Archive for December 2009
Twitter Tweeples in My Community
It’s that time of year where I want to give credit to those who are due, if you haven’t looked at the Top 5 to watch in 2010, take look and be sure to keep an eye on them. In this list I want to recognize some people that are right here in my community, they are special people and are a complete joy to be with. You would be blessed by them should you decide to follow them, please take the time to get to know them.
I have had the privledge of meeting these fine folks at TweetUp’s or private meetings held over 2009, so here we go:
1.) @rickrake
2.) @kathleenrake
3.) @chrispenner
4.) @curtismchale
5.) @rondapayne
6.) @arnoneumann
7.) @keldiejamieson
8.) @rickshatto
9.) @tim_steeves
10.) @andrewkamphuis
11.) @drdavecurrie
12.) @ajdjservices
13.) @concept9
14.) @donners5
15.) @hshomestaging
16.) @flash
17.) @licesquad
18.) @kaerusgrp
19.) @BMGAuto
People in my area that I haven’t met, but would love too!
1.) @typefaster
2.) @frsrvalleypulse
3.) @miss604
4.) @artsyshell
5.) @compasscoaching
6.) @seanfunk
7.) @adrianeden
8.) @rossfbrown
9.) @bobsongs
10.) @fraservalleyEMN
11.) @GalaxyBowlAbb
12.) @kyegrace
There are more, Twitter and well, Social Media is not as popular up here in my Community but I’m working on that everyday. The most popular or most recognized person in Social Media circles in Vancouver is Rebecca Bollwitt (miss604), she is #4 on my Top 5 to watch in 2010.
I want to share these cool, no…great people with you, I hope you get to know them and maybe even meet them one day.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Top 5 People To Watch for in 2010
I recently took a small poll on Twitter and asked who you thought were THE people to keep eye on in 2010. People that are bubbling under and don’t have status or a high profile just yet in Social Media. Who do you keep going back to for information and help, they aren’t as popular as Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Brogan and the Jeff Pulver’s of the Internet.
So for fun, I have listed for you 5 people I keep a close eye on and I think they are going to make the jump from bubbling under to making a huge contrinbution to how we use, measure and interact in Social Media Networks. These people are not only smart but a lot of fun to chat with, hang with and I suspect do business with, I’ll let you be the judge of that though.
My Top 5 for 2010
1.) Olivier Blanchard – @thebrandbuilder – his website is packed with how to’s on figuring out Social Media ROI.
2.) Trey Pennington – @treypennington – He is making an impact through his work and his podcasts keep me coming back.
3.) Scott Gould – @scottgould – he is one of many responsible for the Likeminds conference in the UK, doing awesome work.
4.) Rebecca Bollwitt – @miss604 – A Canadian gal out of Vancouver, she is everywhere and shares a ton of great info.
5.) David Spinks – @davidspinks – Another sharp young man making inroads here online with a fresh look into Social Media.
If you have a Top 5 please leave a comment and tell us who you think we should watch in 2010!
The End Of The Job
Funny how things change over time, not funny HA HA but more in a amuzing curious way. The landscape has changed dramatically, the Internet has given us a new kind of freedom but not unlike Moses crying ” Let My People Go”! There has never been anything quite as liberating as the Internet, where else can you actually have true freedom of speech, the Internet that’s where. You can go anywhere you want for the most part and get information you could never get before. The Internet has allowed the Good, The Bad & The Ugly to flourish, it has also made it possible for you to consider the End of your Job.
On September 19th, 1994 Fortune Magazine released a William Bridges article called, ” The End Of The Job”. It was in the October edition. He was ahead of his time sort of, there’s no way he could see what is happening with a thing called Social Media today. And I quote from the heading of his article:
” THE END OF THE JOB As a way of organizing work, it is a social artifact that has outlived its usefullness. Its demise confronts everyone with unfamiliar risks – and rich opportunities”.
He could never have known how partly right he was back then 15 years ago. But he was also very, very wrong, technology (computers) didn’t save us time at all, they merely made it possible to get more done in a day. Hence, we work longer hours and we try to increase productivity or results, but have we? I’m not certain we are that much better off, we still don’t have the lifestyle he claimed back then, so what happened?
One thing technology or the Internet has done, it gave us a platform to truly see the end of the job come to fruition. The rules of success haven’t changed, you still have to work hard and invest the time to see the results you envisioned, and the lifestyle you dream of. But do we really stop working a job, or do we just trade one work for another? Is it possible to truly do nothing and feel fulfilled, actually know you contributed, were useful, and felt utilized by something meaningful. Social Media environments have opened the door for all of us to make a difference and have a voice. You may even be able to change what the end of the job means to you.
I shared this article back in 2002 to a large crowd and they thought I was nuts, so I directed them just like I’m directing you now…go read the article and form your own opinion, what does the article say to you?
Here’s the link: THE END OF THE JOB
Best Buy Your Customer Service Sucks!
Yet another example of how the little things drive me nuts when it comes to customer service. This may not be a big deal to you but I think it is from a customer service perspective.
I had the privilege of taking a young lady out to buy a brand new Laptop, her old one decided to sleep full-time so a replacement had to be found. I took her to every computer store in my community and we also stopped at the Brand New Best Buy store, it’s only been open for a couple months. We found a cute little Mini HP, it was pink and she just loved it, had to have it. We stood around for at least 10 minutes before I finally flagged a young fella down and asked if they had this model in stock. We waited longer as he had to go back to check, then he got snagged by another customer. By this time a different sales rep asked if we needed help and I told him that guy over there was helping us but he appears to be busy. He went over and was told they did not have the computer in stock, they only had the demo available, I said no thanks I want one out of the box please. He said sorry we don’t have one and started walking away. I asked, does one of your other stores have this model in stock? His response was I don’t know, I said, can’t you call them? He said sure I can do that.
As you can see this is starting to go down hill. He left and we walked around for another few minutes, he came back and said the line was busy and he would try back in a couple minutes. No worries I said. Then 10 minutes went by and he was nowhere to be found, I went back to where we last talked to him and he came out of the stock room and I snagged him again. He said, OK I’ll try again and left us again.
A short time later he stumbled out and told us that the Langley store had three in stock. You can guess my next question, great, can you have one shipped here for us? He said, we don’t do that. WHAT! I exclaimed, your kidding right? He said I would have to drive to Langley to buy the Laptop. Stunned by this news jokingly I said thank you for nothing. The other store is 40 minutes away so we decided we would go the next day but still couldn’t believe that they won’t do a small thing like send a Mini HP Laptop to another store. Is that not supposed to be good customer service, go the extra mile and all that stuff. I know they have inter store courier service, why not put a computer with the same courier?
The next day I was still miffed, the story is, I drove to Langley and bought the Laptop. I still have to buy an external Optical Drive for this laptop, but I won’t buy it from Best Buy for fear I might have to drive to another town to get it.
Best Buy Your Customer Service Sucks!
P.S.
Be sure to Read Danny Brown’s article here!
Do Something That Matters
It’s easy to get caught up in the Christmas Spirit, we suddenly get nice and more helpful at this time of year than any other time, why is that? I know, I know, don’t get your stuff in a knot. I’m generalizing but let’s be honest, we tend to focus on ourselves or our immediate families most of the time. I want to share a true story with you, no it’s not the story of how I met your Mother. I will try to protect the innocent.
Once upon a time…… there was a girl, she was 13 and was very confused, she was being abused in all the ways you can possibly imagine. She ended up living on the streets, selling drugs, doing drugs, and prostitution became her daily routine. This little girl found herself at the age of 19 and nothing had changed, no prospects of anything changing. That was until someone took a vested interest in her, saw someone desperately wanting something very different than what she dreamed of living.
This someone told her about a program to get her straight and on the right track. This little girl didn’t believe it and didn’t think she was worth it. Imagine going through life thinking that what you were doing was as good as it was going to get.
I have found, that when life gets to be too much, you have to give back more to life and to those around you. To put things into perspective, LIFE is not a thing on a shelf, life is more about the people you associate with, it’s the people you chose know. These are people you carve out your life with, sometimes we make poor choices and sometimes we end up somewhere we didn’t have a clue we were going to happen. Sometimes, we choose to carve out a life with the wrong people, people that aren’t healthy for us. That’s what happened to this little girl, she trusted people she thought her friends, people that were to be her guardians. They didn’t, they abused her, got her hooked and messed up, took what was to be a great future and the kind of life she was hoping to have.
Without going into details I’ll tell you where this young lady is at today. Three years ago she entered a Program, she became a Christian and has been clean for those three years. Not only has she been clean, she has been loved and treated like someone special, that never happened before. Through her walk with God, being off drugs and not selling her soul to strangers, some new challenges arrived and give her more work to do. She has A.D.D. and is struggling with temptation, to do things that are not good for her. You are getting the picture now aren’t you?
Today this young girl is now living with a loving, caring family, they are giving her what she has never truly had, a Mother & Father. I told you this story because I wanted to make you stop and think about others. Think about them all the time not just at Christmas.
You may not be in a position to take on someone who has gone through a rehabilitation program or is in need, but, you can always help by donating your time and money. I encourage you, no, I implore you to do something that matters, make a difference in someones life and in the life you were born to live. Don’t just wait for Christmas to do it, make it an ongoing mission.
You’ve heard me say it and I’ll say it again, How many people are better off because you lived?