Friday after Friday Mick Sharpe does a great job of putting together the week's Google+ highlights.

Friday after Friday Mick Sharpe does a great job of putting together the week's Google+ highlights.
Honoured that the Midweek Zap was included again. Thanks Dustin W. Stout for a great conversation!

#fridayfavourites  

Originally shared by Mick Sharpe

Animate

It may be me but this year seems to be flying already! Lots of strong content to get stuck into this weekend with one or two old favourites back after the holiday season.

The fearless guy from Nickelback

Nope it’s not Chad but that all round good egg and master writer Demian Farnworth Fearlessly Questioning Being Crazy (http://goo.gl/zSezbU) with Joey Giangola. Joey and Demian discuss passion, limits (to being crazy) and authenticity via a couple of audience questions and Demian’s own question to us: Are you comfortable in your own skin? I always enjoy listening to Demian - a well grounded individual with a passion for writing that shines through. Be sure to follow him for some sound advice for improving your writing.

G+ Communities

Gideon Rosenblatt shares some thoughts in Wanted: A Consolidated Communities Feed (http://goo.gl/otLPPH) I have to say once you go beyond a few communities the system does leave a lot to be desired and Gideon has some usefuls points to make here. I would hope that Google is listening (I’m sure they are) and will have some improvements in the pipeline. I know that my use of communities is impacted by the clunky UI. Take a look and add your thoughts.

Communication is absolutely vital in all our relationships and the topic is given centre stage in this week’s Network Round Table: The Softer Side of Business HOA (http://goo.gl/E0Jpez) DENNIS N. DUCE and #teamtroupers Kristin Drysdale and Gina Fiedel welcomed Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales and Teodora Petkova to the discussion. I don’t think I could suggest a better panel of people to do this topic justice. If you’re involved in any way with communication (and who isn’t?) you would do well to make time for this show. It really will make you think about your framing and reframing!

Opening the stable door

It was great to see the return of one of my favourite shows from 2014 The Small Business Web Tech Show from RightStart Websites. In Getting the Horse Before the Cart - Social Media for Small Business (http://goo.gl/XDPBnn) John Moore and Marilyn Moore invited Mark Traphagen to show how Social Media can be useful to the small business owner. There’s no disputing Mark’s knowledge in the field and there’s a lot of horsepower in this presentation. I found the section that covered knowledge to be exceptionally valuable to the small business. I work with many companies that think their expertise is common knowledge when in fact the opposite is more often true. Dip into the bits that matter to you with the ever helpful #timestamp post here (http://goo.gl/QEDoV5)

I’m happy to let you know that James Dearsley’s The Mid Week Marketing Mix (is back!) (http://goo.gl/a52MPe). Another of my 2014 staples this show will keep you bang up to date with what’s happening in Social and Marketing. This week’s show features Anna Bennett discussing all things Pinterest including social commerce and promoted pins. In section 2 Kimberly Reynolds looks at the general social media news with a look at the video wars with Twitter and Facebook and issues of private conversations and governments. Peg Fitzpatrick and Guy Kawasaki discuss The Art of Social Media in section 3. Ray Hiltz rounds off the show with the latest Google+ news. Don’t forget to bring your popcorn and if you need to segment surf James has the #timestamp description here (http://goo.gl/pfxwO7)

If you still need more James Dearsley this week then hop over to The PYB Show! - Like Bees To Honey, Google Plus Attracts Business (http://goo.gl/PaFHHf) with James joining PYB regulars Stan Bush, Travis Taylor, Mary Stovall, Karen V Chin, Greg Cooper and Debi Davis discussing augmented reality, Google Local Pages, reviews and more in relation to the #EagleCO project. Surprise guest John Dietrich joined the panel to describe how NOD3x could be used to support the project. Wrapping up looking at Photospheres and Google Cardboard this new format is a real winner full of actionable advice. PYB is the essential community for business people on Google+. Great stuff guys.

Treat yourself to a masterclass in presentation in this week’s Midweek Zap - Visual You (http://goo.gl/0pnr9D) with Zara Altair chatting with Dustin W. Stout. The one message that should stick with everyone is to prioritise your message in your visuals. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across clients that want bigger, more colourful, zingy visuals at the expense of the underlying message - so counterproductive. Wrapping up with a look at the Social Warfare plugin this is a cracking 40 minutes.

Still scary

Big kudos to Black Lotus for keeping us up to date with the DoS and Cybersecurity Power Talk (http://goo.gl/m2oC9S). Mia Voss was joined for a second time by Jason Polancich for a review of 2014 and an insight into what is likely to impact on 2015. Watch out for those zombies as the Internet of Things takes off. It’s a scary world out there.

Thinkers corner

A share from Sanjiv Manifest that shows the value of connections as the original passed through two shares to get to Sanjiv. Is Empathy The Means to Radical Social change? (http://goo.gl/ahTlzy) is worth a look not only for the fantastic RSA Animate video that includes one of my favourite Star Trek episodes and one of my favourite kid’s TV shows, Mr Benn, but also for the powerful ideas in the talk. Sanjiv takes these ideas a step further in his introduction looking at how empathy could play a bigger role in our activities on Google+ and elsewhere. Excellent food for thought and I do hope that this video presentation does get the exposure it merits.

Colin Walker may have concluded his #write365 project but that doesn’t mean he’s gone radio silent. The Ghost is the Machine (http://goo.gl/HYOOnU) presents a marvellous short story that Colin crafted over 20 years ago. A great read but should also get you thinking about what might be lying around your attics, closets and store rooms! Always room for a few #ThrowbackThursday posts!

And finally…

Another from the RSA Animate stable shared by martin shervington in Language as a Window into Human Nature (http://goo.gl/rDSc9C). A ten minute insight into the veiled ways we communicate things that could impact on our relationships. This one will raise a good few chuckles along the way too.


Have a great weekend wherever you are

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Created by Mick Sharpe of Bitingedge