What Social Business Fabric are You Sewing Into 2013?

As fall and winter approaches it's time to gather up the cozy sweaters, blankets and fall comforters. As we prepare our minds and home for the cold and upcoming holiday it gives us peace. It reminds us of the memories, the good times by the fire or the Christmas at the ski resort or even the beach if you live in a tropical area.

It's not so much the blanket, coat or comforter that makes the holiday. It's the feeling those items give you. The peace you feel wrapped up in your favorite cozy blanket. It's the warmth you feel from your favorite coat.  It's the friends, family, yummy food. It's crazy granny and her yummy chocolate cake. It's the rugrats running around dressed as cops and robbers, Spiderman, Hulk or Cinderalla.

It's all of these feelings, emotions, yearnings, wrapped up into one that give you goosbumps about the holidays. It's the security, peace and love they bring that make you want it more.

Social networks are very much the same way. I believe we reap what we sow (and sew). If we sow good into people's lives we will see the harvest from doing such. It's not so much about the harvest for our own checkbook but the harvest we get to see and experience in other people's lives and business when doing such.

The holidays are drawing near. We are finishing off the year, planning for the New Year. You have campaigns, promotions, deadlines, training and events to organize. Facebook pages to launch, clean-up or better optimize. The list goes on and there is definitely not a shortage for “stuff” that needs done.

What are you sewing?

However, as we work on all the social “stuff”, I want to challenge you with one question.

What are you sewing?

• What is the social fabric you are sewing?
• What threads are you using to weave your masterpiece for 2013?
• Are you using threads of conversation, valuable content, being real, and inspiration?
• Are you creating a masterpiece that has trust, integrity and relationships designed into it's DNA?
• Does your fabric nurture and thrive via building real relationships and community that will help the weak stand strong in times of a bad economy, divorce or loss of family member?
• Are you there for the good and the bad? Or only when you want to talk about yourself?
• Or are you using threads of self promotion, one sided conversation, spam, purchased friends?

Focus on threads that bring value to all those who come in contact with you, your brand, your business and the social fabric you are creating. Be the threads and the fabric that sew a foundation.

Be a positive that keeps the social heartbeat beating healthy and strong. Provide the threads that keep the conversation vibrant and alive. Be the heart that helps, shares and gives.

We believe the heartbeat of social media is people. Yes, that includes you.

Heartbeat of Social Media Series

This blog post is part of a series titled “The Heartbeat of Social Media“. It will include a deep look at how communities work, what people are doing within them and how businesses can better understand how they can fit in, provide value and derive benefit as both a business as well as individual people.

Subscribe to the series for updates and access to special videos, webinar training and more. Would love to hear your input and have you participate in discussions and debates as we challenge each other to be part of what makes the social network heartbeat healthy and alive!