M. Lee Smith Web Editor Wendi Watts reviews the book The Truth about Profiting from Social Networking by Patrice-Anne Rutledge. How to use Facebook and other social media websites to communicate with employees, customers, and coworkers.
Regardless of whether you are a Facebook addict or are challenged to add an attachment to an email, if your work involves communicating with other people (such as coworkers, employees, customers), The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking (Truth About)
Patrice-Anne Rutledge, a writer with a focus in online communications, presents 50 truths about social networking and a three-to-five page explanation of that truth, including examples of how people can use these tools. Those truths include “MySpace isn’t just for teenagers” and “YouTube is for profit, not just play.” There is also a great section on how to recruit candidates using social networking tools such as LinkedIn.
At times, the book’s claims of how simple and successful social networking can be is a bit “pie in the sky” and while there are solid examples, it isn’t going to give you step-by-step instructions on creating a marketing campaign using social networking. Rutledge accomplishes an unusual feat by creating a book that is accessible for people who aren’t technophiles but is also relevant for those who are.
Take me for example. As a writer, computers have been a requirement to do my job for the past 20 years. (It took my breath away to stop and realize I’ve been really in the workplace that long.) Back in the old days, when all phones had a cord and frozen dinners were heated in ovens, most computers were a bit like typewriters on steroids — unless you were a scientist, and then they were like a calculator and slide rule on steroids.
Along came the Internet and e-mail, and I didn’t think it was something many people would use. Silly me. I quickly saw how I could use e-mail to communicate with people as a reporter and in my personal life. And once I got brave enough to shop online, I discovered there really are companies that sell size 4 women’s shoes.
And then came social media, and my first question was, “What is the point?” It seemed rather narcissistic and like a lot of irrelevant noise in the online world. A few months ago, I wanted to catch up with a friend, and her 60-something mother said that the best way to do that was on Facebook. So, my first Facebook friends were a woman with teenage children and her mama.
Within a week after setting up my Facebook profile, I saw the light. And here is my prophetic revelation from the social media world: It’s here to stay and will be incorporated into the work world as much as computers and e-mail because it makes it so quick and easy to have an online presence and market yourself to a large audience and it’s usually free.
Let me give you and example. A restaurant owner’s draw is that she uses fresh ingredients and changes her menu daily. She takes her digital camera and snaps photos of the restaurant, the staff, the food, whatever. Within less than an hour, she can create a professional looking page on Facebook with photos, her menu, and more. She sends a message to her friends and employees on Facebook to tell them about the page. She can also include the address for her Facebook page on flyers, business cards, or menus. It takes her less than five minutes every day to update the menu on the page. Her customers can leave comments about their visits to the restaurant. And it was all done without spending a dime or having to ask a techie for help. And that is only the beginning.
Click here to read Ruthedge’s blog about her book The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking (Truth About)
Wendi Watts is the Web content specialist at M. Lee Smith Publishers and editor of HR Hero Line. Before moving to the online world at HRHero.com, Wendi worked as an editor for the state Employment Law Letters. She has worked as an editorial assistant for the IT Division at Middle Tennessee State University, was the school and community liaison for Rutherford County Schools in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and was a journalist at two Middle Tennessee newspapers.