This was originally written for a Broadcasting/Music community I have a column in, but change a couple job titles/adjectives and this could be any industry. Hat tip and big thanks to Guy Kawaksaki, Jay Albright, Scott Stratten, Valerie Geller, Sarah Austin, Andie Lynne, Amy Howell, Adam Drake and Nick Schneck for their practical and relevant 2012 Social Media insight.

If Social Media were a Football game this is what it *might* look like at some radio stations:

CORPORATE introduces the play….then mandates it.
The STATION lines up on the field.
There’s the snap…and the PROGRAM DIRECTOR drops the ball, looks like he already has 10 in the air.
An INTERN picks up the ball, runs it down the field….in the wrong direction.
The ball is stripped by the SALES DEPARTMENT, who runs the ball to concession stand to see how much they can get for it, and there it will sit for 3 months.
The ball is then handed off to the PROMOTIONS DEPARTMENT for their sister station even though the MORNING SHOW is wide open but wait, it looks like the CONSULTANT has thrown a flag for too many men on the field.
Meanwhile, LISTENERS have left the stadium….because no one is playing for them. (more…)

“Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.”
From the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

The Music industry has seen  a lot of changes over the years. Probably one of neatest to watch has been Artists/Musicians making the digital, and social media transition. 

Not so long ago, the only way you were able to talk to a Celebrity would be if you ran into them on a plane, got back stages passes, scored ‘meet and greet’ tickets before/after a concert or knew someone, that knew someone.  Aside from a chance encounter, what you learned about them was only what you saw on TV, heard on the radio or read in the papers.
A bulky layer of separation. 

Social Media is changing that. Even for people in the industry, there were still managers, assistants and/or representatives, that you would have to go through.  Now you can go online and see what is on just about any celebrities mind, and start a conversation with them.

Charlie Daniels is a great example of a Music Icon who is making the conversion to Social Media seamlessly and with ease, giving accessibility to his fans, media professionals and other artists.  Not only has Charlie been blogging since the year 2000, he is on Facebook, has a very smart phone, and an iPad he tweets er maybe we could say he “Twiddles” from. His posts across all social interactive platforms run the gamut from sports to politics, memories and quotes, thoughts, prayers and hopes, military support, nature, his family, snowmobiling and an assortment of many other things that show the authentic, candid, straight from the hip, down-to-earth man that he is.  And on any given Sunday you can even kick it with him on Twitter, and discuss whatever NFL game or NASCAR race is on TV.

(more…)

It happens.
Emotional tweeting, posting, texting, emailing….we are all *mostly * humans, having a human experience, both online and in REAL time.

In my opinion, some of the best content comes from emotions that trigger passion. Passion has been the touchstone for inspiration for me from the beginning.  Enthusiasm for music, that is contagious, is my signature. My love of Social Media, People, Music, Entertainment and the Broadcasting Industry is where the majority of my content originates. (more…)

FingerCandyMedia.com is a blog about Social and New Media, Digital  Strategy, Branding as well as tales of not only how I have used Social and New Media to accomplish productivity goals, but the stories of those I have met along the way.

I am an extremely honored to welcome  Jett Williams, daughter of Music Legend Hank Williams to Country Music Chat ~ #CMchat on Monday December 26, 6pm PT/9pm ET.  I think you will be amazed by her journey and all that she has been through to find the truth of her birthright.

If  Jett Williams had made up the story of her life, she says, “it wouldn’t compare to the real thing,” and I am sure you will agree.  Her bio reads like a sinister plot from a Lifetime movie, that wouldn’t have to be edited, or added to, for dramatic interpretation to make it more complicated or compelling, in fact it has made my head spin just trying to figure out how to interpret it to this blog post.

Jett spent most of her life  not knowing her real last name, or that her father was “The Hillbilly Shakespeare,”and Music Icon,  Hank Williams Sr.

For those of you who don’t know the name Hank Williams, he was an American Country Singer, Songwriter and Musician thought to be one of the most important Country Music artists of all time and certainly inspirational to many genres. Hank recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that would place in the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked number one.

Born Antha Belle Jett in Montgomery, Alabama, 5 days after Hanks untimely death (he was only 29 years old), to mother Country Music Singer Bobbie Jett (whose brief relationship occurred between Hank’s two marriages). Anatha Belle Jett was legally adopted by Hank Williams’ mother Lillian Stone in December 1954, who renamed her Catherine Yvonne Stone. After a two year battle to adopt baby Antha Belle Jett, Lillian died, making her a ward of the state of Alabama. After several foster homes, she was adopted again, and raised in Mobile, AL without a clue as to her true identity, even though Hanks sister, lawyers, ex-wives, administrators, publishers, and others knew about her existence.  (more…)