Social Media An Extension of Your Spirit

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Social Media An Extension Of Your Spirit

  • Warning #1: If you believe you’re a social media expert then you can drive by this hot dog stand. If you choose to, contribute!
  • Warning #2: If you’re not social media expert (Whatever that is) then you can drive in because chances are you may learn something or you can also add to the conversation.

The fact is I have so many people around me asking me about this social media thing and the how to’s of it, I figured I’d just create a small resource page devoted to what social media is to me and it’s application to the everyday person who wants to participate and get some value from it.

There are so many people out there providing good advice and some that are giving downright shitty advice that when you’re brand new it’s really hard to know which is which.

I personally like to pay attention to people who are walking the talk and who’s actions & philosophies align with my spirit.

People who come together for a common interest or purpose and connect at the very deepest level, which is their spirit, can be the greatest change agents the world has every known.“-Me

Some of the most important movements of our time happened because of this very reason. People’s spirits where moved and change occurred! So maybe a few things to take into account as you enter the social media landscape are:

  • What is the state of your spirit right now?
  • What moves your spirit when you put thought to it?
  • What drives your spirit to be moved and why?
  • What other questions could you ask from this place?

How Deep Does Social Media Go

You will hear a lot about branding in the marketing world. (online or off) From a business standpoint (Or even personal) Social Media to me, is a tool to allow the extension of your brand into the world wide web. It allows you to connect & engage with people of similar interests and like minds.

I believe it goes deeper than that though. It’s probably not a popular way talk about it either but…Social Media to me is a tool to allow an extension of your spirit. Now since I wrote about social media being a representation of peoples social skills I’ve thought deeper on the subject.

“If you’re putting yourself out there via social media realize what you or your brand stands for at the deepest level represents your spirit.”-Me

What do you want your brand to invoke in others?  I don’t care if you’re a solopreneur or a corporate business, you’re really reaching out to connect with other like spirits. Hell, it’s what I’m shooting for here at Tony Teegarden.

Community is about spirit.

I don’t expect to connect with everyone who stops by here. But, I do expect to make some sort of an impact on as many people as possible with my message. To assist in  raising the consciousness of my fellow man & woman to create deeper & richer meaning lives & relationships. For myself that comes through self exploration & optimization on a psychological as well as deeper spiritual level.

For many people that resonates within their spirit. For many, it may not. Through raising our spiritual consciousness you and I can live beyond the ego. You and I can make conscious decisions that impact our every day actions, relationships & emotions.  To myself this is important and it resonates at the deepest core of my spirit.

Here’s my point. If you’re just looking to get into peoples wallets in this new transparent online world, I believe it won’t take long for people to figure it out. Are people online looking to buy stuff. Absolutely. Should you be the one to sell it to them? Absolutely, as long as it feels right. Will I give it to them if they ask? You bet. I’ve got no problem with that.

The problem is the short term spammy thinking that exists online is no different than the plaid pants used car salesman of yesterday. (You just can’t see the pants online is all)

So where do you turn for the right guidance?

Socialites of Social Media

Ok, the below folks are not rock stars. However they do command a certain amount of attention. (And for many, respect)

To me it’s really about paying attention to people who walk the talk and I’ve outlined a few peeps below that I pay attention to. You can find your own, but I’ll give you a few guidelines I operate by when finding myself having interest in someones message (or more importantly how they convey their message) which I feel reflects their spirit. (All links are to their blog posts that are most relevant this post)

1. Scott Stratten (Unmarketing)

I like Scott’s message because quite frankly even though he is a bit odd and off kilter when I hear him speak, he’s completely REAL. I’m not sure if his quirkiness is because he’s a self proclaimed tweet o’ holic or too much caffeine, but the guy is just real and you can feel it oozing off of him when he speaks. His transparency in video is completely there.

Is he a marketer? Yup, regardless of his self proclaimed UnMarketer status, that to me in itself is his marketing angle. There are some psychological things going on that suck you into his style of marketing to but why I dig his style is his spirit behind the marketing. He genuinely gives a damn about the impact of what he shares with you and you can sense it.

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2. Gary Vanyerchuck-(Crush It)

One word that sums up Gary is passion. I can’t imagine anyone who gives a crap more about his mission than Gary. He is a true renascence man in my personal opinion. He walks the talk and then walks some more. He’s just put out a book called Crush It and has of course resonated with not just myself but hundreds of thousands of other people apparently. People bought the crap out of his book.

His spirit is infectious and contagious. It’s kinda the thing that attracts us to movie stars. The fact is you want to live with the same passion & transparency that Gary does regardless if you think he’s obnoxious or not. It’s one of the things that sucks you in about him.

What’s so attractive about his persona? His spirit is in direct alignment with his actions through and through. Gary’s slogan of Crush It, is the next generation of Nike’s slogan, Just Do it, but with the word Passionately added on.

Oh and he has tweeted me a big fat “thank you for the support” when I mentioned I bought Crush it.  So that makes him super consciously cool in my book.

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3. Maria Reyes McDavis- (Impact Agent)

Maria was one of the first people I started paying a lot of attention to when I entered into the social media world. She was actually a big inspiration of tying the technical aspect of online stuff along with the philosophical aspect of social media. I learned a lot about WordPress from her as well as social  media and how to conduct myself online too. She’s very giving with her knowledge and is very authentic in her delivery of it.

I’ve watched as she’s also grown from WebSuccessDiva to now as the Impact Agent. She covers a much more diverse arena of online marketing information now and I continue to follow her advice and guidance as a rule of thumb. Her interests of the anthropological implications of the social web has actually been a big impact on my interests in the spiritual implications of the social web.

Yup she tweets back too 😉

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4. David Risley-(David Risley Dot Com)

This one probably is a bit biased on my part because I actually know David and have been fortunate enough to spend time with him. However that’s why I’m also including him. He’s the real deal. I’ll just tell you he writes like he talks. No fluff, no bullshit, just tell you like it is good info.

He conducts himself in social media world authentically and probably is a bit more daring than most. As a Pro-Blogger he has a lot of different customer stereo types but still voices his opinion (and quite loudly) on relevant topics like politics.

Some people may say that’s not smart but here is what I do know. I don’t know if any of his customers differ in his opinion on politics bu they probably put up with his difference in opinion because of one big reason. I know a little bit about the inner workings of his business and this guy is all about providing value to his customers. He’s a marketer through and through as well as a problogger however his spirit is always about providing the very best value to his customers. I see how hard he busts ass on his work and he cares about it.

Goes with out saying, he definitely tweets back.

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Leo Babauta-(Zen Habits)

Leo just embodies the spirit of simplicity in his online writing & brand. He governs himself in such a way that you can see in his writing and blog design where he’s coming from. Authentic, simple & extremely informative.

Matter of fact let’s keep it simple and let you see for yourself. 😉

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In Conclusion Of Spirit

Here’s what I believe, all of these individuals social media actions are in direct alignment with their spirit.

  • The spirit of giving
  • The spirit of passion
  • The spirit of value
  • The spirit of truth
  • The spirit of caring

Are they putting on a show or being something they are not? In my humble opinion I seriously doubt it but will be the first to admit I’ve been wrong before. So far I haven’t been and I feel these plus many others are being authentic in their social media presence and marketing.

All I know is that as you broadcast yourself into the world wide web take stock in why you do it. Shadowing a few good people on the other hand while you answer these questions won’t hurt either.

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