Why would the City of Roanoke want to have a MySpace presence instead of just a website? Because the MySpace community produces inquiries like this…  

Jeremy Hart asked to participate in the meme a way to share information from blogger to blogger to increase traffic and exposure of a site and give a more personal touch to a blog. Here goes…

1. I eat two sugar-free Popsicles before going to bed most nights. Not sure why, just got into the habit and routine.

2. I met Michael Jordan a couple of years ago at the Water’s Edge country club where I worked growing up near Smith Mountain Lake. I finally was able to ask him about the birthday card (with money) my cousins and I gave him in 1984 when we went to see a UNC practice in Carmichael Auditorium. We gave the card to Buzz Peterson to give to Jordan and we wanted to know if Buzz ever gave him that money. I asked MJ and he laughed saying, “you gave it to Buzz?, (laughing) then I probably did not get it”. MJ also drinks Corona while puffing a on cigar while playing with a great UNC Nike staff golf bag.

3. I have worked with ESPN on a number of telecasts. The most memorable story was working the 2000 or 2001 ACC basketball Tournament in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. I was a runner that week doing a host of things, most notable hanging out with Brad Daughtery who was the sideline reporter. On Sunday morning (prior to the Duke-UNC championship game), Sports Center was doing a live piece with Dick Vitale and he was nowhere to be found. The producer told me to go find Vitale for the live interview. I found him in the Duke coaches locker room with Coach K and staff chatting and laughing.  Thus, Dookie V was born.

Now I have shared that, I must pass along this meme thread and I tap Marty Martin and Patsy Stewart

I had a chance to meet with the director and advocate of the YRichmond program that was started a few years ago to better connect summer interns to the Richmond community. Their program is sharply focused on the summer intern with the goal of kepeing them when they graduate.

A similar program was started several years ago in Roanoke, but has not reached the same level of success. One of the strongest supporters of the YRichmond program actually inquired about the Roanoke program, which started one year prior to the YRichmond program. There are a couple of reasons the Roanoke program has not reached the same level of success of the Richmond program.

First, the college student base is not in Roanoke. It is in the NRV and in Roanoke County.

Second, it is extremely difficult to identify all interns with local companies and get the intern’s contact info to invite them to such an event.

Third, some students and employers are vague on what actually constitutes a summer intern (Really, it should be any student working in the region for the summer), and therefore does not think it applies to them.

Four, you must give the college student the authority to determine what the content of these social outings will be. More mature adults cannot guess, plan an event, and then promote it. It is not as effective.

Five, we need more champions to embrace why it is important to establish intern programs (The chamber had a wonderful event some time ago helping local companies, but am not sure of the ultimate result of companies establishing programs.) and then we must rally the summer interns at each of the companies and show them others like them and guide them in discovering the things to do when not working.

Six, academic and business time do not mesh. Often times you see employers wanting an intern when the students are out of school for the summer. Now is the time to acquire the intern and to establish a program.

However, the NCTC is continuing its intern program for its members. If you are an intern or an employer wanting to use interns, then contact Cory at cory@thetechnologycouncil.com.  If you have ideas of would like to help with this effort, then it is welcomed.

The following article was recently featured in Business Week, supporting the claim that playing video games can be applied to your profession. Further, it supports our efforts and focus on holding Roanoke Game Fest 1.0  to better understand and connect gamers to the region and its employers. Last year we had close to 50 gamers attend the 31-hour event. Plans are underway to hold Roanoke Game Fest 2.0 in October.

 In the 7-part series we outlined our views on the progress of attracting and retaining young adults. Below are the 7:

1. The movement is bigger than Roanoke
2. Qualitative stories of people returning
3. Media influence
4. Champions have been established
5. It’s now a political issue
6. Employers are taking notice
7. Students are taking notice

So, what is next? What else do we need to do? Here are some suggestions.

1. Convert lip service to action. There are many people who have warmly embraced the YP movement. The real test will come when leadership positions, power/control are relinquished and true succession planning begins. We still have considerable work to do on this front.

2. A grass-roots communication system to college students alerting jobs and events.We have tried this two different times, but have not found the system that sticks yet. It’s obvious embracing and using Facebook will be at the center of any strategy.

3. Better communication to and with all people engaged in the movement.There are so many who are invovled, but we do not quite have a comprehensive list. Many lists are fragmented and incomplete due to specific interests.

4. More regional and national media pitches. Our story needs to be told to a broader audience through traditional media sources, and back that up, with a stronger online presence.

5. Sustainable assistance for the Un-Serviced Workforce. Again these are the talented people who are leaving the area primarily because neither the private nor public sector is investing in them staying. jobzcafe could be that solution, especially with a unique program called talking tuezdays.

6. Expand efforts into K12. There is a grassroots effort that is beginning to materialize to have local high school students get more involved in the process. Additionally, there are a number of other planned efforts being put in place to address graduation rates and better prepare graduates for the local workforce.

7. Keep the pressure on. The momentum must continue. All of these efforts must grow exponentially. We cannot rest on our laurels and therefore, must continue with the same energy level we have seen over the past couple years.

Again, this is just one perspective, and is certainly open for additional thoughts, ideas and plans. If you have an insight or idea, then please share.