I'm Moving

Well, it is time to move on. Seems that blogspot.com doesn't like to allow primary email addresses from a gmail account. It has been 5 years here on blogspot, and a growing experience. The blog has changed dramatically in content and purpose since my recent job loss, but I see this as a great opportunity to launch myself into new areas of interest. It's not that I believe print is dead, but there is so much energy and enthusiasm in social media, as opposed to the persistent death rattle I am hearing from the print world.

I am not giving up on print. It has been my livelihood for over 25 years. The breadth of knowledge I have acquired is immeasurable. Not to mention all the great people that have been along for the ride. Come join me at my new address: asbillseesit.wordpress.com. To be honest, I am glad to be rid of all those hyphens, if you know what I mean.

Stop and Listen to the Medium

So let’s say you’re in a room, at a party maybe and there are a lot of people there. And everyone there is there for the same reason, to get noticed. To be heard and seen and perceived as important in some way or another so that they stand out in the crowd. Okay, now imagine the room stretches from Boston to LA, and those attending the party have at least one thing in common-–they are all out of work print production professionals. The first thing you might ask is, “do I have to be at this party?” For these purposes, the answer is yes.

You are an unemployed print pro, so that’s why you are there.
But do you have to stay? Well, that’s different. You are free to leave at anytime and join any other group of people looking for work. You decide to leave.

So there you are in a new room. It’s unfamiliar. The conversation is different. At first you feel like maybe you don’t belong there. The other room was filled with conversation that was so comfortable. It just felt familiar, easy. Maybe you should head back to the other party. No. You begin to listen to what’s being said. It’s not all that different at all. In fact, the more you listen, you realize that these people have a lot in common with those in the other room. They just do it without paper. They converse online with Twitter and Facebook and yes, with blogs. And the conversation is stimulating. This is a party you want to be at.

So you decide to stay, to listen to what folks are saying. You listen a lot at first because you’re a little unsure about whether you know enough to join in the conversation. You want to make a good first impression. You do have a lot to say though. You’ve been a marketing person for 25 years. It’s not so different, it’s just a different medium. But like a lifelong painter approaching a chunk of marble with a chisel for the first time, you stop yourself. You step back and listen. There will be plenty of time to talk later. Once you learn and understand the medium.

One Week of Tweeting and I'm Number 1, 2 and 3

Okay a week ago I began my quest to get me, Bill Thompson, the real me to reveal myself above the fold as they say on a Google Search. I had no illusions that this would be a simple task, but to my surprise, it only took a week. And to be honest, all I did was utilize my 3 current social media sites to accomplish this. Communicating between Twitter, Facebook and this blog, it only took 7 days to put me on top. (Local business results not factored)For those of you who missed the original post, you can find it here

The power of social media in powering the visibility of your brand, in my case, that being me, is undeniable. If you or your company are beginning to explore the power of these networks, you can use me as an example. Go ahead, tell your boss.

And while you're at it, have them take a look at this blog, or my LinkedIn profile.

More to come, as this re-branding project is just getting in gear!

Can Old Dogs Tweet?

Have spent the good portion of the last few days–no actually almost every waking moment–educating myself in the realm of social media marketing. For me that has meant twitter, facebook, Linkedin and this blog. I continue to build my network through Linkedin and have had an epiphany concerning twitter.

I find the implications of this social media network to be mind numbing. The great news is that there is so much knowledge out there for a 51 year-old neophyte such as myself. In just one week I have been schooled by some of the best minds out there. From Tim O'Reilly, Pete Cashmore at Mashable and the persistent locals here in Long Beach, Nostrum Inc.

Friends are joining in and sharing links and so the momentum builds. Coming from the print world, I find the immediacy of this medium thrilling, if not a bit overwhelming. Pace yourself I say. I attended an APALA meeting this week on the subject of social media marketing and was convinced by being in a room full of print professionals that I was on the right track. It will be fascinating to see how the world of offset lithographers react to this media taking a chunk out of ink on paper.

And this morning I attended a webcast by O'Reilly and was introduced to many more features, tips and philosophy that jumpstarted another series of ideas for my re-branding project. Suffice it to say, the days of spending 6 hours looking at job boards everyday are over. I'll continue to utilize traditional methods, but if I am really going to find a position that challeges me to continue to grow in a field that will definitely continue to grow, I'll keep on tweeting and learning. After all, if as they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, I'm only a little over 7 years old in dog years!

How I Appear Above the Fold

So this is what I look like to anyone who might be interested in me. A simple Google search or 2 and you get a picture of your presence on the internet. Not very appropriate.
Laser dentistry in Seattle? Nope. Part of a DNA Project? I certainly hope not. Or possibly the author of a treatise on "real-time fluid stimulus using discrete sine/cosine....

Not me. So where am I? Who am I? How will someone find the real me? Finally after my 3rd search, there is a reference that is good. Member of Board of Directors of BKBIA. But this does not define me.

Sure you could find me on Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn. Not to mention on this blog. But still you would be scratching your head and asking, "So, who is this guy?" As I begin my 5th week as an unemployed "print-production manager" (not really who I am, just what I've been doing, by the way), I've decided that it's time to re-brand.

Re-brand me. Should be a fun project. And I love projects. Finally a project dedicated to the one product that matters most right now. Me. I may not be that interesting above the fold yet, but it is my intention to change that. Feedback? I would love it. After all as the rules change, we know that the most important thing we need to do as marketers is to listen.

I'm all ears.
Eyes?

Okay, Okay I'll Familiarize Myself With the Semantic Web

So, yep here I am. Starting out week number four without a paying job. Not to say I am jobless. No far from it. I am busy looking for work. But not just prowling job sites, no. I am trolling the internet. I am learning. And I love it. I realize that at 51, I am not supposed to be "reinventing" myself. But I am. 20+ years in print, but now they say print is dead. Well they've said that about painting and jazz, but I haven't given up on them either.

Print is not dead, it's just a little under the weather. Probably won't ever be as healthy as it once was. I mean, you can't expect people to continue to buy into an old model when the new one looks so promising. Hello Chrysler? GM?

So I am tweeting and blogging and facebooking(?) It's engaging. It's distracting. And it's enlightening.

I have always steered my teenagers away from Wikipedia. "Don't trust it. It's written by all sorts of unreliable people." But today in my travels through the "tubes" of the internet, I read an article about Web 2.0 and Web 3.0... and then "The Semantic Web". WTF? Quickly to Wikipedia, because I figured if I knew absolutely nothing about a subject, then maybe, just maybe, it could be trusted.

I can't be the only one out there who couldn't/still can't define it. So check it out.
Semantic Web

Edison's "Blue and Yellow

blue and yellow from edison on Vimeo.

Been awhile as I have been very busy. But here's a mental health break!