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Communications and Change
At the beginning of 2008, I shared my personal experiences with watching US Presidential Primary candidates talk to NH voters about "change."
With just a few weeks until the general election in November, the word CHANGE is being used A LOT by both parties. (Since this is a blog tied to Sun, I'll keep my political opinions on the candidates to myself, but do feel that I can share my thoughts about the communications techniques and styles being used by both campaigns - since afterall, communications at Sun is a big part of my role. I've worked on many communications projects over 10 years at Sun and many have been tied to the topic of 'change' and 'change acceptance'.)
This morning, I had a call with an HR business partner who is working on project with me that has the potential to drive some positive change in our organization. During our call, she told me that she's going to start to work on the "Change Acceptance" plan for the project in the next week to use for initial kick off meetings in October. I am thrilled!! This is the first time ever, that I was not asked to create the communications plan for a project first.
YES!! CHANGE PLANS DRIVE COMMUNICATIONS PLANS! We are singing from the same choir book! (It makes me very excited to roll up my sleeves and work on this project.)
When our discussion ended at noon ET, I turned on my local news radio to hear what's going on in the world - and immediately heard two political ads -- Guess what? They both talked about 'change' being needed in this country. But neither communication told me what kind of change and how it could be accomplished.
I worry about this (with both parties). I know that change is usually hard when it has to be implemented - I see it every day in the work that I do at Sun.
I wonder how the political polls would fair if either candidate were to get ahead of the 'communication' about the need for change and actually articulated what needs to be changed (as well as how the change would happen and what it might mean to me, personally.) If that were to happen, I bet we'd see very different communications on the topic - and the word 'change' would not be taken so much for granted.
Posted at 09:51AM Sep 10, 2008 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
Sun Named a 'Best Place to Work' this Morning! Now, what do we do with the Award?!
This morning, Sun was honored by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) as a "Best Place to Work"
Heather Bender, from Sun HR, and I attended the awards breakfast in Boston to represent Sun and to accept our award plaque.
From the over 300 entries submitted to BBJ, 60 companies were honored as Best Places to Work. There were 20 companies recognized in each of the three business categories (Small, Medium and Large).
Sun ranked #17 in the large business category.
This is a very good showing especially since this was the first year that we've been submitted for this recognition. Over 200 local Sun employees provided anonymous input toward the Sun nomination.
When Sun was recognized this morning, our flexible work environment aka: OpenWork program was noted when the award was announced. However, I have to tell you that our OpenWork environment is causing a slight issue with what to do with the prestigious award plaque that we received. Afterall, given our virtual work environment, it may be a while for Sun's Boston Area employees to actually see this award. (I did a scan of the actual award to share here!)
So, here are three ideas to get this award plaque some well deserved visibility:
(You can share your ideas via the comments section of the entry!)
IDEA 1) Put the award 'on tour'. This worked for the Boston Red Sox after both of their World Series Championships during the past few years. They put their 'trophy' on the road, for all to see. I think that we need to bring this award to Sun's Burlington and Marlboro, MA locations, as well as to the Nashua, NH office and provide some designated times to see it, touch it, take pictures, etc. I'll bring it to the Nashua office tomorrow at 11am ET!
IDEA 2) Let employees take the award home. Resurrect a recognition practice from 1st grade - surely you remember bringing home the class pet or mascot for the weekend?! This idea would suit all of the employees who may not be in one of our offices to participate in Idea #1. In this case, our work from home employees could bring home the award plaque to keep on their own desk for a day or two - or maybe even over the weekend (of course, everyone will have to take care of the award, clean it, polish it, etc) . See award above on my desk today (with Grace since I'm posting to the DogBlog.)
IDEA 3) Send the award HQ in Menlo Park, CA to show off at Sun's Executive Briefing Center (EBC). I think that this plaque would be a good prop when our execs talk to customers about our work environment and the value of the OpenWork program as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. (If you haven't vistited Sun's EBC, it's definitely worth a visit! Your Sun sales rep can plan a special visit for you.)
Maybe we should incorporate all ideas - including the ones you may have?!
On a serious note, at the end of the month, I will be at marking my 13th year at Sun. I am honored to have had the opportunity this morning to represent Sun at the BBJ event. Of all of the jobs I've had during my career - I agree with all of the input to the anonymous survey that Sun definitely the best place to work!
Posted at 03:04PM Jun 10, 2008 by sandyb in Sun | Comments[0]
If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words.....
...Share it with other communicators and everyone will see it!
I was at Sun HQ earlier this week and had the opportunity to meet up with Terry for lunch. It was great since it's been too long since we've sat down together, in person, to talk.
After some discussion around employee communications and some great career advice from Terry, the conversation naturally turned to our dogs and art. A common bond/love that we both share.
So, I couldn't wait to tell Terry that I had an oil painting of Grace commissioned as a gift for my mom. Of course, she wanted to know all about it and see it!
Thankfully, the artist,
Elizabeth Fraser in Portland, Maine, sent me a jpeg and posted it on
her own blog - so I could share it with Terry right after lunch.
And now, I'm sharing "Sweet Dreams for Grace" with Sun DogBlog readers.
The actual 5x5 oil painting arrived by mail today - I JUST LOVE IT!
Elizabeth
was wonderful to work with and the entire interaction between us took
place 100% online via email and webpages - including the monetary
transaction. Go online and checkout her story! I have a feeling that we'll see other Sun dogs and cats immortalized by Elizabeth soon! :-)
Posted at 12:52PM Mar 07, 2008 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[3]
Communicating thru Actions, Not Words
I was in California at Sun HQ for business last week.
My dog, Grace did not get to come with me.
I returned on Friday morning after taking the red eye from San Francisco to Boston. I was so happy to get home.
Grace was happy to see me.....for about 5 minutes.
After a quick nap, I went to my home office to log in for a few hrs and catch up on the email I'd missed while I attended meetings most of the week. It was back to business as usual - or so I thought.
But something was missing. Grace was not sitting in her usual spot next to my desk.
She was ignoring me!! (Really!)
Her 'message' was very clear, "To me, you are not home today."
No, I'm not a dog whisperer. I am however, a communications professional and I know that non verbal communication can often be more impactful than the spoken word.
While Grace couldn't verbalize her dissatisfaction with my business travel, she decided to take up residence in the her chair where she is allowed to sit when I am not home. With the exception of one time when Grace first moved in (almost 2 yrs ago) she has never sat in that chair while I am home.
Friday was different. I was home. Grace stayed in the her chair all day!
Finally, at the end of the day, when I asked if she would "like to go for a ride" (so that I could pick up Chinese take-out), Grace became my friend again. She even 'hugged' me before she ran to the car!
As the writers on the Dog Blog often share, we can learn a lot about communications practices from our pets.
Watching Grace express her dissatisfaction with me made me stop and take pause to be more aware of the nonverbal cues that I could be communicating.
Posted at 02:52PM Feb 11, 2008 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
Communicating CHANGE
The past few days have been a whirlwind in NH....
Tomorrow is the First in the Nation, US Presidential Primary in NH. The final weekend before the polls actually open are just madness... All of the campaigns are bombarding NH voters with their communications - local rallies & townhalls, endless phonecalls , direct mail and the last few knocks on the door.
I love the townhalls and rallies - it's a chance to get up close and personal to the candidates and I had the opportuntiy to get my fill of such events a few times this weekend. (I am not a fan of the direct mail pieces - especially at a time when candidates are touting their environmental policies. It would be different if these pieces were easy to recycle, I think that's an issue with thick glossy paper with lots of color.)
The theme of ALL campaigns this weekend was CHANGE. If you watched the ABC/WMUR/Facebook debates, you heard the word CHANGE in every other sentence. If you were in NH or watched the live politcal coverage of NH on any of the cable channels or on CSPAN, you saw the word CHANGE on campaign buses, campaign signs, buttons, etc.
CHANGE was everywhere - but things are still the same.
Not one of the candidates (even the ones whom I really like!) have communicated any depth about change. Charlie Gibson, moderator of the Saturday debates brought up the notion with the Democrats that change acceptance, especially in Washington, "is hard."
Charlie is right - change acceptance is hard. We communicators at Sun know and live this all too well!
His comment about change acceptance was a great opportunity for any of the candidates to jump in to differentiate themselves regarding how they will MANAGE CHANGE in the role of President. This is where the idea of change meets the tough work to implement the change (and why many change efforts fail).
I think that the candidates can learn a lot from the communications professionals at Sun - both our internally and externally focused communicators have a lot of experience with helping to drive change at Sun. You can't just talk about change, you've got to talk about the future state that the change will bring -- and it has to be something tangible.
I believe that the candidate who finally steps up to specifically outline how he or she will manage change will be the one to differentiate her/himself in a business-like, rather than a political manner. This could be very powerful.
Imagine the candidate who specifically tells us in a very non-political and transparent way. We will finally hear:
What they are going to change;
Why it needs to be change and who will be affected;
How and When the change will happen.
This is candidate who will gain mobilized support and commitment in the US for any kind of change to happen.
Posted at 07:06AM Jan 07, 2008 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
Part 2: Communications Lessons from the Presidential Campaign Trail
With less than a week to go before the NH Presidential Primary, I wanted to continue to share some of the communications tactics that I'm seeing and experiencing, first hand, as a Registered voter in NH. I began to share some insights and observations re: the communications activities of various campaigns at the end of November. (It's important to note that these are purely communications related observations and not political opinions/viewpoints or endorsements!)
Here is what has happened since that entry.
1) I did get tickets to the Oprah/Obama event that I blogged about, but the day before the event, I chose not attend.
After some reflection, I decided not to attend a campaign event just to see a celebrity endorser. Because of this decision, I also passed on an offer for tickets to see Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown join John Edwards for some NH campaign stops just a few days before Christmas.
Here's what I learned from a communications perspective when it comes to behavior and endorsements: Free tickets to hear from celebrities and to see them perform do, indeed, bring attention to a message that you are trying to get out. People arrived in droves to see Oprah, Bonnie Raitt and others - then became a captive audience for a political speech. In thinking about this from a Business Communications sense, I see this at Sun all the time, but just never made the connection! While any of our Sun execs can draw a crowd at an internal town hall or even external customer event, we always see a bigger turnout when we have Jonathan or Scott participate, too.
2) My previous observation re: telephone calls being a good mix in a communications campaign needs to be clarified. Such use of the telephone should be in moderation. There's nothing worse that repeated calls from the same campaigns (Obama's and Edward's campaigns are the biggest violators of this in my house - endless calls a day from different people reading scripts or asking the very personal question re: whom I plan to vote for not a good communications tactic)
I have recently managed to reduce this influx of calls to my house since I've told these campaigns that I've already voted (via absentee ballot since I was scheduled to travel during Primary week). This leads me to the next point....
3) Make your communications stand out from the others that may compete with your messages! With upwards of 10+ pieces of direct mail from campaigns almost daily, Hillary's campaign, while not good at the telephone follow up as I discussed in November, has been very good at being different and communicating helpful information.
I received my absentee ballot in mid December because Hillary's campaign made it easy for me! One of her direct mail pieces that stood out from all of the others included a form to mail to my City Clerk. Within 48 hrs of using this form, my absentee ballot was in my mail box. Interestingly, a few days later, I also received a Holiday Card from "The Clinton Family" (of Manchester, NH!?!?!) It was the only holiday greeting that I received this current political season. (I also heard this am that her campaign is offering snow shovels and babysitters for Iowans who need such assistance to get out to caucus tonite.)
And then a few days after I received the Holiday greeting, an invitation arrived to dial in to a conference call with "Bill and Hill" on Sunday evening December 23rd. (Of course I dialed in - for the sake of my communications research!)
In my role at Sun, I plan many large broadcast concalls with our executives, so I was interested to see how this would work in the world of political campaigns, especially on a Sunday evening, two days before Christmas. While the 'host' was on the call live, she did admit that due to being caught in a snowstorm in Iowa, the Clintons had to do a recorded message for the call. (Knowing that Bill & Hill probably fly a private jet between Iowa and NY, I found this disappointing, but stayed on the line to listen.) The good news is that the entire call lasted barely 20 minutes and and it didn't 'sound' canned or recorded.
Interestingly, you can tell which candidates have the big money for their communications efforts. Those who are behind in some of the polls just don't have the money to bring in celebrities and musicians. Don't forget, while these 'endorsers' are often giving their time, the campaigns have to scramble to secure and often pay for big venues to host such events. When Oprah was coming to NH, Obama's local campaign office was in a frenzy looking for a venue large enough to hold such an event.
The good thing for the lower budget campaigns is that Web 2.0 tools are often free, viral and can effectively get a message out. Ron Paul was one of the most Googled names in 2007. Could it be because of the bumperstickers and huge homemade signs that many of us in NH see when we drive down the road? Or because of the focus of so many blogs bringing up his name because of his unique focus compared to other candidates in his party? Maybe a little of both!?
So while the past year in NH has been very interesting (and a great learning experience!), I have to admit that I'm looking forward to some silence from fewer phonecalls and doorbells ringing.
And ,I wonder what 2011 Primary activity will bring for learnings as we prepare for the 2012 election?!
Posted at 08:48AM Jan 03, 2008 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
Communications Lessons from the Presidential Campaign Trail
Being a NH resident, I can't help but watch how the candidates for US President communicate. We have the opportunity in the Granite State to actually see the candidates up close and personal for a full year+ before our 1st in the Nation NH Primary - scheduled for January 8, 2008.
I recently caught myself watching the actual communications styles and tactics of the candidates more than paying attention to the issues! I'm always looking for some best practices to use in my communications role at Sun (and worst practices to avoid!), and the campaign trail is a treasure-trove of examples!
Compared to previous elections, Internet technology has a major role in all of the candidates' communications plans this time around. This change began in 2003 when Howard Dean was noted for his innovation using his website for fundraising the during the last campaign. (I met him in Aug 2003 when I was asked to introduce him at a media conference focused on the environment and Superfund.) While he was innovative with online communications, he was also really good with Communications 101 Techniques too - I even received a handwritten thank you note from him only 5 days after the speaking engagement.
A quick handwritten note is definitely a best practice that should be used more in the corporate environment - Scott McNealy is very good at this. When he was CEO, it was always a thrill for employees to receive that occasional inter-office envelope with his name on it in the FROM line.
In my interest to get the know the current candidates and to see their varying e-communications styles, I've signed up for many of the candidates' email lists (I have also unsubscribed from several because there's just too much junk mail!) Some candidates also have 'groups' on Facebook and MySpace.
We're seeing the news media use Social Networking tools as they cover the campaign - like last night's Republican Debate on CNN where questions were asked via YouTube submissions and the extensive campaign website that the local NH ABC affiliate (WMUR) has created. I love the way the web provides tons of info at my fingertips - and for the campaign, it's info that wasn't available not very long ago. I also love how YouTube at the debates allows people across the country, who don't have access like I do to the candidates, to have the opportunity to be able to proactively participate in our democratic process. (Was it me or did some of the candidates at both parties' YouTube debates seem a little uncomfortable?)
Yes, there is a lot to be learned here for the corporate communicator.
Some of the learnings that stand out in my mind today:
1)The Basic, in-person, 1:1 connection has a huge impact.
I met Hillary Clinton earlier this year.
During the few minutes that we chatted, Clinton looked me in the eye and seemed to express a sincere interest in what I had to say. I remember that meeting vividly and while it made a positive impact on me, the lack of follow up from her campaign staff was not as positive. I hear constantly from other campaigns about events and forums, but have not received one bit of follow up to the campaign where I personally provided my contact info.
Lesson: While a first impression can be positive, the lack of followup can leave a lasting un-impression.
2) Mix your e-communications with traditional communications techniques.
Saving room for a pic to go right here! ;-)
Last evening, I received a telephone call from the Obama campaign. (Knowing that I, a NH resident, play an important role in the early stages of our presidential election process, I never hang up on these calls and always give the volunteers a few minutes to tell their story.....it just seems like the right thing to do!)
The phone volunteer asked me if I could attend the rally on December 9th when Oprah Winfrey comes to NH to campaign with Obama. (Of course, I said yes and hope that I really get to go so that I can blog about it here and maybe even have a picture to add!- - - Talk about a communicator with influence!) I have to admit that I liked getting that personal call. I'm sure that there is also a message in my personal email box for the same event, but somehow, I feel more confident that my verbal RSVP will make it thru the system. (But perhaps if I sign up online too, I'll double my chance of getting into this event?!)
Lesson: Those old AT&T jingles - 'Reach Out and Touch Someone' still ring true (pardon the pun). Use the voice option on your phone sometimes instead of depending solely on texting/email - you can create a more personal connection.
3.) Know (and respect) Your Audience.
This past weekend, several of the candidates were represented at our local Holiday Stroll event. Drawing over 30,000 people, apparently some candidates and their staffs thought this was a great place for candidates to 'press some flesh' with just over a month until we open the polls in NH.
The two key candidates who showed up, Giuliani and Romney, were surrounded by huge mobs of media (they had been exchanging 'words' via media soundbytes all last weekend.) Both seemed to forget about the 30,000+ potential votes that were at the event. While I was only feet away from both candidates at different times of the evening, their 'entourages' and swarms of media blocked access to 'the people.' (I thought it was just me being observant about this until I started to see letters to the editor of the local paper that the presence and behavior of the various campaigns present was actually a lowlight of the event.)
Lesson: Be respectful of the audience you are trying to communicate with and don't change the agenda of the meeting to suit your own needs.
With just over a month until the actual primary in NH and the barrage of candiates coming thru - I'm sure I'll have a PART 2 to this Communication Lessons entry in a few weeks. Stay tuned!
Share YOUR communication focused observations by posting a comment to this blog entry.
Posted at 01:59PM Nov 29, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
Don't Forget Communications 101 in a Web 2.0 World
I was really looking forward to my visit to Squam Lake in NH (aka: Golden Pond) this past weekend. I was able to beat the traffic on Friday afternoon, by leaving work a little early (and even got to stop at the new Coach outlet along the way!) Columbus Day weekend is the 2nd busiest travel weekend in NH - people like to visit to see the fall foliage. (aka: changing leaves)
On Saturday am, I turned on the local news to see who won Game 2 of the Sox/Angels series on Friday night (I dozed off before the end of the game...must have been all that fresh northern NH air!)
Before I got the baseball news, I heard of BREAKING NEWS of a 3 alarm fire in Nashua (the city where I live.) The next thing I heard was that the fire was on my street -- at the site of a former leather tannery that is under EPA jurisdiction. The former Mohawk Tannery is about 100 yards from my front door! (My heart sank!)
I tried to call home, but being in the northern woods of NH, my mobile phone was roaming to find a signal all night and I lost the new charge on my battery - besides there was no reception to get a message. After a few calls and exchanged voice mail messages, I made the decision to go back to Nashua.
This is what I missed:
By the time I got back to Nashua, it was around 9am and this is what I did see:
Thankfully no one was injured or lost their homes to this fire. I did arrive home to see hundreds of chunks of burnt debris that came from the site that landed in my yard and on my roof. Several of my neighbors had 'stuff' in their yard, too. (So, here's where the COMMUNICATIONS part of my story comes in -- but I need to give a little background, first!)
I've been in contact with the EPA re: this hazardous waste site since late 1998. Ironically, the way I personally connected with the agency was via their website. There was little information about the tannery posted on the web (was just listed as a "Superfund", but there was a link to CONTACT EPA. So I sent them a question about the site which had been abandoned years earlier. )
A few months later - I had actually forgotten about my email inquiry - but got a phone call. It was from the NH Dept of Environmental Services that had received my email from the EPA -- they told me that they would go check out the site. Within a year, the long abandoned site had state and federal attention again. And some investigation and remedial cleanup began. But it would take tens of millions of dollars for a complete cleanup to make the land useable again. (And no one had the tens of millions of dollars!)
By 2002, my city leaders took a more active interest, because the site ties to other development issues in the community. But they also took action because the community came together to do something to push for cleanup of the site. Local residents were outraged and frustrated. I joined the Mohawk Tannery Steering Committee created by the City and participated as both a resident, but also helped to drive communications and awareness. I liked that my professional skills could help my community.
Really long story short.......when you have a hazardous site in your community, it takes several steps, many years and tons of political pressure to get 'listed' for federal Superfund cleanup -- and today, there's no more money going into the Superfund for sites like this. (All issues worthy of a blog entry someday, but not today.)
So here it is, almost 10 years since my initial email contact to the EPA via their website. We've had dozens of neighborhood meetings, I've asked all of the Presidential candidates that I've met since 1998 about their environmental platform (Including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Lieberman, Richard Gephardt -- and Howard Dean, who actually came to the site before anyone knew who he was - he was the most empathetic of any of the candidates since he dealt with a similar issue while Gov of VT.)
During the past decade, I (and the community) have been told time and time again that the site is not a hazard to the neighborhood - but is only dangerous if you go behind the gates (gates that most of the time are not locked.) Unfortunately, no one thought about a fire and what could happen.
Today, I can not use my backyard patio, sit on outdoor chairs or get my garden ready for winter due to debris from the fire on Saturday am. The EPA and NH DES took samples of the debris (put them in plastic bags) and also had air monitoring devices up thru Saturday evening. The concern is of asbestos that burned on site and scattered across nearly a 1/4 - 1/2 mile area of the neighborhood.
Here's where Communications 101 comes in for situations like this. While there may have been a disaster response to follow - the communications part of the plan was sorely missing. Yes, we have the web to read all the stories in local papers and blog entries like this, BUT good old fashioned face to face, people to people communications need to happen. Fliers should have been made and brought door to door by these agencies conducting the testing, etc. Tell us what you are testing. Tell us how long the testing will take and who will contact us with more information. Tell us whom we can contact if we have questions.
Ironically, I'm still on the committee focused on this site and have helped support the communications. Even I haven't been told when test results would be back and for sure if we should really be worried. (Sometime this week - maybe Wed. isn't a good answer when the health dept picks up samples from your yard!)
All I know is "don't touch anything." (and that's the message I've been told to share with my neighbors.)
Don't get me wrong - all of the officials have been very nice as well as professional - they seem to really have concern for my neighborhood. But they get to go home - not stay here and worry about what is in the debris that is scattered across my neighborhood - a neighborhood that was supposedly safe from this closed down hazardous waste site.
From a professional perspective, this experience will have me revisit all of my Sun related communications plans today to ensure that I revisit my own Communications 101 suggestions!
Update: I got a call from the Health Dept at 5pm ET -- thankfully, there are no health hazards and I can clean up my yard!
Posted at 09:27AM Oct 08, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
A Lesson in Communications from Sun's CEO
The change of Sun's stock ticker symbol to JAVA today has me thinking a lot about communications practices and change acceptance (what works well, what doesn't, etc.)
Seems that everyone has something to say about this particular change (which is very apparent on our internal mail list across our blogger community!) Ironic, though, that many of these bloggers are taking time to 'voice their opinions' via an email list vs. their own blogs.
So, given all of the hoopla about this announcement, here's the communications lesson that I think can be learned from our CEO: If you choose a 2-way communications vehicle for a big, change-related announcement, stick with that vehicle and listen confidently to the feedback.
While a standard corporate media release and internal email were included in the communication mix for the announcement of this change, the real (juicy!) detail was in Jonathan's blog. This gave him an opportunity to give background to and explain his decision in a very transparent way. (something you don't see in typical mundane corporate announcements.)
Via his blog, Jonathan also provided an open forum to provide feedback. We would not have seen this just 2 years ago. (And, I wonder how many other CEOs let 'real' comments even be displayed on their own blogs?)
With nearly 400 comments submitted since last week's announcement (many not so positive), I can only imagine that our CEO is reading (listening) to all of this feedback. (Remember, Listening is key for effective communications!) BTW - I really like it that we have not seen an entry yet to defend his action - this shows confidence and willingness to take a risk. It's a big reason why I continue to work at Sun.
A good communicator listens and absorbs/processes information before opening his/her mouth (or tapping his/her fingers against a keyboard.)
I'm looking forward to seeing how Jonathan responds. (No doubt, it will once again allow for plenty of interactivity!)
Posted at 09:38AM Aug 27, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[3]
A Place for my DogBook, Boozemail and All the Friends I Didn't Know I Had!
I joined the Sun Network on Facebook, a few weeks ago. I wasn't interested in 'joining' until I heard that there were over 2000 Sun employees in the Sun Network on Facebook.
I decided that this was a good way to see how my colleagues use a social networking site. (and to my pleasure, my Facebook profile lets me have a DogBook for my pooch - along with dozens of other applications - you know, important things like Boozemail, that let's me send virtual cocktails to my co-workers!)
This morning my local paper (yes, a paper made of paper that gets my hands dirty!) had an article about Facebook - and the "Facebook Commandments" that must be obeyed.
Commandments like.....'thou shalt have a face' (or else you'll have a big ? mark on your profile) and 'thou shalt only friend....your friends'. (yes, now thanks to Facebook, 'friend' is now a verb!) It's worth a read!
Posted at 10:27AM Aug 21, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[1]
A New Medium for Old Tricks
Do you wish you had your very own well-trained dog to blog about? (not surprisingly, if you can find a site featuring "Cats in Sinks", you can also find a site to type commands for a little dog to sit, fetch, roll over and even dance!)
Check out the cute little virtual dog that will do any number of tricks that you request!
It's fun, it's cute and it's a great marketing vehicle. (one of those, "why didn't I think of that?" sites!)
Someone sent me the site (www.idodogtricks.com) via an email this morning. I couldn't help but open it. Who would have guessed that it is actually an ad for a well-known heartworm medicine for dogs, cats and other furry critters?!?!
I thought that our 'dogblog' readers (and their kids! ) would get a kick out this today!
Posted at 08:58AM Jul 31, 2007 by sandyb in Humor | Comments[0]
Email Diets?! Email-Free Fridays?! Why are We So Obsessed w/ Email?
Even with the emergence of more and more online social media options, over the past few months, there has been a lot of discussion about how to manage Email. I've heard of things from 'Email-Free Fridays' (could that really work among a large/distributed workforce such as Sun?) to a segment on a morning news progam today about Email Diets!
According to market research firm Radicati Group, by 2009, workers
will spend 41 percent of their time reading and
responding to e-mails.
Why are we so obsessed with Email? Could we get by for one full day with no email access?
This is something that I'd guess many of us think about - especially during the summer with vacations, long weekends, etc. It's so hard not to check email when there is such easy access from just about ANY WHERE. (Especially when you can imagine the hundreds of NEW messages that will be in your inbox on Monday morning - you know you'll log in early and stay online late when you return from your get-away just to catch up, making that time off a moot point!)
So, while for me, Email-Free Fridays may not be ideal or even possible -- starting an Email Diet seems a little easier to swallow. (pardon the pun!)
Today, I plan to unsubscribe from all the email newsletters that I signed up for years ago, but no longer read. AND, this Saturday & Sunday will be an 'Email-Free (but not Web-Free) Weekend' for me!
Posted at 07:58AM Jul 27, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[1]
Dog Days of Summer Help Discover "Cats in Sinks"
Here we are, mid July already -- what many refer to as the "dog days of summer."
And while the dogs, like my Grace (pic above in the AC on a 90degree day!), may just be lying (or is it laying?) around on these hot, humid mid-summer days, there's no rest for us Sun employees. The new fiscal year is off to a fast and furious start!
Even with back to back conference calls, hundreds of emails a day, and always something on deadline, I made a New (Fiscal) Year's Resolution that I will keep up to date (as much as I can!) on industry reading.
This is how I discovered Cats in Sinks! It's one of Network World's "7 Wonders of the Internet" published in the July 16 issue. Basically, this 'wonder' of the Internet is that you can find ANYTHING - yes, ANYTHING --- even a site with pictures of Cats in Sinks. (wow!)
Other 'wonders' include: online maps, a whole new language - aka: alphabet soup - (which was covered on this blog a few month ago!) e-commerce, e-mail, spam and Google. (I think that Blogs should also be included in the 7 Wonders list - maybe instead of spam.)
ps....I'm taking care of my friends cats for a few more days -- maybe I should bring my camera over today and put their food in the sink!?
Posted at 09:21AM Jul 19, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[0]
Barbecue Grills Aren't Spooky After All
The adage says, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Good thing I
have a puppy, since she has clearly shown me that while change is hard
and unsettling in some ways, it's not so bad in other ways.
Ron, Bella and I recently moved. You may be thinking "yep, moving sucks," and while you're right, that's
not
exactly the change to which I am referring. I'm talking potty
training, barbecue grills and social media. Are you confused and making that
adorable, tilted puppy-dog look. What?
Bella, (then 
and now) 
was amazing at adapting to some changes
after the move, but not
others. It was fascinating to watch. She adapted to our new home
environment very well, almost immediately potty trained herself, figuring out how
to tell Daddy and me that she needed to go
out. However, once out on our walks, many at 5am (and no, I'm not a
morning person), I notice that even after almost three months, she
still gets
spooked by unfamiliar things, like a neighbor's barbecue grill left out
overnight
to cool, or a moving shadow caused by the street light shining through
a tree
blowing in the wind. Bella doesn't
mind barbecues anymore, but she still gets spooked sometimes, and runs
toward home in a quick trot with her ears pinned back.
Now comes the social media parallel. Yes, behavior change.
I consider myself as having a knack for new technologies, but at
the same time I'm a little spooked by the world of social networking
that is all around us.
I text, I IM, I "get" blogs. I was involved in the project last summer
to set up the Sun Alumni blog. Not the technology side, mind you, but
getting an understanding the way they work and the guidelines that keep
it a pure, self-regulated media. And I have a wonderful manager who
even allowed me to get savvy about blogs and be a panelist at a
conference. These two experiences were a year ago, and yet you are
reading my first blog entry to give you a sense of my struggle.
I don't know why, but I find something intimidating about diving into
the deep end of the
pool of social media. I mean, will it change communication as
we've known it...I suppose in some ways 'yes' and in other ways 'no.'
In any case, I will take a page out of Bella's book. She gracefully
sits down and raises her paw to my hand, clearly communicating
that it's time to go out. Now it's my turn. I will sit down and raise
my paw to the keyboard, learning and embracing the world of social
media...shallow end first.
Thank you, Bella, for showing Mommy that
barbecue grills aren't spooky after all.
Posted at 10:59AM Jun 18, 2007 by Lisa Neuman in Sun | Comments[2]
Everything's Coming Up Roses!
I can't believe that it's already Friday!
I was out on vacation last week, so I spent the majority of this week catching up from my time off and getting up to speed on the second most challenging project that I've been assigned to during my career at Sun.
It's because of the new, challenging assignment that I needed some inspiration.
My mind was blocked with all of the things that I need to get done and I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. (That's not good when you are working on a communications plan for a change acceptance project!)
So, I shut off my email and phone for 20 minutes and took a walk thru my garden this morning (and took a few photos).
Everything's coming up roses...and peonies, and irises and all the other late spring/early summer perennials. (This is a pretty big deal in NH, where just a few weeks ago, this area was icy, cold and snowy!)
Then inspiration hit me - all because of my walk in the garden and few minutes of quiet solitude.
A project like a communications plan for a complicated change acceptance project is very much like gardening!
A beautiful landscape takes time to create and will never be perfect. But with some planning as well as flexibility and learning along the way, a pile of dirt can become a beautiful garden.
Some plants don't like where they are and have to be moved, some gardening tools and techniques have to be adjusted for your local area (I'm in a zone 5 and would never expect a zone 6 or higher plant to survive in my garden!) You have the perennials that you expect to be there for a while and the annuals that are shortlived, but very important to filling in the landscape.
So, applying some of these thoughts to my project, I'll just think of my work project as planning a garden, one that everyone will want to visit!
While it may sound cliche, this is the best advice that I can give when it comes to communications planning and writers block and the best way to clear your head:
Posted at 08:41AM Jun 15, 2007 by sandyb in Best Practices | Comments[3]
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