Meetings suck. They get in the way of getting work done. Some people think we shouldn’t have meetings at all. Others think that the corporate offices are structured for interruptions to occur.

However, there are times, that you think your need to hold a meeting. But, on the other hand, your questions could also be answered through a few back and forth emails (which isn’t efficient or respectful of people’s time). Essentially, you’re stuck in a dilemma, because it’s the middle ground. This is the type of situation a stand-up meeting is perfect for.

The stand-up meeting is simple:

• Send a meeting invite to 1 to 2 people (no more than 3 total people, otherwise you lose people’s attention).
• The meeting invite should have “stand-up meeting at X” in the location field for the invite.
• Stand-up meetings can be anywhere, except a conference room. Never a conference room. They can be at someone’s desk, in the hallway, or even just a walking together with someone.
• The meeting can only last for 15 minutes (or less).

Try it out yourself. Take stand-up meetings for a test drive. Today, when you think about, “I really need to make sure I briefly talk to this person about X”, send them a stand-up invite. It’s a great communication technique for quick, snippet, conversations. People can make the mistake of hiding behind email, it’s easier that way. But it doesn’t make it right. Don’t forget the value of face-to-face conversation. Stand-up meetings are cheap and short. They’re good for mini-brainstorm sessions, clarification or status updates.

Do you do this? What do you think? Any other meeting tips you have to share? I hope this helps you.
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You can’t compare the two services.
They’re different.

7 days after the launch of Facebook Places, I do not think it will replace foursquare. Not yet. A quick scan of my Newsfeed tells me, the majority of my own friends aren’t rushing to check-in and share their location everywhere they go.

As a web consultant, naturally, I wanted to just observe first- use it myself, then form my own opinion(s). Personally, my own circle of friends are still turning to foursquare for real-time location updates even after the launch of Facebook Places (it’s too soon to form conclusions). Here are my initial observations:

• Because users do not have an expectation that Facebook is a source for real-time social networking, FB Places isn’t being used the same as foursquare, therefore not replacing it. Not yet. FB will have to redesign it’s mobile application interface and website to make it easier to find location information if they want more people to use Places.




• Foursquare is inherently a real-time platform. Think about it: users have the expectation when they open the app, the information they’re seeing about their friends is real-time. Foursquare highlights data about your friends over minutes and a few hours. That’s a big difference in utility and usage when compared to Facebook. “Top News” on FB can be delayed by over 20+HRS in showing you updates.

The fact is, location-based social networking is still foreign concept to most. 84% have not even heard of foursquare, Gowalla or Brightkite. And FB Places is only on the iPhone and Touch devices. This means, this 500 million other people on Facebook, like my mom, aren’t going understand how to use this feature right away. It’s going to take time.

The initial launch of Facebook Places could have been annouced as BETA, because the features set is lean. But that’s the point. They have made it simple and easy for everyone to first understand. While most people might not initially use it, they’re introducing the concept. Let people get comfortable and socialized with it. Then, over time, I believe they’ll draw perpetual attention as they release new features and enhancements. Make no doubt there’s big plans for how to draw more people into finding value with using FB Places. It will be fun to see how things shake out.

Until then, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a bit annoyed having to check-in two places now What do you think? Are you using it? What are your thoughts? Share them, good and bad.
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I was walking into a friend’s apartment, looked up, and was awestruck with this bright moon in the sky! This is the back alley right behind JP Wine Bar (I took this with my point-n-shoot). Pretty cool huh? Kinda eerie?

Facebook Places launched tonight, and this blog post is intended to provide you with a 1-minute read about the new update. Most importantly, I have recommendations for your privacy settings you should look at before you get started using this new feature.

• Facebook Places is a feature within Facebook that is very similar to Foursquare and Gowalla.




• You can check in on Facebook, through the iPhone app, just like Foursquare and Gowalla.




• You can also check in and post to Facebook Places -using- Foursquare and Gowalla.




• There are no “Mayors” of locations.




• There are no “Badges”, “Pins”, or “Points”.




• When you check in you can tag your friends and check them in too.




• Just like Foursquare, you can leave comments at specific locations. When you check in, if any of your friends have been there, you will see their comments (just like Foursquare).




• Applications and websites that utilize Facebook, can and will be able to utilize your location check-in data if you approve it in your settings.




• Businesses and companies CAN claim their locations on Facebook Places.





• For businesses and company locations, there WILL be a “Like” button on the page. So upon check in, you can “Like” their page and get updates.





• FAQs for Facebook Places
• Article: “The Implications of Facebook Places” (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Article: “Facebook Places: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It May Change the World” (Forrester)

Security and Privacy
I suggest that you check your privacy settings right now for Facebook Places (click ‘Account’ in the top right, then ‘Privacy Settings’):

1.) Review the privacy setting for “Places I check in”. By default, it’s set to Friends Only.

2.) *I would recommend changing the setting for “Friends can check me into Places” to be DISABLED*. Personally, I want to be in full control of disclosing my location. I would not feel comfortable allowing others to do this for me on my behalf. Not that I have anything to hide, but I can see how this feature would get abused and others could check you into places.

3.) Review if you would like your name to appear on the “People Here Now” screen when your friends check in at locations.

Setting up your Twitter profile, starting a blog, or a Facebook page usually isn’t the hard part. The question I get asked most often from clients and friends is how do you get any activity, establish a following or engagement? (e.g. “How do we get people to comment on Facebook or respond on our blog” or “we don’t have any followers on Twitter”). There are many ways to leverage social media to achieve different goals, but I want to share with you my thinking, specifically, about how to get activity and interactions.

If you build it, they won’t come.
First, you must come to grips that your blog, profile or page is a part of an already crowded space. There are over 133 million blogs. And 27 million+ tweets are sent per day. Just because you exist, does not mean you’ll attract a following. I tell my clients that the percentage of your customers or targets that are your super-fans (“people who will follow and like everything you do”) is a small percentage or almost non-existent. So don’t think there are a bunch of anxious fans waiting for you to click the “create” or “send” button, because your mere existence isn’t reason enough to generate any kind of activity or significant following.

Think about your favorite big brands or companies. Do you like them enough to visit their blog daily or read their latest Tweet? Possible, but not likely. Or let’s just say your name is Jane, and you run a small plumbing business. Do you think any of her customers care to read her blog daily or write a comment on her Facebook page? Not likely. Just because you exist, doesn’t mean people will interact with you on these social tools.

The “Jay Leno rule of Social Media”
It’s not about just you. I believe you earn the right, then- you can talk about you. There’s a great metaphor that explains what I mean by this. Steve Rubel shares (Edelman, Director of Insights) his thoughts about the “Jay Leno Rule of Social Media”. It’s simple, time-tested, familiar to all of us, and it’s effective. He says:

“If you think about it, the celebrity slots on The Tonight Show are pretty formulaic: guest walks on; guest engages/yucks it up with Jay about broad human interest topics (life stories, current affairs, etc.); guest promotes his/her book, movie, TV show, event, shows a clip, etc.; guest moves down the couch; rise, repeat, wash. It struck me that this is a great model for any company hoping to build relationships through social media.

…if you want to get people to care about what you’re selling, you have first to get them engaged by being informative and/or entertaining. You need to get us interested in what you have to say beyond your domain. Such pathways to engagement include stories, humor, links to interesting information, ideas, questions and participating in other discussions. Then, once you get us hooked, it’s easier talk about what you want to sell us. We’ll be more receptive.”

So what should you do?
Follow the “4:1 Rule”.

Be relevant. Follow the “4:1 Rule”.
If you want to generate activity with your social efforts, it takes hard work, passion and consistency. And given my earlier thesis, “if you build it, they won’t come,” you must give them reasons to show up and why they should come back for more.

You must be relevant and interesting. As a general rule of thumb, your updates and content in the channels should follow the “4:1 Rule”. This means, for every 1 social object* that is about you, there needs to be 4 things not about you. These should be social objects, that are one of the following:

• informative
• inspirational
• entertaining
• engaging
• re(markable); definition for this word

* Social Objects are things like photos, Tweets, blog posts, audio/podcast clips, videos, status updates. Social objects ideally are inherently social. Meaning, when they consume it, people naturally will want to make a comment, reply, “Like” it, or share it with others.

The 4:1 Rule gives you criteria to follow. By following this rule, it can help you get activity or engagement with your social efforts. More importantly, it ensures you “earn the right” (social currency) to talk about what you’re selling.

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I had a chance to cut together a quick 1-minute video blog from my skydiving adventure (if you can’t see the video above, click here to watch it). I was really bummed they didn’t let me take my camera on the actual skydive itself. Oh well. They told me when you’re going 150MPH, they said it’s not exactly safe to be holding a plastic video camera in your hand. Go figure

If you’re wondering, I shot this video blog with my FlipMinoHD (thats why it’s a little shaky), and I’m now using the website Friendly Music for all my YouTube background music (they charge $2 for licensed music, super cheap and they have a decent catalog to choose from). Enjoy!

“No way, I love my planner!” exclaimed my friend Lauren. This is a quote from a conversation I had recently with 3 friends. We were discussing how we each stay organized. Lauren was defending her datebook, but we couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of using one, since it is 2010. In this era of iPhones, iPads, Outlook and Google Calendar, we felt it was such an expired, old way to keep track of your personal schedule. Lauren proudly defended her planner, and it occurred to me that I was guilty myself of staying organized through a varied set of systems and techniques. And many of my own processes don’t involve the latest software or newest technology.

I believe whatever it takes for you to stay organized, do that. Just because there is a new digital calendar app on your iPad or BlackBerry, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best thing for you to use. Filofax 6-ring binder inserts can work just as well as the fancy touchscreen iCal app on your iPhone. Pick your discipline of choice. Do what works for you.

Personally, I like to switch-up my organization systems once every two months, just to keep things fresh. Sometimes just having a new organization system, makes it fun to actually stay organized (yes, i’m that pathetic, it is fun for me). So what do I do to stay organized? Listed below, are a few systems I like to follow. Some of these I made-up, some of them I learned. Hopefully sharing these with you helps you.

The Post-it Note System
This organization technique is visual and interactive. There is one requirement though: a large desk. Here is how it works: grab a pack of Post-it notes. When you think of 1 task that you need to complete, write it down on a Post-it. Then organize them into 3 rows, which will serve as categories:

“Must Do Today”
“Can Wait”
“Not Time-Sensitive”

When you sit down at your desk, scan your Post-its and decide which you’d like to tackle. When you pick one, grab it- and place it in front of you. Do nothing else but this one thing in front of you. I like to put the Post-it note, with the current task, on my computer monitor or laptop. This way if I get distracted, what I should be completing, is right in front of me. Then, when you’re done, comes the fun part. Take the Post-it and toss it in the trash. There is this ‘small warm-fuzzy feeling’ of accomplishment and gratification when you throw it in the trashcan. And it’s really addicting when you get on a roll.

The Day-by-Day Notebook Checklist System
My friend Neal taught me this technique. It’s a good way to scan and plan your current week’s tasks. It’s best if you start this system on Sunday nights or first thing Monday morning. Here is how it works: open your notebook to a clean page. Write down headings for everyday of the week (“Monday, Tuesday, etc”). Under each day, write down the “must do” tasks just for that day. Your tasks for any given day shouldn’t exceed more than 6 tasks. And some tasks are allowed to be “start X” or “begin Y”. Often, there are times when you need to start and make progress that day, but not finish actually the task. I find the Day-by-Day Notebook system is really helpful when you want to see in a given week the things you’ll be working on and when.

Moleskine Journals
Many people swear by their Moleskine journals. They can be used in many ways. I have a very specific function for why I carry mine around. There are several things that are classified as “living lists” or on-going “running” lists. For example, I keep a list of blog post ideas and topics. This is something I will keep adding to time after time. I also keep a running list of video blog ideas, music/songs I want to download, and personal at-home tasks or errands to run. I don’t neceissarily open my Moleskine everyday, but it’s a great for my reference and when I “time quilt” (described below).

Time Quilting
This phrase and technique was created by Chris Brogan. It’s about accepting that you will rarely get long periods or blocks of time to sit down and do what you need to do. However, when you have ten minutes here and there, “time quilting” is when you take small steps forward when you can sneak the time-in where you can. When you start re-thinking about the little scraps of time, 5-minutes you get here and there, it can often be enough time to write a blog post, reply to an email or move a side-project along. What are the best places to time quilt? For me, they are at the airport, in-between meetings, doctor office waiting rooms, coffee shops, after lunch or while waiting for your food, subways and taxi’s. Often, I find that things I put in my Moleskine are the things I will start and stop with the time quilts that open-up for me.

The Beginning, Middle and the End System
This organization system is designed to control your focus, and allows you to avoid interruptions and distractions (depending on your job, this system may not be possible for you to follow). Here is how it works: when you get into work, spend the beginning part of your day doing all the small, little, 1-off tasks you need to complete. Meaning, all the emails you can rapid-fire respond to, forward, or delete …take care of that. Call and leave phone messages right away, and do that quickly. Send the meeting invites, and take care of just the tasks that take less than 10-minutes to complete. Then during the hours after “the beginning” (usually around 10AM), tackle the long-form tasks that you need to do. Turn-off all notifications and alerts, don’t check Twitter or Facebook or your cell phone. Then, when you reach the middle of the day, turn-on and activate all the notification systems and programs on your computer again and resume the smaller 10-minute tasks you need to complete. After that, early afternoon should be the time you focus again on the long-form tasks you need to do. Finally, the end of your day brings you back to the short, snippet, quick tasks you need to complete.

Close It, Exit It, Hide It, Turn It
Sometimes you just absolutely have to get that 1 thing done. There are many temptations that can get in the way since your computer allows you to do many other things than what you need to do. When this happens, one technique is to just shut-it-all-down. Meaning, turn over your cell phone so you can’t see the screen, close Facebook, turn-off Twitter, minimize the Outlook “inbox” and just have in front of you a window a blank email draft (or close Outlook all together), exit out of AIM, close gMail and iTunes. This ensures NO notifications or alerts are distracting you from completing your task. You then will have your undivided attention on the 1 thing you need to get done.

What do you think about my systems and techniques? What do *you* do to stay organized? Everyone has their methods to their madness. Share it with me in the comments.
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This is the way Twitter was meant to be experienced. Echofon is my new favorite Twitter app of choice.

In the early days of when Twitter was first released, I had on-going debates with friends about the platform and how you should be able do this and you should be able to do that. All of my gripes I have with the design have been addressed with the Echofon app for iPad. It’s incredibly fast and light-weight, the refresh and response time is quick and responsive. I’m a HUGE fan of the way this app handles threaded conversations. This screenshot illustrates what you see if you explode-out a conversation. Finally, the ability to type the “@” character and dynamically lookup Twitter usernames of the people you’re following, is incredibly helpful (just like Facebook). Often times you don’t remember people’s entire handles.

Bottom-line, if you’re a Twitter user (heavy or light), you must download this app. I’m such a fan of this app, it’s reason enough to buy an iPad. It’s the closest thing to a Twitter appliance I’ve experienced. And you don’t have to just take my word for it, I know that @KanyeWest and @badbanana use this app too. So if it’s good enough for them…
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After coming home from a business trip last week, I was waiting for the bus at KCI (Kansas City International Airport, who is a client) and I remember turning my head- looking up- and being hit swiftly in the face with one of the most stunning skyscapes I’ve ever seen. I even uttered the words, “oh my god” when I saw this. This was taken at 9:00 PM at night (which is hard to believe right?) and the opening in the sky disappeared only 1-minute after I noticed it. I believe what happened here was a storm has just passed through Kansas City, and what I was seeing was a rare opening /break in the thunderstorm clouds, with the sunset bouncing and reflecting up and through the opening.

It’s an incredible shot, don’t you think?

I have a lot of fun with photography. Sometimes there are shots you take that are very contrived and staged. You position something, move it, adjust it, tweak it, and get it just right. And with enough practice, you can grab a good picture here and there. However, my favorite photos, are the ones you don’t setup or plan for.

Back in 2008, I got to meet one of my favorite local photographers, Mike McMullen. I have purchased a couple framed prints from him, and I’m a huge fan of his work. I had a chance to interview him in a video blog, and he said something, I’ll never forget, that I can especially relate to when describing how I came across taking this photo above. Mike shared…

“Sometimes you just happen to recognize something, and it’s very compelling, and as soon as you know it- there it is- all I can do is screw this up. It just happens to hit you over the head- and wow, I’m so lucky I’m here …all I can do is screw it up.”

I only could take 2 shots of this skyscape with my point-n-shoot Canon S90 before the bus pulled up. And I’m so lucky to have seen it myself and get to share this with you. It’s incredible don’t you think?
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So what’s the secret to running a great Facebook page for your business or company? Everyone wants to know how to do it. But there is no single right answer, strategy or tactic for any substantive length of time. This is one of the reasons why I really like the open research work done by Jeremiah Owyang and the team over at the Altimeter Group. Their most recent report is research shares the collective input from 34 vendors, agencies, and experts who work with major brands. Altimeter looked for patterns in the responses, which resulted in the 8 success criteria in regards to Facebook page best practices. The firm I work for, Digital Evolution Group, participated in providing input for this report.

Here is the set of criteria resulting from the research:

In the report (on page #8), Digital Evolution Group is cited in regards to criteria #8, “Solicit A Call to Action”. While it might be the obvious, we believe this discipline is important when it comes to Facebook marketing. The idea is to eventually sell more of one’s product. Period. Simple calls to action that transition users from engagement to purchase are the ultimate “final step” you want your targets to take. This is why we brainstorm, develop, and lead projects like the Gordmans ‘welcome tab’ FB coupon. When brainstorming ideas of your own, don’t over-think the simple, direct, easy tactics. Encourage users to ‘click here’ or ‘press the Like button’ or ‘purchase this online’. You must make it obvious, by design, for users to do what you want them to do.

Here is the full Altimeter report:

OK, so the story behind this photo… we passed by this place in Butler, Missouri on our way to skydive, and we couldn’t stop laughing at it …hence the picture! Pretty random huh? We sure had fun with it.

Cliche as it may be, at the beginning of each year, I’m one of “those people” who outline their personal goals for the year. Rewind back in January, I remember grabbing dinner, and having a casual conversation with my friend Adam, to talk about events we wanted to attend and things we wanted to do. We both agreed 2010 was the year we wanted to skydive. No questions about it. At the time, we didn’t realize what we were signing up for…

it.

was.

AWESOME!

I jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet and fell at speeds around 150MPH. It was every bit of intense as you’d imagine it to be! The wind noise on the initial free-fall was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard. Oddly enough, the abrupt silence that follows catches you by surprise as well. There is no place in the world, more quiet and calm, than the moments up in the air, right after your ripcord is pulled on your parachute. The stomach sensation was nothing at all what I envisioned it to feel like, it’s a completely different feeling than when you dive into a pool or jump off a cliff.

I posted a set of photos from the jump to my flickr stream. If you’re wondering, we went to Skydive Kansas City. It was fantastic! And I’d do it again, and again. I can see how this could get addicting…