How much time do you spend on social media each day?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tatiana (Taty) Hindes on March 5, 2010 at 18:38

Hi Fiona, I am spending a lot of time trying to work it all out! This is really having a not so good effect in my working hours, but I see it as a 'marketing investment'. Altogether, I believe I spent good 3 hours each day.

Permalink Reply by Graham Southwell on March 5, 2010 at 18:45

I hear you Taty - I am spending way to long on this at present - but by the same token am really waking up to the possibilities of sites like this - and the opportunity they present to raise ones level of conciousness through participation. I guess that like all things it is a case of moderation.... now where did I put my beer :-)

Graham

Permalink Reply by Tatiana (Taty) Hindes on March 5, 2010 at 18:52

Oh, I am refering at time in general with social media... (not this website.. oops, did I get Fiona's question right?)
I find this website FANTASTIC! very easy to follow...
but with social media in general It is like sooo much going on: twitter, facebook, linkedin (whose profile is way too intense but good for networking I know I know.. )
Ok, I guess it is beer time in NZ.. here still working time (but will catch up with you soon he he)

Taty

Permalink Reply by Malcolm Kyle on March 8, 2010 at 3:06

Hello everyone

I have just started running Social Media workshops in BNI Northumbria (England) in the last two months. On both courses we were oversubscribed as members struggle to come to grips with what for many, is a very new concept. We try to educate our members to develop a strategy in the same way as you would with any other marketing/sales/PR activity for your business. At this level we are simply teaching the basics of using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and how to use tools such as Tweet Deck to manage everything.

Interestingly we're now seeing several of our members taking this further and really starting to stretch their imagination in how social media can help them with their businesses.

I'm in the process of demonstrating to all my chapter members how they can use LinkedIn as a great tool to help find suitable visitors and referrals for one another.

I love the work you're doing in NZ and I'd be interested to learn how you're approaching social media within the BNI structure.

Warmest Regards from the UK

Malcolm Kyle
BNI Northumbria

Permalink Reply by Fiona Powell 2 on March 8, 2010 at 15:32

HI Malcolm
Welcome - I've been running public courses similar to yours - 'hands on ' learning about the big '3' and tools like TweetDeck (only way to go!).
We're running our first BNI social media course later this month which will be an overview of the 'big 3', and will be interesting to see how that goes. I'm hoping we can get past the 'resistance' to social media and get people fired up about the potential....
I like your idea of using Linkedin as a tool to find visitors.
Thanks Malcom

Malcolm Kyle said:

Hello everyone

I have just started running Social Media workshops in BNI Northumbria (England) in the last two months. On both courses we were oversubscribed as members struggle to come to grips with what for many, is a very new concept. We try to educate our members to develop a strategy in the same way as you would with any other marketing/sales/PR activity for your business. At this level we are simply teaching the basics of using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and how to use tools such as Tweet Deck to manage everything.

Interestingly we're now seeing several of our members taking this further and really starting to stretch their imagination in how social media can help them with their businesses.

I'm in the process of demonstrating to all my chapter members how they can use LinkedIn as a great tool to help find suitable visitors and referrals for one another.

I love the work you're doing in NZ and I'd be interested to learn how you're approaching social media within the BNI structure.

Warmest Regards from the UK

Malcolm Kyle
BNI Northumbria

Permalink Reply by Tatiana (Taty) Hindes on March 8, 2010 at 15:44

As I user, I don't really see this social media stuff as a 'marketing tool'. Although I try to keep it all 'within' the business.
The value to me, is in the networking, finding out what is going on outside the small community I live and work.
I think the challenge for people like both Malcolm and Fiona, is to keep it all simple, with really down to earth examples and language...
Unfortunately, most people feel like: "what is in it for me" instead of seeing it also as a tool to share their passion with the world, both social and commercially

Greetings from Australia.

Taty Hindes
BNI Winning Edge
Sunshine Coast

Permalink Reply by Lynnaire Johnston on March 31, 2010 at 19:11

I'm with Aimee, this online networking is really eating up time. But I love it. It allows me to keep in touch with other BNI members now that I've moved out of Auckland and lto earn new ways to do things.

But I'm finding the uptake down here in the deep south somewhat slow. Only a few of my fellow chapter members have embraced the online networking idea, although I am doing my best to shout it from the roof-tops. Having said that, two of them have set up Facebook fan pages today, one of them has got a Yahoo site (who even knew they did this?), and a bunch have connected with me on LinkedIn. So, maybe all is not lost. And I've been asked to present the education piece tomorrow morning - guess what they're going to hear about? Yep, online networking!

Permalink Reply by Tatiana (Taty) Hindes on March 31, 2010 at 19:24

Hi Lynnaire, I am with you, I have found a lot of resistance from my networking peers to engage in social networking... perhaps the name social sounds like a 'waste of time' when they should be working.
In my case, I use a lot of this to feel connected with people like you! (NZ.. so far away from my town in the sunshine coast!)

Lynnaire Johnston said:

I'm with Aimee, this online networking is really eating up time. But I love it. It allows me to keep in touch with other BNI members now that I've moved out of Auckland and lto earn new ways to do things.
But I'm finding the uptake down here in the deep south somewhat slow. Only a few of my fellow chapter members have embraced the online networking idea, although I am doing my best to shout it from the roof-tops. Having said that, two of them have set up Facebook fan pages today, one of them has got a Yahoo site (who even knew they did this?), and a bunch have connected with me on LinkedIn. So, maybe all is not lost. And I've been asked to present the education piece tomorrow morning - guess what they're going to hear about? Yep, online networking!

Permalink Reply by Niiraj R Shah on April 6, 2010 at 21:22

I maybe spend an hour or so each day. However I know that our BNI website gets 40-50 enquiries every month wanting to go to a meeting or join. The most time consuming thing is developing content for me, but that may be because I'm trying out video blogging and trying to edit the look and feel - probably best left to the professionals

Permalink Reply by Niiraj R Shah on April 6, 2010 at 21:27

By the way I'm doing a more comprehensive survey here about social media and would be happy to share results when i have them.

Permalink Reply by Annette Bannon on July 1, 2010 at 14:26

Well I must admit that I don't have a strategic plan at this point for social media. I tend to pop on about every second day as a nice distraction from other tasks. Or when I'm notified through my email of something that interests me. As my contacts in Linked In grow, I suspect I will spend more time there.