Joel-Mark-Witt.com

I rag on Baltimore pretty hard because I’m from Pittsburgh and a Steelers fan and that’s what I’m supposed to do. But the truth is – this city has some amazing creative people. And if you live or work here or care at all about Charm City … then we need your help to bring Google Fiber to the region.

Go here right now and ask Google to invest billions in Baltimore’s future.

Here’s the official write up from the BmoreFiber site:

You may have noticed I haven’t been around these parts for a while…

I kind of went AWOL…

I swear there’s good reason for that.

In addition to raising two little boys, working regular desk hours, taking on several new social media and online marketing clients, writing two books and working toward a second Masters degree (long story that I’ll tell you sometime), I’m also building an online social media resource and training company over at Folk Media.

Needless to say, you can feel the time being sucked from your lifeless exhausted body just by reading the above paragraph (actually it’s one very long sentence).

Long story (or sentence/paragraph) short -

I’m busy.

So what? Everyone’s busy.

I know. That’s why I’m here now to let you know I’m back. This site is my professional presence online and I need to continue caring for it. Busy is no excuse for blog death. Busy is no excuse period.

But I need your help. I’m always interested to hear practical actionable ideas for managing time, attention and resources. Leave your best advice in the comments. No BS though – I don’t have time to sing Kumbaya.

And be sure to connect via Twitter and Google Buzz.
PS – I also tweaked the design of the site a little bit. Like it – yes or no?

This is an annual tradition I have of thanking those awesome folks in my life who have helped me excel professionally. They’ve inspired me, helped me stay on track and have held me accountable.

A big thank you to all of you.

John Lucchetti
Jordan Brauner
Dan Keebler
Chris Brogan
Justin Kownacki
Adele Berenstein
Paul Travis
Greg Rittler
Brody Bond
Eric Alpin
Erica Hebrank
Jim Gomes
Wahid Tanner
Anne Cauley
Julie Warren
My parents
Aaron Marcus
Justin Rasmussen
Jack Hollingsworth
Taylor Davidson
Joel Andrew Glovier
Nicole Fincham
Eben Pagan
David W Morley

Steeler Football

It is no secret that I am a huge Pittsburgh Steeler’s fan. I was born in Pittsburgh and spent the first 26 year of my life in and around Western Pennsylvania. I think I was holding a terrible towel when I was one.

But this season, 2009, the Steelers haven’t been doing so well. We are the defending Superbowl champions and with our current record (6-7) it looks like we won’t even make the playoffs this year.

The team is hounded by injuries and seems to be missing something more than players. Football is a very complicated sport. There are many blitzes, zone coverages, strategies and systems that I do not understand. But there is something I do understand…

Tackling.

I’ve watched several games this year where defensive players missed tackles. I think that this is why the Steelers are losing. If they tackle well they won’t give up big plays that lead to other teams scoring points. Of course, the offense still has to play well too.

But tackling is a fundamental aspect of football. It is the basic action that a defender does to stop the advancement of the ball by the opposing team. And recently, many teams have figured out how to tackle quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.

How Good Is Your Tackling?

I think that success in life or business also comes from good tackling. Knowing how to bring down the projects or challenges that are keeping you from success.

How good are you at tackling the big issues in your life? Do you spend the time taking care of the things you need to take care of to make success probable. For example I’m in the midst of a 2009 year end review and planning for 2010. I read a quote recently by author Donald Miller “meaningful lives don’t just happen by accident.”

In other words, you have to tackle the big stuff and create the life you want.

So what areas are you going to tackle this year? Where are you going to focus your life or business? How are you going to master the fundamentals and practice tackling?

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, social media, podcasting, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

*Photo By Pixteca MX

I often wonder about our current “enlightened state.”

In the modern world we assume that we have the best viewpoint. We feel that new is better and everything that came before is inferior.

What if we are wrong? What if we are gaining in data but are losing our intelligence?

You may argue that we have advances in medicine, science, technology and transportation. We have gained in these areas. But have we improved the moral and social aspects of our lives?

In the United States we ended slavery -helped the world beat back dictators during two world wars – and have aided in spreading freedom to people everywhere.

But there is something about our human condition that leads us back to evil. No matter how many good causes are started each year. No matter how much we are enlightened – it seems that humans as a race are bent on evil. It is in our blood. It seems to be our birthright.

So this brings me back to my original question in this post. How do we know that we are more enlightened now?

What gives us permission to say “we now know what is best for the world.” After all, people in the nineteenth century would have felt they had the answers. In hindsight we view these people as uneducated and ignorant.

Will history see us the same way 100 years from now? Will we look unenlightened then?

We are so sure that we now have the best viewpoint of the world and we use our modernity as our apology. But what if we are the ignorant ones and those who came before actually know a more about life than we are willing to admit?

As we continue to live in the “state of now” with instant Twitter messages and multimedia texts, we have less use for information of the past. It seems stale and old to us.

And when I say the past I mean yesterday. It’s as if we are viewing all information as valuable as a daily newspaper. It’s value wanes as time moves on.

Just some thoughts for today. What do you think?

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, social media, podcasting, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

*Photo by oddsock

Abe Lincoln was a great leader. Some people love him – others hate him. I find fascinating his concern for his image and using photographs of himself for promotion.

“Land Of Lincoln” Book.

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, social media, podcasting, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

I’m doing a very special training next
month in Baltimore called…

“Social Media 101″

If you are starting out with social media and you want
to learn the most advanced map for creating
success in your life and business, then read THIS:

Social Media 101 Training

We’re only going to sell 35 tickets to this program, so
check it out and register ASAP if you want to join me
for it.

This is ONLY for people who are serious about learning
a profound map and system for getting to the NEXT
LEVEL in their business using social media…

Talk soon,

Joel

My iPhone has spoiled me. After living with it for one year, I can tell you that it is a game changer.

I don’t print driving directions anymore.

I don’t know or remember any phone number.

I have come to rely on location based search for food and supplies.

I use my phone to blog. (Writing this post right now from my iPhone).

The iPhone has changed my Twitter life. I am no longer a slave to my desktop Twitter client.

I can snap photos of my kids and send them immediately to their grandparents in Pennsylvania.

The iPhone truly is an amazing device. My big problem is my dependence on it. Like I mentioned above – it has caused me to be less prepared.

Last week I stopped by Beehive Baltimore for a show and tell session. The members gather once a month to show each other the projects they are working on. My friend Dave Troy is working on some really neat apps for the iPhone.

I don’t know if he wants the word out yet, so I will just say that it blew my mind in how it could be used for daily life.

I can envision a day when we carry a device with us that completely supports and augments our daily lives.

How about you? Do you use the iPhone or another device – and what’s your take on it?

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, social media, podcasting, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

*Photo by William Hook

I’m convinced that the people who figure out a good way to track metrics and ROI on Twitter are going to make a lot of money. Part of tracking involves figure out the trending topics. My friend, John Lucchetti, pointed me to a new website that shows Twitter trends geographically.

By looking at a map you can not only tell what people are talking about on Twitter – but where they are talking about it. This information can be location based. For example, I live in Baltimore and can see what people are talking about in my city. It can also be used topically to find out where topics and trends get the most chatter.

As of this writing a major flood is happening in Atlanta. The tags #atlflood and #flood are showing up on the map near Atlanta  for obvious reasons.

This Twitter trends map got me thinking about how we can search and organize information on Twitter.

Here’s your assignment. Come up with five ways that you see a Twitter Trends map being useful for your business, career or personal life. Report back in the comments or find me on Twitter.

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, social media, podcasting, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

Watch how to use Twitter as a platform for leadership

In the beginning Twitter was a toy to play with. Next came using Twitter as a tool for marketing and PR. The next wave is Twitter as a platform for your ideas that will help you build leadership in your market or industry.

For more ideas on how to use Twitter for leadership download a free sample chapter of my book 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. It is full of step-by-step instructions on how you can use the platform of Twitter to stand out in your market.

Resource mentioned: The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, social media, podcasting, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt