Embrace Social Media

Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Myspace. Youtube. Social bookmarks. Blogging. Tagging.  WHO CAN KEEP TRACK OF THEM ALL?!??!?!

We know how you feel.  It’s a little overwhelming for us too.  But we’ll hate social media, if you can embrace them.  Here’s why.

The person you email and IM with has a face.  The face has a name, and the name has a personality.  That personality has a communication style that will determine how you work together.  Are you following us?

All we’re trying to say is getting a little personal won’t hurt, and it actually might improve your meetings and the way you collaborate.  At Qworky, we value privacy, but we believe there are safe and professional ways to get personal.  Check out these alternative, anti-Facebook options:

• Xobni – With a free Outlook plug-in, you can personalize your everyday email interactions.  Xobni helps you gain visibility into the professional background of the person you are working with, and conveniently provides the face to a name.  It’s not creepy, it’s going back to the old fashioned way of meeting face to face.
• Gist – If you’re managing different accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, email and other professional network sites or applications, Gists aggregates all your contacts and helps you prioritize them.  It also gives you relevant news content based on your connections.  Think HGTV spring-cleaning for your contact list!  Ask @shanemacsays for tips and tricks, and how you can connect with the people in your meetings.
• LinkedIn – “Change is the only constant”.  How will you change your life today?  Take ownership of your professional history, connect with your colleagues, and start strategic discussions with interest groups using the LinkedIn site or plugin for Microsoft Outlook 2010.  One of our favorite is the Social Media Marketing group, but don’t forget to check us out at Qworky, too.  Join the revolution of LinkedIn, who welcomed their 70th million member today (special congrats to @spatrizi for this milestone), and look for ways to integrate features into your next meeting.

So, go ahead and give it a try.  Get to know the people you work with a little better and it might even help you collaborate.  After all, there is a face behind every email, just like you and me.