We asked Frank to help us use the association’s new Flip Video, and he was happy to oblige. Happy Thanksgiving from Frank Mancini, the MAIA staff, and our Board of Directors.

MAIA’s office will be closed at 3pm Wednesday and will reopen Monday November 30th. Have a great long weekend!

Manuel and Aida at Halcyart

Seven or eight years ago, I was thinking about my friends Manuel and Aida Terán, a wonderful couple from the indigenous Quichua region of Ecuador who travel to Nashville most winters to sell their handmade alpaca sweaters and scarves. They work very hard when they are here, standing outside for sometimes 10 to 12 hours a day in front of La Hacienda and at the Farmer’s Market, hoping to sell enough to educate their kids back home.

I also thought about my good friend J, whose paintings and pottery I admire, but who (at the time) wasn’t sure how to sell herself, how to get her work displayed at a gallery or coffeehouse. I considered my mom’s beautiful stained-glass art and my dad’s lathe-turned pens. And the idea struck me: “One thing I know how to do is throw a party.” Put the party together with the artists, I thought, and see what happens.

That’s how the idea for HalcyArt was born, back in 2002 or so. I saw it as a way for artist friends to show and sell their creative work, a seasonal gathering place for a neighborhood still in its pioneering honeymoon phase, and a fun way to convince people to bypass the malls and big boxes and patronize our creative friends and neighbors in the holiday shopping season. I figured I’d bribe people with food and wine, and buying would follow. Nothing major. It’s not exactly a new idea. But it kinda took off.

By the fifth and final HalcyArt a couple of years ago, five hundred people moshed through my and my intrepid next-door neighbors’ houses on the December night in question. More than thirty-five artists offered their work for sale, and the guests plowed through about seven cases of wine. Comedy flashes into my mind at times like these–in this case, an image from “Planet of the Apes, the scene where Charlton Heston gets hosed down in the ape prison in Planet of the Apes and screams hammily, “It’s a mad house! A maaaaaaad house!” And so it was.

HalcyArt is dead, long live HalcyArt. I loved it, but I can’t face 1,000 feet in my house anymore. The structure does not, technically, rest on a foundation. All that wine was getting expensive. What’s more, the artists who got their feet wet at HalcyArt (and thus learned that people will pay money for their work) do not need me anymore (if ever), and the established ones never did in the first place.

A lot of people still ask me about HalcyArt. They say it was a great idea and a lot of fun. I say it was an OK idea, an annual that self-seeds and multiplies with a little encouragement, but ultimately has a limited lifespan. A lot of ideas grow and multiply beyond the cultivator’s ability to control them. The profoundly bad ideas, the ones fueled by panic or ignorance or venality, proliferate like bamboo and destroy everything in range. Whose bright idea were credit default swaps? And who first thought to teach illiterate kids* that blowing themselves and other people up was a ticket to paradise?

Unfortunately, the best ideas of all don’t always seem to spread like kudzu. They take longer to set deep roots, even longer to reach far and wide above the surface. It took Greg Mortenson more than a decade to gain the attention his work deserved. Through most of the nineties, he labored quietly at making relationships with ordinary people in remote Pakistani villages and helping them build secular schools there.

He wasn’t flashy. He wasn’t slick or media savvy, and he had no money. He was tired and rumpled most of the time. Mostly, he was too damn busy building schools to worry about what he looked like or who noticed.

Then came the New York Times bestseller. Mortenson never wanted all that attention, but he needed it. How else could he ever dream of raising the kind of money he would need to counter a parallel growth, one of a far more invasive and insidious kind? The proliferation of fundamentalist madrassas in the region, funded by millions of Saudi oil dollars, worried him. The idea that had become his life, which he’d already been acting on for years, finally found words: the best way to work against the rise of violent Islamic extremism in Pakistan and Afghanistan, to his mind, was to provide kids an opportunity for education. They wanted it; he’d seen that in the hundreds of villages he visited and thousands of people he’d met. And nobody was getting the job done…except fundamentalists with a dark and cynical agenda. And he is there still, building, building.

It seems to me that the people with the biggest ideas, the people doing a lot of the really important work in this world, are the ones you don’t notice. They’re the ones with the stained thrift-store t-shirt on, the ones who look harried and exhausted because they have so much work to do; because once you get the big idea, once you notice what needs to be done, there is never any rest.

Act Like a Grrrl camping trip with Vali last summer

I’ve seen that look. I see it when I visit my friend Jude at Renewal House, the amazing nonprofit she runs, which helps mothers with addiction problems get off the streets and make a home for their children. Most recently, I saw it in Vali Forrister’s weary-but-happy look last summer, during the busiest days of “Act Like a Grrrl,” an autobiographical writing camp for teen girls which she created a few years ago. 

Check back next time for more about Jude and Vali and what they do in our community. And pick up a copy of HER Nashville in December to read my essay about my unforgettable (and ongoing) experiences with Act Like a Grrrl and my forever girl-crush on Vali.  -KG

*It has since come to my attention (in one of the studies cited in “Superfreakonomics”) that many suicide bombers are not illiterate. In fact, in the studies mentioned (statistics of Lebanese and Palestinian “martyrs”), they are on average better educated and from slightly more affluent families than the general population. Like Lenin, Trotsky, Pol Pot, and Che — some other guys who thought ideas mattered more than people.

We spent this weekend gobbling up NYC shows and films (and unplugging from the computer due to work turmoil.)

We saw Peter and the Wolf at the New Victory Theater, and Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang at the Tribeca Cinemas kids festival.

Charlie has never been a kid who loves to be scared, and we’ve deliberately chosen not to expose him to much violence in media. (In real life, it’s sort of unavoidable.) But he’s warming up to the idea that the dangerous can be scary and memorable.

In Peter, he was terrified when the wolf ate the duck, and asked after the duck’s location for the rest of the piece. When the duck came out for a bow, Charlie was ecstatic that the bird was alive. His favorite part of the show, he said, was when the wolf ate the duck, seeming to forget that he was squirming the whole time.

In Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang, which was a very long movie in my opinion, he was riveted to the screen, pointing out all the animals and asking questions.

[An aside: The two seven-year-old girls in the bathroom gave this movie an enlightened review. Girl 1 said, "I thought it was a charming film." Girl 2 said, "So did I...and then it slid sideways." So correct!]

His favorite part of the movie, he said, was the child-catcher–the terrifying man who lures the kids into a cage with promises of free lollipops and ice cream. But then he made me promise that the child-catcher was not coming here to see us.

It seems that the complex idea of danger is one we’ll be discussing more now that he can understand some layers of nuance.

FRESH IDEA:  I was delighted to find a fresh take on a tried and true tactic in this Sunday’s paper, delivered by Target (LOVE Target for their innovative thinking!).  It uses Augmented Reality to make an online, instant win sweeps fun and more engaging.  For anyone unfamiliar with Augmented Reality, I encourage you to check-out Crunchy Marketing Nuggets’ 8/26 and 9/14 posts.  For my smarty booties who already get it, here’s how it works for Target:

• The Target circular has a column-sized ad, announcing the “2day Sale Gifttacular Sweepstakes.”
• Log onto target.com/weeklyad and look for the sweeps.
• You’re instructed to hold-up your circular to your computer’s web cam.  Specifically, so the cam can read a black and white gift with a Target logo at the bottom of the ad to set the Augmented Reality experience in motion.
• Click to spin a Target-bullseye shaped wheel and choose a 3-D wrapped gift on the wheel.  The 3-D happens thanks to Augmented Reality.
• Once you’ve selected a gift, you’re prompted to register your information.
• The gift opens up and reveals whether or not you’ve won one of thousands of prizes, including Target gift cards — with five, $10,000 gift cards seeded among the goodies.  Woo hoo!
• You’re also able to share some experience through Facebook Connect.  I opted out of this step, as a message indicating that they can change photos on my profile appeared.  Huh??  I wasn’t comfortable with this application.

As you can see from the image in this post, I gave the wheel a spin and was not so lucky — earning a coupon for a free soda, so sad, no woo hoo here.  I must note for my promotion friends who care about the details, that I “unwrapped” the coupon — I didn’t “win it.”  Which is a really creative way of being legal:  not calling a coupon a prize, not implying that I won a prize.

OK, so what makes this all so nuggety?  This is the first time I’ve seen Augmented Reality used in a national, consumer promotion — not just an ad or magazine cover. And it really works nicely in the context of a sweepstakes, as it adds excitement. You can play once a day up through Thanksgiving Day, getting you to hang onto the Target circular, as a great reminder to potential shoppers.  For whatever tech reason, my web cam would not cooperate, and so visions of 3-D gifts spinning didn’t happen as anticipated.  But, it certainly didn’t stop the sweeps.  And kudos to Target for giving me plenty of options to still play and not use the technology. 

Who knew a regular ol’ Sunday morning of coffee and the newspaper would hold such nuggety-goodness?!  I love it!  If you want to check it out and didn’t save the Target flyer, you can print out the same black and white gift code and give the gift wheel a spin –yet another nice way to enable as many consumers play as possible.  Here’s the code’s URL:  https://2daysweepstakes.target.com/pdf/Print_AR_Marker.pdf

And who knows…You may be lucky and win big!  Or an extra bottle of soda like me.  TASTY TREND:  Traditional Experiential;  Socially Acceptable

back to basics here soon.  the release of the New Moon movie had brought with it a new round of criticism of the books, especially adults sounding off on how “lame” and “dumb” they are, and/or how they will not be touching the books with a ten-foot pole, so to speak.  so i am feeling some renewed energy to get back to my original premise for blogging here – which is looking at the comprehension strategies at work in the reading of Twilight, and how using each of them, alone and in combination, makes Twilight a full and enjoyable reading experience.  again,  at no time, in no way, am i trying to say, “Hey, this is English Literature at it’s best!  Twilight should be filed next to Shakespeare under ‘talented authors and texts that will stand the test of time’”, so don’t get your knickers in too much of a knot.

i recognize that “vampires” is not to everyone’s taste, and that might cause some of the distaste.  however, i confess to having a bit of a prepossession for that narrow genre – Bram Stoker got to me early, really early; Anne Rice dug in deeper, and now Twilight, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries are cherries on top.  but that genre issue nonwithstanding (and knowing there’s not a terrible lot of vampiric vampire activity in Twilight, what with the “vegetarians” and all), there is still an awful lot in the series that makes them easily relatable, prime for connections, which brings the story into the “enjoyable anyway” category….  if you haven’t gotten too old or hardened of heart {yes, i said that}.  hm.  maybe it’s something to ponder that some segment of the adult population are simply too grown-up, too disconnected from their own young selves, to bring those connections to the surface, too conscious of what they maybe subconsiously group into accecptable subject matter and otherwise.  but anyway, those are wild wandering of the mind, not ground in a psychology or human behaviour background.  this is my blog, i can muse out loud.  plus, the series isn’t MARKETED TO YOU, you crusty grown up.  they are certainly telling you you shouldn’t be interested!  but at the same time, some issues in it are still mature for young teens to read.

hm.  a pickle, to be sure.

This afternoon, I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker, Eric ffitch (no, that’s not a typo: his last name starts with lowercase double eff), about origin stories.  Turns out, he’s writing one for himself to post on his friend’s blog.  Boom.  Fantastic idea.  What better writing project than creating your own mythology?  All of your embarrassing moments washed away in the shining glory of epic grandeur…or amplified, depending on your sense of humor.  So, I’m thinking of stealing that wonderful idea.  Keep posted for the origin of Markham.

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

Thanksgiving is right around the bend: lots of food, folks, and fun.  So take the eat local for Thanksgiving pledge!

CRUNCHY NUGGETS:  As a Starbucks card holder (Venti Skinny Caramel Lattes, thank you!), I recently received an email, letting me know about the Starbucks Love Project.  And sure enough, Ad Age just covered it in this morning’s news.  Just in time for the holidays, it’s a true, Feel Good About Doing Good program.  Hopefully, my dear reader and most excellent attention-payer, you’re saying:  “Hey, isn’t that a trend this blog has covered throughout this year?!”  And to you, I thank you for being so darn savvy and respond:  “Oh yes!”  Here’s what’s to love about this program…

Uses an existing relationship as its core – Starbucks has a multi-year relationship with Project Red, initiated in 2008.  For the unfamiliar, Project Red is a cause working toward eradicating AIDS in Africa.  They have lots of corporate sponsors and high profile celebrity involvement (e.g., U2’s Bono).  So instead of making it a subtle play, Starbucks is leveraging this partnership in a very strong way as their holiday focus.  Seems logical, but in my experience, not all brands maximize their existing assets, so sad.

Lots of touchpoints – In addition to the email I received, they’re supporting the program in-stores, on Facebook, through Flickr, online with a microsite and ads, as well as a cool partnership with Pandora (a free Internet radio site). I should mention that one of the highlights of the program is a special holiday CD, featuring Dave Matthews Band, U2, and other noted bands.  It’s being sold for $15 and $1 of that sale goes to Project Red.  So having a special play list on Pandora makes a whole lot of sense.

Multiple ways to contribute – I think this is my favorite aspect of the program.  In addition to purchasing the CD, there are other ways of “touching” the cause.  Starbucks has a host of red-colored and -contributing merchandise for sale — just in time for gift giving.  And a special section on their StarbucksLoveProject site lets you “create a love drawing.”  Draw in shades of red on their tablet, and post it to their gallery — five cents will be contributed to Project Red.  You can even share your love picture on Facebook.  It’s a tremendously easy means of participating and contributing, without going to a Starbucks location, or having to buy something.  Personally, I think that’s a missing element in a lot of cause-related programs I’ve seen.  In other words, they’re so focused on the sale, or so into a contest-component, they miss an easy engagement opportunity.  Note my own weak drawing attempt in the image — hey, if I can draw “love,” anyone can, is my point!

Again, for marketers and feel-good types, this is a worth-checking-out program for inspiration:  http://www.starbucksloveproject.com/#/cd/

Hey, are feelin’ the love?!  I am — I love a good marketing program.  TASTY TRENDS:  Feeling Good About Doing Good;  Socially Acceptable

After writing the post about the Complaint Department, I’ve been thinking about how powerful this can be.

As a member of our Five Star team, I have the privilege to go into agencies and ask them directly, “How do you handle complaints?” Most often, we hear that complaints are handled differently based on the  issue at hand, but typically, comsumer complaints are few and far between. Furthermore, issues are rarely with the agency, and instead lie with the carrier –how a claim was paid, how long it took, ect.

To me this says two things. 1. Agents are doing their jobs well and 2. Their reputation is in the hands of their carrier. This is not a slight on insurance carriers, but the age old disconnect is there. You, as the independent agent have the client relationship, you place the business for the client, but now your client is upset at the carrier. When will the consumer tell you that they are upset? Now? At renewal? When they ask someone else to quote it?

A lot of attention is paid to social media as a platform to promote your business and expand your relationships, but social media is foremost a place for listening. (Okay, reading the conversation.) When you start to follow people on Twitter, or read updates on Facebook, you start to see people’s frustrations over all types of things- credit card companies, water bill payments, banks…insurance companies. Like it or not your carriers have relationships with insureds also. By actively listening to clients on social networks you get the opportunity to see these frustrations as they occur and respond in the caring manner that befits your business.

Imagine you’re on Facebook and you see a few status updates about a certain carrier’s claim payout time after an ice storm. What could you do with that information?

In the Facing Fears Series we’re tackling the things that make independent insurance agents nervous about using social media. Feel free to chime in: What are your fears about opening the agency up to social media? What makes you nervous?

No one wants to see complaints or negative comments about their business in a public space, but increasingly people are bringing their word of mouth marketing out of the grocery store and on to the web. We used to think about word of mouth as the exchanges that happened between people at PTO meetings, or chatting in line at the coffee shop, or neighbors talking over the fence a la Home Improvement, but word of mouth marketing now includes Facebook statuses, Twitter updates and personal blogs. And for better or worse our friend Google indexes this stuff. Gary Vaynerchuck, business owner and social media star, describes it as word of mouth on steroids.

It’s easy to see the scary side of this. What if a mistake happens at the agency, but before you have a chance to rectify this with the insured, a negative comment goes up on the web? Everyone who logs in that day sees it. Damage done. But there is a difference. The power is now with you – you now have the ability to see exactly what has been said and you can respond. You missed that opportunity when the comment was made at the PTO meeting.

Sure, you still want to respond appropriately in a private setting with that individual but you can do it in public as well.  And it’s funny, the more organizations are transparent, honest and real about their mistakes, the more consumers are willing to respond reasonably and understand that mistakes happen. (Bear in mind that I’m not suggesting that you push this theory. I’m talking about owning up to honest to goodness mistakes here).

There are companies doing a great job of allowing their complaint department to be public. Here are some great examples of this power in motion:
Comcast’s use of Twitter.
Forbes.com explains the controversial Dooce vs. Whirlpool debacle.
Hannaford Supermarket uses twitter, too, and responds to customer service inquires.
Domino’s, issued a public apology after rouge employees make a PR nightmare.

In the Facing Fears Series we’re tackling the things that make independent insurance agents nervous about using social media. Feel free to chime in: What are your fears about opening the agency up to social media? What makes you nervous? 

The fear of a Personal Information leak or breach is nerve-racking for an independent agency. Massachusetts is still wrestling with the Data Security Regs that will affect all businesses soon. No one wants their name in lights over a personal information breach. I get that.

When talking about social media in insurance agencies there seems to be a two-pronged fear about security issues. One side is worried about the IT-related aspects of computers viruses, firewall breaches and phishing attacks, but the other side is worried about the interactions exposing  sensitive personal data on a publicly viewed page. Both are valid concerns.  Both can be dealt with in part by educating users about the platforms themselves.

I am not an IT guru (I bow down to those who can successfully explain this stuff to me) so I can’t get heavily into that aspect. I would love to be able to find and point our membership to some helpful resources in that area.   However, this idea that agencies are too afraid to start using these tools because someone might post something sensitive is a little bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

People hold their personal data pretty close these days and most of the social media interactions you’ll have don’t or won’t involve it. And remember, you are connecting with people who use these 3^rd party sites already.  A moderately savvy Facebook user understands to some degree, that anything posted there is public. I doubt you plan to release quotes through Twitter or obtain health underwriting information on a Facebook wall. You’ll be doing all those things via your regular channels on the phone, through your email system, or in person.  The difference is that you might make a first connection via Twitter or use Facebook to invite people to an Agency Open House or charitable function.

How to ease the fear? Before opening the social media floodgates, the job of the agency will be to set some written guidelines for use. (And in this case I don’t mean hire a lawyer to write your policy – as much as I like them). Write in plain language and clearly spell out what types of communications are acceptable and how they should be responded to. Make sure the users know that personal info is off limits. Be clear about what constitutes general v. personal. Create a spot on profile pages that reminds people never to share personal info over in “public spaces” and to never share password information. Utilize the security settings on each site you use, maintain strong passwords and change them regularly (just like you do with your email). In this area, a little education goes a long way.

Are you breathing easier, or do you disagree?

Some Resources to creating a Social Media Policy:

Some Corporate Guidelines   

Chris Brogan on Etiquette   

A List of Social Media Policies

After creating FOFA pages using all available free tools we decided to try out WordPress because Blogger suddenly started to misbehave.

So this blog/page will be used to double entries/posts on Facebook and Blogger just in case… Besides WordPress seems to offer more options which pleases me a lot.

A new report is likely to be published next week and it will feature a story from Ferrari World Finals at Valencia.

After creating FOFA pages using all available free tools we decided to try out WordPress because Blogger suddenly started to misbehave.

So this blog/page will be used to double entries/posts on Facebook and Blogger just in case… Besides WordPress seem to offer more options which pleases me a lot.

Next report is likely to be published next week and will feature a story from Ferrari World Finals at Valencia.

FRESH IDEA:  Today’s post comes from a lead one of my most generously, crunchy-nugget-sharing friends passed along (to KOC, thank you! ).  It’s an interesting website called groupable.  Essentially, groups and organizations of any kind can sign up for free, looking for sponsors.  And then marketers of all sizes can also sign-up and then micro-target to find relevant groups — potentially offering funding, free products, samples, etc.  It’s micro sponsorship and very targeted, versus seeking traditional venues and media channels.

If you take a browse through the groups, you’ll see Mommy podcasters looking for funds; the Viriginia Tech Men’s Water Polo team; an online show called “Cooking For Bachelors” who already has major, national sponsors but is seeking more, etc.  And it’s not just a willy nilly system, like a bad mixer with singletons wandering around to find one another, nervously sipping cocktails while no one dances on the dance floor.  Rather, it’s based on algorithms developed to put together the right sponsor for the right group.  In other words, smart math!  So for a marketer with limited funds, or a niche product, or a very geographically focused effort, it’s an interesting forum to find one another. It takes grass roots and word of mouth to a new, tech-driven level.

Me, I don’t need no stinking sponsor.  I’m living off of good karma *wink*!  Hmmm…with the holidays coming, maybe I should sign up?!  TASTY TREND:  Socially Acceptable; Micro Sponsorship

In the Facing Fears Series we’re tackling the things that make independent insurance agents nervous about using social media in the agency. Feel free to chime in: What are your fears about opening the agency up to social media? What makes you nervous about social media?

As a young designer trying to stay in the loop on all things design, i spend a portion of my day scouring the media for design-related articles. This morning, my cafe americano was neglected for a full ten minutes while i sat, riveted, by this article I found by Scott Bourne, the writer at Photo Focus blog, and obviously a creative. His article talks about ego, failure, authenticity and how your view of yourself comes through in your work. What I think is very important is that these ideas are not only relevant to photographers, designers and creatives, but anyone, really. Don’t be afraid of taking on a project, or talking to your boss, or any goal really. What Bourne inadvertently wrote was an article about goodwill towards one’s self.   What strikes me as so compelling about Bourne’s article is his honesty throughout – you get the sense that he is talking from the heart and I felt, a couple of times, like he was talking directly to me, at may desk, with my coffee.

Please take a moment and read Three Things You Should Know About Creativity by Scott Bourne

Red Rooster Group has been handling some big-picture questions recently:

• Should a huge, 100 year-old Jewish organization with an older donor base retrench its strategy to attract the younger generation of donors, and if so, how?
• How can a Jewish federation serving a population with divergent interests build a cohesive community that boosts the fundraising of all Jewish organizations in the county?
• How can a Jewish social service agency serving an Orthodox community unify its six operating divisions and address taboo social concerns, while instilling an obligation to support the organization?
• In times of economic uncertainty and unstable relations in the Middle East, how can the number of people moving permanently to Israel be increased?
• How can an umbrella organization for Jewish day schools demonstrate its relevance and viability in a time of decreasing engagement in Jewish education?
• How can a Jewish venture fund remain relevant amidst increasing competition and fragmentation in the market?

These are some of the issues that we are addressing from the strategic and marketing perspectives. We relish the challenge of grappling with issues that have the ability to move the needle, create real change, and provide lessons for other agencies.

It requires a combination of understanding the Jewish communal and nonprofit worlds, drawing upon deep expertise in branding and marketing, and bringing a fresh perspective that takes into account social innovation, technology, and trends in the business and nonprofit sectors. It also requires a deftness in building consensus among divergent parties and the ability to define a clear process and move it forward.

Check back as we report on progress on these issues and share our experiences along the way. We invite you to share your experiences in these areas as well.

WAKE UP CALL: What are the big picture issues that your agency needs help with?

In the Facing Fears Series we’re tackling the things that make independent insurance agents nervous about using social media in the agency. Feel free to chime in: What are your fears about opening the agency up to social media? What makes you nervous about social media? 

Let’s say for today, that YOU are the owner of your agency. (Hey, that may be true for some of you!) Please answer me this:  in a service industry, such as insurance, who do you let talk to customers?

Pretty much everyone, right?

From the receptionist to the most elite producer, all agency service staff needs to interact with customers on a regular basis. Whether that interaction is through phone calls, in person, or by email doesn’t matter. Sure, some staff may hold job functions that leave them little opportunity to interact with clients directly, but be honest: would you hire someone to work in your agency if you didn’t trust them enough to interact with clients?

It seems to me, that interacting with customers is not much different in any medium – there are expectations that include professionalism, timely responses, and appropriate topics, but interaction is interaction. Would you chastise an employee for asking a client if they had a nice weekend while they were on the phone? Or chatting for a few minutes about the most recent school play in town, new restaurant or latest movie release? Pretty doubtful.  This is what makes your agency great! You are part of the community at large and agency staff-people build client relationships at a personal level.

Is that not the point of social media? What makes social media interaction so different?

Sometimes being the Jack-of-all-Trades/Master-of-None makes young designers feel like outside of their design bubble their multi-disciplinary skills and education are not specialized enough to fit into other professions. I felt very much this way for a long time and still do when faced by cranky HR staff scouring my CV for an alternate credential. Finding employment is often a difficult undertaking for young designers, and understanding the role of design in business may change the way companies use design to shape and innovate business. Mark Visbeek is a young designer who is a personal inspiration to me in my quest to develop my own presence in design. Visbeek takes a very hands-on approach to sharing his passion for design with an international audience, and is very active in social networking sites, like twitter. Some of his latest work linking industrial design to the most basic elements of being human:

My expectation was that different design disciplines would occur on different levels, and that some were more specialized, lower level forms that supported broader, higher levels. For example, graphic design would be a supportive discipline for product design (both 2D and 3D) which in turn would be a supportive discipline for strategic design.

read more on his awesome design blog

During the Big Event, a few agents mentioned to me that they are nervous about letting anyone in their agency interact with customers through social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter.  There are fears about personal information being released, losing control of the message and combating negative comments. Valid concerns, especially for owners and managers whose name hangs on the sign outside.

Starting next week, my plan is to explore some of these fears over a series of posts as a way to break up this topic. In the mean time, please tell me…what are some of your fears about opening your agency up to social media? What makes you nervous about Social Media?