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Twitter Updates for 2009-05-18
- @theoutgirl Hope all is well there. in reply to theoutgirl #
- @Awapy I will work on it. I guess twitter would lend itself to match-making. in reply to Awapy #
- @KindleCulture Totally fine. Just entertained by it. I jumped more when I saw a spider earlier tonight than I did when I felt the shake. #
- @theoutgirl It was a 5.0 in LA. #
- Just experienced my first earthquake. Wowzers. #
- @Awapy @HilzFuld I am so totally in for officiating at the Twitter wedding! Best wedding ever. in reply to Awapy #
- 10 rabbis down. 5 to go. Rabbi Richard Levy spoke on whether Reform Judaism still matters. Didn’t necessarily convince me. Will blog soon. #
- About to watch fifteen people become rabbis. #
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-17
- Heading to a partay in Bel Air. Less impressed by the address than I am by the fact that s’mores are on the menu. #
- Full of stereotypes, but still interesting. A website with “Stuff Jewish Young Adults Like” – http://bit.ly/uTznY #
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-16
- @lionsima Shabbat Shalom to you as well. in reply to lionsima #
- @gavrielelijah I did – and He-Man. Girls can play with He-Man too you know. in reply to gavrielelijah #
- @gavrielelijah And the Magna-Doodle? in reply to gavrielelijah #
- @gavrielelijah Good call on litebrite! in reply to gavrielelijah #
- @lionsima Who wouldn’t want to celebrate it twice a year? in reply to lionsima #
- @lyonsdigital Thanks for the follow Friday! in reply to lyonsdigital #
- Fll is slowest airport in world this morning. Almost missed my flight. Ugh. #
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-15
- Happy birthday Israel! I posted a blog about it at http://www.OurJewishCommunity.org. Was struggle once central to Jewish identity & now not? #
- Happy to help
and I agree it’s great. # - was just reminded of Speak n’ Spell. Oh childhood memories. #womma #
- listening to Elevenmoms talk at #womma. Any Jewish mommy bloggers (or any bloggers) out there want to write about OurJewishCommunity.org? #
- Yesterday I wanted mashed potatoes. Today I want to go to Disney World. #womma #
- Conclusion after day 1: Word of mouth marketing conferences are way more fun than rabbi conferences. #womma #
Happy Birthday Israel – May 14, 2009
Happy 61st birthday Israel! Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948. I guess the majority of celebrations happen on the equivalent Hebrew date (the 5th of Iyar for those who are dying to know); that day is called Yom Ha’Atzmaut – that’s (not surprisingly) “Day of Independence” in Hebrew.
Okay, enough facts. Here’s what I’m thinking about today. 61 years is a pretty long time. People like me are significantly younger than Israel. I grew up (or am still growing up?) able to take Israel’s existence for granted.
That was not the case for Jews of previous generations. For most of history, Jews longed for a Jewish homeland. Then they fought for one. Then they rejoiced in Israel’s recent establishment.
Now, though, Israel exists. I’ve travelled there and I’ve lived there. I may not agree with her politics all the time, but I am thrilled and grateful for Israel’s existence. That said, I’m not sure my gratitude compares to those of a previous generation – those who understood what it was like not to have a Jewish homeland. You appreciate what you have more when you know what it’s like to not have it.
So, today, I say “happy birthday Israel!” And I say…wow, it’s time to think some more about what defines us as the Jewish people.
It strikes me that our Jewish identity may be less about struggling and fighting to survive than it once was. After all, we no longer long for a Jewish homeland – we have one. Still another layer of this is that people like me grew up with the Holocaust not as a memory, but as history. I’ve heard the stories first-hand from many survivors and therefore have more than a history book connection to it. However, we will reach a point when Holocaust survivors are not around to tell their stories in person.
So, we don’t face major challenges like those who came before us. Does this present a new opportunity to focus on the positives in Judaism, rather than focusing on what scares us? I am not sure.
Yes, there is still plenty to worry about. Antisemitism certainly lives on in some communities. Many people struggle with Jewish identity – how to find a Jewish voice that speaks to them. Many of us struggle with other Jews we disagree with – whether they are more or less traditional than we are. Some of us worry about the future of Judaism itself – as we hear of major changes (read closures of synagogues and possibly even seminaries, lay-offs of Jewish professionals, downsizing in the Reform and Conservative movements, etc.).
So, this might not be the clearest blog, because I guess I have a lot of questions. Is Judaism less about struggle today than it once was? And is that a good thing or a bad thing? I’m quite certain that if you comment, you’ll be able to answer these questions more articulately than I did.
Happy birthday Israel. I miss being in Jerusalem – photo below is from 2003. Bad hair day.
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-14
- @gavrielelijah Good question. It’s a marketing conference I am at. I’ll be writing about it again tomorrow. And then onto something new. in reply to gavrielelijah #
- just blogged about day 1 of WOMM-U. Now, sleep! http://bit.ly/2uvXb
#womma # - Getting sleepy at the cocktail reception. Really great day, but a little long. #womma #
- Looking forward to hearing from Jeben Berg talk about google and YouTube. #womma #
- Precision is impossible with blog stats. It is a bit like throwing hand grenades. #womma #
- “Olympics is like a pregnancy. It is going to end.” Said during Lenovo presentation at #womma. #
- Posted 2 facebook that I’ll be attending breakout sessions by the pool. My boss commented “don’t enjoy too much.” He’s just jealous. #womma #
- Every marketer is a publisher. Every publisher is a marketer. Evert consumer is both. John battelle at #womma. #
- Social media is not a niche anymore. All digital media is word of mouth… says john battelle. #womma #
- Blogs get crawled by google a lot more than other content. Anyone want to write a blog about http://www.OurJewishCommunity.org? #womma #
- So many platforms so little time says Matt Allen of nbc. #womma #
- @shelbytwest Got it! Thank you! in reply to shelbytwest #
- listening to Geoff Donaker from Yelp. Embarrassed that I have never used the site. #womma #
- Does anyone know where the button is to turn on wireless on a dell xps m1330? Help! #
- So far so good. Got to wommu just in time. Good breakfast. Good times. #womma #
WOMM-U Word of Mouth Marketing Conference
Greetings from sunny South Beach, Florida! I am at WOMM-U, a word of mouth marketing conference sponsored by WOMMA. It’s been a great day. What could be better than meeting great people, having breakout sessions poolside, learning about the latest techniques for creating online buzz, and having meals prepared by Top Chef finalist Jeff McInnis? No complaints from me! It was a long but extremely interesting day.
This morning we heard from the COO of Yelp (a site which I admit I hadn’t previously visited). We also heard from folks at NBC, Lenovo, YouTube, Google, SheSpeaks, and Heinz (about their new Ore-Ida steam and mash potatoes!). If they can create such buzz about mashed potatoes from the freezer to the microwave, surely I can create some buzz about Judaism.
While most people here are creating advertising campaigns to sell products, in a sense OurJewishCOmmunity.org is the product I am marketing. And, since we have no marketing budget (vs. the companies here that have marketing budgets in the millions!), there is no better way to spread the word than through word of mouth marketing. All of you reading my blog are the best people to share what you see here. I know it’s cliché, but imagine if you tell ten friends who tell ten friends who tell ten friends… I think you get the idea.
A lot of what I’m learning here affirms that we are on the right track with OurJewishCommunity.org – we are leveraging social media to create a Jewish community and Jewish resource. And, of course, I also learned a bunch of new strategies that I’ll look forward to implementing in the coming months. Right now, I kinda feel like a kid in a candy shop who wants to do it all. (Or, that may just be the honor bar in my hotel room telling me to eat it all!).
For the record, I also went to a session called “blowing chunks” with John Moore of Brand Autopsy and Ted Wright of Fizz. They served (Polar) beer during their session and passed out barf bags for us to take notes on. Now, that’s different. All in all a great day. And here’s my conclusion: marketing conferences are more fun that a lot of other conferences I’ve been to. We even got to ride a yellow school bus.
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-13
- Tried to use the computer in the computer lab at my grandma’s retirement community. Omg! Were computers really once this slow and painful? #
- @BarrB Word of Mouth Marketing University. Looks like a great 2 day conference. womma.org. Also a chance to get a few days away from Bob! #
- That’s what only four hours of sleep does to me. Of course I meant #wommu. Psyched for it. But apparently I need a nap. Now. #
- Landed in the sunshine state. Today: grandma visit. Tomorrow: wommu#. Good times! #
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-12
- RT @the_gman: Are you a TWITTER WHORE? http://bit.ly/G3nnx via @lisanova #
- RT @lylahl: Do you think Miss CA should lose her crown? #thecrown #
- Wrote a grant, did presentation at bd mtg, errands. Now studying econ and taking test, cleaning, packing. I need 10 extra hours in this day. #
- Thinking about an Israel blog for May 14th. Any ideas what I should write about? #
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-11
- @gavrielelijah Thanks! Glad you liked it! in reply to gavrielelijah #
- @willingthrall Ummm, did what work? I guess not since I don’t know what you are talking about. in reply to willingthrall #
- @hodenday Thanks! They were just black patent leather mary janes, but I guess they were shiny! in reply to hodenday #
- Spent the morning recording a new homepage video http://www.ourjewishcommunity.org/ Change of scenery. Then had a great tennis match! #
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- — Baum's Blog on Facebook Adds Organ Donation feature
- — Baum's Blog on Memory and Independence
- — Learn how to make a map of Israel with ice cream and candy
- — Barr's Banter on what the Boy Scouts can Learn from Conservative Judaism about Inclusion
- — Join us for streaming Shabbat every Friday at 6 PM Eastern Time