Every now and again, I meet someone who knows a bit about me from reading my blog or following me on Twitter - but still asks "So what is it you do?" Even though I've been writing this particular blog since 2006 and have wording on it that talks about what I do, it's really not very clear. Even I have trouble finding information sometimes. An encounter a few days ago and the inevitable question prompted me to do something about that asap. The result is detailed new content to answer that … [Read more...] about Here’s what I do
Personal Development
Blogging ten years ago
Ten years ago today, on December 13, 2002, I wrote and published my first blog post. Nothing especially inspiring, earth-moving or even awesome in what I said, just a brief note to announce my entry into the embryonic blogosphere: Dec 13, 2002 -- Finally joing [sic] the thousands who already publish blogs. This blog will include random and occasional musings and comment on anything that grabs my attention. The post even has a spelling mistake. How's that for posterity? I now can't … [Read more...] about Blogging ten years ago
There is no try
Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event that's run since 2007 that aims to create a positive discussion online that enables social good about an important topic. The topic this year is The Power of We. This is my contribution to the conversation. In the second Star Wars film of the original trilogy, released in 1980, the Jedi master Yoda admonishes Luke Skywalker for his lacklustre approach to a difficult task with the words "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." It's a phrase that … [Read more...] about There is no try
How to ramp up the engagement effect
The last time you went to a conference or other such event, what was the engagement like? Were there lots of questions? Did people in the audience offer to share what they thought on a given topic or issue? How engaging was it all? There are many dynamics at play regarding what will make an event engaging - the speaker(s), the host and/or moderator as applicable, the event itself, the venue, whether the wifi works well and, last but certainly not least, overall content and specifically … [Read more...] about How to ramp up the engagement effect
Influence rank: the shape of recruitment to come
If your job embraces community building and engagement across the social web, does your ranking on an online influence-measurement service like Klout matter? For some companies and recruiters, it certainly does. A case in point - Salesforce.com has a job ad for a community manager where the list of desired skills includes this: Klout score of 35 or higher According to Klout, the Klout Score or ranking "measures influence based on your ability to drive action. Every time you create … [Read more...] about Influence rank: the shape of recruitment to come
The beauty of TweetCamp
Two of the overriding impressions I formed after taking part in yesterday's TweetCamp in London is that Twitter is whatever people want it to be; and there's no right or wrong way to use it, only effective and ineffective. This was the second TweetCamp in London, the first being in 2009. TweetCamp is described as: [...] a free-to-attend, participatory “unconference” for both new and experienced users of Twitter. It aims to bring digital practitioners together face to face in order to: … [Read more...] about The beauty of TweetCamp
On board with The Huffington Post UK
In a few days time, an event takes place that marks another evolutionary milestone for the mainstream media - the launch of The Huffington Post UK edition on July 6. The Huffington Post is a US news website and content aggregating blog founded in 2005 by Arianna Huffington and others. With origins as a liberal (in the American sense) political blog, it's grown to embrace a wide and deep range of topics to cover, just like major mainstream media do. According to Alexa, it is the 26th … [Read more...] about On board with The Huffington Post UK
FIR’s still a labour of love
On May 23, my podcasting partner Shel Holtz and I marked a milestone number for our weekly business podcast For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report, usually referred to simply as 'FIR' - episode number 600. Many of our listeners had nice things to say about this anniversary of sorts, for which we're grateful. Shortly after FIR 600, Shel and I had a terrific conversation with Kelly Kass, the New York-based editor of Simply-Communicate.com, which appeared as an interview on May 31. … [Read more...] about FIR’s still a labour of love