Archive | Life RSS feed for this section

Enough with the Hate

4 Apr

After playing in social media for a couple of years now I have to ask: why so angry folks?  Isn’t social media built on the premise of social connection?  Over the past couple week I’ve been fortunate to spend time with a number very smart social media supporters.  In chatting, it’s funny how often a post or tweet comes up in conversation that is instantly recognized.  The hater post.  

Photo courtesy *_Abhi_* via Creative Commons

Every so often it becomes trendy to bash people who have become well-recognized in the social media industry.  You’ll see these kinds of posts all over if you keep an eye out for them.  Chris Brogan this and Guy Kawasaki that.  Perhaps concern that Mashable did, or didn’t, pick up on a certain story? 

But why?  If someone is producing content you don’t feel is quality, sharing ideas you don’t like,  or hitting the same points repeatedly then just ignore them.  Rather than fixate on them and try to tear them down maybe there is something more productive you can do to positively influence the industry? 

  • Don’t sit and say nobody is coming up with unique ideas- go create a new program.
  • Don’t heckle big names who are successful- spend time figuring what unmet need you can fill.
  • If it seems too simple to you, don’t dwell on it- go help someone who needs it or take it up a level for advanced users.

Now, this isn’t to say that we shouldn’t be able to have credible discussions around social media and question assumptions that currently exist.  (The fear to do that will be covered in the next post here.  Shameless, subtle hint right?)  However, I think there is too often an undercurrent of envy or resentment that seems to lie below the surface of the collaborative spirit that is a foundation of social media.  I’d like to see social media continue to grow and evolve and I believe the only way that will happen is if the community is able to put personal issues aside and support those that are driving innovation, whomever it is.

HAPPO to Help Out

14 Feb

The opportunity to help out is always a great privilege.   I’m very thankful to so many people who took time out from their careers to teach me or offer advice that has helped me along the way.  They didn’t have to do so, but they did.  The PR industry is extremely competitive at times but, at its best, there is a sense of community around the fact that we’re all working to improve the quality of the profession.

Looking for a way you can help?  How about paying it forward a bit by supporting Help A PR Pro Out (HAPPO) to assist some of our fellow PR pros connect with employers that could benefit from their skills.  The idea for HAPPO was created by Arik Hanson and Valerie Simon as a community-based initiative to help friends and colleagues who are struggling to find jobs in the current economic climate. 

On Friday, February 19, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. PR bloggers, agency leaders and PR professionals from across the country will donate their time and talents to help fellow PR pros connect with employers.  With the help of the global PR community, we believe we can make a significant difference for PR job seekers everywhere. Even if HAPPO doesn’t land candidates a job, we hope it will provide considerable momentum to their search and connect them with new and different opportunities and great people.

Leading up to Feb. 19, job seekers are encouraged to develop creative blog posts, pitching themselves to prospective employers and sharing via Twitter during the event on Feb. 19 using the hashtag #HAPPO.

This is one of those times you can make a real difference in someone’s career.  If you’re in a position to help, please do so.  If you’re looking for new opportunities in Minneapolis, please let me know.  Seeking a forum to highlight yourself? You’re welcome to use the virtual real estate right here at CommUnity Business.

Not in the Twin Cities?  That’s o.k. too as a laundry list of prominent PR bloggers and influencers have been engaged across the U.S.  Let me know and we’ll find a contact for you.

Let’s work together to improve the profession and see if we can change a few lives along the way.

A Shared Dream

18 Jan

This post is simply to thank the great Martin Luther King Jr. for his vision and the courage to follow that vision.  From a communications standpoint, he was an amazing storyteller and leader.  While I’ll likely never write anything so powerful, I think we can all learn from his work. 

You can view full text of MLK’s amazing I Have a Dream Speech and his acceptance of the Nobel Prize here. 

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values
and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false
and the false with the true.
-Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

MacGyver is a Nonprofit

13 Jan

A World of Tools for MacGyverYes, that MacGyver, the one that can create a bomb out of a paper clip, some lint, and maybe a ketchup packet if he’s fortunate to have such luxuries around.  For anyone seeking a trip down memory lane, or context for some of my younger readers, be sure to check out the original geek adventure hero online and have some fun with the SNL spoofs too.

Aside from a good retro laugh, the real prompt for this post was chatting with my friend Arik Hanson who is working with a couple of Minnesota nonprofits in the digital space.  He commented on how dedicated the staff and leadership of these organizations are and how much of themselves they truly put into their work.  The comment Arik made that hit home with me is “this is their life; they don’t leave the job when they go home. It’s part of them.” 

I’ve been fortunate to work with so many outstanding people from a variety of nonprofits and it’s a spot on comment.  As you may know, I  work for a nonprofit so I am commenting as an “insider” but have also worked for a global PR agency, a Fortune 500 medical device company, and a small specialty pharmaceutical company.  I can tell you (relatively objectively) that nonprofit staff invests themselves in their work just as much as any corporate or agency pro…maybe more. 

However, I believe that many in the PR world view nonprofits as a second-tier job.  It doesn’t carry the status that some in our industry want on their resumes which is too bad because nonprofit pros are MacGyver-like problem solvers.   They’re working on addressing major community challenges with limited budgets, increasing demands for accountability, typically lean staffs, and doing it all for less pay and prestige.  So next time you’re at an industry get-together, keep an eye out for some of these smart MacGyvers in the room.  I bet you’ll meet some great new friends filled with passion and creativity.

Resources:

Noted below are some great contacts if you’re interested in learning more about smart nonprofit thinking and other communications pros working to help their communities and important causes.

  • Beth Kanter who has a great blog and a ton of ideas around nonprofit leadership
  • In Minneapolis, for my local contacts, be sure to check out Ashley Schweitzer who is a constant advocate for nonprofits
  • My inspiring pal up north, Danny Brown with his outstanding 12for12k social media/charity efforts
  • Or maybe Katya Andresen focusing on marketing for nonprofits on her blog

Inspiration

22 Dec

Ok, maybe not the most original post ever but the end of ’09 does have me thinking. What is it that stirs that sense of hope in us each year that the coming year will be more promising than the last? We’ve all seen family, friends, maybe even ourselves and others in our community who are really struggling right now. Yet there is a sense of hope as we enter a new year. 

Who or what inspired you in 2009? And, what is it that you’re looking for in 2010 personally or professionally?

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.