Memories of Our Good Dog

Miscellaneous
I’ll never forget the day you fell asleep for the last time, surrounded by the four people you had lived with for almost eight years and who had loved you like there was no tomorrow. Saying goodbye to you like that was the last thing our family wanted for you, but it was the right thing under the circumstances, the only way to ensure that you wouldn’t suffer unnecessarily. You came into our lives a small, innocent puppy full of unconditional affection for your proud, new owners. We couldn’t have been happier to welcome you into our world. From the beginning to the end, you were our good dog and loyal partner, our little mutt and faithful mate. You were everything we could ask for in a canine companion. You…
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How I Use Twitter to Follow Boston-Area News

Boston, Media, Social Media, Twitter
I'm a news junkie. I admit it. I can't go much more than a few hours without a fix of the latest headlines. The weather forecast is important to me. If there’s been a crime committed, a notable death, an accident, a fire or any tragedy or disaster whatsoever, I like to know about it. I’m a huge sports fan. Celebrity gossip amuses me. Significant milestones and achievements impress me. I’m entertained by pop culture and fascinated by anything to do with business or politics. And if any of this news is local, I find it even more interesting. That’s why I spend so much time listening to the radio, watching TV and reading articles on such online properties as Boston.com, BostonHerald.com, Sudbury Patch and Wicked Local Sudbury. And that’s one…
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50 Reasons Why People Use Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
Since I included a list of 50 reasons why people don’t use social media in my most recent post, I thought it only made sense to follow up with a similar list, only this time focusing on the opposing point of view, the reasons why people do use social media. Sure, as I wrote in that last post about those who are reluctant to jump on the social media bandwagon, “there are still plenty of skeptics, detractors and naysayers among us, especially in the corporate world, where cautiousness and conservatism abound.” But as I also pointed out, there are more than 800 million users of Facebook, over 120 people on LinkedIn and more than 200 million accounts on Twitter. There's certainly a critical mass of people using social media today,…
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50 Reasons Why People Don’t Use Social Media

Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube
With more than 800 million users of Facebook, over 120 million people on LinkedIn and more than 200 million accounts on Twitter, you might say the tipping point’s been reached as far as social media usage goes. Yet despite such a large critical mass using these social media properties, there are still plenty of skeptics, detractors and naysayers among us, especially in the corporate world, where cautiousness and conservatism abound. As someone who’s been talking to anyone and everyone within earshot about the benefits of using social media since I launched my own blog in 2004, I know this for a fact: Unless you’re preaching to the choir, the life of a social media practitioner and proponent is often a lonely, uphill battle. At this stage of the game, those of us with significant…
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Ten Tips for Hosting a Successful Tweetup

Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
This post was initially published on BostInnovation on September 14, 2011. To read the original post there, click here. There’s a palpable camaraderie among most people who use social media, a strong sense that we’re all in this together and out for the same things — new friendships, opportunities and experiences. Unfailingly, we jump onto Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and our own blogs to listen and learn, chat and connect, educate and entertain, inform and inspire, publicize and promote. Sure, you see a fair share of debate and dissent in social media. It’s not always sunshine and roses. But more often than not, you see a rousing demonstration of mutual respect and quid pro quo, the golden rule being put into practice. That’s what I like about social media. More often…
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20 Boston Media People to Follow on Twitter

Boston, Business, Media, Social Media, Twitter
This post was initially published on BostInnovation on August 16, 2011. To read the original post there, click here. From print journalists to TV news reporters, disc jockeys to talk show hosts, almost everyone on the local media scene is using Twitter nowadays to forge deeper relationships with their readers, viewers and listeners. That’s not to say they’re not promoting their own work via this increasingly popular social media platform. But they’re also winning favor among their constituency for being surprisingly approachable and responsive, giving time and attention to as many of their followers as possible. To say that this is a big change in how those in the business of mass communications interact with their fans would be an understatement. This is a monumental paradigm shift. The audience is now talking back…
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4 Lessons Marketers Can Learn from Local TV News Reporters

4 Lessons Marketers Can Learn from Local TV News Reporters

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
This post was initially published on BostInnovation on July 28, 2011. To read the original post there, click here. Today – thanks to social media, smartphones and other new digital communications platforms and tools – what the savviest of consumers are asking of their favorite brands is almost as much as they’d expect from their best friends and family. They want your time, support and undivided attention – and they want it at their convenience. It’s not just due to modern technology, though. It’s a bold, new sense of entitlement that’s been enthusiastically adopted by those on the receiving end of your messages. In this era in which the corporation has ceded control – albeit reluctantly – to the customer, businesses can’t afford to be seen as out of touch, behind…
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Talking about Social Media in Sudbury, Massachusetts

Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
I've created a lot of lists on Twitter, including one for copywriters, another one for New England social media professionals and even one that I call All Star Bloggers. But out of all of these lists, the one that's been on my mind lately is the list which includes the people and companies (38 and counting) I've found on Twitter from my hometown of Sudbury, Massachusetts. You see, while I really only know personally a handful of these Sudbury-affiliated account-holders, my goal when I created this list was to get to know as many of them as possible. So little by little, I've retweeted them and reached out to them, thinking that you never know what might come of this small community within, well, a small community. But it wasn't until I recently sat down…
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Do You Whistle While You Work?

Business
A few weeks or so ago, a colleague of mine asked me what song I was whistling as I walked by her office. As I recall, it was Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor," but as much as I like that song, it doesn’t matter what I was whistling. What really matters is that the occasional whistling I do around the office had caught her attention and made me think twice about just how much our body language says, for better or worse, to those around us. Whistling, of course, is usually a sign of happiness and a cheerful disposition. Even though I do it almost without realizing it, I don't think I'd be able to whistle if I wasn't feeling good about something. In fact, it’s almost impossible to whistle with a frown on your face. And like smiling,…
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