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.

    

Yes, but maybe you started off with social media the way I did; quietly listening while learning the ropes, lurking and not really being social at all!

In fact, my first tweet was on October, 26th 2007. Great, except- I sent 15 tweets in the first month and not one was an @ message! I wasn’t talking to anyone… I wasn’t there yet.

Today, I am somewhere between participation and relationship building with regards to social media. I’ve made the mind shift from 1-way to 2-way, although I sometimes find myself reverting back to my old 1-way ways.

This almost implies tuning out a little, doesn’t it?

In order to concentrate on providing value, I may need to block out some of the noise. Perhaps stepping out of the echo chamber will allow me to focus on the task at hand. A Tim Ferriss’esque idea -no doubt.

During my own adoption of social media, I focused heavily on reading and listening, so much so- that this has become a comfort zone for me to run back to. Recently, I have stopped reading my google reader everyday. Instead, I am going to do some thinking of my own and stop relying on old meme’s to create new content.

I hope that by eliminating distractions I will be able to provide quality information and value to my network.

Where are you on the social media curve?

-MikeToner

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.

    

Good Morning, Good Afternoon & Good Evening friends,
I need your help. My roommate, Steven Knight and I have submitted an original song called Burnin’ to the Ground to the MyFoxDC Local Band Contest. The voting starts today and goes through May 11th. You have to register on their site, which isn’t hard, but does take a second. You can only vote once a day at http://media.myfoxdc.com/FoxRocks/voting.html

Vote Knight Train!

Here’s what’s at stake:
FOX 5, myfoxdc and Your local Ford Dealers are giving one local band the opportunity of a lifetime!
One night! One chance! One lucky band will headline a gig at Jammin Java and perform LIVE on Fox 5 Morning News!

AND WE’RE IN THE RUNNING!!!

Now it’s all about the vote. Please take the time to register at myfoxdc and vote for KNIGHT TRAIN – Burnin’ to the Ground

You can also follow the link from www.officialknighttrain.com

Your time and votes are greatly appreciated,

-Mike Toner
www.MikeToner.com