Here's to Well-Being in 2011: Book Review

My final book review for 2010 is actually a book that looks forward to 2011. I recently finished Well-Being by Tom Rath and Jim Harter, a book related to the Strengths Finder series from Gallup.


Rath and Harter have taken data collected by Gallup from over 150 countries and found five universal, interconnected elements that shape our lives: Career Well-being, Social Well-being, Financial Well-being, Physical Well-being, and Community Well-being. The thing I really love about this book: the combination of research data and ideas for boosting well-being. The book also has a companion website.

I love books based on data and research. This isn't just somebody's idea of what it takes to have well-being over a lifetime-- this is a bona fide look at what makes human beings all over the world have a better life. Each of the five sections is loaded with data and followed by a synopsis of the essentials and recommendations for boosting each area of well-being. The back section of the book is over 70 pages of charts and closer looks at the research. Each book includes a code to get on the book's website where readers have access to a wealth of supplemental materials.

I think I read the book at just the right time--the end of the year. The book's actually been sitting on my shelf since the summer when I bought it, along with a pile of other books I still need to tackle. I picked it up last week and devoured it. Along the way I also got inspired. I was able to pick up on a few areas where I have really neglected my well-being, and was able to affirm that I live in a great community where all the potential pieces of community well-being are present.

Two areas that challenged me for 2011:

1. Develop a deeper relationship to my community, whether in volunteering or just enjoying the beautiful outdoor trails and parks more often.

2. Widen my circle of close friends. The older I am getting, the tougher it is to do this. But, changing jobs and moving in the last five years has really narrowed my circle of friends. Time to work on that.

I highly recommend the book. And I invite your observations. It's a quick read and less than $14 if you have a Kindle. I bought a copy for all my family members. Happy New Year--may your 2011 be a year of well-being.

The 12 Blogs of Christmas

Things are winding down towards Christmas here, so I thought I'd share with all of you my 12 favorite social media blogs.

On the first day of Christmas...follow the thought leaders. These are my favorite people that look ahead, keep me on my toes, and make me think critically about social media/ marketing.

• Chris Brogan. If you want to see what's coming, he is the guy to follow. He has a never-ending stream of energy and ideas on several blogs on several topics. My favorite is Escape Velocity designed for people who dream of going on their own. Start with his main page--linked above on his name.
• Brian Solis. He also has a must read book I have reviewed here before, Engage. My favorite blog feature of his is the recently launched (R)evloution YouTube channel where he does interviews with movers and shakers like Katie Couric, Charlene Li and many others.
• Mashable. You can't not follow Mashable. I put that awkward double negative in there just to emphasize that following Mashable is a no-brainer for social media news. But they do post frequently, so check them frequently. I have their feed on my RSS reader so it's easy to keep up. One of the things I really like about Mashable is that they are multi-dimensional. They have all kinds of news from tech stuff to entertainment.
• Social Media Examiner. Not only do they have good blog content, but they also sponsor a number of great webinars. I did their Facebook Success Summit this year and it was well worth the $$. They also have a video channel that is super helpful with tons of "how-to's."
• Jeremiah Owyang. I get my dose of research, stats and industry trends here. There are several good "industry" blogs out there but I like Owyang's. He is an associate of Charlene Li (Groundswell and Open Leadership) at Altimeter and they are industry leaders for tech and social media in business. He is doing some writing recently on social media ROI and what's coming in that area. Deep, but good.

Five golden rings...when it comes to basic "how-to" stuff, here's a great place to start:

• Mari Smith. If you want to get any info on Facebook, she knows it. She is on Twitter, Facebook, and every other conceivable social channel you can think of. She does great instructional videos and is one of the most friendly, pleasant and engaging people out there. She is the queen of Facebook.
• Social Media Explorer (Jason Falls). Here you will get a real honest down-to-earth, "no holds barred" look at the social media landscape. Falls is one of the more colorful people I follow on Twitter. This fall, he added a dozen guest bloggers to his site and they have been producing some great content in addition to Falls.
• Tamar Weinberg. Weinberg's blog is called Techipedia. She works for Mashable and produces a blog of tips and strategies for social media use. I like her voice and point of view. Good content and she is one of the bloggers out there that has a good handle on social media strategy.
• Liz Strauss. Where Mari Smith is the queen of Facebook, Strauss is the guru of all things related to blogging. She is known for her willingness to promote regular people through her blog--she is a true facilitator of the success of others and a savvy marketer. Her group puts on conferences as well--SOBCon was in Denver this fall. She also has a YouTube channel.
• Copyblogger is another group blog dedicated to the art and science of blog writing with an emphasis on creating good content. (hey--content is king). This is a good "how-to" site for honing your blogging skills. Also, a good resource for learning materials.
• Higher Ed Marketing: I follow Andrew Careaga because I work in higher ed and he is pretty savvy when it comes to issues at the university level. He is also a music aficionado and shares that on Twitter. Make sure to check out his "Friday Five" on Fridays (of course).

And a partridge in a pear tree..you gotta have some fun in your day. This last blog is a personal favorite.

• Dr. BS: The Road Scholar. Dr. Bill Smith is the new media athletic director at the University of Arkansas. His blog is eclectic and informative. One day he will blog on technology and social media and the next it's pure Dr. BS philosophy and history. This guy writes fun and good stuff. He is a real techie and that comes through often on his blog.

With this, I leave you until after the holidays. Our daughters will be home for Christmas and I consider that the greatest blessing of being a parent of older children. Many thanks and blessings to all of you that have read my blog in 2010 and may you have a prosperous 2011. If you have any favorite blogs, share the links in the comments section. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.

image from www.wisdomportal.com

2011: The Year Social Media Comes of Age

The end of the year is always filled with predictions for the new year, so I think I'll throw my hat in the prognosticators ring.

There has been a lot of talk lately about how social media is growing up. Those of us who declare ourselves to be social media strategists have been eyeing the horizon of 2011 knowing that the dust is still not settled and change will still be the strategist's companion. But there are people out there sailing on the edge of the horizon that can give us direction. One of my favorites is web strategist Jeremiah Owyang from Altimeter. I follow his blog religiously. 

Owyang recently shared his forecast for 2011 on Slideshare. The presentation evolved from the Altimeter research on the career path of the social media strategist. The research is free and can be downloaded here. Following are three of my many takeaways from his presentation:

1. Social media is growing up and requires grown-up social media strategists.  It won't be appropriate in 2011 to take social media strategy advice from your 16-year old nephew who set up your Facebook fan page. Solution: If social media is your job, invest in professional development or hire help. Social media has arrived and organizations can no longer afford to invest time, people and resources in it willy-nilly. Social media needs to part of an integrated media strategy, and pronto.

2. Training all around! The most successful models of social media integration, according to Altimeter's research, involve a "hub and spoke" model, or one where a centralized unit sets rules and procedures and each individual "unit" is in charge of their own management and implementation.

Mashable had a recent blog on Owyang's presentation at the Word of Mouth conference summarizing "7 Tips for Succeeding as a Social Media Strategist." They noted that Owyang is an advocate of Intel's social media IQ testing of employees, a test to make sure that a certain level of proficiency and understanding is reached before undertaking a social media task. Intel also offers a sort-of social media university for employees as well to get them to that proficient level. This is a great solution for companies wanting to implement the hub and spoke model. This way, you don't need a "community manager," just a headquarters, per se.

3. Know Your ROI. Here is the next frontier in social media expertise. Not just plain old ROI, but an ability to make ROI simple and customizable to the organization. 2010 was filled with ROI tools of every imaginable size and function. I like Owyang's reminder of scale. Tools need to measure what you need them to measure. And cost isn't necessarily an indicator of efficiency.

What's your take on 2011?

image from Google images

Book Review: When the Headline is You

It's December, and I'm doing my monthly book review early before the holiday busyness sets in. This month's winner is Jeff Ansell's When the Headline is You, with Jeffrey Leeson. If you deal with the media at all, or work with those who do, this book is a must-read primer.

Ansell's book is loaded with practical exercises and formulas for getting it right. This book is more than just thought leadership, it can be a guide for an effective media strategy for a one-man shop or a large corporation. Ansell is a media and crisis communications consultant who works with many high profile corporations and and spent many years in the media before changing careers. I think he found the right one. It's worth getting the book just to read the story about what made him switch from reporter to media trainer.

The book outlines a pattern for devising effective interaction with the media from a personal interview to a full-blown crisis. I like his step-by-step process for creating an effective message, even though his "Value Compass" idea is a little clunky. I think a savvy communications person can work through that piece, which is the starting point of the messaging system.

Navigating the media is a scary proposition for a lot of people and this book will be a great help to getting a grasp on the confidence needed to deal with the media. It's detailed and even includes a set of exercises to run though to be a more effective public speaker that I think are very helpful. I recently used them with an executive coaching client to help him prepare for a public forum.

Whether you're writing press releases or meeting the media face-to-face, this book will be helpful. The messaging system is understandable and easy-to-use. It's an unfortunate reality that the best way to deal with a crisis is to prepare for one that may never happen. But the reality is, a good communicator is prepared for unfortunate realities. If you are a communications associate or want to be one, read it! And then, let me know what you think.