Celebrate People...But Be Careful

Social media, as you may have noticed, is a great place to “celebrate people.”  Let’s get in the right mode.  Watch this Youtube video - https://youtu.be/3GwjfUFyY6M.  But, you need to exercise caution. Sometimes your good intentions can be misinterpreted and cause problems - not just for yourself, but for others as well.  Other times, the benefits you receive from lifting up other folks can actually come as a pleasant surprise that actually can really astound you.

Let’s look at some examples:

1. Announcements for Birthdays, New Jobs and Job Anniversaries  

Almost everyday when you look into your LinkedIn Notifications Area you will be confronted with announcements of people who are celebrating a birthday, have just been hired for a new job or are celebrating a job anniversary.  Hence, you have an opportunity to congratulate that individual.  All you really need do is click the link that says, for example, “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations on the New Job or Job Anniversary” and you have put a little “sunshine in that person’s pocket.”  However, I believe most people who desire to send good wishes do not want to do it in such a cold, animated manner.  On the contrary, many folks would much prefer to compose a much more meaningful message.  And, many do just that.

1. LinkedIn Kudos

However, the celebration of other people does not need to be limited to birthdays, new jobs or job anniversaries.  Through LinkedIn Kudos, you can choose from clever graphics that are matched with powerful keywords or keyword phrases to help celebrate certain individuals.  One of my favorite Kudo combinations is the keyword phrase, “Making an Impact” with the graphic shown below:

Although all the words and graphics are supplied by LinkedIn, you can simply edit and change that content regarding that individual.  What’s unique about a LinkedIn Kudo is that it goes out in two different directions.  In this particular case, it is going out to Jan Morgan Rogers and her Level 1 LinkedIn connections.  That is one direction.  The other direction is to me and my Level 1 LinkedIn connections.  The bigger my audience and Jan’s, the more people will initially see the message.  

But then, the process of Commenting, Liking and Sharing kicks in as well over in the Notifications Area of LinkedIn.  That adds even more people to the viewing audience.  While many people think that is all there is to it, they are mistaken.  You see, a Kudo, like other types of LinkedIn messaging does not go out just one time. Over a period of time, the same Kudo can go out numerous times, thanks, in part, to decisions made by LinkedIn algorithms.  And, how do algorithms make such decisions?  That decision is made by the popularity of the message within a certain time-frame.  The more popular the message on the first attempt, the more NEW people will see it with the next distribution.  How can any LinkedIn user prove that to be true?  Just check the Activities area of your LinkedIn profile.  Look for the number of views of a post (and that includes Kudos).  If the viewing total has increased since the last time you looked, you know more NEW folks are viewing the message.

One thing I like to do is combine the power of Kudos with LinkedIn’s Special Announcements  So, for example, whenever I am in the Notifications area and learn of a birthday, I visit the person’s profile and send out a Kudo.  In fact, I take the time to include a special message that includes a link to a Disney video singing “Happy Birthday.”  In fact, here’s my message (including the Disney link) -  #HappyBirthday Happy Birthday. You only get one every year. I hope this year's birthday is a great memory-maker. Here's a little birthday music to make your day - visit https://budurl.com/HappyBirthdayMusic. I am able to do that both easily and consistently with the help of a FREE snippet software program called “ProKeys.”

Remember, the title of this article is “Celebrate People...But Be Careful.”  There is a good reason for that title.  Nowhere is that title’s true danger more apparent than with the FREE online service called “Fastnote.”  I learned that the hard way after opening up an account there.  You see, things are not always the way they appear.  Just looking at that photo, you would think that all those people are members of Fastnote and using the service.  However, I now seriously doubt that is the case.  In fact, having opened up an account and scrolled through the site, I have discovered that some of the folks featured on the site are dead (i.e. Herman Cain).  No point in leaving him or any of the other deceased people a “civil, anonymous public email message” for all the world to read.  Who wants to look like an idiot leaving messages to dead people?

Nevertheless, I really do find the concept behind Fastnote appealing.  I happen to be a big fan of the podcaster, Dan Bongino.  It was one of his publications that brought Fastnote to my attention.  Apparently, Dan Bongino uses Fastnote to see what is on the mind of his fans without having to personally respond to them.  After all, when you have the No. 1 podcast in the world, you are not going to have time to personally respond to all your fans.  You MUST have another option.  I think it makes a great deal of sense to use a platform like Fastnote to maintain a level of connection with your audience - provided at least some of the people featured on the platform actually use it.

Remember, the title of this article is “Celebrate People...But Be Careful.”  There is a good reason for that title.  Nowhere is that title’s true danger more apparent than with the FREE online service called “Fastnote.”  I learned that the hard way after opening up an account there.  You see, things are not always the way they appear.  Just looking at that photo, you would think that all those people are members of Fastnote and using the service.  However, I now seriously doubt that is the case.  In fact, having opened up an account and scrolled through the site, I have discovered that some of the folks featured on the site are dead (i.e. Herman Cain).  No point in leaving him or any of the other deceased people a “civil, anonymous public email message” for all the world to read.  Who wants to look like an idiot leaving messages to dead people?

Nevertheless, I really do find the concept behind Fastnote appealing.  I happen to be a big fan of the podcaster, Dan Bongino.  It was one of his publications that brought Fastnote to my attention.  Apparently, Dan Bongino uses Fastnote to see what is on the mind of his fans without having to personally respond to them.  After all, when you have the No. 1 podcast in the world, you are not going to have time to personally respond to all your fans.  You MUST have another option.  I think it makes a great deal of sense to use a platform like Fastnote to maintain a level of connection with your audience - provided at least some of the people featured on the platform actually use it.   

The idea with Fastnote is that you can leave a short anonymous message to high profile people with zero fear of any kind of backlash.  The folks you send the message to can also respond back to you with zero fear of backlash.  In fact, anyone who has an account and access to the site can comment on your comment with zero fear of backlash. After all, should it not be THE MESSAGE - and not the messenger - that is most important?  This whole concept was so intriguing that WBTV in Charlotte, NC decided to do a news segment about it.  See for yourself at  https://youtu.be/ztW3cpC79lI.

Even if only 50% of the folks in that photo were active Fastnote members, I felt the platform had significant value for the spreading of a message or getting an answer to an important question.  But, what if it is all bogus?  What if not a single high profile news media person or politician pictured in that photo used Fastnote?  Where is the value everyone else is seeking?

I decided to ask the same serious question on the Fastnote platform to as many people as I could in the hope I could get usable feedback for my sister, Jan Morgan Rogers, who is seeking podcast guesting opportunities to promote her nonprofit organization that works with serious and terminally ill children.  I figured since I had been able to get good results from posting the same question on LinkedIn to LinkedIn Groups - where I did have to identify myself - I would get even better feedback on Fastnote because I did not have to identify myself and there is virtually no limit to the size of my audience.  

Unfortunately, I was 100% wrong.  Guess what happened after posting the same message to numerous high profile people (and no, it was not done in a “SPAMMY” fashion)? To quote Fastnote, “Your account has been temporarily blocked.”  No explanation as to why this was done or how long the block would be in effect.  While I am still present on the platform, I am unable to post messages.  You are only able to post a message that is up to 300 characters in length.  That is not much.  But, here is what I posted: 

“My sister runs a 501(c)(3) to help serious and terminally-ill children in 28 states.  Can you recommend any good podcasts for interviews?  See the work at https://dreamforlife.org.  Contact my sister at  [email protected] if you have any recommendations.”

If you do not already have a Fastnote account, I encourage you to set one up and see if you are able to make it work.  If you are able to successfully post a message, I challenge you to engage in an experiment for me.  Post the same message I did and see if you get blocked.  Remember, the “blocking” is just temporary….although I have yet to be informed as to how long the “temporary blocking” lasts.

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Social Media Online Resources. Below is an online spreadsheet with many of the online resources I have found to be beneficial. Perhaps there are some you are currently using. Perhaps there are some you are not currently using, but will find beneficial. Be sure to click the Google Sheet image and take a look. (Even if you have seen this Google Sheet before, I encourage you to take a second look as the contents continue to change and grow.

Now, it's time to get feedback from you, the readers of this LinkedIn long-form post (article). I desire to see this article become a blog. That means, I need feedback. Surely you have questions and/or comments. I cordially invite you to share them. 

What do you think of ProKeys? Do you see value in using snippets?

Are you currently sending out LinkedIn Kudos? What do you think about taking advantage of LinkedIn Kudos with a little help from LinkedIn Notifications for those folks celebrating a birthday, new job or job anniversary?

Did you open up a Fastnote account? Did you have success in sending out my message via your Fastnote account? Or, did Fastnote temporarily block your account, too?

I also encourage you to take advantage of the following links showcased when this article was introduced. (Be sure to copy/paste the links into your browser rather than simply click on them as these are shortened links and may not work within the LinkedIn platform.)

Share-Your-News @ https://lnkd.in/d5RPB5X : Here is a great way for those of you who write LinkedIn articles to get them shared by other people (not just me) on other LinkedIn Groups. Remember, it is ALWAYS better to have someone else wave your flag than to wave it yourself. To help make that happen, simply fill out the Google Form and submit it.

Get-Emails @ https://www.dhirubhai.net/redir/general-malware-page?url=http%3A%2F%2Fb%2elink%2FGet-Emails : While many may understand why LinkedIn removed the email addresses, profile web addresses and phone numbers from the LinkedIn CSV downloads, they may not be too happy about it. Well, a Google Form, properly set up and shared may help you recoup this lost information. I encourage you to set up just such a form and share it with your Level 1 connections. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

ConnectWithUs @ https://lnkd.in/e3mhz8Y : Do you desire to have more Level 1 LinkedIn connections? One way to do just that is to join my LinkedIn Group - The Better Together Approach - which features a special discussion thread that actually promotes that activity. 

I encourage you to become a follower of all my posts concerning the hashtag #betterbusinessnetworking. Should you wish to speak with me, just schedule a conference call at https://calendly.com/thinkteam/lamar-morgan.

Meanwhile, make it a great week. Stay safe. 

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Lamar Morgan is a crowd mechanic. Through his company, Synergistic Business Marketing, he provides collaborative, multi-channel marketing services and training to save clients money and improve ROI. He is also a Go-Giver and seeks Level 1 connections with LinkedIn Influencers, LIONS, human resource professionals, news media people, high school and college students to help build his network of helpful resources.