theryancox.com

Going Green in your Office - Why its Good for Your Wallet and the Environment

ryancox13 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:31:25 -0400

No matter what business you may be running, going green is an important step that we should all think about making. It is not only very important for environmental conservation, but it is also important for the conservation of your resources, decreasing the amount of wastage your company produces. By aiming to go green and making your processes more efficient, you could indeed increase profits and have a nice eco-friendly story to help you acquire new business.

Some simple steps that can help lead you to a greener future are fairly obvious things such as ensuring that all unused office equipment is properly powered down – not just left on standby! In addition to this, it is wise to ensure that all PC’s, printers and monitors are properly shut down every night when you are finished for the work, and during the day turning off your monitor when you are away from the desk will help your efforts. This will help lower your electricity bills, as well as lowering ambient temperature in the office decreasing the amount of work that your air conditioners are required to do.

If you are willing to invest in your green credentials, then fitting solar technology to your office can help save significant amounts of electricity – technologies such as solar tubes (natural sun powered light replacement) and photovoltaic arrays (to generate electricity) are gaining popularity, and more importantly getting more efficient by the month.

You should encourage your staff to lean toward a paperless mentality, if that’s not possible then you should implement the following tips to decrease your paper usage.

Use an electronic Fax service instead of the old paper based method.
Set up reminders on everybody’s email reminding them to only print the email if it absolutely necessary.
Set your printer to full duplex (both sides) printing by default.
Consider implementing a paper less invoicing system if you are sending a lot of invoices out in the post.

Consider your suppliers carefully. If there is a green alternative for your standard office consumables such as pencils, notepads, and office stationary then it would be wise, if the cost doesn’t prohibit, it to use the eco friendly choice.

Outside of the office needn’t be out of bounds for someone trying to help the environment – help staff understand the health benefits and fuel saving associated with a cycle to work scheme. It’s coming into the summer and you should definitely be encouraging your staff to make the effort to cycle, walk or if unavoidable car-share into the place of work.

The important thing to remember when beginning to go green is ‘baby-steps’. You aren7t expected to be super eco-friendly from day one, but with some of the simple steps listed above you can certainly start to make some baby steps to a greener business.

Do you have any great idea’s about how one can increase their green side in an office -environment? Why not leave a comment below – I would love to hear your ideas.

——

[Image Credit: business.com]

Citations:

This eco friendly article was written using 100% recycled electrons, by Stephen Rendell - owner of super green invoice software company Paper Free Billing.

Make Digital Media a Part of Your Online Strategy

ryancox13 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:39:07 -0400

These days, more and more organizations are turning to video and other digital media to promote themselves. Why is this the case? Consumer preferences are increasingly shifting away from long-form print and instead towards a wide range of dynamic digital media, such as video and audio. Digital media can convey a business’s story in ways that print fails to do so: for online visitors, it can bring a business to life, highlight existing products and services and tell the stories of the real people behind the business.

It’s especially important for business owners to consider including digital media as a part of their online marketing strategies. When developing content for your website, stop and think about what stories are better told in print, and which ones are better told using a more dynamic medium. You have several to choose from:

Web Videos

Web videos can take a wide variety of forms, from content matter to production value. For example, a web video can consist of a formal commercial, an informal interview with a business owner, interview with a selection of the business’s customers or a highlights reel of the business’s products or services. Videos can be used to give online visitors a virtual experience of visiting your business. Web videos provide an added benefit in that they help boost your business’s SEO ranking and help new customers discover your business. Although anyone with an Internet connection and a camera with video recording capabilities can create a web video, business owners should consider hiring a professional videographer with high-quality equipment.

Audio Podcasts

Have interesting content to provide to your customers? Consider developing an audio podcast series. The subject matter is entirely up to you: for example, if you’re a garden supply store, you may choose to talk about weekly gardening tips. Podcasts need not be extensive; often enough, a simple five-minute podcast provides customers with a digestible clip that they can listen to in their cars or at home. Audio podcasts can be promoted online and listed in the iTunes Podcast directory, attracting new listeners and therefore serving as a powerful marketing tool in itself. For a really comprehensive list of audio podcasts, checkout Chris Christensen’s list of the 71 best podcasts.

Animated Movies

Although web videos can turn any story into a compelling one, business owners wanting to shy away from the camera or requiring more privacy may choose to develop animated videos. Animated videos have an added bonus in that they can communicate concepts and information clearly and concisely. Although the prospect of animated videos may sound intimidating, they need not be. Animated videos can be as simple as moving text and basic animations, and as complex as 3D, computer-generated graphics, depending on a business owner’s budget and interests. If you’re looking more for simple animation, you can checkout Animoto. On the other hand, using a post-production company in your area is advisable for more complex projects.

Using Digital Media

We already know that digital media can serve as a more powerful storytelling platform than print. As an added bonus, digital media is infinitely more shareable, which helps strengthen relationships with customers and increases a business’s visibility. As a business owner, you have the option to disseminate your web videos, podcasts and animated videos on your various social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Pinterest. Users can discover these videos or podcasts on their own through Google search, YouTube, Vimeo or iTunes, and then have the option to share this media with their friends and family. The sharing potential of digital media—and the accompanying potential of building lasting relationships with customers as well as acquiring new ones—is huge.

——

Tristan Pelligrino is one of the founders of 522 Productions (web video production) and specializes in developing dynamic content for the web. Tristan also co-owns 522 Digital, a digital media company located in Alexandria, VA.

The Art of Finding a Job: 5 Musts

ryancox13 — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:26:00 -0400

I’ve neglected writing over the last month. And it’s hurt — I’ve felt different. Like I’m letting someone down. Like I’m not 100% of who I should be. Sometimes things happen

that cause you to put other things on the back burner (that story for another blog) and

well … writing got put on the back burner. I’ve managed to catch my footing enough to get back into a somewhat simliar grove, so I hope to drop some serious content this week.

My first attempt is this post. The Art of Finding a Job: 5 Musts.

Disclaimer: I don’t have it figured out…not even close.

But what I do have is the storyboard of what I’ve been doing since November, and I’ll share it with you so maybe it can help you in your search…or you help me in mine. Like I said, I don’t have it figured out. But I think I’ve highlighted 5 musts. =)

Reach out to your trust circle.
Utilize job boards and groups.
Swallow a whole hell of a lot of pride.
Meticulous dedication to hours spent looking.
Luck.

Now I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, and rightly so, “Ryan there are a bunch of other factors involved.” Yes, however I believe these are the 5 biggest contributors to finding a job, thus the “art” or “musts”.

1. Reach out to your trust circle.

Reaching out to your trust circle means letting those fellow business professionals, friends, mentors, etc. know that you are in the market for a job. Be very specific to the industry and salary requirements. As a +1, giving them a list of 3-4 businesses you’d love to work at. These are the people that know your abilities best, and at the same time have an invested interest in you getting a job. This should not only be one of the first things you do in your quest, but I believe it is something that you should re-touch ever 2 weeks. Now by re-touch, I mean exactly that, re-touch. I don’t mean hound once a week with a sob story of why you need a job — By re-touching, I simply mean shooting a gentle reminder in an email, text, direct message (DM) etc.

Utilize job boards and groups.

The amount of companies that are online right now actively looking for employees will surprise you. It sure as hell surprised me — and being online is my profession. But as a potential employee, you have to be able to go to where the companies are posting those active positions they need filled. I have found two resources, for my search, to be extremely helpful. The coupe de gras is LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn is the largest business-focused social network there is. Often considered the “digital resume,” LinkedIn offers you a place to be a part of the largest professional network. With LinkedIn Jobs, you can search for jobs and customize your search to place, type, salary, etc. It’s extremely well done and very easy to navigate. The second place, for MY job search that has proven beneficial, is a Facebook Group that I help manage called Social Media Jobs. It is by approval only to join, and is moderated very heavily by a small group of us. We average about 20 social media related job postings a week across the entire country. Currently there are over 1700 members. Even if you aren’t in the social media space and looking for a job, I venture to guess there are similar groups on Facebook for your industry.

3. Swallow a whole hell of a lot of pride.

I say this with much seriousness. You’re going to get a lot of email or verbal no’s. The most dreaded introduction to a job application response reads, “We wanted to first and foremost thank you for applying to _________.” Your heart sinks and you immediately know its a “thanks but no thanks” email. With that being said, you need to just button down the hatches, and suck it up. I hate to go all cliche on you, but with every no you hear, you’re one step closer to a yes. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but it’s the honest to God truth. Swallow your pride, and remind yourself that you are VERY qualified and someone is going to get a STEAL when they hire you.

4. Meticulous dedication to hours spent looking.

I speak from personal experience that “looking for a job” requires an awful lot of work. It’s not something you can send a few emails and then the job miraculously finds you — it takes a lot of blocking and tackling. You have to calendar it off just like anything else you need to dedicate yourself to doing. Give yourself a window: from 9-12 and 3-5 today I’m going to find and apply for jobs (as example). Here is a tidbit that will make the time you spend applying 110% more efficient too: SAVE A FILE OF YOUR ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SO THAT YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ON NEW WEBSITES/APPLICATIONS. In hindsight, I could have saved myself well over 30 hours (to date) if that is something I’d of figured out at the beginning (November) and not in the middle of (last week). Fact: It is a horrible pain in the ass to have to answer the same questions over and over. Fact: It sucks that all job applications are not created equal. Some of the UI’s are horribly clunky. Fact: Saving your answers to questions as you go, in a master document, can shave applying time down from 15-30 minutes to 5-10.

5. Luck.

I wish I had something profound to end with, but sometimes it requires just good ole luck. Not the kind of luck that just happens out of thin air though. You won’t get a job offer while playing golf on a Friday (although I did once, post to come later). The kind of luck I’m referring to is luck that you create. By notifying your trust circle, utilizing job boards and groups, swallowing pride and spending time ACTIVELY SEARCHING for a job — you put yourself in a vastly better position to receive good luck in your job search. By inserting yourself into where jobs are, the likelihood of something ‘falling into your lap’ increases exponentially.

So there you have it folks. My 5 musts when trying to find a job. Does it mean that if you follow these 5 musts you’ll get a job immediately? No. LOL. I wish it did, because I’d have been placed in my next job by now. But I can promise you this: … you’ll be closer to finding a job than if you didn’t.

I’m currently looking for job placement on a national level (willing to relocate) in regards to a social media, community manager and/or digital marketing. I have a strong passion for communications, and the processes of those communications. I also have a strong skill-set and desire around building communities and consulting with brands on how best to serve those communities. My resume can be found here, and my LinkedIn profile here. If you know of any open positions or would like to contact me you can email me at: ryan@theryancox.com

—-

Image credit: Business Insider, http://cambriairene.blogspot.com/, 123 Greetings

#Nerdswag: Everything In Life Should Fit

ryancox13 — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:17:18 -0500

Jeans should fit. Gloves should fit. #Love should fit. What your job is and your passion, in a perfect world, should fit. Shit in life should fit. We leave something behind when we are fitting into everything though. Friends.

Wait.

I’m not talking about your soccer friends you grew up with since you were six.

I’m not talking about your crew from college.

I’m talking about the people you meet, that motivate and energize the HECK out of you. Like stupid-crazy energize you. The people that you come across and you’re just like %&# &*!% #^%^ #LOUDNOISES #$^& %#&@ !%$&.

I’m all about timing. Damn, so much in life is defined by it. Here’s the rad thing about timing though: not all of it is out of your control. I’m not even going to argue what the percentage split is on uncontrolled vs. controlled — that isn’t the point. So relax, no need to get puffy-chest syndrome.

Well I met one of my #LOUDNOISES friends early last week. And by “met” I obviously mean came across online and immediately became enamored with. Her name is Jen Friel aka @JenFriel. She’s the founder of a blog called Talk Nerdy To Me Lover.

Let’s digest that for a second.

Seriously? How flippin’ rad is that URL? I thought my buddy Joel’s website MakingLoveToYourEarVagina.com was a badass URL. Then I found Jen’s.

I read the first post that brought me to her site, a story about 103 #OkCupid dates in 9 months. It wasn’t a new post or anything, someone I followed on the Twitter reposted it for some reason. I clicked to read it because I was fascinated by the title of said post.

Fast forward an hour, and I haven’t stopped reading. Post after post I was consuming stories and was more entertained than my favorite episode of my favorite show. This chic was beyond cool. The why? Because she plain and simply didn’t give a flip. She went after everything her heart told her to. Fear wasn’t a word she allowed herself to hear, emotion she let her body feel, or thought she let her mind have.

I instantly became angry.

(Angry you say Ryan?)

Yea angry.

I had always considered myself a fearless go-getter. And my new “friend” had just proven to me over the last hour, that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I wasn’t.

So I immediately felt challenged and accepted the challenge. (We still have yet to even tweet communicate and Jen had energized me to the point that I went and ran a quick mile just to get my thoughts in order)

And damn did I feel good. There was some kind of new motivation I was feeling inside that wasn’t there hours prior.

How can that be? Someone I didn’t even know of a couple hours ago, who I’ve still yet to actually communicate with, and who WAS NOT Steve Jobs — had literally woken up a side of me that I didn’t know had been laying dormant.

And then it hit me: Jen was a friend fit for me. Whether she ever felt the same or not, it was #Fact. She was someone that motivated, energized and otherwise challenged me to be a better me. And there wasn’t anything that was ever going to change that. The damage had been done.

Had I mentioned yet that she was gorgeous?

(No you hadn’t)

Okay well, she is. And I’m sure that had something to do with my attraction to her as a person, but it was one of those scenarios where that was just an added bonus — because her killer instinct to life was one of those awesome feelings you never want to lose.

Whether its business or pleasure, people that make you feel like this are worth their weight in diamonds. If it was something we could bottle and sell, it’d cost more than your Macbook per ounce. It can’t be manufactured, wished or stolen — it can just be felt.

So operation #befriendjen went into motion, and to my surprise, she only impressed me more. We quickly hit it off, and even made public pledges to visit each other in 2012. And play Duck Hunt. Why you ask? Because #nerdsunite … that’s why. #done

Everything in life should fit. From your jeans, to your friends. People that make you want to totally kick ass and be a better you — those are the people to get close to. Your life is going to be so much better when you do. And when those people show you that they really care? Like, the “why is this person so nice for no other reason than to be nice” care … it makes you want to be the exact same way. There are a kagillion different types of #Love. And they all win.

So thank you Jen. Thank you for being so damn you and so damn invigorating that it made me want to tackle impossible, and give it a noogie.

In the end…everything in life should fit. #nerding

Hey Jen…Psst:

Manpacks: Man's Answer to Mom After Moving Out

ryancox13 — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:47:11 -0500

Men usually aren’t a fan of shopping. Stereotypes are what they are for a reason, because it speaks to the majority. With that being said, stereotypically men are the most adversed to clothes shopping. It was easy when we were younger, if it didn’t have a swoosh on it, then it was a jersey of one of our favorite players.

And when it came to the bare essentials: underwear, socks, t-shirts, socks and toiletries — if Mom didn’t put it in our bathroom drawer or on our bed, we didn’t have it.

So what are we supposed to do when we move out? Is Mom supposed to visit every couple months with a significant bare essentials package? Quickly find a wife so she can fill in the void? (That’s just silly Ryan. No, duh.)

Enter Manpacks. Manpacks is a web service that delivers manly goods on a schedule. Items can include men’s underwear, socks, razors and more. It’s that simple. By design, it sets up your recurring service to send your necessities every 3 months. Need something rushed? Need to change (+/-) the scheduling? It’s dead simple to do on Manpacks easy-to-use dashboard. Returns are at the cost of Manpacks, not you the consumer.

Full disclosure: I was showed this website by a friend, and immediately fell in love with it. I’ve put in my first order, to be scheduled for delivery every 2 months. #BOOM One less thing I have to worry about. One less thing I have to build into my weekly and/or monthly to-do list. One less thing that can cause one of those, “Darnit I’m out of this, I really wish I had new that” situations.

Mother tested, girlfriend approved. Manpacks is a no-brainer for any guy. The pricing is competitive and has name brands like Hanes, Calvin Klein, and Nivea while promising to continue adding more brands in the future. And the cherry on top…any order over $30 is free shipping.

I highly recommend checking out Manpacks. I’m one of the more organized guys out of all of my friends, and even I could use a service like this. I imagine you could too.

Don't Be Eli Manning or Tim Duncan

ryancox13 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:52:00 -0500

I can say with unwavering certainty that I am able to find a lesson in anything I hear or see. So when I was watching ESPN’s First Take this morning, a great lesson slapped me right in the face. The topic was: will a second Super Bowl ring make Eli Manning more popular and translate into more endorsement deals?

The long and the short of it can be summed up with one word: No.

Eli Manning is an excellent role model for children.
Eli Manning is an even-kiel sportsman.
Eli Manning is, by all accounts, a good person that stays out of trouble.

But one thing Eli Manning isn’t, is marketable. Nice guys actually do finish last in some things, and end up going to the prom alone. With that being said, in the marketing and promotions world — they’re never going to get the girl. I can hear you right now too, you’re screaming WHAT ABOUT TIM TEBOW RYAN!?!? Well the #Tebowing phenomenon isn’t comparable. He’s a very vocal Christian, and we are all well aware that sex, politics, and religion sell. Does Tebow want to make money off of his Christianity? No, I truly believe he doesn’t — nor do I think his faith is based on its ability to make him more money. But Tebow ruffles feathers because of who he IS not who he is NOT. Consequently, marketers have no problem exploiting him and that fact to get impressions and make money.

Eli is not his brother Peyton. All of their father Archie’s charisma wen to Peyton, and none was left for Eli. Peyton can sell more pizzas. Eli can’t. Unfortunately for Eli, this isn’t one of those scenarios where can’t should be a word in your vocabulary.

And what about Tim Duncan you ask?

Well when was the last time you saw Tim Duncan in a commercial? His most recent Bridgestone Super Bowl commercial with Steve Nash is the first time I remember seeing him in any kind of promotional material in four to five years…AT LEAST! Duncan is a go-about-his-business, no non-sense, unassuming guy. And that’s about as appealing to marketing departments as this —————————>

As a business owner don’t be Eli Manning or Tim Duncan. We don’t remember the Eli’s and Tim’s of the world. Here’s two examples, national and local:

Mike Arrington founder of Tech Crunch and now Crunch Fund
Scott Wise founder of Scotty’s Brewhouse & Thr3ewisemen

Say what you want about them, one being more polarizing (Mike) than the other (Scott) … but if you’ve ever met either of them I bet you remember them. That’s the point. Be memorable.

Here is what I am not saying: you need to be brash, polarizing, and loud.

Here is what I am saying: you need to be confident, approachable, and vocal.

You don’t have to be the Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson) of local restaurants or Meta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) of Internet software. At the end of the day, even the greatest business owner personalities can fail. If a business has an unsatisfactory product/service (and/or) it becomes known from having more talk than late night television and it cannot back it up — well, they’ll weed themselves out. It’s been that way in business cycles since humankinds first trade.

You are your brand. Bad brands can bounce back with continued great service/product coupled with the fact that with so much information flowing through the web on a daily basis, we are a society that forgives and forgets rather quickly. (Sans obvious exceptions to that rule) Boring brands, however, can’t bounce back. We simply decided to talk about the Peyton’s of the world, and thus we forgot to invite the Eli’s to the party.

We will always remember you #Worleybird.

ryancox13 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:54:00 -0500

We will always remember you #Worleybird.

For no other reason, then to start your Monday off with...

ryancox13 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:40:38 -0500

For no other reason, then to start your Monday off with the WOW video of 2012 so far. Alysaa (the girl in the video) can say any word you give her, backwards before you have time to blink. And perfectly.

#SuperIndy: Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover

ryancox13 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:29:00 -0500

Momentum is a very interesting word. It is a word that describes more about what you can expect in the future, as opposed to what you should expect right now. Momentum, in fact, is one of the better forecasters of all-time. (His track record proves it) So as the momentum builds for Super Bowl 46, it’s a pretty exciting feeling being a part of the host city.

More importantly, Indianapolis is going to silence some of the cold weather host city critics. Dr. Patrick Rishe of Forbes.com, explained Why Indianapolis Is A Highly Desirable Super Bowl Host City. Here are some highlights from that piece:

EXPERIENCED AT ACCOMMODATING MASSIVE CROWDS – INDY 500, FINAL FOURS

As far as live one-day spectator sports go, you can’t get much bigger than the Indianapolis 500. With over 257,000 seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and an estimated annual attendance of roughly 300,000, this is easily twice as large and perhaps closer to three times larger than the attendance for Super Bowl XLVI…

WALKABLE DOWNTOWN WITH NUMEROUS ENTERTAINMENT AMENITIES

Having attended numerous professional and amateur sporting events across America, I can tell you that fans appreciate convenience. And one big aspect of convenience is transportation from point A to point B. Most notably, the typical visiting sports spectator loves scenarios where they can walk from their hotel to most of the cool visitation amenities in the area. The less driving, the better.

A wise man once said: This isn’t my first rodeo cowboy. Indianapolis has proven time and time again that it can host, and exceptionally well, large weekend or week-long events. Not only does Indianapolis have a history of well hosted events, we’re proving to be extremely innovative too. The first ever Social Media Command Center for a Super Bowl is being launched at Super Bowl 46. A team of strategists, analysts and techies will monitor the digital fan conversation via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms from a 2,800-square-foot space downtown.

Tom Spalding was one of the people chosen for Social 46 and he’s doing something pretty cool. Tom is chronicling the entire Super Bowl 46 experience pushing social information to the Interwebs through his Storify collection. Social 46 is a gathering of Indiana’s top social media influencers according to the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee. In short, it is a list that was put together to help build buzz and spread information about the Super Bowl. Invitations were limited to, <drumroll please> 46. They aren’t being paid, and minus a few freebies these are Hoosiers that have been tasked with, and accepted, helping make Super Bowl 46 the most socially connected Super Bowl ever!

The list of people blogging and tweeting about the Super Bowl reaches FAARR beyond just those deemed one of the ‘Social 46’. Excitement is contagious, and by no means are only those 46 individuals allowed to share information! It’s ENCOURAGED that everyone in Indianapolis contributes to building the buzz of the Super Bowl, AND takes time to enjoy all of the festivities we’re hosting too!

Conversations around the Super Bowl, Social 46, and how SB46 can help the Indianpolis economy are everywhere!

There is this post from Jay Baer, this post from Lorraine Ball, and this post from Chris Theisen — just to highlight a few. Additionally, there is the slew of #hashtags you can follow on Twitter:

The reach of Super Bowl 46 is going to be far beyond any previous Super Bowl. It will be the first truly social media supported SB. Even the mobile app is kick-ass.

On a personal note, I just have one request for all of my Indianapolis friends — get out of your own way. Ego’s and inflated opinions on who should of gotten this, why you should of been on that, etc.etc.etc. is a lot of wasted hot air. Let’s just agree to disagree on all of that small nonsense. And in turn, come together to show everyone that Indianpolis throws one hell of a party.

image credits: AroundIndy.com, Athima Chansanchai of Tima Media & msnbc.com, Meggie Dials, and Jeff Robinson, Director of Marketing, Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association.

Who You Are Speaks So Loudly I Can't Hear What You're Saying

ryancox13 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:30:05 -0500

Am I the only one that finds motivation in the strangest of places? Seriously, random-acts-of-DUHness. Last night I was eyes-deep (if thats not a word I just made it up) in what ended up being my favorite Criminal Minds off all-time…when I saw it. It was a commercial, so of course I’m surfing Twitter on my iPhone. (insert audience laughter) And I see my friend Heather Meeker RT our mutual friend Marsha Collier…

Wow. Staring me in the face was something that summed up how I felt about the last three years. What you are “going to do” in 2012 isn’t how you build a reputation Ryan. Ideas are nothing but ideas if they aren’t created. Words are just that, words, unless they are past-tense, describing something that’s already happened. In my best Marsha voice, “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”

Well I’ll be damned. I’ve made no bones about it, 2012 for me is all about follow-through. The frustrating thing about follow-through you ask? Well, even though I’m only 20 days in 2012 I have one very big pain point with follow-through: time. Time isn’t something you can fast-forward in real life. The fact of the matter is simple: follow-through involves an AWFUL lot of it. And that’s tough. Patience isn’t a virtue I was born with. I’m a perfect definition of the counter, impatient.

Couple my impatient tendencies with my very Type-A ‘shiny new thing’ entrepreneurship personality, I’ve managed to develop one hell of a bark. Unfortunately, with all that barking I literally forgot to bite. Blindly, I got so good at barking that I ended up trying to build a reputation of what I was going to do…not what I’d already done. Talk about backwards. I was a mess, and I didn’t know it.

Lucky for me, life, both personal and business, is nothing more than a giant learning experience. If you’ve stopped learning, well, you’ve pretty much given up. I don’t recommend doing that. It’s not a good look. It was time for me to Shut Up And Do It Already. I’m a mission to turn accomplishments into past-tense not future-tense. But hey, I’m wandering into over-talking a reputation I don’t even have yet.

Here’s to a year of nothing but follow-through on building a reputation that can only be described with past-tense verbs, not future-tense. (cheers)

Quipol

Are You Innovating or Automating Your Life?

ryancox13 — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:28:00 -0500

Work. Family. Self.

Imagine if you were asked by your boss to decide to choose two of the three in order to be really successful. Which two would you choose? Amy Jo Martin chose all three. She then proceeded to turn in her two-week notice and left her job deciding to be fearless and conquer all three. Let me ask a serious question: Are you automating your life?

Think about the online+offline version of you. Using programs like Buffer are not the the only forms of automation. Routines become automation. How many of us check our Facebook on our phone before rolling out of bed? How many of us take a picture of our food and post it to Instagram or Oink before actually taking a bite? How many of us check-in on Foursquare before we actually look up to see if our friends are at the bar? We are beginning to automate our offline lives and we may not eve realize it. And the more automation grows, the more innovation dies.

Quipol

As I was watching Amy’s TEDx Talk - Innovate your life, I couldn’t help but feel like she was talking to me. You know that time you feel like a song is being sung for you? When the episode of your favorite show is a dramatization of your yesterday? I had one of those moments. I’d lost my passion and purpose — and Amy was calling me out. I had stopped innovating my life and I was clearly automating it. Our parents will call it “going through the motions” — but they’d be wrong. We aren’t even going through the motions, we’re simply automating them.

After watching the video, I emailed Amy. I told her how awesome it was and how I’d long appreciated her since the ‘Random Acts of Shaqness’ days. Amidst all of the learning, don’t be short-sighted or afraid to tell those who you’ve learned from that you did. You’d be surprised the feedback you get. And after the email was sent (right before my U-8 basketball team practice, you can call me #CoachKnight), I made a decision. And you know who is holding me accountable for that decision (besides the Internet now)? My team, the Hornets. I am Innovating my life.

No more automation for me. I don’t care if I have to call you 100 times before you answer, I’m texting less. I don’t care how frugal I have to be, I’m getting out of student loan debt. And I don’t care how hard someone else thinks something is, I am going after what I want to do professionally, and I’ll be damn successful at it too.

I’m only bound by the speed of my own actions.

I’m going to inject more purpose into my business.

Amy said it best, “You CAN have it all, you just have to define what your all is.” I’ve defined my ALL. I’ve chosen I want to innovate my life — and innovate the hell out of it I will. Thanks for the push Amy.

Are You Drinking Enough Water Everyday?

ryancox13 — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:47:00 -0500

I’m on a health kick. You most likely know that already. Follow-Through is my defining word of 2012. In conjunction with my new found health kick, I have finally acknowledged one very key fact: Accountability is one heck of a tool for follow-through. So Chris Theisen and I decided that we were going to hold each other accountable for our daily water intake.

Thus, the #h2o12 hashtag was born.

My awesome accountant, and fitness+health nut Michelle Boyden aka Meeeeeechelle helped me land on the goal of trying to drink about a gallon of water a day. That’s roughly 11 refills of my favorite #IUBB cup.

I’m on Day 7 of the Ryan+Chris Challenge. And you’ll be happy to know, I’m allllllll over the follow-through.

Question is: Are you drinking enough water everyday? [Vote in the poll below]

Quipol

1 Thing I'm Going To Do In 2012

ryancox13 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:30:00 -0500

follow-through: carrying some project or intention to full completion

I decided I was not going to do a New Years Resolution post, because the market is flooded with those and my blog doesn’t carry enough weight (yet) to rise above that noise. Be honest with yourself, how many of those did you read/see? I’m guessing the number is closer to ten than it is one. I hope that everyone sticks to their list of ‘New Year New Me’ and gets after it in 2012. Honestly, I do. I hope that all of you hit every goal you’ve given yourself.

In deciding how I was going to write this post, I hadn’t come any closer to choosing an idea, when my good friend Andrew Dumont (check out his blog here) tweeted this:

The Problem Isn’t Motivation -http://s.hbr.org/xmoWqu

It was a Havard Business Review (HBR) blog post by Peter Bregman. Halfway through the post I saw the sentence that defined what 2012 was going to be for me, both personally and professionally:

No, Byron’s challenge isn’t motivation. It’s follow-through.

Eight words. Eight simple words that clearly defined my 2012. Follow-through. If you know anything about me, you know that I’m a go-getter. Motivation isn’t a problem I have. Whether it is self-motivation or motivating others — I’m pretty darn good at it if you ask me. So if motivation is not the elephant in the room, what is? What’s holding me back? What is the thorn in my craw? What was going to be my Yeaaaaa but or Maybe next year?

Follow-through.

At its root definition, follow-through is basic and easy to understand. However in application, it might as well be something like this:

Follow-through, in layman’s terms is completing a task. Not motivating yourself to complete a task, it requires the defined action of completing a task. Lets use the all-encompassing To-Do List as an example. You’ve might of heard me say a time or two: “To-Do Lists are meant to be done, not added to.”

Huh. I guess the advice you give truly is the hardest advice to take.

So here it is, my Follow-Through List for 2012:

Get my fat ass in shape. A picture is worth a thousands words, and I have about that many curse words for myself when I catch a glimpse in the mirror. I’m not doing it for any other reason but this one: health. I want to be able to know that I’m healthy, and by looking in the mirror see I’m healthy and fit. I miss playing soccer (and lots of it), I miss having more energy than most, I miss finishing first in races, I miss going to the pool — I just miss shit. All of that comes with being a more healthy and fit Ryan. I’ve got p90x 2 and no excuses. Trust me, I’ve exasperated every possible one.
Learning to code. I spent the ages of 23-27 being the ‘ideas’ guy. Hell, I even got a start-up funded out of it. But the point is I need to stop creating a bunch of ideas, and following-through on one. Not some, just one. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get jealous of others successes. (I know, I know - not a good character trait) But luckily for me its very controlled and its one hell of a motivator. There is that word again…It seems I have plenty of motivation, so lets get some actionable follow-through and learn code. The stack I’m learning is: HTML, CSS, Ruby on Rails. I was complaining to Jared Brown, my good friend and the devhead behind this blog, about being tired of being dependent on other people for code. He asked me, “What do you want to build Ryan?” I explained to him the types of things that interested me and he replied, “You want to build web apps. Ruby on Rails is the best language for that.” Knowing that HTML and CSS were required skills, I was set.
Have fun.

So there you have it. Public Accountability at its finest. No smoke and mirrors, nothing but brutal self-honesty and call-outs. Its time I took back the parts of my life I was motivating myself for, but wasn’t following-through on shit. I think that the problem-solution is more so than just ‘talking about it vs. being about it.’ I’m done talking or being about all of it. Do it > talk it | be it.

I like to keep things simple when I can….So what is the one thing you’re going to do in 2012? Mine’s simple. Follow-through.

Shut Up And Do It Already

ryancox13 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:53:00 -0500

I ruffle feathers, sometimes on purpose, and other times it’s without any intended effort whatsoever. The point is that my personality is abrasive. I enjoy knocking people off their guard. Why you ask? Because I find that I get more honest, sincere and thoughtful words spoken to me when someone is out of their comfort zone. The long-winded rehearsed responses are gone. Brevity rules the night. All said, it uses the usual ‘fodder’ to get the person I am ‘attacking’ to “Shut Up” and “Do It Already” — and tell me what is really on their mind. Yes I said fodder, and yes I said attacking — get over it.

I live by a different code, I suggest you pick up a name tag and join the party. We all could use a little Shut Up And Do It Already in our personal AND professional lives. The general consensus, is that the general masses convince themselves that tomorrow is more important than today. I call bull shit. I could fill up the rest of this post with motivational tactics,

but this isn’t a motivational blog, and you won’t get anything that will help you lose 30 lbs and make $3,000 – $5,000 a month from watching television at home for only $39.95. I’m sorry to disappoint.

What you will get is a phrase that in only six words will prove to you that you can do what it is you are wanting to do: Shut Up And Do It Already.

Are you wanting to lose weight? Shut Up And Do It Already.
Are you wanting to increase your sales? Shut Up And Do It Already.
Are you wanting to eat healthier? Shut Up And Do It Already.
Are you wanting to start a secondary income in your off hours? Shut Up And Do It Already.
Are you wanting to start dating again? Shut Up And Do It Already.
Are you wanting to explore new employment? Shut Up And Do It Already.
Are you wanting to improve your client acquisition conversions? Shut Up And Do It Already.

So often we step on our own toes planning on being successful and not acting on being successful. Do you think those people you read about in the Wall Street Journal got there by accident? How about those people in Health magazine, did they lose 35 pounds by catching up on their DVR? Do you think they went to bed wishing for success and they woke up wished granted? (Take away all the inherited money examples you are saying aloud now in trying to disprove the truth I’m slapping you with.) Whoever said good things come to those who wait, lied. Patience isn’t a virtue when it comes to being successful. Hard work is.

What do you have to lose? There are two places to go from where you are in your personal AND professional life — up the success ladder … and not up the success ladder. Society doesn’t determine what your successes are. They can be completely different on a person to person basis. I’m fairly certain that Bill Gates and I have different monthly or yearly success goals. THAT DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM MAKE MINE ANY LESS IMPORTANT. Bill Gates doesn’t care about my success goals, and hell, I don’t care about his. Stop living your life through other people and their dreams. Start acting on your own. Don’t over-think or over-analyze the possible outcomes. Success doesn’t come to those who wait. Success doesn’t come to those who have a plan. Success is tackled, beaten up, and given a swirly by those that do. Plain and simple. Shut Up And Do It Already.

Want a Better Website? Learn to Code

coxymoney — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:00:06 -0500

If this blog post had a theme song, it would be Olivia Newton John’s Physical. Good. Now that you’ve got THAT song in your head, let’s get started.

Know you need to fine-tune your website design but keep putting it off? Or regularly find yourself bugging friends on the interwebs whenever you need something done that you don’t know how to do? Here’s a thought: Make a New Year’s resolution for your business – learn how to code.

If I had a dollar for every post that I see on a social network asking about web development, coding, WordPress issues, changing WordPress themes, etc., I would be one wealthy chick. And, at the risk of sounding like a hardass (which I am), I have some pretty definitive feelings about business practices in general — and business practices as they relate to website design or refinement are no different. And, before you judge me for being too harsh, let me clarify: there’s a difference between occasionally asking for help and doing it on a regular basis. You know the people I’m talking about. I know you do.

My philosophy when it comes to business is really pretty simple. It boils down to this:

Know what you’re good at. Do that.

For the things you’re not good at, suck it up. Hire someone who does and pay them what they’re worth to do the job right.

Or, if you can’t do that afford to do that, there’s one other route and that’s what this post is about. Quit whining, quit bugging your friends, quit expecting quality work at freemium prices. Learn to do what you need and don’t know – and what you don’t want to pay for (or can’t pay for) – and quit asking people to do it for free. Or on the cheap.

I know, that sounds harsh. And make no mistake, I know what it’s like to be a small business owner, to watch pennies and try to wear a lot of hats. I, too, am a small business owner. But when does the day come that you invest in yourself? That old “cobbler’s children don’t have any shoes” adage only gets you so far. And if you want to be successful, sometimes you have to invest in your business, your image, your website, your education …. you name it.

Do you know these people? Consultants or small business owners who are constantly whining about all the things they don’t know how to do, or not whining but incessantly asking others for help? While on one hand, I’m empathic and want to help, on the other, it makes me wonder how these folks can serve their clients. For instance, if you’re a consultant consulting with small business owners about PR and social media and digital marketing strategy, but you have a crummy website, how is it you expect people to hire you? If you sell strategy or write web content for clients or handle social media community building, and expect your clients to pay you for those services, how is it that you’re not interested in paying someone to build your website (as just one example) the way it needs to be built? Especially if what you’re selling – those strategic services – revolve around online marketing and the importance of a killer website. Do you see the irony?

Again, it’s not my intention to disrespect small business owners who often don’t have a lot of money to allocate to things like design and web development. But I’m also tired of the perpetual cycle of people asking for things for free and always expecting that someone else can – and will - solve their problems. Without ever ponying up any real money – or even trade of services– in return.

I’ve got a solution. Instead of wishing you knew more or asking friends for help, here’s your chance to take control.

Enroll in Codecademy’s Learn to Code Program. It’s as painless as signing up here. When you do, each week a new interactive programming lesson will be sent to you. Badda bing, badda boom. Problem solved. Just. Learn. It. Yourself.

Dudes, it’s FREE. And this is your chance to learn from a lot of very smart people and cross one thing off that list of Things I Don’t Know How to Do But Wish I Did. So the only thing you’ll need to invest in yourself and your website – at least when it comes the coding part - is your time. Surely you’re worth that.

And you know what? That’s a brilliant idea. Even if it happens to be mine. The world isn’t getting any less technical. So, instead of asking for technical advice, let’s channel Olivia and get … technical.

For the record, lest you think me championing never helping other people – that’s not what this blog post is about. I’m all about lending a hand and doing things on a regular basis to help others out. That’s part of living a good life. What I’m specifically suggesting here is not not helping others – it’s really about helping yourself. And if this kind of help with your website is something you find yourself regularly in need of, then maybe it’s time to learn to help yourself. Even just a little.

Oh, by the way, I’m signed up and will be right there with you, every week. Because in my world, there’s no such thing as being ‘too technical.’ I can’t wait. Will I see you there?

P.S. When I discovered Codeyear this morning at about 11am, there were 44,837 people signed up for the course. At 3:15pm, there were 51,353 people signed up. And by 5:06 pm, which is when this post was uploaded, there were 55,373 people who decided to take matters into their own hands in 2012. Almost 10 thousand people in 6 hours … Holy Catballs!

_____

Shelly Kramer is the CEO of V3 Integrated Marketing. She’s a digital marketing strategist, and owner of a full service digital agency headquartered in Kansas City, MO. What they do? It’s simple — if it’s on the web, Shelly and her team at V3 do it. She’s got a love of words, a propensity for data and analyses, is possessed of a twisted sense of humor and appreciates quick repartee more than most. The icing on the cake? Her well-published love of beer. Find her blog, stalk her on LinkedIn or find her on Twitter.

Why Gini Dietrich Should Hire Me in 2012

coxymoney — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:32:00 -0500

There isn’t a lot that I can say I wouldn’t do. Let’s remove my personal two caveats: 1) Bad people stuff — killing someone, stealing, etc.. and 2) Life-risking adventures — bungee jumping, skydiving, etc.. Sans those two categories, the list is remarkably small.

So small in fact, that like the list of all of the food that I’d eat, I could name everything in 30 seconds.

Writing a public post about why Gini, in fact, should hire me — well, thats a no brainer. I find that a lot of things that happen, especially the more unexpected or unbelievable they are, tend to fall into the, “That must of been Cox” category. I have a pension for doing things most others wouldn’t. I am not much of a follower, and the context of the word ‘normal’ scares me to death.

My very first kiss was from a girl three years older than me and who my friends, rightfully so, bet me that I had no chance of kissing. My very first start-up company that was funded, small-time in comparison to what you’re thinking, was funded from a first meeting in which I had my feet propped up on the table. My very first BIG client I landed, was fresh out of a failed start-up, bad blood, and a less than stellar professional reputation (based on the first two).

There are three takeaways we’ve learned from that short history recap:

I don’t scare easily.
I go after what I want, passionately.
I don’t stop until I get it.

<Fast forward music that plays during the transition part of the movie>

Gini Dietrich has been a pretty good friend of mine, digitally, seeings as how we have never actually met in person yet. (I explained why our first meet’n’greet failed here) Gini (pronounced Gin-ee) has been someone I’ve pinged for both personal and professional advice. (More so the professional) She’s also a writer whom I’ve been enamored with since reading my first Gini blog. I liken my admiration for her to this simple phrase: I want to be her, the business owner, when I grow up. She has surrounded herself with a phenomenal team (#highfive to some really awesome business professionals: Lisa Gerber, Molli Megasko, Crister DelaCruz, Patti Knight), she is highly regarded in her field, she is a phenomenal public speaker — but the most *important* thing of all: she’s one of the ‘good guys’ in business.

Yes I’m well aware Gini is a girl, not a guy. My point being this: she is as nice of a person as she is great professional. There are people in the Digital Marketing, Social Media, and PR spaces that I consider #FARmentors — people that I glean information and lessons from everyday while from afar. Some may not know that I do, but I consider them experts worth following in their field. And one of the first people I see them engaging with, and entertaining thoughts of happiness, is Gini. That is actually how I first came across her some 4+ years ago. You see, I indicated her as someone worth getting to know, and someone I wanted to “be like” when I had my own business. Learn from the best — isn’t that the old saying?

Has she pissed people off? I’m sure she has.
Do some people dislike her? Hey, no one is perfect.
Has she failed before? I think she’d be the first person to say UMM YEA RYAN.

But all of that is secondary. Good > Bad | Win > Lose | Kind > Asshole

I didn’t spend the first part of this blog puffing up Gini out of anticipation that was going to land me any kind of a job. I was simply setting the table for why I wanted to work for her. I’ve been given the advice from every mentor I’ve ever had, and every business book I’ve ever read — surround yourself with smarter people. Find people that have what you want, and learn from them how they got it, and how you can create your own path to get it. No two paths are ever the same, and no path should follow a previous path step-by-step. Your story isn’t the same as theirs, so stop trying to rewrite it. You’ll end up failing, and rather miserably.

Gini should hire me because it’ll make her life a lot easier once she has. I’m a tireless worker, I’ve sharpened my teeth learning the ropes of Digital Marketing and PR, and last but not least - I don’t take no for an answer. I don’t need to auto-fill the rest of this paragraph with meaningless cliches:

I’m the first one in, last one out
If I don’t know how to do it, I’ll find a way to learn it on the fly
I’ve built up credibility in the market
I will do something until I’ve gotten it right

Actions speak a whole heck of a lot louder than words, spoken or written. I place my eggs in the “if you are active enough, potential employers will notice all of those otherwise thoughtless cliches themselves,” basket. Having someone notice a work habit or credibility marker, is infinitely more helpful than explaining it yourself. A wise woman once said, Behave Like a Level 5 Employee. So that is what I aim to do, each and every day.

Whether Gini ever hires me or not, has as much to do with “company fit” and “opportunities available” as it does “great resume” and “interviews well.” We are in the waining hours of 2011. Your current and future employers know a lot more about you than most people currently realize. You see, the biggest takeaway isn’t necessarily that Gini will ever hire me. The biggest takeaway is that I had confidence in myself to make it public, and Gini knows I’m going to keep myself on her radar for as long as it takes.

No matter how you much you think the cards are stacked against you, keep after your dreams. Both the big ones, and the small.

Persistence is a stubborn one. (No curse word there, you’re welcome Gini)

Six Reasons Why I Will Never “Fan” My Child’s School on Facebook

coxymoney — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:21:00 -0500

I got an email from Ryan asking if I’d write a guest post about anything for the relaunch of his blog. Anything? That’s a lot of things… and I’m an opportunist, so I figured I’d write about how my kid’s school has it all wrong in a place they are unlikely to read.

Just this year the administrators at my son and daughter’s K-8 private school added an icon to their email signature “Fan us on Facebook”.

No. Fanning the school that your children currently attend is a terrible idea in about 83 bajillion ways. Let me outline the first six reasons.

Although you are a parent the school is not your place. If it’s a private school then it’s a place you send checks to, if it’s a public school it’s probably a place you send checks to as well. That’s all it needs to be. If your child’s school brings you enough joy that you want to share that with every other adult you know on Facebook an intervention may be in order.
Your children are entitled to their own lives. They don’t need their great aunt’s quilting circle to be kept abreast of school activities via a shared timeline. Imagine if your child had a facebook timeline completely devoted to your activities… creepy huh?
Strangers just got access to your kids. I’m not super worried about pedophiles and kidnappers the same way I’m not super worried about home invasions. All the same, I lock the door. If you are friends with your children on facebook (why would you be?) then you’ve just showed all those friends of friends where your children go to school and what their schedules are. Do you want the world to have that information? [EDIT: Between writing and editing this post I came across a headline in my back yard: Man, 19, charged with sexually assaulting 14 girls; allegedly hunted victims through Facebook]
Your friends who are childless will loathe you even more. I love my kids but I often get the sense that they are very in the way for my single friends. Now I’m going to have the pancake breakfast showing up on my Facebook timeline? Moms, you’re losing friends because your children’s activities are a snore-fest. Get your own life (and see #2).
Do school administrators need access to your timeline? Is there any part of your life that can remain adult after having children? I understand that for most of us important friendships are forged with other parents of our school aged children so it might be tempting to fan the school on Facebook. However, don’t you ever just want to say something like, “My daughter’s knitting teacher is an idiot” and have no repercussions? Get ready to put on your game face if you’re busy connecting with the social on your social networks.
Think about how Facebook can help an elementary school without overexposing it’s students. If, like me, you think it probably can’t then that’s a damn good reason to stay far away from what will surely be a big mess.

Jessica Gottlieb is a Mom in Los Angeles. You probably shouldn’t take any of her advice.

Why I Changed My Persona

coxymoney — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:13:52 -0500

I’ve rewritten this opening sentence 23 times now. Unfortunately, not 1 of the 23 attempts hit the note at the pitch that was destined to be that last note. I’m an emotional person to my core, plain and simple. If you’ve ever met me, or know me at all — you know that to be an understatement. Understatement of the century most likely. So if I’m being over-dramatic on something that seems so simple to you, well, tough.

Coxymoney had became a name I was known for. That “social identity” had become an indicator and had people recognize me simply by hearing it.

“Oh you’re Coxymoney!”

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, well, I’d have grocery money covered for all of 2012. I think whole-heartedly, we gravitate towards things. People, Issues, Personas, the list goes on and on. I had definitely gravitated towards the Persona “Coxymoney.”

The Merriam-Webster definition of persona: the personality that a person projects in public.

That is exactly what the Coxymoney persona was — my personality, projected in public. I have a BIG personality. I’ve never hid that fact, and it is a fact that has been true since I came out of my mothers womb and slap hands with the doctor. I enjoy the HECK out of life. I mean, why wouldn’t you? We all have our demons, we all have are “why me” moments — but if you have the ability to read this, your life is already more fortunate than half of the people of this world. So if you had ever met “Coxymoney” in his element, I sure as heck hope that is the takeaway you had.

The short answer for the change is that I wanted more memories to be tied to my actual name, not a persona. When I started into the Social Media world six years ago, I was coming from the AIM generation. Apu2255, SoccerStud13, AFSoccer13, Coxbsu — all were personas I had in my teens and early 20’s. So when it came time to pick a new social identity, the first that came to mind was Coxymoney.

Now contrary to popular belief, Coxymoney actually had nothing to do with money. I got that nickname some 17 years ago from my family babysitters boyfriend. I don’t remember his name — but the neighborhood kids and I thought he was a God. He was cool, he rode a motorcycle, and he’d play football with us. To us, he was who we wanted to be when we grew up. Well I happened to be one of the better neighborhood kids at sports. I’ve been an athlete all of my life, and a rather good one at that. When we would play two-hand touch football, he’d always play quarterback. And whenever my team needed a big play, he’d always tell us in the huddle, “Cox I need you to catch this one.” (I’ve been known as Cox more so than Ryan most of my life.) He’d throw it, and I’d always catch it. To which he’d let, “Wooooooo, that’a’kid Coxymoney! You Money son!”

The nickname has stuck with me ever since those backyard football games. Now as you get older, you stop using nicknames — and usually just call someone by there name, or a version of their first or last name. Consequently, that is why Coxymoney had stuck, to some degree, all this time.

I tell that story only to give a little bit of context to the “why did he choose that,” only because there were a few people that seemingly had negative assumptions as to the how and why of it all.

So when I finally decided I was going to make the change, I went to the person I trust the most in my professional life. Gini Dietrich. Gini and I’s story is a very interesting one. I started following her on Twitter almost 5 years ago. She had like 15,000 followers (at the time), lived in Chicago, was pretty, and was in the Marketing and PR world. So I began engaging her on a daily basis, and tried to strike up a friendship. I made a trip up to Chicago with a (now defunct) start-up I had at the time to look at space and tried to setup “Oh hello friend” meetings with Gini and another digital-only (at the time) friend Mari Luangrath. Mari and I got to meet face-to-face and she even brought me a cupcake. (If you are in Chicago, check out @FoiledCupcakes) Gini and I were set to ride bikes, but my schedule got messed up and I (still regret to this day) had to cancel. When I got back to Indianapolis, I started to dig around on her, Gini, in more depth and soon realized that not only was she IN that space, but she was a BIG DEAL in that space. (Insert #facepalm)

The reason I detailed that part of the story, is because I’ve long held Gini to a very trustworthy and high standard. So whenever I have a decision I think is right, I ping Gini and she gives me her honest, no BS opinion. She never says No, and she always helps. EVERY. TIME. You have no idea how valuable that is to a young(er) business professional — to have someone like Gini in your corner.

So with all of that being said, I explained to Gini I was thinking about changing it, and asked her if I should? Her response was pretty simple:

“I’ve been thinking about this since last night. You know what I think you should do? Just transfer @coxymoney.”

(Cue crescendo music)

So there you have it. @Coxymoney will now be known as @ryanleecox.

All of the business professionals I trust in my most inner of circles: Gini Dietrich, Shelly Kramer, Lorraine Ball, Tim Kopp, Andrew Dumont, Shannon Holato, Stacey Acevero, Jared Brown — to give you 8 as an example, have their social persona/identity tied to their actual name.

Sometimes even a Leader needs to Follow a Smart trend.

Oh, and by the way — Thank you very much Gini. You’ve been a mentor I can ping with what must seem as the stupidest or craziest questions sometimes, yet you always offer your help. I want you to know how thankful I am. Truly thankful Gini.

10 Things I Learned From The Business World

coxymoney — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:32:05 -0500

When my good friend Ryan Cox asked me to write him a guest post for a blog that he’s finally getting off the ground, I jumped at the chance to write a no-bullshit post for someone I truly think is super-intelligent and will go plenty of places in the business world. After my excitement was calmed, shame set in as I have had several attempts at getting a personal blog off the ground, none of which were really successful. After I finish writing this blog post, I declare war on Ryan and will commit to a personal blog, even if it kills me. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…

10 Things I Learned From the Business World

1. Having a personal blog was absolutely, positively necessary. Without one, you don’t have a place to practice writing, share your personal thoughts on your industry, and give a different perspective to topics you’re writing for your brand or corporate blog.

2. If someone can, they absolutely will, squeeze something out of you for free. Just like we love going to football games and getting free foam fingers before you go in, everyone in the world likes free stuff. And even if they aren’t interested in your product, they’ll take the freebies associated with it.

3. Social media is an unbelievably powerful thing. Like most other things, social media for brands started out as an experiment. Now, the potential for both positive and negative things to bloom through social media are as finicky as a kid who doesn’t want to eat their broccoli. I’ve witnessed both sides of the spectrum: videos go viral, or a brands reputation gets permanently damaged because of an ill-timed tweet. It’s like a mythical fire-breathing dragon, this social media stuff.

4. If you don’t have the latest iPhone iPad Android Netbook thingamabobber, you are a n00b. In addition, if you don’t have more than one of these devices on you at any given time, you will be dubbed a super-n00b.

5. Some seriously interesting people exist in the business world. Never have I met such a variety of intelligent and motivated people who truly believe in their brand or business. Every day I find a new “influencer” and think to myself “how can I be more like them?” It’s really admirable the things we create – whether it’s a product or a service or maybe just an idea.

6. Being in business means constantly evolving. And I mean constantly. It’s never enough to read a textbook from cover to cover and say “I’m done.” Once you’re done, you should be asking “How can I apply this?” “How can I make this better?” and “What does this imply for the future?”

7. If you ever want to turn it off, something might be wrong. Sure, sometimes I get burnt out and need a little vacation. But I’m writing this even as I’m on vacation right now, and later on in my vacation I’m positive I’ll be on Twitter and checking email. If you truly have a passion for something, it’s going to be hard to put it down, because you won’t want to miss out on something. And maybe that’s the way it should be.

8. Conferences are the most fun you will ever have in your business life – guaranteed. When I was younger I thought conferences and seminars were as boring as a Sunday with no NASCAR. But once I got the opportunity to attend a few, I was hooked. Amazing insights from credible speakers, and networking with other like-minded professionals opens up so many doors: professional friendships, help when you need it, and even a client or two along the way.

9. If you’re not a coffee lover, you will soon become one. Nothing like the busy business world to convert coffee into your best friend.

10. You gotta think like Steve Jobs: Keep innovating, and keep creating.

These are really only a few of the things I have learned in the business world. What have you learned?

Stacey Acevero is the Social Media Community Manager at Vocus.

Do you think the Colts will go 0-16?

coxymoney — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:55:15 -0500

Quipol