Rediscovering Myself

Imagine digging into one’s own digital history to find a lost bit of info, only to find something long forgotten by time, space, and life’s distractions.

Yep, this is the thing I stumbled upon this very site, Musings of the Chief Rabbit: Bonnie Parrish-Kell, my original blog.

Nearly 13 years since my last post. Truly a lifetime ago.

Couldn’t help but laugh at the sidebar with “Sweet Tweets” of my tweets, replies and retweets from Twitter…yes, I refuse to call Twitter by its new name because, frankly, the name change was just plain stupid.

Harsh? Yeah, but I’m retired now and on to other things.

But every now and then, I’ll see or read something out there in Marketing Land that just annoys me…or I find fascinating. The urge to write about it hits but I have no place to express those thoughts. That’s because my other platform, Slowpoke Divas, is light-years away from my former professional self.

With my rediscovery of this blog, I now have a place to share those musings whenever the desire arises.

Just don’t expect regularly scheduled postings. I have walks, bike rides, and other fun to do.

Carry on and keep calm, folks!

Taming the Email Inbox: A Tip to Save Time, Increase Efficiency

If you’re an information junkie like me who subscribes to numerous professional, trade and special interest e-newsletters, then you’re probably just as overwhelmed as I am when it comes to managing the email inbox.

Yes, you’ve set up rules for Outlook (or similar program) to automatically route emails to appropriate folders.

Yes, it’s easy to glance at those folders for new emails.

But it’s also so very easy to get caught up in either taking “only a minute” to read a snippet here or there.

Before you know it, you’ve spent an hour on “educating” yourself on the latest news on the effect of Google’s most recent algorithm update, the reasons why you should attend the next best-ever conference, or how to improve your swim stroke for faster race times.

The key term here is “educating” because, otherwise, how can you justify that last hour that didn’t make a dent in the piles of work on your desk or on your project list?

Here’s a suggestion I’m going to try myself: switch to using a free email service like Gmail to handle all those incoming e-newsletters and notices that aren’t pertinent to my day-to-day work activities.

While I imagine it’s going to take some time to update all those e-newsletter accounts, I’m hoping that in the long run this will help me be more productive in the office.

Have another idea? Share your experience with me. Thanks!

The Value of Membership with Professional Organizations

I’m faced with a very difficult decision today regarding my memberships with two professional organizations and the desire to join another.

The challenge comes down to what every business owner is facing today: stretching the budget to achieve maximum results.

It doesn’t matter that last fall I prepared what I believe is a realistic 2011 budget. It also doesn’t matter that I do have the money squirreled away to pay for the memberships.

It has everything to do with what’s happening in today’s business climate, planning for my firm’s current and future technology needs, and weighing these considerations with the value I get from my memberships.

Everyday the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) send me emails usually full of informative and insightful content that feeds my brain, my creativity, or my business self. The local chapter events provide ample time to connect with colleagues and meet potential project partners while enjoying a bit of camaraderie.

The challenge I’ve had the last year is that my schedule hasn’t been in sync with my local IABC and PRSA chapters’ events (and it doesn’t look any better for 2011 either).

For me, the value of membership with a professional organization is based on information/education and social connections. I strongly advise colleagues and students to join at least one organization within their chosen field that offer these kinds of important benefits.

Adding to this conundrum is the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization. SEMPO has been on my radar screen for the last few years and is in the forefront because more of my business includes SEO-oriented work and SEO copywriting. Plus I teach this stuff called SEO and online marketing at UNLV Continuing Education.

What am I gonna decide?

I don’t know…I have until tomorrow to decide.