… and so are you!

There is a meme developing in my online tribe where people engaged in selling social media services are calling out other practitioners of social media who are making claims to be social media “experts”. The caution seems to be against some un-named other social media helper-person out there preying on businesses by claiming unearned expertise.

Let’s get this straight – if you made it to this post and you are reading these words, pat yourself on the back and give yourself a fancy gold star because you are now a social media expert. Anyone with the ability to get to this paragraph has all the qualifications to claim expertise in social media: You can read, you have some interface to read these words, and I assume you can type with your interface to leave a comment below (very subtle hint, huh). The entire premise behind social media is that the threshold for entry has been driven so low that everyone can play. It is exactly because everyone can Tweet, blog, comment, text, and in general get connected that this whole thing works. I’ve been throwing crap against the Internet wall to see what sticks for over 12 years. My mom just got her Facebook account about 3 months ago as an initial foray into social media. We are both experts at what we are doing online because we all create our own social media universe. No one can be me within my world better than me. Continue reading »

There are some folks having an interesting conversation about Gen Xers selling out on their ideals from our generational platform of slack and nihilism and fighting THE MAN. I was born in 1967 so I am on the leading edge of what most would consider Generation X so I have a pioneering spirit about my generation. I have a brother who is 4 years older than me and I can literally see the generational divide sitting between us in terms of world views, culture, and spirit – it’s like he’s my uncle more than my brother in the way we relate to each other. I have something to say about selling out and what it means to be a Gen Xer in 2009.

I sold out in my 20’s when I spent a several years working in an industry that treated me and everyone else like crap because it made me money. It was also easy and predictable. It wasn’t hard to go in every day and not think and just feed the machine and focus my real energy on my social life and music and things that really mattered. Like all easy and wrong things, I came to an impasse so I shifted to another phase of my life. Continue reading »

I am very likely to get some flak for what I’m about to say but I think elevator speeches are bullshit. Everyone even remotely engaged in networking will profess the absolute need for a canned and short verbal snippet that you can whip out at a moment’s notice to wow some prospective client. The theory is that everyone is sooooo damn busy and in such a hurry that you only have 30 seconds tops to hook them and make them beg to know more about how your product/service will rock their world. Anyone not able to master this artful verbal pitch is doomed to fail in the lightning quick business world we inhabit. Once again, I’m calling bullshit.

Continue reading »

A recent situation has me pondering the idea of question asking. As I see it, there are three reasons to ask questions:

Seek knowledge: This is the most basic and obvious reason to ask a question. I might ask a plumber how to repair a toilet or I might ask a friend to explain how to get their house.

Stimulate thought: What’s the best way for us to develop our brand? & How can we best use our resources to accomplish our goals? are examples of this type of question. The goal of this type of question is to open up dialog and solicit conversation. 

Show off: ”What is the best way to develop a brand?” & “What are 5 ways to eliminate inefficiency” This type of question is asked for the purpose of showcasing the asker’s knowledge. The asker of this type of question has a specific answer in mind and they are challenging the askee to come up with that one specific answer. It is also used to prove to the askee that they just don’t get it. Continue reading »

The Des Moines Business Record recently featured me in an article about people starting new ventures since the US economic situation took a turn for the worse. I was one of three folks profiled in the peice and I was very pleased with their portrayl of my efforts. Thanks Sarah Bzdega!

I am throwing a party and if you’ve muddled your way to this blog, you’re invited!

This party is a celebration of my new company and is being supported by the Des Moines Downtown Chamber. There will be a short program where I introduce the concept behind the company and then a ribbon cutting and after that we drink beer and eat. Casual. Network-ish. Come-as-you-are-ish. I would appreciate it if you dropped a note to me or in the comment section below if you plan on attending so I can gauge the food and drinks. If you’re feeling especially 2.0, you can drop me an @reply. Olde Main beer and Sushi on the menu so far. There will be some other appetizers for the no sushi for me crowd (although you really should try it!!) and some non-intoxicating beverages.

The party is being held at Impromptu Studio. Some of you may know of this hidden treasure because of the Ugly Sweater Party, or the #whatnow series, or maybe Ignite Des Moines! Whatever your experience level with Impromptu Studio, please take the time to look over those links and get to understand the concept of coworking. Dan and Abbie Shipton and this coworking studio have proven to be a great place to cultivate the network and momentum I’ve needed to get this far.

Here are the details

Date: Tuesday March 24th

Time: 5:30 until whenever we suck the keg dry

Location: Impromptu Studio (link goes to map)

RSVP: comments section below or email me at ben@rpoconsulting.com

Cost: This event is going to be paid for through your promise to not stand around like a dork and to make the effort to meet folks and talk about things. This cost is being subsidized by the liberal application of beer and food. Other than that, it’s free.

This is some solid advice from Nancy Anton over on ERE.net about how to help out when you get those calls from downsized friends and family seeking your help finding a new job opportunity. I’ve always wondered what other folks do with this situation and this seems like a good list of ideas to start to help out the displaced workers in your personal life. If the person seeking advice/networking/leads is in my inner circle I would also add a meeting with them to do a gutcheck/career assessment to help them clarify their goals and develop a more focused search plan. When faced with an unexpected job search, many people over focus on the breadth of their skill set rather than the depth of their core strengths. It seems counterintuitive, but it is easier to look for a few narrowly targeted opportunities than it is to cast a wide net for “any job”. The narrower search is also a hell of a lot more likely to result in a longer lasting change than the scattershot approach. As a recruiter, I know this is true, but it is so hard to tell your friend that their rudimentary knowledge of Microsoft Access doesn’t mean they should pursue that SQL Server DBA position you are working to fill.

Any other hints for helping out with displaced friends and family?

Here’s a bit of research that seems to be pertinent to our times (this is a link to a pdf file). The time period for the study was 1974 – 1994 but after looking it over I think that dissatisfaction is still correlated with entrepreneurship in more modern times. Here’s the money quote: 

The conclusion to be drawn is that if more people in a country feel dissatisfied with their life and with the way democracy works, this increases the chance that they will seek self-employment. Those who do so improve their life and job satisfaction over those who do not.

As a person starting my own company, this research resonates with me, but is this an answer for our economic troubles? Can we all just work for ourselves to make a living off of other people working for themselves in a sort of absolute outsourced economic model? Continue reading »

This is going to be a great Superbowl