My Story of Twitter Power

I haven't read Joel's book yet but I can testify of the power of twitter. This is my story.

January 21, 2009 - Meeting with my manager titled "Update." Was told I need to find a new position due to budget cuts.

February 19, 2009 - In the process of searching internal IBM jobs I applied for a "Millennial Strategist." As an extension to the traditional resume I created a YouTube video and blog post that highlighted my previous work. Then I sent a tweet via twitter about my posting and asked my blog readers to comment on how they think I may be a good fit.

Februray 20, 2009 - The most interesting comment came from Carol Phillips, Marketing Instructor at the University of Notre Dame, who was searching "millennials" on twitter and found my tweet about the YouTube job application. She then posted my video on her blog, Millennial Marketing, and said "I think he should get the job, don't you, PK?"

February 27, 2009 - As a result of this creative approach, I had my first interview with the hiring manager. It went well and he told me I would hear something next week.

March 6, 2009 - I met with the hiring manager's manager. We had a very engaging discussion about developerWorks and I was more excited about the possibility of becoming the next Millennial Strategist.

March 15, 2009 - Received an email from a reporter at Fortune magazine who had found the YouTube video and asked if I would be willing to participate in a story about creative ways to land a job in this economy. Unfortunately IBM Communications advised me not to participate.

March 20, 2009 - Per the hiring manager they are seeking other candidates.

So I get to do something other than be a "Millennial Strategist." Wonder if anyone needs a Gen X Strategist?

Internal Use of Social Media

In this video Jon Iwata, SVP of Marketing and Communications at IBM, discusses using Social Media as an Internal Tool. One idea is that as employees become comfortable using social media inside the company they will be able to utilize those skills in communicating with external clients and business partners.



One quote from Mr. Iwata about maintaining control when using social media internally, "Are they (your employees) going to criticize management sometimes? Of course. But they are doing that anyway."

Too many organizations are worried about controlling their employees. I know many corporations that block blog and video sites on their intranets. Where is the trust? Social media will not work until leaders trust their employees and realize that much of this communication is already going on. They can "unearth ideas" if they will loosen their grip on employees.

Embrace Social Media: A Note to the Healthcare Industry

To Health Care Professionals:

After conversations with a few medical professionals including a neurosurgeon and a VP of Marketing of a hospital system about social media, I've come to the following conclusion:
Healthcare professionals must embrace social media and not attempt to "stretch forth their puny arm to stop the Missouri River."

I almost laughed when I read that Medical Justice "advices doctors to have each patient sign the non-disclosure agreement–and if the patient refuses, to turn him away." Seriously what would happen if a patient signed the form then logged on to Angie's List to post a negative comment? Would Medical Justice advise suing the patient? The media (including social media) would have field day.

Now I must also admit that I'm not a doctor and I know there are many complicated doctor type situations that need to be consideration when using social media. But at this point every organization (especially health care) needs to realize that social media is unstoppable and if they attempt to fight it, they will lose.

Hospitals using social media

I just had a tour of the impressive Dublin (Ohio) Methodist Hospital from a good friend, Nathan Burt, who is a graduate fellow working with the executive team. The design of the hospital allows maximum natural sunlight which helps in the healing process. When I get sick, take me there.

Part of our discussion was about how hospitals are using social media. Here are some examples:

Example #1:
Surgeons send tweets from OR
Why #1: Patients who may be undergoing that surgery soon would like to know the details
Why #2: Other surgeons who will be performing the same surgery would like to learn

Idea #1: What if we also encouraged the patient to send tweets before and after the surgery?
Idea#2: Would patient that underwent the surgery be willing to exchange tweets with the person about to undergo the surgery?

Example #2:
Running a Hospital Blog and Hospital CEO on Twitter
Why #1: Engage stakeholders in a conversation
Why #2: Proactive transparency vs. Reactive transparency (face crisis head on)
Why #3: Promote hospital brand
Why #4: Top down leadership approach that sets example for organization

Example #3:
Cleveland Clinic Florida Facebook Group
Why #1: Authentic client testimonials ("This hospital is the reason my wife is living a normal life again."
Why #2: Employees can share videos to build a sense of community
Why #3: Become part of the conversation that is already happening

Social Media and Culture

The following entry comes from my IBM colleague, Adam Christensen, and I repost it here because of the value it will bring as I continually promote social tools. Thanks Adam for this clear and thoughtful post.

"Following Jeremiah Owyang's post, I got a very practical comment from Beth Kanter asking the following:

I’m curious about your points about how to balance top-down mandates and completely grassroots adoption strategies? What works do you think? And, do you have a case study or step-by-step or some tips?

I was about to respond in the comments thread, but figured this warranted a new (albeit quick) post. Balancing top-down mandates and grassroots adoption can be tricky, but it's not impossible. Finding the intersection of corporate mandates and employee value can be summed up in one sentence:

Will it (social media project "X") help employees do the job you are paying them to do more easily?

Companies employ people so they can help them accomplish certain objectives. Employees are paid to help the company reach those stated objective. So there's inherent alignment of objectives and incentives. Social media should reflect that. If it can help employees do what their companies are paying them to do more easily, you've got a home run. Companies should focus on finding the tools that accomplish that.

But there's a big catch. The employees have to be the ones to determine what makes them more efficient. A few folks in the CIOs office, HR or corporate communications, really aren't the best arbiters of which tools employees feel will help them do their jobs.

Likewise, if a company's motivation to adopt social media tools revolves around something like solely saving money, it's likely to be met with a dull thud of non-participation. Employees aren't interested in saving the company money. They are interested in doing their jobs so they can be paid, go home and enjoy their lives.

So, when a company follows that model - listening to employees on what they think will make them more effective at what they are being paid to do, and then enabling them accordingly - it's a win-win.

All resulting in more time for employees to waste time on Facebook. (did I just say that?)"

Discussion with Hospital CEO

Last night I spoke to the CEO of Ohio County (KY) Hospital about social media. His question: "What will it do for me?"

I told him about the Running a Hospital Blog and explained how he could engage his stake holders in discussions. I also talked about transparency and how he could use "proactive transparency" vs. "reactive transparency" (from Hospital Impact).

After the discussion I also thought about the size of his organization. They are a small hospital in a rural area. Would my friend gain the same benefits from blogging as Marty Bonick, CEO of Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky? Would the ROI of his social media efforts be less since his stakeholder base is smaller? As with any other social media activity, it may be slow at first but would deliver some gems that would be worth the effort.