My 3 Words for 2013

Three words driving Chris Brogan through the start of 2010. Creative Commons photo courtesy of topgold.

I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. But last year I did something different after learning about what Chris Brogan does.

I chose three words — Passion, Challenge, Connect — and used them as a way to frame my year. I am doing the same this year.

Pursuit

Follow “it,” whatever “it” is: Dreams, opportunities, success. Don’t let them slip away, never to come back. Keep on track, and do it consistently.

That is pursuit, and that is what I need.

Commitment

Sometimes, in my personal life, I start a task or project and then I don’t finish it. I get disinterested and move onto the next task or project. I want that behavior to stop.

I want to pick up a task or project and see it to fruition. I want to revel in the feeling of a job done, and done well.

And I also want to demonstrate my commitment to being a better husband, a better friend, a better person.

Create

This word has a couple of meanings, but the one that I’m most interested in is create content. I want to get back to blogging regularly here and at my food blog.

I also want to create works of fiction. In the past, fiction writing has been a very sporadic activity. Now I want it to be something I put more effort into, something that I set aside dedicated time for, even if it’s only every other week.

The same goes for other types of content I want to create: Paintings (acrylics and non), social (Storify) and more.

Bring it, 2013

If I can harness pursuit, commitment and create this year, I know it will be a very good year.

What are your three words for this year?

5 Key Thoughts from the PR + Social Media Summit, #prsms

Photo courtesy of Gee Ekachai via Instagram

Last week the 4th Annual PR + Social Media Summit was held, and if you weren’t there, well, you were probably following along from home (read: work) at the #prsms hashtag.

Right? Right.

Just in case you didn’t go and weren’t listening on Wednesday, here’s a rundown of 5 key thoughts to take away from the summit.

1. Not Everything is a Social Media Crisis

Augie Ray in his keynote burst some social media bubbles and at the forefront were crises. Not everything that appears as though it’s a crisis will turn out to be one.

As an example, NBC took a lot of heat for its Olympics coverage this summer. The tape delays were probably the most known one, but there were several other public outrages, too.

But NBC ended up garnering its highest ratings for the Olympics, and the network, which forecast itself to lose $200 million in the process, ended up breaking even.

2. Tell Your Story Visually

Gee Ekachai, whose Instagram photo is featured in this post, presented about that social network at the summit.

The main takeaway from her presentation? That visual storytelling is growing and so popular because it can cross language barriers.

(As an aside, I share a lot of pictures of my dogs on Instagram. I was happy to learn that the first photo on that network was of a dog.)

3. “Not Everyone Is Going to Be a Fan of Your Brand.”

I tweeted this quote, but forgot to give credit to its author. And now I can’t remember.

Regardless, it’s an important reminder. As much as anyone involved in social media is fixated on growing a brand, getting new likes and followers, it’s important to remember this.

Some people won’t be swayed and that’s OK. Instead, try to recognize those who love your brand, and give them content and interactions that will continually solidify that feeling.

4. Listening is of the Utmost Importance

“Brands who pay attention, get paid with attention,” said Molly McKenna Jandrain during her breakout session on “Sharing Your Brand Story.”

To me it seems like social listening is not talked about as much as other parts of social media like humanizing, tools to use or metrics to track.

But listening is half of social media — by definition, social media takes two partners, and you have to listen to the other partner to keep the interaction going. If you’re not listening — and even if you are — take time out to see how you can improve in this area.

5. Be an Industry Leader

No, those aren’t words that Nick Symmonds uttered about himself, but he might as well have done so. He’s an industry leader for Olympic athletes.

Nick seized an opportunity this year and sold a space for a tattoo on his shoulder through eBay. Summit sponsor Hanson Dodge Creative won the auction, and the two have a mutually beneficial relationship because of it.

The auction started because Olympic track athletes can show only one logo when running in races, and Nick wanted to bring attention to that and get it changed. He has brought a lot of attention to the issue, and he has found opportunity where none existed, by partnering with Hanson Dodge and growing his personal brand.

That’s what happens when you’re an industry leader.

Read more about the summit

You can read some of my curated recaps on Storify:

• “Sharing Your Brand Story” by Molly McKenna Jandrain
• “A Human Web Touch” by Mary Henige
• “How Instagram’s Become a New Social Media Superstar” by Gee Ekachai
• “Bursting Social Media Bubbles” by Augie Ray

And if you still want to read more, I recommend this recap — 3 Takeaways from #PRSMS — from my Twitter friend Abi.

Crushing My Cycling Checklist

My Trek 1500 road bike

A couple of years ago, I got back into cycling.

In fact, it was the Tour de France that hooked me back (and I wrote a blog post about that).

But this year I have taken my cycling passion to new heights.

1,000 miles

My goal for 2012 was to bike 1,000 miles on the open road. As of today, I have 1,049.

Yes, I’ve surpassed my goal — and there are still four months left in this year. It’s time to really crush it.

(Last year, in comparison, I had about 660.)

New top speed

My odometer the day I hit 1,000 miles.

Although I haven’t focused a ton on speed intervals, I have mapped out a few short courses near my home and focused on speed.

One course is just about 9.5 miles long, and I rode it twice last week. Each time I got a new fastest time — 19.2 mph the first time and 19.3 mph the second time.

Century ride

One more thing that I’d like to accomplish — I’m waiting for the beginning of fall and for slightly cooler temperatures — is a century ride, or 100 miles in a day.

I had planned out a day in early May to do it and, as luck would have it, severe thunderstorms came that day instead. So I’ve rescheduled for the fall sometime.

Cycling in 2013

My big goal for next year is to complete the Wisconsin Triple Crown. In May is the Arcadia’s Brute Challenge, in June is the Kickapoo Kicker, and in August is the Dairyland Dare.

I want to successfully complete the triple crown and claim my jersey, which means I’ll have to bike 50K-100K-100K at the least. (In miles, that’s about 31-62-62.)

Here’s to achieving my goals!

What goals have you crossed off your list this year?

Self-Dishonesty and Brand Loyalty

I just finished reading “The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone — Especially Ourselves” by Dan Ariely.

The book was quite good in the level of detail the author included about experiments and how the results of those experiments show that people lie to other people and to themselves more frequently than they might think.

But the takeaway of one study was one that I found intriguing:

These results suggest that once someone (or some organization) does us a favor, we become partial to anything related to the giving party — and that the magnitude of this bias increases as the magnitude of the initial favor (in this case the amount of payment) increases.”

It is interesting that I was reading this book at just about the same time that I was writing the draft for my Cabot Cheese social media case study post in which Cabot sent me free cheese. I ended up using the cheese as ingredients for recipes posted on my food blog and then posted about my overall experience with the brand here.

It’s not too surprising, I think, to read the above quote.

Dishonest with yourself

The dishonesty part came about because, in the experiment, people underwent fMRI scans while seeing a painting and a logo of a gallery. Each participant was informed that one gallery provided payment for the experiment.

Participants were asked to like or dislike paintings, and the results showed they liked ones from the gallery that paid for the experiment. But when asked, participants said the logo had no effect on their choice.

Clearly, self-deception was at work.

Brand loyalty

It should not be a shock that when a brand does something nice or offers a free product or service that there will be a little bit of loyalty. The loyalty does not have to last a lifetime, either.

I recognize that I’ve had these types of feelings toward other brands when they have been kind or done nice things to me. I tell myself that I feel no need to reciprocate the brand’s kind gestures.

But, really, there’s nothing wrong with reciprocating, so long as you’re honest with yourself.

How willing are you to reciprocate exposure or other gestures to brands when they do so to you?

My 3 Words for 2012, Mid-Year Review

My Trek 1500 road bike.

2013 is half-way here. That means it’s time to take a breath and evaluate. What I plan on evaluating are My 3 Words for 2012.

As a reminder, these three words are championed by Chris Brogan in an effort to frame how you want to live your life in the next year.

Passion

I’ve focused on passion in some areas well, but not so in others. I’ve stepped up my cycling training (684 of my goal of 1,000 road miles at the end of June), but I’ve neglected this blog as well as my food blog.

What I need to do: Re-prioritize. Make sure I find the time to accomplish my goals.

Challenge

I’ve done a few things to challenge myself, but I know I can do more.

I’ve tried to create some good footage for YouTube videos and hope to edit my first video this year. In addition, I’ve taken a challenge to learn coding, delved deeper into Google Analytics and initiated more social media campaigns.

What I need to do: I think I’ve gotten off to a good start with this word, but I need to keep doing so and maybe find some other ways to challenge myself (see embedded tweet below).

We definitely need an #InstameetMKE. Anyone want to organize with me? –> Milwaukee Instagram Meetup: j.mp/Le8T0e

— Dan Polley (@polleydan) June 26, 2012

Connect

This one is easy to dissect. I have continued to make connections online in many different social networks.

What I need to do: Take it offline. Find the time and way to meet people in person to strengthen relationships (see embedded tweet above).

When Time and Goals Intersect

Creative Commons photo courtesy of lululemon athletica

Goals. We all have them. It’s usually just a matter of finding the time to complete them. But what happens when time and goals intersect?

Time takes precedence

When time takes precedence, your goals go unfulfilled.

Maybe that means it’s time to re-evaluate your goals. Break them down into smaller goals or scratch those goals altogether. Maybe it means that you need to re-prioritize your goals.

Whatever the case, it’s time to evaluate.

Goals take precedence

You’re completing your goals — that’s great — but at what cost? Time goes by the wayside, which means suffering through not enough leisure time.

It’s time to ponder your plate and whether there’s too much on it. Maybe it’s time for a break or time to move some goals to the backburner.

Worst course of action

What’s the worst thing you can do? Fail to realize how your time and your goals intersect. If you don’t, you won’t be able to evaluate how you are performing your goals and how it’s affecting your time.

Find your priorities

This is the conundrum I have faced in recent weeks: The intersection of time and goals.

My main two goals are blogging here weekly on Mondays and riding 1,000 road cycling miles this year. My cycling goal has taken precedence over time, which has taken precedence over my blogging goal.

But I’m passionate about blogging, and that’s why I’m re-evaluating how time and my goals intersect. I’m hoping my goals take more precedence in the near future.

Patience is Overrated

Creative Commons photo courtesy of gemb1

Patience is a virtue.

Or so I’ve been told all my life. But sometimes, well, it isn’t. Sometimes patience is overrated.

There are some situations where you need to be patient and let events unfold.

But then there are other times, times when you could be patient and let things happen. Or you could step up, take control and let patience wait for you.

The key is to know the difference, to know which situation you are in. Should you wait or should you take the reins?

Turning Bad Days Into Good Ones

Creative Commons photo courtesy of martinak15

You wake up late, you spill your coffee, you have too much to do at work.

You’re having a bad day.

If you’re like me, this means you’ll feel that frustration, that tension, boil up. But do you know what that does? Nothing.

What that does is make sure that you focus on every little thing that does not go your way. It makes your day go from bad to worse. It’s a snowballing effect, with small negative things balling up and getting bigger and bigger, collecting other small negative things along the way.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Instead don’t let those small negative things take over your day. Yes, bad things happen, and they happen in small packages frequently. That’s no excuse.

When those negative things happen, it puts you on the defensive. Then you’re just reacting to every little thing that happens afterward.

Instead, go on the offensive. Take the day ahead of you and crush it. Don’t give those negative little things a chance to take hold. Give them a chance to run and hide.

If you do that, your bad day will soon be a good one.

Defeating Self-Doubt

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Meredith_Farmer

Self-doubt can be a helpful tool, but usually it’s a dangerous trap.

That’s why you need to defeat it.

For me, self-doubt can creep in and destroy the best of my intentions. And I know I’m not the only one like this. That’s why you just have to take that self-doubt and tell it to buzz off.

Using my words for 2012

So when I think about my 3 words for 2012, I remember how passion and challenge can help me do just that.

With passion, I can lean on interests and use them to build my confidence to such a level that self-doubt cannot cripple. I will watch self-doubt growing smaller and smaller, until it is just a speck on the horizon.

With challenge, I can take self-doubt head on, watch it cower in fear as I tackle new endeavors and push my personal boundaries. I will watch self-doubt wither in pain after I crush 2012, leaving no room for it to grow.

Go on, defeat it

A tip: Don’t allow room for self-doubt to grow. Do what you love, and give yourself new opportunities to grow. If you do those things, self-doubt will not be able to take hold.

Instead, what you’ll have is confidence, renewed self-assurance and untold happiness. That’s worth it.

How I’ve Grown My Brand

I’ve been on Twitter for about 2 1/2 years now, and when I look back at when I was signing up for an account, I’m happy.

There’s an interesting reason for that. When I was signing up for an account, the name I wanted (danpolley) was taken. There are other Dan Polleys in the world, and one had that name reserved.

Instead, I signed up as polleydan.

Finding my brand name

That’s an important way — and an unintended one, no less — in how I’ve grown my social presence. That signing up process inadvertently led my to my brand name, polleydan. Now, if you want to find me on any network, just search for polleydan.

The moniker polleydan has become how other people know me and even how I’ve come to think of myself. I frequently say polleydan in everyday life, and my wife refers to me that way, too, although she’s been doing so since before my Twitter name.

Helping others, anytime

One important way I’ve grown my social presence is to help people anytime. Sometimes that’s just by providing encouragement when someone posts a discouraging sentiment. At other times it means help spreading the word about an event, volunteering for an event or providing comfort to those who need it.

It even can be just providing affirmation for someone who seeks it.

Updating frequently

Perhaps the most important thing is the frequency of your presence. It seems straightforward, but I don’t think everyone takes it into consideration. After all, if you’re not on social sites, it’s tough to grow your brand.

That’s one of the reasons this blog’s readership has not grown as much as my other networks: I haven’t updated it in quite some time and haven’t done so with regularity.

If you want to build it, whatever it is, you need to invest time into it.

Exploring new networks

Another pillar of my brand’s presence is exploring new avenues and opportunities to connect through social networks. I signed up for Google+ early on and have enjoyed the tech, photography and other circles I’ve connected with on there. Pinterest has been a great way to explore new things and people.

Other networks that I’ve enjoyed include GetGlue, DailyFeats, SkillShare and Untappd.

Plans for 2012

There is one thing that I want to do less with my brand’s presence. I sometimes post about myself a bit too much, and I’d like to do that less. Instead I want to focus more on growing connections by engaging in conversations and sharing only the personal content that I think others would love.