My very good friend (and I don’t mean that lightly), Michael Q. Todd has challenged me to write a blog post about my social media experience and how I am doing in “The 7 Pillars of Social Media“. If you are a fan of his already, then you are familiar with this concept. If not, here are the 7 Pillars, as I understand them. You can get a much better explanation from Michael at http://www.michaelqtodd.com/7pillars

• Pillar 1: Be Niched – Get Focused!
• Pillar 2: Be Savvy – Smart Tools!
• Pillar 3: Be Likable – Great Content!
• Pillar 4: Be Social – Consistently Interactive
• Pillar 5: Be Real – Location, Activities
• Pillar 6: Be Sharable – Promote Others
• Pillar 7: BE GREAT – GO BIG!

Now, Michael Q Todd is a social media rockstar.  His Klout is 80 and mine is 62. His Kred is 943 and mine is 749.  So, obviously, Michael knows quite a bit more about social media than I do. If he says these are the 7 Pillars, then I am going to listen to him!

Social Media Experience

Personally, I feel like I am doing pretty well. I am active on multiple social platforms, I have great communities that support my efforts, and I am no slouch when it comes to the mechanics of social media. What really counts to me is that I have GREAT friends that I have met through social media and I feel like I am always meeting new, wonderful people.  That is the part of social media I love.

I am most active on Facebook, Facebook groups, Twitter, and Pinterest. I am also active about commenting on blogs I support.

I am moderately active on G+, Klout, Linkedin, Tumblr, and Empire Avenue. I hit those several times a week but not daily.

Social Media 7 Pillars

As for the 7 pillars, here is my self-assessment about how I am doing.

Social Media Pillar One: Niched

OKAY This blog is all about my social media experiment. I try things in social media, and I write how those efforts affected my blog traffic and my personal brand.  I think that this blog is very niched. My social media presence fits in line with this as well. I do also discuss SEO but that is part of my niche since I work in SEO and Social Media every day.

What I could work on: I probably need to spend time cultivating my personal brand blog and not just this niche one here.  Hmmm, something to think about.

Social Media Pillar 2: Tools

STRONG – This is probably one of the areas I am doing GREAT in. I am VERY savvy about social media tools and social media platforms. I am a real gadget girl and I love to try out the newest social media platforms. I like to be an early adopter whenever possible. In fact, as part of this experiment, I get early beta invites to many different social media tools/platforms. If you would like to be informed about the beta invites when I am, sign up for the Social-Drivers newsletter.

Social Media Pillar 3: Content

For this blog: SO-SO. My content is not consistent enough. I have so many clients that I serve during the week and I am constantly creating content for them. By the time I have created content about “dentist, bankruptcy, real estate, glass repair, personal fitness, carpet cleaning, shutters” – I don’t feel like writing another article for myself!

I could curate more content on my blog but I don’t feel that fits my niche here. I should consider my blog another one of my clients and put it into my daily work rotation!

Social Media Pillar 4: Social

So-So. I can do better. I need to be more interactive for sure. I think I am doing well but I know I can do a lot better. I try to RT people, thank them for sharing my content, and to share other content regularly. I also try to like and comment on FB and blogs as much as I can. I am sure I can do better though.

Social Media Pillar 5: Real

Good-ish! I feel like I am VERY real. However, I don’t use Foursquare, Instagram, and other services enough to let people see into my real life. I also can do more with my facebook profile to be more real.  I think I am VERY REAL in who I present. I can just be more open about it.

Social Media Pillar 6: Sharable

Good! I like to promote other people. I really do. I really do think I share a lot and when I produce content, my content tends to get shared. I think I share others and that others share me quite well. I believe I am shareable.

Social Media Pillar 7: GREATNESS

Work in progress! I am not there yet – but I am working on it!! My mind and heart are definitely open to the thought of greatness!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SELF-ASSESSMENT??

Those of you who know me and visit my blog – what do you think of my self-assessment? Was I too kind on myself? Did I look at myself through rose-colored glasses? Was I too harsh? What do you think I am doing well in the 7 Pillars?

Which pillar is your weakest?

Please make a comment below and tell me!

The photo above is used via creative commons license. It can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/globevisions/460888153/

Want to connect online? See my entire social presence at http://xeeme.com/mindykoch