Social Media Wisdom from Maisha Walker

At the risk of not doing justice to Maisha Walker's excellent talk on social media at May's Princeton Regional Chamber Breakfast, here are some of her tips. I really don't want to lose track of what she said, and I think it's valuable for many of us.

Any new marketing technique requires a 6 to 12 month learning curve -- first to learn the technology, then to soak up that community's etiquette.

Experts say a human can have only 150 close relationships, but -- for social media purposes -- each of those 150 people have their own networks, making social media a powerful tool.

Nevertheless, social media connections aren't helpful until you build them into relationships and make them real and local. Meet your connections!

Make sure you actually have a tangible goal that will affect your bottom line.

Realize you are a publisher. What will you publish?

Use the 80/20 rule. Twenty percent of your content should be highly unusual, surprising, attention grabbing.

Leverage all your resources, cross market, be consistent.

Track it, tweak it, repeat it. Don't start any social media project if you can't measure the results. It is not about traffic, it's about customers.

In the photo at left, she highlighted the five social media tools that she recommends: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and WordPress.

Debbie Schaffer of Mrs. G's, no slouch in social media herself, said it was the best SM presentation she'd heard.

Cornerstone Community Kitchen Celebrates First Year

Larry Apperson, Jackie Berger, Emma Glasser, Beth Zeitler

Just inside the doors of Princeton United Methodist Church, on a recent Wednesday, geraniums decorated the red-and-white covered tables, and napkins were tied with matching red ribbons. A dozen volunteers donned aprons and disposable gloves, ready to serve at Cornerstone Community Kitchen, When Emma Glasser arrived, Nicole Oliver, a high school sophomore from PUMC, showed her how to serve the trays – entrees and vegetables from the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, plus a green salad, a fruit salad, juice, bread, and a dessert.

Larry Apperson had the vision for Cornerstone Community Kitchen (CCK), and it will celebrate its first anniversary on June 5. Every Wednesday, no matter what, volunteers from the church and the community have served a free and nutritious meal from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the church on the corner of Nassau and Vandeventer. All are welcome, no questions asked.

Some come for the food, some for the fellowship. Mothers come with children, and several people are here to practice speaking English

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Among the diners on this particular Wednesday is a woman who takes the bus to a job in Princeton. “Some of us who have jobs, we can’t get help from the government, but we still have trouble paying our bills,” she says.

Judy Miller 

“The members of Princeton United Methodist church have a strong commitment to service,” says Rev. Jana Purkis-Brash, PUMC’s senior pastor. People from the community have also been eager to help – preparing the greens, the fruit, and the eggs, and donating baked desserts – plus working as servers and hosts. Judy Miller coordinates the décor and Beth Zeitler organizers the volunteers. “Brownie troops donate cupcakes, and we have had an entire office pitch in,” says Zeitler, a Plainsboro resident. “CCK is also popular as a bar or bat mitzvah project for teens from the Jewish Center. Our greatest need is for people to prepare salads and fruit.”

Panera Bread and the Bagel Hole regularly donate baked goods, and Zorba’s Brother donated a turkey dinner during the holidays. “We’re grateful for the in-kind donations,” says Apperson, “and also for cash donations to cover our costs. Egg salad sandwiches are a favorite take-home item, and children leave with breakfast in a bag.”

A raccoon friend encourages a child
 to eat her green beans.  

As she helps clear the tables, Glasser, a John Witherspoon Middle School student who is volunteering as part of her bat mitzvah Hesed Project, says that her experience was just what she had hoped it would be. “It was like a community here,” she says. “Everybody was so friendly, so happy to be here. I am glad to have helped.”

To volunteer or inquire about donations to Cornerstone Community Kitchen, email CCK@princetonumc.org, go to www.princetonumc.org, or call 609-924-2613.  

Just 24 Notes, 'Taps' is Hard to Play

Having played “Taps” for more than 40 years, the "Lone Bugler" talks with authority on sounding it. "There are only 24 notes, but it is difficult. ‘Taps’ is an emotion; music is an emotion. It is the only time you are laying someone down for the love of the country.”

Three trumpet players, I am pleased to say, are in the Fox family. My son, George Jr., was the lead trumpet during his time in the Princeton High School Studio Band, and two of his children are on the way to being fine players. I love hearing brass play, whether on the parade field or at church. 

So my heart warmed when I read the paragraph above, part of an article, in this week's U.S. 1 Newspaper.  Dan Aubrey interviewed First Sergeant U.S. Army Retired Richard Pinter, also known as the Lone Bugler, about what it means to play the trumpet at a military funeral. Click here for a read that befits Memorial Day.  

Smelling Salts to De-Stress the Modern Woman

In your purse, carry the aroma of lavendar or eucalpytus -- known for soothing the mind and spirit, said the expert at Capital Health tonight. At the 2nd anniversary of Woman in Business Alliance, (WIBA), an enterprise of the Princeton Regional Chamber, more than 100 women heard some stress tips from Dr. Randi Protter. It was a gala occasion, for some photographs, click here.

Protter gave this unusual tip about soothing scents. You can't carry the vial of lavender with you,she noted, it would leave your purse full of oil. But you can take a small glass vial and fill it with rock salt or kosher salt, then drip the essence over it. When you need a spa break, sniff sniff sniff.

Another good tip: try "square breathing," in for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, breath out for four counts, don't breathe yet for four counts. That works too. We all tried it.

Stress goes back to cavewoman days, said Protter, when women developed their output of cortisol and adrenaline. Back then, they had two choices, make dinner or be dinner. Now we have more choices, but we still have stress!

The Money Man (Bernanke) and The Wit (Remnick)

See live broadcasts when Ben Bernanke speaks at Princeton University on June 2 at 2 p.m. and David Remnick speaks on Monday, June 3. 

Here is the info I got from the Princeton University publicity folks: a summary of the graduation events leading up to and including Princeton's 266th Commencement. I have deleted mentions of how to pick up journalist credentials and, no, I don't plan to do that myself. 

The Bernanke and Remnick speeches will be simulcast on Channel 27 for Comcast subscribers and Channel 21 for Verizon FIOS subscribers. The events also are scheduled to be webcast live and archived online for later viewing at www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/. For more information, visit the Commencement website at http://www.princeton.edu/commencement/events

---The Baccalaureate service will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, in the University Chapel. The speaker will be Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve. 

 

---The Class Day ceremony for seniors is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 3, on Cannon Green (Jadwin Gym in the event of severe weather). The speaker will be David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker.

--- The Hooding ceremony for advanced degree candidates will begin at 5 p.m. Monday, June 3, on Cannon Green (McCarter Theater in case of severe weather). The guest speaker is Sheryl WuDunn, a graduate from the Class of 1988. 

 

---The Commencement program begins with the academic procession at10:20 a.m. Tuesday, June 4 on the front campus on Nassau Street. The University's 266th Commencement ceremony is slated for 11 a.m. on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall (Jadwin Gym in the event of severe weather). Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman will preside over the event and address the graduates. Several honorary degrees traditionally are conferred, but names are not announced until that day. 

PLAN FOR THE TRAFFIC!