svorsk

I Create Solutions

I e-mailed Steve Jobs in December 2010

here is what I wrote,

 

"Dear Steve,

I thought this might make you chuckle:

Last night, I dreamt I spent the day with you in an informal interview in Cupertino and then we had dinner with your chief legal counsel. You were a gracious and engaging host. It was great, but the NDA I signed in my dream prevents me from disclosing any more.

:)

I guess working for Apple really is a dream of mine. I dream big!

With wishes for a Merry Christmas and a 2011 filled with health and wonderful experiences with your family,

Christian"

 

Heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at Pixar and Apple.

How to Use #Twitter - 18 tips for #newbies

A little more than four years ago, I began using Twitter. 

I have to admit, I did not get it then. 

Tweets dealt mostly with appetite, sleep, boredom and the mundane. 

Fast forward to 2011 and Twitter is an amazing tool. It has allowed me to communicate with CEOs I have not even met, interact with leading experts, share insight or delight, connect with old and new friends, and be part of history as it happens. As opposed to reading about an event the next day in the newspaper. And getting help at times in a matter of seconds. I have been inspired, motivated, brought to both laughter and tears – Twitter has so many uses. Below I share some of the ways I use it. And yes, I have probably broken every suggestion I make below. Make it your own tool. Just be polite and things will work out. And remember, it is not about how many followers you have, but how well you connect with them. Happy tweeting!

How I Use Twitter:

1. Follow clubs, organizations, music groups, political, religious or corporate entities. As many and as varied as you like. And at your own pace. Some are boring, but those who do this right are worth following. For instance, I tweeted my cell phone company and their VP of Marketing gave me a call to give me a report on the issue at hand. Very professional, in my mind. And it is great when you can follow the political party you never voted for - it can teach you a thing or two.

2. Follow a celebrity or artist you like. For instance @SisselKyrkjebo. Unfortunately, she does not tweet much. You can also search for topics or interests. Choose well because others tend to follow you based on who  you follow.

3. But more importantly, follow your friends! (Click "Who To Follow" in the top banner on twitter.com, then "Find Friends." You can then let Twitter do a swipe through some of the address books of communication services you most likely already use.

4. Twitter is great for doing research on companies, trends, events and more. As you probably have seen, hashtags are used to tag tweets in either new or existing mini-headlines or topic tags, if you will. You can make your own such as #thisisthecoolest, or 

5. Don't retweet everything that comes your way. That's what @GuyKawasaki is for. (Sorry Guy, no hard feelings I hope.)

6. And when you do retweet, use it old school. "RT @twitterusername whatever they tweeted here." If you want to comment on it, add your own insight or pun before the RT.

7. If you want your tweets to be retweeted, your message should be 120 characters long or less.

8. Yes, there are bots and spammers on Twitter. Only follow those twitterati you want to follow. While it used to be polite to follow back those who follow you, that rule no longer applies. Twitter is still about connecting with people and communicating. The bots are still pretty dull, and I would guess a 9-year old could detect them. 

9. Make lists. This is a wonderful way to read the tweets from experts/friends/trusted sources or whatever preferences you may have.

10. Remember, nobody reads everything on Twitter. Or rather, nobody should. It is a smorgasbord of information. If you read it all, you will bust. 

11. Messages you should check are those where you are mentioned or DM's (direct messages). Again, always polite to acknowledge retweets and #FF (Follow Fridays - this is the day when we recommend other twitterers to our own followers). 

12. And let me just recommend the search function on Twitter. You can learn and find all kinds of information.

13. The web site twitter.com really has come a long way. Some prefer to use individual apps on their computer or smartphone. I use Twitter or Twitterific on my iPhone and iPad, and hootsuite.com or twitter.com on my computer.

14. If you want to put some strategy to your twittering, either as a citizen or as part of your job, www.klout.com is one of the more astute sites to give you specific feedback on how you use this tool.

15. Put your twitter username on your business cards, e-mail signature file, Linkedin profile and Facebook profile. 

16. Unless a URL is 12 characters short, use a shortening service like bit.ly. It is part of Twitter-etiquette to use the 140 characters as much as possible for your communication. If you can be succinct, please be.

17. Learn when to e-mail, when to reply in public and when to DM. They all have their purposes. (You can only DM others when you both follow each other.)

18. Have fun.

Panoramic shots in Stockholm

I have had the pleasure of visiting Stockholm quite a bit so far this year. It remains a favorite city. Great people, good food. Exciting business ventures and opportunities. 

A new culinary discovery for me is Operakällarens Bakfickan http://www.eng.operakallaren.se/page.asp?pageID=1198 - traditional Swedish fare at it's best.

Here are two moments captured panoramic style. First of Slussen, second shot of Nybrokajen.

Slussen360-stockholmfeb2011
Nybrokajenstockholmfeb2011

© 2011 A. Christian Karlsson

#ChristmasMusic - Dec. 24 - Det kimer nå til julefest - Sølvguttene

Merry Christmas to one and all!

I realize that there are still many favorites unplayed. Hope you have a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. This carol is Danish, but best sung by the Sølvguttene choir from Norway.