Seattle Social Media Profiles » PR Professionals

Jeris JC Miller: The Compassionate Action Network’s Social Media Person

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:42:51 +0000

Within Seattle, it seems more and more non-profits are adopting social media into their communications arsenal. One example of this is the Puget Sound Blood Center, who’s social media person, Sean DeButts, has been doing an excellent job of using the medium to raise awareness of issues surrounding blood donations, organizing it’s members, and communicating with the public. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with another social media person doing great work for non-profit organizations in our community. Please let me introduce to you Jeris JC Miller of the Compassionate Action Network.

Thank you again, Jeris, for giving me the opportunity to come chat with you. I had a great time.

The Basics

1. What is your name?
Jeris JC Miller

2. E-mail?
dakini_3@hotmail.com or jerism@msn.com

3. What is your occupation/company?
Seattle Children’s Hospital, where I support the Chief Medical Information Officer and the Clinical Nurse Specialist Knowledge Holders in Clinical Care Guidelines and Clinical Policy web development effort.

4. Originally from? When and how did you end up in the Greater Seattle area? (if applicable)
A suburb 20 minutes south of Portland (Lake Oswego, OR).

5. How can people find you on the web?
LinkedIn, Heart of Matter Blog, Compassionate Action Network (CAN).

Social Media

6. Why do you like social media?
I honestly believe that Seattle is ground zero for a 21^st-century, humanistic, social media revolution. I believe that Seattle is poised to lead the way in a new kind of technology revolution based on sustainable business practices and commerce balanced with compassion.

7. How do you utilize social media?
At the moment, I am focused on digital storytelling in a variety of formats. I am also filming humanitarians and insightful scientific thinkers and podcasting their seminars.

8. What is one thing that mainstream population should know about social media?
That beneath the apparent noise, there is a subtle organization.

9. If people follow you on Twitter, what can they expect?
I tell the truth from the center of my heart… it’s the best I can do.

10. How would you describe the social media scene in Seattle?
Ripening into an explosive global force.

11. Do you remember your social media “wow” moment? What was it?
I was sitting in front of TweetDeck one night and experienced a “perceptual shift” or an “Aha” moment… I was sitting back watching all of these amazing, unique, and brilliant people connect and converse with one another in very simple clear statements. I perceived a subtle underlying organizing order beneath the apparent “chaos” of “Twitter noise.” ”What a repository of original thought!… It’s poetry in motion!” That was my “Aha” moment!

12. Are you currently working on any projects which involve the use of social media? If so, what are they?
Digital storytelling projects on behalf of CAN and filming and podcasting humanitarians and global thinkers.

13. Are there any social media events or conferences in the future you would like to let people know about?
#sxswi Austin, TX. Gnomedex.

Just For Fun

14. What are your hobbies?
Writing, photography, meditation, yoga, bicycling, wine (Pinot Noir).

15. Favorite vacation spot?
France, Dharamsala, India, and Bhutan.

16. Things to do there?
Barge trip through Burgundy while I bicycle between Chateaux!

17. Favorite restaurant in Seattle?
Dahlia Lounge (If I’m in the mood for art food).

18. What is your favorite food?
Salmon and crab.

19. Favorite things to do in Seattle in the summer?
Bike over to Discovery Park; listen to amazing music all over this city!

20. Most embarrassing CD you own?
Undoubtedly something by Sting… if my punk friends knew, they would confiscate my black nail polish….

21. Any hidden talents?
None that have manifested so far… but I’m a work in progress… you never know!

22. What would you like everyone to know about you? Other interesting facts?
Although I am a very ordinary person, I have an extraordinary gift of being at the “right place, at the right time, with the right skills.” As a result of this gift, I have worked with and been influenced by some of the most visionary thinkers of my generation:

His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama and His Holiness the XVII Karmapa
I have been very gifted to receive Chenrezi(g) Vows, whose root teaching is Compassion from the Dalai Lama (1993) and the 17th Karmapa (2008).
Lynn Margulis
Co-Author of the Gaia Hypothesis (with James E Lovelock). Margulis & Lovelock’s pioneering non-linear dynamical system research on the interconnection of the earth’s biosphere with the world’s oceans provides much of the scientific underpinning for Al Gore’s Earth In Balance and An Inconvenient Truth.
Riane Eisler
The Chalice & the Blade and The Real Wealth of Nation’s author provides a compelling look at re-thinking prehistory and the rise of dominator cultures to the present while challenging our existing notions of what an American Partnership System of Governance could look like.
Ellen J Langer
Renowned Harvard Social Psychology professor and Counter Clockwise author, whose groundbreaking research on aging determined that much of our culture’s aging process is dependent upon social cues!
Richard J Davidson: Pioneer of the field of Affective Neuroscience
I first saw Dr. Davidson present his breakthrough research results at MIT in 2003 at a Mind & Life Institute Conference with the Dalai Lama. Davidson’s research suggests that advanced meditation practitioners develop synaptic connections, which introduces the notion of brain neuroplacticity as well as highly stabilized cognitive brain states in advanced meditators.
Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins
I have been heavily influenced by DC hardcore’s dynamic duo MacKaye and Rollins. MacKaye left Teen Idles and went on to found Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens, and Discord Records, and Rollins went from the Idles-sometimes-roadie to SOA, Black Flag, Rollins Band, Spoken Word, and hosting The Henry Rollins Show on the Independent Film Channel. MacKaye and Rollins are founders of DC Hardcore Straight Edge DIY movement, which significantly influenced Noah Levine and Brad Warner’s Dharmapunks writing and my own dharmapunXX writing which also borrows heavily from Olympia, WA, RiotGrrrl.

Jeris JC Miller Links

Eric Berto: Seattle’s Geek Giant

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:02:04 +0000

Driving among Volkswagen Bugs and finding a Sherman tank-that pretty much describes the first time I ran into Eric Berto. It was at an SMC Seattle event and, despite having had encountered “the Geek Giant” online several times, it had not occurred to me that maybe his Twitter handle was more than just a clever name. Let me assure you: It is not.

At a towering 6′8″, Eric is a hard guy to miss in Seattle’s social media community (especially next to this Asian guy). Currently working as a Corporation Communications Manager at Right90, Eric is a regular at many of the social media events held around Puget Sound. He also attended Chris and Ponzi Pirillo’s Gnomedex conference as well as the last SXSWi. When he’s not working from his home in Kent, he can be found rooting for the Seahawks at the Hawk’s Nest in Seattle.

If you see Eric around, definitely say “Hi” to him. He’ll be more than happy to talk social media, Seattle sports, and beer with you.

The Basics:

1. What is your name?
Eric Berto

2. E-mail?
ericberto@gmail.com

3. What is your occupation? Company?
Corporation Communications Manager at Right90.

4. Originally from? When and how did you end up in the Greater Seattle area?
Grew up in Ojai, California, but have been coming to the area every summer since I was six. Moved up here full time in 2000 and graduated from Western Washington University.

5. How can people find you on the web?
The Geek Giant Blog

Social Media:

6. Why do you like social media?
I like the fact that it is totally opt-in. You get out of it what you put into
it. Since social media is totally passive, it allows those that hustle to rise
to the top.

7. How do you utilize social media?
I’m (a little too) active on Twitter, I occasionally blog and my day job allows me to implement some of these same methods as part of a sound public relations strategy.

8. What is one thing that mainstream population should know
about social media?
It’s OK to be yourself.

9. If people follow you on Twitter, what can they expect?
It’s like mining for gold. You sift through the rest of it and you’re bound to find a nugget. Oh, and Seahawks talk too.

10. How would you describe the social media scene in Seattle?
Diverse array of interests. It’s still social networking here, instead of
social marketing.

11. Are there any social media events or conferences in the future that you would like to let people know about?
I’m pretty easy to pick out of a crowd, so you’ll be able to find me wherever I’m at.

Just For Fun:

12. What are your hobbies?
Die-hard Seahawks fanatic; I’m as much of a beer geek as I am a grammar geek; housework; and I am learning some hunting skills.

13. Favorite vacation spot? Thing to do there?
Anywhere warm, with a beach and Cuban cigars.

14. Favorite restaurant in Seattle? Favorite food?
My kitchen, but it’s in Kent. In Seattle proper, I’ll have to go with the Hawk’s Nest, the only true Seahawks bar in town.

15. Favorite things to do in Seattle in the summer?
Mariners games; fishing; camping; working on my house.

16. Most embarrassing CD you own?
What is this CD you speak of? I’d have to say Backstreet Boys “Black and Blue.” I’ve also been to a Britney Spears concert.

17. Any hidden talents?
I am able to write press releases faster than a speeding bullet. I can
launch a blog in a single bound. I am stronger than a mass-pitched press
release.

18. What would you like everyone to know about you?
I like turtles.

Eric Berto Links:

Eric Berto at Gnomedex

Sarah Zaenger: PR Professional, Social Media Enthusiast, & All-Around Smiley Person

Kenji Onozawa — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:42:44 +0000

The Seattle social media scene can be described as many things, but at the very least it can be called welcoming, dedicated, and passionate. Within our community, you will find tons of active professionals and enthusiasts of social media who enjoy meeting new people, engaging in great conversation, and exchanging ideas, all while laughing over a tasty (preferably malty) beverage. I think the perfect example of one of these people is Sarah Zaenger, a person who you should definitely get to know.

For those of you who haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet Sarah, quite simply, she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Currently working as a part-time PR associate at Shiftpoint Strategies, Sarah is a person passionate about social media and the opportunities it can present. When asked where her passion stems from, she says she is amazed by social media’s ability to connect people who wouldn’t otherwise communicate together. She says, “It breaks down the traditional hierarchies and allows access to people I wouldn’t normally be able to meet.”

When Sarah isn’t out in Seattle as a self-proclaimed, underemployed PR professional (as well as a full-time job hunter), she can be found writing on her blog, which she calls “My Experiential Learning.” Here, she talks about a vast spectrum of topics, taken from both her professional and personal life, ranging from public relations to living in Seattle and everything in between. What she ultimately hopes her readers take away from her blog is “Life is full of learning experiences.” I, for one, couldn’t agree with her more.

If you’re interested in meeting Sarah, she likely can be found at the monthly Social Media Club Seattle meetings, among other events held around Puget Sound. When asked about our area’s social media community, she says “Like any scene in Seattle, it seems tight-knit. The great thing about this is that people who are willing to come out and network at frequent Tweetups will have an excellent opportunity to get to know a diverse group of people really well.”

As you can see, Sarah is an active and engaged member of Seattle’s great social media community and is someone I hope you will eventually get the opportunity to meet in the future. I would also like to note that she is actively searching for full-time work and if you know anyone who is hiring, she can be reached at szaenger@gmail.com. You can also find her on Twitter (www.twitter.com/sarahzaenger) where she tweets about healthcare, social media, and “what I’m doing.” In addition to her personal tweets, she is also the Twitter person for the Public Relations Society of America – Puget Sound Chapter (www.twitter.com/PRSAPugetSound).

Other Fun Facts About Sarah Zaenger

She worked in Armenia for two years with the Peace Corps.
Her favorite hobby is making homemade greeting cards.
Her favorite vacation spot is Costa Rica, where she lived for a short time after college.
She loves sushi and Chipotle burritos.
She enjoys walking on the path by SAM Sculpture Park.
She likes going to bed early and waking up before the sun.
She has kept her New Year’s resolution three out of the past four years—this year’s resolution is to read the Bible in chronological order.
She runs so that she can eat dark chocolate to excess.
She can speak Eastern Armenian.
She loves tea parties.

Sarah Zaenger Links

VIDEO: Sarah Zaenger Interviews Chris Brogan at IABC Seattle.