Social Networking for the Working Professional

The #1 statement I hear when I suggest social networking to my clients is “I don’t have time to keep up with social networking”. I must admit, I too being occupied with business and personal development, client project management etc., I did not make time for keeping up with social networking.

The Good News
Social networking applications have made it simple to use and easy to manage. For example, did you know that you can link your WordPress blog to your Facebook and Twitter pages? By linking them together, you save time by updating one interface rather than multiples.

Don’t Have Time for Social Networking?
For the very busy working professional, consider a website service that allows you to schedule your Twitter Tweets and updates, so that you can go on about your daily tasks. For example: Social Oomph allows you to schedule Twitter, Google Buzz, Facebook, Blogger and Tumblr to name a few.

Sites which offer similar services:

Digsby
A desktop IM, e-mail and social media aggregation app that brings together Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn, as well as multiple e-mail and IM programs.

Flock
This social media web browser gives you quick views of your friends’ activity on various networks , allows drag-and-drop media sharing and has a built-in RSS reader to track buzz around your brand.

Minggl
This browser plug-in for IE and Firefox gives you a toolbar and a sidebar to keep track of contacts, link up your profiles, send cross-platform messages and do mass status updates.

PageFlakes
This personalized home page application gives you widgets where you can see the latest activity in multiple social networks.

Business and Personal Social Networking Practices

Keeping your personal and business social networking sites separate can be a vital part of your business reputation. Please keep in mind that your information is public, unless your settings are private. As you grow your personal and professional network, consider the language and communication which you are sharing at all times.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Create two pages on popular social networking sites – one for personal information and the other for professional.
2. Keep your language on Twitter and Facebook updates generic and light.
3. Link long posts to your personal or professional blog.
4. You may be tagged in photos online with friends or out and about – keep it professional.
5. Share new business goals and plans with the social networking community to gain their support!

Remember everything you do and say is a reflection of your personal and business image. Be conscious of the fact that some words do not translate well online. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Erin Jordan, M.S.EMDT
Associates by Design, Partner
EJDesign Firm, Principal
O: 612.483.6958
F: 763.432.5362
Email: erin@ejdesignfirm.com
www.ejdesignfirm.com

Having a business alone is not enough. As the world grows and the population changes you must adjust the business to fit your customers needs. When I say the words “social networking” to a client – it is followed by a slow roll of the neck and eyes. The 21st century professional who is handling the functional and operational side of their business leave little or no time for technological balance and improvement. If it weren’t for the people, we would have nothing to work for right? It is time to become your consumer. Get into the mind of your demographic and what they are looking for. Our end goal is to satisfy the needs of our consumer, in order for our business to continue to grow.

It starts with you. Take time out of your week to start a blog or e-newsletter. Reach out to your clients in an emotionally meaningful way. Take a look at what other businesses similar to yours are doing to reach out to their clients and grab hold of some good ole inspiration!

Here is our inspirational link of the month: www.thebestdesigns.com – Check it out!

Erin Jordan, Principal of EJDesign Firm
www.ejdesignfirm.com

There is always a part of me that feels un-done. I feel like a strawberry using only one seed. I have a desire to come back to the basics and where I began. How I became creative and started seeing visions. I used to sing, dance and I love to act. Not just any type of acting – The kind of acting that makes you almost unrecognizable with impromptu crying and screaming. I feel as if I need to get back to what brought me to my creative place in order to embark upon leading Joho in order to reach the masses as I should.

Stay tuned for greatness…
EJ

The Way Things Are – In the way things are, there was a part of the chapter which I would like to discuss. There was a powerful sentence from the book that read “the capacity to be present to everything that is happening, without resistance, creates possibility”. This sentence is so powerful and truthful at the same time! If people accepted the things they can not change and did not resist the good or bad – we would have a totally different outlook on the final result. I am a very optimistic person and I strongly believe in “happy accidents”. We make them all the time, and it creates beautiful opportunity and possibilities.

Giving Way to Passion – In this chapter, I am going to cover the two points of giving way to passion.
1. The first step is to notice where you are holding back, and let go. Release those barriers of self that keep you separate and in control, and let the vital energy of passion surge through you, connecting you to all beyond.

2. The second step is to participate wholly. Allow yourself to be a channel to shape the stream of passion into a new expression for the world.

Ok both of these steps are great, I think the step that resonates with me the most is step two. If I were to make this personal, and apply it to my life, sometimes fear is what holds me back. If I were to wholly participate and complete the visions I have for my life – my life’s journey can take a different turn dramatically. If I channel my steam of passion into the world, I would deliver something from deep inside myself that may change the way people feel and think about my career and what I bring to the table. This is very empowering and exciting at the same time….

Lighting a Spark – Going into “the practice” and the chapter Lighting a Spark, a particular piece stood out to me. “We have at our fingertips an infinite capacity to light a spark of possibility”. Now this can be translated in a different light and in different eyes. In my opinion, it can be something as simple as following up with an individual, sharing a vision or idea with others or “taking the next step” toward greatness. The book goes on to say that “passion, rather than fear is the igniting force”. This statement is true. We are motivated for different things in life, but imagine what the world would look like of everyone was living out their passions through their careers?

Being the Board – I am going to start of the reflection of this chapter that literally made me stop and think when I read it. “declaring, I am the framework for everything that happens in my life”. I have to 100% agree with this statement. I encounter individuals who use their past to motivate their futures. Some use the negative to live out the positive. Some use the negative to blame for the negative things that happen in the future. We are the foundation and framework for our decisions. One wrong move, and we live with it forever. One right move and we live with it forever. We have to lay a positive framework if we want to expect positive end results!

Creating Frameworks for Possibility – “Leadership is a relationship that brings this possibility to others and to the world, from any chair, in any role”. As the book discusses, leadership is a thread that connects the world. Strong leaders bring about change. Most changes are for good, delivering answers to needs around the nation. There are some leaders we believe in whom we never see, touch, smell or feel. We know they are out there. What are your leadership characteristics? Are you a leader or a follower? Do you invent trends or follow the trends? Now being a leader is a very hard task. We discussed in sunday school Moses and his ability to lead the Israelites. This was a difficult task for Moses. I believe a strong leader will accept whomever they lead, what ever the situation, however the load..without complaint or concern. When you accept the challenge and walk into the role, as they say “it comes with the territory”.

Telling the WE Story/Coda – According to the reading, the “WE” story defines a human being in a specific way. It says we are our central selves seeking to contribute, naturally engaged, forever in a dance with each other. The WE is a living entity and a line of development unfolding. My interpretation of the “WE” story means that we as human beings are ever evolving. Our minds evolve, our thoughts evolve, we become more intelligent and grow into ourselves. As a “WE” (if that makes sense) together in the world, we continually contribute to each other, we share ideas and inspiration, share wisdom and life’s experiences which in turn inspires and changes our outlook on life. Or as the book says “we look for the emerging entity”.

Overall this book was phenomenal. This book was such an inspiration for my book “Existence is Not Enough”. It has my wheels turning, and has inspired me to continue to develop what I began.

Be on the look out for what is to come : )   Be inspired.

Erin Jordan

Source:
Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The Art Possibility. Transforming the professional and personal life.
New York : Penguin Books

GarageBand is the Bomb and I’ll tell you why! After researching copyright and fair use law, you’re better off creating your own song in GarageBand, rather than going to through the process of asking permission to use a popular song on your website or presentation materials. Not creative enough? Don’t even worry about it! GarageBand gives you the ability to use the build-in sound effects, drums, strings etc., to build upon an original beat or song that you have created. This program is especially great for song writers – to create samples of songs you have written accompanied by vocal recordings etc. Check out the video podcast above to learn one of my favorite features in GarageBand.

GarageBand Intro Link: http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Enjoy!

Erin Jordan

Source:
Apple, Inc. (2009, October 19). GarageBand 09.  Retrieved from:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

One of the great programs that comes with the Master Suite collection is Adobe Bridge. With my Graphic Design background, I had the opportunity to learn how to use Adobe Bridge at a Adobe conference. This was the first time they introduced Adobe Bridge into the software, and I thought it was a great tool for educators and designers alike.

This program allows you to organize your files on your computer and also acts as a quick reference to locate any files you may be looking for. The great thing about Mac computers, is that you are consistently given an option of convenience! There are “two click” short cuts to almost every program or piece of software. My experience with the tutorials were somewhat of a refresher to me, and I decided to re-organize my files in Adobe Bridge.

Within Adobe Bridge you can tag your photos with the quality of resolution, size, author and special notes attached to anyone who opens the file. I am attaching a screen shot of what I am looking at. Listen to the MP3 above, where I discuss the additional benefits of using Adobe Bridge.

Learn something new…

Erin

The Art of Possibility is a very inspirational book seeing that it discusses the ability to make anything impossible.
It’s All Invented – In the first chapter one paragraph that stood out to me in particular was “Resources are likely to come to you when you are generous and inclusive and engage people in your passion for life.” This in my life has shown to be true. The more I share my vision with others – the better I am at accomplishing my goals with good people around me who support my vision and can see it as well.

Stepping into the universe of possibility – In this chapter I enjoyed reading the differences of “survival and survival thinking”. Growing up I watched my mother first hand and her survival tactics. She would make sure that her children were taken care of by all means necessary. I do not have children of my own, but I have adopted the same mindset as to if something needs to be done it will happen, no matter how much time or energy it will take. On the other hand, there are individuals in my life whom I have encountered who do have the “looking out for number one” attitude. They will only interact with you if your life benefits their own. I have learned alot from my Graphic Design business, and different personalities..but I have learned to adapt and be very flexible in order to keep my stride and thrive through it all.

In the next chapter “Giving an A” one of the points that stood out to me was how the authors stated that the concept of “Giving an A” is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into. This statement alone is so profound! Putting praise into the lives of others encourages them to live up to life. Like the book says, its not even necessarily about what they have accomplished, but that they have accomplished something.

In Being a Contribution, the authors mention how you instantly shift the context from one of survival to one of opportunity and growth when you conquer the “game of life”. This sentence resonated with me because I look around at my peers and their lives and how they are constantly in survival mode, and sometimes it is all a game as the book says. The book goes on to say how naming your activities as a game breaks off their hold on you and puts you in charge. When people play the game of life, they let money be the controller. What they don’t completely grasp is the fact that WE are the ones that control our ability to earn an income and create revenue for ourselves. We are completely in control of our lives, and our financial situations. We can change our situation from bad to good, simply by creating a new game in life to realize our potential and stand out amongst the crowd.

In Leading from Any Chair, the concept spoken of in the book of a conductor of the orchestra not having a voice, but having the ability to make other people powerful stood out to me. Sometimes I watch the conductor or even the choir director at church and wonder what exactly do they do to direct and lead? For example at church, after watching the choir director, she speaks to the choir and lets them know their next verse or song, has very strong eye contact with the tenors, altos and sopranos to let them know when to sing, directs the volume of the song etc. What would a choir or a orchestra be without their leader? The question they also ask in the book is what makes a group so lively engaged? Now with music I know it is a whole other ball game. People have different passions and experiences which lead them to perform great music. Alot of what they experience is through life, feelings and emotions. Just as a conductor or a choir director, as educators we have to lead the enthusiasm of our classrooms. We must direct the students as to where they should go, motivate them for success and transfer our own passions for the teachings to their lives so that in turn, we make them powerful!

In Rule Number 6, one of the areas that stood out to me was the question “what would have to change for me to be totally fulfilled?” In this chapter it talks about calculating self. One of the inspiring things in the book, is the creativity that Rosamund and Benjamin have toward teaching others. I also like how they incorporate unique games in the lesson, to teach a profound message and meaning behind the game to tap into the “why”. It seems as if I’m consistently searching for the “why” in people. Roz also describes a lesson where she instructed the student to fill in the blank and describe the best ___ ever, in order to encourage people to create an experience that was satisfying around them, regardless of outward influences. This book is also powerful because it directs the mind to become creative, instead of looking and acting on what the “norm” in society or education is. All in all, this book is a great introduction to the book I am in the process of writing titled “Existence is not enough”. The book stems from my experiences in a corporate environment and what my life was without “freedom” of the shackles of society! I am very excited and inspired by reading The Art of Possibility because it made me see a creative side of motivation, and how to motivate people.

Erin

Source:
Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The Art Possibility. Transforming the professional and personal life.
New York : Penguin Books

Question 1:
In the interview with Ron Smith, what types of media does he suggest students are using in order to express themselves?

Answer:
Ron discusses how students are using a combination of flash animation and video in order to become more creative.

Question 2:
What are some ways that Ron Smith keeps his students engaged?

Answer:
Ron uses movies, sound, websites and movement to keep the students involved.

Question 3:
What are two unique ways that Ron uses media to interact with his students while meeting them at their learning level?

Answer:
Podcasting and text messaging.

Question 4:
What is one of the biggest challenges in bridging the teacher/student technology gap?

Answer:
Some teachers rely on Power Point presentations to engage students, rather than branching out and educating themselves on how to create interactive media presentations for the students. This creates a rift between teacher and student.

Question 5:
Name one of the three new technologies that students are using, and it’s use.

Answer:
Scratch (application) is used for building games online.

Question 6:
What type of software is Blender?

Answer:
3D Animation Software

Question 7:
How many students were in the Sketch Up class with Ron Smith?

Answer:
22 Students

Question 8:
How much do the applications Scratch, Sketch Up and Blender Cost?

Answer:
Scratch, Sketch Up and Blender are all free applications.

Question 9:
What is one of the trends in education that Ron Smith see’s?

Answer:
Online instructional material.

Question 10:
What does Ron Smith list as one of the challenges (toward the end of the interview) that face students and teachers?

Answer:
Incorporating a lesson such as math with web design to make the lesson a richer experience for the student.

How has technology changed the division between folk culture and commercial or mass culture?
Personally I think the connection between folk culture and commercial culture has not only been changed due to technology, but time. Time has changed people, and the prospective of the world. The urge or excitement of learning something new, or a new form of media has inspired people to learn. This even applies to the mom and pop towns with small populations. Whether they are behind in the “times” or advanced in their learning, mass culture and technology has enabled everyone to know something…large or small.

Since media is ever evolving, as an educator I think of my courses and try to create pieces that are engaging and captivating. I want to create cirriculum that is timeless in it’s teaching. You know how you can pick up a tutorial and it looks “old” by the images or music? I think it is crucial to our teaching that we are reaching out and creating methods of learning that are forward-thinking. This is especially true, since we are creating and designing lessons for future students who are growing and becoming more and more technologically advanced. We have to keep up with them! When I was reading the portion about underground artists, to me they are leading the future as well. Most underground artists speak from the soul, and deliver messages that aren’t tainted by mass media and the control of modern day music. I enjoy how they are as artists painting on a canvas, with fresh ideas, fresh eyes and a fresh prospective. While reading the piece on folk/mass culture I understand the “ripple” effect on how someone can see a piece produced underground, and it inspires to duplicate and make it better.

My only argument is that in order to remain original, our work needs to inspire something new. Our original work is creative, and without the disturbances of the outside world, it can be a masterpiece when heard by mass media and mass culture. Some of the most profound inventors and creators were those that went against the grain…and created phenomenal designs, inventions and legacies.

Erin