As a big fan of Gmail, and someone who has personal and business email accounts through Google, I’m always looking to make sure I’m taking advantage of all their cool features and optimizing my email productivity. Below are a few of my favorite Gmail Google Labs features I’d highly recommend you try out.
Eliminate opening Google Docs, see them right in the bottom of the email.
We’re absolutely thrilled to be hiring our very own intern this summer. As our first intern, you’ll gain deep experience in what it takes to run a community online and offline, work closely with myself and Marny, and be a part of a movement inspiring career optimism in thousands of young creatives around the world.
You’ll engage with our community through social media and live events in this apprentice style opportunity (our community was launched exclusively through social media and has never used traditional advertising). This role will give you access to our incredible network of speakers from companies such as MTV, DoSomething.org, BBDO, Google, Tribeca Film Festival, Guggenheim, Warby Parker, and Twitter.
We’re looking for a self-starter who learns quickly and works well independently, but also does well in collaborative environments. Since we’re a small team, your input and ideas will be highly valued. You’ll have the opportunity to have a big impact on our growing company and will learn a ton in the process.
**To apply, please submit the following HERE by Friday, April 26th**
My favorite new show, Portlandia, touches on a lot of themes in it’s hilarious two-people-play-every-character format. Below are some of my favorite sketches that really hit the generational nail on the head in terms of work culture and attitudes.
Portlandia: Kickstarter by IFC-Official
What are your favorite Portlandia sketches?
I’ve always been an event geek, it’s one of the reasons I started NY Creative Interns. In the past two years, I’ve moderated dozens of panels through NY Creative Interns and at other events such as SXSW Interactive, Social Media Week, and Internet Week.
Moderating a panel is often a more difficult job than being a panelist. It’s up to you to keep the conversation fast-paced, interesting, and the panelists engaged. Below are my top tips for panel moderation success.
Touching base with your fellow panelists before the event will help guide the conversation. Additionally, spending time on their social media profiles, website, and company website, will enable you to ask better, more specific questions. For our conference, Find & Follow Your Passion, we ask panelists to arrive an hour before their panel. The main goal of this is so everyone can get to know each other. You can use this time to ask if anyone has any stories they definitely want to share, or topics they want to stay away from.
“How do you use LinkedIn for networking?” vs. “I like to use LinkedIn to keep in touch with people I’ve already met in real life. How do you find most people are using the tool?” Robotic vs. personal. I like personal. You’re chosen to moderate a panel because you have expertise on the topic. Adding your own anecdotes into questions is absolutely acceptable.
Speaking with your panelists ahead of time will enable you to direct questions at each speaker, instead of throwing questions out to the panel as a whole. This will help you avoid awkward silences or people talking over each other. This also ensures that no one dominates the panel or gets left behind because they aren’t as aggressive.
Depending on your topic, it might make sense to list your questions in a certain order. For instance, when I moderated a panel, “Inside the Mind of HR” (pictured above) I started with the online application, then asked about the interviews, and ended with follow-up etiquette.
You should prepare questions in advance, but be willing to let speakers elaborate on certain topics or questions. Keep the panel conversational by letting speakers piggy back off of each other’s answers and feel free to skip around your question list when it makes sense.
A big mistake many moderators make is that they ask the question, immediately turn off and focus on asking the next, instead of listening to the answer. As long as you’re staying on topic, a certain answer might lead the conversation elsewhere, and that’s ok. Someone also might end up answering two questions in a row. If you’re not paying attention and you ask it again later on, you’ll make it awkward for your panelists.
It’s easy to lose track of time, so don’t be afraid to glance at your watch or have someone sitting front row giving you the 10, 5, and 1 minute countdown.
Have you moderated panels? What are your favorite tips? Have you seen any panels gone wrong? Please share in the comments!
I’ve been thrilled to be an organizer of Columbia’s Social Media Weekend for the past three installments. Below is a compilation of presentations from my talks in addition to other resources I mentioned during our Brushing Up with the Basics sessions and Social Media & Personal Branding. Share your favorite tools, tips, and takeaways in the comments!
Photo by @Belbey
NY Creative Interns is dedicated to helping young creatives discover and achieve their dream career through education, events, and networking. Since forming in December 2010, the organization has become the largest Meetup group for interns and recent grads in the country and offers a highly curated Job Board featuring the best internships and entry-level positions in New York City.
