Are facebook business pages a fad, or the future of social media marketing?

Well, I've finally taken the plunge (again) and relaunched my traverselife Facebook page. It's been a year and a half since my last post which is hardly something to crow about.

Honestly, you'd think that having survived the drama of having a web site constructed and starting a blog, (which involved a lot of internal angst) that it wouldn't be too hard to post on Facebook business pages. Not so. There's something I find very challenging about being "out there" in public with the potential to be torn to shreds by trolls - frankly it's unsettling.

But as I commented in my last post, Can blogging support your values? the benefits are there.

So when I was contacted by a young, keen and above all, knowledgeable, social media enthusiast regarding creating a business presence on Facebook I thought I should give it a go ... again.

This time, however, I wasn't alone, bumbling along, not really knowing what I was doing. Amelia (on Twitter: @AvidComms) walked me through such things as an over arching storyline, daily themes, the use of photos and using hoot suite to schedule posts.

In short she made a Facebook business page seem logical and achievable. Something that even a somewhat disorganised (cough, cough) person like me could do!

Like many people, self promotion doesn't come easily to me, so even letting clients know it was up and running was a bit of a challenge. However it's all happening over there, email invitations have been sent, received and acted on, and I have gone from a decidedly uninspiring 7 "Likes" to 30+ in a couple of days which feels very supportive and is extremely encouraging.

Armed with a bit more discipline and structure I hope to provide links to interesting articles, some posts I've written, and exchange comments and interact with current clients, as well as with people I may never meet in person; and I welcome you as well!! I'm not sure how it'll go, but I'll certainly do my best to provide interesting, informative and hopefully useful content.

I expect I'll refine this as I go on, but at present I've described my traverselife page as relating to further education, career development and workplace communication as well as using ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Training) and mindfulness techniques to support career transition, improve workplace happiness and assist overall wellbeing.

The current focus for weekday posts is:

• Monday - Education
• Tuesday - Job hunting
• Wednesday - In the workplace
• Thursday - Mindfulness
• Friday - Working towards retirement

If you're on Facebook please drop by and say hello! ;-)

Interestingly, since I wrote this post I've been to a local small business networking meeting and the topic for next time is Social Media: Marketing and monetizing your company. I hope the speaker doesn't just focus on Twitter like one book I borrowed from the library did!

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Posted by Sue Travers

Halloween poison

Does it strike anyone else
as completely insane 
that Australia sends large, ungainly ships laden with coal
through the beautiful, fragile, world heritage Great Barrier Reef 
all the way to China and India 
so that this finite resource can power dirty factories, 
employing people in appalling conditions
to make
tatty plastic products.












Returning - using more fossil fuels -
for a "festival" with no relevance in our culture?

Where children pound on doors demanding sweets,
and the tawdry, mass produced crap
ends up in landfill
and waterways and oceans,
where marine creatures will choke
or be poisoned by minute, disintegrating plastic particles. 

Plastic pellets found in a few minutes on a beach
in Port Phillip Bay. Victoria.

a Drabble is a story told in 100 words.  No more. No less.

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Some days Google just cracks me up!

or, Finding Humour in Little Things.

I'm bemused by the advertisement Google has placed above this latest example of thick headedness by the Queensland LNP (the political party in power up there).

The representative of the good people of Noosa, a man named Richard Pearson, has "attacked the "false prophets who would poison the minds of our children in our schools". (link here)

Strong words to describe tertiary educated science teachers, and hardly the sort of comment to warm the cockles of your heart if you're a normal, decent, hard working teacher who loves your subject and enjoys your chosen career. 

It's also extremely discouraging for students who love science, to hear a political representative undermine their teachers by calling for mainstream climate science to be cut from the state's school curriculum.

It's just what we don't need; politicians choosing what to be included and excluded from the curriculum. Can you imagine where this would lead? Books being printed to present the views of one group of politicians and the vested interests who support them financially, then when they're voted out, the whole curriculum being changed, new books printed, videos made, retraining undertaken. 

It's certainly not an economical or sensible way to invest our meagre educational resources. When this kind of thing happens in other countries we're often critical and sometimes outraged. But perhaps Mr Pearson or the people who voted to remove a valid part of the curriculum, haven't considered where this kind of manipulation could lead.

However, back to the rather black humour here and the advertisement in question. It's in blue (or turquoise if you're 'into' colour).

If you are experiencing stress in your life, please seek help from your health-care professional or local professional organisation such as: 

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

http://www.mensline.org.au/

http://www.lifeline.org.au/

And a last comment. Let's support our students and their teachers by celebrating their achievements. As a society we face many challenges, not least regarding our changing climate and the massive implications of that. Undermining those who devote their lives to educating our future leaders at the expense of common sense and forethought isn't helpful for any of us.

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Climate Matters. R is for Responsibility.

This post is for R in the A-Z Blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.


We've all heard the motto; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and they are well worth remembering, however there is far more to our consumption of goods that needs to be addressed for us to regain a balanced, happier way of life.

Our addiction to a hyper consumptive lifestyle is a modern ailment, and as we all know, addictions can be very hard to break. However, our privileged lifestyle comes with responsibilities, and for our wellbeing, as well as for our planet and the other peoples who call this Earth home, this addiction needs to be tackled with courge, strength and the confidence that breaking it will bring us many benefits.


This excerpt comes from Kristen Kiluk at the Michigan Daily here

(my bold) "Retailing analyst Victor Lebow wrote in 1955, as the post-World War II consumer society was really taking off: "Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life ... we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate." Even Consumer Reports, the bible for buying quality, long-lasting goods, advised us to replace, rather than try to reapir, a broken laptop it is's more than four years old."

If you haven't watched this video, please try to make a point of setting aside a mere 20 minutes. If you have children watch it with them. It is simply remarkable. I can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed. In an upbeat, interesting way, in pictures and words, it covers the story of goods from extraction to production, distribution, consumption and finally disposal. It discusses the impact of our consumptive habits on societies, cultures, the economy and our environment.

We've been encouraged by manufacturers and with the assistance of the advertising industry to seek inner satisfaction and feed our souls with consumption of goods that aren't necessary for health or survival. And so over a period of around 50 years or so, we've gone from being respectful of the amount of time it takes to earn an income and being resourceful, careful and thrifty to experiencing an almost constant lust for new, shiny things. We've been encouraged to be dissatisfied with ourselves for living within our means, to see having "enough" as inadequate. As when we overeat and, as a result feel bloated and ill, over consumption of goods is initially satisfying, but ultimately leaves us feeling emotionally empty and dissatisfied.

We are resourceful beings, and with a bit of time spent reassessing values and priorities it is possible to wean ourselves off the consumption band-wagon and remove the leash that has kept us tethered to it, and ultimately live a more balanced life.

Related posts: No thank you!  (here) and P is for Plastics (here).


Last year I wrote about Responsibility for R in my theme on workplace bullying Here and Reliable here.


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Climate Matters. A is for Advertising

This is the post for A in the A-Z Blogging Challenge 2012. Link in the sidebar.

How do corporations manipulate us? How do they sell the unsellable? Where does science fit in the mix? What does advertising have to do with climate?

The Gruen Transfer has aired in Australia for about 4 years, entertaining and educating us about the effective tactics used daily by advertising agencies to manipulate and persuade us to agree with their brief. After one short viewing they’ve had me believe, or at least entertain the thought, that it’s a good idea to: farm whale meat commercially, to invade New Zealand or for New Zealand to invade Australia, to support child labour, and vote for an alternate political party.

I’ve sat there, knowing what’s happening, yet been convinced that a point of view, contrary to what I thought I believed, is worth considering. Advertisers have researched their target market thoroughly, and will shamelessly use whatever tactics are necessary to get their message across: voices of authority, fear and smear campaigns, derision, over simplification of an issue, bamboozling tactics, undermining, raising doubt, effective targeted music and colours and appeals to well researched inner desires.

Advertising and lobbyists
Their goal is to present a particular point of view as it relates to their brief, not the facts of the issue. On the whole, companies with vested interests use lobbyists and advertising to shape our opinions. They're well co-ordinated and well resourced. Their desire is to maintain the status quo, they don’t want to lose market share. So if they find a scientist who is prepared to toe the company line, they’ll be recruited to present a particular viewpoint. It’s irrelevant to them if their “expert” is trained in a different field, whether they’re respected by their peers, whether they’re even up to date with the latest research.

Scientific research
In contrast a scientist will rarely present a point of view, they are in the business of presenting accurate data no matter how unpallatable, complex or uncomfortable it might be. Their goal is to remove bias (as much as humanly possible) from their work and words - they're cautious and don't insist on absolutes. Unlike those trying to sway opinion, scientists don’t use language, imagery and sound to appeal to our emotions, to manipulate and persuade.

Unfortunately when scientists present information, they can appear awkward - they choose their words cautiously, carefully and precisely which reflects the very nature of their tradition. They’re not always slick and polished performers; their tradition is to deepen knowledge, not to win votes, increase ratings or shine in popularity contests.

In ‘real’ life we don’t have the luxury of sitting back and reflecting, questioning or critiquing data we’ve been presented with. We’re bombarded persistently, aggressively, relentlessly: on TV, in print media, on billboards, through social media platforms. We can be putty in the hands of elite advertising agencies.

If you have time, have a look at some of the examples of “selling the unsellable” they’re about 4 minutes and are fascinating. This cringeworthy pair of advertisements are promoting plastic surgery for the under 10’s.

And this one is for the CEO’s who’ve been made redundant, and who might be struggling in their new life:

Last year I wrote about Angst and Anguish for A for my theme of workplace bullying. Here.
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CDAA Workshop: 31. To do list

(This post forms part of a series of powerpoint slides from a presentation I gave at the Career Development Association of Australia Conference 2010 entitled: The Roller-coaster Ride from Permanent Part-time Employee to Private Practitioner.)

How does any self employed person become known? Whether you be an artist, author, musician or career development specialist, it seems we all face similar challenges.

I was reading the blog of an author this morning, and she was commenting that whilst she can write well, and her books sell, there is still the need for self promotion - it happens to be a major hurdle for her, and was certainly mentioned by most of the workshop participants. I think it may be one of the reasons why so few people "make a go of it" - it comes back to that feeling of being really exposed and vulnerable. We all have skills, not all of us have the skill of promotion.

Have you also noticed that often when someone does go down the road of blatant self promotion, it can come across as them having an inflated sense of their own EGO, so they get flak for that too. It's a fine line isn't it.

CDAA Workshop: 20 - 22. Advertising

(This post forms part of a series of powerpoint slides from a presentation I gave at the Career Development Association of Australia Conference 2010 entitled: The Roller-coaster Ride from Permanent Part-time Employee to Private Practitioner.)


The kinds of things I've done and people I've spoken with to promote myself as a private practitioner.

I've had 3 versions of my business card so far -I'm the kind of person who can see room for improvement! The most recent was produced by my lovely local printer in under a week. I knew I was going to work at the Reinvent Your Career Expo in Melbourne a couple of years ago, and it seemed sensible to have something suitable for the event.

I'd been unhappy with the previous card which had been designed by a graphic artist. I'd been procrastinating hugely about getting another done as I knew I'd been ripped off with the earlier one. Thankfully this experience was really different. I got to chat with the designer (no charge!!) and he suggested something cheerful that might appeal to the demographic I sort of expected to be working with. No rip off, AND quick printing! What more could I ask for (apart from heaps of enthusiastic clients)?

We had a general discussion about what worked, what didn't and why. There was some great input from the participants. Interestingly very few people had received leads from psychologists. I had seen us as working in tandem with them, but the general view is they see us as more or less poaching their clients. Hmmm.

I've placed ads in the local paper (got one client - so didn't cover costs), a glossy local magazine that had a bit of an alternative angle and encouraged work life balance/life coaching etc. (no clients). I regularly attend networking functions (no clients) (so maybe the BNI would be better as they are more into marketing, not so much for the social scene.

Generally it was felt that word of mouth was the best marketing possible. Strangely (or not) a friend who is a psychiatrist said he'd be unlikely to be in a position to refer people to me, but has at the time of writing been my best, most consistent support.

A couple of local allied health professionals were very keen when I spoke with them about my business, and appeared to genuinely believe they would have lots of referrals for me: however after 2 years, I've had none.


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