Shay on Words

a policy of digital isolationism...

2010-07-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

So, the last time I counted, I had 6 email addresses, 4 social networking profiles, 2 phones, 2 Youtube channels and 1 website. Needless to say, I find myself struggling to stay on top of the constant flow of likes, dislikes, posts, messages, tweets and email with reasonable frequency. So what is the solution - should I adopt a policy of digital isolationism and check out? Do I stop responding? Well, this did not work very well with junkmail or telemarketers as they still found me. I should probably come up with a plan.

I will begin by having more to say - less often. Isn't it better to say nothing and leave'em guessing than it is to comment for the sake of keeping content updated? When we think of the way we used to communicate, people would wait for days to receive a letter to be delivered by a courier. Countries waited to find out if they were going to war, women didn't know if they were being married off....I think my friends and followers can wait a little longer to hear my latest rant.

Life in the digital age has created a sense of urgency to know what is happening at all times and to communicate what we are doing at all times, but has our quality of life improved as a result? In some instances, yes. I want to know immediately if a water main has ruptured in my neighborhood, but I don't need to know what my neighbor bought on sale as she was purchasing it, nor do I need to stumble upon the finale of LOST, before I have a chance to watch the episode and find out for myself.

I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to being constantly bombarded with messages. A little vacation or a temporary policy of digital isolationism could serve as a welcome reprieve.

Are dollars from the enemy a blessing or a necessary evil?

2010-06-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

At 4:53 this afternoon, it occurred to me that the day had flown by and it was time to say hasta manana, only to return tomorrow for more desk side debauchery. I wandered to the other side of the cubicle wall to say good-bye to my co-workers and they were engaged in an interesting conversation. Something about corporate logos on a nonprofit's website and the message they send to visitors.

Apparently, the bright, bold logos for Frito Lay and Kentucky Fried Chicken are featured on the Susan G. Komen For the Cure website. And of course because these companies have donated significantly to the organization they are featured on the Million Dollar Council Elite page - a little donor recognition isn't a crime.

This makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, it seems logical that the organization is recognizing the corporate social responsibility of these major donors and letting people who benefit from the research or programs that Susan G. Komen supports know about them. Right?

However, they are also promoting brands of foods that contain chemicals and products that may lead to unhealthy living and increase the chances of breast cancer among an already at-risk population.

So what should Susan G. Komen For the Cure do? I discussed this with a few colleagues today and one of the women, shared that her mother lost her battle with breast cancer at an early age, and she felt that this was contradictory to the work that the organization is trying to do. She begged the question, "Why is the organization essentially endorsing products that lead to high-blood pressure, obesity and unhealthy living? These things endanger the women they are trying to help."

Well, I turned to our other colleague and she disagreed. Wow - did she disagree! She felt that the foods produced by these labels could be consumed in moderation and the organization trusted people to make their own choices. If these companies wanted to assuage their guilt and repair some of the damage they have done by putting unhealthy foods on the market then so be it. These companies needed to be educated and engaged too, just like the average consumer. While they were still selling unhealthy foods, many seemed to be creating alternative menus and trying to present healthier options, "They need time to completely change their lines of business. it won't happen overnight," she said.

She had a point, fast, cheap, junkfood allowed them to make millions so they can now give to the organization right? The first voice chimed in again and asked - "At what cost? If they hadn't made millions selling unhealthy food - would the country be healthier? "

I of course played the moderator for the discussion and when the two reached an impasse, I re-assured them that they both presented compelling arguments. But after the conversation, I was left a little jilted. Are dollars from the enemy a blessing or a necessary evil?

What do you think?

Rethink it....

2010-05-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

My husband recently went with a friend to a Harley Davidson dealership. Mom – if you are reading, don’t be alarmed. We are not getting a motorcycle. Now, why anyone in their right mind would ride on something with substantially less metal around them than the SUVs they share the road with, I may never know. That is another topic for another post.

So the guys walked into the dealership and they were greeted by a sign that read "SAVE THE TATAS" in bright pink letters. Just digest that for a minute.

Yes, it read save the tatas. When I heard this, I immediately concluded that Harley ventured into a co-branding effort with Hooter’s restaurants or maybe Champion sports bras to attract female riders (for all of you marketers – I heard that women are the fastest growing segment of riders). Needless to say, my assessment was a little off.

As I later learned, the sign is part of an edgy campaign to increase awareness among young men and women about breast cancer. It seems that traditional vehicles are not reaching the 250,000 women under 40 who have breast cancer. The sign is akin to another campaign from Rethink Breast Cancer that features a video called "Save the Boobs."

If you haven’t seen the actual video, it features a voluptuous, young woman in a bikini strolling poolside as a swarm of young male onlookers fixate on her. The voiceover tells the audience that they “know they like them.” Then just when the viewer thinks the ad will feature a car or a hamburger, it abruptly stops and issues a call to action - end breast cancer.

Rethink is using what naturally appeals to people to get their attention – sex - because let’s face it - it does. We have a physiological response to things of a suggestive nature and we likely have an emotional response too. That emotional response may inspire men to be more concerned about the women they care for and the women who have taken care of them (girlfriends, wives, mothers, sisters).

For the most part it seems that it's not that offensive - we see women wearing less on television shows, don't we? I do wonder how society would respond to a bold, suggestive campaign to fight prostate cancer? Can you imagine where they would take it? I predict that we won’t see this anytime soon because women’s bodies seem easier to objectify, again another topic for another post. In the meantime, read about the ad campaign and rethink it.

"I manage social media" she says...

2010-05-18T07:30:00.001-07:00

"I manage social media," she says. The question is, does she manage social media? Does she know what that means? Do I really know what that means? This is a taste of a recent conversation I had with a prospective intern.

With my growing responsibilities and shrinking schedule, I have been looking for someone, perhaps an ambitious, energetic Gen Y'er to help execute our digital strategy. Those of you who share this responsibility know how time-consuming this can be. I sense that we are all in agreement that social media is a must in the nonprofit and social marketing world. Before we were posting on facebook and tweeting - we had very few ways of garnering some immediate feedback. Social networking allows us to reach new audiences and build armies of brand ambassadors. With that said, if you don't have the right person supporting these efforts you could be tweeting yourself into a dark, quiet corner where no one is talking about your brand or worse, your cause. Simply - you aren't recruiting anyone.

Trust. It all starts with trust. Perhaps a college co-ed may have wonderful ideas to grow your online presence, but maturity and discretion are not attributes that are boldly stated on one's resume. You must know that you are able to trust a new team member before imparting such responsibility, right? So the question is - what does it mean to manage social media? What do you think? Is it more about know-how or discretion?

Perhaps it's a fine blend of both.

Stay mindful....

2010-05-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

It's the morning rush hour and along with hundreds of other commuters, you are sitting on the metro. Everyone around you is busy ...or trying to look busy. They are focused on the most recent headlines or checking their email, maybe texting to catch up before they get to the office. Imagine that you stood up and announced to this group of people that your company has awarded a grant for a community program. If anyone bothers to look up at you, you are met with blank stares that imply - why are you interrupting me with this? Why would I care? Well, all too often communicators do the same thing and social media has just created a new place for us to do it to more people, more often.

In a sea of clutter, Chris Brogan, social marketing strategist, has made sense again. He is telling us to stay mindful about the quality of what we push out and to keep it relevant. Check this out and stay mindful.

Stay Mindful

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"Surprise, we are rebuilding your house"

2010-05-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

"The alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. - I got dressed, grabbed some coffee and headed out to help suprise a deserving family in Hyattsville. In a long procession of buses, cars, local law enforcement and the whole celebrity cast and crew, we made our way down the street.

Along with several builders, the United Way staff and hundreds of volunteers stood in the distance as ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition let a special family know that their dream had come true - their home was going to be rebuilt in 7 days! United Way of the National Capital Area received an overwhelming response from friends and supporters, literally thousands of people wanted to volunteer. It was an incredible chance to highlight our new fitness and nutrition program Fun, Fly & Fit - a new program that fights childhood obesity in the nation's capital. It was an incredible experience that brought, neighbors forward to help neighbors.

Businesses and sponsors all made this a reality for a little charter school and a lovely family that thought they were forgotten. When they saw the finished product they realized that many someones remembered them and decided to lend a hand to make it possible.

Living united in our nation's capital

2010-05-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

On December 19, 2008, two months before my wedding, I checked online to review the status of my vendors. My personalized wedding website told me that the photographer, florist, printer and the caterer all received their deposits and signed contracts. All things held equal, my husband-to-be and I would continue to save and pay the remainder of our enormous debt at the time of our wedding. Just moments after reviewing our wedding related debt, panic set in. That morning, I learned that I lost my job. My financial stability, my basic living expenses everything seemed overwhelming.

Along with thousands of Americans I was looking for work. I always had a strong sense of empathy for those people - you know the sad people you pass on the street. They are cold, they are hungry, they are homeless. I always wonder how life on the streets became their fate. I now understand that without education, income and health, we could all be moments away from desperation?

During my job search, I came across an opportunity to help people, people just like me, but without the resources to advance beyond their circumstances. Without families, without severance, without advanced degrees. In March 2009, I started working with United Way, an organization that believes education, income and health are the building blocks of a good life.

Within the first few months, I helped build a marketing and communications department. I established an online presence for the organization. In the midst of many other pressing priorities we had to find people where they were gathering.

We recruited former Washington Post columnist and radio personality, Bob Levey, to jumpstart this effort. Within a few months, where there once was no presence now two blogs, an active facebook page, a twitter account and a you tube channel were quickly up and running. I tried to do it with some true focus and I continue to keep our channels full of interesting user generated content. I took pride in using my role to help area residents lead a better quality of life. In keeping with the national United Way brand, I infused the tone and feel of the LIVE UNITED campaign into our 2009-2010 campaign materials and in an advertorial featured in the Washington Post Express (visit December 16, 2009 issue (pages 16-24). I was fortunate enough to land in a stable place and now it was my turn to give back.

A year with diabetes....

2010-04-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Contrary to the title of this entry fortunately, I did not live with diabetes for a year. Rather, I spent a year learning about the disease and equipping myself with the tools to fight what I thought was an inevitable diagnosis. Growing up, I watched my mother, my grandmother and my aunts struggle with type 2 diabetes and I have often asked myself "Will I be a statistic?" I chose to fight fate and joined the droves of people fighting diabetes at the American Diabetes Association (ADA). From January through December 2008, I lead the government affairs and advocacy division at ADA in communicating about their work. My experience began with an influential press briefing on Capitol Hill to reveal the devastating economic toll of diabetes and a cost calculator tool that illustrated the actual breakdown per state. The country's leading voices in the fight against diabetes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, educated the country about the true cost of diabetes. Just a few months later, I rallied the same influential leaders to lead hundreds of volunteers in lobbying their Members of Congress. The halls of Congress were filled with the stories of people living and thriving with diabetes.

Just months later, I shared the groundbreaking news that the American Diabetes Association helped secure passage of the ADA Amendments Act, a true victory for people with disabilities and chronic conditions like diabetes. While Congress passed this influential bill, parents were still struggling to keep children Safe At School by arguing that unlicensed personnel should be able to administer insulin in the absence of a school nurse. Several California nurse groups brought suit seeking to prevent this care from taking place, despite the severe shortage of nurses in the state. Children like my dearest childhood friend, were caught in the middle of this legal battle. My year of exploring diabetes and giving so many patients a voice came to an end in December 2008. Unfortunately, the Association had to reduce staffing levels and I was among those who were affected, but I vowed to continue my work in the health arena. I kept that promise by going to United Way of the National Capital Area and promoting the work of health and human service agencies throughout the greater Washington area.

*writing samples can be found at the links above.