THE CONNECTED BRAND: Creating Community, Build Your Tribe

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

I am the moderator of BRANDCHAT. A fast paced, streaming interactive conversation that happens every week via Twitter. We chat of everything about branding and drill down to the specifics that focus on the human factor of branding – be it for an individual, soloprenuer, professional, small business owner or corporation wanting to ensure that their employees deliver on the corporate brand promise with authenticity.

In the chat, we “high five”, challenge each other’s beliefs, share resources along with knowledge and change minds and have our mind’s changed. Another great chat I participate in is JOURNCHAT, a conversation between journalists, bloggers, editors and PR agencies and people. It’s a great place to find out from the sources themselves what the challenges, tips, discussions and focuses are of newsrooms everywhere.

I love that we are in a hyper-connected time where we can reach across borders, time zones, cultures and communities to interact with someone with common goals, the same frame of reference, values with common ground and common interests. And, while there are as many subgroups as there are stars in the heavens those splinters of groups gather together even in greater numbers using the tools that new technology bestows.

To “connect by doing” does not mean to confuse activity with accomplishment and one also must be cautious to think that connecting means having “great numbers” of followers, friends, or links. Great connections have to do with quality of the interaction, relationship and trust.

No longer can we measure ROI (return on investment) by mere numbers of page views, customer counts or eyeballs. We now look deeper into the quality of the relationship and the length of interaction. Thus, we see even the “big brands” creating communities of customers and contacts and listening to their conversation instead of only broadcasting theirs.

How can you create your community?

First, decide who your community consists of.

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Next, develop a strategy around where your community already is. Where do they spend time? Is there a place that they are at or reviewing in great numbers?

Decide on the tools to reach them. It could be:

• A newsletter
• A networking event
• Monthly meet-ups or tweet-ups
• A Ning.com or SocialGo.com community
• A tweetchat room with a weekly conversation
• A tweetgrid focus for conversation
• A Facebook group
• A Facebook fan page
• A Facebook business page
• A LinkedIn group
• An online of offline forum

Now, be the great facilitator for them by fostering conversations, listening intently, and providing resources. Now, is not the time for presenting – it is the time for being present.

Author:
Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding + word of mouth firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.

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THE CONNECTED BRAND: Creating Community, Build Your Tribe

THE CONNECTED BRAND: Beyond Networking - Interview With Adam Salamon

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

Networking is probably one of the biggest buzz words in the business today. With the birth of more workshops, activities, and social networking websites, more and more people are getting into the bandwagon. Here, Partnerships Director of BazaarVoice, Inc., Adam Salamon shares his thoughts on networking.

For Adam, meeting people does not necessarily mean that you are already networking. He believes that this is the biggest networking mistake that people commit. “Real networking happens through connection and purpose,” he says. This is quite true because networking is more than just meeting the person. Instead, it is more about the added value that we can share to the person we meet. “I often write about the value of getting things done with people, because whether you're working on a project together, playing a sport with someone, or volunteering with a person, you're creating a connection versus meeting someone arbitrarily. The act of working with someone immediately puts you in a different category versus chatting with someone at a cocktail networking happy hour,“ Adam adds.

Adam feels that two of the biggest networking challenges that people have in terms of connecting with people from other cultures is language and how we were brought up. “The ways people are raised across cultures is drastically different from locale to locale. Some kids get spanked; some kids grow up pampered, etc. This has a profound impact on a person's perspective, and therefore, the way you connect with other people.” Another factor that affects how we network with other people is the generation gap. According to Adam, “there’s no difference in the way different generations network except for the tools they use.” This can be exemplified by how Millenials are more comfortable in connecting with their peers through chat or text messaging and how Traditionalists prefer face-to-face interactions. More than the method of communication, Adam thinks that, “All human connection occurs very naturally, thus the term "human nature". We all have the same basic needs in regards to human connection. There's the need to be wanted, to feel heard, and to feel like what we're doing has meaning. Great relationships and networking happens when you can fill those basic human connection points with people, regardless of what technology or tool you use.” Good point.

Due to our aggressive technological advancements, people from all walks of life are now exposed to endless possibilities especially in networking arena. So does this mean we’re becoming a one culture? Adam thinks that “Technology has made it possible to even consider this a thought. I look at where we were even 10 years ago, and it's amazing how far the world has come since then. I don't think we'll become one culture in the next 10 or even 50 years, but I believe if you are to look at this world in 500 years, we'll be much more homogeneous than we are today.”

If there’s one thing that Adam could change about the way people network or the practices being used to make them better, he’d want to change the people’s intentions to network. “Why do you want to network? If it's for selfish reasons, then you will only be as successful as how hard you work at it. But if you start to network by listening and creating real, meaningful relationships, then networking will happen naturally.” The best practice that Adam recommends to anyone who wants to create and develop a strong network is to get involved. “Join your HOA, play a weekly sport, or a professional organization. Whatever you do, just make sure you're getting out there and creating deeper relationships than what you're doing now. You can probably always improve that aspect of your life.”

Author:

Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com. You are also invited to click our buttons:


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THE CONNECTED BRAND: Beyond Networking - Interview With Adam Salamon

THE CONNECTED BRAND: From Stereotypes To Strategies

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

From Stereotypes To Strategies

Bridging the Cultural and Generational Communication Gap

Wong Brothers Laundry Service – Two Wongs Can Make it White” This statement was actually printed on an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt which triggered a national boycott in 2002. “We personally thought Asians would love this T-shirt,” said Hampton Carney, A&F’s spokesman. However, students from Stanford University think, “WTH. That’s so racist!”

These two scenarios are examples of our challenges in terms of cross-cultural and cross-generational communication. In the first scenario, the American clothing brand thought that Asian or Asian-American consumers would love the product, yet it was a flop that resulted in a serious issue. The second example, on the other hand, a college student might react in a manner that cannot be easily understood by a listener who belongs to a different generation. What is WTH, anyway? WTH is actually an acronym for what the heck. So if you’re not the type of person who doesn’t really chat or stay in online forums, then this and other acronyms and emoticons might not make sense to you. In the past, we only had to deal with communication gaps across cultures. Now we have to deal with cross-generation communication gaps as well. So how do we exactly manage this and start seeing beyond stereotypes and turning them into effective communication strategies?

Strategies for Cross-Cultural Communication

Here are some useful tips on how to effectively communicate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds:

• Avoid asking, “Do you understand?” Instead, check for understanding by encouraging them to ask questions or raise clarifications. You may also ask them what they think about the issue.
• Raise your cultural awareness. First, you have to identify the cultural groups you are dealing with. Then ask questions about how they do things in their own country. For instance, in the US, people show respect by properly addressing the person they’re talking to (use of Mr., Ms., Dr., Prof., etc) and by maintaining eye contact. However, in some Asian countries, people show respect by using honorifics (ex., san), bowing and not directly looking at the person they’re speaking with.
• Learn how to cope with culture shock. Of course, culture shock is just a normal response when a person is immersed in an unfamiliar culture. But this is definitely something that we can control by taking a few positive steps. One of which is acknowledging the fact that it’s quite normal to experience culture shock. People have different symptoms of culture shock – some have difficulty in sleeping or eating while others become irritable. We just need to recognize these symptoms and accept that it’s normal.
• Try to learn a few phrases in the native dialect. Have you noticed how politicians and celebrities try to thank their supporters or fans in the native dialect of the place where they tour? You can also do the same. Learn a few phrases and try to use them when conversing with locals because it’s a good way of showing that you’re trying to reach out to them.
• Mimic the reactions of the natives. Another technique that one must try when dealing with people from other cultural backgrounds is by mimicking how the natives react to a certain situation. Observe them and see how they respond. For example, how do they say sorry? Do they bow excessively? Then the next step is to try the new behavior and evaluate if it works.
• Avoid ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior to all others. Never assume! Just because an action does not look, sound, or feel right, it doesn’t mean it’s abnormal. For example, if you go to an establishment in the Philippines, expect to be called Ma’am or Sir at all times. They don’t think that you’re from the military; instead this is their way of showing respect to the customers and authorities.
• Take time into consideration. This usually applies to those who work with virtual teams located halfway around the globe or with people from different time zones. Time can also be a reason for miscommunication. Say for example, a boss based in New York sends out a meeting invite at 8AM (a conference call) with a staff member based in Taiwan. There’s a huge chance that the staff in Taiwan will report 8AM local time on that day only to find out that the meeting is scheduled at 8AM Eastern (which is 8PM, Taiwan). In this case, we should be more sensitive of the time and really clarify the time zone you are following to avoid miscommunication that could also result to unnecessary overtimes.

Strategies for Cross-Generational Communication

Meanwhile, let me provide you some tips on how you could flex and match your communication style when talking to Traditionalists, Boomers, Xers, and Millenials.

• Know their communication style. Each generation has its own unique communication style. Traditionalists prefer formal and face-to-face interactions. Baby Boomers tend to be open and direct and they expect to be pressed for details. Gen Xers, on the other hand, enjoy using emails as a primary communication tool. And finally, the Millenials love to send text and instant messages and they are not hesitant to network with other people no matter where they are as long as they’re online.
• Refrain from using generational jargon. If you are a Millenial and are talking to a Traditionalist boss, avoid using acronyms such as BRB (be right back) and LOL (laughing out loud) because one, they might not understand it and two, they might think that you’re being impolite or disrespectful. The same goes with the other generations, Boomers should not expect Millenials to find disco as “groovy.”
• Learn how to provide feedback. Each generation has its own way of perceiving feedback. For Traditionalists, no news is good news and feedback should be given formally. They don’t necessarily want to be applauded instead they prefer a subtle form of acknowledgment. Boomers don’t want much feedback, once a year is enough but make sure that you document it. They prefer giving feedback than receiving them. For Xers, they want to get feedback to know how they are doing and to check if they are on the right track. The Millenials are used to being praised by their Boomer parents and they think that silence is a sign of disapproval. They like receiving feedback and they want it with just a push of a button.

Overall, there’s no secret formula or magic pill that will automatically zap communication gaps. On top of the tips mentioned above, we also need to improve our active listening skills, be sensitive and pay attention to non-verbal communications like gestures and facial expressions, do not interrupt the person talking, show genuine interest, ask questions or paraphrase if you do not understand something, and most importantly let’s learn to respect and embrace these differences.

Author:

Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent and inspiring identity coach for buzz2bucks.com a personal branding firm. She is listed as one of the top 50 Personal Branding Consultants Worth Working With and one of the top 100 Twitter experts as well as author of thebuzz101.com

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com. You are also invited to click our buttons:


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THE CONNECTED BRAND: From Stereotypes To Strategies

Keeping Up With The Joneses

By Maria Elena Duron

Multi-Cultural Networking Editor

If you’re thinking that this might be a title of a new reality TV show (similar to Keeping up with the Kardashians), think again. In fact, I am actually referring to the “Lost Generation” better known as Generation Jones. You’ll be surprised to know that aside from Generation X, there’s another generation that sprang post World War II. So how do we keep up with them? The best thing to do at this point is to really get to know them.

Meet Generation Jones: the largest adult generation in the US with serious spending power. This generation refers to those people who were born in the US (or UK) between 1954 to1965. So how exactly did they become a lost generation? Before American social commentator Jonathan Pontell discovered about the Jonesers, they are either classified as Baby Boomers or members of Generation X. But then again, Pontell made a good point that they are too young to be a Boomer and too old to be an X-er. He found that they are not as idealistic as the Boomers and not as cynical as Gen X-ers. Pontell believes that this generation that put their idealism on hold has achieved financial security and is rediscovering their idealism as they enter middle age. This is maybe due to the fact that they rode on to the lingering promises given to the Boomers before them and then a new world came as did sizable disappointment.

Why Jones? It’s not like Pontell can’t think of a cool name to call this group. Actually, the name originated from the word “jonesing” or from the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses.” This is because this generation tends to yearn or crave for a better life while having many unrealized expectations. Raised on TV and turmoil, they inherited a good economy that later on turned sour. They are also the kind of people who care about their relative standard of living in relation to their societal peers especially in terms of acquiring material goods. In the book Generation Blend by Rob Salkowitz, he described this generation as a generation that “share many of the values and assumptions of their elders but came of age under somewhat different historical circumstances. Too young to participate in the Civil Rights marches of the early 60s, experience the Summer of Love or Woodstock firsthand, or to be subject to the draft, young American Boomers reached their late teens in a period of cultural exhaustion and drift. They were still products of the postwar consumer culture, still optimistic and full of high ideals, but they arrived at the big party just as it was heading into its weird late-night mode.”

How do you know if you’re a member of this cohort? Some people don’t even know that they’re a part of Generation Jones. If you grew up watching Twister and The Brady Bunch until Watergate interrupted them, then you are most likely a Joneser. During a typical Gen Jones’ formative years, they’ve must have seen Neil Armstrong step on the moon, the fall of Saigon, the Missile Crisis, hyper-inflation, as well as how Oswald was shot on live TV. They are also the first ones who can’t recall not having a television at home or going to a disco. They are also techno-savvy, having played Pong (their first video game) and owned (or at least desperately wanted) a Sony Walkman. The Jonesers have a wallet-full of credit cards and they were happy (before the bills arrive). About 1/3 of internet-users in America are actually members of Generation Jones. It was said that they are the early computer pioneers like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The fact that they are internet-savvy makes them an extremely powerful market to technology industries. They have the skill to use the latest gadgets, the yearning of not being left out in terms of accumulation of material things, plus the spending power to boot.

The Jonesers at work. According to Gen X innovator Dr. Scott Mills, they were perhaps the “First Yuppies.” “The Jones’ have a very different way of viewing the world. They were a little too late for the great expectations; we can change the world, attitude of the Boomers. And a little too early for the crushing sense of being completely powerless in a world gone mad that X-ers inherited. So they are the roll of your sleeves folks who have been described as practical idealists.” Aside from this, inflation and recession are not exactly new or foreign words to them. Since they’ve known about these hardships, this turned them into practical people who wanted to see measurable results. Finally, while Boomers are starting to retire, Jonesers are expected to work until they are about 70 years old.

Generation Jones and Politics. One of the things that people talk most about Generation Jones is how they played a big role in politics. An article from the Huffington Post mentioned about how the Jonesers, “unlike Xers, embrace the 1960s' idealism and beatified its heroes, while both generations view of government is colored by Watergate and Washington gridlock. As a result, Jonesers adopted a less ideological and more nuanced approach to politics than Boomers and this has made them key swing voters in the last few elections. In general, Jonesers have rewarded candidates exuding confidence and decisiveness but have punished the timid.” Aside from this, the Jonesers are thought largely responsible in the US for the election and re-election of President George W. Bush, but also for the 2006 turnaround when voters successfully elected a Democratic majority Senate and House of Representatives. Barack Obama, another member of this lost generation, has shown one distinctive characteristic of a typical Joneser – someone who wants change from your not-so-typical kind of politics. Jonesers are more likely to vote for a candidate out of their political party if they want change.

This generation has proven that they are not truly a lost generation. Instead, they’ve made their presence known in the internet, heard in the world of politics, and of course, seen by their ability to pay for their luxuries. Apart from their craving to belong, it is also important to take note that they are media and culture savvy. With this in mind, they’ve become attractive targets, not only by political parties, but employers and advertising hooks as well. As Steve Kebler, founder of Kleber & Associates Marketing and Communications (K&A) puts it, “Now that they are all grown up and have accepted that life is (or at least seems) more complicated than it was for their parents, they expect the same comfort level from you that they get from their media-inspired memories of childhood.” So if you want to get a Joneser’s attention, you better be on the internet or at least have seen a couple of Brady Bunch episodes.

Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent and inspiring identity coach of buzz to bucks-a personal branding firm.

To claim your FREE gift, Crafting Your On Brand Intro Toolkit, visit her site www.buzz2bucks.com . Join our online growing community of people inspired to develop their identity at www.inspiringidentity.com

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Keeping Up With The Joneses

The X-Factor: Networking The Gen-X Way

By Maria Elena Duron
Multi-Cultural Networking Editor

If you ask someone to define the word “network”, you might get different answers depending on who you’re asking. In 2004, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) held a conference about Generational Learning Styles and in their Generation Gap Game, this question was asked. If you were talking to a Traditionalist, he/she might say that a network is something that a fisherman does. A Baby Boomer, on the other hand, might think that you are referring to a TV station. A Gen X-er would probably tell you that a network is the act of establishing a circle of business contacts. And finally, a Millenial is likely to tell you that a network is a work or home-based interface system which allows multiple users at different computers to link in order to share data. And that’s just one word with four different meanings for four different generations. Today, with the existence of so many social networking sites, I can only help but wonder whether Generation X had something to do with this kind of networking.

So, how does a Gen X-er build a network? I tried to make a research on this by reading books, browsing the web, the works. But I was not able to find a single article defining how Gen X-ers build relationships. However, if given a closer look, their characteristics and values define how they do this thing called networking.

Gen X: The Original Internet Babies. If you think that the Millenials are the real internet kids, think again. The first users of the internet are actually the members of Generation X. The X-ers were among the first to communicate with friends and colleagues via email. In a study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, it was found that about 87% of Gen X-ers use the internet for various activities like communicating via email and instant messenger, purchasing things, job hunting, as well as getting news.

The Latch-key Kids Who Didn’t Want To Become Like Their Parents. This generation was also known as the “latch-key” generation since most of their Baby Boomer parents were busy at work. The latch-key kids are now parents and didn’t want their own children to experience the same treatment they received from their parents. As a result, most Gen X parents are very hands on when it comes to their own kids: attending PTAs, recitals, field trips, and other school activities. Through these events, they are able to build network with the teachers and their co-parents.

X-ers like to have some fun at work. The members of generation X love social events. That’s why when there are parties and other company events; you can expect that they will be there to join the fun. Aside from the fact that these events help boost their morale and cultivate team spirit, it is also an opportunity for them to mingle with their colleagues, bosses, as well as clients. Aside from social events, they also work more smoothly with peers than with their bosses. Thus, there are more and more X-ers who volunteer as mentor among their peers.

Gen X wants work-life balance. As opposed to the myth that Gen X-ers are slackers, these people actually think that their career is important. But when it comes to family, X-ers are likely to prioritize their family over work. "Members of Generation X appear to place a much higher priority on personal and family-related goals than on their career goals, "says Dr. Paulette Gerkovich, Chair of the Catalyst Award Committee from Boston College and an expert on glass ceiling issues. In her study about Generation X and their work-life values, it was found that, "84% of the respondents stated that it was extremely important to them to have a loving family, 72% indicated that it was extremely important to have a relationship with a significant other, while 79% responded that it was extremely important to enjoy life." Aside from their families, Gen X-ers tend to have very strong peer relationships. This may be due to the fact that they were once latch-key kids and that there was a spike in the number of divorced parents, friends became increasingly important so it’s no wonder they value their personal relationships over their careers.

Great network, so what? Building relationships doesn’t just stop there. The members of Generation X actually use their network for so many reasons. It may be as simple as finding a great tutor for their kids or getting a new job. This generation proved that a network isn’t just about a computer network, or a fish net, or a TV station; more importantly a network is also about relationships. Just like what a Gen X friend would always say, “At the end of the day, all that matters are your relationships.” Good point.

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The X-Factor: Networking The Gen-X Way