Collaborations Archives - Page 5 of 9 - McLellan Marketing Group

Are the walls between our personal and professional lives crumbling?

February 8, 2008

When I was growing up, my dad set the standard for how a business person behaved. He went to work every day, did his thing and came home. He would, on occasion, bring some work (read — paper) home with him. I’m sure my dad made friends at the office but I didn’t know or hear about them.

My parents socialized (bridge, cocktail parties, etc.) with the neighbor couples.

They’d occasionally have to go to a dinner or host some work people at our house. But those were rare occasions. For the most part, his two worlds were pretty separate.

Today, I look at my two worlds (work and personal) and the line is awfully blurry. Sometimes I wonder if that’s a good thing. Just in the last couple of weeks…

I’ve twittered (to my professional network) about my daughter’s incredible performance in her one act play
I read on Facebook that one of my employees didn’t crawl out of bed until 4:30 pm
I’ve posted family photos on my Flickr account
I’ve gotten a ticket (the game Parking Wars) on Facebook from a Microsoft exec
My marketing/branding blog has promoted a purely social event in NYC
I’ve had lunch with a client and we mostly talked about our kids
I sent a condolence message to a marketing colleague when I read her Twitter that she’d lost their family pet
In rapid succession, I joined a branding group and our church’s group on Facebook
A blog reader sent me a link to view his video chronicles of his personal journey with weight loss
I have pet work colleague’s (fluff) friends on Facebook (not as bad as it sounds)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Are you experiencing the same thing? Online or offline, are your lines getting equally blurred?

What do you think about this phenomenon? Do you think this merging of our lives has something to do with the fact that the old work day of 9-5 is also a thing of the past?

What’s the upside? Downside?

Top Experts Share Their Marketing Secrets

February 1, 2008

Would you like to know Seth Godin’s secret? Or how about Jackie Huba’s or Scott Ginsberg’s?

Have you ever wondered what Michael Port’s secret is? Or even that crafty devil, Drew McLellan?

Well, Anita Campbell, editor of Small Business Trends asked us. (And many other marketing experts like Toby Bloomberg and John Jantsch) And boy did people share. There’s something there for just about anyone and everyone.

Some of them will have you nodding and others will have you kicking yourself in the pants! Either way, well worth the time spent.

Read all the secrets.…and then come back here and share yours.

Blogger social or bust?

February 1, 2008

Have you heard? We’re throwing a party.

You coming? No matter where you are….hold up a sign and hitchhike if you have to. But NYC is where you want to be April 4th – 6th.

Two weeks from today, the attendee list closes. You’ve got to register and pay no later than 02/15. New York City. Over 50 marketing bloggers. And about 225 hours of fun packed into less than 48.

This is going to be a weekend you will remember for the rest of your life. We promise.

Calling all authors — time to exceed Age of Conversation!

January 15, 2008

Yup, you heard it here. We want to make our second book even bigger and better than Age of Conversation. No small task. But we’re confident that together, we can do it!

A year ago, we hadn’t even conceived The Age of Conversation. (Read about its creation) So Gavin and I are feeling pretty good about this early jump. Here’s the skinny.

If you want to be an author for The Age of Conversation’s kissing cousin (our 2008 version), e-mail me and say you’re in.

We’ll get into a lot more detail in a week or so — but for now, here are some basic rules for authorship:

You will sign over all rights to your chapter
You understand that all proceeds of the book will be donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity
You will promote the book, throughout the process, on your blog if you have one
You’ll embrace the cooperative, collaborative spirit that defined Age of Conversation
You’ll honor deadlines so Drew does not have to be a nag
You’ll honor word counts so Gavin doesn’t have to be a nag

But what’s the topic, you ask? Ahhh, here’s a new twist for 2008. In the true spirit of collaboration, we’re going to decide together.

Your choices are:

Marketing Manifesto
Why Don’t People Get It?
My Marketing Tragedy (and what I learned)

You’ll note that we were purposefully vague to leave the authors plenty of room for interpretation and the readers plenty of variety.

To vote….the one and only way is via our SurveyMonkey survey: Click Here to take survey

You DO NOT need to be an author or potential author to vote. We want everyone’s take on this year’s topic.

We’ll close down the survey at the end of the day ~~January 31st~~, February 3rd, so help us get out the vote.

Please help us make this an incredible experience and book of value. Point to this post. Talk it up. Join us. I think the Age authors will tell you — it was well worth their time and talents.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who voted and who has stepped up to be an author. We have now closed the survey and have a full roster of authors. We’ll be announcing both within a week!

Want to earn your MBA in blogging?

January 13, 2008

Then you need to attend Biz School for Bloggers — SOBCON ’08. May 2-4 in Chicago.

Last year, Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker conceived of and launched SOBCON ’07, which was a resounding success. Attendees learned, laughed and connected. So much so…it’s back again this year.

250 seats. That’s it. Intimate learning. Genuine sharing.

Let them know you want to be a part of it all — before there are no seats left!

The only bummer about the whole event? The Cubs are not in town!

The sounds of collaboration

January 12, 2008

Anna Farmery does some of the best podcasting out there. She really lives her blog’s title — The Engaging Brand. Somehow she can make just about anyone sound smart and interesting.

So with that promise, download (or just listen) her podcast with Gavin Heaton and myself as we discuss collaboration, the Age of Conversation and much more.

Which one am I? Well, there’s the warm British accent and then there is the dashing Aussie accent. I’m the other one!

Well worth the listen. Enjoy and please let Anna know that you did.

Ten things you didn’t know about Toby & Liz

January 5, 2008

So here’s how this went. Toby (Marketing Diva) and Liz (Successful Blog) got tagged by Shel Isreal. They decided rather than share 10 secrets about themselves, they’d create 10 things about Shel that Shel didn’t know.

Then, Toby tagged 10 people, including yours truly. So I decided to continue along the vein that the ladies started. So, without further ado, here are 10 things you didn’t know (and neither did they) about Toby and Liz.

Toby:

On Tuesday nights, Toby (in a fabulous black wig and hot red dress) sneaks down to Atlanta’s infamous Kitty Kat Lounge, where she performs as the torch singer, Lulu Larue. She actually is on the piano when she sings. Totally true.

In 1998, Toby was awarded the blue ribbon for her peach cobbler at the Georgia State Fair. Totally true.

Being the genteel Southern lady that she is…Toby actually outfits herself in a hip hat and some shades to get into her Diva persona. Totally true.

Toby is a trained dog whisperer. In French. Totally true.

When asked what her favorite swear word is, Toby demurely replied, "pooey is what slips out when I’m REALLY mad." Totally true.

Liz:

Being the connected and sought after Chicago socialite that she is, Liz has Oprah’s super duper secret cell phone number. When Oprah calls Liz…her special ring tone is the theme song from the Color Purple. Totally true.

Liz has not slept a wink since 1987. This explains her "can’t be humanly possible" output of work and the fact that if you comment on her blog, she will always comment back within 16 seconds. Totally true.

If you haven’t spoken to Liz on the phone, she has a very husky, Kathleen Turneresque voice. But you can hear her…she’s the official voice of Maxim magazine. When you call to order a subscription, it’s Liz who says, "what free gift would you like with that, Tiger?" Totally true.

Liz can actually trace her family tree back to Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. Totally true.

For fun, Liz filled balloons with whipped cream and drops them from her condo’s balcony on unsuspecting passersby. Totally true.

As you might guess…I am not brave enough to tag anyone. Let the tomfoolery end here.

Update: So much for that plan. Within a nanosecond, Steve added to the tomfoolery. Read about my secret life.

Where will you be 90 days from today?

January 3, 2008

Hopefully you will be in New York City with all the other Blogger Social attendees (see list of who is already on board at the end of this post) featured in this very special video.

Many thanks to Mark Goren for his help with making this video. All information on Blogger Social ’08, including registration is available here.

Here’s the deal. If you are already on board — please grab the collage and the video and spread the word on your blog.

If you have not registered — you have until February 15th. That’s it. No extensions. No excuses. I promise you — this is going to be a party not to be missed.

Check out this beautiful collage, created by Mark Goren and Luc Debaisieux and the list of attendees to date. Can you imagine all of these people in the same room? Can you imagine NOT being there? (Click on collage to get full-sized version)

Attendees so far include:

Susan Bird
Tim Brunelle
Katie Chatfield
Terry Dagrosa
Matt Dickman
Luc Debaisieux
Gianandrea Facchini
Mark Goren
Gavin Heaton
Sean Howard
CK
Valeria Maltoni
Drew McLellan
Doug Meacham
Marilyn Pratt
Steve Roesler
Greg Verdino
CB Whittemore
Steve Woodruff
Paul McEnany
Ann Handley
David Reich
Tangerine Toad
Kristin Gorski
Mack Collier
David Armano
Ryan Barrett
Lori Magno
Tim McHale
Gene DeWitt
Mario Vellandi
Arun Rajagopal
Darryl Ohrt
Joseph Jaffe
Rohit Bhargava
Anna Farmery
Marianne Richmond
Thomas Clifford
Lewis Green
Geoff Livingston
Kris Hoet
Connie Reece
CeCe Lee
Jonathan Trenn
Toby Bloomberg
Seni Thomas

Age of Conversation’s gift of life

December 24, 2007

Today seems like a very appropriate day to talk about the amazing gifts that the Age of Conversation has made possible.

All the proceeds of this remarkable book were donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity. Because we wanted the money to represent the international make up of our authors, we earmarked the money for one of Variety’s programs, Lifeline.

Lifeline’s sole mission is providing medical assistance to children with treatable and survivable heart conditions in countries where the appropriate medical facilities, expertise or resources do not exist.

Lifeline’s primary focus continues to be pediatric cardiac surgeries, but is also involved in pediatric neurosurgeries, cranial-facial procedures, tuberculosis, neo-natal clinics, pediatric rehabilitative medicine and plastic surgeries for children all over the world.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of the authors and other bloggers — together, we have donated over $11,000 to the charity in 2007.

I thought you’d enjoy seeing the faces of some of the children who have literally had their lives saved in the last few months.

There are children alive and laughing today because of your efforts.

And added plus — Lifeline’s efforts will be featured on the Today Show (NBC) on Christmas Day. Not sure what time…but tivo it!

Who is ready to grab the mic?

December 12, 2007

A few weeks ago, a rowdy band of bloggers covered for me while I vacationed. I loved the variety of voices, the great conversations and the reader response.

In fact, it was such a hit that I’ve decided to try something for a bit. Grab the Mic Fridays.

What does that mean?

It means I’m hoping to have a guest post from someone wickedly smart and engaging every Friday.

Here’s how it is going to work. If you’re interested…please read this post so you can get a sense of who reads this blog. Then, e-mail me with your guest post idea and we’re off to the races.

You do not have to be a marketing professional, but the topic must be relevant to business owners, marketing professionals, marketing bloggers and the like.

You also don’t have to be a blogger. Just someone with something of interest to share. Speaking of sharing…this is about giving away your expertise, thinking or passion. Don’t bother to e-mail me if you want to hawk something.

So, what do you say….you want to grab the mic?

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