Social Media isn't making me money!

I was reading this article on VentureBeat about how much a tweet is worth compared to Yelp, (and by reading I mean I saw the pretty infographic), when I got the urge to spew my views on Social Media and how it's misconstrued. Here are my random thoughts on Social Media being profitable.

Social media, like all products, must be directed/adopted to fit what the demographic wants. Not what the founder/Creator thinks it should be. Twitter can't be a tool for selling a service/product like yelp can, if users don't use it in that way. I use Twitter for nothing more than a news aggregate, and to feed my Facebook posts. So for someone like me, the only profit you'll make is if your tweet is good enough to get me to click the link to your page. Then, your page still has to have the standard sales/marketing items to catch my attention and get that ever elusive click. (This is greatly simplified, but I'm not writing a how-to for people.)

Facebook on the other hand is much easier, because people trust input from friends and family more than an ad online. Or a tweet from a random site/company. (Even a relevant one). Once one person hits that like button, it grows exponentially as their friends see it in their feed and also hit the like button, or comments. Of course, you've still got to get that "Like" in the first place.

I have no experience with Pinterest yet, but can see great potential here for brand recognition. As users pin items, it goes through their Facebook feed, and thus grabs the power behind Facebook as well.

I know, none of this explains how to make money on these site. The answer is, to go hire someone that knows what they are doing to train you on it. (Not to do it for you.) As I said before, this isn't a how-to article. (Those will be on http://geekhome101.com if I ever get it going.)

Foursquare however, can be highly annoying and should be used only to tell your friends what bar you're at, so they can join you. No one cares if you're at the bank or seeing your Dentist... /rant
I understand the benefits of Foursquare. I just don't care for them.

The Squad that Plays together...

...stays together

Double Agent 323, Special Agent 1953, and COA of Precinct 120.
I felt something more than just a simple picture with my badge was in order. The Geek Squad was more than just a job for me. It gave me some of my best friends.
I am Sleeper Agent 323. (Left) Looking back, the Geek Squad and Robert Stephens gave me much more than I ever imagined possible. At first it was just a job that some manager at Best Buy offered me. It quickly became a lifestyle. Robert Stephens taught me that there's no reason to settle. Dream it, then make it happen. A state of mind that I try to stay true to, every day of my life.

Bug in bug

The friendships forged from my years with the Geek Squad were very rewarding for me. I recently married @jenpwns, our COA at the time, this last year. (Pictured top right) My best man, Special Agent @rcudia. Literally, "the best man" as he says. (OK, I'll give you this one Ryan. Live on teh interwebs.)

Busted

Each of us have excelled since we were all with the Geek Squad. Special Agent Ryan Cudia has moved up the ladder from a simple CIA position into the best Agent Sonoma County has ever seen. His new wedding DJ business has already become the #1 choice in their area. (OK, I don't know the stats, but so what. Hire them. http://alongmusic.net ) Jen and I have our own projects in the pipes as well. With the success of http://baconbag.com and the soon to be released http://tapthatbeerapp.com , as well as other endeavors, we're well on our way to our own form of World Domination!

Could we have reached the same place we are today, without Geek Squad? Perhaps, but then we would not be together. And that is a way of life I would not want to be part of.
Thank you Robert Stephens, for all you have taught us. We will never forget it. And while some may be sad to hear of your departure from Geek Squad, I for one can't wait to see what you do next.

Save the Soap!

This may seem like an out of place article for me, but I have this habit of analyzing things around me and attempting to find a way to improve them. Optimize, if you will. I do this all day at work, with computer issues and office policy. I also tend to do the same with things and even people in my life. (I have yet to break the "social interactions of people" code, but I will.) Like most of you out there, I hate wasting money. I'd much rather spend my money on what I want, not on what I deem as waste.

 

I noticed that the soap always has that little left over piece that always ends up going down the drain, or accumulating in the soap dish, making a mess. Nothing new here, many of you may have already noticed this, and dealt with it in your own way, but here's what I do.

Once the soap gets to be a smaller size, you can "glue" it to a new soap bar. To do this, I've noticed it works better when the old soap piece is still a useable size and not wait until it's a bunch of little chunks.

Fit the two together as closely as possible. Obviously, this works best for curved bars, but play around with it until you find the best fit. Now suds up the two pieces with them in place. (The more suds lathered up, the better.)

This will dry and the two pieces will be glued in place, so you never waste a piece of soap again. Now, there are a few more tactics to this trick. Once you have the two pieces suds up, use your finger to rub the suds on the edge of the smaller piece of soap until it smooth’s against the larger. If your old soap breaks before you get to combine it, or while attempting to combine it, just “glue” these two pieces in the same way.

A little excessive maybe, but then I hate inefficacy and waste. As I said before, many of you may have your own ideas on this. If so, or on any related topics, I’d love to hear them. Please leave your feedback in the comments below.