September 11, 2011
I‘m Facebook friends with a former radio journalist turned PR pro. She shares almost nothing on Facebook, saying, “I’d rather report the news than be the news.”
I don’t get it.
A relative of mine does not have a Facebook profile because, as she says, “My life is not interesting enough to share it with the rest of the world.”
You’ve got to be kidding!
I am privileged to know lots of people. They represent rich diversity of age, race, religion, politics, economic status, education and even personality. Yet, they all have one thing in common: Each has an incredibly interesting life and each has a unique story to tell.
In college I remember a guest lecturer looked across the room where a hundred or so of us had gathered. Decades later I’ve forgotten his name, but his words remain etched in my mind. He said, “The biography of every person in this room would be a best seller if written by a good writer who knows you well enough to tell your story.”
Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | 
Life in General, Life Observations, Marketing Oneself, Social Media Strategy | Tagged: Facebook, social media | 
Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
August 30, 2011
Three years ago today my Twitter handle @duanehallock was born.
First hearing of Twitter only four months earlier, I was proud to consider myself an early adopter of a new social media tool. Although I did not see the real value of microblogging, I welcomed the new opportunity and embraced the new media platform before any of my friends or immediate co-workers followed suit.
Three years hence, I have nearly 1,000 followers. While that’s not particularly impressive by Twitter standards, I am surprised that so many people have chosen to follow my erratic stream of tweets.
I’ll admit that, like many, I am still trying to figure out where Twitter is going. In an attempt to assess Twitter’s relevance in my ever-changing world, I came up with these two lists:
Five things I like about Twitter
- Brevity is paramount. I once heard a great 15-minute sermon delivered in 45 minutes. I hope that speaker has since discovered Twitter and learned the sacred art of being succinct. I hate verbosity and think it’s a great discipline for someone to say something of value in 140 characters or less.
- Information flows in real time. In recent days I’ve tracked others’ tweets to get real-time information on the devastation of Hurricane Irene. I’m writing this blog post while on disaster assignment for the American Red Cross. Ironically, I created my Twitter profile on this date three years ago on the same day I participated in a planning session for Hurricane Gustav.
- Hashtags and searches add value. At first, the Twitter stream can appear chaotic, random and cluttered. All that information can be filtered and organized, though, to make Twitter meaningful and relevant.
- Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Life in General, Social Media Strategy | Tagged: social media, tweeting, Twitter | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
August 18, 2011
Two years ago today I launched this blog. I began much like I did when I was a kid learning to ride a bike—having no particular destination in mind but somehow trusting that the ride itself would be the ultimate reward.
Now, two years into this journey, it’s time to take a moment and 1) celebrate the distance I’ve traveled, 2) recall the scenery I’ve enjoyed along the way and 3) reflect on life’s lessons learned.
Here are a few random thoughts and observations about my blogging journey:
- This is actually fun. I enjoy writing and I like being a blogger. I give myself enough editorial freedom to have fun, and I’ve never seriously considered monetizing this effort, though some bloggers make good money from their writing.
- This is also hard work. Like riding a bike, the fun comes only with the exertion of energy. I’ve mentored several wanna-be bloggers who started and then, for a variety of reasons, never continued. Maintaining a blog for two years is a worthy accomplishment.
- I blog best when I follow my own rules. I’ve read countless blogs and books about blogging. They all contain rules I’ve mostly chosen to ignore. For example, they say that success comes with frequency of postings. Well, I decided long ago to publish only when I had something to say and I refuse to be bound by an arbitrary, self-imposed quota. Last year, for example, I let several guilt-free weeks slide by without posting. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Social Media Strategy | Tagged: blogging, blogs, Red Cross, social media, writing | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
August 8, 2011
For years I have been amused when a nonprofit organization would label one of its key departments “Marketing AND Communications.” To me, that always seemed redundant. After all, you never hear a CFO claim responsibility for the Department of Finance, Accounting and Accounts Payable.
A university president once talked with me about leading his marketing and communications team. When I asked if he would consider shortening the title for simplicity, he emphatically declined. For that and other reasons, neither of us seriously considered forming a working partnership.
Later, when I taught marketing at another university, I spent considerable time talking about the relationship between marketing and communications. I never believed the two terms were synonymous or interchangeable, and I drilled into my students the concept that communications comes at the end of the marketing process.
Five years ago I left my position as Vice President of Marketing at United Way. Although communications was part of my portfolio, it always grated on me when my CEO referred to my department as “marketing and communications.” Although I appreciated his thorough description of my team’s role, I also thought he was being unnecessarily redundant.
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: communications, LinkedIn, marketing, marketing and communications, nonprofit, public affairs, public relations, Red Cross, social media, United Way | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
July 7, 2011
Three months ago I learned that my job at the American Red Cross would likely be eliminated.
Nationally, the Red Cross has been undergoing a massive, top-to-bottom reorganization that will affect every person affiliated with the organization. The restructuring will reduce expenses and increase revenues, all with a focus on keeping the mission relevant in a rapidly-changing environment. To their credit, our national leaders have openly shared the unfolding changes via e-mails, online videos and frequent conference calls.
Anticipating that my position would be among those eliminated by the end of the summer, I shared the discomforting news with my wife and family. Then, with the clock ticking towards the start of a new fiscal year, I launched an under-the-radar job search. I first revised my resume and LinkedIn profile. With the full understanding and support of my boss, I shifted my networking into a higher gear and sent e-mails to a couple dozen strategically-placed contacts. I was encouraged by their immediate offers to help.
Prior to launching the public phase of my job search, I developed personal business cards, a career-highlights brochure and an assortment of collateral materials to use when the appropriate time came. Read the rest of this entry »
9 Comments | Life in General, Life Observations, Life's Transitions, Marketing & Strategy, Marketing for Job Seekers, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: blogging, communications, Gail McGovern, Job Search, LinkedIn, marketing, networking, Red Cross, reorganization, resume | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
June 26, 2011
A favorite memory from Joplin came in the middle of an uneventful afternoon in the Red Cross shelter.
A young girl turned 11 years old.
Because she and her family lost their house in the tornado, the shelter’s dining room provided the best place for a birthday celebration. To make the occasion special, a friend baked a cake and brought it into the shelter. The bright smile on the girl’s face demonstrated how happy she was that someone remembered her birthday.
When she saw me, she eagerly asked if I would like a piece of her cake. I said, “Yes, but only a small one, please.” She cut into the cake and handed me a piece three or four times larger than my definition of small.
I thanked her, honored to be including in her party.
As I ate the cake, I took special note of the girl’s sweet spirit. I imagined how she and her family had made other plans to spend the day in a completely different way. Not only did the tornado blow those plans aside, it destroyed the house where the girl and her family lived. Now, they were living temporarily in our Red Cross shelter. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Life in General, Life Observations, Life's Transitions, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: birthday, donor, Joplin, Red Cross, tornado, United Way, volunteer | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
June 23, 2011
I first saw Alana as she began working as a volunteer in the Red Cross shelter. We talked briefly and I learned she was a high school English teacher.
On her first day she demonstrated that she was there to work hard. I watched as she completed her assigned tasks and then found other work to do. She swept the floor, moved boxes and served food. She later took it upon herself to organize the shelter’s library of donated books and to teach a girl how to shoot a basketball. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Life in General | Tagged: disaster relief, Joplin, Red Cross, tornado, volunteers | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
June 22, 2011
I first met Nancy in the dining room of the Red Cross shelter. I was about to be interviewed by a TV reporter, and just as the interview was set to begin, this woman approached. She didn’t say anything. She stood there smiling at me. By looking at her color-coded wristband, I knew she was a resident of the shelter, someone who lost her home in the tornado.
Not having the option of ignoring this woman, I asked how I could help. She said, “I want to talk to the reporter.” Being a public affairs officer, I knew from experience that those most eager to talk with the media are people who typically want to air a complaint. With the reporter listening, I inquired what was on her mind. Still smiling, she replied, “I want to tell her how great the Red Cross is and how much we appreciate what you are doing here for us.” Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Life in General | Tagged: disaster relief, faith, Joplin, Red Cross, tornado | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
June 21, 2011
Before the monster tornado struck, Marie was an active volunteer with the American Red Cross in Joplin. The night the tornado hit, Marie lost her apartment and most of her personal possessions.
Unhurt, she began driving through the debris towards help. Along the way, she helped others, even pulling an injured truck driver to safety. When the debris made driving impossible, she began walking. Along the way, she helped with the initial search and rescue efforts, checking to see if anyone needed help. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: disaster relief, Facebook, Joplin, Red Cross, social media, tornado, Twitter | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
June 20, 2011
I spent two weeks in Joplin, Missouri immediately following the EF-5 tornado that destroyed much of that small town. I was there as a member of the disaster relief team of the American Red Cross.
In Joplin I talked with many survivors of the storm. I toured the indescribable destruction inside the tornado’s footprint. I even became acquainted with several of the people who lost their homes and were staying in the Red Cross shelter.
The more I got to know the people of Joplin, the more I was inspired by them. Although they seemingly had lost so much, they were grateful for what they still had. Although they greatly appreciated the support coming from every part of the nation, they felt no sense of entitlement. Although they faced an uncertain future, they were hopeful and believed that better days would come. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing in a Nonprofit | Tagged: disaster relief, Joplin, Red Cross, tornado, volunteers | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
I communicate with passion and purpose to inspire those searching for beauty and truth.
Duane's Dartboard 