There is a fun blog called The Problem with Young People Today is. Full disclosure, I’m related to both Don Mills and his brother York.  The blog, which is frequently Freshly Pressed (chosen by WordPress as a blog of the day) and which gets a substantial amount of traffic, features the musings of an often cranky octogenarian. He rails against young people, like in this post about appropriate behaviour towards the elderly by salespeople.

Don sometimes gets into discussions with youth angry at his position. In the end, they often end up engaged by Don and sometimes even charmed.

Don often takes things to extremes for comic effect. The crafting of it is considered, intentional and meant to provoke and entertain.  It is not just some crank’s opinion. It is a mirror held up to a troubled relationship that has ever been thus: that between the young and the old.

It is the job of youth to rebel, innovate, displace, overthrow, and to challenge. And that’s what they did this past election. They held vote mobs. Yes, Rick Mercer challenged them to do it, but it’s the kids who did it. Young leaders rallied friends and fellow students and made some noise and I’d bet Rick Mercer would be the first to say that the credit should go to them.

I had the great privilege of working a little bit with Jamie Biggar of Lead Now, including on Vote Social, and with our incredibly talented, visionary and hardworking friends over at Communicopia. Jamie inspired me with his sense of purpose, his ability to mobilize and to speak clearly and plainly about his vision. He, like so many youth who stepped forth in the election, is very clearly in charge of his own destiny and envisions a better wrold that I want to work towards and live in.

I think we sometimes have a bias against the young. When young MP’s who had really meant to stand as paper candidates were elected, the backlash against them and their potential as parliamentarians was awful.

“We want more young people and women to get involved in politics, yet when they do engage, we treat them terribly,” said Paula Arab of the Calgary Herald in her article Grow up and Treat Young MP’s with Respect. The only thing worse than the contempt heaped on the candidates was that heaped on those who voted for them. I kept expecting one particularly outraged commentator to start shaking his fist at the home audience, and intone “you’ll rue the day…”

Canada belongs to single mothers and university students every bit as it belongs to political insiders and career politicians. Democracy is not solely for a single gender, a particular age bracket, income bracket, or just for people who practice a in one of a limited number of professions. It is for everyone, and it can, theoretically, witness the election of any eligible citizen, including a young one, or, in the case of this incoming parliament, several young citizens.

Young people challenge us to think differently. To think beyond our own interests. To see the world through more hopeful eyes. They are not yet entrenched in the way things have always been done. Let them look for solutions to problems that have eluded us for years.

The trouble with young people today is…they have the potential to remind us of our responsibility to future generations and the planet. And I for one don’t think that’s such a bad thing.

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This election, advance polls suggest young adults, aged 18-30, may be engaging with the political process like they haven’t in a very long time. Perhaps like never before. Why? Because they can.

Power, some say, is about cutting people off. Doctors and lawyers have a special language that takes years to learn, a way of ensuring that they remain a somewhat exclusive club. It is smart politics for political leaders to make promises to groups they think can help them, and ignore those who can’t. Those with power are the “in crowd.” Those without it are “outsiders.”

As an outsider, you stand alone looking in. And until recently, as an outsider, which at any given time is most of the population, you may have been standing shoulder to dozens, hundreds, thousands or even millions of others, just as much on the outside as you, and not really known they were there.

But social media changed all that.

Traditionally, those 30 and under have been “hard to mobilize.” You might call them an “inconvenient youth.” And like young people, women have traditionally felt marginalized in the political process and are less inclined than men to vote.

Think of all of those marginalized people standing around a glass building brightly lit on the inside and filled with the ruling class.  While it’s bright on the inside, it’s dark outside. So dark that everyone on the outside thinks they are alone. Meanwhile, those on the inside can’t see out – the bright lights have turned the windows into mirrors, so they don’t see anyone except themselves.

Social media is like a bright light going on outside the building. Suddenly, those inside are confronted by the sight of people they really didn’t know were there, just as those on the outside realize they are not alone, and they never really were. Nothing has changed but the lighting. And yet everything is different, including the balance of power.

That’s the role social media is playing in this election. Somebody turned on the outside lights.

If you want to win the people, you have to go where they are, not where they used to be or where you wish they were.

People are social. Democracy is social. And now voting is social.

Please visit Vote Social to learn how you can turn your vote into a truly social event.

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Social Media is a game changer.

Social media has taken off because it fits more with how we interact with the world around us, our friends, and it dovetails with how we make decisions.

We know that ads don’t always tell us the truth, that we can’t believe everything we read in the paper or see on tv. But we are interested in the experiences of our friends, what they recommend and why. And we want immediate access to information without interpreters, intermediaries and marketing hype. We care about some of the things our friends care about and we want them to care about what we care about.

Social media lets us change the world one friend at a time. And sometimes many, many more. It is word of mouth in action.

David Meerman Scott, one of the thought leaders in the space of Social Media, suggests thinking of social media like a cocktail party. Many of the same social niceties apply:

• Manners are important
• Don’t be too self promotional
• Be interested in others
• Be interesting
• Be helpful to others if you can be
• Show up, engage and be engaging.

Don’t think social media is important?

Think again. Your customers, clients and donors have already joined the conversation. What are they saying about you? Don’t know? That’s a problem. And it could be a big one.  Take a look at Dominoes Pizza. They’re a firm that had to get their social media act together in a big hurry after workers posted video of themselves on YouTube doing disgusting things to food in a Dominoes Kitchen.

Past that hurdle, Dominoes realized they had an even bigger  problem. Their pizza sucked and everyone was talking about how bad it was through social media.

In the past, poor customer service and bad products were in the realm of “buyer beware.” But in a world where everyone is talking, a lot of with a shared bad experience or shared dislike of a product or service is a very dangerous thing for a brand.

The old adage used to be that a happy customer told only a few people but an unhappy customer shared his or her negative experience with at least 10 people. Social media means your reach can extend exponentially, and often with just a couple of mouse clicks.

Faced with just such a scenario, Dominoes did something radical. They changed their recipe. They came out and essentially said, “we know our pizza isn’t good. And we’re changing it.” It had been the same recipe for almost fifty years. Why did they do something so radical? Watching the comments from bloggers and those on sites like Twitter, they knew they couldn’t pretend that nothing was wrong. And their very survival depended on changing the core of their business. The end result?   Dominoes doubled its profits.

Dell is another company that uses Social Media to help with customer service. And they directly attribute $3 million dollars in sales to one Twitter account. They firmly recognize that social media is NOT the place to push messages out but to solve problems before they escalate. And they jumped into the space, specifically to address the deteriorating customer service their clients had identified. Now they have 40 bloggers and are leaders in the social media space.

But there is more to social media than customer service. It is one of the best places for market research possible. It provides an immediate source for information, news, opinion – and even feedback on products, services, trends, both current and emerging. It is a place to see if and where the world is shifting, moving, and headed.  Those new to the space are anxious to talk. Those who have been there for a while are just as interested, if not more, in listening.

Various social media channels provide fertile research ground to get an advance look at upcoming trends and emerging conversations amongst key social and economic demographics. In short, you’d pay a lot of money for this research from a marketing firm – but it’s something you can do yourself and be better informed about your clients, customers and donors, and the people that matter to them.

This article is an excerpt from the White Paper called “What is Social Media, ” available for free download by signup on any Babble On webpage half way down on the right side of the site.

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What are the odds? I bumped into Patti Cross, a dear old high school friend on a friend’s Facebook page. I hadn’t seen her in years. Patti is now a senior lawyer in the Office of the Chief Justice in the Ontario Court of Justice.

So the mutual friend we discovered we had, Deborah Moskovitch, author of the wonderfully helpful book The Smart Divorce, invited me to come out for drinks with them. On a whim, I emailed Kim Wootton, now Kim Specht, a luxury travel executive who lives in Chicago, but back in the day, tore up Oshawa with Patti and me.

As luck would have it, Kim had just hours before booked a trip to Toronto –  and so this past Wednesday, all four of us convened on the patio of Sassafrass.  For the three of us who’d been through such pivotal moments in each others young lives, it seemed like space and time had never divided us. And Deborah should try and take this in the spirit in which it is intended: she fit right into the Oshawa girls club.

I’m glad we have Facebook and other online ways of connecting with those we’ve loved and lost along the way. I’m also glad I didn’t have it when I was a teenager or an emerging adult. People grow up out loud and online now, youthful indiscretions much more public.  

Last night, I jumped onto the page of a Facebook friend and cringed. Someone had posted something very nasty about someone who had commented on his page. If I were a betting women, I’d say alcohol was involved.

I couldn’t help but imagine the person waking up blurry eyed with a splitting headache and the dawning memory of doing something she desperately wished she hadn’t done. But she did. And it was there for all to see. Until it wasn’t. The site’s owner removed the offending comment – but no doubt, some damage was done. 

In the span of a few hours, I had experienced Facebook at its best and worst. I’d reconnected with dear old friends and witnessed someone else fall apart at the seams. Facebook is not for the rash, not for the bitter, and definitely not for the drunk. But then, you could say that about almost anything that matters in this life.

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Journalism Online is a subscription service that will allow customers access to premium content on participating publishers websites. Journalism Online was announced in April and is expected to kick into high gear sometime in the coming months. 

In fact, the upstart e-commerce operation was supposed to have listed the participating publishers by now but claims it needs another couple of weeks because its client list keeps growing. 

Journalism Online is the brainchild of Steven Brill, the founder of Court TV, Gordon Krovitz , a former publisher of The Wall Street Journal  and Leo Hindery, an award-winning cable television executive.

Critics point to failed experiments for paid content at a variety of news outlets, including The New York Times. For two years, The Times charged for online access to articles written by their most popular columnists, including Maureen Dowd and Paul Krugman. The subscription service was disbanded in 2007.

So why would this work now if not before?

It might not. But most media outlets, particularly newspapers, are out of options. It’s not so much a choice as a last resort.

So what do you think? Would you be willing to pay for content from top media sites with one monthly fee of $15 US or $20 Cdn?  Our Babble On Poll that ran when this blog first did returned 60% for no; 40% for maybe. No one voted yes.

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The Privacy Commissioner of Canada noted problems on everything from how Facebook shares information to how long accounts remain up and visible after an account has been deactivated for whatever reason, including the death of the account holder. 

Clearly, Facebook must take steps to better protect its clients’ information. But the report should act as a reminder on some basic rules for everyone who ever writes anything in any electronic format. Once you hit the share button, your post can remain forever, past the reach of pulling it down should you ever change your mind.

Here are some assumptions you should make prior to posting anything on Facebook and other social media sites:

1. Everyone can and will read it, including the tax department, border guards and the kid who nicknamed you “Stinky” in grade 3. 
2. Once you’ve posted it, someone somewhere will capture what you’ve said via print screen, rendering the remove post function somewhat useless.
3. Somebody somewhere will upload and share with their networks something you’ve posted. 
4. Somebody, somewhere, in your friends networks will share what your friend posted picked up from what you posted.
5.  You are at some point likely to have a falling out with at least one of your Facebook friends. 

How do you decide if something is post-worthy?

1. How would it read in a court of law?  If you would be embarrassed, shamed or chagrined, that’s probably a good indicator that some re-thinking might be in order. 
2. How would it read to anyone or organization you referenced?
3. How would it read to their legal department or advisor?
4. Could your post be considered hurtful to anyone? 
5. Does it help or take away from your professional standing or the kind of person you would like to be seen as within your social circle?  

Here are some basic rules for posting:

1. Use the H.A.L.T. rules. Never post when you’re too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. That’s when mistakes get made and you’re more inclined to do and say things you’ll regret later. 
2. Try reading your post from the perspective of another, especially any organization or person you reference.
3. If you’re not sure, give your post one night’s sleep. Time and rest tend bring wisdom and clarity.Ask someone else. If you’re not sure about how something could be interpreted, fly it past someone you trust.
4. Are you putting anyone else at risk, either through pictures or words?  
5. Post unto others as you would have posted unto yourself. If you wouldn’t want what you’re saying about someone else said about you, time to rethink your approach. 

Facebook and other social media sites make us much more connected than we’ve ever been before. It also means our lives and thoughts are etched into electronic stone for posterity. Make sure your posts are worthy of you. Make sure your posts are worthy of your legacy.

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Being Twitter follow worthy isn’t rocket science. In fact, successful twitter follow really comes down to the some simple etiquette basics with a little dose of treating others as you’d like to be treated thrown in.

Twitter is a form of social media. The emphasis is on social. As others, including David Meerman Scott and Jim Tobin and Lisa Braziel are fond of saying, think of it as a cocktail party. Follow basic rules of human interaction and twitter follow will come seamlessly and organically. Here are some helpful guidelines to follow:

1. Jump In!

The best way to learn about twitter is to jump right in. Go ahead and follow people. You can unfollow them later if you don’t like their tweets. If you get followed by someone who makes you uncomfortable, you can always block them. You are in control.

2. Be authentic and be interesting

Be engaging, be fun, be serious, be real…be you at your best. People engage with people, not a product. Don’t try and be something or someone you’re not. Twitter follow depends on you being a real person connecting with people in real time in real and meaningful ways.

3. Show us what you’re made of!

Put some thought into your twitter page. Make sure your bio tells us who you are and get a picture up of yourself pronto. Do not leave the default avatar – that’s a sure fire way to kill your chance at twitter follow. Find or create a background you like and make sure that as you are following people, you have posted something that gives potential followers a glimpse into who you are. Start watching the conversations of those you are following and jump in if you have something helpful or meaningful to add.

4. Follow H.A.L.T. rules

Never tweet when you’re too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Remember the needs of your audience always and don’t tweet anything you might regret later.

5. Be conversational and remember your manners

Twitter is not a broadcast medium. It is a conversation. It is about engagement and NOT about pushing messages out. Engage in the conversations of others and others will engage in your conversations as well. If you are simply letting other people know what you are doing or thinking, chances are very good Twitter will not work for you. Thank others when they help you and engage in niceties like “Follow Fridays” where you acknowledge others who bring value to you through their tweets. Thank those who acknowledge you and the value you bring to them.

6. Be helpful

You’ve probably had or have a friend who takes and takes and takes. It doesn’t feel good in real life and it doesn’t feel good in Twitter either. The good news is in Twitter, it’s much easier to disengage. To be truly Twitter follow worthy, make sure you help others, offer advice where you can, and re-tweet messages that you think will be helpful to those following you. Do it because it’s the right thing to do. But know also that those you’ve been helpful to will be much more inclined to be helpful to you too.

7. Think twice about an auto follow program

There is great value in choosing who you follow. Sadly, an increasing number of people resort to pyramid-like services that will automatically get them new followers. It is popular with spammers and people looking to get big numbers of twitter follows fast. The end result? Not a lot of meaningful relationships but many new spammers looking for fast sales and big Twitter follow numbers. Slow and steady wins the race.

8. Tweet in Real Time

There are programs that let you set tweets for later – but setting your tweets on auto pilot has a serious downside. You are missing out on real conversations. Even if you try and make these auto tweets sound interesting, you’re really just broadcasting and are less likely to engage others.

9. Avoid Auto Direct Messages

If it’s worth thanking someone, it’s worth thanking them personally. Take the time to thank a twitter follow who is a real person engaging in real tweets and let them know that you’re following them too. See if there is a point of interest between you in their bio or on their twitter page. It’s a great relationship starter and you never know where it might lead.

10. Take it off line

There are opportunities to extend your twitter experience in the real world. Take advantage of the chance to step out into the real world and connect with the twitter followers you have. Opportunities will include conferences, conventions or informal meet ups when you’re visiting a new city. Twitter can open up whole new worlds for you if you want it to.

Twitter is what you make of it. It’s a fabulous way to meet new people, some of whom may be very interested in what you have to say. First and foremost, it is about relationships. If you remember that, you will have great Twitter follow and an all around terrific Twitter experience.

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I try and follow a range of people, ensuring that I hear a range of opinions on a variety of social fabric issues as possible. I used to friend everyone back but now I ignore the people who:

a) don’t put up a picture and a bio line

b) have few or no tweets

c) try and sell me something in their posted tweets or bio.

I’m also not crazy about a recent automated trend to join up and have a bot do a massive amount of autofollowing for you right off the bat. Twitter is about relationships – not numbers.

I get a kick out of the happenings in my twitter friends lives. I mean how cool is it that @mark_phillips is at an undisclosed location at an undisclosed time working on the USO’s tour with Stephen Colbert???? And will @JimAlger and @stephenkruiser ever learn to get along????

There are leaders in my twitter community. When a virus swept through twitter, @judyrey, @mashable and @Mike_Wesely kept many of us updated on what was happening and how to protect ourselves. And those like @mballantyne whose posts include unexpected gems like a stunning dance routine with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell.

In my twitisphere, there are people from my past, people I’ve never met and some I’ve admired for years. There are also a few people who want to show me how I can make a passive income, many who use the word abundance a lot and some who tweet supposedly authentic comments on products without disclosing they are paid for those comments. But they don’t stay long. I don’t let them.

Like anything, Twitter is what you make of it. Me? I love it. I’m @SusanMcLennan. Come up and tweet me sometime….

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