From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

I get people all the time tell me it’s hard to get up with me when they need. Well, it’s really not that hard. Today’s communications methods make it really easy. I’m on Twitter. I’m on Facebook. I’m on my blog. I’m on JASEzone. I’m on foursquare. I’m on LinkedIn. A lot! Between my PC in the office, my notebook in the coffee cafes, and my BlackBerry around the world, I would estimate I have online access at least 18 hours everyday.

I live in these social communications as a part of my business life and personal life. These are my network of choice.

But ultimately, there is one single way to ensure I return your personal message. In my world, my home base is my blog. Hit me up here on the contact webform and I’ll shoot you a message back everytime.

Google Docs supports the backend of this contact webform so I have traceability. I have history. I have a way to prioritize communication. And I have a way to control the staying power of the message you took the time to send me. I have a way to manage my time.

You can email me directly if I’ve given you my email address.
You can call me on the BlackBerry if I’ve given you my phone number.
You can text message me if I’ve given you the number.
You can DM me on Twitter if we are connected friends.
You can inbox message me on Facebook if we are friends.
You can send a message on LinkedIn if we are a connection.

But none of these methods guarantee a return message. I receive too many spammer type messages this way with no way to manage them efficiently. Example - I receive ~150 Twitter DM’s each day, ~25 Facebook inbox messages each day, ~250 emails each day, and ~35 text messages each day. I cannot manage all of them and still be productive.

That’s okay though. There is one single way to ensure I return your personal message. In my world, my home base is my blog. Hit me up here on the contact webform and I’ll shoot you a message back everytime.

Where are you available?

What about you? What’s your preference on initializing a new one-on-one communication channel?

Photo credit: hegarty_david

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to The Sun Is Shining by Third Day.

It seems like each time I go out in public, I learn something new. Each time I attend a social networking event, I learn something new. Each time I speak at an event, I learn something new. Most times that I log into my online social media space, I learn something new.

Why does this happen? Because I listen. I want to listen. I want to be a sponge when I’m around smart people - you!

I think we must think that way to progress positively in our lives. I know we must think that way to progress in our business lives.

I tell you all this to get you to speak up. Blog about your thoughts. Blog about your business. Blog about mindmapping or brainstorming.

Technology has created this massive platform for you to be a rockstar. Use it. Let others see how freakin’ smart and innovative you are. Let me see how freakin’ smart and innovative you are. I want to read what you have to say.

photo credit: flickr.com/photos/phoebelina

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On Twitter? Follow me at @parnellk63.

Listening to One Headlight by The Wallflowers.

Passion. What a very powerful word. When I think of passion, I think of every emotion I can conjur up directed towards a single center.

Passion. Do we all have passions? Real passions? Not just that we like something, that we thrive to like it and we live to like it.

Passion. I have a passion. My passion is new media. New media from yesterday. New media from today. And especially tomorrow’s new media. I have a passion for tomorrow’s social media. Tomorrow’s social media is today’s social media on steroids.

What do I mean by “social media on steroids”? I can better answer that with a question to you. What do you do with social media today? Imagine that scaled two-fold.

Imagine me talking on my blog and my message getting out to the many social platforms of my network. Imagine the conversations from those networks being aggregated together under the new Internet cloud into one conversation, in real-time. Imagine being able to participate in that large conversation without confusing effort.

Wow. That’s my passion. My passion is tomorrow’s new media. And it gets me excited for the possibilities!

What is your passion?

In this age of sprouting social media, social networks and easy-to-use social communities, are we really practicing what we preach? Do we use social media to communicate and even more importantly to interact with our customers?

We should. Now, more than ever before, we have the tools to increase bi-directional and multi-threaded interaction with our closest and also the most distant customers. We should be thinking of new ways everyday via social media to let our customers know they can rely on us to deliver on our brand promise to them.

Have you ever said that to yourself?

You know you’ve said, I want a tool that will show me how to become a millionaire without trying or investing and without risk.

You know you’ve said, I want a tool that will type this letter for me.

You know you’ve said, I want a tool that will make this sandwich for me AND cut off the crust.

Well, here’s the tool that I want -

I want a tool that will 100% sychronize my social media discussions. When I write a blog post that automatically flows down to the JASEzone, then to Twitter, then to FriendFeed, then to Facebook, I want all of the separate discussions from each of my networks to automatically synchronize themselves on my WordPress blog so that I and my network can see the complete discussion from across that Internet in one place.

Maybe that tool is out there somewhere but if it is, I haven’t seen it yet. Why not? In today’s technology blast, and the online social networking blitz, why can’t I get a simple communications tool that will make my networking more efficient? Why should I have to visit each of my networks to make sure I don’t miss all of the discussions?

Could someone get on that please? Thanks. Call me when you’re done. Or better yet, reply to this post on Facebook and make it so that it will show up on my blog for comment discussion.

Okay, I didn’t mean that as harsh as it sounded. But my life is digital. My family knows that. My friends know that. Most everything I do in my professional and personal life is captured in some way on some media platform.

I tweet my work. I tweet about meetings. I tweet about clients. I blog on several different blogs. I take photos like crazy with my BlackBerry and immediately email them to TwitPic which autoposts to Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook. I take videos with my BlackBerry and live stream them to Qik which autoposts to Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook. I tweet about my wonderful family. I tweet while on vacation. Heck, I even tweet while at Major League Baseball games.

I am digital. I am live. Hear me roar.
I get questions all the time about taking a break from being digital. And I always answer with the same response - “why?” I enjoy being digital. There’s no stress for me to being digital. I don’t need that break that some people might. In all actuality, I’m a bit uncomfortable not being readily connected.

Let me clarify a bit for you on what I mean by being “digital”. I don’t mean just having access to my social media channels, although they are important to me. My BlackBerry and notebook give me a safe place to write my thoughts, for my blog and for private. They give me quick access to my huge music library which is a great stress reliever for me. They give me a way to collect and view my vast photo and video libraries. They provide me a way to quickly Skype (audio or video) call with my Nicole or my daughters or my Mother.

So you see, being digital is not a burden to me at all. Being digital is my way of life that provides me the most efficient, profitable and comfortable way to manage my time, my daily tasks and my stress.

Besides, I love my job. My job is my life. My family and friends are my life. And my life is digital. So why would I want to change that?!

Stay tuned for the excitement! New Media Conventions is coming to Virginia Beach this fall. Check the New Media Conventions website for more details. Make sure to sign up for the email list to get details as they are unveiled.

Stop, Listen, Collaborate. Is there a better short-message way to describe how social media should unfold?

It doesn’t matter whether you exercise your social media muscles for business or personal reasons, you must slow down and listen first. I’ve spoken on this topic many times and addressed it profoundly in a slide presentation for a recent social media presentation.

Stop what you’re doing or what your 100 MPH mind is thinking at the moment.

Listen to what is being said about you (and your brand).

Then collaborate based on a strategy.

Slide source: Networking with Social Media and Strategies that Generate Leads

photo credit: flickr.com/photos/joshsommers

I’ve vlogged many times about getting out to see your clients and let them see your face. Say hi to them and see how things are going. If you’re an account service person by trade, this is nothing new to you. But today’s big electronic social media movement has stifled that thinking just a bit, I think.

Too often I see and hear that hanging out on social media platforms like JASEzone or Twitter or Facebook is enough. Well, it’s not.

If you break down what social networking actually means, you’ll understand that the platforms on the Internet are just that - platforms. So is your face - another platform.

So don’t forget to physically network. Get out and see people. Say hello and let them know that there’s a real face behind that screen name. Your brand will thank you.

Networking with Social Media and Strategies that Generate Leads

Download the free seminar for tips and tricks to drive inbound marketing using social media.

Topic: Networking with Social Media and Strategies that Generate Leads
Event: The Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group

Social media will change your business! What is social media? How can I generate leads with social media? Get the answers to these questions and others in this ‘dont’t miss’ video.

* Reasons Why a Business should adopt Social Media Marketing
* Build Your Brand
* How and where to build, manage and monitor your brand online.
* Social Media Lead Generation Strategies
* Social Networking <> Marketing Free-for-all
* Do you conversation?
* Interact first, sell second.

I’m a little late this morning so grab your second cup of coffee and let’s talk about social networking.

Driving point: “Twitter doesn’t make you. Your network makes you.”

Coffee time! Let’s chat about inbound marketing for a few minutes and where it belongs in our current marketing plan.

Kyle at BlackBerry Cool has published his list of top 5 BlackBerry social networks. I’ve reposted them below.

What do you think? Are there others that you like?

What about your favorite social networks for iPhone?

BBMNation

BBMNation is a social network that, like most BlackBerry social networks, uses PINs to connect users. Designed by a night club promoter named Steven Ojo and his partner Alex Trumpower, the site launched about a year ago. The site is incredibly bare bones, and has a graphical style reminiscent of web 1.0. On the bright side, its users seem to be attractive college students, possibly associated with Steven Ojo’s night club background.

You can register for BBMNation here.

Magmic Social

Magmic Social aims to connect its BlackBerry and mobile gamers with one another in order to create a better overall mobile gaming experience. The site does this by connecting users, creating high scores, developing personalized avatars and promoting a more interactive community.

Magmic Social is in my opinion, the most unique of all the BlackBerry social networks. The reason is that is focuses on the one aspect of BlackBerry that gets the least news coverage: games. I’m hard pressed to find a blog that focuses on BlackBerry games specifically, which is interesting considering it’s such an up-and-coming market.

Go see Magmic Social for yourself here.

BlackBerryUnderground

BBUnderground is a social network that has a comprehensive vision. The site is a social network that could be described as somewhere between Facebook and MySpace. BBU is seeking to capture the BlackBerry space and be a one-stop-shop for news, opinion, software, accessories and networking. Each member can add music, video’s, photo’s, blogs and discussions, as well as start events, and create and participate in the bbu forums. As a social network, I really commend the idea of being a resource for the community that has a monetization plan. Far too many social networks are lacking a business plan.

Check out BlackBerry Underground here.

BlackBerry Ave.

This site has a look and feel that is very similar to BBMNation. As a direct competitor with many of the other social networks for BlackBerry, this site uses file transfers to make it unique. The site allows users to upload 1000 MB of files to share with other BlackBerry users. This could meant that the site gets a good following of media freaks.

Find some friends on BBMNation here.

PinSwapMe

PinSwapMe has a lot of what you would expect in a BB social networking site. I would say it’s direct competitor in BBUnderground, in that it wants to be a one-stop-shop. I like that PinSwapMe provides a wide range of things to do on the site. It’s important for every social network to have a reason to visit on a daily basis.

Take a look at PinSwapMe here.

Grab your coffee and let’s talk about building your personal and professional brand through social communities. Online and offline!

Social community references in this video:

• JASEzone
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Plurk
• FriendFeed
• blog
• Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group
• Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads
• Virginia Opera Guild
• Tabernacle Church of Norfolk

There were times in my professional life that I had found myself pushing to be more structured in my schedule than might have been smart. Then I found “social media” a few years ago. Or maybe it found me.

If nothing else, social media and particularly my social networks have taught me that time-of-the-day is not a critical variable for sharing information and gaining knowledge.

Along with (old school) “off-time” knowledge sharing and brainstorming with colleagues, business has accepted that the clock is no longer relevant for conducting business. Period.

Meetings during the evening are commonplace. Conference calls on Sunday with the team and client meetings at Starbucks on Saturday are no longer tabu.

Utilizing the 24-hour clock to my advantage has made me more efficient. And as an entreprenuer that may give me the advantage I need to put me ahead of the next guy.