Dear Team,

If all of the world is a stage, community managers are not the stars of the show. They're the ones behind stage, making sure everything is running smoothly. WIth everyone and their twittering plant being a social media expert these days, I'm coming up with my own parameters to decide who I think is amazing. Some new universal truths I've noticed (you know, like how all girls like candles and Dirty Dancing):

Great community managers don't ask you to buy their book

Great community managers get media attention for interesting community members, not for themselves

Great community managers ask how they can help - and actually mean it

Great community managers know metrics, but couldn't tell you how many people follow them on twitter

Great community managers make you feel as though you've got a friend

I'm going to keep these in mind and hopefully, they'll help me better at what I love to do :)

Huggles,

Blue

Well, this HAD to follow the 2 previous posts

5. Try not to yawn. I know it happens to everyone, you probably stayed out too late last night or whatever, but it is hard not to take it personally. 

4. Don't be loud. Is this one too obvious? You'd think.

3. Give feedback post-session/conference. Organizers like hearing what'll make you more/less likely to fork over cash next time. Don't be shy (but hold off on being a jerk - just be honest).

2. Ask questions that solicit great answers from the speaker(s). Don't ask specific questions about your situation - those are offline discussions. Corner the speaker later (but at least buy them a drink while you are looking for free advice).

1. This is not the platform to solicit funding for your company. No one cares about you. If they did, you'd be on the panel. Ask a smart question or sit down. Those are your only 2 options.

Yeah, this post kind of goes with yesterday's post about being a good moderator.

5. uhhh... know what you are talking about. Know what the panel is about, be good at pitching your company, know your other panelists, know what their companies do. You should probably check the news that morning so you know about any catastrophic events, too.

4. Give us blogger-type people a hand. Come prepared with at least 5 awesome lines of wisdom to drop. You'll probably be able to use at least one of them. Quotable gems don't just happen magically, you know.

3. BUT WAIT! Listen to the conversation. Make sure all your pre-planned genius fits the talk. If it doesn't, take 2 minutes and think of something that does. There is nothing worse than the numpty that's still on topic A when everyone else is on topic K...

2. Don't think, "How can I sell these people?" think, "How can I help these people?" Trust me, you'll make more friends this way.

1. Be yourself. Unless you have no personality or you are a total chump :( People don't pay to listen to facts, they can read those online, they pay to listen to you.

Tomorrow... how to be a great audience? All signs point to yes.

Everyone thinks panel discussions are easy. I disagree. Here's what I've noticed makes for a better panel (psst, they are mostly pretty simple!):

5. Do your homework. The best moderators are interested and well informed. If you can't set aside at least an hour of research per panelist, don't be the moderator. As an audience member, anything less is really just kind of disrespectful :)

4. Don't make the panel about you. Nobody cares that you spend the weekend in Lake Tahoe with your semi-famous panelist. Seriously, you're embarrassing yourself.

3. Don't ask more than one panelist the same question. You don't want to turn the discussion into a, "and now it is your turn" situation. Ask one person, one question, give the person a chance to respond and let everyone else join in. You know, like you do around the dinner table.

2. Encourage audience participation, but don't let the audience take over. If there is amazing discussion amongst the panelists at any given moment, keep it going. People paid to hear the panelists, not the next audience question (which will probably involve some type of pitch, anyway). Having said that, don't be afraid to include the audience if things are slowing down. One great question can foster all kinds of discussion.

1. Ask the John Batelle question, "What's next?" Dude, it is two words, you can't master that? So simple, yet usually fosters the most interesting discussion. Works for pretty much any panel on any topic, as well. 

**adding to this post (May 25th, 2009). If you are interested in the Topic, check out what Jeremy Owyang has to say about it. His is more comprehensive.

That could be my best post title ever. 

5. Ham and Cheese Croissant

4. Lemon Tart

3. Pain au Chocolat

2. Almond Croissant

1. Chocolate Pudding

Worth the trip. New Top 5 list potential: restaurants/shops you'd travel around the world for!

5. I drank yesterday's tea as it was still on my desk. Yesterday's tea is bitter, much like the lady in my locker room that yelled at me for talking on the phone.

4. I wore these stupid boots that look cute and are somewhat practical (more so than most of my shoes) and as I stopped at Shopper's Drug Mart to pick up sugar for the team (out of the goodness of my heart - I don't even USE sugar!) I slipped and fell. On my rear. On 4th Street. It was embarrassing.

3. I realized that it is probably only my family that reads my blog. I have a big family. I can't decide if this makes me want to swear less or more. Fuck it.

2. I ate a salad for lunch with this weird pink congealed dressing. Picture that, for a moment, and think about it you would want to eat it.

1. I noticed that at 30, I have more varicose veins on my right leg than most 60 year olds do. Gross! It is a dark, dark day for me. Dark indeed.

Dear Delightful Blog,

I'm sorry I've been negligent - the holidays threw me for a loop. For example, I watched Batman and had some kind of existential crisis...sure sign of unplugging required. Anyway, one can only stay unplugged for so long, before it starts getting weird, so I'm back. Everything is normal - although Bruce Wayne remains a better person than I am. 

I am not a goal setter, but I have outlined a few goals for myself this year. Tryin' something different. Mixing it up, if you will. My Top 5 Goals for the year are as follows (there are others, but I'm not sure what is more boring - blogging about how I'd like to learn how to make cassoulet at home, or reading about it, either way, ick!):

5. Master the game of backgammon. Some people golf when they retire. I'm going to play backgammon. I figure I better get good now. 

4. Run a 10K in 50 minutes. This will be the most likely to slip. I run all the time, yes, but I'm a slow mofo and it is a stress management tool, not an athletic accomplishment. I like to run and turn my brain off - so I never seem to get any better. I recognize that there is value in improving my time and I think it would be something I'd feel proud of.

3. Make falling in love my other job. Does that sound like the title for a self-help book? Possibly, but I consistently make poor choices because I don't really focus on it. I'd like to change that. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I can certainly start by paying attention to my heart. I'd like a p-i-c. 

2. Visit at least 3 countries (Canada and US do not count). I'm hoping to go to Korea in the Spring - would love to hit China or Japan on that trip. I'm crossing my fingers for Italy in September...and if I can swing it, Spain in February. Last year was a travelling low for me and I don't want to repeat it. Travelling is a strange beast - I often wonder why some are content where they are and others (like myself) seem to wilt without it. 

1. Become a better entrepreneur. I avoid the hard stuff. Doesn't everybody? This year, I promise to work on that. If I have to set aside an hour of pain every day, I'm going to do it. 

Perhaps New Year's Resolutions are for chumps. That's cool. I'm just writing these down to remind myself of where I'd like to be in a year. A little public humiliation is always good for character building. If this is cringe-worthy, cut me some slack, its my first holiday season without booze.

Huggles,

Blue

This top 5 list is times 2. Just like Doublemint, it'll double your fun!

10. Eat at Farm. Cozy, delicious and perfect for wasting several hours!

9.  Check out the Marilyn Munroe Exhibit at the Glenbow

8. Wait until those big fluffy snowflakes are falling, then go out walking. Preferrably after midnight.

7. Go to the zoo, find the most tropical rooms and pretend it is summer. Stay there all afternoon.

6. Ice Skating. With hot chocolate and the biggest, most ridiculous pile of blankets ever. 

5. Camp inside! When it is too cold to go out, make french toast, play scrabble, drink way too much tea.

4. Buy a carton of eggs and throw them at snowmen. Egg vs Snowman battles are always intense. 

3. All new Nutcracker this year. This isn't just for the ladies. When will guys learn that the ballet is FILLED WITH SINGLE GIRLS. Get serious.

2. Go snowshoeing in the mountains. Too beautiful to miss and as easy as walking. You can walk, can't you?

1. uhh....fondue! Hours of good conversation just waiting to be had over tasty, tasty melted cheese (or chocolate)!

Nobody likes advice, but sometimes it is really good. Here are five noteworthy pieces of advice that I probably didn't listen to or understand, but now refer to on an almost-daily basis:

5. Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems. Olivia Joules.

(no joke, I love that list...don't make fun of me)

4. Nursing a broken heart with food will only make you fat - then no one will love you and you'll be more alone than you are now.

(ok I don't really read that advice as-is, it is more a reminder to not go for the band-aid solution)

3. It isn't going to start hurting any less, so you may as well go faster. Dallas Cain.

(wise beyond his years)

2. If the only reason you are still fighting is to prove you are right, then you need to stop. My pappa!

(I didn't understand this for a long time. I get it now)

1. Just commit to the turn and go. Remi Loyer

(a moment on some moguls, but I use this line at least once a day - best seven words anyone has ever said to me)

With your flip flops, half shirt, short shorts, mini skirt, 
Walkin' on the beach, so pretty, 
You wasn't lookin' for a man, 
When you saw me in the sand, 
But you fell for the boy from the city.

Who wears short shorts AND a mini skirt? Possibly more tasteful than going sans sous-vetements, but really? Those lyrics bug me.

So I went to see NKOTB last night. It was fun/funny for about two songs, then I just felt kind of bad for them. You could tell the one guy (the other Knight brother) TOTALLY didn't want to be there. There was a break in the middle so all of the guys still trying to carve out a music career could do all of their solo stuff and Jordan Knight HAD A WIND MACHINE. That moment will stay with me forever.

Here is my Top 5 Boy Band Dance moves that will never go out of style:

5. Grab crotch, blow kiss, point while winking. These 3 are interchangeable and should be used often.

4. One hand on heart, reach out with other hand, look earnest.

3. Kick foot out, spin around, bring feet together.

2. Take off fedora, step back, slide other foot together. Must be done all together for maximum effect.

1. When in doubt, do the robot. Always do the robot.