How to Succeed in Social Media

by Brian Clark

“A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself.” ~Lisa Kirk

Any questions?

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{ 3 trackbacks }

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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }

1 James Chartrand - Men with Pens April 29, 2008 at 9:11 am

Can I be a boring yet brilliant conversationalist? Or do I have to invent a new class of my own?

2 Dave Navarro April 29, 2008 at 9:14 am

That reminds me of another quote:

“Diplomacy: The art of letting the other person have your way.”

:-)

3 Jay Francis Hunter April 29, 2008 at 9:36 am

What if you’re boring? What if there’s an arcade across the street and I want to play Mortal Kombat instead?

4 Vijayendra Mohanty April 29, 2008 at 9:36 am

The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is.
– Mary Pettibone Poole

I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

:D

5 Brian Clark April 29, 2008 at 9:39 am

Vijayendra, I plan to steal both of those quotes for an upcoming post. :-)

6 Mr. Crash April 29, 2008 at 9:45 am

This blog is always fantastic, as are the comments posted here.

I came here, planning to tell Brian that he wins teh internets.

But then upon seeing the quick quips of the ironic Vijayendra I’ve decided that he wins instead.

7 JudyA April 29, 2008 at 9:53 am

Brian, you are going to have to ’steal’ quickly, because I am after them too!

The point about gossip is an important one on social media and in the professional work place. “I’m just sharing because I care.” is one of the most dangerous leading statements we will ever hear.

8 Sudheer April 29, 2008 at 9:59 am

I came here thinking I received only the teaser in the feed. Vijayendra’s comment delighted me.

9 Robert McEvily April 29, 2008 at 11:38 am

Wait, what does this have to do with ME?

10 Bill Gammell April 29, 2008 at 12:26 pm

“Any questions?”

Just one. How are you doing? :)

11 Brian Clark April 29, 2008 at 12:35 pm

I”m doing fine, Bill. Thank you for asking (about me). :-)

12 Alice Seba April 29, 2008 at 10:02 pm

Hmmmm…I don’t know. She says “gossip” like it’s a bad word. Maybe we like to pretend it is so we don’t feel guilty, but gossip is a HUGE seller.

And regarding talking about yourself. If you can tell a story about yourself that helps people relate to you or gain some insight they’ve been craving – I’d say that’s a pretty darned powerful thing.

Maybe Ms. Kirk just likes to hear other people talk about herself. :-)

13 Armen April 29, 2008 at 11:32 pm

I’ve got a question:

How do I stop my writing from being so freakin’ boring?

Oh, and another one:

How do I write posts only a few lines long, and get three Stumble reviews? :-)

14 Sexy at any Size April 30, 2008 at 2:41 am

No questions, only complete agreement. Pithy and irrefutable, good post!

15 Mark Lancaster April 30, 2008 at 7:44 am

“Instead of pretending to be intelligent by quoting someone famous, instead I’m just going to quote myself” – Mark Lancaster, 2007

16 freerangemom April 30, 2008 at 7:18 pm

And yet why is it that it frequently seems like we are all just talking to ourselves on Twitter?

17 Robert Gorell May 1, 2008 at 8:10 am

Best social media post ever.

18 Cupid May 1, 2008 at 2:37 pm

So in your opinion who is the best out there at this?

19 jonson roth May 7, 2008 at 1:45 am

Unless of course you’re as clever as Brian and can write about yourself yet make it compelling.

20 Daniel Edlen May 7, 2008 at 6:02 pm

It’s an odd balance, promoting oneself. You have to draw people in, give them what they want, let them talk about themselves, but at the same time you have to be genuine, contribute what you have to contribute, and be your own biggest fan.

Haven’t figured it out quite yet.

Peace.

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