#Avgeek Abundance - Flight #1

I am a member of an avid and ever-growing community. The community otherwise known in aviation shorthand as avgeeks (aviation geeks) or propheads (propeller heads). We're a community of diverse and varied interests, but therein lies a common theme of admiration for aviation and aircraft.

A few days ago I summoned an all call to the social crowd to see if any community members would want to be interviewed. The response was overwhelming and positive. So today I unveil the first of many interviews that I received back in response to my investigative questionnaire. I will not alter the responses in any way, shape or form because I find them to be most interesting (and hopefully you will too) in their pure, unadulterated form.

First up in the series is Paul Thompson. Paul self describes as a photographer, traveler, blogger, aviation geek and sports fan. Already acquainted with Paul? Than maybe you'll learn a few new tidbits, or if you don't know him, allow me to introduce him:

Paul, when did you first discover your passion for the aviation community?

My love for aviation began at a very early age. My Dad worked for Southwest Airlines since shortly before I was born, so my first commercial flight took place when I was only a few weeks old. One of my earliest aviation memories was at about age 2, flying around in a Cessna 172 that he co-owned. We would go from the desert scrub of El Paso, TX to the mountains of Ruidoso, NM where my grandmother lived. In addition, when I was in kindergarten my Dad would lead my class on tours of Houston's Hobby Airport, where we would get to see the operations behind the scenes and tour the 737 cockpit. I found it all so fascinating!

Do you or have you had an aviation hero? Who?

My Grandfather Gene "Hack" Hackney is my aviation hero. He was a Navigator on the B-17 during WWII. He lied about his age and enlisted just to serve his country. He successfully completed a tour of 35 missions in Europe, guiding a severely crippled plane home on more than one occasion. The things he and his crew experienced - at such a young age - are amazing. I always admired him for that.

In your opinion what makes you or someone an aviation geek (avgeek) or propeller head (prophead)?

An avgeek / prophead is someone who just can't be around planes enough. They have a constant desire to fly. They can easily identify many aircraft types. They probably have a collection of photos, books and/or models of planes at home or work. (I have 37 models of various airlines at my work desk). An avgeek is someone who gets distracted at the sound of a plane flying overhead or daydreams at the sight of streaming contrails.

Why do you recommend that your friends and family become avgeeks or propheads?

There is so much about aviation that is fascinating. First of all, the physics of flight just seems magical to me. Next, there is the engineering of the planes themselves. The aerodynamics, the airframe design, and the intricacies of the controlling electronics and engines... WOW! I think so many people take all of this for granted without appreciating the brilliant knowledge that goes into designing, building and flying planes.

What are the biggest challenges facing the aviation industry today in your opinion?

The biggest challenge facing the aviation industry is the push-pull pricing battle between airlines and customers. People must understand that airlines are in business to be profitable, like every other business. For the last 10 years or so, the public has had very little flexibility in how much they are willing to pay for a plane ticket. Yet during this period, airlines' operating costs have continued to rise due to labor cost, fuel and other forces. Airlines have been forced to reduce amenities like meals and free checked luggage in some cases. In other cases, airlines have added fees for what should be considered simple customer service. These fees have only increased the animosity between passengers and the airlines serving them.

Take flight, share something about yourself that you don't think was covered in these questions...

Part of my avgeek-ness is that I'm also a planespotter, which is someone who photographs planes as a hobby. I've been honored to be published in some internal magazines and calendars at Boeing and Southwest Airlines, as well as Airways Magazine and USA Today. Some of my biggest photo accomplishments were that I was able to publish some of the first photos of Southwest's "Slam Dunk One," "Maryland One," "Illinois One," and "Florida One" to the internet before anyone else.

Those of you that know Paul, did you learn something new about him? If you're not already an #avgeek or #prophead has Paul convinced you of the merits of joining the community?

Are you interested in participating in this #Avgeek Abundance series, tweet me at @airport_girl for more information.

Blogging Entropy ends with Christmas Ponderings

To begin with, it would seem that I've lost all energy and momentum for maintaining my blog of late and for that I apologize to anyone that may take the time to follow my posts.

Usually I finagle as much snark into my posts as possible, but alas that is not the case today. Instead I'd like to take pause and reflect on the meaning of the season upon us.

I've been saddened to watch consumerism run its stealthy course through the ranks of social networks, broadcast advertising, and the like. Christmas is not found under the tree, or in brand names, or in the number of techy gadgets amassed... it's found in the hearts and spirits of those in our families, friends, communities, congregations, etc.

Christmas had become commercialized, consumerist and cold. No, Baby it's Cold Outside is not the cold I reference. I am referencing the coldness that leads to all too quickly forgetting the Reason for the season.

So I challenge to you ponder, what are you doing to hold true to the Real meaning behind our celebration of Christmas?

Friday's Thought

Is the population of your own world more than just you?

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. Helen Keller

attitude is everything?

Instead of actually being a blogger, I feel like a blogging poser for how infrequently I keep after my personal blog.

Of late, it's been work, work and more work. But, that's okay because these Milton Hershey students need my time more than I do. I love a job that puts me in the same space with my hubby, doing something that is worthwhile and we enjoy, for 54 hours straight. What right do I have to complain? As W. Bagebot said, "The essence of work is concentrated energy." We've been concentrating quite a bit and using a lot of energy!

What is work? According to the dictionary, work is exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil. Ooh, that sounds delightful! It's all up to you though. The difference betwixt I want to and I have to is your attitude. Jim Stovall wrote in his book, the Ultimate Gift, "He who loves his work never labors." Even if you don't love what your doing, can you still choose to like it? Can you choose to want to go into the office and give it your best?

Winston said it best, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." Thank you, Mr. Churchill. I'm not saying situations are always rosie and that you should be positive all the time. If unethical, illegal, etc activities are taking place at your place of employment, an "I don't want to be here or involved" stance makes sense! But what about all the other occurrences when its not warranted, but you still have that chip on your shoulder, you procrastinate, or whatever other unpleasant attitude that comes to mind? Are you choosing to look for the good?

I leave you with this closing thought from Francesca Reigler as it nicely packages the point of this post, "Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."

*disclaimer: this post is as much a self-talk message, as a note to the reading public. I am by no means the positive attitude princess.

Fireworks of a Different Kind...

While our wedding was 10 years ago, the celebration continues to this day.

Today is the my tenth wedding anniversary and also the 234th celebration of our nation's independence. I cannot think of a better day to get married on, for each year the celebration is a real "blast"! (Please tell me you appreciate a dry sense of humor; the joke was borrowed from my hubby, Hans!)

We had a beautiful afternoon wedding in a wedding chapel nestled deep in the heart of our county, and shared the day with our cherished family and friends. The journey from that day until now, like any marriage has been full of work, cheer, growth, and reward. It's uniquely ours and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

While we reflect on the days behind us, we walk hand in hand toward the journey that is in store for us. The element that weaves commonly throughout the journey? Love.

Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

When is your anniversary? Do you share it with an national holiday, or other significant occurrence?

Mechanics of Social Media

I like social networking, but what do I like even more? Learning about it from professional strategists that have full time hours to immerse themselves in all aspects of the various media. I pay close attention to a number of the "big names", in hopes of finding the golden egg, the silver lining, etc that I sometimes miss due to not having 50, 60, or even 70 hours a week dedicated to strictly tweeting, facebooking, blogging, etc. My job responsibilities are a blend of the traditional, new media, public relations, communications, and more.

I've sat through many webinars, am a member of the Inbound Marketing University graduates, know the ins and outs of SEO/SEM, have a love/hate relationship with Google, and other miscellany know-how that you'll hear shared by those making a career out of social media. You can know all of this, be credentialed with the best of them, but if you don't know how to build relationship and function as a member of a community, you've not got much of a foundation.

All of this to say, there are a few tenets that were shared in a recent webinar I attended, that I'd like to share with you. The host of the webinar was Peter Shankman, an internationally known social media strategist. I've read the books & blogs, taken the classes, and picked many a brain over a cup of coffee, but think these points from Shankman are the clearest communication I've heard on the mechanics of social media, to-date.

• Now anyone, thanks to social media, can have a soapbox. problem with this? Not everyone is interested in listening. Be relevant.
• Social Media Rules of Engagement: transparency. relevance. brevity. connect with your audience.
• Remain top-of-mind by finding 10 different people in your network everyday and saying "hello" to them.
• Be a provider of "Finders Candy": finding something interesting and posting it to twitter and Facebook.
• Limit the number of posts, tweets and content that start with "I".
• Everything you post increases or decreases the credibility of your personal brand.
• It's never anyone else's fault if you're not perceived as you want to be.
• Your personal brand is your professional brand nowadays. There's little difference any longer in this digital age.
• Ask yourself: What value can you offer in everything that you post?
• Say thank you! Thanking people is the most underrated action in the world.
• If you don't have passion for what you're doing, don't bother promoting it.

The emphasis on the latter two points is because I find these to be the two guiding principles that most businesses forget. Don't use social media just to keep up with the Joneses, and avoid being status quo. People will follow your content, and it's your privilege to have those followers. Remember to thank them!

What do you think is missing from the mechanics and tenets of this post? How do you insure that you're not just vanilla in your approach to social networking?

Yes, laughter is the best...

I leave you with this parting thought on Friday afternoon.... don't you dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives?