Dogs in the workplace

Image source: Cutewithchris.com

I work from home most of the time and much of my work is done with a dog zonked out on my lap. When I get a cranky email from someone or a demand with an unreasonable deadline, my happy, little furball keeps my stress in check. Who can get all red faced and angry when a dog is smiling at you?

If you're a pet guardian, you know of which I speak. Dogs are incredible stress reducers and can provide a much needed mental break from the madness of the work day. Doubt the positive effect dogs can have on your nerves? You'll want to read, "Dog Named Woolf Provides Calming Effect for Kids Testifying in Court," a recent article from the Orlando Sentinel which discusses how dogs are used to keep kids at ease during court proceedings. 

As a dog lover, this is my favorite time of year when it comes to dogs in the workplace. This week is Take Your Pet to Work week, all coming to a glorious end on Friday with Take Your Dog to Work day! If your office doesn't normally allow pets in the workplace, be sure to read "7 Tips to Ensure Your Business is Ready for Take Your Dog to Work Day" and "Win Over Your Boss" to get started.

Take Your Dog to Work day can be a really fun opportunity to engage employees, as well. How about having someone snap photos of each employee with their dog? Then, post the pics on your company's Facebook page or upload to your intranet. Or sponsor a hot dog luncheon, with treats for the dogs, too. Tweet the photos out to your Twitter followers or put them in your newsletter to share the fun! Feeling philanthropic? Why not organize a doggie-themed fundraiser with the profits going to your local animal shelter. These are easy things to do to make your employees feel good about the place where they work, and show potential job candidates the fun side of your company! 

If you want to organize a Take Your Dog to Work day event at your business, download the free Action Pack to get started. And, if you want to learn how dogs can help you become a better business person, be sure to read "How to Succeed in Business by Acting like a Puppy." 

What do you think? Would you like to see dogs in your office more often? Think dogs in the workplace can affect morale or help co-workers get to know each other better?

Can a social media vacay ruin your online presence?

You know what they say about a reputation. It takes a lifetime to build and only a minute to destroy. I kind of feel the same way about social media.

The last three weeks, I've been crazy busy. Personally and professionally, I've been burning the wick at both ends. I plowed through it all and met my obligations, but my tweeting, blogging, and Facebook page have suffered. As my social media channels got a little dusty, people said buh-bye.

When I wrote my post last week, I only got two comments (I love you Vanessa and Jeanie!). I haven't gotten that few comments in a long time. My engagement on my Facebook page has plummeted and my retweets are non-existent. I'm back where I was three years ago!

But, I'll persevere.

As I've always known, succeeding in social media takes a constant presence. When you fall by the wayside, so does the community you've worked so hard to nurture. In reality, I did post to Facebook, I tweeted, and I read other people's blogs, but I wasn't able to put the time into engagement. That's the sweet spot. That's what makes the difference.

The truth is, life catches up to all of us. Work, family, unexpected problems and obligations get the better of everyone. The answer isn't to quit, though. The only solution is to start again and rededicate yourself to your online presence.

So, here it is. My second post since I've returned from my social media vacay. Hello? Is anyone out there?

Ignoring loyal fans: A social media how-NOT-to

I love it when companies use social media to see what people are saying about their brand. I love it even more when they acknowledge those folks. What I don't love as a consumer is feeling ignored. Enter Sharpie.

The famous marker company, Sharpie, recently offered a perk through Klout. They gave so-called "Sharpie influencers" a bunch of free stuff to do all kinds of artsy things. I love crafts and was bummed I didn't get the perk; so I sent a tweet (I'm a smart aleck, what can I say):

Sukhraj Beasla responded to my tweet and said she was disappointed, too. We started kidding back and forth about how much we loved Sharpies and wanted Sharpie to love us, too. Soon after, Lindsay Fultz said she was laughing at our funny tweets and joined in. Hugh McBride was next. He changed his avatar to a pack of Sharpies and started sharing great photos of things created with Sharpies! Then, Shana Ray joined and tweeted a photo of her Sharpie table.

We started using the hashtag #sharpiechat on some of the tweets, and even more folks started tweeting about Sharpie. People shared how they used Sharpie and what they liked about the product. Sheetal Makhan from South Africa asked what Sharpies were and of course I told her about all the permanent marker goodness. What had started off as a joke had turned into a full-fledged chat on how great Sharpie products were!

For nearly two hours that night, we traded tweets, shared Sharpie art, revised song lyrics to include Sharpie, and kidded about who loved Sharpies the most. It was terribly fun and at it's peak, #sharpiechat had more than 20 participants. Twenty-plus people sharing their love of the product and giving Sharpie's twitter account lots of love. When I went to bed, I thought, "I bet the Sharpie folks will get a kick out of seeing all those tweets in the morning. And how much will they love that we started the first ever #sharpiechat!".

Well, imagine my surprise when the next day came and Sharpie said nothing. Nada. Zilch. I even looked at the Sharpie Twitter page to see if they had respond to anyone from the previous night. Negative. Sharpie hadn't even followed me back (nor have they in the subsequent two weeks)! Granted, I didn't host #sharpiechat for any self-serving purpose, but not to even get one tweet from Sharpie? I thought that bit the big one. (For the record, not everyone put "@sharpie" in their tweets, however there were enough who did that Sharpie undoubtedly saw the surge of mentions and could have tracked the #sharpiechat hashtag.)

So, here's the free advice for the day. If your customers say how great you are, thank them! Respond, engage, do something! The last thing you should be doing is ignoring them. And, since Sharpie didn't see fit to acknowledge anyone who participated in #sharpiechat, I'd like to do that now--because that's how social media works.

Thank you to the following individuals:

@zaneology

@sheetalZA

@collier1960

@aspiejourno

@ribeezie

@lilyshumleun

@kendralante

@brandiandres

@socalscouse

@smartycassie

@bentnwasted

@jenboydsd

@kimpagegluckie

@jeanalawrence

@biggreenpen

@josefrivera

@marylouricci

@marianneworley

@sharayray

And special thanks to: 

@lindsayfultz for coming up with the hashtag

@hughcmcbride for scouring the net to find the most amazing Sharpie-inspired content to share

@sbeasla for responding to my initial tweet, which got the whole conversation going

Want your customers to love you? Remember to love them back! That's how brand loyalty is created. That's how you turn customers into full-fledged fans. That's how ordinary companies become extraordinary!