Let's go fly a kite! The Social Flight!
This weekend I went to see "Saving Mr Banks" which is the story about how Disney received rights to the character of Mary Poppins! (It was a great movie!) My favorite part of the movie was how the song "Let's go fly a kite" came to be -- and it got me thinking about kites and social.
There's an old saying in China - "those who fly a kite can have a long life." Interesting --- kite flying on a regular basis can lead to longevity!
What does fly a kite mean in the Social Business world?
Get started --- and keep trying! You may not be able to get the kite up the first time. Keep going -- endure the failure! The same is true for Social. Starting is the hardest. You may experience some failure -- ensure through it and learn the ropes!
Practice! To fly a kite, you need to practice. My daughter and I tried multiple times at the beach and finally got the kite up! In Social, to really see results, you need to keep going and practice! Social requires learning the tools and the practices as well as your clients.
Fun! Yes, flying a kite is fun. It is relaxing. Social is the same. Keeping touch with your clients is fun --- not just the business side but the personal as well!
5 Things I Treasure On Christmas Eve!
Today is Christmas Eve! I feel so blessed to have such a great family and friends to celebrate with this great holiday! My daughters asked me what I love about this day -- as I am so excited the entire day! Here's my list!
- Candlelight Service. I love this service where everyone lights a candle and the light is passed around from one to another. Candlelight services are planned to be a way for individuals and groups, large or small, to quietly reflect, pray together, or simply show support for one another.It is one of the most powerful things I remember about Christmas time!
- It's a Wonderful Life. Yep, it's just a movie but has a touching message: All of us touch so many people that impacts them forever -- whether they know it or not. The film is considered one of the most loved films in American cinema and has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season -- especially with my family. We make hot chocolate and all of us gather in front of the fire to watch -- and cry at the implications!
- Potato Soup. I love potato soup and before the Candlelight Service we eat potato soup for dinner. I am Lithuanian -- born in the US, but my grandparents were from Lithuania. This soup is one of the recipes passed down from my Grandma. It is so warm and delicious -- it would not be Christmas Eve without the soup!!
- Staying up to Midnight to prepare the presents from Santa! Yes, we all stay up to prepare the presents under the tree, eat the milk and cookies for Santa, and even the carrots for the reindeer. We tell stories of when I was little, or when my parents were little, and just talk. Even though we are sleepy, it is special for family time with my parents and husband!
- The Season. I wish we all could be as generous and happy all the year long! The spirit abounds throughout the day and night. There is something so special about that holiday smile.
I'd love to know your special traditions on Christmas Eve!
Have a great time.
Jingle Bells, Social Sells!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!!
I love social selling, and the impact it has on business. Social selling is shown to drive measurable results. The Best Reps are not just present in Social Media, they position themselves as credible and influential sources in customer networks.
In a recent joint study conducted by WetPaint and the Altimeter Group of the top 100 brands engaged in social media, a significant correlation was drawn between a brands depth of social media engagement and revenue growth. Companies that scored the highest marks for social media activity, on average had increases in revenue growth of 18% over the last 12 months, while social media laggards saw revenues drop 6% over the same period.
Tell me your experiences!
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IBM's 5 in 5-- five predictions about technology innovations
I am so excited about this year's 5 in 5 -- five predictions about technology innovations that will change the way we work, live and interact over the next five years. This year's 5 in 5 explores the idea that everything will learn – driven by a new era of cognitive systems that learn, reason and engage with us in a more natural and personalized way. These innovations are being made possible through advances in cloud, Big Data, analytics and learning technologies.
Tell me what you think!!!
1. The classroom will learn about you. The classroom of the future will learn about students over the course of their education, helping each student master the skills critical to meeting their goals. A system fueled by sophisticated analytics over the cloud will help teachers predict which students are most at risk, their roadblocks, and measures they can take to overcome challenges.
2. Buying local will beat online. Savvy retailers will use the immediacy of the physical store and proximity to customers to create experiences that cannot be replicated by virtual retailers. They will magnify the digital experience by bringing the web right to where the shopper can physically touch it or the instant gratification of same-day delivery.
3. Doctors will routinely use your DNA to keep you well. Computers will help doctors understand how a tumor affects a patient down to their DNA and present a collective set of medications shown to best attack the cancer, reducing the time it takes to find the right treatment from weeks and months to days and minutes.
4. A digital guardian will protect you online. Security will become more agile and contextual based on a 360 degree view of an individual's data, devices and applications. Your digital guardian will make inferences about what's normal or reasonable activity and what's not, and be able to spot deviations that could be precursors to an attack and a stolen identity.
5. The city will help you live in it. Smarter cities will understand how billions of events occur as computers learn in real time to understand what people need and like, what they do, and how they move from place to place. Mobile devices and social engagement will enable citizens to strike up a relationship with city leaders so their voices will be heard not only on election day, but every day.
NRF is coming! All my favorite things - social, mobile, and shopping!
Please come and join us!
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Show me your new social app at Connect 2014!
IBM Connect 2014 is right around the corner!
One of my favorite events at IBM Connect is the App Throwdown! It’s a lively, energizing event where IBM business partners can showcase their social business applications.
The audience votes in the qualifying rounds and three companies progress to the main stage at Connect, where they will demo their integration to an audience of thousands!
I love the audience participation and interaction. It’s inspiring to see how our ecosystem partners have created innovative integrations that can deliver real value to customers. Our ecosystem is critical and the App Throwdown is a great opportunity to highlight our partner solutions to our customers and to our IBM sellers. I can’t wait to see what our partner community will develop next!
This year, I’ll be co-hosting with Nigel Beck, VP Business Development in IBM Collaboration Solutions.
Make sure to apply to participate in the App Throwdown by submitting a video link of your integration here. This year YOU could join us on the main stage!
Hope to see you there!
Country music has all (3 of) the Social Business Answers! Crowdsource more!
Country music has all the Social Business Answers!
Yes, I confess, I LOVE country music. How could you not living in Texas? I two-stepped my way through a good part of my life! As I was crooning to some tunes today, I noticed that country songs really teach great social lessons.
Top 3 Lessons From Country Songs and lyrics!
1. Blame it all on my roots, showed up in my boots.
This lesson is all about being real. Yes, I have shown up to a wedding in hidden cowboy boots! In Social, you need to showcase your brand's personality. You can’t buy attention anymore. Having a huge budget doesn’t mean anything in social media…The old paradigm was pay to play. Now you get back what you authentically put in. You’ve got to be willing to play to play. To really do well in Social, you must be Authenticate. Wear your boots!!!
2. If the Phone Don't Ring, It's Me Not Calling You Up
Be an active participant. Those who comment are looking for information and engagement. Engagement with your active participants is about pulling them into more active involvement with your brand. An Active participant is someone that comments, rates, or authors content in a social networking system on a regularly basis. By communicating with these important folks regularly , you can build your brand army. Your brand army is a group of unpaid and paid advocates (that is, your employees!) that engage on behalf of your brand is invaluable. So ring that phone and answer! Do both!
3, Love Me Like My Dog Does.
Yes, your dog loves you no matter what! They engage you --- and jump up and down if you just walk in the door. How do you respond to your clients? What's your engagement and connection? Your emotional connection with your client or employee usually created by exceptional experiences that are integrated, interactive and identifying. A Social Business connects people to expertise. It connects individuals whether customers, partners or employees as networks of people to generate new sources of innovation, foster creativity, and establish greater reach and exposure to new business opportunities. It establishes a foundational level of trust across these business networks and thus a willingness to openly share information, developing a deeper sense of loyalty among customers and employees. It empowers these networks with the collaborative, gaming and analytical tools needed to engage each other and creatively solve business challenges.
I know there are more! Share another one with me while I 2-step away!!!
Holiday Shopping Trends Leverage Mobile, Social
Happy Social Business Coffee Break! Today we will focus on the season's fun of shopping -- discussing the latest trends from Black Friday, CyberMonday, and shopping for the holidays!!!
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