Putting the "Social" into Social Media

I'm still fascinated by the pure power of social media and its ability to make the world a smaller place. However, with just a little extra effort you can push it to a level that's incredibly rewarding.

Most of you are active in Facebook. A huge percentage also use Twitter Google+. What's missing for many of you is taking that extra step and actually making direct contact with a "friend" from any of these three social media giants. Here are just a few examples of what I'm talking about.

• A few months ago Simon King from the UK had a post on Facebook Wedding Photographers. I loved what he was doing for a friend who's fighting cancer and offered him a guest post if he ever wanted to write one. His guest post ran and we wound up following up with a Skype call to talk about a project he's thinking about doing next year.

• Peter Doyle attended one of the first Skip Cohen University programs. Since then we've kept in touch primarily through Twitter. A couple of weeks ago we took advantage of the phone to talk about what he's been up to and we'll hopefully catch up at one of the 2014 shows.

• Don Komarechka , based out of Canada, and I met via a live Google+ Hangout sponsored by Panasonic. A few weeks later he sent me an email. Then we found the time for a great phone call, talking about so many challenges in the industry, which led to a guest post by Don as he's getting ready to launch his long-awaited book on images of snowflakes.

 

• Chris Fawkes started Facebook Wedding Photographers. He's based out of Australia and a few months ago asked me if I'd help him as a co-administrator of the forum. While we haven't Skyped yet, we "talk" via instant message all the time. As my day is often starting his is coming to a close. The combination of our two time zones has given us almost 24 hours coverage on the site.

Here's one last example, Cindy Harter Sims attended several SCU programs and was willing to do a guest post on her journey from music teacher to having her own studio on Main St. Then we followed up with a podcast. Her guest post and downloaded podcast have gone over the 5000 mark combined.

So, here's my point to this short post today. Don't let your social media world be one-dimensional. Pick up the phone and make a call now and then. Ask for help from a friend you've only met on line. Set up time to actually meet in person at the various conventions.

This is an amazing industry, filled with thousands of talented artists, but it's not just about the art of photography. Don't forget about the art of conversation. It will make your life and career so much richer.

Illustration Credit: © -Dragun- - Fotolia.com