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July 21, 2009

I'd love to go into the office this afternoon, but it's 1,000 miles away. I try get to Nashville a few times a year and do actually work in the office with my colleagues, but the rest of the time I'm working remotely -- alone -- in Austin, Texas.

But don't believe for a second that being out of sight means that I'm out of mind. Nor does it mean that the rest of the Hammock team isn't on my radar.

Hammock is a big believer in embracing the technology and tools that bring people together, so on a daily basis we use an arsenal of those tools to stay connected across the miles. Some employers might wince at the idea of opening networks -- and thus the lines of communication -- to such ideas. But I for one can tell you that doing so is a must if you want to cultivate the relationships you have with remote employees.

Here are just a few of the things that make me feel like I'm right there in the office with the rest of the team every day:

• The phone. (Of course.) Every Monday morning the Hammock staff gets together in the conference room to go over production deadlines for the week, project updates, who'll be out of the office, and what movie recommendations we have from the weekend. My phone rings around 9:30 so that I can join in on the conversation. I'm also able to follow along on the agenda and see any Web page that they may open by tapping into screen-sharing between here and there.
• Instant messaging. Everyone at Hammock is on iChat. If I have a grammar quandary to debate with Emily or a headline-writing question for Bill, IMing them to chat for a moment is a perfect option. It's faster than email, it's a real-time conversation, and it keeps me connected to all of them as individuals.
• Yammer. We use Yammer internally like a private Twitter or a group iChat. Again, it's real-time, can be used between any number of employees at one company, and we can create and join different groups for specific projects so that chatter about one project doesn't become noise to someone not involved in it.
• Flickr. Although we have a group presence on Flickr, many of us also have personal photostreams. While that may not sound like it keeps us connected and productive for work, it does help me to feel personally tied to my coworkers. I learn things through Flickr that I simply don't learn during our Monday-morning phone calls: the crazy antics of Megan's cats, how many tomatoes have been harvested in Rex's backyard and what Ben wore to a recent concert.
• Google Docs. In a word: fabulous. Google Docs allows us to all work from one document -- and we can all view it at the same time -- without emailing it back and forth and wondering who has the latest and greatest version. From text documents to spreadsheets to website wireframes, Google Docs allows us to all stay on the same page.
• Twitter. Ahh, Twitter. It's entertaining. It's silly. It's helpful. And it's a great tool for helping me feel connected across the miles. From finding sources for stories to taking quick polls to sharing ideas, we use Twitter for a variety of reasons. But for me personally, it's just one more way that I can stay connected to coworkers in Nashville.

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June 22, 2009

One of the best parts of my job here at Hammock Inc. is getting to grab my camera, photograph a person that I might never run across in my everyday life, and learn a little bit about them while I interview them for an article for one of our client magazines.

This morning, I got to do just that.

I spent a few minutes with a local toymaker, taking pictures of her skilled hands at work, learning about the local materials she and her husband use to make their toys, and talking to her about their business and how they got started 34 years ago.

And the whole time, my iPhone was working, recording every word. I didn't have to worry about writing down every single word as she answered my questions. We just visited like newfound friends with a common love for wooden toys, and my little iPhone captured it all for me with an app called Recorder.

There's an app for almost everything you can image: finding a restaurant, finding your car and even finding a date. But when an app can help me get my work done in an easy and efficient way, I just have to share!

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July 7, 2008

You've heard us talk about Twitter before, and you probably know we're big believers in social networking and love trying out the tools made for bringing people together. But in addition to providing breaking news and making business contacts, I learned last week that Twitter can be also used for a greater community good.

In the span of just three days, a few folks tweeting in Austin, Texas, decided they should do something to help the community, and the idea for the first-ever Austin Blood Drive Tweetup was born. I signed up to donate with the first "tweet" that I read.

The blood drive was Thursday, July 3, and from what we hear from the Central Texas Blood and Tissue Center, they saw more first-time donors that day than they had in ages and the total number of donors was more than double that of a normal Thursday. Just in time for the July 4 holiday weekend.

Read more about the event, including the initial planning, from the one of the tweeting event planners, Michelle Greer.

And if you're just starting to tweet and want to follow someone who donates blood, takes pictures of her pets and loves Nashville and Austin equally, you can find me @summerh.

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Summer Huggins

Conversational Media Director

o: 615.690.3428

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