It’s a safe bet that people will say some really nice things about you at your funeral. Even if they feel compelled to honesty and are forced to really dig for something nice, people will typically find a way to butter up your corpse.

But then what? What will they say when you’ve been gone for five years?

What will you have said or done that will cause people five years away from your living influence to speak of you and what will they say?

I don’t have a top 10 list of tricks you can implement to build community, create timeless content, and other outcomes promised by social media hucksters to lube up your wallet. I do have a few thoughts though.

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Seth Godin, in a nice suit (Take note, social media scruffies – classy is still a workable brand) with some much-needed thoughts on project management. [video]

So what can you do today, right now, to begin implementing what Elder Seth talked about?

1. Outline your ideas – Put that Moleskin to use for a simple “What does this idea provide to others?/What does it provide to me?” outline.
2. Get a friend to help you thresh your ideas - (A real friend, not a Twitter follower or Facebook mutual) Type the outlines from your Moleskin (I like to use the back of junk mail envelopes) into a Google doc and share, share, share. Godin uses the term “Thrashing” but I like threshing better because it refers to the process of revealing value through effort instead of catatonic project management.
3. Ship something - Pick an idea you have the resources to develop and make it happen. It doesn’t have to be complex. In fact, it’s best to start with something simple like a well-researched article for your blog. Set out to ship something you know you can ship and build up some confidence before you go after the bigger projects.

What are you going to do?

Photo: Jim Frazier

How To: Ship On Budget and On Time Every Time

I have a problem with silly job titles.

Job title inflation has turned the labor market’s once-useful currency into something of a joke. Gone are the days when employees willingly took titles in lieu of monetary raises because a title was worth more than money. The solution to the silliness lies either in rejection of job titles as a whole or a subtler rethinking of what makes a job title useful.

The job title as an invented form:

A few years ago, human resources (a silly title itself) pros decided that front desk staff would smile more if given the title “First Impression Technicians“ and garbage men would take pride in their work as “Environmental Revitalization Technicians.” Intentions may have been honorable but their efforts resulted in silly and bloated job titles that meant nothing more than extra letters on a nametag.

My mother (who lies somewhere between Wikipedia and Perez Hilton as a source of reliable information) completely agrees with the HR pros in the practice of dressing up an ordinary job with an extraordinary title. She often told me that I needed to “dress for success” and that my outward appearance would affect the way I behaved.

But she would never have given me a silly title like “Progenitor of Future Generations” and expected me to act in a certain way because of a title. Just like using a sharpie to draw a designer tie on a naked emperor, the product is absolute silliness. Besides, I was raised to avoid situations involving nudity and permanent markers.

Where did the silliness begin? Eric Idle of Monty Python suggests that titles began as a corporate adoption of military command structures: ”You could never make a show like Python in a modern situation with executives approving things.” He sees the executive as an invented position that only serves to muzzle creativity.

Stuart Foster agrees, “So why do we still have titles? To maintain order to some extent. To restrain people within existing power platforms.”

The job title as a necessity:

But a job title is about more than just crushing creativity within an organization. (I’m confident that crushing creativity has never been the publicly stated purpose of a title.) Since Idle and Foster both work in the creative sector, I get why they’d resent a power structure that restricts them. However, the size of many modern corporations dictates a need for “restraint.” (Freelancers who refer to themselves as CEO’s need restraint in multiple forms.) You simply can’t orchestrate massive projects without clearly defined responsibilities and a chain of command to fall back on when creativity runs amok.

In spite of the creatives’ resentment toward them, we need job titles. They’ve become a necessary part of corporate culture.

An effective job title does three things:

1. Reinforces the chain of command – where does final responsibility lie?
2. Illustrates the magnitude of decisions the individual is entrusted to make – are you the right person for a client to talk to?
3. Clarifies the role of the individual in an organization – what do you actually do?

Does your job title do all of those? If so, you probably won’t have much trouble describing your position and what your typical task load consists of.

Consider your own title. Does it simply and accurately state your role in an endeavor… or has it gone a bit stale… perhaps even a bit silly?

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original photo via flickr: jefmcneill

The half-naked, probably intoxicated, delight of a dancing man in this video teaches some valuable lessons on starting a movement.

1. Be different – When everybody else is sitting, stand up and start shaking what your mother gave you.

2. Avoid crowded spaces – If people don’t see room to creatively participate, they probably won’t.

3. Embrace your core community – Reach out to early adopters and delight in their participation. These are the people who give your movement legs. Celebrate them.

When you saw this video, what lessons did you draw from it?

Teach me.

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Note: Seth Godin’s take on this video, “Guy #3“ brings up an interesting point about early adopters.

Want to rescue yourself from a creativity recession? Try lobbying social media for a bailout. Seriously? Yes.

I’m lucky enough to be in regular contact with creative types who ask me questions and bounce wild ideas off me. They help me stay fresh and push me to approach my work in new ways. Sometimes they say things that are downright crazy and start conversations that last for days.

But creative energy doesn’t always flow so well.

There are times when creative energy wanes and I find myself in a slump. It may be a result of exhaustion, inactivity, or a social interaction gone awry. I may be struggling because I budgeted my time badly and I’m left with little time to mull things over. No matter the cause, the project deadline staring me in the face doesn’t change its expression. It’s time to act.

I need a creativity bailout.

Just like a big business working to secure federal funds, I use lobbyists to make quick work of things. But my lobbyists don’t wine and dine politicians to secure my creativity bailout. They help me quickly leverage the power of social media.

Note: As with any sort of lobbying, you’ll find that value is derived in direct relation to the amount of thought and effort invested. Take the time to get to know my lobbyists and how to use them. They’ll render consistent and continuous value for as long as you need them!

The Big Three: my Social Media lobbyists:

StumbleUpon -

This site uses a ranking system to sort interesting content from all over the web. “Stumble” through random sites your friends liked or pick a topic you’re struggling with from the drop-down menu and click away! I’m usually less than 20 “stumbles” from enough inspiration to get me back on track.

Twitter -

Given the wildly helpful nature and creative smarts of many users on Twitter, I often go there for inspiration. Just tweet a question or search for the topic you’re stuck on to find a quick inspiration bailout. You’ll often run into people who take things to another level by reminding you to drink enough water, believe in yourself, and take joy in life.

Compfight -

This site searches Flickr for images based on licensing, origins, text, and tags. I prefer Compfight to Flickr search because it fits as many thumbnails as possible into a single page where I can quickly scan them. Can’t think of something to write or where to start with your next design? Search for pictures tagged with words related to your struggle. Compfight has proven itself very helpful by quickly finding pictures that inspired me to continue a creative project.

There are many ways to lobby Social Media for creativity bailouts. My “Big Three” are simply the ones that work best for me.

Where do you turn when you’re in a slump and need a creativity bailout?

If you can think of a caption for the “boy and goat” picture in this post, please leave it in a comment and I’ll update with the five best captions (include a link to your site/twitter so I can give you credit!)

Update from the comments:

- 5 Captions for the child & goat picture -

1. “Mom said you would tell me about the troll? I don’t think you ate him, I don’t see how he would fit.” -M.E. Bates
2. “Lissen kid, you don’t make fun of my beard, I don’t make fun of your scoliosis.” - @Raaawb
3. “Livestock dentistry requires knowledge gleaned over many years study and observation.” - D. Mann
4. “Ok, I got your goat. Now, what am I going to do with it?” - @Domhain
5. “Can you hear me? Wow, my little brother is stuck in there good!” - @SweetDreamer

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photo: Qso

The problem with most spam is that it simply isn’t any fun to read. It lacks attitude and style. I think the author of the following email put extra effort into expressing both. Look for “trust keywords” in the text and how the final tag line wraps it all up nicely. The results are quite amusing! 
————————————————————–

“From: Rev. Paul Maxwell
Subject: ***Subject: PAYMENT APPROVAL FROM WORLD BANK.****
To: 
Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 11:02 AM

WORLD BANK GROUP 
From Desk of the Secretary-General 
World Bank Group, 
3 Chemin Louis-Dun ant 1211 
Geneva 20,Switzerland. 
 
          ***Subject: PAYMENT APPROVAL FROM WORLD BANK.**** 
 
Attn: Sir/Madam. 
 
I am Rev: Paul Maxwell, Bill and Exchange Manager/Secretary General, Head of the World Bank Finance Group Switzerland, set up to fight against scam and Fraudulent activities worldwide.

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