Category: Engagement

Buenos Dias – A Social Holiday

We read a lot of stuff about how important it is to switch off when you go on holiday. Well this year I decided balls to that, and though my location in Southern Spain only offered 3G iPhone access which curtailed my blogging activity, I stayed online. And I had a blast – and judging by the feedback and interaction from friends on facebook, instagram and twitter – there was some useful fun being had.

I confess I did answer two or three emails – brief responses were being respectfully requested from a company who have this week become a new client. I can live with that. And the vast majority of our time away was spent sight seeing, splashing, sunning and swigging. It was very much a dip in dip out approach to the online world.

Now I’m back home I am posting the results of my 2012 holiday postcards here over the next few days and I’d also like to share a couple of fun tools I’ve been introduced to as well.

A few weeks back Laurie Ruettimann shared Flipagram with us. It’s a simple slideshow app which packages up your instagram holiday, or indeed any other kind of pics nicely. Here’s my first attempt at playing with it with some holiday pics, and I can see how you could use this tool for sharing stuff at conferences, from work projects etc.

Something else I found which I like the look of is Printstagram. This little beauty creates prints and sticker books and other cool stuff from your instagram photos. A pack of 250 stickers costs ten bucks plus twelve bucks shipping from US to UK. I’ve ordered a sticker book based on our Spanish adventures, can’t wait to see the results – I’m already thinking of lots of possible ways to develop this idea for promotions, thank yous and other stuff besides.

So can you go on holiday, remain digitally connected and have a proper break? Well for sure we had a great time and came back feeling refreshed, and we had a lot of fun with the online world in a way that perhaps you only can when you’re on holiday. Thanks to everyone who *liked* our beer of the day and other offerings :), see you for more in 2013.

How May I Help You?

Although I may not ask you that exact question the next time we speak – I want you to know that I put the question in my head before we talk.

How May I Help You?

I find it just works – the more I think about what I can do for you – the more enjoyable and useful the interaction is, because let’s face it – being of service to others is what really matters, right?

Leaving on a Jet Plane

My trip is still over a month away but I’ve booked my plane ticket to Ohio. I’ve known I’ll be going out to the USA to join in and speak at Ohio SHRM for a while now – and there’s something very definite and exciting about knowing you’ve got a seat on the plane. I’m looking forward to meeting Steve Browne, Dwane Lay, Jason Lauritsen and a whole bunch of other people too. I’ll have a camera with me and I hope to get some great pics and some video of my trip.

I’m a little nervous and very excited to be speaking at the conference. I’ll be telling a few stories about the importance and benefits of conversation, about how to use transparency to make a difference, not just for the sake if it, and about how vulnerability makes us better people. I plan to fit TeamGB cycling, Rush, The Clash, my family and a bunch of other stuff too. There’s even a rumour that the good people of Ohio are planning to lend me a guitar – well it is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame State after all eh 😉

If you’re going to Ohio in September then I look forward to seeing you there. And if you’re not, what could I do for you to try and share my experiences in the moment?

photo credit