. Perez’s sandwich over to her while I wait for mine to be toasted. After a few minutes, I peek my head up over the booth and see my sandwich (now toasted) sitting on the pick up station counter. I go over to the counter: “Is this me?” Him: “Oh yeah, that’s yours.” Not cool with that.

Mrs. Perez and I are now sitting at our booth eating our sandwiches (she got a head start but I quickly catch up with her). I’m a little more displeased than I should be at Panera Bread – like I said, I expect a little more here and lately things ain’t been up to snuff. Then I hear the folks at the pick up station getting into a somewhat heated argument with the folks at the register. You know I’m not cool with that. I’ve just about had enough.

I’m not happy. So after eating, I reach for my phone and do the only thing a rational man of sound mind should do at that point – I tweet about it…

Done. Catharsis. Maybe someone over at Panera Bread will see the tweet, maybe not. I don’t care. I’m moving on. To my surprise, I get a tweet about 10 minutes later from Panera Bread…

I DM them my info. Then I get this…

Somebody from Panera Bread actually heard my cry from the wilderness AND they said they’re gonna follow up with me? Yeah, I’m feeling important. I mean, isn’t that what social media is all about? Being followed, being liked, being friended, being listened to? Sigmund Freud said, “The desire for a feeling of importance is one of the chief distinguishing differences between mankind and the animals.” He was right.

I’m feeling good. Mrs. Perez thinks I’m some sort of internet big shot. I sleep well that night.

The following morning, I see two voice messages on my cell phone (I’m not an early riser). One is from Shannon from the Panera Bread location Mrs. Perez
and I frequent and the other is from Tricia Penn, Director of Operations for Panera Bread South Florida. They received my information and wanted to discuss my experience. Wasn’t expecting this at all. Things just got serious.

I start at the top with Tricia Penn. I get right through to her and tell her exactly what went down. She apologizes for my less than acceptable experience, promises to look into the matter and offers to send me some coupons for free sandwiches. I like when my “customer voice” is heard and I like coupons for free sandwiches. Hopefully, the management at Panera Bread will take the steps to improve the customer experience at that location. My job here was done.

I’ve been back to Panera Bread twice since my conversation with Ms. Penn (I’m also two coupons down). Have I noticed a whole new environment since my tweet? Not particularly. I mean, the service has been good, our orders have come out right, there’s been no bickering behind the counters – we’ve had a pleasant experience. An exceptional experience would be ideal but for now, I’ll take pleasant. This is, after all, South Florida.

Now, If you listen to the “experts”, they’ll tell you that social media gives us, the people of the free world, a voice. Most of the time, that voice gets lost in the raging torrent of white noise that is our twitter and facebook streams. I’ve expressed my displeasure with a company’s product/service several other times without an answer; companies who have a presence on social media. In the case of Panera Bread, my voice was heard and action was taken. Oh, and did I mention the coupons?

Yeah, I’m real cool with that.

NOTE:
Mrs. Perez is a 1/2 Frontega Chicken sandwich and cup of New England Clam Chowder kind of gal while I’m a Bacon Turkey Bravo (smoked Gouda cheese!) kind of guy. Just in case you were curious…

January 13, 2013

Featured

Why We Can’t All Just Get Along (And Why It’s OK)

by Dan Perez October 14, 2012

written by Dan Perez

Can’t we all just get along? That would be nice, yes? Everybody just smiling and waving at each other with nary an ill word spoken. Everybody having civil discussions about politics, abortion, and immigration. Yankees and Red Sox fans shaking hands as they leave Fenway Park after a game, “Nice game. Better luck next time!” Unfortunately, we’ll never know how nice (or how totally lame) that would actually be. Why? Because it just isn’t the way human beings are wired, that’s why.

Wasn’t the essence of human nature made abundantly clear from the very beginning of creation? Eve throwing Adam under the bus before God, Cain killing his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy, and God telling Noah to build an ark because he was gonna “make it rain up in here” and flush the whole of humanity down his almighty toilet bowl? And this is just book one of the Old Testament(!). Yet the blog posts wanting everyone to just shut up and play nice keep coming. Why?

Allow me to introduce into evidence a recent post by marketing strategist Geoff Livingston, “It’s Not OK“, an apparent lamentation on the state of “nice” on the social space. Livingston includes in his post a link to an observation in the Wall Street Journal called “Why We Are So Rude Online” which is based on a study of 541 facebook users by professors at Columbia University and the University of Pittsburgh. 541. The soon-to-be-published study shows that browsing facebook lowers your self-control AND makes you more likely to choose a chocolate-chip cookie than a granola bar as a snack. Seriously.

Based on the aforementioned study, Livingston writes: “So now we know the medium is toxic. Does that give us license to behave poorly?”

Now, one man’s “poorly” is another man’s “awesome” but I get what his interpretation is here – not being nice. Now, on this point I actually disagree AND agree somewhat. I’ll explain…

Sigmund Freud, known as the founding father of psychoanalysis, elaborating on his observations on the essence of human nature, concluded that, “the deepest essence of human nature, which are similar in all men and which aim at the satisfaction of certain needs [are] self-preservation, aggression, need for love, and the impulse to attain pleasure and avoid pain.” It’s hard to argue with Freud’s conclusion. These needs drive our behavior in the “real world” AND online.

Growing up in the Bronx, I witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly in people; from those who just wanted to buy the world a Coke to those who wanted to smash your face in with the very same Coke bottle and laugh while you bled. Unfortunately, for many inner-city kids going to public schools in my era, the “Anti-Bullying” movement wasn’t the big sensation it is today. I saw a lot of kids pay for that, even myself at times.

People aren’t always nice. But when I consider why, I recall Stephen Covey’s story from his best-selling book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” about the man who became irritated on a subway train by another passenger’s indifference to his kids as they ran amok in the car. “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?” The indifferent father replied, ‘Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.’

Human nature can be a bitch sometimes, yes? Accept it or get off the train.

We never know which of Freud’s human needs are at play when we encounter “toxic” engagement, online or off. Many of the bullies in my playground were abused themselves at home; were treated with indifference and scorn; came from households where drugs and/or alcohol dictated behavior. As I grew older, my hatred for those that bullied me was replaced with sympathy for the cause of their rage and frustration.

Similarly, we should allow a measure of understanding for those who’s online behavior can be described as adverse. Perhaps, the source of their online “venom” comes from their inability to forgive past offenses or abuse directed at them or their loved ones. Maybe their parents raised them to despise Hispanics, gays, or Republicans. Perhaps they’ve seen their wife lose a painful battle with cancer, or had their brother taken away by a drunk driver, or lost their home to foreclosure, or had to endure their newborn child never making it out of the NICU.

There are many reasons why people want to piss on the rest of the world. These reasons aren’t always clear to us; nor, in many cases, are they even justifiable. But they have to be accepted. Moreover, people can also be very passionate about their beliefs (“Stand up for what you believe in!”, right?) and are often unable to taper their fiery passion for what they believe in when confronted with another person with contrary views (Obama vs Romney, anyone?).

To wish impossible things (that we can actually all just get along with each other) is foolish; the world will never live as one (sorry, John). But what we can do is accept that there are many different human needs that drive human beings to behave like they do; and all the blog posts and twitter chats and folk songs sung around a big ol’ bonfire ain’t gonna change that.

Accept it or get off the train.

Now, I don’t know Mr. Livingston personally but it appears he’s also publicly confronting his own past history of “toxic” online engagement and its consequences: “Leaving a trail of human wreckage behind me, all because of an inflated sense of self online doesn’t cut the mustard. I can’t live with that. It’s not OK.”

Consequences. The great equalizer.

Growing up in the Bronx, I also learned that there are sometimes consequences for those that run their mouths too much; for those that happen to talk smack about the wrong person; get in the wrong person’s face. Consequences. Beware of whom you speak of lest that person find you and put their foot up your ass. You go from running your mouth one day to having your jaw wired shut the next. Sometimes you take a busted jaw and consider yourself lucky. Lesson learned. Others weren’t so lucky.

Now, back to Mr. Livingston’s conclusion on the medium: Is it really toxic? It certainly can be. Does it give us license to behave poorly? License, no. The means, yes. In the online world, it’s easy to run your little fingers over the keyboard and say whatever you want to whomever you want in whatever way you want. It’s unlikely that somebody living in New Mexico is gonna hop a plane to London with the intention of tracking down the person who left a nasty comment on his blog post and whupping his ass.

Consequences are a reality on the street. Unfortunately, not so much online. That’s a shame. Especially in the case of those who refuse to identify themselves online; who run their hateful social mouths behind the anonymity of a fake name and profile pic. These people are cowards and not only should they be ignored but felt sorry for.

Ultimately, the fact that social media brings together all types of people with all types of personalities, views and opinions from all over the world should be celebrated – not lamented. If you don’t like the shit someone’s shoveling, ignore them or give it back as good as you’re getting it. If you wanna talk smack online, be ready to deal with whatever consequences may come.

I mean, if everybody was supposed to just get along, there would never have been any wars, any bloodshed in the name of religion, politics, or even sports. One peek into the history books should offer a sobering reminder that human beings tend to not always agree with each other. That doesn’t mean the world is a bad place; heck, even I believe that most people are generally good. It just makes it all the more sweeter when you find people with like minds.

Accept it or get off the train.

“This is a choice, and everyone is free to have the conversations they want.” writes Livingston. Indeed they do.

It would do us all good to remember that.

[Photographs by Sofia Ajram]

October 14, 2012

Featured

What Gabby Douglas Can Teach Us About Online Influence (and other stupid blog headlines)

by Dan Perez August 5, 2012

written by Dan Perez

Bloggers love playing buzzword bingo, don’t they? They’ve got their sweaty fingers on the pulse of their social media timelines and are quick to scramble to their keyboards at the first mention of any noteworthy event. Ambulance chasers who don’t have to leave their seats.

They begin their “writing” (and I use the term loosely) by dusting off the usual blog title template, “What [insert noteworthy event] can teach us about [social media/marketing/public relations]” and produce a handful of anemic references to the aforementioned noteworthy event in a shameful effort to justify the blog title (all the while featuring several additional links to other blog posts they’ve written).

I’m not the only one who notices this, right? Hello?

This past week, amidst a plethora of similar posts, I came across a real doozy, What Michael Phelps’ 19th Olympic Medal can Teach You About Smarter Online Marketing (think the author got enough keywords in there?). Allow me to apologize in advance if you head over to read it but if you decide not to, the author of the post makes a quick reference to Phelps’ “rivalry” with fellow Team USA swimmer Ryan Lochte before going into the bloodied and beaten “the audience comes first” blogging sermon. Oy vey.

Along the way, she features several additional links (6 in total) to other posts she’s written that further elaborate on the points she just recycled in her present post as well as links to sign up for additional services offered by the site. Linkbait, plain and simple.

Her post was far from the only offender:

What can the Olympics opening ceremony teach us about Social Media?

3 Things the Olympics Can Teach Us About Social Media

What the Olympic Games Can Teach You About Marketing Your Business

WTF?

It really isn’t that surprising considering that you can unearth similar posts from the BP oil spill to the killing of Osama Bin Laden. This type of blog post has become rather predictable, yes? Moreover, it’s what the “blogging experts” teach us you have to do to attract eyeballs (and google) to your site. Content is king? Whatever.

Yeah, I get that there are people that “have to” blog daily or who get paid to blog or whose livelihood depends on their blog traffic. I get that. But what these types of blog posts really do is lower the bar on what is considered quality content and raise the flag of mediocrity in the blogosphere. Fortunately for these bloggers, there are enough people out there willing to leave a “Great post!” comment on even these types of lame blog posts just to increase their own SEO. Yay.

So what can the rest of us do? Take our eyes elsewhere, that’s what. First, let these bloggers know (via SEO-boosting comments on their site) that you’re wise to their tired game, then pop a red pill and journey down the rabbit hole to discover new and exciting bloggers (and even more bloggers!) who can actually write a creative post. Stop listening to the “blogging experts” and JUST SAY NO! to cookie-cutter bloggers simply looking to boost their own SEO, sign you up for their $47 webinars or get you to buy their equally lame social media books.

Then, and only then, will content truly be king…

(See what I just did there? Yeah, that.)

Subscribe in a reader and never miss a new post. You won’t be sorry…promise.

August 5, 2012

Blog The Written Word

Stupidity is Dead! Long Live Stupidity! A Rant

by Dan Perez July 8, 2012

written by Dan Perez

Social media is pretty amazing, isn’t it? It is a reflection of all that is good and bad in society. Concentrated social media efforts have helped raise funds and create awareness for numerous causes around the world. Social media has made it easier for us to communicate with each other; to share the special moments in our lives with our friends and family. Social media has also helped us make better buying decisions in regard to what, where, and from whom to buy.

Social media has also made us pretty damn stupid, too.

The amount of business advice floating around the social space is like a noisy traffic jam – each post honking desperately for your attention. Social media has spawned a new generation of “experts” who say the darndest things sometimes. Becoming a social media “expert” isn’t very hard either. If you have 8-10 hours a day to spend online and/or nominal experience in any marketing/PR/sales position (to include internships or having a friend who works in either marketing/PR/sales) and/or a large twitter following and/or a respectable Klout score, then you’re pretty much qualified to advise on traditional business practices.

The disturbing thing is that many people will actually believe these people to be experts in business, regardless of whether or not said “expert” has ever held an executive position in any business (nobody bothers to check their bios anyway). Despite the redundancy or, in many cases, the absurdity of what they write. Despite the lack of any credible research or data to support their theories. Perception becomes reality! And this perception has a way of spreading to the social masses through twitter RTs and facebook shares, like a deadly plague, until it is accepted as truth.

“Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.” ~Friedrich von Schiller

This past week, I came across a guest post on Gini Dietrich’s very respectable Spin Sucks marketing/PR blog that brings to light the stupidity being shared on the social space, Miracle Max Presents 11 Things That Aren’t Quite Dead. I’m not even gonna get into who Miracle Max is (if you don’t already know) but the post goes on to challenge the claims made by numerous social media marketing bloggers that many traditional business strategies are, indeed, dead.

Marketing is Dead! E-Mail is Dead! Direct Mail is Dead! Public Relations is Dead! You’ve all seen the posts at one time or the other, yes?

What’s really dead is our intelligence and common sense. RIP.

The fact that we’d even need such a post to dispel these ridiculous claims is a poor reflection of our own sensibilities. Do we really believe everything we read online? Moreover, the fact that the post offers up no research or statistical data to back its own claims (besides, of course, the opinion of Miracle Max) is another poor reflection. Do we really believe everything we read online?

Or are we too easily influenced by the source of the information? The blog or the blogger? “Well, if such-and-such blogger wrote it then it must be true! Right? Hello?”

Let’s do our homework first before we proclaim social media hyperbole as truth, yes?

The facts are (if anybody would bother to dig up actual unbiased statistics) that many of these traditional practices are still going strong, while others are in a transitional state, while still others are on the rebound after a dip. But why bother with facts when these types of posts make such great blog fodder?

You wanna know what’s alive and/or dead in business? Do yourself a favor and stop reading so many social media marketing blogs (there ARE a few good ones out there) and go out into the business community where you live and work and “engage” with real people running real businesses. Attend your local Chamber of Commerce’s business events and get to know people who hold executive marketing and PR positions. Volunteer with a local charity and interface with the executive directors and board members. Get to know how “real” people (people who leave their homes to drive/commute to an actual brick and mortar business/organization to interact with other “real” people) are doing business.

Only then, can you intelligently discern what’s happening in the “real” business world (where being profitable is the ultimate goal) and what these so-called “experts” think is happening in their tiny, little social media business world (where eyeballs and book sales are the ultimate goal).

Until then, Long Live Stupidity!

[Digital images by Norvz Austria aka xetobyte]

July 8, 2012

Blog The Written Word

The ONLY Social Media Book You’ll Ever Need. Really.

by Dan Perez June 3, 2012

written by Dan Perez

Has anyone else noticed the insane amount of social media books being published lately? It seems like every week there’s some social media/marketing “professional” (and I use the term loosely) promoting a new book. What I’ve found unusual, however, is that a large percentage of the books appear to cover just about the same thing: social media engagement, the social media revolution, relationship marketing using social media, enchanting others with social media, the ABCs of social media, thinking and/or acting like a rock star using social media, and, well, you get the point, yes?

In some cases, the release of these books is preceded by a “book tour” in which the “author” (again, I use the term loosely) will select several strategic locations across the country to visit to promote the book and hopefully amass considerable pre-orders or actual sales of the book. Sometimes, the “author” will allow you to pay him/her a fee (discounted, of course) to come visit your business or organization to discuss (promote) his/her book (yeah, I know).

Of course, to the “author”, pre-sales are important; very important. Those pre-sales count when the book is finally published and the “authors” really, really, really want you to help them crack those Top 10 lists on Barnes and Noble and amazon.com. That way, they can add “Best Selling Author” to their resume and have a better chance at landing a juicy speaking gig at one of the many social media/marketing conferences that seem to take place every week.

They (people) want to feel important (more on that later) and they want you to help them.

So, please allow me to save you some time and money. I’m gonna share with you the only book you’ll ever need on social media. That’s right, the only book on successful social media engagement you’ll ever need. I mean, it’s the book that most of these social media “authors” borrow a great deal of their content from anyway (paraphrased, of course). Oh, and it’s already a best-seller, having sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

“What book is this, Dan?”

Hold up, let’s first take a look at what the book claims it will help you achieve:

1. Get out of a mental rut, think new thoughts, acquire new visions, discover new ambitions (Any bloggers out there? This one’s for you!)

2. Make friends quickly and easily (you can’t become a social media “rock star” without making friends quickly and easily, yes?)

3. Increase your popularity (Empire Avenue, anyone?).

4. Win people to your way of thinking (gotta master this one if you plan on becoming a “thought leader”)

5. Increase your influence, your prestige, your ability to get things done (the author had Klout figured out long before Joe Fernandez did)

6. Handle complaints, avoid arguments, keep your human contacts smooth and pleasant (Ok, I’m not all that great at these but I’m on the fence about this one anyway)

7. Become a better speaker, a more entertaining conversationalist (you won’t be asked to speak at Blogworld if you suck as a speaker…right? Hello?)

8. Arouse enthusiasm among your associates (who doesn’t love arousing and/or being aroused?)

Oh, did I forget to mention that it was written back in 1936? Several decades before social media and ipads even existed? My bad.

“Dan, how can a book written in 1936 be relevant in today’s high-tech social media world? How?!!!

Because human beings haven’t changed a heck of a lot since 1936. They still want the same things, have the same needs, want to be communicated to the same way. And isn’t successful social media engagement based on human interaction? Real people communicating with other real people?

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

________________________

Sigmund Freud said that everything you and I do springs from two motives: the sex urge and the desire to be great.

John Dewey, one of America’s most profound philosophers, phrased it a bit differently. Dr. Dewey said that the deepest urge in human nature is “the desire to be important.”

Here is a gnawing and unfaltering human hunger, and the rare individual who honestly satisfies this heart hunger will hold people in the palm of his or her hand and “even the undertaker will be sorry when he dies.”

The desire for a feeling of importance is one of the chief distinguishing differences between mankind and the animals.

________________________

You really think people have changed that much since 1936? With our craving for twitter followers and facebook friends, all the Klout whores desperately trying to game the system and the circle jerk going on over at Empire Avenue? Can I get an “Amen”?

“Ok Dan, I see your point but who the heck wrote the book and why should anyone give two shits about what he has to say?”

The author was born in Maryville, Missouri, the son of poor farmers. In between milking his parents’ cows every morning, he managed to earn a college education while riding to and from school daily on horseback(!).

After college, he took a traveling sales job for Armour & Company (a slaughterhouse and meatpacking company) selling bacon(!), soap and lard(!). The author made his sales territory of South Omaha, Nebraska, the national leader for the company. So, unlike many of these social media business “authors”, this particular author actually worked and attained success in a corporate environment; in sales no less. But you’re probably thinking, “But Dan, how hard is it to sell bacon?” I’ll give you that one. So, let’s move on…

By 1911, the author saved up enough money to quit his job and move to New York to pursue an ill-fated acting career. He soon found himself broke and living at the YMCA on 125th Street. The author, realizing that his past sales success was due primarily to his great ability to communicate with others, then came up with the idea to teach public speaking classes for adults. He successfully pitched the idea to the Y.M.C.A, who allowed him to begin night classes in return for a cut of the profits.

I’ll make a long story short and just state that by 1914, the author was earning $500 (the equivalent of nearly $10,000 today!) every week(!). By 1916, he was able to rent out Carnegie Hall and lecture to a SRO crowd. Most of today’s so-called social media “thought leaders” would barely be able to fill New York’s Carnegie Deli much less Carnegie Hall. The rest, as they say, is history.

If you haven’t guessed it already, the author is Dale Carnegie. The book is “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

Carnegie came from poverty, gave himself an education, realized he could sell the shit out of bacon and lard, shifted his career path to chase after his passion (becoming an actor), realized that a career as an actor sucked balls, then found himself broke and at the proverbial crossroads of life. Carnegie then identified what he was good at (speaking/communicating), realized what people wanted and were willing to pay for (to become better speakers/communicators), and took action.

Oh, and Dale Carnegie Training, which Dale Carnegie himself founded back in 1912 (that’s right, a hundred years ago) is still going strong; currently represented in 50 of the United States and in 80 countries worldwide. Think these social media “experts”, many of whom are just trying to boost their own importance and hustling for speaking gigs by getting you to buy their books, will leave that type of legacy?

Moreover, if you happen to have a real job where you interact daily with real people and you happen to work in sales, marketing, PR, or if your goal is to move up in your company or if you already hold a management position, or if you happen to be the type of person that likes to network face-to-face with other real people at events hosted by your local Chamber of Commerce to grow your business or even to land a new job – then this book will also give you the skills you need to succeed in the “real world”. That’s what really gives this book the edge over the other, online-focused, books.

People want to feel important. Your staff, your co-workers, your customers, your prospects, your facebook friends and twitter followers. This book will tell you how to accomplish that in a way that produces positive results. We may have many more methods of communicating with people today but what people want hasn’t changed. It brings out the best and the worst in all of us.

Don’t just take my word for it, read the book. You can even view a pdf of the book here. And if you still wanna make the latest “Social Media Author of the Week” feel important by coughing up $10-20 bucks to buy his/her book, go ahead. But what you’ll probably soon realize is that you’re really just buying a cheap imitation camouflaged with social media hyperbole and technospeak.

And then I’ll have to tell you, “I told you so”…

and I hate doing that.

Really.

[Artwork by Ben Giles]

June 3, 2012

Blog The Written Word

6 Blogging Tips for Dummies…by a Dummy

by Dan Perez March 4, 2012

written by Dan Perez

This post originally appeared as a guest post over at DIY Blogger

I’m a blogging dummy. And I’m glad to be one. You see, when it comes to blogging, ignorance can be bliss. Sometimes, we listen to too many “experts” tell us how we should blog that we forget that blogging (writing) is an art form; and art has no rules. Right?

I never went to film school, or worked at a film or video production company. Perhaps, if I had, I would have thought that one person couldn’t possibly direct, produce, shoot, or edit their own film. My very first film (which I directed, shot, and edited), won an award at its very first film festival. My second film (which I produced, directed, shot and edited) won ‘Best Florida Film’ at the 2010 Sunscreen Film Festival, beating out films helmed by film school graduates with a full crew.

Bragging? No (OK, maybe just a little). But had I listened to a bunch of filmmaking pros tell me what I needed to make a film (I’ve read many articles since then that would have totally discouraged me), I might not have even tried. Or maybe I would never had realized my own budding abilities. I was a dummy. The same way Orson Welles was a dummy when he directed “Citizen Kane”. Blogging (writing) is no different.

Now, let me preface the following points by excluding those people who are paid to blog (people that have to produce content on a regular schedule for their company or employer) and those people whose income is dependent on traffic generated by their blog posts (regardless of how original they are). You all get a pass because when you have to do something, it ceases from being an art form and becomes a job. For the rest of us dummies, here’s my take:

1) Forget Your “Audience”

One thing I hardly ever consider when writing a post is my “audience”. You’ll often hear, “Write for your audience!” proclaimed from the social media pulpits. This will eventually create a dilemma: “I really wanna write about (X) but is that what my audience wants?” Don’t let your “audience” stifle your creativity. Your readers may actually appreciate a fresh perspective, another side of you they didn’t know existed, something different than the norm. Do you think the people that visit your blog regularly are gonna stop coming because you published a blog post that’s different from your usual posts? The only thing that will make people stop coming are consistently crappy blog posts. If you’re not writing for YOU first, you’re just a pretender (and we’ve got way too many of those already, yes?)

2) Don’t Be An Ass-kisser

Oftentimes, I’ll come across a blog post that appears to have no other objective than kissing major ass. “50 Amazing Bloggers That Will Make You Feel All Tingly Inside” or “117 Awesome People On Twitter That You Should Be Following”. Upon further review of these posts, you’ll find nothing less than the who’s who of the A-List social media community (many of which, in my opinion, produce some of the stalest content on the web). I guess if you kiss the ass of 50 people on your blog, you should expect nothing less than 30/40 “Thank you!” comments and when you throw in your own 30/40 “You’re welcome!” replies, you’ve got 60/80 SEO boosting comments on your blog. Lame. Very lame.

If you’re gonna shout out some bloggers, why not highlight a few flying under the social radar? You just might find a few new loyal readers of your blog instead of taking a number and hopping on the A-Lister ass-kissing line so many bloggers are already on.

3) Don’t Blog Every Day

Again, unless it is your job to do so or your income is somehow dependent on it, there is absolutely no need for you to blog every single day. Some of the blogging “experts” will tell you differently but pay them no mind. Most of the really good blogs I read post every 3-4 days, some even weekly. Not surprisingly, the content is always fresh and original. Moreover, many of these blogs generate 30-50 comments on average. Who can possibly post something fresh and original every day? Whilst working a day job, running a business, taking care of a family, spending time with friends, and watching “American Idol”? Like a great painter, songwriter, or composer, great works come via inspiration; and inspiration doesn’t always make a daily visit.

Don’t cheat your readers from your best work by rushing up a post because some blogging genius said you have to blog every day. Moreover, don’t emulate the über-lame bloggers who stick up an insipid, double-spaced, single paragraph disguised as a blog post (with the infamous generic stock image) just to keep their self-imposed daily blog quota intact OR the other desperate bloggers who are at least smart enough to realize that they most certainly cannot come up with a fresh blog post every day so they allow any Tom, Dick, and Harry to guest post on their blog just to keep google happy. When you allow quantity to supersede quality, your blog will start to suck eggs and your readers will look elsewhere for fresh content.

4) Share Your Stuff

If you spend any amount of time on the social space, you’ve heard that “content is king” when it comes to blogging. Good, fresh content, of course. But how do you know if your blog posts are worthy of a thumbs up or a thumbs down? You gotta get your posts in front of readers, no? Otherwise, your great post is just a giant redwood tree crashing down in the forest that nobody hears. Thanks to various social media platforms, we have no shortage of outlets to share our stuff.

Share a link to your blog post a few times a week on facebook. Post it on Linkedin (and don’t forget to share it on any groups you belong to where the content may be relevant). Share a link to your post on twitter…not just once or twice but 4-5 times a day, several hours apart…for several days. You heard right. But let me add this: if all you do on twitter (or any social media platform) is promote your links, you’re just pissing in the social media wind. Keep your timeline busy with other activity throughout the day: comments, replies, and especially links from all the other cool blog posts you’ve read. People aren’t online 24/7. They have jobs and families, and a social life outside of social media. They may only check their timelines a few times a day. You wanna give your post the best chance to get discovered. Oh, and anyone who tells you you’re breaking some social media “rule”, tell them to go fly a kite.

If you stay active on social media platforms, several good things will happen: more people will connect with you (just like in the “real world”, people like people who talk/listen to them), you’ll find birds of a similar feather who will dig your blog content (and you’ll dig theirs, giving you additional good content to share), and you’ll also be putting the Law of Reciprocity to work by sharing the creative content of others. It’s win-win all the way.

5) Disregard 73% Of What You Read On #Blogchat

Are you familiar with #Blogchat? (a twitter chat every Sunday night at 9pm ET). When I started blogging, I spent many a Sunday evening studying the fast-moving stream. During that time, I’ve picked up some good blogging tips on plugins, site maintenance and best practices. I’ve also learned to disregard a good percentage of what I read there. Why? Too many voices shouting too many “rules”. How long your blog post should be, how often you should post, who you should write for, what keywords you should use in your post, what you should write about, when you should write about it, yada yada yada. ‘Blog like this, not like that’ makes blogs lame. Blogging ain’t hard…just write.

6) Just Write

Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re gonna make a six-figure income (or even a meager living) by blogging. For the vast majority of bloggers (even many of the so-called “experts”), this just isn’t the reality. So if you’re gonna write, do it for yourself first…and enjoy it. Make it the best you can before hitting “Publish” (what’s the rush?). If you’re gonna put several hours (or days) into writing it, make sure you’re proud of it before sharing it with the world.

At the end of the day, whether a few thousand people view/share your post or just one, if you enjoyed writing it; if it helped you relieve an emotional burden you’ve been carrying around; if it served as an outlet for your anger/frustration; if it made your wife/kids smile; if it allowed you to express that which only the written word allows us to express…then you’ve done well. You’ve written.

So let the pro bloggers blog as they will. Since writing my first blog post a couple of years ago, I’ve come to enjoy the process of writing; of expressing myself, my views. And the fact that I can write about whatever the heck I want to write about makes the process even more enjoyable. I follow no writing schedule, only opening up a Word document when I get a bug up my ass to write something. And before I hit “Publish”, I’ve always been pleased with what I’ve written. And guess what? My work has been read, enjoyed, hated, and shared by thousands of people. That’s gravy. So for me, I plan to remain a dummy…

Because when it comes to blogging, ignorance is indeed bliss.

[Photographs by Les Goodman]

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

March 4, 2012

Blog The Written Word

Leadership, God, and Darwinism: An Observation

by Dan Perez February 19, 2012

written by Dan Perez

Are you familiar with #Leadershipchat? It’s a twitter chat that takes place every Tuesday night at 8pm ET. It’s moderated by two swell people in Lisa Petrilli and Steve Woodruff and it attracts some really nice folks who say some of the darndest things. It also makes me nucking futs sometimes.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about #Leadershipchat but this time I simply want to express my prevailing views without the limitations of 140 characters, once and for all, and then return to the dark musty cave I crawled out of. Promise.

So why does #Leadershipchat (and other similar twitter chats) drive me batshit crazy? For one, there’s a tendency to discuss perfect leadership scenarios. The ones where the leader makes everyone on the team feel empowered; where the leader’s door is always open, he (or she) always has time to listen. A world where the leader makes everyone on the team feel they matter, and the team then goes on to make everyone else around them feel like they matter, too. It’s about believing in people, trusting them, nurturing them, winning over their hearts. It sounds so damn good, doesn’t it? Too good.

Let me make one thing clear. Leadership responsibilities are given to a person over a team to attain an outcome; a result. In sports, it’s winning games and/or a championship. In a nonprofit organization, it’s raising more money. In a church, it’s saving more souls. And in business, it’s all about the Benjamins; the cold reality of shareholder returns. Oftentimes, the consequences of failing to achieve said outcomes is being replaced or even fired. With great power comes great responsibility, yes?

So now the leader (a good one) has to outline a plan for success (and, quite possibly, his own livelihood), review his team members, consider their strengths and weaknesses, and assign responsibilities accordingly. And that’s where the fun usually begins.

The Awful Truth

Now, at the expense of sounding like an unreservedly jaded bastard (which I’m really not), allow me to offer up a sobering reality: People will, more often than not, let you down. On #Leadershipchat, we’re always looking at the leader’s responsibilities and we tend to forget those of the team. Yeah, the team. You know, the ones that have to execute the plan that the leader so carefully and lovingly laid out to them. It’s the team that usually determines a leader’s success or failure…

and people will, more often than not, let you down.

Why? Because human beings live in a complex world with an infinite number of habits and beliefs. We’re inherently competitive and destructive; we have a propensity for pride, selfishness, gossip, greed and deceit. We’re quick to judge one another; we try to remove the speck from our brother’s eye while a beam is lodged in our own eye. We split off into “packs” for self-preservation and wage “war” on other packs. Ultimately, we abide by the Darwinian principle of “survival of the fittest”.

Do you see now what a leader (also a flawed human being) has to deal with?

The good news is it isn’t our fault. That’s just how God made us. As soon as He let Adam and Eve run around in the Garden of Eden by themselves, our true nature was revealed. The serpent helped Eve realize that nobody should be the boss of her (“You gonna let God tell you what to do?”). Eve, realizing she might have screwed up, drags poor Adam into her mess (“Here, eat this apple. It’s all good.”). Adam then lies to God (“Apple? What apple?”), then throws Eve under the bus (“But she gave it to me!”) and then tries to divert the blame back to God (“If you had never created her in the first place, this would never have happened!”). Sounds like just another day at the office, doesn’t it?

The “Good” People

So are there good people in this world? People who believe that caring, support and trust can still flourish? People who can suppress their innate human tendencies and actually be sensitive to the well-being of others? Sure there are. If there weren’t, we certainly would have destroyed ourselves a long time ago. We’ve come close but not yet.

In any “team” environment, there are several people who really love what they do; who tackle their responsibilities with enthusiasm. Their intentions are ultimately self-serving but carefully disguised. You see, these people want to succeed because they want to move up to a higher position, to a thicker paycheck. They want to buy a nice house in the suburbs, buy a nice car, put their kids in the best schools, then take out another mortgage on the house to send them to the best colleges, then sell the house and hopefully have enough left to retire to a small ocean front condo on Miami Beach. Survival of the fittest at its most admirable.

Alas, many times these noble souls have to endure the envy and resentment of the others; the “normal” people. The people who hate to see another team member be praised over them (Dang! Susie’s making us look bad!”); the people who resent the fact that their one-time co-worker has now been put in charge of them (“Bob’s gonna now tell us what to do? Not me he ain’t!”). Should I tell you the story of Cain and Abel? The story of Joseph and his eleven brothers, perhaps? Let’s just blame God again, shall we?

This is why being a leader is so hard. People.

This is why there are so many dang twitter chats wishing impossible things about leadership, business, customer service, and life in general. Because it’s the nature of people to make a mess of things.

And this is why the leader gets the cash, the new car, and the girl when he can get a group of ultimately self-serving people to just do what they’re supposed to do for an extended period of time to achieve a goal. Despite their jealousy, hypocrisy, pride, selfishness, egos, and religious beliefs. It’s a reason to celebrate! Pop the champagne bottles! All of us actually worked together and did something! Hallelujah!

Whether it’s done via intimidation, patience, love, hook or crook; whether at the end of the day people hate their leader, love their leader or fear their leader; the successful leaders know it’s all about the results.

And people.

[Digital artwork by Stefano Bonazzi]

February 19, 2012

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