You are here: Home / Mapmakers

Social Media Adoption Process

October 14, 2010 By 3 Comments

How do you keep focused on Social Media? Is social Media something you have born with? or otherwise, something you can learn and develop? Have you ever thought if Social Media has an adoption stage?

As you – I suppose – Scarcely have we learned through all this thing called Social Media by chance or casualty, nor at the University or by attending a Social Media Masters course.

I learned by:

  • Leaning forward
  • Taking the lead
  • Challenging assumptions
  • Questioning everything
  • Failing dramatically
  • Using “their” glasses, not mine
  • Making mistakes – minors and majors
  • Saying YES, where everybody said NO
  • Reinventing myself over and over
  • Having the right attitude
  • Being Irreverent
  • Exploring new paths in search of adventures
  • Taking risks
  • Having thousand of arguments
  • Reversing how people use to see things
  • Agreeing and disagreeing (most of the times)

Social Media Adoption Process

However, beyond all these learning I realized that I’ve followed a singular path to learn how to focus, approach and engage my understanding about Social Media.

I summed up in a procedure I called the Social Media Adoption Process

Learning in Social media - Isra Garcia

The Process

The process starts as follows:

  1. You get insights and perspectives by reading, listening and commenting - basically feedback - that is to say, by being an active player in the Social Web.
  2. These insights and perspectives lead you to create an idea.
  3. Then, you move from thinking to doing when you put in practice the idea. However, you don’t know if you’re going to succeed with the first idea – hopefully – Therefore, you experiment with the idea.
  4. During the experimental phase there’s 2 possibilities: A. You succeed, then you’re done, congrats! B. You fail – I love this one – this leads you to another different step.
  5. When you experience failure, best thing to do is laughing at yourself - Yes, laugh at you – don’t take things seriously, think about it as a new opportunity to learn something new, share your failure with your community, make it part of your story, and more important, celebrate it!
  6. When you laugh and rest importance, you distress yourself from the failure, so you’re more open and eager to receive sincere feedback from your community, followers, subscribers or friends – in this case, true friends -
  7. Undoubtedly, good feedback (note how I use the word good) steps you to a new level of understanding and learning – there’s no greater experience that sharing for improving – The key resides in how you ask for feedback, to who and where, but this is another adventure…. So, taking what you learned from failing, laughing and from others’ feedback, you correct your first idea. Let’s say a blogging approach focused on your community: the tone, subjects, message… instead of what you wanted to publish – your initial idea -
  8. All those steps you’ve taken when you failed have changed – either slightly or radically – the way you approached the idea for first time, so what you’re really doing is trying different - in my opinion, the key reason -
  9. Once you get here, it gets easier, if you try different, and succeed – not you’re not done – try different again and you’ll succeed again, and for the sake of Social Media, keep trying different. Nevertheless, should you fail, keep trying different. Because, when you’re trying different you’re leaning forward, and the person who is leaning forward the most, wins the race.

With me? What’s your take?

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Howto, Human Media, Infography, Mapmakers, Models, New Concepts, Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

What You Can Learn

September 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

hope you learn something else than nothingPrepare yourself to be outside your comfort area…

  • If you embace change , you can learn how to succeed tomorrow.
  • If you don’t accept the commandments of this brainwashed society, you can Learn how to be an insubordinate.
  • If you break the rules, you will find that life is easier that people think.
  • If you ask your university teacher why is she using the same book as your sister did 10 years ago, you can learn that paying attention to your curiosity makes you different.
  • If you think outside the box and seek what is truly helpful and valuable for you, you can learn how to be an irreverent
  • If you realize that by your own, you can make a difference in this world, you can learn that impossible is nothing.
  • If you challenge the people that tells you how to behave and what to do, you can learn who are you
  • If you say yes where everybody else say no, you can learn how to be the best in the world.

So…If at any time you choose learning something, hope will be this…draw your map, be a Mapmaker.

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Adventures, Blogging, Mapmakers, Reflections Tagged With: , , ,

What makes us give the best of ourselves?

July 8, 2010 By 2 Comments

This post was first published on the General Management UPDATE! for Fundesem Business School, area in which I participate as a guest blogger every 2 weeks. Thanks to Enrico Ahrens and Oana Damian for this wonderful opportunity.

Let’s think for a moment…How do you overcome difficulties? how do you surpass your own expectation? what motivates you? what makes you go beyond the line? or what is the reason that pushes you going the extra mile?

Yeah, it may sound foolish to ask this…You could reply my family, money, work, prestige, success or any material thing, and that’s OK, even it’d make sense! But, thinking carefully and paying attention to small details, we could be inspired by things like:

Fear is your strength

Let’s say I’m your boss and I told you that we’re about to close the company, because of the starting of the dramatically decline of textile on Spain. Everything you had fought for, all your dreams, your future and more important your family and their future. As days go by, things are getting worse, until the day we’ve to close the company and you and me have to start a new life from the bottom line, at that moment fear is running through your body. Is this the end? Are you kidding me? it’s only the beginning. I’m going to be clear in this; It’s OK being scared, so am I most of the times, we all scare for some different reasons, stop worrying about yourself, show people what is inside of you, don’t be afraid of being yourself and being fearful. Because if you do so, and deeply believe in you, in who you are and what you do, you will become what you know you already are, so go and have some fear, it what really awakes our brave self.

Be Proactive!

Being proactive it’s one of the key elements. We always must – and this is a great must – try to see solutions instead of problems, make things happen and not wait them to happen. It’s essential to us assuming and believing that everything occurs is under our area of influence, so we’ll always be able to choose. I like to thing that we’re the only ones responsible for our acts, hence we and only we, tailor our decisions either they’re right or wrong. we need and should want to make mistakes – and of course, recognize them and ask for forgiveness when we feel to – because experience has taught me it’s an unforgettable way to learn and improve,  are you OK with me? I am open to admit failure, as I believe it is also a great path to learn. What say you? Give a go and plan for failure, I sometimes plan for falling, hence I am ready to stand up and carry on. we don’t want to afford what people can think about us, it’s something that I am not concerned about at all. That is to say, know who you are, what  you can do, what you want to do and who you want o be. I know that  you change things – I am doing it now – though, which is even greater for me it is, I have realized I want help people changing things – perhaps you – improving their life, being proactive or trying to find a meaningful goal.

Attitude is the Key

It’s the only thing that will make you fall part from the mediocrity, and yes it’s learnable! but it’s a long road to walk, hope you’re ready. Sir Richard Branson used to say “Hire from attitude and train for skills”, want to know what is going to make you indispensable? I bet you know…heck, it’s the Attitude, towards life, work, family, friends, problems…life is not the way it’s, but the way we want to see it.

You’re Free!

I realize now of how happy I’m, happy because I feel completely free to build my story. I don’t let anybody decide or choose for me, not to mention the circumstances or facts. I’ve always managed my life in my way, I’m not going to judge the way it has been, – I’m not here for that – I only can judge the way I’ve made it possible. Your mileage could vary, but I’m sure you get the point!

Question Everything!

Change hasn’t been made by asking permission, but for asking forgiveness. It’s OK being irreverent, being curious and think outside the box, and of course it’s better acting in that way, you’ll find yourself in troubles most of the times, but someone said once that life it’s a beautiful struggle – I really love this quote! – OK, I can hear you saying that there’s no point of acting in that way without thinking in the consequences, yeah, OK, fine! However, think about a job for a life, a safe environment, TV advertisement, newspaper industry, call dealers or automated behaviors taught in school days…we live in a society where we’ve been planned to act in a very common way, the question is…does it mean that we’re doing it Right? or someone installed the wrong program?

What really interests you

It’s learning about life, developing yourself as in the professional as in the personal side, know more about everything, get new approaches, travel around the world, meet other cultures/people, your family and best friends or solve economic issues. It works too, if it makes you happy, of course. Are you in the list? get your reasons.

Your Soul

It’s vital feeding your soul…Knowing that my family and best friends believe in me. freedom, joy, do what I want to do when I want to, change, finding a partner equal to me and be loved works greatly well for me? what about you?

What about your Goals?

Set up a short/mid/long-term goal and set up deadlines to carry out them. It will make you go further that you can think. Makes sense?

Be a Catalyst for Change!

I believe in change as a part of human nature and as a part of everyone’s life. I consider change as a challenge, a challenge that keeps us aware, ready, flexible and expectant. I think change is the engine that makes us improve, expand our knowledge and gain valuable experience, as well as it’s be able to show us things from a different perspective. I’d dare to say that I embrace change in the sense of the meaning. Why? It’s simple. You cannot resist changing, because change wanders among us every day, so it’s impossible to fight the forces of change. What’s more, today, it’s even more difficult not to accept that change is becoming part of our day-to-day, hence trying to stop change  is exhausting.

I BELIEVE embracing change is something that has to do with thinking different, being irreverent, acting different, being yourself, do whatever it takes, challenge the status quo or stands out from the crowd. I do like to think that’s fun shaking your life from time to time to see what happens. Then, change is how ready you’re to adapt and deal with these new waves.

Vision for the Future

Note how I set apart vision from goals, I think it’s completely different. What’s your dream? How do you want being remembered when you die? What would you like people say about you when you won’t being with us? difficult to assume, but essential to understand. Set up an attainable and realistic dream, it has to be aligned with your values and principles and should respect your morals and ethics. Mine “Follow my dreams wherever they may go, and do whatever it takes to reach and make them possible”

How do you think you’ll reach your vision for the future? that’s to say, How are you going to meet this dream? Do you know it? Nice! Now put it in words that make sense. Not as easy as you thought, huh? I’ll give you mine here too:

“It is reaching the highest standards of my values and principles, through determination, commitment, imagination, freedom, choice and empowerment. Whilst, I am irreverent, thoughtful and optimistic about life and change.”

Know your Mission

Are you tracking me? As I said earlier in this post your mileage may vary or even the keywords can be different, here I’m just telling you what it works for me – and it does it extremely well – when you find what it moves you, that is the first step, now apply, integrate in your life and make a comprehensible usage of them.

You?

How does it work for you? How does it sound?

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Blogging, Fundesem, Mapmakers Tagged With: , , ,

We Are Social Media Adventurers

June 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Are We Social Media Adventurers?

Yes, we’re, indeed! Why? Because, I believe it’s exactly what we do, we are social media adventurers searching for new paths that lead to revitalizing and energizing experiences. We not only play strong, have fun and try, but we do all this things in a very different way, every time we face challenges and most of the times with uncertainty, fear and risk, isn’t it exciting?

As social media adventurers, we believe that in today’s world a single person can make a difference, we’re IRREVERENT by nature and also, determined to at least try to make things happen, and… If we fail, be sure we’ll get up and “try different” – again and again - until we make it possible.

We are here to say YES, where everyone else says NO, but also showing them that we’re able to engage communities through Social Media marketing. With Social Media, we can create movements and start leading small communities or bigger ones. But more important than this, it makes people believe that the change is possible. We have a big responsibility that goes far from our daily job in the office. We’ve the opportunity to tell others how to change the world!

As brave adventurers, we know where we are going and how to get there, but this isn’t enough for us, we always like to transcend our limits and go beyond the common communication and marketing barriers, so we will be able to offer an unforgettable interaction experience to our audience.

Undoubtedly, Social Media is a new world to explore and discover. I believe that as Social Media adventurers, we’re always looking to open new footpaths, we’re in a continuous search of new stimulus and excitements that makes feel us “hooked” to the Social Media adrenaline! This at the same time causes an irreversible addiction, which always claims for more and more challenges and breathtaking experiences – heck, I can’t wait for more! -

As Social Media Adventurers, we’re comfortable and familiar with taking great risks, we embrace change, mainly because we believe that the only constant thing it’s the change itself, no matter if the result wasn’t the expected outcome, we’re ready to take the lead and keep on playing, even harder than ever, because…have I mentioned it before? We deeply believe in ourselves every day of our lives and it turns being the best strategy!

As Social Media Adventurers, we are naturally irreverent – Yeah, I love being irreverent and I’ve mentioned this above - we’re eager to stand out from the crowd and challenge the Status-quo with our visions, beliefs and principles, but above all, doing this with an unstoppable wish to help the community and brand compelling reasons to believe in themselves. At the end, change’s made by changing, so we won’t hesitate to go the extra-mile for establishing human relationships and tying brand and communities.

As Social Media Adventurers, we are all struggling in the jungle and resisting the supernatural forces of change. However, what makes us unique is – in words of my friend Enrico, ”we’re fans of the flexible planning“. That is to say, we move at the same time as trends and market opportunities, evolving at the same time as the social media ecosystem. We’re ready to ride the waves, we’re ready to take positions and emerge from the bottom as Social Media Adventurers who are willing to take the pulse of this new communication and marketing reality. Nevertheless, we can’t do it alone, we need you, we need you to join us and be our sidekick, our wing man. We want to share what we’ve learned, because as Social Media Adventurers – who have get through endless successes and failures - we all we know that, no matter how unbelievable and breathless our journey is, it doesn’t make any sense if we cannot share this experiences and adventures with somebody, this is the best gift that we can deliver, share both successes and failures… And not only share them, but celebrate them too. Okay, it’s obvious that successes are celebrated. Now have you failed? Great! Heck with the failure itself, celebrate it! Failure means the opportunity to learn something new.

As Social Media Adventurers, we serve to a cause, you! So, despite the depth of the gap, we’re determined to dig in the online world to find the best opportunities that can guide you to build a better future for yourself, your brand and those around you.

As Seth Godin said: “Good enough has stopped being good enough long time ago, now we´ve the opportunity of being great”! Let me add: “With Social Media, Yes! So…Why don’t we take it?”

Are you with me? What do you think?

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Blogging, Branding, community, Mapmakers, Social Media Tagged With: , ,

My Social Media Resolutions For 2010

January 16, 2010 By 1 Comment

It has been almost 3 weeks since my last posting,  my 3 words for 2010. Perhaps, it couldn’t be most proper moment to talk about the resolutions for this uncertain and puzzling coming year. If you’re a top blogger, a twitter fanatic, a social media addict or trendy enough, You may think this was a topic for being discussed at the beginning of January, that it’s not hot anymore or that isn’t going to increase the traffic through my blog and so on…but I don’t care, I really believe that’s what life is about, caring only for things are worth of it. I’ve been working on my resolutions for 2010 and my unique aim is to share them with you, hoping they empower your goals and encourages you to carry on with them to the end of the year, I might even want you to review and reconsider your resolutions – if applicable – Last but least, I’d like to see if we agree at some point  and comparing and contrasting mine with yours.

Undoubtedly, a big challenge where a great amount of effort is required!

My Prof. Resolutions

  • Managing my social time as Chris Brogan said in managing social media time. I’ll focus ½ my efforts on reading and looking for content, ¼ on comment and giving feedback and ¼ on creating and delivering content.
  • I’ll intend to spend no more than 4 hours a day.
  • Organizing my mind and get straight to the point, sometimes, when I’m talking with people I’ll get stuck and lose plenty of time trying to explaining details, which make no difference at all. Therefore, I’ll focus my efforts on omit these inefficient costly talks and get to the point.
  • I’ll follow my 3 words and develop my goals based on them.
  • I’ll be conscious about what kind of content I’m sharing, when I’m going to deliver it, to who and with what purposes.
  • I’ll work harder than ever to make my goals happen, I’ll start trying by doing and putting in practice and not by thinking and writing.
  • I’ll work when other slow down, when nobody knows, when nobody does (holidays, summers, Christmas, etc.)
  • I’ll work overnight, but, most importantly I won’t let anybody know how hard and long I work.
  • I’ll give thanks to my folks, my closest friends, my family, these people who has supported me unconditionally and has always been there no matter the situation, I’ll give them thanks and say how much I love them and care about me. I won’t let myself loose the contact with they neither.
  • I’ll share what I do and how I do, because I understand thank the knowledge don’t belongs to me, even though you, it belong to all of us. I’ll try to explain better what is going on around us for after sharing it.

Blogs

  • Create my travel diary blog and post everyday.
  • Continue working on my newly pressed 2 blogs (Israel Garcia’s No-Blog and “Hablando Sobre Marketing”).
  • No more than 4 Tags per post and 3 categories.
  • Write short bur effective conversations instead of bring long and left-brainers posts.
  • Post regularly weekly in each Blog Monday-Friday.
  • Write longer and descriptive titles.
  • Build interest  and trust on my readers and catch their attention.
  • Make call to actions to truly call the readers to action.
  • Deliver the kind of content I’ve promised in the title.
  • Display my thoughts, expertise or whatever I might want to say mostly of the times in less than 600 words.
  • Write according what’s hot on social media and marketing.
  • Write thought-provoking posts.
  • Don’t spend more than 1.30min. blogging.

LinkedIn

  • Build new professional relationships and connecting with more potential contacts.
  • Broaden my network preferably in the States as is from where I’d like to stand up.
  • Help empowering people, finding job positions, introducing new connections that make possible business or offering my services to their personal endeavours.
  • Sharing and exchanging all kind of content and knowledge with the people I’m connected with.
  • Create a LinkedIn group, with its own identity and values with the aim of being helpful for the crowd and offer those resources and content that make them better.
  • Being more active  on the discussions: participle in at least 2 daily (I’m in more than a 25 groups so, I guess I’ll have to pick the most suitable conversations according to my needs)
  • My great challenge on LinkedIn is Q&A: I’ll be responding at least 1 or 2 weekly.

YouTube

  • I’ll create content through video posts delivering talks about social media and marketing, I reckon this approach will be more personal and engaging for the audience. Social media should be more personal and trustworthy, I’ve always though that human relationship is what really matters.

Email

  • As I get stuck with so much daily info, I’ll remove from those readers and email lists, which I consider they’re not worth nor giving me value.
  • I’ll delete rapidly all kind of content that don’t meet my needs.
  • I’ll use the email only as a communication channel with people I’m not working with (friends, relatives, girlfriend, etc.)
  • I’ll be also more concise in terms of replies just to save time.
  • No emoticons, no fancy fonts, no colors, no “hello”, no “regards”, etc.

Google wave

  • Due to its collaborative functions, I’ll use it to work closely with my partners and even clients.
  • I’ll combine the waves with Google talk and Google docs to boost its use and make it more dynamic and efficient.
  • I’ll use it just when really makes sense and fits in my workflow.

Twitter

  • Delivering and sharing worthwhile information.
  • Increasing blogs traffic.
  • RT best resources and links.
  • Delivering crossover content according with groups of targets.
  • Sharing inspiring thoughts and quotes.
  • Being more efficient, communicative and punchy in the 140 characters.
  • Decrease the number of low value users I’m following already.
  • Increase follower in terms of high value users.

Facebook

  • Communicate and deliver specific content to my crowd.
  • Knowing how they are and what they’re up to.
  • Being in contact with my family, closest friends and people around me.
  • Increase the number of friends that truly know.
  • Searching interests according to my friends profile.

Now, I’d like to hear from you. What’s your take? Does this make sense? Do you agree with me? disagree? What are your social media resolutions for 2010?

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Mapmakers, Personal, Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

My 3 Words for 2010

January 2, 2010 By 6 Comments



Inspired by Chris Brogan and his post my 3 words for 2010, where he talks about 3 words that are being used as a guidance for setting and accomplishing goals, I’ve come up with my 3 own words for 2010, which I’d like to share with all of you.

Time

I should be more efficient with time management. It’s time to establish deadlines and patterns for processes as social media, mailing or meetings. I do believe that if I could optimize the time I spent in every task, project, tactics, process or strategy and determine the amount spent in each, I could make my day-to-day more productive and profitable.

Learn

As Socrates said: “I only know that I don’t know anything”. I really think that acting in that way will give me a deep sense of learning and will take me apart from the arrogance and the self-perfection. Therefore, I’ll learn from every person, situation, decision, action or whatever is ever made along the road.

Apply

As someone said to me once: “You may broaden your knowledge and perhaps you’ll learn a lot but, what is the point if you don’t put in practice what you’ve learnt?” I’ve never realized of that before but…I totally agree, it doesn’t make sense if you don’t apply what you read/hear/learn. I’ll start developing ideas about:

  1. What I already know
  2. What I’m learning/reading/hearing/observing as I go
  3. What I’ll learn/read/hear/observe through life’s journey

Hope this make sense.

And you? What are your 3 words for 2010?

I’d like to thank Chris Brogan for this insightful idea.

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Blogging, Mapmakers, Personal Tagged With: , , ,

I wish you 365 Christmas days

December 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What does Christmas means?

It is the tenderness of the past, the value of the present and hope for the future…

…It is the warm hug of a familiar when we got home

…the special stare you exchange with that special person

…the happiness of enjoying of all your relatives

…the most sincere hope that we could be near of our loved ones.

…the wish that every path we take will lead us to peace.

…the encountering with those who we dream to see.

…to vent our feelings.

…remembering those who are no longer among us, but will always prevail in our hearts.

…amaze the youngest, because they are the kings of Christmas

…realize that the true and pure Christmas spirit lies only on the children hearts.

…be willing to rectify the mistakes we’ve all ever committed at anytime.

…coping with the past strongly and with total determination.

…forgiving those people who have been unfair to us at some point in our lives.

…giving to those who have not.

…reconciling with those who were once part of our lives.

…accepting oneself as one really is.

…appreciate as humans beings the good that we have and not the evil.

…not stop in the wrong we did, but in what the good chances that there is still ahead of us.

…seeing what we are capable to do, because we do not know who we are until we see what we can do.

…the wish of being every day a better person.

…the impatience to face challenges.

…not wait for an incredible thing happen, but you make it happening.

…to do our dreams and goals.

…to engage and be committed to overcome the toughest obstacles.

…to say ”I love you” to the people around you.

…defining new purposes for after reach the peak.

…all for a few, nothing for many.

…an instant or perhaps lasts forever?

…Is it a state of mind or perhaps a indescribable feeling?

…Is this long-awaited moment or perhaps this one unexpected?

…It is…

All of this and less more is Christmas for me so, I would like we to stop for a moment, just one second of our hectic and busy lives, and deeply think about the true meaning of Christmas, What really is Christmas?

Forgive my presumption and my disrespect, but I firmly believe that Christmas is on February 6, April 21, June 15, October 19th or even the entire month of May … Christmas is every day, because Christmas is inside us. We make Christmas every time we believe, love and share because, Christmas is not a period of time, not a habit, not a commercial action, nor a consumer movement, not even a commitment or debt, Christmas is into us every day of our entire lives. There is no need being a special day to celebrate it.


I like to think that there is no need to wait for Christmas to do all these things. I hope you do not wait until it is too late …

Whether this happens or not only depends on you!

I urge you making a particular Christmas time every day of your life

I wish you 365 Christmas days to you and all your loved ones.

And you? What does Christmas means for you?I’d like to hear from you…

All the best in life’s journey.

Related Posts:

Filed Under: Blogging, Mapmakers, Personal Tagged With: , ,
isragarcia.com - All Rights Reserved.