communication

In one of my other classes we had to review a case study in which a player's union and a league were working on coming to an agreement on a new contract between the two. The negotiations stalled and caused a whole season to be canceled, because the two parties simply could not come to a term of understanding and trust.
It reminded me again of how important conversations are between any two parties, certainly between a webmaster or contributors and their visitors. To find out whether or not one provides anything of value, especially on a blog type site, it is vital to give your visitors an opportunity to join the conversation and contribute. I think this is one of the main reasons that social media sites are so successful, both creator and visitor contribute and exchange ideas. Sometimes this process can get derailed and cause headaches, but most of the time it helps the creators understand what their visitors are looking for.

asocial

My favorite aunt was always on our case not to be asocial. She wanted us to be well behaved, courteous, gracious, and sincere. If we weren't, we were sure to be called out on it.
Social marketing follows the very same principle. I've noticed many webmasters that are desperately trying to promote their site and/or services, but that desperation is clearly obvious and their attempts are seen as insincere. Just as in interactions with real people, webmasters and/or companies need to realize that while social marketing is cousin of traditional marketing, it is not a direct relative to simple advertising. Advertising is in your face and one directional. Good marketing is a two way street and so is social marketing. It is an exchange of values from one party to another. If you have nothing of value to offer, it quickly turns sour and ineffective.
What does that mean for me and my site? I have to make sure that my efforts at social marketing are sincere, that my blog posts have something of value to offer and that I in turn call on my users to give something in return. That can be as simple as a comment, a like, or a share.

honesty + capability + results = trust

The review ad this week showcases clearly how easy it is to mislead a potential customer. As users get more and more proficient in sniffing out click bait and fake websites, it becomes increasingly important for valid websites and stores to over-deliver in the trust department. Unless one already enjoys a public presence of trust and integrity, one has to make sure to take advantage of every micro-second that a new or existing user comes across your site.
Information needs to be clear and consistent across the various platforms, from Google Ads, to social links, to blog posts, to the final web page. Confusing information and inconsistent offers will only lead to users closing your tab and moving on to the next web site offering.
It is also of great advantage to bring something more to the table, something that makes your site unique and entices a user to come back next time. Whether that be honest opinions, detailed descriptions and reviews, or any other unique feature, one has to stand out distinctly.
Click-baiting is so common these days, most users see right through it. It is easy to fall into that trap when one doesn't really have anything of substance to offer and relies on ad impressions or the like to generate any revenue. In those cases one has to ask themselves how one can change course and begin to offer real value to users.

find your passion!

My daughter's Sunday school teacher drives her crazy. He is very boisterous and can be intimidating at times. One of his favorite comments to the students is "Find your passion, find your passion!"
I was reminded of that kernel of truth this week in my case study reading for another class, as well as the assignments for this class.
Designing a website and creating a revenue stream on the side would have thoroughly excited me a few years ago, but I have since learned how much work is required to make it work and how much time can easily be wasted in that effort. I'd much rather spend time with my family, teach my children, and excel at work than try to make a few extra dollars online. That's just not something i am passionate about at this time.
What I am passionate about is finishing my degree, making myself more qualified at work, and then moving into a position where I can actually affect change and help my company become better at what we do!

don't ignore the other side

With the 2016 Election just behind us and the all around amazement of a win for Trump, I was reminded how important accurate data is. This seems to fit perfectly with our assignment for Google Analytics this week. Whether in politics, business, families, or any other social interaction, you simply cannot assume you know what others think. You have to make the effort to find out. The best way is through a one on one conversation, taking the time to listen to the other side, and asking educated, open ended questions.
Pollsters and established politicians realized this week that asking leading questions and semi-shaming people over an honest opinion is not the way to learn to understand what is really going on.
The same can be said for many businesses that have failed to stay current, or even stay ahead of what their customers want. As new methods, new technologies become common-place, consumer expectations increase. What was going above and beyond yesterday, is now standard. To stay ahead we have to consistently find new ways to stay engaged with the customer and anticipate their needs.

steady pace

This week I had the chance to visit many of my student peers' websites. I was impressed by many of them. Professional design and a thoughtful foundation was what impressed me the most.
But I also noticed quite a few that hadn't given too much thought about the actual goal of their site, to the design, or even the correct spelling and proper sentence structure.
This reminded me how grateful I am that I had a fantastic example in my wife when she went back to school 7 years ago and diligently worked on her assignments, often late into the night.
When I started BYU-I's program, I attempted to follow her example, but without much conviction. I paid the price in quite a few classes, not receiving the grade I wanted a few times, but more importantly spending all my weekend trying to catch up with reading, assignments, essays, and tests. In retrospect I realize though that my own experiences and my wife's example created just the perfect environment for me to learn that a steady pace wins the race. I am still sometimes unprepared, but all in all I feel much more confident in my studies and fulfilling my assignments in a timely fashion.

keywords

This week we began working on our adword campaigns and as part of the lesson started our list of keywords. We analyzed what keywords would work and which would not. The subject of negative keywords came up as well, keywords that you want to make sure to not lead to your site.
The week's assignments reminded me how important it is to be accurate and to the point with our conversations, with our spouses and our children, in our extended families, at Church and at work. We can waste so much precious time and give people the wrong impression if we do not focus on using the appropriate keywords to lead us to results. That doesn't mean that we can't be sensitive and loving, but if we cannot directly about the issues at hand, we will never land the right results.
I for one will do my best to be more clear in my conversations, especially when it comes to the people I love the most.Using "I" language (a skill learned long ago on my mission, thanks white handbook), I will express my feelings and the way others actions affect me. When others tell me about problems they are facing or troubles they are having, I will ask them with specific keywords what they think they can do. Only then will I share what results I have seen in my life taking certain actions and how it has affected my life.
Precise keywords are important not only in Google searches, but in the search for a happier life as well.