Daniel J. Lewis

Internet entrepreneur, award-winning podcaster, podcast consultant, keynote speaker

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10 things I won’t share on social networks that you may not want to, either

July 25, 2014 by Daniel J. Lewis 2 Comments

Photo Credit: gfairchild via Compfight cc

We've all been there. A late-night tweet, a questionable Facebook photo, a deeply held belief that was just offended.

I've decided to make my own list of stuff I won't share on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or any social network. Most of these are things I would recommend that you avoid sharing, too. But I'll write this from my perspective.

1. Relationship problems

Whether I have a disagreement with my wife, breakup a relationship, or get angry at a friend, social networks are not good places to vent.

This is where I can struggle the most with passive-aggressiveness. I, for one, know that some people can really have a hard time not being passive-aggressive!

Instead of sharing my relationship problems with the world, I should talk directly to someone who can actually help. Even better, talk to the other person in the relationship and resolve the issue!

2. (Bad) stuff about clients, employers, or employees

If I share anything bad about business associates, it reveals bad things about my character. I would essentially be talking behind that person's back, and it's fully possible for them to find out.

I also need to think about how this looks to potential business associates. If I said bad stuff about other people I worked with, you may be concerned about what I'd say about you if we work together.

Sometimes, it may even be a good policy to say nothing about a full-time job or clients.

3. Location-revealing updates (rarely)

Yelp, Foursquare, Path, and many other apps can make sharing my location fun and sometimes rewarding. But I don't like telling the world that I'm not home.

I think it's okay to check-in and share special events. But you probably don't need to see every rest stop I visit in competition for the mayor of the porcelain throne.

4. Opinions on highly controversial moral or political issues

Remember passive-aggression? Highly controversial moral issues are more hot topics that can raise hate, hurt, and rarely help.

I think it's fine to discuss these things online, but I would only do it with a limited list of my friends whom I know will appreciate and intelligently discuss it.

I made this mistake big time before and it still hurts today.

5. Food

Sharing recipes is cool. Recommending places to eat can be cool. Posting a photo of my Centuple-Stuffed Oreo™ could also be interesting.

But photos of whatever I'm about to eat—since I'm not a food reviewer—is probably not interesting to almost anyone else.

6. Alcohol

This is definitely a personal choice and may not apply to you. Whether I drink alcohol is up to me. But I have chosen to never publicly endorse alcohol. I know I have minors and Christians of greatly varying beliefs following me.

I'm not saying alcohol is right or wrong, but I like the teachings of the Bible that says to not cause others to stumble because of what I may accept as freedoms.

7. Profanity

Another personal issue, but one that reflects on character and self-control.

I don't use profanity at all, and you'll never see me use it in an actual post. In the rare event that I share something with profanity in it, it has to be really good and I usually give a disclaimer.

I think the Bible is clear that Christians shouldn't use profanity, so I have chosen to not only limit my words, but also keep my attitude in check. (Sometimes the uncontrolled emotions are worse than the words themselves.)

Strong profanity can look bad to employers and potential employers. But maybe profanity is part of your edgy branding. So this is another thing that is really up to you.

8. Every reshare request

“Raise money for spotted puppy awareness!” “Please share this AMAZING thing from SkyMall!” “Please help unite the world around whirled peas!”

There are plenty of good causes to support. But I can't and won't give in to every request to share some cause or campaign. It's not that I don't care, but I just don't think it's something that fits my branding.

Yes, I do reshare quality stuff from others, regardless of whether they ask. If I know them well and they are personally asking me, then I'm more likely to fulfill the request in order to help them. But my social profile shouldn't look like the Foundation for Everything Campaign.

9. Only personally created content

Newsflash: social-networking is about being social. If I want to be social, I shouldn't always talk about myself and only share my stuff.

I often try to start or join conversations and reshare what others post. I'm regularly consuming great content from other people, and I try to share that with my audience.

I don't think it's always “spam” to share one's own stuff. There should be a balance.

10. “Follow Friday” (#FF) and other mention spam

“Follow Friday” was fun in the old days when very few people were on Twitter. Now, it's essentially spam. Have you followed anyone recently because of a #FF tweet?

If I really want to recommend that you follow someone else, the best way for me to do it is to write a quality message explaining why.

I also avoid and try to get out of mention-spam tweets with simple messages. For example, “Happy Monday! @Adam @Bob @Charlie @David @Erin @Frank @Gale @Harry @Irene @Jack @Kevin @Steve”

And for the love of everything beautiful in this world, please do not reply to these tweets by mentioning me and everyone! “@Matt Thanks! @Adam @Bob @Charlie @David @Erin @Frank @Gale @Harry @Irene @Jack @Kevin @Steve”


These are ten personal rules for what not to share on social networks. I know you may disagree with some of my own rules, so tell me why and share your own rules for what you will or won't post online.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: business, clients, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, location-based, mentions, relationships, social networks, spam, Twitter

5 friendly ways to network at conferences

January 3, 2014 by Daniel J. Lewis

1. Look for what you can freely give

The best way to receive at conference is to give freely without expecting anything in return. One of the greatest, lasting rewards is the joy of helping someone else.

Instead of looking for who can benefit you or your business, look for how you can help people without trying to start a business relationship with them.

2. Watch the official hashtag

Twitter is a powerful tool for consuming and sharing content during a conference, and it also creates great community. I recommend TweetChat for monitoring and participating in the conversation with the official Twitter hashtag.

This works easily by joining a “room” on TweetChat with the hashtag. You'll see everything shared with that hashtag, including replies and retweets (although you can filter these). The timeline will automatically refresh on computers and mobile devices.

You can even use TweetChat to easily participate in the conversation because it will automatically include the hashtag you're following in every tweet you send through the TweetChat room.

3. Change your Twitter profile photo

You may have invested big bucks into a professional portrait photo and worked hard to use that photo everywhere. That's great, but that's most likely not how you look today. (I'm now sporting more facial hair than a mere goatee, and I'm experimenting with longer head hair.)

Update your Twitter profile photo with a much more recent photo, even if it has to be a “selfie.”

Take this one step further and help others network with you by updating your photo daily with how you are dressed on that day. It will be easier for people to find you and talk in person if they know exactly how you look on that day.

4. Bring business cards, but don't hand them out

We all hate spam. We hate it everywhere and in every form. If you go to a conference and start passing out business cards like a ninja throwing stars, then you're essentially spamming potential relationships.

Bring your business cards, but be intentional about when you hand them out and to whom. If your card is irrelevant to the recipient, it will be wasted. And you won't know whether it's relevant until you have a conversation.

I usually carry a collection of four different business cards to all events. I make it a game to see if my conversation with the person warrants all four cards. If it seems like I don't have a connection with the person I'm talking to, I don't give them a card because they wouldn't care about me anyway unless they asked for your card.

When you give a card, offer to write something, such as a website or tool, on it for the recipient. (Hint: this also means you should leave some white space on your cards.)

As an aside, consider making niche business cards that highlight specific aspects that may appeal to people you meet. If you already have a lot of niche cards, consider consolidating them into a “conference card” that focuses on your name and includes the other things you do.

5. Write on business cards you receive

Regardless of how someone else has handed you their business card, don't just pocket it! Keep it in front of you or in your hands. Have a pen or marker ready to write down something about that person.

Where you met them

A tool or website they mentioned

A reminder to followup with them

Something that stood out to you about them

A specific action to take (call, send a proposal, etc.)

Writing something on someone else's card demonstrates a great respect on your part and greater engagement in your conversation. The simple act of writing will also help you remind the person and conversation better.

How do you network at conferences?

What about you? What tips or tricks can you share for being a friendlier networker at conferences? I'd love to hear your stories of success, failures, and pet peeves, so please leave a comment.

Filed Under: Business, Social Media

The ethics of choosing affiliate links in your blog or podcast

April 19, 2013 by Daniel J. Lewis 13 Comments

Amazon associates affiliate page

How much consideration do you put into choosing which affiliates links you use?

For most of my podcasts, affiliate links are easy—Amazon.com for everything because they sell everything at usually great prices.

But on my “how-to” podcast about podcasting, The Audacity to Podcast, affiliates are more complicated. I recommend many more products:

  • mixers,
  • microphones,
  • software,
  • audio cables,
  • video cameras,
  • mobile devices,
  • web hosting,
  • and anything else that helps podcasting.

In the past, I've used several affiliates:

  • Amazon.com,
  • Musician's Friend,
  • Monoprice, and
  • B&H Photo Video.

The decision for a link is hard when affiliate programs vary in payouts and certain companies will happily reshare my content if I use their affiliates exclusively. But when a single product is the same price on several sites, it's even harder to decide which affiliate to use.

I appreciate the affiliate relationship I have with B&H, but I know it's often more convenient and cheaper for my audience to purchase from Amazon.com.

A quick poll on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ revealed overwhelming preference for Amazon.com, even when other retailers had the same price. The reasons usually focused on the following.

  • Amazon Prime members who could get free two-day shipping
  • Amazon.com giftcards earned through programs like Swagbucks
  • Account already exists on Amazon and don't want to sign up somewhere else
  • Amazon.com's trusted reputation

I even prefer Amazon.com for most purchases because they usually have the best price, we have a warehouse nearby, and I regularly earn free giftcards from Swagbucks. Am I violating any rule by using an affiliate link to a retailer I may not prefer?

Then looking on the profit side, I usually make more money through my Amazon affiliates than I do with other affiliate links. Almost every month, I sell enough items through my combined Amazon tracking IDs that I earn a 6.5% commission (I'm always so close to 7%!). Each additional item sold through Amazon increases the possibility that I could earn a higher percentage rate.

Amazon offers handy widgets and plenty of linking options, including simply adding “tag=danieljlewis-20” to any URL to turn it into an affiliate link.

Then there's B&H. They have a great website, accurate search, great customer service, and handy link creation. While they offer a variety of widget formats, making widgets are a pain. My earning potential with B&H is a little lower. But they've reminded me that if I exclusively use B&H affiliate links in my product reviews, they would share my reviews with their social-media followers. And the better I perform, the more likely I can borrow some demo units for more reviews.

For most podcasting equipment I talk about on The Audacity to Podcast, I end up including affiliate links to both Amazon.com and B&H. This makes my linking process twice as long.

So what's the ethical thing to do? I believe that is to continue offering Amazon.com affiliate links first unless a better price or better product is available elsewhere. Sure, this won't make me popular with companies like B&H, but I believe this will give my followers the right options for them to make their own choices. After all, they're smart people.

How do you handle affiliate links for the same product from competing retailers? I'd love to hear your opinions and experience in the comments below.

Filed Under: Business, Social Media Tagged With: advertising, affiliates, Amazon.com, blogging, monetization, podcasting

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