Happy Social Year!!

A few years back I made a dramatic change in my life. From being a pessimist I decided to become an optimist. I know sounds good, he?! "Where do I find that button?" Well you don't. It took a lot of hard work and self-reflection to make a chance like that and it still is a work in progress. But overall I think I'm doing pretty well.

To give you an example of how melodramatic I used to be I will tell you a story my mum used to tell me....

As a kid, I must have been about 7 years old, she found me sitting on the stairs holding a melting ice cream, crying my eyes out. Startled she asked me 'what was going on?'. My answer between two heartbreaking sobs: "In a few minutes my ice cream will be gone!" Yep, seriously, I was contemplating the end of my ice cream and that literally tore me up.

So I refuse to be like that nowadays. I take life as it comes and try to enjoy the moment (eat that ice cream before it melts!). I don't plan beyond what I can handle and I don't regret the past either. In stead, I see the mistakes and problems I had, or caused, as lessons to do better in the future. And to remind myself of that I started blogging. Three years long I wrote down all the little (and big!) embarrassing, funny, silly things and mishaps that happened to me and most turned out to be really funny. Reflecting upon them put things into perspective and  often made me chuckle. Now, "Where do I find that blog?!?" I hear you ask... Yes, well it is online (here) but it's in Dutch so most of you won't be able to read it.

The last few years though I haven't been writing on that blog anymore. Oh I still have my embarrassing moments worth chuckling over and I still do! The medium changed, the fun didn't. Nowadays I put them on Twitter, Facebook or share them with my friends and coworkers. Really, my life is like an open book and I'm the one having the most fun about it. By being open and honest about both my successes in life as well as my trip-ups I show people who I really am and show them I'm fallible just like everyone else. Both in private as well as in business this has made me stronger and more secure. And most importantly it has resulted in lots of new friends and contacts.

So on the brink of 2012, looking back on 2011 I can only say I had the most awesome year! I made lots of new friends (in real life as well as in cyberspace), had the most amazing experiences (becoming an IBM Champion, walking part of the Camino de Santiago, running a 15k, doing a Redbook Residency) and found a renewed love for my work with Social Business and the IBM community.

Someone wrote me a message stating "your enthusiasm about being social is contagious!" and I'm taking that as the biggest compliment there is. I can't wait to see what 2012 is going to bring us, so Happy New Year, make it a fantastic year, make it a Social Year!

Instagram - Let's capture the LS12 mood!

I stumbled upon Instagram a while back. A nifty little iPhone app (I don't have an iPhone but use it on my iPad) that lets you quickly share photo's that portray your mood of the moment to the world. Not whole series but snapshots that really give others a quick glimpse of what you're up to. The simple interface and the nice filters let you enhance the pictures before posting them and make it a joy to work with.

I love it! It's just another form of social Media but in some cases a picture says more then a 1000 words and as it allows you to post the pictures to Twitter and Facebook as well it's a great alternative if words fall short (or inspiration is lacking).

Last Week, after posting an Instagram picture, Bruce Elgort DM'ed me a link with the text "Working on this....".
On opening the link I got a collection of Instagram pictures for Lotusphere and IBM Connect..... Now I didn't realize immediately what I was looking at and as the pictures were from previous Lotusphere's it took me a while to realize what he and Serdar Besegmez had been working on. A site that collects all the Instagram pictures (regardless of who's posting it) that contain the #ls12 tag and shows them in one big photo album overview. Of course the current selection is very limited but come Jan 15.....

So I love this initiative. We're all going to follow what is going on around Lotusphere on Twitter, on Facebook, on the communities but what better way to portray the mood and excitement of the community coming together then pictures!
So if you've got an iPhone or iPad then download instagram and start posting. And while at Lotusphere take a picture of what Lotusphere is to you and post it to Instagram with the #LS12 tag. It'll be a great way of looking back on the event of the year!

Serdar & Bruce thanks for coming up with this!

"Hello?!? I understand you are not there but where do I go now?"

It's that time of year again! The holidays are here and most of the companies I work with are closed for the week or working on half power. Nothing wrong there. Heck, I'm officially 'off' myself at this moment!
Sending out messages right now is knowing you'll receive lots of Out-Of-Office notices back. I know, and I expect it. There is one thing though that can really irritate me: The inconsiderate OoO.

Some people seem to think that if they're gone that all work around them stops too. So messages like "I am out of the office" without any further details can really baffle me. Surely there will be someone that I can reach in case of an emergency?!? Some co-worker or central helpdesk... surely?

So I plead for ran Out of Office etiquette:
1. Put your return date in the message so that I know when to expect you back
2. Put in contact information for a co-worker or central desk that I can reach in case of an emergency
3. Put in any Office closure details so I know the whole company is closed if that is the case

But most importantly.... Don't forget to activate it. Because the thing that irritates me even more then getting an inconsiderate OoO while you're on holiday is not getting an OoO message at all...

Happy holidays!

Lotusphere-less... NOW WHAT?!?

If you are anything like me you probably had the dates for Lotusphere 2012 inscribed and blocked in your calendar as soon as they were announced last year and spend the last 11 months bugging your boss about letting you go (yes, I did). Still, not everyone gets to go..... 

DISASTER!, now what?!? How can you NOT be there where it is all happening!?!

Breath in.....ok, relax. I know it's a disaster and I feel for you but in the incredible situation you're actually not going, there are still ways to participate. So, to help you overcome this horrible scenario, some tips from someone who lived through it last year (and yes, that was hard!). Because you might not be able to be there physically, you can still be there online:

• Keep an eye on central sites like the Lotusphereblog and official IBM Lotusphere site for relevant links, news and updates. 

• Try and find a Live feed that allows you to follow what's going on. Last year I ended up watching the whole OGS through a LotusLive web meeting feed. With running commentary and a very active comments section with like minded people who weren't there. It gave me the comfort of knowing I was not alone, pining behind my desk in a cold & rainy place far, far from sunny Orlando...

• Check out the #ls12 hashtag. Anything going on at or around Lotusphere will in general be tweeted with this hashtag. Even better, check out the IBM Social Aggregator for Lotusphere site that lists tweets & blog posts about Lotusphere all in one convenient web page with link backs to authors profiles and other blogs.

• Listen to the podcasts that are around. There are several out there like Taking Notes and This Week in Lotus for instance that are really worth listening to if you want to know what's going on in the Lotus Community. Leading up to and during Lotusphere they tend to do lots of interviews and even live recordings from the conference itself.

• Check out PlanetLotus. The place to go for all blog's Lotus and during Lotusphere the place to get the latest scoops. 

• Check out the Greenhouse Lotusphere Community (register for free with Greenhouse if you haven't done so yet to get access). An online Connections community where people can connect, post pictures, links and video's, search for information, post questions and get involved while at Lotusphere. But also open to anyone not there.

• Follow and connect with people on twitter that are there. This is the best way of getting to know what's going on. Who to follow? Well there are lot's and finding the right ones can be difficult if you're new to this. A good basic set of active Lotus community tweeps is to simply follow the IBM Champions twitter list. These are some of the most active members in the community and it's an easy starting point to broaden your network. Don't be afraid to interact with them either. These are people that were recognized by IBM for their active role in the Community so in general they are really open and willing to engage with you.

So although none of the above really replaces the actual 'Lotusphere experience' itself these could be tips to get a little bit of the feeling of being there. And, if you're smart, you can use it to get the arguments to convince your boss why he should let you go next year.... :)

This list is far from complete. Any more tips I might have forgotten? Add them to the comments!

"IBM 5in5" five predictions for the next five years

IBM regularly comes out with predictions about the future of Tech. Not always accurate, most often very futuristic. On the Building a Smarter Planet Blog 5 of those were publicized today. I can't help thinking that some are a bit too optimistic but then I was one of those that 3 years ago thought that 'Social' would never become a Business thing..... Now how wrong was I on that one!

to get an idea of the ideas check them out via the below links. Curious to see how accurate they turn out to be in 5 years time!

1. People power will come to life 

2. You will never need a password again

3. Mind reading is no longer science fiction

4. The digital divide will cease to exist

5. Junk mail will become priority mail

Lotusphere Sparks session!

It's getting close to Lotusphere. The excitement is building up with the session overview being announced today and less then a month to go till OGS! Busy times especially for the speakers who's slides are due any day now.  

Not selected as a speaker? There is still a chance for you too. The "NERD101: Spark Ideas, featured by the Nerd Girls" gives everyone that has an inspiring story to tell a chance to be on that Lotusphere stage!


Courtesy of  NerdGirls: 

There is a new type of session at Lotusphere this year and the speaker is..... you!

Spark Ideas is session in which we bring together a group of people to discuss what inspires us. Lead by Kristen Lauria, Vice President Marketing for IBM Social Business, a group of speakers will share their experiences, inspiration, challenges, etc., during a compilation of five minute talks.

Want to participate?  There’s still time to submit your abstract!  The topic can be anything that you feel is relevant from how you were inspired by your math teacher to go into computing, a unique personal experience or story, how you juggle your busy job and coaching little league soccer, or describing your hobby or family project.  Whatever you think would inspire your colleagues and friends in the room!

So don’t hesitate if you feel you’ve got something to contribute.

How?? To sign up, simply send your abstract (maximum 500 words) to info@nerdgirlgroup.com with a short bio telling us who you are.

But be quick because time is running out!  Submit your abstract by December 19, 2011.  Final selection of abstracts will be made public in the beginning of January.  

We hope to see you in January in Orlando, let's Spark!

social fun risks

I can be kind of goofy. Love a good laugh and am always in for a joke. So when someone starts a Twitter meme by tweeting a picture of his feet while in a meeting with the hashtag #TweetYourFeetFriday I will join in. 
Just for fun, I mean how detrimental can a picture of two feet be?
Well.... I got told about the risks quite soon when someone who saw it pointed out the risks of certain fetishists picking up on it....

Mmm... ok yes. The idea actually had passed my mind when I was posting it but somehow I really didn't fear that too much. Does that make me gullible? Probably, but at the same time I really don't want to live my life looking over my shoulder every second for alternative motives. Do I expect them to be out there? Sure, do I want to mind? Nop. 
 
So call me crazy but I will do (good natured) crazy stuff some times. I do it in real life (ask my colleagues) I do it online (follow my Twitter). Most times it's received as intended (good natured), sometimes its not. 

So does it mean I sometimes hit myself on the nose? Yes it does. Still I refuse to be anything less than the spontaneous, sometimes slightly crazy me!



ps. Why a picture of shoes and not the one of my feet? Well, I'm not that gullible as to putting the words 'feet' 'fetish'  and a picture of my feet in one blog post. :-)

Trusting the social way

In 2009 I was on a IBM Redbook team, today I am again.

I love it. This is such a great opportunity to learn, to meet, to share and to get a glimpse into how other people topple topics like Social, Collaboration and connecting at the business level.

I've come a long way over the last few years. Back then I arrived in Cambridge, MA for a three week Residency not knowing anything about the people I was about to experience a very intensive three weeks with. Being hesitant and even feeling a bit awkward. Apart from their names I didn't have a clue who they were and what they did. Getting to know them took several days.

This time things are different, totally different.

Right from the moment I got my acceptance letter I started connecting. Googling the names in the mail, finding, following and interacting with them on Twitter, trying to get an idea who they were from their Social profiles and reading up on blogs and published materials. Now not all of them had an online (public) presence but in general you can find a lot. And so it was that when I flew out to Raleigh, NC on Saturday I'd already arranged to meet up for dinner that night through twitter and spent the rest of the weekend exploring Raleigh together.

No, not people I had previously met but people I only knew from twitter and who's only connection with me was that we were all going to be on the same Residency. By using social tools to connect we got a head start in talking about the things we were going to talk about in the Residency, getting an idea of each persons specialties, interests and areas of expertise and doing exactly what we where there for: Share & learn.
 
So when I tweeted about being in the ITSO Redbook facility with the Social Business Social Media team today and got this tweet reply:

@FemkeGoedhart LOL why does the "social team" need to get together in person...or even use email for that matter? #justteasing

I couldn't help but reflect on that. Because although I really love and 'live' the Social ideal, I also believe that it is NOT a replacement for face-to-face meetings in doing business. It's not there to take over or replace. Its simply a strategy to build stronger ties, be it active (by engaging with people) or inactive (by sharing so people can find you and learn about you). But more importantly it is about building trust. If you would have said three years ago that I would fly half across the world, arrive, meet up with this person I'd never seen or talked too before and had only exchanged about four 140 character messages with and go out for dinner 3 minutes later.....I think I would have declared you crazy.

Social has come a long way in making this possible and we're only at the beginning. It is about being out there and being true to yourself and your environment. It's about accountability that fosters trust and its about enjoying that human need for connection.

So call me an idealist but in a world torn apart by wars and mistrust  the 'Social' revolution clearly proofs that that fundamental need for a human connection is as strong as ever. Especially in Business.

This Week in Lotus 81 - yep I can't spell my own name

Ok, so there's a first time for everything and this week it was being a guest on the This Week In Lotus podcast discussing the Redbook Residency, abstracts and NerdGirl activities at Lotusphere 2012. It was nervewracking.... Lets say that some great editing by @StuartMcIntyre and @DarrenDuke eventually saved the day.  

Still, had lot's of fun doing it and it accounted for some great bloopers (included in the last 3 minutes of the podcast).

and for those who wonder... Yes, in normal live I'm perfectly able to spell my own name :-)

Google+ Ripples #2

In October I wrote a blog on Ripples a Google+ feature that shows you how your public posts are being shared accross yours as well as others networks. I loved it (and still do) but somehow I never got to see the Ripples link when I was browsing my stream.

As I knew a workaround by getting the post id and copying it into a Ripples URL I could use it but that was far from easy and I couldn't figure out why I didn't get to see the Ripples option in the post menu's. Today I finally figured it out.  

Could it be it simply wasn't available for my language? Nah...surely not! 

But to make absolutely sure I tried setting my Google settings language from Dutch (my native language) to US English and bingo there was the "View Ripples" option.

Apparently Ripples is only there for the English speaking folks as its not showing up if you set your language to Dutch, French or German (didn't try any other languages but pretty sure most wont work either). I'm reporting this to Google, let's see why they aren't showing this to us. If it's simply a question of translations then surely 6 weeks should have been more than enough to translate that 1 paragraph of text on the Ripples page. But even without translation I really would have liked having this so please open it up!

Spark Ideas - Brought to you by Nerd Girls

Do you know how some stories can be really inspiring? Stories and ideas that you never heard or thought of before and that really hit you right in the heart? Ideas that spark…..

Can you tell such a story?

Then we are looking for you. We are proud to present the Sparks session. A Lotusphere session brought to you by Nerd Girls where up to 6 people will have a chance to share their awesome experience with the crowd in a short 5-6 min presentation.

The topic? Anything you think is relevant, from how to inspire kids to go into ICT to how you managed to incorporate your cart racing addiction into your work. Anything goes as long as you can tell it in under 5-6 minutes and feel it could inspire the rest of us!

But… You have to sell it in a short abstract to us.  Based on these abstracts a panel will decide which speakers will be allowed to tell their awesome story.  Do you need to be a NerdGirl?? No! This is open to everyone, both men and women. It’s not about gender it’s about inspiring your fellow Lotuspherians and Sparking your idea in their mind. Will it get me something? It isn’t a contest so there won’t be any prizes but it will give you the opportunity to climb on an official Lotusphere stage and tell your story to a captivated audience.

So don’t hesitate if you feel you’ve got something to contribute. I’m sure there are more than enough people out there that have some story worth sharing. Spark your idea and sign up!

How?? To sign up send your abstract (max 500 words) to info@nerdgirlgroup.com with a short bio telling us who you are. Final selection of abstracts will be made public in the beginning of January.
And don't hesitate to alert others to this if you know of people that have something worth telling.

Let's spark some ideas!

Social seating

KLM yesterday (unofficially) announced that they are looking into ways to make the seating process more social by allowing people to upload their Social Media profile information on check-in. The idea is to have people pick a seat based on the profiles of people sitting next to them so that people can check beforehand with whom they will be spending their precious hours in flight.

An innovative idea and certainly something that got them some attention but I must say I wonder whether it would be a success. Especially among the business travelers they are aiming this for.

As a business traveler myself the one thing I do when on a flight is trying not to have to socially engage to much with people next to me. You're in each others space already and for the next 8hrs of so you can't get away. So the last thing I want is to start a conversation that I can't politely get out off if it turns out to be not what you expected...

it's not as if you're making friends for life. So apart from a polite 'Hello' and 'could I pass you for a moment' I generally don't engage at all. I read my e-book, watch a film, prepare some work or sleep. That's it. The last thing I want is people rambling on for hours about how they love tulips and windmills because they read on my profile I'm from The Netherlands.

So what would I use it for.... Well frankly (and I really don't want to offend anyone with this, simply stating the obvious) to check if the person next to me is big. Yes, you heard it. I'll admit that is my worst nightmare on any flight and the first thing that came to mind when reading about KLM's initiative. Because space is already very limited it gets really frustrating if you have someone encroaching on that. Even though they can't help it and go out of their way not to, as they find it just as embarrassing. Because let's face it, most airplanes (especially short haul carriers)  have an absolute minimum of space alloted to each passenger and do not cater to the current situation in which at least 1/3 of people in the Western world is overweight. 

So from a personal viewpoint I think making the flight experience more 'social'  would be accomplished much better if they gave each passenger a bit more space, not by sharing our profiles... Still, I love and commend KLM for trying to think about ways to make the flying experience more social and will certainly give it a try if it gets activated.

LotusLive & Lotusphere

So today was D-day. The Lotusphere 2012 abstract acceptation/rejection messages were being send out which meant lot's of people (including me) got disappointed. At the same time it means others that really deserved it got really happy so I'm not to bummed out about it. I know I'll be seeing lots of great sessions and I'm really looking forward to that. It also means I have more time to concentrate on all the good stuff Lotusphere has to offer so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it!

One of the session that I submitted with my co-worker Roland Driesen was on LotusLive. More specifically on how we, for the last year, have been actively using it at Silverside. Not just to collaborate internally but more importantly externally. Silverside really put the pedal to the metal by not just trying to get our customers to engage in LotusLive by using Guest accounts but by doing an experiment where we gave a large group of them (payed) accounts & training so they could fully collaborate with us in projects using activities, file sharing and IM. Not only did this allow for better project collaboration, it also allowed these customers to have the full LotusLive experience for themselves.

The results were mixed. Some really got the idea and used it actively, others looked at it and dismissed it more or less right away.  


The one thing that was really loved and turned out to have most ROI effect was the fact they now had Sametime access to us directly. The people we gave the accounts to in general were project owners, decision makers and IT managers. In stead of having to rely on mail or phone calls they could now easily and quickly connect to us..... and not just during office hours!
Yes, it may sound weird but most revenue was gotten from informal Sametime chats outside of office hours, sometimes late at night or in the weekend where an IT Manager needed to know something quickly and used LotusLive Sametime. In more then one case those informal chats resulted in concrete projects or opportunities.

So was it a successful project? Yes and No... It did help us connect better to our customers but there is still a lot to improve on LotusLive. For instance try explaining to a user that when he uses the search box in the right upper corner to search for a document he first has to switch to the Files section to actually find anything relevant.... If I get a search box, I expect it to be able to search through all of the content within my system (LotusLive), not just in the section I'm stuck in at that moment.
On the up side the project certainly helped us connect more to an important group of our customers, becoming a better integrated partner to their organization.

For now I'm just looking forward to announcements for LotusLive at Lotusphere. The one I really hope for is the addition of Sametime to the guest accounts as I really think IM/chats is what can open lot's of organizations to the idea of Collaboration. So that could really be a big benefit when getting external partners on LotusLive..... and of course that search option, simply because it bugs the hell out of me!

The class of 2011.....social media

http://www.flowtown.com

Social translate... Google Giveth and Taketh

For the last year and a half or so I've been an avid user of Yoono. A browser plugin that allows me to review and update my Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare activity streams from within a side bar in my Firefox. I love it. It's easy, simple and because it's integrated in the browser it always keeps my Social streams in my perephial view. Right where I like it to be.

Now one of the things that I discovered recently is that it has a function to translate tweets right there and then in the sidebar itself. Simply right click the tweet and select "Translate (via google)". The translated text is shown right there and then in your stream.

Ok, yes. Google translations aren't exactly accurate all the time but in general they do the trick. And it means I could follow people I would otherwise not, simply because I can't understand a thing they are saying.


Like Mitsuru Katoh (Katoman), a Fellow self-proclaimed Domino Geek and IBM Champion from Japan. My Japanese is next to zero so this translate function really helped me and made it possible for me to socially connect to someone I would otherwise probably not even know about.


Unfortunately this morning the translate function didn't work and a tweet to @YoonoSupport helped clarify:  

@Yoono The translate (Google) function doesn't seem to work this morning. Anything going on?

 Bummer! 

Ok, I can understand Google wanting to make a buck out of this (although I'd wonder who'd want to pay for the crappy translations they give) but maybe Google had an alternative reason as well. I can (somewhat) understand them trying to promote their own networks so maybe this is a function they wanted to keep free exclusively for their own platforms..... aka Google+! I know Mitsuru is on G+ so lets check it out.....
Well, you guessed it. No function there to translate from within the stream itself.

Yes I know about the other Google translate options for translating whole sites but that is not really an option to me. As a Dutch national I read & write in English, Dutch, German and (a little) French and I follow people in all of those languages. Now I don't need (or want!) those translated as that sometimes means you lose part of the underlying sentiments and jokes. I want to be able to control which tweets I want translated and which I want to read in their original language. And I want to do it from within my active streams itself, not by having to step out to a different site. That takes out the whole social context in which I'm operating.

 So for now it seems I will have to unfollow Mitsuru... Not because he's not nice or interesting but simply because I can't understand his tweets (Sorry Mitsuru, I'll buy you a drink at Lotusphere).

Oh and for those (like me) wondering what that second tweet form Mitsuru said? I ran it through the ordinary translator and it came up as "That I was better with an umbrella. Worry.". 

I guess it was raining in Japan :-) 

Nerdgirl Geekiness

So I'm going to Lotusphere 2012...Yeah!!! Ok, I understand probably not very exciting to you but for me it is. And I'm looking forward to it!!!

One of the things I'm particulary looking forward to is the Nerd Girls "Great Geek Challenge". A battle of the Geeks and THE moment for the community to glorify it's geekiness and have some fun.  Ok, yes, overdoing it a bit here but just love the geeky thing.


Check out Gabriella Davis blog on Turleweb or the Great Geek Challenge site for more details. This is one 'session' you shouldn't miss!

Who is using Google+ ..... infographic

Interesting infographic by www.flowtown.com on the usage of Google+. There have been a lot of jokes around the internet on whether or not Google+ is really being used or if, after the initial hype most users returned to their old and familiar platforms. This seems confirmed by this infographic that shows only 17% of registered Google+ users is considered 'Active' and a 'Frequent Google+ user'.

So did they loose the battle? No, I don't think so. If you manage to pull in over 40 million users within a couple of months you must be doing something right. They just have to find their edge and unique selling point and that 83% that is currently inactive will be flocking back. The problem seems to be though that they don't really know yet what that unique selling point is....


Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application