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RIP #FF

11 May

I’m going out on a limb here and saying that the old twitter hashtag for “Follow Friday” (#FF) is officially dead.

Early on in Twitter’s existence it meant something for people to recommend you on Friday. Follow Friday meant you were among their favorite people to follow on Twitter and everyone should know it. It was beneficial because then users were still trying to find out who to follow that was of any quality.

NOW the only things I see #FF being used for are:

  • Meaningless lists of users (super lazy twitter users, just list their followers in alphabetical order using an automation tool) There is absolutely no reason to follow these people.
  • Other Twitter users list you in the same list every week regardless if you’re still following them or not. What meaning does that carry? Gee thanks for the thought (or lack thereof). It’s just a ploy so gullible people Retweet it and boost that person’s “Klout” (I’ll save my rant on Klout for another time).

Follow Friday used to have meaning. People used to do it with purpose. One of the best ways I’ve seen Follow Friday done is from Michael Perozzo. He would list ten people every week with a specific reason why those people should be followed. The problem with that is there are only so many people you can list before you either repeat people or just give up.

I tried to take that concept a step further and focus on one person in a weekly #FF Blog Post. I quickly fell off that gimmick. C’mon with as infrequently as I blog, did anyone seriously think I could keep that up?

I am officially declaring Follow Friday (#FF) dead. If you happen to stumble upon someone on Twitter that deserves a shout out, don’t wait for Friday to let your followers know. Just tell the world how awesome they are!

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2012 in Follow Friday, Social Media, Twitter

 

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Focus… It’s Not That Easy

30 Apr

I keep to-do lists, use project management calendars, write out notes, use Evernote, label my emails according to subject and star them in order of importance. I know what needs to be done, but sometimes it’s still hard to focus.

I’m becoming aware of my productivity “black holes” and the results aren’t too promising. I’ve reduced the amount of television that I’m watching. I use to do nothing but watch TV in my free time, but now I only watch what I have recorded on my TiVo. That only equates to about 2-3hrs a night and most of the time I have a second screen in front of me (phone or laptop) trying to get my list of things to do, accomplished.

A large drain on my time is spent sitting on Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, I can’t give those up as easily as I can reduce television consumption. The bulk of my income is dependent on scanning what’s happening online and responding to it. A bigger chunk of it is coming up with online content for clients. I might be surfing along, see something completely unrelated and chase after that for 5-10 minutes. Each little spurt of distraction can add up. I end up spending longer online which results in even more distractions… it’s a vicious cycle.

Regaining productivity is a slow process for me, but I’m finding little ways here and there to regain life and get shit done. A lot of it for me is to be aware of what I’m doing and ask myself, “Is this going to benefit me and my career in some way?” If the answer is no, I quickly get back on task.

My mind is a constant dialogue of thoughts. I’ve greatly increased my thought process and creativity through floating and Alpha Brain. I’ve even fallen off track with that lately. Perhaps my focus will be restored with a nice long session in a float tank. I definitely need to get back in the gym, that was a great release for me.

Am I alone in this issue? What are some of your methods for staying on task?

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2012 in Random Thoughts

 

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Why I Foursquare….

15 Apr

Foursquare Day - Portland, ORI’ve been a Foursquare user for nearly 3 years now. In fact I joined foursquare as a result of the very first Foursquare Day back in 2010. I didn’t join on that specific day, but there was so much chatter about it on twitter that I finally gave in a few days afterwards.

I’ve always likened myself as an early adopter. Except for iProducts, I refuse to pay extra for something that I can find in an alternate version for less. Anyways…

Coincidentally enough the marketing company that I began working for in 2011, ZZoom Media, are the ones who host Foursquare Day every year. Naturally I was excited to be a part of it. For some people Foursquare Day is about connecting with friends. For me, I love Foursquare Day because it’s a time to showcase local businesses and establish a sense of community. Rarely is there every an opportunity to have your business advertised to a worldwide audience for free.

That’s my main goal in helping organize Foursquare Day in Portland, OR. To me, it’s about highlighting the local coffee shops who offer “Candied Bacon Lattes.” It’s about driving traffic to the local pizza franchisee during a slow time in the day. It’s a chance for businesses with little to no marketing budget be heard in the city of Portland.

This year will be extra exciting as my alma mater, Portland State University, will be hosting a unique Foursquare Day Trail! All throughout the day, students will have a chance to check-in at various campus locations for exclusive deals. Also, Pizza Schmizza is giving away free slices of pizza during 2-6pm, Float On (a sensory deprivation tank center) will be offering 90 minute sessions for HALF OFF, Portland Kickstarter project Blurble will also be on hand for a live demonstration, and finally my buddy Paul at Dragon Brand Martial Arts is running a sweet trial membership for foursquare users to learn self-defense for two whole months!

This year should be the biggest gathering of Foursquare users in Portland.
If you’re going to be at Whiffies Fried Pies tomorrow at 6pm, I would like to meet you!
If you already know me say hi, let’s catch up on what we’ve been up to this year.

 
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Posted by on April 15, 2012 in PSU, Social Media, Websites

 

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UPDATE: Derek Wyatt is Still Alive!

04 Apr

I’ve been busy lately…

Busy enough to have neglected my own personal website, derekWwyatt.com. Truth be told, I didn’t even realize I was neglecting my blog until I checked an old email account the other day and saw an email from my friend, Lia Hollander. I think Lia sent me an email to that account due to it being connected to my LinkedIn account. Are you seeing a trend? I’ve been slacking on updating my own personal presence on the web. I’ve been active on Facebook and Twitter so those who are connected to me there pretty much know what’s going on in my life. Lia made the decision almost a year ago to “toss out Twitter and Facebook.” While it wasn’t a decision that I quite agree with, I couldn’t judge. Anyone with the strength to give up social networks and live life the old fashioned way has a power I wish I was able to possess.

Her email did make me realize the importance of personal blog updates because not everyone in my life follows everything I do online. It was a good reminder to bring things back to my online home and update people so they can get the full rundown on what I’ve been up to. So here it is… a blog update on what I’ve been up to for the last few months:

First off, I’ve taken the time to further develop relationships and connect with people in a more professional realm. Through the use of social media and email I’ve made a bond that has shifted my focus into a different direction. After meeting the Founder of Float On, Graham Talley, we decided that with our combined business knowledge we should start up a consulting business together. This isn’t your typical consulting business, this is CAKE – Consulting and Knowledge Exchange.

CAKE was created out of the observation that there was a lot of crappy business advice being passed down to entrepreneurs. Our advice isn’t the absolute solution to be followed, but we do take great care in making sure what we share is tested and scrappy. We’d never recommend an entrepreneur to go into debt to start a business. Instead, we’d offer up some alternatives to financing and ways to market businesses on a budget.

To be served a slice of “CAKE” you can meet with us every Wednesday at 6pm either in person or via our Livestream page. Visit our website to find out where CAKE will be held next! We don’t believe in networking events or one-on-one consulting. CAKE is about utility and sharing knowledge through a workshop environment. The first hour of CAKE is the presentation of our lesson plan. During the second hour we collaborate with a business owner and as a group workshop their venture. CAKE has been growing significantly every week and we’re excited to be meeting with and helping so many business owners in the Portland area. OH, I almost forgot to mention, we serve actual edible cake at every meeting. Think of our meeting more like business parties! Be a part of some delicious business knowledge by giving CAKE a “LIKE” on Facebook.

As far as other parts of my life… I’m still creating online awesomeness with ZZoom Media. We’ve grown tremendously as a team and have landed some key clients that has made work a blast to go to every day. Follow our awesome Facebook page and know what we’re up to. I’ve decided that I’m so opinionated in Martial Arts, that I’ve consolidated all of my Martial Arts persona into the MartialArtsCalendar.com. You can follow my Martial Arts thoughts on Twitter at @MartialArtsCal. I also shared MMA news through the Martial Arts Calendar’s Facebook Page. Why so many online personalities? Mainly because when I do dive into an account, I’d scare off most of my friends with how passionate I get.

Aside from professionally, personally I’m married to the best woman in the world. Without her support, I couldn’t do all of the stuff that I listed above. When I’m taking breathers from work, her and I are running around playing with our rambunctious 2 year old… or watching Thomas the Train. He’s a useful engine, you know!

Anywho, I’ll make an attempt to update my blog a little more frequently.
Until then, you know where to find me…

 
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Posted by on April 4, 2012 in Business, CAKE, Facebook, Friends, Martial Arts, Social Media, Websites

 

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Most Read Blog Posts of 2011

27 Dec

I’ve been seeing people list their “most read” blog posts for 2011 and in typical copycat fashion, I’m going to do it too! Except I didn’t blog that much in 2011. Not as much as I had hoped so I’m not going to post a top 10. I’m just sticking with a simple top 5. The countdown begins…

#5 – I thought the Facebook “On This Day in 2010″ feature was dumb, until I saw this…

A simple reminder from Facebook to not forget the little things in life. A little thanks goes out to Facebook and one of their under appreciated tests they were running.

 

 

#4 – When Personal Brands and Corporate Brands Conflict

Branding FailA funny example of something that I had to be reminded of later on in the year. When your personal interests may conflict with your corporate strategy. Lesson to be learned, “don’t judge people by who they are online.”

 

 

#3 – May the Floats Be With You!


This year I have taken a goal to accomplishing things off of my life’s “to do list”. One of those things was to try floating in an isolation tank. Little did I know this “to do” would change my world. Not only have I fallen in love with floating, but a business opportunity has come up between an owner of Float On, Graham Talley, and myself. More on that in the next few weeks…

 
 
#2 – Taco Bell Fail
taco bell failed Facebook post

When controversy hits your company, don’t make silly Facebook posts leaving open a potential can of worms… (can worms be considered meat?)

 
 

 

 

#1 – Full Sail Brewing: Social Media Success! – UPDATE

When two of my favorite worlds (social media and beer) collide, I get super excited. So much in fact, that I had to blog about it! People seemed to like this blog. It was read nearly four times more than the second place blog. The best part about this blog is after I first posted it, I was able to get a twitter response from Full Sail, which of course is the reason for the UPDATE. :-)

 

 

No resolutions. No goals. I AM going to blog more in 2012. I have to make a habit of it for work, personal and business.

 
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Posted by on December 27, 2011 in Business, Fail, Family, Marketing, Retail, Social Media, Twitter

 

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