About You

This page is about you. The comments on this page are open so that you can create a written self-portrait to share what you want others to know about you. If you feel that you'd like to start a conversation with other readers and with me about yourself - this is the right place to do that.

Ideal conversations here are about fair exchanges and reciprocity. I am deeply interested in listening and getting to know you.

Networking is a lot more than a business strategy to advance our professional position. As Theodore Zeldin puts it in an article about The Future of Networking, it is more than a device for creative media free-lancers, or a rescue package for redundant executives. Most of the population does not fit into these categories so we need to expand our definition for a clear vision of the future.

For networking will not realize its full potential until it benefits everybody, leaving no one out. Otherwise, we remain stuck in the rut which infuriated our ancestors, that the networks of the privileged were impenetrable by ordinary people. 

This is fundamentally what the vision for this space is and why I talk about connecting ideas and people. Zeldin talks about four areas of connection:

1. Finding links between ideas that seem unrelated - what you need to be imaginative is courage, which comes from curiosity and empathy, with a dash of experience.
2. Searching for what people have in common - to do that we discover compatibilities, what makes us human, and from that we develop strategies which are beautiful as well as efficient.
3. Developing friendships that override gender, racial and national stereotypes - all languages are welcome, although I might need your help to understand and welcome you properly.
4. Seeking to weave together networks of experience - so we can learn from each other. Every profession with intelligent people in it will want to be more.

Networking is a process through which we enable who we are to be activated - with empathy, compassion, and respect. My body of work may give you an idea of how I think. This is what I do. Tell us about you.

Connections you can make:

• Angel Investors, Meet Caroline Di Diego, Film Narrator and Entrepreneur
• Syndicators, Meet Bill Harman, Radio Program Director and Connector
• Law Enforcement Agents, Meet Christa Miller and Become Cops 2.0
• Connectors, Meet Ryan Stevens, Creator of Conversations on Relationship Marketing
• Change Agents, Meet Alex Grech, Change Incubator
• Producers, Meet Colleen Wainwright, the Communicatrix
• Multi-Lingual, Global Marketers, Meet Kelly Rigotti, Emerging Markets Student
• Small Business Owners, Meet Steve Gaines, Passionate Marketer
• Auto Enthusiasts, Meet Brian Driggs, Steering Communities since 2002
• Meet DJ Waldow, Community Builder
• John Spence Makes the Complex Awesomely Simple
• Architects, Meet Collier Ward, Content Creator
• Meet Gianandrea Facchini, Brand Buzz Detector
• B2B Marketers, Meet Jeremy Victor, Entrepreneur, Editor in Chief, Consultant

more coming soon...

Comments

[Lynn Johnson]

My name is Lynn Johnson. As a theater artist and entrepreneur, my main mission is to strengthen personal development and community connections through the art and business of theater.

I am the co-founder of 2 companies. The first, Glitter & Razz Productions, a company that celebrates creative kids with quality theater camps and parties where kids create and perform peaceful & powerful plays in 1 hour, 1 week, or 1 day. The other is a non-profit theater company, OutLook Theater Project, that explores social issues from the LGBT perspective.

I am very interested in how well-intentioned, creative, and intelligent people can use business and social media as tools to change the world. I am always looking for connections across sectors and feel that we can make very important things happen if the most creative among us collaborate to find solutions to our biggest problems.

[Kari Dunham]

Hello World!

My name is Kari Dunham. Currently, I am a senior in college looking at a degree in PR. I have just started a class on social media and I love it. I am very interested in making connections with people through this medium, and using it in boundary spanning activities. As I look towards graduation I am using my knowledge and passion of social media to no only establish a name for myself, but to further extend my network.

Kudos to Conversation Agent for this site...I truly believe this could end up being much more than an experiment.

[gianandrea facchini]

Hi there.
My name is Gianandrea Facchini.
I'm a dog lover and work for a non profit association based in Rome (Italy). Our purpose is to fight for rights for dogs, first, and all animals, second. I truly believe that there is not a civil society without respect for animals and for our environment.

I'm a huge lover of Pinot Noir, the best grape ever, particularly the one from Burgundy.

In my free time, I run my company, Buzzdetector, www.buzzdetector.com, whose purpose is to hear for voices from the web and turn them into actionable insights for my clients, to develop communication platform between corporation and customers, etc.

Valeria, great post as usual.

[Ryan Stephens]

I am currently a Sports Media Analyst for Sports Media Challenge. The job affords me the opportunity to use my social media background to create marketing strategies for athletes and other sports industry brands.

I am extremely passionate about both marketing and helping people. I believe in the power of web 2.0 and its ability to cultivate conversations, relationships and the spread of ideas. As cliche as it sounds, I sincerely believe generosity is the key to a successful business.

My experience in the 'corporate world' consists consulting projects with Apple, OfficeMax, HEB Grocery, and CarGo Blue Magic.

I have also gained valuable entrepreneurship experience working with Oates Specialties, one of the foremost suppliers of innovative training devices for athletes, particularly the consummate pitcher.

Additionally, I have done work with respect to various aspects of eMarketing including blogging, social media, web 2.0, search engine optimization, niche marketing, affiliate marketing, copywriting, and basic web design.

I am interested in opportunities with respect to social media, interactive strategy and community evangelism, but am generally passionate about and interested in anything marketing related.

[Alex Grech]

Hi, I'm Alex Grech, I live in Malta. After many years working as a change agent and doing consulting work, I've immersed myself in social media as a primer to working on a project to connect people with insiders in specific cities. Starting with my own island. I'm fascinated and moved by the way people are helping each other online, even if they have never met each other in person. One day, I'd like to use the knowledge I'm getting on this journey to help others.

[Christy Brewer]

My name is Christy Brewer. I've done project management and web marketing, serving as, oddly enough, Director of Corporate Communications for an internet security firm, and "webmaster" for an automotive supplier. Strange. All that to begin a freelance content business now.

My focus is on copy that instructs or informs. I spent a lot of time writing about alternative fuel technology, environmental issues and sustainability for www.gmability.com/education, a web site for K-12 classrooms. So, I love writing content that helps people understand and learn something new.

Of course, I'd like to get "business," but I'm finding myself getting up in the morning to hear what others have to say and helping them connect the dots with others. Usually great things come out of the seemingly strangest connections.

Got an idea you want to bounce off someone? I'm always willing to hear something new!

Christy Brewer
@xybrewer on Twitter
www.brewpoint.com

[Christa M. Miller]

I loved this page idea so much I hijacked it for my blog, Cops 2.0: http://cops2point0.com/about-you/ :)

I'm Christa Miller, and I'm new to social media but not to public safety, where I see very many possibilities for social media outreach to community members.

I also write content in many different forms, and am getting into PR as part of my business. Just as I want to help police/public safety personnel connect better with their communities, I also want to help the vendors who equip them connect better too.

[CASUDI]

I am Caroline Di Diego, my nom d'art is CASUDI. I have written my first blog telling people about myself, and this seems the appropriate place to add more about me. Prior to focusing my career on my love of Architectural & Interior design, I consulted for early-stage technology companies, (very early stage), with my business partner James Ferris; together we would assist with designing companies and become the marketing, communications, PR and more, department, typically for only one company at a time.

As a company became successful, we would assist in hiring our replacements. We enjoyed the challenge of start-ups, and were happy to move on when they got their act(s) together. So this was one motivation for me to join twitter; to research and understand what was happening in social media, as I am often asked to make marketing/communications recommendations. When I started on twitter at the end of November, I knew less than nothing about SM for business. So I hit the jackpot when I found Valeria on twitter & this website!

Also in my past I have written, directed, and produced award-winning educational environmental documentaries at the BBC/PBS level. Many of my documentaries focused on water. My message, somewhat unpopular at the time, was that there can be a balance between business/consumption, and conservation! Perhaps I'll do a blog expounding on that sometime.

Now, still with a focus on water, my mission is to create workable grassroots solutions for collecting rainwater for consumption and agriculture in remote developing areas of the planet. Our first test area is scheduled this year in a very small village in Rwanda, unfortunately depending war & politics. We are creating a 'village-scale' template that can be used wherever the climate is applicable, and we're planning it as a non-profit endeavor. Bank-on-Rain, will be updating on twitter sometime soon, and hopefully joining other twitter communities with similar missions. Perhaps this will become my legacy.

[Diego Remus]

Hello! I´m from Brazil and I live in São Paulo, but, having:

- been an English teacher at teenagehood, graduated in Journalism;
- worked for newspapers and magazines (as reporter, sustained development culture columnist, editor-in-chief);
- worked as marketing coordinator, content management and change management consultant for a corporation;

people consider myself pretty much what I call an "all-around freemium networkaholic wikinomist".

It means that, besides working as a Social Media Business Process Modeling consultive developer for a company (who hired me) focused on OpenSocial applications (www.Amanaie.com.br), I often share my expertise on collaborative efforts and have a passion for cyberdemocracy, e-gov and social/open entrepreneurship. Yes, I consider this a business because that´s how I´m good at being busy and busy at being good!

I believe the value added up by people like me is to connect people to people, people to ideas, and then to action. The dream I wish comes true is a world where the new scientific paradigms are consciously experienced, meaning that "every sustainable thing has a web/net pattern", and where the school is this web/net.

I leverage transversal intersections and interactions and for this I´m developing something on the field of "entertrainment", besides other blog and wikis in which I participate.

Yes, I´m very enthusiastic, realistic, busy and successful about all that - measured up by some experience quality enhancement for sides involved, and by the shape of things to come!

I admire Valeria since the first tweet I saw from hers and specially for this post!

Hugs to everyone! Let´s mashup!

[Bill Harman]

Bill Harman here and most of my career has been in communications and broadcasting management, operations and development. I've been a radio brand manager and program director, content creator, producer and on-air personality. I consulted radio groups in Australia and Canada. I've also been on TV as a weatherman and video jock.

My company is the Short Attention Span Theatre and through that I produce and host a three hour contemporary instrumental based radio show on Sunday called The Harmonic Lounge. The show airs in Columbus Ohio (WJZA/7-10am), Gainesville Florida (WXJZ/7-10am), Harrisburg Pennsylvania (WSJW/9am-Noon) and Modesto/Stockton California (KRVR/9pm-Midnight).

I'm currently looking for more stations and a syndicator for the show and I'm spearheading the development of Harmonic Lounge advertising solutions both in my local market and also nationally. You can find out more at www.harmoniclounge.com.

I try to bring listening enjoyment and satisfaction with the show but I'm also here to help others so what can I do for you?

[Ken Lazar]

Thanks for the great music, Bill. Always listening on Sunday morning. Makes my week.

Ken

[Gretchen Anthony]

Hello fellow Conversation Agent readers. My name is Gretchen Anthony. In my home life I'm a mom to 3 terrific, active and humorous boys and married to the same in their father. We're lucky enough to live in Colorado and even luckier to be able to enjoy so much of what Colorado life has to offer. It's good here.

In my work life I'm a communication consultant and founder of Tilt (tiltconsulting.com). Our mission: to deliver workplace communications that work.

What I love about conversation agent: the social and employment landscape is changing. No longer can we rely on top-down messaging of any form -- advertising, management or even political. The social communication contract has changed. People are finding their voices and expect them to be heard. Leaders are expected to be more in touch and more responsive than ever before. Folks on the front-lines are finding ways to express themselves like never before. I believe it's my job to help connect those streams of conversation at work.

[John Spence]

Wow, what a great idea to put this section on your blog Valeria, I really enjoyed reading all of the introductions from the folks above and plan to reach out to several of them, so here is mine...

I have built a career out of trying to make the very complex -- awesomelysimple. For the last 14 years I've traveled worldwide assisting companies as an executive educator, management consultant and professional speaker. I've worked on assignments for more than 300 organizations including IBM, GE, Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Abbot Labs, Genentech, Pepsi, QUALCOMM and many many more. My areas of focus are on: advanced leadership development, strategic thinking, high-performance teams, organizational culture and superior customer service. I have read a minimum of 100 business books a year since 1989 as well as listening to an additional 20 to 50 audio books per year. I do all of this in an effort to find the "patterns" of a particular topic -- the fundamental, key drivers of success in that area of focus -- and I teach those key concepts to my clients and help them implement them and their businesses and their lives.

If you have any questions or need assistance on one of the topics I have listed above, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will do everything I can to assist you. I also have a blog at: www.johnspence.com/blog -- where I try to post ideas of value. I keep up with about 50 different blogs, but I will say without any pandering, Conversation Agent is absolutely one of my favorites. Valeria does a wonderful job of making sure that every time she writes a post it says something important and I truly appreciate her professionalism and respect for her readers. I am sure you have noticed that I post responses often to her blogs -- as she is one of the bloggers that I feel connected to and always find relevance in her point of view and the ideas and people she talks about on her blog. If you'd like more information on me just go to my website at: www.johnspence.com and I also welcome anyone who would like to connect on Facebook or LinkedIn -- I am a huge proponent of the ideas of: "if you just help enough other people get what they want you will get everything that you want" and that one of the keys to success in business and life is to surround yourself with a huge network of bright, sharp, smart, talented people -- and then ask them for help, advice and feedback often. If you would like to be in my network, I would like to do everything I can to help you get what you want. Take good care -- I wish you every success and happiness -- keep up the great work Valeria -- John Spence

[Christopher]

My name is Christopher. I'm a Deaf gay man and graphic designer living between New York City and Washington, DC. Soon, I'll be joining my Japanese-born partner in NYC full time. You can read a draft version of my story here: http://inaudiblenonsense.com/2008/08/24/personal-narrative-v1/

One the things I've always been most proud of is the diversity of people that I know. Not in a "my contact list is better than your contact list" kind of way, but in a "I have so much to learn from you all" kind of way. And I love introducing people across that spectrum of friends. I'm blessed with having found interesting people and have kept good friends at all moments of my life. I regularly talk to people that I went to elementary school with as well as more recent coworkers. I love their stories and I love that they make up what I know.

As always, a big thank you to Valeria, who's one of the most giving and unique voices on the web. And whose email exchanges I've valued. The "About You" section is just one more way that she's thinking of her community. And that's very special.

So nice to meet the rest of you as well.

[Steve Gaines]

Together with my partner, we are keenly interested in using our marketing passions to help small local businesses "get it". From the continued and important use of traditional offline media to integrating that into online social media.

We have recently started blogging on various ideas related to this under the name marketingexposed.net .

I'm @stevegaines62 on Twitter. I've also spoken to groups of small business owners/managers on marketing for the past 9 years. My latest workshop topic, "The Next Step" puts forth the very basics on initially getting setup online and effectively using those tools. Along with integrating that into traditional marketing.

My partner is @catherinemaino on Twitter. She's currently working in the world of traditional media and has a phenominal mind for the creative side of marketing. With her multiple media background she is also tremendous at strategic marketing planning.

How can we be of service to you?

[Colleen Wainwright]

Another genius bit of invention from someone who continues to surprise and delight with her understanding of how to connect people.

I'm Colleen Wainwright. I've spent my entire 47 years communicating ideas in one way or another--as an advertising copywriter, an actor, a graphic designer and now, a consultant.

I'm fascinated by people who fuse lessons from wildly disparate parts of their lives to create new ways of doing things. Valeria is one of those people, as are most of the people on my short list of friends and known associates.

Go, Conversation Agent, go!

[Kelly Rigotti]

My name is Kelly Rigotti.

I'm American but I've been living in France for the past ten years, so I was originally drawn to Valeria for her cross cultural ways of thinking. I stuck around for everything else!

Like many of you, I'm drawn to helping people facilitate communication- my particular area of interest is networking, marketing and communication on the internet. At the moment I'm collecting ideas and research for my thesis- on how culture affects marketing through social media tools. I'm particularly interested in two geographic areas: Albania and the Middle East, so any information is welcome!

I'm happy to connect with people on building networking groups (I'm a founding member of a very active, in-real-life one where I live), and anglo-french communication styles.

[Ann Sachs]

Dear Valeria:

Thank you for providing this forum for your readers to connect with one another and with you. I follow you on Twitter.

My name is Ann Sachs, and I have been a creative collaborator since birth. I've spent 40 years working in the theatre, first as a professional actress. I played leading roles in resident theatres and on Broadway for 20 years, then joined my husband in our theatre design consulting firm (we design theatre buildings). I am president and CEO, he is Director of Design.

My newest venture is called Theatrical Intelligence™, a process I created that uses theatre concepts to impact business performance; I am writing a book on the subject. I recently started a blog to share some of my ideas and to extend my relationships. (I'm at a temporary standstill because my darling mother just died, and I'm taking time to process the loss and put together a Memorial for our enormous family.)

So that, in brief, is me. Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself.

Ann

P.S. Your name is beautiful. It reminds me of "valerian drops" in all those Chekhov plays: soothing. And just the thing for this moment in time.

[Collier Ward]

Greetings, my name is Collier Ward (collier1960 anywhere online).

I am an Architect with a passion for words. I’ve had opportunities to wax poetic in marketing, to button-down for contract drafts and to tech-up for specification writing. There are many ways to put words to work - I love them all.

As many participants in the ongoing recession, I’ve left my career-of-training and am pursuing a career-of-choice. I intend to craft language for and about the building design industry; directing brand language, providing web content, producing articles and/or launching niche blogs.

My mission is promote the value of architectural design. I intend to help fellow Architects to know and to tell their story in ways not thought of when I started in the profession.

I'm only now beginning (and needing to work around the ongong tasks of a traditional job search) but I soon hope to have a great blog started and some other initiatives under way.

Best wishes to you all!

[Paul Harper]

Glad I came across this site.

Hi, I'm Paul Harper, am heading up a small startup MyStockVoice.com which will be coming live shortly.

We are a blog aggregation platform with a focus on BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) & Emerging Market business & financial themes. You can read a little more about the project on my blog.

I am looking to network with bloggers who work in this niche & also any prospective partners writing resreach etc.

Relocated to Slovakia about 3 months ago, with Mrs P (Slovak) & 4 year old son ... communicating in English is great.

Before the move, we lived in Bern, Switzerland for five years, before my career change I worked in international telecoms & prior to that, was in the Royal Navy for seven years ... so well travelled & slightly frayed around the edges.

Looking forward to perusing the site a little more & hope to make some valuable connections.

regards to all

Paul

(ps Twitter username @mystockvoice)

[Bruce Christensen]

I am Bruce Christensen. I am an ordinary guy with an extra-ordinary family.
The desire to stay connected with this wonderful group has lead me to become an internet entrepreneur.
When our youngest of five married, we where faced with an empty nest.
Because we couldn't bear the thought of not staying connected, we started playing an online gift exchange game together. This activity has provided our family with an internet "social explosion" for the past 3-years.

We are now preparing to launch the online white elephant party in Facebook. We like to think of it as the Christensen family's gift to other families.

This is a testament to openness of today's web... Now, ordinary people can contribute to extraordinary conversations and change the world.

Thank you Valeria; for allowing me share in the conversation here.

[DJ Waldow]

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

OK. That's not really my name, but I've always wanted to write that. It's from the classic movie The Princess Bride. Great clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3W5GDkgf2w

Let me start over. My name is DJ Waldow (Like "Where's Waldo" with a "w" on the end). I am not a real DJ (read: Disc Jockey). In fact, while I enjoy music, I don't really appreciate to the same extent as others do.

I'll be 37 years old in February of 2013. I am an alumni of the University of Michigan, class of 1998 (same year we won the National Championship in football). I am still a *huge* Wolverines fan...as evidenced by my tat on my right wrist (http://twitpic.com/b0tcw).

I have a beautiful, funny, caring, super cool and supportive wife named Kristina. I call her K-Dawg. We have a dog and 3 cats. Someday (soon?) we hope to have a few children. We moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in June of 2009 and are loving it here. Kristina is originally from Orinda, CA (Bay area of N. California). I am from Rochester, NY (Upstate NY).

I just finished my MBA - while working full-time). I was nominated to speak at my graduation at the end of September, 2009.

I currently hold what I think is one of the best jobs in the world - a job that capitalizes on my strengths: talking and connecting with people. I am the Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory, an Email Service Provider (ESP) based in Baltimore, MD. My job allows me to interact and have conversations with many people all over the world. It is a combination of sales, marketing, operations, support, client services, account management, etc. I wear many hats and love it.

On the side (not sure what that means), I blog at Social Butterfly Guy - http://socialbutterflyguy.com/ - my outlet for honing my writing skills and hopefully putting a smile on someone's face. My blog is really an extension of my day job.

I love laughing and making others laugh and smile. I am a talker. I could go on and on, but you get the gist, right?

DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow

[Alan Lopuszynski]

Howdy. Thanks to Conversation Agent for providing this great networking tool. Big fan.

I'm Alan Lopuszynski, an online marketing guy, blogger, film buff and husband-dad. I recently started a job as Director of Marketing for an HVAC and building controls company at alpscontrols.com. I create online videos, marketing content, and take advantage of social media tactics to learn, network, chat, explore and - somewhere down on that list - sell more stuff online.

I am not now, nor will I ever likely be, a social media rockstar. But I enjoy the hell out of the possibilities and challenges found in the online SM world and every day I find something new and thrilling. That should be enough, right?

I went to Syracuse University, spent almost 10 years in the film industry, and my wife and I are the proud and often delightfully weary parents of three disturbingly bright boys.

Thanks, Valeria, for the open forum!

[Luis de Velasco]

My name is Luis Velasco, I am Business Development manager for a Business Intelligence and customer insight company in Madrid,Spain:www.mbdconsultores.com
I have lived and worked in Chile, Perú and Spain.I love to learn, cook and eat spanish and peruivian food and drink some red wine.
I am married and have a 6 year old daughter.
I am a also a creative entrepeneur with small companies in the countries I mentioned. I am starting to get involved in politics here with a www.upyd.es party in Spain. We feel democracy has been taken away by traditional parties and must be given back to people and we are working in achieving that trough internet 2.0:. Collaboration, dialogue and community.

[Steve Cantrell]

Hi, I'm Steve Cantrell, Public Relations Manager for the NM Dept of Cultural Affairs. I oversee media relations for the four state museums in Santa Fe and the six state monuments located throughout NM. A one-person dept. When I started 3 1/2 years ago PR2.0 and social media were just hitting their stride. Attended two seminars at the outset to see what this buzz was about and found that it might act as a "virtual assistant." Unfortunately lack of time has kept me from pursuing everything as much as I want but am encouraged the museums' FaceBook Pages have taken off. Also want to expand my efforts as traditional media shrinks. www.museumofnewmexico.org is our main web site and there are links from each museum's home page to their FaceBook Page.