From the outside, the very thought of getting engaged in a new relationship—be it personal or professional–can quickly strike fear. Relationships formed online function very similar to those we forge in person; there is an unspoken expectation of protocol and etiquette from those in the relationship regarding the appropriate rules of engagement.

We all function and exist in a multitude of relationships, and the particular people, settings and structures form the rules for each. In any relationship, there are unwritten rules—some of which we learn only after becoming aware that you have violated one or more of them.

Just like you would not want to “butt in” on someone else’s conversation mid-sentence, the smooth entry for social networking is to listen first and then join in the conversation in an appropriate manner and time. Who is talking? Who is listening? How are people communicating, and what is being said? Put your periscope up, look around and take a scan of the horizon. With a sense of perspective, you are much more likely to be on target in positively engaging the relationship for the short or long-term.

Successful engagement in social networking communities and online conversations begins with an awareness of the multiple paths to engagement. Assimilation and long term success in the relationship comes from working the right path and simply following the rules. Defining “engagement” is not always easy, so allow me to share this excellent road map as a resource, courtesy of the ThinkMap Visual Thesaurus:

Growing your social networking relationships is rewarding in numerous ways. You have the ThinkMap, you know the rules…get the right perspective and get engaged.

Ever since I read Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, I identified myself as a being a “connector.” As a connector, one of the great benefits of being actively engaged in social networking is the ever-present opportunity to link up with friends, both new and those with whom we have long-time trusted relationships.

Throughout 2009 I have been enjoying a growing camaraderie and close connection with a talented diverse group of fellow connectors via Twitter. Interestingly this group, now commonly known online as the #PositivePosse, was organized just like the venue it communicates in…virtually. No one person leads the group and no one person decided who else was going to be identified in the group – it all happened virtually, yet somewhat naturally. Relationships are being strengthened and solidified with every online post.

Shortly after 5:00 a.m. most every weekday mornings you will find the #PositivePosse gathering from all over the planet to start the day with encouragement and true compassion for one another. What is even more amazing is how our social networking entourage now includes visits, weekly calls, projects, business opportunities, fun, music, news, ideas, intel, insight, and inspiration that are shared among the entire group.

We cheer, laugh, work, think, recommend, refer, introduce and most of all we care for one another. True connectors don’t require a handshake or a hug to build and solidify relationships, we use compassion…it makes virtual relationships grow into valued friendships.

Yesterday I sent a simple thank you note and a bottle of wine to a wonderful business colleague. It is important to say thank you to folks who go out of their way for you by referring business, giving a public compliment, taking time out for a special meeting, etc. This is beyond the usual times a note should be sent for a gift, an interview opportunity, or an honor.

I am always delighted when a thank you note is so warmly received, and when I got a phone call today in response to my note it reminded me how powerful that little extra touch can be. I once talked with a legislator in South Carolina who told me that she had a copy of every thank you note she had ever received during her public service career. They were kept in her left-hand desk drawer. Puts new meaning to the “power of the pen,” doesn’t it?

While I am certainly no Miss Manners, here are my recommendations for making your note simple, professional and heartfelt:

* Hand write it on a special note card

* Clearly state why you are saying thank you

* Actually say the words “thank you” at least twice in the note

* Write clearly

* Make sure there are not misspelled words or grammatical mistakes

* Mail the thank you note out as soon as possible

* The envelope should have a stamp, not a postage meter mark

There are so many people who deserve our gratitude for their positive influence on our lives and business. Who will you send a thank you note to today?

The first time I met Dr. Jerry Osteryoung was from the back row of a finance class at Florida State University. Even in the student/professor relationship many years ago, I recognized a unique passion that Dr. Osteryoung had for being a champion for small business. This small business giant is retiring, but most likely he will not be slowing down.

If you are in business in Florida, it would be hard not to encounter Jerry. As the Executive Director of the Jim Moran Institute of Global Entrepreneurship, the Institute has assisted more than 4,000 small businesses across the state. Dr. Osteryoung gives frequent lectures on the nuts and bolts of small business through the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, writes a weekly newspaper column for small business owners in the Tallahassee Democrat, organizes small business round-table lunches, authored books on small business, coached thousands of business owners one-on-one, conducted entrepreneurship camps for high school students, lead wellness efforts for small business and organized the Annual JMI Small Business Entrepreneurship Awards.

You might think that someone as immersed in small business as Jerry Osteryoung would be less than exciting to spend time with, but that is far from the case. You might find Jerry in the gym, riding in around in his bright red Toyota, lunching at Chez Pierre, or enjoying a local charity event. Where ever you might find him, Jerry is always excited, interested and has a new gadget to share info about.

We are most fortunate to have had Jerry Osteryoung in the Tallahassee business community, although his impact and insight has reached and helped small business people all over the state. Jerry, congrats on your retirement; we can’t wait to see what you will be doing next.

One of my younger sisters (both of us “middle-aged”) recently observed me texting on my Blackberry, “you text?” she asked. I surprised her immediately sending the SMS “4 sure” to her cell. My sister thought you only text if you are under the age of 30. This old dog is always looking to learn new technology tricks; then I realized that texting is not new at all.

If Samuel Morse, inventor of Morse Code, was alive today he might think we were all late adopters. Morse was sending short immediate wireless messages to target audiences in the 1840′s.

Morse code, leet, orthography, SMS or IM – the quickest delivery of your message in accessible media to target audiences produces optimal results. During the recent fires in Southern California, text messaging was used to broadcast warnings to residents; thereby averting loss of lives. This use of texting gives new meaning to your message spreading like wildfire – maybe it’s time to txt msg.

gtg ttyl

From time to time there are those great life moments where an event, person or maybe even a vacation makes you stop and put everything into perspective. Or, maybe it is an expereince where something new is learned or a battle is won. I often highlight these experiences by saying “one day I will write a book and this will be a chapter.”

This week definately deserves a chapter in the book as I had the opportunity to attend the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) conference where speakers provided insight on everything from new media and research to leadership and internet marketing. However, the highlight was the opportunity to meet and learn from two leaders in our industry: Harold Burson, founding chairman of Burson – Marsteller and Aaron Cushman, former chairman and CEO of Cushman & Associates.

Notable achievements for Mr. Burson (pictured below) include being the architect of the largest public relations firm in the world today. He started practicing integrated marketing decades before the term was even invented. Mr. Cushman has represented clients including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and dozens of Fortune 500 corporations. He also tells the story of representing the White Sox in 1950 and how he created a music night at the park with a large orchestra and a promotion where visitors had to come to the park with an instrument in addition to their ticket. At the seventh inning stretch he had the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra lead the 50,000 or so attendees in playing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and that is where the tradition started.

Attending the Counselors’ Network meeting at the FPRA conference and having the opportunity to chat with these two industry giants in an intimate room with other PR professionals from around the state was priceless. Some of the highlights from this discussion included thoughts on new media and citizen journalism. Aaron Cushman (pictured below) discussed the concern of the increased need of authentication with blogging and Harold Burson indicated that new media is a revolutionary process that supports the First Amendment. Mr. Burson also discussed how the media is becoming more responsible in pulling information from the internet and our industry challenge is real time monitoring. Both agreed that there is a great opportunity for newspapers to be more analytical and interpretive and to set the agenda for what is on the internet.
What an honor to learn from these leaders and to personally meet both of them. This is one for chapter two, career highlights.

Living in the southeastern U.S. with Jim Hunt as my name, I am surprised by the number of people that ask, “Are you THE Jim Hunt?” or they inquire if I am related to Jim Hunt. These questions were posed to me again this past weekend while traveling on business. I suppose the answer to both questions could be yes. In all likelihood the Jim Hunt they are referring to is James B. (Jim) Hunt, Jr. who served two terms as Governor of North Carolina. Lucky for all the rest of us Jim Hunts, former Governor Hunt is still very much respected and revered in the southern states.

While I may naturally think the name connection is to the former Governor of North Carolina, I could be overlooking Jim Hunt, the cartoonist, Jim Hunt, the Australian musician, Jim Hunt, the former British Racing Champion, or Jim Hunt, the retired NFL player. The list goes on even to include a Jim Hunt playing for Grimsby Town Football Club in Britain.

Well if you want to clear all the Jim Hunt confusion up, Wikipedia suggests the process of disambiguation, which does not sound like much fun. I choose to check out our same Naymz and then discovered who I was LinkedIn to.

I suppose through the six degrees of separation, many of us Jim Hunts may indeed be connected or linked to one another. I am not THE Jim Hunt, but one of the disambiguated Jim Hunts; we are indeed linked with a common but fine name. You know I have always thought about being an artistic race car driver and a rock musician, when in fact Jim Hunt is all that and more.

I have not seen the movie Transformers, but I witnessed a bunch of them in action this past weekend at the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Annual Community Conference. Public officials from Taylor, Madison, Jefferson, Wakulla, Gadsden, and Leon County all committing to cooperating together to grow our region responsibly. The conference is always good, but this one was indeed pivotal with positive new direction. Chamber Chair, Randy Hanna , with Bryant Miller and Olive P.A. has set the bar high for the future, and all in a deliberate and impressive manner.
While our region begins to mature, we can’t forget about our children. State Representative Loranne Ausley has to be the children’s champion in Florida. Loranne gave an informative update on Whole Child Leon and legislative progress on other children’s initiatives in Florida.

Economic Development Council Chair and Tallahassee Community College President, Dr. Bill Law, gave an update of how Tallahassee has positively positioned itself to continue to catch the eyes of business across the nation that are seeking to relocate and grow in a progressive community. Dr. Law is a picture of progress himself as he was the only conference attendee to be sporting an iPhone.

Dr. T. K. Wetherell, President of Florida State University, gave the conference a lesson in real math and how many of the decisions being made by the state’s leaders are not grounded in solid numbers. Cutbacks and caps facing our state universities may be worth another special session.

I have been attending the Chamber’s Annual Community Conference for approximately 10 years and without a doubt, this one had more insight and true action to move us forward as a united community in the future. I felt like I left a city and returned to a region.

Speaking of the region, if you have ideas for naming and branding our special area in North Florida and South Georgia, visit http://www.ourregiontomorrow.org/ and give your suggestion.

My special thanks to Steve Liner, Bob Gabordi, and the Tallahassee Democrat staff for allowing me the opportunity to blog the Chamber Conference this year. Just another fine example of how our newspaper is engaging the community far beyond newsprint. This weekend reminded me how very fortunate we are with our community, leaders, businesses and people that make our region the best in Florida.

The Chamber’s Community Conference is quite the draw, including Congressman Allen Boyd, public officials from all over the Big Bend region, water buffalo, and entertainment right out of the Magic Kingdom. If the day’s agenda didn’t saturate you, the humidity and afternoon raindrops at the Kim and Mayda Williams’ Annual Water Buffalo Party at pool certainly would have.

Congressman Boyd shared his thoughts on numerous items on national and region happenings from the “blue dog” perspective. Alan Matheson, Executive Director of Envision Utah, spoke on the background and history of how their regional visioning helped their region evolve and become a national model for charting responsible and smart growth. As the general session moved to breakouts, the choices of which session to attend were tough as all looked to be loaded with insightful topics and presenters. Sessions included Knight Creative Community Initiative, Workforce Readiness, Going Green, and a Regional Overview. The Regional panel was informative and encouraging – it’s not often that you can hear representatives from Audubon of Florida and the Florida Builders Association agreeing on the future path of progress for our region. Max Martinez from Gadsden County’s health department gave an impassioned talk on regional healthcare, along with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s Bill Giudice who shared valuable insight on the healthcare facilities throughout the region.

The lunch program featured Dr. James Ammons, President, FAMU and his talk was energetic, engaging and refreshing. The new attitude and approach along with the offer to be an integral part of the community was exciting to hear. Dr. Ammons gave a realistic and honest assessment of what lies ahead for FAMU, both the good and challenging tasks to be dealt with. The entire room quickly captured his vision for FAMU’s greatest days being ahead and all of us becoming a part of the Rattler fan club.

Hit the pool…the Annual Water Buffalo Party is one of those special social events where conference attendee’s are as about as relaxed as you can get, bathing suits and a bar, thanks to Target Copy and Marpan Supply. This is Tallahassee’s social scene like you won’t see anywhere else. A quick afternoon thundershower was timely to send everyone in to rest before the reception and evening banquet.

It is always a pleasure to go to one of the community’s best dinner events and be in comfortable casual clothing. A packed reception in exhibition area provided a good opportunity for everyone to meet and greet. Tables full of guests, good food and lively conversations kept the room buzzing. From politics to teenagers, Kimberly Moore from Workforce Plus and Becky Liner with the James Madison Institute shared some good times and laughs. The crowd was entertained by the A Cappella group, Return 2 Zero, with old time favorites that had Dee Crumpler and Chucha Barber singing out loud.

If that wasn’t enough then you could follow Shelia Costigan, Jay Bostwick and numerous others down to Champ’s for the Chair-Elect’s after-dinner party, hosted by Ron Sachs. There was definitely some dancing going on, oh yeah; there were probably a few Tally Martini’s being downed by the group. This definitely was saturation Saturday – lots to take in mentally, visually and physically.

The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Annual Community Conference is literally in full swing. The conference started this morning with the golf tournament participants playing the famed Stadium Course at Sawgrass. Chamber President, Sue Dick was one of the many players and she mentioned Andy Fink with GVA Advantis shot a hole in one on the 17th hole.
The speed networking session is going on and the room is buzzing all over the place. Speed networking is new to this year’s conference as part of a track of events for Access Tallahassee, the under 40 members. Looking over the crowd, it is easy to see they have opened admission as Mike Pate, Lyn Stanfield, Elizabeth Smith, Jay Bostwick and Chris Jensen were all getting around the room in fine style.

The updates will be coming from the conference all weekend long, and also through Business Matters on the Tallahassee Democrat. The Annual Community Conference is truly one of best events to get a feel for the pulse of Tallahassee’s entire business community, to do some great networking, and of course have an enjoyable time. It’s hot outside but everything in this conference is cool.