Sandra Says

Things I’ve done this week include:

• adding FeedBurner feed to a blog,
• adding Google analytics, and
• opening a bitly acct.

It’s all about stats, just not mine. As you may be able to tell, while I have been working on online real estate (blogs, social media, etc.) they haven’t been mine.

I need to change that.

Things I need to do:

• add content to my own blog,
• improve my LinkedIn profile,
• weed out RSS feeds I never read, and
• bring my inbox to zero.

I’m working on all of this. In the meantime, I will drink my tea, pretend it isn’t past midnight, and start to write.

I have friends and family who work as electricians and contractors of various kinds. They have these neat tool belts that they use to carry the tools of their trade with them. These are things they need on a daily basis, things they need to have handy.

I don’t know the names of the flat screwdriver versus the one that one with the end that looks like star. I don’t own a hammer. I don’t have a measuring tape (though I’m considering getting one of those). I don’t carry protective gloves. Those are not my tools. My tools are different.

I started thinking about this a few days ago, when I was covering an event for work. One of the attendees had a Flip video camera and was using it to record the presentation. The woman seated next to me asked what it was and I gave her an explanation. Looking into her confused gaze, I took mine out of my bag to show her.

It’s at this point that the woman seated in front of me asked: “you carry yours with you?” And I was startled. Why wouldn’t I? I thought to myself.

I’ll be candid and admit that I’ve had little on-the-spot call to use my Flip video camera, but I know that I will need it at some point. I’ve gotten into the habit of carrying it to force myself to take more video for when I launch our new media room later this year. But there are other things I carry with me that are essential, that I use daily. These are my tools of the trade, and I carry them in a convenient yet stylish bag that weighs more than I’d like to admit.

In my bag I normally have:

• business cards
• my smartphone
• something to write with and something to write on
• a digital camera
• a digital audio recorder
• my Flip video camera (a new addition)
• my agenda, which is used to track what I did (my calendar is on the smartphone)
• makeup bag (so I can prepare if I have to do a last-minute interview, which happens several times a week)
• wallet

These are things I try to have with me all the time. Items I’ve accumulated over years of doing what I do.

Other things I pack in there include reading glasses, contact solution, aspirin, sunglasses, a brush, hairspray, a Tide stick, Burt’s Bees lip balm, a bottle of water and at least one granola bar. And then there’s a small mesh bag that holds essentials like a USB Flash drive with portable apps, a USB SD reader, portable headphones, extra batteries for the little electronic devices that make life easier (including my smartphone), a USB connector to recharge my phone, a retractable USB cable, a nice little USB splitter to give me additional ports, and a few other things.

Some days, I swap out the agenda for my netbook. Some days I forgo the bottled water and the granola bar. Some days I add a few files to review in my spare moments throughout the day. But I’ve come to rely on the consistency of always having these things with me when I’m working. I never have to worry about my batteries running out, or being stuck without my bookmarks (as long as I can borrow a computer), or having to do an on-the-spot interview without being able to record my side. I’m ready.

Most of us have developed a list of things without which we couldn’t do our jobs. It might be having a certain type of file folder, or a certain software application, or a certain type of computer, or certain networking opportunities – but we all have our tools. Because so much of my work is done off-site (on location, as it were), I’ve learned to bring my tools with me.

What’s in your tool belt?

In last night’s mad rush for Facebook usernames, it really should come as no surprise (to myself) that I didn’t manage to get “sandrafernandez.” There are hundreds of us in the US alone, and I never manage to get that user ID secured for myself. But I guess I was hoping that I was going to be quick enough to find it available on Facebook.

As a backup I used to use sandrafdzh, because I could always count on the fact that it was never taken. SANDRAFDZH = Sandra+FDZ(Fernandez)+H(Herrera); i.e., my name. It was unique and available. The problem was that it’s hard to remember it you don’t speak Spanish.

Sometime in the last few years I started switching to SandraSays. I secured the domain name and started this blog. I changed my Twitter ID, and people actually started remembering it. Somewhere along the line, SandraSays became my recognized ID. (Though I do still have sandrafdzh in several accounts, including Flickr.)

So now I have www.facebook.com/sandrasays as my Facebook “vanity URL.” And it’s a good thing I’m OK with it, because Facebook states pretty clearly that I cannot change it later.

Were you luckier than I was?

Sandra Fernandez’s Profile

Create Your Badge

Today I had the pleasure of attending a seminar on using social media in a crisis. It was presented to a roomful of Public Information Officers, may of whom worked long hours during and after Hurricane Ike. We’re all responsible for communicating on behalf of critical organizations, providing information about services Houstonians need in a crisis.

The seminar was very thorough, though a bit past-faced for a group that included mostly beginners and some intermediate level “gurus.” Many of them don’t actively use social media, even personally. No one came out and asked “what is Twitter?” But, sitting in the crowd, I heard more than one loud whisper scoffing at it’s use.

I like attending these kinds of seminars, given by enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenters. I invariably learn something, even if it’s just a gauge on the mood and open-mindedness of those in attendance. Today, I walked away with more than that.

Tips I picked up at today’s seminar that I hadn’t considered before:

• Twitter is going to offer “verified accounts” soon — http://bit.ly/FwkXe

• create a hashtag for your organization or an incident that’s media-worthy; if you don’t, someone else will

• add commenting to static Web pages; use something like IntenseDebate to add conversations onto parts of your Web site that aren’t interactive — http://www.intensedebate.com/

• YouTube offers special government accounts that lift the restrictions they have on normal accounts, and they’re free. I have to look into this.

Other things he mentioned that I already knew, but are worth sharing:

• develop a policy and job aids for social media in advance of a crisis

• capture video of you or others giving interviews and post unedited in YouTube

• add ShareThis to your Web pages

• pick up your “vanity URL” from Facebook starting 11:01 pm Friday night (Central time)

There was much more, all of it great and useful. I’ll see if I can find his presentation posted somewhere to share.

Yesterday I attended the monthly Houston Social Media Breakfast at Coffee Groundz. The featured speaker was Kelsey Ruger (a.k.a. The Moleskin).

He walked us through several activities designed to to get our creative juices flowing. It was fun. It was helpful.

One of the things I realized (as we went through one game or another) is that I needed the jolt. I do self-censor my ideas to filter out the good ones, before I write them down or share them. I do think about what’s practical when coming up with concepts and strategies and innovations (in process or message). I do think about too many things as I’m brainstorming. I hinder my creativity.

I have always considered myself to be a creative person. As a child wrote songs and stories, made up friends and games, and I drew on anything that I could get away with – much to my parents’ dismay. I never thought in straight lines, rarely did just one thing at a time.

Somewhere along the line I’ve let function interfere with unfettered creativity. I’m still creative, but it’s in a very adult sort of way. It’s… functional.

I think it’s time for a creativity re-boot. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tonight I attended Hispanic Business Magazine’s Woman of the Year Gala. This annual event is part of a day-long series of workshops that I was unable to attend, much as I wanted to be there. There is a part of me that’s just a conference junkie, but that compulsion to sit and absorb information wasn’t what made me want to be there today. I wanted to attend today’s event because it was a conference for and about Hispanic Women.

I always come away from these things energized, full of ideas and hope and commitment. I meet wonderful women doing wonderful things that make me proud and envious and (just a little bit) sad that I don’t measure up (in my own mind). There is something remarkable about getting a group of professional women in the same room for no other reason than to support and celebrate each other. It’s great.

The Woman of the Year is truly inspiring. Her story of overcoming adversity and working her way up, of becoming a success by anyone’s standards, is amazing. The honor she received today was certainly well-deserved.

In the evening, celebrate with our Woman of the Year, Inspector General of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Frances Garcia. This first-generation Mexican-American worked in the fields; waited tables at a diner; and worked side by side with the white men as the first woman and Hispanic at accounting firm Arthur Andersen in Dallas. She also survived a serious car accident — one that left her with broken bones and other major injuries.

Years of hard work and personal sacrifices ultimately led her to the nation´s capital, where she has been Inspector General of the U.S. Government Accountability Office since 1996.

I met some very interesting women and men tonight. I look forward to connecting with them again later, to find out what they’re doing and how I can help. I flatter myself that I can actually help a few of them reach their goals or just put them in touch with the right tools or people. Every once in a while I’m helpful and/or effective.

Time to go to bed. I have a full day tomorrow, again.

I’ve been working on the public launch of this program for a few months, and have known about the program for much longer. The April 20th launch (news conference, etc.) of WeCAN Works was a resounding success. Congratulations to all involved, including the partners:

• Houston Public Library
• City of Houston
• Microsoft Corporation
• Houston Independent School District
• Houston Community College System
• Workforce Solutions
• Greater Houston Partnership

What’s the big fuss? To borrow words from the Library Journal:

The Houston Public Library (HPL) continues to be a major player in the city’s literacy and employment efforts, as it has been awarded a $4.5 million grant from the Microsoft Corporation. The grant benefits WeCAN Works (Wireless Empowered Community Access Network), a literacy and workforce preparedness project launched as part of the Houston Digital Inclusion Initiative (DII), which is managed by HPL. 

The Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant includes $4.3 million in software (listed at bottom) and $200,000 in cash over a two-year period and represents the largest donation on record from the corporation, according to the City of Houston news release. The money will support more digital literacy training opportunities on weekends and evenings, fund additional workplace apprenticeship opportunities for students, and pay for GED certifications over the two-year period.

Not bad. My contribution to the story:

HPL spokesperson Sandra Fernandez told LJ that no extra staff will be hired, but “there may be a need to bring on more computer class trainers to supplement existing staff and deliver the expanded digital literacy training,” especially in Track III implementation. (The DII also is in the process of building free wireless, high-speed connections in ten neighborhoods.)

The launch net stories in the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Business Journal, Library Journal, and local TV and Radio stations. More info on the Digital Inclusion Initiative is available at www.houstonwecan.org.

When you do get to call yourself an expert at something? This question pops into my head as I read one introduction after another of this person or that person as a “social media expert.”

What, exactly, makes him or her an expert at social media? Is it the number of Twitter followers they’ve amassed? The frequency with which they post to their blogs? The rankings Google or Alexa gives to said blogs? The times they’re quotes, retweeted, or linked to on a daily basis?

What makes you an expert at social media? Is there a certificate you get in non-spam email one day when you’ve reached a certain goal? Is it a club membership you receive from an anonymous committee you’ve never heard of before?

Silly me, thinking that it’s more important that I listen to the people I’m following than to get more people to follow me. What a reckless thought, imagining that actually paying attention to what is being said to me is more important than having my words repeated endlessly.

But then, I’m not an expert. Just a woman with the quaint notion that being a good communicator should be the goal.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Wish I could say I dressed my blog in green just for today, but you know it’s just my normal color.