Arggh…she got me.

“She” is Michelle Bernhart, communicator par excellence, and chair of the IABC Social Responsibility Committee. We’ve worked together on the SR Committee for more than a year to launch the SR LINK, a web site focused on SR communications.

In a recent post, Michelle managed to strike me (and probably many others) in a vulnerable spot: our love of bottled water. Although the main point of Michelle’s post is a “greenwashing” attempt by Coke to seem eco-friendly on Earth Day, the post made me confront my own feelings about bottled water.

How can I justify taking swigs of filtered tap water and emptying bottle after bottle that will pile up in landfills? The answer is: Convenience and product performance. Not very altruistic, but if you want to change my behavior, you need to understand my motivations.

Convenience. Water contained in uncovered mugs and cups is not convenient. The water spills. Over the years, I’ve watched many coworkers accidentally tip a cup of water and then have to scramble to salvage printed documents, notebooks and other items from the ensuing spreading puddle. I’ve also experienced the jolt of realizing that, while tossing in my sleep, I’ve knocked over a glass of water from the end table next to my bed.

That doesn’t happen with bottled water. You twist off the top, take a swig, then replace the cap. Nice, tidy, convenient.

Product performance. Most bottled water containers are shaped to fit comfortably within your grasp, and as mentioned above, offer easy twist-off caps to secure the contents between sips. They also are slim-shaped, making them less obtrusive on a table or other surface. That is not the case with the reusable drink containers that I’ve used over time.

I still use the first such container that I received. It was sold in the mid 1990s to employees of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, in one of the first corporate “green” campaigns held at places in which I’ve worked. I’m looking at it now. (Yes, even if you’re reading this at 2 a.m., I’m still looking at it–what a design!)

The cup is 6 inches tall by 4 inches wide, which makes it wider and just slightly shorter than Wendy’s biggie-sized drink cup. I know because I’m looking at that now, as well. The FRB Chicago cup came with a plastic lid that my wife threw out years ago. Even when I had the lid, it didn’t protect against spills—as would a Dasani or other bottled water. That’s because it had a hole in the lid for a straw to pass through. When the cup is tipped, water streams out of that hole.

Other reusable containers that I’ve used and rejected in the past usually have some design or performance flaw that makes them awkward to use. Some were too tall, too easily tipped, or came with a straw that seemed to be at least 3 feet long and that dangled dangerously out of the top.

Although swigging from a bottle of water can seem unsophisticated, making a mess by spilling a non-secured cup of water can be just as unsophisticated.

The best solution to me would be to create a reusable container shaped like bottled water, with an easily removable twist off cap that would secure the drink between your sips. I would invent it, but I’m too busy defending myself from disparaging blog posts from Michelle (j/k).

Another question: Why isn’t anyone up in arms about the millions of plastic cups from fast-food restaurants that take up just as much room in landfills?

IABC Executive Board Vice Chair Mark Schumann, ABC, just wrote a post about the demise of the Rocky Mountain News newspaper in Denver, CO (USA). I commented briefly on Mark’s blog about my own perspective, but want to expand a bit here.

I was born in 1958 and grew up when newspapers were the dominant source for complete news coverage. Radio news reports, to me, were the irritating, five-minute interruptions that always seemed to come just when I was starting to enjoy the latest rock or pop hits. TV news was visually interesting at times, but otherwise flat and stiff.

Reading the newspaper was a family affair. I remember squirming next to my older brothers and sister, to find a spot on dad’s lap, while he read the Sunday comics to us–and often had to explain the joke. As I grew older, we discussed the local and national news (Chicago is never short of controversial news!), and savored the razor-sharp writing and reasoning of columnists like Mike Royko.

My brothers and I delivered newspapers to earn money. One of the benefits of a morning paper route, that just barely countered the daily 3 a.m. wake-up, was the time spent reading the newspapers after the route was finished. There, in the agency’s poorly lit, barely heated back area, I would sit on a wooden shelf/bench and take my time, devouring just about every word in the two daily newspapers.

As Mark mentioned in his post about the Rocky Mountain News, there was something about the smell of newspaper ink on my hands that I just loved. The ink got into my blood, and I pursued journalism as a college student at Eastern Illinois University.

The journalism professors there were required to have worked previously as a professional journalist. I heard first-hand stories of life as a newspaper reporter: the exciting and rewarding, and the mundane and frustrating. I even got to get ink on my hands again, while helping to print and distribute the daily student newspaper as a fill-in volunteer when the regular press crew or delivery staff weren’t available.

I spent a summer working as an intern at the Decatur Herald & Review. Then when I graduated, I accepted a position there as a reporter/photographer. Although my bosses and coworkers were some of the finest people I have ever met, I left the paper after only one year, because I “wanted to see some mountains.”

I called a college friend and told him that I was planning to move to Denver. That friend said, “I’ll call you back in a few minutes.” When he did, he told me that he had decided to move to Denver with me!

We used the Rocky Mountain News to look for work. My friend was more dedicated, and quickly found a very good job. Me, not so much. After a few months spent laboring at some fun, but not lucrative, “jobs,” I moved back to Chicago, leaving behind a love of the mountains and newspapers in Denver.

Just last night, I discussed with my wife whether we should cancel our subscription to the Chicago Tribune. We just don’t read it much, and unopened newspapers too often get tossed in the recycling bin. But there is something about the physical newspaper—and the journalists who worked so hard to publish it—that makes it nearly impossible for me to let go.

But times have changed. Perhaps nothing says that better than the fact that the links I have provided here to the newspapers all go to electronic web pages. You won’t get ink on your fingers from typing in the URLs. Maybe that should make all of us a little sad.

Consider me the proud parent of a spankin’ new website devoted to Social Responsibility (SR) communications. Actually, I’m one of several “parents” of the SR LINK, a website created by volunteers of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

The SR LINK website offers resources and online conversations to advance the knowledge and skills of communicators within the field of SR. Sponsored by IABC, this site is meant to “LINK” us as we:

• Learn about SR and the communicator’s role in shaping organizations’ SR strategies, policies, practices, and communications
• Inform community members regarding SR resources we or others have developed or found helpful: tools, best practices, lessons learned, and case studies
• Network with other communicators through online conversations

And perhaps best of all,

• Know we all are making a difference – by advancing the role of communicators in this important field and in bringing best practices to the organizations with which we work.

That final bullet point is perhaps the most important to me. When Mike Zimet asked whether I would be interested in contributing to this project, I didn’t hesitate to sign on. SR isn’t my primary area of expertise; I have an interest in SR because the end result is that people around the world benefit.

I will continue to do anything I can to help SR programs and the people who devote so much time, energy and money to seeing those programs succeed.

Now I’m asking you to help. Visit the SR LINK and see whether you find ways to contribute a comment, an article, a case study, or something else. The website will remain viable and beneficial only if others join. And when I say “join,” the investment is minimal. We don’t charge money, we don’t require you to register, and we certainly don’t limit participation to any group.

Let me know what you think. We are very excited about the launch of the site, and we know that, just as with a newborn baby, the labor at the front end is only the beginning of the work ahead!

As I drive south tomorrow to my alma mater in Charleston, Ill., I’ll no doubt enjoy memories of my years spent there as a journalism major.

But 2008 isn’t 1980 (the year I graduated), and I expect to have some frank discussions with former journalism instructors and colleagues (and perhaps, some current students) about the current state of the profession. I haven’t walked into a newsroom in about a decade, but I suspect that many are subdued, because of the decline in print advertising and economic forces that are behind continuing staff reductions in many newspapers across the country. Some long-time professionals have had enough—as evidenced by this July 14 article regarding a resignation at the Chicago Tribune.

The workforce and business environment continue to change, not always for the better. Although my B.A. degree from Eastern Illinois University may not be as high as it once was, it remains indispensable to me. I’ve been committed for many years to the concept of being a “life-long learner.” That led me to earn accreditation through the International Association of Business Communicators, and to hone skills in newer communication methods and technologies, including blogging and podcasting.

My professional and personal life today doesn’t look anything like I would have imagined it turning out when I graduated from EIU. Challenges, disappointments, minor successes and major “growth opportunities” continue to be part of my work and life.

Tomorrow, however, will not be a day to dwell on what life isn’t…it will be a day to enjoy life as it is.

The weeks have gone by without a new post, even though every day I conceive of two or more potential ideas for posts. Creativity has not meshed with opportunity and energy. Same excuse that a lot of nonwriting writers could use.

I’m very busy, however, currently involved in separate program planning and activities through my church youth group and the International Association of Business Communicators’ social responsibility initiative. This Friday, I will drive down to Charleston, Ill. to participate in a charity golf outing organized by the Journalism Department of my alma mater, Eastern Illinois University. I’m looking forward to seeing some former colleagues–even though I’m embarrassed that the slim, dark-haired journalism major they remember has morphed into a Lou Grant look-alike.

Thanks for stopping by.

During a much-needed and unplanned sabbatical from podcasting and blogging, I thought about my plans for this site. CommaKazi Speek began as an extension of my desire to delve into the world of social media. First, I blogged. Then I created podcasts.

Both ventures provided me with practical experience and a better perspective of this portion of the social media space. They helped me to connect with other bloggers and podcasters. They let me stretch my professional skill set while having fun.

Like a lot of people, I have plans for my life–both professionally and personally. Those plans change at times, due to circumstances or opportunities. I wondered whether my blog and podcast could help me launch into a different phase of my career. They didn’t. They remain a hobby without reward, other than personal satisfaction.

That only goes so far, when I have to balance other commitments and responsibilities. So I’m planning to shut down my CommaKazi Speek podcast site as soon as I ready this blog to handle podcasts. Why pay Libsyn to store my old shows, when I can’t be sure when I will have new content ready to post? I’ll be downloading PodPress and then using it to distribute any podcasts that I choose to create in the future.

At the same time, I’ll be changing the focus of this blog…sort of. In June 2005 I launched the predecessor of this blog on Blogger.com. My purpose for launching the site was to prepare me to blog as a volunteer at the 2005 IABC International Conference. I believed that blogging at the IABC conference would:

• help me to focus during the conference
• broaden my networking efforts
• force me to dive into this blogging thing

My final reason given at the time was that Warren Bickford, 2005 IABC Chair, had asked for volunteers, and “it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Those initial posts on the IABC Cafe opened the door for me to continue posting there for a couple of years, while I moved this blog to its current home.

Because I started blogging at an international conference for communicators on its blog, the focus of my blog posts up to now primarily has been on communications issues. About what else was I going to write?

As time passed, although I was careful to keep a self-imposed wall between my work as a corporate communicator and my opinions expressed on the two blogs (mine and the IABC Cafe), that wall negatively impacted my ability to write meaningful posts regarding communication trends and experiences. The bottom-line point for this post is that I plan to move away from communication issues…sort of.

I’ll write more about this tomorrow.

While waiting for a flight to Chicago after the 2007 International Conference of the IABC, I spent some time recording a conversation with Ned Lundquist, ABC. Follow this link to the podcast, and enjoy a 9-minute conversation that touched upon the IABC conference, observations about New Orleans, Ned’s Job-of-the-Week email newsletter and website, and the current job market for communicators.

One correction to my recorded introduction: Ned now is with Alion Science and Technology.

I’m a member of the International Association of Business Communicators, and a new member of its advocacy initiative, led by IABC member Mike Zimet.

We could debate a long time about the meaning of “advocacy” and how IABC could address it as an organization. I’m dividing the subject into three distinct parts, two of which have been discussed in Mike’s most recent post and all of the subsequent comments. I personally feel compelled to support the third part of advocacy, along with other interested IABC members. The three parts are:

1) Advocacy focused on our profession. Who has ever attended a communications-related conference or seminar without hearing someone say that communicators need a “seat at the table” where the decisions are made? This part of advocacy would help to raise the awareness of the role of effective, strategic communications within an organization or other operating entity.

2) Advocacy focused on our association. Mike Klein summarizes this by highlighting the need “to find more and more effective ways of promoting what our members bring to our clients and communities’ respective tables.” We must raise awareness of IABC, both from a leadership spokesperson perspective and as professionals within the organizations that employ our services. In the same recent post on the IABC Advocacy Commons, Kristen Sukalac makes an important distinction between an association and/or its members “speaking out” and “taking a position.”

3) Advocacy focused on social responsibility. I spent a lot of time at the recent IABC International Conference in New Orleans passing out information about the IABC Advocacy Initiative and talking with IABC members. I received the most enthusiastic responses when I talked about using our communication skills and experience to “make a difference” globally and locally, as we would support charitable organizations and causes, and allow them to “Be Heard.”

The vision that I discussed with Mike Zimet includes working with local IABC chapters throughout the world, helping them to identify local causes or organizations that need the kind of help that chapter members could provide on a pro-bono basis. This could:

• Enhance the professional image and personal self-esteem of individual chapter members who volunteer for pro-bono work in the local community. Want proof? Ask anyone who swung a hammer or carried lumber at the Habitat for Humanity project in New Orleans. Better yet, ask to see the video of the project that was shown at a general session during the IABC conference. Imagine how we will feel when we give back to the community using our greatest skill: The ability to communicate.
• Boost the image of local chapters by offering something tangible to promote in addition to the monthly networking luncheon.
• Enhance the image of IABC as an association, as it benefits from the many acts of service done by IABC members and chapters.

A beautiful part of this is that it can develop organically, without the need for micro-management by the IABC Executive Board, staff, or the heads of the Advocacy Initiative. These efforts would benefit from some way(s) to share ideas, resources, information and success stories. At little or no expense, that would be easy using various forms of social media, including wikis, blogs, instant messaging, vidcasting, and digital image storage–most of which is available right now from free-to-join social networking sites including The Communicators’ Network and MyRagan.

It is exciting to see the progress being made in different pieces of the advocacy initiative. I will be working on the social responsibility piece., and would love to hear from anyone interested in helping to make it happen. Contact me through this blog or by sending an email to tomATcommakazispeekDOTcom. (Substitute the @ symbol for AT and a period for DOT in this email address.) [UPDATE July 9, 2007] I’m deleting this invitation to contact me about the social responsibility portion of the IABC Advocacy Initiative because I don’t want to appear to be working apart from the IABC Advocacy team, led by Mike Zimet. A social responsibility subcommittee has been working under the IABC Advocacy Initiative group for several months. For now, your interest in participating is enough; we will hear more from the SR subcommittee about how to help in coming weeks.

I’m in New Orleans for the annual international conference of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). I’m going to be busy attending the conference and conference-related events, as well as meeting up with colleagues as much as possible.

I expect to have a lot of content for blog posts, but may have to keep them short until I return home.

I have recorded two very short podcasts that I’m calling “Quick ‘n Dirty New Orleans.” These will be unedited podcasts recorded during my stay here in the Big Easy. My work computer doesn’t have any audio editing software installed, and you have to be an administrator to do so–which I am not.

But what’s wrong with spontaneity and a rough edge?

If you are in New Orleans, leave me a message here, or at the IABC Message Center. I’d like to meet as many of my readers as possible. Maybe we’ll record a podcast together?

UPDATE: I’ve posted some newer podcasts, including one regarding a fundraiser for the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center. If you read this on Saturday, June 23, head over to the CAC for a fun adult event.

Today is the one-month anniversary of the official launch of MyRagan, Ragan Communications‘  social networking site for communicators.  In contrast, Melcrum Publishing’s The Communicators’ Network, has been “live” for less than one week. Is it too soon to compare the two? Yesano (yes and no).

MyRagan (MyR) and The Communicators’ Network (TCN) share some common functionality that can be compared and contrasted. In addition, both offer (or plan to offer) features that are distinct from the other. Finally, the tone of the site designs and writing are dramatically different, and well worth discussing.

Both MyR and TCN have to be considered works in progress–each site has its share of items that will require tweaking or repair. TCN co-owner Robin Crumby has provided some glimpses into new features that will be added to TCN in coming weeks and months. MyR, perhaps because it is more of an “out-of-the-box” solution, has announced less to add in terms of features. Both sites need some tweaking, in my opinion, in terms of the user-experience.

Here is a quick listing of features that both MyR and TCN offer:

1. Site Home Page
2. Member Profile Page
3. Forum for general discussion threads
4. Groups for discussion specific to topic or interest
5. Blogs
6. Message notifications
7. Ability to invite others to join the site or a group within the site
8. Calendar for member’s events

With a couple of exceptions, most of the above features are available through the navigation bar at the top of each site’s pages.  The calendar feature (events) is more useful on TCN because it allows a member to see all public events posted, not just the member’s own events. Also, MyR’s calendar is accessible only through the member’s profile.

Each of the two sites promises functionality that the other does not offer. MyR has an audio/video chat button on the main navigation and within the member profile; but it did not work when I tried it. Sometime within the next few weeks, TCN plans to open a “Knowledge Center” where members can catalog and link to their favorite content (e.g., case studies, white papers, and articles), saving fellow communicators search time. When TCN also implements a rating system, its members will be able to rate the usefulness and quality of that site’s content catalog.  

One feature that MyR offers that I really like is the ability to set up RSS feeds and to link to the member’s external blogs through the profile. TCN allows a member to set up RSS feeds on the member’s home page, but it does not offer the easy way to link to the member’s external blog; its blog is strictly for content posted on TCN.

The final comparison points that I plan to cover in this blog post are site design and writing tone.  I asked myself if I would be comfortable having these sites visible on my work computer when a coworker or boss would stop by. The answer is a strong “yes” with TCN, and a strong “maybe” with MyR.

TCN reflects the appearance and tone of its “parent,” Melcrum Publishing. It is clean, clearly professional and expects more “proper” (my word) behavior by its members. For example, one of TCN’s rules for its forums is presented this way: “We are all adults here so we should be able to debate issues without resorting to bad language or insults. Depending on the context/nature, posts containing offending copy may just get edited.”

MyR reflects the design and writing tone of Ragan Communications–which is more in-your-face. The home page includes videos that poke fun at communication issues and situations. Headlines and captions such as, “We unstick heads from asses” and “Ragan writer/comic Kevin Allen shows us the King of Cocky, Mr. Sensitive, Suck-Up Sam and Larry Lazy Bones,” share space with amazing free content, including eight pages of tips related to intranets, written by ”intranet gurus.”

MyR has attracted thousands of communicators, while TCN is just getting started, and has several hundred. The larger community can be both a blessing and a curse, in my experience. MyRagan has a lot to offer, but it also feels congested, with too much coming at me all of the time.

Certainly the conversations within MyR’s forums and groups are constant and full of energy. David Murray is doing a terrific job as forum moderator/editor, and demonstrates the value of having someone leading conversations when necessary, or moderating discussions that become TOO lively.

However, I have noticed how my personal desire is waning to wade through the ever-growing list of topics. Search helps, but the search results for more common words or phrases can still be daunting. TCN has less conversations happening, but nearly all of the forum posts offer valuable input.

Do I plan to pick one of the two sites over the other? Yesano.

TCN and MyR are distinct enough to make it worthwhile for me to continue to participate in each community. Because I have to budget my time and energy, I’ll spend more time in whichever of the two communities provides me with the greatest amount of “value.”