5 Workshops You Need to Attend at Dev@Interconnect

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I hope you are going to join me at Interconnect and will attend Dev@interconnect in Las Vegas Feb 22-26!

Register here:   http://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/us/en/interconnect/devat/

Some of my favorite topics at the event!   What else would you like to see!

  1. Think Like a Hacker! Exploiting Mobile Apps and How to Mitigate these Risks
  2. Let's Build a Start-up In 30 Minutes Using Bluemix and IoT
  3. Eliminate Dogwork with Leaner and Smarter Methods
  4. Not another pitch workshop
  5. Continuous mobile app quality - Listen to that feedback!

I hope you will join me there!

 


The Digital Fishbowl

I overheard today someone discussing not wanting to live their life in a "fishbowl".   And then I thought about our social world.   We actually do everything in a Digital Fishbowl.   The new generation (we call them generation C - connected and in control!) grew up this way and so it feels natural.

fishbowl

But what really are the benefits and the concerns to this new world?

Benefits:

  • Sharing of information.   Social networking enables sharing helpful information. Did you know that 52% of bloggers are parents who are seeking information to help their family in some way.   And there are social support groups for illnesses, and technical support.   I love this aspect about sharing in the fishbowl!
  • Think global act Social.   Social networking allows us the ability to communicate globally.   I loved the fact that over 500 friends around the world supported me in my broken leg through Facebook, and twitter.    For businesses, this implies that the global view can be learned.
  • Social is the ultimate personality test.   The digital fishbowl allows us to discover through social analytics the intrinsic traits that include what motivates you, what you believe, and your fundamental needs.  Computers can derive people’s traits from linguistic footprints.  That hasn’t been widely applicable before, because where do you get those linguistic footprints? Now, you can do that with social media and digital communications we have the big data we need!
  • Efficiency.   The digital fishbowl enables us to be more efficient.   For businesses, they can crowdsource their next product or strategy.   Sales can reach more contacts.  Video makes our visits more social and less time consuming.

Some Cons:

  • Lack of personal touch.   The digital fishbowl can be addicting and many I know communicate now mostly through text, tweets, and facebook. You lose something in doing that.
  • Anything that you do can leak out.    And maybe before you want it to!   There is a risk to being social !  (I think the risk of not being social is greater however!)
  • You cannot keep negativity at bay -- and digital amplifies it!   We see this in schools with cyberbullying and even with some companies.  The biggest question that I get asked by small companies is how do I handled untrue remarks.

What do you think?  Do you like living in a digital fishbowl?


More followers? Just ask! Follow me! sandy_carter

So I was reading this weekend -- with my broken leg, there is not a lot to do! I learned some interesting things about how to drive more from Twitter --- quite simple actually -- just ask.

In an analysis by Twitter, they found that 4 core ways to get great results from your Tweets are:

1 Ask for a download. Explicitly asking people to download accompanied by a link increases URL clicks by an average of 13%.

2 Ask for a Retweet. Explicitly asking people to retweet increases retweets by an average of 311%.

3 Ask for a follow. Explicitly asking for a follow increases followers by an average of 258%.

4 Ask for a reply. Explicitly asking for a reply increased replies by an average of 334%

So would you guys please follow me on Twitter at sandy_carter and subscribe to my BLOG! Pretty Please!


Social enables stronger ways to network - an important career progression task!

According to IBM Tech Trends Report, there are more companies today doing internal Social, than external use of social with clients.  Why is that trend progressing? 

Creating an inclusive work environment should be a strategic priority for all companies. It can help your company build a distinctive and compelling reputation as a worldclass employer and foster women’s leadership talent.  Such a culture provides the social infrastructure that gives women access to the same career support as men.  A Social Infrastructure enables collaboration and networking across an organization. 

Networking is very important in career progression.  In fact, in every leadership book that I have read, networking in always in the top 3 items that help to drive someone to success.   So in leadership, being an active and politically-skilled networker is important.

Our study shows that working long hours is not directly linked to career progression. We can therefore debunk the myth that presenteeism leads to promotion.   However, working more hours is related to important careerenabling factors. When you work longer hours, whether you’re male or female, you’re more likely to focus on networking.

Social can enable you to network more effectively.  Networking really is as important as everyone makes it out to be. Find ways of building one-to-one relationships with people who are important to your career and keep them up-to-date on your progress.   And make time to Social Network -- it really is important and effective.