Author: @DanaMNelson

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Off the Wall

Because I use my social media for business, I have certain subjects that are considered “off-the-wall topics.” One of those subjects is health. I typically don’t post information about my health concerns or anything going on regarding the health of people in my family, other than the occasional headache or cold.

 At the end of last week, near the end of my day, and completely at the end of my rope, a wall in my house assaulted me. Very frustrated, and in pain,. I posted on my Facebook and twitter accounts. I was pretty sure I broke my foot. I put ice on it and went to bed. I received a call at midnight. When I checked my account, I was floored at the number of people who were concerned about my poor little foot. It’s a big deal, but it’s not a big deal. It was a big deal that people cared.

 Ever notice what happens with Facebook on your birthday? There is always a tremendous outpouring, because it is an easy and quick way to show people that you care, even if you forgot till that day. If you use social media for business, Facebook and Twitter are great resources for getting the inside information and personal details.  This helps you to show your compassionate side for your clients and vendors.  Several of the people that commented on my foot are people that I do business with on a regular basis.

They are listening to what I say. They care. This makes me more likely to be a brand advocate for them.

 Take the time to read some posts and comment on the good and the bad going on in the lives of the people that you’ve met. Use social media as a communication tool and stay connected.

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Facebook Attacks: Prevention & Recovery

Yesterday we noticed a large number of people having their Facebook accounts hacked. This was caused by their clicking on a link to a video sent to them by a trusted friend.

 What they didn’t know or understand was that their friend had already been hacked. The friend did not knowingly send out or post this video.

 So far it appears that this particular hack only affects Facebook, and is just posting a link to the video on your friend’s walls. (The video is graphic in nature. This is another reason that children under 13 years old should not be allowed on FB.)  Not all Facebook hacks are this way; most are much more malicious.

 Most of the time Facebook hacks send out links to videos or pictures that are actually links to a place where a virus can be downloaded to your computer. If you find yourself in the situation, there are a number of things that you can do to help restore your account and your credibility within your community of friends.

 Before I discuss that, however, I would like to discuss some practical preventative measures so that you do not find yourself in this situation

 Be sure that you change your password frequently

  • Do not use the same password for all of your social media accounts
  • Make sure your password is a strong password
  • Limit the amount of third party applications that you allow to share information
  • If you utilize a third-party application such as Hootsuite, or TweetDeck, make sure that you regularly change that password as well
  • Make sure that your virus protection on your computer is up to date, and run frequently
  • Be sure you run additional programs for malware and spyware on a regular basis
  • Make sure you have an IT person in your contact list before your computer is hit with a virus

 Why that last line? Once your computer has been infected with a virus, often times, programs that you use for prevention and detection are not enough to remove a virus from your computer. Many of them have now evolved to the point that they disable those programs. If that happens, you have to remove your hard drive and place it in a secondary machine in order to remove the viruses. Most people do not have the resources in which to perform this task. This is not a service that you want to look for when you’re in a crisis situation. Also, I highly recommend computer maintenance on a regular basis. Just as with a person’s health, there are a number of things that you can do on a regular basis to ensure that you are less likely to get a virus.

 If you don’t currently have an IT professional in your contact list, we recommend Nomad Technology Group.

Listed below are instructions posted by Mary Biever in response to yesterday’s attack:

What You Can do to Prevent and Restore Your Account and Credibility

Prevention (for all users):
A. Go to account, account settings, and password and change your password. Logout and log back in.
B. Go to account, account settings, and account security and click the check box. This will notify you when a new computer accesses your account. (This step is open on some FB accounts and not others; I think it is a new feature.)
C. If you use Hootsuite or other such products, update your password for Facebook on them.
D. Post as a status: “Do not click on any Optical Illusions Link. If you see it, the person posting has been hacked.” Contact them ASAP and tell them. Also contact the people whose walls had the video posted on it and tell them.

If the Optical Illusions Link appears on your wall:
E. Hover on right hand corner and click “Remove.” Remove the link. Do not click on it.
F. Go through steps A through D.

If you get hacked:
G. Do step A pronto.
H. Go to Account, Privacy Settings, Post by me. Click on the drop down arrow and select custom. Set your custom feed to show “only me.” Then, temporarily, your wall will be unavailable.
I. Use this time to try to discern via news feeds where the link was posted.
J. If you are able to remove the link from your friends’ walls, do so (see step E). If not, contact your friends whose walls were hit personally (via telephone) and explain what happened – explain to them how to remove the link. You will need to scan your friends’ walls to look for the post. (Hint – talk to a trusted friend with multiple mutual friends of yours.  Ask them to check their news feed.)
K. When you are comfortable problem has been contained, return settings on step H to what you had before.
L. Follow steps B through D.

Finally, the best defense is a good offense. If you are using Facebook as a way to engage your customers and encourage your employees to do the same, don’t let attacks like this deter your efforts.  If you know how to use Facebook well, you can prevent hack attacks like this and handle them if they do happen.

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Facebook Attacks: Prevention & Recovery

Yesterday we noticed a large number of people having their Facebook accounts hacked. This was caused by their clicking on a link to a video sent to them by a trusted friend.

 What they didn’t know or understand was that their friend had already been hacked. The friend did not knowingly send out or post this video.

 So far it appears that this particular hack only affects Facebook, and is just posting a link to the video on your friend’s walls. (The video is graphic in nature. This is another reason that children under 13 years old should not be allowed on FB.)  Not all Facebook hacks are this way; most are much more malicious.

 Most of the time Facebook hacks send out links to videos or pictures that are actually links to a place where a virus can be downloaded to your computer. If you find yourself in the situation, there are a number of things that you can do to help restore your account and your credibility within your community of friends.

 Before I discuss that, however, I would like to discuss some practical preventative measures so that you do not find yourself in this situation

 Be sure that you change your password frequently

  • Do not use the same password for all of your social media accounts
  • Make sure your password is a strong password
  • Limit the amount of third party applications that you allow to share information
  • If you utilize a third-party application such as Hootsuite, or TweetDeck, make sure that you regularly change that password as well
  • Make sure that your virus protection on your computer is up to date, and run frequently
  • Be sure you run additional programs for malware and spyware on a regular basis
  • Make sure you have an IT person in your contact list before your computer is hit with a virus

 Why that last line? Once your computer has been infected with a virus, often times, programs that you use for prevention and detection are not enough to remove a virus from your computer. Many of them have now evolved to the point that they disable those programs. If that happens, you have to remove your hard drive and place it in a secondary machine in order to remove the viruses. Most people do not have the resources in which to perform this task. This is not a service that you want to look for when you’re in a crisis situation. Also, I highly recommend computer maintenance on a regular basis. Just as with a person’s health, there are a number of things that you can do on a regular basis to ensure that you are less likely to get a virus.

 If you don’t currently have an IT professional in your contact list, we recommend Nomad Technology Group.

Listed below are instructions posted by Mary Biever in response to yesterday’s attack:

What You Can do to Prevent and Restore Your Account and Credibility

Prevention (for all users):
A. Go to account, account settings, and password and change your password. Logout and log back in.
B. Go to account, account settings, and account security and click the check box. This will notify you when a new computer accesses your account. (This step is open on some FB accounts and not others; I think it is a new feature.)
C. If you use Hootsuite or other such products, update your password for Facebook on them.
D. Post as a status: “Do not click on any Optical Illusions Link. If you see it, the person posting has been hacked.” Contact them ASAP and tell them. Also contact the people whose walls had the video posted on it and tell them.

If the Optical Illusions Link appears on your wall:
E. Hover on right hand corner and click “Remove.” Remove the link. Do not click on it.
F. Go through steps A through D.

If you get hacked:
G. Do step A pronto.
H. Go to Account, Privacy Settings, Post by me. Click on the drop down arrow and select custom. Set your custom feed to show “only me.” Then, temporarily, your wall will be unavailable.
I. Use this time to try to discern via news feeds where the link was posted.
J. If you are able to remove the link from your friends’ walls, do so (see step E). If not, contact your friends whose walls were hit personally (via telephone) and explain what happened – explain to them how to remove the link. You will need to scan your friends’ walls to look for the post. (Hint – talk to a trusted friend with multiple mutual friends of yours.  Ask them to check their news feed.)
K. When you are comfortable problem has been contained, return settings on step H to what you had before.
L. Follow steps B through D.

Finally, the best defense is a good offense. If you are using Facebook as a way to engage your customers and encourage your employees to do the same, don’t let attacks like this deter your efforts.  If you know how to use Facebook well, you can prevent hack attacks like this and handle them if they do happen.

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The Social Media Gardener

It’s that time of year again.  Everywhere you look, you see temporary parking lot greenhouses filled with racks and racks of flowers. At Lowe’s, Home Depot, Schnuck’s and Ace Hardware, there are beautiful, bold, right, vibrant colors, just begging you to take some home!

As a rule of thumb for our little boot of Indiana, annuals shouldn’t be planted before Mother’s Day. Every year, I fall for it. I am tempted. Not only to buy these flowers prematurely, but to also buy more than I should. You see, annuals will not return next year. It is that simple. I’ve thrown my money away on short-term plants that are already blooming well before they should be, well before I should be planting them.

 However, I have begun to shift my gardening strategy from a short-term to a long-term perspective. Lately, I have been cutting back on the number of annuals that I plant. Instead, I will wait until the Master Gardener Plant Sale in May.  I then reallocate funds I normally spend on annuals, to buy more interesting and unique perennial varieties not available in local stores.  A perennial will come back next year and those succeeding, bigger, stronger and more beautiful. So I have not wasted my money, time and effort on one-season, annual plants.  I have instead invested in my landscape, gaining not only satisfaction and enjoyment, but also increasing my home’s financial value.  Note, I’m still tempted, and I do still buy a few annuals each spring to quickly add color. 

 Some years back, I purchased both a lilac bush and a wisteria vine. I was told both of these were very young and may not bloom for several years. Already a master gardener, I went home and researched  the soil, water, and sun recommendations for both of these plants.  After reading up on them, and after talking to several other people, I have to admit I was intimidated by these plants. I bought them because I knew that, in a few years, both would have stunning color, and provide a major display in my already vibrant yard. I really wanted them to bloom right away, like my annuals but I knew that in the long run, if I planted them in ideal conditions and tended to them, these plants would bring joy for a lifetime.

 Likewise with social media (SoMe). There are definitely some SoMe methods for quick “return on investment” that require little effort and little knowledge. As you can pay people to plant your annual beds, you can also pay up-front for generic services, and invest no time in their development.  However, in the long run, these quick, impersonal, quirky campaigns will not build the satisfying, long-lasting personal, business and financial rewards that depend on, and build upon, relationships. 

 Rather, you can develop a strategic campaign that is most reflective of yourself, your business and its mission. A strategic social media presence is well thought out, well researched and well executed.  It includes a variety of engagements, value and information. It pays long-term dividends that grow each year.  Your business beds will not be planted with Social Media annuals, gone when the subscription runs out.  They will instead build each year, synergistic with previous investments, to provide sustained competitive advantage.  SoMe is a beautiful thing, if tended with TLC!

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Valiant Defined…

debbieV

Wife of one
Mother of three
Grandmother of seven
She is:
• caring by nature– after all, she has a degree in nursing
• a business owner
• a good neighbor
• a caregiver
• a protector
• a friend  to many

This woman is many things to many people.  As I have become acquainted with her over the last few months, I feel like I’ve known her my whole life. She’s often appeared with a plate of cookies to make me feel better.  I have watched her life unfold and I am amazed at the extent to which she’s involved in, actively giving and outreaching to the community, personally and professionally.

She is a caring neighbor, weekly driving her elderly neighbor to the hairdresser, the grocery store and other places she needs to go.

She is a caring sister to her brother who is experiencing severe health challenges.

At the end of the day, she should be utterly exhausted.

However, from her social media posts and in talking to her, you would never know it. She is happy for the opportunity to care for new grandchildren. She is happy to be entertaining family on a Sunday. She is happy to drive that elderly neighbor to the salon. Her medical background helps her to act as her brother’s champion. She’s glad to go to work. She treats her employees as family, honors them and lifts them up verbally and in writing. Most importantly, she does this publicly on social media.

She could so easily think,  “pity me; look at all have to do; look at all of my burdens”. But she doesn’t see it that way. She doesn’t dread work, because she truly loves the people with whom she works, and this shows.

Valiant, is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, as “strong, courageous, to be of worth, marked by or carried out with courage or determination.”

That pretty much describes this woman, my friend, Debbie Valiant.

Debbie and her Husband Walter own AmeriStamp SignARama. They were given the Integrity Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau and are  finalists for the 2010 Small Business of the Year Award  From The Evansville Chamber.

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Stop Worrying About Eyeballs &Start Caring About People

I had the privilege to see Steve Radick twice during his visit to Indiana, when he spoke at USI’s “The Impact of Social Media of Communications”  

Below are some of the nuggets I pulled from the keynote address:   

 (And video of the entire presentation is below the nuggets)   

  • Be aware of your personal brand 100% of the time. Physical or online.
  • @garyvee– told me “Be you 100% of the time.” :: Don’t have 2 profiles.  Be comfortable with who you are.  Be self aware.
  • Relationships matter.
  • Be good to people.
  • I can teach you twitter, I can’t teach you basic communication principles.
  • No excuses. You had the opportunity to do it, and you didn’t.
  • If you’re a bad person. Get good or get offline.
  • Stop throwing your business card at me!
  • Twitter is a valid communications medium. The white house uses it….
  • For 100s of hundreds of people have fought to have a voice. Now you can start a blog, and you’re not taking a part of it. You have a say in how your brand is represented, and you’re not using it! (SoMe)
  • Advertising is not about eyeballs. It never should have been about eyeballs. It is about doing something. It is about engagement.
  • “but twitter is not a creditable source. “ No but the person who wrote it is.
  • The lines of PR and customer service are merging. You have to become a company the treats its customers and employees w/ respect.
  • Stop worrying about eyeballs and start caring about people. 
  • Ask for forgiveness not permission.

[viddler id=1694f94c&w=437&h=370]

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Stop Worrying About Eyeballs &Start Caring About People

I had the privilege to see Steve Radick twice during his visit to Indiana, when he spoke at USI’s “The Impact of Social Media of Communications”  

Below are some of the nuggets I pulled from the keynote address:   

 (And video of the entire presentation is below the nuggets)   

  • Be aware of your personal brand 100% of the time. Physical or online.
  • @garyvee– told me “Be you 100% of the time.” :: Don’t have 2 profiles.  Be comfortable with who you are.  Be self aware.
  • Relationships matter.
  • Be good to people.
  • I can teach you twitter, I can’t teach you basic communication principles.
  • No excuses. You had the opportunity to do it, and you didn’t.
  • If you’re a bad person. Get good or get offline.
  • Stop throwing your business card at me!
  • Twitter is a valid communications medium. The white house uses it….
  • For 100s of hundreds of people have fought to have a voice. Now you can start a blog, and you’re not taking a part of it. You have a say in how your brand is represented, and you’re not using it! (SoMe)
  • Advertising is not about eyeballs. It never should have been about eyeballs. It is about doing something. It is about engagement.
  • “but twitter is not a creditable source. “ No but the person who wrote it is.
  • The lines of PR and customer service are merging. You have to become a company the treats its customers and employees w/ respect.
  • Stop worrying about eyeballs and start caring about people. 
  • Ask for forgiveness not permission.

[viddler id=1694f94c&w=437&h=370]

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Running on Empty

You’re on a road trip.

You have :

  • Snacks
  • Drinks
  • Maps
  • Music

 Why do you have those things? Because you planned ahead.

Going down that open road,  ipod plugged in, endless hours of music ahead of you. But wait, that sign said “Gas this exit…next service 100 miles.”  What do you do?

 Do you just keep jammin’ and rollin’?

OR

Do you look at your gas gage and quickly decide if you need to stop now or if you can make it.

 If you don’t have enough, why on earth would you just keep rolling?

But many people I know do!

Women are the WORST! They have jobs, are cooks and care givers, accountants, schedulers, taxi drivers, and more. Many that I know are constantly on the edge.

Another group I see with this characteristic is small business owners. They are notorious (myself included) for not wanting to let go. They refuse to delegate tasks that others are completely competent for and who would enjoy them.

It is this group that I find in an even more alarming situation. They are just out there driving. No map, no food, no direction. Every small business owner should have a business plan. They should have a financial plan (and a good accountant). They should have a social media plan that includes policy, goals and strategy.

Without a business plan you just got in your car and started driving. Not even deciding on a direction.

Without a financial plan, you just ignored that no service sign.  You’re going to run out of gas.

Without a social media plan, you just go behind the wheel drunk.

Don’t let it spin out of control. Learn about what you’re doing, get a plan, and take action.

Friends don’t let friends be stupid on facebook.

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I Met Peace Today

Many people search for peace. People look to other people for peace. People look to places for peace, and people look to institutions for peace

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a people person. I believe in surrounding yourself with people that encourage you, guide you, and inspire you. And I think there is peace in certain relationships.

 I have personally sought peace in places. I moved to the desert, seeking a peace that I felt there when I visited. Some people take spiritual journeys to places that they feel hold some sort of key to finding their peace: places like the great wall or Jerusalem. I believe sometimes peace can be found in following your heart to the places that it leads you.

Some people seek peace in institutions of religion, institutions of military and institutions of education. I truly believe that of all the places that we actually seek to find peace, perhaps within a religion or ideology are the places that we come closest.

But today I met Peace. Quite literally: I actually met a man whose name was PEACE.

 COOL

That was my first reaction. But on the way home I got to thinking about the phrase that I shouted out after I met him.

 “I found peace!”

Do we really find it? I’ve known so many people that continually seek and are forever on this journey. They seek and they seek, but they’ve never found peace. I’ve known people who always seem at peace, no matter the situation. Many of those I know would say that peace comes from their religious beliefs. But I would like to consider that even further, especially to those who seek in terms of religion. Did you seek peace and find it? Or did it find you and introduce itself to you? Think about it, if you’re one of those people, can you look back and say: I met peace on that day and he has ben my friend ever since? I just met this person today, and maybe we will be friends, maybe not. But he did make me realize that far too often we seek peace, when we simply need to say, nice to make your acquaintance.

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New Year’s Resolution: FAIL

We’ve all done it, made New Year’s resolutions year after year, only to see them fail within the first month. I did it, but this year, I thought about why I made the resolution, and why I failed.

My resolution? To discontinue the service of website work for our company. The preparation for this was started in October or November of last year. I slowly found new vendors for all my current website clients. I knew I had one website still going as a work in progress. I was not going to count that as a failure, but when that website was done, there would be no more new website clients.

 Yesterday, I said yes, instead of no. So, on January 6, 2010 less than one week after the resolution was made, I FAILED.

So I got to thinking, why did make that resolution? That would help me figure out why I failed. I chose to discontinue website maintenance for 2010 , because I don’t love it. I love much of what I do. I’m passionate about much of what I do. But I found myself repeatedly, not happy, while working on websites. Life is too short to not be doing what you love. So why did I say yes?

I think the answer is because they needed help. I mean, everyone that calls me needs help, in one way or the other, but somehow I felt compelled to say yes. As a mom who has a tendency to be caring and giving above and beyond what I’m capable of sometimes I saw a need that I had the skills to fill.

I wonder how many moms out there, do the same thing. Their school, their work, their church all asked them to do things that they know that they have the skills to do without thinking, if they have the time or the energy in which to complete these tasks efficiently.  If you have skills that you are good at, but that you don’t love say NO.

 Life is too short to not be doing what you love.

Years resolution take number two:

Do what you love to do, and do it well.