*Follow the Velcro. Find Jon Ray.

Here’s a theory I’m working on that is a little jumbled. See if you can help me flush it out.

Being Transparent to Grow In Strength
As many of you know, I am a big believer in creating transparency within organizations. There is just something about a company making itself vulnerable that ultimately allows it to grow even stronger. Transparency for me means being honest and accepting both the good and the bad out in the public for everyone to see. It means admitting to mistakes and then learning from them. The only way to truly grow in strength and numbers is to embrace the community around you and become an open book for them to read. It’s been said that the best way to run a company is to hire people smarter and more talented than you. I know that theory all too well, and thank the stars above for the amazing team I have working with me.

Allowing the Community to Help
This same theory can be taken further, though. While your company, no doubt, should be filled with as many talented people as you can convince to stay, this effort does not have to remain in house. When a company is truly transparent, it’s strengths and flaws are known to everyone, employees and customers alike. A transparent company is very similar to an open source software program. All of the inner workings and elements that make the company run are available for everyone to see. Many companies would see this as a bad thing, but in many ways it could, potentially, provide you great value. What happens when the public starts pointing out your strengths and flaws, but since you’ve made that information readily available to them, they help you strengthen those areas in which you are weak. By being open, there is less opportunity for outsiders to point a finger and more opportunity for them to lend a helping hand. Of course, there are many variables that go into this equation, but in theory, your company would prosper by utilizing the outside community to fix or strengthen itself. The key is asking for their support.

The Collaborative Customer
When you become transparent, you make it easier for your customers to offer their help and support. Of course, you are now more vulnerable, but this creates a connectedness with your consumer and helps build relationships that may never have formed had you remained faceless and guarded. As you embrace customer input and ideas, you will find that by allowing the customer to have a say and be a little creative, you have strengthened the bond that customers has with your brand. The more collaborative each customer is allowed to be, the longer they will remain a customer and the more forgiving they will be should you mess up from time to time.

Where Is This Theory Going?
What I’m getting at is that the best way to grow as a person or company is to utilize the resources around us and embrace the community we find ourselves interacting with on a regular basis. By becoming vulnerable, we are no longer hiding our dark secrets, but rather airing them for the world to see and hear. It is only at this point, I believe, that we can truly start working towards bettering our lives, companies, countries, etc. Once all of the skeletons are out of the closet, we can begin to rebuild and having learned from our mistakes, the new product, our new life, our new company will be better than we ever could have imagined.

How I Plan On Testing This Theory
Of course, I’m a dreamer and while it sounds nice, we all know that things can often times go terribly wrong once we start airing our business to the world. In one hour, I am going to start live broadcasting my life to the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is being called “lifecasting” and as a lifecaster, I hope to put this “Open Source Theory” to the test. I’ll be airing all of my dirty laundry in an attempt to query the community on the best way to rebuild from scratch and make my life, body and soul stronger. I am far from perfect and I’ll be the first to admit that. But, I think we all have our bad habits, some more than others. I’m certain I fall into the former of those.

How You Can Help With This Experiment
Here’s how I’d like you to help me as I lifecast to the world. First, if this experiment interests you, please head over to my lifecasting blog at FollowTheVelcro.com and subscribe there. Why follow the velcro? As I film my very existence, I plan to interview various people from time to time. As a way to quickly and easily mount my camera to capture both of us, I have covered the camera in felt and have circle velcro hooks with an adhesive backing that provide a camera stand in an instant. I will continue to write about applications of social media, primarily, on this blog and will utilize FollowTheVelcro to chronicle my experiences as a lifecaster. You can watch my live feed by heading over to JonRay.tv at any point. This will come in handy when you try to call me and I ignore your call. I suppose the, “I was in a meeting” excuse won’t work as well, anymore.

Here are some other ways you can help:

• Join the Conversation. Do you think this is a good idea?
• Tell your friends about this experiment and get them to join in on the debate.
• As I post goals for myself, help me achieve them by offering your encouragement and support.
• Provide constructive criticism whenever you feel the urge.

This is going to be quite an undertaking for me, as any private life will fly right out the window. But, I’m hoping to prove that by utilizing the support of a community, one can live a better, more meaningful life. If this proves valid, then I’d like to think it might transfer well into a corporate structure, as well. At any point, should you wish to get in contact with me while I’m broadcasting, you can send me a direct Twitter message, which will come to my new iPhone (which I LOVE!). Think of me like a real life subservient chicken. : )

d jonray tv [your message]

I also plan on hosting a weekly podcast or call in show to field your questions and what not. I’m really just kind of winging this and shooting from the hip, but with your help, I hope that we can sculpt this into a worthy experiment in becoming truly transparent and the implications of that. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

What do you think of this experiment? How should I proceed? Is it possible or responsible to merge your personal and professional life? How do you see this ruining my life? How do you see this improving it? I’m curious to hear everyone’s opinion on lifecasting in general? Leave your feedback in the comments section of this post AND of the duplicate post over at Follow the Velcro.

As always, the support of the community fuels me in everything I do.

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 Discover Something Obvious: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

MySpace is a great tool for building a network of contacts and generating business through the referrals you receive. But, it’s also a great place to discover new music. What obvious things have you been overlooking in your quest to utilize ALL of the new tools out there on the web?

I got a Flip camera for Xmas (Thanks Mom and Dad!). So, you’ll probably be seeing more video on my blog, in addition to my usual posts. I’m also in the process of getting everything together to start lifecasting come the first of the new year. So, stay tuned for all kinds of new and fun things here at Who Is Jon Ray? Dot Com. And yes, it IS windy here in Austin, TX today!

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*I’m Pea-Punching Cancer in the Face!

Susan Reynolds wasn’t supposed to be a candidate for breast cancer. Then she was diagnosed.

You’ve no doubt seen one or two, or a hundred pea-themed avatars floating around the internet lately. What does it all mean? Well, it’s a real life example of how social media can raise awareness quickly and in great numbers around a cause that’s worth talking about. Susan Reynolds is an artist and new media consultant battling a dominant magpie gene and cancer. She says this about the experience:

When I discovered a very thick area in my breast I called the doctor. The next day I was in her office. A half hour after that I was in the diagnostic radiologist’s.

A full afternoon and multiple stab wounds later we had a variety of samples of malignant tentacles of tissue that were on their way to the lab.

I was in a little pain - it would increase as the local anesthetic wore off - but left his office with a soft cold pack in my bra.

To keep bleeding down & relieve pain I’d need to keep things cool. Traditional ice packs are hard and heavy. As much as I try to be a good sport I’m not into having a brick sitting on my chest.

That’s where the peas come into play.

I tucked the bag of peas in my bra, took a picture, and was ready to tell the story later that night. That bag of peas added a touch of lightness to what could have been a sad and serious tale.

Shortly after, Susan started a blog called, Boobs On Ice to raise awareness about her ordeal and breast cancer in general. As with all good social media, the issue alone is often not enough to create enough conversations to make any kind of difference. Fortunately, Susan already had her conversation peas.

• A bag of peas was something everybody could relate to.
• Some people love them, some hate them, some use them for their own injuries.
• A bag of frozen peas was a vehicle for conversation and let people tease me instead of having to cry.
• It let people share instead of bemoaning.

Boobs On Ice and the Frozen Pea Fund is the perfect example of how we can use social media to raise awareness and make a difference. Take a look at the related blogs and consider making a donation if either of them speak to you. If you’d like to support the cause without making a financial donation, you can simply throw some peas into your Twitter and Facebook avatars and tell everyone what those peas symbolize.

I look forward to seeing social media campaigns like this grow in more popularity. Conversations are the way we can all make a difference no matter how big or small the problem. Social media allows us to spread those conversations far and wide. So, do yourself a favor; Go Pea Yourself!

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*This is the closest some of us come to real world networking. Photo by Photos o’ Randomness
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That’s right. The real world is still out there, even though we pretend it is extinct and at the end of this post, with the help of a friend, I’ll give you five of my own unique ways to work the room and effectively network in the real world.

I think it’s funny to see people talk about how crucial social networking is in the various virtual worlds that we all inhabit. Yet, when it comes to doing any sort of networking in the real world, those very same people are tied to the wall, sipping cocktail after cocktail and talking to no one in particular. Of course, that’s the beauty of social networking online. There’s never the pressure you feel when you walk into a large room full of people. It’s a lot easier to send a message over Facebook, than to weasel your way into a circle of people, mid-conversation, without seeming too obtrusive. If you’re the type of person that turns white every time you walk into a conference or industry mixer, then I’d like to prescribe you a healthy dose of Thom Singer (Some Assembly Required).

Thom was recently quoted in a Forbes.com article titled, “Party Your Way To A New Job.” Which is pretty much a mantra for how I live my life. Thom says this:

…….Now that you’ve got a list of people to talk with, make sure to get there on time. Arriving when there are fewer people makes it easier to get time with the party’s hosts and the board of directors. For people who feel shy about meeting strangers, getting there while the crowd is small is much easier to manage than entering a room full of 200 partiers already having a good time, says Thom Singer , author of The ABCs of Networking.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Thom the other day, as he and I are both Austinites. For an hour and a half we swapped stories about networking online and in real life. It was really nice to meet with a guy that actually “gets it.” If you’re the type of person that needs a reminder from time to time on how to connect with people in the real world, then Thom Singer is someone you should start studying. And I’m not just saying that because he wrote this flattering post about our meeting at Starbuck’s last week. Thom, you made me blush!

Subscribe to Thom’s RSS feed, as I will be guest blogging over at Some Assembly Required about finding passionate people within your organization and harnessing that passion into something of value.

For the time being, here are five of my own unique ways to work the room and effectively network in the real world:

1. Get rid of your business cards. I know that many of you have a couple of withered business cards that have been sitting in your wallet since 1993. I try to set a minimum at conferences depending on its size of how many I’ll hand out. I’ll put 25 business cards in my pocket and know that I can’t leave until I’ve met and passed them out to at least that many people. If you don’t hand out your business card, there’s really no point in having one, other than its neat color. Is that bone?
2. Scour the wall. If you’re the type of person that doesn’t do so well in real life social situations, then find someone else that is more terrified than you. Look along the outskirts of the room you’re in and find the people that are keeping to themselves, pounding cocktails. They’re more nervous than you and desperately want someone to talk with. Introduce yourself and find out what they do, then tell them what you do. Now, you can attack the rest of the room as a team. You can introduce him/her to everyone and he/she can introduce you. You’re like the dynamic duo!
3. Start smoking. Now, I think smoking is a filthy habit, but it certainly allows for membership to a unique networking opportunity. If you can stand the secondhand smoke killing you early, then head outside from time to time and mingle with the smoking crowd. Learn to always carry matches (a lot classier than a lighter), so that you can be someone’s savior when they forget theirs. Smoking is the one activity that will always put lower level customer service reps in the same room and conversation as their nicotine loving CEO.
4. Know your elevator pitch. If you’re going to a conference or mixer, someone is going to ask you what you do. Have something prepared! It amazes me how many people cannot tell me what they do without stumbling all over their words and sounding like an idiot. Practice in a mirror or with friends your two sentence elevator pitch of who you are and what you do. It never hurts to throw in a joke if you’re good at that sort of thing. What really matters is that you sound like you love what you do and say your pitch with enthusiasm and passion. People eat that sort of thing up.
5. Memorize the lay of the land. People don’t realize this, but knowing where you are, what the event is about and where the restrooms are located can be some of the best conversation starters out there. Before you go to an event, learn the background information on it, who the hosting parties are, where they work and what they’re all about. It’s amazing how just having the answer to the most basic of event questions makes you seem like you’re a conference expert. Do a little homework and you’ll be the goto guy for event information, history, conversation and potty breaks.
6. BONUS: Follow up. This is the most important one, but many people never take the time to do this. After a conference or mixer, you’re hopefully holding quite a few new contact names, numbers, emails, etc. When your hangover wears off, do some quick research and find out some additional information about the people you met. Then, send them an e.mail and tell them that you enjoyed meeting them. I usually try to find a blog entry that I have written that might relate to their particular industry or work situation and enclose this with my email. This quick, friendly reminder is a nice way to further your conversation with that particular person and make sure that they do not forget who you are in the future.

This list could go on and on, but I’ll stop at five (plus a Follow Up bonus). If you’re looking for more excellent ways to network in the real world, head on over to Thom’s blog or pick up a copy of his book, The ABCs of Networking. If you think you’re a networking expert, why don’t you share some of your proven strategies in the comments section. How do you go about starting conversations with people in real life? Better yet, how is networking in real life similar or different than networking online in a virtual world? How has networking online changed the way you network in the real world? Your thoughts, as always, are what makes this blog valuable. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

P.S. If you were wondering, other than Thom Singer’s advice, I learned everything I know about networking at a party from this video. Enjoy!

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