While I can’t claim to never use exclamation points, I can claim to cringe every time I over use them, and certainly cringe more when others overuse.
That’s why I appreciated so much this handy chart from the January edition of Entrepreneur magazine, which was part of their overall clip on email etiquette (also well worth the read!). [I'm on the go, so apologies for not including a direct link. Google can help.]
Chris Brogan brought up a good question on his blog earlier today – using myself and our SU social media team as an example. “What’s the role of a social media communications team during a crisis situation like alleged sex abuse scandals? What do you think is an appropriate amount of content about a story that obviously has national attention right now versus the “go back to business as usual” approach?”Thanks for bringing up this issue, as it’s a good one. I’d like to take a few sentences (ok… more than that) to let you know how we and the rest of the social media team thought through this situation.
So that one doesn’t count! 
Chris Brogan brought up a good question on his blog earlier today – using myself and our SU social media team as an example. “What’s the role of a social media communications team during a crisis situation like alleged sex abuse scandals? What do you think is an appropriate amount of content about a story that obviously has national attention right now versus the “go back to business as usual” approach?”
You can read his full response here, but this was my comment:
Thanks for bringing up this issue, as it’s a good one. I’d like to take a few sentences (ok… more than that) to let you know how we and the rest of the social media team thought through this situation.
One role I played was to make sure my team had direction in terms of how we should be moving forward as the day progressed. I highlighted several things to the team at the beginning of the day, some of them specific to this issue: This will be at the forefront of the SU community’s mind today and we shouldn’t try to gloss over it, or pretend that it’s business as usual, and; we need to be very careful with what content we put forward, as there is still a lot of unsettled information flying around out there.
In other words: Let’s try to use internal communications that have been vetted by the people closest to the situation and remember that this is by far the issue of the day.
After a discussion around noon today (several hours into monitoring and gauging sentiment) we choose two specific “other” pieces of content to put out: The results of our Class Presidential race (something the specific candidates have put a lot of work into and ARE focused on today) and welcoming a large group (500+) of prospective students to our campus who are here on a weekend visit. I’ll also note the tone of each of those responses as they were carefully chosen (and well so I might add, but I’m biased and think I have a rocking team underneath me). Everything else we’ve placed on the back burner.
As for my own account, my role depends on a lot, and I think it should be looked at carefully.
I’ll say – and this isn’t an excuse – few people in my circle on twitter know of my current position, and the general SU community is only slowly learning of my position. Therefore, I know the eyes are all at @syracuseu for this information, and very few will be turning to me (and this is something I hope will shift over time, but it’s the fact right now).
Even with that in mind, I was very mindful of my tweets today. Obviously I wanted (and needed) to post the Chancellors comments, especially since I was the one up and available at the time, and I also RTed one of our student team member’s posts concerning Boeheim’s reaction to the situation. I answered you in between a flurry of phone calls, and I chose to respond to one particular off-subject tweet, but, because it’s not obvious, I’ll highlight that those two people are both Syracuse employees and currently living through the same thing the rest of the SU community is…. I felt it was actually quote fitting to connect with them on that level during this and I’m glad I did (many people on my feed may not have recognized that, but my goal was to connect with them directly). And as for foursquare… well, let’s be honest, you just don’t like people linking foursquare to Twitter
Other than that, I WILL tell you one big role that a social media manager has, and that’s to make sure their team, the ones who are actually the voice of the organization, has the tools they need, and my time today was much more valuable working internally, and continuing in my overall role (scheduled meetings, future goals etc)….I simply didn’t have a whole lot of Twitter face-time today…..and I’m not sure that if I had had more time I would have necessarily flocked to Twitter…. however, this is a very interesting issue…. should that channel now or in the future be part of the higher strategy of communication and how do you prioritize that? As I mentioned, if I begin to be seen as more or a voice for SU communications in general, this will and should shift, but right now, the already well-established channels held my focus for the day….
Again, great conversation, I’m happy to chat more with you about the process, and would love to hear what others think. Sorry if this was a little….wordy
Cheers,Kate
There were a lot of great opportunities at BlogWorld LA this year to sit down and chat with some of the media. Here are some thoughts on content production….
In a new study from the Center for Work-Life Policy, it was found that despite being the smallest generation – around 46 million – Generation X might be “the most critical generation of all” for employers.
Work-life balance is something I feel very strongly about. As someone who is a very hard worker (sometimes too hard, to my point), I feel that I myself am most effective when a work-life balance is achieved that allow me to switch out of work mode without guilt (something I’m still mastering, to be honest).
It’s something also that I’ve needed to force myself into, but continually find it more rewarding to make sure all aspects of my life are harmonized. It’s created efficiency in the way I work, and given me the ability to enjoy non-work life without feeling like an under-achiever (something I couldn’t have said 5 years ago).
I documented some interesting stats and insights that were specific to Generation X females over at Girls in Tech, but also wanted to highlight some other interesting points that are important for professional life and today’s workers.
You can download the full press release on the Center for Work-Life Policy’s website.
I don’t know Michael Arrington, so I can’t comment on his personality or integrity (though others have taken the liberty). But this morning, he pulled a pretty cocky move as far as I’m concerned, and to a women who is the last person in the world who deserves it.
Arrington posted the tweet below after an incident which I’ll leave someone else to explain (I’m sure Christine can do so, and I don’t doubt that she did everything right).
What I am going to do is spend a few short seconds of your time telling you about Christine and telling you why Arrington made a gross error in publicly suggesting that Christine/PerkettPR acted with anything lower than complete professional integrity in this matter.
Aside from a (very) reputable set of clients and starting a (very) successful PR firm from scratch, professionally Christine is an incredibly well-respected leader in the PR industry, and especially on her home turf in Boston. I speak for many when I say that her (and her firm’s) expertise and thought leadership in the field has been continually progressive, consistently professional and always highly regarded. I don’t think you’ll find a person, aside from Arrington, who would suggest otherwise (and let’s be honest, Arrington probably doesn’t actually believe this himself, he just decided to click his mouse and publish something publicly because he was upset…cry me a river….).
From a personal standpoint, I’ve also had the distinct pleasure of spending time with Christine. Before I met her, I had always admired her as a professional. When I met her, and got to know her further, my impressions have only gone up. For the purposes of this post, I want to stress a few characteristics about her that I think are important and also blatantly obvious in everything she does (there are more awesome characteristics about her, but I can save those for later):
All of these things come through in her work and in herself, as well as her entire firm. So Arrington may blacklist her (though I urge him to think twice), but the rest of the world should be lining up at her door to work with her. Enough said.
If you have anything positive to say about PerkettPR or Christine Perkett, please leave a comment below, or pass this post along.
I’ve had several thoughts and a few discussions recently – for various reasons – about how certain schools and universities can elevate their reputations using digital technology and social networking tools.
One very obvious (almost “duh!”) strategy is a refined thought leadership program. As “duh!” as this sounds to me, it’s not happening in enough places. This strategy is becoming well-adopted in the business world, and can be easily transferred into the higher ed setting.
When I say thought leadership, I don’t mean that a university or college find one star, one personal brand, and ride their coattails (though that’s not a bad thing if you’ve got one of those, but it can NOT be your only plan). This isn’t sustainable, nor is it comprehensive.
I mean systematically go through your departments, your centers, your research programs and identify the areas where you have strengths, identify a person or group that can speak to that strength, create a multi-tiered infrastructure, and then start talking. As an added benefit of this process, the school’s particular ability to embrace digital media of various forms is also well-used and ideally visible and applaudable (since we all know that “matters”).
[NOTE: The following is the result of my Friday-morning thought process, and there is definitely room for refinement... be patient, it will come. I also want to thank Sean for some great and insightful conversation on this topic, which will hopefully continue.]
COMPONENTS
The end-result looks a little like this, elevating your brand and reputation as a whole, with content flowing out of the departments/schools, on behalf of the university as a whole, with the brand image increasing for both departments/schools and the university as a whole:
[Yes, this does need refinement, but I've got to be getting back to work!]
MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM
Part of the reason for creating a system of high-profile individuals and worker individuals is a resource thing. As always, high-profile individuals don’t usually have the time resources available to continually be creating and repurposing content. Part of what we do at Other Side Group is manage those resources for high-profile individuals for exactly that reason, they don’t have the time, but they want the visibility.
Additionally, by creating a fully-contributing system, you’re decreasing your reliance on the big person-brands, and creating a long-term infrastructure that’s based upon the work your university does as opposed to just the people it has.
Lastly, if your school has an already well-developed and strong reputation, you’re able to harness some of that reputation that may lie in a strong alumni base, a strong board presence, etc (whatever it is that gives your school a great reputation) in a way that’s more realistic in the digital world….. chances are your star long-standing professor who’s been able to wield significant attention for four decades after winning a Noble Peace Prize, writing 10 books and being interviewed every week is not the right or willing person to be embracing digital technology as a way to further thought leadership. In some cases, as an institution you need to do that for them.
[DISCLAIMER: This is really idealistic, I understand that. There are internal hurdles, egos, politics, logistics etc that perhaps make this a hard reality to choke down for some people, but I think wholeheartedly that it can be done, and should be done.]
As Chair of the Fletcher Women’s Network Subcommittee on Social Outreach and Public Action, I’m really excited about our first initiative (and, in part the reason that we were formed) to promote more public understanding of Islam as a religion and Muslims as part of our societies. See below for the message we sent out to our alumnae.
At some point, we will be reaching out to external groups for collaboration, so please let me know if you’re interested, and in what capacity.
*****************************************
Fletcher Women come from a diversity of nations and regions, cherish a full-range of spiritual and religious practices, appreciate different cultures, and share a commitment to knowledge, respect and understanding. Seeking to reach beyond our community to have a positive impact, our new sub-committee is presenting this proposal – and needs members who can commit to making it happen. The idea is at the brainstorming stage, and will gain shape and purpose as a result of those who participate.
We are a group of Fletcher alumnae and students who wish to come together out of concern about the prevalent hostile public discourse of Muslims in our society. Forming this committee results directly from our recognition of pervasive levels of misunderstanding and intolerance of Islam and its faithful.
Given our Fletcher-related interests and experiences, we believe we might employ our our global viewpoints to discuss these pertinent issues, and explore possible public actions relating to them.
We suggest that genuine dialogue should be a critical first step – first among our members, and then with others. Our immediate goal is to leverage our international perspectives and sensitivities, and to develop our own internal views and awareness. Ultimately, we would like to promote external dialogue and undertake some form of public action to affect this matter positively.
Beyond issues relating to attitudes towards Muslims (including Muslim women), our committee’s longer-term goal is to open other conversations and initiatives on issues around the world.
We are not able to undertake such initiatives without forming a cadre of of members who are willing and able to contribute their time, creativity and energy to making it happen. If you are interested, please contact Kate Brodock at kate@katebrodock.com.
Hey guys, thanks for hanging around with me this year! I’m resurrecting some of my top posts from this year before heading into 2011. I look forward to good conversation in the coming year.
Happy New Year!
Hasty Use of Social Media and Responsibilities as Users (19 July 2010) – Why we all need to slow down when we’re interacting with brands on social media platforms.
Doing Business in Boston: Why it’s good…and why we should move on (27 July 2010) – A frank discussion on how Boston is a great place to start a company, and why the arguments against it are really getting old.
Foursquare and Digital Activism (20 April 2010) – How can Foursquare be good for digital activism? A few of my ideas….
Gladwell and the Laziness of Digital Activism Discourse (2 October 2010) – Gladwell is usually a great essayist, but his discussion this Fall of digital activism was lazy and non-analytical.
Wikileaks, Transparency, Responsibility and Constructive Action (30 July 2010) – My thoughts on Wikileaks, Assange and how to insight action that’s effective and constructive.
My Definition of Digital Activism (7 February 2010) – As part of our strategy session for Meta-Activism Project (MAP) we were each asked to write down our definition of digital activism. Here’s mine.
[Note Good Boss, Bad Boss, by Robert Sutton, to-be-published 7 September 2010]
I wrote about good bosses taking the middle ground, which was something that continually popped out at me while reading the book. After I was done reading, I revisited the chapter list, and found that it was a very accurate representation of the content.
Take a look below, I’ve included some quotes that give you a high-level idea of what each chapter is about.
Table of Contents:
PREFACE: FROM ASSHOLES TO BOSSES
I: Setting the Stage
Chapter 1: The Right Mindset
(“The success or failure of every boss hinges on how well or how badly he she navigates these vexing and all-too-human relationships.”)
II: What the Best Bosses Do
Chapter 2: Take Control
(“If you want to be a successful boss, you have to convince people that your words and deeds pack a punch. If they don’t believe you are in charge, you job will be impossible to do and your life will be hell.”)
Chapter 3: Strive to Be Wise
(“The best bosses dance on the edge of overconfidence, but a healthy dose of self-doubt and humility saves them from turning arrogant and pigheaded. Bosses who fail to strike this balance are incompetent, dangerous to follow, and downright demeaning.”)
Chapter 4: Stars and Rotten Apples
(“The best bosses don’t just recruit people with stellar solo skills; they bring in employees who will weave their vigor and talents with others….no man or woman is an island.”)
Chapter 5: Link Talk and Action
(“The worst [bosses] don’t even realize that they routinely stifle and misdirect action. The best find ways to close knowing-doing gaps, even in workplaces otherwise plagued with hollow talk and inaction.”)
Chapter 6: Serve as a Human Shield
(“The best bosses let their workers do their work. They protect their people from red tape, meddlesome executives, nosy visitors, unnecessary meetings, and a host of other insults, intrusions and time wasters…a good boss takes pride in serving as a human shield….”)
Chapter 7: Don’t Shirk from the Dirty Work
(“Every boss must do things that upset and hurt people. If you can’t or won’t perform such unpleasant chores, perhaps you shouldn’t be the boss.”)
Chapter 8: Squelch Your Inner Asshole
(“The worst bosses ignore or deny any hint they suffer from this gap or other blind spots. The est take seriously how others judge them – and accept the uncomfortable fact that followers’ perceptions are often more valid that their own.”)
III: The Upshot
Chapter 9: It’s All About You
(“If you are a boss, your success depends on staying in tune with how others think, feel and react to you.”)
I was honored enough to get an advance copy of the soon-to-be-published book Good Boss, Bad Boss, by Robert Sutton. I’ve read Bob’s “stuff” (his “Work Matters” blog, his last book The No Asshole Rule, and many other great pieces of content).
Since it’s going to be out on September 7th (that’s next week!) I thought I’d take the next few days to write a series of posts on some of the parts that hopped out at me, make a few comments, and wrap it up with my overall assessment.
Good Bosses Take the Middle Ground
One of the major summary items that I walked away from with this book was that, in many ways, being a good boss means moderation. What do I mean by that? Good bosses don’t necessarily display extremes of certain qualities, like charisma or power. Instead, they’ve learned to balance aspects of several characteristics that help them drive their team forward.
Examples [Note: when I use "vs" I mean "balanced with."]
Big picture vs. Details
Patience vs Urgency
Competitive vs Submissive
Aggressive vs Passive
Harmony vs (Constructive) Conflict
Top down vs Shared leadership
Directing vs Listening/allowing
Personal goals vs Team goals
Bob does a really great job of explaining why being a boss doesn’t have to mean that your leadership skills are visible. In fact, as an illustration, he says “savvy bosses travel through their days in search of the sweet spot between interjecting too little and too much, keeping a close eye on when more or less pressure, nagging, and intimidation is needed to get the best out of their people (and for provoking respect and dignity rather than contempt).”
This is really important I think. Many people think you can “spot” a good boss. But Bob argues the exact opposite. Good bosses are good because they’re undetectable. The results – a well-run, motivated team – are where you can detect a good boss….
Tweeting
