Lucas Clements: on Social Media & Design

Yestermorrow

Lucas Clements — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:12:19 +0000

Just havin a smoke in the back of a yesterday

oh how it was that day
When I was walking head filled with thoughts that I otta
be hands out beside
me takin it all in
Cuz it won’t always be so high
but then neither will I

Got my hands out to hold the ones
The
special
ones

Chorus
————-
For me
I’m just takin it in
Makin it
To the morning

For me
I’m just takin it in
Makin it
Till I’m soaring

Some days are sad
And for them I’m glad

Cuz I’m learning and yearning for more
Cuz I’m learning and yearning for more

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Mend & Defend

Lucas Clements — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:22:43 +0000

Been here before ‘cept this time the same ain’t quite what I remember
…That saying, forever
Mind is reeling much under the hood
Admittedly not much of it good
Brave face and the laugh is the same but all is gone, nothing the same
When I wake from what is not even past got a new life to live more to do more to give
But where is that familiar that time stand still
That piece less complete which reinforces will
Stories stop without ends
To help the mend
And defend its end

from me

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Sometimes a good kick to the head can help

Lucas Clements — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:26:34 +0000

Have you ever had a discussion with a person where you feel you have step outside of yourself and watched your outside person kick the one that is you standing there. Its moments like that which make you question…

What is it that you bring to the table? What makes you unique?

I was speaking with Andrew Ballenthin who hands down, was a great guy to talk with and had some real helpful insight for me on where certain propects in the marketplace are going. You should follow him @solsolutions. I posed some questions to him in regards to possible synergies in regards to my skill set and he said

Don’t reinvent the wheel, see how you can connect with like minds

In of itself not a very earth shattering statement but when put in the cloud of social networking it speaks volumes. It speaks to all levels of engagement regardless if your just an observer,blogger or a tweeter on amphetamines. You are connecting and filtering your online exchanges based on like minds or aspirations with others that have the same end in sight. A statement that Andrew can obviously attest to by the activity and engagement present on his Community Marketing Blog

Position yourself,learn and constantly evolve into a person that can assist yourself in your vocational engagements but also benefit others and then in turn yourself when you partner with other great people. Invest the many hours it takes to be focused and aware of all the different types of people and different lines of work because there will always be a common thread.

Another couple of great take away items from our telephone conversation was that

Listening and interpreting is an art form
Restating what the person said to confirm acknowledgment
More listening, less talking
Offer an honest opinion and explain the intention is to help not hinder
Before ending the conversation summarize topics discussed and any future plans

It was a pleasure and as most people will find if they are honest with themselves, striving to better oneself sometimes takes a type of person to really look at themselves and ask the 5 W’s

Have you ever had to take a hard look at your person or business and ask? Would love to hear your experience.

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Chapter I – Self dealt and busted

Lucas Clements — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:29:43 +0000

It is not an accident. It is not even weird right now that the conversation going on can not be heard at all even though there is a large crowd around you. You think that their are others that are watching your mouth move to the words streaming across your mind. You are wrong, no one detects anything except one. You look across the vibrating wave of bodies at the outskirt of the dance floor to a set of eyes that are yours to match. A gaze that understands that music builds the self up and tears it down and the hypnotic nature of its core vibrates so that a union of sorts is made. No words necessary. Time is ignored as the beats roll and body pulses, the mind races and elation is experienced.

I will breathe. I will exhale.I will hum.I go by name of The Eug.

He was born Eugene Lasaro. He no more exists then you and I do. If you think about what makes you a person, now challenge that concept and more often than not and you will lose and yet people play it everyday. The Eug, half right in the head and as emotional on the left feels all things have being, no differentiators between a rock and Fluffy the hairless cat (no one owns one in this just a picture that needed a face). He was raised by his two twin brothers who couldn’t care less about why he gets called The Eug.

Worth a Fin Johnny and Mangus – Johnny never knew anything other then how to know nothing about everything. I mean nothing he didn’t know ever made him less then a fin – hence how he got dished the trophy. As he grew up with little to say but everything to gain he made a killing in the art of knowing – a thing Magnus should have picked up on along the way. Mangus was gifted in one way, the art of persuasion. At the tip of his finger he painted elaborate collages of lies and half truths till a learned person would question what he knew to be right in the beginning.

I could sit along the edge of the curb and watch life. I could feel the movement of the days potential give way to the depths of the afternoon and I try to make my imprint as I shave for the morning to come.

Walking out of my bathroom I place the song of the day at the beginning and I know that it will settle the score – It is Aphrodite – Calcutta

My feet are unaware that the floor should be an advisary in smooth movement but this feeling can be unmatched or beaten. That is how i leave this house today. I decide.

Lock door. Turn key look up. Worth a Fin and Magnus hit me into the wall like a sally as I mutter some half-assed whine to show my loss of air. They shite kick me into 2:00pm just as the birds start chirping. This is the love only a brudder can understand, the sick, sad and methodical enjoyment of takin’ a piss. At causing displeasure at the cost of another – Not right definitely not sane like the ones without great clasped jackets just round enough on the edges to have you guessing if ever there will be a morning without the shite kicked out of you – that is what else every morning has to offer. Oh how i dream for change and at the same time welcome the smallest differences in the the everyday that most don’t pick up.

I will watch you watch me. I will hear it in your thoughts when it is not possible for me to know otherwise. I will question everything you say so that not one thing can be assumed to be what it appears to be. I have gained that perception. I have realized that quality many artists gravitate to. I am only as I can be right now with everything falling into place as it may or as i deem it possible.

You know Worth a Fin, could you just tap over here you missed a spot as i point to my ribs – acknowledging the tongue and cheekness of the comment he winds up and drops his right boot angled perfect to the bone as i name the brusie as it will appear later and we will become friends.

Many aspects of my accounting of this story takes plase as it happens and more than often the narration runs parallel to an event of no relation – scattered it is and busted it seems.

As i pick myself up of the front walk and spit out the copper reality that is my daily morning i hum the song of the hopeful. I carry the step of the aspiring to find and make what it is their mold to achieve.

A block away I stumble off the sidewalk and pass out only to be found by an elderly woman walking her scottie. This is what has become of me or is this what you meant for me to experience within my own mind so that the physical mirroring of the same sufferning is not experienced

The elderly lady says I was not making sense when she found me.

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Influence authoring – You choose as the story unfolds

Lucas Clements — Sun, 03 May 2009 07:29:27 +0000

Let me start by saying that this has been in my head for some time now. I feel that this concept has reached a point that it can be presented which could lead to some very interesting and unexpected developments.

Spit it out man! What are you trying to say?

There is a story that has been written but only the first chapter.

The reader’s comments guide how the story unfolds
The author drops all ego at the door
The author takes into account all comments made relative to the story and writes, influenced by public opinion
The story ends when the readers decide
All commenters will be acknowledge for their influence
The author does not dwell or refine the chapters – reactionary writing
The story just is

For everything I know I have everyone to thank. For every feeling I have it has been shaped by location, situation or person.

The only complete individual act I can think of is the instant life starts and the instant it ends, neither which I will be able to account for and really, does anything ever end?

"The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." --Jean-Jaques Rosseau - provided by rocketship

I welcome all of you to chime in on the story as it unfolds and if the concept interests you then get in touch with me as I think many great authors could be challenged in a way that has not been done before. You are not a silo locked up in a room banging away – you are immersed with the people that resonate with you that feel you have something to say and want to assist or steer you in a way that you were not aware was possible or an angle that had not peaked your interest until someone mentioned it.

We have all become more social and love to contribute when we see fit to a cause we feel is worth it. I challenge that storytelling is the oldest cause worth fighting for because what is anyone without a story to tell.

The first chapter will be released in a couple of days. i look forward to reacting to each of you.

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Customer Service at its worst – GE should be ashamed

Lucas Clements — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:23:02 +0000

I would like to inform every household appliance consumer to avoid GE (General Electric) appliance’s like the plague. We own 5 new appliances all made by GE and every one of them has had parts replaced or does not work properly and they are under 2 years old. Every time we have had to contact their customer service I mine as well have not bothered at all. They are completely useless and not helpful to say the least. For a large corporation you would think that they would value their customers more and want to assist anyway they can but that is not the case.

The problems with our GE appliances are as follows:

Fridge: The freezer that is located at the bottom freezes the lower trays of the fridge’s content
Electric Stove: Takes forever to preheat
Dishwasher: One of the wheels fell off and got melted inside the machine
Washer (frontloader): Would not drain water
Dryer (frontloader): Had to have the whole cylinder replaced

I wouldn’t own another GE Appliance if it was FREE. The quality is embarrassing and the service is atrocious.

I have included a thread of the latest correspondence between my wife and the GE customer service (If you could call it that)

Sent to GE Customer Service: Thu 1/15/2009

This will be my second email within a week. I was advised by a less
then cooperative employee of yours that my email would be responded to
within 48 hours. I am growing more frustrated by the day. I have 5
faulty GE appliances in my home and I am ready to share my displeasure
with the internet world. Please contact me at home immediately.
Enough is enough.

Jennifer Clements

GE Customer Service email response: Fri 1/30/2009

Thank you for visiting our website and contacting us,

We are sorry to hear that all of your GE appliances are not functioning
properly.

We looked for your previous correspondence as you have indicated and we
found that it was in fact received, but that it unfortunately did not
include your comments.

It is not our intention to ignore your situation with your appliance. If
you could please explain to us your concerns we would be glad to
evaluate your situation and offer our assistance.

Regards,
Consumer Relations Department

Sent to GE Customer Service: Fri 1/30/2009

Once again another fine example of the lack of regard to customer service for GE appliances.
I obviously have complaints and am not satisfied with any of my appliances. All five of them
have had problems in less then 2 years. If you really cared or had any regard for your customers
you would call me to discuss. Writing a lengthy email is not only unpersonalized but is rather
frustrating when you have so many issues to discuss. If you can’t take the time to call me or
do not care enough to call me I will use my time and energy to litter the internet with my stories
and dissatisfaction to ensure that others do not buy your products nor go through the same aggravation that I have.

I am very unhappy and completely disgusted with your lack of regard to customer service

Jennifer Clements

I posted this because that is one use of social media. To inform the public of a less then desirable company who does not care about their customers

Please comment and spread this article around to as many homeowners as you can to warn them of a nightmare of a company that is selling products they can not support.

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Social networking your ideal future

Lucas Clements — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:41:27 +0000

If you were to be networking for a new challenge in the real world you would have your elevator pitch polished and your resume bulletproof. You would be dressed accordingly and a hint of mint or fruity gum to attract a glance or a head turn at one of the many networking events that the social media space seem so drawn to. Alas, that is not the case anymore. It seems the reach of your resume and the power of your words have much bigger reach when you are not even remotely close to another human. I see this as a bad thing tainted with a little goodness. I shall explain.

When called in for an interview by a potential employer the 2 minute rule applies and for good reason. You can learn more about a person in two minutes then you can cyber stalking him/her for a good thirty minutes. Body language, choice of vocabulary, the choice of his/her clothing and most importantly the vibe! The vibe will never be able to be captured online. You can do a video, you can post, you can tweet you can upload pictures but nothing will replace the initial gut reaction that an interviewer has about the prospect in front of him or her.

IKEA job Interview

Many potential social media enthusiasts also have labeled themselves as guru’s or have given themselves GOD like status and I am curious as to what would give someone such a title as it is a new medium that everybody is navigating through as it unfolds. Be wary of these type because from what I can tell the thought leaders in this space very rarely declare themselves as such.

I myself say I am a social media specialist as I have been in the social media space for some time and I am an enthusiasts outside of what my work dictates. That is all I say because my field of expertise has been tailored to it.

I will never declare that I know it all or that I have all the answers to the next BIG IDEA.

But I will inform any potential employer that I have been around enough to have seen some trends that have worked and methods that enable me to make a better judgment call then the fakes and would-be’s that are infiltrating the space.

A true thought leader are not telling others of how much they know or how great they are they are DOING IT not just hypothesizing. They are provoking thought and leading by example instead of retweeting or passing around the same tired news post on the most popular news aggregators.

I am in the process of making as much as I feel comfortable available for potential employers to learn about me. I want them to have a full understanding or as well rounded as I can present to them about who Lucas Clements is.

The tools that I am using to portray myself and my skills to the world are:

LinkedIn – Learn more about my work history and other colleagues opinions
Twitter – Follow my sporadic thoughts and findings
Facebook – Requests to be friends to learn more about me
Del.icio.us – Read through my bookmarks
StumbleUpon – What I like when surfing the internet
Digg – The articles I feel are worth a Digg

Why is your social media profiles important:

It saves the employer time.
Interviewing cost money and resources.
Your personality and interests are apparent if you are nervous during interviews.
A larger audience learns about you without geographic limitations.
It is you who dictates your online persona.

Now this piece of advice does not come without a cautionary warning. Be prepared for people to know you before you know them and be aware that 90% of what you post online can be mined by future employers.

Keep this in mind
If you would back up a statement in person then it is alright to post. If you feel it may damage your reputation then I suggest you keep it to yourself or better yet…
Network in person and state that questionable opinion after you have assessed the vibe.

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Social Media Predicitions 2009

Lucas Clements — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:45:10 +0000

I have just read a great compilation of thoughts from 14 individuals on the future of social media assembled by Peter Kim. Some of the thoughts are no brainers, like Google buying twitter to improve the great service – Jason Falls or everyone becoming a marketer from Charlene Li. What I found most interesting was the piece written by Ann Handley which she states;

“Sputtering Economy Entices Companies Into Social Media Space. Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball.”

It is sentiments like this and what Awareness also advocates which our own David Carter spoke to in his post “Should companies embrace social media during economic turmoil” that this movement is slowly reaching all companies. That all companies are being affected by the recession and need to embrace the voice that carries the best and with the farthest reach.

Another great contributor in my opinion was Andy Sernovitz. Companies that focus on earning love and listen to the customer that will not put up with bad service will reap the rewards when the financial tide turns.

Speak to your customers like you would like to be spoken to and know that when the people speak it is the best listeners that will prevail in the new world of limited dollars.

Would love to know the strongest take-aways others had after reading this

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Word Art for a feeling

Lucas Clements — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:21:54 +0000

If you like this it was created by a site that I really like called Wordle. I like the randomness it creates and in some sense gives a different meaning to the content provided.

Lucas Clements - wordArt-12052008

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The greyness in the cloud

Lucas Clements — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:10:52 +0000

I stand and stare with my eyes open and all I see
are the greyness of the clouds approaching me
I walk headstrong for there is nothing I cant overcome
Its inside and so very empty

In a place where all is fine and the voices carry sound
muffled and disjointed is what I catch…the reason I have found
to be many and never can i truly say for i do not know

The storm approaches and invites with whispers of passing by
The aftermath is all around and I do I can only try
To weather a storm that is approaching with every passing day

Guidance and the experience of others can only get you to
the line in which the rain starts to fall on you
You stand soaked by every other and take what is to be
Decide what holds together the pieces that are me

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