The Educated Emotion

*originally posted on April 18, 2012 Three Farmers and Two Geese Today the entertainment industry lost one of its greatest contributors, Dick Clark. He spent over 60 years in numerous memorable roles from radio to music to television. One of the roles that he is less noted for is entrepreneur; some of Clark's biggest marks on the industry were actually ones he created. Dick Clark was always the 'cool kid'. He wanted to be a part of what was new. In fact, he said that he wished he had been a little younger when the Internet takeover began.  In an 1999 interview  with James Moll, Clark was asked "How do you describe the start to your professional career?" Clark responded with a story of his first job in the mailroom of a radio station. In the mornings he would sit with disc jockey, Danny Fusco and give the weather forecast for the rural radio network, assuming that no one was listening. But when Clark started performing as if someone was listening, that...

Good News! Social media does not have to be boring and ineffective to still maintain professionalism.  Many organizations have started to get hop by adding cute photos, taglines, humor, and video. But, a thousand likes on your pictures of cats in cute hats won't necessarily translate into new paying customers or increased awareness for your organization. Below are twelve ways to begin to strike a balance in communicating effectively and professionally the key parts of yourself, brand, or organization. This list comes from years of seeing people and organizations struggle with keeping their online presence professional, yet engaging and effective. This presentation was created for the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women hosted its 33rd Women of Color Taskforce Career Conference, one of the oldest and largest career conferences for the University. We were happy to be a part of this day of learning with the session Communicating Professionally and Effect...

MLK Day is not a holiday for slackers. The Martin Luther King Day of Service was created to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through reflection and service. Instead of blogging last Monday morning, I used that time to reflect and have meaningful discussion with my son about some of the lesser known allies to the civil rights movement such as Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte , and Charlton Heston.  In addition, this entire month I have been revisiting my current projects to see how they aligned with my overall goals. Last week, I reflected on the reasons why I constructed this blog . I have a blog that deals with personal and professional development. I have a poetry blog...well, because I'm a poet. But, this blog is the one I chose to associate with my business . The Educated Emotion debuted on December 1, 2011 and has several meanings, both personal and professional.  On a personal level, it was to capture and communicate what I have learned and continue...

All Image and No Identity Makes Biz a Dull Subject   Most digital marketing firms help businesses develop a brand image. This is essentially working on how your market perceives you. Brand image is driven by market and company research, relies heavily on previous consumers, finding what consumers want to know, and what you have to offer. Taking the guess work out of what you do can help consumers make informed and timely purchasing decisions. “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” ― Dolly Parton A similar form of brand marketing is via brand identity. This is getting "who you really are" across channels in a forward-thinking, strategic manner. This Spring, I am actively working on sharpening the brand identity for Les Go and Les Go Social Media Marketing and Training . I have shied away from heavy-handed branding because I am a creative and want to allow room to evolve. I love technology, I have mastered marketing with over...