Association Puzzle

Social Networking: I'm Quoted on CNN.com

Read this interesting story about online relationships via social networking and their impact on us. I'm quoted near the end -- good story with solid information.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/10/30/online.rejection.defriending/

A Response to a Worried Writer

I belong to several listservs for writers, and this morning someone posted this link to a New York Times article on ebooks versus paper books: http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/does-the-brain-like-e-books/?emc=eta1

 

While it was an interesting article to me, it caused a great deal of worry for a writer I know who is working on a book on journalism that is going to be published in the next few months. This writer is very talented and is also a great teacher, so I was alarmed to see this writer become so upset about the evolution in publications simply because the writer doesn't feel their knowledge of social media and technology is deep enough.

 

We all worry when things change simply because we don't know what is going to happen. However, we must put things in perspective. This is my response to the worried writer:

 

 

Whoa, calm down!!

 

I think you are letting your lack of information about social media upset you. If it makes you feel any better, there are already predictions that Twitter is going to die (yes, right after it hit the mainstream). And it likely will because it can be distracting and exhausting.

 

There will always be a need for solid journalistic writing, and there will always be books, although they may take a new form. All that online content is created (or written!) by someone. The best online content is written by the best online writers.

 

There was an interesting article in the Washington Post in the last week about how all the laid off reporters are launching online ventures, like selling their reporting to their former newspaper (it's cheaper because they are no longer full time). So, there is still a need for good information journalistic writing.

 

Think along the lines of evolution, not extinction.

 

We painted on walls, we scribbled on papyrus, we tattooed our bodies, we carved into clay tablets, we illuminated manuscripts, we created the printing press, Thoreau perfected the lead pencil and went back to the woods . . .

 

Another way to look at it: while we may not have ice men any longer, we still have ice.

 

PUSHING THE ELECTRONIC ENVELOPE: Using Cyberspace to Advance Your Career

Johns Hopkins University Masters of Arts in Writing Program

and American Independent Writers present…

 

PUSHING THE ELECTRONIC ENVELOPE … EVEN FARTHER

Using Cyberspace to Advance Your Career

 

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Registration @ 8:30 a.m. · Program Starts @ 9:00 a.m.

 

Bernstein-Offit Building

1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036

 

Metro: Red line, Dupont Circle

 

 

OVERVIEW & SPEAKER ROSTER

 

Take your personal brand to the next level with this all-day seminar focusing on online identity for writers of all types. In four sessions moderated by copywriter and consultant Kristen King (@kristenking), an AIW Board member and host of last year's inaugural Pushing the Electronic Envelope Seminar, attendees will learn about social networking, social media, running a writing business in a Web 2.0 world, and pumping up your writer's website.

 

Speakers Include:

§ Deborah Ager, Founder Online Marketing Strategy Firm Click Wisdom (@clickwisdom)

§ Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami at Network Solutions (@shashib)

§ Thursday Bram, Professional Blogger and Freelance Writer (@thursdayb)

§ Jen Consalvo, Co-Founder of Technology Startup Shiny Heart Ventures (@noreaster)

§ Dori Kelner, Principal at Visual Communications Firm Sleight of Hand Studios (@dorikelner)

§ Mayra Ruiz-McPherson, Founder of Ruiz-McPherson Communications (@marketingmisfit)

§ Nancy Shute, Blogger and Contributing Editor at US News & World Report (@nancyshute)

§ Jeff Taylor, Millennial Marketer and Senior Online Analyst at New Media Strategies

§ Laurie White, Blogger, Photographer, and Contributing Editor at BlogHer  (@lauriewrites)

§ Paula Whyman, Award-Winning Author and Self-Proclaimed Curious Writer

§ …and others to be announced before the event!

 

 

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

(subject to increasing awesomeness as the event draws near)

 

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.  

Registration and Networking

 

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.  

Introductions and Overview of the Day’s Sessions

 

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.   

Building and Leveraging Your Social Network -- Facebook, LinkedIn, and More

How exactly do social networks help your business? And what can writers do specifically to leverage these tools? In this opening session, you'll learn about the benefits, and some of the pitfalls, of Facebooking, Linking, FriendFeeding, iGoogling, and more.

 

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.  

Break

 

10:45 – 12:30 p.m.  

To Tweet or Not to Tweet? That Is the Question... On Twitter, Blogging and Vlogging

It's clear that social media isn't just a passing fad, but what's less clear is how it translates into income and tangible benefit. The second session of the day tackles the pros and cons of tweeting, blogging, and vlogging and provides some specific strategies writers can use to build name recognition, find sources, crack new markets, and score freelance gigs.

 

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.    

Lunch and Networking on your Own

 

1:30 – 2:45 p.m.  

Using Online Tools to Manage Your Writing Business: Low-cost and No-cost Must-Haves for Every Freelancer and Author

Who says you have to drop a lot of cash to be a successful writer? We'll take a look at some of the best free and cheap tools for writers, including word processing, invoicing, contact management, query tracking, calendar management, and collaboration. The discussion will include Google Apps, Open Office/NeoOffice, and more.

 

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.  

Break

   

3:00 – 4:15 p.m.  

More Writer's Website Do's and Don'ts: How to Take Your Writing Website to the Next Level and Find Work Online

You already know that every writer should have a website, but what happens when your writer's website just isn't getting the job done? In the closing session, we'll talk about ways to make your site stand out, improve your search engine rankings, incorporate social media into static sites, and hunt down great markets and jobs on the Web.

 

4:15 – 5:00 p.m.

Networking Opportunity

 

 

REGISTRATION DETAILS

 

Three ways to register!

§ Phone: 202-775-5150

§ Online: www.aiwriters.org

§ E-mail: rsvp@aiwriters.org

 

Early Registration (through September 20, 2009)

§ Member Price, $69

§ Nonmember Price, $99

§ Student Price, $39

 

Regular Registration (beginning September 21, 2009)

§ Member Price, $89

§ Nonmember Price, $129

§ Student Price, $49

 

Important Note:

§ New membership is only $100/year now through December 31, so join when you register to get the member price for this and upcoming events over the next 12 months! Call 202-775-5150 for details.

 

As with all AIW events, be sure to mention your membership status and the event for which you’re responding.

10 Things I Love About Association Management!

While I concur with those who state: "No one ever says 'When I grow up, I want to be an association executive,'" it turned out for me to be a great fit, although like many of us, an accidental career find.

Although my personal career path took a turn I never imagined (becoming a consultant rather than continuing as a full-time staff person), I still consider myself an association executive at heart. Association management is a great choice for people like myself with a wide variety of interests, talents, skills -- and an interest in life-long learning.

So, here's my list of 10 Things I love about association management when it is at its best:

1. It is about people and relationships.

2. It is about those people working together with a common vision to reach common goals.

3. Evolution occurs instead of change for the sake of change.

4. People with a stake in the issues get involved.

5. Public policy and public awareness are better served.

6. Members and volunteer leaders learn from each other, and create dynamic continuing education programs and opportunities.

7. Staff members become partners and valued team members in the life of the association.

8. Staff works together to most effectively use the limited resources available to create something unique and of high value.

9. New things are tried, and if they don't work, we try something else!

10. There is no guilt by association, but pride of association.

Do all these things exist all at the same time in every association? Of course not. But, these do exist, these are out there, and that is what keeps me motivated, excited, and challenged.

Social Media: Bored Now.

I am now officially bored by the hysteria, confusion, and near-panic that is being caused by the discussions of social media and its application. Many people say they don't understand it at all, which causes fear (the unknown), and then others claim to know exactly how to use it and insist it could bring down the association world as we know it, which causes more fear (the unknown + a loss of place/identity).

I have been wondering lately if there was a similar reaction to the introduction of the telephone.

Social media is a tool. Period. Like the telephone, which has evolved over more than a century from a handcranked box on the wall to a tiny all-purpose (and completely portable!) PDA, social media will eventually shake out and the tools that get used will still be around. The rest will fall away.

As an example, I point to Web Crawler and Alta Vista. For those under 35 years old, that is how us old-timers searched the internet. Now we all Google, but the concept is the same: we search for information using a search engine. Period.

Social media is the "it girl" of technology right now because the younger generations supposedly are all over these things. It is also accepted as gospel that this is the "only" way they communicate and the "only" way they interact. I beg to differ. While I think that more young people text message or IM than use email, I also don't think that "all of them" are interacting only through Facebook or MySpace or other "social" media.

The key word here is SOCIAL. It is not business media or corporate media or professional media. It's photos of vacations, or new babies, or parties. And I think that is great. However, I am not going to get swept up in a wave of panic about "the new tools" and the "only way" to interact with younger people simply because that is the conventional wisdom. Conventional leads to mediocrity, and when it comes to wisdom, we need more than mediocre.

Call me cynical or hardened when it comes to technology, but I was in grade school when the first Texas Instruments calculator hit the market. Ooh aaah! We could do math by pressing buttons -- if you had the $60 to buy one. Most of the kids who had one spent their time typing in 7734 and then turning the screen upside down.

That was a while ago, and I've seen a lot of change in technology since then. I have the advantage of time and distance and a big dose of objectivity when it comes to choosing and applying new technology. It's a tool, not a way of life.  Just like I wouldn't use a hammer to insert a screw, I'm not going to sign up for Twitter (which sounds godawful annoying to me) just because it's the shiny new toy in the window.

When it comes to communicating with your members, you have to use the communication tools that will reach them. Doctors and car mechanics do not sit in front of computers all day. Does this mean that you can't use technology to communicate with them? Of course not, but you have to choose the RIGHT technology.

The point of choice is to use the one that works best for you and your members, not to get swept up in what could very likely become yesterday's news.  Web Crawler, anyone?

Speaking of Tongues . . .

According to Ethnologue (www.ethnologue.com) there are 6,912 identified languages in the world today. Who knew we had created so many ways to misunderstand each other?

Yay us.

The Rules of Edit-quette

One of the rules I live by is this: Behind every great writer is an editor.

These are the rules I think a great editor should follow:  

1) Writing is very personal. If you tell someone their writing is not good, it is like telling them their child is ugly.

2) Do not edit to the point that the writer is driven to despair. A light touch with the blue pencil is usually all that is needed.

3) Do not insert your voice over the voice of the author. It is their words and message, not yours!

4) The secret to great writing is re-writing. A gentle nudge to the writer to rethink their work will lead to a better end product rather than returning a piece covered in red ink or blue pencil marks.

5) Spelling and grammar *are* important. Do not let a writer tell you otherwise. A writer with no respect for words is not a real writer.

6) Do not fall victim to the "changing-happy-for-glad" trap. If the word works, leave it. Do not change a word for the sake of change.

7) Flow changes the impact of written work. Do not be afraid to move an entire paragraph to a different part of the piece. Moving the third paragraph to the first paragraph can be powerful!

Editors may not get the glory, but a strong editor can get satisfaction from knowing they helped make a piece the best it can be. When it comes to your own work, be kind to yourself and follow these rules with your most important writer-client: you! 

Thoughts on Social Media: Shared at the 2008 WIW Conference

Social media is any form of communication that connects people with each other and with ideas or news. For example, the ancient marketplace was a form of social media; that is where everyone went to find out what was going on and to see what was happening with others.

 

The concept of “cafe society,” the idea of seeing and being seen, most popularized by the Parisians is another example of social media.

 

The telephone was an advance in social media; for the first time, people across town or across the world, could be connected. I remember my mother and her friends talking on the phone for hours – it was how they stayed connected when they couldn’t see each other.

 

Now, we have the internet and electronic communication. Email, instant messaging, cell phones – which removed the requirement of being near the phone – online services like LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace, connect not only our voices but our photos and our writings.

 

Age is not a barrier to social media, but we do have to adjust to the new ways of staying connected. It is called “evolution,” and I would pose the theory people ages 35 to 50 are the most adaptable generation. We weren’t raised with computers or technology, but we not only adopted these changes, we embraced them.

 

Associations are organizations that connect people; in many ways, they are the original “social media” as far as being a tool to stay connected as opposed to individuals doing it informally.

 

However, associations seem to be having a tough time adjusting to the newer social media tools. Rather than seeing their usefulness, many are being distracted by their “technology-ness” as opposed to seeing them as an evolution in tools, just like the telephone replaced the marketplace, or neighbors talking over the back fence.

 

Like any tool, social media needs to be chosen for the task at hand and the audience to be reached.

One Word

When I was in the shower this morning, I was singing my heart out like most people do.  I don't know if it's the acoustics or the isolation, but there's something about the shower that makes you feel free to belt out a tune or two with no hesitation.

All this singing got me to thinking about my Dad, who had a beautiful singing voice.  Coupled with his dark good looks, we all believed he easily could have been a singing star like Dean Martin.  Dad never did try his hand at singing professionally, but he never stopped singing.  He sang with friends at parties, working around the house, and driving around in the car --whenever he felt a song coming on he let loose.

He tended to be happy more than sad (although he had his moments like we all do), but overall, Dad liked to have fun and to laugh.  Singing was just an outgrowth of his generally happy personality. 

Dad was a veteran of World War II, so you'd think he might just want to sing war ditties and Perry Como tunes, which were always a big hit at our house.  However, he liked to listen to what was new or popular on the radio, and if there was a current song he liked he would learn it and sing it. 

One of the songs he liked to sing was "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles.  One day when I was about 9 or 10 years old, I was out with Dad running errands, and he started singing "Eleanor Rigby."  Instead of singing "look at all the lonely people" I noticed that he sang "look at all the lovely people."

I pointed out to him that he sounded good, but the lyrics weren't correct.  He looked at me and said, "I know, but I think it sounds nicer saying lovely instead of lonely."  I realized he was right, and it lifted my spirits. 

I have never forgotten this story because of what I learned:
One word can change an entire message, as well as your outlook, and that of your audience. 

Chain of Words

We use our literacy to find our way places, stay in touch with friends and family, read books that teach us how to do new things, and keep up with the news.  To be literate is to be able to communicate. 

But do you remember learning how to read and write?  As an adult, you take being literate for granted sometimes, don't you?  It seems as easy and normal as breathing, or blinking your eyes.  But there was a time when we didn't know how to read and write, and we had to learn how to do it! 

When I was six years old and attending first grade at St. Margaret of Scotland grade school in St. Louis, MO, my eyes were opened to the power of words.  Our teacher, Miss Alice, spent a lot of time teaching us the basics of reading.  In addition to learning from our first grade reading book, she had us make large chains of individual words printed on small cards, which we had to read and study over and over until we could recognize, spell them, and define their meaning.   

I still remember the first difficult word I learned.  It was "quarrel."  The word "quarrel" was a fascinating case for us first graders because it was the first two-syllable word we came across in our reader.  It was also difficult to say: wrapping our young tongues around the "kwor" sound of the mysterious "qua" sequence took a lot of practice, but we eventually learned that word, and many others. 

Like learning to read, communication takes work, and often it's hard work.  Like the chains of words that we memorized in first grade, we have to put effort into putting together our messages, whether they are written or spoken.   Refining and revisiting our messages so that they have substance and value to the audience is similar to the effort we invested in learning how to read and write so many years ago.

These are the questions I ask when putting together communications:

1) Know your audience: is it the Board of Directors, Chapter Presidents, potential new members, association colleagues?

2) How much time or space do you have to communicate your thoughts?  Is it a 20-minutes long speech, or a 500 word newsletter article?

3) Less is more.  If you can send the message in three words instead of five, use three.  The impact is stronger.

4) Know when more is necessary.  Provide detailed background if it is needed; don't leave your audience confused because you are trying harder to be concise than clear.

5) Make it personal.  Share a bit of your personal experience with the audience; it gets them thinking about their experiences, which helps the audience relate your message to their own lives.

6) Know when to stop.  ;)

Eek!-Mail

We've all done it (yes, you too).  You write a strong email message filled with the conviction of righteous indignation -- knowing you were the wronged party -- and then hit the "send" button. 

Later on, after you cool off a bit, you start to worry and second guess yourself.  Should I have written back?  Maybe the language was too strong?  What is their response going to be?

Your nervousness builds as you imagine the escalating hostility via cyberspace.  This is how wars start!  The wrong thing said at the wrong time to the wrong person and -- BANG!!  All hell breaks loose. 

Keep in mind that World War I started over the assassination of a guy no one even liked.

After you worry for a while about your response, you start to avoid checking your messages.  You don't want to deal with the repercussions of your message, no matter how right you were.  And just imagine the widespread impact of this simple form of communication if the copy list starts to grow . . . and don't even think about how many people are on the "BLIND" copy list!

I refer to these situations as "Eek!-Mail" because it always makes me feel like a stressed-out cartoon character.  After several run-ins with messages like this over the years, I have learned the hard way to be careful in my messaging, especially work-related ones, because really, all the disharmony is not worth it just for the office.  (Sorry, bosses.)

Save the real acrimony for your relatives because your family can't fire you.  ;-)

Seriously, here are some things I keep in mind when writing and responding to email messages, and it helps me keep my "Eek!-Mail" to a minimum:

* Take a deep breath -- maybe two -- if you read something that makes you angry.

* Ask yourself if you are reading too much into the message; your emotions color your interpretation so be clear on your own feelings before responding.

* After calming down, write back a very polite message asking them what, exactly, they mean; sometimes people just aren't clear in the written word and don't know they offended you -- or even had any intention to.

* If you are really offended, pick up the phone and make a call; a "live" conversation can clear things up very quickly, and end the war of words without taking a "byte" out of the relationship.

If you do feel you need to respond strongly -- but professionally -- to an email message, be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions.  When dealing with others, remember what Buddha said: We have nothing to stand on but our own actions.

Your communications, both written and spoken, represent YOU.
How do you want to be thought of? 

Worms v. Snakes

Yesterday, the news broke that yet another computer virus was attacking Microsoft 2000 (I thank my lucky nanobytes that I have XP now).  It's called a "worm," and it's the variety of virus that doesn't need you to do anything to activate.  It works on its own, and it seems to be very busy rebooting computers all around the country. 

When you think of a worm, you think of something warm, soft and maybe mushy, that lives in the dark and really doesn't know which end is it's head.  Snakes, on the other hand, charmed us out of the Garden of Eden and down the sometimes destructive path of knowledge.  The snake definitely seems the tougher customer. 

This reminded me of something that happened years ago, when I worked at the American Academy of Otolaryngology (say that three times fast).  My friend John Rodrigues also worked there at the time as head of the IT department.  Being a hands-on type of guy, John did not sit in his office managing; he got out there with the Academy staff and helped them with their computers, just like the rest of his department.

So, from time to time, John would find himself in my office helping me with a problem.  On one of these occasions, we happened to discuss the "worm" of the moment, but I kept referring to it as the computer "snake."  John thought this was funny, but much more appropriate since the virus was so devious and destructive. 

How many times during the day do you take a moment and choose the best word or the most descriptive word, rather than the easiest word?  The right word at the right time can make the difference between a powerful and clear message and a muddy message that needs explanation. 

The only thing that belongs in the mud are the worms; let's keep our words shining, clear and bright. 

Website Goes Live

After struggling for several months to learn the basics of Frontpage 2000, I have finally finished my website.  It went live yesterday, so I hope you take the time to visit: www.ceciliasepp.net

Like me, it's a work in progress so any comments are appreciated.  I'm working out a few glitches but I'm proud of it considering I had no training and no reference manual!

This experience made me think about all the times I was trying to understand something, or explain something to someone, and then "click" -- it just worked like a light coming on. 

Anyone have a similar "light bulb" experience they would like to share?