Thoughts for Comrades

Shopping Online & Getting the Best Deal

2012-08-08T19:16:00.000-04:00

I do a lot of shopping online. My family would probably say I have a bit of a problem because a package seems to arrive for me everyday from somewhere. I really need to get a P.O. box to avoid an intervention.

Anyway, when I shop online I do a lot of research to find just what I want at the best price. So I wanted to pull together a few thoughts that might come in handy for your online shopping escapades.

Searching for the best price - When I first begin my search, I visit Bizrate to get a baseline for what the price landscape might look like for a particular item. This site scrapes the web for all the places the product is being sold and gives you a price range. I then visit the brand's website directly, do a quick drive-by on Amazon and then do a quick search on Ebay. You'd be surprised at the price range that exists for some products. Getting the lowest price isn't hard if you do your research.

Getting Ideas - If I have something in mind that I want but don't have a brand or design in mind, I will visit Pinterest for ideas. Just enter what you are looking for in the search bar and ideas will be presented to you immediately. It is also a great way to see the latest looks.

Finding Something Unique - I love to have cool things that no one else has. I really get a kick out of someone asking where I got something. And more often than not, when this happens it is something that I bought on Etsy, a online marketplace for handmade and vintage items. If you are looking for unique household items, one-of-a-kind jewelry or other accessories, you have found your home. The site is quite addictive, but can also be inspiring. If you don't find exactly what you want, there is likely a seller on Etsy who will make it custom for you.

Enough blogging for now, back to some online shopping. Let the games begin!

The Return of Susan E - I'm back!

2012-08-03T19:37:00.000-04:00

I started this blog nearly a year ago and only did a handful of posts before letting it fall of my list of priorities. But I'm on my way back from Blogher and feeling a bit inspired so I am going to try and give it another go.

Speaking of being on my way back from Blogher, there is a woman sitting next to me playing a video game with no headphones and it is loud. No one will say anything to her, so I am just sitting here taking it. From my days in the airline business, I know that people can pretty much lose their mind on a plane, not to mention their sensibilities. Common courtesy often goes out the window and damn those people that recline their seats! Sometimes I wish the flight attendants could just hand out big pink slips that read "violation"at the top to publicly embarrass some of these fools. I'll have to do that if i ever own my own carrier:)

So my first Blogher was a pretty cool experience. Lots of fascinating women from all over the world and with an endless array of interests. Granted some of them were really wacky, but most were people you'd want to get to know better. I was probably most fascinated by the dedication many of them have to their blogs. Some even said they are "addicted" to posting. I wish I could develop that habit. I always thought having a blog seemed like a good outlet, but the bug never quite bit me.

As look at starting up again, I still am a little stumped at what I will write about. I have a bag full of products from companies that attended blogher with the hope of getting some conversation going surrounding their wares, but I'm not certain that is the way I want to go. If I do, it will certainly be products that I am truly interested in. Probably not the latest teeth-whitening options and I don't think I'll be writing about the vibrators they gave out. Seriously! I couldn't stop laughing, but I happily accepted it. Some of my more "adventurous" friends will be proud.

Anyway, I will keep thinking and posting. It will come together somehow, someway.

What Improv Class Taught me About Life & Work

2011-07-17T17:02:00.000-04:00

As a former Midwesterner, living in the south has always been a challenge. Grasping the mild-mannered, southern way of doing things had always eluded me. It wasn’t as simple as being sure that you said the requisite “yes ma’am” or added a “Ms.” or “Mr.” in front of a person’s first name. There was so much more to it and the best way I can describe what makes you successful is using the art of “polite disagreement.”

In the Midwest, practicing “polite disagreement” would probably not allow you to achieve your intended result and people might even consider you a pushover. In fact, it wouldn’t matter whether you were negotiating who’s turn it was for the swing on the playground or determining what approach to take for launching a public relations campaign for a Fortune 500 company, the end result would probably leave you high and dry (and in the case of the playground scenario, maybe even beat up).

Bottom line, you always had to stand-up for yourself, tell them what you want and make it happen on your timeline. This approach worked well for years. People around me had always been impressed with my “get it done attitude,” but in the south I became known as a “bull in a china shop.” It was a label that I hated. No matter how hard I tried to change my approach in my interactions with friends, coworkers, etc. it always came up short. Regardless of this, I had a successful career, but I started to hit my own “glass ceiling” of sorts, until I came across Village Theatre, a small local improv theatre. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but bare with me.

I have always been a fan of improv and was thrilled to find a theatre with such a talented cast, not to mention one with a BYOB policy*. In my mind, there are few things better in life then cheap theatre, cheap drinks and cheap laughs.

It was during a performance that I had attended with some friends that one of the cast members mentioned an upcoming intro to improv class they were offering. After a few drinks and a couple of good laughs, I announced to my friends that I was going to do it. Adding this to my list of “well it seemed like a good idea at the time, “ when I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t help but chuckle. But since I rarely, well pretty much never, say I am going to do something and not go through with it, I pressed on and signed-up.

It was a long 12 + weeks of classes and even though the class only met weekly for 2 hours, I dragged myself to those classes after a long day of work. But once I got there, it seemed as though magic would happen. I realized along with learning the basics of improv, I was also learning a key nugget of wisdom.

Over the course of the classes, I began to understand and learn how to practice “polite disagreement.” Probably one of the most basic concepts of improv is the “yes and” approach. The idea being that when you are doing a scene with another person, you never negate what they are saying. Instead you embrace their idea and build on it. In doing this, it doesn’t mean that you can’t refocus the skit in a direction you would like it to move, but it shows the person and those watching that you are working together. So in the end you might not get what you want right away, but with some patience you could get there and leave the person you were dealing with in a good place too. Eureka!

As I worked to hone this concept, after class each week I would try to use it at work and at home. The results were immediate and amazing. All of a sudden, projects that I was having a difficulty with because of a lack of consensus were moving forward and I think my family even noticed a change.

Last night, my Level 1 improv class came to an end with a graduation show (my class did a pretty awesome job I might add). As we wrapped up that show and I stepped out on the stage for the last time, I was so proud of what I had done and so happy to be on a new path with so many possibilities. I can’t wait to see what happens in Level 2!

Inside social media at Delta Air Lines -- a behind the scenes look | Tnooz

2011-06-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

Inside social media at Delta Air Lines -- a behind the scenes look | Tnooz

Influencer Management on the "Interweb"

2011-06-15T22:04:00.000-04:00

It's like the Wild Wild West out there when it comes to identifying and maintaining relationships with influencers to support your brands reputation management efforts. Just staying on top of the latest topic du jour, written by an ever-shifting landscape of influencers can be a challenge. Sure there are mainstay blogs and websites that have emerged and contributors to these are a bit easier to follow, but some are still unsure what they want to be when they grow up and lack accountability.

Probably one of my biggest frustrations are blogs that censor the comments of organizations that attempt to offer legitimate observations about a post in which they are referenced. You can imagine that this becomes even more critical on those occasions when dealing with a blogger who consistently opts to not call for comment. You would probably be shocked at some of the well-established blogs that are offenders. Some of which are funded by organizations that traditionally have had impeccable reputations.

I haven't been able to understand the rationale they must follow where they think that it is acceptable in this day and age of the "interweb" to not allow participation in the conversation they are starting. Journalistic standards notwithstanding, seems to me that this approach runs counter to exactly what social media is all about.

Before I start to make this seem like a rant against any one blog, I'd like to offer one reminder. Regardless of what you might think about a particular organization, keep in mind that in many cases there are communications practitioners serving as representatives who believe their reputation is on the line everyday.

In fact, there is no place in this new world for traditional "spin doctors." Social media has made us all more accountable and forced an evolution in which the survivors will be those that believe their reputation is more important then trying to offer the latest company spin. We are out there. My word is my bond.

Ethical Practices in Social Media: Can Someone Tell Me Where to Find Them?

2011-05-04T19:30:00.001-04:00

I have just sat through another presentation laying out the rules of the road for ethical guidelines within social media. The description of the talk along with its presenter had given me such high hopes. I actually thought that maybe I would glean some nugget of wisdom. But it was not to be and instead of actually learning something useful, I sat through yet another speech on common sense. Although interestingly, based on some of the case studies of those that have gone astray, I seem to be way ahead of the game:) Along with this, it is always entertaining to listen to the case study of the company that thought it was okay to pay an "independent" blogger for a positive post. Laughable even.

Regardless of how strict one might think the guidelines should be, there is a need. If you think about it, speed limits were probably put in place for people who aren't skilled drivers, might push it just a bit to far and cause an accident or get themselves killed. I think the same holds true for bloggers, although the consequences are likely to be less severe. At the end of the day, we can't have one person or group destroying the credibility of an entire community.

The guidelines must speak to a broad range of topics and not be limited to addressing "pay for play" issues. To start with, we need a standardized system by which bloggers can be both rated and ranked. The system must be based on an algorithm that people who didn't major in Mathematics can understand and one that can't be gamed. There should also be some way to measure credibility on which a critical mass can agree and we need to get past the "if you don't do this for me, I am going to write a nasty post about you." Those social media extortionists are the worst. I sometimes daydream of making a sport out of exposing these people. How do they sleep? Anyway, bless their hearts (great phrase I picked up here in the South that comes in handy when you have nothing nice to say).

Who will take this on? How can we develop guidelines that aren't unnecessarily strict, but that can help us all be more productive in the quality of information we are sharing, and speak to best practices around where and how it is being shared? I feel like the concept that "social media makes everyone a reporter" will plateau and innovation will slow without some framework.

Any volunteers?

A Request of Justin Bieber: "Please Don't Turn Into a Mess"

2011-04-16T13:20:00.002-04:00

As it turns out my 6-year-old has become a Justin Bieber fan. I can't tell you how many times I have heard my son's version of "Baby." I'm a little embarrassed to say that I actually like the song, but let's be clear I have no intention of becoming one of those thirty-something moms that fawn over him at his concert.

In any case, as any dutiful fan would my son asked to see Bieber's "Never Say Never" movie. I didn't see any downside and we went. Now the movie was pretty cute and almost touching in a way. Bieber has a good rags to riches story and his dedication to becoming an accomplished performer is impressive. The intensity with which he watched the movie was so endearing. But it was then I also realized that he looked up to this pop star as a role model.

Honestly, it made me a little fearful for what was to come for Bieber in both his career and life. It actually matters to me now because my son will now see the accomplishments and the failures along the way of his role model. The trend is pretty clear with these types of stars and they almost always have some sexual escapade, drug overdose or other controversy that surfaces.

I have seen this happen to other pop stars in the past and found the whole situation almost entertaining to read and hear about. Not ever really having been at an age where their escapades would impact my life decisions one way or another.

But today, I am a mom and one that so badly doesn't want her son to grow up too fast. So, I have but one request of Justin Bieber: "Please don't become a mess, Spencer is watching."

Changing Direction and Shaping Behavior (Even I Did it!)

2011-04-11T22:01:00.002-04:00

I thought all hope was lost when my then 5-year-old started Kindergarten last fall and his behavior tok a turn for the worse. It wasn't long after he started that we were receiving dreaded notes home and special meeting requests from his teachers.

Even a deep dive into the recent changes in our family couldn't explain the behavior. His father and I had worked so hard to keep things as "normal" as possible even after the divorce and it became increasingly frustrating to be unable to identify a cause. That is until one day when opportunity presented itself in a way that I would have never imagined.

We were at a jewelry store getting a ring resized, when my son began wandering around the store looking at the contents of the various display cases. It wasn't long before he asked for me to come over and it was then I was shown the answer to all my prayers. There inside the glass case was a leather cuff bracelet that you would imagine a hardcore rock star wearing during a concert. After he took it upon himself to ask the clerk to try it on, he fell in love with it like no other inanimate object he had ever seen.

It was such an unlikely object for a kid his age to get excited about. In fact, the store clerk was so taken aback by his reaction she discretly motioned that she would make note of the item in my file. Although, I suspect her practice of notating client's records developed more out of the need to keep track of the engagement ring preference of a guy's girlfriend and not the kid who just fell in love with a "bad ass" leather cuff bracelet!

Long story short, the light bulb went off and an extravagant bribe was born. I introduced a weekly point system through which he could earn points based on his behavior in school. The results were instant and instead of inciting trouble at school, he became a leader and a help to his teachers.

This dramatic change in behavior amazed his teachers and it didn't take him long for him to earn the prize. Although, as it turns out, by this time he had lost intrest in the original designer leather cuff bracelet by King Baby Studio and instead found one online that he preferred.

Oh and I should mention that it only cost $10!

In the end, the whole exercise made me realize that it wasn't about the bribe or resulting prize (I really got off easy for only $10!), but it was about my active participation in the process. He enjoyed the daily build-up to sharing his accomplishments of the day with me and the reaction that his positive behavior brought. At the end of the day, he just wanted me to pay attention. Lesson learned.

Get a Hobby or at Least Try

2011-04-07T23:46:00.001-04:00

I am always jealous of people who have a hobby that they are extremely passionate about. The closest I have come in recent years to finding that special activity is my interest in Social Media. Calling that a hobby is probably a bit of a stretch, especially since it is part of my job.

It isn't as if I haven't tried really hard to find a hobby. I tried to take up knitting once with a "how to" kit, but when I realized it was going to probably take me a few weeks before I could pull together enough stitches to even look like a scarf.

Checked that one off the list pretty quick and had a oddly shaped square made out of bright blue yarn to show for it. I don't think my "work" was even big enough to use as a pot holder.

Another fairly notable endeavor was my attempt to take on breadmaking and of course I couldn't do just basic breadmaking, I had to try sourdough. To make sourdough bread you need to have what they call a "starter" which is basically a dough containing a lactobacillus culture. Sounds pretty disgusting, right? It gets even more involved and strange because you have to literally "feed" the starter a mixture of flour and water. Yes, the culture gets hungry and needs water to wash down the meal of flour that you need to feed it at regular intervals. Developing an understanding of how sourdough bread is made, actually caused me not ever want to eat sourdough bread and I certainly wasn't going to spend time feeding a culture!

I will continue my quest to find the activity that can help satisfy my creative side. In fact, I just found some websites that sell supplies to make your own candles. Although, any hobby involving fire could be dangerous for my house and those around me :) Still searching and taking any and all recommendations.

Meetup Can Support the Foodie Adventurer in You

2011-03-26T22:49:00.007-04:00

So it is time to come clean. I am a Food Network junkie. I can't get enough of the shows, the fantastic reality tv and the personalities. To feed this habit, I spend hours watching the shows, just imagining what it would be like to taste some of that amazing food.

Recognizing that scoring tickets to a show in New York was unlikely, as was traveling across the country to visit one of the featured restaurants, I started pursuing an alternative to making my food fantasies a more interactive experience. I began doing some research and found Meetup, a channel that connects people to local groups with a wide variety of interests.

The list of groups is endless and focuses on everything from knitting to dancing. In fact, it didn't take long to find a local group that hosts a monthly underground food market modeled after similar groups in Oakland and San Francisco. Of course, I didn't waste a second asking for more info about the "secret" foodie group.

Tonight was my first experience with Atlanta Underground Market and it was an amazing. I had anticipated this event for weeks and even planned ahead to secure a membership card so I could guarantee access to the secret location!

The market was held in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood here in Atlanta, a eclectic area that is heavy on warehouses, lofts and likely place to secure that unique piece from an up-and-coming artist. The building itself was a unfinished commercial property and its rustic look only contributed to the whole mystique of the underground market concept. Although, I may have risked ruining that since I did check-in on Foursquare.

The vendors were as diverse as one could imagine and included everything from Middle Eastern food to local artisan popsicle makers. It was a lot to take in, but I won't forget that lime, cucumber and cilantro popsicle, the zucchini lime soup or the charcuterie plate that included salami cured right in East Atlanta. Talk about eating local!

I am already looking forward to next month's event and even after we left tonight I asked (okay begged) my boyfriend to run back in to pick-up some popsicles to hold me over! Thanks to Meetup I have a new pastime and don't think my exploration of local groups will end anytime soon.

It's Just the Way My Mind Works

2011-03-24T19:48:00.007-04:00

Earlier this month, SXSW was upon me and I was pretty anxious about it since it was my first time attending. I spent hours researching the panel schedule and sending in RSVPs for parties. Even with the time I spent preparing, I was still overwhelmed at the thought of how much information would be coming my way and I wanted to be sure that I was able to get the most of out the conference as I could.

As part of preparing to tackle this firehose of social media knowledge, I started to do a little research to identify an efficient way to take notes. More importantly I wanted to be able to share what I had learned and utilize the information afterwards. I knew traditional note taking just wasn't going to cut it.

I let my fingers do the googling and came across Mindmeister. It took me just a few minutes to realize that this was the answer and it would allow me to take notes similar to the way my mind works! Here is one example that explains how to get rid of email (from @arvind):

The capabilities are amazing and not only does it allow you to organize your thoughts, but you can attach files, insert links, assign tasks, invite others to collaborate on a map and much more.

After SXSW, I began exploring other ways to use Mindmeister and so far I have used it for social media content planning and yearly objectives.

I suggest you spend some time checking this out. I promise it will change the way you work for the better! I would love to know what you think, so commenti below to share your thoughts

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