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Three Things I Wish I’d Been Told In College

Mar 19th, 2010
by Suze.

This week was the last week of classes for me and my students. They are off on field placement now for the next 6 weeks, then they graduate. For me, it’s the end of the school year, and it means seeing off a group of students that I’ve been with for the past 2 years.

Back in 2008, when this group started, they were new, green, and wide-eyed. Some were just out of high school, and trying to navigate the new terrain of college life. Others were on their second pass of college, having tried other programs before landing on the one that was the best fit. Still others were more like me – having worked for a number of years in various fields, now taking a chance and changing paths midstream. For all of them, it was a bit scary and new. There was so much to learn, so far to go. So many sleepless nights ahead of them. I know. I took the program. You don’t sleep much.

Flash forward, present day. They’ve spent two years learning, refining, and working really, really hard. The achievement is significant…they are ready now, to be web developers, designers, writers, video makers, and project managers. Some will specialize, and others will take it all, mould it to the best fit for them, and go forward. Some will go to work for companies, and excel. Others will turn their passion into their own business, and succeed.

I wanted to write this post for my class, to share with them a couple of things that I may not have articulated well enough in person. They are things I wish I’d been told when I graduated college and wasn’t. If you are my student, and you read this and get something out of it, then great. If not, no worries, I appreciate you taking the time to read it. If you’re not my student, and you get something out of it too, then fantastic.

The learning doesn’t stop here. It begins. Yep – you’ve just gone through two years of learning learning learning, and yep, it’s finally over. But actually, it’s not. Not even a little bit. This is where it starts. I went to college twice, and each time I graduated I walked out the door thinking I knew everything I needed to know. But boy, what a harsh realization it was when I discovered that in fact, I didn’t know everything. You don’t need to worry about this, though. You have come SO FAR. You DO know a lot! But what will make the difference between success and failure in your first few jobs (and the rest of them, for that matter), is knowing that you don’t know everything, and that it’s okay to not have all the answers. What is most important is your willingness to keep learning, keep searching for the answers, and not being afraid to keep asking questions. As long as you are still learning, you’re still moving forward.

80% of the game is just showing up. Ok, so you’ve got all these new skills, you’re ready to go out there and take on the world. But the phone is not ringing. The offers are not piling up like you thought they’d be. Damn. So, what now, then? Get a job in retail to pay the rent, consider going back and taking Advertising next year? Well, ultimately, that decision is up to you. But if you want that phone to start ringing, you HAVE to get out there and start meeting people. Sending out resumes is not going to get you a job. Getting a solid presence online, and getting out there and meeting people (virtually or in person) will. So, seek out people who are doing the things you want to be doing. Start conversations. Find events to go to. Things like Third Tuesday meetups and GenYOttawa and Podcasters Across Borders (if you live in Ottawa, but there are probably similar events in your town if you don’t). Get out there and go to them. Meet people. Not sure where to start? Read this from Chris Brogan. Shy (like me)? Then read this one from me. Then go do it. Just show up, and have a fantastic attitude. Be confident with what you have to offer the world. The rest will begin to fall into place.

You’re in charge of your career, not your boss. I worked for many years at jobs where I felt uninspired, under-challenged, and over-stressed. I did it because I thought I had to. Then one day I realized that, while it’s all fine and well to be responsible and have a job that pays the bills, there’s more to it than that. That maybe, just maybe, if I spent some time figuring out what my goals were, I’d be able to eventually find the kind of job where I could do what I love AND pay the bills. So, yes, get a job that pays the bills. But if it’s not exactly what you want to be doing, don’t settle. In the off-hours, spend time on defining and revisiting your goals. Come up with an action plan on how you’re going to achieve them. Then put that plan into action. Work really really REALLY hard at it. You will get there. Respect your bosses, for sure. You can learn a lot from them. But remember, you’re the only one who can make the decision about where you want to go in life. You have ultimate control, at all times.

Well that’s it. I wish I’d been told these things in college. It may have saved me some time and some grief. But, at the same time, I had to walk my own path, just as you have to walk yours.

I wish you all oodles and oodles of success beyond your wildest dreams.

Welcome to the whole world.

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What Marshall McLuhan Knew About Social Media

Mar 16th, 2010
by Suze.

I came across a great article on Brain Pickings.org the other day, featuring the Canadian icon of media thought, Marshall McLuhan. You may know McLuhan best for his famous quote “The medium is the message”. I’ve studied McLuhan for about as long as I’ve been involved in media and communications, and if you’re a media maker and communicator, you need to study him too.

McLuhan was a man well before his time. He pioneered new ways of thinking about how we communicate. I often wonder how McLuhan, who died in 1980, would have reacted to the Internet and new media. I think he would have been amazed, and probably would have done a fair bit of “I told you so”, too.

Watch the video below, it’s 8 minutes of vintage CBC gold, and listen carefully to what McLuhan says.

Interesting, eh? Did you think you were listening to someone from the 21st century speak? I did, the first time. I had to remind myself that piece was filmed in 1964. But what McLuhan says still holds today. Check it out.

It’s all about tribes. McLuhan brings up the concept of Tribes early on. He talks of us “banging the tribal drum” and how these new media (which at that time consisted of radio and TV) enabled us to have a voice and share our messages to wide audiences. TV and radio were the birth of one-to-many communication. When electronic media came along, the tribal drums started banging and we never looked back. Seth Godin talks of building Tribes around things that we are passionate about, and that those tribes will spin off other tribes, and that’s how people change the world. McLuhan heard the drums 50 years ago. Today, they are banging louder than ever. You can hear them, right?

Senses. In McLuhan’s book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (the book from which the famous quote comes), he talks about how different forms of media enhance our senses differently – how film enhances our sense of vision, and that due to that enhancement we don’t have to work very hard to make up the rest. Radio, audio – similarly enhances our hearing sense, and our brain is able to attach the corresponding pictures to the sounds. But just look at the Web. Audio, video, text, every combination therein, coming at us all at once! It’s an intensely sensory experience, and it’s enhancing everything at once sometimes. No wonder it’s been challenging for people to find the best ways to communicate and connect in this space. There’s so much to offer the senses, but as McLuhan says – people’s understanding of the message is as much about how it is conveyed as the message itself. Chew on that for a bit. He was right.

Think differently. McLuhan goes on to talk about how electronic media affects us – “…the media is at the heart of our lives, because the media affects our senses.” He believed that media was not on the fringes of life, but that it was central to our lives…whether books, TV or radio, we got our ideas about life from what we read, watched or heard. And that the influence of media caused us to think differently. It had a profound effect, good or bad, on everything in our lives.

How has the Internet affected your life? Yeah, I thought so. Add the Web on top of the influence of traditional media, and thinking differently isn’t just a side effect anymore. It’s simply the way it is. There’s no turning back from or tuning out of the Internet. It’s here to stay, in some form or another, and it’s affecting everyone, every day.  Thinking differently isn’t a suggestion, it’s mandatory. McLuhan…you’re three for three!

Digital natives. That’s a new term for a concept McLuhan was talking about in 1964. At the end of the video (which unfortunately is cut off), McLuhan starts to describe the difference between a teenager and an adolescent (which in my estimation he means young adult – 19-25 ish?). Young adults in the 1960s were born at a time when TV was still new. Teenagers at that time had never known life without TV. This created a difference in the way they perceived and dealt with the medium. Today, we are living in a time where the digital natives and GenY’s are the same as the teenagers and kids of the 1960s. They were born into a world with computers. Some were not alive before there was an Internet. The rest of us, the GenXers and Boomers, had to come into it. We remember well a time before we had the Web. My 9 year old nephew has never known life without mobile phones and email.

What does this mean? Well in McLuhan’s estimation, it means we’re going to have to think very carefully about how we’re making tools for the generations coming up behind us. They don’t have as far to travel on the road as we do. Just like TV was second nature to me when I was a kid, the Internet is second nature to them. And perception is everything.

And McLuhan? Well, he was right again.

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A Simple Reminder About Real Life

Mar 6th, 2010
by Suze.

I am not fond of the term “In Real Life (IRL)”.

As far as I’m concerned, everything I do is my real life. Some people that I consider good friends are people I’ve never met in person – amazing people like Becky McCray, Jason Falls, Jason’s Dad Chillie, Deb Brown – aw, heck, I could go on for a week. I’ve only met my friend Jon Swanson in person once, last year, for about an hour, at lunch. Before our short meeting, I called him, as we were about to pass through his town. I realized until that moment when he picked up the phone, that I’d never actually talked to him before. Our entire year long friendship, until that second, had happened through written text alone.

These people are my friends. I’ve grown to care about them deeply over the past few years, as much as I care about people that are in my physical space every day. I think they might be a bit put out if I thought that they weren’t part of my “real life”.

So, maybe I can make a deal with you…how’s about we stop using “in real life” to describe our offline relationships? It’s not respectful of our online friends. Cool?

That said, this post is really more about the offline world, as opposed to the online one. Call it my feeble attempt at being ironic.

Where everybody knows your name. Every Friday afternoon, a whole gaggle of geeks converge on a pub downtown for what is affectionately known as #FridayOffice* (go ahead, search the hashtag on Twitter – you’ll see.). It was started by my friend Tom (@wtl), who is a home-based working type of guy, as a way for him to get out of the “office” for an afternoon, have some lunch, and possibly get caught up on a few things. Tom is the fixture of the event, he takes up residence mid-morning and stays around the whole afternoon. Other people drop in and out, grabbing some lunch, maybe a beer, and often hauling out their laptops for a while too. It’s evolved from one guy getting a change of scenery to a weekly tradition.

But #FridayOffice is about much more than beer and lunch. It’s not really that much about work. What it’s really about is community. We go there to get a break from our busy weeks, to socialize, and to connect. Oh sure, lots of us spend time together online during the week…often we’re all floating in each others’ Twitter streams and Facebook walls. We’re reading and commenting on each others’ blogs, and sometimes we’re even working together on projects. But the in-person meet up is a different dynamic altogether. Why? Because it’s real-time. I mean REAL real-time. We get to talk, laugh (and boy, do we laugh!), collaborate, and learn. There’s lots of energy in play, so it’s a place where we can openly discuss issues, come up with ideas, and check in with how people are REALLY doing. Every time I go to #FridayOffice, I come away with something I didn’t have before. I get a lot out of those couple of hours every week. Others do too – that’s why we keep showing up.

Reach out and touch someone. As much as I love connecting to people online, my goal is always, someday, to meet my online friends and colleagues in-person. Why? Because once I’ve had the experience of being in the same room as someone, somehow, our relationship changes a bit. I mean, it’s okay if I don’t get to meet you in person. It doesn’t mean we’re friends any less. But every single time, without fail, that I’ve met one of my online friends in person, I get a whole new perspective on them. They say something like 80% of communication is non-verbal. That means, if I’ve never talked to you face to face, I only sort of know you 20% (and likewise, you only know me that much). Now, it turns out that’s a pretty important 20%, right? After all, I’ve got whole friendships based on that 20%. But once we’ve met, shaken hands (or, more likely hugged, ‘cuz I’m a hugger), and have had some time to SEE how each other is – the way our voices sound, our mannerisms, facial expressions, how we tilt our head to the side or that nervous leg twitch – we get the rest of the story. Instantly, our relationship goes to a different level. We get the full picture of each other.

Meeting in person certainly does NOT discount the friendship we’ve built to that point. But it does add a new layer, and an important one. In person is the reason why the geek community here in Ottawa is so tight knit. We make a point of having meet-ups, and tweet-ups, and going to Third Tuesdays and Social Media Breakfasts and #FridayOffice. We know that our online interactions are critical to making connections, building our friendships and finding new opportunities to do business together. But like my friend Eden (whom I HAVE met in person) says – face to face trumps online, every time.

So…it pays to get out from behind the computer screen once in a while. For as much as your real life can exist here on the Web, the “rest of your life” exists out there.

What are you waiting for?

– #FridayOffice is a registered trademark (well, sort of) of What The Lemur?

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Can We Be Helpful AND Scale?

Mar 3rd, 2010
by Suze.

One of the things I love best about social media is that it allows people to be infinitely helpful. People’s genuine desire to be helpful helped us raise over $100,000 for 12for12k.org last year. Helpful people, many whom I have never met in person, have gotten me through complex technical challenges without giving a second thought. I’ve learned to be a better businessperson, a better marketer, and a better producer from those who so generously bring their wisdom, for free, on their own time, through their blogs, podcasts and other efforts. And, I have had tremendous opportunities to return the favour, too.

Helpfulness breeds helpfulness, and we’ve developed a wonderfully generous culture out here. I believe it’s human nature to want to be helpful to others. These tools allow us the ability to reach out anywhere, anytime and do so.

As I’ve expressed in my last couple of posts, there’s some disconcerting behaviour happening. I had to air my concerns, because I really think that some people are taking advantage of this culture of openness, helpfulness, and freeness, and we are running the risk of losing the community of trust and authenticity that we’ve worked so hard to build over the past few years.

The first step is admitting we have a problem. Look, it’s not in my nature to complain, and I feel as if my last couple of posts have been kind of ‘bitchy’. I’m a solutions oriented person. I focus on the positive. That means I’m thinking about ways we can continue to scale our efforts without drowning in a sea of demands, be helpful without giving everything away, and still run businesses that are fulfilling and profitable. But in order to do this, we need to identify that there is an issue. That what’s happening out here is really happening. That the media makers, like you and me, are growing tired and frustrated by the culture of entitlement we’re seeing and experiencing. That if we don’t watch out, we’re going to reach a breaking point soon, and the end result will be faith lost in the medium that we know so well and love so much.

So what’s a blogger to do? I think it’s time to go back to basics, honestly. I had a realization the other day. I was sitting here, fuming, frustrated by the constant poking and prodding coming at me through the pipe. I felt out of control. And then it dawned on me…it wasn’t the stream that was out of control…it was me. I had let the noise threshold rise and rise and forgot to cap it. It was akin to how my office desk sometimes gets (well, sort of how it is now, actually). Full of papers and junk and cameras and books and pencils and cats. Closing me in, leaning on me, even. But I realized that I HAVE CONTROL OF MY STREAM. At all times. I can set filters on my email. I can purge my Google Reader. I can unfollow people on Twitter, or manage lists more wisely. I can hit that little “x” and turn it all off for a while, too. And you know what? We all have those options. The world is not going to end if you have less information coming at you. Trust me.

Open door policies revisited. When I worked in the corporate world, all of my managers had “open-door” policies. Most of them never abided by it. They wanted you to “think” they were accessible, but really, they couldn’t be bothered to keep their door open, or to be helpful if you needed it. So after a while, you’d just stop trying. However, one of my former bosses, Andrew, had it right. Andrew was not your typical boss. He worked very hard, and he always seemed to know more than the other managers what was going on. It was his job to make the right decisions for the department. And the only way he could do this was by talking to us. Because we were in the trenches. We were doing the day to day tasks to move the projects forward. If he wasn’t checking in with us, then he couldn’t make decisions, he couldn’t identify and mitigate risks, and he couldn’t celebrate achievements. So, to facilitate this, his door was actually always open. He was always having conversations with the staff, and anyone could pop in and join the discussion. He was open, accessible, and most of all, helpful. But it was for a reason – there was a payoff on both sides. I could go about my business knowing I was being listened to, and he was getting the information he needed to do his job better.

Perhaps we can take a page from Andrew’s book on this one. Open doors in social media are a very good thing. Being helpful is what makes this space tick. But many of us are being blindly helpful, keeping our door open 24/7, inviting everyone in, and extending a hand to whoever knocks. It’s not scaleable, and ultimately, it’s not useful. Why? Because if you’re not getting some sort of payoff, then you’re going to get frustrated. If you’re helping people for the sake of helping, you’re going to be bombarded by people who are just taking advantage of your generosity, and then you’ll be forced, like so many of my managers from days gone by, to retreat to your corner and close the door and never come out. And that’s not helpful to anyone.

Be helpful, but only if it is helpful to you in some way. No, not just financially, or in advancing your business. It’s okay to help someone just to be generous, for the good feelings that are associated with knowing you’ve done good. (That’s a payoff too). But we need to set some clear lines of communication. We need to be more selective in our helpful ways. Otherwise, the door will shut and may never open again.

Honestly, I’m just thinking out loud here. Social media is still in its infancy. It’s barely walking yet. The rest of the world has still not really caught on. So, if we are having trouble scaling now, when only a small percentage of the people have come to the party, what’s going to happen when everyone shows up?

We’ve got to figure it out.

Your turn.

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Is the Social Web Making Us Too Dependant?

Feb 27th, 2010
by Suze.

When I was growing up, it was sometimes dark all day.

Because of my Dad’s job, we lived in small, isolated communities, including the Canadian Arctic. When you’re an active kid, it’s 50 below, pitch dark at 1pm, and there’s one channel of television, you have no choice but to find resourceful ways to fill your time. In spite of the perceived lack of stuff to do, being “bored” was not allowed in our house. We had tons of books and crafting supplies, and if I still couldn’t find something to do, then a toilet brush and mop were always close by too. I was given choices, but ultimately, my parents mostly let me and my brother figure out stuff on our own. It’s one of the best lessons they ever taught me, because today, I’m very independent. I have a “figure it out” attitude, and it’s driven me directly to the successes I’ve had to this point.

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

The past 10-15 years has seen a social transformation like at no other time in history. Even the printing press and the telephone, both inventions that revolutionized the way we communicate, were unable to connect people the way the Internet has. The phone and the press are two-way interactions. The web is multi-way. And that’s the difference.

I’m astounded on a daily basis at the way we’re all able to connect out here. I am blessed to have so many strong friendships and to be able to do business with so many remarkable people. I think we are all aware of what a brilliant space this is, and how fortunate we all are to be here together.

For all the wonderful things the Web has brought us, there have also been some unfortunate side effects of this always-on dialogue we’re having. The other day I discussed the Culture of Free. Chris has been talking about the problems with Anywhen. Frustrations are growing at a rapid rate in the Twittersphere with noise ratios and spam on the rise. There’s one other unfortunate trend I’m seeing, and it may be the one that concerns me the most.

Hold my hand, I’m too scared. Yep, the Web can be a scary place sometimes. I’m not just talking about trolls and malicious web sites; we have thousands and millions of gigabytes of information thrust at us on a daily basis. The stream is active 24 hours a day,  7 days a week, and there’s pressure (mostly self-imposed) to keep up with the flow (and the Joneses). People get stressed because they might miss something, or might not understand the next new thing when it crosses their path. They are afraid they’re not going to be with the “in-crowd”. And unfortunately, what happens is, they start to lean heavily on others to calm their fears. They send emails at all hours of the day and night (and then re-send them if you don’t respond right away), asking what happened here or what to do about this or for advice on that. They tell you they are “not tech savvy enough” and expect, because you might be, that you can just tell them all the answers and solve their problems.

Oh sure, it seems innocent enough at the beginning. A little free advice never hurt anyone. But if you’re the resourceful type, you probably spend a good whack of time out here on the Web, reading voraciously, experimenting with new tools, refining your use and knowledge of the existing ones, and taking your knowledge and experience to the next level all the time. You have a day job too, so most of this hunting and poking and learning occurs when most sane humans are sleeping. So when someone grabs onto your hand and won’t let go, it gets to where it slows you down. After all, if YOU can get out there and put in the hours to figure it out, why can’t the hand holder do the same? Before you know it, resentment sets in, and suddenly, in our social world that is so much about being helpful, you don’t want to help so much anymore.

It’s time to take down the pedestal. The great irony here is that the Web contains all of the answers, but unfortunately there is a culture of pre-occupation and laziness afoot that makes people not want to bother to find things out for themselves. After all, that’s what all these people are for, right? You know, the social media experts, the gurus that give away all this info for free but also write books and things. But heck, I am too busy to read. I’m too busy to put in the time to go and research and just install the stupid thing and play around with it and break it until I get it right. I might as well just go to the source, and get the answer from the horse’s mouth, right? That’s easier, and way faster.

You might be thinking “No way, that doesn’t happen. People aren’t that rude.” In normal social circles (i.e., in person), you’re absolutely right. People aren’t typically so rude when it’s face to face. But you see, people like to hide behind their computer screens. They’re more ballsy when they’re not walking right up to you. Social graces are pretty much the first thing to go when you throw the anonymity of the Web in the middle.

Not only that, but we continue to put people up in some sort of social throne, and then fully expect their wisdom to be handed out on demand. We don’t consider where that wisdom came from (hard work and independent study and experimentation). We just want to know it, and we want to know it now. After all, we’ve got our own success to consider, our own bestsellers to write. Hurry, hurry hard. Get to the end of that tunnel using the fastest means possible, which for some reason, we’ve decided, is by picking brains, instead of picking up a book.

So, what’s the solution? I don’t know yet. I do know that a significant culture shift is going to have to happen. The social media bubble is about to burst. People are reaching their breaking point of free, of personal time, and of noise. I know I am. But what I do know is it rests firmly on our shoulders to figure out what to do next. Each one of us needs to evaluate what we are getting out of this space. We have to go back to the basics, of balancing our level of effort versus our individual payoff. Instead of doing the ROI on your social media campaigns, do the ROI on yourself. Remember why you got in here in the first place. Throw out the stuff that isn’t working for you anymore. Streamline the stuff that does.

Let’s discuss.

[photo credit: 40 below in Inuvik, by Eclectic Blogs on Flickr)

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The Culture of Free and Why it Needs to Change

Feb 25th, 2010
by Suze.

I have to get something off my chest. I’m going to try not to sound too ranty, and I really do want to know what you think (especially if you don’t agree).

We live in a culture of Free. Free is not bad. But, in order for social business to be successful, many attitudes are going to need to change.

What I love most about new media is that the barrier to entry is extremely low. Anyone with an Internet connection, a keyboard and an idea is welcome to the party. Anyone can create, share and be brilliant, in their own way. What people build out here has enriched my life and continues to blow my mind on a daily basis. I love that I have access to all of this brilliance for free. I absorb it like a sponge, and share it like it’s candy. You should be doing the same. After all, it’s free.

It’s wonderful that all of this amazing content is free, but we’re starting to develop some bad habits. Unfortunately, our beautiful Culture of Free has started to become an Expectation of Free. And that’s a problem. A big problem.

There’s life beyond free. Every morning, I grab a cup of coffee, and dive head first into my Google Reader (or in my case, Feedly, which, if you’re not using yet, you really should be). Inside this space, I’m blessed with the most incredible content from some of the smartest people I know. I get to read, watch, listen and learn new ideas, concepts, and wisdom, all for free. More than that, I get to freely share it with my friends. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing sense of entitlement in some camps, that those who share for free, should continue to do so in all aspects of their work. I see evidence of this on a daily basis, and it’s alarming.

I write this blog for free. I contribute to other blogs for free. I tweet for free. I share stuff on Facebook for free too. I do it because I enjoy sharing what’s in my brain, and because some of you seem to enjoy receiving it. The thing is, even though no money is changing hands, each day when you come to my content, you’re performing a transaction with me. I’m delivering content. You are using it. For some reason, what I’m providing is worth something to you. In this case, it’s your time. And that’s totally fine. We are both getting something out of our transaction with each other.

Where the line begins to blur is when I move over into the world of the “not free”. You see, all of this is my job. This blog, my other online presences, my company, my teaching, my consulting work, my speaking engagements…they all take work. I tend to not make a distinction between what I get paid to do and what I don’t. I think many of us who work in this business (for money) do much the same.

What I’m observing is, somewhat with myself and more often with other people who do the same things I do, that lots of people are misunderstanding where the boundary of free vs. not free is. And I totally get why it’s confusing. We’re pushing all this free content out. Then suddenly, when we start asking for money, people start to wonder what we’re doing differently to no longer be just giving it away. They scrutinize our motives, and dig harder to find the value.

I have cats to feed. So where is the line? Well, that’s even more tricky. It’s different for everyone. Some people have massive volumes of traffic to their blogs and Twitter and subsequently to their email inboxes. I’m not really one of those people. I get plenty of requests, but certainly not to the scale of some people I know. Scalability aside, it’s important to understand personally where the line between free and paid is. I have absolutely no issue with responding to questions on Twitter, comments on my blog, the occasional email, or even going for a quick coffee and chat (which I love to do). I love people, and it makes me happy when I can provide a bit of info that is helpful.  But for me, free ends once a certain amount of my time is being used. If someone is asking for a significant amount of my time, whether it’s through back and forth emails, incessant Direct Messages on Twitter, or coffee after coffee pick-your-brain sessions with no real goal in sight, then things start to change. (I have, by the way, had all of these things happen at one time or another, as I’m sure many of you have.) At that point, it has to become more than just a transaction of time. After all, I have cats to feed. So please, please PLEASE…don’t be taken aback when I let you know politely that in order for us to continue our transaction, you’ll need to pay me. Remember, this is my job.

But…(and there’s always a but), there are exceptions to this, as with everything. There are certain times when the transaction of free stands. These are my personal reasons (yours, and others’, may be different):

1) You’re one of my students. As your teacher, it’s my responsibility to be there to help you learn. So ask away. Invite me for coffee. Find me on Skype. But if you’re not my student? Please don’t ask me to record my lectures and make them available to you online for free. My students pay their own hard earned money to be in that classroom. Many of them sacrifice a lot to be there. They are paying for the content, so it’s not fair if you ask to have it for free.

2) You’re involved in doing good work that I believe in. I am honoured that I get asked to speak at events. I get to share things,  improve my public speaking skills, and meet some great new people. I often get to talk about causes I’m involved with, like 12for12k. I get to share with young people, businesswomen, and amazing non-profits. This work I often do for free, because I believe in what these folks are doing, and if I can in any small way make a contribution that’s valuable, then I’m thrilled to help. But I have a line there too. This one’s always case by case basis.

It’s a whole new world. Free is what makes the Internet go round, that’s a fact. But there are lots and lots of people who are working very hard to make a living out here. If you’re here, you’re likely one of them (unless you’re my Mom – she’s retired). No other industry that I can think of has ever offered so much tremendous value for free. And the beauty is, if you want to stay in the free space, you have every right to do so. But, there’s a certain point when your needs and goals may require your transaction with the businesspeople out here to become about more than just that free time and information. Either way, it’s totally okay. But do know that the culture of free is transforming. And also know that it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s only going to enhance everyone’s experience in the end, as far as I can tell, because we’re attaching a new type of value to what people know and do well out here.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

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The Land of the Free

Feb 21st, 2010
by Suze.

I had a little talk with Scarborough Dude last night.

It’s sort of a biannual thing, my little talks with the Dude. It usually revolves around a Podcamp, some coffee or a beer. It always makes me want to write. He’s a wise man.

Last night’s talk took place in a loud, boisterous room filled with laughter and music. It was the Saturday night Podcamp Toronto social bash, an event that infuses the “social” in social media, brings online friends together in an offline way and adds a new dimension to already strong bonds.

The Dude and I surveyed the scene before us, taking in the moment. The Dude leaned over to me and said, “Can you feel it? Can you feel the vibe of this place? That’s what this is all about. People being free.”

I thought about that for a minute, the same way I think about most things the Dude says. And then I realized some things.

It starts with the environment. It has just dawned on me, after attending a total of 8 un-conferences (does that make me a veteran?) why the format of these events is so genius. It’s free. Not  just free, in the monetary sense. The entire concept is one of freedom. It doesn’t matter who I am, where I come from, how old I am, what I know or don’t know, how I dress, how much money I have, or what colour my hair is. I can decide I want to share something, and in one click I can become part of the event. I am free to tell my story and start a conversation around it. Others are free to join that conversation. The fundamental point of an un-conference is freedom of expression. And when there is total freedom of expression in an environment, amazing things start to happen.

Anyone can be a rock star. It’s common knowledge that at unconference events, everyone gets a chance. The playing field is completely leveled. Noobs hang out with A-listers. PR pros party with podcasters. Students mingle with CEOs. It happens because everyone that walks in the door is automatically given rock star status. The rule is that judgement and egos are to be left at the door, and all people are given equal freedom to express and connect. When this starts to happen, when it’s really working, it becomes what the Dude calls “The Vibe”.

Authenticity is an amazing thing. It’s a common misconception that New Media Un-conferences are about technology…that in order to get anything out of it you’ve got to be a tech geek of some sort. That could not be further from the truth. In fact, these are not technology events at all. They are human events. And because they are human events, they require one thing that enables freedom. They require the humans to be 100% real. Fortunately for this community, that realness comes quite naturally. And I think I’ve finally figured out why.

The medium IS the message. There are Bloggers, podcasters, Tweeters, Facebook status updaters, and media-makers of all kinds. We all tell different stories, stories that are unique to who we are. That’s a beautiful thing. But what is most fascinating isthat new media gives everyone the power to freely express themselves in their chosen format. Because of this inherent fact, we have inadvertently created a culture of freedom. When new media-makers converge in a single space, such as an un-conference, we  are already free, because we’ve been so good at expressing ourselves till now. When we get together in person, that sense of freedom proliferates at a rapid rate through the room. Our culture of freedom means we come into the space already accepting each other and respecting each person’s individuality and authenticity. And when a room full of people are completely free, accepting and authentic, an amazing thing happens. The energy changes. Everyone feels that Vibe of which the Dude so eloquently speaks. And for that time, we really are, completely free.

There are so many lessons we can learn from this. Freedom does not begin and end behind the walls of a conference. It’s something that we, as media-makers, inherently have. It’s something we have to offer others…from the people who consume our content, to our clients, to the people we love. Freedom begins with being true to yourself. It thrives when everyone follows suit. The Dude lives this. I am learning it. And the really cool part?  We can and will continue to create, share, and connect in the way that we choose.

Isn’t that the ultimate freedom?

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How to Win Clients and Influence People

Feb 17th, 2010
by Suze.

“You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.” — Dale Carnegie

We spend so much time and energy talking about the next big thing, the killer app or technology that’s going to help us be successful in achieving our goals. We talk strategies, toolsets, and ROI. We want to know what the secret is, and we lean forward into the future, hoping that some incredibly insightful thought leader is going to share with us the big revelation that will change our lives.

We focus intensely on what’s next. We forget that Dale Carnegie wrote those words in 1936.

I spend a lot of time with other entrepreneurs. We share our ups and downs. We commiserate about what a struggle it is to win new business, in a market that’s gun-shy about spending too much, one that’s intent on measuring every penny in for penny spent. It’s exciting, frustrating, and sometimes, we reminisce about our former cubicle-dwelling days and wonder if that’s the easier option.

I hear a lot of rumblings, people puzzling about how to “convince” clients to hire them. I see online seminars and Twitter chats about personal branding and how entrepreneurs can go about marketing themselves in this rough terrain. Don’t get me wrong – personal branding is important. But it’s only the first step. Once your exceptional personal branding efforts have paid off and gotten you in the door, then what? How do you translate your brand to paying clients?

Don’t pretend to know everything. Meeting a prospective client for the first time can be unnerving, even for the most social and outgoing type (if you’re shy it can be downright stressful). You run the scene in your head…you’re going to try to talk about yourself in a positive way, and hope to heck that they don’t ask the dreaded question, “So how much will this cost me?”, before you’ve had a chance to tout your value. You worry that you might not say the right things, or come off as “the expert” that your prospect is seeking.

Forget the impression you want to make by saying all the right things. It rarely works, and there is an easier way. Don’t claim to be an expert (ever). But DO ask questions. Lots of them. Find out what makes that person sitting across from you tick. Understand what their problems are. It’s not your job to be an expert in everything. It IS your job to help your clients figure out how to solve their problems. And you can only do that by asking questions.

Get people talking. You’ve heard before that the best way to strike up a conversation with someone is to ask them questions (I think that may have come from Mr. Carnegie too, now that I think about it). The part that’s often overlooked is by far the most important…listening to the answers. Want to know the secret to finding out what people are passionate about, even when they don’t think they know themselves? Ask questions. When you hit on their passion, you’ll know it, but only if you pay attention to what they are saying, and how they say it. Suddenly, their body language will shift. They might sit upright, or lean in. They’ll move their hands around. Their eyes will get a little glint. They will smile more. They will apologize for “rambling on”. That’s when you’ll have discovered their passion. Make note of it. That’s valuable information.

Keep on asking questions. Once you’ve nailed someone’s passion, ask more questions about that passion. Get them to tell you some stories. Everyone’s got stories. The more they talk, the more you listen and understand, the more they’ll want you around. This is not a trick…it’s human nature. It works both ways, too. Nobody wants to be around someone who’s a downer. Everyone wants to be around someone who is excited about what they are doing or saying. If you are genuinely interested (genuinely is the operative and essential word) in what the other person cares about, not only will that person be more inclined to be around you (and ultimately, maybe hire you), but you’ll enjoy being around them too. You’ll feed off their positive energy just as they feed off yours. That’s not a tactic…that’s physics. And as Mr. Carnegie said so wisely all those decades ago, being interested in other people is the best way to get them on you team, and ultimately, to win their business.

We’re all working hard on our brands, and that’s great. If Dale Carnegie were alive today I bet he’d be astounded at all the ways we have to connect with and influence others today. But I bet he’d also be using the same lines as he used back then. The tools have changed. The principles have not.

You’ve nailed your brand…now how are you going to nail your influence?

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Music Journalist Finds Clever Use for Faceboook Comments

Feb 16th, 2010
by Suze.

My friend, Roch Parisien has been doing this a long time.

By this, I mean writing and talking about music. He’s one of the top music journalists in Canada, and in the 20 or so years I’ve known and worked with him, he’s interviewed just about everybody who’s anybody in music. I’ve been fortunate to have been along with him on some of those rides, as his producer for the cable TV show “Soundtrack”, which ran for 27 years on Skyline Cable/RogersTV Channel 22 here in Ottawa. Not only was I able to meet some of the most amazing people in music (Richard Thompson, Barenaked Ladies, and Charlie Sexton were some of my personal highlights), I was able to witness Roch doing what he loves – talking music with the people who create it. Roch’s at the top of the game as a music journalist – he’s one of the best interviewers I know and his knowledge of the business and of artists is virtually unsurpassed.

As a communications professional and journalist with many years in the game, Roch is taking this whole social media thing quite seriously. He’s seen the opportunities this new medium offers to people in his field, and has successfully moved his brand into the online space, through sites like LinkedIN and Facebook, and with his contributions to our site over at Ottawa Tonite. But most of all, it’s his clever use of Facebook that has particularly piqued my interest.

A couple of months back, Roch set up a Facebook Page, Rocon Communications, where he shares news, reviews, and interviews with musical artists of all kinds. He also uses it to promote his work as programmer for the Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel. He provides a diverse and relevant range of music news and information on his page, and I highly recommend you check it out.

But here’s where it gets really interesting.

Roch has taken his passion for music and his amazing interviewing skills and combined them with the most social aspect of Facebook – the comments – and created “The Facebook Interviews”, a series of interactive chat sessions with musicians, facilitated by Roch and open to group members.  The interviews generally start with a post and possibly a YouTube video of the artist performing, and some backgrounder by Roch. Then the artist hops on the comments, and a Q and A session commences between Roch and the artist. Others are invited to post questions in advance or join in the session real time. The whole thing takes place in the Facebook comments, creating a real time archive of the session, so should you happen to miss it live, you can go back later and read the posts.

Why is this clever? First, it brings the artists to the people directly. So far, Roch has interviewed, biographer Paul Myers and others on Long John Baldry, Javier Escovedo on his new album “City Lights” and Jim Bonfanti of Choir/Raspberries/Boxer. It’s done in real time, so people in the group have the chance to interact and ask questions of the performers. Second, it provides an amazing transcript of a conversation that is created “on the fly”. It’s piles of fun to read through the interviews after they’re over. And last, but most definitely not least, it provides a way for music lovers to connect with each other. Even after the interview portion is done, people can continue the conversation.

This is how I want to see more people using social media – coming up with creative ways to use the tools to tell stories. I’m really looking forward to more in this series of the Facebook Inteviews. Roch is archiving all of the interviews in the Notes section of the Rocon Communications page, so you can see the full conversations there if you miss it live.

Tonight marks the fourth installment of The Facebook Interviews, and I urge you to check it out. Here’s the info from Roch himself:

Tuesday evening beginning 7pm Eastern, “The Facebook Interviews” continue on my Rocon Communications page with Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Dave Gunning, whose album “We’re All Leaving” was #1 on the Galaxie FolkRoots Channel’s Canadian chart for January. Post some questions in advance on the Rocon Communications page, and/or join us at 7pm E for the interactive chat session!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roch-Parisiens-Rocon-Communications/208757673971?ref=ts

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How I Learned About Social Media (and how you can too)

Feb 10th, 2010
by Suze.

Most of the links in this post are to the people I have learned the most from over the past three years. Please click on their links and check them out. They offer a great deal to this space, and I am forever indebted to them, for they have taught me so much and made such a huge contribution to my success. There are others too, of course – far too many to mention here. You all mean a great deal to me. From the bottom of my heart, friends….thank you.

The weekend of February 19th marks my 3rd anniversary being involved in social media.

Three years since I wandered in off the street to Podcamp Toronto, was warmly greeted by Two Guys Named Chris, and the first thing I asked them was “What the heck are all you people doing here, anyway?”

The rest is, as they say, history.

Three years later, and I am sitting here, like I do most mornings, connecting, laughing, sharing, and learning. I have achieved much – amazing friendships, a rapidly growing business, and a much more global perspective on helping other people and truly making a difference.

Several times a week I am asked how I know what I know about all this new media stuff. Do I ever step away from the computer? (Yes.) Do I have a life? (Of course.) How do I find the time to stay on top of everything? (I make time.) Do I ever get any real work done? (This is real work.)

There are no quick fixes in social media (or in anything considered real work, for that matter). No $300 “Learn to Twitter in a Weekend” workshop is going to teach you everything you need to know about social media. Books are great, read them all…especially these ones. But books are like the measuring tape and laser level in your tool box. They just give you information.
So, are we ready to begin?

Be curious. I didn’t end up at that first Podcamp because I had researched it for weeks, tried to figure out who was going to be there, what their credentials were, if they had criminal background checks done, if they were in the country legally. In fact, I didn’t know a single person there. I saw “Free” and “Unconference”. And I was planning on being in Toronto that weekend anyway. What did I have to lose? I was curious.

Being curious is probably the most important thing you can do to get on the road to understanding this new medium. Don’t know where to start? How about Google? Do some searches on Twitter. Find some friends on Facebook. Pretend you’re 8 years old again and you are exploring the woods at the back of your house. Look in all the little crevasses and nooks. Peek under rocks. Climb a tree and survey the scene from above. Fall out of the tree once in a while too. Before you know it, you’ll start to find the adventure you came for.

Read and listen and watch voraciously. Once I started to realize how many smart people there were out here in this world, I started to consume everything I could. I subscribed to blog after blog in Google Reader. I watched videos. I listened to wonderful podcasts.

All of these people are out there, every day, working hard, giving you FREE content and advice that, if you listen and do the things they say, will get you up and running in social media in no time. Trust what these people say. They learned the same way you are….by consuming the information that is available to anyone. Don’t tell me you don’t have time. Don’t watch that rerun of Friends every night, and there you go…you’ve found 30 minutes a day that you can be filling your brain with smart stuff.

Experiment. All of these smart social media types got to where they are because they are not afraid to experiment. If you’re looking for best practices drawn from years of experience and comprehensive research, you’re not going to find them. The medium is not old enough to have tried, tested and true. There’s a certain level of experimentation going on all the time. Some of us experiment on our blogs (I know I do). Others are the super early adopters (I’m here too), trying out things like Google Wave and buying the latest gadget and then proceeding to play around with it, figure out how it fits (or if it fits).

But I’m afraid I’m doing it wrong! Here’s a news flash. You’re not going to break the Internet, no matter how hard you try. So if you see a link to something that looks interesting, click it. Sign up for an account (you can always cancel it later). Try a new plugin, or a new method of communicating. Find friends to try along with you. Play. You’ll see pretty soon that the rewards you reap are far more significant than the failed attempts.

Curiosity, consumption and experimentation. Those are the three steps I used to get where I am. (And no, it didn’t happen overnight.) Yep, I learned most of this stuff for free, from reading blogs, watching talks, and participating in free webinars. I paid a little money to buy books by smart people (see above), and I paid a little more to travel to Montreal and Toronto to see people speak live (at free conferences) and connect with others.

What I didn’t do was bombard the smart people with questions. I Googled, I absorbed, I understood, and then I contributed to the space. Feedback came in from the smart folks in my communities (blog comments, @replies, and emails) and I learned some more. Then I contributed more. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But, aren’t you a teacher? Now, a word on education. I’m a college teacher, for Pete’s sake, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least spend a paragraph or two talking about the merits of formal education. If you are seeking to be immersed in a subject, to be able to really focus all your time and energy studying so you can apply, then yes, formal training is very valuable. I am not talking about the snake-oil, Twitter in a Weekend “workshops” here. I’m talking about training given by qualified instructors in reputable environments that cover techniques over tools. I’m talking about courses that can not only teach you important technical skills, but can allow you to connect and learn with and from your peers.

There is great value in formal education, however it’s not always financially feasible or easy to manage going to school full time with work and family. That’s why doing things on your own can be a great supplement, or even a replacement sometimes (depending on your goals and personal situation.)

The final word. A smart friend told me once, at the beginning of all this, when I was struggling to find answers… “you have a whole network available to you now. Use it.” Those words have stuck with me. We really do have all the information and knowledge we could ever want at our fingertips. But most importantly, we also have the ability to share what we know. The most important thing about social media is not learning what tools to use. Just dive in. Write a blog, record and post a video. Talk to people. Make a contribution. Start today.

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