The 2010 User Handbook

by Carolyn Mayo, Vollmer Public Relations President

An old friend recently sent an email with the title of "2010 User Handbook" that not only caught my eye, but my imagination as well. In fact, I wrote about my 10 favorite items from the list in the last issue of Vollocity.

The handbook was reportedly written by an uncle (in this world of cut-and-paste and social networking, one can't ever be sure of its origin.)  However, with so many requests for the full list, I pass along the handbook (with full disclosure) for a happy, healthy and more thoughtful year ahead:

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..

4. Live with the 3 Es -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read more books than you did in 2009.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes’ walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your inner child is always happy. So, be happy.

Social Media in 2010: Getting a Glimpse into What's Next

by Mary Kate Smither, Vollmer Public Relations Dallas

Over the last year, social media has proven its sticking power, demonstrating amazing growth for sites like Twitter and Facebook with Twitter alone achieving 21 million unique monthly visitors this June, a 1,928 percent year-over-year increase according to Nielsen . Most everyone has jumped on the bandwagon in one way or another; whether they're updating  friends through Facebook, tweeting away about the day's activities, sharing videos through YouTube or Digging stories that they find interesting.  Businesses too have recognized the value of social media, using it to promote events, announce products, provide customer service and raise awareness and connect with and educate consumers and media about their services and products.  The past year has truly created a boom of excitement and a new method for meaningful conversations and engagement as the world of social media has expanded beyond the experts into everyday activity for the mainstream population.

Now it's time to take a look into the crystal ball and see where we might be headed with social media in 2010.  The past year has provided some great indicators of what might be next as we've experienced improvements and changes on now mainstream platforms like Facebook and Twitter.  The great wide open space that is social media has begun to narrow as Twitter now offers the ability to create and categorize follower lists.  Likewise, Facebook recently altered its format to help us all wade through our news feeds by prioritizing friends' updates.  The good news for all of us as individuals is that we still have control over how much we see, when and where while being able to sort through the clutter that we don't need.  The even better news for the business world is that by offering this more narrow focus, brands now have the ability to utilize their marketing dollars more effectively than ever by honing in on their exact target audiences or grouping various audiences together for specific messaging.

On the flip side, with the increased use of social media by businesses, PR agencies will be further challenged in 2010 to show clients the value of their social media investments. Professional services such as Cision and Radian6 have added social media monitoring to their offerings.  Likewise, agencies have begun to develop ROI calculators to demonstrate to clients the importance of social media campaigns, Vollmer included.  We've looked at the different ways that we measure media for clients, ranging from interviews secured, relationships developed and the reach of media coverage, to evaluate the ways in which we might also measure our social media campaigns and develop a process for doing so.  Just like the multiple platforms that continue to grow and develop, so will our social media measurement model continue to evolve with the needs of our clients.  While we can see exactly what the future holds, we can know that no matter what it will be an exciting time filled with challenges and new opportunities.

To find out more about more about Vollmer's social media measurement or how to put social media into action for your brand in 2010, contact me at marykate@vollmerpr.com, 972-488-4790 or on Twitter @mksmither.