MetroIBA heads NorthEast to Create Catering February 6, 2010

Shareology headed to NE Minneapolis to Create Catering for the February 2   MetroIBA Networking Event. 

Members of the Metro Independent Business Alliance brought their small business problems, small business solutions, and small business questions; members found out who they had something in common with or who they might do business with.  

Create Catering offered a yummy and warm alternative to yet another snowy Minnesota morning; photos are below: 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this is a good looking exit!

Create Catering is on the web at  http://www.createcaters.com/   More information on MetroIBA can be found at www.metroiba.org  or follow them on Twitter at   @MetroIBA 

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Are you ready to heal, Viking fans? February 6, 2010

Mark Lucker, a Shareology friend from way back, now lives in New Orleans.   Shareology was the happy recipient of a box of Mardi Gras beads awhile back; there are definite benefits to have a friend in the Big Easy.    Today’s big tip:  check out Mark’s review of T Shirts for the Big Game, straight from the streets of Nawlins:   go to the right, all  the way down to Blogs  Worth Following, and click on Chaotic Zen, A’ La Carte. 

When the Saints go marching in……Heal Vikings, Heal!

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Does it go without saying? Use LinkedIn, Twitter, search engines for insights into clients, prospects, colleagues February 1, 2010

Shareology is proud to feature guest blogger Agency Babylon today; the subject?   Are you maximizing your use of LinkedIn and Twitter as you meet with folks?  Shareology smiled knowingly at  a recent meeting when her coffee mate pulled out a copy of her LinkedIn profile.   Smart,  she thought!

Let’s learn more from Agency Babylon:

By Neal Kielar, Agency Babylon

“It goes without saying.”

I’ve eaten those words before. Now I’m about to do it again as I find instance after instance of otherwise bright people who don’t take the time to learn who they’re talking to and with whom they’re about to do business.

The fact is, just about all of your prospective customers and clients, partners and competitors, colleagues and other contacts have digital profiles these days. They are practically hiding in plain sight – but hiding only to the extent that you don’t use free and ubiquitous online tools to seek them out and learn more about them.

What mysterious tools are these? Ever hear of Bing! or Google? How about LinkedIn or Naymz or Plaxo? Twitter? Facebook anyone? While these are just the tip of the iceberg, they constitute a sound starting point for researching people with whom you do, will or want to have business relationships.

• Business prospecting. In addition to researching the company itself (you do that, don’t you?), you can use LinkedIn to see the profiles of people with decision-making authority to whom you’ll likely be pitching. Don’t forget to seek them out on Twitter, as well. Knowing who they are, where they’ve been, what and how they think, and what style they seem to project will help you better prepare. You might even have one or more connections in common that can warm up your entrée to them.
• Account management. Have a new client contact? You’re going to want to get off on the right foot. So you should know something about the new client team member, like how long they’ve been with the company, what their role(s) have been over time, or if new to the company where they came from. You want to know their areas and level of expertise so you can interact with them appropriately, e.g., patient and extra helpful if they’re a newbie and with a touch of extra deference (or caution) if they are senior. LinkedIn, Twitter and online searches are all in order here, ideally before the new relationship launches. One of your jobs is to build rapport, and knowing how to connect with your clients is key.
• Account team member. So you’re a designer or writer or programmer, definitely on the account team but not the lead interface. Are you excused? No, because there are people on the client team with whom you’re likely to collaborate. It would help a designer to know the background of the design lead on the client side, and writers or strategists or other roles just the same. Because you understand your client counterparts better, there’s a fair chance of working more smoothly with them.
• Agency colleague. So the new gal or guy is coming on board. And of course your boss or HR have sent out a detailed backgrounder on this interloper. Right. At least they tell you the person is about to join the team (although I worked at one place where, weirdly, they failed to do even that sometimes). When you find out who’s joining your cozy corner, get on the interwebs and learn more about them. You can use that information to fashion a warm welcome or maybe gird yourself for a would-be nemesis – all depending on the culture of your shop and your own attitude, but that’s up to you.

Postscript: If everything was obvious to everyone, no one would need the services of smart agencies and consultants or even much staff. Agency Babylon is always willing to “state the obvious” in its mission to help all of us shine just a little brighter.

This post originally appeared on the Agency Babylon blog. Follow him on Twitter:   @AgencyBabylon

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

CoCo for SMBMSP tweetup! January 30, 2010

Per Urban Dictionary:             Tweetup:   A gathering of nerds attempting social contact…. Usually disintegrates into everyone running to the nearest computer to type to one another. 

Hmmm….not a half bad definition.    As a change of pace, SMBMSP (Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul) did not meet on Friday from 8 – 10 am, but rather Thursday, January 28, from 6 – 9 pm at CoCo (coworking & collaborative space)  in St. Paul.   This change of format turned the entire event into one big networking nirvana; photographic proof is offered below:  

    

    

early crowd

later crowd

    

Amy and her DIY bangs!

Patrick Rhone -- your mac not well? contact @PatrickRhone

Kyle Coolbroth, coco founder

Tom Dunn and Todd Tweedy, multi-tasking

Rachele Victoria Cermak exchanges cards with Kay Loire

Aimee Cheek brightens up the St. Paul winter

PJBFCP aka Pete Barry

Shareology has saved the very best for last:   

Meg Canada and The Ring!!!

 Now that’s a smile to light up the St. Paul skyline!   

 A good time was had by all!   Mykl and Rick are getting a ton of requests to do this again — Gasp:   Social Media Breakfast in the evening — what a concept! 

Kay Roseland @KayLoire

Pining for Princess Finery? January 30, 2010

Shareology was on her way to coffee at Good Earth in Galleria once again on Friday.  You might remember that coffee at Good Earth consists of yogurt with raspberries and kiwis……   One of the delights of Galleria is the indoor walking and eye candy combination.  Now the two Tiffany windows are probably on the top of the eye candy list.   But on the other side of Galleria, Arafina manages to pull off glorious gown color combinations.  Shareology always stops to see what colors are bouncing off each other.  Friday there were no colors…(Halston did decree that the primarys are black, white and red….)

What was in the window was the most wonderful princess dress Shareology has seen in a long, long while.  Too bad there are no inaugural balls in DC to attend this year.  (Last year, one local lady did buy her dress at Arafina before flying off to her ball.) 

Below is sheer eye candy to perk up your winter blahs.  P.S.  Black and white is a trend that just will not die.  

Shareology always thought “pearl encrusted bodice” was one of those really over the top descriptions of something that anyone could easily live without.   But the pearls on this dress just elevate it to heavenly.  Maybe Shareology has a Barbie doll tucked away in a closet that needs a new dress.

UPDATE February 2, 2010:

Shareology couldn’t resist one more look at “the dress”…..  To justify what has become an obession, she popped in to Arafina and asked “Who IS the designer?”

The black short cocktail dress is by Robert Rodriguez.   Next to it, the magic tulle gown is by Jovani. 

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Inquiring Minds want to Know! January 28, 2010

Shareology is going to throw her first hissy fit.  (Fair warning:  She does NOT approve of hissy fits.) 
For the 4 millionth time, she has heard someone introduce themselves as a marketing professional.  Having a very literal frame of mind on occasion, Shareology always asks herself:   Where are the marketing amateurs?   If one must be labeled a marketing professional, surely there are marketing amateurs one is asking to be differentiated from?   No?   Eliminate the marketing professional words from your vocabulary!  It makes marketing people sound like they can’t deal with the fact that doctors and lawyers get to be professionals without having to label themselves.  

Okay.  That ends the first and last hissy fit Shareology will ever throw.   See you at the tweetup in St. Paul tonight!  Hmm….. maybe #SMBMSP will be loaded with marketing amateurs, laced amongst the geeks…..

Please, Please, Please if you ever meet one of these marketing amateurs, do send them Shareology’s way!!

Kay Roseland @KayLoire

New Retail Blog Star = Flora Delaney! January 27, 2010

Shareology is proud to alert readers to a new blog about retail and networking:   Flora Delaney writes on retail, merchandising, strategy and networking.  Her recent post on The Care and Feeding of Your Network touches on a subject dear to Shareology’s heart.   Once you click on the link below, be sure and read her earlier posts on holiday merchandising:  (you can also follow her on Twitter at  @FloraDelaney)

http://www.floradelaney.com/blog/index.cfm

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Shareology celebrates Six Months! January 24, 2010

Hard to believe that Shareology is six months old!   Many Thanks to all those who have made this such a learning and growth experience!   This started out as a networking, retail, point-of-purchase and social media blog, and in celebration, below is a list of the Top Five Shareology Posts thus far:     (Shareology is very proud that her readers produced such a range of topics that got the most traffic!)

1.  Inspired Merchandising? or Worst Idea Ever?    

     http://kayroseland.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/inspired-merchandising/

2.  Target,  Apple, Macy’s    …  and the Winner is:  Apple! 

      http://kayroseland.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/shareology-shops-gray-saturday/

3.  Hashtag Happiness on Twitter 

     http://kayroseland.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/hashtag-happiness-on-twitter/

4.  Back to School at Mall of America

     http://kayroseland.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/back-to-school-at-mall-of-america/

5.   Networking Fatigue   

       http://kayroseland.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/networking-fatigue/             

Want to reread one of the above?  Click on the link under the title……

Can’t wait to see what the next six months will bring!

Kay Roseland       @KayLoire

Shareology suggests you check out Social Media Journal January 22, 2010

@ColleenMick is a clear, strong writer on social media issues; @KayLoire was searching for someone who would help her understand a complex subject.   What Shareology loves about @ColleenMick is that she writes about social media in a way that is oh so easy to understand — yet in a way that is oh so smart!  Over coffee (Okay, yogurt with raspberries and kiwis) we hatched a plan; today Shareology is guest blogging on Social Media Journal.   So get thee to @ColleenMick, get another taste of Shareology, and salute the smart blog, Social Media Journal:       http://colleenmick.wordpress.com/

 Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

MIMA and Mobile Marketing January 21, 2010

Shareology traveled to the University of Minnesota Alumni Center Wednesday evening for some new thoughts and networking: 

EMBRACING MOBILE MARKETING: GENERATING ROI WITH THE INTEGRATED APPROACH 

The practice of mobile marketing is going mainstream. From local and regional retailers to Fortune 100 fast-moving consumer goods providers, brands and charities, marketers are employing mobile marketing practices to engage their audience in mutually beneficial communication, delivery, and exchange of value.   In this event, we’ll address why mobile and why now?  We will review leading market metrics, consumer behaviors, case studies, mobile marketing strategies and tactics and key steps that should be taken to successfully integrate mobile marketing efforts with your existing business practices.  In other words, you’ll learn what it takes to embrace and generate ROI through and with mobile marketing. 

Michael Becker, a leader in the mobile marketing industry, assumes the roles of entrepreneur, volunteer, author and academic. Mr. Becker is VP Mobile Strategies for iLoop Mobile, the industry’s leading mobile marketing solutions provider and winner of the 2007 MMA Innovation of the Year Award. In addition, he is the Global and North American Vice Chairperson for the Mobile Marketing Association and member of the Direct Marketing Association Mobile Advisory Council. Mr. Becker is the founder and co-editor of the MMA International Journal of Mobile Marketing, contributing and co-author to Mobile Internet for Dummies, Web Marketing All-in One for Dummies and Reinventing Interactive and Direct Marketing; in addition, he has written over 70 articles and conducted hundreds of seminars on mobile marketing. On the academic front, he is pursuing a doctorate focused on mobile enhanced customer managed interactions and is an adjunct professor of marketing, teaching mobile marketing, at Golden Gate University. Mr. Becker has been recognized for his industry contributions, having received the MMA Individual Achievement Award in 2007 and the Direct Marketing Education Foundation 2009 Rising Stars Award. 

Some  photos from MIMA: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini MIMA board meeting with President Tim Brunelle and Programming Director Greg Swan

Q & A via text

Shareology was very impressed with the complexity of mobile marketing and the possibilities for the near and far future.   MIMA helps keep us aware of how quickly our marketing world is changing and how much fun the future can be.  

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Big Box? Big Lot? Or…Public Art? July 20, 2009

As retail  struggles, some retailers in blue stress low prices. Other retailers in red look to outside store design to draw customers into their stores.  Previous experience in point of purchase suggests that the outside of the store impacts the decisions made inside the store.

Those of us who have been strolling the newly opened Edina Promenade, participating in the “Judge the Public Art” contest, might be excused for considering the Super Target on York Avenue as part of that public art. Instead of the normal flat boring back of store, we are treated to some rolling hills, green grass, trees and structural elements of the new Target architectural language.  

Public Art/Target Art

 Proceed off the Promenade and around the store’s north side and you find the best looking rain runoff area ever featuring white chunky bricks replicated in the nearby low rock walls. 

Rain Water Drains

 Next up on our Around the Target Tour? Six red chairs ready for your next conference break, picnic, or just plain contemplating all things restfully red. (Will we ever look at a three foot red concrete ball again and not think of Target?)

 The chairs are just off the colonnade that leads you from Galleria across the street to a covered walkway straight south into the store’s entrance. This shaded walkway does a lot to alleviate the harsh Minnesota sun, and makes quite a refreshing entrance to the store.  

Almost as much fun as the Guthrie Theatre’s front porch on the river

Just to give one a teeny glimpse of how good design permeates all things Target, even the ladies room inside the store offers sleekly designed sinks and faucets. Want still more good design and function? Those hand dryers are super effective and efficient:  how come these weren’t in use years ago?

Great Design in places you’d never think to look………

I know it’s hard, but we leave the store (picnic supplies in tow) and continue our tour back to the Promenade. These hydrangeas are part of the landscaping that perfectly sets off the south side of the store.

Our final shot shows how Target has used images that support the brand while sending messages about how fun and elegant shopping here can be. (Didn’t think elegant was a word you would use to describe Target? Take another look at the woman striding forth in the red dress.) Not one image on the outside of the store that causes us to cringe; all show various Target customers, all demographics blissfully happy in the red spending zone. Try feeling this good about design in blue shopping cart land; ain’t gonna happen.

The Bullseye Branding Rocks!

A tip of the shopping cart to Target, and the designers, architects and landscapers who made this possible!

Is the U.S. consumer marching into stores because of the design of the exterior? Or will Bentonville take over the world?

Even in a challenged economy, I feel a lot better about spending my dollars in a store that makes me happy before I even enter. What about you? What about the consumer?

Kay Roseland / Twitter: @KayLoire

Networking Fatigue July 25, 2009

I’ve run into a new networking slant twice in the last week.  

At Smiling and Dialing, “Networking Fatigue” was mentioned. This involves an employed person who is besieged with requests for coffee by those unemployed amongst us. The Fatiguer spends coffee asking “Know of any jobs?” When the answer from the employed person is”No”, the Fatiguer gets cranky. Please, folks, remember to focus on others — give more than you get. (Thanks, SagePresence! Thanks, SAMSnet!). If you are truly giving to the person you meet with, Networking Fatigue will not occur; you will both come away from coffee glad for what you have shared. (And Shareology can tip her hat to that!)

To reinforce how important the above principle is, my coffee date on Saturday, mentioned she had been having some tough coffee meetings herself.  “They just suck the life out of me….”    She asked for a second meeting with me because I gave during meeting one, and she wanted me to help a friend of hers going through a tough time. Sure, I said, I’ll connect with him on LinkedIn and meet him for coffee. (Not coincidentally, at the end of our second coffee, she offered to put me in touch with a P.R. person in her company.)

Lesson to absorb? Networking needs you to give more than you get. Let’s play the game in a way that ensures we will treasure this contact and begin relationships that offer true exchanges into the future.   Don’t be a Fatiguer:  Be a giver!

Kay Roseland

@KayLoire

Galleria: Retail that Works! July 26, 2009

In an environment where retail has been challenged, one continuing bright spot is the Galleria in Edina. Where to begin? Perhaps with the strollers at each of the many entrances. Galleria knows the customers it serves and the Edina mom. If she decides to make a quick trip inside, she will find a stroller waiting at the doorway to help her manage her child and her shopping.

I also like the way the Galleria deals with that horror of horrors today: empty retail store fronts. The Galleria uses architectural elements of empty storefronts to showcase current retailers and their offerings. You might be excused from enjoying the display and not noticing an empty shop behind. In a rare misstep, one well done display window is located next to waaaay too much empty white space where previously lurked a store front that no longer leads into an open shop. Most often Galleria paints these empty storefronts in an appealing color that works so much better than expanses of white.  

A few stores closed? No problem: Fill them with displays of existing stores offerings!

Great Bay Window Display: if only the wall wasn't white

Finally, a salute to the most consistently beautiful windows of Tiffany. Simply breathtaking.

A eco statement that delights the eye

A mere photo cannot do justice to those two display windows on the side of the Tiffany store.  Next time you’re walking by, take a look. Even in a challenging economy, walking through the Galleria just makes you smile. One suspects that happy customers are more likely to indulge their shopping instincts in this kind of beautiful environment.

Galleria thrives because of a sophisticated mix of unique local retailers and well chosen national brands.   The addition of the Westin Hotel to a thriving restaurant mix, combined with outstanding merchandising makes Galleria stand out in today’s marketplace.

Kay Roseland

@KayLoire

Branding Opportunity or Ugly Concrete Posts? August 2, 2009

As Shareology was circling Target for the 14th time last week, she started to notice that Target may be unique in its ability to turn a 3 foot high red ball or concrete barrier at the store front into a branding statement:

Target and those 3 foot high red concrete balls at the store entrance

How do other stores deal with store fronts and the need to protect the random driver from crashing into a very expensive entrance?  Let’s see how Best Buy, Sports Authority and Harley Davidson deal with the same issue.   Let’s see what branding opportunities are hits and which are misses.

Best Buy: Ya think they park the car here for the sheer Branding Power of Geekness?

Further Away:  Looking Good

Oops:   Why no beautiful blue or yellow carried through to the concrete barriers?   Like we’re not gonna notice them if they’re beige?

Let’s see how Best Buy’s neighbor handles the same challenge with a tad more integration:

The Black Posts repeat the shading of the Red Logo: Yay!

Looking Good!   Sports Authority is making its corporate colors work by repeating the shading color with the concrete barriers.   Didn’t we always say how important accessorizing is?

And the Winner Is!

Shareology has to admit she was very pleasantly surprised how Harley Davidson in Eden Prairie, Minnesota handles the concrete column challenge.  They don’t!   Instead we have this garden wall.   (Don’t you always shop for your bike surrounded by flowers and garden walls?)  Hey, you’re not gonna drive your pickup through this concrete garden wall, trust me!  So function is served.   But on least a couple of occasions, Shareology has sauntered through this garden and the bikes for sale wondering if she shouldn’t consider another mode of transportation.  

So:   what do YOU think?  Target’s use of the 3 foot round red concrete balls on four corners of their lot, plus at the store entrances, is a strong and unique branding opportunity.  Or do you prefer the outdoor shopping environment Harley sets up in Eden Prairie?  Shareology wants to know!

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

What person or book has most influenced you? August 13, 2009

Or  in another, more current take, what person or book has most impacted your thinking on social media?   Shareology needs to back away from the computer (No!!  not while #blogwell  is streaming on Twitter!!) and restock the learning bank at either the library or the bookstore.  So, what do YOU think?   Who have you learned from?  Inquiring minds at Shareology and @KayLoire want to know.

Back to School at Mall of America August 18, 2009

Shareology wasn’t always fond of Mall of America…(who wants to go shopping in something THAT big?).   She turned the corner when life presented an opportunity, as part of her MBA, to take Retail Management — and the classroom location?  Mall of America.   Well, after Shareology got over the shock, she could not imagine a more perfect place for a Retail Management classroom.  For those curious amongst you, the classroom was tucked away down a hallway, across from Rainforest Cafe,  just outside Bloomies.  

In the quest of yet  more retailing dreams turned into reality, Shareology took herself off Tuesday afternoon to Mall of America, known hereafter as MOA.   Shareology may have finished that MBA, but other students are soon to bid August goodbye and head back to their own classrooms.   What did Shareology find?   Conservative colors, denim and yet more denim.  Oh, for this R word to end, so that the rainbow of colors that we all deserve can be back in stores;  right now, not so much.

OK, enough with the boring denim already!  Doesn’t anyone do denim with dash?

Say what you will about The Gap, this window blows straight through boring into brilliant…..but all this monochromatic color has got Shareology wanting some color back in her life.   And she found it, although she is gonna have to adopt a niece to justify a purchase at the Disney store; anybody have a niece you can lend me?  (Three nephews make Shareology particularly susceptible to the lures of Disney.)

The detail on these dresses is just amazing — the headdress has a veil attached to the crown that looks positively like what Eleanor of Aquitaine must have looked like as a tween.  Okay, time to head for something a tad more sophisticated:

Makes you want to read more and find out the history of this relatively new brand…..  Speaking of new, Shareoloy noticed one very clever way to maximize sales:

Some  consumers shop instore; some consumers shop online. Some do research online, and buy instore.  Some research instore and buy online.  Bricks or clicks, Fossil is going to ensure it gets its share of all shoppers. 

Why would anybody want to buy an $1,100 coat in this economy?   When Burberry provides alterations to  fit this coat specifically to you:  that’s when.   What garment cries out for a perfect fit more than a trench coat?  Who knew Burberry offered tailoring?  Shareology came darn close to selling that $1,100 coat Tuesday afternoon.  If you want this coat, ask for Mark; he’s great.

Getting tired?  Time to pop up to 3rd floor for the pause that refreshes, and lets you spend 5 cents on your favorite tune at Johnny Rockets:

Ooooohhh, that malt was amazing!   All geared up now for the last 4 stops on our MOA tour:    first up, the eagerly awaiting opening of:

Going to wait around for the opening?  How ever to kill time?   Yep, it’s a lot like Vegas here at MOA:  you can get married while you wait:

And finally, the shot below is NOT of the Apple store at MOA; Shareology lives in fear  of having to be bailed out from taking an inappropriate photo in an inappropriate venue.  (Although the lady in the Gucci department at Nordstrom gets raves from Shareology for extremely politely saying “No photos, please.”)  Apparently Apple also likes to  guard its retailing mojo.   Suffice it to say, the MOA  Apple store was packed with consumers learning, tapping and consuming.  Many, Many consumers.   Well, that much success is a tad boring.  Guess what retailer had not so much audience in its Apple department? 

Let Shareology emphasize that this is not the Apple Store; it is another retailer.   Same products:  no audience….but that’s another post from Shareology.  

For more about Back to School trends, check out http://moafashionsense.com/   Lots of fun stuff from 520 MOA stores, plus the rescue of two fashion victims, Nate and Hannah.

Shareology bids you adieu with one final bit of history.   Buried on a side street in the former Camp Snoopy, now Nickelodeon Universe, is the following plaque.  To think the ball park that replaced Met Stadium is about to be replaced itself…..

A new shopping center opening? In 2009???? September 4, 2009

New shopping center?   Opening?   In 2009?   Are they mad?   The Shops at West End in St. Louis Park, Minnesota may be, but they are opening in October or November, 2009.  This new lifestyle center features an open central arcade with an arched roof to protect from rain.  (Rain?  This is Minnesota — snow happens….)  Tenants to open this fall include Anthropologie, Creative Kidstuff, Uber Baby, Crave, Cooper and Tobey Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.  

UPDATE, DECEMBER 3, 2009      BELOW IS A SNAP OF CURRENTLY OPENED TENANTS OF WEST END: 

 

Let’s take a pictorial tour, and explore the new upscale Rainbow grocery store. 

 

Not quite open yet, but soon, very soon...........

 

 

Protected against rain in Minnesota -- gee, should we have thought of anything else?

 

 

 

Ah, the freshness of a brand new store front in early fall......

 

 

 

 

Shareology loves Oscar; apparently Rainbow does too! 

The frozen section is also in a little nook all its own......

 

 

 

 

And now we bid adieu…………………. 

 

Rainbow is aiming for an upscale market, with enhanced produce, prepared foods and a salad bar.  For a 55,000 square foot store, it feels surprisingly cozy.  In fact, two sections, produce and frozen, seem their own little worlds:  no hint here of the endless warehouse ceilings normally found.   Another first for frequent Rainbow shoppers:  quotations on the walls from the likes of James Beard and Oscar Wilde.  So Rainbow is open and soon more retail will follow.  

Kay Roseland  @KayLoire

Hashtag Happiness on Twitter September 24, 2009

This is for those folks who want to know why Twitter doesn’t seem like much fun.   (Although Shareology immediately grasped the pleasure and pain made possible by limiting characters to 140….)   When I first signed on to Twitter last February, the first steps were pretty easy.   Then the empty feeling — I knew kicky stuff was happening — I just didn’t know where.   New articles on the web, in newspapers, on television — all listing events on twitter that I hadn’t a clue how to get to.

Three quick remedies:   hashtags, trending topics, and check out the followers of others…..

1.   Get your twitter ears alert — find out what the hashtag is for the event, whether it’s a meeting, a convention, a webinar — and periodically search for that hashtag and “listen” in to the results.   When Blogwell was happening at General Mills in Minneapolis, and for various reasons, I was not attending, I searched for #blogwell.  Soon I was following the tweets of the attendees, which were flying through the twittersphere at the rate of 195 tweets every 5 seconds.  Yep, that’s right:  195 tweets every 5 seconds.   No, I couldn’t keep up with that rate, but I sure did appreciate the attendees summarizing the main points of the 8 cases being presented.  

My proudest achievement that day?  I tweeted:    At the rate tweeple are tweeting at #blogwell, can the twitter whale be far behind?  

Two things happened fairly quickly:    I got retweeted by an attendee!  (which ALMOST made up for my not being there)  and about 5 minutes later, the Fail Whale did indeed bring things to a screeching halt. 

So:  figure out the hashtags and follow them.  My favorites:   #smbmsp   #mima   and of course  #blogwell

2.   Check out trending topics on the right hand side of your twitter screen — if something is going on and getting a lot of twitter notice, it will show up here.

3.   Use the hashtags to find cool people to follow   and then:   see who THEY are following!   This technique lead me to @DameElizabeth.  Ok, she may not be a social media guru, but she writes like she does her own tweets… and how else are you going to get insights into Ms. Taylor?  ‘Cause the last time I checked, she had not invited me to  Beverly Hills to check out her impressionist paintings, or model the jewels for me.   But I did retweet her.   If only Kathy Ireland had been a tad stronger dancer Tuesday night.    OK, this technique also led me to Guy Kawasaki and Chris Brogan.  But Shareology has interests beyond social media.

So 3 tricks to making twitter a tad friendlier.   Shareology is now entering Hashtag Happiness on Twitter!

Kay Roseland    @Kay Loire

Retail Revitalization in Uptown October 9, 2009

As a former Uptown Girl, Shareology has a deep affection for the corner of Hennepin and Lake in Minneapolis.  Trusted sources alerted her to a retail revitalization in progress.  (As a former East Isles Residents Association member, let me tell you, this particular revitalization has been in the works  for literally years and through multiple developers.)  Calhoun Square ain’t done yet:  but the bones are starting to emerge:

 

The space between Calhoun Square and the parking ramp is in transition: this half: not so done

The northern half shows the outdoor strolling, sipping a glass of wine potential ...

Amazingly, quite a few of your Calhoun Square favs are still open....

Yep, a boatload of new square footage is under construction....

The more things change, the more they stay the same....

Placeholder, NOT the new name of the old Figlio ...

A reminder that not all of Uptown is under construction....

Hot off the press:    Figlio has become … Il Gatto    and it’s on Twitter! –>  @ ilgattouptown  

Shareology does wonder if the romance between the residents of Uptown and Calhoun Square will continue after this separation of sorts.   Shareology can’t wait to check out the traffic when the new square footage opens.

Well folks, that’s it     …    time to head over to Lucia’s for some soup and a minicupcake….

For more information go to www.uptownminneapolis.com  or check out Uptown author Thatcher Imboden on Twitter at @OurUptown — he’s got up to the minute information on who’s moving where in Calhoun Square.

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Shhhhh….Soft opening of StyledLife….. October 10, 2009

in their new space in Galleria in Edina, MN.   If you like accessories or music, this is the space for you!  Accessories nirvana, in twice the space of their previous Galleria location.   Necklaces to die for, scarfs, purses….it goes on and on…..

Shareology is just back from the soft opening, and as she composes, she’s listening to some spectacularly addictive music on www.styledlife.com.  This is one amazing web site….as it boots, it tells you what percentage is loaded, and……….this amazing music plays…..move your mouse over the screen…best fun since the 4th of July!  Shareology doesn’t need a radio anymore; she has www.styledlife.com! 

StyledLife has moved to their new space in Galleria!

Grand opening of the new space in Galleria is November 12 — but don’t let that stop you from taking a peek before then!

Kay Roseland     @KayLoire

Bloom in the Right Garden October 29, 2009

Having spent four years as a Career Counselor, Shareology often draws on a garden concept to clarify where people are in their lives.  (A garden analogy?   Are you surprised?  Use the search box on the right to find the post on morning glories, Shareology Shares Gardening Glory.) 

A cactus cannot bloom in the rain forest.  An orchid cannot bloom in the desert.  Each plant is elegant and perfect in itself, but it needs the right garden to bloom and grow.   The same applies to people  — are you in the right garden?  Finding the right garden to bloom in makes all the difference.  

One way to transition from your desert to your tropical rain forest is to begin with non-work activities, whether volunteer work, education or networking.   This softens the transition, but ultimately?   Finding the right garden to bloom in makes all the difference.

Kay Roseland     @KayLoire

Journos and Bloggers and Bacon and Beer: Oh, my! #SMBMSP #20 October 31, 2009

Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis-St. Paul convened Friday morning at Summit Brewing in St. Paul, MN  for a superb panel on Journalism, Bloggers and where do we go from here?   And Yes, there was beer to go with our bacon! 

Panel Discussion: Social Media and Journalism
A spirited panel discussion with local journalists on how traditional media is using/adapting/ignoring/embracing social media.

Facilitated by Julio Ojeda-Zapata (@jojeda), a technology writer and columnist at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and author of the book, Twitter Means Business.

Panel members:

• Jason DeRusha (@DeRushaJ), investigative reporter, WCCO-TV
• David Brauer (@dbrauer), media reporter, MinnPost.com
• Gene Rebeck (@generebeck), senior editor, Twin Cities Business Magazine
• Julia Schrenkler (@juliaschrenkler), interactive producer, Minnesota Public Radio
• Dirk DeYoung (@ddeyoung), editor, Business Journal

Wind and Rain threatened the outside of the building located on the Mississippi River; as we tossed between the panel of Twin Cities Journalists and the ever questioning social media geeks in the audience, the sunshine suddenly streamed through the windows.    A few photos for your memory book below:

 

Hey: it IS the day before Halloween...........

 

and a huge thank you to our host, Summit Brewing!

what better place for post-event networking than the bar at the back of the room?

Robert K. turns the lens......

#smbmsp #20: just too good to leave...........

Rick Mahn and Mykl  Roventine have done a superb job of organizing Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul (#smbmsp).   Shareology is especially impressed with their use of sponsorships to power this group.  A tip of the beer stein to them both and a huge Thank You! to Rick, Mykl and all the SMBMSP sponsors!

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Inspired Merchandising? or Worst Idea Ever? You decide! November 4, 2009

Shareology is proud to welcome a guest contributor today; Bill Carlson (of Kestrel Marketing in Chicago) and I worked together on the Honeywell Interactive Kiosk.  Bill is still finding amazing items at retail.   Let’s see what he says:

So I happened across this inspired merchandising while shopping at the grocery store and thought it worthy of a humorous sidebar in Shareology… Bet you won’t find this combination in any best practices documentation!

….house brand perhaps, which may explain the “unique” placement (i.e. Impromptu store-level decision vs. structured best practice recommendation from national brand?).

Discord grabs the eye and in fairness to whoever set this up, the sheer fact that I took note is indicative of its success. Actually not often that something stops you in your shopping tracks, requires a second or two of thought and then gets you chuckling. That being said, not so sure this would be in my top-10 cross-promotional recommendations…

1)    There are good ideas for cross-merchandising and there are
not-so-good ideas for cross-merchandising.  Most basic and logical approach
is having products which somehow complement one-another — in front of pizza
you might have red pepper or parmesan cheese, for example.  Creates a
“that’s a good idea” moment for the customer.  Another approach is simply
using that space for any impulse items whether connected or not — in the
frozen foods section one might envision condiments, for example, though
could be just about anything.  Anything except products which don’t look
right next to one-another, of course — in this case, not so sure stomach
relief is the right thing to have in a food aisle!

2)    So, how did this occur?  Are these trays on freezer doors
merchandised based on store-level discretion?  With due respect to store
staff, it’s not their daily challenge to be considering marketing and
cross-merchandising so perhaps someone just didn’t see the irony?  Or maybe
they DID and this is intentional (guys in the back chuckling every day?) –
certainly gets me every time so perhaps there is some wisdom here,
intentional or not?  While cute, and maybe a lesson in how a mismatch can
get more attention than something we might consider more appropriate,
perhaps this is not the right message, and certainly not what I would want
to see in front of my product if I’m one of the pizza suppliers.  If the
stores were not provided with best-practice directions/recommendations, then
indeed the result is at the whim of store staff and this case in point
demonstrates the potential issue.  We’ve all seen a good idea in the
conference room not get executed properly in the field, eh?

3)    Finally, merchandising overkill?  Trays on many of the freezer doors
break the clean look through those doors and if what is on those trays
doesn’t fit the area, then it’s a waste of time and space.  Would be
interesting to do a hidden camera deal in that aisle — merchandise those
trays with complementary products for a day and then merchandise them with
unrelated goods another day and see which gets more action.

Have fun!

Bill Carlson
Kestrel Marketing

So, dear Shareology readers, what do you think?   Inspired Merchandising?  or Worst Idea Ever?

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

A Retail Surprise at Galleria! November 9, 2009

Shareology has been following changes at Galleria in Edina,  MN for the past year.  This shopping center is one of the few remaining vital during one of retail’s most challenging times.  One strategy has been to move tenants in small spaces into larger spaces.  Shareology was a tad concerned that, based on her prior experience in percentage rent  at Dayton Hudson Properties, successful small tenants may be hard pressed to keep up with additional rents that come with additional square footage.  Thus a great tenant in a small space risks failure when moved to a larger space.   A source confirmed to Shareology a few weeks ago that Galleria is extremely careful with its tenants, and moves those who can grow and be successful into larger spaces.   The same source indicated that as one of the few privately owned shopping centers, the Galleria has more freedom to make decisions, and carefully nurtures its tenants and their growth.  

Moving those tenants to larger spaces leaves those smaller spaces empty behind.  Galleria has been averaging about six open store fronts in the past year.   A trip to Edina this weekend confirmed that the movement of tenants into larger spaces continues.  Styled Life does indeed look styling in its new space.  Last week, Fifth Avenue Optical moved into new space, and stopped Shareology in her tracks with its new, attractive store.

Down the hall, Shareology came to a jaw dropping stop.  In the spot vacated by Fifth Avenue Optical and Styled Life was indeed another boarded up space, this one painted chocolate.   The jaw dropping was caused by the sign in front of the empty space:  

“Coming Spring 2010:   Louis Vuitton”    Wow.  Double Wow.   Great fit with their existing tenant Coach.  (And Louis Vuitton’s nearest neighbor?  Tiffany.   Nice Neighborhood.)  

Can retail recovery not be truly underway if Louis Vuitton is moving into Edina?  Shareology left with a skipping step and a smile in her heart!

UPDATE DECEMBER 22, 2009:

Shareology was admiring the white and crystal holiday decor at Galleria, when she realized Spring for the opening of Louis Vuitton in Galleria has gotten much more specific:  LV will be here in May!

 

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Imagine the smile on Shareology’s face…. November 10, 2009

…when she retrieved her Star Tribune this morning to find “Vuitton to defy economy and unpack at Galleria” on the front page, main story in business section.   But then, dear Shareology reader, you knew that 24 hours earlier:  proceed to the post below “A Retail Surprise at Galleria!”

Happy Friday the 13th! November 13, 2009

Just a quick note about some coming attractions on Shareology….   So many of you have clicked on “A New Shopping Center in 2009?  Are they Mad?”  that an update  is in the works.   Key store and restaurant openings in West End make a return visit by Shareology and her camera a must.  

Shareology also scored her ticket to Social  Media Breakfast Minneapolis – St. Paul #21 a week from today at Imation headquarters in St.  Paul.   Looking forward to a great content session and ever fun shots of social media geeks at play.   SMBMSP is one of the most satisfying groups Shareology has ever been a part  of  (unless you count Alpha Psi Omega, the drama fraternity, and Shareology does!!) 

So enjoy your Friday the 13th;  see you back here in the next few days with more retail and social media news, pictures and general frivolity!

Happy Weekend!

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

SMBMSP #21: more pics and less bacon November 20, 2009

Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul ( #SMBMSP ) met at Imation Headquarters in Oakdale, MN on November 20th for another round of networking and learning.  

FEATURING:

• Putting the passion back into your jobsearch
  by Kate-Madonna Hindes
  Showcasing your value as a jobseeker using social media and while networking. Creative and easy ways to remember your ‘accomplishment statement,’ how to use social media to find a job and touching base on advanced ways to use linkedin, twitter, and more.

  Kate-Madonna Hindes works for the State of Minnesota Workforce Center System. She facilitates on Social Media and Creative Job Search strategy. She also facilitates around the nation for the NCCC, through her blog, GirlMeetsGeek.

• GoGirl Case Study: How Conversations Built GoGirl
  by Holly Matson and Cydney WuerffelA case study of a local Minnesota start-up that shows how social media knowledge was put to work to launch and build a brand. We’ll discuss the importance of integration and strategy and why social media can’t work without it.Holly Matson is an Online Marketing Manager at Risdall Online Marketing Group. Cydney Wuerffel, also at Risdall Online Marketing Group, is an Online Visibility Specalist.
• Imation Gets Social
  by Jeffrey MeredithLearn about some recent social media efforts by the world’s leading provider of removable data storage products.
  
  Jeffrey Meredith is Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management for Imation.

GoGirl, a new product line, utilizes social media and the occasional MINI Cooper to market a unique feminine product.   Shareology was impressed with the strong branding,  including the product name GoGirl.  About half way through the presentation, it dawned on Shareology that this is not the first time she has run across this product.  Given the events of October  10, Shareology has been doing a LOT of reading; I’ve already plowed through all seven Harry Potters:  again.  Currently I’m rereading Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, which includes a “female funnel” received by one of the main characters, Mary Ann Singleton, as a component of her job at a San Francisco TV station during the 70’s.  Maupin has written a fascinating seven books about this time period; what he did not do was brand his novelistic female funnel as GoGirl!

Here’s a few selections from Social  Media Breakfast Minneapolis St.Paul #21:

Kristi Kottschade and Lenore Hoolihan at Imation Headquarters for SMBMSP #21

Kate-Madonna Hindes or @GirlMeetsGeek meets her audience

GoGirl, a unique new product introduction, via social media

Risdall Online Marketing Group's Holly Matson and Cydney Wuerffel greet their audience

Shareology guesses this may be the most unusual product @MyklRoventine has ever given away...

What better way to end SMBMSP #21 than with a smiling Amy Bryant?

Next time (December 18 at Open Book) remind Shareology to get a seat by the projected Twitter stream:  so cool!  

A tip of the social media hat to Rick Mahn and Mykl Roventine for another high quality event!  

Kay Roseland @KayLoire

minnebar: 600 MN geeks and Me! November 22, 2009

minnebar (#minnebar) — minnesota + tech + design + drinks   was held at Best Buy headquarters in Richfield,  MN on Saturday, November 21. 

minnebar is an “(un)conference” where attendees set the agenda.  It is unique because it brings together the Twin Cities’ design and programming community for a day of learning, networking and fun.

Shareology had a ball  amidst geeks and gurus in the Best Buy headquarters.  The great thing about minnebar is it is created by the participants!  Don’t like a 45 minute session?  Quietly leave and go sit in on another!! 

Among sessions Shareology attended:

Marketing via Social  Media                        Alex Hawkinson

Android 101                                                           Justin Grammens

 Networking Online                                          Paul DeBettignies

Let’s take a look at some of the fun:

Minnebar arrivals begin the day with muffins, fruit and Caribou in Sandy's Place at Best Buy headquarters

Attendees gather for Android 101 in the Best Buy Theater

Android 101

 

 

Alex Hawkinson, session leader, and Luke Francl, (un)conference organizer

Donnie Berkholz prepares to present on Bad Apples or ... .....

Zack Steven at the social media end of the (un)conference

Gopher Game or Minnebar? Tough call.... Minnebar wins! Paul DeBettignies, @MNHeadHunter, helps navigate online networking

Networking online session attendees doing their homework

What a great day at minnebar!

What a way to spend a Saturday:  a pure learning adventure!  Many thanks to Luke, Ben, Jeff and Matt  for organizing Minnebar, and a special thanks to all the sponsors: 

Platinum Sponsors

• Best Buy – http://www.bestbuy.com
• Split Rock Partners – http://www.splitrock.com
• ipHouse – http://www.iphouse.com

Gold Sponsors

• Nerdery Interactive Labs – http://www.nerdery.com
• Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP – http://rkmc.com
• WebproLeads – http://webproleads.com
• Slantwise – http://www.slantwisedesign.com
• Rasmussen College – http://www.rasmussen.edu

Informed sources tell me the after party went on to 8 pm and beyond!!!

So how did you spend your Saturday?  If you’d like to relive minnebar, check out #minnebar on twitter.

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

LinkedIn linked to twitter? Beware…… November 24, 2009

Busy sending your tweets to LinkedIn?   Consider carefully……….. and stop it!

People who were smartly using the LinkedIn status line now show up on LinkedIn with twitter goobeldegook mucking up their LinkedIn presence.  The LinkedIn status line is one of the strongest tools in your social media kit; use it wisely! 

At minnebar, @MNHeadHunter says he is just waiting for someone to be tweeting about those )#(*& Vikings, Gophers, (fill in the blank) and send it not only to  twitter (where it will barely register on the Oh, Horrors! scale) but to LinkedIn.   LinkedIn is your resume folks!!!  Keep it concise, focused and a proud representation of the best of you.   Keep Twitter for your best casual, snarky, witty self.  Oh and one last thought?

Google is forever!   And for that matter, so is Twitter!!!  Let the social media user plan for the future before you hit that Update key.

Kay Roseland     @KayLoire

Target, Apple, Macy’s…and the winner is: Apple!! November 29, 2009

Shareology stepped out on the Saturday after Black Friday to observe a few eclectic trends this holiday season.   She was struck  by merchandising at three retailers; a few select holiday shopping photos and the conversations they started follow:

What better place to start Holidays 2009 than the seasonal decorations department of Target?   Shareology normally doesn’t discuss missed photo opportunities, but………   just a few moments before, three guys in a row were poised in serious contemplation of the wall of lights.   Apparently there are homes out there in need of even more twinkle opportunities!

Is Shareology the only one who thinks it’s a giggle that come Black Friday, the red and green storage bins come out at Target?  I mean, Shareology is one of the most organized people on earth:  but do your holiday decorations have to be in a red bin?   Granted, it makes spotting them in the attic a snap…..but still.    Even if this is not for Shareology, she does enjoy standing in this aisle each year and shaking her head.

Okay, there are two retail windows Shareology can stare at for moments on end.   One is Tiffany.  (Deep sigh, consider heading to Galleria.)  Two is Apple.   This year there seems even more to the Apple presentation at the front of the store.  First, instead of that white, minimalist look, we have a tree and……..wait for it ………mulch.   Actual mulch below the tree.  But let’s get closer:

Yep, definitely real mulch under the tree.  Informed sources tell Shareology:  “The tree in the Apple store IS REAL.  They get two of them delivered to the store.  One for the first half of the season and another one is coming later.  They have to water it several times a day to keep it from drying up.”   Wow.   Shareology is blown away:  an actual tree.   Apple and the bleeding edge are so far in the future, they have circled back to the past and the use of a real tree.  Wow.

But check out the top of the tree:

Now there is a succinct sales message:   “Give Mac.”   Gotta love it!

Shareology eventually moved to the right side of the Apple store front.   At first she thought the tree stand was filled with mouse pads – how last century!  Turns out they are…..   apps!   As one watches the video (in the shape of an iPhone, naturally), a graphic shows up that matches one of the mouse pads on the tree, and a description tells what each holiday themed app does.   For Shareology, it became less about the app, and more about matching the graphic on the video to one of the mouse pads on the tree.   Kinda like a graphic video game.

So let’s move from a superb example  of holiday merchandising to one at the other end of the spectrum:

In an upscale environment, Shareology stumbled across a cardboard display of pet beds.  Even if one could tolerate the cardboard, the product is practically hidden away.  Can you guess what retail store offered this display?   Sorry,  Macy’s, this one’s yours.  Is it any wonder that Shareology declared Apple  the winner of this merchandising tour?

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Befores and Afters December 3, 2009

You know how you’re reading some biography (or, OK, an article in People) and someone says “You can do anything you put your mind to” or some variation on that statement?  Well, Shareology is a tad dubious.   I don’t think I can perform brain surgery.   I don’t think I could be President of the United States.  Heck, I don’t even think I could be Secretary of State.

However.   I do have a couple of examples of how changing your (my!) attitude can make all the difference.  Let’s start with the MBA example.

Shareology raced through the first 75% of her MBA.  (Do you think the fact that Honeywell was paying for it helped in any way?  Thank you, Honeywell!!)   Then came the eight year recess.  Five courses remained.  Shareology had taken every marketing course possible.   So what was left?  Well, besides a couple of great courses (Organizational Development, Strategic Management) there remained The Three Icks:   Managerial Accounting, Econ, Finance.  

At various times in her MBA career, she had dropped managerial accounting, not once, not twice but three times!!  (In the first chapter of the $100 plus accounting textbook, was a homework problem that seemed so detailed that Shareology could not imagine ever completing it.)  On the third drop, Shareology finally did something smart.  She emailed the  professor.   The professor, who happened to be head of the accounting department, said “I’m sorry to hear that.   I would have loved to have helped you.  Perhaps you could attend the second class.”  (Shareology had become an expert in knowing you could attend two classes  before dropping without a penalty.)  In the email to the professor, Shareology had explained how she had built up this fear of The Three Icks.  But she committed one thing to the professor.  No matter how scary, this time she would attend all fourteen class sessions, and try, to the best of her ability, to succeed, or at least complete.   It had finally dawned on Shareology that, if she wanted to complete the course, she was going to have to show up for all fourteen sessions.

The professor and Shareology brainstormed:   tutors?  help from the professor?  extra resources?   Just the fact that the professor  would  know that this would be a struggle and that it wasn’t going to be pretty…  (Perfectionism will stop us from going forth and doing anything…we might produce a result that might be less than……. perfect.)

Shareology found a study buddy in the class to work through homework and she began to read the $100+ textbook.  (Actually she had two versions of the text:  she had been at this so long, the text was republished with another edition.  Swell, TWO $100+ textbooks.)  The deep irony is she was reading an accounting textbook word for word, when time constraints and group projects meant she didn’t read the marketing textbooks earlier in her MBA studying.  She also assigned very specific time slots each week towards studying.  Yep, studying.  The result?  Shareology got a B in managerial accounting, a B+ in econ, and an (OMG!!) A- in finance.  And yes, she told the econ and finance professors that this was going to be a challenge, she was scared, it wasn’t going to be pretty, and she needed help.

The second example?   Shareology was a support system as Agency Babylon launched his blog earlier this year.  She heard all the challenges, and the new areas of learning.  WordPress?  What’s that?   But she listened to Agency Babylon and learned.  She listened to speakers at Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St.  Paul mentioning that WordPress was a great tool,  feeds directly into LinkedIn, and was poised to offer features far into the future for bloggers.  

But what would Shareology write about?  And how could she sustain interest?   How could she integrate her various interests in marketing, social media and networking?  Would readers accept that she might write about any of these subjects on any given day?  Shareology once again could not imagine how she would do all this…… 

And yet, four months later, she HAS done it.  The Before?  scared silly.  The After?  happy writer.   (And a HUGE thank you to Shareology readers for making this possible.)

So what have I learned?   You can do MUCH more than you ever imagined.   Even conquer The Three Icks.  The sweetest moment was when Shareology stepped onto the University of St. Thomas stage to receive her masters hood.  The professor to place the hood over Shareology’s beaming face?   Dr. Jane Saly, her professor of managerial accounting.  Priceless.

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Want quality twitter followers? Use your lists!! December 9, 2009

Want more twitter followers, but want quality followers?   Use the lists as resources!!

Shareology must confess she was not crazy about lists when they first appeared on Twitter.  As she got added to more and more lists, her ego took over…. particularly as others added her to lists with names like smgenius.   Really?  Social Media Genius?   Moi??  (Shareology has always had a lot in common with Miss Piggy….)

Shareology had stalled out with followers.   As usual, she was setting goals:  I’m tired of having 469 followers!  Get to 500 already!!!!

Slowly it dawned on her; she could use the lists others had added her to; before you know it, she was at 500 followers, and they were twitheads who others had added to lists for marketing and social media.   Here’s how to do it:

First, you do not have to create any lists; however, you do need to be on lists that others have created.  (Oops, Shareology goofed:  if you are not on any lists, you can just use a list from somebody else, as long as it looks like a quality list from your area of interest.) 

• From home, click on your lists. (upper right hand corner under Listed)
• Click on a list with a name you like (one that targets people you want for followers) — let’s click on that smgenius list as an example
• You will now see recent tweets from the folks in this list.   In the upper right hand corner, click on Following
• Your screen now has the folks on this particular list — in the middle of each person’s info, the three action icons are what you are looking for.   Pick the one with the person outline –should be the icon on the left  — the words Follow KayLoire (or whomever) should appear — Click!
• Proceed down the list, hovering over the follow icon, and clicking…..you are gonna get a rhythm and this is gonna go very fast!!!  In order not to get overwhelmed with twitter emails in your email box, work with one list at a time.   I also chose to work lists that had maybe 50 or less people  on them.   Seemed less overwhelming to me.  

You’re done!!   In the next couple  of days, some of these folks will follow you back.   The bottom line?   Other twitheads have put thought into naming these lists and into who they put on them.   You can then use the lists to find quality followers in your area of interest.   Click your fingers off!   If somebody later proves to be a too frequent tweeter or someone you just do not want to have clogging up your tweet feed, simply unfollow them.  

Okay,  I finally have a way to use lists.   I suspect others are using lists to ape TweetDeck and filter out folks they really don’t care that much about (and conversely, filter in those twitheads they really do want to read………..).    What are YOU using lists for?

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Galleria Roundabout Update December 14, 2009

Since Shareology loooooves the Galleria, and since Minneapolis-St. Paul has semi embraced roundabouts in our roadways, the following from the StarTribune this morning, had Shareology LOL:

More circular thoughts

My colleagues are starting to call me “Roundaboutguy” because of all the questions on this topic, but today I’ll just share a little something from alert reader Max, who was using one of the roundabouts just south of Southdale in Edina, and:

My wife had a fit that I was in that left lane … that raised section.

Memo to Max: Those are single-lane roundabouts, and you weren’t in the left lane because there isn’t one. That’s the truck apron, which helps fire rigs and other large vehicles navigate the roundabout. So unless you were driving a semi to the Galleria, your wife had the right idea.

Jim Foti can be reached at 612-673-4491 or roadguy@startribune.com

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Curiously Strong Point-of-Purchase December 15, 2009

Shareology was leaving a Mexican restaurant recently with another retail guru; as we swept out the door, we saw something we’d never seen before:

Photos by F. Delaney

Altoids has done such a good job of brand recognition that the sight of a POP in the entrance to the restaurant stopped Shareology in her tracks.  Have you heard of their brand extension into chewing gum?   Shareology’s friend remarked that the positioning in the lobby of a Mexican restaurant was perfect!  Shareology’s only regret was that in the shock, stop, shoot photo — she forgot to stick a quarter in to find out what that product is like…  we’re guessing curiously strong!!!

Kay Roseland  @KayLoire

Social Media Breakfast #smbmsp #22: Health Care and Petey P. Cup… December 17, 2009

Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul met on December 18, 2009 at Open Book on Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.  (More below photos…)  

Panel: Health Care and Social Media
An in-depth discussion exploring ways health care institutions are using social media, how the concept of transparency is impacting the  profession, and more.   

Facilitated by Albert Maruggi (Provident Partners) & Arik Hanson (ACH Communications)  

Panel Members:  

• Kent Bottles (ICSI)
• Larissa Rodriquez (HealthPartners and Regions Hospital)
• Cindy Fruitrail (Fairview)
• Jesse Stremcha (Children’s Hospitals)

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

   

   

  

And the Winners Are......!!!

 

 

   

 

  

after smbmsp networking: priceless!!

 

  

Petey P. Cup was the highlight of smbmsp #22 on health care; he tweets at Petey_P_Cup  and has a LinkedIn profile at:  

http://www.linkedin.com/in/peteypcup  

Petey has a co-mascot at HealthPartners, Pokey Syringe, Official Spokesneedle:  

Pokey

 

For more information on Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul,  go to:   

http://smbmsp.ning.com/           or follow them on twitter at @SMBMSP  or #smbmsp  

Kay Roseland     @KayLoire  

Happy Holidays! December 23, 2009

Happy New Year: Retail Style! December 27, 2009

Shareology previously reported that Louis Vuitton will be opening a store at Galleria in Edina, MN during Spring, 2010.   She now gladly reports that the month of that opening has been narrowed down:  

May, 2010 !!

 

 Gonna be a Happy New Year in one portion of the retail universe!    

Happy 2010 from Shareology!  

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

Happy New Year! January 1, 2010

Shareology wants to wish the world a Happy New Year!

Best Wishes for 2010!

Have a great New Year!

Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Sales & Shoes & Spring….. January 2, 2010

Such a series of holidays to recover from!    Shareology starts off the New Year with an update from the Apple tree.   Yep, Tree Two is still up and glowing:  Here’s to Apple for being green enough to feature a real live (real dead?) tree in their store windows this holiday season:

If it’s January, it must be white sales,  right?  

.

Then, what exactly is being sold to the right?   Kinda missing the product in the window,  aren’t we?

Okay, now that we’ve gotten January Sales out of our system, let’s look towards Spring, 2010!!

Shareology couldn’t help but notice trailers for Sex and the City 2 are already running in movie theatres…….if Carrie is returning soon, can Shoes and Spring be far behind? 

Before you toss Shareology aside as being waaaaay too positive, or unable  to  focus on present reality, remember that Shareology lives in Minnesota, and that minus six (minus twenty-two windchill) does not a perky, positive temperature make.  If  pairs of colorful shoes help her focus on the warmer future, cut her some slack! And pass that comforter while you’re on the way to turn up the heat.

Kay Roseland  @KayLoire

Networking Nirvana? Fond memories of the Honeywell Women’s Council….. January 6, 2010

One of Shareology’s key interest areas is networking.   Recently, she has been remembering one of the strongest networking groups she has ever been a part of:  The Honeywell Women’s Council.

During Shareology’s 10 year run at Honeywell, she spent three years on the Honeywell Women’s Council; for two of those years she served as Programs Chair.   A few standouts:

1.  The use of strategic planning  Honeywell in general was strong on strategic planning.  The process was integrated throughout the company.   The retail business unit had a  three-day summer session once a year to develop plans for the coming year.  In the fall, the entire division created the strategic plan for the next year; Shareology was a part of that process and presented on the marketing communications plans for the RBU. 

But that was all a tad corporate.   And as strong as it was, there was an inclination (incorrect) to think that the plan got clipped in a three-ring binder and tossed on a credenza for the rest of the year.  The Honeywell Women’s Council took the strategic planning process and integrated it into the group.   If you were Programs Chair, you couldn’t begin to understand what you were going to do that year until you knew what the strategic direction for the Council would be that year.  Smaller than corporate, yes, but much more immediate.  It taught me to love the strategic planning process from beginning to end and back again.

2.   The sheer talent of the women on the HWC  To give but a few examples, one woman left Honeywell, taking the public relations function with her, and began a firm bearing her name that continues to this day to stand tall in Minnesota public relations.   Another council member left Minneapolis to run a division of Honeywell in the eastern US, served not one, but two terms as a Minnesota State Commissioner, and is now head of the Minnesota Better Business Bureau.  A third council member served as Chairman of the Board of the Guthrie Theater.  To be working as peers with these high achieving women was a strong, empowering experience.

3.  Miscellaneous HWC joys  With the Honeywell Women’s Council, you just never knew what would happen next.  One year, we were host to a group of women from Russia.   To say that culture shock existed is to put it mildly.   The Russian women entered a room at Honeywell Golden Valley filled with women who made their living by designing, marketing and selling electronic controls.  In Russia, such a thing as The Round did not exist, let alone a programmable thermostat.  In Russia, if you  were too hot, you opened a window.  If you were too cold, you closed a window.  That was temperature control in Russia.   Yet we listened and we learned.  This happened in the 1980’s, and we thought often of these Russian women, as the economy and politics in their country created changes that we could not hope to imagine.

So there it is:  Shareology loves the Honeywell Women’s Council.   That three-year experience was a key building block; in fact, after her HWC term, Shareology had so much spare time on her hands, that she decided to “take a few courses….”   Well, dear readers, before you know it, Shareology was back in academia, beginning her MBA road.

Recently, Shareology met a former President of the HWC, and started glowing in memory land.  It dawned on Shareology that these women were still in existence, out in the world they have now made such an impact.   How to reach these alumni?   One answer sprang to mind immediately.   A LinkedIn group!   It started a couple of months ago with a mere two members.   We’ve located more alumni and they join us on LinkedIn under the group:   Honeywell Women’s Council Alumni.    If you know anyone who was at Honeywell and on the Council, direct them to LinkedIn….. they will get a joyous welcome! 

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire

New Jobs News from Smiling and Dialing January 13, 2010

The Smiling and Dialing Club is a networking club for Senior Executives; their mission is to help senior executives find new or additional employment within the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area.  The most recent meeting on January 12, 2010 found the group celebrating 20 years of networking experience.  Since 80% of jobs are found through networking, groups such as Smiling and Dialing are key to the process. Normally, the meeting room at Golden Valley Country Club has around 170 attendees; at the January 12 meeting, there were 106 people.

 This rather dramatic reduction in attendance can be attributed to one of three factors:

• everyone is wintering in Naples
• folks have given up searching
• the job search picture is brightening!

Shareology found other information to support the last bullet.  At the January 4 Wooddale job search group, 15 people showed up with the announcement that they had found new positions.  In addition, at the January 11 meeting, 17 people had new jobs!   These are huge numbers compared to last year and do reflect “beginning of new budget year” hiring; what a warm way to start the new year!

 Some photos from Smiling and Dialing: 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

7 am starting time gives holiday lights a special glow

Sign In Time!

Smiling and Dialing co-founder Lonny Gulden

co-founder Mike Dunn

networking, networking, networking

exchange those business cards!

Networking in Minnesota in January

To join Smiling and Dialing, one initially is invited as the guest of a current member.  To find out more about the group, go to: http://www.smilinganddialing.org/

 Kay Roseland    @KayLoire

Target and The Great Save Event – plus a branding update January 17, 2010

Ahh, remember the good old days when Target sent buyers off to the Paris flea market or the Asian shores to bring us back treasures for our home in January?   Those days are gone in this post recession world; this year we get The Great Save Event!   If it happens to remind you of Costco or Sam’s Club or even Wal-Mart – no problemo!   Shareology dashed in last week to see what all the fuss was about:   

No Membership Fees

Club Packs Club Packs

Signage hanging from the ceiling near checkout reminds shoppers (‘cuse me:   Guests) to check out the back of the store.  And yes, as Shareology left,  headed out the door ahead of her was a woman with a shopping cart loaded with one of the largest packs of toilet tissue Shareology has ever seen.   Does everyone have storage for these club packs?    

Remember that Branding Opportunity or Ugly Concrete Posts? item Shareology wrote a few months back?  It seems for everything there is a season; even branding opportunities, or round red Target balls, have a winter season:   

even Branding Opportunities have a winter season

Life is now good in Minnesota; 30’s seem warm in comparison to the below zero cold of a week ago.  And as Shareology types this, the score is Vikings 34  Dallas 3.   For a snapshot in time, life is good.   

See y’all in N’awlins! 

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire