My 2011 Shelfari

The Holiday season is upon us. Along with making plans with family, baking several batches of cookies and Christmas shopping, I have also been thinking of the New Year and there is no better way to start the New Year then by setting goals.

With the help of my followers on Twitter and some friends in the industry, I started to compile my 2011 reading list. I also included books that I had been meaning to read in 2010 but never got around to reading them do to the massive pile of University text books that took over my bookself.

Over the year, I will continue to add to this list  and you can expect a few reviews right here on La Relationniste.

I've also decided to share my 2011 reading list with you on Shelfari. If you don't already have a Shelfari account, I highly recommend it. You too can make your own reading list and share reviews with your peers.

Happy reading!

Keep Your Followers Interested in 140 Characters

If you’re unable to come up with a clever thought without sharing it with your followers on Twitter, then you’re most likely one of the millions of people hooked on the micro-blogging tool. Apart from blogs, Twitter is my favorite place to spend time online. As I type feverously on my IPhone to tell my followers “What’s happening” those on the outside often ask me: What’s the point? Why would people care? What kind of things does one write about? I get this, I understand that if you’re not a “tweeple” it can seem like a deep dark hole filled with 140 character descriptions of what other users ate for breakfast. It’s true, no one cares about what you just ate for breakfast or that your dog just chased his own tail. However if you dig a little deeper, you will find that Twitter has immense value for organizations and individuals who what to build and add personality to their brand. For this reason, I have put together a list of things to Tweet about to ensure that your followers keep coming back for more.

1.     Provide interesting and relevant information and links to articles that are directly related to your interests and the interests of your community. I personally like to share articles concerning social media, fitness and nutrition and government 2.0.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

The United Nations recently ranked Canada third in "e-government" capacity http://bit.ly/gRTtsu #gov2

2.     Provide advice related to your field or industry. If you have a credible voice, people will listen. To appear credible I advise that you state your real name, fill out your bio and add a link to your blog, website or LinkedIn profile.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

The Social Media Mantra: Authenticity, Honesty, Transparency and Passion.

3.       But don’t forget to seek advice from others.

 dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 
Hi bloggers, give me your thoughts. Blogger or Wordpress?

4.     Engage with others in your community. Talk to top-tier influencers in your industry, respond to your customers questions or tell a contact that you enjoyed their most recent blog post. If you follow a lot of people, I recommend that you track your mentions through Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. This way you will always catch what people are saying to you or about you. Remember that social media is not all about you. If you want to build social capital you have to listen to what others are saying.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

I really enjoyed this morning's Social Media Breakfast with @cc_chapman . Thank you C.C!

cc_chapman C.C. Chapman 

@dominiquejoli You are most welcome. Glad to hear you had a good time!

5.     Tweet during presentations and seminars. I love to share valuable information with others during presentations. It is also a great way to interact with the other attendees without disrupting the speaker. Don’t forget to use the conversation #hashtag that corresponds with the event so that they can see what you’re saying.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

Social capital is influence that is measured by relationships. #cision 

6.     Recognize others and they will recognize you back. This one is very similar to number 4. Twitter is all about building a community and recognizing others. A great way to do this is on Fridays when everyone selects a person that they recommend to others accompanied by #FF. Remember to let others know why this person comes recommended by you.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

Good morning and happy Friday. Today's #FF is @carolinekealey for insight on strategic communications.

carolinekealey Caroline Kealey Love the spunk & obvious dedication in @dominiquejoli's bloghttp://tinyurl.com/32an96m Makes me proud to be a communications professional

7.     Promote events that you plan to attend. This is a great way to meet the people you follow in person. It is also a great way to support events that are taking place in your community.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

I'm attending IABC Presents: Flex your Brand Muscle - Top 10 Musts of a Successful Brand -- http://www.eventbrite.com/s/25oD

8.     Promote your personal blog or online content that you create. Not only does this increase your credibility but new content is also beneficial to your followers as long as what you are sharing is aligned with the interests of your online community.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 

Blog Post - Speak Human and Ten Other Content Rules:http://bit.ly/cI5amT #cprs #iabc

9.     Let your personality shine through. In my post entitled Speak Human and Ten Other Content Rules, I talked about how important it is to attach a personable voice to your brand. If you sound like a robot, chances are the people won’t listen because they can’t relate to you. I don’t recommend that all your Tweets be filled with fluff but I do think that random thoughts are necessary once in a while.

dominiquejoli Dominique Jolicoeur 
I cracked out the Christmas tunes this morning. Is it too early? Not that it matters.

What do you tell people who criticize Twitter without having tried it? Follow me on Twitter

Speak Human and Ten Other Content Rules

I woke up bright and early (it was actually pitch black) this morning to meet up with other social media fanatics for #SMBOttawa featuring C.C Chapman author of Content Rules. Let me tell you that setting my alarm an hour and a half earlier than usual was more than worth it. The speaker was engaging, the audience was into it and I left feeling inspired.

(source)

Other than learning how to build a fire and being advised that you don't make money writing books, the speaker shared eleven "rules" to consider when creating online content in order to be successful:

1.Embrace that you are a publisher

Content creation tools are easily available, are low in cost and are generally simple to use. You can publish your own blog, podcast, video, webinar, etc. Organizations can now reach their audience directly, without having to buy ad space or pitch to the media. This is important because customers are now searching for information about your product, service or brand online.

2. Insight inspires originality

You must tell your story because you know it better than anyone. If you don’t have a story to tell nobody will listen. In order to tell a good story it is important that you not only know yourself but that you know your audience well. For inspiration please see here.

3. Build momentum

You should have a reason for creating content. Content should be easily shared with links and tools. This is where "Tweet this" and "Like this" buttons come into play.

4. Speak human

In other words be yourself and use language that your audience understands. C.C gave a great example of how Coke got negative feedback from a member of the public via video. Instead of booking a studio and seeking approval from Legal and PR, the VP created a “no-fuss” video in his office as a response. It was simple and human and as a result people listened.

5. Reimagine; don’t recycle

Create something new out of old content. You can reimagine your content in a new format or platform. For example, you can turn your Flicker pictures into a video to promote an upcoming event.

6. Share or solve don’t shill

Your content should be valuable to your audience. By sharing your knowledge, your content should help them solve a problem, enhance their lives and/or help them do their job better.

7. Show don’t just tell

Much like the previous point, your content should be valuable to your audience and should not be a sales pitch. For example, Ernst&Young create videos that provide advice to entrepreneurs. They don’t try to sell their services in the video. As a result they become a reliable source and entrepreneurs will think of

them when they are seeking financial guidance.

8. Do something unexpected

Good content should stand out in order to grab the audiences’ attention. Cisco played on this by creating an ad that told a love story about a router. Not what the audience would expect, but it will definitely be remembered because they gave their brand personality.

9. Stoke the campfire

You have to keep adding content to keep people coming back. Once you lose your audience’s interest, it’s difficult to get it back.

10. Create wings and roots

If you’re sharing content online, it’s best to own the platform that you're using. Content often disappears on free platforms such as Facebook and chances are you can’t get it back because you don’t pay to use their services. For this reason, the author suggests creating a blog instead and securing it through ownership. To create wings, your content should be easy to share across platforms all over the web.

11. Play on your strengths

Stick to creating content that you are best at whether it be photography, video, audio or writing. You don’t have to do it all.

What rules do you follow when creating online content? Are they similar to Chapman's rules?

Hit the Ground Running

The transition from full-time student to full-time employee is a difficult one. One of the biggest challenges of this transition is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I traded leisurely walk and gym sessions between classes for 7 hour days that are mostly spent seated at my desk. Add this to all the irresistible treats that are passed around the office on a daily basis and you’re looking at one unhealthy lifestyle.

When I started working full-time there were so many things that I wanted to do after work and hitting the gym was the last thing on my list. I quickly realized that I was bored with my workout routine, so I decided to do something about it.

(image source)

Here are some of the tricks that I turn to when I need to spice up my routine:

1.  A workout plan: In my workout plan, every day was devoted to a different muscle groups (legs and abs, chest and triceps, back and biceps and shoulders and forearms). Along with every workout I included a section where I added the amount of weight and reps that I had   accomplished. I felt extra motivated after seeing that I could do more weight as the weeks went by.

2. Challenge yourself: This summer my number one goal was to start running. I have never been a runner. In fact the very thought of running made me feel ill. However when it comes to fighting boredom with my routine, nothing does it like a challenge. So off I went and bought myself a fancy pair of running shoes, loaded my MP3 with upbeat music and hit the pavement at the crack of dawn. I kept my goals small and I told myself that I would only run a couple of blocks at a time. After a while, a couple of blocks turned into a few more and so on. I was no longer telling myself that I couldn’t do it. Instead, I used the blissful alone time to sort out my thoughts or I would clear my head by concentrating on how beautiful my favorite city streets looked during the summer months.

3. Buddy up: When I get bored of my strength training routine, I breathe new life into it by inviting a friend to join me. Playing personal trainer always gives me that extra needed motivation. Also, it’s a great way to share tips and techniques.

4. Variety: About a month ago I tried out a new gym on a week pass. After the week was over, I ended up joining that gym even if it overlapped with my contract at another gym. For those of you who know me, you probably know that I’m quite sensible with money. Why did I choose to do this you ask? It’s because my new gym offers so much more variety. It offers yoga, aerobics, dance, spinning and the list goes on. Once I added more variety to my workout, I began finding it difficult not to go to the gym!

What do you do to stay motivated when it comes to exercise?