The Way We Watch

19 Social Media To-Do's

If you are a new reader or an old one, thanks for stopping by.  What I do here is help readers with video, social networks, vlogging, and converse about the changing nature of marketing/PR and communications within the social web.

Let me know if what you see and read is helpful with a comment or tweet. Click @chrismingryan.

Today is a great day to:

• Start using RSS to make yourself an editor-in-chief of the social web.
• Send a Tweet.
• Be in the social networking game because Obama did it and look where he is now.
• Become an expert.
• Make a subtle change that makes something more truthful.
• Recharge your batteries with a classic film and tell someone about it.
• Interview your kids or a friend on what they reading, watching, and playing (you will learn something).
  
  

• Spice up your blog.
• Write a rant and share it in an email or post.
• Produce video - it's easier than ever before.
• Publicize others (hint: it's the secret of the social web) and help your tribe at the same time.
• Get the person who works for you a promotion by doing this.
• Make something beautiful. 
• Direct a video classified
   

• Surprise your audience.
• Develop an analogy.
• Create a Wordle and share it (they are fun).
• Introduce yourself with a joke.
• Encourage a blogger by subscribing to their blog.

photo credit: robinn.

How To Be Fulfilled At Your Job

It's easy to be fulfilled at your job...

Work for the best people.

The best people make it a priority to learn your goals.

The best people want you to succeed.

The best people are absolutely clear in their expectations.

The best people are coaches. They listen and provide feedback.

The best people think giving recognition is part of their job description.

The best people know how to celebrate and reward team and individual success.

The best people back you up when there is a snafu.

The best people write hand written notes.

The best people find a way to learn the whole story.

The best people get you access. Give you room to work.  And stay out of the way till needed.

The best people are thinking about your career as much as you are.

The best people make Monday morning something to look forward to.

The best people are out there.  Do anything you can to work for them.

10 Secrets for Those 10 Years

Malcolm Gladwell said it. So did Seth Godin before him. You need 10 years (or 10,000 hours) of practice to be really good at something.

But what do you do during those ten years? Ten years is a long time. Here are some ideas for activities to do while you're practicing your profession.

1. Work at a large company. If you can't rise over above your entry level at a big company - you're probably not going to rise on the outside either. Second, you'll feel what's it like to be responsible for a budget. If you treat it as your money - you'll probably never forget that.
 
2. Work at a small company. A boutique firm will stretch you. You'll answer phones, get coffee and get caught up in the crazy lives of the owners. The flip side - you'll get to have your thumbprint on every project that comes through the door.
 
3. Do an outside project after hours in your field. True story: While working at AT&T, I partnered with one of my vendors and we created a home video. It did so well that it partially paid for a down payment on our respective first houses. I learned a lot too.
 
4. With every single person you have meaningful contact, get their name, email, address, birthday, kids' names and where they went to school.  The more you know about your contacts - the more helpful you can be to them.  And vice versa.
 
5. Learn enough about the process and craft of what you do so that in a pinch you could do it all.  I am a video writer/producer/director. I've also learned how to shoot and edit.
 
6. Create partnerships with people who complement you - not duplicate - what you do.
   My first business was with an out of this world editor.  After three years we grossed over $1 million is sales.
 
7. Work with the best people you can find. My work is collaborative. My work gets better and better because of the people I choose to partner with (that includes DPs, editors, and graphic artists).
 
8. Be nice. Say "Please" and "Thank You". When you're working for that big company and you start hiring a bevy of freelancers. You never know which of your freelancers will become your partner down the road. And when the job is done, write a note to them congratulating them on what they did.
 
9. Keep learning new things in your field.  Easier said then done. But blog reading is a great first step.
 
10. Do it your own way. Whatever someone says - make it your own. Let me know how you are getting through your journey.

Related Posts From The Way We Watch

How to Be Fulfilled At Your Job 

Everything I Know About Social Media I Learned Being a

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