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Help Your Humble Servant Plan for 2009?December 31 2008

It’s the last day of the year.  It’s snowing.  I’m feeling reflective.

I know that there are lots of things on my mind to accomplish in 2009.  For example, I’d like to grow the business by a solid 15% — downturns be damned! … I’d like to do more public speaking … I’d like to do more for my many friends in the Social Media realm …

As for the blog, I plan to publish an e-book next month (subscribe, if you’d like a copy!) … and I’d like to share more case studies next year … I’d also like to share more practical tips, along the lines of the Blogger Relations Bookmark, the Guide to SEO-Friendly News Releases, and oldies-but-goodies like

Answering the Challenges of Social Media AdoptionDecember 30 2008

Two weeks ago, Peter Kim assembled some Social Media predictions for 2009 from some guru types.  Scraping the bottom of that barrel, he decided to include some of my ramblings, as well.  Hopefully you’ve already read all of that crystal-ball-goodness from the pundits.  I’ll use this space to reflect more deeply on my own thoughts about ‘09…

First up, “The Great How.”  Here’s my original snippet from Peter Kim’s Predictions Project: 

The "best" case studies of Social Media in action,to date, are marked by the introduction of "real" human beings into the customer conversation. As more corporations come to realize the obvious benefits of humanizing their relationships with online communities, they'll grapple with the "how."

How many people need to be hired and trained?

How will they measure the success of engagement?

How will the rise of employee's personal brands be handled, if/when these personalities eclipse the popularity of the corporate brand?  How does a company introduce new voices to the conversation in a way that augments the effort, versus causing consumer confusion?

Entering the "Light Blogging" PeriodDecember 22 2008

It’s the end of the year. There are a lot of ways to deal with end-of-year blogging.

My plan for this year-end period was to expound on my contributions to Peter Kim’s Social Media Predictions 2009 project.  And I still might do that, if time permits.

But the holiday crush is upon us all.  I feel as if we are all careening into the New Year, don’t you?  Finishing up on work projects (or wondering what could be put-off to January!), wrapping presents, shoveling snow, worrying about the recession, prepping for visits to/from relatives, decorating the house, etc.

In addition to all-of-the-above, the Defren family just got a new pup (pictured) — a 2–year old collie/golden retriever mix from Save-A-Dog, an organization we’ve supported as foster parents for a while.  This gal walked in the door as just-another-foster but immediately captured the high ground.  Adorable, eh?  We’re still working on names … which presents yet another year-end distraction!

So can we agree to take a li’l break from Social Media

Quick Takes on One Week's KerfufflesDecember 18 2008

Remember when the tail-end of December was quiet?  Those days are long gone, it seems.  I’ve been flitting about the country with little time for blogging, but I have been trying to keep up with the latest goings-on in Social Media and now offer my quick take on these flare-ups.

Chris Brogan and Izea (pay-per-post): Over this past weekend, Forrester’s Jeremiah Owyang wondered aloud about Chris Brogan’s sponsored blog post about K-Mart, which was coordinated by the PayPerPost spin-off, Izea.  Brogan discussed the issue at length, as well. 

Does a well-known, trusted blogger like Brogan sully his brand by accepting sponsored posting assignments?  As Jeremiah originally tweeted: “Transparent, Yes. Authentic? Debatable. Sustainable? No.”

My take:  Full disclosure = carte bl

Ode to Sian DefrenDecember 16 2008

Please excuse this break from our usual programming as I celebrate a banner day.

Today is a day that has been eagerly anticipated for 8 long years: the last day of Nursing school for my beautiful bride!  Hallelujah! 

Let me take a moment to tell you about my wife — and why it took 8 years to reach this important goal.

Sian has a pretty crazy life story.  On both sides of her family she is the daughter of sea captains — stretching all the way back to the 1600’s, where family lore suggests direct kinship with one of the most fabled admirals of the Netherlands.  Her paternal grandfather was a Jew who resisted the Nazis in Holland; miraculously survived; and went on to reap a fortune as a European industrialist. Sian’s earliest memories involve indoor swimming pools in Swiss mansions.

Growing up, Sian was something of a violin prodigy.  By the time she was 12, as part of the famed Suzuki School, Sian had played in concerts