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Had a decade birthday yesterday. Those are tough getting past.
This one was my 7th! Yes, this old _ _ _ _ is 70 years old. Hard
to believe!

The best part of yesterday was getting the seed of an idea that I really like and I’m
excited about. Someone mentioned saving time in a bottle - well that brought a
whole raft of memories up around Jim Croce’s song, “Time In A Bottle”..

When it came out I really enjoyed it. However, not surprisingly, I had forgotten the
lyrics. (Never happens to you, I’m sure!) Aaah! Good ole Google. I looked it up and
was surprised at how different the lyriics were from what I had remembered. The
thoughts and emotions elicited by the lyrics were also much different. The intervening
years sure made a diifference - not so surprisingly. Now, to get to the point - I’ve
made a “Top Ten” list around the “big idea” that resulted from this experience of
searching for lyrics. I present the “Top Ten” to you in the form suggestions. Here goes …

The Suggestions …

Suggestion 1: The next time you think of a song or someone mentions
it and you can’t remember the words get on your computer and go to one of the lyric
sites (I’ve provided 3 for you at the bottom of this post). Wait, wait! please read the
post first!

SUGGESTION 2: Bookmark one of those free lyric sites so you have
easy access to it whenever you are on your computer.
Take the “time” (daily?) to look up one of your old favorites
for which you have forgotten at least some of the lyrics.
Go to the site and download a copy of the lyrics. Trust me, if
you start saying the words the melody will come back as well.
The mind stores that better than the words. (MOre on that another
time.)

SUGGESTION 3: Once you have downloaded the lyrics, print them
out and put them in a 3 ring binder (so you don’t have to look them up again on the
computer.) Hey, those lyrics are a nice “legacy” to share with your family - gives
them a better feel for you and your life. Which stimulates another idea …

SUGGESTION 4: Consider having a “Favorites Party” where each
person must bring the lyrics of at least one of their favorite songs for all to enjoy.
You can add all the other “requirements” for the evening you want (karaoke solos?).
All the better if you have the music (but not totally necessary).

Suggestion 5: Make music a part of your legacy - start with the
3 ring binder - then - well you think about whatever ways you can re-enrich your
life with music. Share those ideas and the music generated with your friends and
family. Get their ideas and favorites.

Suggestion 6: When you have quiet time to yourself or with your
mate - savor the experiences, memories and feelings that have been generated by
these “music time in a bottle” experiences. “Golden-Oldies”?

Suggestion 7: Tweet about your own “music time in a bottle”.

Suggestion 8: Follow me on Twitter- @SeniorTweet and the URL:
http://twitter.SeniorTweet/.

If we are going to seriously tweet about this, a new hashtag is in order…

Suggestion 9: Let’s make a “music time in a bottle” hashtag -> #musictib - (Pronounced music-tib.)

Suggestion 10: Thank me ( @SeniorTweet ) on Twitter for coming
up with this idea.

Now I like “top ten” lists so my suggestions stop there. However, I am going to make
a “request”: please email me your thoughts and emotional responses to any or all of
these suggestions. Please email me and put #musictib in the Subject
Line of your email. My email address: valspangler@gmail.com .
Please, Please NO SPAM!

Bonus Suggestion : Yah, I know there goes the Top TEN! - -
Start putting into practice #musictib ideas. And, yes you smarties, one more tweet
strategy for your arsenal. Do you focus on the older set at all? When do people
start to reminisce about the good ole days? When do they start to forget song lyrics?
Which decade of music is your favorite?

Many thanks for your time - I hope you have experienced as much enjoyment and
positive response to these ideas as I have experienced coming up with them.

- Val Spangler, Mister Senior Blogger @SeniorTweet on Twitter.

Please follow me at http://twitter.com/SeniorTweet/

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Here are three sites off the top of a Google search results list (no quality control here):
www.elyrics.net/
www.lyricsfree.com/

www.aaalyrics.com/

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Thanks for your contribution - participation increases the value of the blog for everyone.

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Effective use of social media sites for traffic development can be a tremendous boon
to sole practitioner bloggers or a tremendous bane to them. Organization, tools and a
system followed with discipline are essential to accomplishing positive results and a
good ROI. That’s just to get the traffic. The work to get the sales is beyond that.

Today, we are just talking generally about developing a strategy for effective use of
social media. We will go into this strategy more in posts to follow. That strategy must
follow from a clear picture and plan for your mission. What are you and your writing
about? What do you want to accomplish? Know your purpose. Know your strategy.
Then go about developing an implementation plan.

On Wednesday of this week (021109), I am launching a blog called Twitter Uses.
This blog will examine the different ways individuals and businesses are utilizing
the Web 2.0 social networking site - Twitter

I am not going to go into any detail here today but I can assure you that my
research has my head spinning with the possibilities. Not only do you see the
specifics of the uses, you get a glimpse into the thinking underlying the uses and
what needs it satisfies as well as the value they add to the person or business.

It is amazing what can be accomplished through the judicious and consistent use
of those 140 character limited “tweets”. I must admit I was skeptical when I first
heard about Twitter and it took me a while to get to know how to use it and how
to observe the proper “Twittiquette” in doing so. Yes, there is some unusual
Twitter vocabulary and Twitter “shorthand” to get the most message out of the
140 characters. I know - I tend to be a bit wordy in my writing - so tweeting has
been good practice for me. One gets very careful with one’s words with a 140
character limit.

You just have to realize that the size of the message, or its format for that
matter, are not what’s important - it is the connection, the relationship being
built, the value of the link or message being delivered and the long term value
of the network being established. And, it is not just the two networks being
connected by that one tweet or the ongoing relationship - it is also the network
of networks and viral nature of these mini-messages in the context of these
networks.

I do go on - will stop here by just again inviting you to the launch on Wednesday.

Twitter Uses - http://twitteruses.com

I repeat - in surfer parlance, “Dude, this is the wave you don’t want to miss!”

Tomorrow, I’ll give you a few examples of these twitter uses to show you the
power and variety available for both business and personal purposes.

- Val Spangler, Mister Senior Blogger.

Visit - http://twitter.com/SeniorTweet

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A lot about the law is about doing the right thing under the existing facts particularly in
equity. Well, I have decided that this section of my blog is going to be dedicated to
“doing things right” and to those people I come across who are “doing things right”.

The clean hands principle: One who comes into equity must come with clean hands.

This section and the story to follow was inspired by a dream I had last night.
A very vivid dream. Let me just tell it and, then let me know what you think about it.

Vivid Dreams and Collective Bargaining.

Wow! Do you ever have really, really vivid dreams? Well. I had one last night.

You see I used to be a labor negotiator and mediator in one of my past lives.
This dream was about an experience I had after I had stopped mediating and
was just teaching about negotiations and mediation. Here’s how the dream
went …

I was attending a conference on collective bargaining. Now I don’t know
why but I was late getting into a session and was kind of sneaking into the
back of the room so as to not draw too much attention to me and my shorts
and golf shirt attire ( you get the picture).

“Sir!” “Sir!” I hear this voice coming from the front of the room and I think,
“Oh, Oh busted!” Yes, he was talking to me and worse, he was walking in
my direction to the back of the room As he drew closer, I noticed he had a
hand reaching out in my direction while he held on to the mike with the
other..What was additionally disconcerting was that he was smiling – not
a trace of malice or irritation..

When he got to me he was saying, “Ladies and Gentlemen, here is a man
you have got to meet!” Oh, Oh! Again. I hate to be made an example of
and I was sure that was the way this was going to go. But I was wrong.

He says, “Val, you probably don’t remember me but I remember you.”
Again, befuddlement. I didn’t recognize this energized young man at all.
I say young man but he was probably middle-aged - you know, anyone
not as old as you are looks young.

“Val, will you please come to the stage with me so I can tell a story about
a collective bargaining experience we had together a few years ago -
please – the participants here today will benefit.” Well, I was never one
to refuse an invitation to get on stage – even if I was wearing a golf outfit.

So up we went. We get there (he’s still holding my hand!!!) and he begins
to tell his story.

“Several years ago this gentleman was mediating a particularly nasty
collective bargaining situation in which I was involved.. We were at
impasse and had called the state agency he was working for. - for help.
He was assigned.”

“I was actually feeling sorry for him because I thought he didn’t have a
snowball’s chance in _ _ _ _ of getting our two parties to agreement.
Like most mediators do to start a mediation, Val introduced himself and
briefly gave a bit about his background and about the role of a mediator.
Val explained to us that mediators don’t have much power and have very
few rules that they can enforce. However, he said he had one rule that
he insisted upon but that we needn’t worry about it unless we came to
an agreement. So both sides raised no objection to that because neither
side expected this process to get that far – both sides had already started
making plans and preparation for a strike.

It was tough and Val worked his ass off to get an agreement. As we
wearily waited to finish up the process and get all the items initialized,
someone raised the question about Val’s one rule.

Val, with a small smile crinkling up on one side of his usually serious
face, said, ‘Oh yes.’ Will the two chief negotiators please come to the
head of the table.’ They did and actually reached out their right hands
to shake the other’s. Val says, NO WAIT! It’s time for my one rule.

We were all tired. Some thought ( I included), ‘What the hell now!’

Val says to our two leaders, “Will you two please go to the bathroom
and wash your hands before you shake? If you do and please do, I
will tell you why this is my one rule.

Both leaders kind of shrugged their shoulders and looked to their teams
with raised eyebrows. Neither said anything as they both went off to their
respective bathrooms to wash their hands. Everyone wanted this hellish
experience over and we all waited, some what impatiently, for them to return
to finish this so we could go home and get some rest.

Finally, when they returned, Val had them face each other while he
explained his one rule. - - “Folks, first, I want to thank you for all the
hard work and stress you have had to undergo through this difficult
process. Congratulations!

Secondly, hard feelings were overcome. Disagreements were resolved.
And, here we are now with your two leaders about to shake hands - -
WITH CLEAN HANDS!

There are a couple of reasons for my one rule of “clean hands”. Years ago in
law school , I learned that the courts, if they were expected to do equity,
expected the parties to come to court ‘with clean hands’. I ‘ll not trouble you to
explain all that. However, over the years, I have come to believe that this small
symbolic act is of great value in assuring the parties will live up to their sides of
the agreement.

During the life of this agreement, I hope this small symbolic act will
remind you of this difficult process that you successfully completed.
When you tell your constituents about this and respond to their questions and
complaints about the terms and details, remember this moment: Your two leaders,
representing you, their negotiating teams and your constituent members, completed
this stage of collective bargaining by shaking with ‘clean hands’.” You will find it is
much easier to live peacefully and successfully under the terms of this agreement
and the “good faith” under which it was negotiated.

The speaker then turned to me and said, “I am glad I had this
opportunity to thank you for that lesson, Val. It’s one I’ve never forgotten.”

Well, you my readers must remember that the author of this
story is an old guy. And, as you may have heard, one’s
memory sometimes falters as you get older. It is not as good as it used to be
and no better than it ever was. Also, remember that this is my recollection of a
dream I just had. Although still fresh, it was a dream, a very vivid dream.

Given my memory limitations, all I can say is that this story might actually
have happened and that the storyteller may have actually experienced it.
It may have happened. That sounded like something I might have said.
It’s easy to think I would have tried out a strategy like that.
But, remember… It was a dream and I’m an old guy. Believe it or not.

My wish for you today: That you may go through life always
acting in “good faith” and treating others with “clean hands”.

Life’s too short to live with regrets.

Val Spangler, Mister Senior Blogger.

Please follow me on Twitter: @SeniorTweet and
http://twitter.com/SeniorTweet.

P.S. Below is a cartoon I used on my Comics Cartoons and Creativity blog (The Fence Critters) to provide a visual aid to help you remember
this story and the concept of “clean hands” as a principle to live your life by.

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Just finishing posting on Gobala Krishnan’s blog a poetic response to his question,
“Do you Twitter?”.

I’ll share the little ditty - it’s not so witty - and not so pretty.
What can one expect from such a little ditty?

To help you understand this Twitter thing,
This “SeniorTweet” brings forth this borrowing
From the Noble Bard
Tis sure to make him turnover in his earthly yard:

To Tweet or not to Tweet.

To Tweet or not to Tweet.
That is the question:
Whether tis nobler to suffer alone
Their slings and arrows
Or join with all the other sparrows?
And take arms against the doubters muzzles.

And tweet, tweet, tweet about our troubles,
Victories or defeats - neither kind is near as sweet
Without the mundane sharing of one’s tweet.

Tis is a very human thing to share
The sound of words upon the air,
Or, read them - share them in this blogosphare.

- VS, Twitter url: http://twitter.com/SeniorTweet

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