TweetDeck vs Hootsuite

TweetDeck’s light boundary (meaning not slowed-down and buggy) makes it a perfect choice to monitor your favorite Twitter Chat. All you have to do is use the “search tool” to find your hashtag and you can create a column that shows only the tweets that have that hashtag, in that column. You can also respond to the tweets right there, or capture them for embeddable media content on your Twitter Chat Summary on your web site. This may become a strong contender for Storify archives!

Hootsuite is a bit more powerful, allowing a more robust and strategic approach to your social media management objectives. However, to truly get the power-packed benefits, you really need to step up beyond the free version and go pro but pro does not come for free. This is where you really experience the time-saving benefits of Hootsuite and effectively managing ALL of your social profiles in one spot.

The downside to TweetDeck? It is not quite as power-packed as Hootsuite (especially Hootsuite Pro). However, that isn’t necessarily a downside if you do not need all of the features that Hootsuite offers.

The downside to Hootsuite? It has a bit of a steep learning curve for some. It is not necessarily as intuitive straight out of the box. Also, while the scheduling is awesome (scheduling tweets and updates), you are required to do it at least 15 min in advance (compared to TweetDeck’s 1 min) and need to have them in increments of 5 minutes apart (compared to TweetDeck’s “no increment” approach). Also, it costs money for the real power of Hootsuite.

Christmas Is Around The Corner

We all know that Christmas is around the corner. 

Remember that the are those who are less fortunate than you, 

and at this time of the year many Non-profit organisation are putting together Christmas goodies or organizing some Christmas initiative.  

If you know that you have old clothes, even old stationery (some foundations fund kids throughout school) remember the are people who would recycle those clothes and they will be new stuff to them. You can even do a shoe box and put in food goodies.

If you do not know which organisation to support,

Just go on Google and it will give the list of NPO near your area. 

You don't have to be successful to give back.

As we strive to achieve our various goals in life, we encounter countless opportunities to help others succeed simultaneously. And according to Adam Grant, taking the time to give back in these situations is what will make us truly successful.

Grant - the youngest tenured and highest-rated professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, author of Give and Take.

"When I think about people who are givers, I would just define them as being the kinds of people who enjoy helping others and often do it with no strings attached,” says Grant. "And nobody does that every single moment of their lives. On the other end of the spectrum, even the people who are the biggest takers still have moments of concern for others. … I think we all have roles that call out our more generous sides.”

While many think that one must achieve success before acting charitably toward others, Grant’s research actually suggests the opposite.

“There are some people like Bill Gates who succeed first and then start giving back, but the majority of successful people out there began giving long before they achieved greatness,” he says. “I would love to redefine success to say it’s not just what you achieve, it’s also what you help other people achieve.”

How to Give Half of Your Work Away for Free

A book titled How to Give Half of Your Work Away for Free is coming out soon. The book aims to open the 50% pro bono business model.

“Anyone can clean up a beach,” Manos notes in the book. “That’s a simple task, and people have been doing it for years. Sure, we can continue to define ‘service’ and ‘volunteerism’ in that way, but wouldn’t a more productive question be ‘how can we ensure that beaches never get dirty again?’ That is a big question, but it is one that can be answered by leveraging the unique talents each of us brings to the table. This isn’t a new idea—it’s actually a movement, the idea of skills-based volunteering.”

The book synthesizes the core model of #givehalf as follows:

1. Capacity Building: If you are giving half of your work away for free, you need to do twice the amount of work. That said, you need to not miss out on sleep. The model calls for a creative approach to capacity building that embraces remote collaboration and network development.

2. Business Development: The model allows for sincere and authentic client relationships that lend themselves well to project referrals. The model calls for a very intentional use of word-of-mouth as the primary marketing tool.

3. Financial Planning: Although the success of the model has no limits, monetarily, up-front there is going to be some sacrifice, as with any business. As a result, the model calls for a conservative approach to corporate overhead.

4. Time Management: Because the model requires a high volume of projects at any given time, the development of time management processes that work for you is a necessity in the process of developing your very nice entity.

Four Of Grant’s Takeaways

Here are four of Grant’s takeaways about successful giving, all of which are helpful pointers for companies as well as people:

1. Be concerned about others but also about your own interests.  Giving that benefits you and the recipient in some way will lead to a more satisfying and recurring experience.
2. Be strategic in your giving.  If you want to maximize the effect of your giving, don’t give to opportunistic “takers” – give to others who themselves rate giving back as a priority.
3. Give in ways that reinforce your social ties.  Giving back in ways that tap into a social experience makes giving more accessible and desirable.
4. Consolidate your giving into chunks so that the impact is enough to feel gratifying.  It’s the spotlight vs. strobe light theory – a single concentrated source of light yields more impact than diffuse light that lacks focus.

Giving is planned process that does not just happen over night.

Next time you think of giving or donating, remember the "four takeaways".  

Karma ( What you give is what you get )

Karma means action, work or deed it also refers to the principle of causality where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Basically with Karma what you give is what you get back. 

Some of us do not believe in Karma but i honestly believe what i do now, or how i do things now will affect me in the future. Like i said in my previous post I apply the same rule in treating people, the way i treat will somehow come back to me. 

Many of us are going out into the Industry, some of us are already in the Industry. For those like me who are going out remember, we will only get what we give out, like Prom Berchan said make sure you give it your all. For those who have been in the industry, trying a change of attitude and give your best in all that you do and see how things will work out for you. 

The Impact Of Helping.

At the age of 12, I was awarded a scholarship to go to one of the best schools in Cape Town. At the time I did not understand the impact the scholarship would have on my life. The day I entered the premises of Rhenish Girls High School, I knew I would make the most of the opportunity I had received. While I was in school I always made sure that I did my best and I made the organisation that was funding me very proud.

I lived my life knowing that one day I want to give someone the same opportunity that I was given, to take someone and put them in a place they could never imagine going to too.. Many of us tend to underestimate the impact of helping someone out, yes, we are still young and we could never afford funding a child, but the are so many other things you can do to help those who are less fortunate.

This blog will highlight the impact you can make by helping someone as well suggest ways to help those who are less fortunate

That is all for now.
xoxo