Tag Archives: technology

business tip: embrace what makes you different!

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I recently attended an event designed to inspire collaboration and information sharing between entrepreneurs and start-ups. There was quite an interesting group of people with a lot of wonderful ideas – DC is really trying to come up on the tech scene. As tends to happen at this type of event, we went around the room a couple of times introducing ourselves and the businesses/brands that we represented. Later, I struck up a conversation with someone that was sitting across from me and we got on the topic of names. I told him that as a child I had hated my last name. Some little girls dream of meeting their Prince Charming and having a fairy tale wedding – I just wanted to marry someone so I could have a different last name. I mean who the heck is named ‘Rasberry’?

I got called every fruit in the book and when Prince’s song ‘Raspberry Beret’ came out, that was all she wrote. That became the song everyone would start singing as I walked by. To this day, when I hand my credit card to a cashier, seven times out of ten he/she will ask me if ‘Rasberry’ is my real last name. Really? The other comments I hear frequently are “wow, what a cool last name!” and “I wish I had a name like that!” I used to always want to say, “No; you don’t.” Now, not so much.

Since I’ve gone into business for myself, I’ve realized that this name that I spent years hating is actually a benefit. For example, at the aforementioned event, it was the main thing people remembered from my little intro. When I began to have one-on-one conversations with people, some people remembered that my first name is ‘Tamara’ but EVERYONE remembered the last name ‘Rasberry.’ Why? Because it stands out. I know I’m not the ONLY person in the world with this last name – heck, I’m not even the only person named Tamara Rasberry if you can believe that- but the majority of people with whom I come in contact have never met anyone with this last name. Since my company name is ‘Rasberry Consulting’ having an uncommon last name has helped me to stand out and made me that much more memorable to people.

I encourage you to embrace what makes you different when it comes to establishing your business, developing your brand and just living life in general. The things that make you stand out will be the things that make you memorable and, in some cases, successful. Don’t get caught up in the cult of conformity. We each have our own set of qualities and/or skill sets that make us stand out. Some you may have developed, like your sense of humor or your business acumen. Some you may have inherited, like large ears (a la Will Smith) or less than perfect eyesight. Or a crazy last name! Whatever your thing is, embrace it. Play off of it. Enhance it. Use it to get people talking about you and your brand.

If I can do it, you can do it (or I can help you do it.) I went from dreaming of the day that I could change my name to creating a social persona and brand as ‘Ms. Rasberry.’ Yep; that’s me. I embrace it.

What makes you and/or your business different? Leave a comment and let me know.

YOU are your brand. Represent!

special event recap: YNPNdc social media summit

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*This recap will be longer than my typical recap, as this was a day long event.

On Friday, August 6, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network DC (YNPNdc) held their second annual Social Media Summit at ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership. The theme of this year’s Summit was ‘Bringing Theory to Practice.’ Sessions were designed to focus on practical applications for social media use within nonprofits.

As a social media advocate who’s been involved with the nonprofit sector for over 10 years, I considered this a “must-attend” event. However, since it was held on a weekday, I had to sell my supervisor – who doesn’t know the difference between Tweetdeck and a deck of cards- on the idea, in order to not have to use my personal leave. My way with words and genuine passion for social media served me well in this task. I made my pitch and a few weeks later, I was at the Summit, live-tweeting away! :)

(My #ynpnsm10 tweets.)

This was my first YNPNdc event so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was looking forward to finding out. Having viewed the agenda beforehand I knew they had an impressive lineup of presenters, but good on paper doesn’t always translate to interesting in person, so I was still a little apprehensive because 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. is a long time to be bored. Turns out I had no reason to worry! Each speaker was interesting, informative, engaging, and most importantly, kept me awake – since I was running on about four hours of sleep.

The first session of the day was ‘Social Starter Kit: Tools to Jumpstart Your Nonprofit’s Social Presence‘ presented by Tammy Gordon, Senior Advisor for Social Communications, AARP (I love that this job exists!) Tammy gave a fabulous presentation, full of humor and real-life scenarios. She discussed how to establish social media guidelines for your organization, getting executive buy-in, incorporating social media into your communications strategy without a dedicated budget and the fact that this is an ever evolving field.

“There’s no such thing as a social media expert.” – Tammy Gordon

Next up was Brian Dresher,Manager of Social Media and Digital Partnerships, USA TODAY. I had seen Brian co-moderate the #140conf and interviewed him at Tech Cocktail during DCWeek, so I was looking forward to seeing his presentation, ‘USA TODAY: More Than Just News. A Social Media Case Study.‘ Though USA TODAY is not a nonprofit organization, the information translated well. Brian spoke of utilizing various platforms to reach your audience, thinking outside of the box and being able to integrate social aspects into your website. He also talked about how news is being disseminated differently and that journalists are engaging consumers via social networking.

“There’s a community for everything on Twitter.” – Brian Dresher

The lunchtime keynote address was given by Reggie Henry, Chief Technology Officer, ASAE. Talk about your atypical presenter! To use a common colloquialism, Reggie “kept it real.” He was open and honest about challenges involved with implementing social media strategies within organizations that have a multi-generational workforce. He discussed the importance of having goals and also shared some “what happens in Vegas” learning moments from his experience. I don’t usually want to listen to people talk while I’m eating, but Reggie’s speech was well worth it.

“In coming years, the content curator will be one of the most highly paid professionals in an organization.” – Reggie Henry

The post-lunch agenda gave attendees the option of attending either a panel session or a single presenter session. For the first portion, the choice was between panel session Social Media and a Call to Action and How to Use Social Media to Build Excitement, Attendance and Engagement for Your Next Conference or Event, presented by Rosetta Thurman, President, Thurman Consulting. Though I’m sure the panel session was great, I opted for the event session. Big surprise. :)

Rosetta focused on four tools to utilize to promote events: Blogs, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. When asked why she hadn’t included Facebook, she replied that she hadn’t seen it used often or effectively by nonprofits as a way to promote events. Rosetta spoke to the point that you have to build momentum around an event well in advance and that use of the aforementioned tools is a great way to do that. Additionally, you must engage with your audience before, during and after an event to gain a sense of their expectations, as well as to drive registration. Rosetta suggested using Eventbrite as a registration tool because it makes it easy for registrants to share the event with their networks via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“Events that incorporate live-blogging and live-tweeting have a different vibe. They’re more interesting.” – Rosetta Thurman

For the second afternoon session, attendees were given the choice between Nonprofit Communications 2.0: Leveraging Social Media to Achieve Communications Goals (panel discussion) and Analysis, Benchmarks and Campaign Conclusions – The ABCs of SocialMedia ROI presented by Jordan Viator, Interactive Communications Manager, Convio. This time I opted for the panel discussion.

The panel consisted of

Talk about a group of heavy hitters! As moderator for the session, Ashley Parker, Communications Coordinator for Community Support Services, kept the conversation going by asking predetermined questions centered around the utilization of new media in a traditional media focused environment. Topics of conversation ranged from the need (or lack thereof?) for the traditional press release to utilizing social networks to build relationships with journalists. Though the room set-up made it difficult to see all of the panelists, the content was definitely captivating.

The day ended with closing comments from Malcolm Furgol, YNPNdc Vice-Chair and a standing ovation for Summit coordinator, John Chen. Of course no event in DC is complete without a post-event happy hour, so after all was said and done, attendees headed over to Lima Restaurant & Lounge to relax and debrief.

YNPNdc put on a great event! I’m so glad that I was able to attend and I’m already looking forward to the next one!

As always, here go the videos. There aren’t as many as I would’ve liked because I didn’t want to be disruptive while people were speaking since I wasn’t filming in an “official” capacity.


interview: najeema washington

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As a part of Digital Capital Week, Najeema Washington, founder of Sterling Flow Media, is hosting a discussion today at 1:30 p.m. titled Social Media for Non-traditional Users: Overcoming the New Digital Divide. The purpose of this session is to introduce social media technologies to an audience that may be somewhat tech savvy but unfamiliar or uncomfortable with using social media.

I was fortunate to be able to interview Ms. Washington prior to her session to gain greater insight into the purpose of the session and why she believes it to be important.

Q: What inspired you to develop this session for DCWeek?

A: I was inspired to do this session because I wanted to be a part of DC Week and I remember a need that was expressed to me by ‘non-traditional users’ at a Black PR Meeting earlier this year. On top of that, I have parents in the age group that I classify as non-traditional users. My mom knows how to turn on the computer, but Facebook is completely foreign to her. But there are lots of things that she’s missing out on the web, based on her interests. Social media would enhance her web experience.

Q: How do you classify “non-traditional” users? What do you consider to be the greatest barriers to them utilizing social media?

A: Initially the classification was based on older users, those 45 and older. But then I realized that there are lots of new social users and that many populations could benefit. It’s not just about ‘older people.’ This presentation is about eliminating the digital divide for all people who are interested in learning how social media can improve their personal or professional lives. That includes users with disabilities, bi-lingual populations, individuals reentering the workforce, or even reentering society, such as the prison population. The greatest barriers are exposure and a lack of technology. If you don’t have the machinery to participate, then it’s nearly impossible to immerse yourself into the technology and social media.

Q: Why do you think that it’s important for non-traditional users to utilize social media? What do you see as the benefits?

A: Trends and new social media technologies are still a mystery to a large population. Growing numbers of older social media users may be more tech savvy than their peers, but have a hard time staying particularly current, or identifying the social media best suited for their personal and entrepreneurial needs. This session hopes to help moderately savvy older users to overcome the digital divide in social media. There are a number of uses for social media including entrepreneurial pursuits or personal development. Non-traditional users will be behind the digital divide if they don’t educate themselves on what media work best for them.

Q: Have you found that “non-traditional” users are intimidated by social media? If so, what is your strategy for helping them to overcome that sense of intimidation?

A: Yes, non-traditional users are intimidated by social media, in my opinion. My strategy to overcome that is to expose the user to the benefits of the technology and be very practical with my examples. For example, do you want to plan your family or class reunion? Do you want to launch your baking business online.

In the end, one’s desire to not be left behind the curve has got to be the catalyst to propel them forward into these new technologies. Hopefully the very specific learning objectives of the presentation will be helpful to this group of non-traditional users. The learning objectives are 1) Become familiar with popular social media platforms, 2) Identify which best fit their needs, 3) Develop a simple social media strategy, and 4) Learn tools for simple integration of social media.

Q: Do you believe that having a social media presence is critical to an entrepreneur? If so, why? If not, why not?

A: Without a doubt, yes. Now, it’s certainly possible to successfully run a business without a social media presence. But a newly launched business must implement social media strategies in order to capture the population that relies on social media for information. How many times do people just google whatever they’re looking for. How can your business be found if you’re not on the web? Now, it’s more than just having a Facebook page or a twitter account. The most successful entrepreneurs have relationships with their customers. But the right social media strategist can help your social media achieve the personal feel that is necessary to profitably connect with consumers.

interview: faith dow

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As a part of Digital Capital Week, Social Media Manager, Faith Dow is hosting and moderating a discussion today at 6:30 p.m. titled Bridging Technology with Community Activism and Advocacy: Black Tech Blazers. The session also includes a roundtable discussion consisting of Chris Cooks, Najeema Washington and Candace Tyler and is intended to be the first in a series of conversations.

I was fortunate to get the opportunity to ask Ms. Dow a few questions as a kind of “pre-cap” to the session. I will also be attending the session and posting a re-cap afterwards.

Q: What inspired you to develop this session for DCWEEK?

A: As an advocate of human rights, social justice and deploying tools of empowerment for those who may be misdirecting their focus on situations that work against their interests, I have noticed conversations surrounding technology are far too homogenous. Even when a “multi-cultural” focus is deployed it still doesn’t always address the specific needs of th African-American community or in uplifting women and children. Instead of hoping for others to meet those needs or take a leadership role in addressing these discrepancies I decided to be the one I was waiting for and do so myself. Far too often we have legitimate criticism of how things may be lacking but most people are unwilling to step forward to take charge and make the effort themselves. So many black women are already serving as heads of households and we need to utilize our ingenuity and strength in ways that will be reciprocated for our benefit. This panel is debuting during Digital Capital Week but will be part of an ongoing conversation that is sorely missing.All are welcome to participate.

Q: Have you found that the contributions of Blacks in technology tend to be unknown and/or overlooked? If so, why?

A: As with everything as a non-dominant group the contributions of blacks can tend to be unfamiliar. We have historically been creators of so many valuable inventions from the potato chip to the street light. Partially it was due to structural barriers but more recently it’s been due to lack of ethnic pride in our contributions towards building this country. If we don’t acknowledge our own work and coordinate with each other to motivate and elevate the status of the black collective no one else will.

Q: Why do you think that it’s important to integrate social media with mobile devices? What is the benefit of that?

A: More people will access the internet using mobile devices than a desktop or laptop computer so it’s imperative to ensure as many people have access as possible. The cost of the device is a concern as smart phones can be prohibitive. More companies will also offer digital tablets as a bridge between the phone and a computer. The other main concern is how they’re tied to a specific carrier and the cost of the service plan to utilize their data capabilities. This is the current battleground that people need to be paying attention to. When companies like AT&T suddenly remove their unlimited data plan after a record 1 million iPads were sold in one month this is a problem. In addition the fact ISPs are now structured to charge individuals for an a) home internet plan b) phone data plan c) additional device data plan when it’s all essentially coming from the same place we was consumers are being taken advantage of.

Q: Have you found that some people are intimidated by social media? If so, what is your strategy for helping people to overcome that sense of intimidation?

A:People are often intimidated by things they don’t understand. My focus is two-fold. I’d like to focus future initiatives on bringing people over the age of 50 up to speed as they may have a wealth of life experience but need to adapt to the technological leap. The fastest rising group of users on social networking site Facebook is 55+. Most importantly though, we need to train our youth. They don’t have an aversion to technology and engaging them early on will ensure they remain competitive akin to the rest of society. Having a specialized skill set will make it that much easier for an individual to remain employable in rapidly changing industries if they have a base core skill set. It would be best however, if people focus on starting their own businesses that operate outside of specific regional or national ties and can thrive in a global market.

Q: Your session also addresses the use of technology in education. Please give three examples of how school systems can best utilize technology and social media.

A:That’s an interesting question that requires more than a step 1-3. Teachers and school administrations have to be on board in using technology and social media and decide on a course of action. Then there’s the actual use of devices and materials and the costs associated with that. Then there’s the implementation of coursework and workshops for students. Aside from that there needs to be cyber policies in place that protect children and guides for usage. As always school systems with more financial resources or active parent engagement may be able to implement a program faster. What I’d like to see are resources set aside for underserved communities as well as better use of those that have already been allocated.

Additional Comments:

Children need to know they have as many options as possible. This was the original impetus for focusing on the contributions of blacks in technology to begin with. Far too many look to others who rap or play ball and think those are their only career options. The demonization of education has also been allowed to run unabated. It has brought down the status of the black community. There has to be a way to integrate learning, instilling discipline and yes making it “hip” again. This is one such intitiative towards addressing that.

If you’d like to attend this FREE session, you can register here. Hope to see you there!