Lauren Vargas › Comments

Thanks Angela, I liked your numbering of the questions, it was very helpful - and your commenting within then kept the convo going! - Mark Sylvester

Seriously - thanks so much for being our guest moderator today, Angela. You rocked it and kept everything at a fast pace. I liked the quick succession of questions. :) - Sonny Gill

thank you for facilitating today! - Lauren Vargas

This was fun. How often is being educated fun? And thanks for the compliment Sonny. There are some super smart folks in this room. Let's all connect on twitter. You can email me at Angela@AngelaConnor.com if you want. - Angela

Lauren, Mark and Jamie. So nice chatting with you. Jon too. - Angela

Thanks for this great convo! Important questions about engagement. I'll try to bring some french friends interested in community management :) - Lilian Mahoukou

That's a great idea, especially where people do not know each other or there has been an influx of new people. - Brenda Young

http://www.k2underground.com/blogs... - Chris Geier

are the interviews, text, audio video? - Chris Geier

We have a mil community spotlight every Thursday where we feature other initiatives/groups, etc. - Lauren Vargas

Q2: How to K2 a series of technical how to videos that focus on specific (usually requested) K2 topics and run through how to accomplish them - Chris Geier

The spotlight breaks down competitive barriers and fosters discussion - Lauren Vargas

Hi Chris, I do a phone interview and transcribe it. Then post a blog. Here is a link to all of them http://www.wral.com/golo... - Angela

Lauren do you run into roadblocks with doing profiles on miliatry? - Chris Geier

Chris, no...always ask permission...bring them into the loop and it is all good. - Lauren Vargas

Angela, the look great. Nice work - Chris Geier

How about a newsletter. Any successful newsletters? I started a monthly newsletter in January. - Angela

We do scheduled group phone calls and record as podcasts & MP3 & post into community for those not there. - Jeff Hurt

(newsletters) have had success with internal community but not external customers - Lauren Vargas

We have a newsletter that has good circulation, but i have been trying to make it more "interactive" Not having a ton of success with it. - Chris Geier

Lauren: Military spotlight sounds cool! Group phone calls, jeff? I need to steal that idea. - Angela

Sorry to be dense, what is GOLO? - Mark Sylvester

Lauren, agree internal is much easier to do. - Chris Geier

Mark check out http://growingsuccessfulonline... - Chris Geier

@Angela We found that certain issues became "hot" fast & open phone calls became a good way to discuss those issues openly with those that wanted it. We get good response from them. - Jeff Hurt

We also do member profiles through blogtalkradio which are recorded as podcasts & MP3s. Those have live caller element and get posted in community as well. We have larger audience with the downloads. - Jeff Hurt

When I was Online Community Director at Whole Foods Market, we started a "food haiku" topic that took off in a big way. Surprised us. - Jon Lebkowsky

Jeff would love to hear more about how you do that on blogtalk radio - Chris Geier

@Jon That is so cool. - Jeff Hurt

Hi Jon: Can you write a food haiku for us right now, on the spot? - Angela

That's really neat, Jon. It's really the small things that get people excited and want to contribute. - Sonny Gill

Jeff. I never thought about using Blogtalk Radio. That is genius!! - Angela

Food haiku was cool / It opened up some lurkers / And gave us a treat. - Jon Lebkowsky

Mark, GOLO is the community I manage. Sorry I wasn't clear. www.wral.com/golo - Angela

We do weekly user profiles where users share their own experiences, what brought them to the community, what they do there, etc. - Jamie Pappas

@Chris very easy to do as it's internet radio & free. We schedule three to four people for a 60 minute chat & spend 15-20 minutes with each. We have two people do each interview & promote. It is good engagment & drives audience participation - Jeff Hurt

We also do monthly "Social Media Socials" - 1 focused topic per month on community or social media tools and how they're being used in the enterprise - people love these - Jamie Pappas

Jeff: Sounds like Chris and I are going to steal that Blogtalk Radio idea. That is such a valuable tip. I will reach out to you offline. - Angela

Jamie, are the social media tools based on how to get more out of what they already are using, or exposure to tools that they can add to the mix? Who decides on the topics? The Community, or is it based on insight you are getting from the Community analytically? - Mark Sylvester

Mark: We do a mix of both what they're already using as well as introduce them to tools that others are using that might be helpful to them. We ask people to propose topics of interest to them for the sessions, which they do sometimes, and when that doesn't happen, we come up with a topic that we think will be interesting based on conversations and comments from past sessions. - Jamie Pappas

Jamie, how far in advance do you plan the content for the sessions? Week? Month? Quarter? - Mark Sylvester

Mark: We typically do them about 3-4 weeks in advance. By the time one session ends, we're working on the agenda for the next one. Sometimes farther in advance if there are hot requested topics that we are able to line up. - Jamie Pappas

The myth of "if we build it, they will come" - folks seem to often approach developing a community as an idea that people will be so excited that it's there, they will just come to it and participate - so in other words, we don't have to do anything other than put up the location, and once it's there it will be successful on its own. So not true! It's a lot of work to engage a community and keep it vibrant and active! - Jamie Pappas

That does seem to be the biggest. The belief that it just happens. The first chapter of my book is called "If you build it will they come?" That's for obvious reasons you clearly understand. - Angela

in my experience people keep trying to treat the community like a marketing pool and attempt to interact with it with that intent. I find people get very bothered when i stop them from treating the community as a mailing list - Chris Geier

Jamie: Do you think that's because they think their brand or product is just so incredibly exciting or what? I can't put my arms around that mindset. - Angela

Chris--yes! Engagement does not equal marketing. - Steph

You GO Chris. I have refused to let my community be used as well. I have said "this is not a commercial for the newscast." - Angela

Angela: Yes, I think there tends to be the assumption that others have the same level of passion for the topic, brand, product, etc. Wish it were that easy ;-) They also seem to forget that people are busy and have to pick and choose what they spend their time on, so there needs to be a value add in what people can do/expect in the community for their time. I always try to approach a new community I'm introducing thinking "What's in it for me?" from the perspective of the invitees. - Jamie Pappas

agree on the time and resources issue. Sometimes people think its easy and should not take much time. But you only get out what you put in... - Chris Geier

Chris, Angela: Amen to that! Your community is not a commerical - Jamie Pappas

You said a mouthful, Jamie. - Angela

Chris: Absolutely - that's always my advice "You'll get back what you invest" so the more time you spend grooming and educating and engaging, the better the experience will be for everyone! - Jamie Pappas

Jamie - 100% correct, if you cannot answer the question, "What's in it for me?" in 'any' conversation, people will stop listening to you immedateily - they tune you out - this happens all the time in the f2f world, and even more in the online world - most communication is 'about me' not 'about you', so there is usually nothing it it for the recipient - I have a sticky note that says, WIFA (What's in it for the Audience) and I think about it constantly - it guides 100% of my communication - Mark Sylvester

Mark: Love that! WIFA!! - Jamie Pappas

I believe in this 100% Chris. glad you're with me. - Angela

Absolutely!! I love being a part of the community, and it helps me personally to know what's going on and participate. - Jamie Pappas

of course! - Lauren Vargas

Totally agree with this. You've actually got to become a PART of the community, not just oversee things. - Sonny Gill

If you are the Mayor of your Community (thx @derekshowerman for reference) that also means you are a citizen of the Community first - if you act that way you actually have much more credibility as Mayor (CM) - I love thinking about being a citizen first and CM second - Mark Sylvester

Mayor is an excellent analogy. Unfortunately we sometimes double as the warden. Okay, that was sour grapes. I know.... - Angela

the Mayor metaphor extends nicely Angela - think about taggers spraypainting the walls - this is not a lot different than managing disruptive posters, is it? When you approach the job as a Mayor, you tend to be more 'political', which can be a good thing actually. imo - Mark Sylvester

You are right Mark. Very right. I am going to give that more thought. I think it may give me a different perspective. I am the Mayor! - Angela

Yep, definitely. Though, I do find myself trying to stay far away from controversial topics, which can be tough in a very political community. - Steph

Without a doubt...establishes trust and cred that we are talking with them on their/other turfs! - Lauren Vargas

I would love to see a MAP (large) of ALL the Communities, sorted by topic of interest - so that I could recommend them to our members - and so that I could join to learn - the only way we find them now is archeologically - what a resource that would be. - Mark Sylvester

I have to admit here guys that I am hesitant to let let some of those who belong to the community I manage get me on Linkedin and Facebook. I have to be honest. - Angela

Yes, I try to connect with members in as many ways as possible - it helps to strengthen the relationship as well as helps me to learn more about them and their perspective, which is always helpful to me, and especially if I need their support on a tough subject in the future. - Jamie Pappas

@Jamie agree open the paths of communication in as many ways possible - Chris Geier

Depends on the platform--Twitter, my blog(s), sure. Facebook and LinkedIn I try to keep more limited. I need some places where I can be slightly less professional or more professional, as the case may be...and I don't think any of my members on my other main social site. - Steph

Steph: Sounds like you and I are on the same page with that. That is pretty much my sentiment on the matter. - Angela

Pull in those Whole Foods lurkers with real food. :) Just kidding. I can tell who's in community live so I'll often ask them publicly for a response. Invite them personally to become involved. - Jeff Hurt

I like to do polls with crazy answers. Gets them involved because they can't resist. - Angela

That's a good example Angela. Doing something simple and fun, baby steps for them. - Sonny Gill

what do you use for polls - Chris Geier

An example might be: What do you think of Sarah Palin? Answers would be something like:A: I think she is one smart cookie. B: I think she should be running for president. C. She should have remained a soccer mom. D. Why should I waste time thinking about her? - Angela

Setting the right context (friendly, open, safe) is the best I know to do. You never know, though, what will cause someone to uncloak. - Jon Lebkowsky

I pull people in with questions like: "What was the scariest day of your life" and I tell some story about myself to get it started. - Angela

Have to second crazy or controversial polls as a way to suck in lurkers! We have had great success with polls...the answers/feedback lead to follow-up posts and features. - Lauren Vargas

So what is a good way/format to do polls? Just in a forum? - Chris Geier

Wide-open questions are one way "Does anyone know why..?" or "What is the big deal about..?" -- asking questions broadly, about questions with a broad range of appeal for your user group. - Steve Lynch from twhirl

Steve: And I second that. I posted a blog a few weeks ago called: Why do people drive 15mph when it rains. Boy they gave it to me in that post. But it was worth it! 100 comments in less than 20 minutes. - Angela

A wide variety of topics that have opinion vs. factual answers has worked well for us to pull in lurkers. It seems one key area of not contributing is not wanting to be wrong in front of peers - when asking folks for their opinion, it makes the conversation much more neutral and tends to get them to jump in quicker. - Jamie Pappas

Love that, Lauren. And wouldn't you agree that it takes WORK to do it well?! - Angela

To communicate with them on their level, not as someone who stands over-top of them, trying to control things. Be welcoming and open when engaging. - Sonny Gill

For sure...constnat...and the encouragement of fresh voices. - Lauren Vargas

* Active listening - Thomas Knoll

sharing an interest in individuals - Thomas Knoll

How do you engage with a very large community, Angela? - Sonny Gill

Hi Thomas: Listening and letting them know you're listening by acting when possible. - Angela

Agreed. Engaging isn't a listening post or a soapbox... but rather hearing, questioning, remixing - Thomas Knoll

Like you're doing right now =) - Thomas Knoll

I focus on high level interests with a large community, Sonny. Something I know will affect or interest most. - Angela

Active listening and unscripted conversations. Staying humble and available for the community (reminds me some servant leadership ideas) - Lilian Mahoukou

Well Thomas, you're engaging me right back. :-) Hey Lilian. Always good to see you! - Angela

Thanks for being our moderator today :) - Lilian Mahoukou

It is a pleasure to serve the #cmtychat community. - Angela

I feel like there is an implied level of commitment in an engagement. So, probably best to follow through when engaging. - Thomas Knoll

What about asking for feedback about future changes? Anyone do that? - Angela

I think "engaging" depends on a number of factors--how new the community is; how well people know each other; what the goals of the group are; if the original reason for the group has changed; how outgoing some of the members are; and how the group has evolved over time, among other factors. -- What I have seen for many groups is that over time things kind of sag and the CM needs to put some thought and effort into bringing things back to life. - Brenda Young

I think we could also map the different kinds of engagement depending on the context and the level of commitment as Thomas mentioned - Lilian Mahoukou

Engagement: inviting, encouraging and facilitating conversations which includes active listening. Not controlling a conversation yet spurring and acting as a conduit and catalyst. I call engagement a dance of two souls. - Jeff Hurt

What I'm hearing from you Brenda is that we need to recognize the changes in the community and do things accordingly. I know that my community is not what it was a year ago. - Angela

Engagement: A dance of two Souls. By Jeff Hurt. There's your book title! I'll write the foreword if you ask nicely. - Angela

If I was going to put engage down to one word, it comes down to "listening". (the first step) - Owen Greaves

Thanks Angela! I'll have you and sonny as special chapters on how to do it right! - Jeff Hurt

@angela Yes that has been a problem in different forms for different groups and some of my clients. What worked a while back may need to change. -- It can also reflect that some of the members have become 'disruptive' and the group needs to decide how to manage this. - Brenda Young

In addition to this, how do you get people to engage in the sub-groups that get created - usually there are only a few - how to you encourge optin to the opt'd in? - Mark Sylvester

Mark, are you creating the sub groups or letting them form organically? I learned a rel lesson about that I would be happy to share. - Angela

Tell her to listen to her heart; people will say and do things - if it doesn't feel right - pay attention. - Five Husbands

Tell her to watch a nature show (Discovery, Animal Planet, etc) and observe how the animals follow one rule - survival of the fittest. The same applies to high school. There is safety in numbers so find and surround yourself with good people and true friends. Don't get too caught up in the small things - homecoming, who said what, who's dating who, all that nonsense - because in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter. Keep focused on your studies and your friends and you’ll be golden! - David Murray

HS is a fun and positive time that involves friends, some drama and work. You will be shaping the next decade by your behavior, so try hard to think before you act. Talk to us everyday. Stay connected to trusted adults. - Christine Cavalier

Viola - First congratulations on reaching this milestone. You are embarking on the journey that will be the foundation for the rest of your life. Don't worry about friends or all the superficial things that come up in high school (clothes, material goods). Get the most that you can out of your classes. Join up in activities that interest you & where you feel like you can make a positive contribution. When you do those things then the right friends, friends that will stick & be of value, will come naturally. - eldevlin

When you feel like you don't belong and you're unsure of yourself, don't forget that everyone else feels the same way, even if they don't show it. - Ontario Emperor

PG has some advice here. http://www.paulgraham.com/hs... - Hao Chen

20 years from now, she'll laugh at all the things that seem so monumentously important in high school. A sense of humour and good family support goes a long way. And don't put anything on Facebook or Flickr you might regret later! Grades are important, but so is a healthy social circle made up of as many different people as possible. Cliques are limiting. Try to build alliances in many circles. - Michelle Sullivan

The best advice is to get involved and try new things. There are things outside of high school that help teenagers realize that there is more to life than what happens within those walls. Challenge yourself to focus on the things you want, not the things you think other people want you to be. You'll make mistakes and learn lesson's beyond the books and lectures, but life is long and 4... more... - Kevin

Make sure she knows (especially if she has a rough time) that, in the immortal words of Brad Paisley, "have no fear, these are nowhere near the best years of your life." (Had to throw a country music lyric in there since you're moving to Texas!) But basically, whether a person's high school experience is great or difficult, everyone should know that the best is truly yet to come in life. Would've helped me back in the day if I'd known that! - Sarah

Actually, now that I think of it, that Brad Paisley song is all about getting through high school. He writes a letter to himself at 17, with lots of good life advice. If she's at all partial to country music (doubtful, I know, I'm a geek what can I say!) then it's got a nice message: http://youtube.com/watch... - Sarah

Lots of good advice already. I moved 4 times during High School so I definitely learned the value of making new friends. She should try to get involved in something before school starts (if possible), that way once classes start you already have a friend or two. Makes things much less awkward. - John Johansen

The note gives love, understanding, and encouragement without being overtly demonstrative, or "totally embarrassing." In high school, no one will ever really know the "REAL" you, and that's okay. You will be more in love than anyone else has ever been. Friends will make everything worth while, and sometimes break your heart. Find at least one very good friend, because really, that's all you'll truly need. Become a part of something that interest you--sports, music, school activities--it's a good thing. - Anna Haro

Michelle Sullivan: I have to continuously remind myself that even if these things will seem silly 20 years from now, they don't seem silly now. We always remember that the teen is dealing in the present. - Ontario Emperor from fftogo

Plan ahead. If you're thinking about college down the road, freshman year of high school is the time to dive into the things you're passionate about, developing a track record of excellence in whatever you love. Like to write? Literary journal or school newspapers are good places to cut your teeth. Whatever you're passionate about, go full bore into, because that drive and motivation will make the process of going to the college of your choice at the price that's right much easier later on. - Christopher Penn

I'm telling my son (who is also starting high school) that you define yourself by the choices you'll make over the next four years. You can choose between science and getting stoned. You'll probably be asked to ride in a car with an inebriated driver. You have the choice to stop, call me and I'll give you a ride, no questions asked. Some of my friends in high school didn't make the right choice and they didn't live to see what life after high school is like. I'll always hope you make the right choice. - Robert Scoble

how sweet! tell her you understand she will need to detach from her parent, but to remember that you will alays be there for her...no matter what you will always love her. - Lauren Vargas from feedalizr

Have her read "This book is not required" by Inge Bell http://amazon.com/This-Bo... The 3rd edition http://www.amazon.com/This-Bo... has a review recommending the older editions, so I hesitate to recommend the latest one. I read the 1st one in 1990. It was required reading for a class at UCLA. Comment on 3rd ed - "it appears that newly-added coauthors Bernard McGrane and John Gunderson have added lots and lots of words. Ugh. " - Mitchell Tsai

It's a book about college (e.g. "get to know 1 professor each semester and have them know you" rather than fish for grades). Not the same as advice for high school, but it can be really cool as a high school student to hang out with professors who do cool stuff... It's also the inside track for getting into college/grad school. Good luck! - Mitchell Tsai

Forget the note. Tell her you love her. Prove it by being there. - LPH™ and his dog P™

Here's a salient blog post: http://elasticwaist.com/2008... - Sarah

Not many people understand Twitter before diving in and experiencing it. - jcunwired

I just ran a reader survey on pcmech.com and a decent percentage don't know what Twitter is yet. Of course, my audience isn't exactly the early adopter crowd on that site. - David Risley

Mine do...after my Mom didn't hear from me in three weeks, she learned how to Twitter to follow me and get me to respond before she tweeted publicly! - Lauren Vargas

Of all my tech developers friends, none use Twitter and never will. They just don't see the value. - Jorge Escobar

My mom follows my Facebook status updates which come from Twitter - Nick O'Neill

Any volunteers to explain Twitter to John McCain? ;-) - Paul Denlinger

My mom kind of understands. She doesn't do Facebook or Twitter or anything, though. I think she thinks that we would think it's weird if she did. (Got that?) - Jordan Hofker

My parents read about the San Diego Union Tribune (local paper) so now they definitely get it more than used to & they've expressed interest in following my tweets :) - Jennifer Van Grove from twhirl

I dare say "Most" people I've talked to in their upper 30s-40s have no clue either. Sad.. sad - Lee Carlson

it's not about 'parents', it's about awareness of technology. fundamentally twitter, friendfeed, etc are still extremely edge tech - Jeremy Toeman

I've had a lot of non-techie people come up to me lately and ask me about Twitter, including my parents. Not sure it's getting to the tipping point yet, but there sure is a lot more mainstream awareness of Twitter out there thanks to articles like this one. - Frederic

You'd think USAToday.com would give twitter a direct link with http://twitter.com also how about linking to http://Zappos.com. They do have links to their own 'blogs' on twitter, but please... On the sidebar: "USATODAY.COM BLOGS ON TWITTER". I really like the video embed with an interview though. Very nice job. - Steve Garfield

Nice puff piece for @biz @jack. Too bad Twitter has been so wonky the last few days. - Barbara K. Baker

I don't think my parents understand but my Mom checks my twitter profile daily and catches up with me. It's weird when she knows stuff I didn't tell her. - Elsie from twhirl

Can any of you explain Twitter in one line? The REAL definition? - Jorge Escobar

I hate it when people like USA Today make those blanket generalizations. - Francine Hardaway

Interesting point are that most of the negative comments on their site are by "anonymous or pseudonym" users. - Mathew A. Koeneker

Paul: Actually, John McCain is aware of Twitter. - Alexander Carlill

Maybe the news article explains why Twitter seems constantly down today - the USA Today readers are trying it out. - Sally Church

Wonder how the FriendFeed guys feel about being labeled a "third party app" for twitter? - Stephen Winkler

My 82 year old mom uses twitter and told the world on ABC World News. Read her blog post about it. http://mymomsblog.blogspot.com/2008... - Steve Garfield

Steve Garfield: wow that's amazing....she might be one of twitter's oldest users - Susan Beebe

Like Dino said, "you want to hear me sing serious you gotta' buy an album." - Tom Novak

Kind of a sad story, actually, based on what we see in the post. There's a cautionary tale there about volunteering and the possible downsides of some of the things that help drive this wonderful "free" marketing/economy/business model. - Mark Dykeman

"Whuffie don't pay the rent" is my new personal slogan. - Chris Baskind

I feel this type of story needs hyping, because there's SO much not being said. What about all those people who are being nagged by their spouses but don't want to lose face by admitting that in public? You know it happens. Not everyone in this planet can go to iPhone sales. And the non-stop hype about networking and community makes a lot of folks try too hard. Yeah, yeah it works for some. Don't bet the farm on it. You'll lose. - Eric Rice

From 1987: Eddie Murphy: There's a song out now called "Ain't Nothing Going On But The Rent." So when a man asks a woman "Hey, baby! What's going on?" The woman will say, "The rent, motherfucker!" - Eric Rice

Right on. These lessons are learned the hard way. - Lauren Vargas