Blue Helm

In honor of Presidents Day I have to give props to President Obama for doing so well in the social media realm. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or somewhere in between, you can’t deny that the man has done wonders in reaching out to The People via social media. As I’m writing this he has over 7.5 million fans on his Facebook page and close to 3.3 million followers on Twitter. No one else in the political arena has anywhere near as much online support. Sarah Palin, who seems to be the next most popular political figure on Facebook and Twitter, has just over 1.36 million fans on Facebook and barely 80,000 followers on Twitter. The number of her supporters pales in comparison to President Obama’s.

In addition to having large numbers of supporters on the major social networks, Obama has done a great job galvanizing his fan base. Outside of his official pages, there are thousands of groups, profiles, YouTube videos, websites, forums and blogs supporting his cause.

Obama has proven himself a worthy campaigner. Edelman, one of the top independent PR firms in the world, wrote a great report on how Obama used social media to win the 2008 Presidential Election. Click here to read the report.

A warning to all politicians

President Obama isn’t the only one who has used social media effectively to influence elections. A more recent example can be seen in Scott Brown’s surprise victory in Massachusetts. As of Jan. 1, Brown had over 70,000 fans while Martha Coakley had just over 13,000. Click here to read this Wall Street Journal report for more telling statistics about the Massachusetts election.

If you want an idea of who may or may not win their elections this upcoming November, just compare how the candidates are doing in the social media race.

Politicians beware; do not ignore social media!

Coca-Cola’s new “Happiness Machine” video is viral genius, plain and simple. Released earlier this month, it topped one million YouTube views this week, and was almost entirely shared through social networks like Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

Social media and viral marketing is about people, not products. Coca-Cola gets that, and successfully produced a compelling, entertaining and human campaign that connects with the consumer in a deeper, more memorable way than a traditional advertisement might. Ravi Sawhney said it perfectly in his Fast Company blog post yesterday:

“How can designers create these special moments–this magic? And not just ‘viral video’ magic, but that everyday life magic of the emotional connection that bonds people with your brand. Can we conceive of the complete story and lead people down a path of creating smiles?”

If your social media campaigns aren’t cultivating inspiration, motivation and smiles, you’re probably doing something wrong.

A few weeks ago I wrote about four useful ways to use social media over Thanksgiving. In the spirit of consistency I decided to write a similar post about Christmas.

This post is more for personal rather than for business use. You can modify most of the ideas to apply to a business if you want. You can also modify most of the ideas in this post to apply to other religious beliefs or nonreligious holiday practices.

Christmas has always been a wonderful time for me. I love family, the traditions, the music, the movies, the decorations, the spirit of giving and love, and all the other elements associated with the Christmas season.

So how should you be using social media this Christmas? Here a few suggestions:

1. Share some of your favorite traditions with your Facebook friends or Twitter readers. As you hear of great traditions, make a list and post it on your blog or as a note on your Facebook profile.
2. I used this idea for Thanksgiving, but it fits well for Christmas too: Share your favorite recipes! We all love the delicious foods that accompany Christmas. Stop hoarding your favorite dish and share it with the world! (My favorite Christmas treat is my mother’s delicious cinnamon rolls.) After you’ve posted your recipe, ask for other people’s favorite recipes and try one of them this year.
3. Make and share a list of your top ten favorite Christmas movies, songs or T.V. specials. Here’s a link from one of my favorite holiday T.V. specials…I still can’t believe that ever aired.
4. Ask people to post pictures of their decorations on your Facebook wall. You could even get people to post pictures of the craziest decorations they’ve seen this year.
5. Share heartwarming Christmas stories you’ve heard. Here’s a link to a story I like.
6. If you have the courage, in this ever-politically correct world, share your gratitude for the birth of Jesus Christ. After all, that’s what Christmas is all about. Linus explains it well.

These are just a few of my ideas. What are some ways you’re using social media this Christmas season?

Do you twitter or text in the middle of a meeting? Do you answer the phone on a date with your spouse? Do you even think about other people in public before you plug-in?

The other week I was in an important meeting where a government official was giving a presentation. He had just started and I was giving him my undivided attention when I was distracted by the guy sitting next to me. He had just pulled out his Blackberry and was typing away. I could easily see that he was tweeting something random. Not only was this guy distracting me, he wasn’t paying attention to the presentation. If this were an isolated incident I wouldn’t care, but it’s something I see almost every day. What has our constant connectivity done to our manners?

Are we so plugged-in now that we can’t be away from phones, Twitter, Facebook or any other communication device for even a few minutes?

Don’t get me wrong. I love smart phones, the internet, social media and all of the other things technology brings. In fact, I love technology so much I started a business that is totally focused around it. That being said, I don’t like how some people just can’t understand when it’s inappropriate to be using said technology.

There are plenty of articles that talk about cell phone or texting etiquette. These articles are great, but I want to make one thing clear: Texting or updating your Twitter account in the middle of a meeting, church, class, movie theater or any other similar venue is distracting and rude.

Don’t be like this guy—cell phone/texting/tweeting karma is real:

What do you think? Do you think it’s okay to text or tweet in settings I’ve mentioned? If so, I would love to hear from you.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I’ve always loved Thanksgiving, a holiday that combines the four essential F groups: family, friends, food and football.

So what’s the best way to use social media this upcoming Thanksgiving week? Here are a few ideas:

1. Tell your family and friends (employees and clients if you’re a business) why you’re thankful for them. Write on their Facebook wall or tweet something nice about them. Expressing your gratitude for them will not only brighten this person’s day, it will make you feel great too.
2. Share your favorite recipes. We all love the delicious foods that accompany Thanksgiving dinner. Stop hoarding your favorite dish and share it with the world! Maybe someone else will love your stuffing, cranberry sauce or homemade apple pie. When you’ve posted the recipe, ask for other people’s favorite recipes and try one of them this year. If you’re a business, start a conversation about great recipes on your Facebook page, blog or on Twitter.
3. Make a list of things you’re thankful for and share it with everyone. It could be a list of the weirdest things you’re thankful for or even the top YouTube videos you’re thankful for. Just be thankful. That’s the idea of this holiday, right?
4. Share the best Black Friday deals! Not only is Thanksgiving Day awesome, but the day after is awesome too. Let people know where the best deals are. If you’re a business, let your followers know you’re having a killer deal. But don’t just share your own deals. Share deals for products from other businesses that will complement the items you sell. Karma pays dividends.

These are just a few of my ideas. How are you using social media to brighten your Thanksgiving?