Content management can be daunting, particularly if you have quite a bit of content to manage. The challenge that we face in the workplace of social media strategy is transforming that content into conversation.

Brian Solis compiled a list of  10 Steps Toward New Relevance  that I promptly sent to my colleagues as a reference point to my actions that are planned in the coming year.

It is difficult to get to know what people want to talk about without listening (a lot) and jumping in to start a conversation. The full experience of a full service arts organization like the one where I work, comes with a superabundance of material. Content includes the performances, the education, the community involvement, the lives of the artists, the work of the staff, the generosity of the volunteers, the brilliance of the management, etc.  All fine stories, but what do the people want to talk about?

We invest on the value of the content, it is now time to fully embrace the responsibility of innovative engagement. Bring value, acknowledging the experience.

When something is awesome, funny or horrible, people talk about it with their friends now on a viral scale.

• Are you a social media strategist? How do you engage authentic experiences?
• Do you use social media tools to tell your circle of influence about things? What calls you to action the most?

 Quick 3  posts saved on the Evernote not to miss:

-YouTube Redesigns Its Web Site to Promote Personalized Video Channels
-Facebook to Start Placing Ads in User News Feeds in January
-The New, New Twitter and What It Means to You and Your Business

photo credit

Victory comes From the Courage to step up – and out.

 I’ve just completed a year long campaign to serve my city of Nashville TN as a Metro Council representative.  It was the first time an openly gay women has run for this office.  My partner Joan and I live in was was once considered are strongly conservative area of town.  When redistricting occurred in the middle of our campaign and had us suddenly facing an incumbent when before it was an open seat. We continued on and gathered the support of hundreds of fellow Nashvillians and from dozens and dozens of new friends and supporters through The Victory Fund.

 In  2003 the city of Nashville tried to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance for its employees.  It was a dramatic time. Some of the council members that supported it received threats. It did not pass because of a tie-breaking vote.  We were disappointed and waited for change once again, because of the promise that “It Does Get Better”.

 In  2008 I made the commitment to never work for a client or an employer that does not have a fully inclusive nondiscrimination policy.  In 2009, friends and colleagues began asking me if I had any interest in running for office.

I knew that I would only run if the new nondiscrimination ordinance offered that year, passed. -It did.  “It Does Get Better”.

It takes courage to step up fearlessly.  It takes time to gather that courage and to find and build the support system that will keep you from harm.  It Gets Better because of all of these things.

Let me say again, I would have never run for office in 2011 if the 2009 Metro Nondiscrimination Ordinance had not passed.  I received 44% of the vote. I am now looking toward taking what I learned about my community and serving it in other ways.

It gets better when you step out.  It gets better when you step up.

It gets better.

itgetsbetter.org

victoryfund.org

When is the last time you washed a rental car?

No one does, there is no ownership

The saying comes from an aircraft-maintenance crew chief, and it was initially popularized in a bestselling book in 1985. The general asked him what the difference was between the old, specialist organization and the new organization, in which the plane and the sortie are the “customer,” where the supervisor (“designated crew chief,” remember) “owns” the plane. The NCO’s to-the-point reply: “General, when’s the last time you washed a rental car?” We think that may say it all. None of us washes our rental cars. There’s no ownership. And there’s no ownership if you’re a specialist, no matter how well trained, if you’re responsible only for two square feet of the right wing of a hundred planes. Only whole planes fly. – The quote investigator

Over the past year I have had the pleasure of working on several projects that I don’t “own”.   I’ve learned new lessons in community and new lessons in the simplicity and complexity that is the paradox of  truly loving one’s neighbor.  More people are volunteering now.  Or are they?    Both the number of volunteers and the volunteer rate rose over the year ended in September 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. About 63.4 million people, or 26.8 percent of the population, volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2008 and September 2009. In 2008, the volunteer rate was 26.4 percent.  Economic New Release in January of 2010 It is important to note that in 2005 it was at 28.8 percent.

As I talk to people in my district here in Madison, TN and throughout Nashville I see an optimistic desire to create opportunities.  Even if you don’t have a child in that neighborhood school, you need to know that you own it.  Do you use one city park but not another, do you have that sense of ownership in the entire park system?  If homelessness is an issue in one part of town, it’s time to own the problem no matter where you live.  If the use of mass transit is something you want to be relevant to you, speak up and own the vision of the future for your region. Do you want more public art and music classes?  How do you own these things?

It’s easier to just pull out of the rental lot – use the service and bring the car back dirty to leave for someone else to clean.  Maybe if we all find the time to  find ownership in our communities we will all see them shined and polished like never before.

This post originally appeared on this blog September 2010

While doing some research for a client I came across a post from last year on Mashable about strategies to engage multicultural consumers on new media platforms. The author, Jessica Faye Carter had some great ideas and insight.  Here are some highlights that I wanted to bring to you for consideration:

1. Include Multicultural in Your Larger Marketing Strategy

Instead of developing multicultural social media campaigns on a one-off basis, make them part of your larger marketing strategy.

2. Engage Across the Cultural Landscape

It’s a good idea to expand your understanding of other cultures beyond language, music, and cuisine. Develop your niche cultural campaign knowing that there is a full cultural landscape from which you can draw inspiration and material for your social media site.

3. Celebrate Culture!

The celebration of the culture and diversity of multicultural communities should be central to your social media campaign. Don’t be afraid to highlight aspects of a particular group’s culture

4. Just Say “No” to Stereotyping

It’s common practice to “fill in the blanks” when you have an incomplete understanding of a subject, but when dealing with cultural issues, a lack of understanding can be disastrous. Avoid relying on stereotypes when developing your campaign.

5. Work the Networks

To get a better understanding of the communities you are trying to reach, visit social networking sites, microsites, or blogs geared toward multicultural groups. Spend time on larger sites like TheGrio and MySpace Latino, as well as emerging sites such as QuePasa.com or CitySaheli, a social networking site for South Asian women.

Click Here for More From Jessica Faye Carter

Technicultr asks an intriguing  question. What do you think?

Should Social Networking Sights Collect Ethnic Information?

Balance is something that a lot of us seek, it is a place where you are supposed to have peace even in the midst of full-mindfulness.  Blah blah.

I’m an artist. I know the complete joy of being completely off-balance.  Many times, you and I will do things even when you know it’s not the “balanced” thing to do.  Some of the best moments of life come from experiences that make no since for you to leap into.

An illness that throws you off balance  may end up making you stronger in spirit than you ever hoped to physically be.  A layoff from a job may put you off balance only to find that the balance you thought you found in that work was a false one. You may be even throw away the pro and con list and run for public office in order to serve your community.

Yes, if you are a tight-rope walker you need balance, but honestly, you are a little off balance to want to walk the tight rope.  If we have complete and total balance, we’ll never get off the teeter-totter.

VIDEO