Where to find me hanging out these days

With all the holiday hoopla and end of year craziness, I'm just getting around to a little announcement.  I'm joining Bobbie Carlton (aka @BobbieC @MassInno) over at Carlton PR and Marketing (http://www.carltonprmarketing.com).

We'll be offering SMB's marketing services ranging from social media to PR to marketing coaching.  We bring over 20 years of experience to the table - because you know your first question was "What do you bring to the table?" - working for companies ranging from high tech to large financial services to smaller, start-up type businesses.  We've been employee 1,000 and we've been employee 10, so we understand the different needs of businesses and how to create, plan and execute on marketing goals.

I hope to be blogging both here and at Carlton PR and Marketing over the coming weeks.  It's nice to be back to some sort of working routine.  And feel free to give us a shout if you need anything - I can be reached at:

christine@carltonprmarketing.com or 978-809-9640

Happy New Year!

#AndoverTweetup

I had the pleasure of organizing a local TweetUp last night in the Andover area to support the social media and marketing community.  It was sort of a whim - and was created out of desire to network with local social media ambassadors and not have to commute into Boston or Cambridge.  Selfish, I know.

But there seemed to be an honest appreciation from those that attended that there was finally an opportunity to meet other Twitter-friendly people over a cocktail and get-to-know-you conversation. No pressure, no agenda, just some handshakes and Tweet-tini's (thanks Glory Restaurant!)

While Boston hosts a multitude of events and celebrations, it is sometimes nice to reach out to your peers and colleagues around the corner from where you live.  It doesn't need to be fancy - and it doesn't need to be large. And it certainly seems that restaurants and bar owners are understanding the power of the Tweet...and opening up to hosting and entertaining the social media crowd.  A great example of how the two work nicely is GuestFeed: Social Media Management for the Hospitality Industry.

So, are you curious who is in your neighborhood? Want to meet other local business owners? Enjoy Social Media events? That's all it takes to kick it off in your area. If I could do it, anyone can!

What's Brewing? BREW Boston!

Hours seem fleeting these days but some great things have come as a result of that including a renewed energy, surprising inspiration and amazing relationships.  I have to keep moving and organizing to make it through to the next day but the option to sit still and wilt doesn't play into my nature, so I am grateful for all that has come my way.

In a month, BREW Boston will be upon us and being part of the BREW Crew this summer has been a real honor on many levels.

First, I have met an incredible group of people.  From friends of BREW who have helped us spread the word, to a great team on the BREW Crew including Bobbie Carlton, Joe Caruso, and Brian Gladstein to our partners like Antler, SCVNGR, Fresh Tilled Soil and Constant Contact, just to name a few.

Second, it has opened my eyes to the incredible resources in Boston.  I live in the suburbs. I travel the major highways in the area.  I move from one place to another.  I never stop to look and learn more about what is happening in our great city.  Wow! Innovation. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. Comradeship. 

Lastly, I found great support. These economic times are tough.  I'm among the statistic of unemployed in the US and it's frightening...but with every handshake and introduction is a sense of support.  Networks have a way of reminding you that you aren't just a number, but a person. And in time, things can and will work out.

Thanks for helping me BREW up a renewed sense of self and helping me to look inward a little over the past few months.

Now let's get that BREW party started and attend the events to support the amazing entrepreneurship in and around Boston!!

Visions of Blogging Danced in my Head

In an effort to stay in touch with the social media community, and to fill hours I thought I'd accrue after being laid off from my last position, I decided to start a blog and had dreams of educational, inspirational and motivating content.

Fast forward to today.  Haven't blogged in weeks...decided to save money and pull kids out of camp which means the whole month of August we have been lovingly filling our days with activities for them...volunteered to help out with organizing and marketing Boston Region Entrepreneurship Week which is a celebration of the entrpreneurial resources in and around Boston (much fun!).

So, while intentions are good and dreams can be achieved, I have been a little absent here on the new blogspot.  I will return more often, I promise, and will share news on BREW Boston, what I've seen and heard through social media channels, and my own ramblings. 

Doesn't make much sense to be SierraSez if I don't have anything to Sez about!?

Finding Inspiration - a personal story

My husband's cousin's son (got it?) graduated from college recently and on Saturday they had some friends and family over for a traditional Puerto Rican pig roast.  I haven't met some of his family and I'm not Hispanic so there were two things I knew I was going to have to overcome: I don't speak Spanish and I'm not 20-something years old.

I feared about how I'd engage with people who don't speak English as a first language and what could I possibly offer to this new crowd of college graduates?  I can't really talk student loans or internships any more, and I'm fighting for my next job just as hard as some of them.

It was a lot to handle at one time.

Amazingly, neither of those things mattered because what I learned from those 20-something year olds is that they are paying it forward.  They are motivated. They are inspired.  They wear their causes on their hats, their T-shirts and their rubber wristbands.  They are laughing hard, playing hard, and willing to talk about dreams and goals.

I listened in part English, part Spanish to their parents talk about raising children, finding jobs, serving in the military, and overcoming addiction.  They never complained. They tried their best to communicate with me and every single one put their hand out to shake mine or give me a hug as a welcome.

I don't think I realized driving to this celebration how impressed I was going to be by the conversations I was about to have.  I sat on a folded chair, in a modest backyard, among 99% Latino men and women playing dominoes and listening to Spanish music among Brazilian neighbors and Caucasian neighbors only a handshake away and I didn't want to leave.  No judging. No ego-trips about their job titles or how much revenue their companies made last quarter.  Just family, friends and talk about how to make it better for the next generation and wondering if they can make a change.

And it was so damn refreshing.

Competitive or Strategic? Is That the Same?

What if you had an opportunity to call up your top two competitors and ask them to join forces to be the number one company in the world, would you do it? Would that be a strategic move, or one that strictly eliminates the competition in the name of greed and power?

Granted, businesses are controlled by rules that often don't allow that to happen, but Michael Jordan commented on LeBron James joining two other NBA heavyweights to create a potential powerhouse within the league. According to CBSSports.com he said:

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,'" Jordan said after finishing tied for 22nd in the American Century Championship golf tournament in Stateline, Nev.   "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

Perhaps that strategic move by LeBron will motivate other teams to play harder, fight harder to win. Perhaps Jordan's upset because he owns a competing team in the NBA. But it really had me thinking about competing, complimenting and collaborating all in the name of winning and cashing in.  Would the heads of Burger King, McDonalds and Wendy's ever decide to knock out the fast food industry by creating Wendy's BKMickyDs?  Silly? Yes.

But is it fair to say that if you could combine forces with other known leaders in your industry, then by all means you would jump on board and ride the wave? Is it then joining the best organization already created or combining the best to create an organization?

It just got me thinking. Does it matter? And does it make you competitive or strategic...or both?

Love the Hash (tag)

I've seen some marketing - social media - social marketing - bloggers - tweet that it's time to lay off the hash tags (#) used on Twitter. The hash tag originated as a way to make search easier on Twitter. If you were referencing a product, person or location, you would place the hash tag at the beginning of the word (i.e. #Boston).

Over time, it was used as a clever way to mash together more than one word given the character restrictions of Twitter.  It then morphed into identifiers and funny anecdotes.  For example, one of my favorite hash tags is #wineoclock. Other frequently used hash tags include #justsayin, #followfriday (now commonly typed as #FF), and #tweetup.

I'd agree there are some users that clearly overuse the hash tag, but I like the concept and when done for fun I find them entertaining.  When applied to a cause or movement, they can be effective. When used during events, it keeps the stream of conversation clean and focused.

Since it's Friday, and in an effort to keep it light going into the weekend,  I'll share with you a few people that I follow on Twitter and some of the clever hash tags they've used recently that made me smile, think, act or laugh out loud:

• @JoselinMane - #antennagate (referring to the recent iPhone 4 problems)

• @iamreff - #iholidayshopallyearround (so do I!)

• @ellenrossano @clownface3 @stales - #tweet4ymca (fundraiser with Allstate to raise money to help combat domestic violence) 

•  @jeffcutler - #wwjce (series of What Would Jeff Cutler Eat? tweets and blogs)

•  @DougH - #redsox #celtics #patriots #bruins (ahhhh...sports fan)

Obviously there are several ways to apply the hash tag concept for both business and pleasure. Go ahead #getyourhashtagon