Today I met Kathy Harrington and had the chance to learn about Lindsay’s story.

If you want to understand why I’m running Dash for Donation, and why I believe this is important, please watch this video.  It’s a little over 6 minutes in length and I think it’s important that you watch the whole story:

Dash for Donation takes place in Columbus on July 10th, 2010, with a start time of 7 a.m. It features a 1/2 marathon run, a 5K run/walk, a 1K fun walk and a kids and mascots dash .

I’m doing the half, but there’s a race fro just about every level of training. You can even walk if you like.  If you are up for it, you can register HERE for the race. But even if you can’t race, will you please sign up to Donate Life?

Will you stand with me?

And I’m back.

Thanks to all of you who tweeted, commented and left personal messages over the past three days, in support of my family and me, as we said goodbye to Maka.  The service was truly beautiful.  The music was outstanding and I know Maka would have been in tears at the sound of the St. Matthew’s Woman’s Chorus (which my Aunt Jane leads), as well as the Epworth United Methodist Choir, which Maka founded and led for 32 years.

My brother, Nick, Uncle Dale and the pastor, who served with Maka at Epworth, all told wonderful stories about her life and the gifts she gave of herself.  I think Maka would have taken comfort in knowing that a church full of people shared laughter and smiles, as we recalled some of the moments of her life.  My Maka was an entertainer.  Laughter is what she would have wanted it.

One of the most moving moments for my family and I was seeing the Epworth Choir sing for her one last time.  Marie, now the conductor, took her old role as the accompanist as the choir stood in front of the Maka’s casket and sang their hearts out.  All of us could see her there, keeping time with the circular motion of her arms.  It was beautiful, and it’s how I will always remember my Maka.

Getting Back in the Game

It’s amazing how much can happen in a 72-hour period.  I was honored to have a video posted by Darren Rowse on the Problogger How To Blog Series this past Friday.  I look up to Darren and have found numerous tips and tricks from reading his posts.  Have you subscribed to Problogger yet?

This week is going to be slammed with projects in the air, including the following:

• Getting ready for the Ohio Growth Summit 2010.  I’ve been working with Mike Bowers and Tonya Wilson on the strategy for online presence building.  Special props need to be given to Gina Bericchia for taking the lead on execution of the project.  She’s a talented up-and-comer you should be watching.  A lot of what you are going to see for #OGS10 will be her work.  I’ll be building what might be the largest Brand YOU panel yet, as well as working on a presentation to show small business owners a massive list of technology tools that can impact their business.
• Preparing a big talk and panel at the Ohio University Schey Sales Symposium.  A group of students and faculty at OU (as well as myself) have been working to develop a strategy for the event by building a Human Business Team.  You’ll hear more about these talented folks soon, but they are totally rocking it on execution!  Check out the blog they are building.  It’s good work.
• Preparing a webinar in partnership with Conference Plus.  The topic?  B2B Blogging 101:  How to Use Your Blog to Drive Traffic to Your Online Event.  Ironic, huh.
• Catching up work with clients including Brainzooming and Ft Hays State University, Residential Finance, Incept and Audio Messaging Solutions.  Doesn’t seem like a big list, but when you play both the roles of CEO and the janitor, your time gets scarce.
• Beginning Phase Two changes on my blog.  Deeper pages.  Tweaking conversion points.  Trying new experiments.  Measuring.  Experimenting again.  Do you see the cycle?
• Writing more blog posts, because I literally have a back log of ideas I want to share with you.  Hopefully I’ll get one more out today.
• Digging into a new project with Neal Roberts, Joe Bilyk and a few others.  I’ve not talked about our ideas yet, but I think you might be surprised by this one.  It really has nothing to do with social media, but everything to do with building communities.  Can you guess what it is?

That’s my list for the beginning of this week.  What’s yours?  What are you working on?

Sometimes you write a blog for personal reasons.  I shot this video last week on a drive back from Lakeview, Ohio.  I shot it because I wasn’t sure how to process what was going on – and because I remembered something important.

P.S. Don’t make a habit of shooting video while driving.  Definitely not my best idea, in terms of safety.

Maka (Dorothy Riggs) passed away late Tuesday afternoon after a year-long battle with a bad heart valve.  She fought like hell.  My Maka always did.  But in the end, God decided to call her to come home.

I miss her.  I wish I would have made more time to spend with her in the recent years.  I wish I would have done so many things differently.  I think that after someone you love is gone, that’s probably always one of the feelings you’re left with.

About Maka

Maka loved music and people.  She spent the majority of her adult life directing the church choir at Epworth United Methodist Church in Massillon, Ohio.  She was never paid a wage for her time and she probably wouldn’t have taken it anyway.  Teaching and leading people in worship music was her gift to to the people she so loved and, I think, her way of giving a small gift back to God.  When we say goodbye to her on Saturday, the choir she so loved – along with the choir my Aunt Jane conducts – will send her off with serenades of her favorite songs.

That makes me feel good.

My brother and I come from a split home.  We went through tough times as kids.  Any of you who lived that scenario know exactly what I’m talking about.  We used to look forward to every time Maka would pick us up to “do lunch.”  We would start at McDonald’s or Wendy’s, or any local spot that seemed to make sense, then head to a movie (complete with a trip to the arcade), and spend the time in the car listening to stories and singing the songs she would teach us.  Maka had a beautiful voice and a true talent as a storyteller.

Maka was also a sender of postcards.  I always enjoyed getting the handwritten postcard about twice a month, with an update on her and Paka (the name we call my grandfather), and just a simple note to remind us how much she cared.  I think the local Cracker Barrel (where she usually bought them) must have made a fortune on her.  For Maka, those postcards were her Twitter.

Maka never really made it to the web and, in fact, I’m pretty sure that this blog post might be the only presence that Maka will ever have on the internet.  I’m taking some comfort in knowing that someday, when Kaden and Jacob are older and want to remember their great grandmother, I can reference this post and give them my own take on who she was.

I have so many stories about Maka.  There’s so much more to who she was and how special she was to my brother and I, and our entire family.  But those stories are for us, and we’ll spend the next few days together remembering and retelling them, crying, eating, crying some more, eating some more, and finding closure as we say goodbye.

Thank You for Understanding

Thank you for understanding why I needed to write this here.  I have no idea why it works this way, but writing my thoughts on this blog often helps me to reflect and process what’s going through my head.  It just does.

Thank you for understanding that for the next few days, you’re not going to hear much from me in the realm of social media.  I’ll be with Maka and my family.

Thank you for being patient.  I owe a good amount of you emails, documents, contracts and attention.  I know you understand, and will be flexible with the deadlines we’ve set.

I’m human.  Thank you for being human too.

I’m pressed for time and playing catch up.  Here’s a short explanation as to why and what you can expect from me in the next few days.  Okay?

If you can’t see the video, watch it here.

I’ll be back on Wednesday and sporting a set of new digs.  I want to send many thanks to the ever-talented Mr. Joe Payton and my friends and partners at Ecommerce, Inc. I’ve been playing around in the new setup today and can’t wait to show you what they’ve built.  It’s pretty kick-ass!

What do you think?  Will you stay tuned as I take a regularly scheduled programming break?

Most people are surprised when they learn I love listening to bluegrass music.

I guess it’s something about the speedy melodies and thick harmonies that rings with me.  I dig the culture, too. Following bluegrass, jam bands and festivals comes with a certain set of community guidelines.  While there are no formal rules, people tend to respect each other, stay friendly and enjoy celebrating the music in vast company.

About three weeks ago, I had the chance to once again experience the music.

In a group about 19 strong, we made our way to the Yonder Mountain String Band show at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion.  All of us fans.  All of us friends.  All of us together, finding release through our love of the music.  While sipping a bourbon at the balcony bar, I noticed my friends and fellow entrepreneurs Joe Bilyk, of Luna Studios, and Matt Dopkiss, of Dynamit.  They, too, were finding release, and it was great to find a commonality that I wasn’t aware of before.

Finding Release
Over the past few weeks, the show and conversation has reminded me about the importance of finding release.  The word finding is used intentionally because I know now that we must be proactive in our mindset and efforts to break.  To stop.  To release.

Amidst the duties of running a small business, being a dad of two, and all the other crazy demands that come with being a driven twenty-something, I find that music and live shows help me get back to the place where the workload lifts, even if only for a few hours.  Those few hours are enough.

What do you do to find release?  What is it that gives you a few hours to lift your burdens?

[Ladies and gentleman, please enjoy just a small taste of Yonder Mountain String Band from this year's show at the LC.]

I don’t get sick much, but this morning it hit me like a semi-truck doing 70 mph.

While meeting some smart folks at Skyline of Ohio for a final planning session, to get ready for a sold out Exhibitor Exchange event on Thursday morning, my stomach suddenly flipped.

Jacob had been sick over the weekend.  Poor little guy.  His mom, and my partner in crime, Sarah, woke up this morning with that age-old look on her face.  She was infected.  I suppose it was only a matter of time before it got me, too.

After the meeting, I came home to get ready to leave for the first session in a series of trainings at Incept Corp.  Right before leaving for Canton, the bug laid siege on me and I was down for the count.

Guilty
Like some of you, I’ve been reading Chris Brogan’s recent posts on the concept of Anywhen.  Chris is a robot with extended battery life, and yet people demand so much that sometimes, even with all of his efficiencies and twilight hours, even he can’t handle the demands.

I stayed in bed all day today.  And now, I feel guilty.  I feel guilty that I’m off schedule with Incept.  I feel guilty that I have an inbox full of important messages from you, eagerly waiting for my response.  I feel guilty that my entire week now needs adjusted.  That alone is one more task I must begrudgingly add to my plate.

(Please bare with me, I will get back to you!)

I’m guilty that I still feel like roadkill and all I want to do is lay on the couch, staring aimlessly at box set episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. (Really entertaining series from 2006, if you’ve not watched it.)

In the back of my mind, I keep thinking to myself: “This is stupid!  You are being ridiculous.  People are allowed to get sick and take time to get better.”

And yet, I still feel guilty.

(P.S.  I’ll be back tomorrow.)

Chasing Linchpin
I’m two-thirds of the way through what I believe is one of Seth Godin’s best books, Linchpin.

In the book, Seth lays a framework for how we got…well…here.  By here, I mean smack in middle of a Henry Ford-style corporate machine that has brainwashed people into thinking they are not special enough to have good ideas.  Seth comments on how we’ve been trained by the education system to fit in to the mold and report to our 9-to5 jobs as cogs in a giant machine.  We humans have been bred to be expendable.

And then there are the Linchpins – those who break that mold and do things differently and better.  The Linchpins are so passionate about their art, they they stop at nothing to beat the odds and make a living doing what they love, everyday.

I’m trying to be a Linchpin, just like Chris and Lewis and Gary V.  There’s a long road ahead but I’ve decided to travel it willingly, and never look back.

What Sucks
I think one negative of choosing to be a Linchpin is the guilt you feel when you have to admit that you are still only human.  Humans get sick.  Humans have bad days where they just don’t feel like pushing.  Humans get stressed and buried and annoyed.  In Chris’s case, humans sometimes need more than 24 hours to reply to your question or request.

Enter the guilt.

Are you trying to be a Linchpin too?  What causes you to feel guilty?  Why is that?

Photo credit: Icanhascheezburger

Merry Christmas to all.  And to all a good night.

If you’re having trouble viewing the video, you can watch it on YouTube.

Here are some things that may be fun for you and your family this Christmas Eve. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. 

I hope that by the time you read this, you’re surrounded by family and friends, already full of turkey, and have just woke up from a football-induced nap on the couch.  While I always try to focus my blog on you in hopes to give you ideas and add value to life, sometimes I write for my own therapy.

Today is one of those days.  But who knows, maybe something below will help remind you of what you’re thankful for and why.

What I’m Thankful For In 2009

For my son, Kaden, a healthy three-year old.  He’s outgoing, stubborn and full of energy.  God knows, he’s just like me.  He’s already showing signs of being a talented communicator, and for all this, for him, I am thankful.

For my new son Jacob, also a healthy three-year-old, who is so very different.  He’s calm, collective and amazingly orderly.  Jacob has a process for everything.  He’s polite and sweet, and always makes his greatest effort to do what is right.  After completely changing his universe, he’s accepted me as a Dad and as a friend.  For Jacob, and our relationship, I am thankful.

For every time I get to wrestle with my two boys on the living room floor, I am thankful.

For Sarah, and all she has given me in guidance, support, funding, patience, tolerance, love and the look she gives me when we’re together, I am thankful.

For Kaden’s mom, Amy, and the friendship we continue to have.  For her devotion to making sure Kaden has everything he needs, and providing him with the love that only a mother can give, I am thankful.

For all of the sets of grandparents and the love and support they shower upon my family, I am thankful.

For folks like Artie Isaac, Chris Brogan, Perry Maughmer, Mark Whitman, Cheryl Harrison, Bryan Huber, Mike Bowers and the multitude of others who have given me guidance and inspiration this year as I take on new adventures, I am thankful.

For Mira, Lenny, Jasmine and J.J., my loyal pet companions.  They never judge, and they’re always there when I need a friend to lick my face or purr in my lap.  For them, I am thankful.

For Smoke, my old girl kitty who was taken from me a few weeks back in an accident, and who I still miss terribly.  She and I shared nine wonderful years together.  And for every minute, I am thankful.

For my faith, and a renewed relationship with God.  For His guidance and acceptance of me, even when I make the wrong decision, I am thankful.

For my own talents and passions, and the opportunity to help people by doing what I love, I am thankful.

For you, and the time you spend reading my thoughts on this blog.  For those of you who work to find ways to apply ideas that we discuss.  For all your support and encouragement, and the efforts you make to help me online and off, I am so thankful.

Now, it’s your turn.  What are you thankful for?

I wrote about a personal experience yesterday where some snarky scam artist tried to take advantage of my grandparents with information he found via my internet presence.  While it’s kind of a funny story, there’s some real danger to be considered when your putting portions of your life online.

So what can you do to protect yourself from dishonest and web-savvy people?  How can you protect your friends and loved ones?  Should we all just unplug?  This post is going to be starter list of ideas that might help you and yours build offline habits that will keep social web predators from taking advantage of you.

OK, guys – notice the emphasis on the starter list. That’s what this is.  You are online a lot.  You too have kids, and houses and bank accounts.  You and I have tons in common and WE can all benefit from shared experiences and ideas.  I’m counting on you to make this post better.  Much better.

I’ll kick things off:

1. Create a family password.  This idea came form Gary Moneysmith yesterday morning.  Actually, it was his idea that spawned two days of content for me (many thanks, Gary!,).  Gary made a practice out of coming up with a verification word or phrase that only his immediate family members know.  For instance, if some stranger were to approach his kids and tell them that Dad had sent he or she to pick them up, the kids are instructed to ask the stranger for the secret password.  Not rocket science here, but a good practice for general safety.  I’m totally stealing this idea and making my own family password that I can teach to my kids.
2. Use nicknames. This one comes from Jim “Jimmer” Brochowski in yesterday’s comments.  It’s a great idea, and I never considered it before.  I’m going to try it on for size too.  Thanks Jimmer! “When I blog about my kids I try to just use their first initial. Maybe not so much now that they’re older and on the Internet, building their own networks, but definitely when they were younger.  When I blog about my wife, I almost always use her nickname – Netter, or NetterB.”
3. Google it.  Look up “social media safety” or “social media security.”  There have been loads of other blog posts published on this subject.  Some good one’s to read are by Joe Manna (back in 2007), Mark A. McCutcheon (2009), and a wonderfully detailed post by MakeUseof.com on how to use some of Facebook’s privacy and list settings.  You can also check out The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s website, as well as ConnectSafely.org for some more great info. I know, I’m totally cheating here, but all of these are resources worth looking at and the post was getting long.
4. Protect your location. Never – I repeat, NEVER! – list your address online.  And iPhone app users, be careful with the whole GPS location thing.  Web-savvy scam artists may know how to pinpoint your location.  Most applications out there will give you the option to be asked by your device if you would like to allow it to track you.  Make the choice wisely.  If you choose to use an address on social media profiles, you may want to consider getting a standard P.O. box at your local post office.
   
5. [Intentionally left blank.]

That’s the starter list, so now it’s your turn.  I’ve saved that last bullet just for you so please drop in your ideas.

How do you protect you and yours from dishonest, web-savvy people?

My grandfather called me for the second time yesterday, to ask me if I was in Canada.

A few weeks back, he had called me with the same question.  Someone, pretending to be me on the phone, had called their house and frantically asked for a good amount of money to be sent via Western Union to a location in Canada.

The story they were told was that I had rented a car and gone on a business meeting just over the American border up north.  There had been a bad accident and I was involved.  When my grandfather (who had now been given the phone by my grandmother because she was so upset) asked the caller (impostor me) why my voice sounded so strange, the impostor quickly replied that my nose had been broken in the crash, and my face was in bandages.  My grandparents, being sharp people, didn’t fall for the trick.  They called me right away on my cell phone to find out what was going on.

The strangest thing is this: when my grandmother answered the phone call from the impostor, the voice on the other end greeted her with “Hi Oma”.

You see, my grandparents are first generation German immigrants.  In Germany, “Oma” is the common word for grandma, as is “Opa” for grandpa.  It’s been a tradition in my family to carry on the German names for grandparents for three generations now.  But unless you know me really well, you probably didn’t know that.

I was dumbfounded.  The scam artist had somehow figured out a very minute personal detail of my life, and used it as leverage in a attempted scam.  And then I began thinking about my Internet Presence and personal brand online.

I had mentioned my Opa in a blog post once.  One time.  That was it.  On my Facebook profile under the Info tab, you can find a quote from my Oma that’s special to me.  I keep it there to remind me of what it means, and let you in as to what shapes my values.  But that was it.  One mention in a blog post and one tiny snippet on Facebook.

Social Media Makes Digging Easy
Good scam artists know to do serious homework on their targets.  They make a dishonest living by knowing the information it takes to get inside the head of their victims and create an emotion.  Emotions impact decisions.  In persuasion, Pathos is often more powerful than Logos.

Now, consider that we’re living in an era where  putting our lives online in some form of searchable, indexable and consumable media is all the rave.  For some people who make a living out of taking advantage of other human beings, the social media landscape is a green field of user-generated clues ready for harvest.

Scary to think about, huh?

So What?
Here are the options that are on the table in terms of your personal information and the social web:

1. Just unplug.  Delete your profiles.  Don’t use the Internet.  Don’t use a mobile device.  It will help protect you.  But if you already have any type of digital foot print or internet presence, well, you’re kind of screwed.  Turning off your digital footprint will be like trying to stop a rush of water from running down steep a hill.
2. Lock up.  Close off all your profiles and networks and blogs to ONLY those you already know and trust.  No more networking across geographic locations.  No more expanding your social graph.  Family, close friends and maybe a neighbor or two will have access to your life online.
3. Let the media live in cyberspace (wow, that’s an old term huh) and find ways to protect yourself and your loved ones in the real world where it really counts.

This is a two-part conversation.  In the tomorrow’s post, I’ll list out some ideas on offline habits you begin to form that will help prevent not-so-honest people from taking advantage of you through your digital presence on the social web.

Sound good?

Funny Ending
My Oma has never taken shit from anyone.  She’s one of the strongest ladies I know.  When the second scam artist called, my Oma was home to answer the phone.  The voice started down the storyline of “Oma!  This is Nathan.  I’ve been in a car accident!”  My Oma laughed, and quickly responded in her heavy German accent with, “Good! I hope you die from the injuries.”  As I imagine it threw him for quite a loop, the caller immediately hung up.