Connectivity and cool people

So a few weeks ago I caught a tweet from a twitter contact that said something to the effect of "I'm in the Christmas spirit.  I will give a free photo shoot to the first person who replies."

To which I, of course, replied..."am I too late?"

This woman, @cornPuppies on Twitter, agreed to come to our home (house call !) and take family shots of the four of us using natural light.  All I can say is WOW.  She took some incredible shots, and even one or two flattering shots of my husband and/or I - a feat that not many people can claim they have managed!!! What's really incredible is that she just loves photography as a hobby and doesn't want to move into any sort of paying gig, so this is sheerly for her fun - and our very appreciative benefit!

I have added some of the shots to the photo slideshow on this blog, but here are a couple faves:

More to come, as she is willing to come again and again to snap some photos as desired.  I will surely take her up on this. 

I cannot understate how beneficial it has been, for a variety of reasons, to be connected to wonderful people on social networks. It amazes me that anyone would NOT be on here, meeting great brains, lovely comedians, local artisans and personalities, and friends. It's truly a rewarding experience.

Music - Catharsis, relaxation and passion

From time to time I encounter people who aren't that 'into' music. Alan Rock did a The Ongoing History of New Music ditty that talked about the fact that some people are truly lacking the gene that appreciates patterns in rhythm, which, he says, is why humans are drawn to music and to creating sound and regular beats. He, of course, says this much more eloquently than I, but no matter...the point is that I have ALWAYS been passionate about music, and if I am tense, or stressed, or sad, or extremely happy - whatever my mental state - I need music. I just can't go very long without it.

Are you this way? Do you have radio stations set up and want to share your faves or tastes? I am an avid user of Blip.fm and would love to share some of my faves with you. Go to my station. Set up your own. Remind me of songs I am forgetting that are exceptional. And if you do this, and you want to share, add me as a favourite, and I will add you to mine. Fun stuff.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Give the crowd a standing ovation!

I have to say this about that....there is no substitute for the power of many minds moving toward the same desired outcome.  Quite simply, it's called crowd-sourcing. If there is a single business out there that is not thinking about how to use the crowd to reach higher, strive further, get ahead, then, well...you are wasting time and money. It can be a simple concept, or, as I have found trying to find simple articles on crowd-sourcing and their benefits, it can be quite complicated!

All it is, really, is the recognition that there is more than one person who loves the same things that you do and who, working in tandem, could help you get where you want to go faster.  If I was a new owner of any business, I would imediately be seeking out others in the same business to work together to solve problems, find solutions and expand that business. 

Or, expressed differently, I will ask a question:  Faced with a challenge at work, do you try solve the question alone or do you solicit help and input from others you know who have either an interest in these areas or experience in same?  That's a form of crowd-sourcing.  So is the most amazing up-to-date encyclopedia in the world, Wikipedia.

It simply doesn't make sense not to go out and get input.  Tap into people's interests and passions. Use them as a source of insight and inspiration. Build your community. 

And, ultimately, get ahead...faster.

Very soon I am going to set up just such a crowd-sourced task force.  I can't wait to see the amazing results to build strategies, answer questions, face challenges head on, and achieve incredible results from our efforts. It's energizing and it's fun.

You should try it sometime!