stark REALITY check

Category: Tweeter’s Almanac

  • #IN_SMackdown Aught Nine

    As a culmination to The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine, I launched “#Indiana’s INaugural Social Media Summit New Year’s Luncheon and SMackdown” event on 12-03-09.  Everyone was invited to join Smaller Indiana and the “#Indiana’s Inaugural Social Media Summit Smackdown” group to kibitz.   The conversation is in reverse chronological order  (i.e. comment #1 can be found on the bottom of page 23)

    It’s a great case story about inspiring a grassroots event — transparently and entirely online using ONLY social media platforms — for about $25!

    INaugural SMackdown Event Budget  =>

    3- Large and Impressive Trophies = $14.00

    3- Paper Tiaras = $3.00

    Confetti, streamers and other accoutrement = $8.00

    The text below was captured three days before the Luncheon when the winners would receive their large and impressive trophies ( Scotty’s @Brewhouse on Indy’s North Side )  The Inaugural Three Categories .. Indiana’s Most Influential Dame, Dude and Up and Comer.  In a strange way the comment I made on December 27th (quoted below) summarizes the month long dialog which ensued.


    Comment by Amy Stark on December 27, 2009 at 10:31pm

    @Robby I value your opinion and the judge idea is great! That’s the kind of kibitzing I like to see. It will add a layer of complexity, however. The planning, judge selection, writing basic by-laws and then developing a nomination process would have to be spearheaded by someone else.
    It would have to be someone who is NOT afraid to make mistakes, and who could jump into the process transparently and accept input from the group. You interested?
    ___________________________________
    @Chris Hadley. I think I’m having more fun than anyone else in the group. Harrison Painter thinks it’s fun, too, and I know I made Becky Pruitt laugh when I decided to replace “competition” with “smackdown.” The trophies were delivered to my home while I was in Ft. Wayne. They are large and impressive, but they are not metal and marble – rather a high grade PLASTIC and marble – LOL.
    ________________________________
    @Harrison – You captured my intent perfectly and I’m glad that I’ve had a chance to get to know you better. The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine began last January, but tweeting-up with you on 12-03-09 – after Get #Indiana2Trend – was the catalyst for putting together this luncheon.
    As the Social Media World Turns indeed…I #loveit !
    ____________________________
    @Chris Lucas– I was proud of myself that I didn’t ask for any help setting up the nominee form, RSVP, and final ballot, so I’m glad you didn’t insinuate yourself into the process. Being able to learn new applications quickly is vital in social media because the landscape changes so quickly — today’s facebook is yesterday’s My Space.
    I love working with the @formspring interface because it is intuitive and the data captured makes me look smart. Plus @formspring understands the economic concept “freemium” which is a must when something can be sold globally via IP.
    I set up the final ballot knowing full well if someone wanted to mess with the voting process I couldn’t do much about it given the budget and time constraints. That’s why I required people to look at their vote critically and reflect on the ideal principles of social media – THARG- then I required them to click Yes or, “NO: I am only voting because the nominee asked me to and I haven’t given it much thought.” I was counting on honesty and shame to keep it clean. I’m glad Doug Karr brought this up because it highlighted the fact that no competition can truly measure influence.

    I have a pointed question for you, Chris Lucas… WHY DON’T YOU WANT TO PROFIT FROM MY IDEA? Profit is not a dirty word and I would be thrilled if this little goofy idea supported a local business to grow and thrive. PROFIT away formspring!
    _______________________________
    @drthomasho – you deserve a special trophy of your own. You are the earliest adapter to social media in Indianapolis to my knowledge, plus you’re one of the few people who understand what I mean when I say twitter is the 21st century version of Big Brother.
    _____________________
    @Doug Karr, I still have business cards with the title, “Smaller Indiana Viral Marketing Liaison” that I passed out for several months in 2008. The main reason I wanted the kibitzing ONLY on Smaller #Indiana is because you & Pat had an impact on my personal social media journey and I feel good about driving traffic here.

    But I can’t agree with your statement, “we’re all socially engaged thanks to a single person – Pat Coyle” There are loads of people who have been totally ignoring this Smaller #Indiana group and kibitzing only on twitter. Some have even chastised me because I have been so focused on Smaller #Indiana. YOU and Pat can claim influence over some of us being socially engaged, even MOST of us, but not ALL.
    I specifically asked voters to choose the “ …MOST INFLUENTIAL #Indiana Social Media proponent AMONG THE NOMINEES listed below — NOT simply the most popular or a personal favorite.” There are quite a few people who should be on the list who are not. Off the top of my head -Pat Coyle, Chris Baggot, Harrison Painter, Paul Poteet are only a few who should be on the final ballot and yet they aren’t.
    ____________________________________
    @KathySipple – Even though I don’t know you personally I’m glad you’re leading for Dame because I want the entire state to get into this. Too often peeps in Indy don’t connect beyond Marion and the doughnut counties. If we are going to attract attention globally it will take the entire state working together for our voice to be heard.
    _____________
    @Chad Pollitt I get what you and Chris Lucas are saying about email addresses, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was gathering data on individuals in order to compile a list of some sort. That may be the ideal approach for #Indiana’s 2nd Annual Social Media Summit New Year’s Luncheon Smackdown!
    BTW you have moved into first place for up & comer and I agree wholeheartedly in your assessment that the person who uses SM effectively to capture the most votes is truly influential, and should feel great about keeping the large and impressive trophy for a year! Go Ft. Wayne!
    __________________________
    @BeckyPruitt – L right O L
    ___________________________
    @JeffDyson I agree with Chad, too. Moving people to change their mind or perform some action is the very definition of influence.
    _____________________________
    I will post the up to the minute voting results in a separate comment. I am resisting the urge to proof-read this post so please forgive any and all typos =)

  • Click. Connect. Discover.

    <

    It’s a Welsh Assembly Government programme which is delivered by five partner organisations – the Wales Co-operative Centre, the Novas Scarman Group, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, Carmarthenshire County Council and the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling at the University of Glamorgan.

    Much of the funding for Communities 2.0 has come from the European Regional Development Fund.

    The goal for this co-operative in Wales aligns closely with my goal I set when I launched The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine in January 2009.

    To my newly discovered friends at Click. Connect. Discover. BRAVO! on this video, it’s beautiful on so many levels.

    Click Connect Discover from Communities 2.0 on Vimeo.

  • The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine

    While working on my Blog Indiana TweetUp Panel discussion I was reminded of The Great Indiana Initiative

    ( written by Amy Stark January 27, 2009  |  First published on Smaller Indiana dot com  |  Subsequently included in The Tweeter’s Almanac with an August 2009 update found on page 60 )


    I’m spearheading an organized effort to raise twitter awareness in Indiana because I want our state to remain relevant in the 21st century. Participating on the Smaller Indiana platform and attending SI events made me realize just how cool Indiana truly is, and yet NOT ONE Hoosier is listed among the top 100 twitter elite. Shame on us for hiding our light under a bushel!

    If all #Indiana tweeters would come together with one voice on this project we could generate some noise and raise #Indiana’s awareness on a global scale. I call it the:

    Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine

    Participation in the #Indiana Initiative is easy

    – just type “#Indiana” in at least one tweet a week.

    Perhaps it’s naive to think eight keystrokes typed in a few tweets could make a difference, but it’s free and you only have to donate a few minutes when it is convenient for you. It couldn’t hurt! A thriving Social Media culture may keep Indiana on global radar screens for business expansion and help our state thrive in an information-based (rather than industrial-based) world.

    Ideas for using the #Indiana hashtag effectively:

    Favorite #Indiana memory *** Favorite #Indiana saying *** Favorite #Indiana museum *** Favorite #Indiana restaurant *** Favorite #Indiana moment at a concert or theatrical production ***  Favorite #Indiana historian or author

    Major sporting events trend heavily on twitter so you can tweet about: the Colts, the #Indiana Pacers, college stats from one of our world-renowned universities, or your kid’s high school basketball team in #Auburn #Indiana. Let’s not forget that #Indiana hosts the largest single day sporting event in the WORLD! This is definitely worth tweeting about when you consider that there are a quarter of a million race car fans and yet no riots – unlike some soccer games.

    Examples of the #Indiana hashtag in action:

    • From @ctorres4745:: If we get more snow, I plan on taking the kids to the Ft Harrison sled hill this weekend in Lawrence #Indiana

    • From @sssemester:: Go #Indiana! RT @TheLuckyGirl: Miss America is Miss Indiana Katie Stam!!

    • From @bphuff:: Heading to Bodies exhibit later today. #Indiana

    • From @edeckers:: We serve big-assed pork tenderloins here in #Indiana at the #SwissWineFestival – http://twitpic.com/fq12z

    August Aught Nine Update

    Since its launch in January, The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine produced a thriving tweet stream – from Evansville to South Bend and Richmond to Terre Haute …

    To my knowledge there are no other states using a hashtag in this fashion. #Indiana is leading the way in this voluntary Social Media initiative. According to Twitter Grader, Indiana is ranked 20th among the States. A respectable showing but we can do better. Virginia is ranked 13th and Tennessee is 17th for goodness sake, surely we can kick it up a notch. Go get ’em #Indiana!

  • #TweetersAlmanac? Click on the tab on top

    No more PayPal kinks!

    If you know someone who would benefit from the Almanac who may not be flush at the moment, send me an email and I’ll send you a free PDF if you PROMISE to  –Give Credit Where Credit is Due–  It’s just good karma.

  • The Genesis of The Tweeter’s Almanac – First Edition: The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine

    The Almanac was conceived in January 2009 as a result of a digital conversation on the Smaller Indiana social networking site. On January 21, 2009 Pat Coyle – owner of Smaller Indiana – posed the following question:

    “…So how will President Obama keep America engaged and focused on the “common good,” and not drift back to our own special interests? … is there anything you are planning to do to make sure you participate in the process today, tomorrow and over the long term?…” http://bit.ly/32FUcq

    In answer to that call to action I launched The Great #Indiana Initiative of Aught Nine where I encouraged Hoosier Tweeters to use the “#Indiana” hashtag in a “concerted effort to raise awareness of Indiana” simply by adding eight keystrokes a couple of tweets a week.

    “I propose all tweeple on Smaller Indiana make a concerted effort to raise awareness of Indiana through twitter. Indiana is a shining example of how a state CAN operate in the black, be family-friendly, foster independent sensibilities and a Midwestern work ethic. If all Smoosiers began adding #Indiana or some other hash phrase in their tweets ( e.g. #llerIND =) it would allow all hoosier tweeple to find each other easier then do the courteous reciprocal follow.”