Chapman People

I’m a graduate of Chapman University and have had the opportunity to volunteer for the Chapman MBA program as a mentor since 2010. It surprised me that I've been participating in the program for so long; the time has really gone by fast! I think one of the reasons the time has flown by is because of the amazing people I have met.  Ralphie (far left) calls all my mentees my “Chapman Children”. When my Chapman crew gets together it does feel like one big family and they have become a great part of both my professional and personal lives. Over the last 5 years, I've had the privilege of placing a few Chapman grads. I've also become good friends with a few of my mentees. They've showed me support when my husband battled cancer, they've hung out with my boys, counselled me in business matters, and most often, keep me current with new trends. It’s been fun to see babies born, people getting married and careers taking off! It’s really a true “win-win” situation. I teach them a few things from my years as a recruiter and I get their new and innovative perspective on business.

So I guess this post is to say thanks to Chapman University and all my Chapman people! 

Oh No! My Klout Score is Low!

Last Thursday night Colin Kapp, Assistant Vice President and Marketing Manager at Commerce National Bank in Newport Beach (like that plug Colin!) invited me to a Social Media for Small Business Seminar. I like to learn and like to hear new ideas. I was hoping I’d learn something new so off I went to the bank to hear Niklas Myhr, Ph.D. and Global Social Media Professor at Chapman University. 

I was very pleasantly surprised and I had a great time. Professor Myhr was funny, highly entertaining and educational – gotta love learning while you’re laughing.  The one thing I learned that will impact me the most is his view on blogs --  they don’t have to be perfect and that  a blog should focus on serendipity, satisfaction, service, sustainability and sharing. He also said to be happy to make up your mind and happy to change your mind.  I think I’ve been over thinking my blog and making it more like a boring business blog. Good business is my style but boring business isn’t.  In the future I’ll plan on trying to keep his 5 S’s in mind while writing. 

Next I learned to check my Klout Score – which is low a 10!  Obviously they don’t consider me an influencer.  Some of the reason I think my score is low is my FaceBook is not for business (do you really want to see pictures of me sledding with my kids?) and our YouTube videos are connected to Dave’s email and his FaceBook, not mine. So eventually I’ll sort out our media and with the all the tips Professor Myhr provided, maybe up my Klout Score to a reasonable number.  Hey Twitter worked for me this week after 2 years of using it – I’ll get my score up eventually.