This is the audio from my talk A Year of Visibility at BarCampLA-5 on March 1, 2008.
One of the most important career moves you can make today is to “Show people what you do and how well you do it!” This call for visibility began in 2008 and continues as one of the main tenets of my carer building to this day.
Books on Hold is a blog series dedicated to books I have seen in passing and requested from my local library. See more in the series at the end of this blog post. — Douglas
“If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral?
Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger has spent the last decade answering these questions. He’s studied why New York Times articles make the paper’s own Most E-mailed List, why products get word of mouth, and how social influence shapes everything from the cars we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children. In this book, Berger reveals the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission. Discover how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos.
Contagious combines groundbreaking research with powerful stories. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheese-steak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the seemingly most boring products there is: a blender. If you’ve wondered why certain stories get shared, e-mails get forwarded, or videos go viral, Contagious explains why, and shows how to leverage these concepts to craft contagious content. This book provides a set of specific, actionable techniques for helping information spread—for designing messages, advertisements, and information that people will share. Whether you’re a manager at a big company, a small business owner trying to boost awareness, a politician running for office, or a health official trying to get the word out, Contagious will show you how to make your product or idea catch on.”
We were happy to visit with Douglas E. Welch today on The Bigg Success Show today. Douglas is an expert on building the career you deserve and spreading the word about your talents using social media. Among other things, he’s the host of two great blogs and podcasts: Career Opportunities and Careers in New Media. Here’s a recap of the conversation:
I was invited to join this site, Happify, which seeks to help you build more happiness into your life in a variety of ways. Since it is beta right now, you can only join via invite. It just so happens, though, that I have 5 invites to give away.
Here is some more info on Happify…
At Happify, we’re on top of all the latest cutting-edge research. And it’s that research that informs the interactive, science-based online experience we’ve developed for you — to teach you the skills of happiness. Optimism, self-confidence, gratitude, hope, compassion, purpose, empathy – these are all qualities that anyone can own.
You just have to learn how. And doing so will change your life.
Add you comment below about why you would like an invite to Happify and I will send them out on a random basis. Make sure to include your appropriate email address so I can send you the invite.
Al Roker talks about getting started in his career and some of his best advice for anyone building a career. It is great that he says some things that I say all the time to people and in my writing, too.
Books on Hold is a blog series dedicated to books I have seen in passing and requested from my local library. See more in the series at the end of this blog post. — Douglas
“In a world where you can no longer plan or predict your way to success, how can you achieve your most important goals? It’s a daunting question. But in today’s environment, where change is the only constant, it’s a question everyone must answer. This is true whether you are an innovator or an entrepreneur, a manager or a newly minted graduate.
The first step, say the authors of this book, is this: “Just start.” In other words, take action now and learn as you go.
Written by a trio of seasoned business leaders, Just Start combines fascinating research with proven practices to deliver a reliable method for helping you advance toward your goals—despite the uncertainty that is all too common today. Babson College President Leonard Schlesinger, organizational learning expert Charles Kiefer, and veteran journalist Paul B. Brown share their own deep and varied experiences and draw from a source where striving amid constant uncertainty actually works: the world of serial entrepreneurship. In this world, people don’t just think differently—they act differently, as well.”
A conversation with Andrea McClain, owner of M Street Coffee (http://mstreetcoffee.com) in Sherman Oaks, California. Recorded for CareerCamp Online 2009. We talk about Andrea’s career path and the challenges of running your own business and being an entrepreneur.
In today’s career world, you must be responsible for all aspects of your career including producing your own content, promoting that content and being constantly proactive in building the career you deserve.