Friday Fun: Must-Tweet TV

Like all social activities, television-watching demands compromise. People may have strong ideas about what they want to watch, but what they really want to do is watch together. - The Economist

I am a huge Grey's fan. So are my friends. We don't get to watch it together. But we watch it together. Chirping Blackberry phones, FB status updates and comments, tweets. The experience of watching tv with friends all across the country and around the world has the ability to create an almost cult-like experience, in real time and in post-time. You can collectively cheer, gnash teeth and cry because you're connected and it no longer is a solitary experience with you and your ice cream. It's that whole communal element that made tv so popular in the first place.

NBC recently revealed its new social initiative on its MyNBC platform. ABC, which is the network which created Grey's Anatomy needs to get us on board!!! Ah. No need to get off the couch and go anywhere. And though we don't get Hulu videos here, the idea of social tv is one which works for this generation of social networkers who love tv and who live for exciting season finales. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my fave shows with friends who feel the exact same way about the show, because it's not the same when your husband or boyfriend is forced to watch it with you because of blackmail. It's just not the same.

Does the lean-forward expe­ri­ence, inter­ac­tiv­ity and backchan­nel chat­ter of social net­works have a place in the tightly con­trolled, lean-back world of tele­vi­sion? - JD Lasica

The answer is a resounding yes!

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Friday Fun: Log Out, Shut Down, Roll Out

As you know on Friday, it's typical to keep it humorous here. This is a viral campaign from last year from Sony VAIO - a real tongue in cheek ad campaign for a laptop, with a reverse psychology spin. Listen closely and ask yourself, Should I be in this meeting? Am I one of these people?

Social media has changed the face of communications.The basic tenets of what we do in PR are still there - things like face-to-face interactions, building relationships, interesting credible content, for example. What social media has done is enhance how we do these and create more opportunities where and how we do them.

Personally, it has changed how I communicate with friends and how we share with each other, but I still like a good girls' night out, and dinners and vacations. It has just made experiences more colourful, in more ways than one. Yet, I don't think I am eligible to be part of this group.

Are you able to log out, shut down and roll out?

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Why I am not a Texter

Yesterday, my friend, Sandy referenced an article on text messaging monsters and I admit, I am not a texter. I am somewhat of an unresponder, though when I do respond I apologise for the delay. I will send a text now and then, if I am in a meeting or especially if I am abroad because roaming is not cheap. But I am not one of those people who set their phone in their sights, waiting to hear that tell-tale alert, or to see it vibrate, so they can...POUNCE on it - knowing it's a reply from a friend or colleague. In the same vein, I am not much of a BBMer. Sure, it's free but I cannot lock down my life to a mobile phone and some people really do it. You check their status updates and they change it everyday and their photos change everyday. It is their form of expression and self representation, sure, but my God!

So my friends don't send me texts because I am not a good responder to them, nor to BBMs. I am often on the road when I do have that valuable "phone/bonding time", so this is another reason I am not married to my phone's keypad. While talking on the phone while driving is dangerous as it is, what can be more hazardous than keypad punching and driving? I have tweeted while driving but it's usually in slow moving traffic (which is like every afternoon...hello?)

Don't get me wrong though. I am not a text hater. I do understand that the text or BBM may be urgent or maybe you have no credit or you're in a meeting and cannot call so you can only send a text or IM. So I will respond. But when you want to sit wherever you are, bored or obsessed, and want to hold an entire conversation about the state of your love life or the state of the world, via this channel, well...I am not interested. I have, on many occasions, once recognising that this is the road I am  being dragged down, just ended the text-a-thon and called the person. It's easier, it's more convenient for me and less annoying.

And I am guessing that there are other people who feel the same way. The above was just my personal take on text messaging as communication, but there are some very real issues around the keypad obsession.

For instance, a local union is now debating the resignation of one of its executive members. While the contents of the correspondence have not been divulged and I am not sure what was sent, at the centre of the argument is a text message.

The text message has made information readily accessible to persons, especially by way of B2C marketing. I regularly get updates from my mobile provider about new promotions and events, which I appreciate, once they don't start creeping across the thin line between useful information and spam. We have started using SMS to communicate with staff internally, sending updates on important issues and leading them back to the intranet or to an email, which as you know, tends to get lost in the daily maelstrom.

However, some people also believe that texting and now BBMing are ruining the way we communicate with others. We prefer to text rather than call. Our lingo and language have been impacted by the abbreviations which come with short messaging. Common courtesies seem to have flown the coop with previously face-to-face "transactions" such as job terminations and  Dear John/Jill "letters" being completed via mobile phones. The same is being said of social media, but is it really impacting our relationships negatively? I will admit, I do prefer a phone call over a text message for casual conversation and I don't text birthday greetings to friends either, preferring to call close friends. But I believe it is how you use it and how much of it you allow to pervade your life. The technology can be used to sustain relationships and make relationships more accessible, regardless of geography for example. But it does not have to be all consuming and that is just my overarching statement when it comes to any type of technology or new media. The control still resides with us as individuals.

So don't hate me cause I am not a keypad ninja! Are you though? Are you one of those text messaging monsters?

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The Offline Community

When I had just graduated from school, armed with my degree, and with hopes for the future, little did I know my future would be months and months away. Noone tells you that the degree is not really the key to the kingdom. That was never part of the "Once Upon A Time" story. In any event, hard reality set in as well as boredom, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had gotten some feedback from one HR recruiter and of course, they were looking for someone experienced. No problem. I got it. I however asked whether I could be considered as a volunteer - no salary, just to learn the ropes. It would have been an awesome experience, because it was an international organisation, and one I always had dreams of working for, and the chance to learn first hand about the industry was too tempting to not ask. I was certainly not getting the experience sitting at home watching Oprah and though not getting paid was not my ideal situation (man cannot live on bread alone), I was still willing to get out there for free, and get my feet wet, do the drudge work, make copies, fax - but get a feel for what made the PR team in an organisation such as that one, tick.

The short, though resounding answer to an equally short question was "no", which even then was mind blowing to me. It still is.

I eventually got a job I was not excited about, and which had nothing to do with communications or marketing, but my boss recognised where my true interests were and would put me on related projects with the Marketing team, who were more than willing to use me and pimp me out and I was more than willing to be used and pimped. I eventually got a job in PR 3 months later.

...but it begs the question, how are organisations or associations really helping young people to get the experience they need and to encounter the hard realities that this job is not as glamorous as they think it may be? Or any other job for that matter. I have had interns who, it was clear, really needed the internship experience to understand that the divide between school and the workplace is very wide. And especially with PR, there is a conception that it's glam - you're in the paper, or on television, or you go to all sorts of events and hob nob. You give them a task like faxing media releases, or getting feedback from customers, who may sometimes be irate, and they are aghast that THIS is what you want them to do. Well, THIS is usually it. It's often fun, and often not. Are we preparing students for the realities that await them?

What was your first job experience like? Was it paid or was it voluntary? What is your organisation doing to ease fresh faced, eager graduates into the real world?

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The ME brand

We seem to be quite content to be branded in one way or another. My brother is a brand whore, and God knows I cannot shop for him because he only wears the expensive urban brands. I'm a MAC girl and love their makeup. You may just be a Mac person, in love with all things Apple. I have seen more than one car here branded with the "Keep Walking" brand logo from Johnnie Walker, so we do brand ourselves. But do we really sell the most important brand there is? The ME brand. To me, that's an invaluable commodity but do others see it the same way?

I'm not sure if people are truly paying attention to their personal brand here in T&T, or rather not enough people. We sell the concept of the brand, yes but at the corporate level and as part of a corporate product or service marketng machinery. But what about the investment in our skills, our capabilities, our professionalism, our talents? How many of us are selling and truly pimping ourselves out? Are you?

It may seem easier to just be part of the bigger picture type branding, to just fall into a prepared strategy. But in fact, if one is confident in one's expertise, then the selling is much easier. But are you selling yourself?

There are great instances of personal brands here in various sectors. Machel is a brand for example. People have come to expect a certain type of performance from him, one that is high energy, high quality and original. You never expect to go to a Machel performance and hear him singing other people's songs. So he is doing it, he is working it and his brand is a strong one. We now need to take the concept of personal branding from that sphere to our personal situations because people hear branding and somehow they never equate it to their own professional circumstances, which is where we probably lose sight of its relevance.

And in much the same way you make a distinction between a Carib and a Heineken, one must ask oneself, "what sets me apart from Jill or John?" What is your feature benefit? In what ways do you bring or add value to a team or to a project? Is your brand consistent and reliable? Are you dependable and bring your A-game more times than not?

Personal branding is not about logos and slogans but more about the intangible benefits which you can deliver. But first you have to have something to sell and not just any product but a damn good product. So take the time to

• develop a brand statement that speak to you and what you have to offer
• develop your expertise in your chosen area 
• gather feedback from your peers about how you are perceived
• examine your track record and identify your strengths and weaknesses; harness your strengths, work on the weaknesses
• build credibility and a solid "customer" base which can defend your brand
• be visible - set yourself apart from the crowd 
• have a vision of what you are and where you want to be; clear cut goals
• have a plan of how you intend to get there
• execute the plan

Remember:

When you're promoting brand You, everything you do -- and everything you choose not to do -- communicates the value and character of the brand. Everything from the way you handle phone conversations to the email messages you send to the way you conduct business in a meeting is part of the larger message you're sending about your brand. - FastCompany.

(And I did touch on how our other social media activities for example, can impact the personal brand here and here. )

So it's not that we don't understand the concept of branding but we don't think it applies to us for some reason and it's time we start focusing on how we can develop strong brands and not just promoting the brands of others. By consciously working on deevloping your brand, you are consciously working on developing your product, your service, actively examining how to improve your skills and ultimately, yourself.

So the next time you choose Coke over Pepsi, or vice versa, ask yourself why did I do that because in today's world, you're either a Coke or a Pepsi, and someone will have a preference based on what's on offer and how well it is sold to them.

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Guest Post: Social Media, "the ultimate stormer"

As promised, there is a guest post today, in response to my post on social media and how it impedes, or rather, is allowed to impede upon life experiences and moments that a couple years ago, we revelled in, and enjoyed in its essence. This is a topic that resonates with a lot of people and I am glad to have another perspective. Thanks to GWTO for his take on how the social media phenomenon is taking over our lives. (You can also follow him out on Twitter: @gwto)



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I read the "Social Media - The other ball and  chain" post on this blog, and I found myself nodding along with it, simply because it put into words exactly what I've been thinking for a long time. Facebook has indeed become "the ultimate stormer, wedding crasher and boldfaced guest."

But it got me thinking about my ultimate pet peeve: people who take photos at sporting events and concerts. For full disclosure, I will point out that I've been guilty of this up until a year ago. And I'm not against the concept of people taking photos at these things per se. It's the people who do it incessantly. The people who spend long periods of time snapping, looking down at the viewfinder, and snapping again, thus beginning a long cycle of snapping, then looking down, snapping, then looking down, snapping then looking down before you feel the urge to rip the camera from their fingers and scream at them, "Look at the stage/field/court!" And don't even get me started on the people who take video of the event and upload ridiculously poor quality ten second clips to Youtube.

But I digress.

The truth is that it really doesn't bother me during the event itself. But it's the professional photos afterwards that suffer. Let's take a look at Steven Gerrard's goal celebration during Liverpool's 4-1 mauling of Manchester United last season at Old Trafford. Gerrard scored and celebrated in front of Manchester United's support, so you would expect to see angry faces in the crowd behind him as he kissed the camera.



But look at the woman on the left and the man in between Gerrard and the camera. Did that goal stab them through the heart? No. They don't care. They just wanted the best shot possible so they could go home, upload it, and sit patiently waiting for people to "like" it.

So I've vented and I've plugged Liverpool Football Club. You might wonder what my point is, and what this has to do with Social Media. And the answer? Not much. But if you take anything away from this post, let it be this: Social Media is great, wonderful, and fantastic. But don't let it interfere with the special experiences in real life. If you're at a wonderful event, you really don't need to record every moment of it. I promise you that they'll stay in your memories. Honestly. They will. Leave the photography to the professionals.

And, (shameless plug alert) while you're at it you should take part in my Project 2010. :-)

(Photo from the Telegraph; www.telegraph.co.uk)

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Social Media: The other ball and chain

I remember the days when you could go to dinner with your girlfriends or go to the mall or take a nap, without a camera phone in your face. You would get home and not have to worry that already you had been tagged by Mary in 8 photos. Life used to be so simple then. You socialised without socialising. That is, you went out and enjoyed the concept of going out and catching up and having a good time and did not get lost in the tomorrow of "I need to share this with my network" or "This will make a great profile photo". These days Facebook does not even need an invitation or to RSVP. It's the ultimate stormer, wedding crasher and boldfaced guest.

You went out and did not tweet where you were. You just went out, stayed out, did uour thing and came back home. You did not have to worry about being caught on video in the supermarket or on the promenade. You did not have to ask a friend not to post that photo or tag you, or email them to ask them to take a photo down. One friend did not want to share the best day of her life with thousands of strangers and asked her friends who had posted her wedding photos not too long after the wedding, to please take them down. Some people do have the love affair with social media, some people don't.

I remember when not everything was everyone else's business.

I don't go everywhere with a camera or use my camera phone to catch every single moment. Shucks. My camera seems to only leave the house when I am on my way to the airport and some work-free environment. I enjoy hearing the jokes and tales from friends and not missing a single detail because I was foraging around in my bag for my camera phone so I could upload yet another photo to Facebook or Twitter, or make a video. I do have albums on Facebook, of vacations and special occasions or random crap, but I don't have scores of albums to memorialise every car trip, every birthday party, every dinner, every beach lime I have ever gone to. I don't sit at the dinner table with my smartphone checking tweets or emails. I like looking into the faces of friends and hearing their laughter and being wholly part of the moment. And if I don't have tons of photos to remember the occasion, or some means to let my network know that the steak was spectacular, that's okay.

I am old school that way. And though part of my job is social media - a big part - it's not my life either! Are you bound by the old ball and chain when it comes to social networks? Don't get me wrong - we all know the impact it has had on us and I will be the first to admit that social media is awesome awesome awesome. But oh gosh, who is the master and who is the "servant"?

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Social Dating Adventures: Part 1

My Facebook friends would know all about this because I admonish people enough about it. So you put up a profile photo - it's nice looking, a full head shot of you looking relaxed and a bit cute. You maybe trawl the FBsphere commenting on notes, on friends' statuses or photos and their friends follow suit and oh, someone notices the comment above theirs, notices the profile photo and thinks, "wow, that girl is hot" and they click on your photo, get your abridged profile, because you know about privacy settings, and then send you a Friend Request.
 
If you're looking for a date online, this may work for you. If not, it becomes annoying. (I am annoyed)
 
But more and more people are using social media for dating. It's no longer merely online dating, but social  dating and I decided to do a social experiment this weekend with the new tools. So I did a search for "facebook dating" and got 5 recommendations

 

• Zoosk
• Are you Interested?
• Flirt Wall
• Best Match
• Most Eligible Single

 
After the first 2 experiments, I did not even bother with the last 3, but I added the apps for the first 2 and created profiles.
 
Zoosk allows you to connect with people in your local neighbourhood, up to 160km/miles away (I forget), so this meant I was going to be matched up with Trini men. It allows you to add ice breaker questions, which you can ask your prospective "date" to gauge whether you have anything in common. Being as anal as I am, I had 25 ice breaker questions, but this was supposed to be an experiment, right? In less than 5 minutes, I had 5 notes in my Zooskbox, 10 views. I thought, "damn, there are some SERIOUS people out there". Not many of these dudes seemed to be capable of starting a conversation or doing much beyond sending winks. But there was one dude who answered every single question and clearly showed he was interested. Sadly, I was not. I noticed a few of my friends also used the application, though how actively I am not sure. In any event, by the next day, I had deleted my account and removed the application because the bevy of strange looking men winking at me (including the 63 yr old grandfather from Arima) was too much for my senses. "Co-founder Shayan Zadeh said that the site's platform is the digital equivalent of going out to a bar with friends and meeting new people." And he's not lying. It's the same sort of thing, just without the smoke, loud music and consistent leering. So don't let anyone dissuade you from trying it cause in actuality, it is not that much different to meeting someone in real life!

The other application, "Are You Interested?" was more of a meat market than the first. Where Zoosk opens you up to local men, this one opened you up to the universe. So again, in less than 5 minutes I had 28 Likes from men as far as Israel and Finland. This one was not as "social" or I should say you had to fork out money to be social, so you could not send notes or even read notes unless you paid. This one survived for about 5 hours before it was deleted and removed.
 

So while it may not be for everybody, social dating is real. And not only is it real, but the person next to you in the taxi or in the next cubicle may be a social dater. The days of online romantic interactions being a joke, or for the lonely and desperate seem to be long gone. Now with social media networks, it really has become an extension of what you do everyday anyway, just with a purpose - pimping yourself out for love. Pretty much as I wrote yesterday about pimping yourself out for a job, many people are using social media to find that special someone and creating a personal brand that they hope would be appealling and attractive to a potential mate. I have friends who have met their husbands via online dating. Social media just increases the odds for the romantic at heart, with greater visibility and opportunity to find THE ONE. So though you may not know it or never really thought about it this way, online or social dating is pretty much creating and strengthening your personal brand, engaging your "customers" who in this case are your dating pool to get best results! You marketer, you!
 
Some people are also using social media to do other things - some less savoury than others. I know some of you know about these.
 

• You meet a guy, you think he's cute, you get home and what do you do? You know the answer! You go search for him on Facebook. Maybe it you're really serious, you send him a friend request hoping he will accept it.
• You use the newly discovered Facebook profile to stalk this person - find out where he is working, look at his photos, see who he hangs out with, what he did this weekend etc
• You check out what your ex is doing now and stew in your angry juices because he is tagged in photos with other girls, looking very happy too I might add.
• You wonder why your co-worker's status says "In a Relationship" while her boyfriend's says "Single".
• You update your status or send tweets which should not be out there in the public domain in the first place, denigrating the girl you think is with your boyfriend, or the ex.

 
The implications of social media and dating are endless and just way too much to discuss, but here is a great post on rules for social media dating. It was hilarious and sadly, I know people who break these rules. 
 
So anyway, I thought I would just take a load off and delve into this exciting new world of romantic interactions via new media. This one I may try this weekend, if time permits, and post my review next week (you know I love a good review). But technology is just taking us places we never knew we could go, isn't it? It's both amusing and intriguing. I hope you guys would try some of them out too and let me know what you thought.

Here is a great article about social dating and an interview with a guy who found his love via new media.

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High School Reunion, Part Deux

Though we have been dragging our feet a bit, a few friends and I are trying to get our high school class together after wow...years! Facebook was the catalyst because it was through Facebook that we got reconnected with each other. And it is also through Facebook that we are attempting for a second time to have a reunion before we hit 60!

The first time we just had a discussion board and that was it. Just a lot of back and forth via a disussion board. How exciting could that have been, right? This time, I am hoping that I could utilise the tools we have today to full effect to make people excited about it and get flights booked, tickets bought and diets started. lol.

I recorded a hurried podcast this morning for the ladies, but it would be nice to use social media for something other than work for a change and engage people and hopefully get them excited about something that should matter to them. Selling something that matters to you personally is always more fun, isn't it? And having something other than work to explore ideas on is also a great stress buster and sanity saver.

Looking forward to it! And I will let you know, if you want to know, how it goes. Ideas are always welcome though.

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Friday Break

I have peeves but have decided to not peeve today but just be.

I had started taking the ferry a couple days a week to save energy - both my energy and gas. I must admit, I really appreciated the mornings I did not drive to work. Not only could I steal a couple extra minutes of sleep, but I could catch up on my reading while I waited for my ride. And people watch. Sometimes we get caught up with work and the simple things get lost. I was talking with some colleagues a couple weeks ago and one guy remarked that he had no time to read anymore. His boss told him you have to make the time and in fact he carries a book with him wherever he goes, because ultimately, there are always pockets of time when you have nothing to do. That's when he reads. That's also what I do. So when I wait for my ride home, that's when I usually catch up with my reading. And at the salon. At the airport. At the car wash. At the mechanic's. I will either have something light like a novel, or I would read my communications/marketing magazines and journals. Sometimes I come across blog entries about social media or PR or marketing etc, that I really want to read and just don't have the time during the work day, so I save them and print them to read during one of these pockets. And that's how I keep up with the world,and  keep my mind from turning into frazzled brain cells. And I can also keep up with what other people are doing work-wise, get insights and ideas for my own work and questions to investigate further. I really had come to appreciate those days, more than even I realised.

You simply cannot work every second of the day and I commented on a blog recently where the young lady, also in comms, was so overwhelmed with work that she started bawling. You have to make time to recharge. You just have to or you are of no use to anyone. Fridays are often tough days for me with regard to creativity and sanity because after 4 days of early mornings, traffic etc, I am knackered. But Fridays are also the mornings after Grey's Anatomy and I have a loyal GA following on Facebook, where I review each episode with much glee (big up to my GA peeps!). It is not just for their reading pleasure but also another way of using and in this case, creating a pocket of time that is mine. I have started back working out every afternoon (used to be mornings) as another stress buster. But one has to make the time.

So how and when do you create pockets of time to recharge your batteries during the work week?

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The Two Face Dilemma with Social Media

I came upon a really timely and interesting blog entry yesterday, because it is something that impacts me and I am sure some of you as well. With social media being everywhere, including in business, one has to seriously think about the identities which one has online and how it impacts your professional and personal lives. I blogged on this already but felt a need to "wheel and come again". Most people would have started off with a personal Facebook profile or a personal blog. That's how I started. Then companies started getting involved in social media and the landscape changed from being just about "me" and more about "us", and especially in a case where you are actively involved or recognised professionally, your social media profiles probably need a review. Not only that, but there is greater convergence of the personal and professional.


I have several social media identities, between work and play-

• Blogs - this one is more professional while I have others, which are more personal in nature
• Twitter - a healthy balance of the two
• LinkedIn - I don't know if there is any other way to use LinkedIn other than personal branding for business and professional networking
• Flickr/Photobucket - personal
• Facebook - my profile here is strictly personal

But here is the rub. I also manage a few professional profiles on YouTube, Flickr and of course, Facebook. Before pages came along, one had groups and if any of you have a group, you would know that when you send messages to your members, regardless of the name of the group, your personal profile photo and your name go out with the message. I cannot tell you (though my friends would know cause I complain about it enough) how many people I do not know personally, but whom I would probably interact with via my groups' activities, send me friend requests. Some may want to keep me close as a company insider for when they want assistance and some may just want a date, which sadly seems to be the usual reason. Not only that, but you have to then be mindful of the photo you have up. Can you imagine getting a message from an organisation you're following and the admin's photo is of him/her in a bikini/speedo, with a beer bong, and a spliff? How would that inspire you?

Now while I support networking and social media for business especially should heartily support interaction, am I willing to let customers and interested persons into my personal space? I say, without hesitation, no. With pages, I now can interact with customers from a strictly corporate profile which keeps the lines firmly in place and you can still contact me directly.

My personal spaces are for personal things. I don't want to share my vacation photos, my notes, my status updates about all my craziness with people I do not know personally. And you do continue to meet people in the course of doing business and they may want to "friend" you on Facebook, but those relationships are also different to the ones I have with the people who are my friends on Facebook. So do I have a professional Facebook page, for this purpose - without personal family photos, videos and the like? Do I ask you to become a Fan of my professional Page? Sure I think I am awesome but the word "fan" has this connotation and I am not that vain to think I am SO popular or SO interesting that I would attract "fans".

This is not to say that I would not become friends with people I form virtual relationships with. Not at all. I think social media allows for rich interactions which you may not have via the traditional channels. I DO have people I have met through work on my profile - once I have developed that relationship with them. I DO sometimes share stuff that is non-work related on my blog or in my not so personal spaces. And at the same time, I DO harness my personal profile for work sometimes, by sharing work stuff, asking for feedback or running ideas past them (and many thanks to my fab friends for being so supportive). So where does one draw the line then?

I try now to use what I have to network professionally. So LinkedIn and Twitter work for me right now and I have had great interactions there thus far.. My Facebook, let me say it right now, is off limits for people I do not know personally, or even people I work with. I do not subsrcibe to mixing my professional life with my personal life. And my Facebook profile is still not half as bad as some of the profiles I know are out there - with sexy profile photos, status updates about their sex lives and fetishes etc - and which are open and welcoming to colleagues, suppliers, bosses. Do you want to update your profile, which your boss has access to, saying that you're in Tobago when you called in sick that day? Scary stuff, man. I see some things sometimes and cringe. Not only that but I know of people who have unwittingly lost a chance at a job or a business opportunity because of stuff on their personal profiles, which they have opened to the masses.

But it's just different. Your personal voice and your corporate voice. Your personal profile and your corporate profile. Different but not separate. They still, I think are interwoven, especially if you are a marketer who really forms great, personal relationships with clients. Customers rarely want an autobot, do they? But as social media continues to permeate our lives, the lines will continue to get more and more blurred. You just have to decide where, when and IF you want to draw hard lines of demarcation.

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I Heart Putting Words Together

Chris Brogan wrote about his love for blogging and it's been something I have been thinking about myself for a couple weeks. I have been blogging for about 8 years now, though this blog is a recent one, a public one and more work-related in comparison to my others.

I love writing in general. I think I always have. I was never good at Mathematics or science based subjects (blech!) but I always loved English (later French) and writing stories and expressing myself in words. I first realised I was kinda good at it when I was in primary school and I would get gold stars in Composition and would have my teacher read my essays to the class. I  conducted my very first interview for print back then as well. I was 10.

When the borough of San Fernando was elevated to city status, there was an essay competition and while the details are now foggy (c'mon now...you expect me to propel my grey matter that far back??), my teacher selected me to be one of the 2 girls to enter. The essay had to be about the city, its people, its history and my essay was going to be on Rodney Wilkes, who sadly, was not well known (probably still isn't, which is a travesty). We all knew about Hasely Crawford (also from San Fernando) being the first Olympic gold medallist (and only thus far) for Trinidad and Tobago, but Rodney Wilkes was the first T&T medallist ever. Period. I remember going to his house one lunchtime, which was not too far from school, sitting in his living room, asking him lots of questions, seeing his medals and trophies, and old photos and hearing his story. I wrote it all down, put it in an essay and on City Day I was awarded a certificate, presented to me by the Mayor, in front of hundreds of people, for having one of the best essays from all the entries. I would love to read that essay today, if it even exists still. Maybe one day I will go find it, if they have not burnt all those City Day memorabilia.

But, yes. I love writing and as Chris said, it's something you have to do regularly, if you want to keep your mind constantly regenerating itself and creating new ideas, and to improve. It's like anything else - sports, music, cooking. It takes practice to get better. And when you write, you ultimately have to read. I don't know of anyone who writes in a vacuum. With this blog, even though it's my ramblings, I still have to read - I am forced to make time to read and keep up with the world because sometimes work...life gets in the way of little things like that. So kudos to my blog for keeping me less ignorant in the face of early mornings, busy days, tired weekends.

At work, it's not always the stuff I am passionate about writing about, but I do have to write at work.  Still, with communications one has to be mindful of who the audience is, and adapt to suit their knowledge level, their background and other intrinsic details that can make or break the message. It gets a little more complicated at work, but I guess it still comes a little easier to me than to most.

I have encouraged friends to blog because experiences are so varied and can make for such great stories, sharing, networking. Some have gotten married and moved away, to new environments, experiencing culture shock even. I (via my blog) would be all over that! Sometimes time is against us but it is probably my one passion - writing. I use my breakfast time to scribble, or in this new age, type. Some people claim blogging is dead, with the advent of micro blogging but I don't agree at all. Microblogging is great, but for those who want more than 140 characters and who are restricted by 140 characters or status updates, blogging is an outlet and a conduit for self expression and illumination.

I also get to meet interesting people and have met different people through blogging. It's something that's mine as well. On my blog, I don't have to get approval from higher powers or permission. It's my self expression, and my little space on the web to say what I want, though of course I still use tact, discretion and try to respect others. It's something I can do anywhere and at anytime. It is a stress buster, lemme tell ya and can be therapy. It's fun and I like, in other spaces, making my friends laugh cause sometimes I am just hilarious when tickled. And even if one person reads my junk and enjoys reading it, it is really something special to know that. I appreciate my 1.5 readers who keep coming back! Thank you.

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From the Desk of a PR Superstar

(I'm a star in life!)

Busy day today. A bit tired as well. Got home pretty late, and then stayed up fixing up a nice Chicken Alfredo for lunch today, with the infamous chicken breasts (I did bake them but they still weren't sinfully tender and I am now convinced that chefs are gods) and a box of Kraft Cheesey Alfredo Mac and Cheese. What? I am a busy woman!

Anyway, someone asked yesterday what do communicators have on their desks and since you don't know, I thought I would show you.

First...this is so cliche it hurts.

I don't think I have ever opened that but it's there!

That's a.m. eh. That's on my desk. This was not an automated photo. It was taken by a real person -me. Need I say more?

My Cheerios (a staple of any early riser cause of its ease of preparation), some Light Vanilla Soy Milk, trusty oversized mug to recreate that home feeling at the office (hardly ever works), water.

Breakfast of the woman on the move! Coffee is missing but trying to cut back this week.

What? Who has time to get a manicure but your nails can still look nice on short notice.

Thank you Revlon ColourStay.

Early morning bonding. My laptop which takes me to my social media, both personal and company sites, and my wonderful stuffed cow, Rosie, who likes to get in the thick of the action.

And that's the most exciting stuff. Everything else looks like work. I think this was a nice break from my regularly scheduled blogging. I am off to an early morning thing so be good.

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Addiction

Last evening while channel surfing, I ended up on Dr Phil just at the point where he was talking to a guest who clearly has a problem. An addiction. One that has the potential of destroying her relationship with her children, with others, possibly affecting her health and which was clearly a sign of an underlying problem.

She was addicted to Farmville.

I watched on in amazement as her daughter's spy cam chronicled a typical day at home, where her mother woke up and from early morning to after midnight, she sat in her jammies, planted crops and lived her life as a virtual farmer on Facebook. She rarely goes out, her kids mostly are forced to eat cereal or tv dinners after school, she does not do the laundry, or pack away the groceries, hygiene is affected. Her daughter wanted her to get help. Help indeed.

I have never played the game cause I am not much of a gamer generally, save word games or games like Jeopardy (love it) but I know friends play it cause I see the annoying notifications about it, and games like Mafia Wars and what else exists and there are many I know. Farmville, among other is very popular among millions of people.

It shows though that as much as social networks can help build relationships, they can also adversely affect them if one does not have a grip on reality or if one does not use the tools to an healthy advantage.

The power and reach of social media has increased fanastically over recent times, and has totally revolutionised how we interact with each other. But there is also growing concern that our heavy reliance on these media will hinder the way in which we interact with each other in real life, i.e. social media may adversely affect our "people skills". Some people literally LIVE on the internet and like this woman, do not form friendships outside of their pc time, nor do they take the friendships they make online to the other level - the real world level.

The concern is also quite real among the very young. In many an after work discussion, friends and I have reflected on the childhood we all shared as compared to what some children experience today. I am not sure if little girls know about the games we played - hopscotch, tag, moral, "pea-say mash line" etc. In a world ever changing, children are more computer literate than we were at their age. They have access to so many things that we did not, and with the plethora of media and games out there, are they really getting out and living in the real world and learning the complexities of real life human interaction? In those instances where parents are busy and children are left to their own devices, the computer is the new television, the virtual babysitter.

Dr Phil asked the woman why she spent so much time online playing Farmville and she responded that she just had "nothing better to do with her life." I find that pretty sad, cause she was an attractive woman, with grown children, who should probably be out dating, going to yoga, going to dinners and plays. Dr Phil advised her to go out, do something - "plant REAL crops", start a garden...something. She said it was hard and thought of the whole thing as a joke but I found it rather alarming. Then when the next guest came on to talk about Four Square, she got excited - replacing one addiction with another, perhaps??

Her entire life is tethered to virtual crops and animals. And while she does meet other people through her addiction to Farmville, she does not take these relationships from the pc to the coffee shop and I think this is the problem. Not bashing the phenomenon, but it cannot be a replacement for real life. It can healthily facilitate real life interaction but goodness, it is up to us to take it there.

Social media is not meant to replace social life!

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Get back in your skinny clothes...at the click of a button

This morning I dug out a new jacket I forgot existed for work. Got it on - no problems. Time to do the belt and I was aghast. The belt was cutting off all circulation and creating a medical emergency! I rationalised from Sunday to Thursday why this tragedy had occurred. The most logical answer in my mind was that someone had switched the belts in the store. Yep. The scenario was clear - I had tried on the jacket in my size and it fit in the dressing room, and then since it was a looking a little abused and molested, I went back to the rack and took a fresh looking jacket, in the same size, from the back. This is where the switch happened. Someone took my belt and switched it with a shorter one and left the offending article on the jacket which I had now selected for purchase!

It had to be!

In any event, as hot as the look I was going for was, I am not a slave or masochist for fashion and dug out a not so hot belt to complete the ensemble. Twleve hours wearing a virtual death device was not my idea of a fun Tuesday!

Of course you may have other plausible and compelling reasons why this belt trauma befell me this morning but whatever...I am sticking to my story.

But yes, I am still one of those who is dealing with the severe consequences of December - with my birthday, vacation and the Christmas holidays all conspiring against my waistline... and winning!

Remember I made the comment that there seemed to be an "app" for everything? Well, you guessed it. Fat no more, not as long as Blackberry and iPhone have their way.

What are the best BlackBerry and iPhone tools to help manage your weight? We asked Nadine Fisher, registered dietitian and social-media and Internet entrepreneur, for advice.
The best applications combine the ability to track food intake (eating) and energy expenditure (exercise). They also may provide information on eating out, food preparation and food selection:

---BlackBerry Calorie Tracker by Livestrong: This app helps you with information such as how many calories are in your lunch and how many walking burns, and keeps a digital diary of your daily calories. ($2.99)
-- Calorie Counter by FatSecret: This is the essential app to simply find nutritional info for the food you eat and to keep track of your meals, exercise and weight. (Free)
-- IPhone Livestrong Calorie Tracker: Lets you calculate daily calorie intake and expenditure. ($2.99)
-- Edibles Diet Journal: A cool app that lets you keep track of your calorie intake. ($4.99)
-- Health Cubby: Lets you keep track of your weight-loss progress as well as your workouts and the amount of calories you burn each day. ("Lite" version free; full version $6.99)
(http://www.qconline.com/)

And not only are there crazy fat busting apps, but researchers - those dudes who just sit around all day, doing surveys and reading books and articles about random things - have found that social media is also another powerful ally in weight loss. So like the apps, social media seems to be a virtual panacea. I do admit though, the community from Facebook is awesome and even in my own fit kick, the comments, advice and support from friends is usually welcome. Gearing up to drop pounds or shed inches is never easy. In real life, you have to contend with rude people who constantly ask "You putting on weight?" as if you needed a reminder. It's a hard process that quite frankly is very difficult to manage on one's own. The support from friends and the feedback really is invaluable...once you get started.

Here, one woman describes how Facebook worked for her and her weight loss mission.

"We'd leave each other encouraging messages on our walls," said  (Tracy) Besek, referring to the public message area on Facebook pages. "Someone would say they had a good workout, or they resisted eating the brownie in the work break room. And we'd say, 'Hey, that's great!' "


Two months ago, she started a private group and invited 15 of her friends. There, they chat, share advice, recount workouts and cheerlead each other.

"It's helped keep me motivated because I felt I was getting support outside," said Besek, who has lost 30 pounds since summer. "I don't want to let them down."

(read the full article here)

Social networks allow persons to form those communities which are so vital in the battle against the bulge. I have friends who have started weight loss blogs, documenting what they do everyday from healthy eating to exercise, to social activities - outlining the changes they have made to faciltate changes in their physical and emotional well being. Facebook support groups, online forums and fitness websites, fitness trackers such as Fatsecret.com - all with the ultimate objective of providing support, an opportunity for feedback, tips and motivation. You have online weight loss programmes like JillianMichaels.com, and the dude from Celebrity Fit Club, Dr Ian. Both have forums and support systems, like videos, forums, blogs which allow persons to network and share experiences, challenges, tips and outcomes. Virtual gyms. Virtual nutritionists. Virtual trainers. With Wii Fit (which I have to get for myself cause it looks awesome), do you even need to smell the rank sweat of a gym? It's pretty darn amazing. With all this support streaming into our homes and our lives at the click of a button, there should really be no reason for weight loss not to happen for millions and millions of people, should it? One would think!

Still, there is much to be said for real life networking and interaction. I love my sweaty gym, and though I have not seen it in a few ummm...months, it still brings other elements to the table which social media and all these apps and tools just cannot bring. It brings a pretty damn good laugh in the morning and it's that 90mins of every day which totally belong to me!

Still...

I just want to know if there is an app, a forum or Facebook group to find out who switched belts on my jacket. Who do I talk to in Macy's to find out!?

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