It’s less amazing if you know the effort behind it. This picture started with a simple idea, me and the three penguins playing poker.
Seems simple enough right? It was until the idea of the big penguin showing Aces came to me. The trick then was how to stage it.
First thought on putting up the cards was a paper clip. Would you believe after 20 minutes of looking around the house, not one paper clip was handy. (Of course now I know where some are.) Sharon came to my rescue with a bobby pin.
Bobby pins are about the right size and do a fair job of holding things, sadly not much beyond the cards. Visions of attaching the five cards to the penguin’s hand were out.
Figure out what I should have thought of at first; photography is as much what I plan for you to see as what’s really there. Cards in the picture above appear to be in the penguin’s hand. Actually they are resting on the right foot.
The bobby pin holds the cards together, while the hand is gently attached to the leg by clothespin. Outside penguins I copped out on and just leaned the cards against them. It worked out well from the angle of the photo.
Things I consider missing:
the kitty
chips at each player
the dealer’s deck
Photoshop was not used nor any other photo magic. All I did with this post capture was to crop it and auto-adjust in iPhoto.
How does this post tie into social networking? It was created with the intent of sharing on my social networks. This is not a ‘photo album’ picture. It’s not for immediate family and friends, not for coworkers, it’s for you, my readers, my followers, my connections.
Why? Because you deserve a bit of effort and a laugh. You’re worth the effort.
Recommendations? Comments? Creative suggestions? Feedback on social networking?
Listen to the 2 minute audio above. It’s great advice.
Most folks joining Twitter or Facebook today, they’re advised to follow a bunch of folks. Likely these aren’t folks they are not only direct contacts with in the physical world, but not even a friend of a friend.
This sounds like fun until that newbie drowns in the messages, messages with no meaning. Sure, they might make one or two friends out of that mess, but likely they’ll initially just be frustrated.
In the end, the recommendation to follow a bunch of strangers is just bad advice. There’s no relationship building going on. It’s like trying to make instant bake success.
So what works? Organic one relationship at a time growth of contacts. Instead of focusing on stratospheric numbers, focus on one new contact at a time.
How to do this? Best advice I’ve received is to watch who your friends engage with. Listen in on those conversations. See what those folks who do interact have to say and how they say it. If you see something you enjoy, friend that person.
New contacts you add, be sure to let them know how you found them. Be sure to mention the shared connection, and considering adding a note about one of the new friends messages. It lets them know you’ve been listening.
In summary, build your network one valued connection at a time. Give them your best. Your network will grow fast enough.
The 25 Words That Connect Us project has wrapped and the final results are out. Liz Strauss has compiled, and combined each submission into a beautiful slide show. The show and final words can be found at Pass It On!. I’ve also embedded it below.
Each of the bloggers contributed their personal take on connections. The key was to put it in a 25 word thought and share it.
Will you accept my invitation to put 25 words about how we’re connected into a blog post? Here’s how you might go about it.
Think about connections, connectedness, being linked together, synchronicity, serendipity, community, oneness.
Write a sentence about it.
Count the words you have written.
Edit the sentence until you have 25 words exactly.
Notice how your idea changes as you edit and how your feelings change with each rewrite.
Add a picture if you can.
Post your 25 words on your blog by October 16th.
Are you in? Surely you have 25 words to spare for this one.
Have your link here by 1:00a.m. October 17th, 2008 on the clock in the sidebar on this blog. That’s Chicago time.
Well of course Liz! I’ll take that challenge.
Liz brought us a similar project back in July with 25 Words of Work/Life Wisdom. So it’s with excitement that I looked forward to doing this one.
I’m contributing my first two cents here, but can’t wait to see if you’ve got 25 words about connections to share as well. If so, be sure to get them in your blog and share them on Liz’s 25 Words That Connect Us challenge post.
Connections aren’t about how close you can get, how far you travel, or how long you known someone; it’s about reaching across to their heart.
It’s a first impression, and already much refined. But can you just stop at one?
I dare you to share 25 words. And if you aren’t a blogger, then feel free to share them here or on Liz’s comments. Anonymous contributors welcome.
Social networking and media can fool you. Oh yeah, you’ve got a hundred contacts here, a 1000 there, and more folks are friending you on Facebook every day.
But what’s really happening? Is the world knocking your door down? Are these folks really your friends? The hard truth is that most of these folks will engage you in no more than water cooler chat.
Reality can be rough, but this isn’t out of your control. There’s hope and better relationships ahead. We just have to step off the path a bit.
What can you do? How can you turn contacts into partners, associates, and friends? Investment!
The biggest mistake we make is looking for more when we’re not willing to take the first step. As in relationships of any kind, it takes time and effort to form a bond. This is amplified in some ways by the sheer distances across which we reach with the internet.
Investment isn’t about spending more money, or taking out stock in a the latest Facebook copy cat. It’s about investing in those threadbare connections. Turn the water cooler chat into sharing about plans, dreams, and that secret tattoo.
As a person struggling with this every day, and feeling the pressure myself, I’ve set myself on a path to move through this struggle. There are a few things I’ve done to move things forward.
- send postcards – folks really enjoy these, and they give you a chance to send a hand written and personal note to someone, an individual, across miles, and even across oceans. This is the personal touch that gets remembered and says, “I like you.”
- ask how you can support them – I find myself more and more asking how I can support people. Yes, I fail sometimes, but I’m getting better. But it’s about the effort. Get in there and actually support folks. Don’t just cheer on the sidelines! Visit their blog, link to them, send your friends to their site, pimp out their book, or even consider praying for them.
- pick up the phone – if you can’t be there, the next best thing is a human voice. I’ve witnessed first hand how life changing a single phone call can be. It doesn’t have to be a heavy thing, but reach out, touch someone’s life today. You can’t do business either until you connect.
- when all else fails, visit in person – I’d taken the opportunity this year to do just that. I’ve to meetups, lunches, breakfasts, and dinners, blogger meetings, tweetups, and taken photo walks. Heck, we even stayed at a Flickr friend’s house for a week. Wow!
I’m no genius and these aren’t brain surgery level tips. These are simple and practical things you can start doing today.
To show you I’m serious, email me, DM me, send me a private Utterz, call. Tell me about yourself, how we can connect, and where you’re looking for support. Beyond that, I challenge you to reach out today to one of those people you’ve got in your contact list and let them know you’re more than an avatar.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7f51d1ce-4e8d-422b-9143-5585f4f40afc "Amazing Penguin Poker Picture photo")
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=1238dfc8-83ac-43ad-91ac-0c2e90bc45b1 "Start with one Social Networking 101 photo")
