Setting: Bar room, stage, smoky, night, microphone on stage, couples huddled around the room
Characters: Jeff Cutler, unnamed people at the tables around the room, announcer/bartender
The bartender wanders across the stage and grabs the microphone. If you looked carefully at his hands, you can see the scars on his knuckles from numerous fights. This bartender used to be a bouncer who worked his way up in the organization. To some, bartending isn’t a lateral move.
BARTENDER: Here’s that writer guy. He twits or tweets, whatever. Give it up for Jeff Culter… Cutler.
Jeff bounces onto the stage wearing his Duluth Trading Company firehose pants and presentation jacket.
He smiles at the bartender and then waves to the crowd. Crowd is an overstatement – there are 9 people in the room, eight of them are awake.
JEFF: Thanks for that warm welcome! I just flew in from Boston and boy are my arms tired….
Then I wake up.
That little sequence is an approximation of the dream that keeps me – and maybe other dedicated content professionals – on task and focused when preparing to deliver information and training. I imagine it’s what Chris Brogan used to feel like before he made it (or is making it) big.
The reason I bring this up is because I’m now doing the mini-Chris Brogan tour around the country. As many of you know, the Society of Professional Journalists has hired me to teach newspeople all around the world how to use social media tools to listen to and engage people.
What’s that mean? Aside from harrowing flights on planes about the size of an Egg McMuffin, it means that I’m meeting some great folks, honing my presenting skills, and staying brutally on top of the latest social media news.
It also means that I get to taste some of the magic that Chris Brogan sees on a daily basis. Guess what, it’s not magic.
Like any other job, it looks attractive from the outside (except maybe for cat neuterer and human paintball target). The flying around the country, the exotic meals in random restaurants and the huge paychecks make it seem so. But here’s the breakdown…
Airport food, Wichita, KS (the people and beer were fantastic), wobbly planes, basic paychecks. It’s not the glamour you might have anticipated.
So, before you start having dreams, waking up in a sweat, or bobbing around the midwest in little prop planes, take a look at your current workload and assignments. You might be better off with the day job and letting masochists like me and Chris go chat with organizations about how they can better use social media.
What job do you lust for? Share that in the comments.
This past week was pure insanity in regard to number of obligations on my calendar. Usually the weeks following Thanksgiving slow down a bit and the focus turns to holiday preparation. Not this week.
In a nutshell, I was working part time doing some copywriting and proofreading; I had a marketing communications project due for a client; I was appearing on two radio programs and one podcast; I had a few doctor appointments; my car had been ticketed twice so I was taking care of those; there were a few random Tweetups in town I wanted to attend; I was planning to cover a technology conference; and the Movember Gala was on Thursday night.
Add to that the care and feeding of two cats, the importance of personal relationships and the day-to-day operations of the Bungalow, and you’ve got a week that’s too full for words.
Which brings me to the title of this post. Phases.
Each of us runs into times that cause us to refocus our energy. For me, this week was a wake-up call. I’m feeding content vehicles all over the Web. I have three client projects underway, and I’m attending Social Media events as if my schedule was completely free. That’s about to change.
The next phase of Jeff Cutler – not 2.0, but more intelligent – will feature an enhanced panel and speaking calendar; a diminished social calendar (within the Social Media space); and a focus on client and journalism projects.
It’s not to say I won’t show up at the random Tweetup, but that’s something better left to people who define themselves as Social Media Superstars. Let them ride the T to five events each night in an effort to be everything to everyone. I choose to be the best in my current endeavors.
For most of you, this won’t change what you see on the blog or where you see me. Most of my readers have been smart enough to adopt this method themselves and are discerning when choosing which events to attend and when. I’m just following your lead.
See you at a Tweetup or two, a tech conference, or better still…let’s connect over tea and spend some F2F time together.
While social media is a great way to connect, if we do nothing to move beyond the superficial first hello, then we’re not really moving forward. We’re just running around the city smiling and waving, then moving on to the next fleeting greeting.
I’m choosing to make my presence more significant. And this post marks the start of that phase.
Keep reading!
**Oh, yeah. I’m working on a book too. That’s gonna take up some of my time as well.
It’s not a surprise to anyone that social media professionals are supportive, intelligent and fun people. What might cause you pause is the secret bromances that flourish in this space on a regular basis.
What’s a bromance? It’s the unabashed admiration one man has for another. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve harbored one or two or five bromantic dalliances over the course of my social media career. Here’s a quick look at the who and why of my particular bromances. I’m sure you have your own – please share in the comments.
Oh. If you find yourself on my list don’t be alarmed. My bromances are purely platonic and intellectual. But I wouldn’t mind if you listed me on your broamance list if you felt so inclined.
Chris Brogan – On my list because he’s genuine in his dealings with every human. He’s intuitive and quick-thinking. He also has talent and charm. He also inspires me to write more. Thanks Chris.
Gradon Tripp – While he might be considered by some to be a design geek who should have won the recent makeover contest on Newbury Street, he’s actually a bleeding-heart liberal who does so much for social causes regionally it makes me a little sick. But he’s also a smart, fun and dependable friend. (BTW – Tweetsgiving is coming up – SIGN UP NOW!)
Aaron Strout – He wins on so many counts as a top bromance of mine. He’s a Boston transplant to Austin, TX who still remembers his friends back home. Beyond that, he remembers and even honors those of us who were just peripheral friends a year or so ago. Aaron has always been welcoming and entertaining. He’s a fabulous host who treats everyone as a friend. What a great way to be. I admire and commend that attitude.
CC Chapman – Smart, driven, compassionate and insightful. I was listening to one of his podcasts before I met him and was thrilled at the way in which he connected with listeners and shared his life with us. He’s honest in his opinions and dealings and empathetic to an extreme. He’s also a Miami Dolphins fan which probably would have put him on the bromance list even if he were a complete dink.
Mike Schneider – Who is this guy? He’s someone I met within the last year. He’s a freakish human who would give the shirt off his back to ANYONE who needed it. He’s compassionate to a fault, a hard-working beer genius who also knows a bit about human nature and marketing. He’s currently spearheading our Movember efforts and rallying people to come together to fight cancer. He’s just a great guy who was unlucky enough to make my bromance list.
Mike Langford – Founder of Tweetworks, the lesser-known co-host of NomX3 and a sarcastic, fun and brilliant friend. I tease him about how his two boys will grow up to have more hair and probably get more points on Foursquare. But this coffee fiend is dependable, well-spoken, generally cheerful and a pretty good drunken roommate. I’m glad I met him and that we have become friends.
What’s funny to me is that none of these relationships were based on IRL experiences. They were founded and then fostered using tools like Twitter and Plurk and Seesmic and podcasting and unconferences and even an occasional tweetup and lunch. I’ve grinned the whole time while writing this because I really like the people I’m writing about and I love that there will be people who read this that are uncomfortable that a man can genuinely like another man.
Grow up people. I’m not stalking these guys. I just think they epitomize what’s right with our tiny little fishbowl. Real people who offer real opinions and real support to others. If you have people like this in any part of your life, hang onto them. They’re more valuable than a simple blog post can illustrate.
In this season of giving thanks, I give thanks for bromances. What about you?
For years, I’ve been in charge of the marketing for a charity golf tournament. The event has raised nearly $2Million dollars in 24 years and it’s been a struggle every step of the way. It’s not that fundraising is supposed to be easy, but doing work with a bunch of people is always a challenge.
What brought this to mind was a question I posed last night to Scott Berkun at an event in Boston. I wanted to know the best way to set up a collaborative presentation plan for a team of presenters.
To be clearer, I am the point person on the social media training modules for a national journalism organization. I get to create the slide deck and the presentation based on my decade using social media. Then, when the modules are approved, I’ll be the main trainer for newsrooms all across the country.
If a paper in Hawaii needs me, I’ll suck it up and go train them.
If a TV station in Bangor, ME needs me, I’ll hop in the car and jet into the backwoods.
But there will be times when demand outpaces supply and other professionals will have to give my presentation. In effect, they’ll have to train people using a module that has been tailored to my style of speaking, my teaching methods and my background.
Berkun cringed when I outlined the scenario and offered some ways to mitigate the possibility of disaster. He said if I were flexible enough to allow other presenters to use their own experiences, substitute some of their own slides, and modify the modules to their teaching styles, we’d all be winners.
What I’d like to know is if you’re currently doing something that requires teamwork and collaboration, and how you’re managing the outcomes.
Communication is one of life’s biggest challenges for many people, so let me know how you’ve tackled that challenge and won. Put your comments right here on this post. Thanks!
Last night, Mike Langford and I hosted an event for 150+ people at the Estate in Boston. The event was organized to celebrate the release of Gary Vaynerchuk’s book “Crush It” and to do a live taping of NomX3 and WingmanTV.
In a nutshell, we drank some questionable wine, we taped two television shows, we had some laughs on stage and on the floor, Gary signed about 150 books, we hobnobbed from 6PM to nearly 1AM (afterparties at Silvertone and PF Chang’s), and learned a lot about how far passion can bring you in life.
The evening was a rousing success. Our sponsors made it possible to have Gary V in town and I’d like to thank them again for participating. They are:
If by some circumstance you missed it, here are some of the people who were there – (taken from the eventbrite signup list) – and we’ll have the episode of NomX3 with Gary V up shortly.
If you were there, please leave your comments about the night here on this post.
You hear it almost daily, the urging by others to ‘keep it real’. But what’s that saying mean? Is there some other way to be?
Unfortunately, yes. In an age where there’s immediacy in all our communications and something we share can instantly be viewed and archived by others, there’s a reason to be more deliberate in our words and actions.
It’s simple to offend people just by saying the wrong thing or by typing an innocuous email or sharing a context-free photo. But are these offenses or simple missteps? Back when you wrote a letter or a postcard, or had phones that seldom dropped calls or inserted static at inopportune times, you didn’t have the same misunderstandings.
So, do we blame the lack of perspective and the prevailing hurt feelings on technology? Or is it the result of an ever-increasing pace of life. Or further, is it just softer skins on people who don’t know how to communicate IRL so their social media and online relationships also lack perspective?
I’ve asked a lot of questions here because I’m curious about the drivers of human behavior.
Confused? Am I being too obtuse? Then let’s use a hypothetical…
Bob and Sharon are joking around on the beach. Sharon sees Bob walking past the women’s changing rooms and takes a picture with her phone. Then she adds it to Twitter and shares it with the world – or her 2000 followers – with the caption, “Bob commits a foul by using the girls’ room to change.”
Clearly to Sharon it’s a joke.
Clearly to anyone standing there, it’s a joke.
But Bob goes off the deep end when he find out that Sharon did this horrible thing to his good name. He worries that all of Sharon’s followers and essentially the whole world now believe he would do something as heinous as use the ladies room.
What’s your take?
A. Should Bob pledge to make Sharon’s life miserable every chance he gets because she had fun at Bob’s expense? In a single Tweet? On a single day? Where maybe 10% of Sharon’s followers might see it? Where only the folks following both Bob and Sharon would see the joke?
B. Should Bob let it go and chalk up the experience to Sharon not fully understanding how sensitive Bob was about his image?
C. Should both Bob and Sharon go to remedial social media school to learn how to communicate using the tools of today?
D. Should the event have warranted even these 79 words I’ve used to describe them?
THAT’s what I’m talking about when I wonder if people are being too focused on the way they’re perceived and not focused enough on just being good people.
There are situations like this going on every day and I’ve got one word for the people who are taking themselves so seriously.
Seriously?
Have you run into someone who thinks they’re a bigger deal than they are; or who clearly doesn’t understand how to communicate? Please share those experiences in the comments.
And if you’re out and about tomorrow in Boston and looking for something to do, put this on your tweetup calendar…see Gary Vaynerchuk, Mike Langford, Thomas Edwards and me at the Estate. We’re Wining Dining and Signing. Tickets are still available.
We’ve all been there. Double-booked on the day of a great conference (today’s BIG Conference in Portland, ME); with other obligations during a social event (Ford’s coming to Boston with hybrid cars this week and I can’t go); or too spent to jet back into the city for another gathering or meeting ($2 Tacos Night is tonight and I’m unsure if I have the energy to attend).
How do you choose?
For me, I’ve been using a traveler’s approach to evaluate events and adjust my schedule. That’s when you give serious thought to whether you’ll have an opportunity again in your lifetime. The more likely that you’ll pass that way again, the easier it is to let moments and days slip away.
For example, when we missed a photo of cows wearing cowbells in a field in Germany, we made a segment of our journey a tiny mission to find more cowbelled cows…seriously. In three subsequent days of looking we didn’t find any, so that’s still on the list for an upcoming trip.
What about the chance to talk to someone, anyone, when they’re in the vicinity? I make it a point to say hello to authors because maybe I can offer advice about the trials of being on the road, doing book signings and dealing with publishers. I also like to meet new people.
Swimming is also a biggie for me, as is scooter riding. You hardly know around Boston when the weather will allow you to spend a day in the pool or out on the scooter. Variable weather and miniature seasons demand that I swim, golf, scoot and shoot photos when I can – for fear that 11 months might pass before I have the chance again.
What makes you scramble to be present and seize a moment? What drives you and how do you compartmentalize your efforts so you don’t neglect other parts of your life?
The above is something we plan to as Gary Vaynerchuk when he comes to town this Friday during his book launch. He’s appearing on my video show – NomX3.com – and also signing books for guests at an event I organized.
If you’ve got other things that prevent you from seizing a Friday night, I completely understand. But if you have the chance, come meet this guy. He’s an author, you get his book and a glass of wine with admission, and you’ll also allow me a chance to meet you in person if we haven’t already said hello.
Recently the amount of requests I’ve had to participate in referral marketing programs has gone through the roof.
From Amazon to Eventbrite to BlueHost to Clancy’s Chips, I’ve been ‘given the opportunity’ to create a unique URL that my friends and business associates can use to set up their own [INSERT book purchase, Web page, domain name, event, frito muchfest or other]. And it’s getting me a little confused.
Aren’t we supposed to be creatures who share good stuff?
The generation of putting one over on the man?
You know, we’re the people who would rush in droves to Lechmere at day 29 to return a microwave, VCR or answering machine because the company was too stupid to change its ‘no-questions-asked’ 30-day return policy.
Now we’re supposed to profit off our community? Where’s the fun in that and who wins?
There’s the rub. If I believe a product is good for someone AND if the referral price they get when they use my name is no different than the one they get by just going online…we all win.
For example, the other day I had a client sign up for site hosting on BlueHost. She got her account for the same amount I paid – I think around $7 a month – and the company still is sending me $65 for having her sign up by using THIS LINK.
That’s crazy.
Does it mean that Web hosting is cheaper than $2 a year? That’s what it comes out to after I get my commission.
What about the Eventbrite deal? I’ll get 35% of the proceeds of any event put on by a group that uses my link – sure, use it. And this 35% continues for an entire year. If I’m right, that’s $.35 a ticket that I get which means Eventbrite can afford to take $.64 per ticket and still remain in business.
Maybe this new way of making recommendations is the new way to stick it to corporate giants. Do you want a good deal? Do you want to also send me some cash while getting a deal? Then go use these links and sign up for some services.
I’ve been typing a lot lately but it hasn’t been on my dozen plus sites. That’s because some clients have actually called me in to create text genius and it’s taken me away from my blogs, Twitter and even my WWJCE.com site.
But an event I covered the other day had my fingers in knots. I tweeted 260 times or so during this event as I covered it for a social media group. It was Gravity Summit and it took place Monday.
Take a look at the pre-event video. I’m in there hamming it up at the Harvard Faculty Club in Cambridge, MA.
Some people might say so, but when I signed on to co-host the Ford Taurus event tonight I immediately got worried about letting down the legacy of the Ford family. Seriously.
When a quartet of us went across the heartland of America this year, we went with the help of Ford and I can’t impress upon you how cool that experience was. We got to create content about some of the greatest innovators of our time – from Ford (of course) to Zappos and Nationwide Insurance and Makers Mark and Louisville Slugger (who started by making butter churns and on a whim turned to baseball bats).
So tonight’s event has me jacked up too. It’s been organized entirely with the reach of a few social media folks and the power of Ford. Scott Monty should be thanked for remembering his friends back home – Thanks Scott! If you don’t know, Scott is the voice of Ford on Twitter and has kept that company afloat by keeping the bigwigs in touch with buyers like you and me.
But enough of that. What makes me silly is my premature attitude when it comes to events, dates, occasions and engagements. I need to be early.
I spent my formative months waiting to grow large enough to go home from the hospital and with the help of Mike Langford I’m trying to keep my weight up. At 4lbs, 4oz. I was certainly a premee.
I’m no longer 4/4 but I still maintain that it’s good to be early.
So here I sit a few hours before the event waiting for Ford representatives, 40 close friends and some soon-to-be friends to show up.
I don’t want to be premature here and say it’s gonna be a blast…oh, wait a minute, sure I do.
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