Encore Speaks!

On Saturday I had the chance to attend the New Media Dayton event at the Pub at the Greene. I was thrilled to re-connect with friends and acquaintances that I had not seen since the holidays and we shared laughter and some funny stories about our various holiday experiences. There was still work to be done, though, as New Media Dayton had asked an outside team to join us to talk about their own organizational skills and processes and to motivate us to take a new look at our own. Lori Firsdon and Barb Warner, two amazingly powerful motivational speakers and professional organizers, were right on the money as they addressed the topic of organization. They brought to our attention, all of us media and technology addicts, what the concept of organization means in our world. They weren't shy about asking us to put down our cell phones, flip cameras and laptops while they spoke ... and I commend them for that as many of us didn't want to loosen the grip on our electronic devices. When Lori and Barb finally had our attention, they hit on some heavy topics such as how much money we are actually costing our employers when we perform a search for just one hour, each day of the year. Their staggering statistics and reality check really made me, and I hope others there as well, wake up to the fact that time spent searching for everything from my car keys and cell phone to a folder that I thought I had filed away is costing everyone, not just me, time and money.

Lori and Barb also touched upon the topic of "that co-worker" who habitually steals your time with pointless and aimless conversation. Simple fixes such as how you position your desk and removing any candy, pictures or plaques that might keep a person lingering for conversation are just some of the ways you can keep interruptions to a minimum so you can concentrate on your work and work flow. Simply asking oneself and gently asking co-workers, "can this wait?" not only helps you prioritize your time, but sends the message that some conversations and topics don't really need to be discussed at work amid the hustle and bustle of work flow.

Finally, Lori and Barb hit upon something which is personally difficult for me ... wading through the countless articles and publications that are subject-specific to my field. Any person in social media or any other information-oriented position will tell you that every day they are constantly bombarded with emails, alerts and notifications. With all of this content filling up our inboxes, it is hard to read each and every word that is sent our way. Barb’s solution to that overwhelming feeling when get when you receive massive amounts of information? "Stop queuing up the small minutes.” Start by initially weeding out the mass amounts of useless information and focus on what is important and pertinent right then. Specifically ask yourself "can this wait?" or "am I really going to use this information?" before taking the plunge.

Not only did I find both Lori and Barb to be fascinating as professionals, but their approach was realistic and sensitive to our needs. Even I, who I thought was somewhat organized, learned a lot. And take it from them: they have seven kids between the two of them, so organization isn’t just their jobs, it’s their lives!

Social Media People: Wake up!

If you are like me in any way, you are constantly on your computer, phone or even stealing your friend's phone to get a quick blurb in on your social networks. It becomes an addiction, and HELLO people, a new way to communicate.

However, I want to stress that it's not just about posting. There's much more to social media than that. It's about the engagement, the content, the origionality, authenticity, trustworthiness and oh, did I say content?

Content is what is going to get your viewers invovlved. Wether it's from YouTube through video engagement or from talking about a new breakfast meal that is easy, fun and your kids will love before going to school, which appeals to moms across the United States. Hence, it can ALL be relevant.

So I say "Wake up!" to all the "social media gurus" that simply utilize one network over another...Twitter especially. I encourage you to expand your horizons, think outside of the Twitter craze (which will implode in T minus a few months), Facebook craze, whatever, and think broadly. Think of exactly WHERE social media is going and where it's been. Start thinking of how you can incorporate social media into both your personal and professional lives? What can you do to grow your network? What exactly IS your network?

These are simple questions that the social media guru and user should know. If you don't - WAKE UP! Drink some coffee (may I recommend Starbucks Extra Bold) and start doing your homework. Now is the time to act!

The point: It's always better to be an early adopter than a laggard.

Geolocation

An interesting article from the NY Times was nothing short of "on target" for the upcoming Twitter craze. It seems that because Twitter is SO overconsumed by tweets about subjects from Ft. Hood to the latest television episode, these tweets are becoming too jumbled. As I had predicted...

Twitter will possibly start it's own geolocation which will allow for more targeted conversations, just enough to sift through the ads and promotions. The interesting concept of geolcation, from Cohen's perspective, is that it will "have the potential to make the Internet suddenly relevant to society as it is lived, not just relevant to what happens online"(NYT, 2009).

The element of too much information, too little privacy and just too much public is becoming the sole issue here. What to do next... To put it simply, the new private is the new public.