Elvis, the Magna Carta and Random Dinosaurs.

I first saw this video at a marketing conference.

There are a lot of agency-created videos out there that give good overviews of the impact of social media, but I tend to think this one is the most vibrant. My favorite statistic in it is how if Wikipedia were made into a book, it would be 2.25 MILLION pages long.  Two and a quarter MILLION pages.  That’s insane.  Who would read that? Can you imagine trying to purchase that book at Barnes and Noble? More importantly, who would want to purchase that book?

When I was little I used to tag along grocery shopping with my mom after school on Thursdays.  One day I noticed a big display of book along the main aisle.  These weren’t just any books, these were thick and shiny, hard-back Encyclopedias with fancy scripted writing and gold-tinted pages.  From the first moment I saw them, I was in love.  I remember begging my mom to buy them.  I might have even cried (in my defense, I was probably about 8!)  I think they were on C or D by that time, so it took some wearing down of my poor mother before she caved in and bought the first part of the set.  The trick was that they were released slowly, every two weeks, by the store.  For months I would happily accompany her on a boring round of errands because I knew at the end we’d end up at Albertsons and I’d get to buy the newest release.

Oh how I loved those books.  I would spend hours pouring over the pages and browsing all the random entries like the Dromaeosaurus, knickers,  Montana, seaweed, or the War of 1812.  Sometimes my sister and I would try to look up the naughtiest thing we could think of, like “boobies” or “sex”.  We were eight and six, after all.  But mostly I would pick up a random letter, stop at a random page, and just skim.  Eventually – like all toys – I grew tired of them and moved on to more glamorous playthings like My Little Pony and Cabbage Patch Kids.  But for years they remained a staple in our house, sitting quiet yet proudly in our living room shelves collecting dust.  In a way it was comforting to me, knowing that they were still there, with all of their secrets and mysteries waiting patiently inside.  After all, who knew when I might need to know the diameter of a softball (3.5-3.8″), how many number one singles Elvis had (14), or when the Magna Carta was issueed (1215).

But back to Wikipedia.  I guess you can say I have a soft spot for it – just like those hard-back Encyclopedias of my youth.  While it’s not rimmed in fake gold ink, it still (to me) feels like a magical place where you can find the answer to just about anything.  And while I would never buy the hard-bound copy (because let’s be realistic, how would I ever get that in my car?) I will admit to browsing it from time to time, with no specific goal in mind.

Speaking of, did you know that Rhode Island, the smallest state, has a larger population than Alaska, the largest state?  Well, now you do.  Thanks, Wikipedia.

Finding Your Key Players and Other “Billionaire Pleasures”

by Reinel Campa, MAOM Student + Video Producer

In the video below, an amazing East Coast indie she-musician goddess, Joan Wasser, talks about her creative process. Joan as Police Woman (as she calls herself) is an inspiration, a muse, a mentor. Her cool style and relaxed demeanor are interesting and familiar. In the video she describes how she directs her musical project to a certain point and then lets the ‘experts’ she trusts be themselves with it. She doesn’t even let her musicians hear her work beforehand. She’s not controlling them, she is trusting them.

I see the way I work represented in her style. As a video producer, I always accepted that I wasn’t strong in all areas and tried to work with others to my advantage. I still want that — to be able to do just one thing strongly and work collaboratively with others. I like when no one feels controlled; we all trust one another.

This reminds me of one actual experience: the making of “Billionaire Pleasures.” We thought this 24-hour film contest at work was intended to help certain individuals get along, but it turned into a revelation. We actually worked well together when we wanted to! (AND MADE AWESOME VIDEOS!)

Our team won that day. Credit is due to the hilarious and daring script by Scott Chema, but ultimately, I think our team won because we trusted each other and collaborated.

• With that team, I took risks: I did a ‘sexy’ scene with Scott, even though I was hesitant. Actually, everyone took a risk by sharing roles. For each scene, one person would act, one person would shoot, and one person direct, and then we would switch. It could’ve gone terribly wrong, but… it didn’t. Not at all.
• I trusted my gut: After our first meeting, we had a lot to do, so I assigned tasks to everyone. An hour later, we had props, locations, cast assignments, and a typed-out script, scene by scene. From then on, anything anyone suggested was a good enough option for me!
• And I was myself: I was suddenly empowered by my team to think about the stuff I was good at and cared about because they were there to pick up the slack. I was being creative.

I think finding these ‘key players’ in your life is an essential goal. We look for these people in our personal lives, our work lives… the better you are at it, I think the more success, happiness, and well being you will have.

In the last couple of years I have been working on creating that dynamic with my family because, well, family stays family. Now that it’s time to find a career, identifying my key players for work is a must. Because if I can recreate the feeling that “Billionaire Pleasures” gave me, I will feel that I have made it “there.”

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Guest Blogger Reinel Campa is a student in the M.A. in Organizational Management program at Antioch University Los Angeles. For the last five years she has produced video content for live music performances, behind the scenes coverage, red carpet premieres, and original show concepts. You can read more of Reinel’s work on her blog, Night and Rei.

LinkedIn: Not Just For Job Hunters Anymore

by Freddy J. Nager
Many managers have ineffectual LinkedIn profiles — if they have one at all. That’s because they think they don’t need one at this stage of their career. “I’m not job hunting — why should I bother?” That’s because LinkedIn isn’t just for job hunting anymore.

The Search is On…
A LinkedIn profile can serve as the power base for your professional life. it’s one of the first links people see when they Google your name. (Of course, many background searches are conducted on LinkedIn itself.) Those researchers may include journalists, recruiters, potential clients and investors. With all the concern about personal reputations and misinformation online, we should absolutely create and control our LinkedIn profiles to deliver an authoritative first impression.

The Way to Grow…
We’re all tired of hearing it: yes, we live in a global economy. Yes, borders have evaporated. And, yes, international trade offers a wealth of opportunities — if we have the right connections in the right places. So who can we turn to for help setting up an office, hiring competent and trustworthy native managers, overcoming bureaucratic red tape, or simply making reservations at an appropriate restaurant? Your organization may not be thinking expansion now, but when the time comes, it helps to have relationships with far-flung connections found and developed on LinkedIn.

Marketing for Extracurricular Ambitions…
Even if a manager is at the top of her game, she might harbor other ambitions, such as writing a book, appearing on TV as an expert, running for political office or teaching at a university. While some managers are well known outside their companies, most need a marketing boost to support these other pursuits. That’s why you should network before you need a publisher, an entertainment attorney, or a campaign manager. You should also use LinkedIn to promote your expertise and what makes you different (and more interesting) than the millions of other managers around the world.

Because You Never Know…
There’s no such thing as a secure job. Even at companies “too big to fail,” upper management and their teams are often replaced. A manager may claim she has nothing to worry about, but at some point she may be tempted to sell her company — or the company’s success attracts a takeover. On a brighter, more poetic side, the manager may want a complete change of pace or career, or move to another city for the lifestyle or a relationship. To facilitate these changes, it’s again valuable to network before it’s needed. It’s too late to say, “Now who do I know here?” after the big move.

Those are just a few of the reasons a manager — or an aspiring one — needs to have a well-crafted LinkedIn profile. (And, no, I don’t work for LinkedIn, nor do I own its stock.)

How does one craft an effective profile? That’s the topic for another blog, but in the meantime, LinkedIn offers its own guide, and you can also view the profiles of various “experts” and the top networkers on LinkedIn.

The key takeaway: your LinkedIn profile should represent you online. It’s your agent, it’s your brochure, it’s your public introduction. So take the time to think about what you want it to say. (By the way, I also hear it’s a great tool for finding a job…)

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Freddy J. Nager teaches courses in social media, entrepreneurship and marketing at AULA. The founder of agency Atomic Tango LLC, Freddy has over two decades of professional experience in marketing and media, including 17 online. He previously worked for music label MCA Records and major ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and served such clients as Nissan & Infiniti, the NFL on Fox, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, National Lampoon and numerous startups. He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

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