You may have seen some Tweets or posts recently that included #OCSMS or references to The Orange County Social Media Summit. If you live in or around Orange County, California, you should sign up and attend!   The Dynamic Duo of Rochelle and Haley Veturis created this event for the social media in Orange County.

I am beyond STOKED and EXCITED to be part of this amazing event! Through the graciousness of Rochelle and the entire team that created #OCSMS, an invitation was extended to me to be part of the Summit.  In addition to meeting the other keynote speakers and panelists, I get to meet several virtual friends in person for the first time. I can't wait!!

Unlike most events, this is a social media event created by the social media community. 

• Created by the social media community, for the social media community in Orange County, enjoy speakers and panelists who started at ground zero, and have found their voice—in different ways—through the “socialmediaphere.”
• No one started off as a huge brand, with a large list of contacts.
• Driven by their passion for people and new media tools, they’ve experienced business success, personal growth, increased web traffic, and scores of other benefits, from simply being present, and being themselves in social media.

Our commitment to you, is to provide a safe and authentic learning environment, where you can come, take notes, ask questions, and connect with people who care. Speakers will lay out their strategies for you, step-by-step. You’ll learn how to think bigger and outside of the box to create breakthrough results.

From blogging, to making videos, to posting tweets and Facebook updates, we’ll cover:

• The top social networks, and benefits and tips about each
• Shortcuts, lots and lots of shortcuts—we’ve worked hard to uncover these secrets, and we’re ready to share them with you
• How to listen to your customers/potential clients, and repurpose their feedback in meaningful ways
• How to create content that will bring you qualified leads
• Easy, ready to use techniques you can employ as you explore, get engaged, and find your personal groove online—whether it’s for business, a favorite cause, or to create your own, solid brand.

Wondering about the keynote speakers?

• They are the real deal; no snake oil salesmen—here.
• Between them, they amass more than 225,040 Twitter followers, 7.6 million friends on Facebook, 627,000 views on YouTube, and more than 10,000 connections on LinkedIn.
• They have each used their power and influence to support worthy causes, that benefit and serve others outside of themselves, including: the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Compassion International, Gavin’s Groupies, Stand Up To Cancer, Cameron Siemers Foundation for Hope, American Red Cross, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Irvine Public Schools Foundation, HomeAid Orange County, Baldwin Park Dogs, and the Amanda Foundation, to name a few.

We look forward to serving you through this fun and informative, full-day event. If you can't attend, you can watch the event via a live stream using the link below. 

Event Hash Tag: #OCSMS

OCSMS Event Registration - http://bit.ly/JUOiLg

OCSMS: Livestreaming link - http://saddleback.com/ocsms

Volunteer Event Producers: @RochelleVeturis and @HaleyVeturis (two-thirds of the O.C. Triumvirate).

Join us in Orange County or via the streaming link!  Connect. Teach. Share.

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

If you search Google for a definition for the word relaxation, here are two options that you will find: 

1.  The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed.

2.  Refreshment of body or mind; recreation.

Good definitions; here is mine:

We all have different forms of relaxation, but the older I become (insert age joke here), the more I realize the importance of relaxation.

My wife can attest to the fact that when we get away or take time off for vacation, I relax more than I did years ago.  There was a time, when I was in sales, that I was a slave to my cell phone and computer while on vacation.  Not so much anymore.  That doesn't mean I do not keep up with reading or working for my clients if necessary while I'm away; I do, but I take the time to make sure I disconnect and relax.

A friend of mine will not leave his business behind and go away. He literally feels like it won't survive without him.  To me, that is sad on several different levels.  He hasn't built a trust level with anyone that can run his business in his absence and he believes that he is the business. Due to these factors, he rarely takes any time off. 

Our minds, our bodies, our spirits need to disconect. We need to stop thinking and just be at times. For me, as the photo indicates, that includes staring at the water, or listening to the waves.  I've always believed that the sounds of nature are better than any electronic sound manufactured by man.

So, my advice to one and all is to relax.  Whatever that means to you. Read a book, take a walk, get on a cruise ship with no Internet connectivity or just unplug for a day.  You may be amazed at how refereshed you become after relaxing.

How do you prefer to relax?

Want to connect with me?  You can friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn, add me to your circles on Google + and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. 

 

 

There is a little known, to must users, location on Facbook where you can discover new Facebook Pages.  Here is the link: 

Facebook.com/Pages

This page provides you with several search criteria for pages that you may want to like or follow. You can narrow your search by Music, Movies, Television, People, Sports, Brands & Products, Companies & Organizations as well as Local Business & Places.  It is important to note that the Local Business & Places is NOT business located near you. These pages are pages that were created using Local Business & Places category.

When you visit this page, you will see Page Invites on the right side of the screen, along with which of your friends suggested this page to you.  Not sure why Facebook doesn't make these recommendations easier to find, but maybe that will change one day. 

Below the Page Invites on the right, you will find Friends Similar to You.  This shows your friends and if you click on it, you will discover the pages they like.  This can be helpful in engaging with pages that are owned by your friends or that may be important to your friends. 

I encourage you to visit the Discover Pages page often to see what is new and what your friends have recommended to you!

What are your favorite pages?

Want to connect with me?  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

The latest edition of the Socialnomics 3 video, an even longer 4:00+ version, has been making the rounds on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.  If you are not familiar with the video, it is  the world's most watched social media series by Erik Qualman. Based on #1 Best Seller Socialnomics.

When was the last time that you did something bold?  Something completely unexpected and out of your comfort zone?  If it's been a while, or if you cannot remember the last time you made a bold decision, now is the time to make it happen! I have recently made two bold steps myself, and I can tell you that I have no regrets surrounding either of these actions.  The first bold step I am referring to was my decision to be a full-time, self-employed consultant. I had previously handled marketing duties for a local restoration company in addition to my consulting business, but  now I am all in working for myself.  This has been the second best decision I have ever made.  I do set my own schedule; I am responsible for finding my own clients, booking my own speaking opportunities, and managing my own business.  I love what I do and I wake up every day excited to get started! Can you say that about your career?  If not, maybe it's time for a bold decision of your own. The second bold step is the decision to fire my hair!  You read it correctly, I have fired my hair!  It had been abandoning my head and retreating for years, so I as the owner of the head, I decided to fire it!  The hair gene came from the Lusher side of my family, and let's just say we are not known for old age and a head full of hair :)  This again, was a great decision for me.  I feel better about myself and my appearance and everyone has accepted the new, bold look.  I have even received compliments on the shape of my head!  That is a new one! I also removed the goatee, so the grey hair is gone from my head.  Bonus:  looking younger! What does firing my hair have to do with business or more specifically the industry in which I work?  Simple: as a small business owner, making the decision to incorporate a social media plan into your business is a bold step.   For many business owners, it requires a leap of faith into a medium they are not familiar with.  But, as with my career move and my hair, taking bold actions can and will be rewarding if you approach it with careful planning and implementation as well as partnering with the right consultant or team. So, how can you be bold today, this week, this month, or this year?  What bold steps can you take?  Let me know, and let me know what you think of my healthy scalp!

Facebook announced exciting changes during their live video conference today.  Do you believe these are improvements? Announced today:

1. Video Calling with Skype
2. New Chat Design, complete with Buddy Lists
3. Group Chatting

The partnership with Skype was something necessary and a natural next step for the two companies.  It solidifies Skype's place in the social environment and it helps Facebook to continue to grow in the wake of Google + 1. Do you see these changes as improvements?  For businesses that use Facebook to connect and stay in communication with their client and potential clients; this is HUGE!  Imagine interfacing with fans and clients directly off of your Facebook Business Page!  Holding a Group Chat Session with employees in other locations!  It's all about being connected, being responsive and humanizing business. How will these compete with Google + 1 ?  Too soon to tell; and in reality, it is two different situations; but it does raise the bar for both Facebook and Skype in our social environment.

On April 21st of this year, I attended the funeral of a friend and former co-worker Tommy Hall. A man that I had the enjoyment of knowing and learning from and the person I credit for my life long Apple Computer addiction. When Tommy and I worked together several years ago, he sold me his Mac PowerBook; that was the first stage of my addiction. Fast forward to today; I own a MacBook Pro, an iPhone and an iPad; with more purchases planned! Tommy left behind an incredible wife and two beautiful daughters. The funeral was hard, as all funerals are, but it also taught me about how we grieve more publicly now than ever before. Many of us that knew Tommy posted remembrances on his Facebook profile as well as on our own walls. I was touched and humbled by the number of my friends that offered love and condolences on this day; many of these people never knew Tommy, but they knew me, and I am very thankful for their friendships. I posted this photo that I sent to Tommy after a trip back home to West Virginia; we all smiled at the fact that he had a road "named" after him in WV.               Tommy, you will be missed my friend. It just so happened that on the same day as Tommy's funeral, our local Meetup 2.0 Group hatched a new Group of professionals to discuss and promote social media.  The Floyd Meetup Group's inaugural meeting was both exciting and bittersweet for me due to the events earlier in the day; however as a founding member of our Roanoke Meetup 2.0 Group, I was committed to attending.  Once again being the social person that I am, I posted on Facebook and Twitter  that I would be attending the meeting, and I was genuinely excited to be there and meet new people. When it came time to pay, the waitress asked my Meetup partner, Patsy Stewart who John Lusher was.  Patsy laughed and introduced me, thinking the waitress had heard of me.  The waitress proceeded to inform us that some jewelry lady had called and provided a credit card to pay for my dinner!  It took us a few minutes to figure out that it was my dear friend, Julianne Paulsen or @YrJewelryGal on Twitter.  Julianne owns a jewelry store in Minnesota and is Founder and CEO of Viaggio Bracelets.  Julianne had noticed my posts throughout the day, including the information about Tommy's funeral as well as the location of our Floyd Meetup meeting; she then found the number of the restaurant and left information to pay for my dinner.  Talk about a humbling experience. On the drive home, my friends tweeted about the woman that bought John's dinner and I called Julianne to thank her.  Julianne answered the phone laughing because she knew what had happened.  I thanked her profusely and related the story to her about the waitress; but also discovered she has done this to friends before just to surprise them.  She did this for me just to give me a smile and pick-me-up due to the events of the day.  I have not yet had the pleasure to meeting Julianne in person, but I will one day and I will buy her dinner and supply the cigars!  Although we have not met yet, I consider Julianne a dear friend and trusted professional. My reason for this post is to shine the light on how we live now:  socially.  More so than ever before, if we choose to. Whether we are grieving or celebrating; we do so publicly with our extended friends and followers. Thank you Tommy for all you taught me, and thank you Julianne for everything you are to me; I am most certainly blessed with the best friends in the world.