Obama’s Social Networks Manager Application

Recently someone retweeted a job posting from President Obama and the DNC. It got me thinking how relevant the job description is for everyone online to adopt for their own branding and digital/cyber personas. In this exponentially evolving medium of information, more people are trying to gain credibility and cultivate trusted followers. Then, there are some people out there who don’t care, will post anything. See this article on the 12 Most Annoying types of Facebookers. When Twitter burst onto the scene, no one really took it seriously. Most users dismissed it as “oh great, just what the world needs. Yet another social networking platform…”. I’ll be the first to admit, my first few tweets were silly, only relevant (or so I thought) to those in my own little world. I am grateful (relieved) that I only had a handful of followers back then. Now Twitter is a useful tool,  for those who use it correctly,  for connecting with not only your friends, but real celebrities, politicians, journalists, and other high-profile users.  I now have (don’t laugh) 50 Twitter followers and 372 friends on Facebook! Thanks to smart platforms such as Tweet Deck, I can manage who gets my tweets and whether or not updating my status in one will affect the other.

This blog wasn’t meant to be an Ode to social media, nor a tutorial, but I think we can all learn from this one job description and apply it to our online lives. And yes, we now exist and live part of our lives online.

The Job Description

President Obama’s Administration began “Organizing for America”, after he won the Presidential election and it became the successor to “Obama for America”. The DNC and Organizing for America is hiring a Social Networks Manager.

Here is the job description:

“The Social Networks Manager is responsible for maintaining the Democratic Party and Organizing for America accounts on all social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts, etc.) The Social Networks Manager works closely with the rest of the New Media department to execute grassroots campaigns to advance the President’s agenda for change.” According to their website.

The main purpose “is building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country to organize around the issues they care most about.”

Qualifications:

• Excellent writing and editing skills with strong attention to detail; your writing is strong, sharp, and personable
• Strong organizing and campaigning instincts; you can craft messages that move people to act, and you know what actions will achieve the right impact at the right time.

This is paramount to all advertising camps. Every single ad, promotional coupon, commercial, billboard, etc. We’re all try to make you do something.

• Strong familiarity with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.

You had better own that space. “Be familiar” is an unfortunate understatement. I’ve seen some public relations nightmares in the wake of a novice/intermediate user posting something, then removing the post to correct dates/times/misspelled words etc. I actually witnessed one of Houston’s premier elite magazines post an event on Facebook without taking the time to adjust the settings to prevent everyone on Facebook from having the capability to invite anyone to it. So, hundreds of people RSVP’d via Facebook expecting to be able to attend the event. Within a few hours, they realized their mistake and took away that capability and re-posted the event. But by then they’d lost credibility, hurt people’s feelings and looked, disorganized, snobbish, and well… downright silly.  I was embarrassed for them. I actually went to this event and it wasn’t any more organized than their failed attempt at the invitation on Facebook. The talk of the party wasn’t how fabulous it was, but how disorganized it was and everyone complained about the event. That magazine, needs to fire their marketing and/or events coordinators and do a better job in planning an event campaign after that fiasco.

So “familiarity” is a poor choice of words in my opinion. This job description represents the Obama Administration, this isn’t some local band you’re trying to promote.  You’d better be experienced, eloquent while concise, and well versed.

Learn from the mistakes of  John Mayer in the wake of his disastrous Playboy article and his humiliating attempts at mea culpas via Twitter. Here’s a quick list of what not to do: Twitter flubs of recent history.

• Ready to work hard; this isn’t a 9-5 sort of job

Well said! That’s the beauty and brilliance of social media. It’s happening all the time. It’s viral. I feel sorry for those who don’t embrace the new power we all have to shift the news and affect media with what is buzzworthy at the moment. Thankfully I can set push notifications to “off” otherwise some people I follow and are all over the world and in different time zones.

News doesn’t happen strictly between local business hours. News happens 24-7 and more people are affecting the news media and how journalists are responding to the evolving interactive phenomenon. This is probably one of the most important descriptions in this job posting. If they want an effective campaign, they need someone who can think and react fast not only to news that is happening around the world, but also to create relevant news and manage anything they want to promote.

• Ability to work under deadline pressure
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects
• Passionate about engaging millions of Americans in advancing President Obama’s agenda and changing the country

Follow the lead of Senator John McCain @SenJohnMcCain.  Also, Texas Gubernatorial candidate,  former Mayor of Houston,  Bill White @billwhitefortx. Both of these leaders give daily updates of progress of legislature, bills that they’re passionate about, and what they’re doing to serve their state.

• Candidates must be willing to relocate to Washington, DC

Really? I guess this might be the case for security purposes. And by security, I mean the Secret Service. But truly, a good social networking guru should be able to be anywhere to upload content and create a campaign. They should be as versatile and as available as their wireless capabilities can carry them. If I were interviewing for the job, I would argue that any tenured experienced authority on social media would not have to relocate.

President Obama Tweeting (or texting his speechwriter to tweet)

Now, am I the only one who finds it ironic that the The Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America is a little behind on  jumping on the bandwagon of social media and social networking? The Obama administration’s whole platform was “Change”. They should have hired a social networking manager a long time ago.  Perhaps they did, but that “manager” turned out to be a failure and did not yield the results they wanted. Results that are measured by the public taking action, reacting, and getting involved. There is an underlying principle that encompasses social media and that is the contagious nature of it and that it should be cutting edge, ahead of the game, and that who ever is participating in the moment should be in-the-know.

During the elections in Iran last year Twitter was brought to the fore-front of everyone’s attention because no media coverage was allowed within several miles of where the elections and protests where happening. Our  regular trusted authorities in journalism where paralyzed and we had no choice but to pay attention to the Twitter feed to get news of what was happening in that region of the world. The amazing thing we witnessed was how quickly the government reacted to this phenomenon by creating fake profiles and microblogging bogus updates to trick some into thinking that the situation wasn’t as dire as some of the Iranians were posting it was.  Here is that link from Time.com.

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Sparking Creativity in the Workplace

Officer Chief Star Pop

It starts off with a slow annoyed tap of the foot. A few seconds later, your receptionist has locked herself in the storage closet, your accountant is missing in action, 2 of your project coordinators are missing limbs and stumbling around like zombies, all the while you are struggling to put your intestines back into the gaping hole in your stomach. Mediocrity is a merciless monster that will ravage your office and leave nothing but destruction in its path. Luckily, you have been blessed with the gift of reading and this isn’t your everyday typical “how do I get my employees to be more creative” half assed, cookie cutter, bullshit article. This my friends, is pure gold. If you were to print this out and take it to the bank, the teller would hand you a check with more zeroes than a Google, I mean googol.

Anxiety is the number one killer of Creativity

The creature lurks on the shoulders of your employees, ever so often gnarling and scratching at their heads. This beast keeps creativity from ever entering their thoughts. If productivity was a pie; anxiety would come stick its finger in it, grab the tray its sitting in, slam it into your face then jump into its Monte Carlo and laugh while giving you the finger. Obviously, anxiety is an asshole. As luck would have it, there is a cure for anxiety. Ironically, its more anxiety. Well, not necessarily about causing more anxiety as it is about focusing that anxiety into one central concern that can mask all other problems your employees might be facing. For instance, everybody worries about their family, money issues, what they’re going to eat for dinner, that relative that is going through that court issue or dying of some cancer, etc… Your job as a leader is to concentrate those worries and to bring about a fear so powerful that it masks all other concerns. Hang a banner (preferably covered in blood), that reads, “Work or I will kill you”. Now this alone, may be brushed off as some sort of sick joke. Stand your ground. Walk in to the office with a Jason mask and chainsaw and rev it in front of your employee’s faces. Sit in front of their desks and just stare at them through the mask while breathing heavily. Answer all questions by revving the chainsaw. If James the intern starts to laugh and thinks this is just some ploy then proceed to kick him in the mouth and saw his arm off. Nothing says, “Oh shit, this is actually real”, like making an example out of someone. If you are too much of a pansy because of the legal technicalities that this method might bring then obviously you might not have the brass balls it takes to be a leader. Retire your title and go back to handing out free massage coupons for your mother’s home business.

Being Creative doesn’t mean ditching the Formula but making a few minor changes.

Ever started to pour of a bowl of cereal then realized there wasn’t any milk so you decided to just eat oatmeal? Screw that noise. I once substituted that puny vitamin D weak sauce for some manly freshly squeezed orange juice. Let’s just say that calling my breakfast “complete” would be an understatement. My breakfast went on to get a PHD in delicious. The variable in this example is simply replacing milk with orange juice. In the workplace the processes that you have set up are probably wack-tacular and only worked before because you were still living in the 80’s and were listening to Twisted Sister. Don’t worry. The process doesn’t need to be replaced, just tweaked to accommodate changing times.
Take a good hard look at the beginning, middle and end of your product. How many hands does it go through? The more hands that mess with the product, the more you can guarantee it’s probably going to end up with a venereal disease (and not the good kind). Follow the process, tweak it, oil the gears, remove some cogs that don’t need to be there then stand back. When that baby hits 88 mph, you’re going to see some serious productivity.

Spontaneity is to Creativity what Johnson and Johnson Shampoo is to your kids eyes. Magical.

Your employees have gotten use to their 8-5 work schedule. Sweet. They log in, load up with work then begin to spit out results like a well oiled machine. Everything is as it should be. Nothing moves faster than the slowest press of a key. Creativity is nowhere to be seen. Everyone is comfortable as they are lost in monotony. Fortunately, you’ve left a surprise for them in the form of a timed explosive device in the thermostat. The explosive starts a fire in the corner of the office. Your working drones are now active, have become self aware and their need for survival sparks the fuel for creativity. Sam, the new hire, throws his monitor through the window close to his desk to escape the flames. Sandra, a very intelligent and dutiful staff member who has shown a lot of promise over the years and that you’ve been considering for a promotion, grabs the fire extinguisher and throws it into the flames. The sales executive Conrad, looks over at her while his mouth mimics the words, “what the eff?”. Seconds later the extinguisher explodes and half of the roof collapses. You stand out in the parking lot with your vice president and share a “herb cigarette”, laughing at the chaos. Creativity rises from the ashes like a phoenix. It is present, it has been activated and it is beautiful. Create obstacles, challenge your employees, challenge yourself and the reward will be creativity. It may sound stupid, funny, frightening at times, etc… but in all seriousness, Creativity is thinking outside the norm, being called stupid, funny and scary while you attempt it. When the rewards begin to present themselves, all of those titles are masked by one word. That’s pretty eff-ing Creative.



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Chapter 4

Live to Sell vs. Sell to Live

Excerpt from Chapter 2 “Manage Your Environment – Go First Class”
Right then, I made a decision – I vowed I would never allow myself to get caught up amongst individuals who represented mediocrity.

My plan was to always be better today than I was yesterday.

In order to dramatically increase my knowledge, I knew I must only learn from successful individuals – nothing less.

“Manage your environment. Learn from the best. ALWAYS GO FIRST CLASS!”

The vast majority of people I associate with in the business world, both past present, all tend to possess the same philosophy.

Money is not ultimately what motivates us – Winning is!

A favorite read of mine ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ by Maxwell Maltz MD, conveys this message unequivocally;

”What you succeed in is not as important as the feeling of success which attended it”

Ding! Personally, the money has always been an afterthought, an added bonus. The gravy on top of the accomplishment of success! It’s that winning feeling that contributes to the driving force required in life’s challenges. And oh boy – it’s worth the battle!

Granted, sales people do not have a reputation for selling from the good of their heart. But they certainly have a reputation for possessing big egos! Nevertheless, the vast majority of worker bees don’t see their ‘jobs’ as anything but a daily requirement, a duty, a method of providing for themselves and their family, a repetitive task that keeps the debt collectors at bay. Or as my first sales manager used to reference it “Making the donuts”.

Yikes! What an uninspiring, soul destroying existence. This all resonates with mediocrity – one of my ultimate pet hates.

I have always found it astonishing observing the behavior patterns of those that suffer from mediocrity. No ambition, no spark, no desire to evolve. I say suffer, as I truly perceive it as a disease. A disease that not only kills passion and the ability to achieve greatness, but much more dangerous – the inevitable power it has to infect and spread throughout a company and leave dead bodies in its trail.

Interestingly, in the past, I used to identify these types of individuals that evidently continue to dominate the corporate world, as more of an advantage for those whom possessed substantially more ambition and determination.

Let’s face it, if the world was overrun with brilliance, it would be almost impossible to shine. In fact, those who fell into a slightly lesser standard of brilliance – would be classed as mediocre.  Think of the mere thousands (not bazillions) of geniuses, thought leaders, legends and revolutionaries that have made a significant and everlasting impact on this planet. Che Guevara, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, The Beatles, William Wallace (my last blog).

Rocky

These legends symbolize evolution.   Accompanied by the aggressive mentality to ensure they reached great heights, and never stopped climbing!

“What you have learned is never enough.” – Cher Wang, founder of HTC.

This is still a strong heartfelt belief of mine. Yet, I have learned that when thrown into a situation of which teamwork and multiple talents are a necessity, the results can be outstanding. Admittedly, I was never a fan of working as part of a team. Growing up as a loner and travelling the world solo, independence and self teaching and the tenacity to learn became one of my biggest strengths. What amazed me is that combining the art of one’s craft with the art of another’s, not only reinforces your opportunities in business, but leverages your skill set to a whole new level.

All this said, your life should always be on a track leading to greatness. In many cases, not seeking evolutionary greatness, but greatness that resembles a life laced with that winning feeling.

“Our thoughts create our reality — where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go” – McWilliams.

Victoria

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