Caleb Gardner, Founder and Managing Partner of 18 Coffees, joins the Social Pros podcast to discuss social media's influence in the world. We discuss his social media experience in both corporate and government environments, what’s changed over the last ten years, and how social platforms have responded to social issues.

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Full Episode Details

Social media has become a huge part of our everyday lives. It’s a source of entertainment, a way to catch up on the news, and a tool to connect with others.

While there have been great things about it, social media's dark side is hard to ignore. Founder and Managing Partner of 18 Coffees, Caleb Gardner, has seen it all during his long career in social media. He’s seen social media help to create real change in the world but also witnessed the “darkest corners of the internet.”

What does that mean for social media today? Can it still be a force for good? And how can we as social professionals ensure we’re bringing positivity to the discussion?

Caleb explains his thoughts on social media's role in our lives and questions the responsibility social platforms have over their content. He talks about the importance of being curious, trying out new things, and treating people with respect.

In This Episode:

6:12 – How social media is about more than just marketing
9:12 – How social media can be a force for good and bad
13:31 – Should social media platforms take responsibility for the wider influence of their content?
17:30 – Why social media platforms rely so much on engagement as a business model
19:01 – Why social platforms shouldn’t assume they’ll be the top choice forever
21:41 – Caleb discusses some of the new social media platforms bringing in competition
23:30 – Why many social media tips are the same as they were ten years ago
25:30 – How the 70/20/10 model works when trying out new content
26:40 – The two types of social media metrics to watch out for
30:14 - Caleb’s take on where social media fits into the government’s and business’ drive for engagement
33:59 – How noisy social media has become
36:15 – How businesses can avoid the yearly social media account cull
39:01 – The pros and cons of paid vs. organic social
42:33 – The story behind the name 18 Coffees

Resources:

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