Jul 27th

Plate Spinning & New Media

Have you ever seen an entertainer spin plates?  It’s pretty impressive stuff, huh.  The performer uses centrifugal force (yep, I actually just linked to that definition) to keep multiple plates spinning all at one time.  And the audience roars.  WooHoo!

What does this act take to get the audience excited?  For one, the spinner must have fairly decent balance and coordination.  But more importantly, the spinner realizes that keeping those plates in the air will require continuous attention, and a little bit of regular tweaking.

Without the regular tweaking to make sure the plates are maintaining the proper speed, they begin to slow down, which in turn decreases the amount of centrifugal force being applied.  If just one plate slows too much, it may start to wobble and come crashing to the floor.  A single crashing plate can start a chain reaction that brings the rest of them down, shattering a perfectly good set of dinner ware and along with it, the spinner’s pride and chance at getting the next stage appearance.

You Are a New Media Plate Spinner
Your profiles, blog, website and other new media, are much like the plates you see in this picture.  Along with other things like SMS, Email and Search Engines, they make up your Total Internet Presence.  As the spinner, it’s up to you (and possibly your company) to keep a set of plates in the air.  This, like above, will require some time and attention on your part.

Here are three simple ideas you can apply to keeping your own new media plates in the air, and your audiences cheering you on:

  1. Just like the plates, if the new media properties you’ve chosen start to slow down, your audience will loose interest, get up, and go the the next show.  Fresh content is king in new media communications. Make sure to keep adding speed with consistent tweaking and updating to each one of your web properties.
  2. Choose your web properties wisely.  Our friend in the picture can manage six plates and and still make herself look good.  Remember, you don’t need to be on every single social network out there – only the ones your audience really cares about.  Trying to spin too many plates at one time will result in the entire set crashing to the floor, and ultimately your embarrassment.
  3. Wear your costume.  Everyone likes when someone or something looks good.  For the purpose of this post, we’ll make costume synonymous with your personal social brand or the meat behind your content.  Even before you start the first plate in motion, remember that at some point in the performance, the audience’s eyes will be focused on you and not just the plates your spinning.  Make sure that they see someone just as impressive as the feat that is being performed.

So what plates are you spinning?  Is your audience on their feet with thunderous applause?

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Comments (3)
  • http://thelifeofjimmer.blogspot.com Jim Brochowski

    Great post!
    Having been out of the loop for the first part of July, I’ve spent the second part reevaluating my plates so to speak, hoping to try to find ways to keep my audience cheering as it were.

    Coming away from that experience I have to say your post here is right on target. Using your analogy -

    My hangup was with the costume. I think I have the plates where they need to be, and I know the audience is there, but it took me awhile to figure out why, and I’m still not sure yet that I have it nailed down.

    Having said that, I think that if I had waited to figure out what that costume is my experience would have been altogether different. I got lucky in that when the audience was looking at me I didn’t go “deer in the headlights,” and let my plates come crashing down. Instead I sort of asked myself why and where they were all looking at me and had one of those self recognition moments realizing – Ah, this is what I bring to this, (these) table(s), and this is what keeps the audience coming back. (I have to admit that while I think I know what “this” is, I don’t know what the term for it is.)

    At some point I hope to find out what will make the audience more vocal, and keep them engaged.
    The plates are spinning, but I’ve yet to hear the thunderous applause.
    Just have to keep on tweaking, or as I like to call it “being in perpetual beta.”

  • http://www.agent-seo.com Jacob Stoops

    I like the analogy. If you stretch yourself too thin by having a presence in too many social media avenues (and don’t tweak your plates), you effectively negate your ability to manage all of them effectively. So the question you must ask yourself is quantity vs quality? Would you rather be average at managing you accounts and have a lot of them, or being really good at managing a select few?

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