I have attended all six of the Social Media Camps held in Victoria, BC. Each one has had some special highlights for me and the 2015 camp is no different. Social Media Camp is nerd-prom for those of us heavily engaged in social media at work or for our personal lives. And, Social Media Camp Victoria is apparently one of the largest of its kind. 

My takeaways for this year vary from engagement, it is about the people, and your story counts. I have made some great connections, met some finally in real life (IRL), and have seen old friends/former students. The camp experience was great. Let me get to the takeaways more carefully. Social Media is not social if you do not engage with people and make an effort to connect and have conversations. Communication is not one way and when it is one way you can expect to get dropped, muted or blocked on the particular platform. You want to be authentic on your platform(s) and not just push out information. 

You need to think about your story and your purpose. What are you doing? Plan your posts. This is different than scheduling. Be thoughtful and you, and be careful. As I always say, if you pause before you submit or click–you might not want to share that post, joke or photo. You also want to think about what you are sharing. Are your posts and photos thoughtful. What are you trying to get across? And, are you posting or responding to something when you are tired, frustrated or angry. Posts can live. You might delete or rethink something, but it is too late. Practice safe social media! 

I have more to say about Social Media Camp 2015. #smc #smc2015 But these are my raw thoughts post lunch on day two.