Diane Darling - Book Party

Diane Darling is a friend of mine and is charming and upfront about her skillset and her mantras. She wants to see people succeed and has a vision in how that can happen. For even experienced networking and social media professionals, Darling's tips and insight can be valuable.

For instance, in her most recent book...

DISCLAIMER, I CONTRIBUTED A SECTION TO THIS BOOK



...Diane gets down and dirty in how professionals at all levels leverage their skills and outgoing nature to make connections and ultimately make themselves more successful financially and emotionally.

Give it a read...even if you buy it just to see my section...it's a nice primer for those who are a bit skeptical that traditional networking still can get the job done. I believe a mix of traditional and new media is the right route, but I'm a tech-head early adopter, what do I know?

ALSO, there's an event coming up on May 18 where you can meet Diane in person and get your book signed. I expect that I'll be there too and will sign anything you bring in - doesn't have to be a book.

Here's the info on that May 18 event.

Hope to see you there.

Breakfast - Chili and Cheddar Omelet

An event I was asked to attend

Want to buy a child? Seriously. It will only cost you a bag of millet. Leila was sold...traded really. For a bag of food that would feed her family.

If you’re not interested in purchasing a child, what about children who work as many hours a day as they are old just to support their family.

Alcides parents—both parents—died of HIV/AIDS.

Are these tales put on the airwaves and television to tug at your heartstrings and empty your wallet? No. These are true stories put out by youth filmmakers to raise awareness.

As part of Adobe Youth Voices and the Youth Producing Change Event in Boston, ten young filmmakers were armed with digital cameras and their own creativity. They made films to expose human rights issues they faced or had seen in their community.

With issues ranging from child labor to police harassment, these films aired at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts this past weekend as the showcase series featured in Human Rights Watch Film Festivals in London, New York and San Francisco.

Made possible by The Adobe Foundation, Youth Producing Change is part of Adobe Youth Voices and is “designed to provide youth in underserved communities with critical skills they need to become active and engaged members of their communities and the world at large.”

In just over three years, 20,000 children in 30 countries have taken part in the Adobe Youth Voices training programs to create media for social change.

What’s that mean? It means you learn a little bit about Human Rights Watch. You learn about The Adobe Foundation. And you learn firsthand what kids already know.

In films that explored these topics...

Clean water is a basic human necessity, yet corporations seeking profit are purchasing community water supplies around the world.

Shocked by the claim that more than half of all rapes happen to people under 18, young filmmakers searched for the roots of sexual violence and call for change.

Each night 1,600 teenagers in New York City find themselves homeless. Clemins and Jackie, two formerly homeless teens from New York City shared their stories of overcoming adversity and their work to create a community of support around teen homelessness.

Using new media tools, kids shared these videos and then the event was publicized via Twitter and Facebook. From what I read and learned about these kids, the only thing more powerful than their videos is their resolve to address human rights issues.

Michelle Mann, Executive Director of the Adobe Foundation, said, “By calling attention to human rights issues, these youth are inspiring audiences worldwide and demonstrating the power to express ideas, engage stakeholders and effect change through digital media.”

Anyone can do this stuff, but these kids are inspiring because they got out and explored the world around them, then they got in front of the camera to share their thoughts, their pain, their stories.

Pictures...especially moving pictures...are more moving when they engage and tell a story that matters. The films that aired this past Friday at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston did just that.

You can find out more a couple of ways. Give a click over to Facebook... http://www.facebook.com/adobeyouthvoices or jump on Twitter and follow @adobeyv to see what else is happening with Adobe Youth Voices.

You can see images and learn more about Human Rights Watch at http://www.hrw.org/iff.

GutenBlog.net

This post is being created over on GutenBlog and it's being ported to a number of my sites. The app has been created to give you one point of contact for your various online presences - saving time and effort when trying to get multiple postings up.

I'm just evaluating the Alpha right now and can't say it works yet because I'm just typing this in the dashboard and haven't hit send yet. I guess we'll all learn together how well it works in a minute when I publish it.

Shall we try?

PRESSING PUBLISH NOW!!!

*OK, not pressing it yet. Wanted to remind people - just in case this doesn't work - that I'm just a tester at this point and any concerns about Guten Blog should be sent to their staff.

**Also, on a totally separate note, if you're looking for a way to get your link out in the world of new media, Twitter, etc. Gimme a shout. As of November 1, 2009, my photo site - wwjce (what would Jeff Cutler eat?) has been accepting sponsorship. Few of my other sites do so, but wwjce is widely read and has achieved critical acclaim.

Posted with GutenBlog.net.

More changes

Take a look at Ideas2Words for my newest endeavors. Or visit JeffCutler.com for more info.

Career change - quasi

I'm not dumping the writing thing, but I'm changing focus again. This entire year has been one of discovery and hard work. I've written a novel, I've covered major news events, I've established myself as a social-media expert, I've shed the shackles of the bland assignments and have taken on some fun stuff. Now it all comes into focus.

Over the next 45 years I figure I'll continue on this path. I plan to collaborate and consult with various corporations and show them how they can participate in the social-media world. My writing skills will be taxed as I plan to write a new book each year (it only took a month this year so why not dedicate one month a year to a new book?). And my income will be derived from my role as a social media consultant, syndicated columnist and features writer.

How's that sound? I like it. You can learn more by googling me - jeff cutler.

Thanks for reading!

NaNoWriMo has begun

Just a quick update to let you know that National Novel Writing Month has begun and I've written 1667 words of my novel.

That's just for today. I have 29 days left and about 48,000 words left to go.

Anxious, worried, scared and excited all at once.