YMMV.

There are 30 celebrities, 10 Brochowskis I don’t know, and 11 businesses or brands. There are 30 who I’ve never met, save for 2 phone calls, 30 I only know in passing, and 22 I’ve never met who are local who I’m making it my goal to try and meet soon. This leaves about 716 that I’ve met and know. I might have worked with them.  I definitely have a memory of them, and I can probably identify their voice. Many I see on a daily, or at least weekly to monthly basis.

Of course I’m talking about my Facebook Friend list.

But why?

Sunday, I heard a friend say that all this great technology was actually ruining “real communication.” I of course balked at this. I love this great technology. I think it has actually enhanced communication. In the interest of keeping the peace I didn’t argue with my friend.

Yesterday I noted that more than a few folks are “giving up Facebook for Lent,” so I shared this observation on my Timeline.

“I suppose it could just be me, but if you give up Facebook or some other social network for Lent aren't you really just saying: ‘I don't value those relationships so I'm okay with just blowing them off for 40 days?’”

i.e. In other words, ergo and forsooth, I think giving up Facebook could ruin (at least some part of) communication.

But that’s just my opinion, which is why I posted that. I wanted to have the discussion that followed.

Responses ranged from 100% agreement to Facebook is too new to establish cultural norms to  “Or is it saying because I value those relationships/form of communication, I am willing to give up something valuable to me for God for Lent?”

I agree with every one of them.

What?

Okay, no not really.

I understand that there are many who see social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and even blogs as nothing more than idle pursuits. Even folks who participate in those mediums sometimes downplay them as being nothing more than time wasters, stuff to do when there is nothing else to do.

But that’s not me.

I see social networks as valuable additions to those tools we already had at our disposal for communication because to me it’s not about the tools.

It’s about the people. Plain.And.Simple.

Now, I’m not passing judgment on folks who have decided to give up Facebook for Lent if they see that as a true sacrifice, if they just need a break, if they are resolved to use other perhaps more personal forms of communication to reach out to people in their lives. If they are trying to strengthen their relationships I’m all for that, and I will allow that my statement in passing doesn’t allow for their reasoning behind their decisions, not that they owe anybody an explanation.

But I wonder if we realize the true power of all these tools as we put them to use every day. I wonder if we understand the implications of our actions? Do we get that we might only know about what’s going on in each other’s lives because of our social network, and how valuable just knowing is to one friend, or another.

While I might know, in person, at least 700 some odd people on my friend list I am very aware that in all likelihood, without these tools I would not have the contact, the interactions with many of them that I have now, and I don’t believe for a second that would be a good thing. Not at all.

Don’t misunderstand -

I get that Facebook is “just Facebook,” and Twitter is “just Twitter,” etc... and so on...

I value personal interaction more than any other form of communication. I’d like to sit with all of you for hours, conversing deep into the night holding a beverage in hand, wiping a tear, or sharing a laugh.

Unfortunately, as we all know, that’s not possible. There just aren’t enough hours in the day, or dollars in the bank account for the travel necessary to bring us together.

While I would never advocate for replacing a personal interaction, a letter, an email, or even a phone call, (okay maybe a phone call - I do hate the phone) I would hope that folks might realize and value the social network communication that sometimes might have to suffice, and be grateful for it rather than seeing it as a commodity that we can simply cast aside.

Your Mileage May Vary.

Roh roh:

Don't you hate it when you bust your behind on something, but then you get missed completely when the props are given out? I know I do. So... I added this correction to the previous post containing information about TechConnect Ohio, but I'm of the belief that corrections should hold the same place in the headlines as the original headlines.

Now, I do plan to do a little wrap up on the entire event, but I believe a miss like this deserves it's own space...

 

So...

 

I received a message last night that I have missed somebody and folks, I hate that. 

So, let's fix it right...

Let me tell you about Jodi Hoye. Jodi is the one responsible for recruiting, communicating, orchestrating and caring for ALL the sponsors who agreed to sign-up and attend this event. She managed this entire event from start to finish and is a key to this events success going forward. In fact, I've been told this would not have happened with out Jodi Hoye's involvement, and how I missed that is completely beyond me. 

Jodi's named responsibility was Sponsorship and Business Development. She did much, much more. Without question, Jodi was "instrumental" to the program's success, and Jodi if you're reading... 

I am very sorry.

On jobs and such...

So, the blog has been dark for a bit... Here's an explanation...



If you cannot see the video, click here. While we're rolling. if you have an embarrassing story or online gaffe you'd like to share - fire away in the comments.

Okay, so the question not answered in the video is No, I did not get the job. It may have been because of the phone, but then again...

I just don't think so. For the record for any future potential employers coming by the blog, I LOVE - huh...

What too much?

Okay, Talking on the phone for business and talking to your Uncle whom you love dearly, (in case he's reading) but does not know how to talk on the phone and / or hang up are completely separate issues. Business very often needs to be face to face or voice to voice if you will, and I am absolutely okay with that interaction.

Oh, and here's the incriminating post in case you were curious.

Alright, before I call it a day and because I am talking about jobs I want to talk about something I have going on tomorrow that is pretty cool.

I am a member of the Communications and Satisfaction team for Tech Connect Ohio. This is a terrific program put together by Dan Harris with the assistance of Rocky VanBrimmer in only about 4 weeks I might add.

From the website: In an effort to support these, (Central Ohio technology driven) companies and advance Ohio' s tech initiatives, promote the jobs available and help experienced tech professionals, recent graduates, and interns find and secure these important positions TechConnect Ohio was created. 

So really, how cool is that?

Roh roh:

I received a message last night that I have missed somebody and folks, I hate that. 

So, let's fix it right...

Let me tell you about Jodi Hoye. Jodi is the one responsible for recruiting, communicating, orchestrating and caring for ALL the sponsors who agreed to sign-up and attend this event. She managed this entire event from start to finish and is a key to this events success going forward. In fact, I've been told this would not have happened with out Jodi Hoye's involvement, and how I missed that is completely beyond me. 

Jodi's named responsibility was Sponsorship and Business Development. She did much, much more. Without question, Jodi was "instrumental" to the program's success, and Jodi if you're reading... I am very sorry.


Major bonus that I get to be on that team!

I believe the term is SCORE!

Ahem, sorry... Yes, I am a little excited.

In case you're interested - here is a list of the companies involved.
FastSwitch - http://bit.ly/FastSwitchJobs
TDCI - http://bit.ly/TDCIJobs
Manta - http://bit.ly/MantaJobs
Halcyon Solutions - http://bit.ly/HalcyonJobs
Limited Brands - http://bit.ly/LimitedBrandJobs
Northwoods Consulting - http://bit.ly/NorthwoodsJobs
Oxford Consulting - http://bit.ly/OxfordJobs
Nationwide Insurance - http://bit.ly/NationwideJobs
Huntington Bank - http://bit.ly/HuntingtonJobs
Ecommerce Advanced Services http://bit.ly/ecommjobs
BMW Financial- http://bit.ly/BMWFinJobs
Thirty One Gifts - http://bit.ly/thirtyoneJobs
NetJets - http://bit.ly/NetJetJobs
Motorists Mutual Insurance - http://bit.ly/MotoristJobs
2Checkout - http://bit.ly/2checkoutJobs

I know I have some friends out there who are looking... If I don't see you tomorrow, I hope you at least get a chance to check out the list.

More Branding?

(*Note: this is not a sponsored post. Yes, I got something free and it is really cool, but the blog post was my idea, after the fact. That said, I did get something free and I am propping that service here so... I don't know what that means, I just wanted to add some legal mumbo-jumbo to, you know, CMA and such.)

Okay - so - here it is: How do you like my new business card?

Kinda sweet, eh? You know Netter has written before about getting free stuff because of Twitter and I was always kinda jealous. Not anymore. I got some free stuff of my own this time.

My friend Cheryl Harrison tweeted that @4SightGraphics was giving away 250 free business cards to their 200th follower. I had a little time so I jumped over to their Twitter page, hit refresh a few times, and Winner, winner, chicken dinner - I had myself some business cards.

A few messages back and forth and I had a mock-up from Brett at MakeMeCards.com. It had a lot of MJB Foundation info on it though, and I already have an MJB Foundation card so I talked to Netter about an idea I had, then I asked Brett if we might come up with something with all my Social Media information, maybe ghost in the MJB Foundation as a background image. A few messages later I was in receipt of the image above, and a short time after that the very nice, high-quality cards were delivered to my door. It was an incredibly easy process. Brett was terrific to work with. Thank you Brett!

To answer a few questions:

No, I'm not really sure what I'll do with these. I've been handing out a few to folks who I want to find me online, (Did you hear that out-of-town family?) and I do wish I'd had these cards for my first two speaking gigs last year: Social Media for Your Business, and Using Social Media For Your Job Search.

Who knows... maybe I'll get some more gigs. I hope so. I've got these cool cards to share you know.

Writer's Block

At least 3 posts sit unfinished. Countless other ideas have been left by the wayside as I didn't have anything to write them down on or it was so late at night I was only worried about sleeping. I've had a year-long case of insomnia it seems, or at least a heckuva lot of difficulty adjusting to being back at work after 12 days off.

(I know we're only 13 days into the year. Go with me on this one...)

So, what's holding me back?

Honestly, it seems like a lot of what I want to write about I've written about before. That whole circular thing I need to work on.

But!

I've been reading through some of the old posts and I've got an idea. (You saw the lightbulb right?)

There's more than one post where I've talked about "another post for another day," more than one post where questions were asked in the comments, more than one post that's making me think - "Okay, How can I make this different?"

How can I affect change?

How do you affect change?

I feel like I have all this energy, all these thoughts pent up inside and I've got to find a way to get them out.

So that's where I'm going. It might be pretty random. There might be a theme. I really don't know. I'm going to answer those questions. I'm going to write those posts for another day. I'm going to try to make things different.

As you all are my witnesses... I've put it right here in print.

Thoughts and Stories from a Cluttered Mind indeed.

Where I Learn Things - Cinque

I want to begin by saying how happy I was with the way my Listening post was received last week. That was very nice of all of you. I promise a follow-up post sometime in the near future to answer questions, and talk more about being a good listener.

Today I'd like to make a belated return to my series about Where I Learn Things. I've been weeding through my RSS feeds (down to 61 as of today), adding and subtracting, discovering and rediscovering some great content and I am excited to be able to share that with you today.

Right out of the gate I want to introduce you to Perry Maughmer's blog - A Wider Lens. Perry blogs about leadership, life, being human, looking in the mirror, business, strategy, and emerging trends. In other words he makes me think, (without over-thinking) and that is always a good thing. Too often we get stuck in our day-to-day, and forget to look at the bigger picture. If you read Perry's blog, chances are that's not gonna happen.

(I've only recently discovered Perry's blog. I followed a link from my friend Nate Rigg's, and my friend Christa pointed me that way as well so a big thanks to those two great folks.)

Of course the day-to-day is still a big part of who we are, and a big part of who I am is being a Dad (although happily my girls still call me Daddy). For great stories from Dads I check out a number of contributing authors over at Dad-O-Matic. From their "About" section:

Dad-o-Matic was founded in 2008 by Chris Brogan who was inspired by the work of Doriano Carta (now Editor-in-Chief) on his personal blog where he shared interesting experiences about being a dad.

The concept was simple: build a place for dads to share thoughts and ideas about parenting. This can be views, news, reviews, and advice. You don’t have to be a dad to participate. It’s just a blog from the Dad’s perspective.

For more day-to-day, keeping it real content I check in with my friend Oneita who blogs for the Detroit Free Press at her blog O Street. While it's true that a lot of Oneita's content is about Detroit, it's not just about Detroit. It's about growing up, and parenting, and being a good citizen, and even controversial topics like racism, and politics.

Oneita fosters a discussion in her forums that is both respectful, and insightful. I've had the opportunity to talk to Oneita a couple of times. She caught me off guard one day by calling me. I was at work when my phone rang. I recognized the area code as being from Michigan, thought it was one of my relatives, and picked up.

Me: Hello

Oneita: Hey, what are you doing?

Me: (Not recognizing the voice.) Um, I'm okay. How are you?

Oneita: Oh, hey sorry it's Oneita.

Me: (Thinking in my head: Holy Crap, Oneita Jackson just called me.)

At this point I remembered that I had emailed Oneita requesting a copy of her free blog tips, and my phone number is in the signature line of my email. As Oneita and I discussed, why would I put it there if I didn't expect to be called?

We chatted for a few minutes, she said she would check out my blog too, I requested an RSS feed to her blog specifically (instead of all of the Free Press blogs collectively), and we hung up.

A few days later Oneita called back. She needed to explain to her IT folk exactly what I wanted re: the RSS feed.

She emailed it to me a little later that day. It was pretty cool to be honest. How about that for listening to your readers?

The last blog I want to share with you today is from my colleague at the library Helene Blowers. Helene blogs about libraries, and social media, and changing trends in user experience on the Internet among other things. In other words all the stuff that occupies my attention just about every day. Needless to say, reading Helene's blog, well... I learn a lot.

What occupies your attention on a daily basis? Where do you learn things?

I.Am.Tired!

I.Am.Tired!

FYI - Today's post is a little Monday rant. I'll understand if you don't want to hang around today. If you do, maybe you can relate or commiserate?

I'm writing this as a way of building toward a to-do list of sorts so maybe you can relate to that too?

I haven't blogged in a while. I feel like I've blown a great opportunity to grab some new readers and connect with new folks. Maybe not. I hope not. As usual I may be thinking too much. (A big thank you to Nate Riggs for that by the way. I feel very fortunate to have had that opportunity.)

More upside? After today's rant post - I promise a blog post on every topic I bring up today as part of my rant. Well, at least the ones I think might make a good story.

You see, once again here it is Monday morning and I find myself behind. Behind on replying to messages, behind on replying to emails, behind on - well still behind on things from before Golf for Joy, and many, many more...

Sometimes it seems like I spend my entire life catching up, and the cycle continues on and on.

If I do get time to focus on something, it seems something ALWAYS takes my attention elsewhere. Granted, that's not always a bad thing, like when I became obsessed with the television show Bones and wanted to see all the re-runs I could before the season premiere. More often, however it's because I have to tend to something silly.

Like the Blackberry fiasco. (That might even be two blog posts.)

It will especially turn into two posts if I talk about being tired of poor customer service, but that might be a post all by itself.

Or a broken T.V.

Or any number of things that just seem to pop up out of nowhere, and turn into hours and hours of time suckers.

Like Vista and connectivity issues - no Mom it's not just your computer...

Like tires for my truck.

Paying bills and juggling cash. I'm tired of playing by the rules they, (i.e. banks and mortgage companies and such) put in place and then having them change the rules, seemingly on a whim. (I know it's the economy, but this is a rant remember...)

So, I have to find a turning point, a positive if you will.

One positive is that part of the reason I am behind is the presentation I was fortunate enough to be able to give at Job Help Day at the Library last week.

Another is that I got to spend the day Saturday playing golf with my friends and enjoying college football for the balance of the evening.

Okay, we do watch college football every week, but the golf was a nice bonus. Though I actually played very poorly, and we started the round in the rain, I was still happy to get out.

There's just something about being on the course with your friends, watching one of them shoot his best round ever, obviously happy as heck about it - and you can see the joy in his face.

Good job Dave!

I've got to get back to the to do list now...

What are you all working on?

Or - if you want - tell me what you're tired of...

Where I Learn Things - Tres

Update - 8/26 - On Monday of this week I won a copy of Trust Agents from Eye View. My (already ordered) copy of Trust Agents arrived yesterday, (Tuesday). Hmmm...2 copies, What to do...?

Well why not spread the love - Because I think this book has that much value - I'm doing my very first giveaway. Leave a comment and tell me what value you find in Chris' work, (you can find my take below) and why you think you should win - i.e. how do you spread the love as it were?

The best comment wins a copy of Trust Agents and yes - shipping is included. It's that simple.

Contest ends at midnight 9/6.

Oh, and feel free to take a look around while you're here, but only if you want to.

Continuing my list of Where I Learn Things I'm going to focus today on one well known blogger. He doesn't need me to prop his work. He is already very popular, especially in the realm of social media. What's really cool about this fella, and the reason I want to share how I learn from him is though many would call him one, he doesn't act like a superstar. He's just a nice down to earth guy. Let me tell you a little bit about him.

If you follow this blog at all you know that I am a big, big, Okay HUGE fan of Chris Brogan. But you may not know how big - no really - wait.

There's a good reason for that admiration.

Chris is genuine. He's transparent. He's friendly, and he is really good at what he does i.e. maximizing methods of communication, and showing others how to do the same.

In early June of this year, while attending The Ohio Growth Summit I
had the opportunity to meet Chris and spend some time talking with him.
I then had the privilege of hearing him speak. Folks - this guy has the
goods. It may seem over the top to say it this way, but Chris is a
master of human interaction.

It's hard to write this without sounding like a gushing school girl, but I really think Chris is an awesome communicator who can, and does teach us all the way it "should be done."

To make it even better, Chris does this without asking for anything in return. Well, okay he did ask me for one thing. Chris posted a request earlier this week asking his readers to consider buying his book, Trust Agents co-authored with Julien Smith. It was the most unassuming, nicest sales pitch I think I've ever seen. Take a look. Don't have time for the whole post? Just read the introduction...

"This will probably be the most self-promoting post I’ve ever written. Skip it, if you want. I’d understand."

How could you not be impressed by a guy who gives and gives and gives, and then says "You know I need a favor, but you don't have to even listen if you don't want to?"

Thankfully, I had been meaning to buy the book for sometime. I even contacted our Collection Development division to make sure it was on their radar. I hope they buy several copies.

I just know that the book will be money well spent.

I cannot wait for my copy to get here.

Maybe you'd like to buy a copy of Trust Agents too.

Where I Learn Things

I subscribe to a weekly email newsletter from Chris Brogan that provides a more personal perspective on social media. Monday, Chris had a great idea about sharing. In the sidebar of my blog there's a whole list of blogs I read and follow that I call "Where I Learn Things." You may have noticed this list. You might have even followed a link or two. Today, I'd like to share more about few of the blogs on my list, and how they influence me - you know "the whys and whatnots."

Each week I'll try and share more of my list. Perhaps you could share your list with me too, and then we can share our lists with everybody, and then they'll tell two friends, and so on, and so on. (70's flashback commercial moment there - sorry.)

Oh, and before I forget Go subscribe to Chris' newsletter. If you're interested in effective use of social media Chris should be one of your primary resources. He's also a heckuva nice guy who cares about his audience. He even makes this old geek feel important, and relevant in a land I've only been a part of for about a year.

More about my list - For flat out grins and laughter, with a touch of what life is like for all of us sometimes, I read Cammie's blog at The House of No Sleep. A warning to the fellas, Cammie talks about some girly stuff from time to time, but after reading this post - I couldn't not tune in everyday to follow the goings on in The House of No Sleep.

I started following the thoughtLEADERS blog after I saw Mike Figliuolo speak at the 2009 Ohio Growth Summit. I was really impressed with his talk about leadership and I could tell he would be someone I could learn from. Netter had kind of an "I told you so" moment here as she had been following Mike for quite some time on Twitter, and knew before I did how impressed I would be. Yep. You got me Honey.

Another blog I've been following pretty closely lately belongs to Ms. Single Mama. Though I am not single, and I am not a Mama I have been really touched by this blog. It is just a well written, positive commentary about life and the things we can accomplish if we believe in ourselves and don't give up. I haven't yet met the author of this incredible story, but I sure would like to someday.

I have been fortunate enough to meet and have coffee with the authors of two other blogs I've added to my list since the Ohio Growth Summit. I'm working on another post about those meetings, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go read their blogs in the interim.

Nate Riggs is a master at communicating and connecting, especially for business marketing. Everytime I read one of Nate's posts I come away thinking - Wow! That's a great idea. How can I do something like that myself, or how can I improve what I'm doing from what Nate just taught me?

Angela Siefer founder of The Shiny Door is a social media genius who is jazzed about making the power of the online world accessible to everybody. Need an inspiring story - Check out Angela's.

See, I told you.

I want to close today by telling you about somebody who keeps falling in and out of my list because he only blogs intermittently. I wish he would blog more, and more consistently. (Maybe he'll get the hint if I call him out here? ;-) Gregor is not only a fellow geek, he is also a mentor and friend, who is very focused on finding ways to get things done more efficiently, and more importantly seeing that they are done with positive outcomes.

Greg and I were talking a few weeks ago and discussing the importance of relationships in social media, about building positive outcomes, and keeping things balanced. We talked about how much we love the conversations we find ourselves in on Facebook, or Twitter, or even here in blog land, sharing thoughts, and ideas, and...

Hmmm... Sharing - just like Mom taught us. It really is a good idea.

What do you want to share today? Tell me about the list of folks you follow.

Personal Branding

Personal Branding - Huh?

I've been trying to work on my personal brand for awhile now. You know? What do I bring to the table? What makes me stand out? Why do people read this blog about me? Why are they my friend on facebook? Why do they follow me on Twitter? Why did they accept my LinkedIn invitation?

Here's my problem with this - maybe you can help.

I don't think this is about ME.

I think this is about us - ALL OF US!

In this wonderful wacky world of ours - don't we all need each other - maybe now more than ever?

Okay - that's a little over the top.

Here's what I'm saying - We all know why the people who are in our lives, are in our lives, why they are important, what value they bring to our relationships. BUT (insert screeching brakes sound here...)

Do we know why we are in their lives? What value do we bring to our relationships?

How many times have you heard, seen or read, heck even said something like this?

"I started blogging, or twittering, or using facebook or (insert your social media platform here), but I have no idea why anyone would really care what I'm doing or what I think about anything. It can't be that interesting, etc..."

Right?

Yeah, me too.

Do you get answers like this? "Well obviously you are interesting. Somebody is paying attention. Just keep doing what you're doing..."

Yeah, me too.

Drives me crazy. (More like a short putt. Probably a gimme.) Can "Obviously you are interesting," be a personal brand?

No, I don't think so either.

So, Dear Reader I set out to find out what others thought was my "personal brand."

A friend suggested that the best way to get what people think you
bring to the table is to ask someone who was your boss or a friend you
know will be honest and not just tell you what you want to hear.

So I did that.

I had the perfect person. A former boss who is my friend, and has never been afraid to tell it like it is.

Here is what he said.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what it is that you are looking for. So I don't know if any of this helps, but:

I know I have always thought of you as a "quick study" with the
energy to stick with any task any task until it is completed. I could
say things like: "affable, gregarious, friendly and warm" with insight
and a good sense of humor (sunglasses on wedding attendants). I know you don't cut yourself as much slack as you cut others.

Let me know if this helps, if it misses the mark or if I can provide further input.

That did help, but I'm hoping you all can provide further input.

Can you help a brother out?

It never hurts to ask right?

Have you thought about your own "personal brand?"

Things are Changing 'Round These Parts

Attended the Ohio Growth Summit Yesterday, and in the process of meeting some fascinating folks, and being awed by their knowledge and passion I decided that it was time for a little overhaul, a fresh start.

I'll be talking about it more in the coming weeks, but wanted to begin by giving the blog what I hope is a cleaner look, and making it more functional for my readers in the process.

Let me know what you think?

Thanks!

Getting to the Goat

One of the things I most enjoy is finding the ways and words to explain to folks how to find and use the (primarily) technological tools they want to use.

The process goes something like this:

- I identify the proper tool for the job.
- I learn how to use said tool with as much expertise as possible.
- I find the ways and words as mentioned above.
- I am declared sheer genius. (Just kidding)

During the past year or so I have been "learning" about Social Media and using all of the tools I could find. Along the way I've discovered I have a bit of a knack with this medium, and I had hoped I would get a chance to share that knowledge with folks who wanted to learn how to use those tools.

Thanks to my friend Cat, the opportunity came sooner rather than later and I gave my first social media presentation this past Thursday for the Greater Linden Development Corporation's business network.

I've got one word to say -

Whew!

I have loads of experience speaking in front of people, but for some reason despite several attempts to convince myself otherwise, I was a nervous wreck.

Naturally, as it turned out I had nothing to worry about and the talk went fairly smoothly.

I did learn a few things that I will apply to my next talk should I be fortunate enough to have that opportunity. (I'd really like to make this almost a full time gig. I had that much fun.)

I thought I might share what I learned in my post today.

Here we go...

1. Know the size of your audience.

Fielding questions from 8 audience member is quite a bit different than fielding questions from 80. Eight questioners are much more focused in their efforts and yes, I did feel more pressured. Though I think I was able to field all of their questions accurately.

2. Ask you audience if they can all see.

I had tested my projector and clicker to be sure that they worked with my laptop and such, but had not tested ways to make the image larger or smaller beyond focusing the projector. Eventually I was able to move the projector far enough back from the screen wall to be acceptable, but an extension cord that I didn't have would have been so helpful in this situation.

3. Ask your audience if they are currently using any of the technology you are covering.

This way you won't be caught off guard when one of them says. "If I might interject..."

4. Don't mention a topic early in your talk that you plan on talking about later. (especially when your audience is relatively small and more focused in their efforts.)

Early in my talk I referenced Twitter which I had planned on covering in more detail later. However, one audience member who had obviously heard about Twitter immediately began quizzing me about what it is and how it is used and how could he use it and any number of other very valid questions that I had hoped to cover later in my talk. Ultimately, I punted - did a quick mental rearrangement and (hopefully) answered the gentleman's questions as they were asked.

5. Have examples or screen shots of everything - don't assume even, (what you might consider) the simplest knowledge.

Trying to explain to my audience how they would add Twitter or Facebook to their website or blog I said, "It's very easy you just click a button that says, 'Add this to your website or blog,' copy the text that results, then go to your website or blog's editing space and paste that text where you need it. It's really simple and usually very intuitive."

Um, it's intuitive for you Jimmer you geek, but not everybody knows that text is html code and not everybody edits their own web space.

Oops!

Okay so lessons learned I hope I am lucky enough to give this talk or maybe another sometime soon. I want to give a shout out and thank you to my wife Netter who helped quite a bit with the design of my slide show, K & D who watched the slide show and said all the appropriate things to give me confidence, ("It's great Daddy!"), Gerald and the library's Organizational Development department who loaned me a projector and clicker and plenty of moral support, and my friend Gregor who helped me wind down and debrief after my talk, and all my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter who helped to ease my nerves leading up to my talk.

I appreciate all of you.

If you have time, take a peek at the slide show in the post that precedes this one, and thanks a lot for reading.

Huh? What's that?

You watched the slide show already? You want to know about the goat you say?

The picture of the goat and all the pictures in the presentation are from our Vacation at Beechwood Acres last August.

The goats were penned at the front of the campground very near the camp store / check-in area. Because they weren't just puppies or kittens, (which are cute at first, but people often get bored with after awhile) folks would come to the goat pen every day to see what the goats were up to.

Campers, would gather together and chit-chat. You know, "Hi, how are you? Where are you from etc...?" Very often folks would find some common ground, some connection and get together later for dinner, or to meet at the pool, something like that. When we went two years ago we met a very nice family from Pittsburgh who we swam with at the pool for the majority of the week.

While they were looking at the goats and were so near the store campers would also very often spend some money they may not have otherwise spent.

A souvenir for K & D, extra beverages, some ice, and firewood were items included among our purchases, all because of the goats.

Bringing people together, building relationships, and ultimately benefiting business.

I guess for campgrounds my talk would be retitled "Goats for Your Business."

NHL Television Coverage - Really?

(Note to the reader - the post below is all about hockey and I've been told may be very reader specific. I would love it if you took the time to read, but I understand if you're just not interested this time.)

Alright, everybody knows how much I love hockey. I define myself as a hockey player. I believe life is a lot like hockey, (i.e. When you really break the game down, and assume a basic skillset, it's really just about hard work and goaltending, just like life. You work hard, you accomplish much, and you have somebody in your life who makes the saves you can't. - Hey, it's a metaphor go with me.) I even named my blog using a nickname my hockey team tagged me with. So, when I see something about hockey that really bothers me, well, I have to speak up. Monday night (1/12/2009) I saw, or rather I heard it. Watching the Red Wings' game on Versus Television, I listened to some of the most pathetic announcing I have heard for a sporting event in, well, I can't remember how long. Now, no true hockey fan really loves the Versus coverage. A large majority of us are fans of CBC having grown up on Hockey Night in Canada. Many younger fans became accustomed to ESPN's hockey coverage through most of the 1990's, and others watch only their hometown announcers, and their hometown team. Unfortunately, there are also a whole bunch of folks who don't watch hockey at all. Okay, they might not think it's unfortunate, but I do. I'd like to see the National Hockey League reach out to these people and at least let those who might want to, "learn about the sport." With Versus - that ain't happening, although from Monday night's game some speculate that they might at least be trying. I'm not so sure. Watching in our online chatroom with my fellow Wings' fans from across the land, (Yes, I chat online while watching the game) we often lament what we perceive to be a lack of good announcers on Versus. "To be honest," I always say, "I don't generally hear the announcers. I'm just watching the game and chatting." Monday night we all heard them. How bad was it? Here, I'll let you "listen" in to our discussion. (I'm using online monikers for the sake of privacy.) About halfway through the first period, announcers going back and forth on which team is doing what, and generally being wrong about all of it. From Detroit River we hear: "These Vs announcers are about as much fun as snot on a door knob." I think he overestimated - moving on... Much discussion of how Versus, the former Outdoor Life Network came to be the home of NHL coverage. From Jimbro, (that's me): Come on - nothing screams hockey more than "the former" Outdoor Living Network. ;-) From Hockeytown101: Wasn't it Life? Jimbro: You might be right Hockeytown, I don't remember Life, Living - it's all just the rodeo waiting to happen isn't it? Hockeytown101: I don't remember Jim, I thought I heard "Life" either way yea, it is a giant rodeo station. Getting back to the game I'll share these quotes from our discussion of the announcer's word choices. Yeah, it seems I was running my mouth more than most, but I couldn't help it. Jimbro: Did he just say Ott went fondling? What the heck? WingsfaninTN: fabulosity ? Jimbro: How do you author a goal? "It was a dark and stormy ice rink..." Jimbro: He ran into the knot, as the idiot announcers called the tie up in front of the net. Jimbro: Mastadonic glove grab? What the heck is that? Hockeytown101: That was a wooley mammoth save????? Jimbro: Jimbro to the announcers: "redacted" DtownDinah: Got him right in la bouche... (Yeah the announcer said that) I think the entire French nation and all it's French-speaking allies just had simultaneous aneurisms. Jimbro: Dallas had no tourists on the forecheck. WingsfaninTN: I wonder what kind of words 3rd period will bring us? DtownDinah: lmao...only time will tell! But I bet they'll be scrumtrulescent! And maybe some of our guys will author best selling goals to later appear on the New York Times list. Jimbro: It was the best of ice, (Detroit) It was the worst of ice, (Dallas) Jimbro: Get through the herd? DtownDinah: That was like sorcery, apparently... (Dats goal)

(reference to Red Wings' star center Pavel Datsyuk.) Jimbro: Wired it short side high-up where your Momma never does? Did I hear that right? DtownDinah: LoL Jim we are on the same page... Hockeytown101: Dats would be valedictorian at the school of awesome...lol Jimbro: That's definitive. Bounced straight down. A whiff in tight makes sense, but everything sounds weird now. Jimbro: Goaltending paraphernalia? Jimbro: Nice work Ozzie. Lotta "stuffin'" though. Detroit River: Jim- I can name two Purple Barneys in the Vs booth Hockeytown101: I was thinking mastadon Jim and Wooley Mammoth came to mind DtownDinah: Well whatever they are...no you know what I can't even come up with a witty retort. They just suck. Multiple levels of sucktitude. Jimbro: Pure Ginsu of the 4 man box? Wow! I got nothin. That sucked! DtownDinah: Dropping anchor and bunting one home...uuuh...which sport is this again? Jimbro: Titillating contest. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. OMG! We did try to give the announcers a little bit of a break -

WingsfaninTN: My husband is convinced they have a "key word" list for the evening.

jlewings: I have one good thing to say about the announcers tonight - at least they weren't downing the Wings and praising the opposing team. They may have been ludicrous with their comments, but I at least appreciate the Wing love. Also - I think they were trying to cater to "new" or "casual" fans. Not my cup of tea - I love some Mickey and Ken (Mickey Redmond, and Ken Daniels are the regular Red Wing announcers on FSN in Detroit.)

As is usually the case, the group didn't just discuss the announcers on Versus. We also have some issues with the commercials.

Rent-a-Car from Enterprise you say?

Jimbro: Sounds expensive? It is Mom, now get your a** in the car so we can get this thing back before they charge an extra day.

New Pizza Hut Natural Pizza your thing?

Hockeytown101: I wonder, now that Pizza Hut has that "natural Pizza" with "real taste" What the hell have they been making all these years? Fake pizza?

WingsfaninTN: Hockeytown- I was just wondering the same thing! and is it only this 1 pizza, and they will still sell the rest?

DtownDinah: Haha HockeyTown and WingsfaninTN that's what I thought when McD's was advertising their real all white meat chicken... Hockeytown101: I know WingsfaninTN -it makes sense that all their pizzas would be natural, I guess I'm wrong. WingNut1967: No because most everything Pizza hut uses is full of preserves... We'll let WingNut have the last word from the chat room. Seriously, please Gary Bettman on behalf of hockey fans everywhere - go to ESPN and do what you should have done after the lockout in the first place. Beg them, pay them, do whatever you have to do to get NHL games back on their network.

Then go find some sponsors that can make commercials that make sense and have fresh material for their ads.

Failing to do so could result in the most dire consequences for our sport – Do you really want to be as irrelevant as rodeo?

Friday Features - Comments

A friend told me a few weeks ago that he follows my blog and he follows my resume tips.

Resume tips? Huh?

"You know, that video about exporting your resume," he said.

Ah, that video - necessary information passed along quick and dirty with emphasis on dirty - that video is a mess. In fact, it has been redone and will come out with other CML Job Help Center Info. Additionally that video is pretty software specific - and no I'm not posting it on my blog.

Still, my friend got me thinking - I've been looking for more of a focus for my blog -or- Do I need another blog specifically for jobs and resumes I wondered?

I started asking folks who might know or have an opinion and the general consensus for a number of reasons is "No." An additional blog is not necessary or necessarily a good idea at this time.

Hmmm... Well, I still sometimes you know have more than just a story to share, and there are some subjects of interest to job hunting or coaching or teaching that I'd like to post on.

What to do? I mulled it over for a few days and decided that I would incorporate something new into my blog. A series of tips, tricks, shortcuts, advice or whatever you'd like to call it that I want to share.

After all - It is all about me right? (Kidding)

In reality this part of my blog will be all about you - I'm calling it my Friday Feature. Why Friday Feature you might ask? Well it's Friday and this is the first in the series so there you go.

(Note: Not all Friday Features will come out on Friday, but all Friday Features will be called Friday Features.)

In today's Friday Feature I want to talk about COMMENTS, or to be more specific the importance of comments as feedback which is so integral to not only our growth and learning as individuals, but also in many cases - one's self-esteem.

I'm not suggesting that anybody is responsible for somebody else's self esteem, but I think it's fair to note that feedback certainly has an affect on that aspect of our personality.

Now reading blogs isn't about coaching, but it is about the give and take of feedback or commenting.

As Chris Brogan writes:

"It’s hard to keep writing when you feel like no one’s watching, or that they’re not engaged."

As a coach, as a leader I have found that the best way to get results, the best way to enhance improvement, the best way to get more of what you like to see your players do is to give them feedback.

And - sometimes I've found that if I didn't give that feedback that's exactly what I got in return. i.e. Nothing for nothing.

I've had a few posts of my own that I labored over for hours and I knew folks were reading because I have that little feedjit traffic feed at the bottom of my blog. What I didn't know was what people thought. I admit at first that bugged me quite a bit.

"Wow!" I thought. "Do I suck that bad?" (If you know me you know there was some serious smoke coming from my head.)

But then I had some posts that generated a lot of feedback.

"Cool!" I thought, "I must be the greatest writer ever." Not really, but I was obviously much happier, more confident.

Then I finally got it. I joined the community at NHL Connect, The National Hockey League's online fan site. I have some friends there who blog about hockey and I was always reading their blogs and watching the incredible number of comments they had, the give and take, the conversation.

Well I love the conversation. So I joined. Just for kicks I threw up a hockey blog - something I just happened to have on hand. I wasn't there to blog as much as I was there to support my friends, but I didn't want to be the guy with no content and I had the story so there you go...

Of course my Connect friends immediately commented and welcomed me, (Thanks Juice, Jess, Kiki and everyone else) but then something happened that I had never anticipated.

The next day, (and still today so they must not update very much) I got blog of the day. It's true. You can see it here. One paragraph, but enough emotion for 10,000 words. Or if the link is broken I do have a picture. (I couldn't figure out a way to show the link's progression.)

Of course I was very proud and I posted on Twitter and Facebook and called Annette and the girls and Woo Hoo for me. But how the heck did that happen and why did I feel so darn good about it?

Well it happened because my writing touched somebody, and I felt so darned good about it because that somebody, those somebodies, let me know.

I gave this plenty of thought and I decided a few things.

First, I decided that while it's cool to write to touch somebody it's not always necessary. With that though goes the fact that while you've written for yourself you are just as likely to have to comment for yourself. Not a bad thing if you expect it. So I decided not to put so much pressure on myself if a post turned out to be more about me or for me and I didn't hear very much back from my readers. Still I would have to reconsider it that was what I truly intended.

B, I decided that when I was touched by what someone wrote I would be sure to comment or even - OMG Hold your horses there young man - share that moment - that piece with others.

I know, I know - Hey, women and children first okay.

III. I went out and commented on a lot of the blogs I read regularly, not nearly as many as I would have liked, but a whole lot more than I had been. I even commented on blogs I hadn't read previously and added new friends in the process. (Thanks DrLori)

4th. I tried to share blog posts I had read with my Twitter and Facebook community and tell them why. Here is a good New Year's resolution post. Here is a good Fashion post, and here is a good post on the NHL's Winter Classic.

In every instance of sharing I received a positive comment from someone who had gone to the post from my link or some positive feedback from the writer themself.

The give and take of feedback.

So the next time you go to a blog, maybe even one that you read regularly - before you do a quick read and move on, I would ask you to pause and consider giving at least some feedback to the writer.

A quick "good job," or "I liked this about your post," can go so much further than you may ever consider possible.

If you're a blogger and you don't get a ton of comments or feedback or you're worried about lack of feedback, stop and consider why. But no matter what, with credit to Chris Brogan:

Keep trying. Persist. Try new things. Experiment. Comment elsewhere to build relationships. And don’t give up. Blogging is more fun when there are comments, but your ideas are still just as valuable just being out there.

I'm glad that you share, and I'm glad I get to share with you.

Blog Scavenger Hunt

I've been sharing quite a bit lately about how blogging, and reading blogs has changed my life over the course of the last year, and with that in mind I thought I would have a go at another meme from my friend Cat. (That doesn't count - see the rules below.)

The blog it seems has taken over my household so I don't think I'm going to find blogs that are from people who live closer to me than Netter, or K, who forgot her password for the blog, or D, who doesn't get the whole blog thing, but then again doesn't get a lot of things as she is at the "I don't know" stage in her young life.

I follow my online friend Juice's many blogs. She blogs at NHL Connect, the Freep, and also here. I "met" Juice during the Red Wing's live game blog watching the Wings win the Stanley Cup last spring "with" a bunch of fans from around the country. I almost got to actually meet her this fall as many of us were scheduled to hook up in the D for a celebratory beer, but the events of the summer, i.e. the $4,000 appendix, which also ate into my PTO balance, and two aging vehicles prevented Annette and I from making the trip.

While I only know Juice through hockey and the Wings, her writing is just awesome. She has an insanely funny imagination, and she is incredibly intelligent. I just know having a chance to sit down and chat with her in person would be an experience of a lifetime.

Whaddya' say Juice? Next fall in the D? Celebrating back to back cups? Netter and I are in. :-)

The job I used to have or wanna have is a job I didn't even know existed until a short time ago. I've joked about it quite a bit lately, and I don't know how I could reconcile this with the fact that I really don't want to leave the library, or travel a lot but the job I wanna have belongs to Chris Brogan. Read Chris' bio here.

I think once upon a time a long time ago, I was ahead of the curve, on the cutting edge, ready to make a difference, heck people even listened to me. I just got stuck somewhere along the way. Okay - whew - enough of that.

Be on notice world. I'm fighting my way back. ;-)

My friend Cat wrote a post called 3 beautiful things about the first snow of the season. It made me reconsider my view of snowfall and winter, and while it's still not my favorite season I do have to admit there are some things about winter that I do like - snowflakes, sledding, big fuzzy sweaters or sweatshirts, warm fires, (They smell different than summer fire pits.), hockey season (of course), and the quiet solitude of the evening when the ground is covered with snow, just after it has gotten dark and everyone has gone inside.

Of course, I also was smitten, (yes I just said smitten) with the idea of writing about 3 beautiful things. Bad day? Pick 3 beautiful things. Bad week? Pick 3 beautiful things. Bad mood, karma,mojo , feeling depressed, sad, angry - anything - Just pick 3 beautiful things, stress the positive and see where that takes you. Thanks Cat.

When I tried to think of one blog that made me laugh so hard folks wanted to know what was going on there were quite a few possibilities, but one stood out. I'll post it here with the warning that it might be something in context, it's not the most politically correct, and the author didn't even remember writing it, it was so long ago. All that said - here you go. YMMV.

Cat would have been a really good choice for a blog from someone I've known for a long time, but haven't hung out with in a long time. But I know I need to use a different blog for each answer --Hmmm...

Well, if you don't follow Cat's blog - I suggest you do. She is a fascinating individual. Another fascinating individual who I see every so often, but don't get to hang out with often is my friend Lynne. I love to read stories about Lynne's daughter Erica, and her family. Warning - bring tissues. These are some pretty heartwarming stories.

I was inspired to blog from all of the blogs I followed last summer, but the two most influential belong to my friends Kelly and Christa who share stories about what is going on with their families, with a touch of humor, and a solid take on the important things. Of course, I could say that about a number of blogs I follow, but da rulez say I can only use each one once.

Julie is the one person I never thought would be blogging. I'm really glad I was wrong. As I told her in a comment to her first entry - "I'm looking forward to reading. Don't think of this as 'just a journal.' Think of it as a place to share all those cool witty observations you are always making in real life. You got this - trust me." Julie is one of the smartest, funniest, people I know. I'm glad I have the privilege of calling her my friend, and reading her blog.

I'm sure I could point you to a lot of articles, or posts or sites that I think could change the library world. Some of them you probably have read yourself. I'm gonna go outside the box a little bit on this one and show you a blog post that shows the library world is already changing. Check this out.

Alright - the final thing, numero diez.

My friend Mo writes a blog that makes me feel good every time I read it. It's not that I agree with everything Mo writes, although I mostly do, or that she makes me laugh, although she usually does. The thing is; following Mo's blog I can tell that she puts a lot of thought into what she writes. She doesn't post every day or even as regularly as her fans might like. (hint, hint) But when Mo does post it's usually something that has really struck her and I think that's cool.

There you have it. This was probably the hardest meme I've run into yet, but it was a great exercise to consider who, what, where, when and why.

Of course, there are blogs I follow that I didn't mention here today. For example, my friend Gregor who has been a big part of my journey and has just started blogging again himself. This doesn't mean I don't have props for everybody. It just means you all write too darn much good stuff.

Want to play along?

Da Rulz:

1. Use a different blog to answer each question.
2. Be sure to include hot links in your answers, and if you're referencing a specific post, be sure you're linking to the permalink for that post (not just the general blog addy).
   
3. Not every linked blog needs to be a Library person or a L&P participant.
4. If you do this meme, please come back here and give me a link so I can read it!
   

Da Thingz to find:

1. A blog written by someone who lives close to you physically.
2. A blog you read written by someone you've never met, but would like to.
3. A blog written by someone who has the job you used to have, or the job you wanna have someday.
4. A blog entry that made you think about something a new way.
5. A blog entry that made you laugh so hard your co-workers and/or family asked to know what was going on.
6. A blog from someone you've known a long time but haven't hung out with in a long time.
7. A blog or post that inspired you to start blogging (or just written by the person who got you going).
8. A blog from someone you never thought would be blogging.
9. An article/post/site that you think could change the library world.
10. A blog you've found that makes you feel great every time you read it.

Whole New Rodeo Dog - Thing #23.

Alright Gang - I'm going to try to do this one with a little structure, but include some story too.

I'll try to use the suggested questions as a framework.

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

There are two answers here: Obviously my favorite and still continued exercise is Twitter.

My favorite discovery has actually been rediscovering my love of writing through my blog. I am so grateful for this. In short it has been therapeutic and life-changing. In the last few months I can even tell when I haven't been blogging as much as I need to as I felt my anxiety level rising.

The blog allows me to remind myself to be Jimmer, i.e. the real me. I've tried to be sure not to make Jimmer a character, to not talk about myself in the third person, except for maybe when it was appropriate for a piece. This is not a character by any stretch. This is Jim Brochowski about as exposed and open as I've ever been, reaching out, reflecting, trying to give myself another chance by simply being myself.

Two recent examples make me think I'm on the right track.

The first is a situation wherein I was pretty much asked to prove that this wasn't all just lip-service. I believe the reviewer is convinced.

The second is a comment from a friend at CML. She told me I could quote her.

Jim-
I have loved following you on Twitter. Like I said in a recent tweet, your willingness to self reflect and share that process has been heartwarming. As we all reveal a part of ourselves through social networking, new relationships are being created and others are being rekindled. It is so cool to watch it and experience it. Of course my follow-up tweet said this, “Now you have become more than just the guy who drinks coffee all day.” I’m sure you understood why I said this. The only time you and I had ever had any interaction is when you passed by the Greeter Desk on the way to the Java Master, coffee cup in hand. We are communicating on a whole different level now, and I think it is great. Looking forward to the continuing conversation…..

That means a lot more than I think I can verbalize. Thank you Type A Librarian.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

My lifelong learning goals all relate back to 3 things. Three discoveries I've made about myself in the last few months / years. These are my base.

Because the 23 Things for me has been so much more than just Learn & Play, I think it is obvious that this program has been more than just those things. It has provided an avenue to learning, a way to reconnect and show people who the real Jimmer is.

So, what are the three things you ask?

The first thing - a customer came into the library to print something out. He had no idea whatsoever what he was doing so what he ended up doing was taking it out on our staff. Cussing up a storm, swinging his arms, banging the equipment and not getting what he needed in the process.

I don't know how or why, but something struck me. I was never more calm as I said to him - "It's okay. What do you need?" Looking puzzled he stared at me and said "Huh?" I repeated what I had said and he told me what he wanted. Together, we accomplished his task in a little less than five minutes. That was weird I thought, but I didn't really understand the magnitude of the situation until I received a copy of a note / "say it" the customer had left commending me for being helpful while he was "irate."

Reflecting on this I realized that what I had done was recognize that this man's true intent was not to create a disturbance. He simply needed to accomplish something he had no idea how to accomplish. Huh?

True intent.

I began to think long and hard about how I was interacting with people. Was I recognizing what their true intent was when they came to me with a question for example? Was my Mother's true intent really to frustrate me every time she visited?

Wait - My Mother - Oh the poor woman. I really needed to work on this when interacting with her.

So, I set two goals for myself, and made them my New Year's resolution and Lenten promise until the end of time. 1. Be nice to my mother and do everything in my power to make her feel welcome in my home. 2. Always try to consider peoples' true intent when interacting with them and respond accordingly and without bias.

Note: As far as I can tell - True Intent in this context is my own thing. I don't think there's any great concept out there. Hmmm... Maybe I should write a book or something. "True Intent" copyright 2008 Jim Brochowski ;-)

The second thing - When I tell the story of Meghan Joy I always include the following quote:

"From Meghan and because of Meghan we learned to attack each day with enthusiasm. We learned to reach out and make things happen for us instead of waiting for them to happen to us. We learned to face each new challenge head on, with our entire being. We now know the value of living and giving a total effort. Many years ago I lost my daughter. As I look back on her story and what effect it has had on our lives I see that I’ve tried to live my life from that point exactly as I’d promised Meghan I would. I guess it sounds like a cliché, but life is short."

It's almost like a prepared text pulled from the pages of her story, but when I saw it in print at our golf tournament this year it was abundantly clear that I was not keeping my promise. I began to do some deep soul-searching, looking at the man in the mirror as they say and trying to find better ways to change.

The third and final thing. This one I owe to Randy Pausch. In his final lecture he talked about, among other things being a Tigger or being an Eeyore, i.e. an optimist or a pessimist. He also talked about how he had lived his life, doing things for his kids, and his wife. It is an incredible lecture. If you haven't watched it I assure you it is an investment of your time you will not regret. He also wrote a book titled "The Last Lecture" which I highly recommend.

I really admired Randy's viewpoint, but I didn't know how valuable it would be to me personally until my daughter Delaney started school this year. Delaney was a worrier, the "what if" person if you will and I was having a hard time convincing her that it would be good to go into school with a positive attitude, charging ahead, being a leader and so on. But she wasn't getting it. Finally, I looked at Delaney and remembering Randy's lecture I said; "Are you Eeyore? Or are you Tigger?" Instantly her eyes lit up. She got it. She really got it, and she now tries to be a Tigger in every way.

Having had this talk with my daughter I knew I needed to ask myself the same question. Jim, are you a Tigger or are you an Eeyore? Yes, I needed to change my answer too.

These three things are my base. I try to check myself regularly on these, and I encourage you to check me as well. Go on. I'll listen. ;-)

Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I have been pleasantly surprised by the sense of community that has been created at CML. This exists throughout the Web 2.0 community. I have been able to reconnect with my colleagues at the library in several locations, and I have made new connections via Facebook, and by following the "rock stars" blogs.

I think my new career goal might be to be one of those rock stars. Look out Michael Stephens. Kidding ;-)

Seriously, this program has provided me a way to reflect by moving forward. For that I will always be grateful.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

My old self would have said something really badass, like: "Don't you dare change a thing about this program." But that's not me anymore.

I think what I would say now is don't ever forget the term "Perpetual Beta." Please always be willing to consider the next idea, the next thing and embrace them. Try them even if they don't initially seem to be so great, even if they require radical trust, even if the benefits aren't immediately obvious.

I believe there are so many organizations, companies, and even industries that are being held up by their reluctance to change and adapt, to try new things even.

I think my biggest pet peeve right now is people who say; "I don't have time for all that Web 2.0 stuff, that new fangled techno stuff and so on. I've got real work to do." I wonder if they have ever considered how much more work they could get done if they would get on board and let that new fangled techno stuff work for them.

I'm trying to bring Web 2.0 technologies to my foundation with a new board later this month. I am very hopeful they will agree with me on this. I think The MJB Foundation can accomplish so much. Please wish us luck.

Oh and consider this your formal invitation to follow The MJB Foundation on Twitter. (Updates should become more frequent soon.)

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again choose to participate?

This one is simple and requires only a few words - in a heartbeat.

One more you didn't ask:

What has been the coolest thing about this program?

As a teacher, trainer, and a coach the coolest thing for me are the "Aha moments," when you can see folks really get it, When they are really connecting and helping themselves succeed. When they are engaged. I've been fortunate enough to see more than my fair share of these over the years and Learn & Play provided that many more. My favorite saying in these instances is "this ain't my first rodeo dog."

Of course this rodeo has been quite a bit different.

A Hockey Freak and a Techno Geek

It's official - I'm a hockey freak and a techno geek.

I've always known I was a hockey freak as I share this story all the time:

My Dad took me to my first Red Wings game at Olympia in 1976. We attended many games during the teasing playoff chances of the late 70's followed by a move to God-forsaken Lima, Ohio where they think hockey is what you do down at the local park on the off-chance the pond freezes (Sorry, Lima folk - I still love you.) - followed by the dead Wings era. Anyway - fast-forward to 1997. Wings win the cup and I'm on the phone with my Dad - I'm in Ohio, he's in Memphis, Tennessee. We're not saying a word - just breathing into the phone watching the Wings with the cup. Mrs. Jimmer says, "Hey, that's long distance." I said simply - "I'm watching the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup with my Dad," and he says "that's right," and we both cried like babies.

sigh* Still one of my favorite stories of all time. Miss ya' Dad.

The last time I told this story was to the Red Wing's Live Game Blog during the Stanley Cup finals last Spring. This is the great group of friends I get to watch Red Wings' games with and during the playoffs we were as tight as thieves. I'll talk more about this in my Web 2.0 piece later this week.

Since I read my friend Juice's story last May I've been certain I was strange. When Juice wrote this piece at the end of the playoffs and it made me cry like a baby, I knew I had a problem.

Still, I told myself. I can handle this. After all, hockey is just a game. Right?

I was wrong - (What? No surprised guffaws?)

Last Thursday was opening night for my beloved Red Wings and I was completely useless all day long. Oh, I got some work done and did what I had to, but my focus was on getting to my computer in my office watching my television by 7:00 p.m. SHARP! The Stanley Cup Championship banner was being raised to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and I was not going to miss it for anything.

I also realized there was something else I was missing - my online friends. We had all touched base a couple times during the summer, some had even made it to the D for a celebratory beer. -Sorry we missed it Gang. Still we had not really talked since June.

But there they all were when I logged on and we watched the opener together. I was so excited.

(JuiceinLAla, k bennett, winfran, Coldest, Fed0r0v, judyzerman, DtownDinah, westsidefan, HawaiinWingNut, JohnnyG83, scottlacy, WingNut1967, hockeytown101, jleWings, RWfaninSD, OctopiAlley, and LunaticNumber100 I am looking forward to watching with you. JLinkTX, shutemdown, and Hockeylvr I look forward to the discussions. I hope I didn't forget anybody.)

Then the Red Wings lost that opening game and I found myself completely drained. What had been a euphoric high had become a dismal low. I stayed online with my friends for awhile discussing the game and then I just moped around for the rest of the evening.

The next morning I had a talk with myself. To quote my Twitter feed and Facebook exactly I said, "Ah look it's the next day and the world did not end. The Wings will fight another day. Back to some normalcy today." I told myself I was going to miss Saturday night's game anyway because I'd be watching college football at a party with friends. I'll just take a break I thought.

But when I got home around midnight I couldn't get to the transcript from the live game discussion fast enough. How had the Wings done? What were my friends talking about? Holy smokes Jim - cool down. You won't be able to watch Monday anyway. The game is not on t.v.

But the game was on t.v. Justin t.v. And so I found myself not only watching the game, but also the live game blog. Don't worry - my new addiction did not lose out. Twitterfox was up and running. As much fun as I've been having with the Learn & Play program at CML I couldn't possibly turn off my Twitter friends.

Twitter feed, Facebook? Live Game Blog?

Must be some kind of technology freak - no make that technology geek as well.

Maybe - but I'm having fun!