Sense of urgency and making connections

It's amazing that the three social media presentations I saw over the past couple of weeks all seemed to be presented like classroom curriculum, building on the previous material and ending with a call to action.  Mike McDowell with KPS3 laid the foundation, Gideon F. For-mukwai of XtraMile Solutions stressed quality over quantity and the last presenter, Dr. Bret L. Simmons, management professor at University of Nevada-Reno, ended with giving the motivation to start sooner rather than later.

Last week I attended the monthly luncheon at the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce to network and listen to Dr. Simmons speak on social media.  While the first two presentations I attended where directed at those of us that are members of ProNet Reno, this presentation was for members of the business community, those that are at various stages of testing the social media waters.  Most folks knew about the major players in social media (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) and were aware of the blogging phenomenon, but many were there to learn how these tools could make a difference in their everyday business lives.

The key message that we were all left with, was a vision similar to a young child standing on the high dive - scared, anxious, needing a little prodding, wanting to be like everyone else and knowing that the thrill came at a cost.  We were all encouraged by Dr. Simmons, like a parent at the edge of the pool, providing positive reinforcement about what a big world social media is and how we can play.  And in all defense, Dr. Simmons couldn't teach us all how to swim in one hour, and yet he focused on the benefits of just jumping in, knowing that it may look a little ugly at first, but soon learning that how to navigate the content jungle would be worth it in the end.  For more about Dr. Simmons, check out his website for lots of good stuff including his knowledge on leadership - http://www.bretlsimmons.com/.

So, in support of the message delivered by Dr. Simmons, I will add that I have been blogging for business and personal use over the past three years and it does take practice and discipline, but the more that you do it, the easier it gets.  Also, please remember that this is all about creating relationships and social media is a tool.

And oh, what a tool it is!  The vastness of connections that are possible based on what YOU are interested in, is a bit overwhelming at first.  And as long as you stay true to your passions and what you stand for, the rest will start to flow.  If you have ever kept a diary as a kid or a journal as an adult, you know that writing can be therapeutic as well as cathartic.  For business, many out there have true passion for what you do every day - for what motivates you to get up in the morning, to support yourself and your family, to create jobs and prosperity for others...  I say let social media be a vehicle of connection and communication.  Or at the very least use the medium to share pictures and video, so that others close and far away can stay connected, stay in touch and can make distances seem just a little bit closer.  The phone company used to say about using the telephone to just "reach out and touch someone".  Now you can share so much more than just your voice.  What a great opportunity to be a bigger part of your community, however you define it.

Social media - Content is king!!!

This is the second installment highlighting the three presentations I have seen about social media in recent weeks.  Last week's blog post focused on KPS3's Mike McDowell's presentation at the weekly ProNet Reno meeting that was very comprehensive yet had many questions that kept the content of his talk at the lowest common denominator (No fault of Mike's - he went with the flow of the group).

At ProNet's weekly meeting last Monday (1/17) we had a very unique presenter.  Gideon F. For-mukwai was living in a village in Cameroon 12 years ago (my best recollection) and is now providing world class training programs internationally through XtraMile Solutions.  If that didn't get your attention, then you must be asleep.  Regardless of his career path, it was very impressive and inspirational.  Mr. For-mukwai's focus was on relationship building and content development.  The over-arching message was that creating an on-line relationship is much like creating an offline or traditional relationship - it giving of yourself to others. 

He started out talking about being part of a "tribe".  What he meant was to find your niche and and go after it.  That can be a difficult question for many because it gets to the core of what you are and what you want to be.  Do you want to hang around other engineers if you are trying to find work as an engineer?  Probably not, so the trick is to find the tribes where engineers are hired.  And once you find those tribes, spend time in conversation and be "social".  Now many of us have difficulty with networking situations in person, but the same rules apply on-line - listen, share, help. 

Without repeating everything he said, the remainder of his talk focused on optimizing your story, using keywords or specific jargon of your tribe and sow seeds through writing though-provoking content (I hope that you find it here!).  Also, don't be afraid to ask for help or reach out to your network.  We all know the story of six degrees of separation.  How many times have you said - "wow, small world" - when you find out that you are connected with a new person through an old friend, colleague or college buddy?  Here's another trick - don't be afraid to ask for what you want, what you need help with or how you can make a difference through your connections.

Next, the final comments on the third social media presentation (by Dr. Bret L. Simmons, professor of management at UNR) I had in the past weeks.  Stay tuned!

The foundation of social media

A week ago last Monday I began my quest without really knowing it.  Sounds so Arthurian or at least Monty-Python-ish.  At my weekly ProNet Reno meeting, I started my intense exposure to experts in the social media universe.  I use the word "universe" quite realistically since the virtual world of social media has grown exponentially in the past few years, almost at the rate of growth of the real universe.  And what is rapidly occurring is that as there were experts in the realm of search engine optimization that came out of the woodwork a while back, now social media is the latest sector where many are spreading "the word".  And it's not surprising.  Even the term "social media" has changed in definition and usage.  Now if you play around in the social media sphere, you can be literally bombarded to the point of PTSD with data, pictures, videos and more.  It seems that the real trick is ask yourself, "Self, how are you going to use this tool?". 

My first exposure in the past two weeks came from a gentleman named Mike McDowell with KPS3, a marketing firm out of Reno.  Mike's challenge was to address the wide variety of experience in the room including a few that maybe thought the internet was just a bunch of tubes.  He did a fantastic job of giving all of us the lay of the land.  Most in the room already had LinkedIn and Facebook accounts and at least they had heard of Twitter but couldn't quite figure out how to use it for their job search.  After answering all of the group's questions, Mike had little time to really dig in to the personal branding strategies that can be executed in social media.  For Pronetters we were lucky enough to have Social Media Part 2 the next Monday.  I'll talk more about that next week.  Stay tuned!!!

A new approach to blogging and social media

Hi all,

Yes it's been a while since I last posted something here but I've been madly on the trail of a new job and have also been a little dry on content.  And now that I have had the opportunity to listen to three presentations on social media in the last 10 days, I have decided to alter the focus of this blog.  As part of my job search, I am going to be writing about new business strategies, new business ideas and new ways of thinking about the impact of these concepts on business and our world.  After I successfully land a job, I hope to continue to use this blog as a conduit for innovation and creativity.

It is my hope that you will find good things here, from original content based on what I am seeing and hearing in the business world, both locally and globally, as well as links to content written by experts in various fields.  I hope to be part of showing the "light of day" to numerous innovations and ideas that can create jobs, make life more efficient or bring economic prosperity to those within reach.

As part of this new direction, please click through to Fareed Zakaria's website.  I listened to him on CNN's John King USA show talk about China and the current state visit by Hu Jingtao.  Every time I listen or read to Mr. Zakaria, I am impressed by his insight into the facts of the past and his thoughts on what it could mean for the future - in particular with international relations and events.

Thanks for tuning in and I hope that I can help you get more informed and excited about the future.