Wednesday, May 27, 2009

socStardom3 w/Ten Golden Rules CEO Jay Berkowitz

I just realized that I never posted to this group about our upcoming socStardom3 event with Web Marketing and SEO expert Jay Berkowitz. Here are the details:

WHEN: June 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: JHU Montgomery County Campus, 9605 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD
COST: Free

Wondering what Jay is all about? Trying to decide whether or not you're attending socStardom3? Listen to this podcast with Jay!

More details about the event.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending!!

Job Seeker

Mark Ringwald
Another member looking for a job. Here's the scoop on Mark, straight from him:

"My most recent position was as AmericanLife TV Network’s Vice President of Programming. AmericanLife TV is a basic cable network targeting Baby Boomers and available in over 13 million households nationally and on Verizon, RCN and Cox locally. The company was recently sold and moved it operations to Dallas where they already had a staff in place.

"At AmericanLife TV I was responsible for the look and content of the network from program acquisitions, to scheduling the network, to operations including uplink, master control, on-air promotions, traffic and the website. I also supervised all original productions. It also means that I have a lot of management experience in almost every facet of the cable and television industry. Right now, I am open to using my skill set in the same or even a different industry. I like to think I am adaptable to new situations and have always been a quick learner."

Interested in learning more about Mark? Contact him.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

June lunch: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!!

June lunch: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!!
DATE: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
TIME: noon - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Bar Louie, Washington, DC

Between layoffs, dwindling freelance opportunities, and an onslaught of new grads, an increasing number of colleagues are looking for work. This month, two of the region's top career experts offer up their advice on the D.C. job scene.

Speakers:
RSVP required: CapitalCommunicator (at) gmail (dot) com

Monday, May 18, 2009

Follow Up: The Importance of Stepping Away from Your Desk

Just an interesting follow up to my earlier post, The Importance of Stepping Away from Your Desk...

I read a Washington Business Journal article today that cited a statistic from the Society for Human Resource Management: About 72 percent of employees across the nation said they work through lunch, while 70 percent report working beyond a 40-hour workweek and working at home on the weekends.

Maybe that's why, on some days, it feels like we're all lacking in creativity, innovation, excitement about our jobs, etc. To me, this just reinforces my earlier point: sometimes you have to get away from your desk in the middle of the work day to rejuvenate yourself.

Oh, and a quick question... Did you do your homework from that last post? Did you "get up off your bum and go wander around the world at least once [last] week?" I did. On Wednesday. Lunch with a colleague from Qiagen. How about you?

Friday, May 15, 2009

Twitter: Follow Me? Follow U?

So I saw an interesting twitter trail today and I'm curious what others think. To explain the situation, i'll call my two twitter peeps @PR1 and @PR2.

@PR2 is following @PR1.
@PR1 isn't following @PR2.
So @PR2 asks @PR1 to follow her, and says if @PR1 doesn't start following her, she's going to stop follow @PR1.

I guess what's interesting to me is what people think of this whole debate. And it goes back to why people use Twitter. I use Twitter for three reasons: (a) to let people know about interesting events, articles, blog posts, etc.; (b) to quote Dave Evans, "I'm looking for people who could possibly answer questions I don't know I have yet; and (c) I'm looking to learn about what others are doing or recommending.

By that token, I follow those people who I find interesting. If someone starts following me, I'll go look at their updates and decide if I want to follow them back. And if I start to follow someone and they choose to follow me back, great. If they don't, their loss, right?

But am I alone in this mentality? Do others feel like it's a slap in the face if people they choose to follow don't follow them back? Is reciprocity necessary in this forum? What do others think? And where does ego come into play on this issue?

Thursday, May 14, 2009

NON-CCG EVENT: Social Media for Government Training

Social Media for Government Training: How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The Latest WEB 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results
July 13-16
Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA

Hear practical advice from leading government agencies and organizations — from the Department of State to the U.S. Army to the NIH — who are already using social media for better communication results, including:

Topics include:
  • How To Maximize And Manage Your Blog: Promoting Your Organization's Message And Keeping Current With The Trends While Staying Within A Budget
  • How To Use Podcasting To Engage Your Audience - - Even When Your Resources Are Limited
  • Web 2.0: From Strategy To Implementation In 60 Days - A Roadmap For Success
  • How Twitter And Other Social Media Tools Can Keep A Community Informed And Bring Citizens Together
  • Harnessing The Power Of Social Media To Get Your Message To The Hard To Reach Communities
  • How To Build And Leverage An Online Community To Foster Your Organization's Mission And Goals - While Protecting Your Online Reputation
  • How To Maximize Your Mission's Mandate By Using The Latest Social Media Tools To Engage Your Audiences
And our own Joe Balintfy will be presenting on “How To Make The Audio To Video Jump: Getting Started With Vodcasting”

More agenda details or to register.

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Importance of Stepping Away from Your Desk

At my Leadership Montgomery class last week we listened to a talk by Dr. Alan S. Gregerman, President and Chief Innovation Officer, Venture Works. His talk was titled "Surrounded by Geniuses: Unlocking Brilliance in Yourself, Your Colleagues and Your Organization."

Dr. Gregerman had a lot of good pearls of wisdom. I'll write about them during the next few weeks.

The first one I want to tackle is the importance of stepping away from your desk. (And I'm HORRIBLE about following this advice.)

More days than not, I eat at my desk and find the only time I get up is to go to the bathroom. Besides the obvious health detriments of my inactivity, Dr. Gregerman would argue that I'm stifling my potential brilliance by staying put on my bum. He believes it's necessary to "get up out of your chair and wander around the world, engaging with people" if you want to be brilliant, creative, innovative, etc. And he gave plenty of examples to back up his point.

I'm going to remind myself of this important piece of advice the next time I want to go to lunch with a friend or colleague... or go to a networking or educational event... and think I have too much work to do so. (And maybe you should remember it the next time you want to come to one of our lunches but think you're too busy... yeah, that was a shameless plug... sorry!)

So I'm going to challenge every one of you to get up off your bum and go wander around the world at least once this week. And then come back here and tell me how it went.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

April Lunch Recap: Environmental Communications

A recap by Debbie Friez (@dfriez on Twitter)

Speakers: Raquel Garcia, Earth Day Network communications manager, and Adora Andy, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson

Garcia began by discussing Earth Day Network’s challenge in defining their audience. Diversity is very important to them, because the Earth belongs to everyone. So, theirs is a message of inclusion. In using the term “Green Generation” they mean everyone, and stressed that global warming is happening to everyone, now.

Andy is challenged to communicate scientific conclusions and information in a conversational way. She says it helps to think about finding a way to reach the single mom with three kids. She went on to say people are not interested in global warming, but they are interested in water quality. Because global warming is not easily understood, she has banned it from all EPA press releases.

EPA released a school air quality study soon after Andy joined the department. They gave an exclusive to USA Today, and allowed the reporters extra time to research all the information, as well as access to several experts and researchers as an effort to help the paper get the story right. The day the study was released the story ran in USA Today. Additionally, EPA released a press release, and provided materials to the parents of students in the effected schools. Their goal was to help the parents feel involved.

Both speakers answered several questions and gave tips for getting your message out to the media:
  • A sound bite should show emotion or opinion.
  • Put statistics that show a problem upfront in your release. Then, show the solutions within the release.
  • Insert urgency in your message, but don’t be an alarmist.
  • Look for ways to reach new audiences.
Were you at the April lunch? What lessons did you learn from our great speakers? Let us know!

NON-CCG EVENT: CCG Member Wendy Meyeroff on Websites

Just heard about one of our members holding a two-part "lecture" that I thought members might be interested in attending. (You might already know about this... if you've joined our LinkedIn Group and checked out the discussions section.)

WHEN: Friday, May 8, 9-10 a.m.
WHAT: Enhancing Your Website's Effectiveness
DETAILS: Making your site clean, well-written, easy to read--the kind that works in the 10-second timeframe you have to capture your audience.
WHERE: Apple Store in Towson, Maryland
ROOM FOR: between 5 and 8 additional people

WHEN: Friday, May 15, 9-10 a.m.
WHAT: Driving People to Your Website
DETAILS: Identifying the ancillary marketing materials that help people find your site and enhance their interest in hiring you vs your competition.
WHERE: Apple Store in Towson, Maryland
LIMITED TO: 15 people

Neither of these are techno-oriented. You won't find info on Flash or meta tags here (except for insights provided by the Apple team or the audience). Both are about making you stand out from others in your field.

YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND.

TO REGISTER: Call 410-823-1988, hit 3, and leave a message for George Merrill

A Job Hunter

So once upon a time... a long, long time ago... we promised to post "60 second pitches" for members looking for jobs. We haven't done any in a very, very long time. But finally they're back, starting with...

Sean P. Nichols
Sean is a seasoned public relations/communications professional with a proven track record of developing effective strategic plans in a fast-paced environment resulting in earned coverage by print, radio, television and electronic media. He says he has excellent oral and written skills, organizational and analytical skills as well as knowledge of current media trends and cutting edge tools. During his career, Sean has written and distributed press releases, letters-to-the-editor, op-eds and speeches and successfully used cutting-edge media tools including satellite media tours, video news releases, radio actualities and radio tours. Sean has experience in the non-profit sector, private sector and on Capitol Hill can offer a great deal to any office. Contact info: Nichols (dot) Sean (at) rocketmail (dot) com or 240-988-7180.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Pimp This Job: SNM Communications Manager

SNM Communications Manager

SNM—a professional medical association headquartered in Reston, Va.—is seeking a highly qualified and professional Communications Manager.

The primary job requirements include writing monthly columns, writing and overseeing the production of several newsletters, writing monthly research press releases and assisting with media relations.

The ideal candidate will be able to manage all aspects of the newsletter process, including planning, writing, editing and production. This position involves interacting closely with society leadership, researchers and staff and managing calendars, deadlines, reviews and other associated deadlines. This individual must be able to successfully oversee the production of multiple, concurrent newsletters and deadlines with strict attention to detail, accuracy and timeliness.

The individual must have superior writing, editing and proofreading skills. A minimum of 5 years of experience, knowledge of AP and Chicago styles and expertise working with medical, scientific or healthcare content preferred.

The salary for this position is $40K+ with full benefits. The Communications Manager reports to the Associate Director, Public Relations. Please send resumes with cover letter to Amy Shaw at pr (at) snm (dot) org.