Purple Wren

Des Moines Alliance of AWC Features Author, Mary Kay Shanley Rhodes on Mar. 28

Being an Author:  Why Would Anyone Do Such a Thing?
Presented by Mary Kay Shanley Rhodes

Mary Kay Shanley will share stories on how she got started in her current career as an author and what it's like to write books. She is the author of nine books, including the best-seller She Taught Me to Eat Artichokes.  Her books range from the practical (Survival Secrets of College Students to be released by Barron's this spring) to historical (Our State Fair: Iowa's Blue Ribbon Story) to sentimental (when I think about My Father: Sons and Daughters Remember and The Memory Box: Gathering Keepsakes of the Heart).  Mary Kay began her career as a reporter at The Des Moines Register and is a former member of AWC (when it was known as Women in Communications).

DATE: Wednesday, March 28

LOCATION:  Hotel Fort Des Moines, 10th & Walnut, Des Moines (map)

TIME: 11:30 a.m.-Registration/Networking  |  11:45 Lunch | 12:00 Presentation

COST: $20 for members | $25 for nonmembers | Late Registration/at the door--$30 | Students--$15

MENU SELECTION: Whitefish with tomato salsa OR Cheese quesadillas

RSVP with menu choice to: Joyce at (515) 255-3153 by 9 AM Monday, March 26.

Cancellation policy: If you need to cancel, please let us know by 9 AM Monday, March 26 , to avoid being charged for the meal. Call Joyce at 255-3153.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR. The next monthly luncheon is Wednesday, April 18, at the Botanical Center. Sherry Barrett discusses The Seeds of Innovation.

AWC Des Moines

Dec. Meeting: IABC/Iowa

Join us Wednesday, Dec. 6, for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Iowa Chapter meeting.

This month the luncheon speaker is Mary Sigmann, a professional organizer from Ames, Iowa. December is the perfect month to get organized and I'm sure Mary will have plenty of tips to help us organize our offices and homes.

It might be late notice for this event, so check the calendar for upcoming events.

IABC/Iowa - a statewide professional organization dedicated to fostering communications excellence, contributing to organizational communication goals and being a professional resource for both individuals and companies.

What professional association do you belong to? Is it is good fit for you and your needs?

Dec. Meeting: Digital Arts Group

Tomorrow Thursday, December 7, is the Digital Arts Group (DAG) meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. 

This month Barb Gordon will give a presentation on Skype. Since it's also the holiday party, there will be free pizza and pop.

The association was formed in 1991 to "sponsor and promote educational programs on the use of computers in media and graphic arts." Originally it was a Mac users' group, but today you will find that just as many people use PCs.

These meetings are free and open to the public - no reservations required. Yearly dues are $25. We meet at Haddock Computer in Windsor Heights the first Thursday of each month.

What do you want to learn in the next 12 months?

To Blog or Not to Blog...

The topic of a meeting I attended today was Blogging - Best Practices for Use in Your Workplace. The presentation got me thinking, so I sent the following links to a few people for further reading and to continue the discussion.

What is a Blog?

• Contentious - Amy Gahran
• Online Journalism Review - USC Annenberg
• Small Business Blogging Scout - Hendry Lee
• TheWeblogProject

What Makes a Blog Different?

• ConverStations - Mike Sansone
• telltenfriends Marketing Co. 

How To Blog

• Web Strategy by Jeremiah - Jeremiah Owyang
• Communication Overtones - Kami Huyse
• Martin Gordon's Blog

Popular Business Blogs

• Business Blogwire - Easton Ellsworth
• Wells Fargo Blogs
• PR meets the WWW - Constantin Basturea
• MarketingProfs:DailyFix

Waste of Time?

• Logic + Emotion - David Armano
• Creating Passionate Users
• Seth Godin's Blog
• How to Change the World - Guy Kawasaki

Handling Negative Comments

• Google search for 'handling negative comments' on blogs

As a Marketing Tool

• Technorati search for 'marketing'

Findability

• findability.org
• Blog Business Summit
• The Blogging Systems Blog

Should Your Company Blog?

• Working Knowledge - Harvard Business School
• Backbone Corporate Blogging Survey - backbonemedia
• Web Strategy by Jeremiah - Jeremiah Owyang

 RSS Feeds

• Why RSS Feeds Rock My Marketing - adotas
• Search Once and Subscribe - ConverStations
• 800-CEO-READ Blog
• Read the Freakin' Blogosphere - Micro Persuasion

What best practices can you share?

Photo on flickr by Quan Nguyen

Does Multi-Tasking Reduce Productivity?

I took the opportunity to join a casual session with other local businesswomen this afternoon, hosted by the Central Iowa Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). There were about twelve of us who met at Java G's Coffee in West Des Moines to network and share tips and resources with each other. What a great community builder.

Even though there were a variety of business types and sizes represented, we found common ground when discussing time management (focus and multi-tasking were both mentioned). 

Multi-tasking has been getting a lot of negative press lately with claims that it actually reduces productivity. After working that way for years, I tend to agree with them. Mostly I just feel scattered and like nothing is ever finished. I can get a lot more accomplished if I concentrate on one activity at a time. Our discussion today was a good reminder for me to remember to "chunk" my time.

Do you have any thoughts on multi-tasking or hints to share about time management?

Photo by khedberg on flickr