As reported earlier I joined 110 other web publishers in Chicago this weekend. In addition to fun and community, I picked up quite a few great ideas - both on business leadership and web publishing.
Lessons for leaders
Networking in person is networking in Technicolor. I had met many of the attendees through blogs, comments, emails and even a couple of phone calls. But those connections were turbocharged by our face time. I came home with new appreciation for 110 web publishers; a new understanding. The point? Don't confine your networking to your computer. Get up, get out, and get face to face.
That having been said, this Web 2.0 community stuff is real. I walked into the lobby Friday night and instantly spotted Liz Strauss, Phil Gerbyshak and Mike Sansone. The minute each spoke, I realized I already knew them. Because each is an "authentic" writer, they were just what I expected. Instant friends. How are you taking advantage of the on line communities to build your business, and to better serve your customers and employees?
Phil Gerbyshak suggested we ask folks in our network how (and how often) they want us to keep in touch. I like to receive regular emails, for example, and arrange an occasional phone call.
(By the way, if your group, division, corporation or home town is suffering from an energy shortage, Phil has enough extra energy to power a city of 959,676. Click on his Hire Phil button to learn more.)
As Andy Sernovitz reminded us, "You can't fake your brand. You are what your customers experience. Your customers control your brand."
For all but the smallest of operations, your customers, competitors, suppliers and employees are writing about you on the web. Ignore the "Blogosphere" at your peril. One company I know of was the target of some negative blog comments. The solution? They shutdown the firewall, preventing their own employees from reading those blogs at work. Did that make the bad publicity go away? Of course not. How much better it would have been to engage in the conversation, with the help of their employees.
"Tribe" remains important to most of us. This weekend affected me and others deeply - surprisingly so. I think that's because we had brought together our little tribe face-to-face for the first time. Lessons for leaders? If Tribe is still important to most of us, how are you using Tribe to grow your business?
Lessons for web-publishers (bloggers) and others
I still can't multi-task. As many as 20 of the attendees were able to pay attention to the conference, and take part in the conversation while simultaneously live-blogging about the conference. Not me, though. Perhaps it's a generational thing?
It's key to be authentic - to write as you are. The best writers were instantly recognizable - they looked as I expected and spoke as I expected and acted as I expected. That's because they have found their own unique voice and write that way daily.
Write something every day, even if you don't publish every day. Draft ideas, do a bit of research, brainstorm topics.
For me, a photo helps me relate to the writer of a blog. There was a bit of disagreement at the conference on this topic, but for me, a photo adds value.
Leave room for you - my readers - to contribute your ideas. I don't do this to my satisfaction yet, so I'll be working to find ways to draw out your thoughts more often.
