Mine and My Team's Success

Hey there, Parker here.

I've been offline much too long!  Now I'm back :-)

I just have to mention this story.  Recently I was asked to track the success of my efforts and use facts to drive ongoing improvements.

Folks, face it, I've been tracking my success since managing a 4th grade election campaign.

Back then, I had a goal and a purpose.  My goal was to choose the right person to run for the position and win. My purpose was to influence the student body to vote for my candidate.

Great kid and a good friend.
Together we won the election.

Since then, I've reviewed, modified and improved on my ability to set S.M.A.R.T goals.  I strive to be an effective team member.

What is important to me as an individual contributor is pride in a job well executed.

As a team, I collaborate with others to set and meet goals, knowing the overall purpose for the project.  Each member has a role to play and it's up to us to play that role well.

My smartly executed role as an individual contributor, will always rollup into the team's purpose.

Ever since I got that kid elected in the 4th grade, I've tracked the success of my efforts and used facts to drive ongoing improvements.  Way to go me, I mean us!

Best,
Parker

www.talithaparker.com

Becoming a Friendlier Person Works in Business Too

Hey there, Parker here.  I've been incorporating Dale Carnegie's Golden Book into my life and I found that each one of his principals apply to both my personal and professional life.  I decided to become a friendlier person and started with a smile.

I smiled and nodded my head to complete strangers and to my surprise, most of them smiled back.  That small act made me feel terrific.  So I gave it a try while meeting members of my new team, they must have already read his book because not only did they smile back, but they were genuinely interested in my skills, experience and background.

Even better, my new team embraced #6 on Carnegie's list for Becoming a Friendlier Person: A person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.  "Parker" is certainly that to me.

So becoming a friendlier person has not only allowed me to engage and interact with some great people in my community (shout outs to Debbie at the grocery store), but has made my transition into a new opportunity all the better.

Best,
Parker

Take it Away, Ohio

Hey there, Parker here. Wow, just when I thought Ohio’s elected officials could not look any sillier – Ohio Congressman Sues Congressional Cafeteria Over Olive Pit – they do.

I'm a former denizen of the Buckeye State, and the passage of a bill restricting public worker unions irks me for so many reasons.  But reason #1 is the lack of support, funding and concern for Ohio public school students.

Teacher unions champion the rights of educators through representation and negotiations.  With state and local governments having the final say in contract disagreements, teachers are banned from participating in strikes that bring awareness to problems like increased class sizes, fewer resources, employee furlough and reduced benefits.

Education is fundamental

Let's be honest folks, if not for a teacher strike or walk-out, many people would be ignorant of what is happening with students in the school system.

Clearly, education takes a back seat in the Ohio Senate.  Though fiction, the role ignorance and indifference played in the quality of life on Animal Farm was substantial and right now the entire country should be paying attention to what is happening in Wisconsin and Ohio.

In the end, public school students, firefighters, and police officers will foot the bill for this decision as surely as the rest of Ohio citizens are footing the bill for that $150k olive pit lawsuit.

Best,
Parker

It's On My To-Do List

Hey there, Parker here.  I should follow in Oprah's steps and start a book club.  But instead of books, I'll simply recommend interesting and valuable online articles and blogs.

Mine being one of the more interesting ones :-D

I'm kidding. But seriously, I adore what I read today because it pinpoints specific examples of good social media tactics.  Amy Porterfield wrote an excellent piece titled "9 Companies Doing Social Media Right and Why".  Folks, this a terrific read.

I will incorporate most, if not all, of the social media tactics outlined in my day-to-day web strategy and planning.  I especially see the long-term benefits of employing share buttons for my company's insights & news sections.

So hop on over to Social Media Examiner and read the article.

Best,
Parker

Shoes, Cupcakes and Birthday Cheer!

Hey there, Parker here.  Happy birthday and well wishes to everyone born on this day :-)

Shoes, cupcakes, merriment and cheer - yep, that's how I celebrate a birthday.

Best,
Parker

Make or Break Your Career with Social Media

all is fair in love and social media domination

Hey there, Parker here.  Sharing my thoughts on current events, marketing and social media.  Also, my DVR didn't record yesterday's daytime Law & Order episodes so I have an idle hour or two.

Anyway, the most popular and respected search engine company just upped their game and are playing for keeps.  Google easily chopped Alta Vista in half, turned dogpile into a dog pile, and had Ask Jeeve's asking "what happened?".  They KO'd their opponents but they've tipped their hand with this latest development - all Google employees are tied to the success of social media.  Wow.  They sound worried.

bing. meet. facebook

Now that Bing and Facebook are best buddies, I guess social media is the most logical step in securing global online domination.  Google is asking employees to enlist the help of family and friends to push social product releases.  If they aren't soliciting feedback I would frown upon the practice of manipulating or skewing data by asking friends and family to vote favorably just for voting's sake.  But knowing Google as well as I do (see my previous love for Google post), I'm sure they are truly testing products for a better user experience, and not just popularity.

Face it folks, we all know building a following using social media takes time and consumer trust and I'm a blatant fan of all things Google. However, my personal experiences with their social media channels have been hit or miss.  For instance;

this is a real thing

I tried Orkut because it was a default add-on while creating my Google Identity.  No one in my social circle was on it (or even heard of it) so that was the last time I bothered to log-in.

Picasa was cool when signed up and I still like it.  Sometimes I want to share photos independent of Facebook and Picasa serves my efforts well.

Wave was all mystery and I was green-eyed that I never got the invite while EVERYONE ELSE I KNEW was asked to test it.  Then I found out what it was and sort of wished I'd stayed in the dark.

i use it

Gmail chat is awesome!  I love the ease of using chat right within my Gmail screen.  And the video chat was as simple to use as a click of a button.  Literally.

Blogger - um, duh! You're reading my blog now.

YouTube's embed feature was my first experience with embedding video or any widget on a web page and loved the simplicity of it.

+1 brings out my inner paranoid conspiracy theorist.  Sometimes I don't want to know what my 'friends' have read nor do I want them to know what I've read. If I post online, it's fair game, but if I'm browsing the web, much like a library, I have an expectation of privacy.

i see google making more money

Buzz made me mad.  Unlike Facebook, I couldn't hide much of my information from search engines (or anyone).  So I worry about buzzing on non-web or professional matters.

No one asked for my two-cents but that has never stopped me from spreading the wealth.  I'm all for their decision.  Top down and bottom up - all administrative, professional and middle management employees have been drafted and will be held responsible for Google's social media efforts.

I can dig it.  I'm watching them closely and I'm taking notes.

I won't be surprised if in 2-3 years we find ourselves ranking Orkut (or whatever new platform they develop or buy) as our preferred vehicle of online conversation and community.

Best,
Parker