Blogger Stories

Even Businesses Love A Good Story

On the iaocblog Jeanine Zeitvogel, Director, Communications, at Lockheed Martin Systems Management tells how even in a business setting, Everyone Loves A Story. Jeanine tells the story of how Lockheed Martin is incorporating stories.

We are starting to approach knowledge management as a storytelling process in my business. By creating a culture of storytelling, we can enable our employees to feel more connected to the workplace.

It is a bonding experience (think back to Scouts or just hanging out with friends and family). It's these experiences we hold on to for life. Why not bring that sense of belonging and fun to work where we spend a good deal of our time anyway?

David Pollard, How To Save The World, believes that stories should be, ".. an essential tool for every organizational and social change agent."

Sidebar: Thanks for the use of the graphic David.

Blogger Stories: Jack Yan

Jack Yan is an Innovator and a Big Thinker. His New Zealand based online publication, Lucire, was the first web site to successfully branch into international print editions. One might assume that Jack would have been first to market with social media. Not so. He thought blogs were amateurish and not until recently did he feel that the blogosphere had developed a reasonably intelligent audience.

So he launched his personal blog, had a sip or two of the kool-aid and now is hooked. Looking at the big picture when it comes to social media's impact, Jack feels that blogs serve to make the world a collection of neighbours rather than disparate groups separated by borders.

Blogger Story Teller: Jack Yan, Persuader Blog

I'm not going to be popular when I say that originally, I do not think much of blogs. Part of the issue was that many blogs, at least outside the computer industry, were amateurish. It wasn't a very good start, unlike the web, which seemed to have higher standards in 1993, when I first began surfing.

In 2003, my co-authors on Beyond Branding decided that we needed a blog to supplement our book. I went along with the idea but I noted that we would be joining some very odd people. I wrote an average of one post per quarter, and never thought I would be any more involved than that.

However, something annoyed me back in 2005. I think it may have been the Wellington Region Gold Awards, an awards' ceremony that I felt was a load of BS. With hindsight, if it wasn't for these awards being so crappy, I might have never begun blogging.

Blogger Story: Nichelle Stephens

Creativity was the name of the game for Nichelle Stephens who began blogging as an outlet for her writing. One blog turned into two turned into several, which spun the world smaller and allowed her to share many unique ideas.  I met Nichelle at BlogHer 2005 where she told me about her delicious blog .. all about cupcakes. It's a wonderful example of the success of a niched focused blog.

Blogger Story Teller: Nichelle Stephens, Nichelle Newsletter, Chicks and Giggles, Fame of the Land, Keeping Nickels, All Cupcakes All The Time
 
I started blogging in October 2003 because I needed an outlet for my writing.  Blogging was never meant to replace my hardback journals, but more as a way to express myself in a creative way.  I called my blog Nichelle Newsletter because I used to write a weekly newsletter about events in New York.

My blog is a mix of pictures, events, book recommendations, links to other cool sites and humor.  I have made so friends through blogging, and we share our passions. Two of my friends and I have a blog about cupcakes called Cupcakes Take The Cake.  It is a very popular blog and now I am considered to be a "cupcake enthusiast."

The best thing about is blogging is that now everyone has a voice and any crazy idea can be shared to the world. I think it is making the world a smaller place.

Blogger Story: Mike Sansone

Mike Sansone thinks of himself as a conversation conductor. His blog is an exciting train ride with stops at many converstaion stations where his passengers share innovative ideas. All Aboard .. Next Stop The Blogosphere!

Blogger Story Teller: Mike Sansone, Conversation Conductor

In 2005, I started a copywriting business and a blog, CopywritingWatch, but that got disrupted by conversation. Most people call these conversation blogs.

Immediately, I recalled the community in the caboose. They had taken over the train. No longer a "sense of ownership," blogs were giving people platforms for conversation in their own space. The people connector and conversation conductor in me dusted off my train whistle and focused on helping companies use blogs as conversation stations.

Since September of last year, I've been conducting blogging workshops, LetsBuildaBlog, teaching business leaders how to use blogs and content feeds to connect with their customers, find relevant marketing information quickly and amplify their relationships with other business leaders.

Iowa is fertile ground and I sometimes feel like Johnny Appleseed or the Pied Piper. The biggest challenge hasn't come from the business leaders, but the (cob)web developers who are still operating their business like its 1999.

Blogger Story: Melissa Fletcher

You never know where this adventure in blogging will take you. Or how your blog focus will change. Just ask Melissa Fletcher. Melissa launched her blog to keep in touch with friends and family as she chronicled what her tag line describes as - "living life one mistake at a time." Love that line! This summer Melissa began including posts about her passion .. helping people easily live sustainable "green" lives.

Blogger Story Teller: Melissa Fletcher, Alotta Errata

I  love your concept, and enjoy reading about why and how other people got started blogging. For me, blogging began as a way to keep in touch with my friends and write down the little bits of humor I found in my life. I also found it was good practice for writing effectively. Who couldn't use a little practice?

Over the last few months I have found that  blogging has become a way for me to learn about myself. Writing down my thoughts and feelings so that others can understand forces me to really think about what I am feeling and what my goals are.

I have learned more about myself through blogging than through simply talking and thinking. While some people keep a private diary for  this reason, I feel as though the written word is a commitment to my readers. Even if I have one reader, my words are my promise and my truth.

Now my blog is helping me to chronicle the changes I am making to live a more environmentally and socially responsible life. I hope that maybe others will see that the changes can be simple and very rewarding; that you don't have to be "crunchy granola" to be green!