http://www.managingthegray.com C.C. Chapman gives you and your business real world advice and tactics to start leveraging social media in your daily life Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:00:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The road has kept me busy, but when you I see a constant trend in the world that I don't like I've got to call it out. Today's Managing the Gray is a bit more of a rant then I try to record around these parts, but I had to ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2011/04/05/manners-basic-business-skills/ While touring through Canada for Content Rules I got asked by more than one person when you'd hear the next Managing the Gray so as soon as I had a free minute I sat down in my hotel room to record a quick one. Inspired by spending the day shooting photos ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2011/01/26/learning-from-criticism/ This morning I had a strange bit of serendipity happen between me and a couple of friends thousands of miles apart and I knew I had to discuss it on Managing the Gray. As we get ready to flip the calendars to another year (and another decade) I think it is ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/12/21/we-shouldnt-fear-our-friends/ Fear is something that hits all of us from time to time and I thought it would make a great topic for Managing the Gray. When I was asked to speak at Hook: The Presentation Conference I instantly got a little scared. As the week went on I realized lots of ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/11/12/facing-fears/ The rain may be falling and I may be coming off of a week long cold, but I'm still here recording a new episode of Managing the Gray. Today we are focusing in on doubts and how to move forward past them. Sure, we all get down and question if we ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/10/05/pushing-through-doubts/ A very special thanks to Francis Wooby and Adam Sell who each contributed an idea that lead to this episode of Managing the Gray. As I type this, there are only 107 days left in 2010 and by the time you listen to it there might be less. So the question ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/09/15/107-days/ Now that summer is done, I have the quiet house to jump back behind the microphone and record a new Managing the Gray for all of you. I didn't realize it was the 100th episode as I got ready to record today, but as you'll hear it made my morning. The focus ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/09/07/small-goals-and-100-episodes/ I've had a post-it note on my desk for a couple of weeks now that said "Must discuss feeding the engine on Managing the Gray" that I scribbled down during a chat with Steve Coulson one day and I finally got a chance to sit down in a quiet house ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/07/13/feeding-the-engine/ Another trend that I've been noticing lately is that many people are waiting for things to be perfect before pushing forward. This might be waiting for the perfectly designed website or fine tuning an article until it is perfect in the author's opinion. You need to STOP IT!!! Waiting to be ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/06/11/dont-wait-for-perfection/ Change is never an easy thing. Change is scary, unsettling and all around not fun to go through. But, life is full of change and each of us has to deal with it over and over and over again. Today's Managing the Gray focuses in on how ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/05/25/it-begins-with-you/ I get asked all the time how I find the time to do all the things I do and the answer is that I MAKE the time. You have to figure out what is the priority thing you want to get done. What can I do now that has to ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/05/17/making-time/ The more I talk with people, the more I'm seeing some common stories coming up and one that is VERY common lately is that many people are not feeling fulfilled in their current situation and are searching for more, so I wanted to dedicate today's Managing the ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/04/27/the-road-less-traveled/ I spent this past weekend with friends and some of the discussion turned to goals. Combine that with a listener question about how they could become a goal setting person and I thought this would be a perfect topic for today's Managing the Gray . Other things mentioned on ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/04/12/goals/ I keep watching as everyone I know keeps trying to do everything all on their own and I'm watching as people I love are starting to get burned out. So, today on Managing the Gray I wanted to focus on how we all need help to succeed. I discussed ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/03/31/you-cant-do-it-all-alone/ It was late and rainy Monday night at SXSW and after getting a pile of work done I wanted to record a new Managing the Gray so I pulled out my iPhone and recorded this episode. Be warned that I sound wiped out for sure in this, but I ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/03/18/priorities/ Managing the Gray continues to be an outlet for me to constructively share what is on my mind and the recent wave of conversation online around charging for content and value is obviously on my mind because I sat down to discuss something else and started talking about this instead. I ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/03/04/finding-value/ February is here. The first month of 2010 is behind us, so it felt like the perfect time to check in with you on how your goals are going so far this year. Managing the Gray is here to help give you the kick when you need it in the ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/02/01/amazing-things-will-happen/ A new year and a new decade is upon us and my plan is for Managing the Gray to help you not only get through the year, but prosper in it. I'm not big on lists, but a listener asked what trends or predications I had for the new year. Rather ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2010/01/12/what-2010-holds/ The holidays got in the way of getting this out as soon as I wanted to, but I'm excited to share with you an interview with my good friend and author Ron Ploof to discuss his new book Read This First: The Executive's Guide to New Media-from Blogs to Social ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/12/30/ron-ploof-interview/ I recently was asked to take part in the Rule 53 podcast. Rule 53 is a cross-generational podcast that  focuses on leadership, business, technology, and professional development.  Each episode features one twentysomething student or recent graduate and his or her experienced counterpart.  The goal is to help define “Rule 53″, ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/12/09/rule-53/ When I went out to Blogworld Expo , one of the coolest things I got to hear about is what the US Army is doing with their new site Army Strong Stories. As soon as I heard about it I knew I was impressed and wanted to get them on ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/11/10/army-strong-stories/ My good friend J.C. Hutchins new book hits store shelves today called 7th Son: Descent. You should buy many copies of it for every science fiction and thriller lover on your Christmas list! But, today I've got something special for you. A special free 10 chapter PDF of the book for ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/10/27/7th-son-a-new-kind-of-marketing/ Blogworld Expo was a lot of fun, but it seemed that every other question in any conversation was, "So what do you think about the FTC announcing they will be fining bloggers?" If you haven't read about this there is plenty of coverage and here is the actual announcement. For me, it ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/10/20/when-in-doubt-disclose/ Fresh back from Inbound Marketing Summit Boston 2009 and I'm filled with a lot of energy. The people, the conversations and the learning all filled me up and I'm ready to go. While at the conference I took part in a panel (that should be online soon I hope) and gave ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/10/09/buckets/ Every person that creates content of any type online is an "influencer" in my mind and it is to you that I'm speaking today. More and more brands are looking to engaged with influencers both long term and for individual programs and I think that too many people are selling themselves ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/09/18/personal-price-tags/ As you can imagine, life has been a bit busy around here since we made the big announcement about Campfire acquiring The Advance Guard. It is a big change and an awesome one and I finally get to share some thoughts with you about it. I also wanted to talk about ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/09/09/campfire-and-hard-work/ This past weekend I attended Podcamp Boston 4 and had an absolute wonderful time. But, I left with one thing in my head that I had to share with the world and that is the fact that while some people might get in your way during your career, life or chasing ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/08/14/you-are-the-only-one-standing-in-your-way/ Several months ago, I had a friend tell me that he had a book that I had to read and a person I had to talk to. That was the first time I heard the phrase "family first entrepreneur" and it has stuck with me ever since. While I never ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/07/14/marc-warnke-author-of-ono-options-not-obligations/ I was very psyched when the opportunity to interview Chris Anderson here on Managing the Gray came up. Special thanks to my friend Kevin Smokler for making the introduction. Photo by Joi Ito Chris and I got on the phone to chat as we were both getting ready for Father's Day weekend ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/06/24/chris-anderson-interview/ I've been a big fan of Ze Frank since I first heard about it, but I honestly never thought he'd directly inspire an episode of  Managing the Gray. But, I watched a video of a presentation he gave and it really hit home for me. Today is really a straight from ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/06/19/moments/ Before someone reads that title and never listens to the episode the point of today's Managing the Gray is to say that there are a lot of people involved in parenting outside of people who fit into the typical little box of "mommy bloggers." I think Dads are getting the ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/06/17/death-to-the-term-mommy-blogger/ I apologize for the silence around here while I get my software problems solved. It feels REALLY good to be back here on Managing the Gray. Topics on today's show include: My "Social Media is a Small Town" presentation Digital Content Newfront 2009 Current's VCAM (Viewer Created Ad Model) Ubercaster Eric Rice Media Hacks Thanks as always for ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/06/09/small-towns-and-teaching-what-you-know/ I recently gave a presentation in Memphis talking about how more brands need to start leveraging the passion of their consumers in their campaigns. I had a lot of people ask me to talk more about the slides who couldn't be on hand to see the presentation so today I ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/05/05/passion-is-contagious/ Once again, Advertising Age gives me something to talk about on the show today. I think they have stepped up their writing or something because it is certainly getting bigger reactions from me lately. Today I focused on discussing their 5 New Rules for Marketing and what I thought about them. ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/04/16/new-rules-of-marketing/ The hot assignment that everyone seems to be getting or looking for is to develop a social media strategy. Every day I hear about someone having to figure this out for their company and they don't know where to start. So, today on Managing the Gray I thought I'd give ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/04/02/how-to-create-a-social-media-strategy/ Today I'm going to give you the secret of how to be successful with your new marketing programs.   Managing the Gray is here to give you the answers after all isn't it? *laugh* Besides discussing how to break through the clutter, I also talked about our Facebook White Paper that was ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/03/27/breaking-through-the-clutter/ I recorded this show live from Austin on my iPhone during SXSW. I realized I had a few minutes before my next set of plans and figured it would be the perfect time to share some live thoughts on the conference right here on Managing the Gray. Links, People & Services ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/03/20/thoughts-from-sxsw/ There have been a lot of changes happening with Facebook lately and I'm excited by most of them. I wanted to make sure that my  Managing the Gray listeners were up to date on the latest changes. I mentioned on the show we published a white paper this week about the ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/03/11/facebook-pages-media-hacks/ March sure did come in like a lion here in New England. I was ready for spring, but instead we ended up with a dumping of snow yesterday. That is why I'm talking about candy and Austin on today's Managing the Gray. I wanted to share my thoughts on the newly ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/03/03/skittles-and-sxsw/ Today I woke up and needed to record. Of course my computer didn't feel like cooperating with me so I just fired up iTalk and did it that way. First of the morning brain dump on a variety of topics for today's Managing the Gray. Topics and links discussed on today's ... http://www.managingthegray.com/2009/02/23/taking-everything-up-a-notch/