Using and adapting to 'disruptive technology' for success

@Okieprof

Dave Rhea, marketing director at Phillips Murrah law firm, is the embodiment of what he preaches about having a "Batbelt" of skills to adapt and be successful in a career. He's spoken several times to #clarkclass and become a good friend, since the first time I met him as a social and digital media editor at Oklahoma City's Journal Record business newspaper.
The University of Florida journalism grad began as a recording artist and band member  with record contracts before the internet changed the industry. 

He brought that experience in "disruptive technology,"  --a new invention destroying the old business model--to newspapers in 2004, also struggling with the Internet. 

He helped New York Times company newspapers in Florida experiment with digital experiments, and working with  Journal Record its digital efforts beginning in 2008. He worked briefly at the Oklahoma Gazette before eventually being hired by the law firm to utilize his journalism skills in revamping those efforts. 

The first thing he did at Phillips Murrah was change the website, and work on twitter.  When he started a few months ago, the twitter had around 11 followers, now has over 500. He also buys ads, works on business

developments and contact management, saying business development is the future of the marketing job.
In addition to talent and skill as a journalist and adapter, he's also a master of analogies, including the "Batbelt" image.
Here are some of his comments and student debriefing notes, recorded with the help of @Cassjack12.

• Fundamentally you are telling a story
• Learn how to distribute it in order to get paid in the real world--writing-news and features-video/audio version
• Authenticity is important, make sure you can be authentic wherever you are
• Develop skills then take them with you – all lead to new functions
• New leadership trait: emotional intelligence --empathy and mindfulness Disruptive technology -- new invention coming in and destroying the old business model --Napster
• Twitter is many things to many people
• Take your things and put them on the internet and draw people in
• Twitter is like a music amplifier--Input = Output 
• Twitter is a conversation
• It's more of right in the moment conversation
• On Twitter, if you keep outing out things over and over and not having an actual discussion it won't be effective
• Twitter can be used as a distribution center
• If you had good motivation behind your tweet it is better than you just trying to get followers or more popular--they won't find any value in you
• When your output is good, people will find value in you
• Twitter can be used for A/B testing to see what works better
• Twitter can be used for #microbitching --customer service
• Authentic is eliminating the drama, seeing it and acting rationally not emotionally.
• Being authentic doesn’t mean just yelling out everything you feel 
• The way you are approaching Twitter now, is how you should approach everything 
• Continue to educate yourself.

              Student debriefing take aways

• Never finish learning, broaden your horizon-Don’t stop at college
• Try new things
• Develop the love of learning
• Be an amplifier because Twitter is a conversation
• Use it for what its meant for
• Authentic- be logical and rational and it's not spontaneous emotion
• Bad date analogy, don’t talk talk talk, there are other people out there who have a voice
• Tweet stuff to have your followers find value in you
• Have quality followers
• Twitter is like a crescent wrench, a tool to meet people
• Don’t ever tell someone they are doing something wrong but let them know what they can do better
• Just because you have a degree, you can use anything you have learned to navigate what you want your future to be
• Tell a story
• If you’re authentic, you cut out the drama
• Facebook-snail mail (you can post and respond late, things that have throughout the day) but with Twitter you miss things if you are gone for 3 hours, like a real life conversation