Energy, Ideas, Generosity

Kansas gets a lot of tornados, one of them is Lisa Qualls. She is a good kind of tornado, the kind that gets people moving, sees the positive in most any situation, and is full of energy. Qualls helped organize the Kansas City tweet up during our SxSw road trip. The people who helped organize these seemingly spur of the moment events during our road trip posses these three qualities

Lisa Qualls of Fresh ID from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

1) Energy – yes I know you are a wife, parent, running a business, president of an 1100+ member social media club (insert any one of a dozen responsibilities here), but you still have a few more ounces left for another project, community event, or road trip guest. Thanks

2) Ideas – Oh sure everyone has them, but truly some are better than others. When someone says there are no bad ideas, they are being nice. Innovators have their share of bad ideas, most of the time they quickly recognize them or are smart enough to listen to others who vet them, but innovators have a way of molding an isolated idea into a vision of something. In Lisa’s case one of those visions is Twitterface which is web-based application that allows you to integrate real-time media with online conversations. Her molding skills are being put to the test as the the product is under going a name change to better reflect the true power of the platform….you can learn more about this innovative product incorporating live or recorded video and real-time conversations in my podcast interview I had with Lisa in March.

3) Generosity – Sometimes I think that generosity is the tangible side of faith. Faith that everything will work out just fine. Innovators, the kind that I’ve met in social media circles have no problems with giving their time, ideas, energy, to some community down the street or across the globe. They expect nothing in return, see this is the faith part and that’s what makes them enriching people to be around. Among those Lisa mentions among the innovators in Kansas City are Spiral 16 a sentiment and social media monitoring company and Meers Advertising

Who are the catalysts in your community, and that community can be an online community or one in your town?

Remember every comment on this blog will generate a food item for a St. Paul food shelter.

Social networks can be organic, they can form based on the desire of two people and grow from there. It’s up to the desires of the group. The key that turns a group that grows organically to a dynamic organization is leadership. When there is leadership, meetings become events, individuals know who to turn for action, and success begets success.

Community Catalysts Part 2 – Rick Mahn and SMBMSP from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

The Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul is a grassroots local group for the most part, although there are many folks not from the Minneapolis area participating as online members and tune into the monthly programs being streamed online. Rick Mahn is an IT consultant by training and practice, helping large organizations address technology issues. Over his career however, he noticed that technology is an enabler, not necessarily a solution. This brought him to social media as the bridge between enablement and action. He started the Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter and triggered a human chain reaction in Minneapolis that has made the Social Media Breakfast monthly meeting a sought after ticket and a regular staple for hundreds in this community.

To be sure, there are many who contribute their time and talent to the community. Mykl Roventine is a go to person who has developed the web presence for SMBMSP and Brad Bellaver and Phil Wilson are regular contributors to the community with podcasts and just helping when and where it’s needed. Mahn also gives a tip of the hat to Christopher and Mary Lower for their social media innovation aligning off-line and on-line aspects of an apartment community. See that’s the leadership part. I mentioned at the Social Media Breakfast event at South by Southwest, that there are any number of people and organizations willing to pitch in with talent, time or dollars to help the organization fulfill the needs of the community. Companies see the benefits of being part of this community, Best Buy and Verizon Wireless are sponsors of some events. Verizon Wireless also supported my coverage of South by Southwest which included this series on social media innovators. That is the leadership part which is the difference between a casual group and a thriving organization. It is a recurring theme in this series on social media innovators of the Midwest.

The Social Media Breakfast was started in Boston by Bryan Person and has grown to nearly 40 communities holding Social Media Breakfast events.

Here are my keys to a thriving community

1. 1) leadership
2. 2) programming (some structure other than a reason to drink coffee or beer)
3. 3) open access to engage with the community (not hierarchical)
4. 4) tools and forums (central points for engagement online and off)
5. 5) learning and/or networking related to professional or personal enrichment (financial/intellectual/emotional)

I pose this question to those who participate in these type of communities what do you think makes them thrive?

I’ve travelled around the country meeting with plenty of people from online communities. Some are individuals I’ve met for the first time on Twitter, Facebook, Friend Feed etc. etc. etc. Others I’ve met for the first time in person. As a long time marketer I know getting people out of their routine to attend some event is one of the most difficult tasks of the profession. Whether it’s a political rally, a non-profit fundraising event, or a simple Tweet-up, the commitment of time let alone the energy to engage in conversation is among the most demanding on one’s busy schedule.

So when I see a group come together just to be with each other there is usually a person or two who acts as a catalyst. Catalyst, you know from high school chemistry it’s “a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.” Or a person or thing that precipitates an event or change. How about this definition from dictionary.com a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic. Yeah, that’s the one.

There is a phrase, “make time” which is usually attributed to people that can be found helping everywhere, or who are focused to the point where they can bring about change, their own or for someone else. They just make time.

Now some will say that a super organized person is able to make time because they are so efficient. I don’t buy that. Sure organization is helpful, but the people who are catalysts usually make time by getting to bed later, getting up earlier, taking the dog on shorter walks, giving the kids a Cliff Notes version of their bedtime stories and plenty of other anecdotes that involve sacrifice. The places that have energetic events usually have a catalyst or two to spread their chemical energies and watch the reaction. You just need to see the discussion at the wichita Tweet up about network marketing to see the chemistry.

In this segment of Social Media Innovators of the Midwest we feature Cindy Kelly, also know as WichitaCindy on Twitter.

@WichitaCindy Catalyst For A Dynamic Community from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

This series was produced as part of my SxSw Roadtrip sponsored by Verizon Wireless who is also involved in many social media communities like Social Media Breakfast MSP, Social Media Breakfast Des Moines, and Mobile Twin Cities.

This series, Social Media Innovators in the Midwest, profiles several business communicators in the Midwest, a place where innovation that’s practical gets high marks. I developed it in part because I believe that innovation is not limited to the few, or the brightest, but is born along a path of experience. Some on that path challenge convention to create innovation, some are innovative within the parameters of convention. The latter may well be a more difficult feat.

On my road trip to the South by SouthwestInteractive Festival, I thought of the enormous collection of ideas, opinions, and individuals that social media presents to our society. As a consultant in this field I’ve established relationships with many of them who are generous with the time and experiences. This makes everyone richer, which is recycled as others build upon and expand the conversation, keeping the community nourished.

Nathan Wright Social Media Innovator in the Midwest from Albert Maruggi on Vimeo.

I decided to turn the camera on a few of these individuals during this 3,000 mile journey from Minneapolis, through Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, and Wichita, to ask three general questions.

1) Why are you participating in social media?

2) Have we seen all the benefits social media can provide or are there more?

3) What types of innovation have your seen in the Midwest?

I hope you enjoy their commentary and this series, contribute to enrich the path, and share these videos as you see fit.

Nathan T. Wright – Lava Row

Nathan Wright, founder of the firm Lava Row, has his foundation in advertising, but saw the potential of incorporating social media to achieve business objectives for clients. Follow Nathan on Twitter as @nathantwright

Nathan has the perspective of small business and large corporations which is typical of the dynamic of the Midwest. Des Moines is home to high finance and agriculture, a fairly wide spectrum that gives Nathan a good view about the practical applications of technology.