Is Social Media Evangelism Possible?

I just got off a telephone conversation with Aaron Strout. We were discussing an upcoming IMCNE Panel called Social Networking & Web 2.0: What you need to know to use this medium to separate your company from the pack. I'm the moderator and Aaron is one of the outstanding panelists, alongside Laura Fitton, Scott Monty and Boston Business Journal technology writer Jackie Noblett.

Anyway, Aaron was sharing his opening statement focus, and we got around to discussing the word evangelizing and how it is sometimes perceived by those outside the social media community. (See my original post.) We agreed that all too often our passion around social media and social networking is sometimes seen as a "sell job," and that's an unfortunate result. But it need not be.

The word has its origins in religion and is often seen by us Catholics as meaning to spread the Good Word (the Gospel). It isn't about conversion or proselytism. As a former lay minister and associate member of a religious order, I was able to be passionate about the Word without selling religion. How? By telling my personal stories, featuring both the good and the bad.

So, I wonder out loud: Why wouldn't that technique work in Social Media? Instead of boasting about our social media successes and joy over Twitter or another tool, why not share in story-telling fashion our experiences?

For me, that includes the utter failure and disappointment around my first blog; the reluctance to have a presence on Facebook and then realizing that I can ignore "friend" requests from those not fitting my "get smarter" and "get more business" strategies; and my dreading Twitter until I recognized that I could use the same strategies above and also turn Twitter off for most of the day.

In other words, my social media story is focused on sharing with peers, on building my business and on being part of a community built around relationships. I am passionate about that story. iIt is a strategic story melded with networking and friendship. There are lots of ups and downs. If I stay true to my story, authentic and honest, I can evangelize about social media without the proselytizing.

Make sense?

Comments

[Aaron Strout]

Lewis - just seeing this now. We should do a podcast on the topic of social media/evanglism sometime soon! Thanks again for the great panel. I look forward to catching up soon.

Best,
Aaron | @astrout

[Lewis Green]

Aaron,

Great idea! I would love to do a podcast with you. And thanks for the great work you did on the panel. The audience was truly engaged.

Lewis