Serving and Social Media

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a girl who has a public relations degree and for the past 4 years have been perusing a job in the communications field.  I am originally from Ohio and moved to San Diego 2 years ago to find a PR job.

While looking for a job I have been working as a waitress to pay the bills.  It’s fast easy money and I leave every shift with money in my pocket which is very nice.  I recently have discovered social media and am learning new things everyday about it.  I am a newbie to the scene and am toughing through the waters to figure out how things work in the social media world.

I am finding out more and more that the different types of people I serve have same characteristics of people in the social media world.  Here are a couple of the comparison’s I have noticed:

The Needy People: These types of people ask for something every time you see them.  As a server, you can go to the table see how everything is going and that person will ask for say an extra napkin.  So you go and get the napkin and go right back to the table.  When you give the napkin they then ask you for something else like a refill on their drink.  No problem go and get a new soda and low and behold someone else at the table needs something.  This goes on and on their entire visit.   In the social media world these are the people who send you 10 shouts an hour on Digg but never digg your submissions.  They beg and beg for a Digg but they don’t share the love.

The My Opinion Is Always The Best People: One question every server asks their table is, “how is everything?”  Most people say everything is great, or if something isn’t right they let you know.  Then there are the people who say things like how they make the same dish at home and that we didn’t make it right.  Or if something takes longer to cook at the restaurant than when they make it at home.  Or they tried the same dish at a different restaurant and this isn’t like theirs.  Of course its not going to be, everyone makes dishes different and you shouldn’t expect it to be exactly the same.  The same goes for the people who comment on a blog, or article you submit to Digg or Reddit.  They feel they are the authority on whatever subject and you are in the wrong.  I’ll take any comments I can get, but I don’t understand how some people feel they are so much better than you.  But you will run into these types of people throughout life and you can’t avoid it.

Although these are both negative comparisons there are also positive ones as well.  The main being selling yourself and making great relationships.  If you are nice and present yourself in a positive manner, read people to see how their personality is and help them when they need it you will be helped in return.  As a server the help is an awesome tip.  In social media its a returned Digg, vote up on Reddit, a Stumble or if your really lucky all three.

Hopefully I will be able to master the social media world soon and not have to serve tables.  Until then I will have to juggle both worlds and try and use my knowledge in one with the other one!

Stumble it!