Put this at the top of the “brilliant things I stumbled upon today” list. One of my favorite smart marketers, Aaron Strout, had a recent brainstorm while flying and came up with the Brand Haiku idea that 20+ bloggers are having fun with today. Good timing…I wonder if he knew today was “I Love to Write (Marketing Stuff) Day?”

Anyway, Aaron really got me thinking–which is nothing new–and I just couldn’t help but jump into the fray. Oh, Aaron, I think you’re onto something here. I could do this every week. In the meantime, here’s my contribution. Be gentle…I do believe this is my first haiku.

Wireless and coffee
But Panera limits me
I’m not their priority

Starbucks got it right
Brews good coffee and ideas
Serves me and I stay

So, I’m curious, would you or the 20+ participating bloggers have responded differently if this was a branded campaign? Sure, brands can jump in and comment on the haikus or engage in this micro-community in some way…and I sure hope they do! But, what if one smart brand had thought to create this as branded content and give bloggers and others a forum for sharing their perspectives? I’m interested in what the reaction would have been, and how it may have changed the discussion. What do you think?

Either way, thanks to Aaron for the creative assignment. Smart and fun…the best combination. Note to Self: Come up with a brilliant idea on my next flight. Share it.

If you’re new to the Brand Haiku, do yourself a favor and start with Aaron’s post, then conveniently click through from post to post for the others.

…OH, AND A BIT OF HAIKU CONTEXT: Just this week I tweeted about my frustration with Panera Bread. After a really productive meeting over breakfast, I decided to stay, get another coffee and a scone, and get just a bit of work done before moving on with the rest of my day. You see, at least 2-3 days per week, my work has me mobile, so I find my “office” space in coffee shops and co-working spots all over the city. I’m just one of MANY who do the same. Thing is, my time at Panera fell within what they’ve deemed “peak,” when they limit wireless connection to a mere 30 minutes. Panera is on Twitter, but I got no response to my tweet. On the contrary, when I’ve tweeted to Starbucks, whether in the positive or negative, they have replied. Yet another reason why they get my business consistently. Now, if we could only talk about those foursquare specials…

I was pleased to be featured–among others, including my friend Steve Garfield–on page one of the Boston Globe this morning. The Beth Teitell article, “Virtual tracking fosters real-life connections,” takes a look at a few local users of foursquare, one of many growing location-based services (LBS), and how their social check-in routines have created opportunities to meet folks they might not otherwise have encountered. It gave a glimpse at my perspective, and the opportunity and risks the app presents.

In the grand scheme, I was an early adopter of foursquare, and it quickly found a comfortable home among my own personal family of social apps. Like any member of the family, it’s certainly not without its faults and, especially recently, has experienced some growing pains, but still I remain loyal. In the early days, I checked in everywhere I went, and found myself climbing the foursquare leaderboard most weeks. But while some of the gaming elements of foursquare were initially appealing, the minimal draw of acquiring points quickly lost its luster for me. Still, some bizarre sense of pride remained in capturing and maintaining certain mayorships, but even that practice quickly focused only on those establishments that had created foursquare specials of real value to me (i.e. Ben & Jerry’s). So, while I’m a frequent customer of Starbucks, becoming and staying mayor there really isn’t important to me because they have yet to create a special that delivers any real incentive or reward. Should that change, you could see me vying for the crown at my local ‘bucks…or the one near my friend and LBS guru, SchneiderMike.

So, I’ve clearly adjusted my foursquare use over time, but my overall motivation hasn’t changed since I first signed up and logged on. I’m in it for the connections. When I consider checking in, I’m asking myself the following questions:

1. Could I find a friend or colleague at this location?
I’m an independent consultant. So, while I have a home office, my workplace is often mobile. When I work in downtown Boston–usually twice a week or so–I like to find opportunities to co-work or to meet a friend or colleague over coffee or lunch to share ideas or conjure a new project. I might even find a new friend or colleague that’s looking for the same.

2. Do I want my social network to know I’ve been here?
If I visit a location or event that’s related to my business or industry, I want folks to know that. It helps my network know the contributions I’m making and generate some interest in my work. And it helps my network learn a little more about me and my routines, helping to further build those relationships I’ve worked so hard to foster.

3. Will checking in improve my experience here?
If there’s an opportunity for valuable networking, I want to take it. If there’s a foursquare special that would help me save some money, I want to redeem it. If checking in will help me connect with others in my location and turn a routine stop into a new adventure, I’m game.

If I find myself answering yes at least once, I’m very likely to check in. So…”What about the risk of sharing your location so publicly?,” some ask. I say, be smart about it. As a woman, I’m perhaps a bit more cautious about how I connect with people and check in than many of my male friends who are frequent foursquare users. That said, I have friends–male and female–with very diverging opinions on how to connect on location-based apps. Personally, when it comes to LBS platforms, I choose only to friend folks with whom I’ve had some form of previous connection. I’ve either met them personally or have had online interaction with them on Twitter or elsewhere. I don’t see a need to connect further with someone on a service that shares my location until we’ve had at least that much experience with each other first. And I’m thoughtful about how and when I share my location. If there’s any question of security or risk, I just don’t check in. The social experience isn’t worth putting myself or others at personal risk.

By and large, I’ve seen some early benefits of foursquare and other LBS platforms like Facebook Places (which just doesn’t seem to like my Android phone), Gowalla (beautiful and engaging interface), Loopt (promising events feature), Pegshot (share photos and videos tied to location), Scvngr (challenge-based), Whrrl (connects you with friends’ recommendations) and others. But, above and beyond any of their respective functionality, their collective potential is the most appealing feature of LBS.

The location category is hot and growing, but the real success of these platforms will come as more businesses, large and small, recognize their value and start tapping into it. The creation of foursquare specials for check-ins and mayorships is just the tip of the iceberg, though for the record, it’s the relative low-hanging fruit that many need to start picking to catapult some momentum for the rest. As businesses start leveraging location to learn more about their customers’ buying habits, they too will build the connections that I and many others are seeking when we check in. And they’ll reap the rewards…far more than any superusers and their discounted frappuccinos.

WEGO Health gathers health activists for #HAmeetup in Boston.

I had the distinct pleasure of leading a smart group of health activists in a breakout group at the most recent WEGO Health meetup in Boston. Our topic was using multimedia to engage your communities, and there was no shortage of questions and ideas.

We had a great mix of social media newbies and digital natives in our group. For example, Karen shared her experiences blogging about diabetes, and Paul from the South Boston Hope & Recovery Coalition talked about his work building a community on Facebook. Others had questions about how to get started on Twitter and whether blogging was right for them.

We focused our discussion on three takeaways that we could all act upon right away.

1. Be aware of opportunities
You face opportunities to create content several times a day. It simply takes a mild shift in your routine to recognize them. With a smartphone always near, you can snap a photo or capture video at events, conferences, meetups, at the store…wherever you find inspiration…and quickly share it on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube or your own blog. And take advantage of the many available tools for making your content creation easier. Check out oneforty for some of my favorites, including Alicia Staley’s Toolkit for Health Activists.

2. Realize that content need not always be yours

Alicia Staley (@stales) reports key takeaways to the group.

Get in the habit of sharing valuable, relevant content of others (with due credit, of course) with your communities. Set up searches on Twitter or in Google Reader to capture content related to your areas of interest so you’re aware when something new and interesting becomes available. And comment, comment, comment! Creating content doesn’t always have to be a new blog post. Be sure to follow those who are blogging about your area of expertise and comment regularly.

3. Don’t Wait…Create!
Don’t let moments of inspiration pass you by. Snap that photo, share a 60-second video, capture a note in Evernote for blogging later, or better yet post one paragraph that sums up your thoughts. Whenever and wherever you can, create content in the moment and you’ll find your community will respond in kind.

I’m grateful to our group for a lively discussion, and look forward to continuing the dialogue online and off. And I want to see the content you’re creating, so please share links here.

Thanks to WEGO Health for asking me to lead this discussion, and for creating the opportunity for us all to gather and share our experiences. I’m already looking forward to the next meetup!

So, how are you using the written word, video, audio and photography to create content that engages your community? What tips would you offer others just starting out? What successes can we all learn from?

Did you hear that Mashable declared Friday Social Good Day? I think that’s great and commend their efforts to do something to catalyze the community “to celebrate, share, educate and engage in a discussion on how social media can be used to tackle some of the world’s social challenges and issues.” That said, it’s equally important to recognize that, particularly in the challenging environment we face today, social good can’t just be a day-long celebration (though some great things can be done in even a short time), but rather a long-term, sustainable effort.

And it is indeed a challenging environment. I think those on the front lines of creating positive change on behalf of causes are facing the perfect storm of social good…three circumstances that are challenging on their own, but exponentially more daunting when faced simultaneously.

1. A rough economy–With so many out of work, and everyone from individuals to corporations tightening the purse strings in order to ride out the recession, few dollars are left for charitable contributions.

2. Charity overload–There’s already too little to go around, and it seems there is a new request for support–sometimes with a dose of peer pressure–every time you turn around.

3. Attention deficit–Causes are fighting for a share of attention with more media, content and messages than ever before, and it’s really hard to shine through.

If you weren’t in Boston last week and missed Jeff Pulver’s 140 Conference (#140conf) Boston, you missed a great session on Social Good that included Scott Henderson, Jeanne Dasaro and Kevin Gilnack. They discussed what the real-time web means for creating social change. Scott described social media as an effort to bridge the distance between the people who need help, the people who want to help and the obstacles in the way. Social media helps remove or mitigate many of those obstacles, provided those taking charge of causes organize and mobilize effectively.

So, what are some simple strategies to get started in the right direction?

• First, what is the good you want to create? You need to know the destination before you can plot a course.
• You need people. So, how can you use social media to be a connector and find the right people for the right causes?
• What stories can you tell that inspire, turning awareness into action for your cause?
• How can you partner or leverage the work of synergistic organizations to further both of your efforts?

It’s not easy, but we all know it’s worth our efforts. Let’s make those efforts more effective. What strategies are you using? What’s working and what’s still broken?

(…oh, and I’m heading into a session on Social Media for Social Good at Podcamp Boston, so I’ll let you know anything new I learn!)

*Update: Long story, short? It was a solid session led by David Wells of Socialize Your Cause. Check them out for some great resources. Just a couple quick things I picked up from David and others in the session…a fantastic Google Chrome plugin that enables you to instantly select and promote a cause to all your friends on Facebook, and a lead on some low-hanging fruit and in-kind advertising with Google Grants.

Whoa, how did this happen? There are mere hours left to vote for your favorite South by Southwest (SXSW) panel proposals! And if you work in healthcare, you’ve probably heard that SXSW added a new Health Track this year. No doubt it was a welcome addition by many because they were flooded with a ton of quality submissions and 84 made it to the panel picker. Yes, 84! But don’t you worry. If you don’t have time to review all 84 panels, I’m here to help. I already did, and below are my picks for the Top 15 panels, in no particular order. Consider it your own little SXSW Health Cliffs Notes. Feel free to cheat. I won’t tell.

Health Data Everywhere: Not a Drop to Link?
Indu Subaiya, Health 2.0 / Developer Challenge
The Health 2.0 and Open Gov movements have helped unlock large repositories of data, but much remains to be done to connect these disconnected islands of data to generate information that’s meaningful and actionable by end users. This session brings together some of the leading voices in the Health 2.0 movement to discuss and demo technologies that help access, mine, display and distribute control of health information across a wide variety of interfaces and devices. By the looks of the proposed panelists, this could be a hot one!

The New Frontier of Social CRM in Healthcare
Earl Whipple, AstraZeneca
While consumers are increasingly turning to digital media to talk about health, healthcare companies lack guidance to engage in an appropriate, responsible way—even when the conversation involves their own company or brands. In this discussion, the speaker will explain the nuts and bolts of social CRM and will explore the nuances as they relate to healthcare.

Will Online Patient Communities Replace Primary Care?
Greg Matthews, WCG
Patients with chronic conditions are turning more and more often to their peers instead of (or optimally, in addition to) the medical community for guidance. As online health communities such as Patients Like Me and CureTogether continue to grow and spread, how will that change primary care? Could patient communities actually replace your primary care doctor altogether? This is sure to create a vibrant discussion about the ideal role of online health communities.

Patients/Caregivers on Facebook: Establishing Boundaries Without Barriers
Ed Bennett, University of Maryland Medical Center
While it’s not unusual for those with chronic health issues and long-term medical problems to build close relationships with care providers “in real life,” legal, ethical and practical issues emerge when patients/clients seek to add care providers to online networks. Panelists for this session have developed ways to establish appropriate boundaries without creating barriers to health education and empowerment. Ed promises that attendees will develop a more sophisticated awareness of privacy and engagement within online communities.

Improving Patient’s Health Literacy Through Technology and Design
Samuel Pettyjohn, Health Literacy Missouri
It is estimated that low health literacy costs the United States upwards of $236 billion annually. Health literacy is one of the few fields in medicine that can directly benefit from creative design and programming to simplify patient and doctor interactions, promote healthy activities, and make patients compliant with doctor’s orders and prescription drugs. Health Literacy Missouri is extending an invitation to the creative community of SXSW to develop partnerships and collaborations in developing the newest technological advances in health communication.

Crowd Sourcing Cancer
Alicia Staley, The Staley Foundation
Not only do I believe in Alicia, she’s a friend, and she’s proposed a great panel. With social networks and the explosion of health communities, we have an opportunity to reach out, connect, and begin to address the issues that plague patients undergoing treatments for cancer. While a cure may still be elusive, much can be done to dramatically improve quality of life. Alicia is an inspiring 3-time cancer survivor who will lead this session through her powerful strategy of Seek. Source. Solve. Survive.

Social Media: The RX for Improved Adherence?
Jody Schoger, Women With Cancer
An ASCO study released June 28, 2010 demonstrated that fewer than 50 percent of women complete the entire course of recommended treatment (generally 5 years) with the lowest adherence rates among women under 40, who may have a higher risk of recurrence simply because they have longer to live. Jody will take us through a social media program she’s designed to capture data for breast cancer, but this could just as easily be applied to other disease categories. The data she seeks may help healthcare providers and pharma increase adherence, helping to improve health outcomes and generate income for further development.

$cience: Can Healthcare Advocates Crowdsource Philanthropy?
Amy Murphy, American College of Cardiology
For an advocacy group to effectively lobby for patients, it needs one thing (and lots of it): dollars. How can an organization’s presence and visibility through new media affect its reach– and its bottom line? What about positively or negatively affecting connections to patients, families and caregivers? The panel will pull from experiences from several advocacy groups to understand how social media is ideally used to promote programming.

Health and Wealth: Economically Viable Health Online
Nick Dawson, Bon Secours Health System
Today’s healthcare system is financially driven by a reaction to illness and it traps valuable expertise that is only accessible in times of illness. Doctors are paid when they see patients, not when they keep people out of their office. So, the system is designed to serve those seeking treatment, not prevention. There is a sustainable solution using the interactive web, social media and the associated APIs in conjunction with the existing third party reimbursement model of the healthcare industry. Providers can make money promoting wellness, freeing them to serve their communities in a capacity as the trusted source of health and wellness. This will be an exciting, non technical look at the opportunities that exist for providers and individuals to connect online to encourage health and wellness.

Social Networks: A Bad RX for Your Identity?
Bill Morrow, www.csidentity.com
Medical identity theft is the fastest-growing crime according to privacy experts and legislators. Social networks have transformed the lines of communication for all involved; however, with insecure data privacy practices and fraud, they are put at greater risk. The growing utilization of mobile applications for finances and healthcare are contributing to the threat. This session will discuss how to protect sensitive data and be HIPAA compliant. Bill promises attendees will learn multiple strategies to reduce risk, fraudulent claims, exposed health records and the related damages – to your bottom line and organization’s reputation.

Minority Report: Social Media for Decreasing Health Disparities
Aimee Roundtree, University of Houston-Downtown
Media research shows that, in the United States, minorities use social media as much—if not more—than most for connecting with friends, family and community. On the other hand, health disparities research finds that minorities do not receive the healthcare that they need, while they disproportionately suffer from chronic, serious illnesses that impact their quality of life and the future of the US healthcare system. This session will cover current uses of social media to connect with the minority communities, discuss the problems and potential of these applications, and share opportunities and incentive programs for developers.

Unruly Guide for Geek Health
Christie Dames, TechTalk StudioWe’re busy geeks working in healthcare, but we can’t forget our own health! The wild life of the interactive genius requires extra attention. The rules of the past don’t apply any more — this is not your parent’s healthcare plan. Christie will help us learn strategies, tools, and techniques to feed and protect our brains and all our systems. She will cut through the unnecessary and confusing information and help us simplify what we need to feel, look and operate at optimum performance.

Mobile Health in Africa: What Can We Learn?
Douglas Naegele, Infield Communications
There were a few mobile health panel submissions this year, but I like the approach this one takes. Giving examples of how mobile devices are bringing healthcare to underserved communities in rural Africa, they’ll show how we can diagnose pneumonia with a $5 machine hooked up to a cell phone. Do you know how a glowing pill bottle and a cellphone connection ensures that 85% of people take their HIV drugs in South Africa? Douglas has a worthy goal: to discuss how the US can learn from these experiments vis-a-vis privacy, rural access, and cost containment.

Healthy Privacy: Can Health Insurance Companies Be Social?
Tammy Young, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
Until recently, only a handful of health insurance mavericks had forayed into social media, but that’s beginning to change. But, while companies are looking for ways to engage their members, consumers are hesitant to relate in the same way they have with other brands. They may be eager to fan a favorite soda on Facebook, but not many want to “like” a health insurance company. I’m interested to see the panel discuss the perceived pitfalls of social tools for health insurance and the innovative ways that companies are engaging with their customers while navigating their privacy concerns.

Social-Powered Ethics: Healthcare Faces a New Curve
Carissa Caramanis O’Brien, Red Box Communications
That’s me! While you’re considering worthy panels, I’d appreciate a vote for mine. I’m bringing together a panel of smart folks who are on the front lines of merging social media and healthcare to talk about the tricky landscape of ethics in social health. Challenged with the need to comply with FDA marketing policies, but limited by the lack of any social media guidelines, healthcare organizations have been left to figure it out as they go along. Our panel of experts will discuss best practices for regulatory compliant communications and real-world strategies for accountable community engagement. And just to keep the session interesting, we’ll invite an interactive designer to do live, free-flow sharing of images and words that relate to the conversation as it’s happening. It’ll move fast and we’ll hope you’ll join us.Want more?

Here are another handful I found interesting that you may also consider:

Health: Is There Really an App for That? – Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, THINK-Health
Healthcare Social Media: Lawyers Don’t Always Say No - David Harlow
Suicide Mission: How Text Messages Can Save Lives – Christopher Hall, HealthCentral
Does Health Care Need SM Content Curators? – Sandeep Pulim, MDLinx
Health Communities: Superheroes Who Need a Justice League – Jennifer Prokopy, ChronicBabe.com
Why Nurses Are Vital In Emerging Technology – Phil Baumann, CareVocate LLC
Employee Wellness: Farce or Untapped Potential? – Fran Melmed, Context Communication Consulting LLC
Healthcare in Your Hand: The Future of Mobile – David Saggio, DAS Digital Consulting
Can Prognostication Science Save the Future of Medicine? – Christian Sinclair, Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care
Caregiving Online: Helping Someone Not Lose Hope – Benno Schmidt, 100lb Brain
“Bad Mushrooms”: Rooting Out Dangerous Health Stories – Gary Schwitzer, healthnewsreview.org
The Case for SocialMedia When Your Hospital Resists – Daniel House, Huntington Memorial Hospital
Creative Alternatives: What if we Reinvented Healthcare Today? – Robert Fabricant, frog design

Ted Williams once said in order to be a successful hitter in the Major League, you had to pick a good pitch to hit. He didn’t say this lightly. The man had data. He analyzed the science of hitting a baseball, and then perfected it as an art. The result? He knew if he only hit pitches that landed in a certain area of the strike zone, he’d have a higher batting average. It’s a beautiful thing.

Photo Courtesy of the Sons of Sam Horn

My friend Tim Walker wrote a brilliant post a while back that introduced me to this telling infographic demonstrating Williams’ point (if you look closely, or enlarge the image by clicking through, you’ll see the higher batting averages coincide with his identified area of the strike zone). With the picture so clear, it’s easy to see what pitches to focus on and which to avoid, right? So, can we apply this to the business we pursue and how we pursue it?

Throwing vs. pitching

I’m amazed at the number of cold calls I still receive. I’m also amazed that I somehow feel guilty for not returning them. As a business owner and a former agency flack, I can relate to the need to generate new clients, so I guess that part of me feels bad for leaving them hanging. But then I realize why I’m not returning the call. There’s no relationship there. There’s no real connection to who I am, what I need and how I do business. My world is public enough that virtually anyone trying to secure me as a client can learn what makes me tick, and even what I might be looking for in a new partner or vendor. So, my expectations are higher, and they need to realize that they can no longer just throw at me what they’ve got, but rather craft a pitch that’s tailored to what I need.

The pitch has forever changed. There’s no longer any room for throwing something up against the wall to see if it sticks. We know now, of course, that you need to be there way before the sell. That means the dialogue can no longer start with the ask, unless (maybe) what you’re asking is, “What do you need, and how can I help?” In today’s socially-driven marketplace (and really, everything in business is social…we’re not just talking platforms here), you need to give and share, and prove your value to the process, before you can take or expect anything in return. So, get out there and make it clear EVERYDAY the type of work that drives you, that you’re uniquely qualified to tackle, that will make others successful for having chosen you.

Getting off the bench

But, what are you to do if there’s a project staring you in the face TODAY that excites you, but you have no previous connection with which to pursue it? Ask yourself some questions. what’s lighting that fire? If you’ve been in your field for ten minutes or ten years, what got you there? Why do you want a seat at that table today, and what makes you deserve it? Do you know the answer? Well, put it to good use. If you understand your passion, share it with your prospective customer. Let them know you care, why you care, how much you care. I guarantee they’ll be ten times more interested in working with you if they know you share their passion and demonstrate how you much you’d care to help them meet their goals. But, fair warning. Don’t fake it. You have to be real. If the passion isn’t y there, just stop. Because if you don’t have passion, or worse, you attempt to fake it, you’ll be found out. Your customers are savvy. They might not see it immediately, but they WILL see it and when they do, it’ll knock you so far back, your head will spin. And you’ll have deserved it.

Standing in the box

You know what you want. In the meantime, can you go about your business, confident in your ability to do good work, prove your value, stare down the right pitch when you see it, and know you can hit it out of the park? If not, what will it take to get you there? Williams might have told you to first try getting the bat on the ball. Find a good pitch and take a swing. You might hit a grounder or line-drive or two, but those will only prepare you for the big hit. So, don’t let perfection paralysis stifle you. Get in the game.

What’s a good pitch to hit in your world? What pitches would you rather let sail by?

I love experimenting with new combinations of ingredients and techniques to create my own recipes or a fresh spin on something traditional. In fact, in the past year, I’ve found this has dominated my cooking…as well as my approach to work and life.

But even those of us who love cooking find themselves in a dining out and takeout rut from time to time, and for me, that’s what the last few months have been…inconsistent in my kitchen capers, and absent in cooking up new ideas on my blog.

The reality is both my business and home life got busier (just when I thought that wasn’t possible). I landed more business and larger projects, and was really focused on creating content for them. At the same time, my daughter and ailing father (and my mother who cares for him) needed more of my time. So, I rebalanced priorities to be sure those needs were met, and my own writing just didn’t fall high enough on the list. While that disappointed me personally, it was the right decision at the time. But now I have the chance to shake the pan again, and redistribute my ingredients. I CAN make time for my writing, while ensuring my business and family continue to run smoothly.

It’ll take shaking things up a bit, trying new things and finding new results. Some I’ll like more than others. Some I’ll found just aren’t for me. And somewhere in between, I’m already finding some areas of comfort…the meatloaf and potatoes of my new work style.

I’ve been experimenting with routines. And for me, routine means some structure to ground me, with lots of flexibility baked in to allow me to cover what’s most pressing on any given day. Learning that I can’t follow everyone else’s recipe for productivity or success is what has ultimately allowed me to create my own.

While I’ve found my zone, I’m also committed to not staying too comfortable. I want to continually challenge myself, stretch to try new things, and dish out something new and different. I know my first experiments might not suit everyone, and my thoughts won’t always be to your taste, but I’m hoping to cook up some enticing bites, and always create some interesting things to chew on. I’ll expect you to call me out on my misses, as well as help me celebrate when the ingredients come together and pop. And, of course, I commit to doing the same for you.

Now that I’ve overused the cooking references just a dash, I’ll simply thank you for reading, invite you to come back and engage in the conversation, and forever keep me honest. I’m ready to cook…

I love to cook. I love to try new foods, new recipes, new ways to surprise my family and friends with flavor. I especially enjoy experimenting with new combinations of ingredients and techniques to create my own recipes. In fact, in the past year, I’ve found this style has dominated my cooking…as well as my approach to work and life.

Benjamin Franklin said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. This goes for what you cook up in the kitchen and the board room. So, I’ve been shaking things up a bit, finding new ways to blend my previous experience with the new methods I’m learning every day. Social media is still very much a living, breathing experiment for most and I’m enjoying the dash of madness it’s added to my worklife.

What have I learned? Whether cooking food or business, I like some recipes more than others. Some I’ve found just aren’t for me. Others I think I need to try again before I perfect them, or at least until they taste right.

What ingredients are you using? What’s your recipe? What are you cooking up?

…

While I’m at it, this might be a good time to welcome you to Dash of Madness and thank you for taking a minute to visit. I created this space for sharing my thoughts on communications, content and community. I’ve been a journalist, PR pro and marketer for more than 15 years, and while I’ve picked up a few things, I’m proud to say I’m still learning. I hope you are too. And I hope we can use this blog as a means for starting a meaningful conversation, around these topics and about the things that drive us to make our business and the way we go about it better than it was yesterday. You came this far. Will you join me again? Tell me what you’d like to see here.