Networking. At certain stages in one's life, it's a necessary means to progressing to that next stage in your life. Some enjoy it; others despise it. Some excel at it; others do not.
Well, I'm not really into networking but I do like to talk. I've learned to really love conversation lately; especially about things I truly enjoy - becoming a dad, sports, higher education, social media, pop culture, entertainment. I guess that brings me back to why I started this blog. I like to converse and share..even if no one's listening :) - and continue the conversation if someone actually is.
I've been in some situations over the last couple months where a serial networker would have been ecstatic. Traditionally, I would have hated these opportunities but they've actually been enjoyable! I think I historically have not enjoyed networking more so due to my negative reaction to the word. I've had the word and the necessity of the action drilled into me through my undergraduate and graduate business courses and through then working at a business school for ten years.
It's time to change any networking situations into opportunties for conversation. It's much more enjoyable. With conversation and engagement, good times will follow.
March 7, 2010
February 15, 2010
CASE Conference and Social Media
I was lucky enough to speak at last month's CASE Conference. After being connected through a mutual past colleague, I was even luckier to co-present with Tamsen McMahon of Sametz Blackstone Associates on the Why and Why Nots of Social Media. The presentation was jam-packed as social media was definitely a buzz topic over the two days I was at the conference. There were many questions and much interest and I only wish we had more time for both the presentation and taking more questions.
This was my first time presenting at CASE and Tamsen certainly set me up for success. Presenting has always been somewhat of a high for me and this was no exception. Presenting can be nerve-wracking; and it can be a whole lot of fun. Going in to every presentation I do, I try to promise myself three things: 1) Be relaxed; 2) Understand that I won't hit every point I prepare; and 3) Try to interject some humor. Now, not everyone will get every joke you make as that is typicallly the case for me, but it at least keeps you making yourself laugh. That is my #1 rule for not only every presentation, but every day. :)
Our presentation can be found on Slideshare. I am actually not a client of Tamsen's or Sametz, but it's amazing how similar our approaches and philosophy on digital media are despite being new acquaintances. At the end of the day, there are variety of organizational structures, policies and strategies that can work, but they've developed a method that will help determine how social media will work in any organization.
When it comes to any space within social media, I feel that you need to be a consumer first. Your plan has three simple steps.
This was my first time presenting at CASE and Tamsen certainly set me up for success. Presenting has always been somewhat of a high for me and this was no exception. Presenting can be nerve-wracking; and it can be a whole lot of fun. Going in to every presentation I do, I try to promise myself three things: 1) Be relaxed; 2) Understand that I won't hit every point I prepare; and 3) Try to interject some humor. Now, not everyone will get every joke you make as that is typicallly the case for me, but it at least keeps you making yourself laugh. That is my #1 rule for not only every presentation, but every day. :)
Our presentation can be found on Slideshare. I am actually not a client of Tamsen's or Sametz, but it's amazing how similar our approaches and philosophy on digital media are despite being new acquaintances. At the end of the day, there are variety of organizational structures, policies and strategies that can work, but they've developed a method that will help determine how social media will work in any organization.
When it comes to any space within social media, I feel that you need to be a consumer first. Your plan has three simple steps.
- Learn - Learn your way around the space and discover how other users are utilizing the platform.
- Interact - Now that you have a sense of the space, use it more frequently and understand its intricacies. Communicate and be a part of the conversation.
- Engage - Now that you've built relationships and have become knowledgeable of the space, share content and conversation that will engage your new connections.
February 13, 2010
Video (and Internet) Did Not Kill the Radio Star
A recent tweet by a friend that runs the barnerblog, a blog about his thoughts on music and more, motivated me to share my love for music. All kinds of music. Even teen pop.
A one hour commute can lead to many things - catching up on phone calls, car karaoke, marketing ideas, and the horrible habit of texting/blackberrying at stops in traffic or lights (no more carexting is my newest New Year's Resolution as I'm not sure yet how I'm doing with the first one). With a commute an hour long, many have recommended I get satellite radio.
No thanks, people. Typically, people are critical of it, but I've always been a fan of good, old-fashioned FM radio. And with the variety of music that I'm interested in, I'm able to continously find what I want. Mix in a couple sports talk radio stations and a little NPR if I'm really desperate and an hour of commute time goes by in no time.
Maybe everyone else is just looking in the wrong places or listening to the wrong stations. More likely is the fact that you don't like the wide variety of music I do. When I say I like everything (but country), I mean it. You hear that phrase all the time, but I'm serious.
Here's your proof. In my commute home one night, these songs were all played on the radio, different stations of course. This legendary commute set list was sung by none other than yours truly.
In my commutes, I've seen this string of "listenable" songs happen a lot. Now, I'm not saying I'd download all of these on iTunes, but I'm pretty sure at least six of them are on my iPod. Call me out for singing horrible pop songs, but don't tell me that radio is dead.
A one hour commute can lead to many things - catching up on phone calls, car karaoke, marketing ideas, and the horrible habit of texting/blackberrying at stops in traffic or lights (no more carexting is my newest New Year's Resolution as I'm not sure yet how I'm doing with the first one). With a commute an hour long, many have recommended I get satellite radio.
No thanks, people. Typically, people are critical of it, but I've always been a fan of good, old-fashioned FM radio. And with the variety of music that I'm interested in, I'm able to continously find what I want. Mix in a couple sports talk radio stations and a little NPR if I'm really desperate and an hour of commute time goes by in no time.
Maybe everyone else is just looking in the wrong places or listening to the wrong stations. More likely is the fact that you don't like the wide variety of music I do. When I say I like everything (but country), I mean it. You hear that phrase all the time, but I'm serious.
Here's your proof. In my commute home one night, these songs were all played on the radio, different stations of course. This legendary commute set list was sung by none other than yours truly.
- The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
- Pearl Jam - Just Breathe
- Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
- Ke$ha - Tik Tok
- Matisyahu - One Day
- Taylor Swift - Fifteen
- Muse - Uprising
- Aerosmith - Dream On
- Miley Cyrus - Party in the U.S.A.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
- Pearl Jam- The Fixer
In my commutes, I've seen this string of "listenable" songs happen a lot. Now, I'm not saying I'd download all of these on iTunes, but I'm pretty sure at least six of them are on my iPod. Call me out for singing horrible pop songs, but don't tell me that radio is dead.
February 9, 2010
Changing of the Guard
Many times in an organization or a sports team, there comes a time when new leadership is necessary to take your oganization or your team to the next level. In start-up ventures, you see this moment of transition being even more important. There comes a point where the business' founder realizes he or she does not have the skillset and expertise to bring the organization to the next level. Some times, they purposely do not want to pass along the organization. This could lead to a failed business or one with stagnant growth.
You know who needs a change in leadership? The Celtics. No, I'm not asking for Doc Rivers or Danny Ainge to get fired or to look for a new owner. I'm talking about the entire team - ownership, general manger, coach and players - finally realizing that the true leader on this team is Rajon Rondo.
When this team loses, it's not only because they look old, but they typically don't have one individual this year that rises above the others in terms of taking charge. On many occasions, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have all been that guy on this team and on others. This year, that's not true. Ray, while he's been the only healthy one this year, has not been shooting as years past. With their injuries, Kevin and Paul are not the same players. Rajon, despite hitting the floor more than anyone in the league, can easily take control of games and he's done so many, many times this year. His penetration, his defense and his passing are all-nba. His shooting is certainly improving and that cannot be debated when you look at his field goal percentage this year of 53%. But it's time for his own organization to truly realize this is his team. Don't just say he's the glue to the team. Act like it.
He's been a quiet floor leader in the past, but he needs to be even more now with this particular team. And what shows that he is becoming more comfortable as a leader is his willingess to call the team out with his words now. I have no idea if he was referring to one individual or to many, but the fact alone that he said it shows his growing leadership skills.
Yes, he plays with three future Hall of Famers. But they are not at the top of their game at this stage of their careers. Rondo is by far their most imporant player. This entire organization, and even more so the New Big Three, needs to follow him and let him lead them to the finals. It is his team now. That is the only way this team goes anywhere this year...and likely the next couple years while all or some of the New Big Three are still in Boston.
You know who needs a change in leadership? The Celtics. No, I'm not asking for Doc Rivers or Danny Ainge to get fired or to look for a new owner. I'm talking about the entire team - ownership, general manger, coach and players - finally realizing that the true leader on this team is Rajon Rondo.
When this team loses, it's not only because they look old, but they typically don't have one individual this year that rises above the others in terms of taking charge. On many occasions, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have all been that guy on this team and on others. This year, that's not true. Ray, while he's been the only healthy one this year, has not been shooting as years past. With their injuries, Kevin and Paul are not the same players. Rajon, despite hitting the floor more than anyone in the league, can easily take control of games and he's done so many, many times this year. His penetration, his defense and his passing are all-nba. His shooting is certainly improving and that cannot be debated when you look at his field goal percentage this year of 53%. But it's time for his own organization to truly realize this is his team. Don't just say he's the glue to the team. Act like it.
He's been a quiet floor leader in the past, but he needs to be even more now with this particular team. And what shows that he is becoming more comfortable as a leader is his willingess to call the team out with his words now. I have no idea if he was referring to one individual or to many, but the fact alone that he said it shows his growing leadership skills.
Yes, he plays with three future Hall of Famers. But they are not at the top of their game at this stage of their careers. Rondo is by far their most imporant player. This entire organization, and even more so the New Big Three, needs to follow him and let him lead them to the finals. It is his team now. That is the only way this team goes anywhere this year...and likely the next couple years while all or some of the New Big Three are still in Boston.
January 17, 2010
A Golden Globe Nominee
Now, as everyone does, I see a lot of movies. The disclaimer is that I don't often dislike the movies that I see as 99% of them do what I hope they do. I watch a movie hoping it will take me out of my current element and provide me the opportunity to live in a different world for 90 or 120 minutes...or sometimes even longer if you're talking about Avatar. I'm easily entertained but films are truly a great form of entertainment. Sadly, movie dialogue and quotes serve up about 90% of my humor so the entertainment never ends...for me.
Let's briefly talk about a movie that not enough people are talking about. I recently saw Golden Globe nominee (500) Days of Summer. I'll try not to ruin it if you haven't seen it, but skip to my really important question in the last paragraph if you're feeling a spoiler.
Overall, I thought it was a really good film and would definitely recommend it...unless you don't like storylines that bounce around and don't want the ending up front. I actually enjoy that type of storytelling. I think it mirrors how I think, how I write and how I tell stories. It being a dark comedy didn't hurt for me either as I tend to enjoy them. I was drawn in from the beginning. I didn't believe the narrator during the opening when he said "This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story." I guess it isn't a love story but it also kind of is. The closing scenes (park bench convo and interview waiting area) had me thinking of how I met my wife and how so many random things had to go right for that actual meeting to take place. All in all, I really liked the movie, but I'm happy The Hangover just won the Golden Globe as I type this. It's a hysterical movie that I can't wait to watch a second time...which is likely going to occur tomorrow.
Finally, someone needs to figure out why I feel like I've seen Zooey Deschanel before. I looked through her filmography and it's not any of the TV or film she's been in. Does she look like someone I know? Or another famous person? This is killing me.
Let's briefly talk about a movie that not enough people are talking about. I recently saw Golden Globe nominee (500) Days of Summer. I'll try not to ruin it if you haven't seen it, but skip to my really important question in the last paragraph if you're feeling a spoiler.
Overall, I thought it was a really good film and would definitely recommend it...unless you don't like storylines that bounce around and don't want the ending up front. I actually enjoy that type of storytelling. I think it mirrors how I think, how I write and how I tell stories. It being a dark comedy didn't hurt for me either as I tend to enjoy them. I was drawn in from the beginning. I didn't believe the narrator during the opening when he said "This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story." I guess it isn't a love story but it also kind of is. The closing scenes (park bench convo and interview waiting area) had me thinking of how I met my wife and how so many random things had to go right for that actual meeting to take place. All in all, I really liked the movie, but I'm happy The Hangover just won the Golden Globe as I type this. It's a hysterical movie that I can't wait to watch a second time...which is likely going to occur tomorrow.
Finally, someone needs to figure out why I feel like I've seen Zooey Deschanel before. I looked through her filmography and it's not any of the TV or film she's been in. Does she look like someone I know? Or another famous person? This is killing me.
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