In today’s world, we certainly have a heightened sense of being ‘on’, always creating and always framing for the future; all the while, growing our experiences each and every day. This can be a lot to ask for and personally, I understand it’s a challenge and is something that I have to constantly work at. (more…)
I went on a bike ride on the lakefront here in Chicago the other day. Gorgeous scenery and amazing trails made for a great ride. What really caught my attention though was when I stopped in front of The Field Museum. There was a family near me and overheard the following between a father and his daughter as he looked at an outdoor statue:
I know, I know – I deserve that look as I tip-toe my way back in here, hoping that no one would notice (unless no one does, then that’s perfectly fine). Since starting an amazing new gig and moving to an equally amazing city, I have admittedly been MIA here. It’s not that I’ve lost motivation to blog or forgot about my awesome and smart community here (though I do feel a bit of guilt), I’ve just been in power up mode. (more…)
By now, most the social web and even mainstream media have read the story about Southwest Airlines and filmmaker Kevin Smith, removing him from a flight because he was ‘too fat’ and a safety concern. Let me state this from the get go, I realize that SWA was in the wrong with their actions and don’t agree with what they did.
I was glad though to see that Southwest responded quickly and even more than once (whether to people’s liking or not) – but I want to tackle an even deeper issue than that: (more…)
If I had to sum up the last year of my life, those two words would be it.
In hindsight, I’m appreciative of the adversity that I’ve gone through. It’s what has helped me evolve – personally and professionally – turning that adversity into opportunity. It’s made me realize that we’re all on a roller coaster – a ride that you either hang on for as long as you can until it decides to make a pit stop, or one you get thrown off of. As I write this post for all of you who have endured part of that ride with me, I wanted to let you know that I hung on.
For those of you who’ve been with me through this ride, you know that I endured a layoff late last year and went through the monster that is – the job market. It was a brute for a good while, but I took that adversity and utilized it to build up my independent skills and consult with some great companies this past year.
But during this time, I was patient. I continued to hustle. And I continued to push on and reach for those goals that I set for myself. I had faith and I believed – not only in the work I was putting in, but the people – you all – that offered a nudge along the way. (more…)
Note: This post is a bit more personal and off-topic than what you’d expect here, but I hope you stick around nevertheless as it covers an important part of my life and a specific project.
The start of the new year is usually a time of joy; reflecting on the past year, looking forward to what’s to come in the next and setting goals & resolutions for ourselves. For my family, the start of 2009 became a time of prayer and hope. We learned my 17-year-old cousin, who’s always been an active spirit around family and friends, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma – a highly malignant brain cancer that’s most commonly found amongst children. We were devastated. It was a huge shock to us all and we didn’t really know how to cope. (more…)
This post is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants – an epic two-month journey of over 50 guest posts. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront and see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed and keep in touch!
Discounts! Coupons! X% off! We all love a sweet deal. I mean, who doesn’t want an incentive to purchase a product or service? It’s what persuades our behaviors as consumers to pick one brand over another – and unless we have a sacred affinity to a specific brand & their products {Apple Macs/iPods or Nike shoes} we’re typically swayed by these offerings.
What got me thinking is the social web and how we, as consumers, respond to brands that are utilizing these platforms to build a community but to also attract new customers. Razorfish recently conducted a study on this, stating that special offers drive engagement in social media. Some interesting takeaways: (more…)
OK, I’m not thinking Men in Black where Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones come in with hip black sunglasses and flash a silver probe that erases any memory you have of them or mutating aliens.
It relates more to our writings
on our blogs. Getting down on paper/text our thoughts and ideas about social media or technology or whatever focus our blog is designed for. Sometimes ideas come in a snap (like this one), while others take some time to develop. Regardless of our methods, there comes a moment where you’ve written an entire post but then ask yourself this: (more…)
This year’s Digital Marketing Mixer was once again filled with great panels and smart people who I learned from and got to know during this 2-day event. I wrote a recap a year ago from my first MarketingProfs event, with an emphasis on people and passion, but this year for me focused around two trends – affirmation and testing.
I say this from more of a development standpoint. From hearing numerous panels to having 1-on-1 sit-downs with industry leaders. I’ve seen the growth from both ends of the spectrum, as talks are far past the tools and the newness of social media and deeper into what we’re actually doing right now to help businesses achieve their goals with the help of the social web.
What has this affirmed for me exactly? That the work that I and the rest of the community have put in this past year, since my last smart-people meeting, is helping move needles and shift our thinking forward with ideas and case studies on what’s working for companies today.
This second takeaway directly relates to that next level of thinking and how organizations are approaching social media today. They’re continually testing & optimizing their strategies and aren’t afraid of failing during this process.
Jay Baer summed up this thought well with this quote: (more…)
If you didn’t hear, I was busy learning and meeting some awesome people at the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer in Chicago this past week. I had the opportunity to talk with tons of smart folks, while attending several great sessions on digital marketing, social media and communities.
As a strong advocate for communities, as well as being a co-founder of #CmtyChat, I was definitely intrigued by Thursday’s interactive session on building and nurturing your online community. The panel was led by Beth Harte and included Rachel Happe, Gretchen Harding and Mildred Center.
The super smart panel had a lot of great thoughts & ideas, but here are some of the main points taken from the session: (more…)
