#NZbloggers are hosting a weekly blog post challenge. This week’s theme is Sage and you can check out other posts on this theme here.

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While I love cooking with some pungent sage leaves, this post isn’t about the herb, but about some wisdom I gained earlier this week. I wasn’t going to write about this, but I shared this event with #NZbloggers and then afterwards, there was so much interest in the event I thought it was a good idea to share what I had learned.

 

On Monday night (when everyone else was celebrating May the 4th be with you), down at GRID/AKL at Wynyard Quarter a group of men and women (but mostly women) gathered to hear Otis and Sara Frizzell from The Lucky Taco and AUT lecturer Anna Jackson talk, converse and answer questions about social media. As an avid taco devourer and alumni of AUT I felt like this talk was right up my alley.

The talk is part of a series run by Women’s Collective. Check out their website and Facebook page. Tickets are limited to 130 and are free or by donation. I thought this was great to see as money shouldn’t be an obstacle for learning but I’m happy to pay to support the group. Besides, I counted it as a business expense anyway 🙂

My friend Miss A and we grabbed a quick bite and drink at Miss Clawdy’s (one of my favourites) before heading over. When we got there, wine was flowing as well as snacks and baked sweet treats. Too bad we were already full! At least we know for next time.

I’ve seen Otis and Sarah speak before a few years ago at Creative Mornings, right around the time they started The Lucky Taco. It was good to get a refresher on how they started but also seeing how far they have come since then.

For those that don’t know much about The Lucky Taco, they are a food truck usually parked on Ponsonby Road in Auckland New Zealand. There aren’t a lot of food trucks in Auckland (or New Zealand) so they’re really bringing something new to our shores.

Their menu features fish, steak, zucchini, pork and prawn tacos. But they are not afraid of serving up more authentic and challenging tacos such as beef tongue or lambs brains tacos. I haven’t tried their beef tongue or lambs brains tacos before, but I have tried tongue and brains elsewhere and both are delicious.

A quick shameless plug

I recently design a logo for a film project called Club Sandwiches and the latest video is this one featuring Otis and Sarah. It’s a great little piece of food porn, but fair warning, don’t watch it on an empty stomach! </shamelessplug>

Talk review

I enjoyed the talk and look forward to attending another one. I learned a thing or two, though I do wish the panel had gone on for longer. I could have done another hour of Q & A and listening to the panel talk about the issues raised.

Because social media is still so new, there’s no protocol, we’re all learning as we go which is why I think there were so many questions and answers that led to more questions.

Here’s a few things I learned…

Sage advice about Social Media

1. Don’t react, respond.

It’s easy to get fired up when someone criticises your work online. Don’t react to feedback. Wait until you have a clear head and respond professionally.

The Ekim Burger outburst I blogged about last week was talked about. They also mentioned the recent case where local restaurant Molten counter-reviewed a diner who had written a scathing review on Zomato. I have to admit, the counter-review was clever and sometimes, the customer is wrong. But was this the right way to go about it?

2. Be careful what you post.

Think about the types of stories and image you want to tell your story. There are right and wrong ways to tell a story and heaps of grey area.

Curate and then edit hard. Say something nice or say nothing at all.

You don’t have to share everything. Actually, it’s probably better if you don’t.

3. Be genuine – don’t tell lies

We touched on a few disingenuous social media celebrities including fraud blogger Belle Gibson, the death of “Wellness Warrior” Jess Ainscough.

While each person has different reasons for lying or telling half-truths online, giving out medical and nutritional advice seems to be the most dangerous. Hopefully these two will serve as a deterrent to others.

4. Seek permission

Always seek permission when posting photos of people, especially when it comes to children. There is a grey area when it comes to consent and identity.

The panel and I think most people are divided as to who owns a child’s identity. Is it the parent or the child? Can a parent legally post their child’s image online or give someone else consent to do so?

5. Business vs Personal

This was another issue the panel was divided on. For larger than life personalities like Otis and Sarah, their personal story is a huge part of their business.

Otis shared a time when he wrote a scathing review on his personal Facebook page and was told to take it down because it reflected badly on The Lucky Taco brand.

Investors invest in their story. Fans lap that stuff up. For me, I prefer to present a heavily edited part of my personal life.