Ouch! I just got poked. A friend of mine just read my blog and commented to me about it... which served as a reminder that I've not been good about keeping this up. So... I'm back! Here's one of the many things that's on my mind.
At the moment, I'm on my laptop while my daughter and her friend ahem... sing... with ROCK BAND in the next room, my phone is at my side in case I'm needed by my husband or son. Facebook and Gmail are open on other tabs in my browser, in addition to my work email. I find myself going back and forth between them all.
That being said... I feel pretty scattered and I don't think I'm alone in this problem. For exsample, at least once or twice A DAY either one of my coworkers, or me myself and I find that I have skimmed over an email and not read it to the point of comprehension...forget about it altogether, or lose an important message/attachment.
It's as if I've just going too many directions at once... am I alone or does this happen to others? What do you/should we do about it?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Tweet or Retweet automated
Ever wondered how Websites make that Tweet or Retweet button work? I attended Mike Stelzner's Social Media Success Summit this summer and learned the secret. Shhh... I'll tell you, but it's a secret. Upload your tweet or retweet image and add the status tag as follows:
http://twitter.com/home/?status=Reading:+Eliskaf's+latest+Marketing+Madness+Blog+(Great+Social+Media+tips!)+http://eliskaf-marketingmadness.blogspot.com/
Notice there's a plus sign between each word that you want to appear on the Twitter Status Update. So, when the user clicks on the Tweet image, their Twitter page opens up and their status is already populated with the Tweet you want to enter the Social Media Groundswell! How tweet is that?
You'll Flip for a MinoHD or UltraHD Camera
If you are using social media, whether it's YouTube, video blogging or otherwise, I highly recommend investing in either a Flip MinoHD or an Flip UltraHD camera. I recommend the HD because, well, it's high def! Your vids will be shot in letterbox style, with amazing quality and afterall, you can always downsize a video, but you can't upsize. If you're on more of a budget but want to make a statement, I would go with the Flip MinoHD because then, for under $212 you can customize the cover. See one cafepress site with custom designs.
I didn't realize you could customize the Flip MinoHD until after I'd already bought into an UltraHD. I'm glad I have the 8GB and 120 minutes of recording time, although I'd much rather have BOTH the UltraHD and the ability to customize my camera.
Regardless of which way you go, if you're searching for a video solution, check out the Flip.
I shoot videos of the kids and can really terrorize them with this small portable camera on my possession at all times. And, I can use it at work as well. A simple plug into my usb while I'm working and the video uploads for a quick editing. The Flip software makes uploading to YouTube or Facebook quick and easy. Try it out and let me know your results!
Let me know what you think about the Flip.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Leadership Countdown
Leadership is the primary focus of my masters degree in strategic communications and leadership. I realized that it was more than twenty years ago, when I stood in their shoes. A young college student with my entire future before me. It was a period in my life that I never dreamed would happen.
When I was fourteen years old adversity struck. My father died of a heart attack and my childhood ended. My mother had not worked since I was born, so I went to work helping her make ends meet. I challenged the process, by petitioning the school to allow me to enter the vocational program a year younger than usual. So, I went to school from 7 a.m. to noon, worked a secretarial job for a realtor from 1 to 5. At 5, I rushed to the mall, not to shop, but to work at Patty O’Brien’s Magic Potato Factory (I can still make a mean baked potato). After that, I typed mailing addresses for the chamber of commerce. I had no higher goal than to make ends meet… until the realtor I worked for took notice. He was a leader in our community, but in this story, he led me because he made a difference in my life in a very simple way. He bought for me an ACT/
The Leadership Countdown begins on FIVE … with the FIVE principles Kouzes and Posner, authorities on leadership, say leaders should follow to be effective: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart.
Modeling the way, means simply this... setting the example … living what you say… Before you ask others to change, a leader must be willing to make those same changes and sacrifices yourself. Think of a goal of your club. If your goal is to encourage students to use their skills to benefit the community, then you need to be leading the pack, putting your skills into practice and helping others do the same.
Next it is extremely important for a leader to be able to inspire a shared vision… to look ahead and envision a future and then to share that future with others, inspiring them to work along side with you to accomplish it. So get to know your fellow students, hang out, discover what motivates them, find a common ground, and communicate with them so that you breathe life into a shared vision.
I learned at age 14 to Challenge the process… I’m sure you have already done so as well. From the time we can speak we are asking “Why? Why? Why mommy?” But it’s a more difficult proposition to ask as an adult. A leader must have the courage of your convictions and make meaningful change not just change for change sake. This is a time to show your skills in innovation and creativity and to negotiate for problem solving.
Since a leader should never go it alone… otherwise, who is she leading… Enabling others to act … is another key leadership principle. This means creating a climate of collaboration and trust, connect others with sources of power, the basic principle behind Linkedin and other professional social networks. Strengthen others by sharing your power… when you support others, they will support you. Assign people tasks and responsibilities … support them to the extent that they are empowered. Ensure your club members are properly trained and supported for the tasks they are given.
And who doesn’t love a good pat on the back? A leader must know how to encourage the heart…quite simply, by taking a moment to recognize and show appreciation for individual excellence… leaders should praise often and in public… giving credit where credit is deserved. And more than words, use other rewards such as plaques and recognition … such as the much deserved awards and recognition that will be given today. Sometimes encouraging the heart involves providing an environment for social support. Have formal celebrations like this and informal gatherings. And when you do… if these gathering involve Reeses, or Dr Pepper and Ice Cream… or any combination thereof…be sure to invite me! Utilize bragging boards like those in the Student Services Center where you showcase exemplary actions. Healthy groups are those that rejuvenate their spirit and have fun… you’ll be relieved to know that play is one of the essential elements for leaders in encouraging the heart. Now we’ll move from the FIVE leadership principles to …
FOUR. On your road to leadership, you will need to pack some necessities. There are FOUR qualities most admired leaders possess…. You will want to make sure you have them if you desire to be an effective leader. These FOUR qualities are: Honesty, forward-looking, competence, and being inspirational.
Take inventory… do you possess these qualities? Without them, your leadership launch should be delayed! Sincerely ask yourself… Do others describe you as honest? Visionary? Competent? Inspirational? If not, create a self-improvement plan and well… improve.
Let’s continue the ignition sequence… 5… 4…
THREE. The three most important communication skills a leader should seek to master and apply to ensure effective leadership are: knowing and communicating one’s values, seeking first to understand, and thinking before speaking. Let’s take these one by one.
Knowing and communicating one’s values, This is easier said than done for many. It gets you beyond emulating someone else and knowing truly what you stand for. To discover your own values, ask yourself what major life events have influenced you? Ask yourself what you are naturally drawn to? What things you are doing when you feel you don’t have to ‘work at it’ or struggle at all.
Seeking first to understand. Your momma has probably said to you at one time or another… “God gave you two eyes and ears, and only one mouth for a reason.” This is a wisdom from the ages… learn to listen, and listen again to understand before you speak or act.
Which takes us to speaking. The third communication skill a leader should have is to think before speaking. Just as a chess player thinks through his moves, think about the consequences of your words before you throw them out.
TWO. NASA doesn’t send one astronaut into space at a time … they send a team. I recommend you take two people figuratively with you on this leadership journey…
Study a famous leader. I’ve studied Abraham Lincoln, Nancy Brinker … founder of the Komen Race for the Cure… and our Chancellor Bill Segura. And... find a mentor. Someone who you can be your trusted advisor … who can help you learn from his or her personal experience and professional know-how. One who will shoot straight with you on what you could be doing better, and encourage you onward and upward.
So, 5 we learned the five leadership principles…. 4… the four most admired qualities of leaders; the 3 communication skills… the 2 people you should include on your journey.. and that leaves us at
ONE. Leadership all starts with #1… you. In order to model the way, you must first know who you are. This enables you to be authentic and have integrity. Kouzes and Posner put it this way: “You must first know what you stand for, what you believe in, and what you care about. Clarity of values will give you the confidence to make the tough decisions, to act with determination, and to take charge of your life” (p. 50). Without effectively voicing one’s values, individuals live a lukewarm existence and few if any would opt to follow a lukewarm leader! Right? To become a leader you have to be painfully honest with yourself and search your soul to discover what you are about and what you are willing to stand for … then lead from there.
I started with a story of my own adversity. The process of realizing that these very experiences that I lived through… my father’s death… the trials of helping to support my family income… and a handful of other life-changing moments, were what gave me the throttle, the values that fuel the passion from which I lead. So I say to you… don’t resent the adversities in your life, be propelled by them. Don’t curse the challenges, learn to innovate from them. Don’t try to do it on your own… collaborate.
The one flaw in the rocket metaphor I have used today, is that it may lead you to believe that you do these things sequentially, and reach a moment in time to where you suddenly achieve the status of a leader. That is not true. We practice leadership every day. We are all learning leaders and should never rest in our learning but instead be life-long developing leaders.
Nonetheless, in closing, let me remind you that in five short days, it will be the 40th anniversary of when the famous words were uttered by Neil Armstrong (July 20, 1969) as he stepped on to the surface of the Moon… you may not have been alive at the time, but I’d venture to say… you know them…say them with me… “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” … these words were inspired by a visionary leader who dared to inspire others to share his vision.
President John F. Kennedy's spoken goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s inspired Armstrong’s mission. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, saying “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”
I still get chills every time I think about this. That Kennedy dared to voice his vision, and that while he did not live to see his mission accomplished, Armstrong was so inspired and saw it through. So today, I challenge you as student leaders and advisors… To decide… What is your vision for your club? And I dare you to venture to launch your vision by following the leadership countdown I’ve given you today.
Joining the Groundwell
I'm preparing a professional development seminar for the staff at TSTC. The purpose is to teach them how to use social media. I'm including social media do's and don'ts; using images and video (Flickr & YouTube); microblogging (Twitter and various twitter tools, i.e. Tweetchat, Tweetlater, Twitpics, Tweetdeck, Ubertwitter), social bookmarking (digg, Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon) and Blogs (Blogger, Wordpress). I'm also including social media communities (FaceBook and LinkedIn).
I have 3 1/2 hours of time. Which seems like a lot, until you take into account covering all of the above ground! My goal is to prove that social media is not a fad, show them the dos and don'ts then help them to leave set up using some of the tools. We are meeting in a computer lab so they can actually have hands on time. Those who don't have Facebook, Twitter and Linked In accounts can leave having them.
One of the things I want them to realize is how social media can be a personal tool, but it also can be a business tool to extend their work.
Ways in which social media can be an extension of a college staff member's work:
1) First and foremost a way to connect with their students, or publics served, i.e. parents, other college staff, prospective students, current students.
a. A way to invite your grounds to events... post events, invite others, track RSVPs
b. Discussion Groups
c. Sharing pictures, tagging
2) A way to listen... hear what people are saying. If you find a discussion room on a TSTC facebook page talking about "when oh when, am I going to get my financial aid refund check?" a financial aid rep can chime in and join the conversation.
3) Build your brand/gain credibility.
By being true to your brand... i.e. tech tips; expert status.
a. Asking and answering questions in LinkedIn
b. Posting blogs.
c. Bookmarking and commenting on relevant topics.
d. Microblogging about brand relevant topics.
So the question is... if you were a Nube, what would you hope to gain from such a social media seminar?
I have 3 1/2 hours of time. Which seems like a lot, until you take into account covering all of the above ground! My goal is to prove that social media is not a fad, show them the dos and don'ts then help them to leave set up using some of the tools. We are meeting in a computer lab so they can actually have hands on time. Those who don't have Facebook, Twitter and Linked In accounts can leave having them.
One of the things I want them to realize is how social media can be a personal tool, but it also can be a business tool to extend their work.
Ways in which social media can be an extension of a college staff member's work:
1) First and foremost a way to connect with their students, or publics served, i.e. parents, other college staff, prospective students, current students.
a. A way to invite your grounds to events... post events, invite others, track RSVPs
b. Discussion Groups
c. Sharing pictures, tagging
2) A way to listen... hear what people are saying. If you find a discussion room on a TSTC facebook page talking about "when oh when, am I going to get my financial aid refund check?" a financial aid rep can chime in and join the conversation.
3) Build your brand/gain credibility.
By being true to your brand... i.e. tech tips; expert status.
a. Asking and answering questions in LinkedIn
b. Posting blogs.
c. Bookmarking and commenting on relevant topics.
d. Microblogging about brand relevant topics.
So the question is... if you were a Nube, what would you hope to gain from such a social media seminar?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
