Ann Davison

Social Media Power at 10,000 Feet

Cool things can happen at 10,000 feet.  On an early morning Virgin AmericaFlight to San Francisco, I took a seat next to two interesting individuals open to a little airplane socializing. The gentleman works at Facebook and mentioned he just launched a page encouraging people to sign a “Stop Bullying”pledge.  After a quick visit to the site and a little friendly banter, I bet him I could get 100 people to take the pledge before we landed in SFO.  Game on! 

I got busy employing Facebook, Twitter, and my email network, as well as the Virgin on-board chat system.  My fellow Voxer Channing created a #stopbullying hashtag and we took advantage of the trending topic #IfTwitterWereHighSchool.  I also reached out to VOX friends at the American School Counselor Association and the PBS This Emotional Life community. 

This effort started at 8:30 am EST while most of my network on the East Coast is en route to work or taking their kids to school. By about 10:30 EST, the challenge was met! More than 100 had committed to be part of the effort to stop bullying, a behavior that tragically threatens lives across all ages.  From Row 25 of Flight # 67, we were able to get people to take a moment before diving into their day and think about how they might make a difference in combating this preventable illness of society.

By the end of the day, we had recruited more than 300 pledge takers.  It’s not too late to participate – go to www.facebook.com/stopbullyingspeaknowand take the pledge.  And next time you want to get the word out fast and wide about a good cause, DM me at @AnnEDavison   

Interestingly just last month I blogged in my "Stranger Danger" post about the value of chance encounters to change lives. How true.  

Post Office could default but we must save snail mail! Could ending Sat service keep us from throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

Advice to the President on Jobs

The Obama Administration is bickering with House Republicans on when he might drive down Pennsylvania Avenue and talk about jobs, and I'm sure they will sort that out. But what will the President say?  This was the subject of a distinguished panel at the Brookings Institute today. 

The panel discussion included experts on the economy, employment and tax policy and each gave not their prediction but advice on what the President should be saying. One specific suggestion which all supported was to secure authorization and funding for transportation infrastructure programs.  Obama must have been listening as he arrived moments later in the Rose Garden panel asking Congress to do just that.

I was particularly compelled by the suggestions of Adam Loooney who spoke to the importance of investing in education and training. This is a theme that resonates within the middle class across party lines and in corporate America.  Looney made a compelling argument on the ROI of these investments, but I was left wondering who exactly could provide this training.

Community colleges and even employers are an obvious go-to, but I propose we look at the Defense Department.  The Armed Services do an excellent job of taking young people with limited experience and education and providing them with valuable training and talent development. From flight instruction to procurement management, cooking to coding, the men and women of our military leave their service of duty with hard skills that can be used in the civilian sector.

So, if you are listening President Obama, how about proposing a program where DOD spends just 10% of its training budget for unemployed civilians.  And while it's tempting to start with the young people, I'd ask you consider looking at the 45 and older crowd.  People say it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  But this demographic has done it's part in paying taxes and contributing to the economy for 20+ years, and frankly it needs some new tricks if it is to continue being a contributor.  We use DOD dollars to build sustainable democracies abroad. Why not in America?