Webinar review: Social Media Analytics by Awareness, Inc.

Earlier today Awareness, Inc. offered a webinar called "Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and Using Metrics".  After a bit of technical difficulties (a bit surprising since previous webinars have been smooth as silk) and a bit of general orientation to the subject (understanding that the attendees must have had a wide range of social media experience), there were some good tidbits of information (which is all most of us should hope for when attending any kind of training offering - especially when they are free).

Marshall Spooner was the main draw with his book of the same name as the webinar title above.  He did demonstrate a wide range of knowledge of social media, especially in the question and answer phase at the end of the webinar.  I will say first that in such a fast moving space as social media, to produce a book is a difficult prospect at best.  While much of the basics may be relevant for a short period of time, there is no doubt that books cannot be written fast enough to keep up.  So based on that, this blogger appreciates Mr. Spooner's attempt at describing the current state of social media analytics.

Aside from the basic information about using Google Analytics to track traffic and aggregators such as the product by the webinar's host, there were a couple of new things that he brought up. Shareaholic has a great browser add-on that makes sharing links much easier across social media applications.  Tynt.com has a unique measuring tool called an Interest Graph.  It is a visual representation of the online network of people that share interests with you on the Web.  And then of course there are the aggregator tools such as the Hub from Awareness, Inc., the webinar's sponsor, as well as Radian6, Alterian, Synthesio Unity and Socialflow.com.  While each of these has their strengths and weaknesses, it is highly recommended here that you do your due diligence on each option to see what will work for you.  If you are in an organization where coordination and collaboration of social media activity is a must, then these are the places to start your investigation into this space. 

I will say that while this webinar was a big disorganized up front and a bit choppy on the flow of the presentation, I did get something out of this one.  And one other disappointing note: the redirect to Amazon.com when exiting the webinar.  It just seemed a bit pushy.  I can imagine that there must be a better way to give attendees the choice to go to Amazon on their own.  After all, isn't social media all about opting IN and not being soullessly sold a product?

Facing foreclosure, short sale or worse?

If you or someone you know is facing the possibility of having to get out from under debt tied to a house that has been drastically reduced in value, have lost a key source of income or just want to sell their house for various reasons, Alan Hoffman at Homegate Realty is the man that can help.

This was the second time that I've listened to Mr. Hoffman speak at a ProNet general meeting and he doesn't disappoint.  Above all, he makes it clear that he and his staff are there to help.  And in this odd time of people scrapping, Homegate is really showing themselves to be one of the "good guys".  A clear message was don't fall prey to someone who is claiming that they can readjust your mortgage.  Much of the work can be done yourself.  Or Homegate can help you with negotiating the banking waters.

Also, there is a process by which banks conduct short sales or foreclosures.  You need to do the homework as well as getting over the idea that you have to keep your house at all costs.  The financial hole that some people are digging for themselves, potentially ruining credit and adding unneeded stress in their lives all can be mitigated to some extent.  The answers may not be pretty yet the financial and family pressure can be eased somewhat.  And Homegate can help you with all this.

And there is certainly enough statistics and prognostications about the future of the housing market.  We could see another 20% reduction in values in Reno-Sparks market.  Prices may not come back for decades.  So what does this all mean?  Where my parent's generation valued home ownership, thought that prices would always go up and wanted a place for the kids to always come home to, our time will mean something completely different.  Where and how you live will be more and more a financial decision than one of the heart.  Attachment to a physical property will not mean as much.  This does make me sad when I think about my parents living in the same house for over 45 years and the sense of security that they have.  Will we as a society become more attached to a certain region because we can't be mobile anymore?  Or will we be renting more in order to be more mobile?  Will technology play a part in the rate of mobility of society?  Will foreign investors see an opportunity due to depressed prices?  At what point will the market begin to bottom out?  All good questions, yet one thing that has forever changed back to the way it was - real estate is once again a long term investment decision.  Long gone are the days of flipping property or moving up quickly or transferring to another metro area at the drop of a hat.

So many factors in buying real estate now compared to five years from now.  And because there are many more complications, I would highly recommend Alan Hoffman and Homegate Realty to help with understanding the constantly changing real estate market.  Especially if you are looking for someone with a "white hat".

No more political emails!

Please don't take this personally.  I emailed this to a bunch of people earlier.

I am declaring that I will not get any of my information on politics going forward from emails from anyone.  If I am sent an email that has a subject that hints at all that it is political, I will delete it without reading it.  If you must know why, please keep reading.  If you don't care, please know that you face the possibility of having all of your email labeled as spam.

So if you are getting ready to label me as an extremist, please understand that I am an American first with an independent affiliation.  I have been registered as a member of the Republican and Democrat parties at different times during my life and I am currently disgusted with politics in this country.  The problem is that the email sphere has become as unreliable, vicious, libelous and childish as I have ever seen it.  It has become the bane of my brain-space.  There are many other sources of information that I am choosing to use for my evaluation of political information.  And there are many other wonderful things about life that I am choosing at this time.

I would ask that you too take the time to think about what you send and whether or not it is truly something of value and not a ranting by someone who has no credible authority whatsoever.  In this era of instant gratification, wouldn't it be better to show some restraint or at least consider that others are not as rabid about a particular subject as you are?

This extends to social media as well.  With the impending 2012 presidential elections, this medium will be used and abused as much as email.  At least with social media, I can unfriend, unfollow and disconnect.  So forget including me in distribution lists, flash mobs, chain letters or petitions to get whoever recalled from office, whoever elected to office or solicit my vote.  Unlike our politicians, my vote is not for sale to the highest paying lobbyist.  No more political cartoons (I'll get mine from the Sunday paper, thank you.), no more quotes from supposed intellectuals, no more videos from talking heads, no more doctored pictures, no more commercials with information taken out of context, no more blather from cable/broadcast news.  To quote from the movie "Network", "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."  And I don't want to hear about it for the next 15 months.  When I'm ready to vote, I'll do my own research without kibitzing coming from useless emails.

I encourage you to take this same pledge.  No more political email.  And I'm not talking about some phony political pledge that supports a platform that benefits a very small minority.  Think like an American.  What's good for all of us is good for each of us.  If you are going to take the pledge, please comment below.  And feel free to use this as a template for your own declaration to your email contacts.  And if this is all too much for you, please feel free to delete my email address from your contact list.

Patience, leadership and basketball

This is not a grand post about sports analogies or advice from playing a game that doesn't apply to your everyday life.  How you view this post hopefully will be one that helps you see that obstacles can be overcome with patience, persistence and having a good mentor by your side.

At this week's ProNet general meeting, we had the distinct honor and privilege to have David Carter, the head coach of University of Nevada-Reno's men's basketball team speak about his journey to his current position, how he approached his goals and how he had a key mentor that helped him with perspective.  He also will be referred to as "Coach Carter" in this post, since that is what he has his long-time friends call him.  Yes, the ones that told him after his basketball playing days were over, that being a coach was a foolish thing, in so many words.

As a star basketball player for Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, Coach Carter had many choices of top-notch colleges to attend.  But if it wasn't for his older brother, he may not have even had that opportunity.  With formidable competition for the point guard spot, this was one of the first times that Coach Carter relied on his military-trained brother for advice.  He heard that he should stick with it and do his best.  When he was picked for the team, his brother's response was one of a knowing expectation that Coach Carter would get the desired spot of point guard.  That quiet leadership that he experienced early from his brother, would become a touchstone for other major decisions in his life.

One other situation that is applicable to all job seekers out there was when as an assistant coach, paying his dues, he interviewed for a couple of head coaching jobs.  When he didn't get the positions, the response was that he needed more experience.  This begged the question, "How do I get the experience?".  He learned that in order to be considered for bigger responsibility that you need to show up, do your job the best you can and try to have empathy for the person currently in that position.

A great leadership question was asked related to bringing a group of kids that knew nothing but being a star at the high school level.  Coach Carter said that the key to success was to get the kids to understand that they all have a role to play at a specific time.  Seniors to freshman all had to know that each player has a role in order for the team to be successful.

And lastly, he was asked about interviewing for a job while you were still employed.  His comments focused on being where you are, doing what it takes to be successful where you are, don't go looking for it, but be open to the possibilities.

It was a real joy for this former high school basketball MVP to remember some of the lessons that I had been taught by my coaches.  Now it's time to pass those same lessons onto others.

Living in the Upper Loop: Being accountable vs. being the victim

At this week's ProNet general meeting, we were treated to an excellent presentation about the signs and impacts of our behavior, both in our personal and professional lives.  Jane Grossman, a self-described "Catalyst" (love the job description!) with A Sustainable Way, a consultancy focused on creating a competitive advantage, as well as being in collaboration with IMPAQ Accountability Business Solutions, showed us how to recognize when you are accountable for your actions and when you are playing the victim. 

So, first off, how did she describe the meaning of accountability? Using IMPAQ's Personal Accountability model, she first made the distinction between personal and organizational accountability.  Personal accountability was defined by taking action consistent with your desired outcomes.  Organizational accountability was defined as having a working environment where people can count on each other.  The benefits of staying in this "upper loop" are fantastic.  Who out there doesn't want greater success, improved relationships, increased self-confidence, more effective uses of resources and increases in teamwork, trust and morale?

And how do we know when we are in the "lower loop" and playing the victim?  We've all been there - by ignoring an issue, denying that an issue exists, blaming others, rationalizing our behavior, resisting help or just plain hiding somewhere in your bunny slippers.  And how do we begin the process of moving from victim to being accountable?  According to Ms. Grossman, it begins with "the ability, willingness and courage to renew attitudes and behaviors to achieve desired outcomes".  In the business world, this means that teams find ways to contribute to overall success and don't spend time blaming others or tuning out when things don't go their own way.

The first thing to do in getting out of the victim role and becoming accountable is to recognize that you are in a victim loop.  Just like other addictions, recognizing that you have a problem is always the first step.  One of the big steps is about forgiveness.  Ms. Grossman spent a good deal of time discussing that this is a big part of a highly personal process.  I like to say that forgiveness is all about "giving it up" or "letting it go" and this seems to be in congruence with the presentation.  We are entirely too hard on ourselves these days and I think that it's because there is a huge perception that we have so much to lose and there is no room for mistakes.  Sure many of us have made mistakes and paid the consequences but the learning opportunities are what life is all about.  (Just my humble opinion)

If you are looking for a unique, productive method of bringing a dysfunctional team together, I would highly recommend that you check out A Sustainable Way and have Ms. Grossman come in to help break a logjam of decreased productivity, distrusting relationships or lack of success.  You can reach her at 775-849-9755 or janeg@asustainableway.com.  To learn more about IMPAQ, the Personal Accountability model and their extensive strategy and leadership development programs, check out their website at www.impaq.com.