Digital Capital Week: Hugs + Positive Psychology (Part 2 of 2)

Guest post by @terryeva, a solutions architect for AOL and a social media enthusiast.

“Hugs over handshakes” is a phrase I heard repeatedly as I attended Digital Capital Week between June 11, 2010 and June 20, 2010. This simple phrase reminded me the social media landscape is not about business transactions but about communication, compassion, and community. Of course, businesses may use social media as a tool to further their business strategy and generate revenue but they must never forget in the end it is all about the consumer.  Part one of my DC Capital Week recap focused on sessions about innovation, social good and a summary of the keynote by Cammie Croft and Charlene Li. In part two of my Digital Capital Week recap, I will discuss the 140 Character Conference and Positive Psychology.

Jeff Pulver organizes the 140 Character Conferences. During Digital Capital Week, Jeff announced justcoz.org, which is an online relay system that allows individuals to raise awareness for causes by donating a tweet a day. The 140 Character Conference speakers discussed the effects of the Real-Time Internet on business. Speakers spoke for 10 minutes and keynote speakers spoke for 15 minutes.  All of the speakers at the 140 Conference were wonderful. I learned something new from each of them.  A sample selection of speakers included:

George Haines, a teacher, discussed how his 8^th grade class used Twitter to enhance their understanding of Animal Farm. Although his 8^th grade class could not travel to DC, one can view their presentation from the NYC 140 conference.  My hat is off to Mr. Haines for finding a refreshing way to make education enjoyable.

Melissa Pierce is a woman who has had many identities. She recently produced a documentary while home schooling a 14-year old.  The documentary contains interviews with Seth Godin, Tony Hsieh, Jeff Pulver, and others.  Melissa stated she did not know anything about many of these people when the twitter crowd recommended she talked to them.  She avoided researching the people she interviewed ahead of time. Does Melissa look familiar?  Perhaps you have seen Melissa, Adrienne Brawley, and Jeff sing Twitter Girl.

Blake Hall and his team run the website Troopswap. Through Troopswap, one can buy, sell, and advertise almost anything related to military life. Blake mentioned Troopswap in his speech but the real message was “Enterprise 2.0 has the potential to save American lives on the battlefield …” A transcript of Blake’s talk is available. Read the transcript and learn how a secure common social software platform can help save lives.

Innovating Around Happiness: From iPhone Apps To Company Culture & Other Findings: This session was my first exposure to Positive Psychology. The panel members were Doug Hensch, Andrew J. Rosenthal, and Shannon Polly.  Jen Consalvo moderated the panel.

The scientific, peer-reviewed research into what makes life worth living is Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology differs from traditional Psychology. Traditional Psychology tends to treat mental illness or try to find what is “wrong” with an individual.

Although I first heard about Positive Psychology during Digital Week, I later read more about it in Tony Hsieh’s book Delivering Happiness.  After I finished Delivering Happiness, I picked up The Art of Happiness, 10^th Anniversary Edition: A Handbook for Living and Positive Psychology is discussed there too.  Authentichappiness.org is a good resource for those seeking more information on Positive Psychology.  Positive Psychology methods and techniques could help managers, HR personnel, coaches, and others influence individuals to identify their strengths and work to improve them to increase their well-being.

One tip suggested is that keeping a gratitude journal helps one acknowledge the positive areas in one’s life.  Science is starting to acknowledge the link between gratitude and well-being. Gratitude journals can be handwritten journals or even online.

Digital Capital Week has been over for more than a month now. My two recap blog posts have only scratched the surface of the creative and talented individuals who made this event such a huge success. I am already ready for the next event even though it is a year away. My one request is to bring back the 140 conference.  After all, don’t you prefer hugs over handshakes?

Photo Credit: Sam Hood