If we are not part of the conversation or listening to the conversation, then what are we here for? For me the conversation takes many forms today. My personal preferred way is face to face. But that’s not always the way it happens or needs to happen.

We have at our fingertips tool after tool to have a conversation with people that we might not otherwise be able to have a conversation with. Those tools seem to grow in number as much as in controversy, Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Yelp, Brightkite, Text … do I need to list more? And any site you can go to that offers a tool or tools to communicate or measure communication is about listening to the conversation.

Yesterday, I saw this tweet:

So, of course I click the link for OregonLive to read Anna Griffin’s post on OregonLive. “Sam Adams needs to toss Twitter and get back to the big picture for Portland” By Anna Griffin. Really? I disagree. I sometimes wonder what people are really annoyed or mad about when they write something like this? He is the Mayor. Twitter is one of the most transparent communication tools today!

“This is attention-deficit governing, driven by insecurity and enabled by the iPhone. In the short term, it creates the false sheen of engagement. Over the long haul, it’s no way to build public support for the hard and expensive decisions to come.”

False sheen of engagement? Engagement is engagement, Twitter is immediate and it’s timely. And why not use any tool available to build public support?

It would be like me saying: “I think the radio creates a false sheen of engagement because they are driven by sales and their advertisers have agendas contrary to mine. So Mayor Adams should dump any communication with radio.” Right — dumb, ill advised and limiting. Not to mention narrow-minded.

I find it so curious that people will participate in the very thing that they are complaining about. Instead of accepting the change and adapting to progress they fight it. The conversation is going to happen whether any of us want it to or not. So will we participate in it and use it for good? Or will we fight it and try to limit how we connect and tell others how they should communicate?

Email opened lines of communication like never before. We could read an article on line, email the author, and they would respond. Now we can mention a favorite author or individual on Twitter and the chances of you getting that “@someone is now following you on Twitter”, is pretty high. They are listening! And they’d better be!

If you’ve read the book “Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time” by Susan Scott, you are familiar with “Our careers, companies and relationships succeed or fail, gradually then suddenly—one conversation at a time.” and “No one engages; nothing changes.” If you haven’t read the book, I recommend it!

Susan writes, “Yes, the conversation is the relationship. One conversation at a time, you are building, destroying, or flatlining your relationships. It is possible, however, to create high-intimacy, low-maintenance relationships – one relatively brief conversation at a time.”

Are you listening to the conversation?

Related Posts

• October 6, 2009 -- Adams Recall Effort Fails; Backers Kick Off New Approach (3)
• January 29, 2009 -- What Twitter could have given Sam, and Portland (9)
• January 26, 2009 -- From Our Mailbox: An open letter to the media (1)
• November 5, 2009 -- Twitterpated Over Stephanie Stricklen (1)
• October 9, 2009 -- OurPDX Shared Links for October 9th (0)

Social media has come a long way in the last couple of years. Remember when it was socially incorrect to handle invitations, break-ups etc… by e-mail, and we were supposed to send a letter or, heaven forbid, pick up a phone and actually call someone? I hear the phrase “I hate talking on the phone” more and more. Nowadays a lot of my communicating is done by text message, and I get a lot of my breaking news from Twitter.

Twitter, for the uninitiated, (both of you, pay attention!) is like the world’s biggest chat room, a microblogging service that limits your expression to 140 characters or less. If you’re feeling hostile toward the world, you can scream your heart out into cyberspace. Dave Chappelle in town? You can bet your ass there’ll be 10,000 people with a bottle of vodka converging on Pioneer Square. It’s a marvelous time-killer at work. But one of the best uses for Twitter?

Celebrity stalking.

Yes, celebrities love the Twitter. Some embrace the concept and impart witticisms. Many use it as a promotional/marketing tool. David Lynch gives you the weather report from LA. There are people who impersonate celebrities, with hilarious results. (Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi and Sarah Palin are perfect examples of impersonation done right.) Others give you a peek into their world. You see that celebrities are real people too. Well, maybe not in Paris Hilton’s case. (I had to unfollow her; my IQ dropped twenty points every time I read. I traded up to Sarah Silverman.)

I’m especially fond of local celebrities, the ones with intelligent things to say. I get lots of amusement from the Portland podcasters, which is nice because dial-up internet makes it a chore to listen to them. I get the condensed cream of funny. News people impart a personal take on the news, something they can’t really do on-air. Which is a long-winded lead up to the point of this post:

Photo courtesy of KGW.com

One of my favorite news people (and Twitter-buddy) is returning to Portland airwaves Thursday evening. Yep, Stephanie Stricklen is baaaaack!

Stephanie has been on the PDX news scene for a decade and a half, a fixture at KGW. She’s the host of Live @ The Square, a locally produced news-lite show that gives you the headlines and then proceeds on to the important things in life, like Portland nightlife, advances in technology and celebrity sightings. It’s produced live at 7 PM weeknights from the studio at Pioneer Square, and can also be seen (sans commercials) at KGW.com.

I’d like to sound all noble and say I’m a fan of Stephanie’s because of all her hard-hitting news updates, but that would be stretching it. Fact is, I started paying attention because she’s so damned cute. One day, as I exited the TriMet office, I saw her standing on the MAX platform, interviewing passersby about electric cars. Normally not at a loss for words, I panicked. YIKES! She’s coming at me, with a microphone! I jumped on a train, realizing after the fact that I had a perfect sound byte. (“I’m boarding my electric car now.”) No, I was positively dumbfounded. I kicked myself for being a chicken.

In retrospect, it was probably for the best. I could not have trusted the words that would come out. When a stranger tells a woman, “You have a purty mouth,” the two things she hears are banjos and the sound of her own footsteps running away. I’d spared us both the indignity.

Stephanie achieved a new level of respect from me when she made what some considered a broadcast faux pas; she showed some emotion during a particularly heartbreaking news story. (To this day it makes me puddle up when I think of it.) She took a lot of heat for that, but I’m glad her supervisors didn’t punish her. If I wanted a grumpy old man giving me the news, I’d watch Bill O’Reilly.

After Live @ The Square took off, big news of a personal note came down: Stephanie was in the family way! I and about 2,500 others followed the gestation of baby Elle, and Twitter was ablaze in early June as her delivery date approached. As the saying goes, everything came out okay. Now baby Elle is teething, and is as adorable as her mom.

Live @ The Square hasn’t been the same. Joe Donlon has been doing an admirable job filling in, but I’ve missed Steph. Steph is returning tonight, November 5, for her first broadcast in months. Do you think her Twitter-stalkers would let an event like that go unnoticed? Hah! Before I could get the words out, a Tweet-up was being planned. While I don’t expect things to get to Dave Chappelle levels, (and don’t bring vodka this time) I figure a nice crowd of well-wishers and fans will be milling around, huddling under umbrellas if the forecast is correct.

Won’t you join us? A little before 7 PM, Thursday November 5th at Pioneer Square. Come to Portland’s living room and welcome home Portland’s sweetheart.

Related Posts

• March 4, 2009 -- Live [insert something here] at The Square (2)
• February 4, 2010 -- Winter Olympics in the NW (3)
• February 1, 2010 -- @mayorsamadams: Twitter On! (12)
• January 20, 2010 -- Fitness Role Models? How’d *That* Happen…? (3)
• November 6, 2009 -- Welcome Back (0)

When I started following people on Twitter, one of the more charming folk I discovered was film director David Lynch, Eagle Scout. For a while he was posting his own daily weather report for the Los Angeles area. Well, I’m no meteorologist, and certainly am short on the talent and charm compared to David Lynch, but I can do an amateur weather forecast. In fact, I’ll channel Buster Poindexter: It’s gonna be “Hot! Hot! Hot!”

Temperatures are heading back to the upper 90s, according to the teevee. Hydration recommended, wear appropriate lack of clothing and stay in the shade where possible.

And now, here’s Gretchen with sports!

Related Posts

• February 1, 2010 -- @mayorsamadams: Twitter On! (12)
• November 5, 2009 -- Twitterpated Over Stephanie Stricklen (1)
• May 15, 2009 -- Burgerville + Beer + Twitter = Excellent (4)
• May 12, 2009 -- TrimeTwitter (13)
• May 9, 2009 -- Why I support Ted Wheeler and his ‘crazy flying machines’ cause (9)

Last week, a group of local Twitter users arranged a meetup at the Salmon Creek Burgerville. Part of the motivation was just to meet some folks in real life, but the other reason for this particular location is that it’s the pilot location for beer and wine sales at Burgerville.

Don’t fear the beer. When Burgerville announced they were venturing into alcohol sales, some folks were concerned that the “family friendly” atmosphere would change, or that suddenly that pepper bacon Tillamook cheeseburger would be accompanied by an abusive drunkard. During our dinnertime meetup, I saw no evidence of any issues. Apparently there is a two-drink limit (per four hour period) so I don’t think anyone is going to end up drunk at Burgerville.

As part of the pilot program, they’re serving local brew (I had a Widmer Hefeweizen) from bottles (although it’s poured into a glass). I chatted a bit with one of the managers who indicated that he’d prefer to be serving draught, but at this point they’re trying to gauge interest and sales.

Burgerville “gets” social media. Shortly after starting to tweet about the meetup, the @BurgervilleUSA account joined in the discussion. When we arrived at the restaurant, the manager made us feel welcome, stopping to chat with us several times. Another manager who runs two other Burgerville locations was there as well, talking with us about Twitter, his usage of it, and the value of Twitter to businesses. It sounds like the meetups might turn into a monthly thing, meeting on the first Thursday at 6pm.

If you enjoy your local delicious Burgerville food and also enjoy some local beer and wine, drop by the Salmon Creek Burgerville and buy a glass. Hopefully the beer and wine sales spread throughout the Burgerville chain.

Related Posts

• July 31, 2009 -- If This is Church’s, Call Me Atheist (4)
• June 14, 2009 -- A Chat with Burgerville (1)
• April 14, 2009 -- Oregon places 5 breweries in top 50 for the country (1)
• December 2, 2008 -- Will social media kill the local pub? (6)
• October 29, 2008 -- A Blogger’s craft brew crawl – Saturday (6)

As you know, Twitter jumped the shark a couple of weeks ago when Ashton Kutcher and Oprah jumped aboard.  Needless to say, Twitter has been all over the news and everyone is asking about it.  On Mother’s Day, did your mom A) give you her Twitter handle or B) ask you “about this twitter thingy…?”  When I spoke with my parents over the weekend they didn’t bat an eye when I used the phrase “live-tweeting.”  So, with Twitter now as ubiquitous as, say, email, can we begin holding certain tweeters accountable?

TriMet is on Twitter and actively tweets news, service updates, outages and the like, yet it doesn’t seem they are actively engaging their audience.  This morning, for example, I tweeted @TriMet regarding a late Yellow line MAX train.  I asked “why the delay?”  More than 12 hrs later, I have yet to receive a response from @TriMet.  In this day and age, I have come to expect at least some acknowledgment that my question has been read, and honestly, I feel I deserve at least some answer…even if it may not be applicable hours later.  I feel as a business, once you engage on Twitter, you should understand that there is a code of implied conduct with regards to followers and their engagement with you.

I have traveled a fair amount over the past year and discovered how the airlines have embraced Twitter as part of their business model.  I have been in other cities where I see a tweet from Northwest or Continental Airlines regarding a specific flight and gate number before I get the reminder text message.  By either automating the tweets with a robot or staffing the Twitter account appropriately, these businesses have successfully engaged their customers and audience.

My message to TriMet and other businesses who are trying to get into the Twittersphere – understand what you’re signing up for.  If you’re a small business, you can get away with not tweeting ever hour of every day.  There isn’t an expectation for that.  If you are a public entity that lives by a schedule, you better be prepared and staffed accordingly to react to the latest incidents, schedule changes, breaking news and other types of alerts.  With a service like Twitter, where you have the ability to broadcast information to thousands, you need to manage it properly.  Ignoring tweets from followers specifically asking about your service doesn’t bode well for your twitkarma (I made that up.)

What do you think?  Should businesses like TriMet be held to a hight standard when they decide to embrace a service like Twitter?

UPDATE: It has been asked if the TriMet twitter account is officially TriMet. It does state on the Trimet Twitter page “This is TriMet’s officisl Twitter.”

Related Posts

• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• September 1, 2009 -- Irritation to the MAX (1)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)
• May 13, 2009 -- Pains, Trains and Automobiles (3)

At first glance, most people I knew were skeptical and/or disbelieving when they heard the news that County Chair Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler on Twitter) is now looking for a Social Media Coordinator. And I have to admit that I was as well.

The conversations I was part of (whether on Twitter, in email, or – gasp! – in person) went something like this:

Multnomah County’s hiring? Just after announcing a budget shortfall of $46 million dollars, with several layoffs and/or un-assignments looming by the end of the fiscal year? And this person just needs to “tweet and use Facebook?” For 60-70K? Hell, sign me up!

Yes, the timing is less than stellar. Sure, the announcement could have been made in a less Oprah/Ashton Kutcher-esque way. (Did he really have to lead with the Twitter/Facebook angle?) But Wheeler (not one to mince his words or back down from a fight) writes (via a KGW interview conducted via Facebook) “that it’s time for the county to adapt, to progress with technology: ‘I am taking a lot of heat for this, but so did the poor guys who claimed that someday those crazy flying machines would replace the railroads.’ ”

And — in an era where newspaper circulation’s in freefall and television news viewing is something your grandma still does* — he’s right. Or, as Wheeler said himself on Twitter in 140 characters yesterday: “We want to adapt to changing ways in which public gets information – web, txt, social networking, etc. How better keep govt. accountable?”

Now, lest you think I’ve been drinking too liberally of the Social Media Kool-aid (that ‘hot new career option’ that sadly, too often has way too much emphasis on Me, Me, ME) — hear me out.

After you take a closer look at the job description itself, the job is more old school crisis communication and senior communications analyst than it is Twitter and Facebook maven (the latter which, Wheeler admits, he could really handle himself, with an assist from his wife.)

Instead, here’s what you really have to have:

This position will strengthen communication about Multnomah County services, public policies, and issues. (Editor’s note: which means you’d better know something about public policies, issues, and county services no?)
…
Experience: Five years of increasingly responsible public affairs or public information experience, including some experience dealing with a legislative body.

This means if you’re a Twitter-come-lately who’s not already crazy-geeky about public policy issues with a resume to match, you’re not going to get hired. Trust me on this one. Or, as Wheeler said himself during the KGW interview: “It’s much more than a kid sitting in a dark room sending off tweets.”

I just wish Ted had talked to me first before taking the time to put the job posting up. **

First, I’d have suggested that he de-emphasize the whole Twitter and Facebook angle. Sure, any decent communications professional nowadays needs to have those killer digital tools in their arsenal. But a smart communications professional also knows you don’t lead with the fluff while other departments in the county are paring back to the bone. Talk about communications efficiencies, increased reach, or the knowledge that comes from effective digital information mining instead. I would have pulled out some language from Wheeler’s budget letter & re-worked it: “I asked department leaders and agency heads to do much more than just reduce spending. I also directed them to consider efficiencies, realignment of services that could result in more cost-effective service delivery, technology investments that could increase our productivity, and facilities consolidations that might lead to savings.”

See, that all totally applies to this new position (even though it’s much more than 140 characters!), especially when coupled with the news that he’s paying for the position with salary cuts, including his own. Sadly, Lars & Co already have their teeth into the Oprah angle; the horse is already out of that barn…

But it’s still not too late for my second point (which I’m offering up as a public service to Ted – look for my DM shortly, won’t you?)

I already know a few people who ought to be on his short list already. Nope, they’re not the most prolific Twitter-ers, or those with all attitude, no substance (please do steer clear of those, won’t you, Ted? They’ll only break your heart in the end.) But they’re already out there spreading the good word about public services, or finding new and creative ways to keep citizens informed.

So, Ted? I have your back on this one. And I can save you a bit of time wading through the hundreds of resumes you’re about to receive, if you’re interested.

But in return, I’m going to want to talk to you soon about the, um, challenges I’m still having getting information out of the County’s website…!

* unless you’re watching KGW’s The Square online, that is…!
** why listen to me? Short version: been there, know them, did that (strategic communications advisor, geeky policy wonk/researcher, political campaign volunteer, new media veteran, non-profit board member, etc. etc. etc.)

Related Posts

• May 12, 2009 -- Wheeler Social Media Hire on Hold (2)
• December 2, 2008 -- Will social media kill the local pub? (6)
• March 1, 2010 -- Portland and Unicorns (5)
• February 1, 2010 -- @mayorsamadams: Twitter On! (12)
• November 29, 2009 -- Multnomah County Chair Breaks Back in Skiing Accident (0)

No, we haven’t found a cure for cancer. We haven’t solved the issue of world peace. Hell, we can’t even begin to solve the infighting on our own City Council (not to mention break up squabbles between toddlers on the playground.)

But we *have* been fighting a battle of sorts mostly behind the scenes: Reclaiming the @ourpdx Twitter account.

We had to walk uphill in the rain and/or snow and or wind for miles. Both ways. Barefoot. Over what felt like glass shards at times.

Our persistence paid off, though. The Twitter support staff saw the rightness of our claim on the OurPDX name.

And that’s why if you were following us at @ourpdxnet yesterday? You’re now following us at @ourpdx. (If you have a Twitter account & aren’t following us – why not start now?)

Now that I’ve got some spare time, hmm…think I should jump into the fray around the Made in Oregon sign?

On second thought, um, nevermind…!

Related Posts

• February 1, 2010 -- @mayorsamadams: Twitter On! (12)
• November 5, 2009 -- Twitterpated Over Stephanie Stricklen (1)
• August 17, 2009 -- “I’m melting, MELTING…” (4)
• June 29, 2009 -- SLL: Our Night With the OurPDX crew (0)
• May 15, 2009 -- Burgerville + Beer + Twitter = Excellent (4)

Here’s what we’ve found as we’ve traveled the local PDX web (complete with our comments) for March 29th:

• WordCamp Portland » Save the Date! WordCamp Portland September 19-20, 2009 – This year, we'll be holding WC downtown at WebTrends this year.
• Downturn Hurts Expectations in Portland – NYTimes.com – You've seen this already, right? But just in case you haven't had your fill of gloomy pessimistic articles about the havoc our economy is wreaking & want one with a local spin, well – head on over. (I must confess that I hadn't heard that Michael Powell had put his 5mil expansion on hold – but I'm also not surprised…)
• Social Media for Media People 101 | Oregon Media Insiders – Lynn posts:

  "Recently a couple of local anchors asked me what the deal was with Twitter. How should media people handle it? Separate accounts for personal and professional, or all in one? Do people really want to hear about your lunch? and so on. I answered them, but thought that the rest of you might want to hear this as well."

Related Posts

• February 1, 2010 -- @mayorsamadams: Twitter On! (12)
• November 5, 2009 -- Twitterpated Over Stephanie Stricklen (1)
• August 17, 2009 -- SLL: WordcampPdx 2009, Urban Airship and PIE (0)
• August 17, 2009 -- “I’m melting, MELTING…” (4)
• May 15, 2009 -- Burgerville + Beer + Twitter = Excellent (4)

Here’s what we’ve found as we’ve traveled the local PDX web (complete with our comments) for March 27th in this all-Blazer, all the time roundup:

• YouTube – Rudy Fernandez Scores 5 Points in 3 Seconds – Yes, I'm a huge Trail Blazers fan. Yes, last night's game was incredibly satisfying. This single :33 second clip explains it all!
• The Power of Twitter: Shaq-Fu! – Mad About Movies – The Oregonian – Shawn Levy (an active Twitterer himself) covered yesterday's Shaq Twitter ticket giveaway in downtown PDX:

  "Among the most visible major celebrities on Twitter is basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal, who interacts with a surprising portion of his 440,000-plus followers both online and, amazingly, in the real world.
  
  Throughout this NBA season, whenever Shaq has been on the road, he has sent out a tweet like this one which he actually sent out yesterday: "Anybody in portland touches me rt now will get two tickets I'm at redstar cafe".
  …
  And how did he react, this mega-celebrity and eternal enemy of Portland basketball fans, to the scores the people who approached him at a restaurant in search of a freebie? With another tweet: "100 people n the prtland area just came for tickets wow portland twitterers r niiiiiice"
  

• Shaq – Twitter – eROI: Who Knew? | eROI Days – Two eROI employees were lucky enough to meet Shaq & scoop up his tickets last night. Read their stories here…

Related Posts

• December 4, 2009 -- What is the Sound of One Man Clapping? (7)
• November 8, 2009 -- Blazer Fever – Don’t Catch It (0)
• April 16, 2009 -- Trail Blazers Find their Rhythm At Just the Right Time (0)
• April 11, 2009 -- Blazer Rally downtown in Pioneer Place next Thursday 4/16 (1)
• April 10, 2009 -- Blazers vs Lakers Post-Game Report (0)

thanks to verso for taking this pic

Friday night saw another big first in the history of SLL. During Afterhours we had a live musical performance right there in our little studio, but before that happened we had a very informative Tech Edition. Usually I like one episode from the night better than the other and it’s usually pretty clear cut for me which it was, but if you ask me to pick a favorite this week I’m likely to stare blankly at you for a while before asking if you listened to them both.

I mean come on… it was a whole tech edition around applications built for twitter. Then it was an episode about music that started out with the awesome new version of the Strange Love Live theme song. During the Tech edition we talked with John Nastos about Tagalus and Combotweet. Then in Afterhours John pulled out his sax and we were joined by Clay Giberson on keyboard.

I can’t choose, and you don’t have to either. Give both episodes a listen and then if you’re so inclined, let us know what you think.

SLL Episode 82: Tech Edition with Tagalus & ComboTweet

SLL Episode 83: Afterhours Jazz with John Nastos

Other links from this episode

John on twitter
Clay on twitter
Tagalus blog
ComboTweet blog
JazzPDX

***

Next Friday night is the coming together of 3 Portland projects: Shizzow, Beer & Blog and Strange Love Live. How can that be? Surely there isn’t enough room in our little studio for the whole Beer & Blog crew and everyone who’s ever shouted out their location! No, there isn’t. But Shizzow will be at Beer & Blog at the Green Dragon from 4-7 telling Portlanders a few secrets of communication at SXSW and then they’ll join us in the studio!

Join us live Friday March 6th at 10 pm to find out what secrets the Shizzow team have been keeping from us.

**

Many thanks to Christine Kistner who put in a bunch of time editing video this week… and to Justin who didn’t kill us for taking away his entire Sunday.

Related Posts

• November 16, 2009 -- SLL: Duo Chronicles (0)
• May 11, 2009 -- SLL: 100 Episodes, Vidoop & No Kind Of Rider (0)
• February 1, 2010 -- @mayorsamadams: Twitter On! (12)
• December 8, 2009 -- SLL: Get Your Geek on With Foodgeeks (0)
• November 23, 2009 -- SLL: Back with Brian Westbrook (0)