Ben Smith, the leader of Social IRL, is one of the most valuable and generous members of the Kansas City Social Media Community.  His hard work and dedication delivers outstanding and valuable educational content via hosting social media conferences in our region.

Ben attracts and brings globally-recognized social media thought leaders to Kansas City (that's no understatement).  On February 9th, Social IRL hosted Valeria Maltoni, a foremost digital media authority and author of Conversation Agent (one of the the most consistently ranked top 30 global marketing blogs on the Ad Age Power 150).

Important Note: You can access my unformatted Google Docs notes from the February 9th Social IRL conference by clicking this weblink.   Please inform me in the comments or tweet me if you have access problems.

Here are my five (5) takeaways from Valeria's outstanding and thought-provoking presentation.

1. Understand and Determine the Organizational Focus 

Start With Your Organizational Focus.  You have to pick the organizational capability or competence that will drive and differentiate your company's brand and business outcomes:

• Apple: Innovation
• Virgin: People
• Procter & Gamble: Research and Development 
• Coca Cola: Distribution

Valeria demonstrated how organizational focus impacted each company's share price.  And, the data showed how executing that focus is linked to long-term financial performance.

2. Focus on Your Brand Promise

Valeria defines a brand as:

"The sum of promises, promises kept, and the unbounded expectations market."

Delivering and Executing the Brand Promise are Crucial.  Why?  The stock price represents public trust / confidence in your brand.  And, that public trust / public confidence determines the discount or premium to "trade" with individual consumers.  Higher consumer trust / confidence means a higher premium for your company's goods and services.

Or, it can reflect a lack of trust / confidence.  See the stock price performance of Yahoo, Microsoft, or Eastman Kodak.

3. Prioritize and Focus on the Differentiating Brand Asset(s) Driving Your Consumer Trades

Brand Assets are Your Unique Consumer Trade Currency. The digital age redefines the brand assets most valuable to individual consumers before, during, and after the point-of-sale.  The Internet's real-time speed coupled with one or more of following brand assets is a killer combination:

• Reputation
• Knowledge / Information / Data
• Relationships
• Influence

Ticketmaster Prioritized Knowledge / Information / Data.   Therefore, organizations need to pick the brand asset they will focus on for their unique trades with individual consumers.  For example, Ticketmaster focused on knowledge / information / data to better inform consumer decisions (i.e., local-centric information, fan reviews, personal buying history suggestions, etc.) by making that brand asset easy to share (i.e., Fan Reviews are easily shared with a single-click via Twitter or Facebook).

Financial Outcome:  Each "share of information" results in a $5 increase in incremental revenue.

4. The Unmet Social Media Opportunity: Empowering Individual Consumer Filters and Feedback Loops 

Consumer Filters, Feedback and Intent.  Valeria defines consumer intent as:

1. Providing the right information at the right time when someone is making a decision (and that decision may or may not be a "buying decision")
2. The consumer's perception of value inherent with the brand promise
3. How the consumer defines the "wisdom of the trade" (i.e., was the time spent gathering information / data a worthwhile investment)

Therefore, influencing how the consumer defines the "wisdom of the trade" is vitally important.  This is why brands need to focus on consumer "filters" and "feedback loops":

Consumer Filters:

• Culture
• Language
• Values
• Beliefs
• Attitudes
• Expectations
• Intentions

Consumer Feedback Loops:

• Evidence
• Relevance
• Consequence
• Action

5. Ford Motor Company Case Study in Leveraging Brand Assets, Filters and Feedback Loops 

The Ford Case Study.  Valeria believes brands need to do more in making individual consumers more influential.  We still don't do enough here.  

The process for making consumers more influential can be systematically achieved (e.g., there is a process):

* First, prioritize, and focus on the business problems most vital to your organization.  Example: When Scott Monty became head of social media for Ford Motor Company, he focused on corporate reputation.  This brand asset choice was particularly important when the entire auto industry came under fire for receiving government bail-outs.  

Ford leveraged social media to permeate the strategic position that it was the only domestic automaker who chose not to receive receive government financing.  

See this example of how Alan Mulally, CEO, positions Ford as different from other US automakers because Ford is "requesting access to bridge financing just in case something bad happens" versus "receiving direct government assistance."  (see 2:26 to the end of this video).

* Second, after addressing #1, pivot your social media marketing strategy to focus on consumer filters and feedback loops that can grow a product / service:

Increase the Influence and Reputation of Your Influencers (see 1:39 to 2:52 of this video describing Ford's succsssful Ford Fiesta Social Media Campaign):

* Third, continue actively demonstrating "we're listening, we're listening, we're listening."  Watch how Scott Monty and Alan Mulally work together in answering and responding to consumer tweets.  It's a brilliant public relations play:

Conclusion

Hear from Valeria Herself.  A HUGE shout-out to Eric Mellin and Robert Madison of Spiral16 for publishing and sharing this great interview with Valeria on the Spiral16 Blog.

Other great Social IRL presentation content included:

• Jake Jacboson (Social Media Manager, Garmin): Let's Get Personal - How Your Brand Can Benefit -- Fantastic Job Jake, You The Man!
• Jeff Schultz (Partner, Armstrong Teasdale): Who Owns You - Content in an Interactive World
• Larry Levy, (Co-Founder & CEO, Appinions): Influence and the State of Influencer Theory
• Austin Lytle (Social Business Strategist at Spredfast): Do I Really Need a Social Media Command Center?

Ashley Mahoney's SocialIRL Recap.  Check out Ashley Mahoney's blog post, Social: IRL Conference in a Nutshell.  She does a great job summarizing key points from other presentations I didn't address in this post.

Important Note #2: My lack of notes during specific presentations wasn't due to a lack of interest (far from it).  During the conference, I received an important client email requiring immediate action (so I missed some of the presentations).

That meant piecemeal, back-of-the-room listening (i.e., Kevin Magee, Director of Sales at Expion, shared some great insights on the current / future implications of localizing and managing social media marketing efforts but I was unable to take detailed notes).

Link to Photo Credit by Paul Downey via flickr

The Premise / Goal / Timing of This Weekly Feature

Premise.  If you like the content in this blog, you may like the type of content I regularly read and study on the Web.

Goal.  On a weekly basis, I'm going to publish links to three (3) articles I find interesting.  I'll include a brief summary with some bullet points explaining why I think the content is worth consuming.  

Timing.  I'll publish this content every Wednesday / Thursday. 

This Week's Three Evernoted Articles 

1. The Real Way to Build a Social Network (Fortune / CNN Money):  This article is absolute gold. This book excerpt from Reid Hoffman's upcoming book, The Startup of You, provides insights into the networking philosophy of LinkedIn's founder.   I've wish-listed his book in Amazon so I can download the Kindle version immediately upon it's February 14th release.  

Hoffman bases his networking philosophy two (2) basic principles: 

* See the world from the other person's perspective -- putting yourself in another person's shoes is the first step to developing an honest connection

* Think about how you can collaborate with and help the other person versus thinking about what you can get out of the relationship -- your first move should always be "how can I help."

2. The $1.6 Billion Woman, Staying on Message (The New York Times):  I'm a huge fan of Facebook's COO, Sheryl Sandberg.  In my opinion, she deserves just as much credit (or more) as Mark Zuckerberg in transforming Facebook into an advertising revenue juggernaut.  

I find this article interesting because it emphasizes her multi-faceted role at Facebook:

* Sandberg is the public face of of Facebook.  She's Facebook's corporate amabassador to Wall Street analysts, thought leaders at global forums such as Davos, global government leaders, and global brands (i.e., she's one of the few global corporate leaders who's been to Bentonville, Arkansas twice).

* She's the driving force in recruiting and mentoring top talent at Facebook (especially women).

* She's publicly stated her views about furthering the professional interests of women in Corporate America (particularly Silicon Valley and the technology industry).

The last point is especially intriguing because Sandberg's recently received criticism for expressing her views on the success of women in the workplace.  And, the critics are women.

3. Zuckerberg Remains the Undisputed Boss at Facebook (The New York Times):  The corporate governance structure Facebook currently has in place gives Facebook's CEO and Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, extraordinary control over his company (even though it will soon become publicly traded):

* He holds more than 25% of the company's stock.

* His voting power with those shares (due to various agreements with other investors) grants him voting control of 60% of the company's shares.

* The article gives context to how Zuckerberg's control of company stock compares with Microsoft's Bill Gates and Google founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, when their respective companies went public:

• Microsoft: Bill Gates controlled 49% of company shares
• Google: Brin and Page controlled 16% each of the company shares (for a total of 32%)

Your Feedback Please!

I'd like to experiment with this type of post for the next two to three months.  Let me know what you think (especially if this idea sucks):

• How can I improve the value of these weekly posts?
• Is my initial timing choice for publication okay with you (e.g., middle of the week versus the end of it)?  If not, please tell me.
• What content are you reading?  Please share your links with our community in the comments section!

Link to Photo Credit by Andreas Cappell via flickr

A resounding theme of content marketing strategy focuses on creating compelling and remarkable content to solve your audience's problems.  Genuinely helping someone by sharing content, knowledge and experience without shilling your own products or services is not only differentiating but also rare.  

That's why solving without shilling is an unmet need and first step in building a trustworthy and credible online reputation.

LinkedIn Answers: One-To-One Trust Building

Building a Reputation Requires Focus and Prioritization.  Investing one's time and knowledge over multiple social platforms is part of active social media participation. Therefore, prioritizing and allocating time becomes even more important if the goal is to build a go-to reputation in a particular subject or industry.

LinkedIn Answers: Overlooked and Underrated.  LinkedIn Answers is an overlooked and underrated platform in earning individual trust and building credibility.  For better or worse, the Internet is a medium powered by buzz around "bright and shiny objects."   What's was yesterday's Delicious.com is today's Pinterest.

An Unmet Need: Helping Others Help Themselves.  LinkedIn Answers provides opportunities and benefits in helping an individual person address his/her problem. That's why participating in LinkedIn Answers presents a HUGE opportunity to build one-to-one trust.

How to Get Started in LinkedIn Answers

1. In your LinkedIn Home Page, look under the "More" Tab:

 
2. Click on "Answers." You should now see this screen:

3. Click on a category / topic you find interesting.  You can choose a topic in the Recommended Categories or you can browse all topics found on the right-hand side of your page:

4. I frequently review the questions under Recommended Categories.  Click one of those links to see "Open Questions" posed by LinkedIn members.  

Let's see what open questions are available under "Internet Marketing:"

5. Next, choose the questions you can answer really well.  In step #4, I clicked on the question titled: "In your experience, do you think that an impressive blog will take the place of a formal website?"  

The individual Q&A screen for that question looks like this: 

6. Click on the yellow "Answer Button."  The next screen that pops up provides a field where you can write up and submit your answer.  You also can include hyperlinks to web pages supporting your answer.

5 Benefits of Participating in LinkedIn Answers

1. Increasing Your Personal Credibility, Authority, and Visibility. LinkedIn Answers is a great place to start to increase your online visibility and authority in a specific industry or subject.  Following through on a daily or weekly goal to answer questions in your chosen categories. 

2. Earning Expertise and Trust Via Best Answer Designations.  LinkedIn Answers is a great example of gamification.  LinkedIn members posing questions have the option to award Best Answer Designations.  Best Answers are social proof personified. And, earning them is fun and motivating! 

3. Gaining New Social Media Followers (i.e., Blog Subsribers, Twitter Followers, etc.).  Every time you answer a LinkedIn question, you share insights about your knowledge.  Take advantage of this personal branding opportunity!  Crafting and submitting thoughtful LinkedIn Answers (without blatantly selling) is a proven inbound marketing tactic for promoting a personal brand or your organization's products / services.

4. Earning a New LinkedIn Connection -- Validation From The Person Asking a Question.  Why?  Because, you earn that person's individual trust.  A person posing questions on LinkedIn Answers will usually evaluate both your answer and your LinkedIn Profile (especially if he / she found your response helpful).  The quality of your answer determines if you receive an invite to join his / her network.

5.  Earning a New LinkedIn Connection -- Validation From The People Who Answered the Same Question.  Why?  Awarding of a "Best Answer" promotes friendly competition among the respondents.  Remember, the answers are public to all LinkedIn members.  Therefore, the people who who answer questions on LinkedIn Answers are also evaluating both your answer and your LinkedIn Profile (especially if you are awarded the Best Answer). If you impressed one of the responders, you may receive a LinkedIn invite from him / her also.

Conclusion

Daily Monitoring and Answering of LinkedIn Questions.  I monitor opportunities to answer LinkedIn Questions everyday.  My daily personal goal: answer one (1) question that I know I can provide a really good answer.  However, that doesn't mean I answer one everyday.  I answer only questions when I know I can provide strong and differentiating responses.  LinkedIn Answers supported with facts, additional hyperlinked resources, and a confident tone are killer!

New Learning Opportunities.  If I'm unable to answer a question with a differentiating answer, I move on. But, here's the learning opportunity:  I continuously identify areas for new growth opportunities.  When there's a great question I know I can't confidently answer, I record it in my idea book to start Evernoting and studying articles to fill that gap. 

A 15-Minute Daily Process Generating Huge Personal Brand Returns.  Monitoring the conversation and answering selected questions on LinkedIn Question & Answers literally takes 15 minutes.  

1. Is there a process for efficiently monitoring LinkedIn conversations in Questions & Answers?
2. What exposure can a LinkedIn Answer provide beyond the LinkedIn Community?

Answer to #1.  Yes.  That's the subject of Post #4 in this series (scheduled publication: next week).

Answer to #2.  Your LinkedIn Answer can achieve national / global exposure because it may get published in a branded, global, online publication.  That's the subject of Post #5 in this series (scheduled publication: two weeks from this post).

Thank you.  And, please return for Post #4.

Photo Credit by Nan Palmero via flickr

I started using and paying for Evernote when Yahoo signaled its intent to "sunset" its Delicious Bookmarking services in December 2010.  Since then, I've curated roughly 1000 articles and other content items in Evernote.  And, the number continues growing. 

I often share this content on Google+ or Twitter.  But, the real-time speed of these information streams makes locating content an oftentimes fleeting exercise.  

The Premise / Goal / Timing of This New Weekly Feature

Premise.  If you like the content in this blog, you may like the type of content I regularly read and study on the Web.

Goal.  On a weekly basis, I'm going to publish links to three (3) articles I find interesting.  I'll include a brief summary with some bullet points explaining why I think the content is worth consuming.  

Timing.  I'll publish this content every Wednesday / Thursday. 

This Week's Three Evernoted Articles 

1. (Bloomberg Businessweek) Amazon's Hit Man: Larry Kirshbaum was the ultimate book industry insider -- until Amazon called:  Describes how Amazon, Jeff Bezos, and Kindle-Nation are completely disrupting New York City's publishing dynasties.  And, how Amazon recruited Larry Kirshbaum, a well-connected, influential, and veteran of the New York publishing machine.

• Kirshbaum saw this publishing revolution coming (looks like around 2005).
• Direct article quote from a successful author: "Publishers are selling drinks on The Titanic."
• Article demonstrates how Jeff Bezos is cut from the same cloth as Steve Jobs as both a strategic visionary and an as a shark-like competitor.

2. (The New York Times) The Bookstore's Last Stand: The timing of this article's publication signals an ongoing public relations battle between Amazon and the New York City publishing dynasties.  This piece positions Barnes & Noble as the last major ally the major publishing houses have against Amazon.

• Publishers fear that Barnes & Noble store may become just cafes and digital connection points.
• Barnes & Noble commands 27% of the eBook market.  Amazon holds a commanding 60%.
• A Telltale Sign: The company plans to eliminate the dedicated sections for music and DVDs within two (2) years.

3. (TechCrunch)  Why Every Entrepreneur Should Self-Publish a Book:  A great article by James Altucher.  Altucher goes into great detail  about the many lessons he's learned both as a self-publisher and as an author who's  worked directly with the aforementioned publishing houses.  

The entire thesis of his article is "to pick yourself." His how-to commentary covers a lot of ground:

• Why self-publish than use a traditional publisher
• Why entrepreneurs should self-publish
• How does one go about self-publishing (the insights on createspace.com ROCK)

Your Feedback Please!

I'd like to experiment with this type of post for the next two to three months.  Let me know what you think (especially if this idea sucks):

• How can I improve the value of these weekly posts?
• Is my initial timing choice for publication okay with you (e.g., middle of the week versus the end of it)?  If not, please tell me.
• What content are you reading?  Please share your links with our community in the comments section!

Link to Photo Credit by Andreas Cappell via Flickr

• No More Resumes, Say Some Firms
• Your Resume Vs. Oblivion

Both articles highlight relevant trends in personal brand differentiation and demonstrating digital strategy / digital marketing expertise.  

Bottom Line.  Becoming an expert is one thing.  Demonstrating that expertise online to a potential client or employer is another.  Because, it doesn't matter if you're trying to earn a digital marketing or social media marketing position or another position in an unrelated industry.  

Either way, your online presence must be FINDABLE and HUGE.

Clients or Employers Conduct Online Due Diligence 

Is Your Online Presence Visible or Invisible?  Clients and employers use online search and social networks in hiring evaluations.  Key themes emphasized in both Wall Street Journal articles included:

• How The Internet Reinforces a "Show-Me-What-You-Got" Mindset
• Why Clients and Employers Want to Understand How You Think
• Too Many Job Candidates / Self-Proclaimed Experts, So Little Time
• How Employers / Clients are Using the Internet Evaluate Talents and Skills

Your Online Activity Represents How You Think.  Your resume does not.  The opening paragraphs of the No More Resumes, Say Some Firms article reinforce this growing notion especially among employers:

"Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst.  Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm—which has invested in Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga and other technology companies—asked applicants to send links representing their "Web presence," such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Applicants also had to submit short videos demonstrating their interest in the position."

"Union Square says its process nets better-quality candidates —especially for a venture-capital operation that invests heavily in the Internet and social-media—and the firm plans to use it going forward to fill analyst positions and other jobs."

"Companies are increasingly relying on social networks such as LinkedIn, video profiles and online quizzes to gauge candidates' suitability for a job. While most still request a résumé as part of the application package, some are bypassing the staid requirement altogether."

"A résumé doesn't provide much depth about a candidate, says Christina Cacioppo, an associate at Union Square Ventures who blogs about the hiring process on the company's website and was herself hired after she compiled a profile comprising her personal blog, Twitter feed, LinkedIn profile, and links to social-media sites Delicious and Dopplr, which showed places where she had traveled."

"We are most interested in what people are like, what they are like to work with, how they think," she says."

 
Rage Against the Machine

A Two-Front War: Other Candidates and the Company's Online Applicant Tracking System.  The accompanying WSJ video shares why optimizing a resume for keywords is vital.  Your resume can be unfairly weeded out by a machine's keyword algorithm (even with internal referrals). 

Show Clients and Employers Differentiating Content 

Show Me, Don't Tell Me.  This excerpt from Adam Singer's September 2011 blog post, How to Start a Career in Social Media, bears repeating.  The excerpt validates the WSJ article Union Square Ventures example (direct quote from Adam's blog):

"A friend of mine Eric Friedman tells the tale of his job interview with renowned VC firm Union Square Ventures in New York. During a pivotal second round interview Eric sat down with one of the partners, Brad Burnham and presented his resume. Brad told Eric to hang on to it as he just wanted to chat. When Eric pressed him as to why, Brad responded with something remarkable which went like this: “You can work really hard on crafting a well written, organized, resume with bullet points of accomplishments – but you can’t fake 500 blog posts.” On the web, it’s “show me, don’t tell me.”

Courage, Creativity, and Dedication Produce Differentiating Content.  David Meerman Scott wrote this great blog post titled, Courage.   He states the hardest part is starting:
 

"The tough part is the courage both to begin and to sustain the content creation effort.'
 

Do The Work.  Publishing great content lurks inside all of us.  Here are some examples David suggests pursuing:

1. Writing (i.e., a blog, eBooks)
2. Doing Videos (i.e., how-two, reviews)
3. Shooting Photos
4. Creating Infographics (i.e., visualizing data)
5. Speaking

Conclusion

Start It and Ship It.  In 2012, I'm focusing on additional writing not only via this blog but also through creating and publishing a promotional eBook.

It's time to start.  I've mapped out enough ideas.  

And, I have to have the courage to see what happens.

Additional 2012 calls-to-action for execution and experimentation:

• Publishing mindmaps about how I approach a problem / story
• Shooting and publishing videos (as part of my book reviews in this blog and in my Amazon book reviews)
• Networking with social media thought leaders by meeting them face-to-face

Becoming a Thought Leader Requires Courage.  You can't hope someone picks you.  You have to pick yourself.  But, self-proclamations aren't enough.  You have to do the work to back up that claim.  

Therefore, achieving this goal requires more effort.  And, I'm reminding myself to focus on one thing at time.  

Because, starting is everything.

Your Turn.  How are you going to show your expertise / your art to a potential employer or client?  How are you going to differentiate yourself among the masses?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.  And, I hope you'll return next week for Part 3.

Thank You.

Link to Photo Credit by striatic Via flickr

"There's a distinct difference between perceived expertise and acquired expertise."   -- Tom Jenkins, Social Media Club Kansas City

I remember Tom's insight 2+years ago during a small breakfast meeting at La Peeps Restaurant in Overland Park, KS.  Our discussion centered around the burgeoning cottage industry of books and seminars touted by self-proclaimed social media experts, gurus, ninjas, and evangelists.  

More importantly, his statement summarized both the opportunity and barrier to entry for people pursuing social media as a profession or as a credible vehicle for personal reinventions beyond a current job description.

I remember asking if he copyrighted this wisdom.  He said no.  But, he smiled and said if I ever use his quote,  I should assign him credit and attribution (which I hope I did here).  

Because I knew I'd reference his statement in a blog post someday.  That day arrived. 

The Inspiration for This Post

On January 20th, I read this Forbes.com article, Want to Become Known as an Industry Expert?  3 Tips to Get You Started.   Here's screen shot of one part of the article:

First, This IS NOT a Bash-the-Author Piece.  It's quite the opposite.  Please read the entire Forbes article because Cari Sommer (the author) offers valid advice on building one's online credibility, reputation, and visibility the right way.

Second, This Post Describes Why Cari Sommer Is a Great Example of Personal and Professional Reinvention.  Cari Sommer transformed her professional career and trajectory by reinventing herself into a bona fide communications expert and entrepreneur.  A major portion of this post explains why I believe she's a credible and successful expert in her field. 

Third, It's About My Cynicism Towards The Great Pretenders and Their Self-Proclaimed Expertise.  I respectfully take issue with the literal interpretation of "calling yourself an expert."  Why?  There are hundreds of thousands to millions of self-proclaimed experts with no content or experience to substantiate their claims.   

Check out these Google results on these infamous keyword phrases:

• "Social Media Guru" = 2,160,000 results
• "Social Media Evangelist" = 1,090,000 results
• "Social Media Expert" = 1,060,000  results
• "Social Media Ninja" = 281,000 results

Based on this quick analysis, I wonder if:

• There really are that many people who can credibly make those self-proclamations?
• "Ninjas" have a better long-tail chance of being found via search than "Gurus"?  
• "Evangelists" and "Experts" are interchangeable titles (give or take wading through 30,000 results)?

Expertise Is Earned, Not Self-Proclaimed

Ms. Sommer's Provides and Shares Credible, First-Hand Expertise Earned From Her Personal Experiences.  I buy-in to Ms. Sommer's generously shared advice on building a solid online reputation and positioning oneself as a social media expert (or an industry expert).  It's credible and emphasizes a learn-by-doing attitude:

• Self-publishing content on social media channels (i.e., a blog, LinkedIn industry groups, etc.)
• Attending and speaking at industry conferences
• Identifying and building relationships with industry bloggers and journalists
• Pitching one's expertise to the industry influencers

But, The 3.5 Million Self-Proclaimers Haven't Practiced or Applied Any of Ms. Sommer's Advice   The sad fact is so few have consistently performed (or even attempted) any of her recommendations over the long haul.  Why?  Because, the advice she imparts requires major time investments in:

• Focus
• Practice
• Patience
• Experimentation
• Creativity
• Hustle
• Hard Work (aka Malcom Gladwell's Rule of 10,000 Hours)
• Commitment

Want to Be Really Good at Something?  Invest 10,000 Hours.

Malcolm Gladwell on 10,000 Hours.  Here's Malcolm Gladwell in a CNN interview describing the significance of the 10,000 Hours Rule (timestamp 2:30 to 4:00):

Ms. Sommer Earned Her Expertise -- She Didn't Just Proclaim It.  An influential, global media organization like Forbes didn't just hand her an outstanding personal branding opportunity because she proclaimed her industry expertise.  

Unlike the aforementioned millions of great pretenders, she:

• Earned this gig by executing her own advice
• Earned her position as a communications expert through professional experience 
• Earned her expertise by being relentless (e.g., she wasn't afraid to fail)

And, if she hasn't already invested 10,000 hours to achieve her current success, I bet she's committed thousands of hours just to reach this point in her career.  Why? Because at some point in her 10,000 hours, she confronted and fought through The Dip. 

See these excerpts from her Forbes Contributor bio and her communications consultancy homepage.  She made it happen.  She didn't just proclaim expertise.

A Case Study in Personal and Professional Reinvention

Ms. Sommer Reinvented and Transformed Herself Into a Communications and Public Relations Expert.  Look further down her Forbes Contributor biography.  She professionally reinvented herself from being a former litigator at an international law firm to becoming an entrepreneur and CEO of her own communications consultancy:

Where's The Cari Sommer's Substance?  You can study it first-hand in this CBS News.com video.

Conclusion

I wish more people like Cari Sommers had the substance and experience to back up the "I'm An Expert" claim.  Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be so cynical.  

I look forward to her future contributor articles in Forbes and other media sites.  Until then, I've started following her on Twitter because I want to continue learning from a bona fide expert.

Photo Credit by John Hritz via Flickr

Advertising Age published the following article on January 12th:  Julie Roehm Resurfaces in Senior Marketing Post at SAP.

I started following Julie Roehm's marketing career when Fortune Magazine profiled her in its August 2005 article: Yahoo's Brilliant Solution.  As Chrysler's Director of Marketing Communications (at that time), she clearly understood online advertising's emerging impact as a necessary and vital part of a brand's multi-channel marketing strategy:

(Direct Quote from the Fortune Article): "Here's the scary part: Roehm rarely misses a chance to talk about how delighted she is with online advertising. Last year she spent 10% of the budget online; this year she is allotting closer to 18%; next year, she says, she will allocate more than 20%. Do the math: In 2006 roughly $400 million of Chrysler's money that used to go into TV, newspaper, and magazine ads will be spent on the Internet. Says Roehm: 'I hate to sound like such a marketing geek, but we like to fish where the fish are.'"

A 34 Year-Old Marketing Executive Publicly Declares a $400 Million Bet on Digital Marketing ROI. Wow!  Here's a gutsy, young, rising, marketing executive superstar who's publicly stating her $360 million and $400 million bets to achieve digital marketing ROI in the next two years!  Not only did this quantitatively trained University of Chicago MBA convince a highly conservative executive management team to think and invest differently but she also commanded their $2 billion global marketing budget.   

And, Ms. Roehm achieved this with an uprecedented style and flair.   

Fast Forward to After a Highly Publicized Departure at Walmart in December 2006. After numerous high profile promotions and industry accolades, Ms. Roehm abruptly found herself at a personal and professional crossroads. Starting in 2007, her short tenure as a Senior VP of Marketing at Walmart was her last full-time, executive marketing position for the next five years.  

While looking for her next opportunity, Ms. Roehm started her own marketing consulting practice. And, to say she encountered daunting challenges and setbacks during this time is an understatement. A July 2009 Fast Company article, Behind the Rebranding Campaign of Wal-Mart's Scarlet Woman, and a Fortune Magazine "Where Are They Now" segment discuss her obstacles in regaining a full-time executive position during that five-year period.  

She wanted back in the C-suite.  But, as articulated by Fast Company, Corporate America wasn't willing to take on "damaged goods."

How Did Julie Roehm Recover and Reinvent Her Personal Brand? 

The Governing Question.  And, here's how I will attempt to answer it:  

• Examine how Ms. Roehm leveraged social media technologies to reinvent her personal brand
• Offer my opinion on her multi-channel social media strategy and individual channel tactics
• Conclude why I think her move to SAP fits from a social media perspective

What This Post WILL NOT Attempt.  A lot of content exists online about Ms. Roehm's departure from Walmart.  I couldn't avoid it while conducting the research for this post.  

Therefore,

• I will not rehash any of that online content and provide my personal opinions on it
• I will not pass any personal judgment on Ms. Roehm in relation to that online content

If you're looking for a sensationalistic piece, please click to a different website / blog. Because, you're wasting valuable time by staying here.

If you're interested in answering the previously stated governing question, I hope you'll please stick with me for just a little while longer ...

1. Roehm Crafted a Personal Social Media Strategy First

It's About Focus.  Here's a great article illustrating this point from one of my favorite social media authorities, Lee Oden of The TopRank Online Marketing Blog.  He cites Ms. Roehm as one of "the 40 friends, colleagues, and others," he consulted for advice on this topic.  Here's her direct quote from Lee's post:

A Home Base Personally Branding Julie Roehm.  juliearoehm.com is her personal website where she controls every positioning aspect of her personal brand:

• Brand Persona Attributes: C-Suite Executive, Marketing Expert, Smart, a Likable Personality
• Targeted Buyer Persona: C-Suite Executives in Marketing, Branding, and Public Relations
• Target Industry Expertise: Retail, Financial Services, Automotive, New Media

Online Assets Focusing on a Cohesive Brand Message.  And, she showcases these personal brand attributes by delivering and linking a cohesive and consistent marketing message among each of these online, personal branding assets:  

• Her Personal Blog: "I'm an authority who publishes insights on marketing strategy."
• Videos (especially from Fox Business News): "A major news network has me regularly comment because I'm a marketing strategy authority."
• The Julie Roehm Twitter Feed: "I read, study, and share interesting content on marketing strategy."
• LinkedIn Profile: "I've held several marketing strategy authority positions or consulted for large organizations as a marketing strategy authority."

A Multi-Channel Hub and Spoke Model with Both Long-Form and Short-Form Context.  The multiple channel strategy executed here is worth highlighting in this age of real-time streams via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+:

1. The Marketing Pull.  Her website, blog, and videos contain the long-form context demonstrating her expertise to the target audience.  These online properties give her the runway to provide more details and examples of why she's a bonafide marketing authority in her target industries.

2. The Marketing Push.  Her LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter contain the short-form context to share content she's provided on her "pull assets" (i.e., a recently published blog post or tweeting an article link relevant to a specific industry or area of marketing expertise).

2. Roehm Leveraged Online Video to Her Advantage 

The Julie Roehm Personal Branding Killer App.  Ms. Roehm leverages online video brilliantly.   These videos demonstrate her personal strengths as well as different views of her personality:

• Articulate and Smart
• Subject Matter Expert
• Thinks Quickly on Her Feet 
• Confidence: e.g, she knows this stuff cold
• Humor: e.g., she pokes fun at herself and doesn't take herself too seriously

Plus, notice how each video positions her as one of the following:

• Julie Roehm, Consumer Analyst and Marketing Expert
• Julie Roehm, Marketing Strategy Consultant
• Julie Roehm, Marketing Expert

* Example: Leveraging Online Media in Branding Strategy

CATFOA 2011 - Julie Roehm 2.28.11 from Ech03 on Vimeo.

Additional examples from Fox Business News highlighting Ms. Roehm's diverse expertise in multiple industries, public relations, and branding strategy.

Note: I provided the Fox Business News videos this way because (1) Fox doesn't allow the use of video embedding in external sites and (2) The URL in one of the videos produces funky-looking "duplicates" on my published blog post.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

3. Roehm and Her SAP Senior Marketing Executive Colleagues Share a Common Ground: Think Like a Publisher 

Both Her New Boss and a Senior Marketing Executive Colleague Self-Publish a Blog and Use Twitter.  Ms. Roehm, her new boss, and one of her senior marketing executive colleagues agree on an important aspect of a global brand's marketing strategy: self-publishers win in social media.

How can I make that type of a statement?  Her SAP senior marketing executive colleagues also actively self-publish online content:

• Jonathan Becher, SAP's Chief Marketing Officer: Manage By Walking Around Blog
• Michael Brenner, Senior Director of Global Integrated Marketing: B2B Marketing Insider Blog

And, during the interviewing process, I'm sure Ms. Roehm showed this online content portfolio to her SAP colleagues to make the case for her knowledge, expertise, and creativity in executing a successful social media strategy.  

Thinking Like a Publisher Means Creating "Show-Me" Content.  Ms. Roehm started actively blogging in March 2009 and opened her Twitter account in May 2007. That's given her significant time to create, publish and build a sizable online content portfolio.  To her credit, she aggressively self-published content for the past five years to position herself for senior marketing executive positions.

Conclusion

In the July 2009 Fast Company article cited earlier, Ms. Roehm made the following observation:

"She now ranks cultural fit -- geographic and corporate -- at the top of her list, adding that her 'aggressive-aggressive' personality, as she describes it, doesn't jibe with the 'passive-aggressive' politeness of the South. 'I wanted to be able to show that I can adapt anywhere, I can do anything. The thing I learned about myself is that I'm not a full-on chameleon, and there's nothing wrong with that."

I have no knowledge of SAP's corporate culture.  But, I do know these three (3) things after analyzing her personal social media strategy:

1. Julie Roehm maximized her online personal branding opportunities.  

2. She strategically self-published content that's tactically distributed via multiple social media channels.

3. Her content delivered and reinforced a consistent brand message highlighting her marketing strategy capabilities and expertise.

Did her online activities alone win her this new professional opportunity?  Of course not.  

But, her online content strategy significantly contributed to winning her new senior executive postion at SAP.  I look forward to tracking Ms. Roehm's progress because she's always been someone to watch.

And, I wish her good luck.

Photo Credt by Alyssa L. Miller via flickr

Sony will release the DVD for Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, on January 10, 2012.  The 2011 film recounts how Billy Beane, the Oakland A's general manager in 2002, employed sabermetrics statistical analysis and research in his player evaluation and acquisition strategy.

Moneyball's Unsung Hero: Bill James.  Mr. James is the creator of sabermetrics who now works as a Senior Adviser of Baseball Operations with the Boston Red Sox.  His self-published Baseball Abstracts from 1977 to 1988 influenced Billy Beane's decision to operate on a different competitive dimension: identifying undervalued and overlooked talent from non-traditional baseball metrics (i.e., on-base percentage) and data analysis versus traditionally accepted baseball scouting methods and metrics (i.e., batting average).  

However, the 2011 film makes only passing references to Mr. James.  Fortunately, Michael Lewis's book on which the film is based provides a chapter titled "Field of Ignorance" sharing:

• Bill James's Background (e.g., he wasn't always affiliated with the Red Sox)
• Why / How He Questioned Conventional Baseball Talent Evaluation
• His Motivations as a Writer

Inspiring Lessons in Leading, Self-Publishing, and Questioning Conventional Wisdom.  James inspires me as an aspiring blogger because of how he started and cultivated the influential and powerful sabermetrics tribe before the benefits of the modern-day Internet.  And, he continues leading via his work at Bill James Online and several published books.  

His determination, passion, and resourcefulness resembles how today's bloggers, entrepreneurs, consumer advocates, or leaders of a cause now cultivate influential online tribes by:

• Questioning and disrupting the status-quo establishment 
• Self-publishing to spread ideas (i.e., social media: blogs, social networks)
• Writing about and sharing what moves you
• Leading a tribe that flourishes into an industry-wide movement
• Ignoring the limits of a "current" full-time job description

1. Write About What You Love 

You Can't Fake Passion.  The Bill James Baseball Abstracts are famous for their quality and quantity of statistical analysis and data.  But, more importantly, James made this new form of baseball knowledge interesting and accessible to all passionate, hardcore baseball fans.  

And, his love of writing and baseball is why he explains both the science and art of sabermetrics better than anyone.  That's why Bill James is the sabermetrics authority.  Here are direct quotes from Moneyball (the book) describing his passion for both writing and baseball:

"I think about baseball virtually every hour of my life."

"I'd probably be a writer if there was no such thing as baseball, but because there is such a thing as baseball I can't imagine writing about anything else."

"I learned to write because I am one of those people who somehow cannot manage the common communications of smiles and gestures, but must use words to get across things that other people would never need to say." 
 

Emotion Drives Content Development.  If you love writing about your subject, readers know it. Readers sense it. In my 2011 recap post, I shared how I struggled regaining my blogging and writing rhythm after my daughter's birth in August 2011. 

Adam Singer defines it best in Lesson #18 from his post: 50 Blogging Lessons To Know If You’re Starting Today:

"If it doesn’t move you emotionally, don’t write it (realize emotion is relative – it doesn’t have to move every member of your audience, but if it moves you then you’ve done it right:  it’s going to impact someone else that way too)."

2. Write Because You Love It (Not to Get Paid for It) 

For Bill James, It Was Never About Getting Paid.  Daniel Okrent interviewed Bill James for this May 1981 Sports Illustrated article: He Does It By The Numbers.  Here's a direct quote from the article explaining how money was NOT THE motivating factor to self-publish:

"The first Abstract, in 1977, sold 75 copies, at $4 a copy.  In 1978 sales edged up to all of 325 copies.  Undaunted, James slogged ahead, checking the boilers, working on his numbers and producing editions of the Abstract.  Sales passed 600 copies in 1979 and 750 last year, but the readership, while small, is enthusiastic, and James has become something of a cult figure.  Esquire magazine assigned him to do season previews, and he even received an order of for the Abstract from Norman Mailer, which left James, a literary hero-worshipper, feeling both honored and abashed.  He sent Mailer a copy but returned the writer's check.  Mailer sent it right back with a note saying, 'If ever an author earned his five dollars, you have.'  The price has climbed since then (to $13 for the 1981 edition), but James has yet to break the $10,000 barrier.  'It's been discouraging." he says, 'but not as discouraging as having to get out of bed in the morning and go off to work.'"

How Are You Going to Monetize Your Blog?  One of my closest and most trusted friends posed this question when I started blogging two years ago.  My response: "I don't know, yet."  

But, after publishing 100+ posts, I know now.  I Plan Making Zero Money (Ever)

Do It For Love.  If you love it, you'd do it for free any way.  Blogging benefits my mind the way exercise benefits my body (and between you and me, I need to increase the latter especially after the holidays). 

Ask these questions about whether or not you really love blogging or writing:

* Are you willing to invest the significant time required to research and write individual posts either before or after putting in a full-day's work at your "real-world" job (and usually at a time when the rest of your family is asleep)?

* How much do you enjoy commenting on other blogs to build relationships and add to the conversation?

* Are willing to confront and push through The Dip after the initial excitement of starting your blog ends (i.e., around the first six (6) months?

* Is getting paid how you'll ultimately measure or determine whether or not you're a successful writer or blogger?

Discipline, Conviction, Belief, and Courage.   If you answered "No," "I don't or not a lot," "I'm not," and "Yes" to any of the aforementioned questions, invest your scarce, valuable, free time in something else.  Why?  Because, blogging or writing is a long haul endeavor.  Individual discipline, conviction, belief, and the courage "to consistently put yourself out there" drive the long-term outcome. 

3. Lead a Tribe by Expressing YOUR Point-of-View

Because That's The Unmet Opportunity.  James's research and scientific sabermetrics analysis challenged major league baseball's conventional wisdom in player and talent evaluation.  But, it's his writing and unique point-of-view (e.g., his art) that distinguishes him as THE trusted sabermetrics authority (aka The Sabermetrics Tribal Leader).

Here's a direct quote from  Moneyball (the book):

"But once again, the details of James's equation didn't matter all that much.  He was creating opportunities for scientists as much as doing science himself.  Other, more technically adroit people would soon generate closer approximations of reality.  What mattered was (a) it was a rational, testable hypothesis; and (b) James made it so clear and interesting that it provoked a lot of intelligent people to join the conversation."

A Tribal Leader Lurks Inside Us All.  Study this Ted Talks Video from Seth Godin.  In February 2009, Godin introduced his ideas on Tribes.  His points describe how James built and led his tribe.  And, how the same leadership opportunity is available to all of us:

• 6:50 to 12:09 - The Concept of Tribes and Leading One that Becomes a Movement
• 12:10 to 14:17 - Heretics Look at The Status Quo & Say I Don't Like It
• 16:00 to 17:27 - The Common Traits of Tribal Leaders
  1. They Challenge Everything
  2. They Build a Culture
  3. They Connect People to One Another
  4. They Commit to The Cause

4. Define Yourself Through Your Art (Not Your Full-Time Job)

A Former Night-Watchman Became Major League Baseball's Foremost Authority in Scientific Sabermetrics Analysis and a Senior Adviser of Baseball Operations With the Boston Red Sox.  When Bill James started self-publishing the Baseball Abstracts, he worked full-time as a night-watchman in a Stokely Van Kamp pork and beans factory in Lawrence, Kansas:   

(From Moneyball (the book) "It was while guarding Stokely Van Kamp's pork and beans that James stumbled seriously into putting his thoughts down on paper, in response to having things he absolutely needed to say that he was unable to convey any other way."

(From Daniel Okrent's Sports Illustrated article) "Later, he worked for a time as a boiler attendant--a watchman of sorts--in a food-packing plant in Lawrence, which turned out to be an ideal job for James. 'I'd spend five minutes an hour making sure the furnaces didn't blow up,' he says, 'and 55 working on my numbers.'"

An Entire Industry Catches Up 25 Years Later.   In this now-famous interview segment from 60 Minutes, Mr. James commented about how major league baseball executives didn't take him and sabermetrics seriously because he was a night-watchman.  But, 25 years after publishing his first Baseball Abstract, The Boston Red Sox hired James as Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations in 2002.

And, The Boston Red Sox ended an 86-year championship drought by capturing World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007.

Technology and The Internet Don't Care About Your Current Job Title.  Anyone reading this blog post has the same opportunity to lead, influence, and access a global audience.  In the following interview, Seth Godin states the case for why technology levels the playing field:

* Your Laptop Is The 21st Century Factory (0:40 - 1:56).  Now, you own the means of production. But, the driving question is what are you going to do with your laptop to make something that changes the world?  That "something" could be:

• A Web Page or Website
• A Blog
• An E-Commerce / Online Retail Site

* You Can Globally and Directly Connect (2:17 - 3:54).  The Internet enables your global connections to promote your work and do business (and vice versa).  Marketing is no longer a game of who shouts loudest.  It's a game of competing for and earning "the whisper-time" of your target audience in their social networks.  

* You Can Spread Ideas Via Social Media Connections (3:55 - 4:58).  Developing these connections (or knowing people who have them) is vital.  Why?  Because, social media influencers determine: 

1. The ideas that get a head start
2. The ideas that spread 

It's Our Turn To Lead.  We’ve all got something inspiring inside of us.  Share it in your blog, your column, a self-published eBook, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Google+.  

Start blogging. Start writing. Start creating. Start self-publishing.  

Start Questioning Conventional Wisdom.

Start Leading.

And, don’t look back.

Link to Photo Credit

I loved reading the January 1, 2012 New York Times article by Claire Cain Miller: Google Bases a Campaign on Emotions, Not Terms.  Her article explains Google's distinctive philosophical change towards marketing and advertising.  For Google to acknowledge investing more time and resources to actively promote its products and services stands in stark contrast to the image of "cold engineers" hating anything related to marketing, advertising, or public relations as described in Ken Auletta's great book, Googled.

Why Google Reinvented Its Marketing 

"A Remarkable Transformation."  What's driving this "remarkable transformation for Google" as noted in the article by Peter Daboll, chief executive of Ace Metrix, a firm that evaluates TV and video ads?

Ms. Cain Miller's article cites two business drivers:

Finding New Revnue Sources Beyond Search Ads.  Google needs new businesses like the Chrome browser and the Google Plus social network to succeed.

Focusing, Paring Down, and Integrating Google's Offerings.  This is part of Larry Page's mission as CEO to pare down Google's product offering and make these products more attractive, intuitive, and integrated with one another.

Does This Sound Like The Voice of a Cold Engineer?

Marketing Emotion.  Even more revealing is that Google acknowledges both a change in marketing strategy and increased advertising investment.  Here are two direct article quotes from Lorraine Twohill, Google's vice president for global marketing:

"As we got bigger, we had more competition, more products, more messages to consumers, so we needed to do a bit more to communicate what thse products are and how you can use them."

"If we don't make you cry, we fail.  It's about emotion, which is bizarre for a tech company."

Sounds Like Marketing From the Heart.  But, make no mistake Google still bases its decisions on rigorous, fact-based data analysis. And, the article further describes the significant data analyses and testing that went into planning its first Super Bowl commercial (e.g., dozens of tests) and a 140-tab spreadsheet used in location planning for Google Zeitgeist (the company's annual conference for it's biggest advertisers).

Don't Pitch. Tell a Story.

The Google Video Advertisements Cited in the New York Times Article.  The article mentions the following successful advertising videos because Google uses storytelling versus product pitching.  I've pulled them all together in this post.

It's Not About Features and Benefits.  Notice how we can all relate to each of these stories.  In particular, the two (2) Google Chrome videos mention nothing about Chrome as the world's fastest web browser.

These stories are moving, emotional, and entertaining.  What's their emotional impact on you?

• Parisian Love: The 2010 Superbowl Ad
• Dear Sophie: Google's Advertisement for Google Chrome
• Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory: Another Google Chrome Advertisement
• Circles Love Story: Advertisement for Google+
• The Muppets Rock Out in a Google+ Hangout: Advertisement for Google
• Search Stories: An Introduction

Photo Credit via Flickr by thepinkpeppercorn

2011 was an important year for this blog.  A few months ago, I published my 100th post. And, each post represents an opportunity to learn, improve, and experiment.

Social Media ReInvention Blog's Most Popular 2011 Posts

1. Public Relations Strategy: Integrating Digital and Traditional Patient Advocacy Tactics

2. 5 Competitive Advantages in Studying Real-Time Marketing PR by David Meerman Scott

3. HubSpot 2011 State of Inbound Marketing: Long Live Blogs!

4. The Business Value Behind Social Media: Part 6 - Disaster Recovery & Crisis Communications

5. Tom Peters' Personal Branding Lessons, Part 1: Why YOUR Blog Matters

6. 8 Takeaways from Mashable's Mondern Media Agency INFOGRAPHIC

7. 7 Reasons to Study Newsjacking by David Meerman Scott

8. LinkedIn Today Personalizes News With Your Social Graph

9. The New York Times: Self-Appointed SEO Police?

10a. LinkedIn's Maps: A Cool Way to Visualize & Understand Your Professional Network

10b. Using LinkedIn to Land on Google's Front Page

This Blog Continues Steadily Building Credibility 

Inbound Links Citing Social Media ReInvention Blog.  Inbound links from high Google authority sites included:

• Tom Peters Media Sightings Page (the author of In Search of Excellence)
• PR Newswire (for the post I wrote on digital PR strategy and patient advocacy)
• SEOmoz (for my post on the use of blogs in inbound marketing)
• Webbiquity B2B Marketing Blog (for my post on Wal Mart's social media mistakes)

Comments / Citations From Bloggers in the Advertising Age Power 150.  These bloggers included:

• David Meerman Scott (David left several comments. Here's one from my Newsjacking book review).
• Mitch Joel (Mitch wrote a nice comment in my Six Pixels of Separation book review)
• Adam Singer (Adam left a nice comment in my post about blog commenting and online reputation)
• Adam Singer (Adam also cited some of my blog comments in his February and May posts)
• Valeria Maltoni (Valeria mentioned my name and posted my tweet in one of her posts)

Here's a screenshot from Valeria's post: You do That, Too and the tweet cited in her post:

A Life Changing Event in August 2012

And, She Weighed in at a Happy and Healthy 6 Pounds, 9 Ounces. From mid-August to early November 2012, I literally dropped out of sight from any new blog posts or social media participation (you may or may not have noticed).  The birth of my daughter is the reason why.  My wife and I also have another daughter who's seven (7) years old.

Our family grew.  And, we are so blessed.

But, Little Blessings Can Be Mentally and Emotionally Consuming. Fatherhood with a newborn is both humbling and rewarding.  You learn quickly how sleep deprivation makes it difficult to construct a coherent thought or sentence.  

It took four (4) months / early November to start feeling normal, productive, and effective.

The Epiphany: Blogging Really Makes Me Happy

A Newborn Quickly Imposes Prioritization (Whether You Like It or Not).  During that four-month time frame, I realized I couldn't maintain my past routines in working on this blog.  And, that frustrated me a lot.  

I Missed the Process.  I felt something missing.  And, I had to keep reminding myself this sacrifice and setback is temporary.  

I missed everything about the writing and blogging process:

• doing the research
• recording ideas / thinking of an inital angle
• mapping out a post's structure on paper
• typing / revising the drafts
• learning what content readers responded to

Putting Things in Perspective.  Valeria Maltoni shared Stephanie Booth's post on Google+ titled: Measuring a Blog's Success: Visitors and Comments Don't Cut It.  After reading this piece, I revaluated why I invest the time and energy into this endeavor:

• It's to share something I really care about
• It's a great way to practice writing (which is important in my full-time work)
• It's introduced me to interesting, smart, like-minded people 
• It's not to make money (because I make no revenue from blogging)
• It makes me happy

Yes, It Makes Me Happy.  And, I hope the time you spend reading my blog makes you happy (or makes you feel like it's time well-spent). With each new post, I hope you feel the content is improving.  

And, I hope you'll continue sharing the content with others.  When something I write is shared on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, I'm always surprised (and humbled). 

Thank You.  Thank you indulging me in sharing a memorable year.  Thank you for subscribing to this blog and sharing its content with your social network connections.  And, thank you for sticking with me when I temporarily dropped out of sight.

Here's to a safe, healthy, and happy 2012 for all of us. 

Photo Credit via Flickr by Sam Churchill