Who are you? The new Facebook is tricked out social media storytelling
I like the new Facebook, or at least, what it is about to become. I’m not here to debate the good, the bad, and the confusing — you can already find dozens of posts where you can share your rants or raves.
I’m simply here to share that I like what the new Facebook is hoping to allow us to do as users. I like the question it is posing before humankind more than any other social media platform: Who Are YOU?
The new Timelines (replacing Profiles) allow users to create fluid visual stories about their lives. With the new addition of a large cover photo, and three columns that span more like blog columns, the new Facebook basically gives users mini websites, visual portfolios. You have more control over what shows up in your Timeline, which means more control over the story you tell.
{above: my new Facebook Timeline, with a Cover Photo that was taken and edited by me.
It pretty much sums up who I am… or does it?}
Who are you?
When you look at Facebook and what it has become, it’s the platform most people tend to use to connect with friends and family. Sure, businesses pages are on there, and my friends and I all post work-related updates and promos from time to time on our personal profiles (and now Timelines), but for the most part, my non-scientific experience shows that the majority of people are still on there to make a personal connection. We’re there to relate, to share, to question, to understand one another’s stories.
Think about everything you do on Facebook: when you “like” certain pages, share the movies that you are watching, the food you are cooking, the books you are reading, and the music you are listening to, you are weaving your story to your friends. They are able to piece together the kind of person you are from every move you make on Facebook, and you are always ultimately in control of that story.
As humans, we are born storytellers. We have a need to connect with others through our stories. Soon Facebook will be the place we can do that on a level that surpasses all other platforms. It will be THE hub for social interaction. I am excited to see the roll outs revealed in this year’s f8 conference over the next couple of weeks that will enhance the way we share music, books, movies and more.
And more than ever, Facebook will be the place where who you are is up to you. You can complain about the changes, or the time it takes you to learn how to navigate the new interface – but in the end, you, the user, is always in control of the most important part of the social media puzzle: your story.
Take a look at your Facebook profile or timeline right now. What story does it tell? Is it an accurate representation of who you are? Are pieces of you missing, and if so, why are you holding back? Are you telling a story that is so different from who you really are, and if so, is that who you wish to become?
Who are you?
Think about it. Facebook is asking, and inquiring friends want to know.
Wonder Woman Wednesday #17: Kelley Peake
Wonder Woman Wednesday #17: Kelley Peake
Entrepreneur
Founder, PLAY Boutique
Description of occupation/business:
The PLAY Boutique is an innovative, family “edutainment” destination for both parents and their children. Our new lifestyle brand combines education and entertainment experiences for today’s busy family. It is the only choice that reflects the interests of both kids and their parents. The PLAY Boutique is a modern day family piazza, or gathering place, creating a profound sense of community in one modern, social space.
Services include:
1. PEAKE Academy School Readiness Preschool Programs for children ages 1-10y.
2. Beeztro Family Café – healthy and tasty food options for kids and parents.
3. LEARN & GROW – enrichment classes like ballet, art, music, and more!
4. Parties and Special Events – let us coordinate the perfect day for you!
5. STAY & PLAY – an amazing indoor PLAYSpace!
Her story:
Immediately upon graduating from college I found a wonderful position with the largest provider of childcare, KinderCare. I spent nearly 10 years in many different roles as I climbed my way up the corporate ladder. The corporate world was faced-paced, invigorating and for many years fueled my creative drive. After the birth of my second child, I developed a strong desire to achieve more balance between this creative drive and my new family. It wasn’t long before I realized that balance would not be found in an office environment. With a strong background working with families, over 10 years experience in strategic development and a degree in Early Childhood Education I found a niche that allowed me to use these skills and be with my family at the same time. That is what PLAY Boutique is all about – providing families with resources that give them opportunities to achieve balance in their busy lives.
She is passionate about:
1. My children. Making sure they have a wonderful childhood full of great memories, but grow up to be honorable stewards of this world.
2. Other mothers. Wether they use PLAY Boutique or work for PLAY Boutique, helping mothers find balance in their family, personal, and creative lives.
3. Children. Improving quality experiences for all children and finding ways to make each one feel important.
What defines her:
Drive, compassion for others, and a strong ability to make things happen.
Three things she cannot live without:
1. My husband
2. My children
3. Great coffee
Her life motto:
Everything works out the way it is meant to.
Her inspiration:
My grandmother… She married into an unhealthy situation… did the best she could… left her marriage for the betterment of her children at a time when it wasn’t done, with no money or resources… raised three amazing men on her own… was fully present during my entire childhood and taught me much of what I know.
Best piece of advice she has ever received:
Learn to let go. To make those around you better, your co-workers, employees, children, etc., you have to learn to let them take things on even though they will never get it done they way you would. Accept the fact that things may not be perfect or go as planned, but something was made better.
Where you can find this Wonder Woman:
www.playboutique.com
facebook.com/playboutique
My personal note:
I’ve worked with hundreds of women business owners in the past six years, and I can honestly say that Kelley is one of the truest examples of women who not only know how to run a business well, but how to do so with integrity, authenticity, and heart. The thing I admire most is her unwavering commitment and true passion for working with children and creating stronger communities of families through the best educational programs she can offer. She is honestly supportive of fellow women entrepreneurs and works hard to help others succeed without expecting anything in return. She is a true professional, and also an incredible friend. Thanks for being such a Wonder Woman, Kelley!
Sarcasm & social media: the fight for understanding
Listen, if you can’t read sarcasm dripping from someone’s written words, you are clearly inferior and deserve to be made fun of told so.
See what I did there? No? Then perhaps you should stop reading blogs all together. And get off of Facebook and Twitter while you’re at it, because the new media includes a whole lot of nuances that will likely BLOW YOUR MIND. Your itty bitty pin-sized mind.
See what I did again? I’m kidding. KIDDING! You are not inferior. You should stay on Facebook and Twitter. You don’t have a pin-sized mind.
I do that sometimes all the time. Normally I am not that blunt harsh mean direct with my sarcasm, but I like having fun with words, fun with friends (and, side note: fun with Words with Friends) and I’m from Portland, where sarcasm drips from every word that comes out of our starving-for-sunshine mouths.
But then there’s all of YOU. You know who you are. The ones who take life a little too seriously. The ones who believe that your Twitter streams should only be 110% suited-up old-school suite-and-tie professional (read: booooring. snooze. wake me when you’re ready to be social). The ones who would never dream of writing a swear word, lest you offend/scare/lose your precious readers (I’m sorry, but damn is not a swear word. Neither is hell. But damn-it-all-to-hell? No, not that either). The ones who probably drink your organic tea with pinkies up and never wear white after Labor Day.
Sarcasm and social media make a tough mix. If I offended you in the paragraph above, guess whose fault that is? Yours. 1: because you crazy selfish bastard you — thinking I’m writing about you in particular? Now, that’s pretty arrogant. And 2: Even if you don’t think I am talking about you (I totally am, by the way), you are internalizing.
I know, I know: we humans are programmed to internalize every comment that comes across our paths. Someone mentions they have cancer, you feel compelled to tell them your great-great-great-aunt had that kind of cancer and died 3 months later. Someone posts that they hate the color blue, and you realize that you LOVE the color blue, are wearing a blue sweater, and just saw that person who tweeted they have that color. Oh, they MUST be talking about you, right?
Here’s the thing: sarcasm really is all about the writer, and not the reader. Oh sure, I am sarcastic in the hopes that you will snicker or laugh right along, but really, I’m being sarcastic to just say something to amuse myself. Some people with the same sense of humor will get it; many others won’t. Should those others be offended? No!
Marvelous Mistake Monday #3: Mission Creep
Every entrepreneur I know is guilty of this, and if there were one person to be appointed a Queen of Mission Creep, it would be me. It’s not a crown I wear proudly.
Mission creep is the annoyingly-named term (probably by some equally annoying “marketing guru” no less) for stretching your services and goods outside of your original mission’s boundaries to the point that it becomes detrimental to your brand and business. There is a difference between expanding your services to create multiple revenue streams that make sense for your business (smart move), and taking on additional roles that your business neither has the time nor the staff to manage effectively (not-so-smart move). The latter is mission creep.
There are many reasons entrepreneurs fall into the trap of mission creep. A few of them might be:
1. You’re becoming successful and you want to expand out of fear for falling behind the competition
2. You’re becoming successful and being bombarded with “you should really start offering XYZ as well” by clients/customers
3. You’re not making enough money and think that you’ll reach a greater number of customers by starting to offer a host of new services/goods.
In most cases, mission creep comes from panic. In my case, it came from an honest passion for wanting to better serve my customers. Urban Bliss started out as a custom event stationery business, that morphed into graphic design, web design, then public relations & communications strategy when I combined my PR studio into it, and eventually social media and small business strategy. These expansions make perfect sense for a creative studio — if I had the staff to back up my grand plans. Yet I don’t, and while my kids are young, I don’t plan to staff up because it’s not a business model that I find particularly family-friendly.
The same happened with The Power MOB. My inbox was flooded every week with personal pleas from women who would just love it if we offered this service, or that service, if we held meetings closer to their home, if we held meetings at times more convenient for them, if we focused more on this type of business owner or that type of industry.
In both cases, I forgot the one key ingredient that makes a business run: the business owner. I started listening to too many squeaky wheels and started letting them run the businesses. When you have a personality like mine, where you have no problem trying new things and you in fact truly love to do a million different things, it can be damaging. So I started listening to the one who actually does the work and can see the business from an overarching view: myself. I’m still in the process of paring down and I know it will be a while before I get back to that solid ground of laser-sharp focus, but I’m now cutting off squeaky wheels as soon as they pipe up, and I’m learning the most important word to people-pleasing entrepreneurs: “No.”
In many cases, mission creep can be better kept at bay by doing one simple thing: taking the time to write out and stick to a very specific mission that encompasses your biggest passion, your greatest money maker, and the thing that makes you stand out above all the rest. When a new opportunity to expand comes your way, check it against your mission, and if it doesn’t 100% support your mission and your target audience, politely decline and move on. If it does, then figure out a way to incorporate it into your existing system versus creating a whole new system built around the new service/goods.
