Singing for self-healing, health and wellbeing

Outside of Western practices, group singing is an important social and cultural force. Emergent studies in the area of music therapy and music and health demonstrate that group singing can promote feelings of health and wellbeing. Studies provide evidence of the physiological, cognitive and emotional benefits of group singing for an improved quality of life. Considering the potential for young and old across the lifespan, it is proposed that group singing should be encouraged for all people, without placing demands on music reading skills.

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Learning to View Your Customers as a Powerful Tribe - Ed Welch

A CEO using Twitter to connect with customers? Why? Tony Hsieh (pronounced “Shay”), CEO of Zappos.com, uses Twitter to connect with customers. Why would a busy, important, successful CEO want to connect with customers? Make no mistake; Hsieh isn’t using Twitter for a marketing gimmick, but to make meaningful connections. The Dallas Mavericks went from being one of the worst basketball franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA), to being one of the best and most valuable. The reason is usually sitting somewhere in the crowds at Maverick games. His name is Mark Cuban. Mark is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. His leadership lifted them to heights never before thought possible. How? Mark knows how to connect. Guess where he sits during games? With the fans. Guess who reads all the emails sent to the Dallas Mavericks? Mark does. He usually wears a jersey, not a suit and tie. He dresses like a fan and acts like a fan. Mark understands that connecting with fans is the key to the success of the Mavericks. Herb Kelleher, a legend of Southwest Airlines. Herb Kelleher was frequently spotted on Southwest flights, chatting with ordinary passengers. Why? Surely he had more important things to do? Kelleher was connecting with his customers.

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Photography, and Tolerance

I lug this clunky camera around with me every day because I want to, and because turning this hobby into a project that I work on a little bit every day ensures continuity and helps my modest bumps in skill to accrete — to make new friends with one other in ways that often surprise me (“Low ISO + giant aperture + standing very still? Wow, check that out!”). I’m especially learning to embrace a priceless habit of shooting way more photos than I’d ever even process

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Finding the Tweet Spot - Top Tips for Building Twitter Relationships

Twitter is an incredible medium for listening, learning, and sharing. And, for those in the media and communications industries, it's also a rapid and immersive education in meaningful, two-way micro messaging that helps both parties walk away with a new form of value. While there are no shortage of posts that offer tips and tricks to help you boost your Twitter followers, it is by no means a popularity contest. The surmounting ploys, friending races, theatrics, and contests to tempt those into following individuals can be fun, but short-sighted, when in fact the true technique for building relationships, regardless of volume, is the genuine act of earning and investing in them. It's rooted in selflessness and rewarded with a rich stream of relevance and a network of valuable contacts that can also help you in the real world.

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10 Ways to Maximize Your Google Reader Link Blog

I've been sharing articles I've read in Google Reader for the better part of two years. I don't know exactly when I started, but I'm fairly sure I'm nowhere near finished. And while I admittedly started sharing to a link blog without having a clear goal in mind, I'm finding that this massive shared items repository is becoming an incredibly versatile information hub that benefits me, the authors of articles I've shared, and the consumers, be they friends in Google Reader, or in many other locations. I believe that while Google Reader has grown in visibility, arguably becoming the most popular RSS reader on the Web, the utility of shared link blogs is less known. Here are ten ways you can maximize your Google Reader link blog - most of which I'm doing, and probably didn't anticipate when I first started sharing items into the ether.

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