Podcasts about social media club chicago

I met Tim McDonald years ago in Chicago, when we both were attendees of Social Media Club Chicago back when I lived in Milwaukee - and then I moved to Tampa. We stayed in touch online, and as fate would have it, Tim moved to Tampa so we got together a few times there. And of course, I moved out of Tampa, and Tim stayed, but we said we'd get together soon. Then Covid hit - and Tim got liver cancer - and I moved to Orlando - and we didn't see each other for years. Recently, Tim and I got together in person, and he told me more about his story about lurkers, community, and the power of sharing for the good of others, not just for yourself, and I was moved. I knew I had to share his message with you.What follows is the transcript of our conversation, for paid subscribers only, if you're more of a reader than a listener.Tim McDonald 0:06 Hello, I'm Tim McDonald, and I am the founder of Share My Liver. And the best advice I ever got was from my mom, you have two years and one mouth for a reason.Phil Gerbyshak 0:20 So how young or old were you, Tim, when your mom said that? Were you a precocious kid like me, where your mom probably tried to smack them in your head every day or once a year that?Tim McDonald 0:30 I think I was probably like, in my, you know, early double digit years, you know, right before that, right around that time frame. It was, but I don't know why I remember it, but probably because you said it so often.Phil Gerbyshak 0:48 That's awesome. So have you used that, Tim? That's great advice, though, right? One year or two years, one mouth. How have you use that?Tim McDonald 0:56 Well, I use it a lot. Because I always say like, especially online, we hear this term lurkers in communities. And I always embrace the lurkers because I am one in a lot of communities. But that doesn't mean I'm not paying attention. It just means that I'm taking the time to actually listen to people more than I concern myself about them hearing me.Phil Gerbyshak 1:20 So that's interesting. So let's break that down. Because I think that will help kind of set some stage here. So first, lurkers are still listening. I think that's a great, great point. Define lurker for those who are not as online experienced as you and me.Tim McDonald 1:39 Well, I always define it as somebody that you can easily identify being part of your community or following. So it's like, hit the like button, they don't comment on your post, they don't share post and tag you. But you have no way of knowing if they actually saw what you posted, and what they're doing with it.Phil Gerbyshak 2:02 Okay, so that, that makes sense. Right? So not only are they learn lurkers in many cases, they might be very passive, but they're still participating, right by listening. And I think that's important. Tim McDonald 2:14 Right. Exactly, exactly. And that's why I just had a conversation last week, about, we were debating with different community managers about whether we should leave lurkers in a community leave alone, whether we should try and re-engage them, or we should just kick them out.Phil Gerbyshak 2:32 Interesting. So what did you decide?Tim McDonald 2:34 Well, I was on the side of trying to engage them, but engage them without being pushy. And without doing it obnoxiously. It's all about, like, letting them have their time and space, but creating opportunities where you can try and get them more engaged.Phil Gerbyshak 2:52 Okay, I like that. So that's that certainly as is possible. Right. So now Facebook offers the at everyone tag, is that obnoxious? I mean, it's only once a week, right? Is that obnoxious? Or is that that, okay?Tim McDonald 3:05 Oh, God, when I first saw that feature, come out on Facebook, it annoyed the crap out of me because everybody was using it to obsessively. I think a lot of groups have gotten better on it. But some groups have lost me because they were using it every day, or multiple times a day. Now, I only see it in the groups that I am still participating in use maybe once a week. Yeah, well, in my mind that, like if it's important, I, they want everybody to see it. And I get that. But if it's like just saying it, because your every post that you put up, you want somebody to see, that is obnoxious.Phil Gerbyshak 3:45 No. And I think that that is a good point. Right? We're not using it solely to promote here, we're hopefully trying to advance the group's agenda, right, the group's mission. Right,Tim McDonald 3:54 exactly. If it's, if it's something that you think pertains to everybody in the group that will get value out of it, or see something that they should be aware of? That is key to it. So that's why I you know, I don't mind it in the groups that I still belong to, because they're using it very intentionally, instead of just because it's a feature there that's available.Phil Gerbyshak 4:15 Well, and you're intentional to and I think this is an important, important thing to remind folks of right, like you've opted in, if you don't want in, and you don't want to just listen and you don't want to participate. That's okay. Like it's okay to remove yourself from a group don't just, I would argue, like don't complain about that at everyone tag. Don't complain about that. Just leave. Like it's not an airport, right? You don't have to announce your departure. Just get out of the group. And that's okay.Tim McDonald 4:43 That's exactly what I did. I didn't call anybody out. I didn't, you know, complain about anything. I just took my place and left. Phil Gerbyshak 4:53 I think that's, I think that's helpful, right? I mean, on emails. We have an unsubscribe On Facebook, we can leave a group we can do that on LinkedIn. I haven't seen a way to I guess mass tag people on on Twitter yet, but I imagine that'll come Instagram. Probably the I mean, I guess I've got close friends on Instagram. Is that what we're? Is that how we do that, Tim, because you're way more of an expert at this. I mean,Tim McDonald 5:19 I don't know if you can do it on LinkedIn, like, I don't think any other platform other than Facebook really has it now and a couple community platforms have it, but not like, you know, the major social networks, I don't think have the, at everyone type of thing. Or at here, I've seen you platforms, but it's just about, you know, just, you know, hopefully they don't, because I think too many people will not see the intention on it and just use it because it's there. And that's what most platforms do is they try and get us to use the tools and the features that they put out. And they're not supposed to be for everybody. They're only supposed to be for certain people in certain situations.Phil Gerbyshak 6:07 Absolutely. Good. Good reminder there. So Tim, your background is in community management. And that's how you and I became friends. Gosh, 15 years ago, right in Chicago. When you're there, you moved to New York. Now you're in Tampa. And of course, as soon as you move there, I had to leave. So just like I did Wisconsin, right. So funny enough, right? So and I say that kind of tongue in cheek, but kind of sad. Like, dude, like, we've been so close. And yet so far, I am grateful for the times that we get, we have to choose to be intentional, as well right to get together in person. But let's talk about community management. Because I think in many cases, it gets a bad rap as somebody who spams crap out there and just post social media. So what is community management really, Tim?Tim McDonald 6:53 Well, first, I think we needed to find what community is before we can talk about community management. So the easiest way for me to describe it to most people is it's not interchangeable with audience. Most platforms, you have an audience, you are broadcasting out, and people anybody almost in those platforms can see it or your your, you know, people who have selected or you've selected to see it can see it, everybody. But it's not there to create anything more than you sharing what you want. And a community and I always say that. So that's like one distinction. But the other distinction I say is like, imagine like a sports team, right? Or a music performer. They have concerts, they have games, right or matches you. They have fans, audit slash audience that comes in watches them when they're in that stadium. Now, your community members might be part of your audience too, and go to those events. But the thing that they're doing that most people that are going to those stadiums or not doing is they connect and engage with each other in between the events going on. And they talk with each other and they promote the artist or the team as when nothing's happening. And that is your community. And usually what I say is community needs to have an exclusive space. So like, let's just say Facebook, right? I know, you can select who your friends are. But let's say you have a page, right? Almost anybody can like and you can kick people out. But it's open to anybody. There's no like really saying like, right, and that's about it. Community has some form of exclusivity. Now, that doesn't have to mean you need to give a drop of blood or you know, hand over your firstborn child or anything like that. But what it does mean is that you need to kind of have a gate, you know, that people know that they are doing something to let you open the gates for them to come in. And they can leave whenever they want. But they are there, because they choose to be there not because they're just there, and you're there. So that is like a community to me. And I think the easiest way to kind of define this in most contexts is that people come together over a shared purpose and create a shared impact. So a lot of times we do not see this anywhere else except in communities. Most companies do this, right. You bring your employees together, not everybody's there over a shared purpose other than maybe getting a paycheck. Your goal is to create a shared output, right? So the difference between like community and employers or community and audiences is we're all coming together over a shared purpose for creating a shared impact as well. And we all feel like we were part of creating that impact together, not just that you did it for me, for somebody else did it and I was just watching on the sidelines.Phil Gerbyshak 10:16 Wow. So that's interesting, right? So I like your distinction of audience is not community. And then just because you bought a ticket doesn't mean that your community, it doesn't mean that you're not to be clear, right? So you go from audience, I was gonna say little a to community with a little c, then it grows up into like, capital C community. Yeah. And that's where your shared purpose and shared impact goes in. Is that am I tracking with you, buddy?Tim McDonald 10:43 You're you're pretty much there. I'm kind of chuckling when you said the capital C, because I just posted on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago, that my phone I must be in community for too long, because my phone now capitalized as a seeing community automatically for me.Phil Gerbyshak 10:57 Oh, that's funny. That's, that's so funny, man. And that's so true, though. Because I would say when I think a Tim McDonald, the word I think of his community all the time, right? Like if, like, I know, you have a tattoo on your arm, right, and we'll talk about that in a minute here. But I would say, you know, if you're gonna get a tattoo on your chest, it would be community with a big capital C, right?Tim McDonald 11:21 Like the Superman logo with the C and so. Phil Gerbyshak 11:23 Because, right because I've, we've been friends a long time. And I've seen, you know, I've watched you in community, I've been part of some of the communities and watch from afar. Other ones, I've been a little c community member, right? Because if you invite me, I'm gonna at least show up. Right, I'm probably going to show up. With that, so but I've watched the shift, Tim, from, you know, the time you got to Tampa and I know that, you know that you've transformed man. Like, you've you've become quite different than the Tim that I knew 15 years ago, like, not that you weren't about community then but I think you were like capital B community, like business community. And now you're really the capital see, like, purpose and impact. So what shifted that for you, man? What shifted? For you to change that?Tim McDonald 12:28 That's a great question. Um, I really think back then, it was all about because it was also knew that I was just absorbing what I was taking in from others. As I've grown and become more experienced, I've started to look within instead of externally. And when I start looking within, I start realizing what matters to me. You know, what is healthy for me as an individual. And what I found was that I am really passionate, not about making money. Not that money is a bad thing. I'm not against money, don't get me wrong, but the impact is greater. And I wish was a currency that we could spend. Because I would just do that all the time.Phil Gerbyshak 13:20 Yeah, right. Wouldn't it be great. And I, I wish that were true, too. So that really is the shift then kind of from me, to we write we focus on? I was kind of, you know, consuming. And now you're connecting. And I think that's a big, big shift for you there connecting with impact, as opposed to, you know, connecting with, uh, with income, right?Tim McDonald 13:44 Yeah. Well, that's, I mean, to sum it up, yes. You know, and I know back in those days, I really didn't, I made it look like I had money. I had nothing. I mean, I remember one trip down. Because I lived in the suburbs of Chicago, one trip down to the city, I had enough money to go one way on the train. And you know, what just would have it, the conductor didn't ask for my ticket on the way down. So I didn't have to ask anybody for money to get home. That's how little money I had back then. But you know, now, I'm not saying I'm rolling in dough, but I am definitely in a lot better position than I was back then. Which maybe allows me to really have that focus. But back then I wasn't focused just on making money so I could have it. It was basically making money is in his destiny to be able to survive and do the things to do. We're now it's like, it's really about like, you know, I can be intentional about who I work with, what causes I'm involved with, because they need to align with who I am as a person and what impacts me personally. And this is what I found. It's like, just, you know, I was always latching on to other people's causes and supporting them. But you know what? It's kind of like, I, you know, it's just, you know, when we talked about sure my liver and I'm sure we're gonna go into this, but, you know, it was just like when I was diagnosed with cancer, right, like before that, yes, I did, like, I know, when I was in Chicago, I did a walk, you know, for, you know, cancer or something like that, you know, around the park, you know, and put a team together and did all that. But it didn't have any meaning to me. It was just doing something good. You know, that I knew was good. But it didn't mean anything. You know, I didn't have an attachment to it. Being diagnosed with cancer now, I am like, you know, and it's not just cancer, it's colorectal cancer, colon cancer, right. And that's what I have. That's what I'm passionate about. That's what I want to see change. I don't want to see other people have to go through the same thing that I'm going through, why I have my shirt on, get s**t done get screened, you know, is because I want to create awareness. So people are getting screened for colon cancer, so they don't have to get colon cancer, which means they don't have to go through chemo. They don't have to get surgery. They don't have to get radiation, immunotherapy, whatever it is, you don't have to go through everything that I'm going through, and so many other people like me are going through. But I couldn't have done that with the same intensity and the same level of impact with the people around me that are experiencing the same type of disease that I am. If I didn't have it.Phil Gerbyshak 16:23 Yeah, yeah. The mean, well, again, right, you go from little M meaning yeah, there's a meaning to capital M meaning. And now there's a right that's, that's kind of me running. Right. So that's all about. But with that, Tim I let's, let's talk about that. We'll get to the sharing your liver part first. First of all, we're wearing blue today, to support that colorectal cancer and finding a cure. Let's be clear, I changed my shirt, right before I came on, because it's important to me, because you're important to me, and I want you to know that. Tim, I, that matters to me, but you know, I took a strong arm selfie right before we got on. So I'll post that too. We'll, we'll get there, man, I think that's important.Now let's get personal. You've got cancer buddy. And you're kicking its ass. It's not kicking your ass. But you still need a liver. So talk to me about Tim's liver. And how that went for you, man. Because I know that's, it's, it's makes me sad. But I'd love for you to talk about that.Tim McDonald 17:26 Well, you know, I when I about a year ago, I became kind of given the green light to go ahead and start searching for a donor because colorectal cancer patients that have metastasis to your liver, which is what I have. Otherwise, you wouldn't need a liver transplant if you just had it in your colon still, but but since I had it in my colon or in my liver, and it was all over I really didn't wasn't eligible for a lot of these other treatments. So just to put the context in why I'm looking for a liver transplant, it was really the only option for me, that could provide me a chance to read my body of cancer entirely and live a longer life. That's why I pursued it. But to be a donor, you know, to get a donor, you need to find your own living donor. And if you're not aware, and you're hearing this, your liver regenerates itself in about eight to 10 weeks. So you can donate up to 70 75% of your liver, and it will regrow in that timeframe. Most people weren't aware of that, but it's an amazing organ in your body. In addition to everything else it does, it actually will regenerate itself. So after I had my meeting, and I get I was given the green light to search for my own donor, I put up a website because I know it's like, you know, you can put posters up, you can share stuff on social media, people can, you know, call the number, but really, you have no way of tracking that. So I wanted to have a way to track it at least a little bit. And say, Well, let me create a website so that I can track the analytics on it, see who's visiting, see who may be clicked on certain areas, see what's working, what's not working. And so we created this Tim's liver.com. And it was really easy to remember because it's simple two words, you know, and short. And to the point, you know, relevant. So I started sharing that. And I got some people calling in, I had a good flow of calls in, I would share that on social media. I have a sign on the back of my car that says that. But really for those first six months, I wasn't seeing a whole lot of realistic opportunities for potential donors coming through the hospital. And it made me think but the other thing that occurred to me during that six months, right was that all these other donors that had tried to become donors were people before me that got liver transplants that had metastasized cancer. They have like they were telling me there's five to seven people that got tested and didn't qualify for whatever reason, maybe it wasn't the right blood pipe, maybe it wasn't the right volume of liver, you know, because your liver regenerates to the size that it was. So I can't take a liver from too big of a person or too short of a person, right? I need the right volume of liver. But all these different criteria. And so I started thinking I'm like, There's five to seven people that are trying to help somebody that weren't able to help somebody but are still willing to help somebody else. What happens to those people? Where do they go, and I create, I just dawned on me that maybe I should create a site where we can pool these potential donors together, make more people aware of the importance of becoming a living liver donor, and help the patients like me that are coming after me connect them with potential donors, so they don't have to do all the work on their own. And so I created this site called share my liver. And that site was really not focused around me, it was just focused around anybody that had metastasized colorectal cancer that was pursuing a liver transplant, and anybody that was interested in being a donor to help any of those people. This amazing thing happened when I started doing that was I got more people sharing it, more people visiting the site, and more people calling to be my donor. Then when I was asking for myself, I wasn't asking at all for myself. And the funny thing about this bill is my wife, some very good friends of mine, all thought I was crazy, absolutely insane, that I would try and help other people before I had a donor myself. And what I just said to them was, I hear you, but I cannot tell you the feeling that I have inside, when I have a potential donor come through, that I can connect with a recipient. That just brings so much joy to me and brings a smile to my face. And it just it fuels me to keep going that they're saying it's unhealthy for me, but they don't, they're not living in my body. I know it's healthy. For me, that was healthy for me, helping others in a similar situation to me, help connect them with potential donors. That was what I was all about. But at the same time, after they said that, I started realizing that more people were calling for me and wanting to help me. And the best part of this story is going to be when I actually get the donor, I actually get the transplant. And when I can sit here maybe a year from now and say, I helped three other people get living donors from this. I mean, that's my whole goal of this is not to turn it in. I mean, my hope is that we don't have to deal with a lot of liver transplants for metastasized cancer patients, because more people will get screened, and they'll prevent getting colon cancer. So we won't have to go to those treatment stages of chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy surgeries or transplants. That's my hope. I hope that I created this and we won't need it in five years. The reality is, we probably will. And it's probably going to become increasingly more because it's one of these kinds of experimental things in the US right now. It was piloted over in, in Norway, I think about eight years ago. And so they have about eight years history. We've been doing it here in the US for almost five years now. And they just did a most recent report that just came out this year that looks at our history in the US up through like the end of summer of last year. And the results are very promising. And the whole thing and I'm very close with my surgeon who would be doing the transplant surgery, and one of the things that he's a big advocate of is that a liver transplant shouldn't be looked at as a last line of defense for a metastasize colorectal cancer patient, it should be looked at as a treatment option early on in the in the disease. And that's what I am looking forward to working with him to try and make that possible. That's another reason why I want to get a liver transplant is to be part of the research that goes into showing that this is a viable treatment option.Phil Gerbyshak 24:20 Awesome. So friends, if you're listening, right, if you want to be a living liver donor, find someone to share your liver with you can go to share my liver.com and check that out. Right but as Tim said, Get screened, right get s**t done, get screened, don't get don't wait until this is too late for you. You can get screened now. Tim McDonald 24:44 I will just say I will just say it's not a matter of just to getting screened, but the age now you can get screened either older, or if you have a family history. And if you don't know your family history, this is why it's important to ask and I know for people who are adopted, it might be it a little bit tricky into knowing that but have those uncomfortable conversations with your family so that you can find out what your history is. Because if you have a history of colorectal cancer, you want to get screened 10 years before their diagnosis date. So if your grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer at 45, do you want to get screened at 35? Yeah,Phil Gerbyshak 25:22 no, that's, that's an awesome point. That's super important. So I'm 10 years before diagnosis. Yep. 10 years. Okay, so get uncomfortable asking uncomfortable questions. Find out before it's too late. Right, like make that happen. I think that's really, really important. So Tim, have you built up big immunity yet? Around share my liver? How's this work? Tim McDonald 25:47 It's growing. I mean, I'm doing it. Well, you know, there's a couple things right, like I work full time, I go through chemo currently, my energy levels, and it's not what it was one from getting old, but to especially from the chemo. But, but the reality is that I don't work on this eight hours a day, you know, it is something it's a passion project of mine. And some days, I work like four hours on it. And sometimes I don't work at all on it. And so the one thing that I would say is that I don't feel like I've grown a true community with the big C around it yet. But I think we're in this in the starting stages as a small c in bringing together people, anybody that's gotten a liver transplant, it's a metastasized cancer patient is all on board with what I'm doing. They think it's a wonderful idea. They help promote it, they share it, they want to tell their their donors that donate it to them, they want them to share their stories. So you know, we're starting to see people come together around that. And I'm in another group that is specific to people that have colon cancer that had metastasized to their liver that are looking at liver transplants. And so the people in that group, whenever I see somebody posts it, they're having their meeting, they're having their donor meeting, I always encourage them to sign up on our site, let's get their information. And if I have a potential donor, I'll try and have them call on their behalf. You know, there's a lot of privacy laws, and I can't go into actually connecting the people directly together. But I can go into having that potential donor call on behalf of that person directly to the medical center that's doing the transplant.Phil Gerbyshak 27:27 Awesome, awesome. Well, lots of lots of good that you can do there, right and share my liver.com folks can get involved get educated. I know you've got a lot of great resources there, Tim. With that, right, that home transition, right from me to WWE, has never been more clear to me with then with the transition from Tim's delivered to share my liver. Yes. And I love how much joy that gives you because I want to light up, man. When you talk about share my liver, it just lights you up. And for those listening that have a family member that are thinking, Well, why don't they why does it 10? Why doesn't my spouse? Why doesn't my loved one? Why don't they focus on themselves and get better? Tim is proof that moving from me to we and focusing on the big C community, helping others helps you and I think that's so interesting. So give folks a chance to help you right? So first, if you're if you are suffering from metastasized colon cancer, and it's moved to your liver, like, go to share my living.com, right, like, get involved with that. And raise your hand because people can't help you if they don't know. So that might be uncomfortable for some that are listening, right? If you're a big time introvert, you're like, like to put the focus on me, I would still argue that it would help you a lot more than you realize, just to get involved and to share this, what do you thinkTim McDonald 29:00 I was gonna say, if you're an introvert, if you don't like putting things out there, I actually have somebody that I've worked with who was doing it for their partner, and they didn't want it shared anywhere. And for their donor call, you're supposed to invite all your family and friends and she was like, I can't do it because and I just I told her privately I just said, if you want, I'll show up on that call. I will become his biggest champion - if he's comfortable with that. Now he wasn't comfortable with it. So I respected his wishes and didn't do it.But what I'm saying to anybody out there is if you just don't feel comfortable talking about yourself, sharing your story with the world. Tell your story to me. I'll share it with the world. I have other people that will share it with the world. And you don't have to feel like you're doing it. And I think that's the the beauty. For part about this is, you know, ultimately my goal for this would be that anybody that's looking for a liver transplant, that's a metastasized cancer patient, if you come to share my liver, the ultimate goal would be that you just put in your information used, I'm not saying you don't need to do any work, you still need to do a little bit of work. But we would have enough donors, we would have enough resources on there, where you could come here and get everything you need, without having to do anything else on your own. That's my goal, obviously, in the in the long run, because it's all about like finding your donor, but it's also about navigating the insurance. It's also about navigating, you know, to be a candidate for a liver transplant, there's a lot of criteria that goes into that it's not just as simple as you have cancer in your liver. It's the type of genetic makeup of your cancer, it's has the cancer been removed from everywhere else in your body, you know, how have you responded to the treatment, you've been getting up to this point, there's a lot of factors involved there. So you know, so but if you qualify, and you want to learn more, we want to be the resource for you. And if we don't have what you're looking for, this is how we're going to grow it is just to get the information that you're looking for, find it and then put it up there. For others. That's how we grow the community is by understanding that poll, two ears and one mouth for a reason. We listen to what people are asking for. And then we can tell them, because we listen, we're able to provide this.Phil Gerbyshak 31:27 I love that, Tim, I love that. Well, the my hope today is that we've magnified this issue and help magnify the impact of share my liberty.com I know there's a lot there, Tim, a lot of people can get going, I'd recommend folks get started, just go to https://share my liver.com Just check it out, see, maybe it impacts you maybe the impacts a loved one, maybe you don't even know if it impacts someone but take a look, give it a share. Like just share the website out like hey, here's something that might help somebody else. Magnify that impact. You, as a listener, as a viewer, you can help move this from me to we, and you can have a bigger impact. So Tim McDonald, my friend, I appreciate you, I love you. And I can't wait for you to get a liver my friend.Tim McDonald 32:17 So thank you so much, Phil and I so appreciate, you know, you wearing blue doing the strong arm selfie, that all just helps create awareness. And obviously the main goal here is to get people screened, because early detection is a way that you treat this and cure it. Phil Gerbyshak 32:35 Absolutely. Absolutely. So real quick, your strong arm selfie, if you use that hashtag strong arm selfie shared on Twitter, Instagram, just take a selfie, right? Yeah, do that and then share the picture. And you get what $1 colorectal what's the what's the value for fight colorectal cancer?Tim McDonald 32:51 $1 gets donated to them, to fight colorectal cancer. I'm an ambassador for them. I don't get paid by them. But I'm an ambassador for them. And what they do is they provide advocacy, research funding, and education and support for patients. So if that dollar goes to their efforts, and it really helps out, I mean, the Cologard Classic is going right on right now out in Tucson, Arizona. And it just amazing. This morning, I wasn't able to go because I had some stuff happening locally advocacy work that I was doing locally. But you know, to see the today's show out there with doing dryer and you know, all these people, Katie Couric was out there, you know, last night at the event that they had it just amazing to see the support that we're starting to get on a national level to bring awareness to this because Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death of cancers. So it's really important to people and it's but it is also the only one that I think is very treatable if you catch it early enough. And if you wait for symptoms, it's probably too late. Wow.Phil Gerbyshak 33:55 Great stuff there, Tim. So real quick, share my liberty.com is the website you want to go to. You want to help this share that website. Don't forget about Tim's liberty.com. And last but not least, you want to do an easy impact. Take a strong arm selfie, and share that out. Make a difference. Friends move from me to we. Tim McDonald - it's a joy. Thanks, buddy.Happy update: In the time since we recorded this and saw each other a few weeks back, Tim found his donor and will be getting a liver on 5/16/23. I'm so glad for Tim!!! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit happyaf.substack.com/subscribe

Did you know the VR market is expected to surpass $10 trillion by 2030? Listen in as Leslie Marshall, CMO of Mesmerise tells you why now is the time to activate VR/AR/MR. Leslie shares how marketing professionals and comms experts can think about how tech like AR/VR/MR applies to their work and the kinds of immersive experiences they can create for their employees and customers.Exploring Possibilities: An Interview with Leslie from MesmeriseSince Leslie Marshall and Barbara Rozgonyi first met in the mid-two-thousands, they've led a quest for looking for the next best thing in social media, marketing, and tech. Whether it was at TechWeek, Social Media Club Chicago, or an AMA Chicago event, these two marketers share a drive for realizing the future vision.In her Growing Social Now interview, Leslie explores the importance of staying ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging realities such as AI and AR, as well as strategies for marketing in the metaverse.In early 2023, after 16 years at Morningstar, Leslie embarked on a new career journey. She joined Mesmerise, a virtual reality and augmented reality business, as CMO. At Morningstar, she worked with the Mesmerise team on VR events. Mesmerise uses cutting-edge technology such as VR to boost productivity with virtual meetings and webinars.Chapters1 Exploring the Potential of VR with Barbara Rozgonyi and Leslie Marshall 00:00 - 05:362 Exploring Virtual Reality through Experimentation and Learning 05:36 - 11:393 Delivering Exceptional Customer Experiences through VR and AR Technologies 11:39 - 16:534 Exploring Opportunities with New Technology: A Path to Smart and Innovative Business Ventures 16:53 - 22:315 Exploring the Benefits of the Metaverse: An Analysis of Social Media Sentiment 22:31 - 28:136 Taking the Leap: Networking and Professional Growth in the Metaverse and Beyond  28:13 - 33:107 Exploring the Journey of Redefining Life: Finding Balance in Transitions and Embracing Change. 33:10 - 38:45Visit Mesmerise on LinkedIn Connect with Leslie Marshall on LinkedInListen to Barbara's previous interview with Leslie: Growing Social Now episode on Exploring Experiential Events and Social Media and read more about this episode.Thanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

What's the best way to manage customer relationships on social today? Who needs a CRM - customer relationship management - system? [hint: everyone!] How can you enrich and nurture your existing and future relationships online and IRL? In this episode, Barbara Rozgonyi interviews Jon Ferrara for his take on CRM on Growing Social Now. You will discover . . .How to use Influencer Marketing to Grow Your Brand on a BudgetGrowth Hacking Strategies for Small Business with Small BudgetsHow to Build a Community of Micro-influencers To Drive Your BusinessWhy Building Relationships Help Achieve Passion, Plan, And PurposeHow a CRM Can Help You Build Better RelationshipsHow to Build Your Brand As A Trusted Industry Influencer To Grow Your BusinessHow to Turn Your Contacts Into Gold by Nurturing a Community of InfluencersAbout Jon FerraraNimble CEO Jon Ferrara is a successful entrepreneur and firm believer that we're all on this planet to grow, and that the more we can help other people grow, the more we grow. Building products that help people achieve their passion, plan and purpose is the primary reason Jon pioneered contact relationship management with the launch of GoldMine in the 90's, and it's why he launched Nimble, the smart CRM for O365 & G Suite, two decades later. Jon is also a noted speaker on the topics of Social Media's effects on Sales and Marketing. He's been recognized on Forbes as one of the Top 10 Social CEOs, Top 10 Social Salespeople in The World, and among the Top 50 Social Business Twitter Accounts You Must Follow.Nimble Jon Ferrara on LinkedInAbout Barbara Rozgonyi, Host of Growing Social NowBarbara Rozgonyi attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities as an inspirational speaker, creative coach for marketing communications, and social selling trainer for sales teams.  An early social media advocate, Barbara launched wiredPRworks in 2006 and founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic ocean.#growingsocialnow #barbararozgonyi Thanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

Tim McDonald is a force of nature who always helps anyone he can. He is a generous, kind, compassionate and brave soul who cares deeply about humanity and builds community wherever he goes. He is the former Director of Community at Huffington Post, Founder of My Community Manager, and Director of Communications at Social Media Club Chicago. 03:08: I got a call from the urgent care asking me if I could come over. 05:00: I got my colonoscopy scheduled in the height of covid.  06:52: He could see you had a tremendous blockage.  09:12: Were they able to at least clear up the blockage?  11:01: I got into a cancer center in Tampa. 13:44: I didn't have scan anxiety at all. 15:47: I had three years to live. 19:36: How many months have you been in chemotherapy now?  22:25: I had a colon resection.  25:01: He did a physical inspection of my abdomen. 28:33: There are only 14 centers in the U.S. that perform liver transplants. 31:36: What was your worst moment? 34:15: What has been your best moment? 35:57: What is one thing you wish you had known at the very beginning? 37:20: If you could only do one thing to improve health care in the U.S., what would it be and why? 37:43: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions.  38:51: Aside from Cancer U, what's one resource you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers? Resources  Tim on FacebookTim on LinkedInTim's websiteEmail TimCall Tim +1 312.970.0846Colorectal Cancer Alliance

What we talked about . . . The almighty algorithmsHow to maximize your ad budgetWhat types of ads work best right nowWhy you need to be youWhen to trust the platform's ad suggestionsWho ChimeHouse Media helps the mostCo-founded by Matt Shields and Megan Shields, ChimeHouse Media creates "done for you" Facebook & Instagram Ad strategies for solopreneurs and small businesses. For those not ready for the "done for you" approach, they also provide consulting to start or grow business using paid advertising.Connect withChimeHouse Media https://chimehousemedia.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/megshields/https://www.linkedin.com/in/chimehousemedia/https://www.linkedin.com/company/chimehouse/https://www.facebook.com/chimehousemedia/ahttps://www.instagram.com/chimehousemedia  About Barbara Rozgonyi, Host of Growing Social NowBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021. She serves on the National Speaker Association Carolinas Chapter's board of directors as Vice President of Membership and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic ocean.Let's Connect!Barbara Rozgonyi on ClubhouseBarbara Rozgonyi on FacebookBarbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeThanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

Tim McDonald is a force of nature who always helps anyone he can. He is a generous, kind, compassionate and a brave soul who cares deeply about humanity and builds community everywhere he goes. He is the Head of Community at HomeRoom and the former Director of Community at Huffington Post, Founder of My Community Manager, and Director of Communications for Social Media Club Chicago. He's also an ambassador for FightCRC. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/michael-chestnut5/support

SEASON: 1 EPISODE: 25 Episode Overview:  Looking to grow your influence and your visibility, whether you're an entrepreneur, small business, association, or corporation. If you are looking to attract leads, build your brand, and click with crowds using social media, content marketing, and PR, then you are going to enjoy my conversation with an international trends speaker, coach, and host of the podcast “Growing Social Now”, Barbara Rozgonyi! Guest Bio:  Barbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021. She serves on the National Speaker Association Carolinas Chapter's board of directors as Vice President of Membership and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic ocean. Resource Links: Website: https://barbararozgonyi.com  (https://barbararozgonyi.com ) Insight Gold Timestamps: 05:30 Video has really changed our lives 09:29 There are influencers everywhere 14:32 Look at the different types of clients you're trying to reach 18:30 What is the customer experience? 19:00 4D: Digital, Direct, Dynamic, Data 22:49 CPR: Challenge, Process, Result 31:57 Personalized as possible Connect Socially: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/barbararozgonyi (https://linkedin.com/in/barbararozgonyi) Facebook: https://facebook.com/rozgonyi (https://facebook.com/rozgonyi) Twitter: https://twitter.com/wiredprworks (https://twitter.com/wiredprworks) YouTube: https://youtube.com/barbararozgonyi (https://youtube.com/barbararozgonyi) Instagram: https://instagram.com/barbararozgonyi (https://instagram.com/barbararozgonyi) Podcast: http://www.growingsocialnow.com (http://www.growingsocialnow.com) Email: barbara@corywestmedia.com  Sponsors:  Rainmaker Digital Solutions: https://www.rainmakerdigitalsolutions.com/ (https://www.rainmakerdigitalsolutions.com/) Resources: https://becomingpreferred-podcast.com/resources/ Next Episode: Emotional Intelligence - The Key to the Customer Experience with John Brennan!

“It takes so much courage to get out there and share your message. Speaking is a marketing tool. It's a muscle that needs to be strengthened today,” Jasmin says. You will learn:How Jasmin used social media to grow her speaking businessTop Social Media tips for speakers and consultantsWhat is a legacy speaker?“We are building our legacy right at this moment” Jasmin Haley, MS How did they meet? Barbara and Jasmin met via the National Speakers Association Carolinas chapter's Speaker Intensive. Barbara presented a session on Skyscraper Success for Speakers. They both serve on the board: Jasmin took over Barbara's marketing role as Barbara moved into membership.About Jasmin Haley, MSJasmin is a nationally-awarded speaker, author, consultant, presentation skills & curriculum design expert, and podcaster of The Legacy Speaker™ Show dedicated to helping audiences understand that the time is now if they want to make an impact and amplify their voice through the stage.She has spoken to and educated over 10,000 audience members since she began her career in speaking and has impacted countless others through her podcasts, educational programs, and global consulting business. Her proprietary process, The H.E.A.R.T. Methodology™ for connecting with audiences guarantees that attendees will leave your speaking program motivated & transformed. Her business, Legacy Scaler®, recently celebrated serving 100 clients. Jasmin serves on the National Speakers Association Carolinas board of directors as VP of Marketing. Get Jasmin Haley's Profitable Speaker Roadmaphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminhaley/https://www.instagram.com/itsjasminhaley/https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheProphy.JasminHaley About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launThanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

What Does it Mean to be Real on Social Media?What you'll hear . . .Ways to get real on social media - even if you hate getting in front of a camera without good lighting and pro stylingWhy LinkedIn is THE network to fall in love withWhen to test out TikTok [hint: ASAP]Where short-form video performs the best  About Katie McKieverKatie McKiever has vast social media, communications, and content marketing expertise. For more than twelve years, she has worked in social media marketing, previously managing social media teams for multiple multi-million dollar organizations and one multi-billion dollar organization. Now, Katie crafts creative social media solutions for growing brands as a sought-after consultant.She has single-handedly brought tens of millions of impressions, millions of dollars in earned media value, and millions of dollars in direct business value to the businesses that she has worked with through the content that she has created for brands' social media channels. Katie has trained hundreds of individuals in social media best practices.She is a Ragan Communications national award winner for Content Marketing and Brand Journalism and a PRSA multi-award winner for PR, digital, social, communications, and brand journalism campaigns. She has been sought out for expert commentary by the BBC, NPR (Here & Now), and Morning Brew's Marketing Brew. Ways to connect with Katie . . . .Katie McKiever on LinkedInKatieMcKiever.comKatie McKiever on InstagramKatie's Weekly Social Media NewsletterKatie McKiever on TikTok About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021. She serves on the National Speaker Association Carolinas Chapter's board of directors as Vice President of Marketing and lives in Charlotte, NorThanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

This is a special episode because someone listening — or a connection to someone listening — will have a chance to save a life. And it just might be you. My guest is Tim McDonald from Tampa, Florida. Tim is a stage IV colon cancer thriver, and his best chance at curing his disease is through a living-donor liver transplant. That means he needs a hero. Someone willing to give up part of their liver to replace his. Ready to save a life? Go to https://timsliver.com/ (timsliver.com), and see if you might be Tim's match. Tim is a force of nature who always helps anyone he can. He is a generous, kind, compassionate and a brave soul who cares deeply about humanity and builds community everywhere he goes. He is the Community Account Manager at HomeRoom and the former Director of Community at Huffington Post, Founder of My Community Manager, and Director of Communications for https://socialmediaclub.org/ (Social Media Club Chicago). He's also an ambassador for https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/ (Fight Colorectal Cancer). “Once I go through all this," Tim said, "I am going to build a community for anybody that's got metastasized cancer looking for a liver donor.”

As the former director of community for HuffPost, where he led the management of an active, massive comment section, Tim McDonald has had a unique vantage point to the mass closure of news media comment sections. Patrick and Tim go in depth on that topic on this episode. Toward the end, Tim shares what he believes will be his greatest community ROI story: He has stage IV colon cancer and is in need of a liver donor and could get a lot closer with your help.  Please visit TimsLiver.com for more info. Plus: Why Tim believes he doesn't make a good soccer referee – or content moderator Keeping track of your community wins – both qualitative and quantitative Leveraging relationships with influential community members to get your message across, rather than being the face of the community yourself Our Podcast is Made Possible By… If you enjoy our show, please know that it's only possible with the generous support of our sponsor: Hivebrite, the community engagement platform. Big Quotes You can't make everyone happy in moderation (10:56): “I would hate it when there was a close call [as a soccer referee] because I knew in my head what the call was but I knew if I looked at it objectively from one team's viewpoint and from the other team's viewpoint, half were going to be happy with me, half were going to be upset with me, and I wanted to make everybody happy. You can't do that in comment moderation, and you can't do that being a referee.” –@tamcdonald Allowing influential members to do the talking (11:34): “I didn't need to get into the [HuffPost] community and be the face of the community. I could just have relationships with about a dozen of our community members who were very well respected and let them do the talking. But in exchange, I would take phone calls from them at home, at night, on the weekends. I would listen to them, I would understand what they were going through, but I would also be able to convey what, from a company standpoint, we were trying to achieve. When I did that, they started understanding.” –@tamcdonald If we aren't going to invest in it, why spend so much effort? (19:08): “My very last day [at HuffPost was] when we pushed the button and [switched to Facebook Comments]. Everybody looked at me like I was crazy, but I just told everybody, ‘I've come up with solutions. I've come up with options. Nobody wants to pay for this. If we can't invest in it, and we're not willing to invest in it, and we're not going to generate any revenue off of it, why are we supporting it?' That was the end of it. Obviously, they still had comments. They still do have comments, but it's nothing to what it was back when I was at HuffPost.” –@tamcdonald Document your community wins (22:53): “The subscriber growth of The New York Times is often cited … by media folks and executives as an example of the D2C model, but I think people would do well to remember that The New York Times never closed their comments. … People want that success of, ‘Look at all the people they have paying for news,' but they don't necessarily want to do that work that is moderating comments for 20 years to build a section that is befitting of The New York Times.” –@patrickokeefe Document your community wins (30:02): “We say [document your wins], but we don't necessarily always talk about the process through which we capture that, and so it fails. … If it's easy and it's comprehensive, then you're going to do it. Whereas if it's manual and it's slow, not only are you not going to do it, but when you don't do it, you're going to not be able to access that information as easily.” –@patrickokeefe Generous giving is the greatest community ROI (34:16): “When I find [a liver] donor through [the communities] I've built up over the years, that is going to be the greatest ROI because I don't think there's a price that we can put on our lives, and I don't think there's a price that we can put on the amount of giving that that would take from another human being.” –@tamcdonald About Tim McDonald Tim McDonald is the community account manager for HomeRoom.club. He is the former director of community at HuffPost, founder of My Community Manager, and director of communications for Social Media Club Chicago. Tim works with organizations and individuals who are stuck to get them unstuck. He helps people connect with their voice and stories. He is also a speaker and facilitates workshops. Recognizing how fear held him back, he has changed his relationship with fear and has used it to get unstuck and end a 17-year marriage, meet his life partner, move to a new city, twice, leave a toxic job, and currently looks at having stage IV metastasized colon cancer as a gift. Tim is in search of a liver donor with surgery planned around September 2022. If you think this could be you, please visit TimsLiver.com for more info. Related Links Sponsor: Hivebrite, the community engagement platform Tim McDonald on Twitter Visit TimsLiver.com to help Tim find a liver donor HomeRoom.club My Community Manager Social Media Club Bassey Etim, many time guest on Community Signal When You Need Community To Save Your Life: The Story of Tim McDonald, by listener and Patreon supporter Jenny Weigle Transcript View transcript on our website Your Thoughts If you have any thoughts on this episode that you'd like to share, please leave me a comment, send me an email or a tweet. If you enjoy the show, we would be so grateful if you spread the word and supported Community Signal on Patreon.

What you'll hear about . . . Shawna's incredible story of how she overcame health issuesan 8-minute model for wellness you can implement todaySEO marketing tips that will help you rank higher, fasterAbout Shawna Coronado An author and media host, Shawna Coronado educates on anti-inflammatory lifestyle, whole food cooking, and organic gardening. She is the creator of The 8 Minute Method, a timely solution to anti-inflammatory wellness. Shawna discovered the method after being diagnosed with severe spinal osteoarthritis, an incurable chronic pain disease.Shawna dreams of inspiring more people to be active and pain-free so they can discover a healthier and happier lifestyle. She has written 9 books, thousands of blog posts, produced hundreds of videos, and worked extensively with brands and companies. Her photographs and personal story have been seen in many international women's magazines and home & garden magazines. Shawna's food, wellness, and garden adventures have been featured in many media venues including television news programming, radio broadcasting, and PBS television. Visit https://shawnacoronado.com for more info and to subscribe to Shawna's newsletter.Connect with ShawnaShawnaCoronado.comShawna Coronado on Facebook Shawna Coronado on LinkedIn Shawna Coronado on Pinterest Shawna Coronado on Twitter Shawna Coronado The Casual Gardener on YouTube How they met . . .Once upon a time, Barbara and Shawna both lived in Chicago's western suburbs. They got to know each other at social media events around the city. About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021Thanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

What we covered . . . How social media has evolved and why Allan thinks it's going to get more difficult.The ongoing battle of content thought leadership, and brand journalism and how to win more.What the mindset of today's top communicators reveals about the profession.Marketing and PR jobs have changed, so what skills do you need to succeed?Three rules for running and life.About Allan . . . Allan Schoenberg is an experienced public relations executive with a successful track record in all aspects of business-to-business communications. He currently is the Chief Communications Officer at the international law firm Vinson & Elkins where he leads a team that manages the firm's public relations efforts, including brand services, media relations, internal communications, rankings, website, and social media. His team leverages a multi-channel approach to promote the firm's brand and reputation through storytelling and thought leadership. During his career, he has also held leadership roles in communications with globally recognized brands such as Nasdaq, CME Group, Bloomberg, and Accenture. He earned a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University in Economics and a master's degree in Communications Management from Syracuse University.Connect with Allan on LinkedIn, Twitter, and InstagramHow did they meet?When Allan was Executive Director of Corporate Communications at CME Group, Barbara worked with Allan to produce several Social Media Club Chicago events at CME Group. An early social media adapter, Allan continues to be a key contributor to the social media evolution. About Growing Social NowProduced for both aspiring and recognized digital thought leaders, this show focuses on how social media contributes to creating and sustaining business, Barbara interviews friends in high places. Tune into smart insights, cool tips, and lots of laughs.About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club CThanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

Key TakeawaysFour levels of podcasting and where to get startedWhy you need to invest in your passionWhat's up with Twitter SpacesWhere we're going with Podcasting 2.0 and Web 3.0 101The Value for Value Model from Adam Curry and John C DvorakMeet Jennifer Navarrette, Podcast Producer, Virtual Event Producer, Content Strategist, Community Builder, Speaker, and Blockchain Enthusiast - one of the top Women on Twitter SpacesJennifer Navarrete is an award-winning social media professional who has 16 years of experience in the podcasting and social media landscape. She is a firm believer in the "Learn, Share, Grow" model popularized by Social Media Club. Her career as a podcast producer, social media strategist, conference organizer, speaker, and community builder well prepared her to recognize the impact Web 3.0 will have on the world.Her mission is to demystify the blockchain as a content creation destination. She does this through the Crypto Content Creators video and podcast series with co-host Shaine Mata. Jennifer launched a 30-part series, Social Media and the Blockchain, and the Blockchain Creatis community where she hosts weekly Spaces on Twitter.The best place to connect with Jennifer when she isn't creating content on the blockchain is through a tweet or DM on Twitter. @epodcaster.Brewing.MediaJennifer Navarrete on LinkedIn@epodcaster on TwitterJennifer Navarrete on FacebookRESOURCESPodcast IndexNew Podcast AppsAdam Curry on the Future of Podcasting via The Survival PodcastHow did they meet? Although this is their first conversation, Jennifer and Barbara traveled parallel paths for years as Social Media Club chapter founders. Jennifer launched Social Media Club's San Antonio chapter and Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago. About Growing Social NowProduced for both aspiring and recognized digital thought leaders, this show focuses on how social media contributes to creating and sustaining business, Barbara interviews friends in high places. Tune into smart insights, cool tips, and lots of laughs.About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts Thanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

Beth refuses bland and boring. She guides individuals and organizations to string words into stories that motivate people to think, believe, and take action. That's how business gets done. With extensive experience in corporate communication and change management, she gets results through creativity, good questions, and active listening.Beth is a communicator, leader, advisor, teacher, and illustrator. She founded her own agency, Spencer Grace, and co-produces the Story Mode program with her good friend Jill Pollack. Beth is also a daily practice junkie who takes on insane creative challenges, like writing a poem or drawing a picture every day for a year.Connect with Beth . . . Spencer Grace (www.spencergrace.com) and Story Mode (www.instorymode.com)https://www.linkedin.com/pub/beth-nyland/5/504/952http://instagram.com/bethnylandhttp://www.twitter.com/bethnylandBeth Nyland Art  https://society6.com/bethnyland/framed-printsHow did they meet? Barbara stepped in for Beth as an internal communications consultant at Sears to manage projects for 300,000 associates and the executive team.About Growing Social NowProduced for both aspiring and recognized digital thought leaders, this show focuses on how social media contributes to creating and sustaining business, Barbara interviews friends in high places. Tune into smart insights, cool tips, and lots of laughs.About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021. She serves on the National Speaker Association Carolinas Chapter's board of directors as Vice President of Marketing and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic ocean.LinksWebsite: Thanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

Barbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative business growth consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities within a 4D framework. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels sales. Barbara is an international trends speaker with Hungarian roots, an expert digital marketing advisor, and an intrepid sales leadership guide for virtual and IRL teams. Her clients include Fortune 50 corporations, global manufacturers, and professional services teams who want to lock in loyalty and grow market share. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021. She serves on the National Speaker Association Carolinas Chapter's board of directors as Vice President of Marketing and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Links Website: https://BarbaraRozgonyi.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraJRozgonyi Instagram: https://Instagram.com/BarbaraRozgonyi LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/in/BarbaraRozgonyi Twitter: https://twitter.com/wiredprworks Podcast: www.GrowingSocialNow.com eBook: www.CrushYourQuotas.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BarbaraRozgonyi Blog: https://wiredPRworks.com

About Elly Deutch Moody, McDonald's Digital Customer Satisfaction and Engagement Strategy ManagerAs a leader in the digital, social and mobile landscape, Elly Deutch Moody has provided her expertise to a diverse array of companies and brands – both large and small – on how to effectively create and execute fully integrated digital marketing strategies to drive business value. Over the last decade in the digital space, Elly has created, executed, and managed social media communities for over 350 companies, athletes and brands. In her current role at McDonald's, Elly oversees the digital customer satisfaction and engagement strategy, as well as e-Care for the McDonald's social media channels.Visit Elly online at https://ellydeutchmoody.comConnect with Elly on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellydeutchmoody/Check out McDonald's Mariah Menu at https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/mariah-menu.htmlHow did they meet?Barbara and Elly served together on the board of Social Media Club Chicago on a team focused on party planning, social media education, and event production for crowds of influencers in Chicago and around the world.About Growing Social NowProduced for both aspiring and recognized digital thought leaders, this show focuses on how social media contributes to creating and sustaining business, Barbara interviews friends in high places. Tune into smart insights, cool tips, and lots of laughs.About Barbara RozgonyiBarbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media, a creative marketing communication consultancy that attracts attention, builds brands, and connects communities. Named after Barbara's mother and grandmother, CoryWest Media inspires innovation as it fuels growth. Barbara is an international trends speaker with a Hungarian heritage, digital marketing advisor since 2002, and sales leadership guide for all types of teams. With future vision, Barbara began publishing her top-ranked blog, wiredPRworks, in 2006. An early social media advocate, Barbara founded Social Media Club Chicago in 2008. Her podcast, Growing Social Now, launched in 2021. She serves on the National Speaker Association Carolinas Chapter's board of directors as Vice President of Marketing and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina right between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic ocean.LinksWebsite: Thanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

How did they meet? Barbara and Leslie first met via Social Media Club Chicago around 2009. A social media and marketing enthusiast, Leslie is the Head of Experiential Marketing at Morningstar, a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Thanks to Leslie for this thoughtful and creative conversation!  Interview Themes: What We Talked AboutFinding inspiration through technology -- the pandemic has accelerated the use of technology across industries and forced companies and brands to reimagine events and experiences. I love to think about new ways to create experiences to educate, engage with content, and connect people.Power of community -- now more than ever, we need our personal and professional connections/contacts. How do you find your "tribe" and people to keep you motivated and inspired, as well as a source to lean on during good and bad times?In the interview, Leslie talks about how team members contribute to success. She mentions Katryna Deligiannis, senior social media manager, Morningstar; McKenna Berken, social media community manager, Morningstar; and Shannon Lee, current AMA Chicago President; VP, Creative and Engagement, Studio North. Here's a look at the questions Leslie answers . . . How did Morningstar decide to host #MICUS, a hybrid event, with over 800 in-person attendees in September 2021?What defines “light” as a branding element through the company's culture?How is “Morningstar Onward” preparing and welcoming its people back to work?What's happening as Morningstar defines the future of work and elevates the experience to make work a destination?How does social media contribute to the employee experience – and position them as experts?Who gets more social media engagement – the Morningstar experts or the company?What you need to know about the evolution of the social media ecosystems. How can you authentically build your personal brand on social media? What's new with AMA Chicago?About our guest, Leslie Marshall . . . Leslie is responsible for the Morningstar brand and technology experience at Morningstar conferences and events around the world. A champion for social media within the organization, Leslie leads Morningstar's global social media strategy. Leslie and her team are the winners of two Cvent Excellence Awards and five Ozzie Awards.Leslie serves on the board of directors of the American Marketing Association – Chicago chapter as President-Elect. She is a frequent guest speaker on topics of marketing, technology and social media at events, confeThanks for listening, commenting, liking, sharing, and adding Growing Social Now to your podcast playlist!!Cheers to your success,Barbara RozgonyiFounder, CoryWest Media, Top PR Blogger, Host of Growing Social Now, International Speaker and Inspirational Storyteller, Creative Marketing Team Coach, LinkedIn Social Selling Trainer, Avid Hiker, Natural Photographer Barbara Rozgonyi on Facebook Barbara Rozgonyi on InstagramBarbara Rozgonyi on LinkedInBarbara Rozgonyi on TikTokBarbara Rozgonyi on TwitterYouTubeGrowing Social Now wiredPRworksBarbaraRozgonyi.com

FEBRUARY THEME: Self-Care is Community Care February is generally overrun with Valentine's day and all of the societal conditioning that comes with a Hallmark holiday. It's a great time to show others you care, but how often do we show ourselves that same love that we so freely give to others? This month, let's talk about how self-care isn't selfish. Let's talk about how when we show up consistently for ourselves, we can show up more powerfully for the people in our community. TIM MCDONALD Tim McDonald is a speaker and coach who works with organizations and individuals who are facing challenges and feel stuck to get unstuck. Recognizing how fear held him back, Tim has changed his relationship with fear and has used it to get unstuck and leave toxic jobs, end a 17 year marriage, move to a new city, meet his life partner, and he currently looks at having stage 4 metastasized colon cancer as a gift. He was previously the Director of Community at Huffington Post, Founder of My Community Manager, Director of Communications for Social Media Club Chicago, and various other jobs. While he thought climbing the corporate ladder had all the answers, he found out that looking within held all the answers he needed. HOWI SPANGLER - BALLYHOO! Through 25 years and eight independent albums, the last four on their own Right Coast Records, Ballyhoo! have earned the exclamation point which marks their name. Starting in the basement of their mom's Aberdeen, MD, home, rocking out on guitar and drums respectively, practicing every day, brothers Howi and Donald Spangler formed the proto-punk band in the mold of Green Day and Nirvana, with an eye towards the emerging ska genre led by Goldfinger, Sublime, 311 and No Doubt. The group's eighth and most recent studio album, the breezy, ska-fueled, hook-filled Message to the World, on their own Right Coast Records, finds the self-declared “beach-rockers,” having grown up in public, accepting the responsibilities of adulthood while still hanging on to their dreams of world domination. With its newest members now veterans – keyboardist Vandrey has been in the band since 2000, while bassist Lucera joined in 2014 – Ballyhoo! is ready for what the future brings. Stylistically, their music ranges from the hard-edged punk of 2018's Detonate, which captured the feelings of anger and depression from dealing with personal loss and the exhaustion generated by over a decade on the road, to the island reggae beats of the follow-up, Message to the World. “Whatever you want to achieve, just focus on that and work towards it,” explains Howi about the Ballyhoo! ethos. “Don't worry about followers, views or even money. Just keep making good stuff. One day it may be possible to finally quit that day job and live your dream full time.” Ballyhoo! is still doing just that, purveying good vibes, positivity and fun live shows meant to take you away from real life for just a little bit. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hikingmyfeelings/support

In this episode, I speak with Tim McDonald who received a stage 4 cancer diagnosis in late 2020. We learn why Tim sees his diagnosis as a gift, how he learned to befriend fear, and why life's unexpected changes are an opportunity for growth. Tim McDonald works with organizations and individuals who are stuck get unstuck. He is a speaker and facilitates workshops. Recognizing how fear held him back, Tim has changed his relationship with fear and has used it to get unstuck and leave a toxic job, end a 17-year marriage, move to a new city, meet his life partner, and currently looks at having stage 4 metastasized colon cancer as a gift. He is the former Director of Community at Huffington Post, founder of My Community Manager, and Director of Communications for Social Media Club Chicago. Find Tim at linkedin.com/in/timamcdonald/ and on Twitter at @tamcdonald. You can support Tim's healing journey by donating to his GoFundMe campaign. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/meet-the-changemakers/message

Episode 46 of Livestream Stars with Ross Brand of Livestream Universe. Subscribe to the podcast: https://rossbrandrecordings.com/ (https://rossbrandrecordings.com). On #LivestreamStars with Ross Brand, Tim McDonald talked about the importance of having real conversations on livestream platforms. He said the fact that so many people are seeking to build their personal brand means that they are often more interested in standing out than in connecting and find out through conversation how to help each other. Tim believes the ability to livestream two-way conversations on mobile apps will greatly increase the popularity and utility of live video. Tim McDonald is a “human with a heart,” an expert in community building, relationships, social good campaigns, online broadcaster and Co-creator of CreatingIs LLC and LIFEworking. Tim has experience working with major clients including No Kid Hungry, Cinnabon, Carvel Ice Cream among others, where he led the overall marketing vision, strategy and execution of social media activations, including blogger programs and influencer relationships. In the two years working directly on the No Kid Hungry campaign, Giving Tuesday fundraising increased from $56,000 to over $249,000 in 2015. Previously he was the Director of Community for The Huffington Post, where he set strategy and oversaw a team of moderators, support and standards for the leading online news site with over 300 million comments and 70,000 bloggers. Prior to this position, Tim built and managed a community for Huffington Post's live streaming network, HuffPost Live, resulting in over 9,600 guests from more than 85 countries have joining live on-air and over 1.3 million comments on the platform. Tim founded My Community Manager, a resource for community managers and a community of community managers; Lake County Social Networking; and is the former Director of Communications for Social Media Club Chicago. Find Tim on Twitter: @tamcdonald.

#AskTheExpert featuring livestreaming pioneer Tim McDonald. Hosted by Ross Brand of Livestream Universe. Subscribe to the podcast: https://rossbrandrecordings.com/ (https://rossbrandrecordings.com). Tim McDonald is a “human with a heart,” an expert in community building, relationships, social good campaigns, online broadcaster and Co-creator of CreatingIs LLC and LIFEworking. Tim has experience working with major clients including No Kid Hungry, Cinnabon, Carvel Ice Cream among others, where he led the overall marketing vision, strategy and execution of social media activations, including blogger programs and influencer relationships. In the two years working directly on the No Kid Hungry campaign, Giving Tuesday fundraising increased from $56,000 to over $249,000 in 2015. Previously he was the Director of Community for The Huffington Post, where he set strategy and oversaw a team of moderators, support and standards for the leading online news site with over 300 million comments and 70,000 bloggers. Prior to this position, Tim built and managed a community for Huffington Post's live streaming network, HuffPost Live, resulting in over 9,600 guests from more than 85 countries have joining live on-air and over 1.3 million comments on the platform. Tim founded My Community Manager, a resource for community managers and a community of community managers; Lake County Social Networking; and is the former Director of Communications for Social Media Club Chicago. You can find Tim on Twitter: @tamcdonald. His username on Instagram and Snapchat is @timamcdonald. Show TopicsHow Tim started using live video Tim's approach to building community How Tim defines community management and the founding of My Community Manager How Huffington Post used Google Plus Hangouts and video production for Huffington Post Live Mistakes people make when approaching online relationships differently from offline relationships How livestreamers and podcasters can build community Why No Kid Hungry has been effective in community building in support of its mission