Tag Archive for rotaract

| March 13, 2012
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Rotary VS Rotaract Twitter Showdown

Rotary vs Rotaract Twitter Showdown

Visual.ly has just released a bunch of tools that allow users to display stats from Twitter and Facebook in infographics. I used one of the tools to compare the Twitter accounts @Rotary and @Rotaract. Rotary monstered Rotaract on almost all the measurements. While on one hand the results were unsurprising, on the other hand they do pose some questions. Rotary has a much bigger profile than Rotaract around the world, so it is not surprising to see they have more followers. However, Rotaractors are Gen-Yers and it would be fair to assume they have a higher level of engagement with social media than Rotarians do. I’ve only had a cursory glance at the stats, as there really are other things I need to be doing right now.

If you see anything interesting, point it out.

Category: Community, Social Media, Web | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| March 11, 2012
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It’s Just a Conference

In 2010, I attended the Asia Pacific Regional Rotaract Conference in Sydney. It was the first time APRRC had been held in Australia. Evidently, Australians had been conspicuous by their absence from conferences elsewhere. The Sydney conference was a good first attempt, given many of the organisers had never been to one before. Nonetheless, there were some things that could have been improved.

I came away from that conference interested in the potential of the conferences, convinced of Rotaract’s ability to melt borders, and inspired by many of the people I had met. I also wondered whether my district, which centres on Canberra, would be able to host APRRC at some time in the future. 2014 seemed like the ideal time, given the Rotary International Convention will be in Sydney that year, and APRRC could serve as an ideal warm up act for Rotaractors from our region. We would have made the bid this year in Thailand. For various reasons, including the relatively small population of Rotaractors in our district (we only have two clubs at present), we decided to do away with that idea. Instead, it was generally agreed by senior Rotaractors that a bid for the Australian Rotaract Conference might be more appropriate. ARC is only in its third year in 2012, but few (or no) other districts were forthcoming in making a bid.

These conferences provide a number of advantages, including the opportunity for personal development of host members and a chance to boost interest in Rotaract in the region. They also offer good fundraising opportunities. For attendees, the conferences should give them a chance to meet and network with other Rotaractors, be inspired, and hear from great Rotaract and non-Rotaract speakers.

I’m very pleased that we won that bid. By happy circumstance, the conference director will be my girlfriend Meghan, who is the 2012-13 District Rotaract Representative.

This morning, we had the first meeting of our district Rotaract committee since we received official word on the bid. We have a lot to do, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Category: Community | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| February 7, 2012
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I Like My Work

I’m looking for work at the moment, which is always an interesting experience. I found a flexible, interesting job for a social media coordinator. Given I started a company doing this sort of work, I figured I ought to apply for this one.

It’s not until you are forced to sit down and spell out your skills that you really get an idea of what you can and cannot do. Or at least what you think you can and cannot do. In addition to attaching a PDF of my LinkedIn profile, I wrote a covering letter doing what you do in covering letters – boasting. Here are some extracts (keep in mind that I, as everyone does in job applications, am trying to sell myself in the best light here):

I am a very experienced, adaptable and adept user of all kinds of social media. I maintain my own accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Google Plus and others. Additionally, I manage/d a variety of social media profiles on behalf of other entities, as outlined in the table below.

Organisation Social Media Status
Rotaract Club of the Southern Highlands Three websites; Twitter; two Facebook pages; LinkedIn; YouTube; Flickr. Current
Rotary in the Southern Highlands Facebook; two websites. Current
Top Blokes Foundation Facebook; Twitter; blog; YouTube; LinkedIn; general strategy. Current
Anjali House Developed a Facebook fan page welcome tab. Current
The Fat Tulip Three websites; blog; Twitter; three Facebook pages; LinkedIn; Google Plus. Current
Southern Highlands Youth Arts Council Facebook; LinkedIn; Twitter; YouTube; Flickr; SCVNGR; Scribd; Website. Past
Southern Highlands Foundation Facebook; Twitter. Current
Wingecarribee Youth Forum Facebook. Current

…

In addition to being an experienced and skilled social media content producer, I am experienced at writing for blogs and I have useful HTML skills. At present, my Klout score is hovering at around 50, which is quite high for a person without an offline profile beyond my community.

I am proficient with social blogging platforms such as Tumblr and also more advanced content management systems such as WordPress. I am also able to easily create and manage RSS to Twitter and RSS to Facebook feeds. I keep up to date with social media trends, and join early adopters in testing new tools and websites.

As I said at the top, this is always an interesting experiment. It certainly shows up my skills though and that is something I am proud of.

Category: Business, Social Media | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| December 29, 2011
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Decisions to be Made

I’ve been putting it off, but time moves inexorably, and it won’t stop (nor even slow) for me. I have to really make some careful decisions about where I want my life to go – not just for the next six months or year, but for decades.

If you follow this blog, you may know I’ve already lodged an application to complete an honours year following my recent graduation. I’m also working hard on my new social media business. I have a pro bono client who I’m very happy to be working with, and I’m confident of the future. In my main job, I work three days a week in a political office, which is where I really have been heading for a few years now. The work is challenging, enjoyable and rewarding. Amongst all of that, I spend plenty of time doing volunteer community work.

Here’s the problem: Which of the three (academia, business or politics) do I focus on?

  • I could easily pursue an academic career. I could go on from honours to a PhD and teach. I enjoy working with young people and helping people learn. I’ve done a fair bit of that with Rotary/Rotaract, SHYAC and other community organisations.
  • Similarly, I could continue working on my business, which I also enjoy. I could pursue that business, or others. I could seek employment in the private sector and work my way through to the top, hopping from company to company seeking jobs that offer more than the last.
  • Or, finally, I could stick with politics. Who knows where that would lead?

My problem is I’ve always been interested in too many things. In addition to the stuff listed above, I also enjoy participating in the arts – theatre and photography mostly. And, I’d love to do some serious traveling. And, whatever my choice, it also needs to work for Meghan.

All suggestions and comments welcome!

Category: Business, Politics, Uni | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| December 11, 2011
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A Rotaract Weekend

The Rotaract Club of the Southern Highlands has a busy weekend:

  • Our trivia event So You Think You Know Christmas on Friday night was successful. While fewer people came along than we might have hoped, everyone had a really great night. We raised about $200, which the club has decided to donate to the Bowral Youth Refuge. We will be topping that up with funds from our club accounts. The exact amount is still under discussion.
  • Meghan and I visited our fellow District 9710 club in Canberra overnight on Saturday. We were graciously hosted by club President Jess and had dinner and drinks with a few other Canberra members. It was great to catch up with all of the other Rotaractors and have a bit of a debrief on the year that has been and a talk about the year to come. Thanks for having us!
  • Next weekend, Meghan and I will be participating in the District Rotaract Committee meeting in Canberra. That meeting will choose our District Rotaract Representative for 2012-13. The DRR’s main job is to oversee and assist clubs in the district, and help new clubs to establish themselves. The DRR also represents our district on the Rotaract Australia governing council.
  • Meghan has nominated to be Chair of the national Rotaract marketing committee. I am also on that committee, and we are looking forward to supporting clubs across the country to market and promote themselves.
Category: Community | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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