THE TIME IS NOW!

The Time is Now!

I fan the possibilities out like a hand of cards

Kings, Jacks, Aces- the choice is mine

I have the opportunity to drive my destiny

I feel the power emanating within me

This is my time, my chance to drive the fire

That burns deep within me

No more quenching the roar into a latent sleep,

Content to focus on the stuff of everyday life

The time is now; the flames are ready to rise

I know that I have what it takes to rock the world

To leave a difference that is monumental in scope

By affecting one person, one brand, one company at a time

I’ve made my choice- my passion has been ignited….

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

Social Media in Dayton

Next week finds C3 in Dayton participating in two exciting Social Media events. The first is the SummitUp conference which consists of local and national speakers. I was excited to register for this conference because one of the keynote speakers is a Twitter personality and social media guru that I respect, Chris Brogan. Was thrilled to get to hear him speak live (have participated in a couple of webinars that he has been part of) and to get a copy of his new book. Recently found out that I was the winner of a Twitter contest whose prize is a seat at the speakers' table for this event. Now I am triply thrilled about going!!!

The second event is one in which I will be speaking on, or rather leading a discussion around Social Media and how a successful strategy can help to build business. It is a very unique event that is part of Cox Media's Dynamic Dialogue Series and involves three speed discussions that rotate for the first hour of the event. The second hour will be spent with more traditional networking with food and drinks all within the gorgeous back drop of the Dayton Art Institute.


My friend and Internet Marketing Czar, Rob Bunting, does a great job detailing the event and interviewing event coordinator, Cathi Eastman from Cox Ohio Media. Check it out here.


Chris Brogan's book: "Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust".

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

Surround Yourself With Brilliance!

" Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin into the future..."

*Fly Like An Eagle- Steve Miller

Feeling like the days and weeks are flying by. Just want to grab a hold of the day and screenshot it into permanency. To take those rich, vibrant fall colors and unusually lush, green grass populated by seasonal displays of pumpkins and scarecrows and bales of hay and frame them forever in my mind. Don't get me wrong, the days are flying, but I am loving every minute of the life I am leading. I am truly where I want to be and traveling the path that has been my destiny for some time. All of our inherent gifts, personality traits, education, idiosyncrasies and life experiences join forces to carve us into who we are today. The people that intersect our path for a moment, a day, a life-time, leave an indelible mark on who we are and we are forever changed by their presence in our lives.

So my thought for the day is this: Surround yourself with the best possible friends and mentors and be "gift" to others by intersecting their path of life. I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that it is in giving that we receive. While you are at it, make a list of the people who have deeply affected your life. You may be surprised by what you find!




Image credit: http://www.northshorefallcolors.com/images/fall_colors_2007_5.jpg

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

TWITTER MILESTONE

Just hit a Twitter milestone last night by having the 1,000th follower find me organically. I started this Twitter account in February and have followed an organic natural approach to developing a "Tribe". I believe that each Tweeter needs to develop a strategy for their account, whether it is for personal or business usage. This particular account is my personal account and I tweet a variety of messages, both business (social media & marketing related) and general messages (comments on current events, great quotes, etc.). The emphasis here is on "conversation" and building relationships with interesting and knowledgeable people around the globe. I began with four categories of people that I wanted to follow personally:

• Social Media "Experts" like @GuyKawasaki, @Mashable, @Scobleizer
• Writers- both local and nationally published
• Cincinnatians- interesting folks who give off a vibe of what's going on in the city
• Media/Companies like: @Huffingtonpost, @WSJ, @FastCompany

Some follow back and some don't. I occasionally ask a follower how they found me and the answers are quite varied. I have never used an auto-follower or any type of auto-reply message. When someone follows me, I check out their tweets, bio, stats (do they tweet 100X/day, cus I don't want that much noise in my life!!) and their web-site. If they fit one of my four criteria above or seem to be incredibly interesting, then I follow back and send a personal message thanking them for the follow. I always include their name and some tidbit from their page so they will know that it is not an automated response. I enjoy engaging in discussion with other Tweeters. I have built some great on-line and off-line friendships as well as discovered business opportunities and created some partnerships.

The most exciting thing is attending a live networking event, and meeting someone that you have been in conversation with for a while on Twitter. There is always the feeling that you have known the person for a long time, even though you are meeting for the first time! I have no idea what it will feel like to have 2,000 followers or even 10,000 followers, but for now things feel manageable for this personal account.

A business account is a completely different animal and requires a much different strategy both for following and obtaining followers. Note the emphasis on the word "obtaining"-with a business account, you would be foolish to let things happen organically. Business accounts demand tribe development- after all, aren't you selling something???


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

DISAPPOINTMENT.......................

SO TIRED...........I hate when I am disappointed by the failure of other people to live up to my expectations. Why can't we all operate in a way that is full of integrity? If I place my trust in you and you violate that trust, a fissure occurs in our relationship. I operate with honesty and integrity with the intention to always do the right thing to the best of my ability. It is so tiring to have to deal with people who don't follow this golden way of living. UGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!