Processing social media sadness and sunshine...

Ever feel like social media brings more “sad” into your life? Sometimes, lately, it seems that way. 12-year-old Andy died of cancer yesterday. Jennifer’s Mom has lung cancer. Katie‘s beloved dog died a week ago. On and on.

I never met either Andy or his family. But my heart breaks for them, and I’ve heard many of you say the same. I’ve never met Jennifer, but having watched my own Mom die from cancer many years ago, my heart breaks for her every time I read her blog. Katie, I’ve met, and come to know well, and love, and having watched my own dog die five years ago almost to the day, my heart breaks for her, too.

So, is it worth it, ultimately, opening yourself up to the pain of people who are, often, strangers? Yes, I think so. Why? Because every bit of “sad” brings with it a bit of sunshine.

The truly heartbreaking story of Andy results in getting acquainted with Jon and Maria Tiegs, who took it upon themselves to organize a fundraiser for Andy’s family, and, as I’ve told them, restore one’s faith in humanity. The heartbreaking story of Jennifer’s Mom results in getting to know the incredible strength of her spirit and Jennifer’s spirit. And getting to know Katie is…well, the gift that keeps on giving. : ] And these are just a few examples of the stories we all hear every day.

The other upside? Gratitude. Today is my little man’s 6th birthday, and following Andy’s life and death is a constant reminder to be grateful for today.

It also makes us more prone to actually step in and help other people, which I still hope you will do for the #cancersucks fundraiser for Andy. I will be in attendance with my little man, and would love to see you there.

My good friend Erica Conway commented yesterday on the “helplessness of empathy”. I love that turn of phrase. It can make you feel helpless. Obviously, there’s nothing any of us can do for Andy. BUT there is a great deal we can do for his family. There is always SOMETHING that we can do. The trick is getting off our butts and DOING it.

Sometimes, it’s all a little overwhelming, to be honest. There’s only so much emotion that one can process at a time. Do you ever find it to be so?

How having Klout turned a really good movie into a...

Yes, I’m bitching about having gotten free stuff.

So, let’s just say right off the bat, it’s a bit ridiculous to bitch about having gotten free tickets to a movie preview (received because of online “influence” as measured by Klout) and the questionable experience that ensued; clearly, there are bigger problems in the world that we should be discussing. But I’m gonna do it anyway. And here’s why: if you think about it, it’s interestingly convoluted from a brand management/community management standpoint.

On the off chance that you’re reading this and not familiar with Klout, it’s a measurement of online influence; there’s been enough written about it to choke a million social media “experts”. Google it. My first post about Klout is here, Why I still don’t care what your Klout score is. But, it’s over six months old, and I have a different take now, and while I’m honestly sick of talking about Klout, Klout, Klout, did I mention Klout, I think it warrants saying, and besides, the topic tends to get people worked up a bit.

Klout User Persona A: lives and dies by his or her Klout score, checking it multiple times a day. Becomes despondent if it declines by a point. Has personal Klout score in a badge on personal blog (blargh). Religiously gives five people a day +K (fine), and tweets it every single time (blargh). May tweet asking people to +K him or her on a certain topic (in a word: blaaaaargh). Klout User Persona B: members of KSWA (Klout Schwag Whores Anonymous). I’m a charter member and the tagline I propose is: Mock the tool. Love the schwag. (There are other personas, clearly but you get the idea.)

If Klout fails to execute well, that brings the brand down, instead of lifting it up.

I realized last night the degree to which Klout’s ability to successfully execute it’s KloutPerks programs impacts the brands being promoted. Case in point: Disney Winnie the Pooh movie preview.

I was invited by Klout, I signed up, I got a message from Klout saying “You’re All Set! Just show up”. I got my kid all pumped about the movie, I rushed home from work to get there on time, and we showed up. And exactly what I was afraid would happen did happen: Blank stare from ticket booth staff, followed by: “You’re not on the list.” These are five words you never want to hear, right? Especially when you’re standing there with your now-vibrating-with-excitement kid, visions of dragging him out of the theatre in a puddle of tears running through your head. Long story short, after having to explain what Klout is, and the theatre personnel looking for the nonexistent Klout list, they let us in anyway. It took long enough, though, that by the time we got in, there were few decent seats left. So, we sat in a nearly-empty row of press seats, at which point I was accosted by a woman with a clipboard. After clearly communicating that I wasn’t having a delightful experience thus far, and that I wasn’t going anywhere easily, and that I really like to write, she left us alone, too. By that point, the movie was starting, and I had serious acid indigestion. Which (in spite of it being a really good movie, visually lovely with tons of LOL-ing from G and all the kids in the theatre) is now pretty much the feeling I associate most with the preview of the Winnie the Pooh film.

Nutshell: If the Klout experience sucks, the BRAND experience sucks.

In other words, in some cases, Klout actually creates a bit of a brand management/community management problem. I’m not the only one this happened to, because I talked to others who were there last night. It could still be an isolated incident, but I doubt it as it is not the only glitch I’ve had with KloutPerks. I’ll spare you the details of the Subway gift card I still have not received despite repeated emails from Klout asking if I got it yet. Seriously, I appreciate the offer, but, KEEP IT. It’s not worth the trouble.

Yeah, it’s still pretty new. Yeah, yeah, I’m being difficult. But, yeah, if you’re a brand or community manager and thinking about a KloutPerks or similar influencer promotion, you need to think about it. It can backfire. Frankly, I would have been a better influencer for the Winnie the Pooh movie had I been left to my own devices, paid to see the movie, and not had any stress around it.

P.S. I love KloutPerks.

Dear Klout,

If you are reading this, no offense, OK? Keep the schwag coming. For serious. Really, I love you. You wanted to hear about my experience, and this was it. You need feedback to get better, right?

Love,
Sue Spaight
President, KSWA

What say you? Am I being unreasonable (moi!??!)? Are my standards too high? Is this type of influencer marketing a smart move? What do you think of Klout in general?

Please do all you can to help the 3 on 3 for Niebs...

Imagine your 12-year-old has cancer. You’d want help, right? SO LET’S HELP.

Imagine that you’re at a pool party at your friends’ house with your son, a full-of-life, baseball-loving 12-year-old. Next thing you know, he is very ill and in extreme pain. A day or two later, he’s taken into brain surgery and diagnosed as having Medullablastoma, which according to Children’s Hospital of Boston is the “most common central nervous system tumor of childhood“. The tumors have been removed. But a month later, your child starts radiation, five days a week for six straight weeks along with weekly chemotherapy. A month after that, your son endures numerous cycles of chemo. By this point, he is incredibly weak and needs leg braces to get around. At the end of the last chemo cycle, you receive the horrific news that the tumors have returned and spread throughout his brain and spine. So your beloved child starts a different type of chemo. But, a few weeks later, an MRI reveals that it is not working as it should be.

“Tumor of childhood” has to be one of most awful phrases ever, don’t you think? These are three words that should never be together. For any parent, really any human being with a beating heart, it’s positively unthinkable. Not for the Niebler family of Waukesha, Wisconsin, the family for which this story is excruciatingly real, because they have been living it for just over a year. Meet Andy Niebler, the 12-year-old about whom we are speaking. People who know Andy personally describe him as a great kid with a smile that lights up a room and brings joy to those around him. They say his whole family is warm, and caring, and funny with a fun-loving, optimistic attitude and a tremendous love for life.

Six key ways you can help Andy and his family through the 3 on 3 for Niebs Cancer Sucks fundraiser

Again, imagine if this story was YOU or YOUR CHILD. You’d want help, right? An incredible, caring, dedicated group of The Nieblers’ friends and neighbors have organized a basketball tournament - 3 on 3 for Niebs – as a fundraiser for Andy and his family, to help defray medical expenses. The event is on Sunday, August 7 at Center Court in Waukesha. Here’s a map to the event. ALL PROCEEDS from this event (except food concessions) are going directly to Andy and his family.

1. Register a team for the tournament. Have some fun and get some exercise for a great cause. Team registration closes on Saturday, July 16, so do it now!

2. Attend the event. It only costs $2, and in addition to the basketball tournament, there will be a silent auction, raffle and family fun like clowns, face painting and balloon artists.

3. Donate an item to the silent auction. E-mail 3on3forNiebs@gmail.com or find @3on3forNiebs on Twitter.

4. If you can’t make the event, you can still make a contribution through the event website. Every donation, regardless of size, is extremely appreciated by the Niebler family and the the organizers.

5. Become a sponsor: E-mail 3on3forNiebs@gmail.com or find @3on3forNiebs on Twitter.

6. Volunteer: Refs and scorekeepers are needed, along with other day-of-event support. E-mail 3on3forNiebs@gmail.com or find @3on3forNiebs on Twitter.

And, of course, continue spreading the word and offering #prayers4andy (the hashtag on Twitter). I know we’re all pulling and praying for Andy and his family. So let’s pull together and offer them as much support as we possibly can. Liking them on Facebook and tweeting and retweeting and blogging and above all, praying, are FANTASTIC. But we can do more.

Give a few bucks. Show up at the event. Donate an auction item, or become a sponsor. Please. Do. All. You. Can.

Peace and love – Spaight

This one’s for you, Anne....

Over the past couple of years, those of you who read this blog (and I thank you from the bottom of my heart) have seen some difficult topics. The choice to euthanize a beloved dog. Miscarriage. Ovarian lumps. Why Klout is silly :] But this story is the hardest, because it is on behalf of someone who has become a dear friend, someone who has done a TON for our community over the years, and someone we need to do proud. That someone is Anne Sprecher.

The Story, In Anne’s Words.

I’d like to share with you (with Anne’s blessing) an email that she recently shared with some of her close friends:

Good Morning Dear Friends,

Please regard this as a cautionary tale. Late in May while lying on my bed I discovered a golf ball sized lump on my left abdomen near my hip bone. Because it was large and the area tender, I went to a doctor thinking I might have an inflamed lymph node or cyst. A few days before my appointment I couldn’t feel the lump anymore—it seemed to have disappeared or migrated elsewhere–but I decided to go anyway. The proactive Nurse Practitioner felt the lump and sent me for a blood test and ultra sound. She called me the next day to say she set up an appt for me with a very good gyn. One week later the gyn gave me a vaginal and rectal exam, the latter much to my surprise as it was something I’d never had before. He then issued orders for an MRI which I got a few days later. A week after the MRI results were in I saw the gyn again. His diagnosis: ovarian cancer, possibly early, stage two. His recommendation: get an appt with a gyn-oncologist. Yesterday I saw Dr. Hoogerland, who also gave me a vaginal and rectal exam and came to the same conclusion. I’m scheduled for tumor removal surgery July 6th, and then will undergo chemo about 3 weeks afterwards. If this cancer is in fact stage 2, if we caught it before it got to stage 3, I consider myself very, very lucky. As my oncologist friend at Stanford said, I dodged a bullet. Of course, we won’t know anything until the surgery but I’m betting on a positive outcome (stage 2). What I want to emphasize, as my friend Sue Spaight says: Know Your Lumps. If something feels odd, go to your doctor. Most signs for ovarian cancer are non-specific, eg, bloating, limited appetite, gas. The other important point I want to share with you is the importance of having your doctor or gyn give you both a vaginal and rectal exam annually. If I had had both previously, chances are the cancer would have been detected much earlier. Remember, you know your body better than anyone. Pay attention to even the most minute signs, and never, ever feel like you’re asking too much of your doctor if you think something’s wrong.

Cheers,
Anne

Get Involved. We Need to Support the People Who Support Us.

Anne has been incredibly strong and good-humored; if you know Anne personally, that won’t surprise you. But her surgery today, and the weeks that follow, are going to be difficult. Your support will mean so much. If you’re someone who pitches in to help regularly, bless you. And if you are someone who’s been sitting on the sidelines, thinking about getting more involved, I urge you to please take action now.

You may not realize how much Sprecher does in our community. They have supported, among many other causes, #SaveTeecycle, Gilda’s Club of Southeastern Wisconsin, Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Burn Camp for Injured Youth. They are also supporting the American Liver Foundation’s 2011 Liver Walk, and I am asking you to please help me support Team Sprecher, and Anne Sprecher, this month.

Support Team Sprecher! There are several ways you can participate.

The first is to sign up to walk with Team Sprecher on July 30 at the Milwaukee lakefront. Your individual fundraising goal will be a modest $150, or whatever you want it to be.

The second, if you can’t walk that day, is to make a donation through Team Sprecher here.

Soon, we hope to have some great T-shirts for you to buy and other ways to get involved. But for now, please join the team and make a donation.  Team Sprecher’s goal is $5,000. Let’s put a big smile on Anne’s face and blow that goal out of the water!!!

If you can’t donate cash, but have an item you could donate for a Twitter auction, that works, too!

I’m also trying to organize a nice little surprise for Anne, so please drop me an email through this blog or drop your email addy in the comments if you want to help.

Please, everyone, let’s show how much we care. Thanks so much for your support. Drop your comments, thoughts, questions, ideas below.

Peace and love. -Spaight