AnywhereMan

Somehow, some way, I won a brand-new DLP HD projector from a Samsung Twitter contest. The point of the contest was to let them know why your Superbowl party was going to be the best. The reason mine was going to be the best? We would be having it outside in the snow and cold of Minnesota (in true AnywhereMan fashion). This video displays that experience. It was incredible!

Thanks again to Samsung USA for the sweet projector, and be sure to follow them on Twitter at @SamsungTweets. They are definitely a big company using social media the right way!

On Twitter, everybody’s trying to get more followers, get re-tweeted, get responses from famous or semi-famous people, launch marketing campaigns…but is that what it’s all about? What if nobody really is listening to you? Does that even matter?

Nope. I think the important thing is that YOU are listening to THEM. I think Twitter is a lot more useful as a listening tool than a broadcast tool, and I discuss that in today’s video.

Thanks to Jeremy Lattimore for asking the question.

You hear me talk about tools, apps, practices, etc that are helpful to working from anywhere, but today I share a piece of equipment that is absolutely essential to my life as the AnywhereMan.

What are the essentials for you to be able to work from wherever you want?

It’s good to look back and see how we’ve improved in certain areas, both on a personal and professional level. Sometimes we get a better feel for the direction we want to go with our career just by looking at the areas in which we’ve developed.

I run my own home-based company, and I don’t have the luxury (or annoyance, depending on your point of view) of an annual performance review. Nobody is taking notes and holding me accountable on the things I’ve done well or the things I’m improving upon in my career. It’s all up to me.

Today I want each of us to list one thing we’ve gotten better at on a personal level and one thing on a professional level. Don’t worry if the things you list aren’t areas where you’re an “expert” by any means – just areas where you’ve seen growth and development in your abilities.

Next, I want you to list one skill, either professional or personal, where you would like to improve in 2010.

I’ll get this started…

Personal: Playing acoustic guitar. I’m still super far from being a virtuoso, but I’ve always been more of an electric guitarist. This past year I’ve transitioned into playing a lot more acoustic, and trading my main electric guitar for a gorgeous Taylor K-10 really helped.

Professional: Video. I was looking back, and last January was really the first time I put a fully-produced video together for a client. Since then I’ve immersed myself in video through AnywhereMan and a lot of little projects. I have really enjoyed it and have learned a lot.

Skill to Improve: Verbal communication. This year my goal is to rid “um”, “ah”, “so”, and “you know” (Totally a MN thing) from my vocabulary. These words show up constantly in my videos here on AnywhereMan, and I want to see improvement in that. I’d also like to learn to keep my speaking more focused and concise.

Okay, now I’d like you to list the same three things. What have you gotten better at both personally and professionally, and what skill or area would you like to improve in 2010?

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

You work from a home office. Does anyone know what you look like? Or that you actually exist?

One of the big things I do with AnywhereMan is create videos (even if on a not-quite-regular basis). This has helped give people an idea of my personality, more-so than something like simple written blog posts could accomplish. Video has the power to establish your personal brand and help eliminate hesitations people might have about you without face-to-face meetings.

Do you plan to use more video in the coming year? What are your hesitations? If you have used video, has it helped your success?

PS – As I mentioned in this video, today is my first day with the Kodak Zi8 pocket HD video camera. I love it! If you want a cheap and super-easy way to film yourself, check out the Zi8. Thanks to Net Atlantic for the camera!

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you wherever you are! Thanks for visiting AnywhereMan throughout the year.

I recently came across this video on a YouTube channel for EmployAid.  Some good content on how to talk with your boss about a possible telecommute arrangement, but even better acting. Enjoy!

Apologies for the lack of posts here on AnywhereMan this week. Projects, Christmas preparations, and family have been consuming my time. I hope that your holiday plans are going well, everyone!

A little while back I posted a video from Jason Sadler of IWearYourShirt.com where he talks about (and wears a shirt for) FlexJobs.com.  Sara Sutton Fell, the CEO of FlexJobs, contacted me recently about doing an extended review of her site on AnywhereMan.  She gave me access to the site and today’s video gives a little insight into what I found.

I love that I get to live where I do.

Winter isn’t my favorite time of the year, but on days like the one when I filmed this, it sure is beautiful. I also like being able to adjust my work schedule to work on building new skills, such as filming and editing.

I just found this video by Creative Destiny LLC on Vimeo and am LOLing and ROFLing all over the place. It’s very true to AnywhereMan life:

“Just pour yourself a cup of coffee in the morning, flip on the computer, and start working!”