On this episode, I changed up the format. Instead of a guest, I did the show solo. A first for me. I wanted to bring listeners up to speed on how I weave together running a start up, sitting on multiple boards, co-managing an industry association and how I produce my own weekly audio show and companion blog, DishyMix.

If you think about me only in the context of ad:tech, or only know me from DishyMix, or only know me as the Vice Chair of the Association for Downloadable Media, read on.

I’m one busy girl and take a moment on my own show to share my work and a few of my personal travails — not to self-aggrandize — but to encourage you to step up in a way that works for you.

This show includes:

• Running 21st Century Mom & Pop Shop
• Intimacy, Connection and Honesty in Marriage
• Promoting Myself Through Social Media
• Serving on Board of Directors/Advisors
• How to Give Back to Your Industry
• Indulging My Passion for Exploring the Personal Power of the Famous People in Our Industry

Bratton Revealed: DishyMix Host Susan Shares Her Rocky Patches, Self-Promotion Tips and Her Allure with Your Personal Life

I’m driven to connect with people. My “special purpose” is to divine the unique talents and value that an individual offers and to want to support, promote and celebrate that. That’s why I do my weekly DishyMix show - I want to find out what drives the titans of our industry and how they’ve leveraged their capabilities to create their success. My aim is to help others model success through the insights I can uncover in my interviews.

And if my show helps enrich your thinking, will you forward it to a friend or colleague? I’m trying to double my audience and I welcome your support.

If you’ve listened to my DishyMix show, will you consider filling out my Listener Survey (anonymous and takes 2 mins), joining my Facebook Fan Club, and/or writing a 1 sentence review of the show in iTunes?

• Here is a link to the Listener’s Survey.
• Get free, autographed books, discounts, promo codes and product freebies when you join my Facebook Fan Page for DishyMix.
• Here’s my personal Susan Bratton profile on Facebook. Let’s connect.
• Let’s connect on LinkedIn
• To write a review in iTunes, just launch iTunes, type DishyMix into the search box on the top right, click on my show with the turquoise image of my face, scroll slightly down below the show description to Customer Reviews and click to the right on “Write a Review.” You’ll have to log in to your iTunes account and then you’ll write and approve it. Simple!

Thanks again for listening. I really appreciate your precious time. Let me know any comments or ideas you have about DishyMix. I am in service to you.

I’ve just installed Flock and am trying the blogging from my browser option.

A family video made with Animoto.

Just load your pics, add your music and post it to You Tube automatically.

I love this new application from Sched.org.

http://sched.org/sxsw2008/susan@personallifemedia.com

See how it lines up your agenda and includes a map of the local watering holes with addresses? Super cool!

If you will be at SXSW let’s connect.

I interviewed Patricia Martin, author of RenGen this week for an upcoming DishyMix episode and told her that her book gave me the idea/power/confidence to approach the Silicon Valley Art Museum about sponsoring them with assets from Personal Life Media.

Here’s the story:

Patricia,
It was wonderful to interview you this week for DishyMix. I want to introduce you to Gregory MacNicol, the Chair of the Silicon Valley Art Museum. After reading RenGen, you inspired me to call Gregory and offered Personal Life Media to be a patron of SVAM.org.

When I launched the company, I targeted the content of Personal Life Media to “cultural creatives.” That was before reading your book. Since then, I’ve come to understand that my customers are VIVIDs - focused on authentic content experiences, beautiful design and the belief in self-actualization. You’ve taken the psychographic profile of the cultural creative to a new level of persona marketing through your research for RenGen and your description of the VIVID cohort.

The 20+ weekly audio and video shows on Personal Life Media are purposefully “anti-mainstream,” created by unique “indie” hosts and the focus is on growth and self-actualization in myriad personal areas. My site is beautifully designed (by Holocosmos) and that is one of the most important aspects of my brand — creating trust and value prior to someone even listening to or watching one of the shows on our network.

Once I understood from RenGen how the power of supporting the arts from a corporate perspective is very in line with VIVID values and that the idea of aligning my business with the arts is of value not just to me, but to my customers at Personal Life Media, I immediately called Gregory. The Silicon Valley Art Museum is a virtual organization (no mortar, just clicks) devoted to showcasing artists who merge technology and art. It’s a perfect parallel in that I am enabling the amazing work of my show hosts to have a global, rather than local voice for their work through the empowering value of a microphone and a digital audio file to deliver their “art.”

I have been a patron of the arts my whole life, buying original works starting in grade school in the late 60’s with my first Jim Dine lithograph. I have a small but delightful collection including an 10′ high Gregory Hawthorne mild steel “Totem” sculpture, a Diego Gravinese diptych amusingly entitled “The Day Michelle Yeoh Saved My Life (and Pichu was Amazed),” multiple abstracts from both Margaret Ross Tolbert and Silvia Poloto, and a custom installation (including a 180′ mounded lawn sculpture — about half a football field…) by Gordon Huether of stainless steel and dichroic glass rods, not to mention a penchant for miniature Southwestern Pueblo pottery.

I love the arts. I love technology. And so does our Personal Life Media audience.

Your book, RenGen, stitched together the power of combining my passions and told me that there are many, many people just like me, seeking a VIVID life.

Gregory MacNicol is a kindred spirit. Providing a forum for artists to gain recognition at the intersection of technology and art. It is my hope to support his organization through the power of my network and the media I can bring to bear on his behalf.

Thank you for your request to hear my continuing story and the impact your book has had on me.

To Art! To Life!

Vividly Yours,
Susan

I was invited to see Curvy Widow, a new play at the Post Street Theatre with Cybill Shepherd gratis because I am a female blogger. That’s a first for me and an incremental indication of the expanding cyber-power of influentials.

A long-time fan of Cybill Shepherd, I’ve even purchased and read her book “Cybill Disobedience.”

Alas, I made it only 15 minutes into this one-woman show before I left to get coffee with my companion.

The set was dull - a Louise Nevelson meets PC Circuit board back drop with some very cheap “modern” furniture. Cybill was poorly dressed in frumpy jeans, a ill-fitting leather jacket and a too casual white empire waist top that didn’t fit the style of the coat. Even her hair was unkempt with stray curls bouncing around behind her. Didn’t anyone look at her before she went on-stage? Cybill, who has your back, girl?

I waited patiently for the shrill initial delivery of her script to quiet into a workable tempo, but neither her delivery or the lines improved. I found myself focusing on all the wrong things as I sat there in the dark. How could I quiet my own squirming? How should that line have been delivered? Why didn’t the Director, Scott Schwartz, give Cybill better direction?

The concept seemed reasonable to me — 50+ widow goes online to meet her match. How this subject was wrought missed the mark for me. But then again, I’m not in my 50’s, I’m in my late 40’s. Perhaps I just couldn’t relate?

I wish Cybill the best with this production but I’d take a keen eye toward developing the execution. Fifty year old women are sharp as hell and I doubt they’ll buy this performance.

I was interviewed by David Wolfe of SmallBiz America Radio. Listen now.

Meet Susan Bratton, Web 2.0 entrepreneur, blogger, podcaster and social media marketer. Learn about the “near-death experience of her marriage” that led to her founding Personal Life Media. Find out how the intimate medium of blogging and podcasting, or as David calls it “the who behind your biz” can create a level of authenticity and transparency beyond any other marketing tactic.
Find out how Susan uses Facebook and LinkedIn to market herself and her shows. And get great advice on how YOU can get a speaking opportunity at a professional conference in your business with Susan’s step-by-step practical advice. She has programmed conferences and industry events for twenty years and will give you a fresh perspective on how to get speak-ops to further your brand and business.
This is a content-rich episode with a lot of actionable information to make you more successful today.

Danskin emailed me post-purchase and asked me to rate my purchase. At the end of the rating, they offered the option of posting my review to my blog. The software worked seamlessley and I’m amazingly impressed. It is a service from ExactTarget. I must find out more about it.

Here is the result of my posting and a beautiful photo of Taylor to sweeten the read:

Originally submitted at Danskin

This long-sleeve scoop neck leotard works well for dance or gymnsatics.

Girls’ Long Sleeve Scoop Neck Cotton Leotard

Surprisingly Poor Quality

By Mother of the Aristocat from Los Altos, CA on 1/7/2008

1out of 5

Cons: Poor Construction

I bought this leotard for my daughter for a stage play at school and by the second wearing, the side seam had split.
How annoying to have to sew a brand new leotard. Danskin had a good reputation for me in the past, but I see that the quality is compromised these days.
My daughter is very thin, and the leotard was sized correctly, but the quality of the sewing on the seam was terrible.
I will not bother paying the incremental cost for Danskin in the future.

Aristocat

Tags: Using Product

(legalese)

I’ve recently joined MyBlogLog and am asking you (pretty please) to join too.

Once you are a member, when ever you go to a blog where MyBlogLog is supported, it will show that you’ve visited.

It keeps us bloggers from being lonely!

Will you take a minute to give it a try? Then I can see who is visting my site.

Susan,

I hope you don’t mind but I mentioned you today in today’s article, “High tech: Susan Bratton. Susan is your best resource for understanding Next-Gen’s next gen. She’s the Chairman Emeritus of ad:tech, Vice Chair of the ADM, CEO of Personal Life Media and one of the most charming pros in the business.”

Apologies in advance!

mchale

TIM MCHALE
Managing Partner/Editor

Madison Avenue Consultants &
The Madison Avenue Journal, LLC
244 Madison Avenue #482
New York, NY 10016

Watershed Publishing Network
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