This year was my first experience with SOBCon in May. When I found out about it, I really wanted to go…kicked the idea back and forth in my mind, so I did it. It was and is an experience I never want to miss again. You see, as a blogger and social media junkie/strategist, I feel it’s important to spend some of your time with others of like-minds. There is nothing more powerful, in the moment, than to be comfortable with everything you do, and accepted for who you are completely.
I had never met Liz Strauss before. We had bantered back and forth on Twitter and I could tell she was of the same sassy nature as me. I was introduced to her by my good friend, Kelly Olexa…someone I had also met via Twitter. Come to think of it, I’m quite amazed that most of the relationships in my life are with people I’ve met on some type of social platform. Some, I can honestly call best friends.
The commonalities? We all have voices. We’re not afraid to share. But most importantly, we’re not afraid to give. These facts were just reinforced by a weekend with amazing people.
When you get 150 people in a room who are ambitious entrepreneurs, who make a living by teaching people how to rock their business in a, as Chris Brogan would say, “human” kind of way, the energy that feeds off one another is like no other. The people who sit in chairs beside you who want to know you, then want to know how they can help you is immense. The power in social media…the power of 150 is something that can change lives.
I learned so much about my friends in that weekend space. I learned so much about myself and my own voice in that space. But I could never be able to truly give the experience justice in a blog post. I could never relay the realness behind the voices you and I hear on a daily basis. No, it is only one to see for yourself. Some things I learned…
1. It’s not about working hard. It’s about working smart - There is money to be made in this space, but there is much more than that. It’s about creating relationships. (Now, this is not necessarily something “new” I’ve learned. I’ve always gone about way in this manner, but for those who don’t quite get it or have a “what’s in it for me” kind of attitude, people will see through you.) But the bottom line: build relationships.
2. Focus on the positive – I don’t have to tell you the negative crap we all see on a daily basis. I’ve see not-so-nice blogs written about my friends as well as been subject to them as well. Don’t give negative more negative. You know? Hearing it said again just reinforced it. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the obvious. When I was able to see Hank Wasiak talk about teens and “asset-based thinking,” the ideology behind Change the Way You See Everything, I have to admit I got all fired up inside. Focus on the positive.
3. People have different perceptions of engagement – When Amber Naslund posed the “if people aren’t posting comments or giving you feedback, does that mean they’re not engaged?” question, it really shook something in me. No, no that doesn’t mean they’re not engaged. I read all kinds of blogs, love them, take stuff from them but I don’t post a comment to every one of them. You better believe I’m engaging, just no one really knows it. (and PS…engage is such a lame term…I think we should begin using the universal ‘communicating’ word….because even when you’re not communicating, you’re communicating.)
That’s only the beginning. The best part of it all though was meeting everyone. Thank you Liz and Terry for making my SOBCon experience so great. Can’t wait until next year.
Photo by Steve Hall
