Jess : The Rocks
Jess Nichols – Images by Cathy Topping
Jess Nichols is a social media tragic who works on the web in one of Australia’s leading online consulting practices, saving the world one website at a time. Outside of work you can find her blogging at Cocktails and Crowdsourcing, or at jessnichols on Twitter.
We met at The Rocks, Sydney’s historical corner where the first settlers landed and founded modern Australia. Right on the doorstep of the CBD district, the fusion of modernity and colonial history was a fun backdrop for our late afternoon photo shoot.
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Social Media isn’t going anywhere.
It’s the new email – a long time ago in business, people thought that the only way you should be communicating was via post or phone; and that
there was no place for email. It was a niche product, but then one day it reached a tipping point (a time when it reaches the masses) and nowpeople can’t live without it.
there was no place for email. It was a niche product, but then one day it reached a tipping point (a time when it reaches the masses) and nowpeople can’t live without it.
Sound familiar?
Social Media is going through this same process. It already passed its tipping point (especially with Facebook) but other niche platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn are not far behind. Regardless of platform, it is ingrained into everyone’s lives – there haven’t been that many organisations where their company name, and trademarks, has become a verb in everyday language – think about the last time you said you would “Facebook someone”. Even Defriend and Tweetup have made it to the Oxford Dictionary. So what can you do? Embrace it – but don’t overwhelm yourself with it. Once you start a social media account on a platform you can never leave it – an abandoned account is worse than no account at all. Dabble with one platform and then start exploring other platforms that are right for you. There are many ways of integrating platforms (like your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) so you only need to post once.
Segment it – Use each platform for a different reason. Personally I use my Facebook for people I know; Twitter for people I want to know; and my LinkedIn for industry connections. It’s about being anti-social with the platforms – don’t use the same platform for multiple things and even if people pressure you to join a platform, don’t join it unless you can find a real use for it in your everyday life.
Join a platform and discover.
You can find people who are interested in the most amazing and niche things – and if you feel that you are the only person in the world with an interest – chances are you aren’t alone. I’ve met so many awesome people through Social Media – and if I wasn’t able to explore my hobbie online, I know that I wouldn’t have the wealth of knowledge and connectivity I have now at my fingertips because of Social Media.
It’s just one click away.
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