Education

Tonight's session title was Education. We learned about United Way in Rapid City and how 211 works.
Sharee called me this afternoon to tell me about a tour of the facility if I got there early. I'm glad she did; I didn't get her email. Mary took a few of us through the facility and graciously answered all of our questions. Thanks, Mary!
Lynne of Rapid City 211 began by asking us what "Community Resources" means to us. We are women of diverse backgrounds; we were familiar with the term. Lynne explained the difference between dependence and independence, and that 211 is designed to foster independence. 211 is a resource that will help callers locate resources specific to their needs. 
If someone calls 211 and says their house burned down and need shelter, they may not be able to think beyond that basic need. Call specialists are trained to intuitively know what other, unspecified needs the caller may have. If my house burned down, I would also need food, clothing, furniture, bedding, bath towels, dishes, pots and pans, soap...the list could go on for quite a while. Fortunately I have never faced that devastation. And if I ever do, I know who I'm gonna call: 211!
In addition, 211 can also answer random questions: Are there fireworks at Rushmore tonight? How much does a cloud weigh? And those are just for fun. Lynne encouraged us to call 211 and try to stump the call specialists. I am very glad we learned about this resource because my son is an inexhaustible fountain of questions for which I have no answers. He grinned his devilish grin when I told him he could ask 211. 
Lynne also told us about the website but didn't go into much detail. By interacting with a call specialist, a caller will typically receive better service than surfing their website. The burned down house is an example of that in practice. 
I met Anne earlier in the day at a community meeting at the Journey and also learned about 211 from the Sioux Falls perspective. Lynne was at that meeting, too, but did not present then. 211 is redesigning their website, ready to launch this fall. Currently the site consists of mainly pull-down menus and the search engine is not prominent. They are modeling the new site after the one in Tampa, or at least, that's the one he used for the presentation. The new site will have stronger search capabilities and will be more user-friendly. The site is geared towards agencies that refer people to 211 so that they can search for their clients and to check on their own information. People in need of 211 services can access the site at public computers located in public libraries, and some agencies have computers their clients can use to access the information. 
Renee from United Way also spoke to us last night. All donations to United Way are distributed locally, within the Black Hills. There are 814 nonprofits in Pennington County. United Way supports 49 nonprofits in the Black Hills, including Sturgis, Northern Hills and the Southern Hills. Their board members serve for three years and then must rotate off; there is almost always a waiting list to join their board. Each year, all 6 staff and 35 board members visit each of the 49, soon to be 53, agencies supported by United Way. Our local United Way funds primarily agencies; the Imagination Library is the only program they fund. This is not the way all United Ways work, some fund primarily programs. 
Renee invited us all to participate in this year's Day of Caring which will be Thursday, September 1. I will be camping in Nevada that week but several class members expressed an interest. Susanna mentioned a playground at Lakota Homes that she has been working towards. The Day of Caring can provide the labor she needs to assemble the playground! 
Our group project is plugging along. The letter I wrote has been updated--thanks for your suggestions and edits!--and I'm sending it to Tracy for approval, and then to Lorena for the final ok. Anne found long racks requested for the closet for $80-120. We learned that the Swanky Blanky is closing and may have donations, so Anne volunteered to follow up for that and seek out other possible donation sources. Becky wrote a blurb for the church bulletins. After we receive the final approval and have our letterhead, and are able to send the letter out immediately, we will begin calling the churches. We decided to call for the initial contact, follow up with the hard-copy letter, and then follow up a week later with additional information. Right now, the initial contact is still under publicity, but I would like the drive team to help us with that. (I don't have a landline, so I'd really like to divvy the calls up a bit more)
Jennie and Katheen, we missed you and your valuable input! See you all next week!

The Public Sector

While I was in Yellowstone, I was glad our last class included stories of rescues. Tammy told us that her dog has accomplished two successful finds. I kind of thought that a dog would almost ensure a find but finding is actually rare. I kept that information foremost in my mind while we kept to the trails like the signs suggested. 
In class, I mentioned a book I read, Cold Zero. Christopher Whitcomb was a member of the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), a super-elite sect of the FBI. I asked our FBI representative if Cold Zero was sensationalized but she hasn't read it yet. Chris Whitcomb is a fabulous writer, either way; he has an amazing personal story, and I recommend the book.
Sherry mentioned that it's easier to steer a moving car and that's a philosophy I've adopted since moving to Rapid City but never put words to it, just an unconscious move till now. My service year was entirely forward-moving and much of it at a clip that kept me stumbling around looking for secure ground. But I managed to steer myself into a good direction without slowing down and launched into my new job last week.  Sherry also mentioned that most people will talk to you if you offer to buy them lunch, and don't be afraid to pester the local recruiter. It's easy to get discouraged when you are declined but moving forward has more rewards. I have a list of 100 Ways to Build Social Capital. I just wrote in buying lunch for someone just to listen. I like to talk, though, so it's going to be a challenge.
I admit I've never thought of employment in the public sector, except for the search and rescue. I love dogs and that's always appealed to me. I haven't been rappelling since I was a teenager but I think I may be able to do it. If I had to. I'm glad she told us about her dog, and their two successful finds. I read a novel a long time ago about a woman who had a rescue dog and their working relationship. I was mesmerized and thought I'd like to do that for a living, but never made it past the planning stages.
Misty, the Sheriff's Deputy, told us how she fell into her career after a degree in Recreation and Tourism. I feel like that, like my degree doesn't quite fit what I want to do with my life. I hoped that English, Writing and Publications Studies emphasis, was broad enough to apply to almost anything. I think it helps me create word pictures sometimes, and that's helpful in a variety of situations, but I also tend to wax poetic more than my peers. I wonder how many career police officers have degrees that are not related to Criminal Justice?  


I have received updates from Anne, Susanna and Nicki for our letter of introduction. We also received a comment on the blog from someone in Australia for the first draft of the intro letter. He suggested that there was too much information and an introduction should be shorter. Vesta, on our Steering Committee, suggested bullet points and I incorporated those as well. I've made some suggested corrections to the letter and will finish tomorrow. I like to sleep on a paper I've written and look at it with fresh eyes before I submit it. It's been a long and glorious weekend but I'm glad to be back home. I like it here.

Easter Weekend

 

For Easter, I went to Yellowstone National Park. My favorite part of the trip was when we stopped at the Gardiner River on the 45th parallel.

We hiked for about 20 minutes off the road in our jackets and boots. Then, in the distance, I saw steam along the river. The Boiling Spring spills into the Gardiner right here and looks like what Watiki is trying to emulate. We tossed our jackets, scarves and other winter gear on the railing and slipped over slick rocks while cold water splashed across my toes until I joined the Boiling River's entrance to the Gardiner. Warmth up to my ankles, knees, submerge and sigh. COLD! currant surrounds me briefly and then it's warm again. Soaking in the spring water was by far my favorite experience.

This little one is brand new!

I went to Yellowstone particularly to see Old Faithful. I didn't know it would smell like that.  We watched a movie about geysers while we waited for her to blow. The geyser was going off when we arrived so it was a 93 minute (+,- 10) wait and I got to explore the area around the visitor's center. There were several blue pools and bubbly, simmering holes of water. When people began to join me on the boardwalk, we headed back to the best view of Old Faithful.

Well, it was right on time, but I thought it would be larger, taller, somehow. 

Downtown Rapid City and Main Street Square

I went to the mixer at Prairie Edge this evening while Max was at the last Campus Kids meeting for the season. (Campus Kids is a program of Big Brother/Big Sister for kids who are waiting for a Big.) The mixer was to introduce the staff of the Main Street Square project and Destination Rapid City. We got to tour the future site of Main Street Square and ask questions. I didn't realize there was going to be an ice skating rink but it's going to be a bit bigger than Rockefeller. 
The stone monuments are tapestries of our skyline. The grey granite is the Black Hills tapestry and the pinkish granite is the Badlands tapestry. There's going to be a fountain for kids to enjoy during the summer and a permanent fire pit. I am looking forward to the retro movies that LRC 2010 is putting together along with the Square. We got to visit the spot where the concert stage will be, too. It's bigger than it looks from outside the fence. 
I spoke to Debra Jensen of Black Hills Bagels and the guys who were awarded the construction contract and Bonny Petersen. The tour of the Square was extremely cold. Beth of Destination Rapid City was serving drinks; I talked with her a while and got her card. Mayor Hanks recognized me from the Chamber mixer last week. He said he received my email and is looking over my fellowship application to write a letter of support for me! 
John Tesh said tonight on my way home that the number one mistake people make on job interviews and first dates is talking too much. Networking is more about what other people are doing than what I am doing, at least at the first meeting. If I am able to show that I care about their projects and interests, I will receive more interest from them. I like to talk though! And I'm working on my new elevator speech. I had a chance to practice tonight, and I did. I didn't get to say hello to John Stewart of the Main Street Square project, though. Since I saw him just yesterday at the Nonprofit Networker, I was disappointed that I didn't get the chance this time. But then since my elevator speech is not as polished as his yet maybe it's just as well. 
I'm really looking forward to YPG next week. Toastmasters will be there, too!

Elevator Speech

One of the presenters at today's Nonprofit Networker, hosted and facilitated by Chiesman, Black Hills Community Foundation, and the Dahl, was Nancy Anderson-Smith, Director of Youth Programs and Continuing Education at SDSM&T. (I know, that's a lot of comas, but it couldn't be helped) She talked about networking as meeting people with intention. Intention to help others, to grow a stronger community, to find out what is important to others. Networking helps us care for our neighbors. 
She gave us an assignment: prepare an elevator speech by the next convening of the Nonprofit Networker. An elevator speech is what you tell the mayor while shaking his hand at a Chamber mixer. I had a good one as an AmeriCorps*VISTA Member. Now I need a new one, so I was very pleased to have an assignment that I can apply immediately. 
An elevator speech is clear and concise. Who am I, what do I do, why it's important and what do I want. It should be a sentence or two, surely not more than two or three lines of text. I am verbose. This will be difficult for me. She gave us a couple of minutes to network at our tables in groups of three and four. I went with my old elevator speech that ended on Friday with my contract, but it is a little long. 
Power networking, Nancy explained, is a concise expansion of just the 'what I'm looking for' part. Add a few statistics to back up my request. Be clear and concise. I'm using that word a lot because she did too. (I believe repetition in speeches is used to drive home a point.)
She picked a random member of her captive audience to deliver his elevator speech. He was John Stewart of Main Street Square. He ended his speech with an enthusiastic "...this is your square." Everyone clapped. I can't wait till October! See? It works :)
Nancy also told us that a good elevator speech will help you write grants because grant reviewers like concise work, too. 

The Importance of Collaborations

Today I attended a Funder's Forum at a Nonprofit Networker meeting. There was a representative from each of four local funders: Black Hills Corp, United Way, J.T. Vucurevich and Black Hills Community Foundation. Helen Usera introduced the panel and asked the questions. Each representative answered each question. 
She asked what is the process for funding requests, what are the elements of a proposal that attract, how has the economy affected their review process and their ability to fund, and how do we put our best foot forward.  
One of the things they all repeatedly stressed was the importance of collaboration, of filling a need with an unduplicated service or, if someone else is working towards the same goal, work together to be stronger.
I met with Anne and Becky today to go over some specs for our group project while I was thinking about the meeting I'd attended earlier. I was late to the meeting because I took a wrong turn in the fog around Catron Blvd. I have never seen so much fog! Oncoming vehicles just materialized out of the gloom about thirty feet in front of me! Anne has detailed notes and took a few more pictures and I am left with daydreams for this post. (Or am I?) We have a better idea of how to align our goals with the agency we have chosen to assist.
 Afterwards, Becky joined me to help set up for a fundraiser breakfast tomorrow morning. While she was there, we had an opportunity to meet several girls from Central High School's Solutions program and their director, Jackie Swanson.
I met Jackie last summer after I read an article about her in the Rapid City Journal. Her Solutions program connects with students at risk of dropping out due to a variety of reasons. The inaugural class has already won a national award. 
The girls in Solutions are in charge of their own futures and they work hard. I've visited them a few times and today, while Becky and I were putting flyers at each place setting for the Breakfast, I saw them enter the hall to volunteer with us and I saw young leaders. I saw young women who faced the same struggles I face every day but without the benefit of my years. I invited them to collaborate on our blog and offer their insights to this community and their thoughts on leadership. Working together with the women of WCLI I am learning about the importance of perspective. 
When we were debating class project ideas, I recall several variations of mentorship expressed by my classmates. My vision of this blog hasn't gone the way I planned so far. Despite my best efforts, I'm just not as interesting when I'm waxing poetic all by myself as I hoped :) I need back up. I need company. I need to be inspired. 
A blog about women, women's issues, leadership and the Rapid City community should be by women of the community. I hope to generate some interest with differing perspectives. Collaborations generate interest, according to the funders. The Women's Community Leadership Initiative is a collaborative venture on its own;  we set an example in this community by our actions as do the young women in Solutions. We are working towards similar goals and many of them are more comfortable with digital media. They are the first generation that grew up with access to computers from infancy. We are living their world and we will one day give it to them. Let us get to know the leaders of tomorrow here.
This blog is a place to communicate ideas, to showcase accomplishments, and collaborate with other women. I have spent my service year building relationships between the agency I worked for and others. I have personally connected with enough individuals to want to continue living here. I love what I do and I enjoy sharing with others. I also enjoy learning what other people are doing, what daily accomplishments make you smile. I want to know what you struggle to achieve and if you need a different perspective, there are several here. Well, mostly just me, but that will change. This blog is a tool for creating a better future for ourselves and for each other. I hope this collaboration between WCLI and Solutions will prove to be a prolific breeding ground for many discussions about the Rapid City community as a whole, leadership, and the bonds between generations of women of diverse backgrounds.
Welcome, Solutions!  

Leadership in the letterhead

I can't believe I forgot to mention one of the most powerful points that our presenters made last night. Jacqueline Sly passed around her letterhead stationary and invited each of us to take a sheet. It was beautiful. Red-foil embossed header and footer. Very impressive, and she gracefully accepted our ooos and ahs. 
This looks like leadership, doesn't it? She asked us and we nodded. But leadership is not in the fancy foil embossing. You won't see the leadership on this stationary until you hold it up to the light. Which, as one, we did.
The light revealed a watermark that covered the page and depicted the river, a pheasant, Mt Rushmore, a Native American and the words, Dakota Bond. She went on to explain that you don't have to be on top to be the leader. Leadership comes from within, leadership is about creating conversation, not the fancy fireworks and embossed letterhead. Leadership is revealed by the light of the group being lead. 
A very powerful image to take home. And I want letterhead like that! I showed it to everyone in my office today.

Public Speaking and the Public Sector

I think last night's project session was my favorite because I feel like we moved forward. I hope we stay with the churches because that is a good place to start. Mel Gibson told his young son, in the movie The Patriot, "Aim small, miss small." Of course, he was talking about taking out the enemy but I think it's a universal concept.
Dorothy is always easy to listen to so I'm glad she was our public speaking presenter. I joined Toastmasters last June or July and it has been a fun learning experience for me. I was so shy when I came out here all by myself, my first office job, my first desk, my first time striking out on my own. I was a little overwhelmed by all the firsts, and then I realized I had to learn how to speak to people (especially since the grants I wrote were consistently denied). Toastmasters Top 5 allows me to practice my presentations so that when I go out into the community, no one knows how terrified I am when I'm talking to their groups.
I am not a politically active person. I don't follow the news and I just read headlines in the online paper. I don't feel connected because I wasn't politically connected in my former life before South Dakota, either. But my current job and the path my career is currently on just about requires I re-evaluate my political ambitions (or lack of). I am grateful that Ward 5 Councilwoman Bonnie Petersen, Pennington County Auditor Julie Pearson and District 33 Representative Jacqueline Sly came to talk to us, especially after Sheryl Kirkeby's passionate presentation last week. Sheryl suggested that any political ambitions can begin with volunteering for a school board. My VISTA project is very education-centered and I am considering these options. I applied for a Bush Fellowship so that I can continue working on Help to Obtain a Powerful Education (Project: H.O.P.E.) after my service year ends and to get the training I need to actualized my idea. Meeting these women who take time out of their busy schedules to talk to us about realizing our own goals is very empowering. I minored in Women's Studies, so Julie Pearson struck a chord in me, too.
My Women's Studies 101 teacher was passionate about suffrage and Julie's words were inspirational. I, too, suffer from stage fright like Bonnie but I overcome it. Perhaps a little too much sometimes, but that's what the fellowship is for. I mentioned my fellowship to Jacqueline as she was leaving and asked if she would meet me for coffee and she said yes! I love WCLI! 

Hootsuite--because there is never enough time in my day

DON’T put the burden of finding on the customer. Make it easy to be found.

Post two messages a week:

1 push and 1 pull.

Push—we have this deal...

Pull—what do you want us to do with this issue?

If you're as busy as I am, or even busier, hootsuite makes it easy to manage your digital marketing tools.

www.hootsuite.com

Set up a social media dashboard at hootsuite.com to time-manage messages for consistency. Hootsuite doesn’t allow much exploration until you have created a dashboard. I didn’t create one (yet). 

After I check my analytics, I discover that most of my fans check their Facebook pages on weeknights. The only time I have to update my page is Saturday mornings which, according to the analytical data, is when my page has the least traffic. Hootsuite allows me to post what I want on a timer so that my entry will ‘post’ automatically during high-traffic times to ensure my customers see my post when they are active online.

Timing is everything. If you run a restaurant, post your breakfast specials around 7:30 or so. About 80% of active users check their preferred forms of social media from their phone before getting out of bed (I do) and again one last time after getting tucked in. Give them something to get up for: your special bagels or today’s breakfast deals. Use hootsuite or another management tool to ensure your posts get to your target audience if you are unable to post fresh each morning for your fans’ convenience.

Google Analytics

Why all this is important

www.google.com/analytics

Where do I start? After my research, how do I decide which form of media to get good at first? How do I determine which form of media should be my home base? The Meyers brothers suggest useing the data from Google analytics to decide what I should update first. A website is static, it’s the brochure, and typically the home base. Social media is the outreach mechanism. Usually customers are going to come from the site, so update that first and then use (updated) social media to get it out there. Don’t forget to collect information somehow from visitors!

Social media allows your customers to find you easily. Since 80% of searches are local, this is a golden resource to advertise locally. If my information is easy to find online, then all I need to do is keep it up-to-date. A lot of local searches are performed on a phone or other mobile device by travelers who otherwise would not know about me. If my information is phone-compatible, random customers will be more likely to utilize the services I offer than another. I know from personal experience that I will eat at the first restaurant who’s phone number or address is easiest to find on my phone. I will also drive out of my way to visit a monument or some event that I happen to see on my phone while looking for something else. Key words are important, too.

Now that I have updated my website and I have a few visitors, how do I reach more visitors and potential customers? I update my social media, my outreach connector! Social media must be frequently updated in order to remain current. I can ask question to encourage interactions, utilize apps that require interactions, and let my fans know when I have a special deal going on or information to offer. Proper and effective use of social media will make it easier for potential customers to find me. If I am difficult to find online, or my graphics are difficult to view on a phone, those searches will turn into someone else’s customers.

Chamber Mixer

Tonight was great! I met Susanna when I first arrived and we connected with Sharee right away. Sharee was talking to Mayor Hanks so I got to talk to him. Mayor Hanks was very approachable. I introduced him to my friend Morgan Black, a professional harpist, and told him I applied for a Bush Fellowship. He offered to write a reference! I hadn't thought to ask our mayor for a reference but the application did say I needed a community leader. He said he'd written several, but I asked people who knew me personally to write my references. I spoke with Vesta and Tracy but only briefly. I also got to talk to some of our presenters, Sheryl Kirkeby and Kay Rippentrop.
Morgan wanted to meet Senator Adelstein so we spoke to him for a while. Morgan is a professional harpist and went to the same university as the Senator. He was in the same band. He knew of Volunteers of America, Dakotas and our Partner's Breakfast next week. I'm glad I spoke to him because he said he'd been invited but was unsure as to whether or not he would attend until he spoke to me. I believe Passover starts that day and he won't be able to attend but it felt good to make that connection. I will still follow up. I met a childhood friend of Senator Adelstein, too, a man named David Lamb who lives and runs Harney Peak Ranch. David's brother was best friends with the senator when they were children. I met David at a presentation I delivered at an AARP meeting and he recognized me.
I met James Van Nuys at a concert he hosted at his gallery a few weeks ago. He remembered me, and even though it's difficult to talk to him, he was impressed when I introduced him to my harpist friend.
I met up with Andy Ainslie again. Three days after I arrived in Rapid City, I went to a YPG mixer for my new job and I started making connections. I remember Andy told me to collect business cards and reward myself if I reach a certain goal. He said that would be one of the most important tips I would receive on my first job out of college. And he was right. Talking to Andy, I also met Hugh B. Watkins, Associate Director of Academic Support at Ellsworth Campus. My son wants to be a pilot when he grows up so it's always nice to meet folks in that line of work.
Morgan and I eventually ventured into the classrooms and met with representatives of the new University Center. I spoke with Dr. Gus Scully and Theresa Booher of SDSU about Help to Obtain a Powerful Education, the program I am starting as a VISTA Member. They were interested in learning more which is a response that always pleases me. I hope I am awarded the Bush fellowship so that I can continue working on this program. I also met Corinne Hansen of BHSU. My mother's name is Corinne and they spell and pronounce their names the same. She is in Marketing and Communications at BHSU.
I ran into Susanna and Sharee again somewhere during the night and I still needed two business cards. We approached a solitary gentleman and asked for his card. He didn't have any. His name was Jim Hansen and he's running for the school board. I spoke to him about Help to Obtain a Powerful Education and he was interested. I wrote his contact info on the back of Matt Fitting's (of H&R Block) card. Matt was one of the first people I met when I arrived. He was with Barb Shepardson, also of Andy Ainslie's firm, and Barb had already given out all of her cards. When I told her I recently accepted a marketing position with New Neighbors and would she be interested in word of mouth advertising, she gave me her name tag to ensure that I get back to her. Andy informed me that he wants it back so I'd better.
I spoke with Ron Jeffries, General Manager of Central States Fair, as he was the bar tender upstairs. Lynn Kendall was working with him at that time and she introduced me to him. As big as the Black Hills seem to me, it's still a small world. Ron grew up with one of my Piedmont friends and they are cousins.
I think my favorite connection was the last person with whom I exchanged information. Ross Johnson is the owner of Rushmore Cave and I love caves! He also has a graphic design company but that's not nearly as interesting. Rushmore Cave will have a new zip cord attraction this year. They open May  1.
I have followed up with an email to five of the people I met last night and a short snail-mail card to three key people whom I want to ensure they remember my name.
All in all, a very productive evening. I love my jobs. 

Clothing donation registry

I'm working on our press release and looking around for other clothing donation drives to find out what will make ours newsworthy. I started with our letter of introduction and rearranged some of the details so that they fit in a press release template. So I've got the basic stuff and I'm looking around for the meat to make it interesting, to make it newsworthy. 
Just an interesting aside, I found this clothing donation registry and there are no charities registered within 50 miles of 57701 that accept donations. Perhaps this is an obscure registry and people in South Dakota won't check it out. But then, too, I've used Volunteer Match with some success even though I was led to believe South Dakotans don't check online volunteer opportunities. And truthfully, the volunteers we have collected from Volunteer Match have not come from the local population but from Ellsworth AFB, but that's ok. I am sure there are plenty of military families who could donate and may check in, and maybe even a few locals. 


I think we should register our project here at some point during the planning process:
http://www.donationscentral.org/

Rough draft of our letter of introduction

April 12, 2011                              

Women’s Community Leadership Initiative

c/o Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce
444 Mount Rushmore Road, North
P.O. Box 747
Rapid City, SD 57701

To whom it may concern:

Greetings from the inaugural class of the Women’s Community Leadership Initiative (WCLI)!

WCLI is a program presented by Leadership Rapid City that educates and empowers women with diverse backgrounds to develop a deeper awareness of their potential to make a difference and become productive contributors to their community.

In addition to specific program sessions, each class gives back by completing a project that benefits the community. Together, our class has selected to revitalize the career clothing closet for the participants of a highly specialized career readiness training program. This career clothing closet offers nice clothing suitable for a job interview at no cost. You have received this letter because we shop at your store. We feel that your product line leads current fashion trends and would like to request your support (financial? Donation? Time? employee volunteers?) for our collective venture.

The members of our group were selected because we have overcome great obstacles to become who we are today. Many of us have benefitted from the tangible service this clothing closet provides, and we all are saddened by the poor selection of available clothing. It has come to our attention that, although there is a wide selection of sizes, the clothing is overwhelmingly old-fashioned and out of date. Our goal for revitalizing this much-needed service is to offer clothing that recent graduates will wear not only to their initial interview but that will make a fine addition to any professional’s collection of business attire.

We are currently raising awareness for our first Clothing Drive which will be held in June. We hope you are willing to help us as we undertake this worthwhile endeavor that may also potentially benefit the next person you choose to hire. A member of our WCLI class will be in contact with you soon to keep you informed of our progress and ways you can help.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter,

The Women of WCLI

ck

Get in the Sandbox and start digging!

www.digsandbox.com

How do I get people to ‘like’ my page? How do I invite people in? Is there a forum where I can ask these questions? What do I do now that I have fans and they are interacting with each other on my page? 

9 Clouds has an answer to those and many more on digsandbox.com.  My sandbox is my online community. Active Facebooking is like drinking from a fire hose: there is a lot of noise, so, for your convenience, Facebook automatically filters it out. You only see posts from pages with whom you interact, so I want my customers to interact. Interaction was stressed throughout the workshop: connection, interaction, information exchange. So how do I make this to scale and ensure my song is heard through the din? Digsandbox.com has the answers for a monthly fee.  

Digsandbox has a $27/monthly fee. This is a useful tool for managing a new social media campaign. The Sandbox is a digital community where everyone else is learning, and at varying stages of learning, so it is safe to ask questions, even questions you think everyone else knows (because if everyone else knows, someone will answer you).

DON’T be the police. The first instinct is to delete or retaliate to a negative post. This is actually an opportunity to change the impending outcome by responding in a positive fashion. Let some conversation unfold. Let my fans defend my product, see what the general consensus is. Remember the folks at ITC.

DON’T post more than once or twice a day on Facebook. You can post up to 22 tweets a day, but it’s not big in South Dakota yet. 

DON’T let social media become a burden.

To start a blog with others, read active blogs and invite a guest blogger from one of the active authors. Read blogs that pertain to the same subject or seem to have similar goals and maybe capture some followers, too. If no one else blogs, continue to post. If there’s a lapse in time, no need to start over, simply pick up where you left off (no one will notice).

I am comfortable with my own digital presence. I have several blogs where I can showcase my work, but they are all student blogs featuring student work. Since I have been out of school for a year, and I have been unable to blog professionally for that year as it is strongly discouraged by my employer, my digital presence is (gasp!) outdated. I have an opportunity to begin a new digital showcase for more recent accomplishments and thus far I have balked because I have been unable to explain the importance of a digital presence. What I didn’t realize was that I can showcase my own accomplishments and have an updated, professional digital presence with or without contributions from other authors. I can invite guest authors from other blogs to comment and follow which will, hopefully, encourage more followers and contributing authors. And all I need are some interesting words so that someone will want to read.

A Fun Read

This is a link to a blog post created by one of the founders of 9 Clouds. This is what I have in mind when I envision a space that people will want to visit. I think I will have to start learning more about graphics. I know that when writing newsletters, text-heavy is recommended for older readers who find the graphics distracting. If I want to attract a younger crowd to a blog, I need more graphics. Lots.
For this post, I like the graphics, and the experiment was fun to read.

http://thepostsd.com/2011/04/06/april-fools-for-friends/

How to encourage interactions using social media

Social media helps you scale your caring and create a community. Develop an interactive campaign: ask questions. Get fans to interact with my page so that they see more of my posts so that they can respond to more of my posts and see more.

www.wildfireapp.com

Wildfire is a Facebook app to help you identify the target market. Wildfire encourages interactions between fans and the fanpage.

(story) Using wildfire on their Facebook page, the Jessup Ambassador Contest allows fans of the Facebook page an opportunity to attend an annual event by telling their Jessup story. Four will be selected for the trip. This type of contest helps Jessup figure out why customers use their product, as in the pens versus gifts Parker Pens discovered and I learned about in another workshop. Telling individual customer stories help customer loyalty. Apple changed the status quo of computers. They sell the “why,” the prestige. Just like L’Oreal’s Because I’m Worth It campaign. Facebook is a great local advertisement tool. Empower fans so that they share on their page; give everyone a story to share. Apps facilitate that end.

 After you have done your research, decide on your homebase and get GOOD on one channel first. A great way to begin your social media campaign is about 2 messages a week on Facebook, and you should answer any questions and reply to comments in a timely fashion, and up to 22 daily tweets.

Create a business page on Facebook so that you can track your traffic; the analytics are important! Google.com/analytics is where you go to determine how much business comes from Facebook, other social media, and your website. Also for a business Facebook page, you can get an I-frame. The <iframe> tag defines an inline frame that contains another document. An I-frame on a business page makes your home Facebook page a ‘landing page’ which looks like a webpage but is actually a Facebook page. Also, if I have more than 25 fans on a business page, I can request a Facebook username at facebook.com/username to make it easy for Google.com/alerts to monitor what people say and for me to access that information with analytical assessments.

Be mindful of “digital sharecropping.” Digital sharecropping refers to customers who ‘like’ your page and then eventually ‘unlike.’ Those customers are gone. Get them interactive on your page and get their information somehow. Encourage sharing of information so that you can connect. Offer free downloads for email info and then I have a new customer. Encourage frequent contact so that my posts get past their filter. I want my followers to see my stuff so get them to click and like my posts often. Entice them! Show up if I see a post that encourages a real-world interaction. If I see a tweet that one of my fans is stuck on the highway with a flat tire and just off my exit, go get that customer. This will inspire positive feedback on my page and make an indelible impression on my customer. And all of my customer’s connections will see this as well. 

Innovation or cool idea?

I attended a workshop at the Chiesman center a few weeks ago on actualizing ideas. I met Helen Merriman, director of SD Center for Enterprise Opportunity, at this workshop and she invited me to the 9clouds presentation then. I consider myself to be an idea person, and am currently developing the follow-through to actualize some of my concepts. 

Creativity v innovation. How do you know your really cool idea is an innovation? John Duschinsky, founder of Be the Change, helps us determine the difference with ClassR

C         Capability

L          Legal and Brand?

A         Achievable?

S          Scale

S          Sustainable

R         Route to market

Capability—can we do it? The real difference between a good idea and innovation is the capacity for change. 80% of all new non-profit projects involving change FAIL due to lack of capacity to implement the change

Legal and on Brand? Is the idea legal in that country? Does it ‘enhance’ the brand?

Achieveable—Is it possible? Is this a realistic goal?

Scale—What is the scale? Is it appealing, can it be scaled to the objective?

Sustainable—is this sustainable? Will it keep going with minimal effort?

Route—What is the best route to the market?

Tom’s Shoes   

The innovation: how can I do good and make money? The more good I do, the more money I want to make. He looked at the model of shoe building and thought...what if...for every pair I sell, I make two and give one to a child with no shoes?

How do I market these shoes? He chose to involve people, consumers, in the Doing of Good Deeds and the shoes just sell themselves. Recently celebrated 1 millionth pair of shoes distributed.(=1 million donors)

Integrating good into everything is a good goal J

Fundraising and development teams are Agents of Change. Kodak made 35mm film only, until digital cameras came out, that is. The market environment changed, so the company adapted. 

Why do I want to innovate everything? Plug the gap with profiles. Is this a new market entry? Is this a native market? Does my brand have potential outside the native market? Is this efficient?

What business do I want to innovate? Read several businesses like my idea and reflect how each can help me. 

Key questions: what market am I actually in? Charity? Education? Children? Mothers? The example he used was Parker Pens. Parker Pens is a high-end retail item. Their board assumed they were in the pen market because they make pens. When retail customers who bought a Parker pen were asked why they chose that item, they invariably said they purchased the nice pen as a gift. Parker Pens was in the gift market, not the pen market. So they innovated a new style of packaging that encouraged purchasing their product as a gift. 

For our project, what is our market? Are we collecting clothes or are we helping disadvantaged community members get ahead? I like the idea of integrating Good Deeds into everything we do. Tom's Shoes is a great business model, but far too grand.

I enjoy the personality tests we've taken and learned a lot about myself in the process. I tend to adapt current information and templates to whatever need I face. For example, the four month calendar that I used to organize a diaper drive in October with one co-worker. I was unable to articulate my vision for the calendar. We began planning our diaper drive about mid-September but we were able to use the template by changing the dates and using the other information to help keep it organized as we flew through the process. I sent the calendar out to everyone because I have learned it is easier to adapt a current tool than it is to re-invent the wheel by starting over and that was one way to contribute to the over-all group. Rather than innovate a creative new way to organize a drive, I'll take a back seat on this one I guess and continue researching. I will have to work on packaging. Packaging in this instance is the delivery of my idea or request and I have a language to learn :) 

I am in the helping people market. I don't know much about clothes, well, other than what I like to wear. I don't feel that I would be effective at advertising for the clothing market because I am rather disconnected from it. I do feel that my particular skill set could be useful in the people-helping market because that is my passion. One of my passions. And I am (slowly) gathering the skills I lack to express my abilities in a useful fashion. 

Leap and the net will appear

I didn’t get my feelings hurt because no one wants to blog. I’m disappointed in myself that I was unable to express the importance of a digital presence. When I was in college, the importance was stressed quite a bit. Technology is the future; embrace it. When I graduated, Clemson was 27^th in the nation. It is now 23^rd and they are still emphasizing the digital presence.

I have spent the last year getting connected in the physical world so that I could stay on after my service year. I have several great opportunities facing me with one year of real world, practical experience. I recently accepted a marketing position because of my networking capabilities and social media skills because I created an opportunity for myself. I spent my college career preparing for the world of the future, and then accepted a job in South Dakota. The agency I work for not only doesn’t have a facebook presence, employees aren’t even allowed to mention for whom they work on any social media site. Since non-profit is so competitive, this seems counter-productive to me. Even the statewide VISTA blog is highly suspect and discouraged, and it could digitally connect the fifteen VISTA Members throughout the state with resources and support. We are serving far from home, most of us, and working to make a difference in our individual communities. Most of us only connect with other VISTAs on our monthly conference call.

I am proud to have been accepted into WCLI and I think about this class all week. At my desk, I think of ways I can contribute to our success. Many of my ideas are far reaching, many are impossible. But I still ponder it. I don’t write as much as I think because I’m intimidated by all of you. I feel like I’m not communicating well, and actually (I’m sort of ashamed to admit) I don’t understand outlines. When I write them, I write out the paragraph and then click on outline view. I took a lower grade on every middle school assignment that required one. Thank you, Nicki, for posting it, though. I don’t speak the same language as the majority of people in the world, it sometimes seems. My teachers pulled their hair. My daddy is now bald.

I guess since I spent so long in school, homework comes naturally to me. And I read that learning to reflect is the way out of poverty. I reflect. With words. To myself, to the trees, to the moon. To a friend. On a blog. What good is reflection if there’s no one to share it with? You all are in this group. Who do you talk to about what we did in class this week? Your husband? Your best friend? Why not a classmate, too? I have a life, too (sort of) but while I’m wandering around in the Badlands thinking about how education drives economic development based on stuff we heard in class last week, I enjoy many hours of monologues; the only dialog exists between me and Socrates (If I don’t have someone to offer feedback my ideas go no further than the boundary of my skull).

Are you happy at your job? Are you looking for something better? When my contract ends this week, I am going to something better. I have spent my service year creating opportunities for myself. That’s how I got to Rapid City in the first place: I dream big and I leap. And I fall. And I sit in traffic on the corner of Omaha and Rushmore at 8:02am on Monday because my transmission went out. But not for long. I pushed it to the corner as soon as the light turned red because after a lifetime of being rescued, I don’t need it anymore. I’m kinda proud of that; this has been a difficult year. But I’m also blessed because I was able to handle the problem myself. This time. But my friends are far away. And I don’t speak the language here. But on the eastern part of the state, I do. I had an opportunity to attend a workshop by some guys from Sioux Falls that help businesses grow by helping to develop an online marketing strategy. After the workshop, I spoke with them about the WCLI blog. I mentioned that I was the only contributor and the other authors have been highly resistant to the ‘new’ networking opportunities. They suggested I continue the blog anyway, if only to update my own digital portfolio. So here goes...

9 Clouds workshop at SD CEO

A presentation made possible by the Center for Enterprise Opportunity (CEO) in Spearfish on Thursday, April 8. Scott Meyer told us how it is possible to live and work effectively from anywhere in the world. His brother, John Meyer, a Top Businessman Under 25 and the idea guy of the operation, told us why digital literacy is important. This post is the first in a short series on the importance of this not-so-new marketing tool.

  Why is digital literacy important?  Fluency can improve your customer service, sales, research and development, brand, lead generation and brand/product awareness. Social media can help you to grow your digital presence. It is important to be effective before efficient, so where do you begin? Begin with research, then some more research, then implement, which will provide info for more research.

Research begins at home. You are who Google says you are. Type in key words at Google places, check out your homebase and ensure accuracy (blog, Google places, Facebook, Twitter). Own your space. Check Google place listing, photos and videos, consumer reviews. 18% of consumers trust ads; 78% trust reviews.

It’s not about ‘what your site looks like’ anymore as much as ‘what does it look like on my phone?’ People are always on the go. 25% today projected to 50% in 5 years check social media on their phones. 80% of phone searches are local so make sure you drop your pin on Google places, and it wouldn’t hurt to drop a pin on the other search engines, too. When someone performs a local search from a phone, you will be glad your information is accessible on a mobile device.

  What allows me and my business or ideas to connect? Words?  Photos? Videos? Facebook? Facebook is currently the third largest country. How do I attract customers to my sandbox, to my Facebook page? Scott and John suggest a balance for Facebook posts with a push/pull, one personal/one professional message. Small-town SD is primed for Facebook because of the personal, friendly connection. (more push/pull later).    

  But what if someone says something bad about me on Facebook? How do I handle negative posts and reviews? I am afraid a digital presence will be more of a hassle than a help and just allow people to post criticisms that will drive customers away. How will that help my customer service?

  (story) ITC’s Facebook page—friendly, allows them to respond and lets all their connections know. People are already saying negative things about your business. You want them to say those things in your sandbox so that you can respond to change the opinion. A negative post in my sandbox, i.e. on my Facebook page, means that I have a chance to change the outcome. One ITC customer was disgruntled with an inconsistent connection and posted the dissatisfaction on ITC’s Facebook page. Within 15 minutes, a comment was posted by the page administrator that customer service would be contacting the Facebook user. The next day, that user posted a positive review for the customer service received. All of that customer’s connections were able to see that positive review. I could see the response time for the administrator, and the comment the next day, and a conversation was unfolding with comments from other customers that were also positive.

Use Search.twitter.com to find out when people are talking about pizza. 9 million tweets/day and 500,000 about pizza at 5-ish. If you start tweeting your daily specials and pizza ads around quarter till, you will reach your target audience: hungry people seeking pizza. Listen to tweets to identify your target market. *Twitter is not a big market in this part of SD or SD as a whole so it is only important for out-of-state dealings at this time.* 

Up next: How social media helps you create an interactive, caring community that will assist you to further your goals.