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.

(more…)

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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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Some resumes speak a thousand words. Or in this case, professions. I have met a number of individuals who historically spend their entire professional life jumping from one job to the next. The hummingbirds of this world never really become

Mel Gibson as William Wallace

knowledgeable about anything, let alone experts. Granted, they may have a breadth of experience over hundreds of different industries – but they are only able to preach to the top layer, since whenever they begin to build upon their knowledge in one field – doh, they jump ship and eagerly search for the grass that’s always so much greener.

The key is to plant seeds, nourish and grow within the industry you are passionate about. Once you make the decision (if ever), use that passion to your advantage and begin to penetrate deep roots for yourself in the form of knowledge, contacts, and smarts. I’m not saying stay in the same job forever, hell no! I’m saying recognize what your strengths are, combined with what you are passionate about, and seek to become an expert in the industry/field you believe in. It’s in your best interest to change job roles. How else does one improve other than to move up the ladder or move on to a higher role, whether it’s in the same company or not is moot. Continuous evolution in yourself and your craft is paramount.

It’s acceptable for the younger generation to waver. Damn, the majority are still trying to fathom the survival of puberty. It’s these 30 plus year old magpies who constantly bounce around from one bright and shiny thing to the next. Seriously! How is anyone likely to create a personal/professional brand when you have no handle on your personal/professional life!

It’s also interesting to observe these types of folks when they are on the brink of their latest world changing venture of the month. Typically they go charging full steam ahead, all guns blazing, optimistic, bursting at the seams with enthusiasm, and the determination of William Wallace. Evidently, in most cases they become their own advocates (as they rarely have built a following. Hmmmm I wonder why?) and begin screaming their latest craze to the entire world. To the point where it becomes irritating! Why? Because subsequently, nobody shares their belief. Why? Because, they built nothing to believe in. Why? They don’t believe it themselves.

So why should anyone else..?

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