First published in 1983 Whack lists ten “locks” which limit creative thinking:
- The Right Answer
- That’s Not Logical
- Follow the Rules
- Be Practical
- Play is Frivolous
- That’s Not My Area
- Avoid Ambiguity
- Don’t Be Foolish
- To Err is Wrong
- I’m Not Creative
Von Oech continues to explain how each can be “unlocked” in separate chapters. He also includes various exercises to support his explanations. The book gives you the tools to apply its ideas to your problems in order to find creative solutions.
Read the Full Post
Two clients in the same week asked me what “Klout” means as it relates to their Twitter account. Let’s dig in:
Klout.com defines Klout as:
“…the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence. Klout uses over 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to measure True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score.”
On Twitter specifically, Klout’s influence score is based on a user’s ability to drive action through tweets, retweets, comments and clicks. The factors that Klout considers to create your score:
Read the Full Post
I was a late adopter of Google products and I’m glad I made the change when I did. You can really use Google to manage all of your business’ communications strategies whether you’re colleagues are on the same “network” or not.
Google Calendar recently came out with a new feature: appointment slots. Here’s what you can do with it:
- Show clients/employees your availability (you can already share your busy calendar with others)
- NOW you can let them book an appointment during the times/dates you designate
- Your appointment availability calendar lays on top of their Google calendar to make it easier for them to choose a date/time that fits their schedule
Read the Full Post
In July of 2010, Christina Moffatt decided it was time to give up the corporate world to chase her dream of opening a bakery. Crème Cupcake was born out of Moffatt’s love of baking & her passion for entrepreneurism. Now, three years into her business venture, Crème Cupcake is a booming downtown bakery and dessert lounge. Crème’s social media presence has helped aide that success along the way.
Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur overwhelmed by social media? Do you work for a small business and have the company’s social media tasks on your plate? A social media presence can be crucial in today’s market and can often serve as sales tool, customer feedback platform and a vehicle for brand awareness in your community.
Join the SMCDSM & Christina Moffatt for a discussion on how you can tackle social media as a small business.
Tickets for this event are $10 and includes a cupcake! Cash bar available.
Time: January 23, 2014 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: Crème Cupcake
Street: 543 28th St.
City/Town: Des Moines
Books written about social media tend to become dated as soon as they go to print. I got my hands on the a version of this book that was published in 2009. It felt like I was reading a history book since this field changes so quickly! Luckily, there has been a revised version published in 2012, so I recommend you pick up that copy.
The benchmark book on the effects and implications of social media on our daily lives, and how businesses can harness its power.
Socialnomics is an essential book for anyone who wants to understand the implications of social media on our daily lives and how businesses can tap the power of social media to increase their sales, cut their marketing costs, and reach consumers directly. In this revised and updated second edition, author Erik Qualman presents new material based on meeting with 75 Fortune 1000 companies, 50 colleges and universities, and over 100 small businesses & non-profits since the first edition. Qualman’s materials have been used from IBM to NASA to Harvard to local businesses.
- Lists the top ten easy opportunities that companies and organization miss when it comes to social media
- Describes where social media should reside in an organization and the necessary building blocks for success
- Explains why over 50 percent of companies still block social media to their employees and why this is a detriment to success
- Shares proper training methods for your ENTIRE organization on social media; not just the chosen few
- Reviews the top companies, organizations and individuals using social media, explaining what separates them from other companies and how to replicate their success
Social media can transform your business and your relationship with consumers. Discover what social media can do for you, and what you can do for others while using social media.
– From Amazon.com
My biggest take-away from this book was his social media stats. Though quite dated for this fast-paced field, these stats still leave a lasting impression on the reader of the power of social media.
The Social Media Club of Des Moines has an amazing event happening tomorrow night…
January 14th, 2014, 5:30pm-7pm
Downtown Des Moines Public Library, Meeting Room #3
1000 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA
Nick Westergaard, Chief Brand Strategist, at Brand Driven Digital, will lead you through a discussion around content marketing. In today’s ever-changing digital landscape, marketers are struggling to not only keep up with the demand of consumers, but to also ensure their brand’s content is engaging enough to stand out in the crowded digital space.
Since 2005, Nick has blogged about marketing, posting fresh brand-driven insights each week. He has written for MarketingProfs, 12 most, and The Gazette’s Business 380. His thoughts on social media and marketing have been featured in news sources such as US News & World Report, Entrepreneur Magazine, Mashable, American Express OPEN Forum, and The Des Moines Register.
ONE lucky attendee will be given a FREE registration to the Des Moines Content Marketing Boot Camp (a $145 value)!
SMCDSM members will be given a special discount to the Content Marketing Boot Camp onFebruary 27, 2014 at the Science Center of Iowa. Register now and enter the code: SMCDSM at checkout – http://bit.ly/contentbootcamp
This year, Contemporary Business Solutions will offer a social media workshop series at the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce. Attendees can bring their laptops so we can work together through the material. Class size is limited to 15. These workshops are geared towards attendees who have moderate computer skills.
Dates and topics:
- March 6th, 2014 – Linkedin 201: How to supersize your Linkedin Profile
- April 3rd, 2014 – Linkedin 301: How to use your Linkedin Profile to manage Connections and gain leads
- May 1st, 2014 – Facebook Ads: Learn about the different types of Facebook Ads, determine which Ad(s) is/are right for your business, learn how to develop an Ad and manage a campaign
- June 5th, 2014 – MailChimp E-Newsletter: Learn how to create a template and develop your List
- August 7th, 2014 – TBD
- September 4th, 2014 – TBD
- November 6th, 2014 – TBD
- December 4th, 2014 – TBD
The last four workshops are open for YOU to decide the topic. At the end of each of the workshops, I’ll send a survey to the attendees to get their feedback and to find out what other topics they’re interested in.
The workshops will be from 11:45am – 1pm, so bring your lunch. The first 15 minutes will be registration and troubleshooting the wireless network. The workshop itself will last one hour.
Buy your tickets to the May workshop here…and be sure to get the other workshop dates on your calendar!
