Social Networking: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It took me a long time to even get interested in social networking. However, many people I respected in both business and politics were telling me I was way behind the curve. Furthermore, it gets a little old to have your kids constantly call you a "dinosaur" because you are not up to speed with this or that current trend. This is all the more so the case when it deals with the Internet.

I started my MySpace and Twitter accounts a couple of years ago, but did very little with any of them. I started a Facebook account later, but sat on it for months as well. Today, I use Facebook more than any, Twitter is catching on, and I have no idea how to even log in to my MySpace account. That is okay though, because my kids keep assuring me that MySpace "is so high school." Who wants that?

Facebook

I update my Facebook account several times a day. If it is midday and there is a few hours between my last update, I get a little stressed out. I have to find something to post! I often go to Fox News and other websites and glance at the headlines and try to give them my own unique spin. I also post articles of mine from BizPlusBlog.com, AmericanDailyReview.com, Reuters.com, ChicagoSunTimes, or one of the many other sources that are out there. Placing those articles on my Facebook "wall" leads them being found all over the place after that. This is one of the strengths to Facebook.

Facebook has enabled me to fast track relationships and find new friends all over the country. It allows me to test ideas before they become an article or give me some feedback that I use on my radio show, the Price of Business. If my 1,000 plus friends didn't like it on Facebook, why force the thousands who listen to my show to be subject to it? Many new people who have become my friends on Facebook have told me they have done so in order to influence some of my content on the radio and else where, which is great.

Twitter

Twitter has been harder for me to warm up to. I understood the value of Facebook almost immediately. You can place your articles, promote, your ideas, do more detailed searches for friends and potential friends, and more. This is not the case with Twitter or, it was not nearly as easy to ramp up.

One of my biggest concerns is that I am a writer as well as a radio host, and it is so challenging to put anything of interest or value in 140 characters. Who are they trying to kid? To me, I get paid by the word, so the type of word economy I am learning is amazing.

I have, however, seen Twitter work. The circulation value of events, interviews, ideas, etc., is amazing. I have just over 200 followers at this time, so when I write something and it is "Retweeted" to others, you enjoy the multiplier effect. My friend Felicia Cravens, who is one of the more sophisticated individuals I know at the art of the Twitter (and a leader of the Houston Tea Party effort) has over 2,000 followers. Once she gets hold of something I write, it flies from there. I have had a few questions answered to news stories or people have given me sources for shows or articles. I am beginning to see the power.

To sum up...

I enjoy Facebook and Twitter and even see their practical value. My use of both, I am sure, will only grow. On the other hand, as a writer, I find it a little distracting. The pressure to convey a powerful idea in 140 characters, has made me economize in words, even when I should let it out a little. I will have to learn to balance Facebook and Twitter with my other media responsibilities, but I feel confident that social networking are here to stay.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Nancy Pelosi Visits Houston

Nancy Pelosi recently visited Houston, Texas and she received a rude awakening. Texas is not San Francisco. Glenn Beck loves to discuss the unique way Texans think about government, economy, politics, individual responsibilities, and liberty. Nancy Pelosi represents an area that fundamentally believes that people are victims, that government is the solution, that freedom is selective, and that some people deserve better treatment than others based on income, ethnic group, gender, and other factors. In many respects, Houston is the anti-San Francisco.

The reason for Nancy's visit? Pelosi was in town to promote her book, "Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters" at the Progressive Forum Houston ("progressive" is a euphemism for socialism). What she found was a large group (approximately 1,000) of Texans who are members of the Tea Party Society. This group was delighted to politely remind her that Houston's values are a little different than San Francisco's.

Pelosi's values includes:

• A record of increased government growth and higher taxes. She fundamentally believes government is the solution to many problems that are best solved by people.


• Consistently voting for energy policies that directly leads to higher prices at the gas pump and increases dependence on foreign countries.


• Calling illegal aliens "patriots" for violating immigration laws in this country.


• Voting against protecting America's election process by opposing efforts to require IDs at elections.


• Being an architect of the largest take over by the government in our history through regulations, taxes, and spending. It took over 180 years to reach a trillion dollar debt. Obama, Pelosi, and company are adding that amount annually through the current budget.

The crowd in Houston -- and seen in Tea Party movements around the country -- are looking for a different agenda and they come with a completely different sense of values.

The Tea Party movement is made up of hard working Americans. moms and dads, students, employers, employees, and entrepreneurs. Many are wondering who has been at the wheel and they are believing it is time to change those at the controls.

Pelosi loves to tell people about the problems she has inherited as Speaker of the House. The reality is, she has been in Congress since 1987. During that time she has served in numerous leadership positions and has consistently voted for more government, taxes, and regulations at every turn. It is safe to say, when given the opportunity to choose budgets, she always chose the biggest. Tax rates? The highest. Regulations? More. This is why so many people are up in arms today.

"The times, they are a changing." One of the people that needs to go, is Nancy Pelosi.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.