How early is too early to go to work?

Morning rush hour traffic, Portland, Oregon.

I'm in the habit of heading to the office around 6:30 a.m. to get in front of the bulk of morning rush hour traffic. Although my late afternoon intention is to leave early, it doesn't always work out that way, which, in the end, makes for a long workday.

In the early morning, I appreciate a dark office, the slow transition from the soft tapping of fingers on my computer keyboard to the full morning sun streaming through the knee high to ceiling windows and the rise in volume from voices streaming into the office expressing their morning greetings, shouting out coffee runs, and the onslaught of work and strategy conversations that ensues.

If I could I would arrive at work an hour before I do, I would. Those early hours seem more meaningful, more fruitful, more focused, more free.

But too early isn't always time better spent.

How about you, when do you get to work and how early do you think is too early?

When to boost Facebook posts (event!)

Don't touch that boost button, yet!

Anyone managing a Facebook presence can tell you that organic page reach has been dropping every quarter. If you've tried all your engagement and viral tricks, and are thinking about putting some money behind your efforts, DON'T CLICK THAT BOOST BUTTON, yet

In this seminar, Krys VanSlyke the Senior Manager of Social Media for G/O Digital (division of Gannett), will share how his staff approaches social spend and divulge multiple Facebook tips, including:

• Why the "Boost Button" may not be a smart way to spend your money
• How to set expectations and build budgets
• Which ad types are best for your objectives
• How to use Facebook targeting capabilities

Tuesday, August 19

8:00 am- 9:30 am

KGW8 Studio
1501 SW Jefferson St
Portland, OR 97201

Sponsored by:

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What keeps Portland weird? A #happyday dance

Pharrell Williams an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, musician partnered with the United Nations (UN) Foundation on the International Day of Happiness. It's a feel good moment to encourage a happier, healthier world by donating to support the UN's humanitarian efforts.

The event launched last year, but is gathering momentum in year two with the addition of Williams' support.

As part of today's celebration, people were encouraged to take creative license and post a video to YouTube demonstrating their happiness against the background of Pharrell Williams' top-selling song “Happy.” Participating videos were registered and submitted to the website: 24hoursofhappiness.com.

Once on the 24 Hours of Happiness site, visitors are encouraged to make a donation to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The Fund was established to help the UN and its partners provide fast and reliable humanitarian assistance that directly supports critical aid operations for people affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts.

At noon, in time zones across the planet, 24hoursofhappiness.com will spotlight Pharrell Williams' top picks out of the massive list of submissions.

To promote the event and their own videos, producers, participants and friends are sharing their work across the web using the hashtag #HappyDay.

Expect to see #HappyDay a lot today, leading to videos spotlighting people acting happy, which means big smiles and jiggling all over the screen, i.e., goofy.

In our local area KGW Media Group produced this video showing news anchor Joe Donlon breakdancing as Tracy Barry cheers, Brenda Braxton showing us some very cool moves, Nick Allard photo bombing a very hip looking Russ Lewis, Stephanie Stricklen leading the crew at the KGW Square, Laurel Porter dancing down the hall and Drew Carney showing her how it should be done in his typical little-boy-joy mode only to be challenged in the goofball department by Matt Zaffino and his gold tie. Cameos by lesser known folks in the advertising department are interspersed with people on the street demonstrating what keeps Portland Portland, i.e., weird. 

Me? I'm #kgwhappy today.

Words motivate and keep us engaged, lessons from #wwcon11

Writers pitch agents at the Willamette Writers Conference, Portland OR

When a reader cares about what unfolds in front of them the author wins. They win because they entertain, educate and influence their audience. Writers perform this feat while being invisible.

Invisible until the story ends.

Once the last page of the novel is turned, or the last click of the Kindle is pushed, the enthusiastic reader sets the book aside and turns to other sources to learn more about the person who sent them on the intricate journey of words.

This past weekend, 800 writers journeyed from all corners of the U.S., but mostly the Portland/Vancouver area, and appeared at the Portland Airport Sheraton for the Willamette Writers Conference to become that sought after writer. Invisible no longer, they pursued personal brand awareness, writing platforms, and tackled even the very basics of story structure.

“Writing is a solitary activity,” said one participant. “Willamette Writers is when everyone crawls out of their caves.”

A focus on the written word and the fantasies spun with film played out in many exciting and just as many disappointing ways.

Everyone had a story. Every story a journey. Many stories needed to tromp back to the beginning and be revised to better hook the reader’s interest and to really make them care. This is the job of the first two sentences.

Hook the reader. Even if it hurts.

Once the reader is hooked, the person tumbling into the pile of words needs to feel something. That is the job of the rest of the story.

Keep the reader engaged.

Writing is fascinating. The right words positioned in the right order can drown readers in make-believe and motivate them to feel something. Words provoke the reader to reflect, to take action, or to release the anxieties of the moment and float down the river of commas, spaces and letters.

How the words flow down that river creates an expedition of the imagination--an actual picture that is seen in the mind It teaches, it launches laughter, or builds spaces of silences as crocodile tears roll down cheeks.

Words move the reader into action.

Words moved 800 people to crawl out of their writing dens, emerge and mix, and cast out hope that they could capture an editor, literary or film agent.

Once you hook one of those, the size of your writing pond gets a lot larger, big enough to come out of that writing cave, sniff the fresh air and realize it is the spring of your career.

Hibernation season has ended.

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Other posts on the Willamette Writers Conference:
Curing Love at the Willamette Writers Conference
Willamette Writers Conference and Computer Sex