Motivational Monday: Be Inspired

By now, the entire world knows the news that legendary Hip Hop MC, Heavy D died last week. He was definitely a fore runner of hip hop in the 90s and a staple in my youth. I loved how he was such a sweet source of inspiration whether he was on stage or at home with his family.

As the news spread about his passing, for some reason, I instantly looked at what his last tweet was...yes...it is a bit morbid. I am fascinated to know what the last words are from people once they pass. In a sense, it tells me what kind of person they were when they were alive and what type of legacy they wanted to leave once they were gone.

Motivational Monday is dedicated to Heavy D. His last tweet was words of wisdom, I believe we should all live by.

"Be Inspired"...everyday.

Quality Over Quantity: Who do you follow on Twitter?

Twitter. A great way to connect with people, fans, clients, friends. It's an amazingly instantaneous way to get information and news. As a business it's wonderful for connecting with your clients and potential clients and to keep in contact with them. But sometimes, Twitter can seem like a game of jacks (how many can I get this time?)

As we try to grow ourselves, businesses, and causes can we really take a chance banishing quantity over quality?

I recently read an article, by a fellow blogger, entitled "Words Done Write: 5 Phrases that Ruin Your Twitter Bio." It got me thinking. So many people get on to Twitter for the sheer purpose of the numbers. Which is okay...if you are a celebrity where it's effortless to have millions of followers. However, if you are a small business or an up and coming personality, where you actually have to work at gaining notoriety and awareness, do the number of followers really count?

What makes Twitter slightly different from say Facebook or LinkedIn is that you can connect with anyone, any where, at any time, about any thing in 140 characters of less and have your brand's awareness go up instantly with a simple Retweet or mention. You can't afford to follow or be followed by people who aren't going to add true value to your business. Just because you have 3000 followers does not necessarily mean that they are listening to what you have to tweet. When you take the time to make connections it makes brand building all the more easier.

Every day I get notifications about a new follower, I am mostly interested in who the follower actually is and whether or not I can gain something from them...whether it be knowledge, affiliation, or business. I'm almost irritated when I am followed by someone on the #teamfollowback train or a marketer or a spammer. They are of no real value to me.

For me it's all about the quality of followers than the quantity. I am happy to tell you that the SOA Event Concepts twitter page only has about 260 followers and we're following about over 440 people. Those 260 followers are people with whom we have met or who have found us and the 440 that we follow are people we gain plenty from and see them as valuable contacts. Because we are a new and small business, we can't afford to play "the numbers game" on Twitter. That game is best reserved for our website, blogs, and newsletters. THAT is where numbers count the most.

Look at the people who are following you now and ask yourself if they are of much valuae(quality) or dead weight (quantity). Also, look at who you follow. Is it mostly celebrities and gossip sites? Or is it a diverse portfolio of potential and current contacts as well as industry leaders to provide you with the knowledge to grow? You'll be amazed at how much dead weight you carry on your Twitter page.

Remember: Quality> Quantity every time.

The Unemployed Entrepeneur

Should you friend or follow you co-workers?

We enjoy their company at work because they make the day go by faster. They are there for us when we need to borrow office supplies or a shoulder, but should we take our professional relationships outside of the office and into the social media realm? In this day and age when twitter, facebook, and other social media are a staple in our everyday and professional lives, the question of "should you friend or follow your co-workers and bosses?" is bound to come up. I myself have been asking this question. I'm very close to my manager at work and the company has a great familial atmosphere. With all that, I still don't want the line between my professional self and my regular self (via the net) to get crossed.

Think about it. How serious would you take your supervisor if you saw a picture of them chugging at last year's Christmas party? Or how serious would they take you as you live-tweet The Real Housewives of Atlanta?


Yes social media is there for us to connect to each other, but you have to choose how and where you want to connect with people. Especially people you work with. Below are some tips on following your comrades at work.

Tip #1: If you are going to send a friend request to a co-worker, create a profile for them and set your settings accordingly. The best thing about Facebook is you can create limited profile settings and groups. I have one for family and co-workers. Sometimes I just don't want them to see some of the things I post or have access to what others write on my wall. And thus, I act accordingly.

Tip #2: Be aware of who follows you on Twitter. If you are smart, you have set up your Twitter account to alert you when someone follows you. If you are even smarter, you have created a profile for business and another for everything else a la "You VS You the Brand on Twitter." The moment you find out that someone from your job is following you, that is the day you should decide whether or not to censor your tweets.

Tip #3: Want to connect with your co-workers without messing with the integrity of your "hilarious" late night tweets? Linked-In and other professional social media sites were created for exactly that purpose. You'll still be able to see what they are up to and send them messages, but it is through a platform built specifically for professionals.

Tip #4: You've connected with your work family. You've created your separate settings for them. Now what? KISS. Keep it Short and Simple. You don't want to be that overbearing Twitter follower or obnoxious Facebook friend. Maintain the professionalism, even from the comfort of your own computer.

Social media is a fun tool to connect and communicate with people, but when what you're communicating on the internet takes a shot at what you want to communicate in your career, you have to really decide if it's best to communicate and connect with those from your job. If you're going to do it, you should at least know how to do it in the most professional way possible. With privacy settings on Facebook, professional sites like Linked-In and applying simple rules when you connect, you can set the tone of professionalism online.

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur

You vs You the Brand on Twitter

Below is the transcript from a twitter conversation I had with a good colleague of mine about a day ago about You vs You the Brand:

:I know someone who makes a LOT of money who wants to use a very talented videographer but won't because of the mess they tweet. #TooBadSoSad

Me: part of the reason I have two twitter accounts. Ones for business and the other is for everything else.

Me: however if YOU are your brand there is a fine line of professionalism and realism that you have to maintain At all times on here

Me: but people don't look at twitter as a business tool. They solely see it as a "social media" mechanism when in truth it's more.

:You're preaching SOA!

Me: and it's a simple thing to see. Don't you think celebrities, CEOs, politicians, etc have multiple accounts? Because depending on what your role is in society and how you want others to see you you do what you do for others. If you didn't it wouldn't matter but it does. So you have to either separate your professional self &everyday self or learn to tone down your everyday self at least until you make the type of money where it doesn't really matter or THAT becomes society's view of you, ie @kanyewest

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But it's true. If you believe that your employers, peers, etc. aren't paying attention to your tweets, you've got another thing coming. With it being so easy for people to follow you, unless of course your page is private, you really have to watch what you repeatedly say on Twitter. It's one thing to every once in a while let a cuss word slip or tweet your heart felt feelings about a matter, but when you continuously use foul language, talk about people, disrespect people that shines down on your character. Maybe you aren't like that in real life...but who would know? Certainly, I've fallen victim to TMItweets a time or two on my personal page, but you'll NEVER see my professional page get out of line.

The difference between You and You the Brand when it comes to social media lies in the image you portray and the image everyone else sees. If you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, how easy is it to create a page strictly for networking, jobs/ clients, and professional purposes and a separate page for everything else? As a student, when you are gearing up to step into the corporate world, keeping the chatter and inappropriateness to a minimum is a must. Your tweets about who you were with last night could be the difference between working at Hooters Corporate or Hooters down the street [think about it].

If you are your brand, ie student, notable figure, or employee at a corporate office, you have to be your own filter. It's easy to want to put everything on your twitter but when the stakes are high, you're better off keeping a diary if you don't want to make a decoy page.

Unless you just plain don't care, your name is Kanye West or you've finally reached the ultimate status in life...keep the inappropriate Twitter chatter to a minimum. And even then, keep THAT to a minimum.

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur

5 People You Should Follow On Twitter

We all use twitter as a way to connect with people, clients, family, friends, and celebrities, but there is so much more and so many more people you can connect with on Twitter. By using twitter as a way to get information and updates, networking with businesses, and connecting with peers you can do wonders with twitter.

Here are 5 people you should follow on Twitter:
Whether you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or just thinking about it these people will help steer you in the right direction.

• The Boss Network
  If you are a woman business owner, you need to connect and network with other female business owners. The Boss Network was as "Forbes 10 Best Career Sites and Top 100 Websites for Women" http://www.thebossnetwork.org


• VP Small Biz
  I know that you read the Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur because it offers you advice and inspiration, VP Small Biz also provides valuable stories, links, and posts for the entrepreneur in you. In this game called life you can't afford to lose because you don't have enough knowledge. http://www.smallbiz.vistaprint.com


• Mashable
  Whether you are into this whole technology thing, the fact that you live in the technology era is all the more reason to learn about it. Mashable does a fantastic job of keeping you in the know about all things technological and social media base, plus they have some pretty cool features. http://www.mashable.com


• Possibilitive
  Because some of us are still unemployed... Possibilitive is a newbie in the realm of Twitter but they are certainly useful. With information on savings, job resources, and a way to connect with other unemployed people, possibilitive is a great group to follow. http://www.possibilitive.com


• Your local news and traffic profiles. I live in Atlanta, home of the second or third worst traffic and home of random breaking news stories. This year we've had a zebra, buffalo, and small aircraft all land on our highways causing horrific traffic back ups. I follow the local news and traffic reports on twitter so that I don't get stuck in traffic and so I am always in the know to what's going on around me.

Honorable Mention
SOA Event Concepts' twitter page...duh! Follow me for instant updates on this blog, our latest events, and fantastic news! http://www.soaeventconcepts.com

As you can see, Twitter is a hub for more than just celebrity profiles and gossip. It has something for everyone. It can be a useful tool for your business, your future, and even your day to day life. When you work twitter, twitter can work for you. I posted just 5 people you should follow on twitter, but trust me there are millions of others that you haven't even discovered yet!

The Unemployed [but Empowered and Tweeting] Entrepreneur