Something’s bothering us at Area 224 HQ. Maybe you can help…
A few months ago, Steve Johnson in the Chicago Tribune profiled Eric and Kathy, the highly successful WTMX-FM morning show hosts. (If you’re not in Chicago, keep reading…there’s something in this for you.)
Very very early on, Eric implemented a rule: no fraternizing outside the office. Why? He didn’t want it to seem like a private party that the listeners couldn’t attend.
It works.
So, what’s bothering us?
The party. The one that everyone seems to attend, except you. This party takes a few shapes:
The “I’m better than you” Party
No one has all the answers, people. No one. In Social Media, in Marketing, in whatever industry. There’s a fine line between idea-sharing and aggrandizing. Please don’t cross it.
We’ve stopped engaging with some people who don’t engage back because they’re too good. They want to tell you how great they are, but when you question them, you get a blank stare.
The “Hidden Agenda” Party
We spend a ton of time on Twitter – and cannot stand the hidden agenda. The agenda that says we’re just creating a presence so we can sell you stuff. The agenda that wants to talk with you, but really wants to broadcast TO you.
The “All About Me” Party
I have made friends in social media. People who I would call up at the drop of a hat because they are just genuinely good people.
But there are others who refuse to engage in the give-and-take that NETWORKING requires. (Remember “networking?” The precursor to “social networking,” which spawned “social media?”)
We unfriended and completely removed from our life one such person in early 2010. Lots of reasons, but they all were part of a pattern of behavior that was, sadly, one-way.
