HOPE FOR THE
SOCIALLY AWKWARD
The Signs of Social
Awkwardness
5331 triangle lane
export, pa 15632
p: 724.733.1200
f: 724.733.1201
infnityconcepts.net
The Signs of Social Awkwardness
Social awkwardness used to mean that you were shy when meeting new people or felt
uncomfortable when around people outside of your immediate family. Maybe you were
outgoing but just not in the way you were with expected you to be. Socially awkward
behavior has been defined as "active, but odd.”
Use of this term today however has a much broader context. Being socially awkward
doesn’t only apply to individuals at social events. It also applies to our behavior online
as businesses and organizations. But, the definition of “active, but odd” still seems to
apply very well. Let’s face it, most people use some kind of social media; it’s hard to
escape it! Below are some indicators that your organization might be socially awkward.
Signs Of The Socially Awkward:
Socially awkward organizations possess a set of distinctive traits. The more of these
traits you have as an organization and the larger their degree, the higher on the social
awkwardness scale you’re likely to be.
1. Feeling nervous about using social networking tools. The typical socially
awkward organization doesn’t feel comfortable using social networking tools.
When the topic comes up it usually brings on feelings of anxiety. This causes
these organization to either not use social tools at all, or use them sporadically
proving our definition to be true ... they appear active, but odd!
Anxiety and lack of understanding about social tools is one of the main factors
that often make organizations behave in weird ways. Nervousness leads to a
social activity that is not in alignment with your brand, mission, or vision.
2. Not understanding the social networking tools, norms, and practices. Often
a “socially awkward” organization doesn’t know what’s appropriate for them to do
and what’s not in social media. They usually think that it is about the number of
followers or just about using the tools to “sell” themselves. Wrong!
Social networking, social tools, and social media are, at their very root,
about communication and community – not sales and marketing.
Most organizations don’t know how to start a conversation, what conversation
topics to talk about, and whether their tone should be friendly, businesslike,
professional, or personal. Obviously, this lack of understanding can lead to either
odd or ineffective activity online.
3. Creating an impact that is different than intended. It’s common for socially
awkward organizations to engage in activity online that others will find boring,
unacceptable, or distasteful. In other words, they intend to generate one result,
and they end up generating a totally different one. This mismatch is a sign not of
the organization’s value, but of their misunderstanding of the tools they are using.
4. Lack of conversation flow. Everybody has conversations that don’t flow, both
offline and online. But for socially awkward organizations, this is the rule, not the
exception. Their online conversations are habitually difficult, one-sided, or silent.
5. Frequently being avoided or ridiculed. If those you are trying to reach actively
try to dodge interactions with you, or you have noticed negative comments about
your organization’s social efforts, this should cause serious warning bells to go
off for you.
It is often said that you get one chance to do “social” right. In many ways, that
saying is true. However, you get one chance with each person! There are
millions of people that you have an opportunity to reach, don’t give up! It is
possible to grow an active online community of advocates and YES - to even win
some back that you may have lost in your socially awkward days!
6. Lack of meaningful connections with others. Since organizations that are
socially awkward often struggle with making conversation, feeling at ease using
social tools, and expressing themselves effectively, they typically lack strong
connections with others. These organizations generally have few followers, low
activity levels, and feel that social networking is not working.
As a ministry or non-profit organization, you know how important it is to build
strong connections with your supporters or members. Whether deepening
connections with your established advocates or building understanding with the
next generation, we all understand that building relationships is critical to
success.
Consider these are the 6 distinctive traits of a socially awkward organization. Ask
yourself, “Are we socially awkward?”
If you are, Infinity Concepts has four tips for you.
1.
Learn About The Potential of Social Media – You can develop your
social confidence by developing your social understanding and
knowledge. There are many ways to do this, but let me caution you that
not everyone who claims to be a social media expert is an expert. Also,
never act on social media information that is more than 6 months old from
an advisor you have not qualified.
2.
Identify And Learn The Basic Social Tools – The basic tools and
principles of social interactions can be learned from online resources,
courses or socially savvy advisors. Knowing these tools and using them
consistently will help you adjust your social behavior so that you maximize
your efficiency. Tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, are
all popular and used by the masses, but there are many more. Not every
tool is necessarily beneficial for every organization.
3.
Gain Social Experience – Beyond the basic principles, the best way to
learn is through experience. In this context however, learning through
experience starts with listening and observing:
a. Listen to your advocates / donors / customers to see what tools they
are using. Find out where your audience already is.
b. Observe the activity of your “competitors”, others you admire, and
organizations that use social media correctly. See what tools they are
using and how they are using them.
c. Use the tools personally. You won’t have to use the tools personally
forever, if you don’t like them, but using them personally will help you
gain invaluable information to help you grow in your understanding.
After you gain experience, meet new people, engage in conversation,
experiment, notice the results, and fine-tune your behavior, you will be
able to execute a social strategy with confidence.
4.
Develop a Social Media Strategy – In time, this real-life social
experience will transform you from being socially awkward to becoming
socially savvy. However, random use of social tools will never produce
significant results. In order to optimize the outcome of your social media
efforts you must adopt and execute an objective based social media
strategy. This is especially true when organizations are donor funded. Ask
yourself two questions:
a. What are your organizational goals this year?
b. How can you use social media tools to help reach those goals?”
Fortunately, overcoming social awkwardness is absolutely possible. You can become a
socially savvy organization that uses social media to engage those who are already
passionate about your mission, enlist them in your cause, and empower them to be your
advocate.
The key is to strategically plan your course of action, seek the best counsel available,
and implement your plan it with consistency and determination.