Maybe you've heard of these tech tools -- but do you know how to use them?
In her newest book Author Beth Ziesenis gives you the what, why and how for dozens of the most critical technology that will help you at work and home. With plenty of screenshots and tons of tips, Nerd Know-How will get you started using the cutting-edge apps that increase productivity, organization, collaboration and awesomeness.
Each of the 27 apps includes screenshots, tips, at-a-glance facts and alternatives. Plus you'll find bonus lists of extra apps that will turn you in to the nerdiest person in the office.
Beth is seeking 200 supporters (she already has raised the necessary money in a very successful campaign... how cool is that?). For as little as $1 you can support her cause (she is at 109 supporters at the time of this blog post), but at the $15 level you will get a copy of the book, and have YOUR NAME listed in the book!!! Come on, show her some love!!! I pledged $15.
Let me tell you more about Beth Ziesenis.... she is a giver and a doer. Everyone in our extended group of "speaker friends" will tell you she takes action and helps her peers meet new clients. She tells her clients about other speakers, and is always available to give introductions, advice and moral support. She is the "REAL DEAL" when it comes to wanting others to be successful. She does not view life or business as a zero-sum games, but instead believes everyone can find their success path.
She calls herself a "Nerd", but Beth is really one of the "Cool Kids". I am excited to feature her as week #124 of "Cool Things My Friends Do". (She was also an early guest on the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" Podcast!!! Check it out).
Gamification is hot topic in the meetings industry. We all want our conferences to be more fun and engaging, and thus mobile apps have become an attractive option to get people playing. When people share experiences they establish bonds, and that is what live events are all about (human-to-human interaction). I am a fan and user of technology, and the right tool can be amazing (I find anytime I am critical of anything "tech" there are those who think I want to return to the horse and buggy.. NOT TRUE). However, if thirty people at a conference of one thousand participants play the mobile app scavenger hunt game, there is some question to whether the utilization of the app is a "rousing success". Several conferences introduce apps for gamification and other purposes, only to have a majority of participants ignore the fun. Many people do not play, and thus it is not a real community activity. Then the organizers use Jedi mind tricks on the audience ("These are not the droids you are looking for") telling the crowd how successful the game has been in creating community. But when people are not playing the game (or outwardly mocking it in the hallways), it is not really useful. The use of technology or gamification are not magical solutions to the age-old issue of getting people engaged while at an event. Community is not something one can force upon attendees... it either evolves at the event or it does not.... and a only a few people playing a mobile scavenger hunt will not impact the overall vibe. Should we not have apps or games at conferences? God no...that is NOT what I am saying. We should use implement technology. We must experiment with new ideas or nothing will ever change. But do not stand up and talk about how great it is when an audience thinks it is a silly waste of time or difficult to navigate. Treat it with honesty and get proper feedback on why people did or did not engage. I recently attended an event where their app was the "star" of the show in the eyes of the organizers..... but the attendees found it hard to use, did not like the registration process, and ignored the games. When I asked people how they liked the app they shrugged. Nobody wanted to admit the app was a flop, but it had no impact on the event. We all miss the boat when we do anything that takes the spotlight off the people in the audience. Falling in love with technology over the the "conference attendee experience" is a mistake that can easily be made when planning an event. Is it not ironic that we ask people to network with each other and then plunge them into their phones at every break? What are your thoughts on conference apps, games, and other shiny new tech? Where are they working... or not working? How will they be better in the future? Have A Great Day. thom singer
Thom Singer is known as "The Conference Catalyst". He works with meeting planners and conference organizers to set the tone for a meeting. His presentations educate, inspire and motivate attendees to engage deeper in the event and make meaningful connections. http://www.conferencecatalyst.com
Each Friday on this blog I enjoy highlighting some of the cool things my friends do in their work and personal lives.
Each year the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texashonors someone in Austin as the "Community Leader of the Year". This year's award went to my friend Joshua Baer. I attended the party to celebrated EF and their award winners, and it was a great gathering of the Austin Start-Up Community. (A highlight of the night was talking to the delightful Amy Baer, Josh's wife...and clearly his better half!). Josh is the co-founder of The Capital Factory, and a serial entrepreneur who is committed to helping others. Since arriving in Austin in 1999 he has been an active part of the local entrepreneurial eco-system. What impresses me about Josh is that he is always willing to meet and chat with any entrepreneur or wanna-be entrepreneur. He never says "no" when it comes to helping those who are pulled toward starting or growing a business. Congratulations to Joshua Baer on being named the Community Leader of the Year. Well done and well deserved. Have A Great Day. thom singer
Trying new things is a great way to grow, learn, and expand your horizons. Plus it can be a lot of fun.
I am a professional speaker who has presented to over 50 audiences in 2010, however all of those speeches were planned, prepared, and practiced. I have never done "Improv", and do not consider myself a comedian. While I use humor in my keynote presentations and training programs, I do not take the stage with the intent of being "funny".
Last night I was asked to participate in a "Battle Decks" competition at the Ignite Austin event. Battle Decks is becoming a popular entertainment component at conferences and other events (especially in the technology arena) where 3 or 4 participants present PowerPoint presentations they have never seen before. The speaker does not know what will come up on the slides, and is given the topic just as the self-advancing PowerPoint deck begins to roll. Some people call it "Power Point Karaoke." It is similar to "Table Topics" at a Toastmasters Club, but with slides and an audiences of hundreds of people.
While I am comfortable speaking to an audience, the unknown of what was going to happen with the visuals aspects of the slides did make me uncomfortable.
Turns out it was a lot of fun. There were three competitors. Two had to leave the room so they could not see the slides before their turn, and then one by one we each presented to the same slide deck (thus the term "Battle Decks"), trying to weave a cohesive presentation while making the audience laugh.
I won the competition (against a guy who is a professional Improv instructor!), giving me bragging rights as the "Ignite Austin 2 Battle Decks Champion" (there was no actual prize). I am not sure if I have to defend the crown at Ignite Austin 3, but I would welcome the chance do do this again.
Three years ago I would never have agreed to do a competition like this in front of hundreds of people and several video cameras (the video will eventually hit YouTube). I would have over thought the possible negative effects of making a blunder and worried about what people might think of my attempts at humor. However with experience comes confidence and having given 150 speeches over the last three years meant it was time to branch out and try something new..
Additionally, I discovered that I can step out of my comfort zone and have fun doing it. Next I think I will take and improv class or do an open mic night at a comedy club!
I have attended almost every TEXCHANGEmeeting in Austin over the last nine years. Yes, I have missed a few, but I was part of the founding board, served as president of the chapter, and have continued on the advisory board of this great group that has made a big impact on Austin's Tech Community. Thus, I can say with authority that this week's meeting featuring best-selling author Gary Vaynerchuk was among THE BEST nights in the history of the organization.
Gary is nationally recognized as a passionate speaker and a person who does not just pontificate about entrepreneurship, social media, and success, .... he lives it!
Over 170 Austin area entrepreneurs and other professionals filled the AT&T Center to listen to Gary share his observations about the continued growth of social media and the effects on marketing.
Gary's background speaks for itself, as he grew his family's liquor store from $4 million to $60 million via his early recognition of how the internet was going to change how we all lived and shopped. He believes the changes are still coming, and is shocked when he consults with companies who have still not realized that the world is undergoing the biggest culture shift ever. Meanwhile more dollars are available, and many companies are not taking the action to win more customers via social online interactions. The realities of the new age are being underestimated and he is driven to help businesses find their way.
However, with all the changes in the interconnected online world, there is a push backward toward old fashioned small town values. Gary stated that our grandparents are better suited to win in the future than many of the younger generations because they understand these basic premises of the personal touch and caring about the customer. (Gary is obsessed with the concept of "Giving a Fuck", as those who really care will win in the long run!!!).
Information is being generated at unprecedented speed and there is a lot more "noise" out there.... thus marketing is about to get really hard. Those who think they can keep marketing the same way are in for a rough road. Google TV will displace the estimated numbers of Neilsen Ratings, and thus show exact numbers of eyeballs viewing any given show (which might not be as many viewers as many people think!). Additionally, when people watch television or read newspapers they now do it with their hands on laptops, cell phones, and other distractions that keep them from viewing the mass media with the attention they did just 10 years ago.
Gary's next book (due out in March 2011) is called "The Thank You Economy" and will focus on his mantra that Brands that out-care their competitors will win in the long run: Manners, birthday wishes, thank you notes, and responding to customers online (think Twitter) comments directly (not ignoring them) are what will have the biggest impact. He challenged the audience that if someone at their table in the dinning room began randomly discussing their company they would join the conversation.... then why in the hell do they NOT do this online? To executives who say "My clients are not there... or don't care" about social media, he says..."NOT YET!".
Vaynerchuk thinks everyone should be layering social media into their marketing plans, TODAY. Even if they are not ready to abandon their traditional marketing, advertising, PR, etc... they need to be moving with social media and not ignoring the coming waves.
Ten years ago if you were talking to your friend about Bud Light while watching TV at home and your doorbell rang with a Budweiser rep on the porch you would have freaked out. Yet today if you Tweet about your Bud Light you expect the company to respond (if necessary or appropriate). Companies must be monitoring the chatter online (and responding) or they are making a huge mistake. ***Take note, if your competitors are listening they might be discovering ways to respond to customer online discussions and win the business.
It is necessary to create a dialogue and build a true relationship in this new world. People are being re-trained in society to expect this type of interaction. As the younger generations have adopted Facebook (and other technology platforms), they have pulled their parents and grandparents in at adoption rates never before seen. The reason the "over-sixty-crowd" is the fastest growing segment on Facebook is this is they way they keep up and communicate with their grand kids.
Those small town values are what make you stand out. He used the example of a "Baker's Dozen" -- pointing out of how the baker in a small town cared about his customers,.... enough to toss in an extra donut. Yet he questioned if we went to Whole Foods and picked up 13 donuts, would they only charge us for 12??? (The answer was "NO").
I have spent the better part of a decade watching and learning from speakers. Long before I became a professional speaker, I studied how some experts can impact an audience and inspire the soul of those who are listening to their presentation (while others fall flat). I observe every reaction from the audience and judge their connection to the speaker. Often it is polite, but not engaged. Gary had them from "hello". He is a pro!
He took Q&A from the audience for over 20 minutes, making extra sure that his answers satisfied the desires of those asking the questions. Then stayed and talked to everyone who wanted one-on-one time for nearly 90 minutes. He was genuinely interested in all he encountered and his passion for people and helping others find their own path to success was evident in the attention he gave to each individual.
The night was a "TOUCHDOWN". (I would have said "HOME RUN", but Gary Vaynerchuk would one day like to own the New York Jets!).
My wife's 70 year old aunt, who is a Catholic Nun and lives in Rome, visited us last week. After getting settled in the guest room the first thing she asked was if we had high-speed wireless. She pulled out her laptop and logged into the server of her religious order in Italy. From our kitchen table she was able to work remotely.
I had the pleasure to be the keynote speaker at a conference for 400 people in the IT Department of a Fortune 500 Company this week. This was not a "tech" company (think food service), but it was amazing to see their dedication to technology and innovation. They are deeply committed to finding ways to make the customer experience better and more efficient. Additionally, the organization has harnessed technology to improve the human interactions of their employees and boost their corporate culture. They accomplish this by developing proprietary technology tools and honoring the power of their electronic world.
I am just old enough to remember the days before technology was pervasive. I recall manual cash registers in some stores when I was a kid (Think of the sound "Cha-Ching"). My first memories of television is 5 stations on a black and white set with "rabbit ears". I lived in the times when mobile phones required the company of a briefcase. And yes, I typed on an Apple LISA and a Commodore 64 (we did not own a computer, but some of my friends with progressive parents had these early models).
I point this out because I believe people around the world are taking technology for granted. The tools we use today have only been around in many ways for about 15-20 years. A lot has changed in that short amount of time. What seemed so magical two decades ago is common place today. The Science fiction of the 1970s and 1980s is standard issue in 2010.
Living in Austin, Texas I have seen a lot of changes in the "tech industry". Now I think we are all in the "tech" business... no matter what we do for a living. All companies are "tech" and that is a good thing.
I see this in my own world as a speaker, author and publisher. New Year Publishing recently launched a new division, NYP Digital Media. The purpose of this group is to help authors (NYP published, self-published, and otherwise) to migrate their products to the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Android, Blackberry, audio CD's,video products, iTunes Store, iBookstore, Nook, and beyond. Writing a book is no longer just about the book, it is about the technology of digital publishing and print!
Take a few minutes to look at all the ways technology impacts your life. If you are even reading this blog post you are right in the middle of it, and I bet you take it for granted, too!
Looking at the changes over the last couple of decades I am excited to see what the next 20 years has in store (I am sure many more things that require a monthly service fee.... grrrrrrr).
My dad was born in 1914. This fall he will turn 96-years-old.
So much has happened in the world in only one lifetime. For most of us, we see the world from our own current situation. We respond to what we witness and create judgments. Humans like to put things into buckets and safely store them away. We often ignore the power of change that is constant.
But when we do that, we miss out on the power of perspective. The situations are constantly changing, and therefore we are about to experience new new things.
The future is coming. Embrace what we have not yet known, and do not forget that the products, services and events around us today will seem different when we look back through 90-year-old (plus) eyes.
The year Dad was born:
The first scheduled airline flight was flown (I wonder if it was late and they lost the luggage?)
Henry Ford introduces assembly line, for T-Fords
Stock brokerage firm of Merrill Lynch was founded
World War I began when Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
The largest one-day percentage drop in the history of Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 24.39%.
Looking back nearly 100 years is interesting... but my dad was my age (44) in 1958. That year:
Sputnik 1 reenters atmosphere & burns up
The Lego company patented their design of Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today. (see, not everything changes!)
1st US satellite (Explorer I) launched
Ted Williams is fined $250 for spitting at Boston fans again (Sounds minor compared to the antics of today's professional athletes)
Inauguration of NASA
PanAm flies 1st transatlantic jet trip-NY to Paris
It is interesting to look at the events the year my dad was born, and the year he turned 44.... but it is important to look at the power of innovation that took place over his lifetime. He has seen amazing things. At the mid-point of his life he must have thought they had gone as far as they could go with technology.
If you think that you are seeing amazing things in 2010... I would like to remind you that "you ain't seen nothing yet!".
But is the world different?
My dad pointed out that while technology changes, people are always the same inside. He has read The Bible (several times), and he points out that the stories of human conflict between nations and individuals translate to modern times. The impulses, feelings, greed, compassion, mis-communications, lust (for sex and power), scandals, and all the other lessons that populate the good book are present in the stories that fill today's media.
My father said that "we have not changed the heart of Man just because the tools we use daily have changed".
This brings us to the importance of people. We are in awe of the technology and innovation, but the real killer app is YOU.
I spent the day yesterday at ProductCamp. While this was the fifth ProductCamp in Austin, it was the first one I had ever attended. I am careful not to commit my Saturdays away from home, as I travel during the week in my career as a professional speaker, but many friends encouraged me to participate.
This is an "Un-Conference" in that the speakers are not pre-determined. Over 50 people submitted proposals to speak, but there is no "speaker selection committee". Instead, the attendees show up and vote in the morning for the speakers and topics they want to hear. About 30 were chosen and a schedule was created. Once in a session, people vote with their feet, if they do not like the speaker, they walk out to go to a different room.
I was honored to be selected to present "Your Personal Brand Is Tied To Your Company". The participants in my session and I had a fun, informative and interactive discussion.
The flow of the presentation took its own direction as people asked a lot of questions and shared their thoughts. There was some division in opinions over the good and bad of being too transparent on social media, but I was impressed with the high level of respect that those with differing opinions showed to each other. There were lots of laughs.
While encouraging participants to look closely at the nuggets of information they got from all the speakers they saw at ProductCamp Austin I blurted out "Go home and look at your nuts" (yes, I meant "notes", but sometimes in a high energy presentation the wrong words gets out of a speakers mouth). It was funny, and the participants and I had continued chuckles with that line over and over and over.
One ongoing conversation in the hallway and on Twitter after the presentation was about generational differences in how much they share online. Some people thought I was too "old school" in my views, but I think we agreed more than we disagreed on the topic. The examples used were too superficial, but my point was that while making mistakes is part of life, sharing EVERY mishap could hurt your reputation. I did not mean never share anything, but why give people reasons NOT to hire you in the future.
Example above --- I am cool sharing things like the mistake of saying "nuts" instead of "notes". It was as mistake, but it did not hurt my personal or professional brand (did it?)... and it was really funny to everyone in the room! In fact, some could argue it makes one more human and approachable when you share harmless faux pas.
But there are other things people share on the internet (sex, drugs, politics, crime, dis-respect, hate-speech, etc....) that are hurting their chances at employment, client engagements, and other relationships. Plus if your employees are doing these things it can harm you company's brand. One participant shared that HR Departments conduct searches looking for reasons to eliminate people from contention for jobs over things online that could later embarrass the company.
My message was to think things through. I don't buy into the argument from younger professionals who say "it does not matter" to their generation, as in 20 years these types of things will make no difference to anyone. While society always gets more accepting over time, some things could come back to haunt you later in your career.... thus one should be cautious and careful.
When I was in college 25 years ago there were not cameras and video cameras on every cell phone (here is a shocker... nobody had cell phones!). Thus we were not recording each and every thing we did (THANK GOD). The times are different and the tools we use to communicate are different, but that does not mean people should not think about this topic of personal brand and the long term ramifications!
I think the organizers of Product Camp Austin did a great job. I will certainly attend again. The next ProductCamp in Austin will be January 15, 2011. If you live in Texas, save the date!
In the spirit of BarCamp, ProductCamp is a collaborative, user organized unconference, focused on Product Management and Marketing topics. At ProductCamp there are no "attendees," since everyone participates in some manner: presenting, leading a roundtable discussion, helping with logistics, securing sponsorship, setting up wifi, or volunteering. ProductCamp is a great opportunity for you to learn from, teach to, and network with professionals involved in the Product Management, Marketing, and Development process! From ProductCampAustin experience, it is understood that everyone has something they can teach and everyone has something they can learn.
While the original ProductCamp was in Silicon Valley, California, we in Austin, with inspiration and leadership from Paul Young, think we've done a good job of maintaining that participant-centered, creative and fun style, but are expanding ProductCampAustin into a more comprehensive scope. ProductCampAustin conducts several ongoing event series - the original ProductCamp format, and two Austin originals, ProductPotluckAustin and ProductPartyAustin. Planning is underway for other means of building and serving a following around ProductCampAustin. Call it a brand, community, experience or whatever, ProductCampAustin is "the place" for active, novice and experienced Product Managers and Marketers to develop their craft, learn from each other, network in meaningful ways and have a lot of fun.
I have submitted a possible presentation for ProductCampAustin:
Your Personal Brand Is Tied To Your Company
As an early stage entrepreneur you cannot separate your brand from that of your company. People are watching you and judging your business based on the reputation you bring to the table, and the actions you take along the way. Your network is a key tool to expand the success of your business. Many early stage entrepreneurs and their key team members get so busy working on their product or service that they ignore the people who could help them succeed. All opportunities come from people. Those who do the best job of establishing honest, long-term, and mutually beneficial relationships will find people lined up to help them succeed. But if you do not invest in others, they will not care about helping you.
The Austin Tech Happy Hour has become a "MUST ATTEND" event. If you have never been... you should check it out this month's special gathering at Buffalo Billiards on Thursday, February 18th.
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM.
If you CLICK HERE you can get your tickets for a discounted price for the readers of The Some Assembly Required Blog ($5.00 instead of $7.50...you save $2.50).
This month is a special event around the Sprint 4G Network. When the Austin Tech Happy Hour organizers, Bryan and AngiMenell, heard that Sprint was rolling out 4G service in Austin, they knew it was something that everyone would want to check out. For years people have been talking about how great WiMax was going to be, and now it’s finally here. For more about the neat things you can do with this technology, check out the story on AustinStartup.
They thought the best way to let you see, feel, and touch how cool this stuff is was to throw a happy hour with Sprint as quick as they could put one together. They’re going to have various demonstration stations available to show you how it all works, and what a dramatic difference 4G can make in your work and recreational lives.
I am a big fan of the iPhone. I got mine last summer and have often proclaimed publicly that the iPhone is the greatest invention in the history of the world (my wife still believes that honor goes to fire or the wheel.... whatever, she does not yet have an iPhone,).
I was not sure at first that my phone would have a ton of "Apps", as I was unsure of the purpose of most of the ones I saw my friends downloading. Now I have those same ones I thought were silly. Today I was lost trying to find the location of my San Antonio lunchtime speech, and the iPhone got me back on track. I told the kids that daddy's iPhone was not a toy, and that we would not be downloading games. Well that lasted a week... now it is full of games!
But today I want to tell you that my book, "Batteries Not Included: 66 Tips To Energize Your Career" is now available in the Apple Store as a fully downloadable app.
Just search "Batteries Not Included", and for $2.99 you will have all the tips from the book right on your phone. It will even bookmark your place so when you return to read more you can pick up where you left off.
It is fun to have my book on the iPhone. I hope you will check it out. More books coming in this format very soon!!!
