Social Media is Not for Dummies

Over this past weekend, I learned far more about water valves -- and the importance of exercising them -- than I ever thought possible. Actually, I never thought about water valves, so it makes this past weekend's adventure even that much more bizarre. And considering I use the word "thingy" as a technical term, you'll see why the idea of me working on marketing the machinery in this video is a pretty hilarious thought (video courtesy of Valve Boss and YouTube).

As a naive student at the beginning of the semester, my altruistic self volunteered to help Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week (BREW) promote their cause through social media. Three other members of my class volunteered, too. We divided up the week's events and decided who would attend what. We were to be social media reporters, sitting quietly in the background, updating Facebook and Twitter with gems pulled from these talks/luncheons/workshops/etc.

Or so, I thought. On Friday, I show up to Startup Weekend, a 52-hour event where smart people bring their smart ideas to develop with the help of the other smart people who've shown up, to set up my laptop and dutifully report on the night's events. And then I was participating. My plan of coming back for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday to report on the developments changed to helping a man named John Singleton refine his pitch and marketing tactics for his baby, The Valve Boss.

I spent 21 hours over the next 2.5 days working with this team of strangers who had come together at this event. And in the end, we were winners. Not First Place, Blue Ribbon-type winners, but winners because John's pitch resulted in him winning three months of office space at Springboard, a co-working space in downtown Baton Rouge (slated to open this December), where other entrepreneurs and experts will gather and help each other through advice and expertise. Were we the most dynamic, digital team there? Not by a long shot. Did each of us learn something? Heck, yes.

Many people discount social media's power, or worse, assume any well-trained pet could figure it out. This weekend, through all the flying hastags (#) promoting new product ideas, real people came together -- in person -- to help each other succeed. Real, smart people. And through it, I helped someone understand its use, complexity, and power a little more clearly.

How did I help John? I helped, along with another teammate, explain the importance of his Facebook page and Twitter account. He already had them, but wasn't sure how to use them effectively. As a result of this weekend, his Twitter handle (@ValveBoss) has multiplied its followers three-fold, and his Facebook page (which I checked in on today), has new posts and videos to share as well as a new description of the product based on the repositioning we worked on this weekend. I feel like a proud Mama whose child has listened to her advice. It's not a sexy product, so who but a Mama could love a face like this: 

(photo from The Valve Boss)