Melodie’s 2009 Goals

Between personal and job related stress I’ll be completely honest and admit that 2008 was a rough year. To restore my sanity I decided to dedicate the month of January to refocus my energy, refresh my spirit and mentally prepare to positively  embrace opportunities that come my way. This leads me to share one of my favorite quotes:

“Luck is when preparation Meets Opportunity” -Seneca (Roman Philosopher)

The quote by Seneca is a line I truly believe in for all areas of my life. I take action and am assertive toward things I want to achieve.  I won’t just sit back and let things happen because I know they won’t. I’m prepared to embrace opportunities in order to maximize the success of my potential outcome. People often set goals and lose track of how to achieve them due to lack of clear milestones to track progress and lack of goal success indicators. I started off 2009 with an ambiguously big picture. I soon realized  I had no road map to achieve an undefined goal so  I decided to create this post  as  a personal reference for staying on task but also to help my readers gain a better understanding of the premise behind my blogs, social networks, client pitches, partnerships etc.

I must preface this list by saying that I’m not a numbers person but I know that numbers are a tangible way to measure a goal.  I’m using them for the sake of this list but am also using active words and  keeping in mind that my priorities may change so I might completely overachieve one goal but not completely reach another.

1. Write 120 Blog Posts
I have so much information that runs through my mind all time. If only I could be more consistent about documenting and sharing it. In 2009, I will be. I want feedback on ideas, provide resourceful information, share exciting events and news and leverage the power of the blogosphere to get my content out there. 120 seems like a lot but if you break it down, it’s 10 blog posts a month, 2-3 per week which I feel is very reasonable as long as I schedule time every day to blog.

2. Host 3 San Diego Speed Networking Events.
My previous post explains the event. After the last event I hosted I received great feed back and lots of emails from people asking “When’s the next event?” Before I can host any more events I have a long list of goals I need to accomplish. I need to redesign my website to make it more user friendly, seo friendly and interactive, the list goes on. I want it to be a resource for San Diego Networking. My ultimate goal to host 3 events will motivate me stay on top of all the prep work that I’ll need to do before I can even start planning the events.

3. Earn the business of 10 New Internet Marketing Clients
The more businesses I’m able to work with the more opportunity I have to execute and demonstrate the power of online marketing.  I’ll be able to share my passion through educating and helping others grow their business.

4. Leverage my own Social Media Campaign
I want to update and be active in all  my Social networks but I know it’s not an effective strategy if I just sign up for every social network on this list. It also won’t make sense to put minimal effort in each community.  I’m choosing  primary networks and secondary networks to invest my time and will remain remotely active in all the rest. I made a brief list of some things I’d like to achieve within each social network. This list is subject to change.

Primary Social networks

• Twitter- Build a strong following of people who know me as a resourceful digital marketer, connect people, provide useful information, entertain people as a socialite
• Facebook- Bridge the gap between social and work life, post photos
• LinkedIn- Become an authority by answering questions, connect people for career and consulting opportunities
• Tumblr- Anything goes! There seems to be a lot of opportunity for fun on here. Share recipes, green tips

Secondary Social networks

• Digg- Share interesting articles, videos,
• Yelp- Demonstrate and share my civic pride my letting people know about my experiences with local businesses, restaurants, events, etc.
• Myspace- I may eliminate this as a main social network  but I’ve had this the longest and want to see if I can reestablish a strong brand on here as a marketer
• You Tube- Create my own video resume, share cool videos

5. Present 5 Presentations In order to give presentations they require prep work, research, collaboration with other experts etc. The work that goes into putting together presentations is a great learning experience in itself. I like the idea of vocally and visually sharing my knowledge.  I get instantaneous feedback from the audience, have the opportunity to address questions, overcome objections and speak face to face with leaders who are eager to learn. In 2008 I gave the following presentations. I look forward to expanding upon this list in 2009. I know that I’ll need to update my speaker page with past presentations, photos, video, etc.

1. Women’s Global Network: Communicating with the Media
2. Art Institute of San Diego: Meet the Industry
3. San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce: Clear Channel Marketing
4. BarCampSD: Origami with Melodie

I have a plethora of other goals,  but I feel that listing five will allow me to stay more focused. Many of my other goals are actually milestones that will help acheive the ultimate goals on this list. And of course I have non-career related goals that aren’t listed but are just as/if not more important, one of them trumps the importanace of every other goal on this list so I’ve definitely got my work cut out of me in 2009.

San Diego Dugg Diggnation in LA

On Wednesday I attended Revison3′s taping of Diggnation and the Digg LA Meetup at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. Diggnation is a weekly tech/web culture show based on the top digg.com social bookmarking news stories.

Among the attendees were a diverse crowd of Diggnation Fanatics, Tech/Web industry leaders and people from all facets of the online world. The event really emphasized the growth of web series and the prominence of this media becoming a primary form of entertainment. The enthused audience kept the room energized as the show’s hosts Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht entertained and interacted with the crowd.

My favorite part of the event was meeting some of the LA Tech/Web Industry leaders. If you follow me on Twitter you know I appreciate establishing real live connections with people I follow/ follow me. It makes the experience so much more personal so it was great finally meeting some people I’ve been interacting with in cyberspace. After the event many of us including the Digg crew headed across the street to the Roosevelt Hotel for some more mingling and we somehow snuck in Kogi BBQ (Korean BBQ in Burrito?!). I’ll definitely look forward to attending more events and growing my network in my neighboring city! Thanks to everyone who made me feel welcome at the event.

Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Hi My Name is Melodie & I’m a “Social Media Expert”

Lately, I’ve been hearing more and more “Social Media Experts” complain that too many people are calling themselves “Social Media Experts”. So how does one garner the elite, self proclaimed title?  It’s not like there’s a Social Media test we take and as soon as we pass we’re certified Social Media Experts. This is not law school or med school and we all know there isn’t really a job called “Social Media Expert”.

Based on the way the title is used I compare it to someone who plays an instrument but may be a beginner yet still calls themselves a musician or someone who takes photos as a hobby and calls themselves a photographer. It seems that people who calls them selves a Social Media Expert have many things in common:

• They are really passionate about Social Media.
• They are very active on Social Media
• They constantly engage and interacts with others on Social Media
• They demonstrate knowledge to their Social Media Network
• They truly believes they have good content to contribute.

Is  there anything wrong with anything on my list? Not really. In fact everything seems positive to me.  So why do we roll our eyes every time we hear the term “Social Media Expert?” The more “experts” out there, the more knowledge is available.

Instead of rolling your eyes next time you come across someone who calls them self a social media expert here are some mutually beneficial alternatives:

1. Follow the Social Media Expert on Twitter: This is a quick and easy way learn something from their tweets and see if they’re producing useful content. Remember you can always unfollow.
2. Read the Social Media Expert’s Blog: Again you may learn something. Comment on their blog with a question that requires a thoughtful answer. See how they respond. If you like their response move on to #3
3. Invite the Social Media Export to guest blog on your website: What a great way to get a perspective on Social Media from someone other than yourself!
4. Review the Social Media Expert’s LinkedIn contact list: What other industry leaders are they connected to? Have the provided any answers that you may find useful? They may have a connection you’ve been trying to reach.
5. Review the Social Media Expert’s Bio and pay close attention to their overall career journey. What corporate jobs have they had? What types of clients they work? Perhaps you’ll find they’ve had experienced in a field you’ve always wanted to learn about.

I’m confident you’ll learn at least one piece of new information by doing something on this list. After all if you’re a Social Media Expert you should be doing this stuff anyway! If you really don’t find value in any of their content then at least you’re justified to roll your eyes.

Basically this post is my attempt to turn a negative clique of the Social Media Expert into something positive that actually adds value to Social Media.  Social media is an infinite space. Your network grows exponentially with every connection you make. Why waste your time swiping someone’s credibility when your time can be better spent collaborating, learning, adding value and understanding other Social Media Experts?

Melodie is a Happy (Bar)Camper

Last Saturday I did something completely out of the ordinary: I attended BarCampSD4! When I first heard about Bar Camp a few months ago I honestly had no idea what it was! In a nutshell, it’s an a (un)conference made up of the collaboration of it’s participants. Anyone can attend and anyone can contribute so it’s really what you make of it. To be honest I was a bit nervous before attending as I envisioned everything being completely tech related. To my pleasant surprise I was engaged and entertained with so many different presentations (each presenter gets an hour). I was going to create an SEO presentation but realized everyone at the event either knows about SEO or thinks they know so I decided to be more creative and teach an origami class! I appreciate everyone who attended and thank you for all the positive feedback! Here’s everything I learned:

1. Art School Programs

2. Improving Memory

3. FMRI (Neuroscience Stuff)

4. How to Play Telephone Pictionary!

5. Turning vegetable Oil into fuel

6. How wine is made

7. Making Gin drinks

Alright enough writing. Let’s see some interactive media from BarCampSD4!

Hello from BarCampSD! on 12seconds.tv

Thank you #BarCampSD4! Had a great time! on 12seconds.tv

Why You Should Hire a Millennial Marketer

I’d like to start off by saying I have the utmost respect for those who have been in the internet marketing industry for years (many marketers I meet say at least 10 years). I commend you for being an early adopter, futuristic and constantly adapting to the internet as it evolves. Your success is my motivation!

Whenever something new enters the market, there’s always speculation along with anticipation. Will the new restaurant succeed? Will this new product take off? How is the rookie going to do when faced with all seasoned Veterens? or you can look at it in a more positive way. I can’t wait to check out that new hot spot! The new product is going to blow away all the others! This blog post is dedicated to my own unique selling points as fresh, new Internet Marketer and why my new status will benefit your marketing campaign.

I’m a Millennial Internet Marketer! The Millennial generation born between 1980-2008 (may be variations), growing up in the 90s and 2000s and educated with bleeding edge technology. I entered the workforce merely less than 3 years ago with more drive, ambition and hunger for learning than you could ever imagine! I’ve created a buzz, challenged old school thinkers and started a revolution of new ideas from the perspective of the actual end user. I too was there from the very beginning in an even more engaged and active way than most.

• YES I was on Facebook when only college students had the privilege to use it
• YES I had a Friendster in high school when all of you who now use Facebook and LinkedIn thought Social Media was for “kids”
• YES I blogged on Xanga almost every single day!
• YES I knew every single numeric code for pagers
• YES I had a brick cell phone when they were embarrassing to be seen with one!

So what does this mean? I may not have 10 years of marketing experience but I have more than enough experience with the technology that these “kids are growing up with” because I AM that Millennial Kid! Couple that with my strong background in traditional marketing where I bring the successful aspects of old school marketing and accelerate those elements with the internet and my passion for the the industry and you have me! Melodie Tao aka: Marketing Melodie aka: @MyMelodie on Twitter aka your Millennial Internet Marketer!

If that doesn’t overcome your objections to hire me for your next Online Marketing campaign then I encourage you to reach out to me with more questions and challenges. I love what I do and I love educating people on why it’s essential to have an effective internet marketing campaign!

Twitter as a Marketing Tool

Thanks to my good friend RichandCreamy aka: @richandcreamy I’m finally on Twitter. He’s been encouraging me to use Twitter and to attend SDTweetups. If you read my previous blog you’ll know that Twitter is part of my master plan for Marketing Melodie 2.0. At first I balked at the idea of Twitter because I really didn’t understand the premise behind a microblog and having people follow you 24/7. But since joining I’ve discovered the many wonders of this concept and better yet, I’ve come to realize what a great marketing tool Twitter is.

1. Establish an Identity- Twitter allows you to share pieces of information about your social and professional life. After some time your followers will start to piece together your tweets and have a pretty good idea of your personality, lifestyle, goals, etc. This can be useful when hiring, networking or simply expanding your social circle with those who have similar interests. For businesses Twitter is a great branding tool.

2. Instantaneous Feedback- Need a recommendation? Suggestion? Contemplating a question? Although review sites such as Yelp and Chowhound are useful when doing research it’s not personal. Twitter gives you insight from your personal network. Recommendations from people I know are much more compelling and valuable than reviews posted by strangers since you never really know the premise behind a random person’s review. Twitter allows you to Speak (Tweet) your mind and influence decisions of those personally connected to you.

3. Promoting specific content- This is especially useful for businesses in many way. Twitter can create hype when launching a new product, increase attendance to events, conferences and webinars and really add more value to any specific promotion your company is involved with. Twitter allows the consumer to track of your company’s progress. The real time updates allow consumers to feel engaged.

Overall, Twitter is an interactive tool that when used correctly is a powerful marketing resource that allows you to establish a brand, gain insight and engage consumers. Now follow me @MyMelodie!

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