Author: @DanaMNelson

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Are you taking your social media seriously?

 If your just “playing with it” for your business, you’re playing with FIRE!  You have to realize a few things about social media and the business world.

You’re out there and people are talking about you

  I have business owners and sales reps tell me all the time, I don’t want to get involved in that stuff, like it is some illegal activity.  But, truth is, they ARE involved.  Customers and staff alike are on some form of social media AND they either refer to or claim an association with their business…YOUR business.  They are talking about your business and representing your business. Do you know what they are saying? Can you thank them and commend them, or can you defend your honor and deflect harsh words? You can’t if you continue to deny the fact that you’re  involved in social media.

You need a Social Media Goal

If you have a facebook page, a twitter account, a youtube, and/or a linkedin page, and you don’t have a plan and a goal, you’re wondering aimlessly in the desert. You might be fine for awhile but you need to have a clear sence of direction.  This is the New Year.  Instead of resolutions, set clear defined goals for your business social media presence.

You really NEED a Social Media Policy

If you choose to remain “uninvolved” in social media and you have any employees, you need to, at the very least, have a social media policy, and maintain some means of monitoring them.  (You need to know what they are saying and doing while representing your business.) You need this if you choose to be an active participant too.  No matter what you do with social media in 2010 a social media policy is a MUST!

Social Media is a powerful tool that can be use to make a marked difference in both your business profitability, and your brand reputation, but it is a double edged sword. So all of  you without a social media policy or goal: good luck with your tightrope walk, over fire, while eating a sword!

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A password lesson the hard way…

 I was just at the Drs. Office where he shared with me a terrible life lesson learned by his 7year old daughter. Passwords are supposed to be a secret! I know you know this, but how many of you have THE SAME EXACT password for EVERYTHING?? How many of you use a really simple password that is “easy to remember”? In her case she shared it with someone at school, who shared it wish someone else not so trustworthy. The result? Her world was rocked! Yes, it was only her Webkinz world, but they used the information, logged onto her account, sold all her items, trashed her rooms, and spent all her money. Don’t let your real or virtual world be hacked! Do you always leave yourself logged in on facebook or Twitter? We have all read them, the “I’m having a baby!” and worse posts, only to find out later that the person is not with child, but had left their account in the hands of friends or family. While this unguarded account activity is usually just frustrating, it could lead to much more disastrous results that will spill over into the real world.

 Lesson for you? Here are some tips adapted from the University of Texas.

Do:

Do: Use BOTH upper- and lower-case letters.

Do: Use numbers and punctuation marks. The more randomly you place them in your password, the better.

Do: Make your password between 8 to 20 characters long. The longer and more complex it is, the harder it is to crack.

Do: Use at least one of these special characters: ! @ # $ % * ( ) – + = , < > : : “ ‘ .

Do: Create different passwords for different accounts and applications.

Do: Change your passwords regularly, about every 6 months

Do: Keep them to yourself. Avoid giving out your password to others. Once it’s out of your control, so is your security.

Do: Make your password easy to type quickly. This will make it harder for someone looking over your shoulder to steal it.

Don’t:

Don’t: Use the same password for different accounts or applications. If one account is breached, the others will be at risk as well.

Don’t: Use your e-mail password for online shopping sites or free e-mail accounts (Hotmail, Yahoo!, Gmail).

Don’t: Create a password using your user name in any form (reversed, capitalized or doubled).

Don’t : Use your name, Social Security number or any other personal information that could identify you. This means pet names, girlfriend/boyfriend names, birth dates, phone numbers, license plates, car models or addresses.

Don’t share your password with others.

Don’t: Write them down and store them near your computer. It’s like a key under a welcome mat. It’s the first place someone might look.

Don’t: Provide your password—or any of your sensitive or confidential information—over e-mail or instant message. Think of an e-mail message or IM like a postcard. The information can be seen while it’s traversing the Internet. Also, once you send an e-mail, you no longer control the information in it. It can be forwarded to other people without your knowledge or consent.

Don’t: Enable the “Save Password” option if prompted to do so. Pre-saved passwords will make it easy for anyone else using your computer to access your accounts.

Don’t: Walk away from a shared computer without logging off. This will ensure no other users can access your accounts.

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Commodore 64

Yeah… remember that one?

That was my very first computer.  I was recently asked to go to our local public radio station, 88.3FM  WNIN and record a bit for the “Plugged In”  show. Plugged In is a weekly technology show. They discuss technology news and topics with a focus on how they affect our daily lives.

They have a segment called “Ye Old Tech”.  I went in to tell about my Commodore 64 and came out with the realization that this gift may very well have been the gift the turned me geek – for life.   Enjoy…

Listen to it Here: Commodore-64

 

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Compassion

 Doctors sometimes have a hard time being the patient. After they have the experience they usually have more compassion toward their patients.

I had recently upgraded my main work computer to a custom built machine to run all the programs I need to run (all at once). I Love my new machine. My machine has suffered an anomaly and is not functional at this time.

I PREACH to my clients, friends and family:: BACK UP YOUR DATA!!! I now have a new message. If you, for your business run any sort of industry specific software that has specific requirements of your hardware, and you can’t function without that software, then get a secondary machine that is capable of running that software. I have my data backed up. And I can do the day to day things, but I have several applications that are on hold.

 So about that compassion. I am also the last one to get tech help. I extend the knowledge base and service of my team out to my customers to ensure that their networks are running, that new systems we are setting up are on schedule. At the end of the day, whatever time is left… has been dedicated to the diagnosis and repair of my machine.

To my customers who have lost data, and whose work and life was on hold while data recovery was executed…

To my customers who have lost hardware, and whose work and life was on hold while we waited for parts to come…

To my customers who have lost network components, and whose work and life was on hold while we waited for outside vendors…

To anyone who has suffered because of a loss of technology that had become a additction…

I feel your pain…I understand.. I have a greater compassion for you.

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Passions

Why are you here?

Did you forget you were supposed to be changing the world?

I saw @JamesBurns speak earlier this month. He talked about some BIG ideas. He shared a video that asked those questions and he really made me think about my passions.  The next day I had the honor to meet and hear @SuzyWelch speak. She asked 3 questions at the beginning of her talk that I could not answer. Later she talked about knowing the answers to those questions:  knowing what your VALUES are, knowing who you were,  knowing what belief structures fueled your decisions.  That brought me back to my passions.

What are they? Why do I have them, why do I feel driven to them, why do I find time to pursue them, and leave no time for me? What is it about them that makes me passionate? As I look to answer these questions for myself, I look now to you too and ask…

Why are you here?

Did you forget you were supposed to be changing the world?  <– Watch the Vid that sparked this search for passions.

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The first step

The first step:

I’m not a blogger. I keep telling myself this. I know about it, I encourage others to find their voice, I love to talk, I love to share, so why then am I not a blogger?

The answer is probably many things. Afraid, is the first one that comes to mind. Afraid I will say something stupid, afraid I will hurt a feeling, afraid I will be found out to be human, and not perfect… Afraid to try.

 So today is the day I say “hello world: I am Dana M. Nelson. Human extraordinaire, about to dive into the world of sharing my passions, my knowledge and misadventures with you!