Successful Blog

Showing up When Folks Fall Offline

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Sunrises captured by Liz StraussSunrises & Silence

If you have been online for a while you may recall when Liz shared early morning lake view sunrise pictures with the world on social media. For more days than I can count, my Vancouver day started with a Chicago lake sunrise. Sometimes there was a short chat on Twitter with Liz too. Appreciating Liz’s sunrises somehow made things right in my world. And by watching the way she interacted with others, I learned a great deal about building community in the online world.

And then one day there were no more Chicago sunrise pictures. No lake. And no Liz. Just a suddenly silent social stream. For days. Weeks. And eventually months. The sun may have still been rising — but it certainly wasn’t rising in quite the same way anymore.

In the case of Liz — after many missed sunrises — I decided to act. For me –  anything less just would not have felt right. So I took the old fashioned approach. I wrote Liz a letter and sent it in the mail. That’s right — I headed down to the post office and put something in the mailbox. That letter reached Liz at a time when social was no longer part of her world. In fact, it reached her as she was quietly beginning Cancer treatment. It was my way of showing up for her. And she felt it.

Liz’s Experience of Falling Offline

“What did it feel like to suddenly step back from the online space?” I asked Liz as we were texting back and forth a few weeks ago. It was late in the evening, two years post her final Cancer treatment. I was in a hammock out on my back deck. Liz was in her condo — overlooking the lake of sunrises.

“I was thinking about that today.” she texted back, “I guess it was nothing like I imagined. I got so very sick so very fast. I had to give up my whole online life and parts of what had defined me all my life. At first I was too sick to care.”

As I read her words, I began thinking about that time too. Lots of people had noticed she was suddenly missing from the social space. And a great many were concerned. There was a flurry of backchannel conversations — to say the least.

“Too sick to care.” — those words stood out the most to me as I read through Liz’s reply. I knew Liz had been sick…but imagining her not caring told me a whole lot more than I had ever really understood. As long as I have know Liz, she has always cared. Not having the energy to care told me just how sick she must have been.

Liz went on to to tell me about how the online community began coming back to her mind as she slowly regained her strength after her treatment.

“It started as moments. I’d dream about someone offering me the support and friendship I’d known before I got sick. Once I even wrote a dear friend an email about how a dream of his friendship gave me hope. But mostly such moments were fleeting.” she wrote. “Twitter didn’t stay part of my life very long. And you’d be surprised how many people I knew who didn’t notice I was gone.”

I was surprised by that. Everyone I knew had noticed that Liz was gone — but I guess the online world is a pretty big place. I told her about someone once telling me how they were frustrated that she had not shared more online about her illness. This person had felt strongly that many would have done more — if they had known more.

“Sometimes in life and in business you have to be selfish, knowing that you’ll lose something in that act, but also knowing there’s not enough energy to do otherwise.” Liz wrote. “I couldn’t eat because my mouth and throat were covered with sores. I had NO voice — could not be heard even if I was calling for help. Typing was out of the question. I guess I hoped for compassion knowing I could do nothing else.”

Liz on Relationships

Liz went on to explain.

“I’ve always been a person who prefers to interact with people one-to-one and I was a paid writer over a decade before there was an Internet.  I think that is why I took so well to interacting online — because people knew I was really talking to one person at a time. To my surprise online they were talking back.”

“My experience is that when we’re young we try to fit in — in the family, the neighborhood, at school, and as we grow up our universe gets larger so it becomes easier to find the folks with whom we fit.  The beauty of the Internet is that it is the ultimate universe. You can find folks like you there for sure.”  

“But relationships need care and nurturing and sometimes that’s easier to do when we’re in the same room and engaging all of our senses.”

Online or Off It’s about Showing up

Liz said that when she traveled for business, she learned (and still believes very strongly) that you had to show up in person or you invite room for doubt. “A sort of we versus them thinking creeps in.” Liz continued texting.“Falling offline to be sick brought some of that. And the relationships that remain the strongest are those in which people didn’t just expect me to show up without showing up themselves.”

In Liz’s case, many of the people who chose to show up were the very same people who later worked together to bring the first GeniusShared retreat to life last year in Chicago. And those same people are the ones that we now consider to be core members of the GeniusShared community. They continue to show up in ways that never cease to amaze us.

There are so many ways to show up for others. Social provides endless opportunities to reach out, to connect and to build relationships. In many ways, virtually anything is possible — including watching the sun rise over a lake in Chicago — all the way from Vancouver.

But — it’s about so much more than that too. Showing up is very much about the choice you make when people who matter to you suddenly fall offline. It’s all about what you do next. So listen to your inner voice – it knows exactly what you need to do.

What Do You Do When Others Fall Offline

People are funny — many don’t know what to do when someone disappears from the online space. When a sudden social silence sets in, it can be a worry. Especially when that silence comes from someone you have been building an online relationship with. In many ways, it’s as if the internet is still trying to figure out the cultural norm for moments such as this.

Every situation is different.  Over the years I have seen many people fall offline – for days, weeks and even more. I have seen people come and go from the social space. Every time silence emerges I have consciously made a choice about how I responded. From these experiences I can say that my greatest learning has been this —

Most Importantly Listen to Your Inner Voice

You must always listen to your inner voice — not to what other voices are saying. Quite simply — you do what YOU think is right. And if your gut is telling you to reach out — then you do it. Without hesitation or question. You ignore the rest of the noise that surrounds you.

To me, it’s the difference between stopping to offer help at the scene of an accident vs. rubber necking as you drive by ever so slowly. If you choose to stop and help — you are making a clear choice to be there. To show up fully.

And believe me — acting can change everything in your world — and in the world of the person you choose to show up for too.

Jane Boyd is a Partner in GeniusShared. She is also the CEO of 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd, a Canadian education and training company based just outside of Vancouver Canada. She works with educators, business, community and government in the areas of early learning, work-life, community development and employee engagement.

How to Create a Blog for Your Unsexy Business

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by Mickie E Kennedy

As the owner of an unsexy business, you might not think you need a blog or that anyone would read it if you did have one. But that really couldn’t be further from the truth. Unsexy businesses make the world go ‘round and sharing what do you will only grow your company.

Is that not enough to convince you?

Here are some other reasons for creating a blog for your company:

  • Building Your Audience—By writing about what you do, why you do it, and sharing other helpful content, you will attract readers that can then turn into customers and friends.
  • Establishing Authority—Writing routinely on a blog about topics in your industry builds your authority in that industry. You are strengthening your professional image and giving the reader a sense of trust in what you have to say.
  • Creating New Opportunities—After you have been writing on your blog, you might be surprised at the opportunities presented to you. Not only getting contacted by potential clients, but also for speaking engagement and guest blogging appearances.

So you want one for your company? That’s awesome news.

The best thing about creating a blog is that it’s easy.

You can either add a blog page to your current website or build one through a free host like WordPress or Blogger.

The hard part comes after you have it up and running and you actually have to write something.

Let’s go over a few tips to make the writing process a little easier.

  1. Set up a Writing Calendar—The biggest difference between a blog and a great blog is commitment. Make a writing calendar and stick to it. Posting regularly ensures return visitors and high search rankings. You can post weekly or daily depending on your schedule as long as you do it regularly.
  2. Promote Your Blog—Share your content through social media and promote your blog when you are talking with clients, colleagues and at speaking engagements. Also share other work that you enjoyed or found useful, but be sure to give credit to the author.
  3. Ask Your Audience—Poll them on Facebook or Twitter for topics that they find interesting. You can also write about a common issue that your company sees frequently and the best way to solve it. Use the blog to connect with your audience.
  4. Giveaways—Your giveaway doesn’t have to be anything huge or expensive. It can be as simple as a book that you enjoyed or tickets to a baseball game. You can set up an email subscription list and give the item to the 500th person to sign up or it can be for a random comment on your blog.
  5. Knowledge—As stated earlier, unsexy businesses make the world go ‘round and your knowledge is extremely valuable. Consider creating a webinar or e-guide for your business and have it available on your blog, social media pages and website. People want to know what you know.

By following these blogging tips, you will set your company apart online. Keep in mind that persistence pays off in the end, so don’t get discouraged if results aren’t immediate.

Do you have any other blogging tips? Talk to us in the comments.

Mickie Kennedy is founder of eReleases.  You can download his free ebooks and whitepapers here.

Featured image via Flickr CC: Les Chatfield

Secrets of an Enduring, Successful Business

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It was a crazy idea. What if we quit our regular jobs and went all-in on a business of our own? Could we really do that?

Turns out, yes we could. And have been for almost 17 years now.

In a world where we’re surrounded by “unicorns” and big exits, upstarts and startups, hardly anyone gives thought to what it takes to build an enduring, successful business. I’ve been in the trenches for a long time now, and here’s what I think the “secret sauce” is:

  • Be willing to do the hard thing
  • Go out of your way for your customers, treat them all the same, and with respect
  • Have a singleminded vision
  • But be flexible enough to change strategy when necessary
  • Watch the trends but don’t be a slave to them
  • Make all decisions as if you will be around for 15 years (no exit strategy unless you want your customers to be planning theirs)
  • Hire people who care as much as you do
  • Plant relationship seeds wherever you go, with no motive
  • Help others build their businesses
  • Don’t take anything (or anyone) for granted
  • Listen actively and constantly
  • Never burn bridges
  • Underpromise and overdeliver
  • Be accessible and real
  • Don’t be a doormat; stick to your guns on the important stuff
  • Decide what’s the important stuff
  • Make time for working on the business
  • Be a sponge; never stop learning, reading, growing your skill set
  • Inject humor whenever you can, and keep your sense of humor
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help
  • Establish good partnerships with other business builders who compliment your own business
  • Let the competition worry about you; be aware of, but not focused on, your competition
  • Be loyal to your customers, even when they’re not loyal to you
  • Be gracious and kind, even if you’re not selected…you’ll get the next one
  • Internalize your customers’ dreams and their pain points
  • Take time to enjoy the fruits of your labor

Have you been in business for a long time? Please share your insights with us!

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: scott1346

Should You Be Prone to Hiring Big Data-Skilled Workers?

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Keyboard With Key LearnShould you be hiring candidates with big data skills?

As big data becomes a big part of many businesses’ operations, there are more candidates out there who have gained big data skills either through their job, or by specializing in big data during their studies.

If you’re considering taking on candidates with big data skills, what can those skills do for your business?

Big Data and Business

Big data has a wide variety of uses for your business. Sometimes the difficulty is deciding what to focus on first.

You can use big data to analyze your customers’ behavior.

This could include anything from purchasing trends to how they interact with your website. You can gain insights into who these individuals are, where they are, what they want and how they interact with you.

You can use big data to track your business processes and finances.

From tracking the way sales ebb and flow throughout the year to analyzing data from different departments, big data can give you insights into the way your business works.

You can use big data to keep your social media game on top form.

From figuring out which posts are getting the most customer engagement, to finding out what customers are  saying about you, big data gives you insights via social media.

Where to Find Your Big Data Candidates

So just where can you find your big data candidates?

There are two main ways:

Hiring a candidate who recently studied big data, or looking for someone with experience. Both have their advantages.

With more schools offering big data courses these days, you can find candidates who have been taught an in depth knowledge of big data.

As the article “Hiring Smart: The 5 Best Schools Cranking Out Big Data Job Candidates” says, big data students will have learned while training on real data sets, giving them the skills your business needs.

You can also hire candidates who already have experience in the field.

With more businesses making use of big data, so more professionals are learning big data skills and applying them in their roles.

Whether you hire a dedicated data scientist, or a skilled multi-tasker with big data smarts, experienced candidates will bring expertise to their role.

Big Data Can Be Applied In Many Roles

With so many uses for big data, there is the potential for you to make use of big data skills across departments.

Candidates with big data skills will bring an in-depth knowledge of how big data works, and how to make the most of it. Those skills can provide a real boost to your business; giving you candidates who can undertake in depth analysis and use the insights they gain to drive your business forward.

From analyzing data about your business processes, to streamlining your marketing efforts, candidates who can handle big data can do a lot for your business.

As well as hiring someone specifically for the role of data specialist, you will also benefit from looking for big data skills in any candidate who will be in a position to use data to gain insights.

There’s no doubt that big data is here to stay.

By hiring candidates who are confident handling big data, you will be providing your business with valuable skills that will benefit you in the long term.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Tristan Anwyn is an author who writes on a range of topics including social media, SEO that works, and how to make big data work for your business.

Is Your Company’s Network Management Sound?

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Young Business Executive Using LaptopTechnology is changing rapidly.

Is your business’s network management staying on pace with those changes or falling behind?

The antiquated main IT focus on hardware setup and troubleshooting has morphed to include tasks related to cloud services and more.

Since sound network management is directly linked to effective internal communications and business success, here’s how to ensure yours is staged for success now and in the future:

Consider Information Security

Your top concern regarding the rapidly changing technological landscape must be the security of your company’s information.

Hackers are a dime-a-dozen and information can be compromised on many fronts.

Work with your network management team to pinpoint holes in information security and take rapid action on any concerns that are voiced by the team.

Assess Company Technology Policies

Whether on a work computer, a personal smartphone or another device, employees can now access thousands of apps and software programs with ease.

This shift in available technology has softened the edges of once-strict company technology policies.

Workers who once feared the wrath of their IT department after downloading software without permission now don’t see the problem of installing an app for the transfer of company photography or of using an online spreadsheet program for the input of company data.

Before the use of such software at your company gets out of hand and possibly compromises the business’s security, take a hard look at your technology policy.

Assess whether the policy addresses the latest evolution in smartphone apps and other technologies and work with your network management team to revise the policy as needed.

Look to the Future Workspace

Employees who sit at desks in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day are quickly becoming the exception rather than the norm.

Flex and telecommuting policies are changing the way people work.

This workspace revolution is also changing the standards tasks that are associated with network management.

Just a few of the issues to consider regarding your company’s future workspace include how to deal with employees working from their private computers, how cloud services will change the way you do business and more.

Rather than ignoring these impending changes, face them head on to keep your network management one step ahead of the game.

Hire Innovators

If you are asking the question as the article, “Are you ready for the next generation of network management?” looks at, take an overview of your current workforce and consider the answer to that question.

If your company has an in-house IT department, consider the best professionals to hire into the department who can help lead your network into the next generation.

If your network management is outsourced, take a close look at how it’s being managed and if changes are needed.

By placing your network management into the hands of innovators, you can rest easier knowing it will stay in step with the future of business technologies.

Is your business ready for the next generation of network management?

Answer that question with confidence by considering the security of your company’s sensitive information, by assessing the business’s technology policies and more.

By taking action on the network’s weak spots now, you can keep pace with future changes in the technological landscape.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

About the Author: Shayla Ebsen is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional writing experience both in the corporate and freelance settings.