As we all take our collective breaths from an eventful SXSW, let’s get back into the “ 7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Marketers” Series.
Next up is CC Chapman.
I honestly can’t think of a friendlier, more approachable guy in the business of social media. When he’s not creating terrific content online, he’s probably snapping a photo of you and popping it up on Flickr…. (NOTE- a few of my favorite collections are here and here)
About CC
C.C. Chapman is a Boston based family first entrepreneur, freelance photographer and digital storyteller. He is a Creative Director at Campfire and the Founder of Digital Dads.
1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
I was raised with a strong work ethic and while it frustrated me more then once growing up, I’m very thankful that my parents instilled it in me. Growing up in a blue collar family I think grounded me in the reality of the world and constantly pushes me to do the work rather then just talking about it.
2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do and why?
Pour a cup of coffee and sit down on the couch with the laptop. It is the first thing I do every morning before the kids go to school to do my morning surf of Twitter, E-mail and Google Wave.
3. What makes you efficient with your day?
I’ve never found a single productivity methodology that worked for me. What I know I couldn’t live without and keeps me on task is Spaces on the Mac. It allows me to have multiple desktops with different programs opened in each. I recently moved from 9 to 12 and it has made all the difference. I don’t know how I got so much done before this.
4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
Just one? Wow, that is a tough one. There are three that have made huge impacts on my career directly and those would be:
First, Break All the Rules
Made to Stick
The Dip
Each of them has caused a seismic shift in the way I thought and approached business.
5. 3 things on your desk right now/3 things you can’t live without
Those are two VERY different questions, so I’ll answer both.
On my desk:
My Canon S90 camera
A signed copy of Freedom by Daniel Suarez
Navy blue Nalgene water bottle (that I should refill)
Can’t live without:
Notebooks to jot down ideas (I go back and forth between Field Notes & Moleskines)
a camera (can be any of the many I own)
a device to connect to the internet.
6. Habit you want to kick in 2010
Being highly distractible. With so much going on it is very easy for me to jump from one screen to the next and suddenly find myself deep in a rabbit hole and not being productive. I hate this, so I deemed 2010 the year of FOCUS for me and so far it is working pretty good but it is a constant struggle. Sometimes I feel like Doug the Dog in the movie Up! Squirrel!
7. Habit you want to form for 2010
Becoming a disciplined writer. I’ve got a goal to write at least a real book proposal, if not the full book this year and in order to do that I’ve got to learn to set aside time and make it a priority.
BONUS: Picture of CC’s Office!
There’s a new member joining the Dialogue team. I’m very pleased to announce that Christine Perkett has joined Aaron Strout, Melanie Notkin, Carol Cone and others as a member of the Dialogue Advisory Board.
It’s not very often that you find a PR practitioner that really “gets” social media. Christine is one of the few CEO’s out there actively engaged on Twitter, who blogs on a regular basis, all while managing a crack staff of senior-level marketing pros at the company she founded in 1998.
Don’t take my word for it, here is a list of a few of her accolades.
Inclusion two years in a row by BusinessWeek as a social-media savvy CEO (keeping company with notable CEOs from Federated Media, Mashable, Sun Microsystems, Zappos, Digg, TechCrunch and more).
Published author and subject matter expert in the following books:
- New York Times and WSJ current bestseller, “Will Work From Home,” by Tory Johnson, Workplace Contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America
- “Twitter Means Business” by Julio Ojeda-Zapata
- “Inside the Minds:Public Relations Best Practices” by Aspatore Books
- “Entrepreneurial Small Business” by McGraw Hill (January 2008)
While not running her company, she somehow finds time to train for a marathon. This year, she’s running the Boston Marathon. Interested in following/supporting her cause? Take a look at her progress here
Christine Perkett, Founder and CEO, Perkett PR
Christine Perkett founded PerkettPR on the heels of a diversified career in corporate and agency public relations in both the high technology and non-profit arenas. She holds specialized expertise in social media relations, business and high-technology media and the promotion of early stage, venture-backed companies. She has extensive experience in public relations and branding, new media strategies, issues management, marketing communications, community relations, promotional writing and events.
“25 Entrepreneurs and Businesses You Should Be Following on Twitter”
One of the “30 Experts You Should Follow on Twitter”
One of the “Top 25 Authorities Moving PR Forward” by Traackr:
One of the “100 PR People Worth Following on Twitter” by Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent:
Hometown – Marshfield, MA
Favorite Book/Recommended Reading- ah, there are so many! Professionally,”Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do“ is a great book as is The World is Flat. On a personal note, I am a fan of non-fiction like Into Thin Air, Beautiful Boy, Black Mass. I have a thing for learning about how people overcome tragedy or extreme challenges.
How I relax: reading (non-work/mindless stuff!), boating, jewelry design, playing with my sons (coloring and Legos are very relaxing!), date night with my husband, TV. Also, whenever I can get around to it – massages at the spa!
Words to Live By/words of wisdom – Trust yourself first, listen to your intuition. Also, life’s short – be colorful.
To end the week in our “7 Habits Series” , let’s have a chat with Phil Johnson, one of the best creative minds out there. When he’s not jetting around the country with clients, friends and other marketing luminaries he’s at home in his Cambridge office, just steps away from Harvard Square. And if you have the time on a Thursday afternoon, take a moment to listen to his agency’s weekly radio show on Social Media with Mike O’Toole and Hugh Kennedy – There’s alway something interesting happening over there.
About Phil
I’m the CEO of PJA Advertising + Marketing. We call ourselves an ad agency, but we’re really interested in all the ways that people communicate with each other, and especially how new technologies are changing our experiences and behaviors.
1. What one trait or habit got you to where you are today?
I’m a talent groupie. Nothing gets me excited like meeting someone with a great mind, a wonderful imagination, and better ideas than me. Sometimes I can’t sleep until I recruit them.
2. Your work day just started, what’s the FIRST thing you do?
Well at PJA, we all punch a time clock. Just kidding. I don’t know exactly when the workday starts. After I drop my son at school, I start thinking about business. But once I get to the office, I’ve got to check to see if there are any donuts in the kitchen, then put on some music, and play around with Tweet Deck. Next thing I know I’m writing stuff, going to meetings, and talking on the phone. I think that’s work.
3. What makes you efficient with your day?
It’s sad, but I’m just not efficient, but I’ve learned a couple of tricks. Every day, I jot down three things I absolutely want to get done. I’m always happy if I do two of them.
4. Your Favorite Business book of all time?
I’m not a huge fan of traditional business books, but here are three books that I really like, and they are kind of about business:
Fast Company, How Six Master Gamblers Defy the Odds – and Always Win, by Jon Bradshaw. These stories reveal tons about entrepreneurship and human nature.
Stumbling On Happiness, by Daniel Gilbert. Understanding how we pursue happiness is very helpful if you’re in the business of influencing people.
Here Comes Everybody, by Clay Shirky. This book helps explain how all these cool web 2.0 technologies that we love are redefining society.
5. 3 things on your desk right now/ 3 things you can’t live without
Diet Dr Pepper
PJA note pads
My tiny Bose speakers.
Those things, and my MacBook, are all I need.
6. Habit you want to kick in 2010
I think I’ll start with trans fats and then move on to butter, sugar, excessive amounts of empty carbohydrates, and alcohol.
7. Habit you’d like to form for 2010
I wish that all of us at PJA would connect to each other on a delicious network and get disciplined about tagging the content that fires up our imaginations. We’ve got a collection of really interesting people, and their collective knowledge is very powerful. I’d like to do a better job of harnessing it.
