geoffliving's posterous

Full Google+ #whphotowalk Set Is Up

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:43:00 -0700

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Look How @JohnBoehner Spends Donor Money

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:13:55 -0700

Like I will follow him, a Democrat from Viriginia.

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IgniteDC 9: Why Super PACs Don't Have the Power of Super PACKs

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:16:00 -0700

This Thursday at IgniteDC, we have the pleasure of welcoming Jim McBride who will talk about Why Super PACs don't have the power of Super PACKs. If you haven't already gotten tickets, be sure to register before the event. IgniteDC usually sells out, and walk-ups are not guaranteed a place at the venue.

Jim is a veteran publicist, who has worked on behalf of organizations ranging from International Association of Fire Fighters to OfficeDepot.com to Check Point Software, and a grassroots activist who has been involved in political organizing since the 2004 presidential campaign. In February 2011, he founded Network For Progress as a community-building program to engage people inspired by the "Yes We Can" Movement of 2008 via more social and media-savvy communications and outreach initiatives. He also served on the Media Team of Occupy DC in Fall 2011.

Q: Why did you choose your session topic?

Because I want to begin a dialogue about how political change really happens so we can invest in what works and what is better for the country.

Q: Why should attendees be excited to hear this (and why this won’t be a full on pitch for your business)?

This topic is important for anyone frustrated by politics and looking for hopeful answers to how change truly happens.,

Q: Tell us what you do professionally?

I have worked in communications and media for 20 years and politics-related work over the last 10 years.

Q: What's your big project/hope/thought for Spring?

We're developing Network For Progress as a grassroots Super "PACK" that organizes 2012 "Yes YOU Can" movement-building activities in VA/DC/MD & Beyond.

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IgniteDC 9: The Power of Human Collaboration

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:50:00 -0700

This Thursday at IgniteDC, we have the pleasure of welcoming Nicholas Michael Bashour who will talk about the Power of Human Collaboration (full description here). If you haven't already gotten tickets, be sure to register before the event. IgniteDC usually sells out, and walk-ups are not guaranteed a place at the venue.

Nicholas Michael Bashour is vice-president of Wikimedia District of Columbia, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the advancement of general knowledge and the collection, development, and dissemination of educational content under a free license or in the public domain. Nicholas was born in Syria and moved to the United States in 1999. In addition to his work in Wikimedia DC, Outside of Wikimedia DC, Nicholas works as an IRTA Fellow at the National Institutes of Health.

Q: Why did you choose your session topic?

My five minutes here are just a small but significant part of my effort to promote collaboration as a way of pushing the world forward in a positive direction. While global collaboration has not yet reached its full potential, and there’s definitely room for improvement, we can look at examples of successful efforts as a guide to the potential that a more-collaborative future brings. The Wikimedia movement in particular is a great example of a successful collaborative movement on a global scale. I knew I wanted to share the story of this powerful movement, but I also wanted to share some relevant anecdotes from history because we didn't just recently realize the significance of collaboration out of nowhere. In fact, if we look at any random point in history, we can definitely see examples of successful collaboration.

Q: Why should attendees be excited to hear this (and why this won’t be a full on pitch for your business)?

Collaboration is where everything is heading, from science, to education, to politics, to international relations and beyond. Groups that try to isolate themselves or view the world as a stage with only two or three actors are really behind the times. I'm fortunate to be a firsthand witness to the power of collaboration because of my involvement with the Wikimedia movement, an inherently collaborative environment that has yielded what William Cronon, president of the American Historical Association, recently called “the largest, most comprehensive, copiously detailed, stunningly useful encyclopedia in all of human history." Wikipedia grew in 10 years from 20,000 articles in 18 languages to more than 20.5 million articles in over 270 languages, and that’s just one powerful example of the power of human collaboration. People really should be excited about the potential that increased global collaboration brings. It's a powerful way to create positive changes that reverberate around the world.

Q: Tell us what you do professionally?

I serve on the board of Wikimedia District of Columbia as vice-president. Wikimedia DC is the regional chapter of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind the top-10 global Website Wikipedia. Our vision is work collaboratively to empower individuals across the world through free access to global knowledge. I'm also a research fellow at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Q: What's your big project/hope/thought for Spring?

Right now, I'm working with some of the most passionate and dedicated people I know to bring the international conference Wikimania 2012 to Washington DC in July. Our vision at Wikimedia DC is a global vision, and we need global participation in order for it to be realized. We are bringing people here from every continent (except, maybe, Antarctica, but you can forgive us for that) to the tune of 1000+ global attendees, and we're excited have the State Department as a partner on this great event. After having been in cities like Frankfurt, Germany; Alexandria, Egypt; Taipei, Taiwan; Gdańsk, Poland; and Haifa, Israel, we're definitely excited to bring this international conference here to DC.

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IgniteDC 9: If I Can Make It to Naptime, I'll Be Alright

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:37:00 -0700

Alison Elissa Horner is one of our speakers for IgniteDC 9 on March 22. Her session is called If I Can Make It to Naptime, I'll Be Alright.

Alison Elissa Horner is a life coach who specializes in helping entry level adults figure out what they're doing with their lives. She can build a taller block tower than you. And if not, she has friends in low places who are more than willing to knock your tower down when you aren't looking. Register today if you haven't already, IgniteDC usually sells out.

Q: Why did you choose your session topic?

I thought it would be relevant to most of the IgniteDC attendees.

Q: Why should attendees be excited to hear this (and why this won’t be a full on pitch for your business)?

I have a boatload of practical knowledge about little kids, a perspective (as a college educated nanny) that I doubt many people have heard before, and a sense of humor about the subject, because at the end of the day I've always been able to go home to my own bed and sleep through the night without interruption.

Q: Tell us what you do professionally?

I help entry level adults figure out what the hell they're doing with their lives.

Q: What's your big project/hope/thought for Spring?

Check out this baby mop!

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IgniteDC 9: Turning Middle Child Angst into Career Success

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:34:00 -0800

Stefanie Reeves is one of our speakers for IgniteDC 9 on March 22. Her session is called Turning Middle Child Angst into Career Success. Stefanie Reeves is a senior lobbyist in the Public Interest Directorate of the American Psychological Association. Her blog, Association Advocacy Chick, covers topics including lobbying, diversity and association management. Register today if you haven't already, IgniteDC usually sells out.

Q: Why did you choose your session topic?

For as long as I could remember, I’ve always been fascinated with birth order and how people are affected by it. I’m a middle child so being misunderstood is just a way of life for me. Having done an Ignite presentation, I saw this as a fun opportunity to mock my middle child status and demonstrate how it helped me become the person I am today.

Q: Why should attendees be excited to hear this (and why this won’t be a full on pitch for your business)?

Besides the family pictures and stories, it’s time middle kids get some attention for a change.

Q: Tell us what you do professionally?

My official title is Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer with the American Psychological Association. Basically, I’m a lobbyist who advocates on mental health issues as they relate to the disability and racial ethnic minority communities.

Q: What's your big project/hope/thought for Spring?

My honest answer: to find love.

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IgniteDC 9: Draw Your Thoughts

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:09:00 -0800

Brandon Schmittling is one of our speakers for IgniteDC 9 on March 22. His session is called Draw Your Thoughts. Brandon is a UX Designer and Engineer with Free Range Studios, Creative Director of Cluster Media, and organizer of alternate reality games such as SurviveDC. In his free time he enjoys eating Ramen and mixing cocktails at Gibson. Register today if you haven't already, IgniteDC usually sells out.

Here's a sneak preview of Brandon's session.

Q: Why did you choose your session topic?

In my line of work everything stars with conversation. My best chance of success is to listen so intently that I gain the understanding necessary to become an advocate for my client. I tend to think in metaphors and memes which help me close the gap between the speed of conversation and my own understanding. I've found that rapid sketching, the act of drawing as I listen, is both a way of quickly documenting my thoughts and providing evidence of my interest in what my client is expressing.

The proof is my sketch, and over time I've developed a shorthand that allows me to encode meaning and intention that become essential as the project unfolds. My behavior is not isolated - many of my colleagues do the same and I'm no stranger to meetings documented by a whiteboard specialist. Through my presentation I want to communicate how easy and useful drawing can be to the process of creative thinking in all fields, not just design and technology, and some simple techniques to get started.

Q: Why should attendees be excited to hear this (and why this won’t be a full on pitch for your business)?

Because we all remember what it was like to color, finger paint and doodle but at one time or another set those activities aside. Because as we rely more heavily on digital tools to represent and reflect the depth of human expression, we look for ways to infuse our personal signatures. Because anyone can be creative and introduce aspects of visual and kinesthetic thinking into their work.

Q: Tell us what you do professionally?

I currently work as a UX Designer and Engineer for Free Range Studios in Dupont Circle

Q: What's your big project/hope/thought for Spring?

Spring is a time for reemergence and for tackling all those pesky, personal projects I've kept under wraps during the fall and winter. By the time IgniteDC rolls around I'll have returned from my SXSW Interactive panel presentation on alternate reality gaming entitled "Surviving the Night: An International ARG Tell All". Be sure to attend SurviveDC in May!

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IgniteDC 9: Save the Public Libraries

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:40:00 -0800

Lisa Schaefer is one of our speakers for IgniteDC 9 on March 22. Her topic is "Save the Public Libraries," Dr. Schaefer is the organizer of the Future of Books discussion series and the writer-producer of Budget Justified, a 50-episode web series/movie and book about a woman engineer (full bio here). Register today if you haven't already, IgniteDC usually sells out.

Here's a sneak preview of Lisa's session.

Q: Why did you choose your session topic?

The night before I submitted my topic, I organized an event about the Future of Books. A Fairfax County librarian talked about how ebooks are affecting libraries. I was furious when I heard that publishers backcharge libraries for books already purchased after the books become more popular. Some library systems are suing publishers over this.

Q: Why should attendees be excited to hear this (and why this won’t be
a full on pitch for your business)?

The role of libraries in our society is changing. Although much of what libraries have offered in the past is now online, libraries are still wonderful meeting places to talk about current events, our community, writing, reading, learning. The Future of Books will not undermine libraries. We will embrace libraries.

Q: Tell us what you do professionally?

Chief Futurist of RoleModel Enterprises. Developing http://GuruTapas.com an online platform where authors host online book talks and clubs and booklovers socialize. GuruTapas.com hosts free web
sites for booklovers and authors.

I run the Future of Books meetup to discuss how technology affects the way we experience books and socialize through learning. I also write books about women in technology.

Q: What's your big project/hope/thought for Spring?

Writing a proposal to create an online people-to-people library online writings and gatherings - so people in the US & Afghanistan can participate in each others' stories. Figuring out who the right people are to help develop the technology and shape the community for this project.

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Welcome to the Fifth Estate Radio Interview - WOR 710

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:01:07 -0800

http://www.wor710.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=5695876

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Blog Less, Photograph More

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:17:36 -0800

This sunset photo was taken on a westbound flight to Arizona this evening.

You may have noticed. I've been blogging less on my personal blog, actually much less. Instead, I've focused on delivering one quality post on a social media related topic a week, and leaving the rest behind.

I decided not to blog as much for a couple of reasons. First, my blog readership dropped significantly per post when I stopped blogging about social media regularly and focused on more general life and marketing issues. The only posts that seemed to garner traffic were the social media centric posts, which makes sense since I've been blogging on the topic for six years now. Even those posts were suffering as a result of the diffused subject matter.

This caused me to stop all non social media blog posts. The readership was so low that it wasn't worth the time to write them. That being said, I still can't bear to write about social media more than once a week (reason #2). Honestly, I do so much more than just social media these days. It represents a minority portion of my work life, albeit a significant minority. And I have less to say about the topic, and don't want to rehash old posts over and over again.

So I have settled on one post a week as the compromise. And I am still blogging once a week about social good at the Inspiring Generosity blog (social.razoo.com).

With the rediscovered time, I have reengaged with my social photography hobby, taking a photo day and sharing it with fellow photographers and friends online. I am also reading more blogs regularly. As I result, I 'm curating those posts I find most worthwhile on Twitter during the business week, scheduling the shares on Hootsuite (finally, I am appreciating this tool).

The end result is interesting. Though overall blog traffic has dropped by about 20% since November, on average, the weekly social media posts are getting 300% more readership than they were flanked by non social posts. Less gets more. And my photo blog is rocking again with roughly 2-3000 photo views a week, and I have picked up 500 new followers on Twitter this month.Looks like a win-win-win to me.

Overall, there's a point to this story. And that's stay true to yourself. Even if it flies in the face of convention.

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Maybe this is why I don't like Pinterest

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:25:11 -0800

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Exclusively Razoo in 2012

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:38:41 -0800

A few folks have been asking me what I will be doing in 2012. I am consulting exclusively with Razoo this year, and will be leading their giving days initiative. This is a really exciting opportunity for me as it allows me to run multichannel campaigns that touch hundreds and even thousands of nonprofits. My goal is to strengthen nonprofit communities through the giving day model we have developed, including the training and capacity building initiatives.

So, in the near term I will not be taking on any consulting opportunities, and can only take speaking inquiries. Thanks to everyone who asked about what was next.

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Thoughts: Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Olympus E-P3 & Pinterest

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:35:47 -0800

Like all geeks, I have been playing with some new toys of late, and thought I'd share.

First up, I replaced my work phone, which was Motorola DroidX with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. This state-of-the art Adnroid phone is as billed: Fantastic.

The phone works much better than the DroidX, which seemed to crash quite a bit with age. The Internet use and social networking apps are great, including Google+ integration. Even the low grade camera is servicable, though I still use my personal mobile iPhone 4S for mobile photography. A big thumbs up for the Galaxy Nexus.

Next up is the pictured Olympus E-P3. The Olympus E-P3 is one of the top ranked Micro 4/3 cameras that have the photography industry abuzz. These 3rd generation cameras are much smaller than DSLRs, but use similar concepts such as interchangeable lenses, Manual settings, auto settings, HD video cameras, etc. My first take on the Olympus E-P3 is that it is extremely robust, and the operating system is significant and rich in features.

It's going to take me months to get comfortable with it, but this is no different than my experiences shooting with my Nikon D90 and D60 before that. I love how elegant the design is, and how light and small the camera is. Looking forward to kicking the tires a bit and providing a deeper analysis of the camera.

Lastly, I just joined Pinterest, which is the shiny object of the month in the social networking world. I'm not feeling it. I can see why some people love it (particularly women, as it seems to be marketed towards the fairer gender), but it feels to me like yet another place to manage content, and I don't need that. And I'm not particularly interested in the content that's being shared there today.

In a time when there are more social tools than types of restaurants, less is more. Just like Quora and Empire Avenue last year, I'm giving a thumbs down for Pinterest, at least for now. I'll keep a professional eye on it in case it becomes a must have.

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Honored to be Washington Post's #DCTweeps 2011 Top Social Media Geek

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:23:00 -0800

Yesterday an odd thing happened to me. I actually won a popularity contest, successfully being voted as the top social media geek on Twitter by Washington Post Local readers (@postlocal on Twitter).

There were a few friends who could have won the award, Andy Carvin, Jodi Gersh and Alison McQuade, and many more who deserved to be listed, so by all means this was not scientific. For that reason, I tend to rant against contests like this as they are innacurate views of influence. Instead, I go about my business and do the best job I can.

So this was quite a surprise. I wasn't even originally nominated, someone suggested me as a write in. Then as a wild card candidate, DC voters selected me. Even more surprising, after the announcement my Twitter handle trended in the Washington area.

I am someowhat shocked. And I am honored. Thank you for choosing me, DC readers. I suspect that I'll likely continue as I was, but it's still a cool moment in time.

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Soleil Loves Her Toys

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:05:35 -0800

Sent by Billy Bob Thornton (my iPhone)

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More than 30% of Kindle Fire Reviews Are Neutral to Negative

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:03:24 -0800

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This Is It: Nedra's Fantastic View on Social Marketing

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:22:00 -0800

Nedra Weinreich has been a long term social media buddy in the nonprofit tech space. I finally had a chance to read and review her book on Social Marketing (meaning sociatal change communications, not social media), "Hands-On Social Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Designing Change for Good."

From discussions of each media form to a very pragmatic and useful discussion of how social change communications varies from traditional marketing, Nedra delivers a text that should be in every nonprofit communicators hands. If there was one book, this would be it.

There are many, many books out there about marketing and quite a selection on nonprofit management. Of late there has been a growing but still sparse lexicon of books dedicated to social marketing, or how to affect change through a cause or other nonprofit. None of them are as comprehensive and hands on as Nedra's fantastic book.

In my work with nonprofits I see so many communicators who are change advocates, but they don't have the basic fundamentals of communications or marketing. That's why I really appreciate this book. It answers a need for savoir faire and capacity building in this particular skill set.

Please, don't ignore this book for a more popular title that has nothing to do with the sector. Every tool you need is here. I highly recommend Nedra Weinreich's outsanding book with a 5* rating.

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Give to the Max Day is Trending Nationally on Twitter (#givetomax)

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:08:01 -0800

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#give2max Facebook Social Ads Have Arrived

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:10:02 -0700

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Give to the Max Day Flash Mob #give2max

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:13:19 -0700

IMG_0031.MOV Watch on Posterous

Sent by Billy Bob Thornton (my iPhone)

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