Posts tagged as:

Workflow

Forget Streamtime: Preliminary Impressions of Twitter and the Real-Time Web

by Daria Steigman on August 3, 2010

I’ve been looking at my Twitterstream in real time since Thursday morning. Unlike the streamtime approach we’ve become used to, real time has no updates. It is a non-stop stream. Instant-ness. Immediacy.

In a blog post aptly titled Trialling Twitter at the Speed of Wow, TweetDeck opened up an experimental version of its desktop app to a handful of accounts. I was lucky to nab one, and so I thought I’d share my first (very preliminary) impressions.

1. Much as our brains have had to learn to process growing amounts of information in streamtime, real time will force us once again to readjust how we process information. I’m not sure yet whether this process will be iterative or require new systems and tools.

2. Without the “chunking” of tweets (via timed stream updates), it’s easier than ever to miss key information–so setting up TweetDeck notifications for mentions and DMs is more important than ever.

3. You can once again pull in replies to people you don’t follow from people you do. This is a huge step to restoring the ambient discovery Twitter took away 15 months ago.

4. We’re following a lot more people than we were 15 months ago, and somehow we’ve gotten accustomed to the quieted stream. I’ve been experimenting with the new functionality restored sometimes–and sometimes silenced when the volume of tweets streaming by gets overwhelming.

5. I’d like to see Twitter (or TweetDeck and other app developers) create a tool that lets me selectively follow the public replies of some people in my Twitterstream without having to pull in all of them. A list that I can shape and reshape to fit what matters to me over time.

Tagged as: , , , , , ,

{ 1 comment }

Does Gender Matter in Workshifting?

by Daria Steigman on July 27, 2010

Gender & Workshifting | Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llc | My latest post at Workshifting.com was sparked by this thought-provoking article on BNET about the impact of gender on how men’s brains and women’s brains function–and the impact this has on how we work.

As more people shift out of office settings, it seems we’re due for a conversation about how gender might impact workshifting–who  is likely to take to it, and what that means for teams of workshifters and those who manage them.

You can read the complete post here.

Photo by dno1967 (Flickr).

Tagged as: ,

{ 0 comments }

5 Tips to Avoid a Workshifting Meltdown

by Daria Steigman on July 15, 2010

5 Tips to Avoid a Workshifting Meltdown | Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llcIf you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know that there were a couple of weeks recently in which I posted very infrequently. What you probably don’t know is that I was in bed sick for a good chunk of that time. Although I wasn’t getting much work done, business didn’t stop for me.

Which brings me to my latest post for Workshifting.com. The topic is how to manage expectations when you have an unplanned work stoppage. The five tips include triaging, rescheduling deadlines, checking email, and more.

Go ahead, read the post, and then add your tips for avoiding a workshifting meltdown.

Photo by Simon Strandgaard (Flickr).

Tagged as: ,

{ 0 comments }

The 9-Step Plan to Managing Your Time

by Daria Steigman on July 13, 2010

9-Step Time Management Plan for Business | Steigman Communications, llc | Independent ThinkingMy latest column for IABC’s CW Bulletin is out, and it is about time: how we claim it as business owners, and how we can manage it to keep ourselves from being overwhelmed or letting critical tasks and projects slip through the cracks.

It can be a challenge for even the most organized. I’ve written before that it doesn’t take a superhero. While I wish I had a time turner, like Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter books, I live in a world where the wizardry is really just a product of hard work.

The column looks at 9 strategies for managing your business. They range from identifying the five business buckets to prioritizing the big stuff to understanding cash-flow cycles.

You can read it here.  Then come back and tell me: What would you add?

Photo by Laffy4k (Flickr).

Tagged as: , , , , ,

{ 2 comments }

You’re Using Social Media, But is Your Audience Listening?

by Daria Steigman on June 10, 2010


Independent Thinking | Steigman Communications, llc

I wrote here about the secret to a great client relationship (hint: it’s about how you communicate). Now I want to talk about a related issue: understanding how your audience is listening.

For example:

  • Have you ever had someone say, “Well, I tweeted about that”?
    Okay, but I didn’t see your random tweet at a random-to-me time in a sea of tweets from the 500+ people I’m following.
  • Have you ever had someone tell you they posted the event to their LinkedIn Group?
    Great, except I get a weekly digest and your event was three days ago.

  • Have you ever had multiple people send you Facebook notifications for the same event, even though you’re on the organization’s distribution list and so have obviously received at least one event invitation (and possibly signed up already)?
    Gee, now you’re spamming me.

Here’s the problem: When you do this, you’re making assumptions about my behavior and how I use various social media channels. Get it right, and we’re cool. Get it wrong, and your message is lost. You become irrelevant. Or worse, I unfollow, unlink, or unfriend you.

Whether you’re asking directly, monitoring online behavior, or accessing analytics, it’s important to understand how people consume information.

What strategies do you use to understand how your audience is listening?

Note: This post originally appeared on IABC’s Communication World blog.

Photo by cogdogblog (Flickr).

Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

{ 0 comments }

← Previous Entries