If you're like me, the number of "social networking" invitations you receive seems endless (I'm a long-time LinkedIn user, but have been invited to join Facebook, Quechup, Xing, and a ton of others). While it's nice to be asked, I haven't been joining all of these other networks because I don't feel that I have the cycles to be a good citizen in too many of these communities.
I've just been introduced to a cool new service called SameCell that adds a new twist to social networking -- and it requires very little process overhead from me. SameCell is designed to let you know when you are near one of the "buddies" in your list to make it easy for you to connect with each other for coffee or whatever. The service is currently Blackberry-centric, with plans to move to many other smartphone platforms in the near future.
As the name implies, SameCell monitors which "cell" of wireless coverage you're currently in, and checks to see if one of the people in your list is in the same cell or an adjacent cell. For each contact in your list, you can set a proximity range (in miles) so that you will be alerted any time that person comes within the specified range.
The software is free and easy to install (if you want to install, just point your browser at http://www.samecell.com/setup from your Blackberry). Once the software is installed, you activate your free account, then you can easily add or invite others to your buddy list - SameCell integrated directly with your device address book.
There is a bunch more information on the SameCell site, including videos explaining more about how it works, answers to questions about privacy, etc. There is also a link on the home page to get on the list to be notified when versions for other phones are available.
Who knows - maybe I'll see you on SameCell the next time we're in the same airport!
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Read MoreAriane of Neat & Simple Living tagged me in yet another "5 things" chain. This time, it's about the 5 most useful sites you use to perform your work.
That is a tough one, but here are 5 of my top sites (maybe not "the Top 5" but 5 good ones):
Google -- OK, so I'm hooked. I use it for Search, for News, Financial research and Alerts.- Amazon.com -- I am an Amazon Prime customer and, as a heavy reader, they make sure I see the UPS driver a lot.
- LinkedIn -- I am in a business development / networking role, and LinkedIn helps me make new connections by leveraging my existing contacts. Pretty cool for business networking.
- SeatGuru -- I've reviewed SeatGuru in the past - it is the resource to figure out how good your seats are before you fly.
- Digg -- A unique lens on the news of the world. Think of it as News with community-driven editorial overlay or filter. The only categories I watch are Technology and World & Business
Now, I tag 5 more.
If you're tagged, post your five with a Trackback to me, and pass on the favor.
Read MoreI leave and receive lots of voice mail messages. One of my pet peeves: voice mails of mystery. These are cryptic messages in which the caller doesn't give me enough information. You know the type - a name and a phone number, with no other context for why they are calling. Is this a sales call? A friend of a friend trying to connect with me? A wrong number? If I can't tell, I typically delete them.
These types of messages have made me more conscious of the content of the messages I leave for others. I try to follow this general recipe for voice mails I leave:
- State who I am and where I am from
- State why I am calling
- High level - not too much detail, but enough to get their attention
- Bonus: a punchy point about what I can do for you, or other "What's in it for you?" points
- Provide a bit of context (how I found your name, any time urgency, any drivers you may care about - such as whether this is customer-related, etc.)
- Provide information on how to reach me - both by phone and email - for best results, say them clearly and say them twice
I also find it useful to say something like, "If you're not the right contact, I'd really appreciate your help in getting to the right person."
All of this can be completed in 20-30 seconds. If it takes you longer than that, practice condensing you point and key messages until you can do it within 30 seconds consistently.
And smile - it really helps. I also suggest leaving yourself a voice mail as if you were trying to get your own attention and see if you'd call yourself back. Try to be objective when you audit your own message.
Read MoreIt's now 07/07/07, and that can only mean that the "7 Wonders of Joyful Jubilant Learning" goes live today (by the way, this very post went live at 07:07:07 on 07/07/07 Hawaii time, since that's the local time zone of JJL's primary author). Leading up to this special day, the floodgates at the Joyful, Jubilant Learning (JJL) community blog were opened for contributors to offer 7 links that embraced learning. There are now literally hundreds of links there, so head on over and collect your prize!
I chose to offer three sets of 7 - here they are to get you started (by the way, the categories are those used on the JJL site):
First, one 7:
- Joy of the Journey: My Beautiful Chaos - April reminds us of the excellence of parenting like a mere mortal.
- Inspired Learning, Good Questions and Great Dialogue: On Genius - Dick Richards (Unlocker of Genius) on faith and work.
- Language, Words, and Vocabulary: The Happiness Project - Gretchen on finding your "service heart."
- Writing and Composition: Mind Unbound - EM about turning the tables on rejection letters.
- Graphics and Photography: Post Secret - It's amazing what people can share through a simple, anonymous postcard.
- Information and Knowledge: Presentation Zen - Garr Reynolds shares "One secret to a healthy life (and a great presentation)."
- Best Practices: The Daily Saint - Mike's secret to productivity on vacation.
Then, another 7:
- Visual Learning: Beyond Mind Mapping - Nick teaches us about developing a visual vocabulary.
- Discipline, Habit and Self-Motivation: Neat & Simple Living - Ariane's mythbusting about whether you can develop a habit in 21 days.
- Good Questions and Great Dialogue: Make It Great! - Phil shares 20 awesome questions for anyone to make their life better.
- For the Love of Lists: Big Wes's Corner of the Web - Wes shares how he copes with GTD and its lists.
- Talent, Skills, and Capacity: Beyond Code - Raj provides insight to keep you from sabotaging yourself with lame excuses.
- BHAGs and Bigger Dreams: Lisa Haneberg - Lisa dreams big then Makes the dream a reality - she truly inspires me.
- Auditory Learning: MBA On The Run - Some of John's favorite audiobooks to get a veritable MBA using your iPod.
Now, let's make it "triple 7" for the jackpot:
- Principles and Values: Why I Failed - Steve Grossman discusses why "People would actually rather work with someone who is incompetent and likeable than competent and unlikable."
- Good Questions and Great Dialogue: The Remote Control CEO - Greg's insights on great questions we can use to learn from our failures.
- Collaborative Learning: Thinking Faster - How not to shut down the conversation before it even starts.
- Connecting and Relationships: Slacker Manager - Our favorite Slacker enlarged something by 167% in 48 hours - find out more!
- Inspired Learning: Virtualosophy - Stacy learns some cools off and learns cool stuff in an unexpected place.
- Inspired Learning: Ramblings From a Glass Half Full - If a picture paints 1,000 words, how many words does a funny picture paint? Terry tells us the answer.
- Storytelling, Yarns and Tall Tales: QAQNA - A fine (and funny) lesson on why you should be ready to deal with your customers - no matter what they're bringing.
I hope you'll find lots of new learning in these 21 links, and I'm sure you'll pick up some new favorites for your blogroll.
Now, continue your learning with the wondrous resources on the Joyful, Jubilant Learning site!
Technorati tags: leadership, learning, Community, Blogging
Read MoreOk, so you thought I was going to talk about packing, right? That's coming...but first:
This evening, I was spending a few minutes catching up on the blogs to which I subscribe -- which is something I haven't had the cycles to do lately, and it is really good climb back in. One article that grabbed me is Rosa's post on Joyful Jubilant Learning, called "Learning to Talk to Each Other."
You see, Rosa is one of the people that really got me to talk to other people in "blog world" a couple of years ago, and has been a beacon for me for how to get meaningful dialog to happen. Through her blog, appropriately titled "Talking Story," Rosa writes a lot of stuff, and reaches a lot of people. But she also listens, connects dots, and "refactors" things to make them better -- that is her real gift. Some examples I've seen:
The magic happens because Rosa is easy to talk to, and that's because she really listens and shares relevant experiences with people. She gives herself to the conversation in a way that gives you the impression that she's really paying attention, not trying to think about what she's going to say next or what she's going to do after the conversation is over.
Oh - and did I mention that I consider Rosa to be one of my best friends, even though I've never met her face-to-face, and we've only spoken live once? I don't know how she does it, but she has a knack for reaching out to me at just the right time, with something I didn't realize I needed.
One day, I hope to become as good at connecting with people as Rosa.
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