I'm Tom and welcome to my site.

Where Do I Start?
GET YOUR FREE 28-PAGE EBOOK NOW
Want to learn how I went from writing nearly nothing to writing thousands of words a month?

($37 value). Read more here.

Enter your email address here for free updates and your free eBook. (Guaranteed 100% privacy.)


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz
E-Book Testimonials

"Thomas Clifford has made something useful here. This report will give you some really catchy, useful ideas.

It made me reconsider how I do what I do, so you might give it a look-see, too!" 

Chris Brogan, President, Human Business Works 

"Tom Clifford is by trade a filmmaker. For most of his life, he rarely wrote anything longer than a brief comment in the margin of a script. 

Now, though, he's producing tens of thousands of words a year, first as a Fast Company "Expert Blogger," and then as a writer for the Content Marketing Institute. 

How did Tom go from a non-writer to a prolific and much-read one? His eBook, '5 (Ridiculously Simple) Ways . . . , ' holds some of his secrets."

Mark Levy, Author of "Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content"

“Tom is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet—if you have the privilege to meet him. And he does sterling work as well. But don’t just take my word for it.

Read this free report and you’ll not just love its tone and content, but learn a lot as well.”

Sean D’Souza, Psychotactics.com

“Anyone who wants to improve their writing needs this e-book. A lot of ebooks are short because they just don’t have much substance to offer. They’re not worth your time (and so are many of the long ones, too, for that matter). Tom’s is short because he’s so good at giving you only what you need to know. 

‘5 (Ridiculously Simple) Ways to Write Faster, Better, Easier’ lives up to its promise by example as well as in the words themselves. Tom used the very same techniques he teaches you to write this book. 

And what’s in here is not just a rehash of the same tired ideas you find coming from people who have suddenly fancied themselves as writing gurus. There are tricks in here I never heard of (like the Writing Funnel) and some I had forgotten about and was glad to be reminded of (like Sporadic Writing).” 

Michael Martine, Blog Alchemist, Remarkablogger.com 


« And the Beret Goes To... | Main | When You Hear "Corporate Video..." »
Sunday
May132007

11 Lessons Learned Inside a "Conversational Beehive"

DateSunday, May 13, 2007 at 07:55PM

494773611_d643823cc4_m.jpg

Bzzzzz...bzzz...bzz...bz...b...

The bees are gone. The beehive in Chicago is empty.

But the buzz created will live on.

What was SOBCon07 like? It was like being in a caffeinated, amped-up beehive for 36 hours surrounded by a sea of never-ending conversations.

While the conversations may have ended in Chicago, new conversations and new relationships are now beginning throughout the world.

The selflessness demonstrated by over 100 SOBCon "designers of conversation" was overwhelming. Limits were pushed. Conversations ran deep. Ideas were challenged. Kindness and love filled the hive.

Here's some "honey" I discovered while buzzing around the "conversational hive."

1. Your mission? Know yourself. Discover your strengths and core competencies and write about that.
(Phil Gerbyshak)

2. The internet has no "erase" button. Everything changes when you hit "publish."

3. You can't build a community...you make room for one.
(Liz Strauss)

4. The Four C's of Blogging:
a. Community. Invest yourself and get involved.
b. Consistency. Find your voice and speak up. Experiment. Be true to yourself.
c. Clarity. Have a vision and see where you are going. Be clear and articulate.
d. Content. Frame your conversation; don't just report. Share your knowledge, and serve others.

5. Stop calling yourself a blogger. Blogging has unnecessary baggage which is difficult to overcome. Bloggers are one-dimensional; people are not. You really are in the personal publishing business.

6. Be a "conversational architect. " Don't be a blogger.
(Dave Armano)

7. A blog is a free opportunity to experience your brand.

8. There are two types of brands: default and intentional. A default brand has no intention. An intentional brand is created with purpose. The two skills needed for an intentional brand are creativity and caring.
(Mike Wagner)

9. Advertising is the price for being boring.

10. The Marketing Department is all output. The Customer Service Department is all input. What we need now is a "Conversation Department."
(Andy Sernovitz)

11. The beret? It was a hit. Who'd a thunk?

---Tom

P.S. Jason Alba, founder of Jibber Jobber, has a great summary of the SOBCon07 speakers on his personal site.

AuthorThomas Clifford | Comment7 Comments |
Print ArticlePrint Article in

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (7)

Great meeting you Director Tom. You are a man of action, and a great friend. So glad we could spend a bit of time together.

Thanks for making it great for me in Chicago friend! See you soon!
May 13, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterPhil Gerbyshak
Director Tom! Loved your list - a lot of honey there (especially the beret). It was a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to meeting up with you again in Hartford.

Your fellow Connecticut-ican,

Terry
May 15, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterTerry Starbucker
Thanks, Terry! It was fabulous meeting you, as well.

Can't wait for '08!

Tom
May 15, 2007 | Registered CommenterThomas Clifford
Director Tom...after hearing all about your from Liz, I was quite happy to finally meet you. And I loved hearing you and Ben talk video on Saturday night.
May 16, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterDawud Miracle
Thanks, Dawud :)

Yeah, catching up with Ben Y. was a hoot and I wish we had more time to chat, as well.

Heck, that's why we'll have another sobcon and maybe add a day, too!

Tom
May 16, 2007 | Registered CommenterThomas Clifford
Hey Tom,

Just stumbled upon your excellent summary of SOBCON07. Thanks for this and aren't you glad I took that handsome photo of you and the guys that night?
May 21, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterClaire Celsi
Hi Claire!

Glad you liked the SOBCon07 summary.

Handsome? Where? Geesh...I must be going blind :-)

Thanks touching base!

Tom
May 21, 2007 | Registered CommenterThomas Clifford

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.
Alert
Comment Moderation Enabled
Hi, it's Tom here. Your comment will not appear until it has been cleared by me. So... 1. Keep it nice. 2. Keep it clean. 3. Keep it on topic. And thanks a lot for stopping by!

Notify me of follow-up comments via email.