A Squared: Atlanta and Austin: listening, learning and conversations

Next couple weeks have some exciting conversations, where I'm excited about taking online conversations offline, listening and learning together with people I get to meet.....It's a great part of the job.

Atlanta: While I am no Diva, I get to join Atlanta's Diva marketing guru and Dell customer, Toby Bloomberg. If you don't read her blog, you are missing something. True to this online world, I've never met Toby, but can't wait based on the impressive, helpful and enjoyable online interactions I have had with her to date.

And, what a great event: the AiMA - Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association -Social Media Marketing Gets Some Respect! Feb. 27, 2008 - 6:30 PMGA Tech Global Learning Center 84 5th ST NW, Atlanta, GA, 30308 . Goodwill, Home Depot, moderated by Geoff Livingston, author of "Now is Gone" (I am still passing out copies of his book at Dell). Im looking forward to learning from them all and sharing the journey we are on.

Austin: If you are going to be in Austin for SXSW interactive, have we got some good things going.

March 11, our own Lionel , will join moderator Mack Collier, who does great corporate blog reviews, and measurement and communications guru Kami to talk about future directions for corporate blogs.

March 10 We are going to blow out online connections and make them even more real offline. A special night of "Conversation Starters" (social evening, event RSVP required) sponsored by Dell (we are going to be listening), Federated Media, BulldogSolutions, The Conversation Group and Social Media Club of Austin.

Over drinks and appetizers, you'll have a chance to share ideas with a number of people who have volunteered to start conversations: Shel Israel, Robert Scoble, Jeremiah Owyang, Charlene Li, Chris Heuer, Mack Collier and Lionel Menchaca, as well as several Federated Media authors.

More information here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10870488407
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/435087
Register here: http://conversationstarters.eventbrite.com/

Look forward to seeing and hearing from you! Gotta go work on the Atlanta notes and a Q&A I promised Toby...

I Voted

On Citizenship:

But citizenship is not just about getting the right to vote. It is about the freedom to create and build a life. It is about a nation, and its people, who welcome you.

It is about a country that becomes home. .....

Citizen. What is it? It’s sort of like, lets discuss “being.”

According to the dictionary citizen is a member of a state who has full political privileges and protection. Citizenship is the condition of having all civil rights and duties. I guess that would be equivalent to “being” with “obligations.”

Surely, it seems to me, that full political privileges and protections, and the having of civil rights merits some duty. And that duty need not be onerous. I think that duty can be as simple as pausing, every once in a while, to treasure, think about and value this thing we call citizenship. Or it could be voting and exercising our democratic right we so often take for granted.

But among the many things encompassed by citizenship and duty are the values of respect and freedom, as partially delineated in the Constitution and the first 10 amendments....Respect for diversity, in all that means, including different opinions, lifestyles/orientations, cultures, ethnic groups and religions. Tolerance for differences and freedom to participate with each other, creating our communities. This seems to me to be a hallmark of the value of citizenship.

I think it is incumbent on all of us to, at the very least, be cognizant of the fact that our being a citizen confers rights and responsibilities that foster the free, tolerant and respectful society we live in -- and often we just take this for granted.

Our citizenship, Canadian or American, has entitled us to live in, relatively speaking, free societies -- societies where our freedom and those benefits of citizenship are rarely questioned or under siege.

Perhaps we have fallen into some sort of false sense of security, no pun intended. Perhaps we ought not just make assumptions about or take for granted the value inherent in our citizenship......(from Feb 08, 2002).

From 3 Blog Secrets to Some Personal Secrets

Up until recently, I had avoided being tagged "it" in the blog game called "memes". After Peter Kim and BL Ochman tagged Marketing Profs Ann Handley to reveal some personal bits, and gingerly she did...Ann nailed me.

I have procrastinated; thought of dodging the ball thrown this way; but ultimately yielded.

Afterall, "Around the web with RichardatDELL", Facebook, Twitter, so many of your blogs and other social media activities have resulted in new-found professional colleagues (like Ann), many of whom only know me (and vice versa) on one or two levels. Perhaps getting tagged "It" adds dimension to personal "connectedness" that usually only comes with personal contact over time. By "spilling some" we make the personal and professional connections more human and real -- contributing to proof of the "theory" in "Naked Conversations" that blogs and other web 2 "tools" actually "humanize" companies, enhance connectedness and foster understanding.

I'm not sure what follows below are necessarily "secrets" but they are things you might not have known. I hope they might add some perspective to who RichardatDELL is.

Employment Chapters Before the American Communications Career

1. I was actively involved in Canadian politics as a political aide to the Ministers of Community & Social Services, then Environment, Health and Employment and Immigration. I managed several successful local campaigns and worked on the national campaign teams for the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney and the Right Honourable Kim Campbell.

   - I was what is known as a "Progressive Conservative". If that sounds like an oxymoron to my American friends....I leave it with you :-) .

   - I was a "rabid" supporter of the Canada-US free trade agreement, believing it demonstrated Canada was "growing up." I have commented here previously about proudly helping bring disparate parties together to pass Canada's first National AIDS policy, as well as working for the Parliamentary subcommittee a year later reviewing progress and directions

   - I had the honour and pleasure of meeting Ronald Reagan and George Bush (the first)

   - The Canadian election 1993 drove me to a career in the United States

2. I also worked as a lobbyist and completed a Master's degree. My thesis examines the challenges of exercising (political) leadership over bureaucracies.
3. I worked 12 hour shifts one summer in a Dupont factory making Nylon yarn. Messy and tricky business. I wanted to quit every day.
4. I spent a day when I first moved to Dell building computers -- it was fun, learned a lot and every computer I built passed all quality inspections :-)

Photography, Art, Life

1. I am completely "self taught" in photography (starting in 1994) have had several exhibits and been selected among "best in show". My first exhibit was a group exhibit that included work by mentor and friend Jennifer Dickson, the only Canadian artist to be a member of the Royal Academy. My work is the Boardroom of a major NYC based company, a Venture Capital firm and several private collectors. What started at $200 a print is now worth over $800-$1000 a print -- all scrupulously tracked in my registry (usually small sets of up to 15). Robert Frank's printer, Richard Hobbs, prints my film based work....long story.
2. I have my own "mini" art collection, including numerous works by Jennifer Dickson, 2 that I own are artist's proofs (with dedications to me enscribed on them). Copies 1 of 5 for these two pieces are in National Gallery of Canada.
3. I love music (all kinds) and during my time in NYC became friends with DJ/Producer Eddie Baez. I used to hang out in the dj booth at sound Factory, Tunnel and other clubs when Eddie played, as well as visit him in his studio. I have done the high hats on some of his remixes and have lots of cds/tapes from nights at the club...one of a kind remixes done on the spot. Precious.
4. NYC was the first city I ever really called my own home, as an adult...knowing I would move on from Kingston, Toronto, Ottawa, Richmond (family shelter and stopping place after immigration) and St Louis. Living there was a phenomenal experience that remains difficult to explain, although Ill never forget the realization one fall day shortly after moving there. Friends and summer Fire Island, distant today but close in my heart. Austin is giving it a run for it money -- from a very different perspective.
5. (BONUS...since I was tagged for 8)....February 8, 2002, 6 years ago, I became an American citizen. A proud day indeed. VERY! We had an all day party with friends and family; my dear friend Geraldine Ferraro, I call her my American political mother, presided over a wonderful luncheon and was the first person I spoke with after passing my Citizenship interview (because my parents were out when I called) ...Her response when I said "I passed" was "I expected no less". Just like my real Mom.

Feels slightly narcissistic, all of this.....thanks Anne.

So time to move along and tag some others. How about it: Valeria Maltoni (she is poetic...bet it will be the same), Connie Reece (she is a live one), Michael Lingolook ( an early web friend and epitomizes generosity)....and back to the homeland, Joe Thornley (he played this one in 2006, but it was only 5 secrets, so Joe, add three more...or how about updating things?)

Regeneration, Facebook and Graffitt contest Winners

Regeneration.org has posted the winners from over 7,000 entries and 1 million votes later following the Facebook Graffiti Contest.

Talk about the power of involving and engaging people!

Now, the judges have spoken and selected the winners from the top 150 submissions with the most votes. The Facebook graffiti community really made this contest take off and the art work is really phenomenal.

I encourage you to think about or join regeneration and check out the art on Facebook.

The Faces and People: Making a Superbowl ad, Dell, (RED)

http://www.qik.com/video/11712 Scoble interviews Michael Dell (in Davos)about (RED) here

Buy Dell, Join (RED), Save Lives

Now that's an advertisement and message with meaning.

Music is Mick Jagger's Charmed Life

FREE: The Collaboration, Ulta Nate, remixed DJ-Producer Eddie Baez, Binhammer Photos

Some music and photography mixed together, from a few years ago. I thought it would be fun to share. Thanks for the many times in the studio and booth to Eddie !

Thank you

Thank you to great friends and colleagues!