Ace Department

When it comes to how you use social media, are you wild, open, and prolific, like Rihanna, or controlled and highly-styled, like Beyonce?

The comparison between the two singers’ social media strategies was brought up by Jenna Wortham in the NY Times Bits blog yesterday, and it is a good representation of the two extremes of the social media usage spectrum: fastidiously control your image OR be yourself and show everything, for better or worse.

“Beyonce is cleverly controlling the conversation about herself and steering it in a way that is charming, palatable and easily digestible…. But in a sense, Rihanna is too – albeit conveying the message that she’s earned the right to do as she pleases; like her music, it speaks volumes about her success and who she is.

But the deeper takeaway that relates to you and me is this: Beyonce and Rihanna represent two ways to use social media, a decision that most of us will have to make about the face we put forward to the world, via the Web….

Will you be a Beyonce, and present a carefully groomed version of yourself to the Web? One carefully designed and maintained by yourself, or a third party, to ensure that you don’t screw up your career, your relationship or your education with one misfired photograph or tweet? … Or will you take Rihanna’s road and throw caution to the wind, baring your life, your friends and occasionally, your unmentionables?”

Of course, both of these beautiful, insanely popular pop stars have official websites (Rihanna / Beyonce), but social media is more than a website run by your PR and marketing team. Fans want a glimpse into your personal life. They want to feel like they know you. Beyonce chose to use Tumblr to connect with her fans via glossy photos and short hand written notes. Rihanna uses Instagram. A lot.

You can also follow both women on Twitter: Rihanna / Beyonce. Rihanna tweets dozens of times a day. Beyonce has tweeted once. To promote her new Tumblr blog.

Who do you think is more successfully connecting to her fans? Which style will attract more attention? Which approach makes better business sense?

So… are you a Rihanna or a Beyonce?

On this rainy Tuesday, when you might be struggling to feel good at work, why not try to go with the flow?  When done right, working in the context of a good flow makes your entire day pass without a second of clock-watching.  So, see the zenhabits tips in bold.  (My notes after the asterisks.)

Choose work you love.
*If you’re not in love with your current one, that doesn’t mean find a new job today; for now, just find a task that needs doing about which you can find something to love.  Look for the thing that made you take this job in the first place.  Work on a project you’ve been putting off because it’s “too big”.  Give yourself space to dive in.
Choose an important task.
*Like I said above, choose something that almost feels too big.  Then break it down into its parts and really give yourself the space to get into it.  It’s the fastest path to accomplishment.
Make sure it’s challenging, but not too hard.
*This is pretty self-explanatory.  Just make sure you don’t choose work with too much meta-work, because it’ll just slow you down and blow up any shot at working in flow.
Find your quiet, peak time.
*If you know people flock to your desk between 10 and 12, don’t start the project at 9:45.
Clear away distractions.
*Turn off IM, shut down Twitter, hell, block your internet connection and set a timer.  It all comes back to giving yourself the space to succeed.
Learn to focus on that task for as long as possible.
*I actually find that “as long as possible” is counterproductive.  Go with the timer and if you’re really into the work when time is up, keep going!
Enjoy yourself.
*Soak up the beneficial rays of productivity.  Take a look at what you’ve done, love it, and encourage yourself to do it again tomorrow.
Keep practicing.
*Tomorrow, next week, and next month.
Reap the rewards.
*This isn’t exactly a how-to, but he’s right.  You will absolutely feel better about your work and yourself if you can spend more of your time being productive at a depth beyond crossing off to-do lists.

There is so much talk about Pinterest out there! You can’t escape it! (Not even here on Ace.) It feels like one third of the world is gushing about it, another third is complaining about the copyright issues it presents, and the final third is trying to figure out how they can use Pinterest to make money.

These are the facts:

• Eighty percent of Pinterest’s user base is female and 80% of pins are actually re-pins rather than brand new content.
• Pinterest reached 10 million U.S. monthly unique visitors faster than any other standalone site ever.
• Pinterest generates more referral traffic than Twitter.

Like it or not, Pinterest is getting huge. And brands are using it to drive traffic to their sites. How can you do the same? Create an account, gain a following, and pin great images from your site! Easy, right? Well… just like all of social media there is a bit more to it than that.

You can find many Pinterest how-tos online — like here, here, and here — but really it is just about sharing quality content and connecting with your audience.

Learn a few helpful Pinterest tips from Simone Collins, the Social Media and Editorial Director for Prime Publishing, in the first half of this IndieBizChicks podcast.

Do you love or hate Pinterest?

(Either way, follow me! )

It’s Wednesday, and the week has already been long.  That also means most of us haven’t been blessed with a relaxing little cocktail for many, many days.  (Or in my case, MONTHS.)

So, get on this: the Strawberry Greyhound Poptail.  Seems appropriate for midweek, yes?