Reading, Topics and Shiny Stuff
I’ve been sucking at posting here lately – and so, instead of continuing to suck, I’ve decided to veer off my blog topic slightly. A while back, when checking out Alana Taylor’s (cutie of the Twitter song) blog, I saw her blog’s subtitle (“Tech – Entertainment – Life”) I thought… yeah, life, that would be good to post about.
So for now (until I get distracted by something really, really shiny) let’s assume this blog is subtitled “Social Media – and Life”. I figure that will keep me covered for all the general stuff. I promise, I’ll try to keep it interesting and not nauseatingly personal.
As I mentioned before, I’ve been working on my book, and have been reading a ton of memoirs (please feel free to recommend any funny ones I haven’t read in the comment section). I had been reticent to read Sloane Crosley’s “I Was Told They’re Be Cake” because of some of the reviews on Amazon.com, several of which mentioned “Oh, great, another privileged gal talking about her life”. (As I recall, the same criticisms were present in a few of the reviews for Sara Barron’s “People Are Unappealing (Even Me)“.)
This is an interesting prejudice and reminds me of something my mother said recently “I really like this woman. But I didn’t want to meet her for a long time because she was rich.” ‘Kay… This is one of the fascinating things that would seem horrid if said for the reverse (“Didn’t want to meet that dude, ’cause he’s poor – and you know, I didn’t know what we’d have in common”.) Isn’t part of point of reading (or watching a film) about learning about another person’s experiences?…
Side rant: In a similar vein, it has always frustrated me that film with female lead(s) often get referred to as “chick films” since most every film has male leads and they are rarely assumed to be solely for men. Sure, a romantic comedy (e.g. the abysmal 27 Dresses) can be considered “only for women”, because it’s fair enough to assume that the target is mostly women. (And the less I say about that genre, and its profoundly unrealistic scenarios/conundrums and forced-quirky characters, the better.) But a film like “Thelma and Louise” (or “Blue Steel” for that matter) is most certainly not a “chick flick”.
…Even if you feel they might have been “luckier” in certain aspects than you? It surprised me that there were so many people who dismissed the book’s premise outright because the author’s life was OK. What are we looking for here? Is only someone with a severely dysfunctional childhood qualified to write their story? The truth is we are all kind of messed up in our own way – and I enjoy reading and watching another’s experiences – provided there’s a point. In this case the book was interesting, well-written, not self-pitying and amusing. All things I seek and am impressed by.
I liked Sara Barron’s book even more – and here I will contradict myself – because it was very relatable. It touched on so many of my experiences dating, in acting class etc. And the way she wrote was so hilarious, self-aware and self-effacing without going into self-hatred or being too cutesy. In fact, I liked it so much, I even wrote her to tell her that. Now, we Social Media-loving people always mention how important it is to connect with your customer – and for artists how essential it is to have contact with your audience. I was impressed because Sara Barron wrote me back the next day, to thank me, with a very genuine email. She also mentioned that she was writing her second book and that if I had the time, and wouldn’t mind writing a review on Amazon.com, that would be great because it’s one of the things that a publisher takes into account when considering a writer. I did not know that. I was (painfully) aware of how the reviews influenced me, but wasn’t aware that they played any significant role in publishing. So, public service message: If you like an author, review them. It helps. (Apparently so does tagging the books with keywords you feel appropriate, as I learned at BookCamp.)
For the sake of completeness, here are the books I’ve read lately. I’ve given them grades (yes, that’s obnoxious of me) but a simple 1-5 or 1-10 rating doesn’t convey much.
“People Are Unappealing (Even Me)“ by Sara Barron: 98% (I just loved this one. My Amazon review of it is here.)
“I Was Told They’re Be Cake” by Sloane Crosley: 94% (Honest, quirky, self-aware and charming. And quite funny.)
“Microthrills: True Stories from a Life of Small Highs” by Wendy Spero: 68% (Sweet, in it’s own way, but a little too cutesy for me.)
“My Horizontal Life” by Chelsea Handler: 60% (This one rubbed me the wrong way. I thought the writer was way too in love with the negative aspects of her personality and thought she was just adorable. I disagreed. At the same time the writing was good, it was a decent airplane read, I wasn’t bored throughout. I just felt kind of empty and dissatisfied after reading it.)
“Me Talk Pretty One Day” (99%) & “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” (96%) & “Naked” (92%) by David Sedaris (Can’t say enough good things about him. Funny, touching, smart, brilliantly written. He manages to convey difficult experiences without any self-pity and his writing is completely absorbing. Note: I liked his other books too, but think these are virtually flawless.)
“Don’t Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never- Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems” by David Rakoff: 83% (Great style, brilliant writing and bitingly funny. That said, the first essay (about immigrating to the US) was excellent, and there were a few other ones that were very good. But I can’t say the book grabbed me in it’s entirety. But, yes, still, a good read, overall.)
“Why I’m Like This: True Stories” by Cynthia Kaplan: 81% (Charming and well-written. Also funny and touching.)
Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters by Annie Choi (Very well-written, honest and funny and sometimes painful – especially her family encounters – both in the experience and how they continue to affect her.) 84%
“I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl ” by Laurie Notaro: 86% (Very funny. Very enjoyable. I like Notaro’s breezy writing style and some of her tales are hilarious. I have read all of her non-fiction books too, and although there were other good tales in the others, I thought this one was pretty much funny all around. Given that it’s her latest, I think that’s inspiring.)
“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace: 90% (Excellent. Fascinating, educational and often funny. The essay “Big Red Son” which centers around the AVN (porn) awards) was completely engrossing, enlightening, sometimes creepy, and very amusing.)
Add comment October 27, 2009
Reference Letters re: My Talks
I recently posted some reference letters for talks I’ve given in a slideshow on the “Speaking” page of this blog.
For reference, here is the slideshow compilation:
Add comment October 16, 2009
Adding Value on Twitter
I recently wrote the following piece for Marketline . (PDF of the article is here, btw. )
“Adding Value on Twitter“
Advice such as the frequent social media tip, “make sure to add value” often feels as daunting as “make a good impression” or, in my case, “don’t look so suspicious”.
Twitter is very much like street performing. You don’t have a captive audience, so you need to be as engaging as possible to get people to stop, watch the show and stick around.
Ask yourself, what can you offer that would be beneficial to others? If you make an effort to provide real content, you’ll give people more reason to pay attention – and see you as a person of “value”.
Consider:
- It’s not all about you. Understand that while you have an agenda for being on Twitter – no one else’s aim is to find you friends or send business your way. Don’t wax poetic about your life or to promote yourself ad nauseum.
- Examine your Bio/profile. Who you are is a big reason people follow you. Based on that, figure out what those people might want to learn or gain. And be sure to allow your personality to shine through. While what you say is important, how you say it is even more so.
- Share your experience. Understand that the social component is the beauty of this medium. It’s often about people helping people. Respond to questions when you can – even if they’re not specifically directed at you. If you’ve had an outstanding experience with a company or person – mention it. Did you recently go to an exceptional event or hear of a great cause? Allow others to benefit from what you’ve learned.
- Be clear. When you Retweet a message clarify why others should care. Begin your tweet with the explanation (“Insightful post!”, “I support this great cause” or “This article on marketing to chimps confounds me”).
- Don’t make it difficult. Consider the articles you read today that intrigued you or brilliant posts that you’ve bookmarked on Delicious.com sometime ago. Is there a blog you follow often because it is just that insightful – or even because it enrages you? Share your knowledge with the Twitosphere.
The online word is not so different than the offline one. You quickly tune out when someone is too self-aggrandizing or doesn’t say anything of interest to others. So, give others a reason to stay tuned in. And try not to look so suspicious.
2 comments September 29, 2009
Multiple Choice, Updates & Resources
This blog has been suffering neglect because (choose one):
a) I have been focusing on some work projects, my other blog, a book I’m writing and on speaking
b) I think the less I post here, the more mysterious I’ll be
c) It’s summer and I fear the heat my computer generates might contribute to global warming and possibly cause my apartment to implode.
d) I suck
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An update on me
- I recently did a presentation at the Vancouver Financial Services Marketing Meetup. My notes are below, and a video from that talk – as well a few talks I gave at “My Charity Connects” are on the Video page.
- I am currently compiling items for a media kit to better position myself as a speaker. If you’re looking for presenters, feel free to drop me a note.
- I have an Acting page up here as well – if that’s news to you, please feel free to take a look.
- I forgot to mention a “Week in Review” I did for One Degree
- And yes, I am working on a book (I am so unique!). It’ll likely be an e-book similar to my YourDoseofLunacy blog, but more focused on my experiences.
Good Reading Re: internet/film
- The NFB’s “7 Blogging Tips for Filmmakers“
- The last Filmmaker Magazine was chock full of great articles. Namely:
- An interview from “Fans, Friends and Followers” (article not available online, but book is) which lead me to this great resource from his site.(Note: If you’re Canadian, you might sadly wish to forgo CreateSpace purchasing for the following reason:
- Jon Reiss looks at DIY Web marketing.
- Lance Weiler explains why filmmakers are turning to torrent sites to build a community.
I tried to find out why the shipping fee of a small paperback from the US to Canada cost the same as that of a small anvil, but Customer Service at CreateSpace is not too helpful).
Add comment August 7, 2009
Some Social Media Tips
I’ll be presenting at the Vancouver Financial Services Marketing Meetup next week – and I figure I’d address some “best practices” in my talk. Here are a few (note: I wrote this originally for an online interview).
Tips
1) Communicate with people, don’t just use the sites as a 1-way bullhorn.
2) Be honest – if you’re affiliated with a product/company don’t pretend your endorsement comes out of the blue
3) Check out what people are saying about you and your company using Google Alerts and other tools
4) If you’re on Twitter, take the time to get to know people, to help and communicate. Self-promotion should be only a very small part of what you put out there.
5) Make social media a part of your life rather than trying to fit it in (e.g. make twittering and posting a natural extension of how you communicate)
How has Social Media helped me?
I have been asked to speak at conferences because people have come across my blogs. I’m excited when they’ve read my blogs beforehand because gives them an insight into who I am. Oddly enough, I’ve had a few people say they were booking me just as much for the fact that I’m funny as for my knowledge - they wanted someone who could brings humor to the presentation.
Biggest Mistakes
1) Ignoring it altogether – hoping it’s a fad
2) Seeing it as advertising rather than communication
3) Revealing too much – or two little (it’s beneficial to give people an idea of the person behind the business)
Best Networkers
They allow themselves to be 3-dimensional. They reveal some aspects of their personality and admit their mistakes. They naturally like people and genuinely want to have discourses and meet others. They give and add value to the community. I think a sense of fun and playfulness also helpful in the space.
Tips for success
1) Structure: You have to commit to whatever site or site(s) you’re networking on, commit to going there, to posting, and to communicating on a regular schedule. If you disappear for a long time people will figure you’ve left.
2) It takes time. You won’t suddenly get people throwing money at you. But if you invest your time you will eventually see the results of your efforts.
3) Think of it as networking at an event or party. You let your hair down a bit, and meet people and chat. Using the same example, parties don’t always lead to a business deal that evening, but nurturing the connections might eventually bear fruit.
4) Try to have fun with it – even though it is, in a sense, marketing. If you enjoy the communication, it will be less of a labor and more easy to incorporate into your life.
If I had to pick only 1 social network
Twitter. It’s faster and easier to communicate and generally more people see the message. Also you can incorporate other elements (link to pictures, blog posts etc.) I think you still need a blog, but you can communicate every day on Twitter, whereas you may not have the time or energy to write daily in-depth posts on your blog.
How to use
Use YouTube to showcase yourself briefly and to give others a chance to see “real life” you. Use Facebook as a general communication tool – it allows you to update your status, post videos, talk to people, organize events etc. Plus, most people are on it. Use Twitter to communicate a few times a day. Your blog is great for ideas, thoughts about your business/industry, to allow clients to keep up with you and your work and activities and for general longer-form communication than microblogs (e.g. Twitter).
What tips do you have re: best practices, that you think I should share?
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P.S. I recently did an interview with the Casual Encounters blog (primarily about my other blog)
5 comments July 6, 2009
Presentation for Chicks Who Click
I’ll be presenting “Twitter: Tweeting, Following and Finding” at the Chicks Who Click Conference. Here’s my slide deck, if you want to take a look.
I believe there are a few tickets left for the event, so you can still register if you want to attend.
Wish me luck!
3 comments June 26, 2009
Social Media Game for My Charity Connects
Last week, at the My Charity Connects conference, I conducted a game session based on Beth Kanter and David Wilcox’s Social Media Game (SMG).
Given that I only had about an hour and a half to describe the tools and play the game (and much less knowledge of the internal workings of nonprofits than the creators of SMG), I abbreviated the game significantly. In brief, I picked 8 tools to work with and requested each group respond to the following 3 questions:
1) How can this tool be used? (Within your organization or in general – can be as creative as you like)
2) What do you see as potential drawbacks to using this tool (within your organization or in general)?
3) Likewise, what are the benefits?
(You can find the cards, below, btw)
I took about 20-25 minutes to go through a speedy presentation about the 8 tools (Which included: Wikis, Social Bookmarking and Flickr) – including questions. Then the attendees got into groups of 3, 4 or 5 people to discuss.
Each group got 3 cards, of which they could pick 2 they wanted to focus on.
They had about 35 minutes to come up with answers.
For the last 25-30 minutes the attendees told us all what they had come up with.
It turned out well, I feel, in spite of the short timeframe – but given that circumstance, it also turned out very differently than I’d expected.
What ended up occurring was that, generally, a few people in the groups offered how they had been using a particular tool – which everyone else (myself included) found very inspiring. For instance, one nonprofit used delicious to organize the archive section of their website.
The attendees were given handouts, at the end, which contained all the “cards” (printed on regular paper), for their reference
Changes I’d make:
- probably use 4 tools, in that time-frame
- forget the drawbacks/benefit part and focus just on whether the org could use the tool and how
- Session attendees: Do you have any other thoughts for improvement?
P.S. Beth, thanks so much for writing about my version on your blog!
Cards:
1 comment June 16, 2009
And My Twitter Presentation today:
And you thought I was done talking. Never!
I’ll be presenting this at My Charity Connects today.
Once again, your positive thoughts help 
1 comment June 9, 2009
My Charity Connects – My Keynote Presentations & a Game of Sorts
Presenting these two talks at My Charity Connects today.
Think good thoughts!
1 comment June 8, 2009
