The Council of PR Firms (CPRF) (of which TVG has been a member for many years) offers a lot of value to its membership, but surely one of the best is the Harvard Leadership Program they offer each year. Dr. Ashish Nanda teaches the program. He is research director and professor of practice at Harvard Law School.

The opportunity to get away for a couple of days to think is a luxury for many of us, yet it may be one of the most critical things we do.

Dr. Nanda uses the learning by “case method and discussion” model, and I never fail to come away with a notebook full of new thinking about our practice and on a larger scale, about life.

One of the case histories this year was “The Parable of the Sadhu” which tells the story of a group who are on a 60-day hike in the mountains and villages of Nepal, when they encounter a dying Sadhu—or holy man. How they react as a group and as individuals makes for an interesting study in human behavior.

Do the goals we set for ourselves, outweigh everything that might get in the path of achieving those goals? What is our individual and our group responsibility to a person in need? Do we know how we would react if presented with a similar problem? Would we be satisfied with how we did react, or surprised by it? When do we take a stand? And, what stand do we take?

One of the things that I truly enjoy about my job is the variety of people and projects that I get to work with on a daily basis. I always have to laugh when friends ask me what my “typical day” at work looks like, because I rarely have a day that is typical. While I am a big fan of project schedules and task lists (one look at my desk would give this away), things don’t always go as planned and when a client calls with a request, sometimes you have to jump in and help. I like to call it organized chaos.

One of the project teams I am currently a part of has been tasked with developing the copy for a variety of marketing tools – Web site, brochures, print advertisements, etc. I’ve always enjoyed writing – that is until I run into the dreaded writer’s block. (This morning I think I spent a half hour trying to finesse two sentences.) So, I’ve taken a brief break to draft this blog post hoping that a switch in topics will get the brain waves flowing again.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been faced with this dilemma, nor am I sure will it be the last. I have a few strategies that usually help. I know it’s kind of unusual, but I have never been able to work well in silence. In school, I was that girl who went to the quiet library to study armed with headphones and an iPod. I’m the same way at the office. If I really need to focus and get something done, I put in the ear buds and start working. (Which reminds me; I really should let my cube neighbors know when I have headphones on. There have been several one-way conversations that have occurred because they don’t know I’ m not listening. Sorry Kanna and Phil!)

This recent episode got me wondering what other tricks and tactics people use to break though writer’s block. Do you try to work in a different location? Use a pen vs. typing on a computer? I’m sure there are lots of different strategies out there. Your thoughts and input are greatly appreciated!

Last month I attended the World-of-Mouth Marketing Association’s conference, WOMM-U. I joined other marketing and communications enthusiasts to collaborate on social media and hear about some great campaigns from Disney, Texas Instruments, WalMart and many more. We also heard from YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and other key social media platforms. Overall, it was an informative and collaborative two days…and where better to do it than pool-side in sunny Miami!

Instead of providing a long synopsis on some of the lessons learned, I wanted to share a few of my favorite tidbits and tweets from presenters and attendees.

I hope these tidbits get your mind going about interactive marketing and social media within your organization. For more of a wrap-up from WOMM-U, visit their conference Web site.

The social media realm has really taken media’s center stage over the last 12 months. With the boom of Twitter and growth of social networks among older demographics, companies everywhere are not only starting to take notice, but they are making room in their budget for social media programs.

What WOMM-U demonstrated was companies are also starting to understand the unique qualities of this medium, especially the need to put some of the control into the consumer’s hands. The common mistakes of controlling the conversation over the past few years seems to be fading and companies are truly embracing the conversations…and it is paying off for their business!

You can follow someone on Twitter, request friendships on Facebook, and now you can Glympse™  your friends and family. What is Glympse™ you ask? It’s a new technology that allows you to send “Glympses” to your friends and family letting them know where you are at any time, in any place. It’s a mobile location-sharing program that can be downloaded to your phone, but only if it’s a T-Mobile G1 phone, for now. The program should be available soon to other leading smartphone devices, like the Blackberry®.

Once you download the Glympse™ software onto your phone, you can send people a Glympse™ for a certain period of time, meaning they will either be able to tell exactly where you are for those five seconds that you allow, or they can track you on a map for up to four hours, but it is ultimately up to the sender. The recipient of your Glympse™ does not have to download the program in order to follow you or see where you are currently located. As a recipient, you would be able to see information such as, what street the driver is on, what his/her speed is, as well as traffic conditions.

The makers of Glympse™ are marketing their product as a way to let your co-workers know that you’re running late for a meeting, let your friends know you are running late for the baseball game or let your family know you made it to your destination and that you’re OK. They even have a YouTube video on their Web site explaining the simplicity and usefulness of Glympse™. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have both praised this product as an efficient way to get in contact with co-workers, friends and loved ones, but they also note the level of “creepiness” in the Glympse™ program.

As if Facebook status updates and tweets aren’t enough, now you can send someone your exact location as they follow you on a map until you reach your destination? Talk about an invasion of privacy.

My question is this: when will it stop? Just last night at dinner my friends and family were discussing one of my friend’s obsession with constantly updating her Facebook status, but her mom argued it let her sleep better at night knowing where her child was at all times. “She might not call like she’s supposed to, but with Facebook, at least I always know what she’s up to,” she said. Maybe she’s right.

Will Glympse™ simply ease the worrying minds of parents with teenagers and the spouses of business-travelers, or will it be cause for ex-significant others and nosy neighbors to stalk you? I’m not sure, but I do know that our society is changing, and in a world where stalking someone online is kosher… I ask again: will it ever end?

I recently returned from a three-day trip to Orlando. No, there was no theme park visit and although it was 89 degrees and sunny, there was no golf either. I was in Orlando for the National Association for Government Communicators (NAGC) expo and communications school.

It was a tremendous opportunity to meet new people, see what they are doing for communications, learn a little and talk face to face. I can honestly say I would never have met some of the folks who attended the conference, if I had not been there in person.

In this communications age where we live and die by email and cell phones, it was very refreshing to have a one-on-one conversation that wasn’t over a conference call line. I met some very interesting people and learned that we may be able to partner with them on a project or two in the future.

Those simple conversations turned into new business opportunities. In this economy, what business couldn’t use a few new contacts?

I will likely be returning to the NAGC expo next year in Washington, DC. This time, I hope to present during one of the seminars. I encourage everyone to rethink their travel budget in 2009; it could net you some business that might otherwise have passed you by.

It seems like over the last month or so the news has been dominated by stories about social media. Ashton Kutcher reaching 1 million followers on Twitter, Oprah joining Twitter, Facebook making changes – the list goes on and on.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a little social media detox. I have enough things in my life to worry about already without adding updating my Facebook page to the list. I’ve actually heard a person tell a friend to delete a digital photo that was just taken because “it was not Facebook-able.” (Pardon if that is misspelled, but I’m not even sure if it is a word!?!)

Not to completely write off social media – I do enjoy keeping in touch with friends and I have learned a thing or two from recommendations provided via social media outlets. It has also provided companies and organizations the opportunity to really connect with their customers and create communities. I just think some people have taken it to the extreme.

Case in point – CNN.com recently posted a story titled “Five Clues That You Are Addicted to Facebook.” Not going to lie, I laughed when I saw the headline, but after reading the story it seems that this is a legitimate problem for some people.

You can read the entire article for the full story, but to summarize, here is what CNN listed as the “Five Clues That You Are Addicted to Facebook”:

1. You lose sleep over Facebook.

2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook.

3. You become obsessed with old loves.

4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook.

5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in a cold sweat.

I would write some more commentary about the issue, but I need to go check my Facebook page.

If you’ve ever been to a conference or trade show, you’re almost always asked to drop a business card in a bowl to win a prize. It’s the tried and true way to generate some new leads. Those tactics may be changing with the advent of social media.

I recently attended the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) expo in Orlando. I tried something new at the TVG booth. I pulled out my iPhone and tweeted that I would be giving away a brick of St. Louis-based Bissingers chocolate to the first person who stopped by the TVG booth on the show floor.

Turns out my original tweet went a bit “viral.” Someone I’d never met before, Glenn Batuyong from the Unified Port of San Diego stopped by my booth after seeing my twitter post. He had not been following me, but saw the tweet on the NAGC twitter site, which picked up my post.

Glenn in turn tweeted about winning the chocolate and posted a picture of the chocolate, the flash drive he picked up with TVG information and our crisis communications brochure. You can see the picture at http://twitpic.com/3upu8.

One of Glenn’s followers, the Social Media Guide then retweeted about Glenn’s post. In the span of about three hours, my followers, NAGC followers, Glenn’s followers, the SMG followers, even TVG followers saw my original tweet and Glenn’s tweet. That adds up to nearly two thousand people. Not bad for a few minutes work in between conversations at the booth.

To quote from Glenn’s tweet, “Marketing over Twitter works!” I couldn’t agree more.

Follow Andy on Twitter: @TVGmediaguy

Following the fallout from Domino’s employee gross-out video, a renewed buzz was sparked online about employees and social media. Should companies block social sites, have guidelines on social media use, limit employee interaction with customers online? What about ban, limit or mandate the use of still and video cameras, or the cell phones that contain them?

All of these concerns are valid but simply focus on the negative; I’d prefer to discuss the positive. How can companies use social media to engage with employees? Forget about the public for a minute- and let’s focus on your employees – the group who should be your biggest asset, not your biggest liability.

No doubt there are employees engaging with social media, not only for personal use but as a representative of your company. Just do a quick search on Facebook or Ning and you’ll find hundreds of groups dedicated to employees for various companies: airlines, Best Buy, EBay, and my favorite Who Killed the Bear? a network for former Bear Sterns employees providing support for each other’s job searches. They are sharing their stories, news, complaints and questions.

Instead of just monitoring or trying to control (and inevitably stifle) these public conversations, why not build a new private conversation where you can truly engage with your workforce?

As public communication transforms with social media, companies should also transform their internal communications. A social platform on an intranet allows a company to hear grievances, build culture, share news and discuss possible changes without the fear of public fallouts, leaks of sensitive information or damaged reputations.

At TVG we work with clients to build social networks on their intranet and create their own private social network and discussion board where employees can interact with all levels of management.

Your employees will probably still log in to their public network of choice to connect with fellow workers, but don’t leave that as their only option for communication. Instead of waiting and worrying what workers might say about your company online, create an opportunity to join the discussion, engage with your employees, solve problems, answer questions and improve productivity with a valued workforce.

Businesses continually strive to develop awareness of their products, services and key messages. Whether through door-to-door sales, cold calls, e-mail messages or personal meetings, business development aims to increase awareness and establish relationships.

In the current economy, networking and personal interactions may be more important to business development than ever before. Strong employee networks can help increase awareness of your company. Here are some tips for how to make networking work for you.

1. Create a targeted strategy. As any good chess player knows, tactics without strategy might accomplish advancement, but it may not provide the best path to continue on. Identify which types of organizations and events employees will enjoy while providing connections to persons you want to know about your company. A focused approach to networking ensures participation in relevant professional organizations by the most appropriate employees. Strategic networking decisions with consideration of individual employee interests and personalities can be a smart investment of time and money for your organization.

2. Research potential organizations. Research industry-related organizations and regional committees to learn about their goals, activities, and required time and monetary contributions. Determine their meeting dates and times and create a listing where employees can sign-up to attend.

3. Actively engaged employees embrace networking opportunities. When one member demonstrates enjoyment and benefit from belonging to an organization or attending an event, other attendees feel their enthusiasm and are more willing to speak with them. Be sure that your employees enjoy their professional organizations. If they don’t, perhaps you can recommend another organization that is more up their alley.

4. Social networking is important too. LinkedIn and Facebook are two of the most popular networking tools that not only create connections between friends and family, but also provide insights into extended networks of colleagues and business partners. Employees who list your company’s name on their profile helps increase awareness with others they are networked to. Your company should ensure that if it is listed on an employee’s social profile, that the employee represents the
company in a positive manner consistent with the company’s values.

5. Encourage community involvement. Personal community involvement of employees helps them meet people and network through social circles. Employees who are excited to contribute to their own communities are an excellent form of word-of-mouth and awareness of their company.

If you’re trying to increase awareness of your company, networked employees can be great building blocks. Best of luck utilizing these tips to engage your employees and increase your networking opportunities. If you need help devising a community engagement strategy with networking initiatives, please contact us at tvg@vandivergroup.com.

There are a few quotes on my office walls. I thought it would be interesting to share them with you, and perhaps start a dialog about how words influence the ways our brains work, the way our emotions react and the way we make decisions based on those words.

One of my favorites is in my line-of-sight from my computer monitor.

1. It is by Peter Drucker as he was talking about Knowledge Work. “What are the expected results from this work?” and the subheading I have on this sheet is “Manage your actions, not your stuff.”

While I didn’t source any of the quotes when I wrote them down, I think this was referenced in a book either by David Maister or David Allen.

On any given day, the clutter on my desk supports the theory that I’m not that proficient at managing my “stuff,” but I’m still a work in progress.

The next two quotes are actually taped to the only painting that hangs in my office. The painting is a watercolor print of sailboats lined up in front of what seems to me to be a row of Mediterranean row houses facing a body of water. One of the houses is orange. My old office had an orange wall. This painting doesn’t match so well here, but I have a passion for sailboats…so it stays. But I digress.

2. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” This was written by Anthony Robbins.

This one pretty much tells it like it is. And while my default on this is to see the negative version of this: ‘you’ll get what you have coming to you,’ the inverse sentiment is also true. Find success. Rinse, wash, repeat.

3. “You are what you think about all day long.” This quote is sourced to Dr. Robert Schuller and under it I noted the “Law of Attraction: you will attract into your life whatever you focus on.”

I prefer #3 to #2. Again, direct and to the point, Schuller doesn’t spend a lot of time and words talking about the impact. He simply continually impresses on me that I have to change my mind.

So my random questions: (now that we’re taking comments, we can actually converse about this!)

a. What do you think of my quotes?
b. What are some of the words you live by?

My all-time favorite quote is by an as-yet-unpublished-author named Kelly Ferrara. And I have this printed on my business cards: “It is hard to see the ripples when you are the rock. Our words and actions have an impact, so choose them carefully.”