What It Takes to Keep a Pinky on the Pulse

I'm one click away from breaking a webinar/seminar/TedTalk/cat video viewing record. In my quest for knowledge I said yes to everything that came my way the past 8 weeks. 

These included:

•Social Media Success Summit 2013(SMSS13): 33 one-hour sessions spread out over 11 days featuring many of my favorite Social Media experts. I hung in there for every word of the first 20 or so hours, tweeting with my fellow remote attendees, before becoming overwhelmed and downloading the rest for future (AKA: never) reference. 

•Rutgers mini-MBA in Digital Marketing, a new 3 hour x 10-week course to supplement the mini-MBA in Social Media Marketing that I completed in September (do two mini-MBAs equal a whole one?). Loved the lively presentation style of Christina "CK" Kerley on Mobile Marketing, who subsequently through our conversation on Twitter convinced me that it will not hurt when I get a mobile device implanted into my body in the near future. 




•The brilliant Malcolm Gladwell, in person, talking about his new book "David & Goliath" through LiveTalks LA. 
I love the twist he puts on sociology and technology. He makes you think of what is right in front of you in a totally different way.

•SMSS13 led me to sign up for Andrea Vahl and Phyllis Khare's 6-week Social Media Manager SchooI. Super helpful and practical tips as a new business owner. The private Facebook group sent me into a tizzy though with all of the questions and answers I need to follow up on.

•Mari Smith's Facebook Marketing webinar.
Free advice although I spent most of the time too fascinated by her Scottish/ Canadian/ San Diego accent to take notes.

•A Groupon for 4 private and 10 video guitar lessons, the nudge I needed to re-string and pick up my vintage Silvertone after years of abandonment. My instructor is very patient as I relearn how to play. Most of the time he says "Don't strum! Just put your fingers in place." Poor guy.

•A free 10-week course "Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC's The Walking Dead, which I'm a little behind on, but now that they're giving badges upon completion I will have to hustle to catch up. Don't tell me what happens!

•I attended the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles to hear noted Oncologist Dr. Lawrence Piro speak about Longevity. He may be on to something as this extraordinarily accomplished doctor looks like he is 24. He told us to watch what we eat, drink red wine and exercise. We all ate candy provided by Nestle afterward.

•Always a big fan of their events, I went to thinkLA's Movie Marketing Breakfast to hear Brian Robbins, Ryan Duffy and Jason Blum. Robbins, creator of Awesomeness TV enticed me to watch his new YouTube series "Side Effects." After he described it as Party of Five meets Glee, how could I not? Read my guest blog recap for Primary Color here http://bit.ly/IwBgdB 

•Another cool thinkLA event I impulsively clicked on and attended was "How to Make Almost Anything" led by 
Per Hakansson where I helped create a time management App in one hour. It was an interesting group experience, limited to only 24 attendees. Check out the POPapp for iPhones to see how we worked.

•I spent the day in an auto museum for Rhythm Interactive's Integrated Marketing Forum where I learned about content marketing and "secret sauce" recipes from Joe Pulizzi, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, 
Mark Fidelman and others. Check out www.PrimaryColor.com for my recap coming soon and learn what The Three Little Pigs and The Rolling Stones have in common.




•Others may dream of their Oscar speech, but I dream of the TEDTalk I will give someday. 
I checked out Rutgers "Gamification" instructor Gabe Zichermann give his own spirited talk. Here's a guy with every kid's dream job! http://www.ted.com/talks/gabe_zichermann_how_games_make_kids_smarter.html 

Oh, and I couldn't stop watching "Cats Stealing Dog Beds" about 20 times. Makes me laugh every time!  http://bit.ly/1bvC6V4

I learned my lesson by not watching the MTV Video Music Awards in real time and missing the whole Miley debacle. Actually, it was engineered in such a way that no one could possibly have missed it (well played, MC). So I made it a point to watch her on the AMAs. Which led to this perfect parody on Jimmy Fallon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRy0ONLBFfc

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

#SocialMedia #CKSays #MalcolmGladwell #AndreaVahl #PhyllisKhare #MariSmith #JoePulizzi #GabeZichermann #thinkLA #PrimaryColor #DrLawrencePiro