Social Media and You!

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Do you need to always be connected? Can you run a social media campaign or create a strategy that doesn't involve around the clock surveillance and response?

I have been on a hiatus from social media for roughly four weeks.  It started when I went to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to finalize my wife's visa and bring her  and my children back to the US after a full year and two months of forced separation thanks to the US government.  Yes, I am a truly happy father and husband again!  Having my kids to play with and my wonderful wife to once again be the "boss", it was very easy to not focus on social media as much as I have been over the last year.

While I have kept up with social media requests and comments the situation has reminded me of what I always tell people.  You do not need to be connected at the hip to social media and you do not need a 24/7 operation in order to be effective.  Was I receiving the same amount of hits to my website? Was I receiving less mentions and hits on links?  Absolutely, just like anything else in life the more you put in the more you will get out. But, the more important piece to the puzzle is that nothing crumbled.  My twitter accounts kept building followers.  People clicked on my links less often, but they continued to click. People asked questions and I answered on my own time.  Requests kept coming in for me to speak and engage on social media.

Your strategy has to built in a cost effective reality. You can't be a blitz machine all the time and in the real world of social media the people who are machine like are thought of as machines and spam-bots.  I presented to some MPI WestField Chapter members on Thursday, April 8 and I learned from them as we conversed about how to manage personal brands and how to network using social media. "Choice" was a major part of our conversation although we didn't discuss "choice" directly. People make a choice about the time commitment they want to make and people choose where they want to spend their time. My advice is that you spend a little time researching your choices so that you make the most effective "choice" that you can.

Research sounds like common sense to most people but I believe some people and probably a lot of people mistake the first word they hear or the "I just learned about this from a commercial" moment as research.  You must talk to folks who have used the tools and had success as well as failure.  You know from your own life, in those areas where you have tried, failed and then tried again that you are smarter and wiser for it and can offer some terrific advice to the next person coming along. So before you dive into social media and swing for the fences do a little research on how to perfect your stance and what the best tools are in the game.  I am here to help!

email me at CameronToth@me.com or message me on Twitter.

Happy communicating!
@CameronToth

Reunited on US Soil, My Family is Back!

Hello All,

My wife's Visa was approved on March 11 and we were soon back in New York after that.  I can not express in words how happy and relieved I am to have my wife and kids back under our roof here in the states.

My daughter turns four in August and my son turns 2 in May.  I am looking forward to celebrating both of these upcoming birthdays in style at our beautiful Valhalla, NY home.  I am looking forward to all the good times and family celebrations.  Most of all I am enjoying and looking forward to waking up to beautiful kids and lovely wife right next to me for the far foreseeable future.

Alexandria, Teresa and Leo on the US side of the border.

Happy 2010 everyone!