The Educated Emotion

This year has been a year of transition and change, just as 2016 promises to be a year of New Beginnings. Effective immediately, Les Go Social will be on hiatus until February 8, 2016 as we welcome the new addition to our family. In the meantime, please enjoy this holiday season. Warmly, Les

End of Summer  Have you ever noticed how a slogan will start to be passed around in advertising for a while? As a kid, I remember all the stores that were open late in the fall would call their sales "midnight madness" or something to that effect.  A few years ago the buzz phrase was "Christmas in July". This year is no different. I have heard Labor Day termed "the unofficial last day of Summer" more than a handful of times this year. It doesn't have quite the same charm as Christmas in July but it does give one pause. Ending Summer when living in the Midwest is quite a sobering thought. But guess what? In Michigan, Summer isn't the only exciting season around here! Fall in Michigan means amusement parks without blistering heat, cider mill and maple tree tours, and...the ARTS!! One way to verify that fall is here is with the Kerrytown Bookfest happening this Sunday. John F. Buckley The writing and poetry community is definitely read

The Character of a Community If you've ever dabbled in culinary arts, you know that one of the key rules when introducing new flavors to recipes is retaining some of the original flavor. You can add all sorts of ingredients to the meatloaf...until it doesn't taste like "meatloaf" anymore. Once that occurs, you will start to offend tastebuds. Similarly, for many Memorial Day can be celebrated, observed, and honored in a host of ways. But, this year the Internet has drawn attention to the fact that we have lost much of the original flavor of Memorial Day. When I was a young girl, Memorial Day meant getting up early and attending the Memorial Day parade, visiting the grave site of fallen loved ones, followed by food and family. By the time I was a teenager, Memorial Day also included furniture sales and decorations. At some point, over the last twenty years, Memorial Day has become nothing more for some than a "Happy Memorial Day" status, hashtag, or

#TipTuesday #TechTuesdays You may have noticed that the number of followers have decreased for your Facebook Brand Page. That is because after March 12, Facebook began purging all inactive accounts. Likes that you obtained through paid advertising or from years ago may be connected to inactive accounts. It makes sense. But, it's also discouraging if you are trying to build your followers. Before you despair, remember that everyone is basically in the same boat. Getting your numbers back up may not happen as quickly as it has in the past, but it is still simple as 1 2 3. #lesgosocial 1. Invite friends. It has probably been a few months or years since you have invited people from your personal friend list to Like your Facebook page. 2. If you are responsible for social media for your business or organization, adjust your success metrics to match what Facebook insights are telling you..beyond the Likes. 3. Love the one you're with: Encourage engagement with existing

#TechTuesdays #TuesdayTip Free Ninety Nine! Doesn't it sound good? Oh boy! Two FREE roundtrip airline tickets to wherever you wish. All just because you just happened to be on Facebook at the right time, connected to the right friend. Have you seen an ad or been tagged on an ad like the one below on your Facebook timeline? I hate to break this to you...but it is a scam. Perhaps you received something like this in your email inbox? Examples:   [Collected via e-mail, November 2011] Receive 2 FREE Southwest Airline Tickets Today! [URL elided] For a limited time you can receive  2 FREE  Southwest Airline Tickets good for any travel within the USA! Don't wait, this is a one time free gift offered just in time for the Holidays! [Collected via e-mail, October 2012] Planning for the holidays? Lucky you! Southwest Airlines is sending out thousands of complimentary flight vouchers to current Facebook users! To get yours, fly by [URL elided] to follow the

Good News! Social media does not have to be boring and ineffective to still maintain professionalism.  Many organizations have started to get hop by adding cute photos, taglines, humor, and video. But, a thousand likes on your pictures of cats in cute hats won't necessarily translate into new paying customers or increased awareness for your organization. Below are twelve ways to begin to strike a balance in communicating effectively and professionally the key parts of yourself, brand, or organization. This list comes from years of seeing people and organizations struggle with keeping their online presence professional, yet engaging and effective. This presentation was created for the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women hosted its 33rd Women of Color Taskforce Career Conference, one of the oldest and largest career conferences for the University. We were happy to be a part of this day of learning with the session Communicating Professionally and Effect