One way to get traffic to your blog is to make a great big list of people and declare that they're important. Influencers, People You Need to Know, Up-and-Comers. The only thing people love more than a list is being on a list. And the only thing people love more than being on a list is telling other people that they're on a list. This is the link bait list. I've ... Continue Reading about Link Bait Lists
Content Before SEO
You need to read this post by Mack Collier. He takes apart a post written by Seth Godin and describes why those of us who blog should worry about SEO, titles, and the like. What’s implicit here is that the way to establish your voice is through the search and content strategies routinely sold as gospel. I’m heavily invested in social media in health but I think ... Continue Reading about Content Before SEO
When Doctors Monkey Around
When I talk about social media I usually describe my earliest entree in to Twitter as 'monkeying around.' An innocent flirtation with no real endpoint. The point is that I didn't know what it was or how I might use it, but I was curious. Recently a skeptical physician-friend approached me after a talk and said with a smirk, "So that's what you do on Twitter, you ... Continue Reading about When Doctors Monkey Around
A Simpler Ladder of Social Engagement
I’ve been thinking about how we use social media. How can we characterize what we do? I have always used Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff's Social Technographics ladder for thinking about the various levels of social media participation. I want to make a simpler ladder of social engagement for use in teaching others about social media. Perhaps there could be as few ... Continue Reading about A Simpler Ladder of Social Engagement
Social Tools Don’t Create New Motivations
Clay Shirky in Here Comes Everybody suggested, "Social tools don't create new motivations so much as amplify existing ones." People use applications to meet a need. I often tell the story of a pediatrician friend I met for lunch a couple of years back. After 'selling' him on the merits of blogging and Twitter, he countered by suggesting that he had no use for ... Continue Reading about Social Tools Don’t Create New Motivations
You Need to Make Something
I know this woman – a physician. She spends a lot of time on Twitter. She has a Tumblr presence but it’s sparse and not very memorable. All day long she polishes her Twitter presence. She’s everyone’s friend. And to her credit she’s a wonderful curator. We caught up recently and she wanted to know how she could bring herself to the next level. Despite her time ... Continue Reading about You Need to Make Something