Something you might not know about me, is back in college I was really into theater. While I didn’t major in performance or theater for college- it’s always been something I enjoyed doing.

Fast forward to last night when an old theater friend called me and said, “I’m going to drag you to rehearsal tonight so you can meet someone super famous that’s in town”. While the super-famous part is arguable I enjoyed meeting Misha Gabriel and seeing how he works when it comes to dance and choreography.

Did you watch the MJ tribute dance on the MTV VMA’s recently? He choreographed it. Have you seen the FutureSex/LoveShow tour on HBO by Justin Timberlake? He choreographed that too. Misha is a big deal. Recently, he was a backup dancer for Michael Jackson’s tour “This is It” (obviously he’s in transition now). He’s danced for/or choreographed routines for Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Chris Brown …the A-list goes on and on.

And he’s only 22-years-old. Seeing this what he can do is pretty incredible.

Check out the video blog for a look at his dancing skills- and stay through to the end to hear him talk about “the day he found out Michael Jackson was dead”. It’s interesting to hear from someone who worked with and was friends with him.

If you’re plugged into the tech industry blogs- recently several companies are releasing “augmented reality” preview video clips. The lamence translation of augmented reality is: it provides detailed information on what you are physically pointing your camera phone “at” in real-time. When you watch the demo videos of how the technology “could” work, it certainly is enough to get the average geek excited. Take a look at the example below.

Cool huh? It’s a great concept. However, I’d like to play devils advocate + the realist perspective: Will people really want to OR remember to breakout out their cell phones and point them at stuff? I can’t help but think- while augmented reality could provide valuable data in a very unique way, from a practical standpoint, will the mainstream really use their phones to do this? Think of all the research studies regarding camera phone usage and how low the numbers are. How often do you use your camera phone?

That said, there seems to be a bigger shift needed here more than the development of the technology itself that is required first. When this technology is introduced- the socialization of how to use this technology I think will be a big hurdle that can’t be overlooked. It’s not at all impossible, but I think it’s going to be harder for the adoption of use of this technology than people think …just quick food for thought about a great technology that is certainly still in it’s infancy. It’ll be fun to track where and how fast this technology develops.

This week, I attended a presentation given by Brian Solis, a thought leader in the social media space (principal at FutureWorks). While his presentation was introduced as “an updated look at trends and ethics within the PR profession”, a large portion of his presentation focused on the ability to find niche influencers online and “inspire action and measure it”. It was interesting seeing some of his data, considering he’s in the agency trenches doing social media for major brands and not just a “talking head” in the industry.

After the presentation, we had a chance to talk- and I whipped out my flip cam and asked him to share his thoughts RE: social media and PR. He also provided some teaser information about the subject matter of his next book- which from the way he speaks about it, it should shake things up for some companies and analysts. Check out the full video blog interview on my YouTube channel (thanks to the Greater Kansas City PRSA for organizing a great event).

Almost 1 year today, a friend shared with me a quote that literally changed my life:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain

The philosophy and motivation that is encapsulated in this quote is truly what I believe life is all about. That said, the photo you see below is myself and a friend of mine, Morgan. Recently, she had asked if I would donate my photography services to take photos at a 5k benefit race (supports brain cancer, www.headforthecure.org). The mere action of asking me to take photos prompted several thoughts in my head- much deeper than the sterile face value of just the simple one question.

Let me explain. Two years ago, the idea of “photography” was just a shelved hobby that seemed to be far from reality. It was “wish list” hobby- that required me to dedicate time I didn’t have. However, several things all happened in a short amount of time that made me realize I want the most out of life and am looking to spend my time where it makes the most impact. Mark Twain’s quote cites “Explore. Dream. Discover.” which was a motto I instantly adopted then and took off running with it. So I quickly figured out how to finance and purchase the camera and became as resourceful as I could in regards to learning as much as I could about photography (I’m an amateur at best, but I’m improving). I practiced, practiced, practiced (still am) and quickly realized how much I loved the challenge and joys of photography.

All that said- when my friend Morgan had asked me to take photos, it was a “come to fruition” moment that I’m proud of. Two years ago I had set forth personal goals and now have accomplished many of them, one of them being taking up photography as a hobby. Furthermore, taking the time to help others is now both an addiction and something I personally enjoy- and it provides me with a rich sense of fulfillment knowing I’m truly helping those in need (e.g. www.kcsweaterparty.com). It was an indirect compliment that I had matured my photography skills far enough along that Morgan asked for my services- and it’s even more fulfilling that I can take my new found hobby + skill and use it for good to help others.

So now I’ll turn this around to ask you- do you have your inspiration? Are you actively acting upon these and moving forward with your goals? I hope your answer is yes.

I’m excited to be here.

You should be too. Now you get out there. Explore. Dream. Discover.
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I like taking photos. Anytime I can “sneak” some free practice in with my friends- I devour the opportunity. Recently, we took a big group trip to Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend and I brought my 40D Canon along to document the trip. I continue to be captivated with people portraits. Perhaps it’s the chase I’m obsessed with- the challenge of getting that split-second facial expression, all while framing up the right shot. Take a look at my favorites below- and don’t miss the full 165 photo high-resolution slideshow on flickr enjoy!

I’ve often been asked the question, is it possible to have too much of a presence when using social media? Recently, I noticed this same question on a LinkedIn group discussion so I thought I’d share my take here on my blog.

The answer to this question requires you to take a step back and understand first WHY should you have a presence in the first place. You first need to be able to answer simple questions like; Why should we be on Facebook? Why should we have a company blog and who will care?

It’s important to identify a relevant need (the “why”), then take the proper steps to set objectives, understand your audience, devise a strategy and execute tactics (which is simple to say, but hard to do right). However, when you know all that, then the answer to “how often” you should physically post content will reveal itself.

Having a profile on every social network that exists on the Internet is not the right strategy. You must first truly understanding your customers / clients behavior and where they are online. This can and should be done through as many measurable activities as possible (pending budget constraints, of course). Some examples I would suggest are: focus groups, polls, surveys, social media monitoring software, email marketing analysis, web analytics analysis, SEO analysis and direct competitor analysis. When this data is combined and analyzed, you will then have a more complete technographic assessment of your audience to help inform your decision.

If you understand why you’re here in the first place and what the landscape of “where YOUR fish are” is- then a well constructed strategy should outline the quantity of how much and where (tools) you should post to achieve the objectives you have (that’s the hard part). Furthermore, social media monitoring tools, comments and feedback from your users should help you understand the frequency that’s acceptable to post and what your audience responds to. Personally, I find myself frequently tweaking + testing my content and interactions to get things just right.

“How much social media presence is too much?” <– at first glance, it seems like a simple question- but it requires some prerequisites to be answered before you can answer this question correctly.

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Each year- the Tour of Missouri bike race comes through Kansas City. I’m not a huge fan of professional cycling, but I was intrigued when I found out that the majority of the riders from this years Tour de France (except for Lance Armstrong) were in this race. I have never seen a bike race before- so myself and a couple friends decided to check out the race.

What’s great about this year’s race, was the course wasn’t just routed through in Kansas City- the ENTIRE race was a closed circuit within Kansas City. That said, it was fun to move to different areas on the course to get a different view of the bikers each time they came through.

In my opinion, bike races aren’t really that exciting live, but it was a fun experience- especially seeing world class athletes race through the streets of Kansas City. I took photos with my camera which you can view the slideshow on flickr or check out my video blog for my perspective of what it was like to be there.

Here’s 3 favorite photos I took with my Canon 40D at the Tour of Missouri bike race here in Kansas City. You can see the full slideshow of photos on my flick account.