Time for an update on my networking/spacefinding/what-the-heck-do-I-do-with-my-life quest.

Earlier this week, I attended a great workshop entitled Taking your elevator speech to the top floor: Networking skills everyone should know. If you have been following me on this blog, you know one of my main tasks here is to not only find my space in the social media sphere, but also develop an elevator statement, and learn how to leverage and use that statement as a networking tool.

The facilitator, an acting coach, was excellent. She related several tools to be used in almost any situation, and gave us tips for zapping uncomfortable “ahs” and “ums” from our conversation. We paired up and worked on our conversational techniques. When the facilitator talked about critical listening in conversations, I thought back to a networking conversation I witnessed but did not participate in, while attending Podcamp Boston. Both of those campers used the exact techniques described by the facilitator.

But for me, maybe the timing wasn’t quite right for this workshop, for this reason: I still don’t have an elevator statement. In fact, I still haven’t figured out what it is that I do, nor have I figured out how to help people with whatever it is that I do. All of this was going through the back of my mind as the next breakout session started.

The person I paired up with had to leave early, so for this breakout session, I worked with two other participants. This brealout though, required me to talk, answering questions posed by the two other members of my group. As I fumbled through the exercise, my breakout partner stopped me dead in my tracks.

“You’re a consultant, specializing in teaching computers and technical writing. Those are great skills to have, because not everyone can write, and a lot of people don’t have time to write.”

I was floored, and didn’t know what to say. This workshop participant had spent all of, maybe, 90 seconds listening to me, yet summed up in a few words, what I’ve been trying to put my finger on for about two months now.

Well, in all honesty, the room was so loud that I didn’t quite catch every word she said, so some follow-up is needed. But her observations were a great kick-start towards my own elevator statement “nirvana.”

So keep a close eye out. There may be a blog post in the future announcing a new elevator statement, which will require new business cards, and also require a touch-up of the website. The best part though, will be crossing off yet another task on my Podcamp Boston Takeaways #pcb4 checklist.

Yesterday, this story about the faithful, almost Grateful Dead-like roving crowds that form a few days before the grand opening of every Chick-Fil-A in the country, floated around the social media sphere.

The crowd exists thanks to a standing offer for free meals once a week for a year, for the first hundred customers through the doors on opening day. Executives for the fast food maker developed the publicity stunt four years ago, and the resulting throngs invading the parking lots of the new restaurants take on almost cult-like status. Many people showing up for the event have been to multiple Chick-Fil-A grand opening throughout the state and region.

While the photo attached to the story showed the tents and party-like atmosphere, the gist of the story revolves around a different topic; the fact that Chick-Fil-A is closed every Sunday.

This is of particular interest to me, because I work in retail, and I almost always work on Sunday, and Sunday is always the busiest day of our week.

I used to work at a mall that had a Chick-Fil-A, and was always curious as to why they were closed on Sunday. But after a while, I began to envy those employees for the following reasons:

- They had a guaranteed day off

- They could make plans and not worry about being scheduled or rescheduled

- They were off on a day the rest of the “normal” world (family and friends) was off

- They didn’t have to deal with the throngs of Sunday shoppers

- Should they be a fan, they could enjoy football season, unencumbered

The custom of closing on Sundays began in the very first week of the company’s operations way back in 1946. In the article above, a company executive cites a story about the original owner being too tired to work on Sunday of the restaurant’s opening week. He figured if he was tired, his employees were also tired, so the Sunday rest day was born. Of course, he could do that back in 1946, because the US wasn’t quite yet the commercial, money-hungry, work-till-you-drop society that it is today. Chick-Fil-A was also just a local fast-food joint back then, a business model that had yet to ingrain itself into American Society. It would be hard to imagine the executives of a modern, corporate, fast food chain entertaining the notion of Sunday closings.

I’m not  about to quit my current gig to go fry chicken parts just so I can get Sundays off to watch football, but the practice of closing on Sunday is intriguing in today’s commercial environment. Sundays are often a retailer’s most profitable day, and those of us accepting retail employment know that Sunday shifts are part of the deal.

If you know me, and you are reading this, you probably also work on Sunday, and have experienced the Sunday madness I speak of. If you don’t know me and are reading this, you probably are one the many who don’t work on Sunday and head to the mall or other shopping centers for your material needs. Please don’t misunderstand me. I love having a job, and I am passionate about what I do at the store I work at. My company is forward thinking, and my position is about as good a retail position as any currently available.

But, a guaranteed day off sure would be a nice perk.

A few weeks ago I blogged about wiki technology, and how it can be used collaboratively among several users. The blog post was inspired by this ARS Technica posting that considers wiki technology as a replacement for all we try to do with Microsoft Word.

A Wiki’s biggest benefit, is that it allows several users to work on a single document, by accessing one online version. A user can edit or make changes as necessary, and simply save the document. The next user needing access, logs on to the Wiki to make the next set of edits. This four-minute video explains Wikis in easy-to-understand terms.

Wiki usage

Wikis are well suited for so called “living documents” that need to be reviewed or updated on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. New users will find an instant comfort level when working within the Wiki document, as the software includes all the basic word processing tools (underline, bold, italics, strikethrough) as well as a variety of fonts sizes and styles. Basic charts are also possible thanks to an easy-to-use table builder. Wikis also work well for any type of daily report that must be completed by several team members.

For example, my team of six has successfully implemented a Wiki-based document for our end-of-day reports. Previously, team members would send separate reports via e-mail to one designated person per day, who would then compile the information into a spreadsheet. Depending on his workload, compiling the e-mails would sometimes force unwanted overtime.

Now we use a daily wiki set up on pbworks.com, which requires a free account for all collaborators. At the end of our shift, each team member logs on to the wiki, and adds the number and status of appointments delivered throughout the day.  A separate section allows for any text comments regarding successes or problems we might have encountered. At day’s end, a designated team member saves the report as a .pdf file, then e-mails it to all the necessary parties.

The .pbworks web software allows for several documents within a workspace, so we also added a text document that acts as a tickler file for our monthly meetings. Team members log on and record thoughts or concerns they would like to bring up at our gatherings.  Managers involved with our team also have access to the Wiki, and can add or address concerns as they appear on the wiki document.

Challenges to overcome

Of course, anytime you try something new, a few problems arise, and our wiki migration was no exception. Using our previous model, spreadsheets were able to calculate totals automatically. Since the Wiki is more of a word processor, we’ve sacrificed that ability. After reviewing the data, we concluded that the overall totals were not a necessary metric, so losing that capability is not a concern.

The Wiki also requires that one person clear out data from the previous day, which might seem akin to the previous routine where a designated person compiles several e-mail reports. After a few days, we determined that deleting the previous day’s data was not nearly as time consuming as compiling e-mail reports. Data clearing is also a task that can be accomplished by any team member.

Try it!

Interested in experimenting with the Wiki platform for your workflow? Several free web-based options exist. The previously mentioned pbworks.com, and wikispaces.com offer free Wikis with enough features to get started. Both sites also offer paid versions offering more flexibility. Larger organizations and enterprise can also turn to these sites for customized Wiki databases.

Wiki technology is not new. The world’s most famous Wiki, Wikipedia.com, is accessed every day by thousands of users, but many of those readers don’t realize that Wikipedia is built on software that allows them to simply log on and make changes or contributions.

In the decade-plus that I have been following the US Open, I can’t remember a more unpredictable fortnight. Comebacks, upsets galore, new faces and more, fueled the excitement like no other Open in a while. Here are my top ten moments.

1. Kim Clijsters, Champion and Mommy - Of all the endearing moments, none tops the site of Kim Clijsters’ little girl racing out on to the court after the awards ceremony. Say what you want about the fact she was unseeded, how she defeated BOTH Williams sisters, or how her comeback was predicated on an invite to play an exhibition at the newly covered Wimbledon show court. The baby treating one of tennis’ most hallowed trophies like a teething toy takes the cake. It was a moment in sports akin to Patriot’s linebacker Teddy Bruschi playing rough and tumble with his kids just hours prior to the Super Bowl kickoff. Kind of puts things in perspective after watching Serena’s horrid tirade.

2. Serena’s meltdown - The way Clijsters was playing, Serena most likely would have lost the match, but we’ll never know thanks to her profane outburst. Serena always seems on edge during tight matches, but this got the best of her. Sadly, this might be the defining moment of an otherwise stellar career.

3. Andy meets the big men - American John Isner (6’9″) and Argentine Juan Del Potro (6’6″) both possess big serves and incredible range thanks to their physical size, so it was not surprising that both players feasted on ranked opponents, Andy Roddick in particular. Roddick battled Isner to a third set tie-break victory at the Legg Mason tournament, then lost to the big guy in the third round at Flushing Meadows. Del Potro fought Roddick tooth and nail to win the Legg Mason, defeating him in a 10-8 third set tiebreak, then soundly defeated Roddick a week later at the Rogers Cup semi-finals in Montreal. Roddick was long gone, thanks to Isner, by the time Del Potro laced up his sneakers for the finals against King Fed.

4. King Federer, the Second - With his “you gotta see it to believe it” between-the- legs cross court winner against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, one might think that the cards were stacked in Roger Federer’s favor for his sixth consecutive US Open championship. Not so fast insisted tall Argentine Juan Del Potro, who also defeated Raphael Nadal on the way to final Monday. It was odd to see Federer holding the plate during the awards ceremony, but his class and graciousness in acknowledging the winner, were top-notch as always.

5. Melanie “David” Oudin slays multiple Russian “Goliaths” - Nothing was more enjoyable during these two weeks then watching 5’6″ Georgia native Melanie Oudin, all of 17 years old, taking it to one tall Russian tennis goddess after another. I enjoy all the players on the women’s side, but to hear an American speak with giddy tone in her voice during on-court and analyst interviews was refreshing.

6. The rise of Caroline Wozniacki - Oudin’s defeat led to the emergence of another rising star, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki. She ran under the radar in this tournament, until her prime-time victory over the Georgian wonderkinder. Her cool and consistent performance was topped only by the class and grace she exhibited in apologizing to the pro-American crowd for her victory.

7. The finalists - In the rest of the world, tennis is one of the most popular sports for wagering and bracket watching, much like March Madness here in the states. I wonder how many people actually put money down on a Clijsters-Wozniacki women’s final. Andy Roddick’s Wimbledon performance most likely prompted a few bets on him making the finals. Maybe next time, bettors will look to preliminary tournaments for clues to US Open success.

8. Early exits - After taking Roger Federer to 16 games in the final set of Wimbeldon, Andy Roddick didn’t come close to seeing the light of day in week two at Flushing Meadows. Same for heralded Englishman Sam Querry, and Anna Ivanovic on the women’s side. Ivanovic’s first round Grand Slam defeats have become a matter of course, a troubling pattern for a Grand Slam winner and former world number one player.

9. ESPN, the new home of the US Open - It’s great to find one of tennis’ premiere events on the world’s premiere sports networks, a channel that is familiar to my remote thumb. Thanks to the  usual cast of broadcasters and commentators, the transition was seamless. Hannah Storm as part of the tennis crew? Five stars!

10. Live tennis on the Web - The US Open Web site still needs some work on its live feed bandwidth, but the stunning full screen definition displayed on both it and ESPN360, caught more than a few eyes around my work space. The blue and green court color scheme, combined with the bright color tones of court wear, made for eye catching visuals on the computer screen. Even friends who weren’t tennis fans commented on the clarity of the screen feed.

I’ll join the chorus of “speak in real language” posts that recently graced the blogosphere.

Media behemoth CBS announced last week that popular web streaming site Last.fm will now broadcast on HD channels in the nation’s four biggest markets. The announcement came in the form of that most overused communication vessel, the press release.

The second paragraph of the press release starts with this gem:

The station will feature an eclectic mix of music aggregated and influenced by the service’s user-generated weekly charts, combined with live performances and interviews from the Last.fm studios in New York, and event updates.

Huh?

After mulling this for a few minutes, I finally figured out what they really meant:

The new station spotlights a wide variety of music influenced by weekly listening habits of current Last.fm users. Live performances, interviews, and event updates will also be featured.

Well, it’s not perfect, but you get the idea.

In my (not so vast) experience in PR, I’ve been on both sides of the press release process. Even though this release was most likely written by an individual, it probably went through committee before being unleashed on the digiwaves, and we all know how effective committees can be.

To be fair, this release was most likely voiced toward the tech press and bloggers, a group familiar with concepts such as “aggregators,” and “user generated charts.”

Press releases, in general, are never geared towards the public. Instead they are written for the purposes of attracting the attention of newspapers, magazines, and television, whose job it is to explain the topic to the public if it’s considered newsworthy.

But in today’s hyper-connected,and Google-enabled environment, corporations might get more bang for their press release buck by toning down the corporate speak, and voicing these communications to the general public.

Postlouge:

For an intense look at this topic, visit Amber’s rant against corporate PR-speak. She is an experienced communicator, and sets the PR world straight about her time and resources. It’s a great read for anyone interested in PR practices.

During the first week of my first communications class ten years ago, the teacher had us do an exercise. “I want you to record your media habits for 24 hours, or take a break from all media for 24 hours, and tell the record your actions in place of using media,” she said.

I struggled for a few moments after hearing that. I contemplated the horror of a day without TV, radio, or the Internet, and quickly decided that I would instead record my media activity.

I don’t have the paper that I wrote based on that assignment, but I do remember the gist of what I discovered; even in 1999, I was an internet junkie. This was the time when everyone was still enamored with a Yahoo home page that aggregated custom information, including separate modules that regularly updated weather, sports, and e-mail status. I used these tools to their fullest extent.

It was my second year in New England, but I still had an interest in Southern California, where I grew up. Being a baseball fan, I used the Internet and my Yahoo page to track both the Dodgers and Angels as they made their way to the playoffs. Newspapers had yet to fully bloom online, but I got as much of my news as I could using Yahoo search. E-mail was a primary means of communication, as its instant delivery often allowed for quick planning and action.

Other media habits at the time included daily use of the TV for news and sports, and my trusty pager that would buzz my belt every once in a while. I didn’t have cell phone back then and my land-line served me well, even though it was used most of the time for Internet access.

Flash forward ten years, and my clunky desktop and dial-up are now replaced by a sleek laptop and wifi. Social media applications keep me informed of the activities of friends, family, and network associates

Television doesn’t appeal to me anymore, I find network TV to be insulting to my intelligence, and cable shows are often just as bad. Almost anything I want to see I can find via You Tube, Hulu, or the like. You Tube has replaced television as my most valued source of entertainment. As a classically trained musician, I find the wealth of classical music clips, (overtures, arias, solo work) available on You Tube to be staggering.

The radio, once a big part of my life, has also gone the way of the dodo. Internet streams targeted to specific musical genres offer generous music choices with very little interruption. My sports consumption habits have changed in the last few years. I still watch the Red Sox on cable, and  I can follow the Dodgers live in a separate mini-window on the computer, with legendary broadcaster Vin Scully calling the action. This year’s US Open, my favorite tennis event, also streams live over the Internet, exposing fans to some of the grueling action off the main show courts.

With RSS feeds and other tools, I now have the capabilities to go on information overload should I choose. I follow 12 feeds in my mail reader, usually skimming the headlines, quickly deciding if the post is worth my time. If I’ve skipped a few days and face 100 unread posts, I’ll usually just mark them all as read and move on. I also follow 10 feeds in my browser.

And while the option exists extend many of these tools to my cell phone, I choose not to take advantage. My life style doesn’t yet necessitate instant access.

It’s amazing to see the progress of these tools over the last decade, it makes you wonder what the media and communications landscape will look like in another decade.

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Thanks to Chris Brogan for the inspiration to share this post