Archive for the ‘Speaking’ Category

Getting Back in the Game

And I’m back. Thanks to all of you who tweeted, commented and left personal messages over the past three days, in support of my family and me, as we said goodbye to Maka.  The service was truly beautiful.  The music was outstanding and I know Maka would have been in tears at the sound of the St. Matthew’s Woman’s Chorus (which my Aunt Jane leads), as well as the Epworth United Methodist Choir, which Maka founded and led for 32 years. My brother, Nick, Uncle Dale and the pastor, who served with Maka at Epworth, all told wonderful stories about her life and the gifts she gave of herself.  I think Maka would have taken comfort in knowing that a church full of people shared laughter and smiles, as we recalled some of the moments of her life.  My Maka was an entertainer.  Laughter is what she would have wanted it. One of the most moving moments for my family and I was seeing the Epworth Choir sing for her one last time.  Marie, now the conductor, took her old role as the accompanist as the choir stood in front of the Maka’s casket and sang their hearts out.  All of us could see her there, keeping time with the circular motion of her arms.  It was beautiful, and it’s how I will always remember my Maka. Getting Back in the Game It’s amazing how much can happen in a 72-hour period.  I was honored to have a video posted by Darren Rowse on the Problogger How To Blog Series this past Friday.  I look up to Darren and have found numerous tips and tricks from reading his posts.  Have you subscribed to Problogger yet? This week is going to be slammed with projects in the air, including the following: [...]

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8 Steps to Building a Killer Conference Experience (And How BlogPaws Nailed It)

The BlogPaws conference in Columbus, Ohio last weekend was one of the better social media events I’ve been to in the past year. To come up with what I write here, I often reflect on my own experiences as a social media user, event attendee, business owner, and even a consumer.  Yesterday, I started dissecting what it was that made BlogPaws stand out for me.  There’s a lot we as marketers and event promoters can do to make the experience a purple cow experience for everyone involved. #1 – Create Norms by Targeting a Niche Audience Conferences are all over the board these days and yet I see more social media events moving towards a niche model. BlogPaws was no different in that it was directly positioned towards pet industry bloggers.  That type of focus did a few things.  For one, it brought passionate, like-minded individuals together in an environment where they could just be themselves. Everyone was tied together by two interests: a passion for blogging and social media and, more importantly, a deeper passion for their pet companions. It’s not every day you sit in a breakout session and listen to a speaker present on blogging and tweeting from the persona of her cat.  At other more general social media conferences, this might have been seen as strange.  But at BlogPaws, people got it.  It was just part of the norms created by the culture the event.  And guess what?  It worked. #2 – Book Speakers That Engage With the Community As a speaker, one of the things that bugs me is when speakers are booked for a conference, but only show up for their session, and then skip out as fast as possible.  Sure, sometimes you end up having a busy schedule and have little control over [...]

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Updates on Social Business Strategies & NateRiggs.com

I’m pressed for time and playing catch up. Here’s a short explanation as to why and what you can expect from me in the next few days. Okay?

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