If you’re just getting into blogging and using Twitter (which is also called microblogging) then you’re going to run into a few opinions about what to do or not to do.  Don’t get spooked.

For example, periodically you’ll hear people complaining that too many bloggers act like they are talking in an echo chamber meaning nobody has anything new to say. This one seems to surface every few months or so. I just figure people who yammer on about this haven’t really got anything else to blog about so they’re complaining about others that repeat or forward along news from others versus writing something creative.

Truthfully, I don’t know why they get so fixated on the issue but hey, that’s the nature of the Internet now, everyone has a voice. What you do with it is your business. I’m all for encouraging creative thought but let’s be practical here. First off, what’s so wrong with repeating news?

Recently, I had the New York Times newspaper and the Wall Street Journal coming daily and the local paper on Sunday.  That had to stop; quickly it became abundantly clear that traditional news sources are as much an echo chamber as the bloggers. I’d see practically the same stories in all three papers then hear the same key stories on NPR on the radio, then see it again on TV at 5:30 in the evening. NBC, ABC, CBS – would all repeat the same old stories. And that’s not an echo chamber?

The point is this – if you’re subscribing to too many bloggers that all say the same thing, unsubscribe to them. But don’t let the killjoys crimp your style.  If you’re blogging (or microblogging with Twitter) keep writing about the topics that fuel your passion.  Your audience will decide if they like your version or your way of passing along interesting news about the topic areas you cover. It’s that simple.

Now let’s talk about a more recently bogus vibe that is floating around the Internet now. There are those saying you are a snob if you don’t FOLLOW everyone that follows you on Twitter. I recently saw a video podcast of some guy talking for seven minutes about this topic and he was all worked up about it. He just went on and on about how snobbish the practice is and how crippling it would be to building your Twitter community if you didn’t follow everyone. He offered his work around by saying you should create a second Twitter account just for yourself to follow only the people you want to follow. Sorta like a private back channel I guess. Seems like a lot of extra trouble.

Hey it’s not about how many people you follow or how many follow you or how polite you are or are not by following. Go down that rat hole and your focus and attention on quality writing will dwindle. If you’re just starting, find a few people you want to follow. Over time look for more. Don’t worry about following back. Be ok with dropping those that are not blogging or microblogging on topics you’re interested in at this point in time. Maybe you will follow them later.

There are no cheat codes for blogging and microblogging. Be yourself; don’t get caught in the ruts of naysayers and complainers. Look for people that add value to where you are right now in your life. Want people to think you’re awesome? Be awesome and enjoy yourself. The rest will follow.

Tom

You remember the days of having a Rolodex file, right? OK, maybe not, but you have an address book in your phone. That’s your social graph. That’s the connection YOU have with a network of friends, contacts and relatives who have some degree of importance to you.

Let’s explore that a bit, because part of the change we’re going to see in 2009 and in a big way in 2010 is the evolution of social networks to allow you to bring your social graph (meaning your social connections) from place to place without have to start over every time. (It’s optional, of course, so don’t let your mind get carried away with privacy.)

Surely you’ve felt frustrated and even defeated at times with the onerous task of rebuilding your identity and your friendships every time you join a different system: LinkedIn, Yahoo, Google, MySpace, Facebook and the list goes on. These days more and more of us have constructed and are participating in social networks, and though that’s rewarding it’s a hassle to access and update everything or share ideas and news info with others in your ‘address book’ … your social graph.

But let’s do some base-setting here on what this social graph term means and how it might apply to you as a user and as a business owner, B2B and B2C. Here are two useful slide presentations to illustrate these points. Many thanks to Robin Grant of “We Are Social” for posting this originally and spurring my thinking. I’ve been wanting to find a way to illustrate these concepts better to my community of readers.

We’ll begin with Alisa Leonard-Hansen’s presentation What’s the Social Graph Got to Do with It?:

And now let’s look at Jesse Pickard and Shiv Singh’s presentation, Portable Social Graphs – Imagining their Potential, using the example of Facebook Connect:

OK, so you got that? Let’s take a look at some already-in-place implementations. Here is a list of ‘10 Great Implementations of Facebook Connect“.

Some are better than others. If you know of more, send me a note.

Tom