The Write Spot, LLC

My SOBcon Colorado Goals

SOBCon Colorado was a social media conference with a mastermind format that featured 14 hours of learning and networking opportunities. It featured fantastic speakers that helped us focus on strategy and tactics for integrating online and offline social marketing.

We had some fun too, like how to have a happy butt. (And no, that has nothing to do with adding more fiber to your diet.) The delicious meals at the Renaissance Hotel in Broomfield were wonderful, too.

Unlike many other conferences I’ve gone to, I came away with a to do list of goals, homework and strategies for the next year. Even better, since I’m attending SOBcon 2011 in Chicago, I’m able to reevaluate my goals in seven months.

So here’s my list of the action items I’ll be working on until then:

• Evaluate where I am today. Decide where I want to be going. Figure out the difference and work on it.
• Read 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly.
• Wear less “hats,” stop spreading myself so thin and only pick events and conferences that I will benefit from.
• Find ways to work with writers and book authors.
• Find more speaking opportunities.
• Write an ebook (or ebooks).
• Create a detailed avatar of my perfect reader – and write it down.
• Know my value and ask for it. (If I find that I’m working too many hours to make what I want to make, I’m not charging enough.)
• Communicate my value to stand out from the crowd.
• Look at my influence and make efforts to increase it .
• Serve my readers better by telling a story in my posts. What story can I tell that addresses their needs and problems? What solution can I provide? Ultimately I need to be useful to my readers.
• Narrow my focus to be great in my niche.
• Use social media analytic tools on a regular basis and learn from the numbers. Figure out ways to measure my success.
• Work on supporting my virtual communities.
• Find out what I need to do to increase my numbers and influence:
  • post frequently and regularly
  • blog redesign
  • cleanup old content for SEO
  • work on my writing and photography
  • be more active on Twitter

If you’ve attended SOBcon or a similar event, what did you learn from it?

Setting Goals When You Don't Know What the Future Holds

When writing the Setting the Stage for 2008 post, I realized that I forgot about the goal setting work I did at the Day-Long, Kick-Butt, Get-Your-Writing-Year-in-Order Lighthouse Writers Workshop. I didn't review my goals regularly even though they were in a file folder right on my desk. So this year, I'm going to blog them so it will be easier to check my progress.

Should I stay or should I go now?

At last year's goal setting workshop I set five, two and one year goals. While that was a good idea then, I don't think it's a good one now. Why? Because I'm going through a major life change.

No, I'm not getting divorced or moving to Europe. Instead, both of my kids will be in school full time at the end of August 2008. Yippee, let the champagne fly!

One year from now I will either be:

• Making a good full time living from my blogging and freelance writing, but still have the flexibility to work around my kids' schedules and spend time with them during school breaks and summer vacation.

OR

• Be working in a well paid corporate job that uses my writing skills and blogging, marketing, and social media expertise. My kids will be in after school, school break, and summer vacation programs.

What's a WAHM to do?

It's the work-at-home mother's dilemma. Do you go back to the corporate life now that all your kids are in school full time? Or do you remain a freelancer and devote more time and effort to it?

Freelancing is more flexible, you don't have a commute, and the pay can be pretty good if you work hard at marketing yourself and getting gigs. Still, corporate has its positives, including less worry about where the next paying gig is coming from, someone else footing the bill for everything from the phone to Internet access, and benefits like 401K matching and health insurance.

I'm fine living la vita freelance, but would I turn down a good corporate job if the opportunity came along? Not on your life. I'll start my job search in the summer with the strategy being that when the kids go back to school, I'll go back to the corporate world. Until then, I'll be working as hard as I can on my freelance business.