Thanks to the good folks at KISSmetrics for this awesome infographic.

So what are the takeaways?

Time Zones

Most of us are small business owners in Orange County who are reaching out to customers in our own time zone.  But if you’re trying to reach nationally, you need to remember that 50% of the country is on East Coast time and a whopping 80% are in Eastern and Central time zones.

5 PM for Twitter

Posting at 5PM is most effective for Twitter and 1-4  tweets per hour is most effective.  Personally, I think that’s ridiculous and why I don’t focus a lot on Twitter.  Some INDIVIDUALS have great success going that route but it’s just too much to ask for a small business.

Saturday for Facebook

Saturday posts are something we are going to start doing for all our clients starting in June.  If you think about your weekend routine a Saturday Facebook post makes sense.  And the .05 posts per day crack me up but is something we have always advocated.  One post a day for a small business is all anyone really wants to see on their timeline unless it is in response to a conversation.

I have to admit that when I first heard about OC SOCIALIFE I rolled my eyes.

Really?

Just what the fine folks of Orange County need.

Another reason to get trapped into some scammy networking nightmare: I have some friends I’d like to introduce you to.  Oh, there’s something you don’t see every day, a drunk middle-aged guy.  And here comes the pitch: “Just sign here and for $595 you can get started on the path to riches with a parcel of land in booming Costa Rica.”

No.  No.  A thousand times no.  We’ve seen this movie.  We are living this movie.  We don’t need any more of that right now.  Or ever.

Networking needs to be reinvented.  And so does philanthropy and conferences and featured speaker talks.  If social media has taught us anything it’s that YOU have a ton to offer.  And that the best opportunities come when like-minded people can find each other, make a connection and start collaborating.

Brent Callaway gets that in spades.

Only an optimistic jock from Odessa Texas would lay down a bet that he could grab Orange County by the shoulders and shake up what it means to be social.

For every social media marketing rookie talking about “conversations” and scheduling tweets on Hootsuite there are a thousand of us wondering where the real conversations are.

They are offline.  It’s meeting people face to face because you enjoy getting away from your desk.  Because you love helping out a local charity and want to discover new businesses doing cool things.  Because you want to create community.

Community.  There’s the rub.  We all want it and it gnaws at us without us knowing what it is we’re after.  We are social animals.  We feel good about ourselves when we give to others.  We enjoy new experiences.  And it’s what OC SOCIALIFE is striving to provide.

OC SOCIALIFE Founder Brent Callaway

Callaway:

“We created OC SOCIALIFE for those who want to be connected and involved in the Orange County social and philanthropic scene.  We couldn’t be happier to redefine what it means to be a socialite in Orange County and cannot wait to see the impact this will have on the local economy as we bring members into Orange County businesses to eat, drink, give and be social.”

Krochet Kids International is their first “Spotlight Charity”.  Members can learn more about the nonprofit’s efforts and how to support it, directly from OCSOCIALIFE.com.

Callaway again:

“We are humbled to support an amazing organization that teaches women a craft in order for them to provide for their families. At the core of OC SOCIALIFE is a desire and a responsibility to give back in a meaningful way. Krochet Kids products will be available for purchase at many of our upcoming events.”

Events include wine tastings, happy hours, VIP gatherings, galas, yacht parties and other community-based activities.  The philanthropic piece attracts a certain kind of person.  The guy ready to recite his LinkedIn profile will stay home.  And you might meet someone who ends up being a new friend, colleague, collaborator or perhaps all-in-one.

So you join for $20 a month.

Give a little.

Get a lot.

I’m in.

You?

OC SOCIALIFE is holding a wine tasting event tonight at 5PM at Da Vine Food & Wine in Dana Point

Infographic by MDG Advertising

There is a great post over at AllFacebook making the case that the new Facebook Timeline features is the best thing for brands since Pinterest.  Um… ok, is that tongue in cheek?

Read it  here.