Comments on: Social Networking Round Table – Part 3

By: Social Media Discussion | Let Me Be Frank With You

Social Media Discussion | Let Me Be Frank With You — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:53:52 +0000

[...] Post 3: Social Media for Individuals [...]

By: » The Future of Social Networking - Round Table Discussion Part 4

» The Future of Social Networking - Round Table Discussion Part 4 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:35:59 +0000

[...] Social Networking Round Table – Part 3 [...]

By: Paul Steinbrueck

Paul Steinbrueck — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:03:06 +0000

Warren, it’s a challenge to get the critical mass necessary to form a real community around a blog or forums. I don’t think we’re really there yet with this blog or our forums (http://forums.ourchurch.com)

IMO, the most important things you can do to increase participation in your blog is read and comment on other blogs in your field. You can learn a lot about how to do a blog well by reading other successful bloggers, and if you post worthwhile comments people will click over to your blog. If the content is good, those people will read, comment, and subscribe (assuming you have an RSS feed for your blog)

By: Allison

Allison — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:35:27 +0000

I agree with Drew, it’s better to think through the strategy of how your different site will be used. I have two different MySpace because of the concern of keeping personal and professional separate. However with my facebook I knew a little better and decided to keep it for friend and family. I discourage professional contacts on that site. It allows for greater authenticity comfort. Twitter is still a work in progress, but I am beginning to see its possibilities and it looks like a good vehicle for professional use.

By: Warren

Warren — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:18:16 +0000

I started with MySpace. I never got more than a dozen friends and the sexy ads were not for me. Then I joined Facebook and I have 300 friends. I have added a page for my business which now has about 65 fans. I had a Twitter account and I started a Twitter account for my business which you folks are following… but to be honest… I cannot figure it out or even know why I should have it or what good it might do for my business. It makes me wonder if this is all just a lot of stuff to take up all my time. I started a forum on my web site for drama lovers to get involved in, but no one came to it and I was being spammed by porn and had to shut it down. I have a blog, but no one seems to come and read it either. So, I am not finding how any of this is going to be good for my business.

By: Paul Steinbrueck

Paul Steinbrueck — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:25:12 +0000

Just to add my $0.02… My thinking on this is much like Drew’s. I’ve found it helpful to have separate accounts for different purposes or relational circles so I can keep the conversations focused on what people want to discuss.

I use Facebook strictly for connecting with family and friends. I write about ministry/life stuff on my personal blog (http://www.LiveIntentionally.org), and professional/technology stuff on this blog. I’ve got a personal twitter profile (@PaulSteinbrueck), and OurChurch.Com has its own twitter profile @OurChurchDotCom.