I grew up in the 50s through the 60s and into the mid-70s in Chicago, in a group named the Baggers. I strongly believe that most of my friends who became very successful business executives, teachers, police officers, and owners of companies achieved their success because of the social skills and the relationships they formed within the group.
I've asked them about this over the years, and they agree. We are all convinced that we learned these social traits in our teens, and just by hanging out. We were also fortunate not having grown up with the electronic tools people have today, because we had to interact with others and learn the value of street smarts. We had to use our relationships and interpersonal skills to help create our futures.
We worked and played as a team, won and lost, and experienced life. We worked at being friendly and establishing friends. We learned how to socialize, negotiate, communicate, and read body language. Sizing someone up was an art as well. And we figured out who we shouldn't hang with, who the BS-ers were, and who to trust -- skills that contributed to future success.
In our conversations, we also feel concerned that today's parents are not encouraging their kids to go out on their own and make it. That many young people are getting too comfortable staying home and interacting via games, texting, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. They have not experienced how to interact with others in social situations, which will eventually hurt them in business. In my opinion, these social media tools are another excellent communication tactic like email, direct mail, PR, and ads.
But are these great tools going to replace being sociable -- what we consider to be essential life skills? Again social media is all the rage now and its impact is life changing and I personally use all these channels to be more efficient and market Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT). But is it really social? I don't mean in the sense of staying in touch or being nice or courteous to people, I mean sociable... interacting.
I've concluded the word "social" should be removed from "social media" and the whole thing should be changed to "digital media" or "emedia." What are your thoughts?
I'm all over the map on social media's influence on buying. You hear all the time about a YouTube video showing a product exploding (possibly from misuse) giving the product a bad rep. I also don't tune in to social media for advertising (I get enough of that already). So where does this leave business users? Today, I'm back at square 1: social is social and business is business. Mixing the two is getting too confusing.
There's a study that only 1% of sales were influenced by social media. Most online marketing tried social media marketing for more market exposure. I think this would be an extended use for Link Marketing since social media is becoming an everyday tool for e-commerce sites.
@t.alex I don't know. I do keep my profile updated, and, as I said, I used to be more involved. But I didn't get any job offers out of it. I did happen to connect to a freelance job prospect on Facebook. That happened because someone posted a question asking for a title for a cookbook. My suggestion was the winner. Though all I was to get out of that was a copy of the book, as it turned out the cookbook needed some sections written and editing -- services I do offer.
Well i believe for Linkedin to gain something we may need to make the profile nice and presentable, and of course spend a bit of time exploring with the connections, be it friends or colleagues.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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