All in People

So many people ask me, "Why does it seem like you know everyone?" Well, my friends, that's very much by design. It’s true that I love people and I love being social. But the new-world rolodex (my social graph) is becoming increasingly valuable to your employer and your clients. Case in point: The other day I was speaking with a friend in a rapidly growing social media tool (look for an interview with him in an upcoming post). He asked, as many do, "Hey, do you know someone who does …" – in this case it was WordPress plug-in development.
Hi. My name is Justice, and I'm FOMO. This means I have a "fear of missing out." This affliction causes me to be “cool hunting” at all times as I try to stay on top of what's breaking in creativity. Think of it like petting the cat in “Dune” to get the serum that will maintain my life. Stupid. Dear Lord, did I really just type that?
I'm torn. One side of me really understands why disenfranchised Americans coalesced under the banner of the Occupy movement. I’m proud of them for asking questions and exploiting the media to take advantage of the platform. I really am. The other shoe drops for me when I see nothing but the loudest, least eloquent protesters at center stage. Not to mention that the "movement" appears to be intolerant of discussion or even agreeing on its key desires. Where's the puritanical manifesto? - This intolerance of so many issues creates confusion, and doesn’t do the Occupy movement any favors.
Most of you don’t know this, but the beta version of Justice was a far cry from the uber-social techno-dweeb you know today. My “once upon a time” took place in Breckenridge, Colo., circa 1977. I was not part of any clique, wasn’t a trust-fund kid, and didn’t have a huge network of homeboys. My funny name didn’t help. And to top it off, I was in educational support classes because I had to play catch-up after starting in Florida’s rudimentary education system.
So yesterday I attended Dan Zarrella's "The Science Of Social Media" that promised just-released secrets to the ways of social media. So I bite. First, things first before I go on a rant about the collapse of the this man's social empire. Dan Zarrella is/was a great mind. He has incredible insight with valuable metrics and information about twitter and Facebook users, and a myriad of other topics. I've quoted him in conversation, I pushed his relationship with Hubspot's services. I still look at Hubspot as a sound leader in the industry with a WEALTH of information that they freely give away. To that I say Hubspot is top-notch – at least at the time of this post. What tomorrow brings remains to be seen.
So while camping this weekend with my mother, partner and friends I learned a great deal about people, marketing and social connectivity. You would think that being "unplugged" is the curse of all curses for people like us, and that how could you possibly get anything tangible from twenty people sitting around a fire, falling into tents and comparing RV leveling tricks. But you can – in spades.