robbyslaughter's Comments

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Today I Start My New Journey at ExactTarget

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:18:42 +0000

I love an unexpected twist! Looking forward to tracking your progress at ET.

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : 5 Tips to Stop Sucking at Networking

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:19:33 +0000

Most importantly, FOLLOW UP! Call or email the people you meet. And if they don't get back to you in a few weeks, follow up with them again! Most networking amounts to people talking and nothing going anywhere. If you actually write down details and reach out to people later, you can actually build relationships. Follow up!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Hire Young Expert Assistants, Hire Old Experienced Advisers

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:09:12 +0000

Thanks Bobbie!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Sat, 2 Apr 2011 15:57:37 +0000

Good point. I think by comparison, Facebook doesn't have any default text and you just make a "friend request." I prefer that system. I think what Susan and I both dislike is people who you don't really know very well reaching out via LinkedIn with a generic message. I will meet someone for five minutes at a networking event and then get a generic request from them. I mean, if you don't know really me, at least remind me where we met! Put something from our five minute conversation into your request! You are right, though, that this is not even close to the worst problem with LinkedIn. I'd love to see a blog post of the top 25 problems with LinkedIn---maybe you should contact Kyle Lacy and write that one!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Sat, 2 Apr 2011 15:44:47 +0000

I think the irony is that the better you know someone, the less there is a need to say anything in the LinkedIn introduction. After all, if we're best buds of course I know who you are. But if our connection might benefit from a brief reminder, than please *write something.*

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Sat, 2 Apr 2011 15:43:04 +0000

I don't have a problem with clicking the "thumbs up." Perhaps my fundamental complaint is that LinkedIn leaves in default text *at all*. If the box was blank by default, then you'd either leave it blank or write something. It's the generic use of the same text which is annoying.

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Fri, 1 Apr 2011 22:27:13 +0000

Hi there, I'm just replying to your comment to indicate agreement. I'd like you feel validated without me making much of an effort, which is why I've opted to leave the default text that appears in this box instead of making my own argument. --- Wouldn't online commenting on blogs be ridiculous if the above text appeared automatically? LinkedIn facilitates laziness by *having* text, and newbies and pros alike should recognize that generic human interactions are practically always a a bad idea.

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Fri, 1 Apr 2011 22:24:54 +0000

Personally, I think that what's most embarrassing is that LinkedIn even *provides* boilerplate text. That makes it far too easy to connect with someone you don't even know!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:05:31 +0000

I LOVE to write silly LinkedIn invitations. It's a hobby of mine. Usually I'll make an in-joke that references the relationship with the person to whom I am connecting. Great post!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop With Your Stupid & Generic LinkedIn Invitations

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:04:15 +0000

Here's my standard LinkedIn joke, in case you need one. Feel free to use this: HELP! GIANT ROBOTS ARE ATTACKING THE oh actually I'd just like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/ : what I want you to know: adoption and assumptions

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:46:53 +0000

Here's the question I have: Is there *anything* which is reasonable to ask about adoption and biological pregnancy? From my point of view, the answer is: no, there are not many reasonable questions. It's rude to ask someone about whether or not they want to pursue biological children or to adopt children. It's rude to ask about someone's ability (financial, practical, biological or otherwise) to bring children into their family. It's rude to ask someone why they chose to adopt, or why they chose to have a biological child, or if their biological child was an "accident." It's rude to ask if they are babysitting or the child is theirs. It's rude to make assumptions or ask to have your assumptions validated! Indeed, if you meet an adult with children, your reaction should be to treat the child and the adult as human beings. Nothing more. Why is that so difficult?

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop Ignoring Your Social Media Policy!

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:00:15 +0000

Great comments, Randy! Certainly, companies need to protect confidential information, whether it is trade secrets or data that is private and protected under the law. But this requirement has nothing to do with social media, and I think creating a "social media policies" distracts from the fundamentals. Your press release story is a great example. A good protocol (such as: "don't release information to the public at large without explicit approval") can be part of training. But this isn't specific to 'social media.' And while it's true that common sense is not necessarily common, it is easy to test. (See, for example, http://www.qualityselect.org/quiz/quiz-ps.asp) Keep up the great discussion!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Stop Ignoring Your Social Media Policy!

Mon, 7 Mar 2011 14:43:00 +0000

That person in the back of the room at Blog Indiana 2010? Yeah, that was me. The whole point is that employees talk represent their employer *all the time*. They badmouth people at the pub, they praise their colleagues to their friends. They talk about projects they love and project they hate. The difference is that social media makes this information move a little faster. You can't really police the behavior with a policy ("Feel free to hate on the company with your friends, just don't type it into an input box.") You don't need a social media policy. You need a "common sense policy." That is, employees should be aware that their behavior in their entire life matters. Social media just encourages us to be more honest about who we are. How can that be a problem? See my old post on this topic: http://www.robbyslaughter.com/blog/?2008-09-26

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Social Media Automation, Philosophy, Ethics and Stupidity

Mon, 7 Mar 2011 13:45:43 +0000

I guess my point is that it would seem pretty silly to type "Good Morning" over and over and over again, especially considering the degree to which we automate so many other aspects of our Twitter streams!

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Social Media Automation, Philosophy, Ethics and Stupidity

Thu, 3 Mar 2011 20:01:22 +0000

I don't have an outright problem with scheduling. I'm a productivity guy; scheduling makes sense. (See my other guest post on this topic at Maverick PR) I asked Kyleto approve this post before it went out. I'm sure he'd be happy to have me blog again. However, he might schedule some disagreements to appear via Twitter. :-)

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Social Media Automation, Philosophy, Ethics and Stupidity

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 13:33:45 +0000

I once heard that the response "fine" (to "How are you doing") actually means: "Fatigued Irritated Nervous and Exhausted." :-)

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Social Media Automation, Philosophy, Ethics and Stupidity

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 13:14:32 +0000

Good comments Jane, but I want to be clear that I'm not opposed to automation, I just think it's a complex issue. For example, your very own Twitter stream makes use of some automated, impersonal messages! Take a look: http://twitter.com/see_jane_sell/status/428831542... http://twitter.com/see_jane_sell/status/425268285... http://twitter.com/see_jane_sell/status/423105717... However, the vast majority of your messages are real, genuine interactions with other people. So the occasional automatically-tweeted horoscope (which I believe fits your personality!) is perfectly acceptable. The reason I am making fun of Kyle is because he tweets the same phrase so often that it seems like he might as well be automating them! (And I bet he's automating the "join me on skype" message. He's got to be.)

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Does Negative Social Media and PR Really Hurt Brands?

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 15:58:18 +0000

I'm really surprised by this post, Kyle. You seem to be saying that the numbers argue that a major social media gaffe isn't actually all that significant. So, if a mistake made on social media---even a pretty big one---can't do that much damage, why should someone hire a social media consultant? I personally think that while this may be most significant negative Tweet to date, it's only the beginning. I think we're going to see entire brands go down because of these kinds of comments. If you remember your history, politicians have been destroyed for idle comments. Dan Quayle's appropriation of "potato", Clayton Williams rape joke, Tom DeLay's lines at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. Social media adoption has only just begun. Soon, everyone will be a broadcaster, and wealth will not insulate you from damage.

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : The Stupidity of Billboard Marketing

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:17:39 +0000

Quick, which car company makes the Corolla? You said Toyota. It doesn't matter if you're in the market for a car. It doesn't matter if you only buy foreign cars. Almost everybody knows this because Toyota has spent zillions of dollars establishing this brand. Sometimes, billboards are designed with a specific call to action, like "Lunch special, $5.99, next exit!" But much of the time they are about reinforcing brand concepts to keep them top of mind. You can measure brand recall through surveying people. You can also measure whether branding strategies are effective by connecting with people at the point of sale. So, billboards are not stupid. They are just a relic of an era in which there was only mass media.

Kyle Lacy, Social Media - Indianapolis : Why Are You Terrible at Marketing?

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:55:52 +0000

Large businesses are terrible at marketing for a different reason: inertia.