TechKaraoke SXSW Photo Credit: Wayne Kurtzman @WayneNH

Despite the fact that I completely lost my voice during the conference, I did manage to sing with the help of my pal, Margot Bloomstein, who carried the vocals as we belted out The Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun” with the live band. Not sure how great we sounded, but it was pretty awesome to have the fans blowing our hair in true “80’s big hair” fashion. Hey, I felt like a rock star for a good 3 minutes!

So, here is the video with Jen where I found out a bit more about her company Pinqued why she colored her hair pink.

Thanks Jen and Kate!

Networking at The Social Media Breakfast Boston Photo credit: Joselin Mane @joselinmane

You’ve heard of a fair-weather friend?  You know, those people that go MIA and once in a while they rear their heads when they need something from you. Well, I want to talk about what I call the fair-weather networker. 

Like the fair-weather friend, the fair-weather networker typically takes action when there is a need. But the difference here is that when it comes to a friend, I am always willing to help them out because they are, just that… a friend. I don’t care if I haven’t heard from them in a year, I will do what I can to help them out. 

Recently, I was contacted by several people who I don’t even know asking to talk to me about positions at my company or asking for favors to help them out. While I applaud them for taking the initiative to reach out and having the guts to come right out and ask, I am also turned off by the mere fact that they didn’t try to get to know me first or allow me the opportunity to get to know them before asking me. 

I often liken proper networking etiquette to the early stages of dating. In most cases, (and I qualify this statement with most because this is not the case for every date…so I have heard ) when you go out on a first date, you start things off slow. You wouldn’t go pick up your date and immediately lay a big fat wet kiss on her/him before getting to know them just a little bit, would you? Well, I guess it depends on the chemistry, but like I said, most people just wouldn’t do this. 

The same applies to business where honest, authentic networking, in my opinion, is so important to a successful career.  You have likely heard the phrase to network before you need it, and I couldn’t agree with that more. But I want to take that a bit further and say that you need to network not only before you need something, but all the time. 

Social networking has changed the game of networking. It certainly has for me. I am no longer confined to purely face to face communication to make connections. Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have rapidly expanded my network not only locally, but globally. The barriers to start a discussion with someone I don’t even know are low for these tools make it easier to get to know someone on a more personal level.  And, if you can combine the power of the online interaction with the offline, then those connections are now even stronger. 

So what are some things you can do to avoid being labeled a “fair-weather networker” 

Make the time 

Set aside the time to get out and network in person. I am a big believer in connecting the online with the offline and have made a commitment to try to get out to attend networking events relevant to my career. There are so many events taking place on a weekly basis across all industries that you are bound to find something that is a fit for you. Not sure where to go to find out about events in your area? Go to sites like Yahoo Upcoming, MeetUp, or follow people that are typically in the know about local events such as @bostontweet or @Bostontweetup in my area. I always refer to the BostonTweetUp calendar or NH Events calendar for local events in my area.  

With the help of social networking, the connections you make at these events continue on well beyond the exchange of the business card or handshake. You are now able to instantly connect via Bump or you can Poke them if you have your own Poken or follow them on Twitter to be instantly connected and continue that conversation. 

You can’t build a network overnight 

Understand that building your network takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Take the time to get to know people and let them know who you are. Don’t try to pitch me on your business or ask me for a job immediately after meeting. I typically don’t dig that sort of behavior and I will be immediately turned off. 

Be a connector 

Give back. I truly believe the world of networking, what comes around goes around. You’ve got to give to get and what better way to build trust and loyalty among your network than to help others grow and succeed by helping others connect. If you know that your friend Joe is looking for some help with a design project at his company and your friend Sarah just happens to be an awesome designer looking for work, then get those two together! Because one day when you need something, Sarah and Joe will be the first to help you out. 

Networking is hard work. It takes time and dedication, but when done right, opportunities will be more readily available to you as your network knows you and understands who you are and what you are capable of. You can also help those in your network connect with others. That is the sign of a good networker – one that pays it forward with no expectations in return. 

Do you have any great networking advice or examples you would like to share? Please do so in the comment section below. 

Know any networking rock stars?? 

Are you or do you know anyone that is a networking rock star?? Please contact me. I would love to talk to you for a series of Q&A’s with successful serial networkers.

I can’t wait for the Spring Fever #SoxUp at the Absolut Clubhouse at Fenway Park taking place on Thursday, February 25th.

The Boston Red Sox along with The Social Marketing Hub (we will be talking more about that later) are joining forces to bring you this awesome night of networking and fun.

Learn more by watching this short video promo filmed by Steve Garfield himself in one of the awesome Pavilion Suites at Fenway. Tickets are limited so I encourage you to buy yours ASAP! http://soxup.eventbrite.com

A huge THANK YOU to our #SoxUp sponsors including: Tungle.me, Awareness, Inc., Brightcove, Sullivan Tire, Soxology and Kodak! 

See you there!!!!

A big thanks to Salina McIntire, Membership Director with The Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce for her assistance in planning this event and others. And we definitely couldn’t do it without the help of our sponsors – Microarts, Vital Design, Patti Fousek of CreativeMind Search Marketing and Awareness. Thank YOU!!

I am also very excited to be able to bring you live music from The Sea Captains!!

Adam Flaherty @aflaherty_media (also a member of @TheSeaCaptains) created this awesome video to help promote the event while we were at @RedHookNH yesterday afternoon. Check it out!!

See you on 2/18!!

NH Tweetup :: Retro TechUp 2/18/10 @ Redhook, NH from The Sea Captains on Vimeo.

If you are also a tea-loving, social media person like I am, then you will definitely want to check out this video interview I did with Marshall Malone of Portsmouth Tea Company (@PortsmouthTea) while attending the NH Social Media Breakfast.

Connections and Eye Contact!

Marshall was kind enough to sit down with me right after he got himself a bowl of Portsmouth Tea Company’s soup of the day (they offer some amazing food there too – FYI). Marshall shared with me some background on Portsmouth Tea Company, which was founded as an online-only retailer of fine teas and has since opened its first cafe located at 475 High Street in Somersworth, NH. He discusses how using social marketing has helped him connect with his customers both online and offline to help establish that “eye contact” that he says is so important in building relationship.

Want to buy a cow?

Portsmouth Tea Company is also involved in a very unique cause marketing initiative with True Sojourners that helps to buy cows that are then given to families in Nepal.  They ask their patrons to stop bytheir cafe and donate anytime; 100% of donations goes to purchase the cow.

I encourage you to take a peek at my interview with Marshall below and to also check out their online store if you are or know anyone that is a tea lover. If you are local, definitely stop by their cafe in Somersworth, NH for some tea and a bite to eat.

A big thank you to Marshall for sitting down with me. Sorry your soup got cold!

The answer is certainly not from corporations. Scott pointed out that according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, it’s certainly not the companies that consumers go to first. In fact the 2009 Barometer revealed that globally, 62% of people trust corporations less than they did last year. And its even worse within the U.S. where 77% of consumers are skeptical of anything that comes from a corporation.

So who do consumers trust to get their information from? The answer Scott provided was that most consumers get their information from third party experts and journalistic sources such as Consumer Reports and Wall Street Journal. But most importantly people trust the information they receive from others like them and with whom they can identify with such as a family member, friend or someone from within their network. Those are the people they will trust and ultimately influence their decision to buy.

Paraphrasing Woody Allen, where he said ”90% of life is just showing up,” Scott shared with us how Ford subscribes to the Woody Allen philosophy of social media which is “90% of social media is just showing up.” Its about being where people expect you to be.  Showing up is easy, its the other part that is hard and is often where the majority of corporations fail. Well Ford is certainly doing more than just showing up. With Scott to guide them, the corporation that has experienced its share of challenges,  is now seeing significant success in their social media efforts through their many campaigns. Proof of this success could possibly be attributed to the company’s recently posted profits of nearly $1 billion in its third quarter.

Twitter was also buzzing about Scott’s discussion as many participants were rapidly sharing some of the highlights and soundbites during the webinar using the hashtag #awarenessinc. Some of my favorites are highlighted below. As you watch and listen to the webinar yourself, what are some of the key highlights for you? I would love to continue the discussion via Twitter (with the tag #awarenessinc) or in the comment section below. P.S. Scott’s slides can be accessed via Slideshare here: http://bit.ly/2I4Mhx

1. C3CreateConnect: RT @awarenessinc: People trust those that are part of their network- friends/family- hose they can identify with – @ScottMonty #Awarenessinc
2. christinelexa: #Ford has been in a tough place recently. @scottmonty wanted to get back to Ford & its roots – the people & innovation. #awarenessinc
3. RonArden: #awarenessinc Connecting with people on an emotional level with your products or services is what we should all strive for.
4. bostonmike: 90% of social media is just “showing up” from @scottmonty #awarenessinc
5. awarenessinc: Who is @Ford Motor Co? “We are a Green, Global, High Tech Company that is improving people's lives” #awarenessinc (@ScottMonty)
6. k8johnson: Technology is not holding us back, it is the behavior & culture change that is… (via @scottmonty #AwarenessInc)
7. GreenSoil: Talk to your customers like human beings – both online and offline #awarenessinc (@ScottMonty)
8. MetroplexTBC: #awarenessinc Measureing SM ROI is like trying to justify why you should put on pants, not doing it will have some serious repercussions
9. jalexander0204: #awarenessinc – understand your business and industry first
10. 14str8: As mentioned by @ScottMonty on #awarenessinc webinar Fathers Day – Mustang Video http://bit.ly/16y5tn

While Battle Decks is predominantly for fun, it is a great exercise for the public speaker to be able to speak on their feet about a topic they know nothing about and convince the audience that THEY are the expert at that particular topic. All of the speakers & judges did an amazing job thinking on their feet while, most, made us believe they were the experts on the politics of social media dancing and the dying art of the moustache!

The judges, who were scoring all presenters on a scale from zero to 10, all agreed that both Diane Vautier and John Herman were the big winners of the day as they faced off during the Battle Decks Deck Off. Five slides into the Deck Off,  John Herman determined that there was room for two winners – even though he felt “3″ would have been more appropriate – and stopped.

Thanks to presenters Ed Justen, Steve Garfield, Anthony Liang, Diane Vautier and John Herman and judges Seth Cohn, Tara Sullivan and Leah Carey for participating and making this session a success. You all rock! I can’t wait for the PodCamp NH in 2010 where Battle Decks will be bigger and badder than ever!

As they entered Brewhouse Foyer, the smell of fresh hops filled the air.

“Thar’s the smell of some of the finest beer ever brewed,” said the old brew monkey master to the group as they entered the room.

As the brew monkey master was broadcasting to the world, the zombies began to come to life and started to slowly (they are zombies afterall) lead everyone out of the room and into the cemetery for a Thriller dance.

The spooky food was delicious and included everything from wart of toad to eyes of newt and was provided by Walter “wanna be a Thriller zombie” Elly from MicroArts, The Vital Design Construction Workers and the masquerade masters from Ballards.

A creepy contest ensued as one of the lead zombies waddled away with a night’s stay at the Haunted Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Portsmouth. Other SpookUp guests were lucky to walk away with:

• A Redhook Ale Gift Certificate
• Some freshly ground coffee from Port City Coffee Roasters
• Your choice of a beautiful print from Stephanie Wales Photography’s NH Fine Art Gallery and Phil Cohen
• Bluetooth® Home Stereo Adapter DC800. $70 Value from CreativeMind Search Marketing, LLC
• A $35.00 Gift Certificate to Portsmouth Tea Company
• Zombified T-Shirts from Zombies at Work

The night ended at the stroke of midnight (well, it was more like 10pm) when all the zombies, ghosts and goblins journeyed back into the night. But before they disappeared into the fog, they all gave each other one last “elbow bump” and agreed that they should meet above ground more often.

~Fin

*******************************

This Pirate wants to thank everyone for dressing up and coming to the SpookUp on a rainy, gloomy night. It was an amazing event which could not have been possible without some amazing people including Salina McIntire from the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, Amanda Telford and Jessica from Red Hook Brewery, Tara Sullivan – Zombie Coordinator Extraordinaire, Walter Elly of MicroArts, Brian DeKoning of Vital Design, Ballards, Patti Fousek from CreativeMind Search Marketing, Tara Aiken from Port City Coffee, Stephanie Wales photography, Phip Cohen who not only took pictures of the SpookUp, but donated a print to raffle, Marshall Malone from Portsmouth Tea Company, Mike Schneider - aka BelchingMonkey and all of YOU!

Thank YOU for making these events a success for everyone involved.

The pictures from Phil Cohen will be added here soon and I will tweet about them when they are available. Until then, here are some shots from Amy Greenlaw – @GirlGamy

If you have any photos or videos or comments about the event to add, please do so in the comment section below.

And if you wouldn’t mind – please share your thoughts on the event by filling out this Boston TweetUp poll: http://bit.ly/BTUPollSpookUp

Thank you!!

-Christine

Any brand that has not embraced social media or has a presence but not really managing it properly is missing out on connecting with and engaging with consumers. Anthony’s generation not only expects to be able to interact with brands online, but these real connections form their opinions of those brands and drive their decisions to buy and also tell their friends about their experience with that brand. In a world where word of mouth is a huge factor in driving purchasing decisions, brands need to make sure they are making a great impression with their consumers.

To learn more, please check out my video interview with Anthony below to hear his thoughts on how his generation prefers to interact with brands and some tips on how to do so.

How do you prefer to interact with brands? What effects your decision to buy from one brand over the other? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Photo credit: Walter Elly (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burundy)

I love Halloween. And it’s not because of the candy. It’s never been about the candy for me. In fact, as a kid, I used to give away all my candy. Well, at least after I went through my loot and grabbed everything I liked such as Kit Kats, Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey Bars and Nestle Crunches – the rest could go away ( I was a generous kid). Halloween for me is about being someone else for one (or a few nights) around Halloween. I love getting dressed up which is probably why I ended up being a theater major in college. I also dig scary movies.

Coming from a family that has run its own party store (Ballards) for the past 30 years where Halloween was and is still the biggest time of the year for business, I have been fortunate to have a huge selection of costumes to choose from. And because of this, Halloween has been a bigger holiday for me than even Christmas (gasp!).

This is why I am especially excited about bringing together my passion for Halloween and also networking to bring you the NHTweetUp Halloween #SpookUp! with The Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, October 28 at The Red Hook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth. Sponsored by MicroArts and Ballards.

Along with a great networking opportunity, we are going to offer a tour of Red Hook Brewery, a costume contest, Belching Monkey will be doing a live show from the event which will be streaming on the Web!

I am also very excited that The Port Thriller Zombies will be performing Michael Jackson’s Thriller Dance for everyone. Feel free to join in if you want (I know I will be doing it). If you want to learn the dance before the event, check out this video tutorial:

We will also be raffling off some great prizes including:

• A Red Hook Ale Gift Certificate
• Some freshly ground coffee from Port City Coffee Roasters
• Your choice of a beautiful print from Stephanie Wales Photography’s NH Fine Art Gallery
• And More!

As I told my friend Walter Elly from MicroArts (long time NHTweetUp sponsor), The SpookUp is kind of a big deal for me which is why he created the picture above of Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy in Anchorman.

For more information about the event and to sign up, go to the official SpookUp Eventbrite page at: http://bit.ly/SpookUp

I hope to see you there! You don’t want to miss it!