My Good Food Friends –

I surround myself with a wonderful variety of smart people, Organic and non-Organic, and invite them to freely speak-up, to critique my ‘working’ ideas, to defend their suggestions/opinions.  I value their expertise and rely on them for their always offering an objective, unfiltered analysis, enabling Change Your Food - Change Your Life! to accurately connect-the-dots at a high rate of speed.   

One of these smart people is Omer Terrason.  I had asked him to take a read of My take on this newly evolving 'SOCIAL Network Media' tool. that appeared in this column on January 26, and to see if we’re singin’ the right song, hittin’ the right notes.  Omer is quite the Tech/Media Platforms/Business Development Consultant/Non-Profit Development Guru.  I think you’ll find his insightful commentary to be a good ‘review’ for those of you who currently have a Social Media presence, and Omer’s ‘to consider’ comments will be helpful to those of you who may want to develop a Social Media presence.  So here’s a FREE $500 'consultation' for you just because we’re all Good Food Friends:

Re: My take on this newly evolving ‘SOCIAL Network Media’ tool.‏

Hello Dennis!

Sorry for the delay in responding to your email but i wanted to take the time to read and not just speed-read what you've written.  So here it goes:

Right of the bat I want to state that social media sites must be tamed and pruned to make sure that they stay on track.  At the same time you don't want to be the class monitor or the warden who micro manages the site.  A successful social media site must be able to take a life of its own but the creator needs to tactfully evolve with the site and also help in the evolution of the said site, of course within certain vectorized parameters.

Before setting up a social media site the creator must define a mission statement and set objectives.  Allocate internal/external resources for the upkeep and maintenance. Set milestones and clearly define the goals of the site.  These milestones are necessary to perform health checks at set intervals and provide feedback to the creator that if the mission statement needs to tweaked.

Historically, closed social media sites (where access is granted to certain individuals) have doomed.  People want to browse and monitor a site before they reach a comfort point - that is when they decide to be involved.  If they feel comfortable to do business with the creator or other members of the site they can engage at that or at a future point.

The threat of competitors using the site to gather information about the creator's business is real but it is a risk that must be weighed in and calculated upon creation.  By employing controls and having certain members (if resources are limited) to proctor the site can mitigate such impregnation.  Same measures and controls can be engaged to fend off rogue operatives.

Your thesis is right on the button that a social media site is first and foremost a place for gathering and over-commercialization of such sites result in members (customers) to get a sour taste about the site.

Dennis L. Weaver, MBA, GFG

Founder

Change Your Food – Change Your Life!™

425.774.8971

www.ChangeYourFood.com