Taking Social Media to the Next Level

Posted by Gabe on March 12, 2010 under Facebook, Kids are Heroes, Social Media, Twitter | 15 Comments to Read

I always get a kick out of remembering when my first day on Twitter was.  If I forget I can go to the site that tells me when I did.  For me it happened to be Christmas Eve, 2008.  I almost feel guilty for being on the computer that day and cannot recollect my motivation, but at least I didn’t tweet too much on the day I should have been spending with my family.  It wasn’t long until I was addicted to the concept of getting to know people through this platform.  As I progressed I learned a lot which I have tried to share in this blog.  Sometime mid-2009 I created a Facebook fan page for Kids Are Heroes and now I had two platforms to manage.  So what is the point of all this social networking, anyway?  Is it just to pass the time and comment on what we all had for breakfast?  Absolutely not.  It’s about connecting with people. Period.  Funny thing is that I thought I was connecting with people all along.  I would converse with them, ask about what they do, give them #followfriday mentions, help them in any way I could, the whole nine yards.  But it wasn’t until fairly recently when I took these connections to the next level.

You may know that recently we have partnered with Levar Fisher, an ex-NFL star who travels around the country motivating youth and speaking about Kids Are Heroes.  I was introduced to Levar by Mary Kurek, who works in Levar’s behalf by helping him to connect with people like me.  I watched how she works and that is how I learned to really connect with people.  Connecting means more to me now than just #followfriday mentions on Twitter.  Thanks to Mary I learned that it’s about taking action.  It’s about seeking out people who might complement you and you them.  It’s about picking up the phone and really connecting.  From those conversations both parties can then take action and actually do something to further each other’s causes. I have been on the phone for the first time with people I met on Twitter more times in the last three weeks than I have in the year I have been involved in social media.  I believe that this works just as well with businesses as it does non-profits.  I had a long phone conversation with Tom Tuohy of Dreams for Kids yesterday and the word that came up often was ‘collaboration’. I am so looking forward to seeing what unravels from that connection.  This week I also connected with Blake Raab of Bears on Patrol.  One would think that non-profits would keep their cards close to the vest and not share anything, because we are all competing for donations that are out there.  That’s the old way of thinking.  It just so happens that I love Blake’s mission and I really want him to be successful.  That is why I am trying to come up with ways that our kids can support what he does.  I have learned that a great leader is one who makes people who work with him (or her) successful.  This is what I aspire to be and hopefully something that I am working toward every day.

So take action and leave a comment. I might just arrange a phone call. :)

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  • Blake Raab said,

    This is a great post, and I’m about to blog about the great week I’m having, including the phone call and collaboration with you. I agree that collaboration is very important for nonprofits, especially the smaller ones like us. I was more than happy to get involved as one of your ambassadors, not because I felt that I owed you for the phone call we had, but because I honestly believe in your cause and think we complement each other.

  • Gabe said,

    Hi Blake,

    Honestly I am glad I discovered you. I just love what you do and it is clear you hold the same passion for your organization as I do for mine. I look forward to reading your new post. :)

  • Tom Tuohy said,

    Thanks for the mention Gabe. That was long conversation, wasn’t it? :) Time flies when you are talking to great people with pure intentions like you.
    This will be an historic year in many respects. The time has come for non profits to believe in what is possible for the world and to set aside scarcity thinking and join forces to solve our greatest issues and empower the next generation. Thanks for being one of the forward thinkers Gabe.
    Tom

  • Gabe said,

    Thank you Tom,
    I look forward to learning from you and sharing resources. Our missions are very similar and nothing but good can come from the betterment of both. As far as the long conversation is concerned, for some reason that is typical for me. Other wannabe connectors be forewarned. :)

  • Mati said,

    Good advice Gabe!
    People, Gabe is the real deal and he really just might call you :-)

  • Gabe said,

    Thanks, Mom!

    Ok I’m kidding – Mati is not my mom. We have also recently connected and I am very much looking forward to announcing the fruits of that meeting!

  • Gary Gzik said,

    Great advice! We are also working to improve this area. It was wonderful speaking with you, I highly recommend others to pick up the phone and find out how they can help!

    Looking forward to working with you in the future!

  • Gabe said,

    Thanks Gary,
    I also look forward to working with you and learning from you. Very excited that you signed on as a Kids Are Heroes ambassador. :)

  • Teamwork | Bears on Patrol Blog said,

    [...] has been a great week, and a valuable lesson in teamwork and collaboration.  I think this blog post by Gabe O'Neill sums it up very well.  Too often, I am guilty of using Twitter and Facebook to [...]

  • Sandy Dempsey said,

    I so totally agree. I have talked to people on the phone, on Skype and met people in person who I first only knew from Twitter.

    These are friends I would have never found if it wasn’t for Twitter.

    Connecting and taking it to the next level is an important step in the whole social media sphere.

    Thanks for a great post.

    Sandy

  • Jeanne said,

    It was a happy day the day you called me after connecting on Twitter, Gabe. It is ALL the difference and I thank you for showing me what a big difference going a little further than normal can make. You are an example to be followed in MANY regards… and I’m right behind you!

    Thanks, Gabe!

  • Gabe said,

    That’s very kind of you Jeanne. So looking forward to seeing how Ruby will inspire kids to get involved with KAH.

  • 3 Must Read Articles for Entrepreneurs | The Dreaming Cafe said,

    [...] Combining the power of social media, especially Twitter, with connecting with people offline is what this next article is about. It is about taking things to the next level and is a wonderful example of what you can do when you approach social media with the expectation of building relationships online and off. Taking Social Media to the Next Level [...]

  • Cindy said,

    Hi Gabe!
    What a great article. When I first started tweeting I would just ‘toss’ out a link or comment, not really understanding what I was doing. But you are so right it IS all about the people, the connections! I run a mommy website (twincities.momslikeme.com) and we are all about moms/kids and connections. If we could
    ever collaborate that would be amazing.
    Have a great weekend and thanks for opening my eyes even further:-)

  • Gabe said,

    Thanks Cindy,
    Let us know how you would like us to work together. I’m always open to ideas that would be mutually beneficial. :)

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