Finding 50/50
Lately, my total commitment to an exciting new job has thrown work/life balance to the wind. For awhile, I wasn’t sure I could commit an entire day to attend this year’s Mass Conference for Women. Then I considered the line up: Gloria Steinem, talking about how far we’ve come, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, talking about reinvention. To top it all off, there was one of my favorite tweeps, Cabot Creamery’s Lifestyle Commentator, Candace Karu.
Candace joins fellow panelists Susan Esper, Partner, Deloitte & Touche, Professor Brad Harrington, Executive Director, Center for Work & Family, Carroll School of Management, and Diana Scott, Senior Vice president, Human Resources, John Hancock Financial . for a panel discussion on work life balance.
Work life balance is one of those professional development topics that is always sure to draw a crowd. Young mothers long for advise balancing work and the demands of raising a young family. Mid career, many struggle balancing work and caring for an aging parent. And at any point, one might feel the tug of some deep passion; how can one pursue a lifelong dream and earn a decent living? We all have our unique struggles and circumstances.
Candace Karu is Lifestyle Commentator for Cabot Creamery
While Candace’s path is atypical, her tale of reinvention serves as an inspiration for those seeking a more balanced life. After a successful venture as a partner in a top Washington D.C. advertising and public relations firm, Candace grew conflicted about the time apart from her young family. The forty to fifty hours spent in a traditional office setting grew far less appealing. In the early 90’s life circumstances and a move to Portland, Maine allowed Candace to regain her balance. For Candace, this meant working from a home office and remaining actively involved in her community.
Today, Candace has created a life for herself that combines a little of all the things that are important to her. As Lifestyle Commentator for Cabot Creamery, Candace has the unique privilege to work with her two sisters. As VP of Marketing for Cabot, sister Roberta was instrumental growing this local family cooperative to its current position as a recognizable national brand. And, Candace is proud to say that the women that make their “disruptive marketing strategy “ work are mostly, if not all, stay at home moms.
Candace is currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Maine College of Arts and has served as an active board member since the early 90’s. She and her daughter, Tyler, co-own a successful interior design business. Regular writing gigs, and her fitness blog “ Fifty plus Fabulous” showcase her writing talents. Add to that a daily fitness regime that includes a long time passion for running, and Candace still has a lot to juggle.
But Candace is quick to agree that balance is not just about work and family. It’s really a question of “leveraging your assets .” “Sisterhood is powerful” and the best thing we can do is reach out, whether through new platforms like social media, or a forum like the Mass Conference for Women.
You can learn more about Candace and her quest for balance at the Mass Conference for Women 6th Annual Conference December 9, 2010. This year’s conference returns to the Boston Convention and Exhibition with a line up sure to prove inspiring to women at every stage of their career. The $150 registration fee is a solid investment for a day destined to give you returns all year long. Sign up today. Join the Mass Conference for Women on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Posted on | November 8, 2010 | No Comments
Guest Blogging: Lose it to Win It
One of the things I enjoy about working with new media, is that once in awhile, I’ll spot someone in my world that really “gets” it. It’s exciting for me to see small businesses who are using social media in all its guises to expand their market. And once in a great while that company will be living its corporate mission. Now that’s exciting!
That is why, I am so privileged to have the opportunity to guest blog for Healthworks. Not only is Hannah Kempski, Director of Marketing for Healthworks on top of social media, but she’s also communicating a corporate mission of empowering women. Wow!
And so, I invite you to visit their blog and my take on, wait for it……Boot Camp! and its impact on my personal mission to strive for “tangible results.” Enjoy! (Sorry guys healthworks is for women only!)
Posted on | March 31, 2010 | No Comments
Googling my way to the gym
Albert Einstein chooses a bike over the sportscar
Its another beautiful spring day in New England. My husband borrowed my car to go to New York. He doesn’t like me to drive his sports car. This is okay, because he knows I will if I want to. But, I still have to get to the gym today. What to do?…..Google bicycle maps.
I was thrilled to learn that Google Maps now offers a bicycle route option. Apparently, so were alot of other people. On March 10, the day Google announced the new feature, Google stock prices rose 2%.
Yes, in addition to driving directions, public transportation and walking routes, Google Maps now offers bicycle route directions. In theory, these routes are meant to provide safe, smooth directions for the casual biker. So, I Googled my way to the gym. Imagine my disappointment to learn that Google recommends I just hop on Route 9. Let’s just say I wouldn’t even consider riding my bike on Route 9. Not safe, not fun.
So, while bicycle directions are a fabulous idea, it may need some fine tuning in the implementation stage.
As for me, I know the perfect bike route to the gym that will still leave me a little something for today’s workout. Or, I could just drive the sports car…
What would you do?
Posted on | March 21, 2010 | No Comments
Furnishing on the web
I turned to my friend Zatoichi at Apple a couple of weeks ago to help me navigate the interface between I-photo and the CMS on a new web site I’ve been working on. My issues didn’t seem that difficult. I wanted consistency in image sizes. Yet, it was becoming just another thing in a string of goals for this project that weren’t materializing as I’d envisioned. … mobile optimization, a rotator with the sophistication of Flash, and an integrated WordPress blog.
But my Apple friends rarely disappoint. Zatoichi’s advice, “Your web developer only provides you with the house, it’s up to you to furnish it.” Once I wrapped my head around that gem, it became clear. The question was, ”Within the parameters of the space my designer has provided, how can we ‘furnish’ this? ” Twenty four hours later, with the help of a Panasonic LUMIX digital camera, the dining room table, and some white poster board from CVS, we were wrapping up our product photo shoot.
The end result was far superior to our original plan. My client was thrilled with the result. Thanks again, Zatoichi.
Posted on | January 17, 2010 | 2 Comments
Transparency on Cyber Monday
The Wall Street Journal reports E-commerce sales grew 5% on Monday, November 30. Total sales were estimated at $887 million.
When I opened my Mobile Me account on Cyber Monday, I discovered an offer from Apple.
Today only: Great pricing on Exclusive Accessories
I’m always on the lookout for creative gift ideas. Since there are multiple birthdays in our household this month, not to mention Christmas and Chanukah , I thought the offer was worth a look .
I was curious about the Eye -Fi Geo Card: Here’s the description in the overview: “ You take the shot, but Eye-Fi Geo does the rest. It uploads, geotags and organizes your photos based on where they were taken.” Cool.
Then, I read the reviews. In all fairness to Apple, their site now shows ten reviews, with an overall rating of four and a half stars. Many higher customer ratings rolled in just this week. But here’s what I posted in my notes on Monday:
“What a geo joke”
“If it only worked as promised. It didn’t”
” It is what it is”
” Do not waste your money…very fickle.”
Why would I buy this.? Why would anyone buy this? Why is Apple posting such poor reviews on its own on line store. Is this the ultimate in transparency?
Perhaps Apple’s position as a market leader makes them an exceptional case. They can afford to say, “If you want to put down $57.00 and see if it works for you, we’ll sell it to you.” Or maybe it’s their way of bravely saying, “ If you choose to buy it, here’s what you can expect.”
But it did start me thinking what I would do. At the very least, I would rewrite the product copy to be crystal clear about its true capabilities and target it to the small segment of the market that might find it valuable.
What would you do?
Posted on | December 5, 2009 | No Comments
If the medium is the message…
Marshal McLuhan first published Understanding Media in 1967
“The medium is the message” was a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan in his 1967 book Understanding Media. McLuhan claimed that each media has different characteristics that engage viewers in different ways. It follows that your message for one medium (say radio) would vary from any other (like newspaper or TV). Bring this into the age of new media and it translates to your Twitter message is different that your LinkedIn message.
So, what’s with Twitter direct feeds to Linked in?
Diane Danielson of the Downtown Women’s Club who is a pretty smart cookie, likens Twitter to a cocktail party. My twitter friend, Kat Jaib suggests it’s the equivlalent of the office watercooler. I’m in agreement with these engaging ladies. And, if Twitter is the cocktail party or the watercooler, that makes LInkedIn a conference table. And why would anyone bring that banter to the conference table?
Sure, social media is about transparencies. But its also about knowing what is appropriate for the media. I enjoy sharing great articles from the WSJ as much as retweeting great content. At the conference table, those things are appropriate to share. But, because I appreciate the candor of the cocktail party and the office bubbler, I’ll keep my Tweets separate, thank you. My conference table conversation I’ll offer #in.
What about you?
Posted on | November 16, 2009 | 2 Comments
What are you doing?
There’s just something about the Twitter home page
I see those words “What are you doing?” and I hear my Mother’s voice. It’s the one she would use when I got caught sneaking a cookie from the ceramic cookie jar she kept on the kitchen counter. There’s a certain lilt to that voice. The person asking that question knows I’m really supposed to be writing some copy or making a follow up call or any of the dozens of “to do” items that make up modern life. I’ve been caught!
There’s another voice; I think it’s my sister. “What are you doing? ” This one says implicity, “Are you crazy…with everything you have to do right now?”
I can also channel my college roommate: “What are you doing?” Or, ” You can’t possibly send that devlish tweet into cyberspace; its just too fresh!”
Then, there’s my own Mom voice, the tried and true: ”What are you doing?” I’ll use this voice with my own children when a boundary has been crossed. And, in the land of Twitter, boundaries do get crossed.
And, who can forget Barbra Streisand’s “What are you Doing… the Rest of Your Life”
Posted on | November 8, 2009 | 2 Comments
Taking It to the Streets
A street team in Chicago promotes the King Tut Exhibit
I joined a street team!
When my Pod Camp Boston friend, Tara Greco, announced on Linked In that she had joined the Massachusetts Conference for Women as a social media consultant, I was quick to congratulate her. The Mass Conference for Women, scheduled for Thursday, December 10, 2009 at the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center is one of my favorite networking events. This years roster of presenters includes Suze Orman, Tory Johnson, Ruth Simmons and Marcus Buckingham, and promises to deliver great takeaways and timely advice.
I remember Tara from our PodCamp interactions as someone committed to making things happen in the social media space. So, my congratulations included an offer to help Tara in any way possible. What a great opportunity to partner social media and an organization I support!
Understand, I don’t make offers like this lightly. So, when Tara responded that they would be putting together street teams, I thought to myself….okaaay??!. I had visions like this picture. It is almost Halloween, after all. Maybe they would put me at South Station in a business suit and I would hand out fliers to other women in business suits. I had no idea what was in store for me; but I had offered, so I was obliged to deliver.
Imagine my surprise when Anne Hebert from the Mass Conference for Women sent me her guidelines for joining the “social media street team. “ I’ll be using the “streets” of social media to help spread the word along with a small army of other tweeters, bloggers, and facebook users (newbies and veterans alike).
I’m so pleased to be part of this effort. I do believe that the future of marketing for tangible results is a marriage of the old and the new. My congratulations also go to the Mass Conference for their willingness to embrace the traditional with a “new media” twist!
Please join me at the conference on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at the Boston Convention Center Sign up before November 9, and receive a discount off the registration price of $150. That’s just a $135 investment for a day destined to give you returns all year long. Sign up today. Join the Mass Conference for Women on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Posted on | October 30, 2009 | 4 Comments
A Spool of Garden Twine and Community
This spool of garden twine costs $3.29 at Connelly Hardware in Brookline. Connecting with the community is free.
The Backstory
Tuesday was a picture perfect day here in Massachusetts. Since I’ve been hard at work on a couple of new projects, I decided to take a break, go outside and clear my head. I absolutely love pruning. It’s a curious hobby; but garden metaphors are boundless. I love the tools, the physical exertion and the sense of accomplishment. I especially love that the work you do today, may not produce tangible results until months later. Anyone who connects to nature or gardening knows what I’m talking about.
I worked for about an hour to dismantle a low hanging branch from our double grafted weeping cherry tree. There were branches and weepy tendrils everywhere and nothing to bundle them for the town’s recycling team.
Home Depot Vs. Local Hardware Store
At this point , I had a choice. I could drive to Home Depot, grab a cheap skein of twine and probably a few more things I didn’t need. Or, I could go to the local hardware store and pay more than I needed to for a single spool. I reminded myself that as a small business owner, I was commmitted to support other small businesses and headed for the hardware store.
It wasn’t about the Twine
Of course, it wasn’t about the twine or how much it cost me. In the end, it was about the value of my community. My neighbor Carol asked me about my dog who recently passed away. She shared stories of her beloved Cockapoo, Zoe, who was suffering through a debilitating bout with cancer. She was paying twice what she needed to for a stretch of plastic. But we had our community. Everyone shared their stories: the $500 to save a beloved guinea pig, the cost of dental care for young children without insurance. For a moment, we were together in our attempts to live out our lives and connect on a human level. Everybody had some advice, everybody had time to listen.
Could this happen in a big box store?
Of course it could happen in a big box, but I don’t think it’s likely. The locally owned hardware store, coffee shop, pharmacy or general store has long played an important part in our communities. If you haven’t visited a local merchant lately, I would encourage you to do so. There’s far more to gain from your neighborhood commmunity than the 50 cents you’ll save on a spool of twine.
Posted on | October 23, 2009 | 2 Comments
what would peggy olson do?
Elisabeth Moss plays Peggy Olson on the Emmy Award Winning Mad Men, on AMC
I confess. I’m a Mad Men fan. The characters and the subtexts are consistently well conceived, controversial and entertaining. The costuming and morals of the 60’s are spot on, right down to the knotty pine cabinets in the Draper’s suburban kitchen.
So, as I struggle to churn out some good web copy, my thoughts turn to Mad Men’s Peggy Olson. Now that girl can write copy. Her moral code leaves a lot to be desired; but for copy, she can make even Don Draper sit up and pay attention.
Writing copy for today’s web is a little different than writing print copy in Peggy’s day. But despite the era, what distinguishes Peggy Olson as a copywriter and account executive is her ability to really understand what motivates the customer. Her character possesses an uncanny knack for pinpointing the exact needs of her target market. Fellow Mad Men fans may remember fondly her approach to the “relaxasizer” or the lipstick campaign that released her from the secretarial pool… no one wants to think of themselves as one in a box of 100 crayons.
Today we have keywords to complicate the process. To secure position in search engines like Google and Bing, today’s copywriters are called upon to marry good copy to key words. As an example, this morning, Compete, the web research company, reported in its blog that for the month of September, Google Keywords Tool noted 7.5 million broad match searches for “soap. “ What does that mean? It means if you’re Dove, and trying to sell your product on line, you better make sure that your landing page uses the word soap, even if what you’re selling is body wash. Oversimplification? Yes.
But, what would Peggy Olson do with a list of keywords? I think Peggy would tell Don Draper and all the good old boys that speaking to your customer is what sells. Copy should be written for humans, not computers. So, after you’ve written compelling copy, fit in a few keywords. But, make the copy about the customer, not the keywords.
And now, in the words of Peggy Olson, as she dismissed her colleagues to write another great piece of copy “You …can leave. I’m in a very good place right now.”
Do you have a favorite Peggy Olson quote? Post them in the comments below. How do you think Peggy would handle the keywords?
Posted on | October 16, 2009 | No Comments
keep looking »Roberta Balder…
... is a marketing professional with solid experience and a track record of successful projects.
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