This is an excerpt from our upcoming book: Rock The World with Social Media: The Ultimate Social Media Guide for LinkedIn Users.

The Early Adopter may not understand what the platform is all about, but they‘re game to try new things. They may join and stay lightly active or just let it sit until they see if any opportunities present themselves. If the platform begins to show itself as a leader, they will likely re-engage and decide it is worth learning to use the technology after all. We know many people who fit this category and they have bragging rights. They helped fuel the growth the each platform even if they didn‘t do much else.

The Trendsetter sees possibilities and embraces technologies. They evangelize and invite others to join them. From the moment they jump on board, they influence others to engage as well. These people tend to push the limits of the technology. Often the trendsetter triggers the Spouse Mode Installer. They invite their friends and their friends say ―ok.

Spouse Mode Installer does just what is asked of them, answering ―OK, I‘ll join‖ and they select all the defaults, completing the minimum that they need to in order to complete the account setup and then get back to doing something they believe is more important. They join so they are no longer being harassed for not joining.

The difference between The Trendsetter and The User is The User will jump on board after the platform starts to become successful and often push the limits of courtesy. They ask ―how can I use this to make a quick buck‖ without considering the power of long-term relationships. They see the power without understanding it. They are the people who push constant heavy sales messages, never asking others ―what can I do for you?‖

The Follower adopts the technology once they see they really can‘t avoid it anymore. It has be-come so popular they feel they will be seen as being behind the curve if they don‘t get on board.

Finally The Holdout joins when they are forced to, either because their employer insists or they feel they just can‘t avoid it any longer. But they are the last to come on board. Some continue to avoid it as much as possible; others come ―kicking and screaming‖ only to discover it isn‘t so bad after all.

What kind of user are you and why? We’d love to read your comments below!

I’ve had lots of messages from subscribers and followers about the recent decline in my “daily blogging” and I’ve sent them each back a message something like this:

“Thanks so much for your loyalty to our blog and resources… just wait till you see what we’ve been up to!“

As we were preparing to schedule and begin writing our second book, Mike had a bright idea. (Aren’t they all?) He said: “Let’s do an introduction to social media for LinkedIn users!”

Brilliant. As we traveled the previous six months, more and more business people would ask us how they could make the move to other platforms; what they needed to know; where they should start.

Mike was right. And several adivsors we talked to about the idea asked us how fast we could get a manuscript ready.

That was mid-February.  By mid-August we submitted our completed manuscript to the publisher.  It now goes to the line editor, interior layout designer and finally, after a proof copy passes muster with us, it will go to the printer who will have 20 days to turn around the initial order.

So, mid-October will see Mike and I at the publisher’s digs signing thousands of first edition copies to fulfill pre-order sales before they ship for delivery by November first.

Here are some of the cool components coming:

First, since we’re social media folks, into crowd-sourcing, we thought reaching out to our friends and peers in the industry would be an appropriate thing to do. So we used the very social media platforms we discuss in the book to create it.

Next, we asked some of our best clients to share with us their favorite tips and tricks and tools that they learned from us or others. We included all of those in the book.

Finally, we wrapped what could be text of a typical business book in the music of fictitious characters, the classic rockers Pink and Floyd who, throughout the pages, shed light for you on the Dark Side of the Moon.

Take a peek at our home page and the publisher’s page for more information. Watch our Extras page as we complete development and upload additional resources to complement the first and second books in the Rock The World^TM series. And below, leave a comment. Let us know what you think, share ideas on marketing the book, and ask questions. We appreciate your input and will respond quickly.

Visit www.RockTheWorld2.com for details or to pre-order your signed, first edition copies!

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• Rock the World with Social Media … Take 2! (rocktheworldbook.com)

Excerpt from Rock the World with Social Media – coming October 2010

For anyone serious about social media, a basic understanding of and activity in Twitter is a requirement. At the very least you need to understand the issues. The only way to understand the issues is to be a user.

Image via Wikipedia

If you are new, we recommend you setup a personal Twitter account and build out your BIO as a hybrid of 80% personal and 20% business text. Your 160 character bio should be keywords rather than sentences. It is a good idea to group keywords visually and separate difference sets with a vertical pipe or some other symbol like this:

Creative genius | photographer – commercial, advertising, editorial | love to hike & ski | dedicated family man | into cartoons and comedy

The BIO above is only 138 of an allowed 160 characters. You should use as many of the 160 characters as you possibly can. It will help you be found in searches both on Twitter search as well as on related sites such as Twellow. (Twellow.com is the yellow pages of Twitter, sorting entries based on keywords found in BIOs and locations as entered by users.)

A background image is highly recommended; for personal accounts, it can be slanted mostly toward the personal side of you. Still, we suggest you look at what other people in your same demographic are doing when you create a look for yourself. You are branding yourself, after all, and there is no better place to create a visual and “instant” brand for yourself than Twitter.

Unless you have the skills to do it yourself, be prepared to pay an average of $150 for a good personalized background page. If you need assistance, we recommend you use someone who understands the nuances of building a background that will fit for a variety of screen resolutions. You can find information to contact our graphic artist on our site RockTheWorldBook.com/extras.

Consider tools like HootSuite to organize your Twitter communications, especially on a Smartphone. Twitter and Smartphones are like Lennon and McCartney. They just go together brilliantly!

For more information about Rock the World with Social Media, our second book in the “Rock the World” series, please email training@integratedalliances.com. We’d love to talk with you! Or, post a comment here and we’ll respond promptly to your thoughts and ideas.



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So many people are jumping on bandwagons these days, so many trying to find their next gig, trying to do something to pay the bills. And so the issue comes up that anyone can do anything for anyone if they just know a little more than the next guy. But is that good enough?

I received yet another notice in my inbox from a new social media “expert” that purports to have figured it out. When I looked at the facebook video link, it was of such poor quality that it was sad to watch. He’s sitting on an old couch in a wrinkled shirt with bad audio (making it hard to hear) on a dim webcam so the only feature I can really pick out against the background is rather large ears.

Am I dissing this guy? No; not at all. I am being honest about how he is portraying himself in his quest to “sell” social media training to small business owners. Maybe he will find success; perhaps he will help some people go further than they are going themselves. In the meantime, he doesn’t understand that he comes across as someone who’s not in it for the long haul, someone who will leave the side of his client the moment a job offer comes in.

Contrast that with the quality product a real training company or professional strives to provide and you’ll see a huge difference in the potential return on your investment. Here’s a real life example: Mike and I were recently at HyperThreat Studios to record a CD-quality audio companion to our first book Rock the World with your Online Presence. The picture attached to this post is my partner, Mike O’Neil in front of the microphone.

The point is, when people come across so much poor quality, they stop looking. They miss the real professionals who can help them navigate this new world. There are tons of people who are in the field, where good enough is just good enough, sort of like our friend described above. There are fewer real veterans who will someday (perhaps sooner than later) find themselves being inducted into the Social Media Hall of Fame. Those would be the likes of Guy Kawasaki, Jay Deragon, Chris Brogan, Joel Comm, Dean Holmes, Mike O’Neil, Ron Davies, Lewis Howes, Patrick O’Malley, JD Gershbein, and others.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list. Rather only the first who have come to mind. If you know someone who really knows their stuff, feel free to drop a comment below. We’d love to recognize real experts in the field who maintain a level of quality not because they have to, but because they are just that authentic.

It is sort of a step in the right direction. Personally, I would rather have the option than having it happen automatically, but the convenience outshines the drawback.  After accepting, you can send a message right then and there.  This message, what we call a Thank You Message, is a terrific way to get ROI from LinkedIn.

In our LinkedIn trainings (400 so far) we teach to send Thank You Messages as a way of drumming up business.  Give it a try and see your wallet get thicker.

We have a wealth of great tips in our hot new LinkedIn book entitled Rock The World with your Online Presence.  See the Book Site

If you follow the LinkedIn best practices we teach (and many other experts as well), you are making use of most, if not all of the text space that LinkedIn allots in your profile. This is especially important in the Headline, Summary and Specialties – prime real estate.

Well, things just changed and some people will be really scratching their heads on this one. LinkedIn just made a Carriage Return count as 3, yes 3, characters. As LinkedIn and Rock aficionados (see our Rock The World LinkedIn book), we are always “living on the edge” to discover the way for others.

We uncovered this when I went to DELETE a couple of characters and found that my profile was now 24 characters too big as I went to save changes.

Yep.  All those CR’s now count as 3 characters vs. 1 like it has been since LinkedIn was born. LinkedIn is directing people to clump text together vs. spreading it out to make it easier to read. 

Another step backwards that reminds many of the moment LinkedIn limited single invite text to 200 characters and eliminated invite text ENTIRELY when inviting more than 1 person (can you say IDK?).  See related story.

This picture illustrates the point.

After years of struggling on LinkedIn with check boxes (scrolling a list, checking box after box, scrolling some more, checking box after box, etc.) my business partner Lori Ruff  finally stepped in and showed me a shortcut. So, this is really HER post you might say.  Lori was a Microsoft Certified trainer previous to being a The LinkedIn Diva.

If you are staring on your LInkedIn screen at a list that has check boxes included in it, like when sending a message to a group of people, you can use a series of space bar (right hand) and tab key (left hand) that will let you go do 50 selections in almost no time.

You still must go one letter of the alphabet at a time in MOST cases. It doesn’t skip from the end of one letter to the beginning of the next. Still, it is heaven when you are doing sends on LinkedIn.  Thanks Lori!

Let me know if this helps you.

I was just introduced to Facebook Lite by Social Media expert Nick Armstrong.  This may be just what the doctor ordered for seemingly 90% of the people out there that are frustrated by the sheer complexity of  its Big Brother – the tiny icon’s, the terminology, the options, the hidden this and that.

What’s the difference?  Streamlined screens, no Facebook applications, shortened lists of options, CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!

Give it a try.  It works off the original Facebook profile, Friends list, etc.  It seems to be 100% interchangeable.

Behind the scenes?  It runs on Java and AJAX according to Armstrong.  That means faster loading, faster operation, faster satisfaction.  I can TOTALLY attest to that.

Give it a try.  It’s really easy.   Simply go to www.lite.facebook.com vs www.facebook.com.

You may be asking yourself, “What is the connection between music & social media?”

Music is the universal language that unites us in the world regardless of our many differences.

Music raises our social consciousness.  It helps us reflect on happy or sad times.

Music empowers us.

Thanks to social media platforms like: Photobucket, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Blip.fm and others that help us achieve this.

Two examples are from Twitter and other media that allowed a response and reaction to the shocking news of the death of “King of Pop” icon Michael Jackson or the recent B.E.P performance in Chicago kicking off Oprah’s 24^th TV season.

~Liz Isaacs, Writing & Marketing Communications, Lotus Writing & Communications
liz@lotuswommunications.net
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lotuswritngcommunications
http://www.twitter.com/lizisaacslwc or @lizisaacslwc

A few weeks ago, I was nominated for being one of many in the #rocktheworld Best LinkedIn Profile Contest held by LinkedIn/Social Media Experts, Mike O’Neill and Lori Ruff, of Integrated Alliances of Denver. The top five LinkedIn profiles with the most votes will be featured in Mike’s book, “Rock the World With Your Online Presence,” to be released later next month.

A few days ago, I was nominated in the #rocktheworld Best LinkedIn Profile Contest held by LinkedIn/Social Media Experts, Mike O’Neil and Lori Ruff, of Integrated Alliances of Denver. The top five LinkedIn profiles including the top vote-getter will be featured in Mike’s book, “Rock the World With Your Online Presence,” to be released late November.

Of course, I am thrilled to be considered for such an honor (as anyone would be) and to be included with such an esteemed group of colleagues. I have to admit that I kind of felt like a kid in high school again, especially, to be nominated in a contest with a Robert Plant reference.

But I had to grin, because it wasn’t until returning from the U.S. Small Business Conference™ held in St. Louis this past September, that I was able to utilize the many of the tips mentioned in a presentation by LinkedIn expert Lewis Howes, co-author of “LinkedWorking: Generating Success on LinkedIn, the Worlds Largest Professional Networking Website.”  Lewis mentions Mike O’Neil, founder of Integrated Alliances, as a LinkedIn Profile expert in his book.

I had attended other LinkedIn workshops, which all were beneficial. Lewis’s presentation put the icing on the cake that I needed to focus on in my profile to help me get noticed as an expert in my field.

As a result, many of my connections and others have been finding and reading my profile and inquiring about my professional services offered through Lotus Writing & Communications as well as my personal writing goals. Regardless of the outcome of the contest, and whether or not I am featured in Mike’s book, I am honored to be considered. It validates the work I am passionate about….connecting with others…helping them blossom and flourish and achieve their fullest potential…and my writing.

~Liz Isaacs, Writing & Marketing Communications Strategist, Lotus Writing & Communications

P.S. If you haven’t voted in the contest here’s the info: #rocktheworld http://bit.ly/4CIMHC

liz@lotuswommunications.net

http://www.linkedin.com/in/lotuswritngcommunications

http://www.twitter.com/lizisaacslwc or @lizisaacslwc