The Cookbook of Social Media

The Cookbook of

Social Media

You want to capture the attention of the people around you.

You want people to read your blog.

You want to be a known presence within the world of social media.

The Cookbook of Social Media gives you guidelines to follow to make an impact with the use of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and YouTube. You’ll learn how to use them effectively, keep an audience and sustain a creative understanding of the process in general.

Follow these simple recipes, alter ingredients as needed, throw in a pinch of originality and enjoy your steamy dish of newly-gained online presence!

InteractionIt’s nearly impossible to have a successful online presence through social media without interacting with others. Interaction is one of the main ingredients in having a profitable experience with social media.

Whether you are using Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress or YouTube, interacting with people is the base on which each service stands. This is the most important, and usually the most difficult aspect to fully grasp. Most people will be able to tell if you are genuine or not, so you just have to get out there and do some networking... social networking. Once people start replying and interacting back with you, social media becomes infectious. Interaction feeds more interaction.

5 lbs. imaginative and creative thoughts2 c. knowledge of people’s interests10 c. audience (friends, followers, readers, viewers, etc.)4 lb. willingness to accept criticism1 Facebook profile*1 Twitter profile*1 WordPress blog*1 YouTube account*2 T. of cleaning spampinch of narcissism (it’s initially about you, after all!)

Take the imaginative and creative thoughts and organize them in sections. The thoughts that work best for your Facebook audience should be reserved mainly for Facebook. The thoughts appropriate for Twitter should be posted on Twitter, and so on. Use the knowledge of people’s to determine which thoughts stay on which service.

Become knowledgeable of your audience, but keep your creativity. Know what people want to read, watch or view, and post accordingly, but in line with your own interests. This is where the narcissism comes in. It’s your Facebook, your Twitter, your WordPress and your YouTube. Mix together the knowledge of interests and narcissism to create ideas of what to post and what not to post. Be sure to use plenty of the willingness to accept criticism to avoid arrogance or over-critical thoughts.

Finally, use the mixture you’ve just created and pour over each section of imaginative thoughts. While they mesh together, use this time to clean out any spam that accumulated.

*You may choose any other social media sites you wish. The recipe is still deliciously effective.

ShareJust as it’s near impossible to not interact using social media, it’s also extremely difficult to go through the day and not see something worth repeating or sharing.

While perusing Facebook or Twitter, you may see a tweet or post that makes you laugh or hits a serious note that you agree with. When those are found, you can repost or comment on them for others to see who may not have been exposed to it before. This opens up the dialogue for people to agree or disagree with your thoughts. Don’t be fooled, though, when done correctly, this is a very good occurrence. If the person has taken the time to voice their thoughts in a professional manner, they should be acknowledged. Sharing is critical for real engagement in social media.

10 c. audience4 c. opinions on various topics, positive or negative2-3 c. time to view posts6 c. willingness to give and accept opinions and criticism1 Facebook profile1 Twitter profile1 WordPress blog1 YouTube accountpinch of humility

Mix the time to view posts on various social media services with the opinions on various topics. The posts are provided within the audience, a main ingredient in sharing.

Once they have been thoroughly mixed, go through and pick out the posts that have caught and kept your attention. Use 3 cups of the willingness to give opinions and criticism to share your thoughts with your audience. Give it time to settle in, then add the remaining 3 cups of the willingness to accept opinions and criticism.

Add the humility when true sharing and interactions are taking place to keep the conversation from taking am overly negative or critical tone.

ListenThis is a very simple and short recipe. There are times when you’re cooking, and you think you’re doing everything perfectly, but you suddenly realize with horror that you’ve left out the most important ingredient.

You may think that skipping this ingredient will not make much of a significant difference, but, in fact, it makes a world of difference. The best engagers in social media are usually the best listeners. You want your message to be heard, but in order to achieve that goal, you must listen to the messages of others. Sometimes, what you say will not be the thing that is important, rather the fact that you took the time to listen. Listening can make or break an interaction.

5 c. ability to sit back and not comment3 T. fresh listening talent2 c. audience content1 Facebook profile1 Twitter profile1 WordPress blog1 YouTube account1 c. bitter coffee, refill as needed, sugar optional

When you have the audience content to listen to, use the ability to sit back and not comment right away. Once the urge to comment immediately is under control, use the fresh listening talent.

As you are listening and the critical thoughts have been pushed to the back burner, drink the cup of coffee. Refill the cup until the audience is finished presenting their content.

See? Short, bittersweet and to-the-point. The most successful recipes usually are.

ModerationThe best cooks know exactly when they should put the knife down and leave the kitchen. In the world of social media, this is no different.

The best engagers know when to log off and spend time doing other activities If you are not engaged in other aspects of real life, you cannot be a top engager in social media. Simple as that. Neglecting friends, family and work cannot and will not benefit your social media presence. So step away from the screen, get out into the real world and experience some face-to-face interactions!

10 c. time spent with friends and family2 lb. fresh air and sunshine1 good book or movie1 Facebook profile*1 Twitter profile*1 WordPress blog*1 YouTube account*

After you’ve gone through the interactions, sharing and listening it takes to become a successful social media engager, moderation is the only recipe left to learn.

Step away from the screen and drink in the fresh air and sunshine. Once this refreshment has been used, take the time spent with friends and family and enjoy the delicious aroma of true face-to-face connection.

Let sit and cool for several hours.

Once it has cooled, move on past the screen once again and pick out a good book or movie that hasn’t seen daylight for a while. Proceed with reading or viewing the book or movie for approximately 2 hours.

*All profiles, blogs and accounts must be logged out and not touched until this recipe has been completed.

You can capture the attention of the people around you.

People want to read your blog.

You are a known presence within the world of social media.

But remember, if your initial blend of herbs and spices isn’t exactly right, no need to worry. Social media is your creation, and you make it what you want. The most delectable dishes are usually a work in progress. A little more of this or that; the ratios are never the same. Experimenting to get the blend just right takes time and practice, but once you get it just right, you can become a social media engagement gourmet!