It would appear I spoke too soon. Iowabiz is again alive and well, thanks to new sponsorship by The Business Record.
My "first" post appeared over the weekend, sharing some ideas about publicizing your project recovery.
Happy reading!
Welcome back, Iowabiz.com!
Just thought I'd send out a quick reminder for the Iowabiz breakfast tomorrow morning. I'll be sharing my talk on project communications, entitled: What your project team ISN'T telling you. The event starts at 7:30 AM and runs until 8:30. You can call 515.313.4646 to RSVP (cost is free). There will be a drawing for door prizes as well.
It's located at 14001 University Avenue in Clive, IA.
Hope to see you there!
Here are the final pictures from the conference this weekend. Say what you want about blogging, it all boils down to people.
Dawud Miracle is one of the nicest guys on the blogosphere... and was born into a super-cool name that just destined him for greatness.
Joanna Young came all the way from Scotland... it was definitely "worth the trip" for all of us to meet her in person.
Stephen Smith AND Thomas Clifford in one picture! Solar Powered Blogging Machines!!! (Too bad we couldn't get Adam Kayce and Sim Margolis in the photo, also.)
Tammy Lenski and Chris Brown are two very bright and extremely pleasant ladies. It's been an honor to get to know them over the past several months. Time spent on their blogs is time well spent. (And Tammy had a black-and-white Shih-Tzu also!)
Starbucker! DUDE!
Wendy Piersall gives the best hugs of anybody. I have about 362 days of withdrawal.
Summarizes what we bloggers are really all about. Why we do what we do. Why we come together to encourage each other and learn from each other.
Thanks, everybody, for an awe-inspiring weekend!!
Great sessions yesterday. One thing about social media that I value is that there's always something new to learn. I appreciate that there are some amazing people who are willing to share their insights and expertise with us.
After Anita's great kickoff, we learned from Brian Clark about the importance of the three phases of blogging: attention, authority, and acceleration. Awesome!
Another valuable session was Chris Brogan, who is a phenomenal speaker (I'll be posting a LinkedIn recommendation for him in the near future). His speech about pirates and passion was real and heart-felt. After all, in the blogosphere, it really does boil down to people.
We ended the day with excellent talks from Liz Strauss herself as well as Wendy Piersall, whose story can penetrate the heart of even the crustiest blogger.
Last night was perfect for a gathering of bloggers at the Emerald Loop. Now it's Sunday morning, and we'll be wrapping up. More to come.
Great kick off for a Saturday morning! The very talented Anita Bruzesse, nationally syndicated columnist for Gannet News Service and USA Today, presented a powerful reminder for managing online reputation. Her points were spot-on:
All wonderful reminders, Anita! Thanks for sharing them with us. We bloggers need to be held to the same standards as other journalists. (P.S. Read her book: 45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy)
I often joke that I've been so busy that I meet myself coming and going. In that same vein, some kind of cosmic kismet (which is just fun to say) has occurred here at SOBCon08. I've met my twin. Yeah, yeah, I know. We bald guys with goatees all look the same to you follicled people. But this is just weird (in a good way). I met Stephen Smith yesterday. OK, we're actually a couple of years apart in age. In addition to the similar appearance (and height, and body build), we use the exact same phone, use the same brand of camera, and have the same frightening sense of humor.
Someone once told me, "When they made you, Tim, they broke the mould. And then they beat up the mould-maker and banished him from society." (It was meant as a compliment, I'm sure.) Well, the mould maker returned with a vengeance.
SOBCon08 does not disappoint.
Of course, what would any blogging event be without Phil?
Christine Kane kicked off our river cruise with some songs... wow, she's great!
Director Tom Clifford, Colleen Wainwright, and Dawud Miracle hang out on the top deck, enjoying the view of the Chicago skyline and and the great company.
Chris Cree prepares to hand out Klondike bars (private joke of those who attend open mic night).
More to come as the weekend progresses.
Final packing - check. Laptop in bag - check. Extra copies of GUST tucked away (just in case) - check. Picking up Pete and Erik - check. Planning on having the best time of my blogospheric life - CHECK, MATE!
I'm headed to SOBCon!
(Expect some "live blogging posts from the event.)
UPDATE: Made it safely. Lots of rain storms on the way (or, as Erik calls them, "pockets of joy"). Pete is still trying to figure out what the heck "telegrouting" is.
98 bloggers in gear
Take one down, pass him around...
Oops sorry... I got a little carried away... catchy tune, isn't it?
Well, there are 98 bloggers who are "in gear" and "on the ball" and they'll be at SOBCon this weekend. I can't wait to see them in person!
See you in Chicago
Hey everybody, looks like things are well underway with planning the Successful and Outstanding Blogger (S.O.B.) conference in Chicago in May.
I attended the event last year, and I had an amazingly surreal time getting to meet some of the best business blogging minds that exist. Energetic? Yes. Surreal? A bit. Worthwhile? Absolutely!
You may be thinking some of the following:
So hop on the website, and give up a weekend in May to change how you see the world around you. I promise that you will have an amazing time.
Carpe Factum meets the Big Apple this week.
Wednesday morning, I will be presenting to the New York City chapter of PMI, and that evening I will be making the same presentation to the Hudson Valley PMI Chapter. Both events should be equally enjoyable (hopefully for them and for me).
Don't have a lot of time here in NYC, but enough to catch a few of the sights... and a Broadway show tonight - will see David Hyde Pierce perform in Curtains. That should curtail my craving for the theatre for a while. After all, since I'm staying on Broadway, it would be criminal not to take in a show. We'll see what other sightseeing is in my future while I'm here. As a Midwesterner on my first visit here, I'm trying not to gawk too much; that's really difficult for a chronic people watcher to do.
One of these days I'll figure out how to get a speaking engagement in Southern California or Florida or Hawaii during the winter months. But so far, New York is pretty cool.
Let me ask you this: Would you rather attend a business conference or a reunion (family or school, you decide)?
What if you could have both?
No, I'm not talking about a mafia conference with "da family" - I'm talking about SOBCon08. SOB is short for Successful and Outstanding Bloggers, an honor conferred by the Grand Dame of Blogging, Liz Strauss. They are spread across the globe. Last year, Liz teamed up with Terry (Starbucker) and launched SOBCon.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I drove to Chicago last May, other than the ability to get to meet numerous bloggers with whom I had been communicating via blog, email, and phone. As I wrote last May, it was a surreal experience. A hug was the standard greeting... we all knew each other already. The face-to-face meeting was a mere formality since the relationships were set.
But it wasn't just about hearing speakers share with us how to make our blogs better. It wasn't just about an open exchange of ideas across industries. It wasn't just about learning the art of marketing. It wasn't just about the hugs and the talks. This conference... this reunion... was about something much bigger. At the risk of sounding a little soft, this meeting of the minds was about making magic. That's really the best way I can put it.
This year's conference has been set for May 2-4 in Chicago. Terry and Liz are already promising bigger and better than last year. Check out the SOBCon08 site for continued news about registration and other details. And I hope to see you in Chicago. This will be an investment you will value for a lifetime.
I'm really excited about tonight. I will be hosting "open mic" night at Successful Blog while Liz Strauss is out of the country on business. For those of you not familiar with open mic night, imagine a 4-way intersection with four vehicles approaching the intersection at top speed. Vehicle 1 is driven by a strong desire for conversation and interaction. Vehicle 2 is driven by blogospheric technology. Vehicle 3 is driven by stream of consciousness. Vehicle 4 is driven by Attention Deficit Disorder. These four vehicles collide every Tuesday night starting at 7:00 PM CST. Getting to host is a big honor. I feel like the high schooler whose mom has just left him the keys to her favorite sports car ("don't worry, Mom, I'll drive VERY carefully" - wink, wink, nudge, snicker).
Tonight's topic will be fun (not that we have ever really stayed on topic). Tonight we are discussing "Naughty or Nice: Pranks and Good Deeds to get on one of Santa's lists." And yes, that's me in the photo. I was told to come up with a picture to go along with the theme. They really should know better than to give me free rein on creativity by now. Regardless, Santa does have his spies out and about, so we'll see what kind of "dirt" they can dig up.
If you're not doing anything tonight, feel free to swing by, participate in the conversation, or just observe some of the wackiest conversation you'll ever see.
November has been a lot more relaxed than May through October were. While I love speaking to different groups and meeting lots of new people, it has been wonderful to be home. I've been spending my day today getting ready for the big day on Thursday... just doing some picking up and miscellaneous errand-running... and fantasizing about snitching as much stuffing as I can when my wife's back is turned (but don't tell her... after 13 years of marriage, I don't think she's on to me yet... I tell her it's just "natural evaporation").
Still, there are a couple of events this month. Last week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Moose in the Morning on Lazer 103.3 about the appropriate use of social media. There was a recent story about a bank intern named Kevin Colvin who emailed his boss that he would be gone for a couple of days due to a family emergency. What he didn't anticipate was that one of his co-workers would check out the latest pictures of his Halloween costume on his Facebook page. Yeah, he may have been dressed as a fairy (too many possible directions I could take that), but wings and wand didn't create much magic for him. We had a very pleasant discussion about what to do and what not to do with social media to keep yourself out of trouble.
Later this week, I will be at Border's Books in West Des Moines for a book signing on Saturday, November 24, from noon until 4. If you're local and not already shopped out, I would love to meet you in person.
Enjoy your holiday week!
The speaking engagements for this month are starting to take off again. I thought I would highlight some of my upcoming activities for this month, and if you are in the neighborhood, I would love to meet you in person.
October 16 - Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) - lunch keynote on Office Politics
October 26 - Central Iowa Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI) - emceeing the lunch segment of the Professional Development Day event. The lunch is a celebration of the chapter's 15th anniversary
October 28-30 - Greater New Orleans Chapter of the Project Management Institute - delivering two workshops, one on Project Communication and the other on Office Politics.
Also of note... East Village Books will be opening soon on the corner of East 6th and Locust in Des Moines. Teri has put together an amazing shop that is sure to be a smashing success. Stop by and check it out.
Don't forget... tomorrow is Boss's Day. A great gift for your boss might be a book on project management or office politics (hint, hint).
What a rewarding week! After my speaking engagement in Green Bay, it was wonderful to go down to the campus of North Carolina State University for the annual NC Chapter PMI Professional Development Day. Despite the fire alarm going off in the middle of my workshop, it was a fun morning of sharing. I was able to meet some of the other speakers (OUTSTANDING people with whom fast friendships were formed).
I have some other professional association speaking engagements coming up, including the Legal Support Professionals of Iowa (LSPI) and the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) chapter of NE Wisconsin.
I've attached a few pictures from the workshop this past Thursday. Now it's time to refocus on central Iowa activities, client needs, Drake classes, and family activity. Have a great week!
August and September are shaping up to be some very busy months for me, yet still very exciting at the same time.
First there are three speaking engagaements this month, in case you would like to attend. If your schedule allows, I'd love to meet you in person:
The response for the new Carpe Factum Workshops has been very favorable. There are still openings for the September workshops. I had previously neglected to mention that there is a cap on the number of attendees for each workshop to better enhance the learning and communication environment. This information is being updated today. If you don't get in for September, there are openings in October through December, and the 2008 schedule will be released in October.
A special call-out is due to Valeria Maltoni for her great review on GUST - The "Tale" Wind of Office Politics. I'm always fascinated by the personal nuggets that other people glean from reading this book. It seems that each reader comes away with one specific message that fits him or her personally. I think that is awesome, as the book was never intended as a "one size fits all." Each of the reviews has personalized the book in some way, and since office politics are very personal, that's rewarding to see that the book is adding value across a diverse cross-section of professionals.
Finally, because my new blog buddy, April Groves, has shared her news about returning to school as a full-time student (way to go, April!), I thought I'd share a little education-related news of my own. Because of Delaney Kirk's decision that Florida hurricanes were preferred over Iowa winters, her departure from Drake University (sniff, sniff) left a huge gaping hole in the department (in many ways). One of those ways was a teaching position. Earlier this summer, Drake offered and I accepted a one-year full-time visiting professorship in the College of Business and Public Administration. In addition to all of the other current courses I'm teaching, I'll be developing and delivering a new MBA course in Leadership and Human Capital Development. I'm very excited about the opportunity and thrilled to get to know my colleagues better. Because the classes are all evening and weekend in format, I do not anticipate this interfering with my day-to-day consulting activities.
That's about it for a Monday morning. Have an amazing week, and I hope you all are able to Carpe Factum!
I hope you've all had fun playing Verbotomy this week. I've had a blast reading everybody's entries into the game.
Just a quick note to remind all of you to register for the upcoming Lawpportunities Seminar on July 20. Rush Nigut and Brett Trout are hosting a full-day seminar entitled, "Secrets of Successful Professionals Revealed." I'm humbled to be included with an amazing group of presenters talking about a wide variety of topics:
Kevin O’Keefe
Drew McLellan
Mike Sansone
Adam Steen
Jim Goodman
Shirley Poertner
Tre Critelli
Victoria Herring
Mitch Matthews
So get your registration in today. You'll be glad you did!
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