How Likeable are You | Photo Courtesy of Likeable.com

I just had the amazing opportunity to attend Likeable Media ‘s first conference Likeable U Class of 2011 – The Social Media Movement. As luck would have it, I was the grand prize winner of Likeable Media’s latest contest to win airfare, hotel and conference entrance! Knowing Likeable Media as I did, via facebook and twitter, I knew it was not an opportunity I should forego.

The team at Likeable Media, founded by Dave and Carrie Kerpen, believe that everything you present via social media should be likeable. For Likeable Media being liked is a must to be successful and delivering value to others. Likeable Media assist individuals and organization’s in creating key messages and material that will provide powerful connections to others through inspiring and creative measures.

Having attended many conferences and workshops in the past, I eventually began to re-think the time and, often, expense involved. There were many times when information was overwhelming, not easy to implement or simply poorly presented. Not so at Likeable U. The break out sessions were almost perfectly timed with the presenter providing information and time for a couple of questions afterwards. The sessions were varied and yet all easily tied into valuable knowledge for both the entrepreneur and the individual employee. What really stood out was how truly likeable the Likeable Media team and founders were. I spoke to many of them, all who shared a passion for doing social media right and believed in the Likeable Media mission and purpose.

For those of you who do not dwell in the world of social media or are just beginning, you may wonder how all of this applies to you. One of the keys to my own path to success both personally and professionally has been my ability to just be nice. I have noticed, in the past, when I tried so hard to present something or share what others ‘want’ to hear, it was often a great deal of work with little positive results. I learned that just being me, my authentic self, and being nice in what I say and do creates wonderful results.

I have found that being myself makes it easier to be likeable. I try to treat others kindly, speak in a friendly tone and handle conflict with grace. I believe that has been key to others being interested in me both personally and professionally. Being popular in society has always been important and suggested as critical to success. Being likeable has not always gone hand in hand with popularity. Today being authentic and likeable is what makes both a business and individual stand out and sought after.

The Likeable Media conference was filled with great social media tips from experts in the field, like Trey Pennington, Jason Keath , B.L. Ochman and more! Listed are some of those helpful tips, and many others can be found by checking out some of the greats mentioned above;

• Post a message on facebook once, or at most twice, a day to not overwhelm your followers
• Be authentic when posting and sharing content via social media
• Always respond to comments and complaints that others post to you
• Do not share overly personal or inappropriate content via the internet
• Implement an attitude of gratitude, check out #tweetitforward

There was a lot of great information on how to perform like a social media rockstar, which could also be helpful in our personal social media lives. Practical information such as privacy and legal issues using the internet were also shared. All can be utilized in some manner when we consider both our personal and professional presentation and of course being likeable!

Ask your friends and family if they are able to see your likeableness via your social media presence and if not, ask how you can improve! Social media is here and will continue to grow as a means of communication, business and connection to others. Are YOU likeable?

We would love to hear about some of your likeable experiences via social media!