Another fantastic lineup of speakers! The event was held October 20, 2011 at Town Danceboutique (2009 8th St NW , Washington, D.C.)

Ignite DC Five minutes, 20 slides. What would you say? At every Ignite, 16 artists, technologists, thinkers, and personalities will take the stage to answer this challenge.

Brought to us courtesy of Geoff Livingston (@geoffliving) and Jared Goralnick (@technotheory).

“	Working the door at @ignitedc #ignitedc. Pay me to enter!
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	So excited to be here for #igniteDC! Let’s see if I have competition from my preso – http://t.co/9mM2Sz91 http://t.co/kuEnOHLD
	dcconcierge October 20, 2011

“	The room is filling up and some good connections being made #ignitedc. Let’s get this thing started!
	TMstrategy October 20, 2011

Speaker #1:  Jason McCool (@coolmcjazz) – How Gustav Mahler’s Music Will Make Your Head Go All Explodey

.@geoffliving introducing our first speaker at #ignitedc, @coolmcjazz
Photo by alex.priest on flickr

“	Watching @coolmcjazz rock it at #ignitedc http://t.co/IRIzkhOU
	johnYSchen October 20, 2011

“	Officially moved by Mahler. Thanks @coolmcjazz. #ignitedc
	mollymali October 20, 2011

“	Yes @coolmcjazz I will seek out Mahler. #ignitedc great job!
	heathercoleman October 20, 2011

“	Yea, I’ll check out Mahler. I trust any dude with cool in his name. How could he steer me wrong? #ignitedc
	MattKabak October 20, 2011

“	@coolmcjazz – killing it on the trumpet!!! #ignitedc
	nomudajoe October 20, 2011

“	@coolmcjazz Making the 5 min, 15sec per slide format into an absolute artform. Your talk tonight was spectacular. #ignitedc
	sandman_va October 20, 2011

“	@coolmcjazz You killed it last night at #IgniteDC. Set the tone and the bar high. I went from not know what to expect to expecting greatness
	davidmcgraw October 21, 2011

“	Checking out Gustav Mahler today after Jason McCool’s ignite presentation last night. Excited! #igniteDC
	corriemc October 21, 2011

“	I’m wondering how many of us from #IgniteDC 8 are this morning listening to Mahler because of @coolmcjazz? Hand raised here. Thanks Jason!
	TBilich October 21, 2011

“	Here’s some #Mahler recs. Try sublime 5th Symph Adagietto (I sang it last nite): youtu.be/CFQQsu6VBYA (+read comments!) @brunosan #ignitedc
	coolmcjazz October 21, 2011

“	Here’s my slide with recommended #Mahler recordings from last night’s #IgniteDC: twitpic.com/73lf0g #classicalmusic @necentrepreneur
	coolmcjazz October 21, 2011

Speaker #2: Ananda Leeke (@anandaleeke) – Digital Sisterhood for DC Women Entrepreneurs

IgniteDC 007
Photo by anandaleeke on flickr

“	My dear @anandaleeke of @digitalsisterhd just gave an #ignitedc talk all about DC women biz owners. <3
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Ms @anandaleeke you rocked – in spite of tech difficulties. I didn’t think anyone could follow the first guy. LOVED you #ignitedc #wgbiz
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	. @anandaleeke great job tonight at #IgniteDC @digitalsisterhd
	BeingPam October 20, 2011

“	@anandaleeke your presentation at #ignitedc tonight was inspiring! I’ll be sure to follow @digitalsisterhd
	Chr1st1neArcher October 20, 2011

Speaker #3: Tom Bridge (@tbridge) – Social Construction of Technology: Why the Better Tech Doesn’t Always Win

“	Rewrite the solution, specifically for tech says @tbridge at #ignitedc
	TMstrategy October 20, 2011

“	Design research – all about "listening to users" #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

Speaker #4: Brian English (@CHFIndia) – Beyond Google Maps: Filling the Information-Power Gap in Slums

“	1 billion people live in slums says #ignitedc speech from @chfindia
	geoffliving October 20, 2011

“	"We must stop planning for the poor and we need to start planning with the poor" to avoid further marginalization – @CHFindia at #IgniteDC
	ICT4GOV October 20, 2011

“	#ignitedc next speaker reminds us that we can’t solve problems of poverty without including those involved.
	digitalsista October 20, 2011

“	Great talk on how chf international is mapping slums and giving data back to residents at #IgniteDC
	bonnie October 20, 2011

Speaker #5: Carrie Fox (@carriefox) – Leave a mark. But make it a good one.

“	goodness catches says @carriefox #ignitedc
	geoffliving October 20, 2011

“	More businesses have been putting more kindness into their culture. Corporate and small. – @carriefox #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	If 1 out of 2 every small biz hired someone new tomorrow we could end joblessness in America #ignitedc says @carriefox powerful words
	TMstrategy October 20, 2011

“	"business of business is changing" #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	Standing next to @wharman during #ignitedc preso about mobile fundraising, etc. Awesome. @wharman = hero.
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	“@Sisarina: I love this @carriefox chick. #smallbiz #rockin #ignitedc” thank you!
	carriefox October 20, 2011

Speaker #6: Dave Sandrowitz (@sandman_va) – You Are Not Alone – Beating Back the Isolation of Loss

“	#ignitedc .. time does not always heal all wounds … Eva!!!
	vehlan October 20, 2011

“	Next speaker talks about the loss of a child from a congenital heart defect. I could of been that child I can’t imagine the pain #ignitedc
	digitalsista October 20, 2011

“	#ignitedc @sandman_va bears his soul and touches all. Poignant David.
	glehel October 20, 2011

“	Trains, elevators, restaurants. Our most public places are the least social, many times. Feeling alone in a crowd. #remembereva #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	People what is his name? I am truly moved. #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	"Maybe I’m not the only monster or alien in the room." Powerful stuff. @sandman_va is an amazing dude. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	.@sandman_va had a story about losing his daughter that makes the #hugtour need to start immediately at #ignitedc.
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Thank you so much for that @sandman_va – #istoodup #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	Thats gonna be hard to follow up! #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	I LOVE #ignitedc
	vehlan October 20, 2011

“	@sandman_va thank you. #ignitedc
	TMstrategy October 20, 2011

“	But the most affecting one so far has been @sandman_va’s testimony about losing his baby daughter after 29 days. Well said, sir. #ignitedc
	robpegoraro October 20, 2011

“	.@sandman_va Wow, Dave, thx so much for saying that. And thanks for introducing us all to Eva-I was standing w/you in your grief. #ignitedc
	coolmcjazz October 20, 2011

“	.@sandman_va ‘s #IgniteDC presentation last night was one of the most thoughtful and moving things I’ve ever witnessed.
	TBilich October 21, 2011

Speaker #7: David Hale (@lostonroute66) – Everything I n/ever wanted to know about myself I learned from my genome

“	@lostonroute66 hilarious #ignitedc
	exilauren October 20, 2011

“	"pre-disposition to addictive behavior" #ignitedc #whoisnt
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	Health data rights, heck yeah! #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	The adopted @lostonroute66 learned about his genomes & figured out how to rock his life. Loooved the talk. #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Great preso by @lostonroute66 about finding his past through analyzing his DNA. Awesome. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Great job @lostonroute66 humor weaved into a message #ignitedc
	TMstrategy October 20, 2011

“	@lostonroute66 your #ignitedc was awesome. I also got @23andMe. They would be proud
	brunosan October 20, 2011

“	I’m adopted too!! #ignitedc
	danberger October 20, 2011

Speaker #8: Elizabeth Wallace (@starrytelling) – Discover your inner Galileo

“	Minds up in the sky! #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	Thanks to @starryteller for reminding us to look up at the sky. The night sky is beautiful. Go out to the country & see! #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Whats your story? #ignitedc Look up!!!
	vehlan October 20, 2011

“	"Maybe that’s why we have so many problems here on earth. We’ve forgotten there is something bigger than us." #ignitedc talk star stories
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	I love the sky – definitely have an Inner Galileo. #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

Intermission

“	#ignitedc stories are absolutely amazing. All of them
	OnlyLeland October 20, 2011

“	5-min talks at @ignitedc tonite range from deeply personal to slums in India to astronomy – Thank you speakers! #ignitedc
	debbieweil October 20, 2011

“	The #ignitedc presentations are so great I don’t even want to look down to tweet during them.
	mollymali October 20, 2011

“	I should mingle, but omg crowded. #ignitedc
	tiffany October 20, 2011

“	Feeling inspired. #ignitedc
	tpitale October 20, 2011

“	@BeingPam so good to meet you at #ignitedc you have a great energy!
	Chr1st1neArcher October 20, 2011

“	So happy to be hanging out with @Awapy and @angelambrown at #ignitedc!
	LacyMB October 20, 2011

Speaker #9: Jill Foster (@jillfoster) – High Stakes Speech

.@jillfoster ROCKING her preso on high stakes speech at #ignitedc.
Photo by alex.priest on flickr

“	The incredible fabulous ridiculously lovely @jillfoster is now up at #ignitedc. High stakes speech. <3
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Up now @Jillfoster .. 1 of the best!! #ignitedc
	vehlan October 20, 2011

“	I LOVE @JILLFOSTER. Just sayin. She is my favorite. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	@jillfoster up on high stakes speeches. Woo jill #ignitedc
	digitalsista October 20, 2011

“	History is cool #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	listening to @Jillfoster do her thing at #ignitedc starting w/ FDR’s Pearl Harbor speech.
	geoffliving October 20, 2011

“	High stakes speech is about impact. Roosevelt’s impact helped us lean on our patriotism in our war against Japan. – @jillfoster #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Our very own @Jillfoster is schooling us on High states speeches – go Jill! #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	We’re all silently captivated by @jillfoster #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	Didn’t realize that Margaret Thatcher was ever unpopular #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	No matter the stakes, speak with conviction. – @Jillfoster #ignitedc
	SimplyLeap October 20, 2011

“	"Conviction drives impact in a high stakes speech." @Jillfoster #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	At #ignitedc on stage now @Jillfoster is killing it! Talking about High Stakes Speeches http://t.co/6wZQz7ol
	debbieweil October 20, 2011

“	good job, @Jillfoster. you lived your talk! #ignitedc
	geoffliving October 20, 2011

Speaker #10: Erik Muendel (@Erik_Muendel) – Appropriate Gestures: The Changing Face of Digital Experiences

“	Gestures: NUI vs GUI #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	For the first time, the human body has been unlocked to control a digital interface. Talking #kinect, touch, etc. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Thanks to @Erik_muendel for insights on the future of digital gestures #ignitedc
	Chr1st1neArcher October 20, 2011

“	gestures: "pretty cool stuff" #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

Speaker #11: Glen Hellman (@glehel) – Great Parents Make Sucky CEOs – Why Startups Fail

“	@glehel Stick figures will never not be funny. Good choice. #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	If you’re a startup you think you have Beauty but you probably have Beast – #ignitedc
	SimplyLeap October 20, 2011

“	"if you wanna raise a freak…" #ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	Worst thing you can do is make your kids focus–that’s how you "raise a freak" says @glehel. Excellent point, lol… #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	.@glehel talking #startups at #ignitedc. As founder of a company you have to have laser focus. Do one thing well. @startupamerica
	cajunjen October 20, 2011

“	@glehel Your #ignitedc preso is hilarious!
	LacyMB October 20, 2011

“	@glehel one of my fave presentations at #ignitedc. Great stuff.
	carriefox October 20, 2011

Speaker #12: Al Pittampalli (@pittampalli) – Why Groups Make Horrible Decisions

“	Didn’t Freud say "Meetings are the opiate of the people"? Well, he should have. #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	Down with all the meetings! I support this. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	"Meetings don’t make decisions, leaders do." – @Pittampalli #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	"In order to innovate you have to take a risk." – @pittampalli #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	. @projectdomino author @alpittampali strutting the stage at #ignitedc – great talk on group decision making
	debbieweil October 20, 2011

“	Lesson here: STEP UP, DO SOMETHJNG. BE BOLD. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Leaders make decisions (not meetings) @pittampalli #ignitedc
	ignitedc October 20, 2011

“	The Ragu debacle teaches us why leaders make decisions–not executive meetings. Words of wisdom from @Pittampalli #ignitedc
	Chr1st1neArcher October 20, 2011

Speaker #13: Russ Gaskin (@engenua) – Harnessing the Potential of Conflict and Fear

“	"Constant innovation leads to stability" #Ignitedc
	Queen_Clarendon October 20, 2011

“	I remember a quote from church as a kid: "Freedom is not the chance to do what I want, but what I ought". I think it applies here? #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	We’re normally afraid of the things that are opposite of our values. #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

Speaker #14: McKee Floyd (@mckeefloyd) – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Sweetlife

“	I like @mckeefloyd already. #sweetlife #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Love @sweetgreen for going outside the norm for connecting with their community. #sweetlife #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Novel. @mckeefloyd discusses how not talking about her company makes people like the #sweetlife #ignitedc
	ignitedc October 20, 2011

“	Re: blogging – the first rule of #sweetgreen is you don’t talk about #sweetgreen. Can’t place where that’s from. #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	Love it: "Let your content lead your brand." #IgniteDC
	BeingPam October 20, 2011

“	.@sweetgreen’s brand strategy is fascinating. Talking w/ @mollymali… Does it work? How do they know? #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Cool. @istrategylabs and @Corbett3000 just got a @sweetgreen shout out at #ignitedc tonight.
	MosesHawk October 20, 2011

“	Internetz telling me @mckeefloyd killed it on stage at #ignitedc! Nice work lady. Sorry to miss it! x
	bon_zai October 20, 2011

Speaker #15: Gadi Ben-Yehuda (@gbyehuda) – Understanding Gen X and the Millennials through Popular Culture

“	@GByehuda I’ve been trying to build up my #GenX deconstruction business. #whatever #ignitedc (apologies to @AndyKindler)
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	Batman!!! #ignitedc
	geoffliving October 20, 2011

“	I LOVE THIS. Baby Boomers = Superman, Gen X = Batman, Millennials = Spiderman #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Millennials = "shiny happy people." Love it. #ignitedc
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	Its true. As a GenXer, I really do hate everyone of other generations. #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	@gbyehuda let’s be friends and talk Batman. Ha! #ignitedc
	SimplyLeap October 20, 2011

“	Who was the Batman speaker at #IgniteDC? Want to tell him awesome job.
	exilauren October 20, 2011

“	Fun presentation Bruce Wayne, I mean Batman! MT @gbyehuda: I’m Batman MT @exilauren: Who was the Batman speaker at #IgniteDC? Awesome job
	davidmcgraw October 21, 2011

Speaker #16: Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) – True Confessions of a Power-Drunk Nielsen Family, and other stories of the wacky data collection that dictates the airwaves

“	And our closer is up @mkhammer. #ignitedc On Nielsen ratings.
	ignitedc October 20, 2011

“	@mkhammer rock on #ignitedc
	exilauren October 20, 2011

“	@mkhammer making we want to stay an extra 10. #ignitedc I had a Neilsen product meter once. TV & #socialmedia big interest for me #ignitedc
	Tinu October 20, 2011

“	What @mkhammer and @jakebrewer watched as a Nielsen Family #ignitedc Arrested Development ain’t it!
	ignitedc October 20, 2011

“	@mkhammer LOVED your #ignitedc preso! Funny and about a topic I hold dear!!
	LacyMB October 20, 2011

“	@mkhammer TMI- img all over FB. love it. #ignitedc
	exilauren October 20, 2011

“	If I ever get married, I’d like @mkhammer to give a toast. About @ArrestedDevlpmt. And #Arbitron! #ignitedc
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	Love that @mkhammer can make Nielsen ratings interesting. Just add lesbian kissing in a prez. #ignitedc
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Now my ratings will go up bc I tweeted that. Sigh. #ignitedc cc @mkhammer
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	.@Tinu Thanks for listening! Didn’t you feel SO powerful when you had a Nielsen meter?! #ignitedc #socialmedia
	mkhammer October 20, 2011

“	@mkhammer Fantastic presentation tonight – you were the best note to end on! #igniteDC
	Chr1st1neArcher October 20, 2011

“	@gbyehuda and @mkhammer closed with great stuff at #ignitedc. But only one of you has to be on the radio at 5 am. Lucky not me!
	danhorowitz October 20, 2011

After the show

“	Leaving #IgniteDC, I just updated my Twitter @’s and there are 42 of them! Hopefully some #Mahleria going around?
	coolmcjazz October 20, 2011

“	Amazing job @technotheory and other dude. Great #ignitedc night! http://t.co/WngHbGpq
	danberger October 20, 2011

“	@Sisarina on my way out of #ignitedc, I heard a girl ask a group "have you met Melanie Spring?". Felt so happy I had, but kept it to myself.
	ManOnTheStDC October 20, 2011

“	All of @alexpriest’s tweets are giving me event envy. Wish I could have made #ignitedc tonight!
	ACD20 October 20, 2011

“	Thanks to all of you #ignitedc speakers who shared your passions with us through your presentations tonight.
	mollymali October 20, 2011

“	I’m so grateful for all the amazing people I know here in DC. Thanks for being awesome, guys. #ignitedc #dctech #smcdc #dmsm
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	So many amazing people, stories & passions at #ignitedc. Thinking about music, sharing, overcoming conflict, embracing best in self & others
	gracecunning October 20, 2011

“	Now following @sandman_va because I was so moved by his presentation at #ignitedc
	Cozzie October 20, 2011

“	Huge love to all the speakers at #ignitedc tonight. Even bigger props to friends @jillfoster @coolmcjazz @mkhammer @anandaleeke @glehel
	Sisarina October 20, 2011

“	Learned about @Give2Max at #ignitedc I am going to attempt to participate on 11/9
	Cozzie October 20, 2011

“	My third #IgniteDC. Will never get sick of this crowd of people. Till the next one!
	exilauren October 20, 2011

“	Thank you @geoffliving, the [i'm speechless to describe] speakers, and the #ignitedc community for being so present & so powerful tonight.
	technotheory October 20, 2011

“	@technotheory @geoffliving @ignitedc Awesome job (Tracie too) and an amazing night! Thanks for letting me get up there. #ignitedc
	sandman_va October 20, 2011

“	So impressed by the quality of speakers and personalities at #IgniteDC. So nice to be on the presenting side this time around. Cheers, all!
	coolmcjazz October 20, 2011

“	What a great night, thx for motivation @Sisarina (congrats on your #ignitedc talks @coolmcjazz @mkhammer @anandaleeke @glehel !
	Jillfoster October 20, 2011

“	I’m tweeting about #ignitedc and Eva’s surviving twin just crawled into my lap. Funny how things work. And, yes, it is WAY past bedtime.
	sandman_va October 20, 2011

“	God I’m thinking a lot tonight. More than is probably healthy. #ignitedc has a tendency to do that to me.
	alexpriest October 20, 2011

“	I’m a such a people geek Had a total blast tonight at my 1st #ignitedc Amazing topics Amazing people! #HappyBrain
	soulpowercoach October 20, 2011

“	Listening to all the amazing speakers tonight makes me want to give a talk at the next #IgniteDC
	BeingPam October 20, 2011

“	@BeingPam I had the same feeling when I first went. The process of working on your own is potentially life-altering. DO IT. #IgniteDC
	coolmcjazz October 20, 2011

“	pics from last night’s #ignitedc: http://t.co/tS2kgzuU http://t.co/w3WQlj6h http://t.co/C0VhZ1cq http://t.co/vOVfVwtE http://t.co/yGpMpmU7
	UXCodeIne October 21, 2011

“	Last night’s #IgniteDC was wonderful @technotheory @geoffliving thx for bringing it to fruition (& the chance to be involved).
	Jillfoster October 21, 2011

“	Thanks for a wonderful night last night, @technotheory and @geoffliving! #IgniteDC is one of the very best things going in this City!
	TBilich October 21, 2011

Washington Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) is holding its 15th Anniversary Gala Thursday, September 22, 2011 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Please join me in celebrating 15 years of WEAVE’s service to victims of domestic abuse. Your support matters! It might just help save a life.

If you aren’t familiar with this organization, WEAVE provides three critical areas of service to the Washington DC community: legal representation, counseling, and community education. Its mission: engage the metropolitan Washington DC community in the elimination of intimate partner abuse and other forms of gender-based violence through empowering, innovative and holistic services.

With your help, WEAVE assists thousands of survivors of domestic violence every year. By attending this year’s gala or by donating through the WEAVE website, you will help a survivor break the cycle of abuse to achieve a safe, self-sufficient, empowered life. You can also find out about other upcoming events by following WEAVE on Twitter and joining WEAVE on Facebook.

Remember, there is tremendous need for WEAVE services. Just take a look at these staggering statistics from the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence:

• Domestic violence cases increased 15% from 2009 to 2010 in Washington DC
• In 2010 there was a 26% increase in the number of DC clients served who were pregnant
• There were over 7,000 domestic violence case filings in DC in 2010

Finally, the Metropolitan Police Department received 31,000+ domestic-related calls in 2010, approximately 1 every 17 minutes. That translates to SEVEN different victims in DC calling for help just during this gala. Help make sure they get the services and care that they deserve.

Buy your tickets today!

Beyond engaging with and supporting your community, you’ll also be thoroughly entertained by the music of Grammy nominated recording artist, Carolyn Malachi, and enjoy the amazing new collection of internationally renowned artist Vian Sora. Hope to see you there!

Bathrooms at Russian Children's Camp (1990)

Expecting privacy when it comes to social media is a bit like expecting privacy in a restroom when there are no doors on the bathroom stall. It really doesn’t exist. You may have a little bit of a divider between you and the rest of the world, but your “business” is pretty much out there for the world to see. The questions is: are you going to let that stop you from doing your business? For me, the answer is no. I only share as much as I’m willing to be completely public and I try to conduct myself online in a way that mirrors how I am IRL (in real life). I’m definitely a proponent of transparency. I also think we should take more care in the conversations we are having online and try to avoid saying things that we wouldn’t be willing to say to someone’s face.

A few more words about the bathrooms in Russia.

Yesterday was a perfect example of why I love social media. I currently subscribe to four e-newsletters on the topics of social media, entrerpreneurs, leadership and e-health from SmartBrief. They almost always have one or two good links to articles that I want to read. Yesterday’s social media newsletter included a message from Merritt Colaizzi, Publisher for the SmartBrief on Social Media. It was a request to take a reader survey on business social media usage (with a chance to win a Kindle). Since I come from a marketing research background and would love a kindle, I decided to participate. About halfway through the survey one of the questions asked me to select five responses and the follow-up question asked me to rate those five selected responses. Unfortunately it didn’t show the five responses that I selected, they were different. I answered anyway, knowing that this would cause the results to be inaccurate. After I completed the survey, I wanted a way to contact SmartBrief and let them know about the error. I suppose I could have responded to the blast e-mail (if it was set up to receive e-mail), however, who knows where that message would have gone. I could have gone to the SmartBrief website and looked for a contact us or feedback form (again who knows where that would have gone). Instead I did a Google search for Merritt Colaizzi  and the second most popular result was her LinkedIn profile. I also have a profile on LinkedIn and decided to try and add Ms. Colaizzi to my network. Typically you have to know the person or have worked with them in order to add them to your network. I, however, selected the option that she was a friend and added a personal message. I noted that I would love to connect with her, but more importantly wanted to let her know about the error in the SmartBrief social media survey I had just responded to. Within 15 minutes she had added me to her network and responded with a message through LinkedIn that she would check into the issue immediately. I’m pretty sure I would not have gotten the same response via e-mail. One of the biggest benefits of social media for me is that it is still in its infancy and novel enough that people are excited to receive direct messages through these networks and therefore, are responsive. They say content is king and I believe that if your message is relevant to the person it is being sent to via social media, it will get heard and you will get a response. Even if the person is beyond your social circle or an expert in the industry and seems like they would be too busy to respond…they might suprise you! I know that I was pleasantly suprised yesterday and am glad that I gained a valuable new connection because of social media.

My best friend from high school called me the other day and told me that she had just run into one of our classmates at the local pharmacy. She couldn’t remember him, but he had quickly recognized her. He was there with his wife and went on to tell his wife how he fondly remembered performing a song together with my best friend in his wild high school days. My best friend was calling to confirm that THAT, in fact, had never happened. I would have remembered it for sure, so I confirmed that he was mistaken. What do you do in that situation? She just smiled and said nothing. I would have been speechless too!

Speechless. Which is what I was for most of my high school days. I was extremely shy and kept to myself. Never went out of my way to join groups, go to parties or meet new people. I had my close group of friends and that got me through those years quite nicely.  So how might I be remembered (if I was remembered at all)? Probably as being far too quiet – a frequent comment in my yearbooks. Or possibly as being a total bitch (who knows).

We all know there is short-term memory and long-term memory. But did you know there are three main stages in the formation and retrieval of memory? The first is encoding or registration (receiving, processing and combining of received information). The second is storage (creation of a permanent record of the encoded information). I call this our filing system. And finally, you have retrieval, recall or recollection (calling back the stored information in response to some cue for use in a process or activity). It is typically thought that our short-term memory limit is 7 items, but new estimates put the number closer to 4-5. Another theory proposes that our limit for relationships is 150 people. Given the shorter and shorter attention spans of Americans, how do we become memorable? Whether we are talking about as people or as a brand.

The answer for me is honesty. The truth is TRUTH is easier to remember. But we all have different filing systems—often a problem for eye witness testimony which can be at times meaningless due to faulty recollection, a person’s bias, or due to lying. When I am being pitched something. say a book or movie from a friend, a song from a reality show contestant, experiences from a job applicant, or a new product from a company, I am always drawn to those that just seem the most honest, the most REAL. In this new age of social media, I truly do believe that we have to be real. I think that the best and brightest will always rise to the top.

Now is the time to have truth in advertising. Cut all the marketing BS. Figure out what you can and can’t do and be honest about it. Don’t oversell. Don’t cover up. The customer is smarter than that. And has a longer memory. We could take a few lessons out of the movie Crazy People. What if your phone company told you the truth? “You may think phone service stinks since deregulation, but don’t mess with us, because we’re all you’ve got!” Well, maybe not that honest…but you get the picture. Toyota might have had a better chance at recovery from these recalls if they had started with the truth rather than the floor mat story.

So as you head out into this brave new media world, figure out what do you want to be remembered for? And how memorable are you? Be honest with yourself first, it will make it easier to translate the message to others.

Yesterday the U.S. Postal Service announced that actress Katharine Hepburn would be getting a stamp in 2010. I subsequently tweeted a great quote by Katharine Hepburn, but there are so many to choose from. Another that stands out to me is, “…as one goes through life one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” To me the quote speaks to her fierce independence and pull yourself up by your boot straps attitude.

Although some may have found her to be abrasive, I was always drawn to the honesty that Hepburn spoke with and to her strength of character. I was very young when I learned about Katharine by watching 1981′s On Golden Pond. It is the only movie of hers that I have ever seen. Even though I have not watched much of her work, I have always been fascinated by the woman. I believe that my grandmother was also a fan of Hepburn, possibly stemming from my grandmother meeting her during her work as caretaker for a small cottage located near Hepburn’s Old Saybrook, Connecticut home.

She lived a fantastic life, was well-educated, won a record number 4 Oscars for her work, even performed her own stunts, all before dying at the ripe old age of 96.  She once said, “With all the opportunities I had, I could have done more. And if I’d done more, I could have been quite remarkable.” Personally, I think she was quite remarkable, more for the person she remained than the persona she became.

Photo courtesy of valentinapowers - Creative Commons license

Disclaimer: I had my mother-in-law do it for me! I had been hoping and wishing and PRAYING that I wouldn’t have to face this bear of a task with my 3 year-old son.  Thank goodness for my mother-in-law (how often do you hear that?)  I kept telling myself “he just isn’t ready”.  And that’s partly true.  He was showing some of the signs, but seemed like he could care less if he was walking around with his diaper dragging.  But then, just recently, my mother-in-law (who watches both of my kids during the day) started putting underwear on him.  Sure she went through a couple of days of extra laundry, but it definitely did the trick.  It’s been two weeks now and only a couple of accidents.  Now, there have been a few times where I’ve had to stop on the side of the road on the way to grandma’s house in the morning.  My standard practice is to open both passenger side doors, prop him in between and use my body to block the view from traffic, while I assist him with upright peeing.  He loves this method of his newly found freedom.  Ah, boys!

 

Photo courtesy of emmajeann - Creative Commons license

Seems like I’ve had change on the brain lately.  I’m feeling as though I’m ready for a big life change, but I recognize that real change happens from small incremental steps over time.  I recently attended a presentation hosted by the DC chapter of the American Society for Training and Development, titled Change Management 2.0: Maximizing IT User Adoption & ROI, and presented by Jason Whitehead, President of Tri Tuns, LLC.  One of the major takeaways from that presentation was that often times IT projects really “fail” because they only take into consideration technical success and not business success.  Those implementing the system often consider the project complete once it’s been launched and the users trained, but that’s actually when the real work begins–measuring and increasing user adoption, addressing data issues, and sharing best practices.  The real return on investment is seen when a system is used and used well. 

How do we get users to change?  Sometimes it seems like management’s answer to this is…”force them”.  Change is announced in lengthy e-mails and memos with little to no notice before the change is going to occur.  The decisions have been made and money has been already been invested.  But according to Jason Whitehead ”behavior cannot be mandated by others, it is up to each individual to change their own behavior.  Therefore, you need to actively engage individuals in the change process.” Given that I make my living in the world of communications, I believe this is the area where engagement needs to begin.   I would like to see management start a conversation and open the channels of communication with end users.  Identify thought leaders that can help contribute ideas about the implementation process and what success will look like.  There are even more channels of communication available to us today–use them, but don’t abuse them.  Solicit feedback on specific areas of the system change, but only if you are willing to listen, follow up, and show that you’ve responded. If that seems too scary a prospect, you can always fall back one the old standard of ”forcing them”.  At the very least follow-up once the system has been implemented, identify best practices that show the system works for the user, and share them to support greater user adoption.

Last week CNN aired the special, “Black in America 2” which featured a project lead by Malaak Compton-Rock (wife of Chris Rock). The project is called Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service and she selected 30 kids from Bushwick, Brooklyn to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa as part of a volunteer project.   It seemed like the key to making this project a success was taking the kids out of their element, giving them an important role to play, and showing them that depsite their humble origins they had the power to make a difference.  I cried my eyes out watching this segment, especially the journey for14 year-old Latoya Massie, who shed her own tears at the prospect of not being able to get the people everything that they needed.  Sometimes change is overwhelming, but at least the seeds have been planted.  The kids that journeyed to South Africa went through a lot of change, the tough part once you get home is to make the change last.

Often times we start out with the best of intentions for making a change in our lives or a critical event causes us to change. But, you can’t change everything all at once. The key to making a change that can last is to focus on the little things, the details, and then always keep your end goal in the back of your mind.  Make one little change today. Then add to it another little change, then another.  Soon those little changes will add up, and a whole new world will open up for you. Oh yes, a change is gonna come.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson 

Twitter has gotten a lot of buzz lately, but some of it has started to turn negative and points to the apathy of most Twitter users.  Everyone’s a critic I guess.  So I thought I would make a case for Twitter and discuss why it makes my socks roll up and down. 

Here are my three biggest reasons for using Twitter:

(1) The Tweeple.  I’ve already met a lot of great people or “tweeple” through Twitter and I’ve only been on it six months. I can only imagine how many more fantastic friends I will make before the year is out.  I started out by attending a couple local events and then I got my first two Tweetups under my belt.  Next week I’ll be attending a girls only, Girlie Tweetup in D.C. and mixing it up with 25 other fabulous women (still 4 spaces left as of this posting).  It’s a casual and easy way to network that can be followed up with face-to-face discussions.

(2) The Knowledge. I’ve decided to use Twitter as another tool to help me learn more about social media.  Despite the numerous so-called “social media experts”, I’ve actually been able to follow a lot of really amazing and knowledgeable internet marketers that offer up a wealth of business wisdom in easy-to-swallow bites.  Even better are the local D.C. techies interested in Gov 2.0, an area that really interests me since I work in government consulting.  I’ve also stumbled upon a series of events called socStardom, short for Social Media Stardom, that have provided me with a wealth of information (free of charge) and since they are limited to 150 attendees it’s easy to make meaningful connections.

(3) The Humor. A true sign of intelligence in my book is a good sense of humor and when you are limited to 140 characters it almost becomes a contest to see how witty one can be.  I get insight from comedian Rob Corddry such as “Watching both kids.  When people say “they grow up so fast” I want to slap them right in their bad memory.” I also found a most intriguing Follow Friday last week with Damian Dayton and his timely blog about the death of MJ (only dedicated to Michael Jordan).  Yeah, sometimes I enjoy twisted humor like that, part of the reason for the name of this blog.

But maybe you have reached your quota of friends, don’t want to have instant access to experts in your field, and could care less where Shaq is on a regular basis.  If that’s the case, then maybe Twitter really isn’t for you.  What it comes down to is Twitter is what YOU make it.  The more you put in to building relationships, the more you will get out of it.

Maybe my three reasons aren’t enough of a case for Twitter.  If that’s true, take a look at the responses I received in  short-order when I tweeted the question:

“What’s the case for Twitter?”

 From @sisarina:

Case for Twitter, it expands your horizons, allows you to create your own feed & gives your business new ways of promotion. I <3 Twitter!

From @bethschillaci:

Mine is to make connections that can be taken offline and to enhance those offline relationships.

From @ctownmarketing:

what I luv about twitter: it’s nimble; has relatively low learning curve; ease of connecting w/peeps; ease of distributing info

From @joshlaughner:

receiving targeted information about things i like or care about

 From @jackholt:

“Community without propinquity.” People I meet here are far more interesting to me than people who just happen to live near.

Because we choose who in the community we interact with, we build a group where *everybody* is someone we enjoy/love/adore.

From @minnemom:

I use twitter for a lot of blogging connections.  I use Tweetdeck to set up groups such as “travel” or “Minnesota” so I don’t miss any of the posts that are really relevant to me.

I’ve also used it to get tech support help from other tweeters who knew, reading suggestions for my son, parenting advice, blog help and more.

I hit it really hard at first to follow people I was interested in and got a lot of followers in return; for my purposes it’s better to have a good following than just a few.

Other people want to keep it very personal so they don’t follow a lot of people. The beauty of twitter is that you can use it however you want.

From @fruitfulvine2:

I use twitter to track info on health and marriage related issues and more. I also tweet about what I’m doing at the moment and any new blog posts I write. I also retweet others a lot because I find very valuable information being shared that others in my tweetstream should know about.

Twitter is very useful for quick promotion of things as well as building valuable relationships with others.

My daddy and me

My father will be absolutely mortified that I’m posting a picture and blogging about him, but I couldn’t help but take today to share this small list of the many things that my father has taught me over the last 32 years.  He doesn’t use the Internet though, so it will be awhile before my mother shows him this.  I want to wish all of the fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day! I’d also like to applaud another truly amazing father, Dick Hoyt, who competes in marathons and triathalons with his son who has cerebral palsy.  They have one of the most touching stories I’ve ever heard.

And now, just some of the things that my father has taught me:

1.  How to swim at Woodbury Lake in Vermont

2.  That the Cowboys are the best football team and the Yankees are the best baseball team

3.  How to fish, bait my own hook, and row a boat

4.  How to drive a stick shift, parallel park, and check the oil in my car

5.  That everything will be OK, by giving me a hug after my first boyfriend broke up with me

6.  That he is cool to hang out with, letting me talk to guys at an Irish Pub in Massachusetts

7.  An amazing sense of humor and how to laugh at my own mistakes

8.  That being spoiled isn’t all bad

9.  How to be a neat freak, even organizing the refrigerator

10. But most importantly, my dad has taught me what love is all about, by always giving more of himself than he ever asks for in return. 

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!