December 31st, 2008 — Blogging, Business, Conference, Social Media, Social Networking
The year is over but the people of this year have left a mark on my life that goes beyond the turning of a calendar page. Support, encouragement, challenges, contests, and more were brought to me through and by these men and women.
I’d love to be able to break them down into a Top 10 list, or into distinct categories, or give each one a label, such as Top Pesterer. It won’t work. Each of these individuals has contributed in multiple ways to the course of 2008.
Simple messages across the void to in person meetings, these people shared and listened. This post is just to share a little bit about them, both to help remind me and to show respect. Join me please for this small bit of memory chasing.
In no particular order…
- Susan Reynolds and Connie Reece – These ladies, whom I met on Twitter, were two of my earliest encouragers and knowledge instillers. Susan is a complex person being artist, blogger, and business woman. Her hands on sharing about Twitter, Second Life and business were just a few of the things she brought to the table. She also introduced me to Connie Reece. Connie is a busy woman herself, being a leader of BlogHer, running a business, and also providing leadership for Social Media Club. Between them I was given a big head start in the social networking world and a spur to get serious about blogging. They lead me to the next folks on my list.
- Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker – Liz and Terry uncovered me as a blogger and social networker. This was in big part from Susan and Connie spurring me on. Liz and Terry not only included me in their circles, but Liz nurtured my inner SOB potential. It didn’t stop there, when next they invited me to attend SOBCon08. This event was the most significant event of year of my blogging and social networking life. I’ve written about SOBCon elsewhere on the blog but these two did more than provide a conference. They challenged me to take my blogging game to the next level. Thanks to their push, I won all expense scholarship to SOBCon08 via my blog. SOBCon brings me to my next group of folks.
- Becky McCray, Chris Cree, Rick Mahn, and Sheila Scarborough – I could write all day about these folks, but let me tell you what they have in common. All of them run their own business, all are bloggers, all are experienced in social networking. Best of all, they are part of my SOB Advisory Team. Each has given up their time, resources, and more for me and each other. Introduced to me at SOBCon, the bunch shared a vision of doing more than just keeping fond remembrances of that weekend. That vision has lead us to team up, sharing ideas, encouraging, and when needed, badgering each other. I can’t express enough how much I appreciate them.
- Trish Forant, Tracy Lee Carroll, Christine Taylor, Marti Lawrence, Glenda Watson Hyatt – These ladies may not realize it, but they’ve got a lot in common. All are business women, all are bloggers and social networkers, and something else. They’ve all been like sisters to me. Trish, Tracy and Glenda have been there with me pushing me on to get to SOBCon, take me to new heights in networking but it didn’t end there. Each of them has shared highs and lows with me this year. They have listened to me whine, laughed with me, cheered me, and told me when I’m being a smart-ass. Oh, they are so different in personality and tastes, each brings a unique style and wit to my life. All of them have taken the relationship beyond 140 characters. I hope we are always friends.
- Duane Myers and Erin Kotecki Vest – These two are a pair. A pair of what I’m not saying. One’s a Conservative, the other a Liberal. One likes scotch, the other a good wine. Both are social networking, blogging, and offline networking gurus. I’ve had a chance to learn at their feet so to speak. Duane and Erin have shown me things that challenged my views, ticked me off, and yet spurred me on. Duane and Erin don’t let you rest on your laurels, heck, they don’t rest on theirs, or for that matter, rest much at all. Both demonstrated to me the need to keep moving, keep working, and keep influencing. They’ve schooled me on my attitude, as well as talked me up. Neither probably realizes their influence this past year, Erin especially. I couldn’t pass up acknowledging them though. You could do worse than to just listen to them.
- Vicky Hennegan, Michelle Vandepas, and Karen Putz – I met these three at SOBCon08. Thanks again to those that lead me there. Vicky and Michelle saw more in me than just another blogger or social networker. These women, like those above, are business savvy, bloggers, and more. All have another wonderful talent, that of encouragement. They have drawn together, though with my stumbles, to form another group to share support, advice, and just listen. These ladies aren’t just sitting on the side lines online or off. Vicky and Michelle, and Karen too are involved in projects for coaching and educating adults and children. Because of them I’ve been moved to a spirit of generosity I’d never known. That’s taken the form of giving to and support numerous charities throughout the year but it went beyond that. They told me to give time as well, in the form of guest blogging and directly supporting other bloggers and social networkers to success. If you like stuff I’ve done this year, you might want to thank these three personally.
There are so many more of you that I’d like to mention. One group though has a bunch of you in it, the St. Louis Bloggers Guild. The Bloggers Guild is a change making group in St. Louis. I was asked to get in on the ground floor and couldn’t pass it up. (thanks to all of you above) The guild gave me a chance to be a better blogger not just in the writing sense but in terms of responsibility to others. Responsibility for honesty, courage, and respect to those offline and on. It also gave me a chance to lead, instruct, and share that wasn’t open to me before. Cheers to all of you!
Insert the other 2,000 names here. Thats for the ton of you that came along side this year. You listened, you shouted, you danced, you laughed, and you shared. You brought your best, your worst, and tolerated the same from me. I had the chance to meet some of you in person and feel incredibly blessed by that. A strong desire of mine is to meet as many of you as I can, even if it’s just to shake hands or give a hug.
I promise not be be a stranger. I ask that you keep me in your thoughts.
Thanks for one of the best years of my life – 2008. Cheers to you all.
Yours,
Todd aka tojosan
August 11th, 2008 — Blogging, Conference
Bloggers goes to lots of events. We do meet ups, conferences, breakfasts and bar crawls. I’ve traveled cross town, across the state, and across the border to hook up with my contacts, share ideas, and talk in person. If you blog, you’ve done it as well.
We come away from those events on natural highs. We promise ourselves we’ll do some things. Perhaps for you it was simply to stay in touch. Other folks will promise to change their blog, some will say they’ll change their life. Some people even offer business opportunities. It’s a very exciting time in our lives.
Now months have gone by. The emails have dropped off. The blog is stagnant. Your business plan isn’t even started. What happened?
It isn’t just you, it’s a lot of folks. And it isn’t all on you to blame. You might be disagreeing about now, and maybe you’re right. I want to challenge that a bit though and tell you something that made SOBCon different than other gatherings you might have attended.
What I’m willing to wager is that most meet ups, conferences, and such you aren’t just running into a few like minded folks, you’re running into a whole slew of them. These are people you’ve corresponded with before. You and them share social networks and perhaps dozens if not hundreds of contacts. And those contacts will be there as well. Heck, you probably have dinners out with some of your fellow bloggers that you see at conferences and such.
Diversity is the first thing that made SOBCon stand out. This wasn’t a group of the top bloggerati coming together for the fourth time that year. You wouldn’t find a whole mess of successful online businesses. Not even everyone there could hear.
Old and common ground was shared by few, as business owners with no blogs worked side by side with professional bloggers. At the same table were folks like me, small time bloggers and working professionals looking to move into other areas.
Differences in goals wasn’t the only diversity. Australia, Great Britain, and Canada were represented, as well as men and women from all across the US. Layered on that were individuals with disabilities, most notably Stephen J. Hopson, and Karen Putz, both deaf.
This mix of personalities, desires, and backgrounds, rather than being a stumbling block, became a catalyst. We were each positively challenged from the boat ride on Friday evening until our departure on Sunday afternoon.
SOBCon had a lot more to offer than diversity. Keep your eyes open for the next part of how SOBCon Lives On.
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May 19th, 2008 — Blogging, Social Media
Shashi Bellamkonda, from Happenings, advice & other technology thoughts, brings us a man on the scene interview with ‘JJ’ from Jim Beam, the whiskey makers. The video was recorded during the SOBCon08 weekend in Chicago. Enjoy the Jim Beam interview.
May 10th, 2008 — Blogging
It was a rainy Chicago afternoon and evening, on a Spring day in May. They’d come from all over the United States and the World. Views and opinions as diverse as their points of origin. Powers of observation and writing never before brought together were no in one place, on one busy block.
Who were they? Superheroes? Power brokers? Yes! They were Bloggers! And they came to take Chicago! Well, not actually that last part, but it sounds better yes?
SOBCon08 had drawn bloggers of all types. Bloggers of politics mixed with technology bloggers as well as mommy bloggers. Each brought with them not just a desire to learn and be engaged for the weekend, but they came to share, to support, and to blog. They came to take blogging up a notch.
Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker assembled a crew of presenters for a human scale event and it was powerful. Chris Brogan, Anita Bruzzese, Chris Garret, David Bullock, Terry Starbucker, Brian Clark, Lorelle VanFossen, and Wendy Piersall talked and presented on blogging and business throughout the weekend. More than that, they shared deeply about blogging and themselves. Each poured out tips, tricks and heart during their presentations and off-stage as well.
The SOBCon08 weekend was jam packed with business and blogging information, but also with fun and friends making. Shashi Bellamkonda and I have been online friends for most of year but had never met. Leave it to a blogging conference to us together. Rick Mahn and I had also been online only contacts for quite a while, this weekend allowed us to share a great experience and become real friends. There was the boat ride, where I took this skyline shot, and enjoyed the music of Christine Kane, and the wonderful dinners with my blogger friends.
Did I take anything away beyond that? More than I can absorb. On the mental and supportive side, I realized I’m not alone out there, and these other bloggers, even the most successful ones, are only an email away. I realized others, yes those big name ones too, struggle at times with their blogs and their businesses. The support and encouragement doesn’t end with the weekend. Becky McCray has organized some of us into a biz and blog support and mentoring circle.
As part of the take away from the SOBCon08 conference, I’ll be changing up things on the blog. It’ll be slow at first, but hopefully the improvements will be noticeable both to readers and to me. Also, I’ll be formulating some business plans, goals and more. Don’t think either that I’ll try to work in solitude. You, the readers, and you, my fellow bloggers and biz folks, will be on the spot. I’ll be asking you for guidance, reassurance, and support because of the respect and appreciation I have for you all.
In summary, the weekend brought me more than I expected, and I can’t express enough in blog posts even how much so. While I make some attempts here though, I’d love to hear from you.
How did SOBCon08 impact you, your blogging and your business? What will you change? Or have you been to another conference recently that made a significant impact on your life? Tell me about it! I want you to share here, on your blog, or drop me a line. Don’t blog? I’ll be happy to post your story here.
Come, tell us about your experience.
May 5th, 2008 — Blogging
Let me tell you about one of my favorite takeaways from SOBCon08. Shashi and I started out as on the edges of common technologies, now I feel like I’ve gained a friend for life.
It was a pleasure to meet and spend time with him this weekend. What better way to know a man than to share things together.
We shared – learning, laughter, fresh air, excitement, joy, a hug, the skyline of Chicago, we broke bread together, and shared a beer. What better ways to know a man.
What did you share at SOBCon08? What did you take away?
May 3rd, 2008 — Blogging
Brian gave me several things to think about, but here’s my quick list of take-aways:
- Attention is valuable but not everything
- Authority rules
- Don’t think niche, think large audience and carve out a niche in that
- Expertise creates authority
- Think maximize my assets vs replace my job
- Maximize my subscribers – build lists
- Build destination pages
A lot of this stuff is immediately useful and gives me a whole viewpoint turnaround. We are doing a model review out on our sites. Pages is a big focus of the discussion.
May 3rd, 2008 — Blogging
What did I take away?
- Use good resources
- Make sure my sources are reliable – does my source have an agenda
- Keep my credibility – keep away from hidden agenda
- Post corrections – Immediately!
- Don’t respond by attacking
- Encourage comments – highlight great commenters – don’t let the bad comments take over
- Get a roundtable of folks to keep me true
- Put a line in the sand on what I will and will not due or blog about
- Write things I’m not only proud of now, but I’ll be proud of in the future
Very good presentation. Anita is from www.45things.com.
April 29th, 2008 — Blogging
Liz, at Successful Blog, compiled a list of SOBCon08 attendees. I’ve recreated it here for the link love.
Can’t wait to see you all in Chicago!
I’m bringing my camera, my phone and the Flip, so be ready.
March 19th, 2008 — Blogging, Cartoon, Social Networking
In all seriousness there was no ninja in the contest that I know of. But if he blogged, he’d have had a shot too.
SOBCon is all about the bloggers. You can read here what last year’s participants had to say.
“Here are 3 key reasons SOBCon08 is going to be even better than SOBCon07:
1. Bigger. More attendees. More planning. More to talk about. More to do. More, more, more, more.
2. BAP. “The SOBCon08 program guarantees to send each attendee home with a Business Action Plan that can be immediately executed for measurable success.”
3. Biz. School, that is. An even stronger focus on business blogging and how to use blogs to boost your business.”
Me? This will be my first time. I’m excited about the opportunities this will present. Not only a chance to mingle but learn. The sessions will be very focused with the end result a plan I can take forward for blogging as a business.
Currently there are no ads on this site, however that is not for a lack of interest. What I’d like to do is get it right. That applies for social networks as well. Where can I best spend my time and resources?
What are you doing with your blog and your social networks? Are you merely marking time or are you making progress towards your personal and business goals? Has your online life profited you today?
Check out SOBCon and see if it’s for you. It might just help you answer those questions.
March 17th, 2008 — Blogging
Me!
The SOBCon Contest is over and I won. Yes, you can read the details on the SOBCon site, but I’ll give you the short and skinny here.
First things first, because the SOBCon contest is over, I’ve taken down the big cartoon encouraging you to visit the SOBCon site. No more need to do it to help me. That said, I encourage everyone that’s into blogging and wants to take it up a notch to visit and consider going to the conference.
“The grand prize is a free registration to SOBCon08, plus two hotel nights.”
I’m planning on spending Friday and Saturday nights in the Club Quarters, near the conference center.
“We’d also like to give one more big shoutout to our contest co-sponsor, Plante Moran Financial Advisors.”
Yes, there is a sponsor. I’ve not used Plante Moran Financial Advisors, but I’ll be sure to give them a look. Thank you Plante Moran.
”Congratulations Todd!!
And thanks to all who participated in the contest – your promotion of this event has been most appreciated.”
Thank you SOBCon Team! See you there soon.
For others attending, please check out the wiki: http://sobcon.pbwiki.com
