Weekly Challenge – Relocation Research

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If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know Bonnie and I are people who are aware of relocation issues from research, news, and our own experiences (such as my cross-country move).  Relocation is something that you'll have to face – either doing it or deciding why you haven't.

Set aside an evening for this one.

Your challenge for this week is to identify five places you'd like to live that are both geekily satisfying and good places for your careers.  List why you've decided that these places are worth moving.

Now that you know these places, do bit of research:

  1. 1) Where do they stand in the CnnMoney.com best places to live?
  2. 2) Take a look at the same pages city information and see if anything changes your mind or confirms your ideas.
  3. 3) Go to Meetup.com and see what kind of events are in your cities of choice
  4. 4) Go geektastic and visit UpcomingCons.com – a great website – and see what cons are in and near that location.

So, did any of this research confirm – or reduce – your interest in these places?  For that matter, how much research did you do in the first place?

– Steve

Fandom and organization

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Anyone who remotely knows me knows that I tend to be organized, which is saying that the last Transformers film contains a few explosions.  I'm actually pretty proud of my organizational abilities, they've helped me on the job and to keep my own life in order (especially good in these tough economic times).  My very job, Project Manager, is based on me being good at planning.

Fandom is a good reason for this.  My hobbies are a big part of how I developed these skills.

If you get involved in fannish activities, like any activity, you have to get organized.  At worst you need to follow the plans of others – collaborate on the writing, show up for the game, etc.  You may even take on larger projects and events, planning cons, writing fanfic epics, etc.

If you have successful fannish activities, you ARE organized.

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Book Review: How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert

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How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert
In 90 Days or Less Without Spending a Fortune on Advertising
by Elsom Eldridge Jr. and Mark L. Eldridge

ISBN-10: 0972094164
ISBN-13: 978-0972094160

PROS: Straightforward, information-dense.  Has quotes, ideas, and examples from a lot of professionals.

CONS: Focus limits the book.  Some exercises not as useful as others.  Erratic consistency.

SUMMARY: A must-read book on self-promotion that is useful to anyone looking to promote themselves, network, and connect.  It is focused on consultants and coaches, but is actually useful to most any professional.

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