digital attitude

Don’t Add To My WorkLoad!

/ Lorian Lipton / Leave a comment

I have been thinking a great deal about how I live (aka: how I spend my time), and to be honest, I think I could use my time more wisely.  My goal is to use social media as a tool to replace work that I am already doing, not to add to my work load. I keep hearing that I need to work smarter, not harder.  Coming up with that equation is … a lot of work.

arg-fish-storyI read an interesting article by Clay Shirky, called “Gin, Television, and Social Surplus,” on WorldChanging, about the use of leisure time. He calls it ‘Social Surplus.’ Social surplus is “time we have when we are not doing paid work, our so called ‘leisure time.”  He says that years ago (20th Century), we spent time engaged in ‘consuming prepackaged media,’ like film and TV, and that now (21st Century) we devote our time to ‘producing and sharing.’ in addition to consuming.   Therefore, he defines the use of social media as a leisure activity.

accountantHe is part right, because most of the blogging and browsing and tweeting that I am doing is during my leisure time (my personal time).  I am doing a lot of business work in my ‘social surplus‘ time.  I am working harder and longer hours then ever before.  This had made me realize that I need to switch some of how I look at things, and some of how I work, because he is also wrong, not all of my social media use is personal, and therefore, not all ‘social surplus.’  For example, reading news is part work, part leisure;  IBM email, is all work; Twitter, is 90% work; Facebook, is 100% leisure; this blog, is work, but DogDaz.com blog is leisure.  It is clear that the lines between work and leisure (professional /personal), at least on the internet, have blurred with the advent of social media.  It is not about finding clear lines between the two, but about how I learn to work differently in another medium.  Luis Suarez is a perfect example,  He is the IBMer that gave up email and communicates only through social media for all his projects and communications.  I don’t sense that he is trying to figure out where his professional tweets end and his personal tweets begin (if you know what I mean).  Trying to keep the two worlds separate is a waste of time and energy.

Let’s look at what I might do differently to make this swap:

  • Instead of buying and reading newspapers, I am going to get my news headlines on my Twitter feed and Facebook (ie: BBC, CNN, NPR, local news).  I still like the Sunday paper though, so I am keeping that (or I won’t have anything to use when repotting plants).  If I want more than the headline, I can click on the link in the news feed.
  • I stopped randomly playing around on the internet to see what was out there a long time ago, because I think it was a big time waster for me.  Occasionally I still do like to nose around for entertainment and good books but I will be setting my timer to ensure I don’t get lost for hours (sometime I forget to go to bed).
  • I have not given up reading books or watching TV, but I have always limited TV to shows that I have recorded.  I need to be more choosy on the books, I guess, because my pile gets bigger and bigger.
  • When I have a business question and I need lots of input, maybe I can Tweet it, verses calling or Instant Messaging a million people?  That would really save time.  I really need to start leveraging the community of experts out there better.
  • $545E5FB844589F58I need to stop feeling guilty about using social media during work time.  This is a hold over for me probably because I have worked virtually for so many years and had to make sure I limited my use of the www outside of work to after hours. (I may be showing my age but who remembers the BOSS screen on the early computers?)  Those days are gone.  As long as I am using social media to do a better job, I think that it is something that is part of my job, and therefore, it is not ‘social surplus,’ but ‘SOCIAL NECESSITY’ (my term).

What are some ways you can think of incorporating social media into your routine by replacing something you already do in a different medium?   

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Keep up the good attitude. See you next blog.

– Lorian

(All the Social Butterfly’s views are her own)

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What Are Your Reading This Weekend?

/ Lorian Lipton / 1 Comment

Sir Winston Churchill said, “So little time, so much to do,” but I must modify that to “…so much to read!”

girl_reading_school_book_sm_wht_31368I may be on the laptop for hours and hours reading articles and blogs and teleworking all day, but there is something about paper under my fingers, and walking into a real brick and mortar book store that just fills my heart. There are so many books that I have been wanting to read, so I thought I would go pick some up last night (literally).  Here is a list of several books, some which I have read, some I am reading, and some I am going to read this year.  I compiled this short list from personal experience and researched reviews to help on this journey to understanding self, brand, and how to take a place in relationship to the new social paradigm. I hope you add some to your stack and feel free to add some to mine.

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READ:

Dale Carnegie – How To Win Friends And Influence People: Written in 1936, I have my fathers original (he dated it 4-9-37). Dad was a dress salesman in New York City.  I have read this book a zillion times since I was young.  It still is one of the best business books you can read because it is all about the art of the relationship, the network, and good old communications. (Post script:  My Dad was born in NYC in 1912, and has been gone 15 years last month.  He went from nothing (literally) to owning his own dress manufacturing business in the ’50’s.  Thanks Dad for setting me in the right direction.)

Arbinger Institue – Leadership and Self Deception: I recently read this for a leadership class and I thought it was an interesting way to look at how we box ourselves into believing our own story (whether good or bad) and then swirl people around us into our own self deception.  A good airplane read that will make you look at your internal conversations and how they affect your relations to others.

Spencer Johnson – Who Moved My Cheese: This little story helps you look at how you deal (or don’t deal) with change.  Change is the only constant we know, but the only one that likes change is a baby, they scream for it.

Richard Bolles – What Color Is Your Parachute?: The first time I read this was in college in the 70’s.  I just had my step-daughter go buy the newest edition, since she just graduated college, and the self examinations and practical guidance is a great tool to help you hone in on what it is that you really would like to be doing for your career and what you are best suited for.  Self-knowledge is what the brand of you is all about.   This is a good starting point.

ON THE NIGHT STAND: 

Marshall Goldsmith – What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There:  This is really pushing me to look at how I take what I know up a notch.  I’ll let you know how it turns out when I am done.

Reid Hoffman – The Start Up of You:  On the night stand, waiting for me to finish “What Got You Here”

WAITING TO READ:

Seth Godin – Permission Marketing Turning Strangers Into Friends and Friends Into Customers

Malcolm Gladwell – The Tipping Point 

Simon Sinek – Start With Why 

Dave Kerpen – Likeable Social Media

Jim Collins – Good To Great

Partrick Lencioni – The Three Big Questions For A Frantic Family

Sheryl Sandberg – Lean In 

Ben Zander – The Art of Possibility

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Please let me know what you think, and comment with any adds and ‘don’t bother to reads.’ 

What are you reading this weekend?

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Keep up the good attitude. See you next blog.

– Lorian

(All the Social Butterfly’s views are her own)

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Know Thy Self First

/ Lorian Lipton / 1 Comment

Finding the words to define one’s expertise is hard. There are now several pages in my notebook* filled with one or two-word descriptions of things that I believe that I am good at and things that I am an expert in.  After I wrote down all these words, I then took time to think about what I meant by each of them.  I call this deep thinking.

daily_planner_writing_md_wht(*About the Notebook: I told you to get a good notebook, right?  You really need to be writing this stuff down. I’m using a really nice bound journal but you could just steal one from your kid’s school supply stash.  Believe me, you need to have something to write all your Attitude Adjustment Activities in. Stop reading and go get paper and pen now!)

Building your personal brand is a mix of several things and expertise is a big part of it.  Until you know what you are good at, it is really hard to communicate it to others.  And the communication part is what social branding is all about.  You need to ask yourself:  What is it I am known for?  If I ask a colleague or acquaintance, what would they say I am an expert in?  Would they know my distinct point of view on a subject? (And a future thought: Is that what I want to be known for?)

Attitude Adjustment Homework #1:  On at least one sheet of paper, write down the answer to the question “I am ______________”

I am ….a change agent; innovator; caring; mentor; mother; teacher; project manager; driven…..  you get the idea.

Attitude Adjustment Homework #2:  Take some of your words and make a WORD CLOUD (its fun and helps you to visualize).  You can make your cloud at http://www.wordle.net/create.

Here is my word cloud:

wordle expertis

I wanted to understand what ‘expertise’ meant, so I researched it on the internet, but I was not happy with any of the definitions that I found.  The definition I like the best is actually one of ‘competencies,’ and it came from IBM‘s internal encyclopedia called ‘Bluepedia:’

“Competencies are comprised of a balanced and coherent mixture of know-how (skills), know-what (knowledge), know-why (relevant experience) and individual attitude.”

Let’s break that down: (1) know HOW, (2) know WHAT, (3) know WHY, and (4) ATTITUDE.  If you have those four elements of competency then you can definitely consider yourself an expert in an area.  That works for me.

Attitude Adjustment Homework #3: Check in with other people to see if they agree with your cloud of expertise and if they would add or delete anything.

animationfinalKeep up the good attitude.  See you next blog.

– Lorian

(All the Social Butterfly’s views are her own)

Attitude Adjmt Plan #1 – Defining Personal Brand

/ Lorian Lipton / 3 Comments

I am a Project Manager (PM) by profession, and as a PM, I like to make plans and work those plans to completion.  For me it is critical to have a plan, especially when you are working with something as big as crafting your digital eminence (it sounds like a big job to me).  I also find that having a plan with distinct milestones helps me keep to the task at hand, otherwise I could get overwhelmed by the whole process.  One of the ways that I have been successful with really complex programs is to break them down into little plans. Today I am working on the first steps and tasks to reach digital eminence: I will call it my ‘Attitude Adjustment Plan.’

Step 1 Defining My Personal Brand 

j0283864I must confess that I have actually been working this digital eminence thing for several months and it is not easy.  At the center of this whole eminence thing is a the PERSONAL BRAND.  Without knowing your personal brand you have nothing to focus on and nothing to be eminent in.  Your personal brand is “what you are known for.”  It is how you define yourself in the work world while highlighting the personal elements that uniquely tell the world what makes you special.

“Personal Branding links your passions, key personal attributes, and strengths with your value proposition, in a crystal clear message that differentiates your unique promise of value from your peers and resonates with your target audience.”– Meg Guiseppi, Personal Branding Expert 

Focusing on myself makes me a little uncomfortable, it is not something I am used to doing, but I know that I will not get to where I need to go if I don’t, so here goes . . .

Homework

Task 1.  What is my vision and my purpose?  Before I can brand myself, I need to dig deep (introspection is tough but necessary), and understand what it is I want to be known for.  What practice or expertise is it that I am trying to build?  What kind of client relationships do I want?  And ask myself those hard questions about my purpose for doing all this.

Task 2.  What are my values and my passions?  This is the touchy-feely stuff.  I really have to understand what I stand for, my world view and my personal values, to be able to be real (aka: authentic) so that I can move forward.  To decide if an opportunity is a good fit for me, I really need to understand my operating principles, my personal belief system, my passions (those things that drive me) or I will not be happy ultimately.  (And, if Mommy is not happy, no one is happy!)

This homework may take a while.  Actually branding is probably something I will be working on for the rest of my life, so now is as good a time to start as any.

ARE YOU WITH ME?  This is the road to Digital Eminence, and remember we are doing it with a Digital Attitude!  If you have questions about your assignment just comment below.  Class is now in session.       

Today’s Links:

30 Terrible Pieces of Social Media Advice You Should Ignore

Leverage Social Media To Convey Your Expertise

Thanks for taking the journey with me.

digitalattitudesmall

See you in the Cloud – Lorian

(All views are my own)

Today’s Attitude: Baby Steps

/ Lorian Lipton / 4 Comments

womanatdesk.gifTruthfully, creating and maintaining personal digital eminence is a lot harder then I ever thought. Developing eminence for a product or service seems like a piece of cake compared to self promotion.  But wait… I am the product now.  I am “The Digital Attitude,” the brand called “Lorian.”

For those of you that are following along with my journey, I realize that there is a tremendous amount of work to do, so I am going to need to do it in baby steps.

My first 24 hour’s attitude adjustment included:

(1) Reading the following stuff; Luis Suarez’s Blog – ELSUA.net.  Luis is an IBMer and his main focus is living social and working without email (It’s a cool concept, don’t you think), and, I am reading everything I can find by Chris Brogan.com , a guru on everything social and successful author.

cropped-summer122.jpg(2) I spruced up my LinkedIn profile (more on how in a future post), including a new picture.    My LinkedIn Adviser, a wonderful British gentlemen named Social Ben (Ben Martin), told me that profile pictures look best with a BLUE TO WHITE GRADIENT background.  Blue says ‘trust’ and White says ‘purity.’ I don’t have a professional business picture and I could not find one with a light background, so I am hoping this one works for now.  I guess I may have to invest in a professional shot.

What do you think?  Would you trust that face? –>

(3) I have been learning a great deal about tagging and keyword control.  I plan on blogging about that very soon.  I went and tagged my profile with a whole bunch of relevant keywords so that people can search me better.  If people can’t find me based on key words, then my profile is kind of meaningless. (I looked at what some other people had on their profile to get an ideas.)

(4) I went and endorsed a few of my colleagues for their skills on LinkedIn, so that I can help them adjust their digital attitude a little too.

If I have any time before I go to sleep I am going to try and follow a few strategic leaders, like Ginni Rometty (remember I’m an IBMer), and start to comment on what she discusses (if I have something relevant to add).  Comments help you build more eminence day by day.  (I think I am getting the hang of this.)  I also am going to take a deep look at my lack of network connections on both LinkedIn and Tweeter.  (I have a lot of work to do.  I think this week, I will make an Attitude Adjustment Plan, so I know where I am going.)

Doing all this stuff really is starting to set me off balance with my work/life things, and I know there must be a smarter way to incorporate social into my schedule. Are you with me?  Are you starting to make an Attitude Adjustment Plan to build your digital eminence? Are there topics you think I should explore?

Thanks for taking the journey with me.

digitalattitudesmall

See you in the Cloud – Lorian

(All views are my own)

Taking Out The Digital Garbage

/ Lorian Lipton / 6 Comments

maidYears ago I used to Google myself (did I really just use Google as a verb?) every couple of months.  In those days, before Facebook and LinkedIn, all the good newspaper articles with my name in them and business highlights would come up at the top of the list.  Now I Google myself about once a week, and find that the Social Media sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) and years of accumulated digital clutter have taken over the first page.  I don’t want to be defined by things like my local Homeowner’s Associate Newsletter just because it mentions my name 3 times and some search engine picked up the feed – that to me is DIGITAL GARBAGE.  Internet search engines go out and pick up every instance of my name, so what I get is a lot of stuff floating to the top that I don’t want seen first, if at all.  Have you Googled yourself recently?

Today’s digital attitude adjustment will be to figure out how to take out the digital garbage.  I want people to see the stuff I think is more important on top.  I am not sure how to go about this, but I will get back to you later and let you know what I have found.  There is a whole industry around this for businesses, but what about for simple, hard working stiffs like me?  Are there secrets for us regular people for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?  Controlling my personal information is important, but it seems almost impossible at times.

How do you take out your digital garbage?  Suggestions welcome. -Thanks

digitalattitudesmallSee you in the Cloud – Lorian