Don’t worry, I haven’t moved far.I am still living in Arlington, although my commute has gotten slightly longer as I am working from the Corporate Headquarters in Falls Church, Va.

As the Web Content Manager  for this industry-leading IT integrator and service provider I have an opportunity to showcase my talent for creating and overseeing digital marketing content in a dynamic and fast paced work environment.

I am creating SEO best practices for on-page content generation, particularly with regards to keyword optimization and content generation, title/meta tag creation, and internal linking strategy. All fun stuff.

When I was interviewing for this job I remember taking a few days to write out the pros and cons- both of leaving my previous job at Business Wire as well as the risks associated with taking a new job.

After taking a highlighter to the job description, I was blown away how well everything lined up for me. It was a perfect fit:

It fit. After 1 month in it’s safe to say that I’m having fun, learning a lot and really excited for the challenges ahead. In the end, we are building a world class marketing model for a $16 billion company. Who wouldn’t be excited?

You Can’t Move Forward Without Looking Back

I spent 5 great years with Business Wire and I learned a lot from my first job after college.

Business Wire allowed me to explore my interest in all things ‘digital’, from SEO and social media, to marketing and online strategy. In 2009, for a period of 6-8 months, I was even conducting national webinars for Business Wire’s Award Winning webinar series.

This access and transparency on what Business Wire was building and how we were building it allowed me to feel a part of the process.

My relationship with with my boss, Josh Rehrer was the hardest factor to overcome mentally when deciding to accept a new job- knowing that I was walking away from a great mentor and partnership. Josh and I developed a very close and unique professional/personal relationship- he was the best manager and friend I could have ever asked for.

This new challenge will undoubtedly broaden my skill set in all things digital. From SEO and Social Media, to Demand Generation and Content Creation; I am truly at the intersection of content, design & delivery  of news & information on the web.

Wish me luck!

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Each year, right around the beginning of March my family and friends begin discussing what they are giving up for Lent.  This is usually defined as the tradition of personal sacrifice for the 40 days and 40 nights leading up to Easter Sunday.

This year- I decided to give up Facebook. Trendy I know…but let’s consider why:

I’m not sure who gets to see what on Facebook?

I’ve tried to tweak the privacy settings, I’ve tried to create lists- it just seems so imperfect. I’ve also heard that some users (read: my mom) can see my whole profile while I’m using my mobile phone (which has a separate set of privacy settings) versus using Facebook on my browser- (which has a different set security settings.) So it depends on what device I’m on as to which settings are in affect.

As you all know, there is always a constant chatter regarding the privacy of Facebook.  Occasionally you’ll see a post like this one cross your newsfeed:

With these sorts of warnings to protect against hacking, it really makes me think twice about what I share on Facebook and the ever-expanding reach into our personal information.

(Side note- I’m not sure how I feel about Facebook sharing my phone number and address information with it’s growing list of advertisers.)

Time Suck:

Take into consideration the amount of time spent on Facebook. Imagine the collective amount of productivity lost in any given workday to this addictive website. That’s enough to make you pause…

Facebook is everywhere.

It was almost exactly one year ago that Facebook’s changes to the Like Button went into full affect.

[box]One year later, the Like button has proven its staying power, becoming just as ubiquitous on Facebook as it has on the Internet as a whole. Facebook says more than 10,000 websites add the Like button to their platforms everyday.With more than 2.5 million websites featuring the Like button and a profitability reportedly higher than a tweet, the simple one-click feature has ensured that it will be around for many more birthdays to come. (via Adweek)  [/box]

Now What?

Giving up Facebook felt like such a pointless sacrifice unless I set out to accomplish something more tangible in partnership with my time apart from the online world.

Now, traditional sacrifices during lent haven’t gone away however there is definitely a call for more service as sacraficeduring the giving season.  My purpose was to use the 40 days to evaluate how I was spending my time and how easy it was to make a change.

Time to Give Back

Back in March, I attended an orientation to volunteer at Miriam’s Kitchen who provides free, homemade meals and high-quality support services to more than 4,000 homeless men and women in Washington, DC each year.

Since then I have spent two evenings cooking and serving at Miriam’s as a way to really connect my personal sacrifice with a sense of giving back of my time to the community. The whole experience was very eye opening to the daily issue of homelessness in my own community.

Also, a few weeks ago, my colleague and I spent an afternoon helping out as part of the Muscular Dystrophy’s Greater Washington Area chapter Muscle Walk. The local event raised more than $100,000 and many of the teams are headed by someone with a type of muscle disease, or a parent of a child with muscle disease. It was great to be part of such an inspiring event where these families use the walk as  opportunity to fight back against MD.

So, for the last 40 days- I was off the grid, so-to-speak- and spent my time giving back to the community through volunteer work.

Today, Easter Sunday- I plan to value the time I interact with my friends and family whether it’s online or in real life.  I believe Facebook can serve a good purpose and is an important channel for communicating with those important people in my life.

As far as volunteering, I need to reassess my purpose and continue to grow my personal sacrifices outside of Lent. What other activities could I or should I be volunteering my time with that perhaps offer a more personal connection?

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

My friend passed this along to me and I wanted to share.

1. Change yourself.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.”

2. You are in control.

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”

3. Forgive and let it go.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

4. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.

“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.”

5. Take care of this moment.

“I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.”

6. Everyone is human.

“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

7. Persist.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

8. See the good in people and help them.

“I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won’t presume to probe into the faults of others.”

“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

10. Continue to grow and evolve.

”Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.”

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Earlier today the Department of Education issued the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 12 Reading and Mathematics National and Pilot State Results.

Today’s report suggests that high school seniors’ achievement in reading and math isn’t rising fast enough to prepare them to succeed in college and careers. Reading results have improved since 2005, but are still below the level of 1992. Math scores also show only incremental gains over four years ago.

In my third interview as part of the What Makes a Great Teacher series I asked a fourth year high school social studies teacher about measuring student success. During the conversation, he explores the discrepancies in grades from teacher to teacher, an interesting reality in today’s education system.

What is the single most important factor in determining a student’s success?

How can students do their best in school?

How do you measure an effective student?

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Next Monday marks, the 89th annual

American Education Week, November 14–20.

I am not a professional educator, nor do I have kids in the education system- yet I have this strange connection and understanding of the importance of schools and teachers and the process of educating the masses.

Thousands of teachers around the world spend each day in the classroom with children, teenagers and adults alike. These teachers are a grounding force for the new generations to come. Each day they are helping to impart some piece of knowledge or skill necessary to become a better person and a valuable member of our community.

Imagine for a second – everyday you are ON. In the classroom. In front of 30-40, perhaps a 100 students, all at varying levels of intellect,  resources and family backgrounds. Being a teacher is a hard job- one we should all respect and take a genuine interest in.

In 2006, I completed my undergraduate research project on the effects of No Child Left Behind Act. I looked at socio economic factors such as parental education levels, race, family income and the effect these factors have on standardized test scores. My goal was to statistically prove that there are too many variables for standardized tests to be an effective measurement tool of student success.

Improving public education is a complex challenge.

We cannot move forward without acknowledging the real challenges facing our public schools. One out of every five children in our nation today lives in poverty. Poor nutrition, health care and illiteracy in the home, among other things, have a real impact on learning. Helping all students succeed requires addressing this whole spectrum of needs.

The National Education Association’s 89th annual American Education Week—November 14-20, 2010—presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education.

Over the next week I will share some updated data as well as  interviews with teachers and friends of mine at varying stages of their education careers. I asked questions such as:

• How can students do their best in school?
• Do schools work well? Or are their changes necessary?
• How do you measure an effective teacher?
• How do you measure an effective student?
• What makes a great teacher?

Check back on Monday to see their answers. Or sign up below to receive it in your email in-box:

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Who were these people in charge?

Whether in university leadership programs or professional associations I have taken an interest in the steering mechanisms behind my surroundings. By following the paths of leaders I have found the movers & shakers in my communities and given myself the opportunity to analyze the process & situations within each.

Ghandi said, “Be the Change”- I say, “Be the Challenger”- question the working parts, analyze the tasks at hand, look for and recognize inefficiencies in the process and address the policies and procedures that are not working.

Being the Challenger isn’t about pointing out the negative. It also means recognizing and building on strengths. Your own strengths, the strengths of others and the strengths of the situations. Bring these together and focus on those few things that work well and function best.

What do you challenge?

-Mike Toner

www.miketoner.com

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

My mission is to share with you information and opinions from other people that influence me. I believe that if I can share their passions I can help create a more positive influence in the lives of those around me.

“If you get it, share it” sorta‘ thing…

Here’s a look inside my friends and heroes and while some may not know this firsthand, I admire and learn from you and get my daily dose of humor from you:

These are professionals, leaders, comedians, photographers, teachers, in no particular order:

Tripp, in Living the Truth, your demeanor and outlook always remind me of something larger than myself. Tripp sums a lot of my unwanted anxiety when he writes, “My stress and my worries are often slightly out of perspective.”

Jake: The future is safe with you teaching the next generation of leaders.

Lackeyman, you had the guts to change your major, pursue your dreams and turn your passion for photography, video and allthings multimedia into your life’s work.

Rob, you continually push the envelope with your comedy and your writing.

Geoff, you are a true social believer in social media for social good. I continue to learn the importance of putting the team before the individual- something I believe in and understand the challenge it has become in public relations.

Jonathan, I admire your entrepreneurial spirit.

Meghan: You have an opportunity to influence the direction of the US Army‘s future social media policy and how we learn and communicate with soldiers and their families and all American’s via these new mediums.

Mike: You rocked the DC Improv- keep making jokes.

The past few weeks have been alive with inspiration and hope for me. I am working on blog post which I hope to share sooner than later that involves an editorial calendar and the best way I can convey what this blog is supposed to be about.

I’ve got my mission.

I’ve got my outline.

Stay tuned…

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

My mother is one of the smartest ladies I know. She taught me from a young age that you cannot bypass long term goals in order to gain instant satisfaction. You must always keep the long term goal in mind and sometimes that means making sacrifices along the way.

If those small sacrifices ultimately allow you to reach your long term goal, then it is very hard to argue that those little sacrifices weren’t worth helping you to reach the final goal.

“Never let the things that matter most be at the mercy of those that matter least.”

-Mike Toner

www.miketoner.com

What are your thoughts and wishes?

What are your dreams, hopes and worries? Day in and day out I know what bothers me and what I need, but I believe it is more rewarding to know I can help others.

Whether it’s physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally- helping someone find direction or explore their passions is an awesome thing. By reaching out and extending a helping hand you make yourself welcoming and accessible.

I also like it when my friends reach out and make me think.

A good friend mentioned that my blog doesn’t exactly translate who I am. Got any advice?

-Mike Toner

www.miketoner.com

Photo Credit: lissalou66

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

The conclusion: it’s easy for your passions to become your distractions. If I spend all of my time watching and reading what others do…then what will I do, what will I add?

Almost every moment of a recent car ride down I-95 I was thinking, “I should write about this or that…” with no real purpose or direction.

This is the difference between doing and dreaming, practicing and playing. Or as Robin Sharma puts it, “Ideation without execution is nothing more than delusion.”

Leadership is about dealing with distractions and staying focused on what’s most important. In your work and within your life, have the motivation to deliver with passion and execute with clarity.

-Mike Toner

www.MikeToner.com

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.