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Beach Notes: Waiting For A Wave

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

The sea’s been wonderfully warm for Autumn (Fall) and this week the sea has been crystal clear. But for the board riders the waves have been modest in size and frequency. So the surfers have had to practise patience and be ready to spring into action when a good wave comes.

We notice that experienced surfers do a lot of stretching before they actually go into the surf, so when the moment comes for action they are less likely to pull a muscle. We met one of our board riding friends the other day limping, he had done just that the day before.

In business as in surfing there are times you have to wait, just make sure you have done your "stretching exercises" so you are prepared to spring into action when the opportunity arises.

The old saying comes to mind:

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
-Seneca .

How do you stretch while you’re waiting for the wave?

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Happy Mother’s Day!
From Liz, Suzie, and Des!

My ROI – SOBCon 09

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The theme for SOBCon last weekend in Chicago was the Return on Investment (ROI) of Relationships. As we learned from KD Paine’s presentation there are many ways to measure ROI, and in a successful business model that is the goal – to measure output in relation to input. It’s a difficult issue because, first, there has to be a clear definition of relationship and then what does the return actually mean? Are we dealing with dollar and cents as our measure or are we calculating visits to a website as our return? The answer to the question is situation specific and, having said that, I can really only talk about my ROI as it pertains to my weekend in Chicago. 

I must admit I was very nervous about going to the conference. Although I have made lots of great connections online I am new to this and attending a “biz school” for bloggers was a little daunting. My take aways:
 
– Meeting people face-to-face strengthened relationships and took them to a new level of trust and support. And oh how we laughed! 
-I learned things about the business of blogging: how to make money, practical skills, new techniques, and of many new services out there. 
– I learned that having a lot of connections, investing in relationships with many different people from many different backgrounds and areas of interest’s leads to an incredible arsenal of resources. Putting these people in a room together created energy you could actually feel and almost see.  
– I made connections, which will lead to future projects that may provide
employment. 
–  Days later I learned that the best take away was the feeling of being revitalized and knowing of all the support available in the SOB community. 
– I learned that the conversation generated by the presenters, as with Brian Clark’s presentation, was even more valuable than the presentation itself.
 

I measured my ROI and am extremely happy with my return. The most valuable item? Definitely conversation. In the end isn’t that what we’re all trying to create?  A conversation around our post, service, blog, product, idea, or self? ? 

from: Kathryn Jennex aka northernchick

Beach Notes: Across the Waves

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

Yesterday walking on the beach I was stuck for inspiration for this weeks beach notes. Des came up with a few ideas that were variations on what we had done previously.

Then I remembered SOBCon ’09 was on and thought what good timing for a beach inspiration picture, especially as Liz loves Aussie Beaches.

SOBCon09

I then headed into twitter to see what was being said about and at SOBCon ’09.

Here are a few gems for those of us who didn’t get to Chicago this weekend.
SobCon09
SobCon09
SobCon09
SobCon09
SobCon09
SobCon09

Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

A Community Gathers SOBCon 09

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I grew up in a small community and gatherings were a regular thing. The community gathered, through some type of religious affiliation or volunteer organization, and the people came together. There was the planning that occurred up to the event, the talk surrounding who was going, and the conversation about looking forward to seeing so-and-so. People came together to learn, to discuss ideas, to renew old friendships and make new.

People worked hard and long to arrange schedules, offer up what they could, and sometimes make sacrifices to attend these community gatherings. I feel it’s all very much the same, as we have been getting ready to attend SOBCon 2009. I appreciate all that everyone has done – I want you to know that.

The theme this year of the “Biz School for Bloggers” is the ROI of relationships. I want to learn as much as I can from all the various sessions and bring back new tools to help me move forward. I also am very much looking forward to expanding the relationship part of that equation and adding a new dimension to the relationships I have developed through this blog, Twitter, and the online community in general.

Tomorrow I head to Chicago to meet people from my community. The journey to this point has been a crazy one! I’ve been ill and felt defeated. I lost hope and motivation. But, right now, I am holding the ticket in my hand and am more than ready to get on that plane!

Because I was so late in actually knowing whether or not I would be attending (seriously – I just found out for SURE yesterday!) I was holding back from announcing my excitement. But tonight it’s actually palpable out there on Twitter. I want to thank all of you, and you know who you are, who offered encouragement, support and really kept me going in my quest for a Chicago adventure.

I look forward to meeting you all. I feel like I have known many of you forever. Those in our community who cannot make it – trust me, I understand. Please ask us who will be there for the information and/or things you need.

And please comment about the relationships you’ve built through this community, through Twitter, and through your other online communities!

from Kathryn Jennex @northernchick

Beach Notes: I Can See Clearly Now the Rain Is Gone?

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

On Friday we wondered if we would get to swim in the sea. Following a week or more of fierce storms with a consequent build up of debris, the sea was so murky. The locals including ourselves were reluctant to swim. Thursday we stood on the beach discussing why it was taking so long to clear. We didn’t swim that day.

Then overnight, as if with the wave of a magic wand the sea had become crystal clear. You could see the fish and your own feet.

Life itself is like that sometimes I find. Last week I was in one of my "overwhelm" states. HOW would I get everything completed IN TIME?

Des says let’s get everything that is in your head onto a spreadsheet. VOILA, magic wand time again! I have been able to get clear and move forward. What’s great is I am checking things off. This give me good feelings as well as giving me clarity.

What do you do when things are not clear?

Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

Listening & Watching – Lessons Learned

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I took two days off Twitter recently and listened. By listening I mean watched. I’d been noticing the changes: the shifting, the influx and the exodus. I’m not talking about how the interface is working; I’m talking about the how the users are changing through the use of the tool. I’m a sociologist at heart. I like to watch group behavior; I like to think about what makes people tick. Brian Solis described social media as “… a fusion between technology and sociology…” Naturally, I’m intrigued.

I saw really interesting happenings. There will always be leaders and there will always be followers – no Twitter pun intended. I saw people I have met in person taking on leadership roles on twitter that they never would dream of doing off line. I saw people changing their behavior from when they began on Twitter to emulate some who they must perceive as successful. I saw people building relationships based on conversation and many offerings of help.

At first, I admit, I did notice the more negative aspects of what is happening out there like the huge collecting of followers based purely on numbers without any engagement. I also noticed that some people needed instruction on how to be genuine. No, not just newspapers and corporations but actual individuals.

Through a conversation I was having with someone I greatly admire (and whom I met through Twitter) I began to describe how I found this particularly sad. He replied the “genuinely-challenged” haven’t learned that their vulnerability can be a rich source for power to do good for others.” I thought about that statement for a full day.

I see a lot of good things happening through social media. I’m not just talking about Twitter – that’s a tool and there are many tools. I see people coming together, exchanging ideas, learning and growing. I see companies communicating with people who buy their products in a meaningful way. I see publishers, PR people recognizing the need for change and working through that. In tough times I see people reaching out to each other building a community that offline, maybe crumbling around them.
It was really good to step back for a day or two. I highly recommend it. It’s also really good to be back.
Have you taken a social media break? Was it helpful? What did you learn?

from: Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick