About Social Media Today
Many of you may know that 7 years ago I owned a skateboard shop in Las Vegas. Lots of stories for another time.
First off skateboarding is not a sport. It’s a way of life. Skateboarders are a tight community with their own rules and norms. If you get that you’re in. If you don’t get it you’ll never connect with them.
You have to be authentic. In their own way skateboarders are all about honesty, trust and peer influence. You have to be part of the community to even talk to them. Sounds familiar?
This clip is of Brian Anderson in 2003’s Spike Jonze directed Girl Skateboard video Yeah Right! Still one of my all time faves.
One lesson I learned was that nothing hits harder than concrete. Another is that skaters always know the cool trends and what will be a hit long before anyone else. This clip introduced me to Interpol, great band. If you want to know what’s going to be hot for the next 10 years go hang out a “core” skate shop. Not the one in the mall.
Skateboarding is about persistence. Every trick you see in a video was one of dozens of attempts on camera not counting the years of daily practice. But skaters don’t think of it as a task or job, they’re just having fun and pushing themselves harder and harder.
Skating by yourself is boring, there’s a reason you always see groups of skaters together. Sharing stories is a critical part of the skate culture.
Skaters let nothing stop them. You can put up barricades, hire rent-a-cops and weld “skate-stoppers” to your rails and they’ll turn the barricades into opportunities for new tricks, they’ll wait until your rent-a-cop leaves or is asleep or they’ll bribe them and they’ll remove or skate over your “skate-stoppers.”
- Social media is a way of life, it’s not a sport, but like skating it can be big business.
- Nothing hits harder than concrete so who cares if you get a couple bad tweets.
- Don’t let anything stop you. If your company puts up barricades, find a way around, be creative.
- Most of all, have fun, tell stories, make friends.
