Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…

Transitions. Like it or not, life is full of them.

I’ve recently transitioned from working with a small but amazing marketing team at the credit union to consulting on a part-time basis, a shift that’s allowing me to take some time over the summer to evaluate where I want to go next. And that, I think, is a very good thing.

Sometimes we’re in control of change and other times we’re not, but whether I’m controlling it or not I try to view change as an opportunity. I realize that not everyone shares my Pollyanna perspective. There are a lot of people who despair when they discover the Cheerios’ box is empty and they have to settle for Shredded Wheat instead, who won’t hear of having dinner at 8pm if the usual time is 7pm, and who wouldn’t dream of changing the route they take home from work even if it shortens the drive or provides a more scenic trip.

They’re the “we’ve always done it that way” folks for whom the world is a predictable place and for whom change represents a threat, a challenge to a comfortable and safe status quo. I think we need to recognize whether we’re sometimes the road blocks to new ways of thinking and doing, or whether we’re excited by the promise of cool things to come – not change for the sake of change, but change that will provide better communications, process efficiencies, or even a more engaging way to do what we do. Fun should count.

Traditionally, the corporate world has moved slowly, but many of today’s successful companies – like Southwest Air, Best Buy, and Amazon – are those that adapt well to change, that embrace new ideas and technology, and that are paying attention to the groundswell of change that is currently taking place on a global level.

As for me, I intend to keep exploring ways to merge “traditional” media with “social” media while continuing the conversation. And as I transition, I’m going to keep in mind James D. Finley’s famous quote:  “Nothing encourages creativity like the chance to fall flat on one’s face.” To me that means be brave, take chances, embrace life.

My Friend David

“Constantly scanning the peripheral, always motivated by the desire not to miss opportunities.” Linda Stone

I remember the day I met him. He gazed up at me with those beautiful clear blue eyes, welcomed me with a glimpse of the Cheshire cat grin I would come to know well, and made a joke about my role at the Credit Union. It was clear that David was bright. Very, very bright. And he was funny.

I remember the last time we spoke, three days before he left. David emailed me following yet another of our sprawling conversations to let me know that we had spoken for 43 minutes and 27 seconds. He advised me that at his 9-5 EST grid (???!) $250/hr for on-call/off-site support, I owed him sushi and a Sapporo. I replied that I paid for tech support in rubles so the Sapporo might be a stretch. At either rate, it would have been a bargain.

David was a passionate and gifted teacher. Always kind. Always generous. And he had a way with words. Sometimes he’d email or tweet me and I’d have no clue what he was talking about. One day, catching my tweet of a song from blipfm, David tweeted back, “Spotify, silly wabbit…It’s the new black.” Say what?

We sparred with words and ideas. I’m the communications girl – it drives me nuts when I can’t understand someone. David drove me nuts frequently. His job description was “new media, technology, innovation and education” – I wanted his job! He described what he did as “figuring out where new “stuff” fit in with the older “stuff.” David didn’t research or network, he was “cool-hunting” in the CU system for “crowd-powered innovation”. God I had to run fast to keep up with him.

We first collaborated on an email presi for staff. We designed a cool broadsheet of email tips and David created a Keynote injected with neat graphics, cool video and lots of humour. That was the first time I got in trouble at work. Note to self: not everyone wants to know what LMFAO means.

I was determined to bring in the best communications tools and David was committed to ensuring we had the latest in Social Media, Web 2.0, and Open Source apps, and we were all going to work in Wikis. This proved a challenge. “Why is it,” he asked, “that when the wagon is broken and the wheels are square, peeps still try to push it uphill through the mud?” David had a gift for slinging a really good metaphor.

David was passionate about bringing “social/nu-media/network-ing” to the Credit Union. He saw change coming in the industry, and he was determined to make some of our own. He wanted to “empower the Gen-Y/next generation to become captains of the CU movement.” He was always trying to figure out where ideas can meet application.

But the world rarely moved fast enough for David. Communicating with him was like being at the epicentre of a tornado. Some chose to run for cover and dodge the fallout of scattered flotsam and jetsam. Their loss. I scrabbled to grab all that I could and there was always more to grab than I could hold onto – so more sushi, more Sapporo.

What’s the ROI of “pure win and awesome.” Where’s David? What’s a meme again?! He’s here… I catch fleeting glimpses of him from the periphery of my vision – he’s just outside of my grasp.

Gonna miss you, my friend.

Created by Oliver Swainson for the Marketing Dept.

Why Twitter?

I love Twitter. My friends and colleagues laugh and make jokes about my tweets, twirps, peeps and chirps (their words) but once the laughter subsides they usually want to know what it’s all about. Rarely do I succeed in explaining it well enough to elicit more than a quizzical look and a shrug of the shoulders. But the fact is that it’s hard to “get” until you dive into the conversation.

There are lots of great resources out there that explain Twitter far better than I ever could. One of my favourites is Twitip, a blog all about tweeting edited by Darren Rowse, an Aussie who also authors a great blog site called Problogger. A recent article in Computer World explains the ins and outs of tweeting for business and offers sound advice to those contemplating diving in.

You join conversations on Twitter by following others. I make a point of seeking out and following not only others in credit union land, but anyone who is asking compelling questions and providing insightful answers. It takes time initially to figure out just what’s going on and who you want to follow, but once you start following and listening to the conversations it’s not a big commitment. And the payoffs are huge.

So what’s in it for me? I get to listen in on the conversations of some of the best minds in the world of finance, marketing, communications, politics and social media. I follow some terrific credit union people like Gene Blishen who reached out across the country to help me out with my Mac questions, and Morriss Partee who welcomed me to Twitter and invited me to participate at Everything CU. I’m a journalism junkie so I follow CBC and NPR to keep up with the news headlines, and I’ve discovered great music and emerging musicians through Blip.fm and last.fm. And, I even found an elusive Wii Fit through a tweet sent out by Matt Davis, also known as the CU Warrior, who had just ordered one himself. That was a very big moment!

What’s not to love about that? Sign up for a free account and find someone to follow. (You can start with me @lorinewton!). It’s important to take the time to upload an image that represents you or your brand, and be sure to fill in your bio so others can learn a bit about you. Then, spend lots of time listening and make sure you share stuff you think others will value.