Social Media Soul - Boston University Lecture July 2012

I had the honor of speaking at Boston University a few weeks ago during Mashable's Social Media Day.  The titled my closing remarks: Social Media Soul.  I could have pontificated for way too long on the topic, but in honor of Twitter, I kept the lecture brief and to the point.

Here is the transcript and video.

Title: Social Media with Soul
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Slide 2: [Will your next tweet change the world?]

Imagine for a second that your next tweet could change the world...How would you use your 140 characters?

What if you could write only one more blog post...What would you say?

What if you could share just one more link...What would you share?

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Slide 3: [suh logo and mission]

My name is Unity Stoakes, cofounder of StartUp Health, an Academy for Health and Wellness entrepreneurs.

I'm on a mission to help build an army of health innovators who will transform healthcare and enable people to live healthier, happier lives. Over the next decade our goal at StartUp Health is to support and help build 1,000 health and wellness startups that we believe will change the world.

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Slide 4: ["Now that we all own the printing press, how are we going to use it?"]

Today I'd like to wrap up today's Social Media Day by asking some important questions and leave you all thinking about your next tweet or blog post:

"Now that we all own the printing press, how are we going to use it?"

As the speakers today have discussed, and this audience well knows, social media is a powerful marketing and communications tool.

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Slide 5: [how do we unleash its true potential to enhance our lives and improve our world?]

"But how do we unleash its true potential to enhance our lives and improve our culture?"

For me, I've been thinking a lot about how Social Media is impacting the Social Good, and I've been thinking about how social media can inspire and affect rapid change and progress, particularly in areas in desperate need of severe and dramatic disruption like health and education.

I've been thinking a lot about what makes something worth communicating in the first place using social media....And I've tried to figure out what helps make one message relevant enough to spark a movement and another evaporate into the cloud.

I've been thinking about what gives social media "soul".

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Slide 6: [Giving Social Media Soul]

The same can be said about any media, but especially for social media to achieve its potential, I believe it needs soul.  For your message to connect and make a difference there are several characteristics that matter.

You may know what you want to communicate or how you want to say it, but are you thinking about why?

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Slide 7: [7 Characteristics of a Post with Soul]

Those who are using social media to change the world and make a difference have an innate way of baking these 7 characteristics into their communications.

Before your next tweet think about:

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[Slides 8-14]

·      Purpose - What is your purpose for using social media?

·      Mission - Do you have one and can you communicate it clearly?

·      Authenticity - Movement or marketing?

·      Message - Does it inspire action or make people think?

·      Social Gift - Will people want to gift it and share it with others?

·      Story - Does it make people laugh or cry (or both)?

·      Organic - Does it feel right and taste good?

The best test of all: You know it when you feel it.

For better or worse there are no rules when it comes to social media...there's no right or wrong...there is good and bad but that's just a matter of perspective...

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Slide 15: [Why are YOU using social media?]

So I'll leave you with this final question:

Why are YOU using social media and will your next post change the world?

Thank you.

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Closing Slide: [Social Media with Soul]

#startuphealth @unitystoakes