Monday June 29, 2009 
Monday June 29, 2009 Blogging, networking and sneezing in Amsterdam
I had the opportunity to chair the Marcus Evans Social Media conference a couple of weeks ago, albeit with a particularly nasty cold that caused me to occasionally lose my voice. The session was located in Amsterdam, convenient because I was visiting my daughter in London for the month of June. This is the fourth time I've chaired or participated in European communication conferences, and I always walk away smarter for the experience.
It's far too easy to end up U.S.-centric when working for a California-based company, even a global one like Sun. Spending three days with new colleagues from other countries helps me to reshape my perspective and learn new ideas.
What I found really interesting at this particular conference was that participants ranged from those involved in very sophisticated social media to those who were contemplating taking their first baby steps. And because participants came from different industries, we could have really meaningful conversations about how networking plays out in one culture versus another.
I admit it - just when I think there's not much more to say on the subject, I find there is.
So the tipping point is rapidly approaching on a global scale, where employees around the world, regardless of what their company is doing in social media, will be using these technologies to connect. Case in point: a company who has blocked Facebook from work has employees actively and enthusiastically engaged in that social networking site - they are simply using their smart phones instead of their company laptops or workstations (and duh, yes, during business hours). In other words, the revolution has happened already, so it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of how companies will adapt to this brave new world.
I started off on Facebook and LinkedIn maybe two or three years ago, just as an experiment. I've been shocked at how much a part of my life these networks have become, for both work and personal connections. And how much of a drag email is by comparison.
So consider this: Instead of buying CDs, I pay for and download music to my laptop and iPod. Instead of buying physical books, I pay for and download e-books to my Kindle. Instead of paying the phone company an outrageous amount of money to stay in touch with my friends and relatives outside of the U.S., I pay for and use Skype (so I can make "free" international calls as well as connect via laptops) to do as much talking as I want.
And I'm not a youngster (much as I hate to admit it). But the value these technologies represent is high enough that it's well worth the learning curve - which fortunately is really pretty darn low.
The icing of the cake for me is being featured on a new blog - Shoe's Talk, written by the witty and quite charming Medard Schoenmaeckers in Basel, Switzerland. (By the way, the URL is http://shoestalk.mypodcast.com/2009/06/Is_your_company_blogging-215791.html, in case my link isn't working - so much for low learning curves!) Medard also spoke at the Amsterdam conference and I was flattered to be interviewed by him for his first podcast. I think we both sound brilliant, don't you??
Posted by terrymckenzie ( Jun 29 2009, 08:00:00 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [2]
Wednesday June 24, 2009 I have new mommy brain – and I’m not even the mommy, I’m the grandmother. I can’t focus, I find myself staring into space, I jump when I hear the baby make a sound. A fly buzzing across the room can occupy me for mindless minutes. In fact, finding the energy to sit down and write this post has required Herculean strength. Sleep deprivation will do that to you…
This is week three in London for me, helping Carolyn and Lucas out while Juan Carlos is in Asia on business. It’s been a wonderful time for me – and I hope for Carolyn, too, bonding over this child together.
But it does remind me that there’s a reason women go through menopause – this is work for the young, not the old. And I’ve already lost enough brain cells to martinis and age without sleep deprivation yanking away a few more.
True confessions. Compounding mommy brain is Bejeweled Blitz addiction. This is a really stupid game on Facebook that I have become obsessed with – and it’s not a pretty sight. It was bad enough when I was hooked on Scramble or Pathwords – I could at least pretend that I was sort of using my brain. But Bejeweled Blitz truly has no redeeming intellectual properties. I’m a monkey staring at the screen, desperately trying to beat my last score in the 60-second play window. NOT a good use of time. And I suspect it’s giving me carpal tunnel syndrome, to boot…. I find it utterly irresistible.
I am trying to redeem myself by reading about English history and visiting the big historic spots while I’m here – Windsor Castle (fabulous), Stonehenge ( we managed to miss the huge crowds on the day of summer solstice – thank God), Hampton Court….But even so… I don’t feel like the sharpest knife in the drawer these days, because my edge is a bit dulled.
Next week, I return at last to Los Angeles. I can’t wait to see Scott, hug the Boo, catch up with friends and colleagues and sleep in my own bed. But I have to tell you, this I’m going to miss a ton:
Posted by terrymckenzie ( Jun 24 2009, 07:45:53 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [0]
Monday June 15, 2009 When I was in Cleveland last week, my mom gave me her gold cuff bracelet. For a bracelet that is easily 50 years old, its elegant clean lines make it as contemporary a piece as you could hope to find in the stores today. But it’s the bracelet’s lineage that makes it precious to me.
First and foremost, I watched my mom wear this bracelet as I was growing up. It’s not so fancy that it can only go to grand occasions – rather, its classic lines made it appropriate for dinner out, bridge with the girls, and our school functions. And she wore it to all of those plus more.
Second, my grandparents gave it to her as a gift when she was a young woman. My grandfather had an eye for beautiful things and I see his hand in selecting this particular piece.
Third, the bracelet is not perfect. Although my mom tried to get the bracelet repaired, there’s no hiding the tooth marks of a certain poorly behaved miniature schnauzer who shared our home for 15 years – and who had a penchant for getting in trouble. Big trouble.
Finally, my mom gave it to me because she can no longer wear it. Her illness has cost her a lot of weight, and the bracelet just hangs on her thin wrist. She passed it onto me so that I could enjoy it next.
Mother, grandparents, childhood dog – this bracelet is irreplaceable because of all the memories it contains.
My family is in a period of great transition these days. The joy of our first grandchild, the sadness of my mom’s cancer returning, and Thursday night, the passing of my husband’s mother. I’m in the UK now, and I find spending this time with my daughter and grandson to be a great comfort.
I’m more aware than ever of the importance of building memories, of making deep connections. As I rose at 5:30 this morning to pick up a restless Lucas so his mom could grab some sleep, I thought how fortunate I am to have this opportunity. Watching him kick his little legs, changing his diaper, cuddling him close to my chest and rocking him back to sleep – these are memories I’ll always have.
Before I left for London, Scott and I were enjoying our Sunday afternoon ritual of doing the crossword puzzle in the hot tub, having a glass of wine and just getting caught up with each other. I mused out loud about how painful it was for us both to be losing our mothers, and Scott quietly reminded me that this is how the circle of life works – the old pass on so that the Lucas’s have a place in this world and in our hearts.
Posted by terrymckenzie ( Jun 15 2009, 08:00:00 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [2]
Monday June 08, 2009 Life moving fast enough for you these days? Enough news to keep you going? I feel as though I’ve been riding in a blender set on “puree”… I’m ecstatic! I’m deeply sad… I’m excited! I’m nervous and depressed…
Good heavens. One thing I’m not is bored.
One of the oddities of this time is the same for me as for many of my colleagues – will I be offered a job should the Oracle acquisition close as planned? As a corporate resources type, I doubt that I will be, but one never knows. So aside from doing my day job as usual (to whatever extent that is possible), how do I think about the future? And how do I plan for it?
I’m not alone.
I’ve been spending a lot of time these days reviewing resumes for friends and colleagues. I’ve also been contacting all my old headhunter buddies, seeing what’s going on out there. Been writing a ton of references on LinkedIn. Putting people in contact with each other. Practicing interviews with colleagues, playing the hiring manager. Urging colleagues to submit articles to our professional communication journals; volunteer to give speeches. Get their names out there.
One thing I’m so grateful for is that we got involved with social media over two years ago. For many folks on my former team, this will be a lifesaver when it comes to landing another job. When we got started, we knew this work was critical for Sun - and for our own careers – we just didn’t figure the self-interest piece would come into play so soon. So although my CEO and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on communication, I give full credit and gratitude to Jonathan for his insistence that we take a leading role in social networking.
The future is here, sooner than expected. Take a deep breath and go for it full speed.
Posted by terrymckenzie ( Jun 08 2009, 08:50:35 AM PDT ) Permalink Comments [0]
