Making and breaking contacts

As a freelancer, I’ve learned it's both what you know and who you know. The combination of expertise and connections keeps the business flowing.

Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of clients. Sometimes with individuals, other times with project teams. Out of habit I would add every person to my address book, along with their support staff and accounts payable.

As a result, my contact list overfloweth. In the digital world, this isn’t as much a problem as when I had stacks of business cards on file. Still, it was slow going to scroll past old and outdated contacts to find the ones I wanted.

My unwieldy list became a bigger problem when a syncing glitch led to duplication of all contacts on my computer and smartphone. That's when I knew some digital spring cleaning was in order.

First to go were the deceased contacts – and there were several, sad to say. Next were people associated with dead-in-the-water projects whom I haven’t heard from in years. Then the people who consistently called for quotes about projects that never materialized also disappeared. I trimmed a number of contacts I haven’t worked with in many, many years. Rounding out the business deletions were people I met at conferences and workshops ages ago and haven’t heard from since.

I wasn’t too worried about losing business contacts because I can find most of them through LinkedIn, if need be.

Where things got brutal were with personal deletions. I had contact information for the most casual of acquaintances: people I ran with once or twice in my life, people I met in airports, friends of friends, and friends from past lives. If there was a question to delete or not, I used this criteria: Would this person have me in their contact list? If not, they went from mine.

This isn’t as anti-social as it sounds. It’s more a matter of cleaning out the clutter that hadn’t been accessed in a dog’s age.

I still believe in making and keeping contacts. But I’ve decided not every contact needs to be kept forever.

If you want to make a fresh connection with me, just let me know. I’m on LinkedIn and Twitter and the AMY INK website.

Why I follow you…or not

There’s a lot made of the follows and likes on social media. Articles offer tips on ways to get more followers. Businesses of every stripe plead to be liked. Some social awareness marketing sites offer shortcuts to those who want to, in essence, buy followers, likes, and shares for their business, their brand, or themselves.

I started my blog in 2008 and joined Twitter in 2010 to see what social media was all about. I began to follow people I knew personally or professionally. I followed thought leaders and people who made me laugh. I looked for favorite news outlets and interesting sites.

There’s no great rhyme or reason to my following, or unfollowing, strategies. A follow or like doesn’t mean I’m a true-blue, faithful fan. And an unfollow doesn’t mean you’ve lost my confidence. There’s no analytic or deeper meaning here. I’m just a fickle consumer of social media.

I recently began following a number of local and national politicians on Twitter. No, wait. Don’t stop reading now. It’s not what you think. There’s an old saying, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” So I am testing a theory about listening to people I otherwise might avoid. I am trying to get more insight into differences, discover plans that may be in the works, and see if there is any common ground in uncommon areas.

So far, my experiment is proving only partly successful. I’ve had to unfollow a few who seem untethered to reality as I know it – and to those who post mainly platitudes and party lines, with little original thought to contribute. On the other hand, I am beginning to feel a little more informed about who is saying what or doing something for, or against, things that matter to me.

As social media has evolved, it has gained far more impact and influence than most could ever have imagined. Where it goes from here is just as unknowable. The only thing that seems certain is continual tinkering with technology so that today’s hot networking sites will one day be leapfrogged by something even hotter.

Me? I can’t wait to follow what’s next.

Give it a rest

Stop and smell the roses

Fourth of July. Time to kick back and relax.

My phone buzzes. Several times. In quick succession. Emails have arrived. Maybe messages from friends or family?

Nope. Updates about work topics from LinkedIn Groups.

Saturday night, out late. Coming home from a fun party with friends. Feeling good and a little tired. My phone buzzes. Did I forget something at the party? Is someone checking to make sure I got home OK?

Nope. It’s my gas and electric bill.

As long as I’m on the smartphone, I check Twitter, looking for a laugh. Most of the posts are earnest messages about industry trends or professional development.

To all of the above, I say: Give it a rest. I know, or at least I hope, most of these posts and emails are pre-scheduled for delivery. No one is really sending out bills or “5 Ways to Improve Your Presentation” in the wee hours of the weekend.

At least they shouldn’t be.

Just because digital delivery and social media have the capability for 24/7 connection doesn’t mean they have to be used 24/7.

Consider the receiver. Why not give us all a little time to unwind from the week.

If you feel compelled to post at all hours, and on off days, at least make it funny or lighthearted or otherwise appropriate for downtime.

Let’s keep the work in the workday. And help us all put a proper end to the week with work-free weekends.

That would be a more social thing to do.

To boldly go

I never knew space could be so much fun. Or Twitter. Or following tweets from space.

Even William Shatner can’t resist.

Here’s his exchange yesterday with Chris Hadfield, currently in orbit on the International Space Station:

From @WilliamShatner: "@Cmdr_Hadfield Are you tweeting from space? MBB"
‏From @Cmdr_Hadfield: "@WilliamShatner Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we're detecting signs of life on the surface."

Within 24 hours, that exchange was retweeted 4,191 times.

Even more amazing than this life-imitating-art-imitating life scenario between Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and the soon-to-be Commander of Expedition 35 are the photos Hadfield posts to Twitter from 240 miles above earth.

Here are a few of my faves:

• "These mountains near Sochi, Russia remind me somehow of corduroy pillows." pic.twitter.com/O6s2KRzZ 
• "Great Belt Bridge, Denmark, connecting Zealand and Fyn. Straight lines stand out against nature when viewed from space." pic.twitter.com/PyCYt2jp 
• "Like a Hole Punch - confetti of farms using central irrigation in the American Southwest. Jan 2, 2013." pic.twitter.com/LRB9KI6T 
• "Mojave Desert and the lake beds of Edwards AFB where I attended test Pilot School, and where the Shuttle first landed." pic.twitter.com/KCqt6iIn 
• "A view of the Suez Canal, as it opens into the Mediterranean. A great mix of nature and powerful human engineering." pic.twitter.com/asqfHKkn

There’s much more to see and read on Twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield

Or on the NASA/ISS or Canadian Space Agency sites.

If you aren't able "To boldly go where no man has gone before," as least you can read the tweets.

Tweeting the Trenta

Tweets about the new 31 oz. "Trenta" size drink at Starbucks just keep rolling in. At least the Trenta has eclipsed talk about the revised Starbucks logo. A smattering of Trenta tidbits from Twitter:

@ConanOBrien Conan O'Brien

I can't wait to try the new gigantic Starbucks size, "Trenta". Or as it's called in The Midwest, "A Medium". 

@CocosNumber2Fan Laurel Noel

Is the Starbucks Trenta THRICE as big as the tall? @ConanOBrien @TeamCoco 

@denisleary Denis Leary

Starbucks has a new giant coffee named Trenta. Comes w/ David Blaine inside holding his breath. 

@chez_whitey WFW2

Kindergarten teachers, you can thank Starbuck's when, 5 years from now, every other kid in your class is named "Trenta". 

@HideSeekMedia Hide and Seek Media

Is the New Starbucks "Trenta Cup" Bigger Than Your Stomach? http://bit.ly/e4G718   

@curiouslyp Simon Kendrick

Seriously, who would want a litre of coffee from Starbucks? Trenta size fail http://gizmo.do/fctesv 

@Oksanap Oksana Poltavets

RT @FTFnews Did you hear that @Starbucks is rolling out a new 31ozTrenta size?! http://tiny.cc/mup6y - this could feed an army! 

@dclovesfood W. Mark Felt

Folks - just b/c Starbucks is serving the trenta, doesn't mean you have to drink it 

@slkfinger Shawn Finger

Is the point of the #trenta to match your ounce size to your BMI? 

@Leslie_Kerr Leslie Kerr

every1 realizes the @starbucks trenta is not the 1st drink of that size, right? It just evens the playing field w/DD, McD 

@angryczeck Jeremy Harper

My bladder has waved a preemptive flag of surrender to Starbucks Trenta. 

@atzezwirs atze zwirs

Can you die from #caffeine!? #starbucks introduces the #trenta which is bigger then your stomach! http://gizmo.do/dI6Xxd 

@wovencharlie Charles Schulze

What did he die of officer? Well mam he tried to finish his Trenta without a bathroom break. 

@andreastokes andrea stokes

@johnson_s RT @angryczeck: The Starbucks Trenta doesn't look *that* big on Google Earth. 

@AkaashAchreja Akaash Achreja

Is the Starbucks Trenta REALLY necessary? I mean, are people out there finishing their Ventis and saying "If only this were 50% larger...."? 

@ordinarycitizen Justin Phillips

Trenta? Really, Starbucks? Who needs 30 ounces of coffee? Are you trying to turn everyone into Gary Busey? 

@DSKinsel d.s. kinsel

@Starbucks got a new fancy named size coming out....#Trenta....y cant they just call it the "big azz" size...who drinks tht much coffee? 

@MarshallRamsey MarshallRamsey

Starbucks named it's new biggest drink size, "Trenta" because "Bladder Splatter" wasn't as cool sounding. 

@mcrumr mcrumr

Starbucks extra large size is named Trenta...I think that's French for bladder explosion 

@Mushy187 Matua

Starbucks to offer Trenta sized drinks. It's nice to have another ridiculously named size that I can avoid purchasing. 

@shawndecker shawndecker

Cool that @starbucks has named a drink the "Trenta" to say congrats to @trent_reznor for winning a Golden Globe. 

@DeanneGetreu Deanne Getreu

#Starbucks named their new 31oz. drink #Trenta because it's shorter than "liquid diabetes and colon cancer". 

@UrbanB Ben Urbanski

Starbucks announces a 31oz sized drink. Named Trenta. SO EXCITED TO DIE OF CAFFEINE OVERDOSE!!!

Living forever

Science, science fiction, and dreamers continue to explore ways of living longer. I would say that my 97-year-old mother-in-law, who passed this summer, was proof of longevity. Even now she lives on, after a fashion. Today, she was summoned to jury duty. Her bank wants her to download a mobile banking app for the iPhone. She's also gotten a few proxies and ballots in the mail, so she can vote at corporate shareholder meetings.

OK, so it takes some time for computers to catch up with the realities of mortal lives.

Same goes for social networking sites. So far, I know of two deceased colleagues whose profiles continue to appear on LinkedIn. LI addresses the issue in its FAQs, but I feel funny about being the one to erase the last footprints of their digital lives.

Facebook takes another approach, memorializing deceased members by removing certain personal information and leaving the page accessible to confirmed friends through search. I'm not a Facebook member, so I don't know the details of this policy, but it can be anything from troubling to eerie to know that even "until death do us part" doesn't apply here. 

Twitter has yet another approach for its deceased-member policy, which requires an "interested party" to send in bits of information before it takes action.

CNET compares the Twitter and Facebook policies and comes to this appropriate conclusion: "...policies about a user's death can end up being just as important as those you agree to when you first sign up."

Apparently there's an element of social networking to be considered even in death.

Filling the Gap

The Gap is creating quite a stir with its logo, and I'm still scratching my head. Not about its decision to scrap the old logo. Or the choice of its new logo. I just can't figure out why people seem to really care.

Now it's gone viral.

Fast Company has posted an exclusive interview with NewLogo, in which it whines, "...I have feelings! I have a friggin Twitter account! The only way to deal with the pain is comfort eating. Pretty soon I'll be type set in Helvetica Neue Black." (@gaplogo)


Not to be outdone, OldLogo is also tweeting, @OldGapLogo.

Yes, I realize it's all good fun. And I'm sure this will become another success story for the power of social networks.

But the real winner? The Gap, natch. It doesn't matter if people love or hate the logo, as long as they keep talking about the Gap. And the value of all this exposure? Priceless.

UPDATED Oct. 12, 2010: Gap ditched its new logo mere days after this post. (I claim no responsibility.) Responds NewLogo on Twitter: "I HAD feelings. Jerks. Now I'm just numb – I don't know who I am anymore!" And from OldGapLogo: "Well...looks like my work here is done. Peace. I'm out."

Birds of a social feather

Over the summer, I decided to become more social. I read "Socialnomics," by Erik Qualman, and while I was underwhelmed by the book, the add-on Amazon purchase turned out to be a winner: "Twitterville," by Shel Israel. From there, it was only a matter of time before I started tweeting (@4amyink).

So far, it's been fun and an education. I've even been around to see the birth of the "New Twitter," which is much like the old Twitter only more so.

One noticeable difference is a more consistent look in the branding. The new icon is simpler, cleaner, and less cartoon-ish; it's an outline of the bird in flight.

It also reminds me of a more established brand. One that's found in millions of homes across America and around the world: Dove, a personal care brand owned by Unilever.

Several years ago, Dove started a campaign to do away with the hype and stereotypes about beauty. As the brand Web site says, "Dove provides a refreshingly real alternative for women who recognise that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes."

Similarly, Twitter provides a refreshingly real alternative for everyone and anyone to have their voices heard in the realm of social media.

Both sides now

To Twitter or not? Here are two arguments for your consideration:

1) Peter Shankman, in his "Help a Reporter Out" evening email on June 24, writes:

"Is Twitter changing the world? Just check out what's up in Iran. Or Dell - Dell computers announced that they had brought in an additional $3 million in sales from their outlet store through the use of Twitter. Pretty cool considering that it appears one person manages that Twitter account for Dell..."

But before being swayed by these exceptional examples, make sure to get some balance with the following:

2) Matt Jones, of Advertising Age, presents his insightful perspective in "Why I Hate Social Media: Because Media Itself Just Isn't That Interesting--Not Even The Social Kind."

All the news that fits

Can The New York Times still be the national newspaper of record? And does that even matter anymore? The paper's motto is "All the News That's Fit to Print." That's much different than today's news model, which seems to be "All the News that Fits."

Take Twitter: 140 characters. That's it. Of course, many people cheat by including links to (gasp!) longer messages. But the whole point of Twitter is to answer the question: What are you doing? To which I reply: Who needs to know? Anyway, now that Twitter has been co-opted by marketeers and politicians, will the public move on to the next cool (and, I hope, lengthier) communications vehicle?

Brevity can be an art. Smith magazine is the self-billed "Creators of Six-Word Memoirs." After asking readers to summarize their own lives in a single sentence, they published the results in Not Quite What I Was Planning. Clever, but not as complete as Ernest Hemingway, who once wrote this telling story in six words, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."

I like a quick read as much as the next guy, but sometimes less is just, well, less. Less filling. Less satisfying. Less engaging. The standard excuse people offer is, "Well, you know, nobody likes to read anymore."

C'mon. People like to eat fried foods, snack on ice cream, drink alcohol, and sit on their butts watching TV. That doesn't mean it's what we should do. Instead, we try to watch our diets, add more fruits and vegetables, cut down on portion size, walk the dog, and get to the gym.

Tweeting may be fun now and then, but give me something worthwhile to read--something I can sink my teeth into--and it will kick around in my head, generating new thoughts and ideas, for years to come.

Info overload, ideas overdrive

The evolution of the Internet to Web 2.0 and beyond has made it that much more useful...and that much more time-consuming. It's almost guaranteed that once I subscribe to an RSS feed, I rarely check it. I never plan to ignore someone I really want to follow, it's just that other things clamor for my attention. And don't even mention Twitter. I'm still wondering who can care that much about what everyone they know is doing at every minute of the day.

This is why I am so enamored of two sites that make it easy for me to get the information I want. Both have relatively simple Web sites. Nothing fancy or Flash-y here, which soothes my content-focused soul. And both leverage their Web presence with push emails to make sure they reach me. Most important, the info they deliver is culled from many places to provide a single source--and great value.

• If you or someone you know is looking for work, especially in communications, check out Ned's Job of the Week. Be sure to sign up for the weekly emails. While I'm not in the market for a full-time gig, it always helps to know who's hiring.
  
  
• If you're interested in being a spokesperson in your area of expertise, or you're doing PR work for clients, check out Help a Reporter Out. Peter Shankman does a fantastic job of sending out queries not once, not twice, but three times a day. If you're looking for press coverage, this is a perfect place to start, allowing you to contact reporters when they want to hear from you--and with exactly the information they're looking for.

And for those of you who are tired of being bombarded with too many tweets or posts or RSSssss, put your brain to work. Maybe you can introduce the next novel way to communicate based on the "less is more" principle. At least I hope someone can.