Second Night of the Class for Digital Dinosaurs
by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 12/03/08 at 3:17 pm
Second night of Shelly Palmer’s “Upsize Yourself” course, designed for the “45 and F****d” person who wants to know what the twentysomethings know about the digital life and what it means to today’s careerist.
With Shelly’s blessing, I Twittered throughout class and took some additional notes.
This will be a challenge for every presenter/content creator – your material escapes. You can’t keep your speeches in the hall – they’re online before the applause dies.
Shelly knows it, but he’s also aware that he has unique value, so he says to the Twitterers: Bring It On.
Shelly is my new “Relishes The Truth” hero: He says, “I want the bad news, and I want it fast, furious, and in my face.” He can take it. He craves it. He can’t do anything about what’s wrong unless he knows what it is. I love him for that. If the students in his classes learn nothing else, their lives could be changed for the better simply by following Shelly’s fearless example: relish the truth. WANT it. BEG for it. Learn from it and be healed by it.
Shelly invites the analog dinosaurs among us to face the brutal truth about their own skill sets in today’s world.
What do the digital natives do better than I do?
What is the value of technology?
What am I trying to accomplish?
Shelly says EVERYBODY’s different. Who are YOU? What are you trying to accomplish for your unique self in your unique life? What’s your brand statement?
He invites you to look truthfully at your middle-aged self and what you bring to the table. Are you a:
Wizened warrior? You’re a veteran who has seen it all. That brings benefits and burdens.
Fierce competitor? You’re mid-career but still full of fight and ready to take on the challenges.
Colleague? At any age, you’re a good old boy/gal hanging on, hoping the network will take care of you Dumb old guy/gal? You are truly clueless and almost useless in today’s workplace.
In assessing your status, where are you in the five stages of career life?
There’s “Who is Shelly Palmer?” when you’re an unknown.
Then “Get me Shelly Palmer!” when you’re hot “Get me a Shelly-Palmer-type!” when you’re too hot/expensive for most “Get me a young Shelly Palmer!” when your sell-by date is approaching And finally, you’ll eventually return to the place you started: “Who is Shelly Palmer?”
When people ask “Who is ___?” today, they ask Google, so you’d better control what Google is saying about you.
Shelly gives a quick lesson in “Google optimized prose” in which you write to match the way people are searching.
Shelly’s motto: “Don’t make it English, make it Google!”
And he admonishes you to be “digitally honest,” meaning, don’t create a digital identity just because you think you “should.” Don’t pretend to be a digital citizen. If you’re among the natives, you’ll be busted so fast if you are simply pretending to be someone who has a digital life. If you blog, blog regularly. Keep your site updated and fresh. Recognize that what’s out there is OUT THERE and it’s forever. Get comfortable with who you are – because chances are you’re going to get feedback: fast, furious, and in your face.
Shelly Palmer is preaching a modern gospel for a digitally illiterate generation in need of salvation.




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