Building that didn't last. People who did.

In 2008 we dug out a new building site in downtown Vancouver and created a four-story building.

Excitement, anticipation, anxiety and everything else that goes with adventure wove through the placing of each brick.

Here's a video of some of the people who shared the journey.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Social Media Spotlight on Thank You's

Awesome feedback on Social Media For Writers

At the end of all great projects is a moment in the sun to bask in the glow of accomplishment. That is the fancy way of saying I HAD A BLAST, and forget the sun, this feedback is like a rocket to the moon.

Thanks again to the full house at the gallery and the 700+ SlideShare viewers in the first two days of loading the presentation online. I'd like to capture your feedback because it made me feel good, and all of us should be encouraged to step forward and share our expertise with our community.

Group hug :-)

Dec 4: Thank you for presenting valuable social media education this evening.You have helped me so much! Kathryn

Dec 5: Great presentation at @Angst last night. You rock! Ron

Dec 5: Thank you, for the invite to hear Carol  Doane. I usually take many notes, but tonight I arrived with no paper, no pencil. Carol gave us a recipe for successful communication, didn't she?  WOW!! Will we receive an email with address,  links? Thank you again. - Kathryn

Dec 5: Thanks again for pitching in to do this – terrific job. Carolyn

Dec 7: Thanks for the links, Carol. Your presentation on Saturday was full of great information presented in a way that made it easy to receive. I appreciate your energy and your expertise. All Best, Deb

Dec 7: Thanks for the info!! bob

Dec 7: Thank you for sharing your expertise and for doing this for free! I enjoyed my time there and got a real good feel for the local writers and what they are all about. Thanks for your time, Jeff

Dec 7: Haven't made time to join Twitter, but feel embarrassed that you thanked me before I'd thanked you! So I sent an e-mail to you, but it was rejected. So now I'm trying this--through your Blog. I know you'd prefer a Tweet, but haven't jumped in yet, and really want you to know how much I appreciated your talk! So this is the tweet I'd like to send: To Classic Carol: I am very grateful for your fun, comprehensive, inspiring intro to Social Media for Writers last Saturday in Vancouver. The friend I brought actually has a media project to work on and is very excited. Wow. Amazing. THANK YOU for sharing your time & know-how. Gratefully, Karla Joy

Then to top off the good vibes, I received the above message from SlideShare: Congrats! Your presentation 'Social Media for Writers' is showcased on the 'How-to & DIY' page on SlideShare.

I am now enjoying my 16-20 hours of 'fame' which is suggested on slide 60 of the presentation as noted below.

Social Media for Writers

View more presentations from Carol Doane.

It did not go unnoticed that all the hoopla gave me another fan on my Facebook page. Thanks, Annie.

Social Media for Writers Presentation

Social Media for Writers

View more presentations from Carol Doane.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Vancouver Writer's Mixer at our temporary digs at Angst Gallery while Cover to Cover Books puts itself back together after the smoke and water damage from the fire next door. As promised, here's the presentation I shared with the group. I'm looking forward to your feedback on what you try that works. It was amazing, even to me, when author Ron Gompertz announced book sales of No Roads Lead to Rome increased by almost 30% when he tried just one of these ideas.

Of course, I have to thank Melanie Sherman for being my co-conspirator in testing many of these concepts. Her blog Meanderings of Melanie Sherman is an excellent example of how dull, everyday events can be morphed into laugh out loud experiences. Melanie's perspective on life and work should be required reading for all wannabe authors.

Thanks also to Bill Cameron for sharing his experience on Twitter. I can't wait to meet your agent, Janet Reid, and truly explain how I put you in the street. I anticipate it will be a memorable moment . . . for both of us.

To Carolyn J. Rose, thank you so much for your support, for the delicious dinners where we discussed (bragged about) these ideas and for letting me use you as a guinea pig.

And, Mel, thanks for pretending like you knew me, when I pretended to know you!

Topics I covered included: using Blogger, Facebook, Flickr, Flock, Friend or Follow, Goodbye Buddy, FriendFeed, Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Profile, Guerrilla-Media, Hootsuite, Like button, Plancast, Gist and lots of other fun stuff.

Let me know what you accomplish.

Best wishes, everyone!

Social Media for Authors

Vancouver Writer's Mixer

Social Media for Authors

Saturday, December 4

5-6:30 pm

Featured Speaker: Carol Doane

Saturday Carol Doane speaks to the Vancouver Writer's Mixer. She's got the internet wired for fun, for feedback and success! She's the doyenne of Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, and many other virtual publicity websites.

Carol will be demonstrating the basics of navigating these treacherous technical waters. Find out why you should dabble, even just a little, on-line. By the time we're finished, you'll be amazed and eager to get out there and start networking!  It's so easy, even Smedley the bookstore cat tweets. Carol will touch on hot social media topics such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube, Plancast and blogging.

Learn quick tips, easy to use shortcuts and what to do if you hate the idea of marketing yourself.

Carol was a top finalist in the 2010 SoMe Awards (Social Media Awards of the Pacific Northwest) for her volunteer campaign for the Southwest Washington Blood Program. Winning campaigns awarded to Air New Zealand, Travelocity, PAX East, Mio Gelato, Portland Fit, Hotel Max, Mio Gelato.

She is also a published writer (chapter in Laughing Nine to Five: The Quest for Humor in the Workplace) and she has two completed fiction manuscripts now in the hands of literary agents on both coasts.

Many, many thanks to Angst Gallery owner Leah Jackson for allowing Cover to Cover Books to hold their monthly mixer in the gallery. The bookstore remains closed due to smoke damage until renovations can be completed. Cover to Cover is taking special orders via email: mail@covertocoverbooks.net.

If you want to chat with Carol after the event we'll be taking over the couch in Niche Wine & Art next door.

Online event registration for Social Media for Writers powered by Eventbrite

How deep is your social community?

I check into my daughter's blog occasionally. It's always reassuring when I discover I am not portrayed in a negative light and often offers insight into what hides behind the simple, sporadic words she shares.

This morning I discovered what motivated a random bike ride after an exhausting afternoon of horseback riding.

And while I immerse myself joyfully in social media, the thrill of discovery in the SoMe-sphere cannot come close to how this moment of community delivered by my child touched me.

Adventure Hour

We passed him in the car,
driving down the off ramp.
He looked as if he hadn't showered in days.
Rag clothes,
and a heavy plaid jacket.
His eyes were filled with sadness,
I wanted to scream at my mom to pull over.

So I came home,
grabbed my bag.
Filled it with two granola bars,
a packet of Ritz crackers,
a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.
Took two water bottles from the trunk,
and piled them in.

I opened the door,
reaching for my helmet,
all the while,
waiting for the garage to open.
I back up my bike,
closed the garage.
Put one foot on the pedal,
and swung the other leg over.

Bike fast,
I thought to myself.
Faster, faster.
Hoping he was still there.
I careened down the gradual slope,
cursing at the stupid sidewalk curbs.
And I kept biking.

Until I spotted him again.
He was still alone.
Pulling his jacket tighter around his body,
even I could feel the wind picking up.
He was on the other side of the street.
On the corner of the intersection,
where all on and off ramps meet.

But when I crossed the street to his side,
I saw him smile.
I smiled back, and got off my bike.
Putting down the kick stand.
And I said to him,
"I have something for you."
And feeling a bit silly, I asked,
"Is that okay?"

He just nodded as he watched me,
like any moment I would try and hurt him.
I took my bag off my shoulders,
pulled out the grocery sack that held everything,
and I placed it on the ground
close enough for him to reach.
He looked up at me and smile.
I smiled back, and said goodbye.

I have always taught to avoid the personal pleas of those who stand on the side of the road, that if you are motivated to give, direct your gift to agencies trained to assist those in need. I still believe that, but what my daughter did made me proud, even if I would have said no had she asked.

For those in the Southwest Washington who would like to support those who champion the underdogs here are two of my favorite organizations:

Council For The Homeless  
Tireless workiers in this 501c(3) nonprofit
2500 Main Street
Vancouver , WA 98660
360-993-9561
Council for the Homeless Facebook, Events.

Open House Ministries  
Open 24 hours, so when I'm cleaning I can deliver at that moment
2500 Main St
Vancouver, WA, 98660
360-993-9561
Open House Ministries Facebook, Twitter, Events.

---

To read more from Doane Tiger: http://doanetiger.blogspot.com/

Don't stop asking questions

One of my employees slipped into my cube white as a sheet

I glanced up.

He paused, took a breath, and from his back pocket pulled an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of paper. He unfolded it with shaking hands and it fluttered gently as he held it up so I could read it.

I recognized it. "Yes?" I said.

He swallowed and asked, "Have I done something wrong?"

I burst into laughter.

He had been summoned by the human resource department to a standard, mandatory training session. Because he is a new employee he had no idea it was a standard class. Because he is an employee who desires to inform himself and set something right had something been perceived incorrectly he came to me to get more information—even if it meant that he had committed a wrong.

His strained expression telegraphed he didn't understand. I apologized for laughing and explained the training is an ongoing class we rotate all the new employees into. It's designed to raise awareness when our actions offend someone else and provide guidelines and words for someone who has been offended to communicate that effectively.

His shoulders relaxed and he stuffed the paper back in his pocket. I thanked him profusely for broaching the question. He admitted he'd lost a bit of sleep over it.

No matter where we are in our careers if a question arises that causes us to lose sleep, worry or stress-out, we need to have the guts to push ourselves forward and put the question on the table. Tomorrow I'll check in and ask what he learned in the sexual harassment awareness training.

What's holding you back from asking your question?

Mental Cruise Control

Most of our day is based on habits and patterns, a virtual cruise control of the mind. In some aspects this is good, it creates a known path we can travel, the ability to not be on full alert and tax our energies and awareness until we hit stroke-level. The ability to do more than one thing at a time. But.

But what do we miss when we're cruising? The ability to appreciate small kindnesses, to adapt to change, to engage in the true conversation and not the one we think we're having.

Take the cruise control off. Change one thing today, take a walk for your break, stop typing on the computer when you answer your desk phone, look the person in the eye who is speaking to you.

Pull the car out of cruise control on the way home. Take a different route. Go slower.

Take a breath.

Be fully present in the moment.

Tell me what you see.

---

Standing on separate thought continents

When I first became a supervisor every decision had to be made slowly, methodically as I thought through the options and the various outcomes. Today, I move a little faster, maybe too fast. Someone asked a question last week, and I answered before I truly understood what they actually meant. Then it took twice as long for us to get back to common ground.

We stood on separate thought continents.

I thought about that when I reviewed notes of a new product launch. I methodically plotted an introduction, anticipated the questions I'd be asked, and drafted the strategy to answer each one (and when).  Three sentences into my bullet points the interruptions erupted.

My audience had leapt ahead and not necessarily on the road I navigated.

What is it that makes us want to hurry so fast, make judgments on what we believe others intend, plan or why they take the actions they do? What would happen if we listened to understand? Or waited half a moment to see if, while listening, most of our own questions are answered?

As I reviewed the a rapid fire of questions I’d received and how I’d tried to escape them as if dodging bullets, I realized I don’t have to answer every question that  is lobbed at me. Had I dug a little deeper, sought to understand the creative process that had ignited their queries, maybe I would have learned more, learned something, learned anything.

Maybe I would have had some insight into their thought process.

Next time I’m caught in the crosshairs I’d like to seek a different kind of exchange. Ask: what would happen if we did that, what would happen if we didn’t? Part of our role as managers is to develop employees. I’ve always thought explaining the ‘why’ would support the idea of following.

Now I’m not so sure a leader needs followers as much as thoughtful participants who engage with us in meaningful conversations.

What’s the question you’d most like your manager to answer?

Are you man enough to be global?

Why did it surprise the world ten years ago when USA Today disclosed total women using the Web exceeded that of men? It's as if we must learn over and over again women are engaged, intelligent and capable beings.

Today, the numbers of men and women using the Web remain closely aligned, but according to comScore's June 2010 report, Women on the Web, How Women are Shaping the Internet, the sexes approach and engage the Internet very differently. Paying attention is the bridge to creating viable products and success for our businesses, or walking the plank to failure.

If white, American males—who have been raised on quest and conquer values—believe they direct the Internet's future, perhaps a quick review of the statistics would be advised. Today, Internet usage is growing exponentially in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, with Asia leading as the largest majority of users (World Internet Usage).

That doesn't sound white or American.

This isn't a new frontier you can conquer and cast into a model based on United States' standards and ideals. This is an Eastern ocean running at high tide and American culture is not an adequate boat to float us gently into the future. We need to be aggressively learning and embracing other philosophies and customs, and stop pretending everyone is like us, or debasing them when they are not.

American businesses need to acknowledge both sexes have value in the Internet venue and in the company. And what would that value look like if it were practiced? Let's start with equal pay. And once we figure out how to value the people resources in the office, we need to broaden our global perspective to survive. The world around us is moving fast and we're going to have to row hard to keep up.

Do you think we're global enough? It takes effort. We'll know we're truly global when we've cultivated a greater world perspective, when we see more color in media entertainment: Asian, Indian, South American, Black. We'll be more global when we work side-by-side as equals.

"Without effort, you cannot be prosperous. Though the land be good, you cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation." ~ Plato, classical Greek philosopher, (428 B.C.-348 B.C.).

Let's cultivate the world and the best it has to offer and honor the best in our own businesses, male and female.

There is a greater world out there. I've seen it.

I've been to Asia. Have you?


Download the white paper: Women on the Web, How Women are Shaping the Internet

The business of family

It's England, it's 1590, and it's a boy.

He grew. He grew discontent.

He left England in 1630 to come to Plymouth, Massachusetts and became known as Deacon John Doane. From this man a family tree dug its roots deep into the soil of New England and then dispersed throughout America.

Today, The Doane Family Association of Amercia, Inc. celebrates family every other year with a reunion held at various sites in the United States. Besides family, the Doane's love a good mystery and right now the business of the Doane family is a quest to discover exactly where in England Deacon John originated, to uncover the family name of the Deacon's wife, and determine what vessel he used to travel to America.

This year the reunion is at Doane College, a nationally recognized college in Nebraska offering undergraduate and graduate programs across three campuses in Crete, Lincoln and Grand Island. From the Doane College website: "Deacon John Doane was one of the few who bore the title of "Mr." In 1633, he was on the list of Freemen. By 1632/33, he began serving on the General Court. He preferred to be a Deacon in the church, rather than an Assistant to the Governor. In 1644, Deacon John Doane was among those leading the enterprise of new settlement in the Nauset (now Eastham) area of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

It is a known fact that there are good Doanes, musical Doanes (Melanie Doane), athletic Doanes (Shane Doane), inventors and entrepreneurs (Doane Paper and LCDoane), illustrators (Pelagie Doane), and outright Outlaw Doans.

Who have you found in your family tree?

A beginners guide to advertising

Mid stride interviewing candidates for a media sales position, I lamented to my director that there is no book I can hand someone to teach them what we do.

Beginners Guide To Advertising

When I began in media sales our world was far less complex. New products and concepts emerged slowly with much thought and thorough research. We layered them into our sales portfolios as easily as turning pages of a newspaper. We built a direct mail product, we created glossy magazines, coupon books, crafted custom print programs for full color brochures and flyers. We sold travel contests and auction events.

We stumbled early into the online world and chased premiere media consultants and followed their packaging advice. We trained weekly and tracked every nuance of the vocabulary: hits, views, impressions.

There was no standing still, but the pace was manageable.

Today, the media business bolts forward faster than the speed of light.

To enter our sales world now is a head spinning experience. Rewarding, but only with a heavy investment in self and a deep desire to grip the unknown and hang on to the ride while trying to steer the ship.

We learn by listening, watching, devouring information as if it were the air we breathed. As soon as we figure out how to sell static online ads, we're packaging flash ads into our marketing proposals, then video, then mobile.

We think we've got it figured out, take a breath and get knocked off our feet. Company resources wither and the weight of survival moves to every employee but rests solidly on the local territory sales reps.

This is no job to ease you into retirement. This is an ever reinventing itself career. And as the SlideShare above demonstrates, the concept is very simple. But it's what we bring to the table–our ability to grasp media concepts and communicate them in language a layman can understand–that pushes towards success.

So.

How'd I do?

Want to come work for me?

Send your resume to: TheClassicCarol (at) gmail (dot) com

View more webinars from Carol Doane.

Cheap is a chance. Don't drown in the advertising pool.

Proven advertising often is a simple solution that begins with your local media company, the newspaper. Today, news and information corporations offer multiple platforms for message delivery including the traditional paper that still delivers the largest audience over all local media. In addition, clockwork delivery, stable rates, printed rate cards, customer loyalty programs, volume discounts, anchored positions are all reasons to assess the options of the paper.

The audience continues to respond to advertising.

View more presentations from Carol Doane.

Man or the machine? Predicting the winner

I brought up the success of Redbox this morning and asked, "How many have seen a Blockbuster or a Hollywood Video location go out of business in your neighborhood?"

The response was unanimous. Everyone.

"RedBox proves you can rent videos without employees," I continued, and drew a further conclusion that we will see growth in our business in self-serve advertising. One rep noted we already accept ads online and the customers receive a discount.

The Room—filled with media sales reps—exhaled a collective hee-bee-gee-bee shudder. How can we compete with the machine and its discounts, they wondered.

"Should I find a new career?" asked one respected rep. The question hung in the space between panic and next steps.

"You could," I said.

"Or, you could realize that Redbox would not survive and thrive if there wasn't a ton of marketing for every video in their kiosk. That marketing is not created by machines. It is crafted by creative minds. Our world is still hinged on people and what people can create.

"Sales people need to create the correlation between product and value," I stated, and summed up my recommendations:

Be vital. No machine can replace your expertise, drive for your own success, and desire to help customers succeed.

Keep customers bound to YOU. They may get something cheaper somewhere else...but will it work?!

Assess what works, not just in online but in an overall media campaign. Duplicate what works for your customers.

Study, learn and share. Help your customers understand the changing landscape and demonstrate the value of our products. If you are only contacting your customer to update an expiration date on their ad, you are missing an opportunity to demonstrate YOUR value.

What you don't sell today, will disappear tomorrow if you don't pounce on it. If you lag, someone else will grab your opportunities. Be a pro. Be first!

How is online changing your business?

Ed Borasky can count to twenty-five, blog, and brag about microbrews

Today's post is from Guest Contributor Ed Borasky. This piece first appeared on Borasky Research Journal under the title Twenty Five Years and Counting.

May 13, 2010, marks the 25th anniversary of my arrival in the Portland, Oregon area. I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else, and I call it my home. For those of you reading this from outside the area, I invite you to come visit us. There are lots of conferences, festivals and other reasons to come here, but – well – it’s just an all-around wonderful place.

But the thing is, I don’t actually live in Portland, but in a suburb called Aloha that, strangely enough, has nothing to do with Hawaii. And I’ve never been to Hawaii, so I can’t very well ask you to visit there, can I? So, yes, definitely Portland!

What do we have?

1. Water. Two major rivers meet here, and fresh water literally falls out of the sky free for the taking! If you like it salty, there’s a few bays and coves a couple of hours to the west.
2. Air. We get our air mostly fresh off the ocean, or occasionally funneled through the Columbia Gorge by a high-pressure cell. In any event, we get it before much of the US, and we try our damnedest not to add stuff to it on its way east.
3. Mountains. Yeah, there’s one not too far away that gave us a little trouble in 1980, but for the most part, they’re pretty to look at and a great place to go skiing.
4. Parks. There are so many, I can’t list them all, so I’ll just give you a link to my favorite. Tryon Creek State Park. And my second favorite, Cooper Mountain Nature Park.
5. Beer. Contrary to popular belief, you can get imported beer here. But why would you? Ours has better hops, has more alcohol, is served in pubs, restaurants, banquet halls and even movie theaters! To quote Wikipedia, “Portland has more breweries and brewpubs per capita than any other city in the United States.“
6. Food and wine. We grow it. We catch it in the ocean. We make it. We cook it. We eat it. We package it up and ship it. And we love to share it. Our food cart scene has been featured on national television and in the New York Times.
7. Entertainment. New York has Greenwich Village. Washington has Georgetown. Portland has — Portland! Jazz, folk, rock, symphonic, chamber, ballet, opera, and two new music ensembles. Portland has numerous theater companies and a major performing arts center. We have listener-supported jazz and classical radio stations heard around the world on the Internet. Oh, yeah – if you happen to hear bagpipes, they just might be coming from a unicyclist.
8. Bloggers and Tweeters and Geeks, Oh! My!
   I’m a blogger. I have one. I used to have five. And I have a LinkedIn page. And I tweet, a lot. At last count more than any other Portlander. Folks around here call me @znmeb.
   
   
   

   Geeks: we have Linus Torvalds. Perhaps you’ve heard of Linux? He invented it.
   
   We have Ward Cunningham. Perhaps you’ve heard of the wiki? He invented it.
   
   We have major contributors to Perl, PostgreSQL, Ruby, WordPress and other open source projects. We have Jive Software and Zapproved. We have the Silicon Florist. We have 30 Hour Day. We have Strange Love Live.
   
   We love social media, software and . . . social media software! Software is a craft here, just like belts, jewelry and beer. You can actually sit and watch us make it in coffee shops and pubs.

So if you’re looking for a great city to visit this year, we’re here in Portland! Just be careful crossing the street if you hear bagpipes. 

If you would like a more in-depth conversation with Ed Borasky, follow @znmeb on Twitter. Or, offer to buy him a cup of coffee like I did.

Other guest contributors have been Jennifer Green.

The Big Boys and Girls in Social Media and me

Pictured left to right: Carol Rossio, Ed Borasky, Ken and Wilma Doane.

The SoMe Awards—Pacific Northwest Social Media Awards—night was a fast-paced adventure of meeting new people, making first time connections with Twitter followers, rallying for future meet-ups, and waiting to find out if I won the Scrappy & Engaged category.

I LOVE marketing people. They know how to make you feel good. I'd social media'd my birthday party into a blood drive for Southwest Washington Blood Program and I was running with the big boys and girls. I received an email from organizer Sean Lowery stating I was a TOP FINALIST for a SoMe Award.

My present? Standing toe-to-toe with the men and women of social media agencies who deftly crafted winning campaigns for Intel, Air New Zealand, Travelocity and local Portland businesses such as Hotel Max and networks such as Portland Fit.

I arrived ten minutes early with my posse (Mom and Dad) ready to move the People's Choice Award votes to Carol's Save a Life Birthday Party. My parents have no idea what social media is, and while trying to explain it on the way over, Mom gazed out the car window as we passed Propstra Stadium, and said wistfully, "Look at the baseball players."

Yes. Baseball they understand. Social media makes my posse A.D.H.D.

Ed Borasky, met us at registration swearing he wanted his money back if I didn't win, which brought my fan base to four (counting me), but you have to minus two because Mom and Dad don't have iPhones, let alone a concept of Twitter, and the People's Choice Award votes would be tabulated using a hashtag.

When I patiently began my explanation of a Twitter hashtag, Mom glanced desperately around the room for a ball player, or anyone in uniform. She grabbed the sleeve of a Multnomah Athlete Club employee and held on until he'd guided her to the dessert bar. Chocolate. Lemon. Vanilla. A vast array.

I ran into Jeff Bunch, Web Editor of Columbian.com, and we traded a few quips on web tactics. Our engaging conversation enveloped jazz singer Carol Rossio a friend of Carri Bugbee, president of Portland's Social Media Club. Carol didn't bring a phone, I noted and concluded, no votes from her.

Two big screens promoted the finalists by client and hashtag. I fingered my glass. Jeff plus Ed and me equals three votes. I downed my wine, and left the safety of the high-top table to work the room. I flitted from group to group asking, "Who are you voting for?"

"Ourselves!" said 90%.

I raised my brows, curled my hand into a fist, thrust it their direction for a fist bump, and enthused, "I hope you win something!"

If they paused too long, I suggested, "Vote for me, I'm #SM24. Carol's Save A Life Birthday Party."

"Okay!" noted one very nice stranger.

I scrutiznied her face to see if she was joking. I realized I knew her. She was a Twitter follower I recognized from her avatar. We introduced ourselves, orienting each other to our jobs and other people we had in common. She pulled out her phone and voted. I gave her a huge smile, thanked her for her hastag, and floated off musing, Ed, Jeff, Carmen Hill and me. That's four. Good grief. I could shamefully lose this People's Award for lack of proper scheming, er, planning. I flipped through my Twitter stream and noticed that Step Change had promised that supporters would be entered into a raffle for a pony. Dang, why didn't I think of that?

#SM24 was short lived.

An astute audience member noticed duplicate numbers. The big screen screeched to a halt for course correction. I got knocked from #SM24 out to #SM26. Adriane assured me she'd counted my four votes before she made the change. I scanned the room, conversations buzzed in a happy roar. I could not insert myself into everyone's private space again, so I quietly slunk off to find my seat.

Music, snappy introductions and awards flowed with cheers and laughter.  Rob Sample, crooner and emcee, did a fabulous job. He dove straight into the internet ocean with a SoMe rendition of the Love Boat theme. When he leaned in toward Dad, his voice slowing into a smooth vibrato, and warbled, "♫ exciting and new," I thought I might bust a gut. 

Proving that results count, Anvil Media shone as a great example of creating a winning social media strategy. Their fabulous campaign for Hotel Max produced 4,000 retweets, 80 guests, and a 37% increase in hotel revenue, which they detail in this after party video.

Those results won them an award, The Scrappy and Engaged category.  Congratulations!

Can social media motivate?

The Pacific Northwest is known for beautiful landscapes, diverse, rough-hewn history and nature-loving populations with large hubs around Seattle, which boasts 3.3 million coffee lovers, and farther north a hub of 2.3 million around Vancouver, British Columbia which can boast about not being original.

Vancouver, B.C. has the dubious distinction of usurping the name 'Vancouver' from the original: Vancouver, Washington.

My city.

A slightly smaller grouping of people, barely over 400,000 in the entire county.

Vancouver, Washington grew organically from the outreach and marketing of the Hudson's Bay Company, the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world.

Vancouver, Washington benefits from the proximity of Portland, Oregon, a mere 2.2 million, and just an interstate bridge crossing away from great modern day advertising agencies such as Wieden + Kennedy.

I swim in that pool. Advertising. Marketing. Media.

Marketing is a staple of our lives. Millions of messages pound at us everyday. Experts try to estimate how many. Who can be sure? It's pervasive in every part of our lives. So, how can any ONE be heard?

Brian Solis, principal of Future Works, suggests in his blog post The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration that we find a voice and a sense of purpose. Someone in Seattle found their voice and spoke to me. Sean Debutts of the Puget Sound Blood Center asked me to spearhead a local event. Our connection came through social media. I decided to dive deeper into social media, use it, test it for this event, and discover if social media can motivate someone else to take action.

I chirped, twittered and cajoled the Portland/Vancouver hub to celebrate my birthday by donating blood. A month later, I'm wondering how many more would have come forward had we used traditional media. Actually, that's a lie. I'm not wondering, I know. A series of ads in the local paper, a jingle on a targeted group of radio stations and public service mentions on any of the local television stations would have pumped up the numbers. But this event had no dollar budget. Only time and complimentary venues.

Irregardless of the results that traditional media provides, businesses are flocking to social media as if it's traditional media's dynamic replacement. But it's not. It's not targeted (yet), it's not controllable (yet), and message frequency is not viewed as a good campaign, it's viewed more akin to spam. It's like standing inside the ramparts of Fort Vancouver (pictured above) with a single shot rifle and trying to connect with one 'prospect' at a time. It takes a lot of effort and determination as you fine tune your aim.

My blood drive event was a mash-up of crazy shots as I tried every gun in every arsenal within reach. The results? I had a blast.

My efforts placed me as top finalist for a SoMe Award – Pacfic Northwest Social Media Award. Included on my resume are many awards from PNNA, Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association, and I'm proud of them, but all happened when I was in sales and madly dashing from 'post to post' trying to create something spectacular to motivate businesses to market together. There's strength in numbers. If everybody fires a lot of shots we will hit something. I guarantee it.

The number of participants in the blood drive was very small. But, I think we can say there's strength in those small numbers, too. The potential affect on the overall community for each person who participated as a blood donor is priceless. Each donor's gift could save up to three lives.

Saving one life makes a stronger community.

Social media is our new community. It's still an untamed venue whose impact has not fully been explored, exploited or fully exported into traditional marketing campaigns. It's also very personal. It's a conversation. It's putting the advertising gun down, coming out of the tower and having a conversation with the person you want to connect with. It builds a stronger relationship.

Okay, wish me luck. SoMe winners are announced tonight. We get two drinks and dessert. I hope one is coffee, and when it's all said, awarded and done, I know what I will come home with—more connections, more friends and more victims to hit up for my next blood drive.

What motivates you to use social media?

The new media of traditional media congratulates social media

The e-newsletter BusinessTODAY produced by The Columbian, the largest daily newspaper in Southwest Washington, included this information about the Pacific Northwest SoMe Awards . . . and me :-)

 


People
Carol Doane, advertising sales manager for The Columbian, is a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Social Media Awards' Scrappy & Engaged Award category. Doane is being recognized for her response to Sean Debutts, Social Media Coordinator at Puget Sound Blood Center. Debutts had sent a direct message to Twitter follower Doane asking if she would spearhead a blood drive.The Scrappy & Engaged category salutes best brand awareness/user engagement for less than $500. Doane dubbed her campaign, "Carol's Save A Life Birthday Party." The awards will be announced Thursday, May 6, at an event at the Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 S.W. Salmon St.in Portland. The event starts at 7 p.m. Registrations are accepted online at  http://www.someawards.com/.


(View the slideshare that describes the birthday event: http://www.slideshare.net/TheClassicCarol/carols-save-a-life-birthday-party)

Carol Doane top finalist in Pacific Northwest Social Media Awards

It's real. Here's the Press Release for the SoMe Scrappy & Engaged  Award (I'm a top finalist!)

Every two minutes someone in Western Washington needs a blood transfusion. Sean Debutts, Social Media Coordinator at Puget Sound Blood Center, sent a direct message to Twitter follower Carol Doane to secure Doane as a champion to spearhead a blood drive. Carol Doane, the Advertising Sales Manager and Social Media Strategist at The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington, quickly agreed.

Doane's social media campaign and resulting blood donation event placed her as a top finalist for the Pacific Northwest Social Media Awards in The Scrappy & Engaged Award category. Winners will be announced after the Portland, Oregon InnoTech Conference. InnoTech is a business and technology innovation conference and expo sponsored by top brands IBM, Microsoft, Integra Telecom, Advanced Systems Group, Smarsh, MSI and others. Besides Portland, InnoTech conferences also take place in Austin, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Scrappy & Engaged category salutes best brand awareness/user engagement for under $500. Doane dubbed her campaign, "Carol's Save A Life Birthday Party," and estimated the cost at $14.99, the cost of a birthday cake. As part of her submission she created a SlideShare to describe the event, http://www.slideshare.net/TheClassicCarol/carols-save-a-life-birthday-party. "A crew of social media enthusiasts in Texas and beyond were the SoMe Awards judges," reports Sean Lowery, Executive Director of the InnoTech Conference which is spotlighting the awards.

"Social media is very personal and this campaign struck a chord for me," says Carol Doane. "I have an innate curiosity to see if I can drive people out from behind their computers to share a cup of coffee and many will, but this project asked them to extend past surface conversation and participate in a needle-in-the-arm way."

Sean Debutts, the initiator of the direct message that launched Doane's participation notes, "Carol deserves the honor after all the hard work she put into her drive and all the visibility she gave the concept."

The Puget Sound Blood Center maintains eleven donation centers in Washington and continues to benefit from Doane's efforts. "For an hour the SlideShare I created to describe the campaign was Hot on Twitter and featured on SlideShare's Health and Medicine category," notes Carol Doane. "It's all these little wins that makes diving into social media fun."

What's next on the agenda for the Social Media Strategist? "The hardest part now," she muses, "Is explaining what a social media award is to my parents."

Social media is an all encompassing term for the mixing of technology and social interaction to add value to the community. The SoMe Awards honor the best social media projects, programs and campaigns in the Pacific Northwest. The SoMe event takes place at the prestigious Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 SW Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon 97205, Thursday, May 7, 2010 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Registration is $20 and includes two drinks and dessert. Event registrations are accepted online: http://ow.ly/1FZ1s

Information about the awards can be found on the SoMe website: http://www.someawards.com/

Award categories include:

• Best Brand Awareness/User Engagement (over $25k) – The Sugar Daddy Award 
• Best Brand Awareness/User Engagement (under $25k) – The People Like Me Award
• Best Brand Awareness/User Engagement (under $500) – The Scrappy & Engaged Award
• Best ROI (over $25k) – The Rich Get Richer Award
• Best ROI (under $25k) – The Keep Your Job Award
• Best ROI (under $500) – The Soon-to-Be Wealthy Award
• Best Social Media App – The Next Big Thing Award
• Best Agency – The House Party Award
• People’s Choice Award
• Best in Show

Carol Doane blogs on business themes at 360Convos.blogspot.com and as @TheClassicCarol on Twitter.

When time stood still, okay it's a screen shot

For a blink of an eye my work stood in front of the Altimeter Group. It was a beautiful moment, a social media coup. It started with an email from SlideShare: Congrats, 'Carol's Save a Life Birthday Party' is hot on Twitter.

That would make you wake up and sit up, right? Well, I did. It was extremely exciting. Especially the part where they called me by name, "Well done, you!" The handy dandy exclamation point did not escape my notice. It was perfectly placed.

My shaking fingers trembled over the keyboard as I surfed over to SlideShare.net and scanned their home page. There on the left rail was a light blue text link that connected every Slideshare viewer on earth to my uploaded power point, and not just any power point, it was the very first one I'd uploaded to SlideShare.

The purpose of my power point was to recap the social media trail I blazed while organizing a blood drive for Southwest Washington Blood Program.

It's quite believable that I would click the link and review the SlideShare 'Hot on Twitter' landing page, right? Well, I did. 

It's UNBELIEVABLY lucky that I grabbed a screenshot, because that is the only proof I have that my creation stood three paces in front of the Altimeter Group's work, and as I said in the beginning it happened in the span it takes to rub your eyes and wake up.

Of course, someone who would think it was base to brag that their work eeked out in front of the nations top analysts would never have begun this post in the first place. That person would not be me. And I'm keeping track. Yes, according to ItDatabase the Altimeter Group houses three of the nation's top analysists: R "Ray" Wang, Jeremiah Owyang, and Charlene Li. Both Ray and Jeremiah follow me on Twitter and we've had some lively conversations, and Charlene Li tweeted a comment I made on on a blog. Once.

The trio is well respected and actively followed in the social media sphere. When Owyang posts a SlideShare such as, 'Social CRM: The New Rules of Relationship Management'  he pulls in 38,000+ views. When I post a slideshare I pull in . . . well, check it out here. Almost as good, right?

Most of the time when something really cool happens you call your parents and blurt out your success in semi-comprehensible excitement and they say, 'Yay, way to go, honey.' For some reason social media coups don't have the same impact as getting your name in the newspaper, or showing up on time for the family dinner and remembering what you were supposed to bring.

I needed an alternative cheering squad. I turned to my kid and jumped up and down, "Slideshare, my PowerPoint it's like on their home page and it's neat-o, and wow."

She blinked and returned to texting.

Therefore, my 360 Convos Friends I have chosen this venue to celebrate with you.

You get it, right?

Angst Gallery: 360 Biz of the Month

Angst: an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety.

Gallery: the moment after.

When I first envisioned 360 Biz of the Month I imagined it as an opportunity to recognize start-ups creating awesome technology—the new stuff that gets you excited if only for its simplicity and cleverness.

April appeared with a couple of nominations, but the timing wasn't right for the interviewee or interviewer.

The second week of April rolled in, and all available resources focused on finishing taxes.

Foursquare Day, April 16, took the collective pent up tax anxiety and funneled it into a hashtag: #superswarmpdx. I headed toward Whiffies and cherry fried pie. All kinds of people and entertainment awaited, but no inspiration.

Does it have to be technology? I asked myself on the drive home. Or, can I change the 'rules?'

Rules are made to be broken, I decided, or at minimum to be enhanced.

So, it is with pleasure that 360 Convos announces Angst Gallery as April's 360 Biz of the Month. This honor is awarded for demonstrating that a small space on Main Street can change the landscape, if not the world.

It's not technology that drives the Angst Gallery but a community of creativity, environmentalism, and active loyalty to Southwest Washington.

Owner and Gallery Director, Leah Jackson, opened the gallery in 2008 after she curated a masterful Baby Boomers exhibit at the Clark County Historical Museum. Prior to that she co-founded and directed Sixth Street Gallery, a Southwest Washington artist co-op.

I met Leah Jackson when our kids were in grade school. I picked up my darling in a car, she picked up hers via bicycle. Jackson is an avid fan of green transportation and championed PARK(ing) Day in Vancouver, Washington. PARK(ing) Day is a global event that originated in San Francisco and temporarily transforms metered parking spots into temporary public parks.

Three years later, the City of Vancouver rewarded Jackson's efforts by capturing on-street parking for bicycles directly in front of her gallery (pictured above). Today, anyone who rides a bike to downtown Vancouver can park it on the street at 1015 Main Street, Vancouver, Washington 98660. The bicycle parking will be officially celebrated in June during Angst Gallery's annual "Bike Love" show. For this event fees are dropped and any bike related art is welcome to be juried for the June show.

Angst Gallery features unique offerings from traditional oil on canvas, pen and ink, watercolors, ceramics and jewelry to steel sculpture, mixed media, and fiber art. The gallery also hosts interns from Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. Their work included learning how to jury a show and they actually juried the April show.

The gallery promotes local poets such as Christopher Luna and offers gallery space off-hours to hold poetry workshops. The deadly duo, local mystery writers Carolyn J. Rose and Mike Nettleton, also found a spot in the gallery to sell their latest book, The Big Grabowski. The ancient upright invites keyboardists to finger the ivories and browse the gallery's collection of CD's and LP's from local musicians that litters its immense top.

Environmentalism carries over into every segment of gallery life. The gallery has in its collection a remarkable piece of wearable-recycled art. Jackson approached Sherry Mowatt, the Artistic Director of the Fort Vancouver Tapestry Project, to create her incredible idea: a form-fitting, sexy dress made out of recycled bicycle tires.

Seriously. Bicycle tires.

Leah Jackson wore it to the 2007 Bicycle Transportation Alliance Alice Awards Event, and it was also on view during the Clark County Fair that year.

Angst Gallery has infused itself into the economic success of the area. It was a founding member of LOCALS, Lower Columbia Alliance for Living Sustainably, best known for advocating diverting 10% of business expenditures into the local area. Angst Gallery also co-founded BikeMe! Vancouver. The front room on the gallery is home to a plethora of bicycle publications from many organizations. Most of the publications are free and available to all gallery visitors.

So, what's next for Angst Gallery and owner Leah Jackson? Well, that is a surprise, but it has her out front of the space next door scrubbing tile.

Angst Gallery
1015 Main Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
360.980.8352
Leah.AngstGallery@gmail.com

Vehicle (and bicycle) parking. First 20 minutes on meter FREE.

Open Wed-Sat Noon-5.
Open til 8pm on First Fridays.

View Larger Map


REFERENCES:
Angst Gallery:  Website
SW Washington Zest: 10 minute conversation with Leah Jackson
SW Washington Center for the Arts; Doc published Summer 2009
Art is in the eye of the beholder: Student interns at Angst Gallery
Bike Love event June 2009: Bike Portland.org photo gallery
Leah Jackson: Director Angst Gallery

PRIOR 360 BIZ OF THE MONTH:

March 2010 

Nozzl Media

February 2010 Moment of silence for bankrupt newspapers

January 2010 Gist