Unplugged

So I just got back from a weekend in Michigan. Stayed out in the country with some friends for good food, a litte wine and conversation. Something I though was interesting is that several times this weekend, there was a "no phone rule".  For example, in one restaurant, all of the cell phones were staked at one end of the table when we arrived (there were 8 of them). It definitely resonated with everyone how accoustom we now are to constantly checking our Facebook and other accounts. Taking one hour for dinner with no status updates was really hard for some people. Sure, its funny... but its also a little scary. Its almost unimaginable how quickly technology is advacing and permeating our lives.

One cool thing I saw was my friends new security system in their weekend home. With a mobile phone app, they can lock any door in the house and turn lights on and off. They can even activate a camera on the driveway and the front door and see the stream on their iPhone. Tooo cool.

Social Media in Action

So this weekend I decided to leverage some of the strategies learned in my social media class. Several of my close friends are also in Marketing. Last night at dinner, I found myself having a conversation with a Director of Marketing for a local non-profit. She spoke of several articles she had read lately about how to leverage social media for fundraising. Before you know it we were emailing articles back and forth from our smartphones, and that got me thinking there must be an easier to accomplish this sharing of content.

So, this morning I set up a shared folder in Dropbox and invited over a dozen friends in my field to post reviews and articles they found interesting. By the middle of the afternoon our folder already had over thirty articles reagrding anything and everything marketing. Many of the articles I had read recently read in class, but others were completely new. What I like about Dropbox is the privacy, and I don't have to mess with emails containing attachments.  It organized simple and effective. And because I can access from work or home I can read anytime. What a convenient a great use of technology!!

Organizational Groundswell

So I started thinking this week about internal groundswell and where my company ranks. After doing the reading and reviewing the comments posted by other individuals in my sm class, I came to the realization that my organization has much room for improvement in terms of internal communication.

We have recently gone through a lot of re-organization - restructuring entire deparments. I can't help but wonder how successful the company could become if a great internal system of communication was in place. You would think (internal) social media platforms would be more common. There are multiple studies that prove employees are more effective when they feel connected, and technology innovation would happen much faster.

But who would champion the initiative? Marketing? HR? Operations? Or are the employees responsible? It is a very interesting concept, and I believe it could get started with little investment and time. I am going to discuss the concept with a fellow employee this week and see what she thinks... stay tuned.

In other news, for our social media final project, Stephen Craig and myself have decided to help a good friend of mine. She is an entrepreneur and runs a successful jewelry business. She has always struggled with an online presence, so we feel feel we have a great opportunity to make some suggestions for her sm business plan.

Brain Dead

Mid-terms this week and my brain is exploding. Ten page paper in Social Media. Five page paper in Innovation and Disruption. Presentation with slides due Monday night. Team project started. Two group meetings accomplished. Several hundred pages to read, and the weekend is now winding down.

I sense that when I get out of school I will be amazed at what to do with all the time on my hands. Hopefully I can channel that energy into my career and consider options that aren't available to me now. Hmmm what will all this knowledge afford me? A Directors position? A consulting gig? Maybe my own  business? I'll decide that later.

For now, I'm going to heat up some warm soup and watch 60 minutes with my dog. I am pretty sure he upset with the lack of attention this weekend. So, extra treats for hims!