Changes & Opportunities

Apr 1, 2010 | blog

Rick MahnIt’s been a long time coming, but there are significant changes taking place here this week.  The first change being a new look* and updated layout here on the site.  The current design was done almost two years ago by Mykl Roventine, a great designer & creator of things ;-), and has served this blog well during that time.
The next evolution of this site, needs to support the evolving needs I have online and in working with clients and organizations.  More information on resources, ideas, offerings, services, and such are part of that plan, and I think the new design is going to fit those needs nicely.  In addition to that, it’s just time to freshen things up a bit to go along with that new direction.
The other portion of the refresh is around opportunities.  The growing Social Media Breakfast community here in Minneapolis & St. Paul is one part, but also the national organization is working together as it grows.  The education needs of our communities are growing, the number of businesses both large and small in need of advice & direction is expanding along with the opportunities to mentor folks who need it.  All these things are part of my thinking in this redesign and direction for the future.
So when you ask?  This week I say!  Much of  the new design is ready to go and I’ll be working into the wee hours here & there to bring it live, but it will be done by the end of the week.  Gotta go now though, still much to do, and still more to share later.
🙂
* New design now live, the old one looked like this.

Surrounding Yourself for Success

Feb 3, 2010 | blog

CrowdKnowledgeable entrepreneurs do it all the time, why shouldn’t you?

We all know many knowledgeable people who help us navigate the pitfalls of career and life.  Many times it’s family, friends and co-workers – of which there’s nothing wrong with listening & learning from.

However, what if you seek out and select new or additional influencers to augment what you’ve inherited by default?  Basically, what if you got to select who you get to learn from?  Why aren’t you doing this already?

Every day we’re interacting with people who have something to share.  If they’re not sharing ideas and thoughts that move us forward, what inspiration or feedback are you getting? Look closer, I believe there is something more there than you expect.

I suggest that you get out and start connecting with peers and experts in your field.  (That’s called networking to you and me.)  In the end, you’ll find folks who want to work with you, share with you, and learn from you.  That’s the reward by the way, transfer of knowledge, sharing of experiences, the ability to learn form others experience and make something better with them in the end.

Picture courtesy of kalieye

Walk Your Walk

Apr 2, 2009 | blog, leadership

'There Are Places I Remember' by Thomas Hawk If there’s one thing you should always do, it’s to keep your unique individuality.

As an individual we need to recognize how and what we do differently.  Protect and nurture those qualities that make us who we are.  It’s important to realize that these qualities are what others see in us, and differentiate us in a crowd.

Quite a bit of this relates to your personal brand, and perhaps that context helps make the most sense.

Walk Different

Walk a funny walk, have fun, explore who you are and what others see in you.  Dare to be different.  In doing so, you’ll start to learn what others value in you.  You’ll also be able to realize that there’s opportunity in doing things differently.

Try those new things, find ways to step out into the future and expand your skills and worldview.  You may be great at what you do today, but there are other things you may be well suited for.  It’d be a shame not to find out what those may be.  It’s rewarding to relearn things about yourself that you may have forgotten.

Walk Tall

Be proud of where you come from, what you do, and how you accomplish your work. Your walk can be compared to your “brand personality” when you meet a person , often the first thing you see is them walking towards you. Much like the t-shirt you brand from Print My Logo, you have control over what is seen.

There are no unimportant jobs in society, and it’s what we do with our lives that’s the real testament to each of us.  It’s what we do day-in and day-out that people remember, and this is the base of who we are.  It’s always a good idea to start from a firm foundation, and that is what walking tall is about.

Don’t let others define your success as success is a subjective label to begin with.  Only we can define what that is, because only we know what’s important, or what the next step in our path was supposed to be.

Walk Straight

Sticking to your values is what this is all about.  Its when we stray from our ideals that we begin to loose our way.  By following through on your plan and remaining true to your core values, its easier to reach those goals that you prize most.  This is also something that people remember about us.  It’s about being consistent, honest, and following through.  Not always easy, but never ignored either.

Walk With Purpose

Having a purpose to things is just as important as everything else.  It’s about direction.  There’s a reason that we’re all good at different things and make different decisions every day.  Define for yourself why you do things the way you do, get to understand what that purpose is, and refine it as time goes on.  This is ultimately what drives each of us in our own way.  We have some ultimate goal that we alone hold.

Stepping Up

Finally, taking the time to map out a path to walk in life is a great thing to take time to do.  Plan out short and long goals, match your pace in life with your ultimate goals.  Enjoy the each step along the way.

rickmahn-hrThis is a post from my ‘inspirational’ list.  Not sure if it really is, but I like to give it a try from time to time.  All feedback is welcome!  That’s one of my goals as I walk through life, to learn from anyone willing to share suggestions or criticism.  It’s all good from my perspective as I just want to learn.

Social Media and the 40 Hour Work Week

Mar 31, 2009 | blog

One of the more frequent questions I hear about social media, is around how much time should a person allocate towards it.  The answer is a lot simpler than it seems: lots.

For those looking at moving into a social media role, whether its a community manager, specialist, analyst, or strategist (hmm… lots of –ists in there) expect to spend quite a bit of time.  Each of these jobs consist of a lot of hours, mainly because you’re dealing with a platform that never turns off: the Internet.

The speed of the Internet really has an influence on the time you need and should spend in a social media related field.  Since things change so quickly, it’s imperative to be monitoring all the spaces that are relevant to your company, brand, or interests.  This can take up a huge amount of time.

The bottom line on time invested in social media activities, is that you need to set boundaries, and work towards containing them.  There are always things that require our attention, or distract us in some way.  The trick is to be diligent in leveraging the tools and services that are available for doing monitoring and alerting you when something needs attention, or is relevant to your interests.  Event then it get’s a bit difficult to stay on track.

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