Amber Cleveland's Blog

Keep It Simple: 5 Tips for Participating in Tweetchats

amberlcleveland — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:11:55 +0000

The Keep It Simple Series offers a few simple social mediatips to help others as they participate in social media…and sometimes they even serveas a reminder to myself. These 5 tips are specifically for when you are participating in tweetchats, but some can be applied to social media in general.

Check out the Twitter chat schedule to find chats you might find interesting.
Use a platform to participate in the chat. I recommend using TweetChat or TweetGrid
When chatting, if you are just using twitter and not a platform, then don’t forget to include the hashtag in your tweets (that’s why I have to use TweetChat or TweetGrid).
Refer to the question you are answering by using A1, A2, etc.
Keep your tweets short enough to be retweeted – in otherwords short enough so that when someone retweets there are enough characters remaining for your username and the hashtag…chats move quickly and it is really difficult for people to adjust the tweet so that they can retweet it.

Happy Friday, I hope these tips help you and hope to see you on a chat sometime soon. You can usually find me on #LeadershipChat at 8pm ET and #CustServ chat at 9pm ET on Tuesdays, #BrandChat at 11am ET and #SMChat at 1pm ET on Wednesdays and #Kaizenblog chat at 12pm ET on Fridays.

12 Lessons I Never Expected to Learn

amberlcleveland — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:10:36 +0000

Jory Bucks Cleveland October 6, 1997 to November 30, 2011

He was my best friend. I didn’t know it was possible to love that way. He came into my life 14 years ago today…and even though physically he’s gone, he will always be with me.

He was just a tiny thing when my brother bought him for me as a Christmas present…he probably didn’t weigh 5 lbs. He was cute and I was so happy to have him, but it never occurred to me that we would be inseparable…I didn’t really think about that at the time.

I didn’t know that a little dog could teach me such big lessons about life, but he did and I’m so very grateful he was mine. We had 5,089 days together…although that sounds like a lot…it wasn’t enough. So he had plenty of time to teach me about life. I don’t know how he knew so much…I guess you could say that he was wise beyond his years.

So here are the lessons that Jory taught me…

1. Time goes by too quickly…appreciate the days when you feel good and can enjoy life. It isn’t always like that. Don’t wait, go out and play.

2. Trust is limitless when there is love. – Jory was diagnosed with diabetes in March of 2008, so he endured a lot of insulin injections and checking his blood sugar. He was an absolute angel about it. It didn’t change when he was diagnosed with Cushings and Kidney Issues in July 2011. Even though he was getting subcutaneous fluids twice a day almost every day, he would just let you give them to him…did I mention the needle was big enough to make a grown man pass out?

3. Forgive…it isn’t as hard as it may seem. – Jory never held a grudge. I tripped over him, fed him late, left for vacation without him (of course he was with a sitter and his brother), moved us across the country, poked him with needles at least 4 times a day…and he would forgive me.

4. Live in the Present. – This goes along with number 3…one of the reasons that he could forgive so easily is because he lived in the moment. He didn’t think about 5 minutes or 5 days ago and he didn’t worry about tomorrow. He was focused on the moment he was in…you could see it in his eyes or the way he wagged his little “nubbin’” (he didn’t really have a tail). He enjoyed his life. Every touch, treat, walk and toy were important in the moment.

5. Size doesn’t matter. – Some people think that small dogs are “less than” a big dogs…I know when many people met Jory for the first time, they were drawn to him. Jory just had a way with people…they wanted to be his friend. Even the tiniest of creatures are capable of infinite love, make sure you give them a chance.

6. Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of sources. – Jory inspired me to be a better person, to care about other animals, to reach out and help them. I cannot even count the number of strays I’ve picked up or animal causes I’ve supported since Jory came into my life. I loved him so much and I have become an advocate for animals because of him.

7. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it feels good to know that you did it. - As Jory started to have serious health problems over the last 5 months, I hated to have to give him injections, medications and subcutaneous fluids. I worried that he would be mad at me and that I couldn’t explain that I was doing it all just to keep him “healthy.” But…I know I did everything I could to take good care of him and even though it was far from easy, I would’ve regretted it if I had done less.

8. Writing down a schedule really helps. – Jory’s schedule was pretty complex, especially over the past 5 months. I documented it for anyone else who might be caring for him and it helped me too. Although, generally Jory wouldn’t let you forget when it was time to feed him…he wasn’t likely to remind you about everything else. Writing down the schedule for him, forced me to do the same for the rest of my day, it helped keep me on track.

9. A little attention can go a long way. – Jory was my shadow. He would stick with me whenever he could, but usually he just wanted a little attention and then he would rest. If someone is sticking close to you, maybe they just need some attention.

10. Educate yourself. Don’t rely on information from just one source. – We had an AMAZING team of veterinarians and their staffs supporting us. However, it was really important for me to do research, to be informed so that I could make educated decisions regarding his care.

11. Trust yourself and your instincts. – There are many times in life that the answers we need can’t be found or maybe you find them, but your instincts scream something else…trust yourself. (There was an incident with Jory’s diabetes that prompted me to ask the vet if it was possible that Jory had received a bad batch of insulin. It was highly unlikely…but that is exactly what happened and a few months later they pulled Vetsulin from the market.

12. Love remains. – I miss him more than I can say, but the great thing is…I love him more than I can explain. The love didn’t change. It’s still with me. My heart lightens when I think of him running or how he would want to cuddle with me after his walk.

Jory was the best gift I ever received. He won my heart in record time. He was my first pet and he will always be with me. He was an amazing friend, a great listener;), a very loyal and faithful companion. I was truly blessed to have him in my life.

Uncertainty and Leveraging it for Your Business

amberlcleveland — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:27:51 +0000

For this month’s SOBCon chat we will have a special guest – author and entrepreneur, Jonathan Fields. Jonathan’s latest book came out this fall and is titled, “Uncertainty – Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance.” We are going to be talking to Jonathan about some of the principles that everyone can use in building their business.

This chat is for everyone…whether you have read Jonathan’s book or not. Month after month, we pull together a great group that shares insights and information. We hope that you will join us at 1pm ET for this month’s chat. For more information on Jonathan, please go to visit his website.

Here are the questions that we will be covering in the chat:

Q1. What is your number 1 tip for leveraging uncertainty into success for your business?

Q2. What is the best way to create a team (esp. when you’re a solopreneur)?

Q3. How do you include your community in your business process?

Q4. Can you offer tips to help people embrace uncertainty?

Keep It Simple: Say Thank You

amberlcleveland — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:13:33 +0000

For this Friday’s Keep It Simple Post, it’s super simple – say Thank You. Be grateful to people and they will be grateful to you. How nice is life when we live like that?

Today, I am sharing a very special thank you…to our Veteran’s, their families and friends. I am so grateful for all that you sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy. I am especially grateful for my little (he prefers me to say younger because he’s bigger than me) brother. We are so very proud of you and are relieved that you are stateside. We continue to think of your peers that are still deployed. We think of their families and friends and all that they endure during deployments. We are grateful to them and pray for their safety.

On this 11th day of the 11th month, I was curious how we came to celebrate this particular day…here’s the history…and now I also know why we say the 11th hour. Thank you so much Veteran’s. Words seem to be inadequate to express my gratitude. Please know we think of you every day and we so appreciate you.

SOBCon October Chat with Connie Burke and Mark Horvath

amberlcleveland — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:52:27 +0000

Making a difference one mile at a time

The SOBCon “fabric” has a “thread” of giving woven throughout. We think about how we can positively impact people and businesses, then we connect that to keys to success. The October chat will focus on the giving back feature of the live SOBCon Conferences. From what happens during the conference, to how it plays out afterwards. We will share some ideas about how you can get involved, start a giving back aspect to your business and how giving back stimulates the bottom line and contributes to the success of your business.

During each SOBCon conference, we take some time to give back as a group. Usually, there are a few charities or initiatives involved that we put the SOBCon brainpower behind. We may brainstorm ideas, make recommendations, provide guidelines or a number of other things that a charity may need. Additionally, we try to add support beyond the conference. Some get very hands on and work directly with/for a cause, others just continue to shine a light on it by sharing via social media, mentioning on blogs and reminding us of the importance of the cause.

Today’s SOBCon chat will focus on the following questions:

Q1. How do you choose what causes to get involved with from a personal and business perspective?

Q2. What is the best way for a business to start giving back?

Q3. What is the best way to capitalize on giving? (Get the most bang for your buck)

Q4. How does giving back contribute to the success of your business?

We are really fortunate to have special guests Connie Burke of General Motors and Mark Horvath of invisiblepeople.tv – who were the keys to the biggest SOBCon surprise ever when General Motors provided Mark with a GMC Terrain to use as his mobile office as he traveled the country making a difference for the homeless. Actually, I should say, travel the continent because Mark has also been doing great things in Canada.

We hope you can join us at 1pm ET for the SOBCon Chat.

Keep It Simple Series – The Rules of Social Media

amberlcleveland — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:21:33 +0000

Sometimes social media can be confusing or even difficult, especially if you are just joining. So every Friday, I do a post on how to keep it simple. This week I want to cover the Rules of Social Media…

I hate to disappoint, but there is no one-size fits all set of rules. You have to develop your own set of rules that work for you. However, there are a few things to consider when developing those rules:

When you become active in social media, don’t forget the “social” aspect. In order to recognize the full value of social media, engage with other people. Just as if you were in person, engage in conversation. If you are only interested in talking and not listening, you will miss out on so many things that social media has to offer.
Determine what is reasonable and sustainable for you. Some people are on and engaged 24/7, others are only involved 20 minutes a day. Either option is fine, unless you are representing an employer then you should follow the company guidelines. It is better when you can be consistent because you will (hopefully) develop relationships with others in social media and it’s easier when they know what/when/where to expect you.
If you are thinking of blowing off steam using social media, save yourself a lot of headache and don’t. This applies especially when it is personal. If you are having an argument with a friend, keep it private. If you are disgruntled with a company, before you blast them using social media, determine what outcome you would like and then approach them in a civil manner.
Follow the people you want to follow. You do not have to follow someone just because they follow you. It is nice to reciprocate, but it is not a rule. Also, you may follow someone who doesn’t follow you back, don’t be offended. If you are following them because you want to, the follow-back is less important.
Do not ever, ever, ever buy followers. You are better served by having 100 followers that you engage with, rather than having 10,000 that you do not know and that do not know you.
Always report spammers – you can tell someone is a spammer when you look at their tweetstream and every tweet is the same or a variation of the same thing. It can be difficult to filter through the “noise” and we have to eliminate spammers to make that easier.
Last but not least, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You will generally find that there are a lot of helpful people who will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Do you have any other helpful tips that you have used to develop your rules? Would love to hear them. **This was originally posted earlier this year, but thought it important enough to share again.

Keep It Simple – The Equation for Social Media Success

amberlcleveland — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:15:53 +0000

The Friday, Keep It Simple Series, goes super simple this week as I share the equation for social media success. It’s work. That’s it. No magic…just hard work. Work = Force x Distance. Exert effort over the long haul to achieve social media success. Some ways to do this: listen, learn, apply, adjust and exchange. Do the things that “work” for you.

Just because it is work, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. (I certainly think Social Media is a lot of fun.) And even though it isn’t magic, sometimes magical things do happen. The process requires effort and intention. Stop looking for the magic potion and get busy working. Create goals, measure your success in relation to your goals and adjust your trajectory when necessary.

Happy Friday, would love to hear your thoughts on this super simple post.

Keep It Simple – Top 3 Reasons to Love Social Media

amberlcleveland — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:34 +0000

I recently was invited to write a post for 12Most.com - I chose to write the 12 Most Important Reasons to Love Social Media. I thought I’d share a few of those reasons as part of the Friday, Keep It Simple Series…and you can feel free to look at the entire post at 12Most.com.

I actually have so many reasons to love social media, that I couldn’t possibly list them all. Everyday there is a new reason on the list…someone new, something new…I really do love social media because it lines up with my vision of endless possibilities and my top 3 reasons:

It erases barriers – geographical, language, skin color, sex, nationality, sexual orientation, physical disabilities…some people think that it allows people to lie about who they are. I think the greater power is that it allows you to be who you are and to connect with other people…no need for illusions. **My favorite thing about social media.
Social Good. Support your causes however you want. Join up with like minded people to make a difference in your community and in your world. Decide how to be involved – do something as simple as clicking a “like” or “share” button, start a new group, identify a new cause…you are only limited by yourself.
You can learn new things. Possibilities are endless for what you can learn about via social media. You can find someone who is willing to share, help, teach, encourage on topics from cooking to coding 24/7. All you have to do is reach out and look/ask.

Always remember that your participation in social media is a choice. (Even if it is part of your job…) Choose how you see it, choose what to do with it, choose how involved you want to be. Create the connections you want to whatever you want to connect to – people, ideas, causes…you choose.

Do you love social media? If so, would love to hear why? If not, I’d like to hear that, too.

Thanks for reading this post, have a fantastic weekend.

SOBCon Chat Special Guest AJ Leon & SOBCon Northwest Preview

amberlcleveland — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:00:06 +0000

As you start to plan a new venture or develop a new plan to continue on in an old one, there are many things to consider. One thing is for certain, when planning for success, it is advantageous to rely on your networks for insight and information – there is so much information beyond what each of us store in our brains. Yet, when we share information with each other…the sum of our knowledge and experience is incredible. This is one of the greatest gifts I have received from the SOBCon group – both via social media and live conferences.

For today’s SOBCon chat, we are going to tap into planning knowledge and experience of AJ Leon. We are also going to give a brief preview of what you can expect from him at SOBCon Northwest and what you can expect at SOBCon Northwest in general.

Q1. What are the 1st steps you would recommend when planning a new venture?

Q2. What steps would be different when developing a new plan for an old venture?

Q3. Are there tools you would recommend using for developing your plan?

Q4. SOBCon Northwest question – What is “experiential philanthropy”? How does this impact venture in the planning phase?

Q5. BONUS – What can attendees expect from SOBCon Northwest?

SOBCon is a great opportunity to learn and share with others. Today’s chat is not just for people who have attended or even plan to attend a SOBCon event, there will be something in it for everyone. Hope to see you at 1pm ET along with our special guest and SOBCon presenter, AJ Leon.

And the Hits Keep Comin’

amberlcleveland — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:07:24 +0000

The third and final part of my blog therapy about this horrific summer…as I type that, however, I realize that even though the summer has been rough, there are people who have it a lot worse. And even when it seems awful, I am VERY blessed. I have a family that I love and that loves me back. I have incredible, amazing friends that I am grateful for every day. I have a man who loves me and two great dogs that are literally the light of my life.

I’m over the insanity of the summer. It seems as if it has been one piece of bad news followed by another…and I have been on the ropes taking the blows. Losing my aunt was a horrible thing for my family to have to endure. While she was fighting for her life, my great uncle lost his battle with brain cancer – leaving his wife of 50 years heartbroken. I return home to find my dog Jory is extremely ill and then on the same day that he is diagnosed with Cushings, my doctor finds a lump in my left breast. (Really? In my mind, I was thinking, “Enough is enough. I need a break.”)

To be honest, I don’t even like to say the word breast in mixed company…I am blushing as I type…even though I realize we all have them and it isn’t as though I’m ashamed, but well I just try to avoid saying it.

When the doctor tells me that I’ll need to have a mammogram I really don’t catch everything she’s saying. Everything after “lump” is a little fuzzy because, at that point, I am mentally locking down and preparing for battle. I leave the office and try to retain my composure and my sanity…Heidi Thorne would be the person to say whether or not I pulled this off because I had a very lengthy call with her the minute I was leaving the doctor’s office. I didn’t mention my “news” because I was still grappling with what it meant.

As I returned home, I told my boyfriend, called my dad and brother, text messaged my friends…and I decided not to tell my mom. I was afraid and I was afraid that she’d be afraid and I couldn’t deal with that. We had just lost my aunt less than 10 days before to cancer. I did not want to start a flood of panic.

So, I did what I do. I called the doctor’s office, “When can we do the mammogram?” Their response, “It will take a few days to schedule, to work out the details…blah, blah, blah.” So I waited.

I call again a couple of days later and then a couple of days after that. At this point, I am starting to get a little hysterical. How can they give me that news and then tell me to wait…for a week! And that’s only to schedule the appointment. (By the way, if you are under 40, this process is even more delayed, which doesn’t make any sense. Does cancer care how old you are?)

When I receive the information for my appointment, I am devastated because it is more than a month away. How in the world am I going to wait that long? I need to know what is happening, will I be ok, what should I do, does anyone think this is an issue…

Unbearable. But I can wait. So I do. I can handle this, I think. Until, I find out that my boyfriend will be out of town when I have to go for my appointment; I really don’t want to go alone. So, I make the call I dread the most…I ask my mom to fly out for a visit. She knew something was going on, so I explained the situation, which she handled like a champ. We planned for her to arrive on the following Wednesday.

The Saturday before her arrival, I received the news that a friend’s father had passed away. I needed to return to Indianapolis, but I knew I couldn’t stay because of my impending doctor’s appointment. I was literally in Indy for 24-hours and then came back to California to face the music.

My appointment was today. I am fine. All of my results indicated that it is just tissue and that there’s no need for additional follow-up. WOW. Relief is still surging through me…I really didn’t know what the day had in store for me, but I am so very grateful to be healthy. The summer just shifted a bit for me, from devastation to hope. Hope for happier times ahead. Hope for a continually grateful heart.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’ve used this blog in a cathartic manner for the past couple of weeks…I think now I’ll switch back to business. I might actually be capable of concentrating without that cloud hanging over my head. Although, I may table my ambitions until Monday and just spend some time with family:)