Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are both close to reaching 1 billion page views on YouTube.
Their success and especially the role of social media in it is worth learning from. Lady Gaga’s twitter account has 6million+ followers and on Facebook she has 19million+ fans.
You can be as or more successful as Bieber or Gaga or whoever your idol is; but for that you need to create music like they do or make products like Apple does. You will also need the brand power and an army of little monsters (that is what Gaga calls her fans and they love it).
It is about personal brand and also about making things. Unless somebody makes things, creates environments (read: social networks, hotels, cameras) nobody sees, experience or buys things. Musicians make music and people may like it or not. Same is true of software; you need to put it out in the market as alpha, beta first – only then consumers will say Yay or Nay.
Switch off to create
Making comes first, then experience, promotion and everything else. To be able to focus on making you need focus and solace. You create the right environment by switching off – mobile phone, emails, social networks everything that can be a potential distraction.
Whatever business you are in music, software, scented candles, or if you are writing a book – switching off will help you create good stuff. At least it will help you ship. Ideas are dime a dozen. To covert these ideas into real things takes focus, discipline and doing. It is really hard to focus and create while checking on facebook updates or watching and contributing to your ever-busy twitstream.
Switch on! For idea triggers, connections and opportunities
Switching on is also important. You need to go out, talk to people, and engage in conversations online or offline. Twitter, Facebook all that works. Reading, connecting with people works as an idea trigger. You can also get feedback on your ideas when you connect. Through connections, you are able to make bonds and who knows find your future business collaborators.
People need people. While you connect, focus on genuinely helping people and learn whenever you can. This will open new gates for you and it is likely that your circle of influence will grow.
Eating news for breakfast?
Thank God I no longer do that. I can go on weeks without reading a newspaper, or checking news items. I created this habit long back. Before that I used to spend hours every morning reading different newspapers.
Think about it, is it possible to be one up on all the news in the world. In a world of 6billion plus people, close to 200 countries there is bound to be something or other happening all the time. How can a person be on top of all the news and information in the world?
No point worrying, any big or important reaches us sooner than we think.
Do it if it is your business
If you are in the business of news then it is a different game. Same for twitter or facebook; if social media is what you do for living then spend all the time you have. For others 1-2 hours every day of social network and emails should work fine. It is easy to spend hours and days checking on Facebook profiles of your friend’s friends? Facebook is happy with it but do you really need it?
How I make things
I often take time to create things, work on ideas close to my heart. Right now I am writing this post. I can spend hours and days reading about how to use social media like Gaga (note: I like her music) or read tons on books on writing (it helps though); but for me best learning comes from making things. Think, this is the case for most of us.
In my life mix I make sure that I have some stretches – couple of hours to an entire day of switch-off; regular switch on and a daily dash of ultimate switch off (sleep and meditation). Sleep is important and should not be neglected. When you sleep well you are able to create well; because you are alert and energetic.
Try this mix and see how it works for you. Whatever you do just keep in mind that our future depends on – how we spend our time today.
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