Click through or listen here:

Radio’s funny. I sit on the aisle and she sat next to me on the steps for the whole game. I ended up with the one sound bite in which I cop a cheesy Minnesotan accent in a weird voice!

It was a neat experience, though. I enjoyed chatting with her. Basketball’s not usually her beat (because who goes to MPR for sports?), but she was having fun at the Target Center. I told her having her there kept me the calmest I’ve been through a Lynx game all season.

MinnPost’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) is made up of Minnesota groups and organizations serving young professionals in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, as well as individuals in the same age group. Membership is free and open to all young professionals.

Answering the questions helped me really crystallize the things I’ve been thinking about and working on this year. I sound like such a grown up. When did that happen?!

1. What is your current state of mind?
It’s a heightened mix of hope and hopelessness.

On the positive side, I’m winding down one career and planning the next. That transition is thrilling in both good and bad ways. Change is exciting! Change is scary!

The opportunity to go back to school and craft a course of study that is interesting and unique to me is more compelling than I expected (as opposed to my highly-structured undergraduate engineering experience).

On the other end of the spectrum, the news of the world is, well, you know. There’s a lot going on and it’s not possible for me to fix it all.

I’m trying to flip this into a positive experience by exploring what I can actually do that will effect tangible change and be fulfilling.

2. Where would like see yourself in five years?
My medium-term goals are more focused on how I’m living than what exactly I’m doing.

I’d like to live a more mindful existence. I want to look back on what I’ve done and see a pattern of thoughtful choices that reflect my values.

I’ve spent a good chunk of this year creating space for this thought process and digging into what those values are, what those choices look like, what that choice-making feels like.

I’m still hopeful that becoming a more authentic me will translate into meaningful work and a means of supporting myself and my family.

That said, I’m angling towards graduate study in some flavor of organizational leadership. I’m eager to see what emerges on the other side of that.

3. What actions, strategies, or professional networks have been most helpful to you in building your career?
First I’ll cop to the fact that I have no interest in climbing a corporate ladder.

I’m not sure if my dream job is at a small company, a nonprofit, self-employment, or what. I do know that I’ve gained a lot simply by showing up for things that interest me.

I’ve had a blogging habit since 2002, so I’ve taken myself to a number of local and national tech conferences and presented at a few.

My primary fun time is spent singing with the Twin Cities Women’s Choir. That has evolved into volunteer opportunities, my first board service opportunity (which has catapulted me on to others) and some incredible networking.

Along the way, I’ve learned things, met people and been inspired.

All these activities are entirely outside my primary career, but they’ve set me up with knowledge, skills, and a network of people to help me move on to the next one.

4. What is always on your to-do list that never gets done?
I have a perpetual list of things I want to try on my websites. They’re either a bit too tech-y for me to do quickly, require a bit of strategy that I haven’t put thought into, or are things I don’t actually have a reason to use but look cool anyway.

There’s also a pile of stuff in our back room that my wife would really like me to clean up.

5. What do you order at a coffee shop?
Dirty chai. That’s a chai latte with an espresso shot.

I’ll be moderating a panel called Your Social Media Solar System.

Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Etsy, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. The social media universe keeps expanding, and most of us swing between thinking we obviously must use every single tool and app out there to raise our profile and thinking that it’s all a waste of time without any return on the investment of our time and energy. The answer may be to choose one or two platforms to be the sun in your social media solar system and let all of the other tools and apps and channels be the planets and satellites that revolve around your primary platform. This panel will review the various social media opportunities and their strengths and weaknesses as a vehicle to feature your crafty work.

I’m not crafty or DIY at all, but I do know my social media tools. I’m looking forward to presenting Kathy Cano-Murillo, Nancy Malay, and Stacie Tamaki who will help other creative geeks and geeky creatives figure out what’s out there, what to do with it, and why they should bother.

I attended BlogHer in 2006 and 2007, the second and third years of that conference. Those events were a turning point in my life in some ways, so I’m happy to help out and give back.

In the case of fresh.mn, I’ve reaped all the rewards and social capital to be had. I’m not willing or able to give anything more to make that site bigger, better, or even much different.

In the case of cinna.mn, while I find the topic of minority issues in Minnesota to be very much deserving of attention, I’ve had to admit that I cannot currently give it that attention. Additionally, The Dish newsletter has been rendered largely obsolete by social media.

I’ve elaborated a bit on my personal reasons. It’s time for a new chapter in life.

Onward and upward!

Video of my segment is here.

Julio, being the tech guy, snagged a copy of the video and uploaded it to YouTube, which I will embed here.

You really should click through and also watch the bonus web-only segment in which we play a little game called “Technology Hot Potato.”

Everything about this experience was so great. I got to meet John and chat with him and Julio before our segment. Cathy Wurzer and Eric Eskola and all the staff at tpt were super friendly and encouraging. I’d love to do it again if they’ve got an opening. I owe this one to John Daenzer. I met him when he worked at WCCO; he’s now the VP of Interactive Media at tpt. Thanks for the opportunity, John!

I had a tremendous amount of preparation help from a friend who does anti-racism education and training. I spent much of my very short time on the concepts of privilege, inclusion, representation, and structural barriers to participation. Most of the actual how-to steps are in the accompanying blog post.

The folks at SXSW were great at every step of the way. They communicated often and clearly from the moment I got notice that my panel was accepted. My liaison, Glenda Bautista, curated the Future15 diversity track. As I sat through all of the presentations, I was blown away by how great each one was individually and how well they all went together without duplicating any content. And it was super cool to meet Glenda, because we have a number of mutual friends and I hear great things about her.

It’s hard to gage reaction to a 15-minute presentation in the middle of a block of 15-minute presentations for which there is a lot of dense material in a short span and no time for questions and answers. Based on the tweets I saw, those that were in the room got a lot out of it, and there were some impressive and knowledgeable people in the room.

I was surprised to realize, a month after the fact, that I really enjoyed doing it. It’s not just that I enjoyed having been asked and having done it, but I enjoyed being up there. For the format and material I had, I felt well prepared. A longer format and taking questions is a whole ‘nother thing and I can certainly use some practice on my delivery, but this was a good start. Between this experience and presenting at the Minnesota Blogger Conference, the prospect of speaking in front of people on a topic I know doesn’t scare me so much anymore. I made a promise to myself to present on this topic again sometime this year, in whatever format or context I can find. I’m investigating one already and keeping an eye out for others.

And I got to see a film, since you get a Gold Badge as a speaker which allows you complete access to the simultaneously-occurring SXSW Film.

As for the conference overall, there was a lot of talk about whether SXSW has jumped the shark. It has changed quite a lot, even just in the last couple years. It’s a case of people talking about how they liked their favorite band before it was popular. I’d bet that folks who regularly attended SXSW Interactive in its pre-2000 days as SXSW Multimedia said the same thing about six years ago.

People – myself included – need to 1) decide for themselves if SXSW as it is now has what they want, and 2) make their best effort to improve and own the experience. It’s a huge event. You have a lot of choices. Five days is a long time for a conference. You need to know going in who you want to see and who you want to meet. If you’re choosy about panel content, do some homework before you show up. Also, the organizers are very open about accepting feedback and suggestions, so at least make an attempt to voice your concerns. For the newbie, I recommend a more fly by the seat of your pants style, but for the jaded old-timer, you’ve got to do some work if your natural style does not lend itself to flying by the seat of your pants.

I think many people who were dissatisfied are aware of all that and are adjusting their expectations and actions accordingly. Some folks get paid to publicly complain punditize analyze these events, so they hopped on that theme’s bandwagon and did all that talking about it.

That said, I’m not sure I’ll be going again. I’ve noticed in previous years that a lot of the topics that draw me to SXSW Interactive are the intersections of technology and civic life. Government, higher education, the sustainability movement, nonprofits, etc. I realized this year that a lot of those topic areas probably have smaller, cheaper, more niche (and local!) events from which I can get even better information. But the cool thing about SXSW is that I can get all of those different niches at once, together. Depending on what my next career is looking like six or nine months from now, the networking aspect of attending SXSW might be useful.

I did get my chances to connect with friends I don’t see often and to meet new people doing cool things. To that end, SXSW Interactive 2011 was a success for me.

MEET ERICA MAUTER, WINNER OF THE CRESCENDO AWARD!

When Erica Mauter, Alto 2, stepped up to the mic at the Illuminations concert after being awarded TCWC’s Crescendo Award, she mentioned feeling warm onstage and remarked, “I don’t know what to do with my face!” Funny words that, among other things, suggest Mauter was caught off guard. Indeed, Mauter later explained that she was “completely surprised” by the award, not least because she is a member of TCWC’s Board of Directors, the body that votes on award recipients.

TCWC’s Crescendo Award recognizes an individual who has been a choir member less than five years and contributed greatly to the choir through volunteering and taking a leadership role. In her fifth year as a TCWC member, Mauter’s involvement includes five years as a member of ENCORE!, three years of Board service, and managing TCWC’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Mauter’s above-and-beyond mentality began rather informally; upon joining the choir, she describes herself as having been “generally helpful,” following the examples she saw in her beloved Alto 2 section (to which she envisions lifetime commitment). Then, in 2008, she was invited to join the Board, and accepted the position.

Now in her third year on the Board and second as Board Vice President, Mauter describes her experience there as entirely unique from her experience as a singing member of the choir. In Pat Teiken’s words, it’s a matter of “taking off your singer hat and putting on your Board hat.” Mauter appreciates the opportunity to take a high-level organizational look at the choir, and has become a board member for two other local non-profits, the MN Fringe Festival and The Midwest Advisory Council of the Family Equality Council (formerly Rainbow Families).

Mauter also plays the role of ‘social media guru’ for TCWC. As an extension of her blogging hobby, Mauter created and manages the choir’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. With respect to Twitter, Mauter at one point said, “We should just have this.” She commented that the creation of a TCWC Facebook page spurred many TCWC members to join Facebook. Mauter regularly updates the pages with photos, concert invites, funny lines and anecdotes from rehearsals, and choir-related links.

Despite her broad involvement, Mauter insists that singing is her most valued and meaningful activity within TCWC. “I love singing. It feels good in my head and in my body.” She describes singing in the choir as “a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.” She added that she has gotten “nothing but love back” from the group.

Given this attitude, what is Mauter’s conclusion and advice to other members? Not surprisingly, it’s to “give back.” “If you leave here every Wednesday feeling like you got a lot out of your experience, then give that love back.” And, oh yeah, one more thing: “Don’t wait until the last minute to learn your music, like I do.” Point taken.

BY MARA HENNEN, SECTION LEADER, SOPRANO 2

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It will be presented as part of a Future15 track. That means I’ll be doing a 12-minute solo presentation.

I’m hoping to give this presentation somewhere else next year as well. Preferably somewhere locally, but we’ll see what opportunities there are. It’s an important topic. Plus it would be good practice for me.

Big thanks go out to a lot of people who will all be acknowledged at some point, but I absolutely have to thank Adria Richards for encouraging me and helping me to get this proposal submitted.

Yours truly was the recipient of the award this year.

Even though, as a board member, I usually participate in deciding who gets the award, I always forget about presenting it, probably because I’m usually wrapped up in performing. So when the board secretary and the executive director walked up to the mic, I thought “Oh yeah, I forgot. I wonder who’s getting the award? The Awards committee must have just decided.”

Have you ever stood up in front of a group of four hundred people and had someone read off really nice things about you? It’s weird.

This organization means so much to me for so many different reasons, so to receive this award from them is such an honor. Compliments are nice, but when they come from someone you really respect, they mean that much more. I’m not sure I could ever give as much as I get from this group, but I’m certainly happy to give what I can.

Missy Berggren and Arik Hanson convened the first ever Minnesota Blogger Conference on September 11, 2010 at CoCo coworking and collaborative space in Lowertown Saint Paul.

I agreed to present on the topic of generating blog content, and ended up with a presentation entitled Generating Blog Content: Out of Your Ass and Other Surprisingly Useful Sources.

The gist of the presentation is ideas to jumpstart your blogging mojo. I grouped them as follows:

• Frame of Mind. These are about trying a writing style that may not be the one you use currently. If you tend to be detached, be more personal. If you tend to edit obsessively, let it fly and don’t second-guess yourself. Etc.
• Format. These are about trying out a new technology or way of organizing information. Give yourself permission to try a podcast, make a video, or make your own presentation.
• Get Out of Your Pajamas. These are less about trying new things for the purpose of blogging about them and more about accessing the awesome things the Twin Cities has to offer to stimulate your brain. Get on a bike, see a show, hang out with smart people, whatnot.
• Reading Material. These are websites that I find fascinating and useful. Not all are Twin Cities focused.

I took this as an opportunity to try out Prezi, an online (and offline, for cost) presentation tool with much more dynamic and versatile composition and navigation than your standard Powerpoint presentation.

Of course this is all much more interesting with my sparkling personality mixed in.

If I’d had more time, I would have worked on getting some pictures or video or other media in that presentation. The learning curve on Prezi is reasonably short, but I didn’t give myself much time to put it together in the first place.

One really nice Prezi feature is that, while you create and edit it online, every presentation is downloadable in a package that can be run from your desktop.

Technical lessons learned:

• When bringing your own hardware, always bring your own adapters. There were two dongles on the table and neither matched the hole in my MacBook. (Thanks to Arik Hanson for letting me borrow his MacBook.)
• Always keep a copy of your presentation on a thumb drive. (Thanks to Patrick Rhone for loaning his for fast transfer from my Macbook to Arik’s.)
• Light text on a dark background, unless it’s super bold, is probably never a good idea; you never know what lighting is gonna be like.

As someone who’s been doing personal blogging for eight years (as of this month), and as someone who’s always blogged for my own enjoyment and never for business or to make money, I feel like my perspective is always in a very small minority at events like this. That’s partly why I gravitate towards the more techie stuff (because I can focus on the tools) and why I resist being pulled into any one niche’s events.

Another great thing was that the size of the event was limited to 150 people. The dang thing sold out within a few hours, so I’m lucky to have been on the speaker list. It was manageable, navigable, and not terribly overwhelming for your friendly neighborhood introvert. That said, I could and should have introduced myself to more people.

About two-thirds of the way through the day, I realized that the “aura” of this event was due to the fact that no one niche outnumbered the others, so no one niche’s existing dynamics and politics ruled the day. A diverse audience made for a very balanced experience.

The fine folks at The Uptake recorded all the action in the main area, so you can see video of the three keynotes and three of the breakout sessions.

At the end of the day, I was pleased to find that I had really enjoyed myself. My thanks to Arik and Missy for the opportunity to present and participate.