Thursday, June 14, 2018

Pure ENGAGEMENT online = social ethiquette



The following was just posted on Facebook:


Hey Marsha Collier .... Happy 3rd Frienaversary!! It's been a happy ride on the bus with you and together, we show how 2 women, from 2 countries, remarkable and steadfastness to the roller coaster of social media together. Interesting isn't it that this came from Facebook and not Twitter where we consistently interact and "engage" with each other.

I declare: Marsha Collier to be my BFF friend online ... dated this 14th day of June, 2018. A solidarity that could not be broken nor can be split even though our country's politicians are both acting like elementary boys volleying to being recognized as the most popular boy at school.

Can you imagine?

If Justin Trudeau invited moi Jeannette Marshall to attend a mini conference with you and Donald Trump -- I BET we'd have it solved in 3 hours if a glass of wine and a great conversation exchanged between two different ladies: setting a new curve in an upward arrow swirling into the stratosphere as a solution of "WE TOO" @WE2 #We2 ..... Read more ......... HERE>

If you have a good friend, go ahead and tweet at them or post on their Facebook timeline, something along how you met and their impact on your online knowledge quest or self development or communications command post.

Even better if you could scout out a great tweet dated back to the early days of "ENGAGEMENT".

What's the big deal about ENGAGEMENT?
If you, my new associate, have to ask: you are NOT a social media guru.

Sales supremacy & social media power
share the same ideal quality that separates all the giants from the tiniest beings is ........ well what do you think it means?

Enter your answer here:

A) On a piece of paper with A) B) and C) ready to go!
B) Share the answer on social media channels with #PureEngagement hashtag.
C) Ability and desire to be responsive, enthusiastic and a positive connection.

Since I wrote this mini exam, I already know the answer but will include "Responsiveness" as I share this blog.

Responsiveness? Conscientiousness? What does that mean? I'm certain that if you were a fleeting observer of either Marsha Collier or me over the past few years, you would have noticed increasing dialogues yet inaudible communication between us.

And, as life usually unfolds, an increasing respect and champion-like exchange begins, ignited between the two. There can be a sprinkle of questions or comments on either party's tweet usually and Facebook post often.

I just realized, we have neither invaded each other's personal space by direct messages, leaving it as a save tool, if you really need to ask a favor or that sort of exchange.

Let's be clear in a mix up space that online is, "Social Etiquette" is the crucial way to be enveloped, acknowledged and supported by the majority: self-acclaimed "Influencer" or compensated "Brand Ambassadorship" folks aside -- simple because it is complicated and more difficult to dissect.

It is near impossible to have unified agreement on the numbers since data is the new child of the universe that creates opportunity and differentiation.

So often I see one sided, one vantage point or one perspective streaming from social media identities, whether from a brand enforcer or personalized name.

There isn't any trick.
You can go to any of your mediums to see where your mentions are coming from.

Battle over Privacy is nothing compared to data. I said that in a blog a good four or five years ago: the race for gathering personal information, habits, posts that create algorithms that allow predictive answers based on the: NUMBERS.

What comes after numbers? Artificial Intelligence or, what I like to call it: "Automated Internet". That is exactly putting the cart before the horse. Intentionally so, because by being able to predict what "desirable audiences" want, want to buy, want to see, want to subscribe to, etc.

Back in 1997, I was on weekly conference calls with the best, strongest sales team mates from across North America. A handpicked sort who developed ENGAGEMENT with each other based on how easy it was to reach out, just say hi or talk shop about anything, for me mostly lands on publishing or digital media (printing, web, social) my chin flips up and my voice gets louder, with excitement and speed builds, momentum jumps. They didn't mind that. People who "get me" recognize that the speed in which someone modulates their language or story shouldn't diminish its value, yet often is .... mistakenly.

Like the finest athletes, who can usually excel at multi physical exertion (i.e. ice skating: technical, artistic, choreography and graceful or dynamic flow)... people who can exude and engage at the same time are skillful in either sales or social media.

Now, there are a lot of anti-sales folks out there. For good reason for sure: usually being oversold something or paying more than necessary or break in promise on productivity, service, timelines. <Heed this advice < always under promise, be realistic to build credibility on expertise > over deliver don't over commit resources, people, tools, equipment, materials, timelines.

If a topic appeals to someone, regardless of stature in life, they will respond.

So think of a topic that you are enthusiastic about, interested in learning more about and then look (it is not hard to GOOGLE: "online+influence+gardening". Where Google likes to show independent opinion by using the numbers at their disposal: what is the number of clicks on a topic or identity? Then they display.

It isn't surprising that Facebook and Twitter are trying to build their engines: like the two kids on the first day of school and how it ends in the following June (around now: best friends, frenemies, etc.)

Facebook had its hand slapped after as people keep digging for more conspiracy theories online more than ever: not only evaluating the numbers that they have at their disposal and how they can leverage that as an enterprise wants to increase cash flow.

The best to fold this up
would be to increase your online responsiveness wherever you have an identity, regardless of medium: Twitter, Facebook or InstaGram, etc. Look to see who "Mentions" or "RT" or "Tags" you and then acknowledge it with Social Etiquette, with "Thank You" being the easiest.

Post art source: Vogue
Iman Raad, Eye (Left), 2017, acrylic on raw canvas, 34 x 40 inches
Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Sargent’s Daughter Gallery (March 18 to April 23, 2017)



This is the New York debut of this breakout young talent from Iran, whose brightly colored paintings and installations allow fruits, flowers, butterflies, animals, and other nonhuman subjects to get a life.







Sunday, May 20, 2018

Thank GOD for mundane chores

As I sit here watching the final minutes of the Winnipeg Jets and the Golden Knights final 3 minutes with the score 2-1 in favour of Las Vegas, I’m content as long as I don’t ponder who I really want to win: of course the team from Manitoba catching patriotic support everywhere. Odd for me because my first husband played hockey professionally.

The metaphor from the 80s cliche: the hockey player and the figure skater get married.  It didn’t last. Nuff said.

Since February 20 this 2018, my nightmare began.  The love of my life, affectionately deemed the “Hunkster Hubster” who graduated from “Pretty Boy” during our honeymoon on Antigua ... the most peaceful, elegant, clean, safe haven in the West Indies.  Good enough for Eric Clapton’s paradise where he set up a detox getaway for famous patient: Queen of the 80s ballad Whitney Houston resided a number of times ] fact check [ .  I discovered he had a strong character.  It was reinforced as we were leaving when the wait staff supervisor asked me to leave him their with them (a gaggle of waitresses behind her) saying they’d take good care of him, begging me to not take him back to Canada with me.  Rob kept poised and maybe looked at me and I laughed.

Home today .... 

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Who's who in a corporate zoo

Jeannette Marshall
Jeannette Marshall, Rewards can outweigh risk if you do your homework
I'll throw my hat in, not worrying about titles, except for clarity and consistency.   I recommend you would draw out an organizational chart with core function bullets underneath. 

  1. CEO:  Lead:  visionary, investment community face, organization voice
  2. CFO:  Finance budgets, spending, takes care of bottom line, manages growth, HR
  3. Operations:   Execute, Implementation, Customer Service, Customer Retention
  4. Marketing:  Communicate, SEO/SMO, web, Social Media, Business Development/Sales, Customer attention
  5. Technical:  Create, Design, Engineering, Developers

Not all have to be "employees".  There is a lot of talented people that will work on contract.  What is important is based on the strength of the product developed, will determine how many people it would take to:

p.s.  Replace "product" with service, idea, etc.  The basics apply to most offerings.

  • launch the product, (Technical, Vision, Costs, Communicate)
  • maintain the product (Operations, Technical, Financial)
  • promote the product (CEO, Marketing, Business Development, SEO/SMO, Events)
  • manage the product (Operations, Technical, Financial, Customer Service, Education/Training)
  • keep the product going (Technical, Operations, Financial, Education/Training)
  • grow the product (CEO, Marketing, Business Development, SEO/SMO Technical, Operations, Financial)

More times than not, key functions are typically shared by individuals, for example:

  1. CEO:  How it looks:  Vision, Marketing, Product Development, Communication
  2. CFO:  How it gets done:  Financials, Operations, HR,
  3. CTO:   How it works:  Product Creation, Product Development, Engineer, Design

There are numerous examples of successful launches and organizations that start out with only two key people that work jointly that branches from there:

  • FACE of the organization (CEO, Marketing, Design, etc.)
  • BRAINS of the organization (CFO, Developer, Design, Financial, Operations, Engineer)

The meaning of life: now, that IS a beautiful thing

READ THIS FIRST



I even amazed myself ... reading this almost a year later.  Really crowning the website I did launch over a year ago [ www.graFX.online ] and left stagnant less the original gusto that comes when an idea bursts forward and fights to find solid ground.  A central repository of all my blogs, depending open my knowledge (typically business, sales or social media as @optioneerJM and its affiliate blogspot blog of the same name all under the social media persona I created in and around 2008 when a champion friend, mentor and cheerleader, Donna deMan pushed me off the cliff into the stratosphere online, starting on Linked In, then branching out to TWITTER where I was so thankfully introduced to a group of early adopters of social media with a lot of class, talent, skill and some sort of charm or charisma that people became drawn to:  those are still the forefathers.  Maybe I'll do a blog and ask people who I think impacted and guided me about remembering me (if) or what they remember most about me .... that would be fun {INSERT} imaginary virtual assistant who hussles off an email to me to serve as a reminder and then adds it to her notes to cover during our weekly phone call [not to mention quarterly luncheon to touch base personally and address anything more sensitive, needing more personal attention than day to day "STUFF".  




Well, I dreamed of writing and wishing about eventually being able to be paid for what I do, and I'm happy to say I like the direction this is going.  An assembly of blogs from an average, yet bright, confident yet sensitive business lady with a twist of this whirlpool of stuff may have some value.  Putting it under one umbrella:  www.graFX.online allows me to give it all under one setting.  




It is a hobby though.  Not an occupation, more like a preoccupation or passion that would be more inline with who I am, not who others want me to be or think they know me to be.  An honest reflection under one transparent crystal chandelier of my life.  

I think I really like the sweet spot that I may have found in THE PUBLISHER:  creative writings that would otherwise a) be lost after it was a fleeting idea or b) be stifled because they wouldn't land softly in the more tumultuous life I lead only a year later from when this blog was written.




I like to think I sounded optimistic and embracing the age on the farther side of 50 and coasting towards 60, amid big waves and whitecaps hitting us at this moment when everything is suppose to be rosy. 





 
After witnessing my own parents marriage of more than 50 years of togetherness [and other times of hellishness] and ending up with a partner in life, legally professed as husband, a father to one and a stepfather to a few, ending up after one failed marriage attempt renewed with optimism when we vowed to create a family among all four, equally treated with fairness.  Fast forward 11 years later:  it lived more like a mythical horror epic in the last 9 weeks.  We all discovered that Rob was a big piece of the glue that made us all stick.  And that is a beautiful thing.