Testing WordPress from my iPhone

Just seeing how easy it is to post with the iPhone app.

Don’t burn bridges redux

A few months ago I wrote about the importance of not burning bridges in your professional career.  I updated the advice to share with Lindsay Olson’s audience as a guest writer. You can read the updated post on her blog.

If you’re a PR pro looking for your next gig, check out Lindsay’s company, Paradigm Staffing.  Even better, start talking to them when you aren’t looking for a job.

Sincerity and social media

Social media allows people to stay in contact with more people more easily than they were previously able to.  This is wonderful for sharing conversations, thoughts, the minutiae of daily lives, but I’ve recently run into a place where it doesn’t work well. Death.

My aunt recently lost her battle with cancer after a 22 year battle.  We miss her terribly.  Cancer eventually got her, but from the time when she was first diagnosed 22 years ago, she was able to watch her five children grow up, and meet nine of her grandchildren. Along the way she hosted innumerable parties and celebrations in her home and in addition to her own children found time to always help out others as well.  This includes her and my uncle opening their home to me when I first moved back to SF after college and didn’t have a place to live yet.

In addition to talking to several of her children, my cousins, regularly I am friends with them on Facebook.   When she passed away, it didn’t seem right to post a comment on their page about it and when I saw people that did, it seemed almost trite. Yes, the people on the page were offering condolences but it was lumped into a “wall feed,” along with “I ate cheerios for breakfast,” and “TODAY IS GOING SO SLOW AT WORK!!!.”

My point is context.  Think of the context in how you reach out to people.  Take the time to write a note. Call. Do something with them.  Social media is great, but there are times when you have to break through the fourth wall and be real.

 

Social Media Club Sacramento

Since last March, I’ve been part of the group that puts on events for the Social Media Club of Sacramento. The mission of the Social Media Club is to:

  1. Expand Media Literacy
  2. Share Lessons Learned Among Practitioners
  3. Encourage Adoption of Industry Standards
  4. Promote Ethical Practices through Discussion and Actions

We’ve been trying to do that all year with monthly meetings with topics such as “Pray for Social Media:  Social Media & Religion,” “Social Crime,” and “Social Media in Education.”  This week our focus was nonprofits and “Social Media for the Social Good.”

A full recap of the meeting is up at the Sacramento Press.  In December, we’re having a joint event with SacTweetUp that will be more about celebration than education. We’ll get back to regular meetings in January and are planning a sull slate of interesting and educational topics.

Some of the topics we’re looking at including are:

  • Social Media for Small Businesses
  • Social Media & Relationships
  • Social Media & the Law; and
  • Social Media & The Media.

We’ll come up with snazzy names later. If you have a topic you would like to see us address let us know. You can always find us on Twitter @SMCSac.

 

Local Comm Firm 3Fold in the Wall Street Journal!

Local communications firm 3Fold Communications was included in a lengthy article in the Wall Street Journal today, in an article focusing on theft and robberies of offices during business hours.  The main takeaway from the article, if you see someone in the office you don’t know, say hi, see what they say back.

Also, for the photo accompanying the article, the staff was apparently told to look “defiant.”

Image from Wall Street Journal