Social Business Live Stream from IBM Connect! Please join us!!!
I'm excited to tell you about my three live webcasts in the coming week from IBM CONNECT 2014. Tune in for CONNECTING THE ECOSYSTEM: Conversations from IBM Connect 2014 with Sandy Carter. We'll be streaming live from the CONNECT Solutions Expo on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday at the times listed below. I'll be joined by key ecosystem luminaries for discussions on driving social adoption, proving business value through social intelligence, and creating a smarter workforce. In addition to the interviews, we'll have summary thoughts each day on key announcements and initiatives. And, we'll take your questions submitted through Twitter, just use #asksocialsandy on your tweets!
I really hope you'll join us for one or all of the live webcasts.
Our schedule:
Sunday, Jan. 26: Driving social adoption, 6:30-7:00 PM (Eastern US) / 23:30-24:00 (GMT)
Monday, Jan 27: Proving business value through social intelligence, 6:45-7:15 PM (Eastern US) / 23:45-00:15 (GMT)
Tuesday, Jan 28: Creating a Smarter Workforce, 5:30-6:30 PM (Eastern US) / 22:30-23:30 (GMT)
Register today and add the shows to your calendar: http://bit.ly/1hOwoxY
I am AquaWoman!
Crazy title I know. But did you know since I had my accident in Brazil, I have swam everyday consistently for 3 months in my quest for total recovery. And have earned my new nickname --- Aquawoman!
Given that I go to the same pool daily ( except for the 2 weeks at Christmas where I went to another location and pool!), I have learned the names of the lifeguards, their shifts, who swims when and what injury they have sustained, where kids are heading to college and the list goes on. Given the lifeguards had to help me into and out of the pool for a while, I gave them each a small present of my appreciation at Christmas. I have developed a new small family of swimmers!!!
I thought about how amazing this was! And it was all SOCIAL! I learned a lot of lessons in that pool for my Social World!
- Consistency earns Trust. In Social or any relationship, you can not come in and out. You must remain consistent in your interactions. Plan time to interact and develop relationships.
- It is P2P - People 2 People. People are not robots. And they are not just all business. They have lives and their lives extend far beyond their business side. Get to know things that matter to them -- their families, hopes, dreams, and injuries! This helps you to know them as a full person.
- Reward those that help you. Yes, the small token I gave each lifeguard (22 in total!) was a way I could express how appreciative I was of their help. Everyday I thanked them. And they responded in kind. I get so much help and great attitudes every time I come in. The same is true in Social. Re tweet others, interview them and spotlight them. Thank them for their help and assistance!
As I have said many times, Social is not magic. It is simply something people have been doing throughout the ages --- forming relationships!
You don't have to be as smart as Watson just have the social skills!!!!
I'm at NRF - It's all about Omnichannel!
I am live at NRF. We saw Bush in the morning and Ginni Rometty, our IBM CEO is coming up in the afternoon!
Here's what I think is the one of the most important elements in 2014 for retailers: Omnichannel.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PMALIV-Nu4&feature=youtu.be]
My favorite Infographic of the Week! What does Success look like for a Mobile App Startup!
I now get to manage IBM's Global Entrepreneur program. I love learning about the new start-up business models and that's why this Infographic made my top of the list for this week!
Fascinating facts:
- Top performers spent 14% of their time on marketing but did you know that less than 52% of start-ups save any money for Marketing?
- Did you know that 68% earned less than $5K on their first successful app?
Watson Hot News !!! $1B, $100B, 51
Today IBM unveiled its plans to embark on a bold new direction with Watson by launching the IBM Watson Group, a new business unit dedicated solely to the development and commercialization of cloud delivered cognitive innovations. This is a strategic shift by IBM to accelerate into the marketplace a new class of software, services and apps that think, improve by learning, and discover answers and insights to complex questions from massive amounts of disparate data.
I am here in the room in downtown NYC at this announcement Event!
Through the IBM Watson Group, IBM will continue to provide our academic partners with the types of tools and resources needed to help students build the T-shaped skills (discipline depth and cross-industry breadth) needed to succeed in the era of cognitive systems. This includes new workshops and seminars at its headquarters on topics such as development skills and techniques, as well as networking opportunities for students, academics and professionals.
Following are key details about today's announcement:
- IBM will invest more than $1 billion into the Watson Group, focusing on development and research and bringing cloud-delivered cognitive applications and services to market.
- This will include commitments of $100 million in venture investments to support IBM's recently launched ecosystem of start-ups and businesses that are building a new class of cognitive apps powered by Watson, in the IBM Watson Developers Cloud.
- The IBM Watson Group will have a new headquarters at 51 Astor Place in New York City's "Silicon Alley" technology hub, leveraging the talents of approximately 2,000 professionals, whose goal is to design, develop and accelerate the adoption of Watson cognitive technologies.
There are several other ways in the near future that you can learn more about the new IBM Watson Group and the way that cognitive systems will transform how we live, learn and conduct business:
- Register for a virtual conversation on Jan. 17 with Katharine Frase, IBM vice president and chief technology officer, global public sector and Chalapathy Neti, IBM director of education transformation research about the role of cognitive computing in education.
- Attend IBM Global Entrepreneur Week virtually or in person, Feb. 3-7, for online and in person venture and startup focused events including a presentation from Fluid, a startup using Watson technology to transform the retail industry.
As always, please reach out to us with any questions, ideas or opinions about the IBM Watson Group. We invite you, your students, colleagues and network to join us in the ongoing conversations about IBM Watson via social media using #IBMWatson. You can also watch this video series that brings the IBM Watson story to life.
Girl with a blog in 2014!
I have been reading all the 2014 trends for social! One thing I found interesting was the number of articles that included blogging coming back -- I just share a few here!
The blog is back!
Creating great content on a regular basis and driving traffic back to your site is going to remain the number #1 way to generate new leads. This means as a small business, if you don't have a blog yet, it's time to start one.
Here are 4 reasons you need to blog:
- Drive traffic to your website
- Increase your SEO!
- Position your brand as an industry leader and showcase your POV!
- Develop better customer relationships
Social Business is all about People! In 2014, 3 Big Priorities!
Social Business is about 3 things:
1. Empowering People to activate a digital ecosystem!
2. Trusting People to create an authentic, and effective way of working!
3. Understanding people through actionable analytics
To be a strategic Social Business, start with Empowerment! It is a great way to start in 2014! Empowerment starts at home -- with your workforce -- and then extends to partners and clients.
With those empowered employees, your business processes will become more competitive.
To be your best in this new year, you need to Understand People and their choices and decision making ability. Analytics is your best friend!
Social Business Coffee Break: Interview with Janet Powers of Woman's Toolbox
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ZAh9fSUMA&feature=youtu.be]
Don't miss Connect! THE Social Event of the year!
I hope you join me at Connect 2014!!!
It is not to be missed!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcoW73-kmA4&feature=youtu.be]