Planning for & Looking Forward to 2013

2012, I will not be sad to see you go, and 2013 is looking mighty fine from where I stand today.

First half of 2012 seemed fine.  Work, life, and everything inbetween seemed to be on an even keel, moving along quite well. Then I found myself in July not knowing which was up, down, left, or right.  Work was a little rocky after a less than seamless transition, I broke a bone for the first time in my life, New York City saw the worst monster storm it's ever seen, and I ended the year sicker than I've been in years with the flu.  To say that I am excited for the fresh start of 2013, would be an understatement.  This year was not bad really, and in fact it had some really great moments - I rediscovered my love of swimming, I explored Nova Scotia for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I received an amazing honor to start teaching at the Syracuse University iSchool (note: the #1 graduate school for information studies in the country, nbd) in January as an adjunct professor. Fairly balanced overall.

2013 is starting off with a bang.  I took my first full two week vacation since 2010 and after only a week feel rejuvenated (minus the crippling flu a few days ago). Those who say that community managers work 24/7 and can never take vacations are sorely, sorely mistaken and aren't worth their weight in mud.  No person should work 24/7, or be expected to. All that means is that you haven't figured out how to delegate, set expectations, and organize time accordingly. Taking time off and away from the internet is a necessary action.

Aside from the time off, heading into a new year always causes people to take in a breath of fresh air and think clearly about how they want to start it off.  Making resolutions is a fun thing to do and most people go with the usual health, fitness, travel, etc.  All good things, but it's wise not to be too general which is why I always say instead of making resolutions you should be setting attainable goals.  Think of the big buckets, and then the focus points within those buckets, and then tell yourself how you will achieve those goals. 

For example, here are my 2013 buckets & goals:

Bucket: Financial
Goal:  Pay no ATM Fees in 2013
  • Last year I paid $76 in ATM fees according to my Mint.com info.  This year, with the use of my bank's mobile app, I can always search for the closest ATM within my system to avoid paying for a fee.  If there is not an ATM within walking/driving distance, then the closest grocery/drugstore will suffice for their cashback system. 
Goal: Live within my means.  Set a weekly budget & stick to it.
  • I've been a little lazy about realizing how much money I have left to play with after bills are paid, and have used my credit cards liberally this year as a result.  By using Mint.com as well as a better bill paying system & Excel I plan to be more aware week to week of expendable cash & frivolous expenditures.   
Goal: Get more friends to use Venmo (a mobile payment system)
  • In 2011 I was recommended to start using Venmo.  Venmo quickly became a running joke amongst my circle of friends for a variety of reasons, but the 6 of us use it religiously.  We go out to eat quite often, go to concerts/sports/various ticketed events, take cabs, and generally owe each other money fairly often.  Venmo has completely changed how we share money back and forth and has that fun social element that used to belong only to the "Memo:" line of a check.  It's incredibly fast and free, and is definitely the future of banking.  This is also not a paid advertisement, I just generally love the ease in which I can pay (or charge) my friends so as to not mess around with cash or checks.  
Bucket: Health 
Goal: Swim 1 Mile
  • 2012 I was reintroduced to swimming as an excellent form of exercise after I broke my foot.  I was on a zero to a mile in 6 weeks program that was ruined by the storm taking out my gym, and of course the holidays.  In 2013 I plan to finally reach that mile, and then I plan to do it again faster.  And repeat, and repeat.
Goal: Stick to 1500 Calories per day
  • I in no way shape or form plan to get rid of the good stuff, but as they say, everything in moderation.  Less sugar, better portion control, and more nutritious meals are in the works for 2013.  Overall, just be smarter.
Goal: Drink Less
  • This is a tough one. Social events, new cocktail bars, networking events all focus around booze.  2012 saw 4-5 drinking events per week sometimes.  2013 won't be less events (if anything there will be more), but perhaps a glass of red wine to replace sugary cocktails or heavy beer, or a glass of water will be in order.
Bucket: Life
Goal: Use my time more efficiently. 
  • With a lot on my plate I should make sure to put hours in my calendar to get a project done.  Or to meet more people for coffee. I plan to structure my calendar and limit distractions.
Goal: Travel more.  At least 1 international location this year.
  • From 2007-2009 I had a nearly full passport of stamps and visas.  In 2012 I did not get ONE stamp (Canada didn't count).  I don't care how or when I get this stamp, but I will go somewhere in 2013 to make up for it. 
Goal: Go on more dates. 
  • Something I didn't do much of in 2012 or put much effort into.  I had a few pretty bad first dates, said good bye to someone I was seeing fairly often, and decided to work more than care about my personal life. I plan to change that in 2013 by being more open to the possibility of a relationship.   
Bucket: Professional

Goal: Keep on, Keepin' On. 
  •  This is one area where I don't really have a goal other than to just knock what I'm doing out of the park, and figure out how to make more money while being happy doing what I do everyday. 
    • Community Strategy at 2U, inc. -- complete the big projects I've set up for myself in 2012, and then make them consistently better
    • TheCommunityManager.com -- more events, bigger content, building on what we've done in 2012
    • Teaching -- Putting together my first Graduate level course, and perfecting my teaching methods
What are your goals for 2013?  What will you do differently (if anything?)


Trolls Aren't Born, They're Made.

What is a troll? A Troll, according to wikipedia, is a super natural being in Old Norse sources that were described as living in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves, and were rarely helpful to human beings.  So it isn't hard to understand why the internet came up with slang for internet trolling.  An internet troll (also according to wikipedia) is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.  So the question remains, are you a troll?


Of course you're not a troll.  You're probably a good person just trying to interact with the people that you converse with daily, and sometimes you feel passionately about certain topics and want your voice to be heard.  Something personal happened to you and you want something to be done about it.  But does that desire and continued action sometimes translate into you going from passionate advocate to annoying troll? Yes. Do people realize this and automatically discount your credibility?  Abso - friggin - lutely.  Your cause may be dead in the water because of how you handle it.

The "Am I a Troll?" Checklist - (If you say yes to any of these, you're probably a troll or have been one at one point):
  • You repeatedly post on the same networks with only the same few people responding.
  • You emotionally respond, and don't provide any real evidence or examples.
  • You don't ask questions about the who/what/where/when/why, just assume things.
  • The group that's supporting you isn't growing.
  • You're only complaining on public social networks/forums/blogs, and haven't contacted the actual organization yourself.
  • You've stopped getting responses from the admins of the pages you're using, or from the organization itself.
  • The organization has responded and attempted to meet your demands and feels that it did so adequately, yet you continue to post.
  • You tear down any efforts that were made (no matter how big or small) and refuse to acknowledge any steps that were made to calm you down.
  • You've noticed people who were once posting happily have left the community and you may be the reason.
  • You've resorted to being mean and nasty on seemingly unrelated posts.
  • Others have told you that progress has been made, but you refuse to hear it.
  • You think you have inside jokes with some of the other trol..er posters.
  • You've formed bonds with the other negative people and keep the circle of negativity going because now you find this fun.
  • You've met up with those people in person and brainstormed how to "take down" the organization or those in charge.
  • You've forgotten what your goals were when you started advocating for change or don't see that you may have actually already won by creating an open forum/dialogue.
  • The organizers have actually come through and made change, and yet you're still unhappy and don't know why.
  • When someone calls you or talks to you in person regarding your claims, you're as sweet as pie.
  • What you're fighting for is a free product that you don't pay for and have the most opinions. 
  • You notice that you spend all of your free time on social networks complaining, and announce to the group that you've realized this.
  • Your real life starts to suffer (job offers don't come, recognitions don't happen, you aren't picked for awards or special teams or contests or opportunities).  
How to Avoid Being a Troll:
  1. Don't post on social networks immediately.  Work the proper channels first behind the scenes by contacting the community manager (or whoever is behind the account).  Direct Message on twitter, message on Facebook, send an email to contacts in the organization expressing your concern.  Wait for a response.  If one doesn't happen within an acceptable amount of time (a couple of days), then you can go to the online public forum.
  2. Assess the situation.  Don't get emotional, provide facts. Perhaps you're the only one affected by something.  Or perhaps you're one of 10-15 people in a community of 500, 1000, or 10,000.  A small group might be able to enact change or settle something quietly without the need to disrupt a happy online community.  Don't involve others if there's really no need.
  3. Accept the Outcome.  Sometimes things happen and there really is nothing you can do about it.  You're a member of the community, but businesses make decisions based off of information you're never going to fully know as you're not an employee. You tried your best, but don't let that negativity consume you for the rest of your life.
  4. Wait it out, and then present your case.  If the company is doing something awful, give it time to demonstrate that what it's actually doing was worse in the long run.  Gather evidence,  discuss with others offline, put together something (a petition, a case study, examples from other organizations, numbers, charts, graphs, incidents, etc.) and deliver it to the powers that be in the organization.  Outline a better plan.  (Hey, maybe they'll hire you as a contractor if it's actually compelling). 
  5. Leave the community.  Most of the time, you're not forced into something.  If it's a product, stop buying it.  If it's a service, find a competitor.  If it's this important to you, only you can stop the behavior. 
Do Organizations Create Trolls? 

Yes. By not listening to a community, or by enacting changes that the community wasn't made aware of that were coming, companies increase the risk of creating internet trolls.  Trolls aren't born, they're made.

Companies, or Community Managers, can avoid creating trolls by understanding what they're going through.
  • Is a product being discontinued? Perhaps give them a space to mourn the loss of their beloved item/show/process/etc.  Create a memorial for something that the company thought wasn't financially worth it, but was beloved by a small group of your most dedicated community members.  
  • Another option is to announce that changes to X are coming soon, and that when it happens, the company will be accepting community member feedback in the first few weeks so everyone gets it right.  
  • Perhaps someone dropped the ball in creating daily activities online and your members are bored and wanting "how it used to be."  Assess what's going on, and ask a few of your power users if they notice anything different.  
There are quite a few ways to help transition communities into something new without all the negativity that they're likely to create, but the company (community manager?) has to be the one to think ahead of the game.

The Web's Limitations (or The Cloud is Not All That It's Cracked Up to Be)

Our email has been web based for years, we can watch TV on Hulu, stream movies and entertainment through Netflix to our TVs, use Soundcloud, Live.fm, and Pandora for music anywhere, and have satellite radio beamed into our cars or phones.  There's even Dropbox which acts as our own personal servers (at 2gb for free, or 50gb for $99/yr) that works with multiple devices.  It seems as though we have access to anything at anytime.  Although, I am going to say it here, we really don't.

I am actually writing this post, as the internet in my apartment in Brooklyn, NY is for whatever reason - just not working.  I've done what we all do - unplug, replug, wait for all the blinking lights - run back to the laptop to check, and start the process over if there's no luck, but maybe giving it a few more minutes of downtime.  While I wait for the internet gods to be pleased with me again, I've had time to formulate an opinion I've been working on since I was in India in January - and that is - "The Cloud" is not all it's cracked up to be.  

In January I was on vacation in India with my best friend, and admittedly we're both wildly addicted to our iPhones.  However we had no data plan, and our hotels for 14 out of 15 days did not even offer wifi - which was nice. The one day we stayed at a Marriott we both thought nothing about paying $16 each to have access to it for 24 hours.  But it was amazing how not having instant access to the internet kind of rendered us useless.  Without Google maps we relied on a guidebook, without email we had to print hostel reservations/train tickets - or even go to a travel agent, and without app suggestions, we had to ask around for the best food in these little Indian towns.  Don't get me wrong, the challenge and fun of it all is 100% the reason I travel outside of the country as often as I can, but I hadn't realized how dependent on instant internet access I had become.

Fast forward to being in America though, the second the internet goes out, I am 100% screwed.

All of my docs are on google docs.   Can't see 'em.
All of my entertainment is on Hulu.  Can't watch it.
All of my friends are on Facebook.  Can't stalk them.
All of my friends are on Twitter.  Can't talk to them.
All of my work is in my email in Gmail.  Can't do anything.
All of my music is on Pandora.  Can't listen to it.  (Well, for me personally this one's a lie - everything's in iTunes, but still - if I was having a party, I like the Pandora stations)

For some of these things I'm relying on my iPhone for a connection to the outside world.  And let's face it - if we're relying on AT&T's 3G network in New York City - we're screwed.

While you can't say "The dog ate my homework!" any longer, you certainly can say, "Ohhh sorry, my internet connection at home went out!"

Before this forced down time, I was just tonight looking into storage ability on The Cloud to put my terabyte worth of photos, movies, tv, and paperwork on it to have access from any device.  By crowdsourcing Twitter, I received a whole bunch of answers, and the best one so far looks to be a company called Sugarsync.  Although buying 500gb for $400 a year seems ludicrous when I can buy a Terabyte external harddrive that would fit in my pocket for around $100 one time.  The only problem is that it couldn't plug into a iPhone or iPad.

I was THIS close to actually pulling the trigger on it (they offer a 30 day free trial) when this internet embargo happened.  And I realized, if I were to go completely to the cloud - if I lost access to the internet, I would have no way to do absolutely anything. Then I thought back to India and all the travel I do, and how much I still rely on accessing a harddrive of some kind.

The United States is just not there yet with its internet capabilities, and currently ranks 18th in countries with the fastest speeds.  I have plenty of friends and family still on dialup in rural areas, and there a number of places where I just don't have access to it.  Our internet infrastructure is not competitive enough, nor up to the standard of this power user.

And as I'm finishing this post up,  I am still - without internet, which happens at least 3-4x per week. 


Leveraging a College Degree

From the time you can speak, people are trying to teach you things.  You go through your formative years hearing, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  And because you're so young you only know what people have said to you as your average job vocabulary, "I want to be a nurse!  I want to be a teacher!  I want to be a doctor!" You get into middle school and you start hearing this college word more and more.  You really start thinking about what you want to do, and if you're lucky your middle and high schools are preparing you and teaching you all of the potential industries to go into.  You think you have an idea so you pick a college and the biggest decision after that is narrowing your major.  Your major is everything.  It's what defines you, right? It's what outlines your path in life, correct?


I'm not so sure. 

I'm someone who went in thinking, "I just need to make it to college, I'll figure the rest out later," because no one else in my family had made it that far. I remember that first week as a new psych major, when I learned that my long time friend and new freshman year roommate was a "Music Industry Major" and I was blown away that that was actually an option.  I was so unprepared.

When I realized that I didn't want to spend 10 years in painful research mode, I switched to an English & Textual Studies major because hey, I like to read.   When I couldn't hack all the literary theory behind it all, I switched to being a Speech Communication major.   It was all about communication, pr, leadership, public speaking - and it was a jack of all trades kind of major that I already had a bunch of credits in.   It's pretty safe to say that for 4 years I was just taking classes that were interesting, made me well rounded, and were hopefully easy.

Getting the Most out of Your Degree
Your degree doesn't define you.  Whether you have a 3.8 or a 3.0 won't matter 1 year out of college.  If you're the average person, (not a career academic), don't waste away your college years agonizing over getting that perfect A.  If you get an A- or a B+, or even a D in some classes, most people won't know or care. 

What matters is the experiences and activities you have and do during that 4 year time span.  That degree just proves that you're educated.  It's a pass into the working world to be a professional, make money, have more opportunities.  When you have internships, student activity leadership roles, jobs, or volunteering extras on your resume I am 100% of the time going to pick that person over someone with a 4.0 to work for me.  You bring more to the table, you (ideally) know how to talk to people and interact in sales/marketing/networking situations.

The degree & the major attached to it is only a small part of the full package.

A major is a guideline.  Steers you into some specialties or gives businesses a framework of where you're coming from. I was a person who had 3 majors in college that had absolutely nothing to do with her first job.  Funny part about this story?  I had no idea what a Music Industry major was that first week in college, but I went on to work for the #1 Talent Agency in the world, and worked hard to work for one of the biggest music agents in the entire business.  How did I get my foot in the door?  Well, it was all because my internships/student activities were music related.

So just remember, picking a college major IS important, but you're not stuck in that area for the rest of your life.  Enjoy your 4 years, join groups, get internships, learn more about yourself that way.  When you graduate let your major be the last thing that interests people.