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Paper.Li -- Social Media Feedback?

Warning: this piece on Paper.li might end up as a story on a Paper.li daily. I will tweet the link to this blog post, which means that people who follow me and who have set-up a Paper.li daily could have a story in their Paper.li paper about this story about Paper.li.

Cue the microphone feedback sound effect.

I started to see a few @tweric's on Twitter, saying that their "Daily" paper featured a story by me. So, I clicked to check it out. Sure enough, stories I had written, or linked to, were featured in these online newspapers. Next, I had to sign-up at Paper.li myself, and here's what happened.

I set-up my paper to draw from my Twitter account: links from me and those I follow. I was curious to see what an Eric Matas Daily would produce -- I am into technology, elearning, education, gadgets, and social media, so surely my daily would feature stories on those subjects.

Not so much. The top of the page featured a story on a start-up, which I liked. But right next to that was a story that included mention of Michele Bachman. I would hardly ever wish to feature a story about Michele Bachman -- unless it was a story about America deciding not to let her speak into a mic ever again.

As I scrolled down, I saw posts from @HuffingtonPost and @FastCompany, two twitter accounts that I, honestly, forgot I was following. And were they featured because they tweet so many links or because Paper.li knows they are megalithic?

If checking out Paper.li taught me anything, it is that I should monitor who I follow and perhaps stop following people who are linking to stories that I wouldn't want in my Eric Matas Daily.

 
The more I scrolled down, the more I liked what I saw: more technology stories and education. I wondered if I could change the page layout to feature those at the top. I also wondered if the page layout was "smart," meaning it put at the top the stories that my Twitter account indicated were my main interests. I do follow a lot of news and politics people -- out of social media curiosity -- whereas I follow many elearning people for daily interaction and career interaction.

The paper also generates stories organized by Twitter hash tags. The ones in my paper were certainly from people I follow, and I hardly recognized them. I know when I scan my twitter feed that I key in on my favorite tweeters and other hash tags I might be interested in. Many tweets in my feed are simple glossed over.

I looked into what I could customize, and it wasn't much. But I can't resist change. I changed "The Eric Matas Daily" to "The Tweric Matas Times" for no particular reason other than to connect to my @tweric account more directly. I could have, but didn't, click to automatically tweet the new edition (every morning at 9am). Right on the paper itself, you can add an optional editor's note.

I recommend Paper.li because it is interesting to see what is generated and because it reveals a lot about what your Twitter account is interested in. Maybe you are interested in the same things as your account?

Last thought: my daily is still an experiment, but Guy Kawasaki has one. Maybe if I tweet a link just before his daily is generated...I will raise my chances of being featured on his paper. Is timing of tweets a way to stack the Paper.li deck?

(Technically Kawasaki has several daily papers on Paper.li, which are focused on certain topics that he covers. One way he controls the Holy Kaw Daily is by only following one person from the Holy Kaw twitter account. Oh, and it's not me!)

Will Tweet for Food

Is the economy so bad? Has it come to this? Twitter or other social media updates done for food?

14 Bus Reflections Everyone Is Doing It Edition

Image via CrunchBase

I love that fears have special names, like arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. And that crazy one for the fear of the number 13. Yikes!

My favorite fear these days is FOMO. FOMO is the Fear of Missing Out. It's a powerful force that has been sweeping the nation--and world. Or should I say swiffering the nation? (Shout out to Dane Cook.)

The fear of missing out on something is precisely the reason many have flooded to Twitter and Facebook, and FOMO is also the motivating factor behind the clicking of links. If everyone is clicking @coolguy's link, I better not be the only one who doesn't see what's there!

The trouble with FOMO and links is that there are a lot of @coolguys and a very lot of links. (Yes, word fans, I just split my "a lot" like Captain Kirk split his infinitive...try it!)

With so many links to not miss out on, nobody has time to hang out on a site, to linger and peruse, to establish a relationship with, or to take the time to buy what might be offered.

FOMO is powerful despite being irrational. But most fears are. Do you have it? Is it driving your clicking decisions? Is it hurting your web business?

Eric Matas

Sent from my HTC smartphone.

Posted via email from Eric's Preposterous

Calling People Is Rude

In the old movies, one phone hung on the wall in the foyer, and when it rang, the whole house bristled with excitement. A phone call! Who could it be?! What do they want to talk about?!

Fastforward to 2010.

Today when a phone rings, people brace themselves, take a deep breath and look to that caller ID. And they aren't looking just to see who it is--they are looking to see who wants a piece of them. They look to prepare for a quick 2-5 second decision.

To be there or not to be there, that is the question.

Well, I'm not here. Don't call me unless you want to hear my voicemail greeting. My voicemail greeting recommends not leaving a message but finding me on Twitter. Go ahead: call me, I won't answer. (Number's on Facebook.)

Calling people is rude. It's like saying, "I need to talk to you and even though I am not with you, I am going to get in your face via phone and demand that you talk to me." It's like driving your car right into my living room. Yeah, I don't think so. Not today. 

Here's a short list of tools to use to reach me that are WAY more effective than a phone:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Text Message
• Email
• Text Message
• Smoke Signal

To be clear, I use the phone everyday. I enjoy talking to people. But if you call me without some heads-up or an appointment, you better be my wife with some updates about my kids.

The new catch phrase: Tweet me to meet me.

Zen Diagrams Stop Social Media Gurus

Are you sick of social media experts? Are you sick of social media gurus? Send the gurus here!

It was that word, guru, that inspired me to transform the traditional Venn diagram into a Zen Diagram. Let me explain how a Zen Diagram can help you. Maybe even you have been twitting around hawking your social media guru-ness, and you are kind of sick of yourself. It happens. On to Zen!

Let's get visual about our lives. Keep in mind that a Zen Diagram can help even if social media is not part of your life. Using the same techniques as Venn diagrams (sorry John Venn, I am stealing your diagram), make a Zen Diagram by drawing circles that represent your main career interests. I have three passionate interests, and where I am most happy is in that intersecting area that I call the Lotus zone:

You might have more than three interests, which can make your Zen diagram complicated. In that case I have two suggestions:

1. Look deep and find only two or three burning interests, or combine two interests into one broad circle. Face it, we're going Zen here and complicated isn't invited.
   
2. Get creative with your visual. There are tips on how to draw four and five interest diagrams here. The mathemetician/artist in you will be challenged. Drink green tea to prepare.

My Zen Diagram shows equal parts of Writing, Elearning and Social Media. That is pretty accurate for me. You might need a more lopsided diagram if one interest dominates. Beware, though, that letting one interest dominate leads you out of the Lotus zone!

Since Social Media is one of my circles, I can explain how an interest can pull you out of your Lotus/Zen and explain why I think so many social media fans think they are social media gurus.

I love to indulge in social media. Mmm, Twitter. Mmm, Facebook. And for dessert? Connect Twitter and Facebook. By participating in and learning about social media sites and social media players, I have become more expert than most at social media. People come to me with questions about using social media for their brand, for marketing and for recruiting. Still, social media is not my focus in life and I do not live or die (or put food on the table) by it. So, I am not hawking myself as a guru. It is not authentic for me to do so.

When I get too into social media, I do imagine a fun and rewarding career kicking butt online and consulting for big bucks--I am tempted to pull out words like expert and guru and start throwing them around to see if they stick. Other people are doing so en masse. I think many, too many, are decieving themselves because they have lost their Zen. Back to the Lotus, people. Be a fan not a guru!

Make your Zen Diagram today and thank me tomorrow. Your Zen Diagram guru, Eric @tweric Matas.

Photo Credit: wasoxygen on flickr