5 for Friday

1 - Open road, no traffic



2 - Shadows playing

3 - It's Friday, end of another work week.
Farmer's Market open today in Franklin

4 - A lost son returned home

5 - PodCamp Boston this weekend

What are you going to do today?

experiment today

yes, I am trying something different today. I have posted my #the5 to Google+ and not used Twitter to share them.

An experiment. A try. We'll see how it works. If you don't have Google+ yet, let me know. I should be able to send an invite to you.

I really would like Google's tools to be better integrated together. Why isn't reader already enabled for +?

So this is just a test. I'll let you know when the test is over.

combine learning and sharing

Cruising among the RSS Feeds today, I have time to share #the5

"I tried Bittman's grain recipe this afternoon with barley, with perfect results" http://j.mp/nVn6u0 @franklinfoodpan #the5

"If you're strapped for topic ideas, consider turning to your organization's events for some inspiration" http://j.mp/quD2IV #the5

"I vaguely remember reviewing such a piece and approving its submission" http://j.mp/oIeMDa #the5

"My first project – building a non-permanent wine bottle path in my back yard" http://j.mp/pDQVrc what if a bottle breaks? #the5

"Forty-four percent of communications staff members said they spend up to 10 percent of their time" http://j.mp/qxlpWe #the5


And a bonus alert for Franklin to this scam confirmed by two neighbors on Monday.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/attention-franklin-scam-alert.html


Using more whole grains is something we have been trying in our household for some time now. I'll add these recipes to our "to be tried" listing. One way to keep ideas handy is to write them down, or post them online in a place where you can find them again. Hence, a bunch of the things I do share (via Twitter) can be found again. Links to whole websites can be found via Diigo or Delicious. Pictures via Flickr or Picasa. Keeping notes helps to avoid vague remembrances. The wine bottle recycling project looks interesting. I wonder how easy it would be to replace a broken one? Time is one valuable and precious resource. How do you prioritize your time? How much time do you spend sharing? How much time do you spend learning? Is there a way you can combine the learning and sharing? This will help be more efficient and helpful at the same time!

What do you think?

5 for Monday - goal

Time for #the5 before I head out to work:

"My children will not be a conduit through which our resources become trash!" http://j.mp/r4Xa9i @franklinfoodpan #the5

"All the tweets about Twitter, and the best ways to use tweets, can get overwhelming" http://j.mp/nz4zRG #the5 

"It all begins with a goal: what do you want to accomplish using social media?" http://j.mp/qx02HZ #the5 

"issues they’ve encountered in trying to comply with the Rule when they helped consumers with short sales" http://j.mp/ocMp8T #the5

Yes, there will be another Job Search Jam Session - http://t.co/Nc2Rbbm hold the date for Sep 2! #the5

Michelle explores packing lunches for her family in Bento boxes. She keeps the basic problem, getting folks to eat good food in mind when packing the lunch. All the tips in the world on how to use some shinny object still need to keep this in mind. What is the goal? What is the problem we are trying to solve? If you focus on that and keep coming back to it, absorbing feedback along the way, you'll make good progress.


And the final note, is to hold the date for Sep 2. The Friday before the Labor Day weekend. What is so special about that? Another Job Search Jam Session will be held in Hopkinton. Labor Day weekend is meant to celebrate those who labor although more recently, it has come to mean more the end of summer. With so many folks still looking for work and the economy still sluggish, let's spend some time to share what we have learned on the job search with those who are still searching. For me, it will be a vacation day well spent.


If you are in the greater Franklin/Hopkinton area and want to help out, please let me know!

5 for Friday - etiquette

Five for Friday:

1. What better way to start the day with a piece from Robert Fulgham! 
2. Ronni Bennett chimes in with some good news on the legal front for elders in CA. Now let's see if other courts can do something similar. 
3. Terry Starbucker identifies a potential catastrophy with a great acronym! 
4. The FTC provides a quick primer on how to comply with the CAN-SPAM act (a seven point checklist). 
5. And net etiquette is collected on this site, simple and easy to share.

Sit comfortably for a few minutes to enjoy these links today:




"I hold out a $20 bill and drop it into the violin case, saying, 'Here’s another bet on courage.' ” http://j.mp/q0pAag #the5

"The Elder Court. This is such a brilliant and important idea that you should know about it" http://j.mp/oGccHA #the5

"potentially catastrophic to our otherwise orderly lives. It’s our potential for Mutually Assured Distraction" http://j.mp/ot03ru #the5

"the Rule also applies to a wide variety of communications with customers or potential customers" http://j.mp/pt9LUD #the5

"Although the title says there are 101 guidelines there are actually more than 101 guidelines on the site" http://j.mp/oi7OV8 #the5

What can you share today?

5 for Thursday - transition

Time for #the5 for today

Twitter for Android – Now with Push Notifications and Multiple Accounts http://t.co/UjlgRks #the5

Was the CIA's top Bin Laden hunter outed on Flickr? http://t.co/rw5J5dX #the5



Waiting For Your Balls To Land (It’s Not What You Think) http://t.co/sqrZfR9 #the5

The first three videos from Gel 2011: how the conference started http://t.co/nyA6wPK a good way to see what happened! #the5 @markhurst

"That's step one of the strategy: Feed consumers' hungers" It's all about feeding hungers. http://t.co/FzTPDzr #the5

Transition is a challenge. What is the tipping point for one to move from doing something, using something to changing? Is the incentive big enough? Is the move easy enough? Is there enough of a benefit to do so?

Some folks will move to the next shiny thing just because. Some will sit back and wait.

What you do should align with your goals and your focused effort. Does it fit? then maybe at the right time (even now) you should move. If it doesn't fit, then stand pat.

Aren't sure about your goals and focus? Then spend sometime on that! It will be time well spent later on.

How does this all play together with #the5? I have had my Droid ERIS for over a year now. The lack of sustained battery life has been growing increasingly frustrating. Occasionally I also run into space issues. A couple of weeks ago, both of these came up at the same time. I removed a bunch of apps, freeing up some space and all of a sudden the battery life is now something I can live with.

One of the apps removed was a rogue battery drain. Trouble is I don't yet know which one. Do I start adding them back one at a time? Or just go on? I am going on.

I have started playing with Google +. Gradually building my network of circles. One pleasant discovery is that the auto load of pictures to my private folder actually serves as an automatic backup of those pictures from my phone. I like that!

I have long been a Flickr user will I now change to use Picassa more? Time and circumstances will tell.

What have you learned that you can share today?

5 for Friday - going with the flow

Time for #the5 before I run today. Hearing some thunder off in the distance so it may be a wet one too!

Self-Employment in the Global Economy http://t.co/MqTg746 interesting paper from the Boston Fed Res Bank #the5

"their lives, and the associated tangle of learning opportunities that come with them" http://j.mp/nX0aOQ #the5

Hot Coffee: why tort "reform" might be tort DEFORM http://t.co/aXvsRDY via @AnnaTarkov #the5

"of all the things I’ve ever done to be helpful to others, the most powerful is to have been a friend" http://j.mp/prUjhM @seiden #the5

10 Signs You Are Being Lazy On LinkedIn http://t.co/v7yLHF6 goodness from @TimsStrategy #the5

and a bonus for today:

"I will never read Fyodor Dostoevsky on a Pook or Mark Twain on a Zook, are you kidding me?" http://j.mp/pLqkyi goodness from Robert Brady

5 for Friday - body mind

Time for #the5

"Because what doesn’t matter drops away, creating more space to explore what does matter" http://j.mp/kzGPqG #the5

Jonathan Fields has good advice int his posting. Yes, it is a prioritization. But a special kind. Creating space for what does matter should be part of our regular life. Why wait?

"Great Marketing is about telling great stories and making those stories easy to share" http://t.co/NTOPVVh goodness from @mitchjoel #the5

In this one, Mitch Joel summarizes Seth Godin. If you don't spend time keeping up with either of these two, you should reconsider and learn a whole bunch regularly. I know I do.

"movement gets blood flood to brain and people wake up if they’re in an information overload coma" http://t.co/nEbpepT #the5 @kanter

As a life long runner, the body mind connection I have been well aware of and very interested in continuing to learn more. Beth is spot on with this insight. You might also check on the OnBeing podcast, Krista Tippett talks about healthy minds in this episode with Richard Davidson. Good stuff.

"But for now, if you’re on the hunt for a new assignment, make sure you check LinkedIn’s Jobs page" http://j.mp/iQjOuG #the5

This was one of my tips along the job search. I must have missed Matt Youngquist note on not bothering to use the function as the jobs were found elsewhere. I am glad I did catch this update that jobs on LinkedIn are NOT found elsewhere.

"When not done right, this little speech can kill your chances for further discussion" http://j.mp/mmUoh6 good tips on the pitch! #the5

Along the lines of the job search, the elevator pitch is handy to have, period. Even if you are working, when someone comes up at a party, what do you say when they ask you what do you do? How do you answer? This post is just one of many with some tips on what to say when.

To summarize our cruise amongst the five for today, I would say that there is a body mind connection. Keeping the body fit with movement will keep the mind alert to what is happening around you. You can be at your best when marketing yourself, knowing when to provide your pitch and when not. You'll be better prepared to tell your story in a way that they will remember you for it. May even remember you for when they have a great opportunity right up your alley!

I think it is worth a try.

What have you learned that you can share today?

5 for Thursday - data and analysis

Time to catch up on posting. Time to get better at time management.

"to recognize that it is the most ordinary things that make you rich. Like water" http://j.mp/iH0UY6 @sanderssays #the5

Robert Fulghum writes so well. He hits the mark today in a way that reminds me of the mark that Tim Sanders is hitting with his current book: "We Are Rich"

"I choose based on that: is it an idea that needs a lot of reach?" From Inspiration to Process http://t.co/mwezbDX @chrisbrogan #the5

Chris Brogan takes us inside his thought process to show how he does it.

"there’s no known way to look at a pile of data and understand cause" Cause and effect http://t.co/LGrWqDm how true! @cspenn #the5

Christopher Penn, a master data person, shares a great insight. A reminder for me as at work we are doing some data analysis and working to get at the causes for the data because it is NOT evident just by looking at it.

"What is that digital life story going to look like for you?"http://j.mp/lD683L great question #the5

All our data piles up, what happens when there is no more data creation? When our life comes to an end? Mark Shaeffer explores this and finds some interesting options.

"How do you get started with Google Plus? Let's break down the nuts and bolts" http://j.mp/l3tqlR #the5

The buzz this week has been about Google Plus, maybe the next shiny object, maybe a flash in the pan. Time will tell. Haven't been invited yet so I can't say personally. This article is being marked as a good one to have handy for when the invite does come.

I guess the summary that brings these five together is they are all related to data and the analysis that needs to go with it.

What have you learned that you can share today?

5 for Thursday - quality

Time for #the5 - let's see what we find today:

"total numbers of followers is meaningless – anyone can get a bunch of followers pretty easily" http://j.mp/l6Wiiu #the5 #sobcon

The volume has never really been important, who and why is definitely more important.

"In the dance of life, money follows your lead. You win by picking the right dance contest" http://j.mp/jgFZ96 #the5 #sobcon

Money follows your lead, assuming the music follows your instinct!

"convinced the people who use the most jargon have the least confidence in their ideas" http://j.mp/m2iueZ goodness from @berkun #the5

This related to my finding that the people who are most passionate about something have something to hide.

tech alert: "It's a shame that more people don't know about this utility" http://j.mp/mkKVdk #the5

First I heard of this one so it seems like something to mark and save for when needed!

"avoid controversy when embedding YouTube videos by DISABLING related videos" http://j.mp/lAVrko a good how to - #the5

This is a good how to. I generally do this having found that the related links are not always so related as they were intended!

And a bonus link for today:

"Videos on Archive.org can now be viewed on the iPhone and iPad, as well as all standard browsers that support HTML5" http://j.mp/j2gF6b

And while we are on video, the resources available at Archive.org are impressive. I have used them to host some audio for webinars and to host the video of the Franklin Library tour. Spend sometime exploring there!