I first learned about Scott Meyer when he and his brother, John Meyer, spoke at the 2011 FutureMidwest Conference in April about marketing across the digital divide. Then, Scott was on the west side of Michigan a few months ago and made his way over to Detroit to join the Tweetea crew for a great discussion. I’ve been a fan of Scott and his philosophy on improving business through digital literacy ever since.

A little background info for you…

Scott Meyer is a bro-founder of 9 Clouds, a digital marketing and education firm that improves the digital literacy of businesses. He’s a frequent speaker and teacher and has taught around the world helping businesses and organizations of all sizes find effective digital solutions for their specific markets. He combines his passions of technology and travel by writing how to live and work anywhere in the world at 9clouds.com/blog and makes a mean Spanish tortilla.

Sounds like an interesting guy, right? Keep on reading.

Creators, entrepreneurs, artists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers will all converge on September 28 for the third annual TEDxDetroit conference, taking place at the Orchestra Hall at the Max M Fisher Music Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. What’s the goal of bringing this diverse yet interestingly similar group of people together for an entire day? To spread positive ideas for the world from Detroit.

TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) conferences aren’t like any other conferences I’ve attended. They’re eclectic and quirky, but in an engaging and inspiring way. While I’ve felt inspired after conferences like FutureMidwest and BrandCamp, TEDxDetroit conferences have produced a totally different type of creative inspiration in me. That’s why I’m looking forward to attending again this year.

To get an idea of what TED conferences are like, take a look at the diversity of 2010′s speaker lineup, which included poets, a chief science officer, a video producer, a belly dancer and a singer/songwriter. And, watch the below TEDxDetroit performance by David Blair, an amazingly talented artist who sadly and unexpectedly passed away this year.

So, what’s in store for attendees of this year’s conference? Charlie Wollborg, executive producer and curator of TEDxDetroit, was nice enough to answer a few questions about the 2011 conference.

How will the 2011 TEDxDetroit conference differ from past conferences?

Our mission remains the same. TEDxDetroit is a day for ideas, innovations and inspiration highlighting positive ideas from our city and state for the world.

Can you share any general information about the speakers this year?

The speaker names are starting to trickle out on social media and the press, but I actually like to keep them a surprise. I like folks to come in with an open mind and join us for a wild ride. This year’s program will feature Giant Robots and Tap Dancing and Cherries and Sword Fighting and Nuclear Super Colliders and Fine Art for Babies and a Gourmet Lemonade Stand run by a nine year old kid. I’m serious.

In your opinion, why is TEDx different from any other type of conference that exists?

The content. The speakers bounce back and forth between left brain and right brain. We alternate between academics and geeks and entrepreneurs and artists and inspirational human stories. It’s not a business conference, but we highlight many cool business leaders. It’s not a tech conference, but we showcase loads of interesting and innovative technology. It’s not a social media conference, but you’ll find Twitter, YouTube and Flickr ablaze with content during TEDxDetroit. Hell, we’re not even sure it is a conference. When you leave TEDxDetroit, hopefully your boundaries of possibility have been stretched and the fire in your belly has been rekindled.

What are the top reasons why someone should attend TEDxDetroit?

TEDxDetroit brings together the “charged particles” to encourage collaboration, optimism and a sense of what’s possible. I think it will ignite your passion, fill your Rolodex with interesting people, stretch your smile and give you a swift kick in the entrepreneurial ass to get moving on that big project you’ve been sitting on for far too long.

Interested in attending? You have to request an invite (don’t worry, it’s not an arduous process). Space is limited for the event because one of the goal’s of TED is to gather attendees who are as interesting as the presenters. While some may complain that this is seclusive and unfair, I’m OK with it. As long as you make an effort, you will undoubtedly meet some very interesting people at this conference thanks to the selective attendance process.

The cost to attend is only $26 (which includes lunch), and all proceeds will support charities opening children’s minds to art and technology in Detroit. More than $16,000 has been raised in the past two years from TEDxDetroit.

Seriously…why would you NOT go?!

If you’ve attended TEDxDetroit or another TED event in the past, share in the comments what you enjoyed most about the conference and why it’s worth attending.

Today’s Creative Q & A feature is with Mark Ostach, founder of mymentalspace – a free tool to help manage emotions from Internet use. I met Mark more than a year ago when he joined our conversation at Tweetea one evening. I was really intrigued by the concept of mymentalspace and how it could help people who are negatively affected by the Web. Mark has been working hard to get the tool launched, and I recently snagged some of his time to have him share more about who he is and what his company is all about.

What’s the story behind mymentalspace? How did you come up with the idea, and how long have you been working on the launch plan?

The idea started when I was studying psychology and neuroscience at Albion College. At Albion, I received a great foundation to how the human brain works and common trends in human behavior.

I also noticed trends in the way classmates and friends would use websites like Facebook, sometimes to an addictive degree. After going to Walsh College to study information systems management, I realized how I could merge the psychological aspect of treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with the curriculum I was learning at Walsh.

Last year, Chevy held a South by Southwest (SXSW) road trip challenge, and Detroit had a killer team. Killer really doesn’t even do that team enough justice. Not only did they win the road trip challenge and score us a huge bash that Chevy sponsored, but their experience proved that when combined, social media and community are powerful.

This year, I am humbled to be part of one of two teams that will be representing the D on the road trip challenge. My teammates are Jacki Halas, Brian Ambrozy and Kyle Stuef. Our friends and competitors on the other team are Joe Minock, Bobby Mercader, Shauna Nicholson and Norm Witte.

The competitor inside of me is pumped for some healthy competition against our neighbors and nine other teams across the country. I’m also excited about attending SXSW for the first time and soaking up some serious knowledge from the pros that I can apply to my job and clients. But, I’m mostly looking forward to the camaraderie and creativity that will come along with this experience.

I don’t know everyone on the Detroit teams very well, so this is an opportunity to do what we preach about at Tweetea – strengthen relationships with the people you’ve connected with online by spending time together in person. I love social networks as much as any other self-proclaimed tech nerd, but nothing will ever trump a good old face-to-face conversation. And it’s going to be real hard to not become close when you’re spending days in a car with three other people!

We don’t have all the details yet, but Christopher Barger and the Chevy team are changing up the rules this year. Like last year, we’ll compete against the other teams in challenges that will test our creativity, social media skills, spontaneity, stamina and determination. The difference this year is that there will be more focus on creativity and making winning more about quality versus quantity (probably because we drove everyone nuts with all of our tweets and Facebook posts to support the Detroit team last year!). Also, the community has no say in the judging this year. No word on the judges yet, but Chris’ teases sound very intriguing!

So while the community can’t technically vote for us this year, we know you’ll be rooting on both teams all the way! We’ve already received many kind words of encouragement and support, and I know I speak for everyone when I say that means a lot.

When Chris first presented this opportunity to me, I slightly freaked out and wasn’t sure if I could do it. Not only do I have a zillion things going in addition to work, but there’s also this small thing called a wedding that I’m planning in August. I wasn’t sure if going on this road trip and attending SXSW was the most responsible thing to do.

But then I thought about it some more. Life is short. I learned this the hard way two years ago. This will be an adventure, and I’ll create some really fun memories, make new friends and learn more to help me become better at a job that I love. Sure, my email inboxes will be overflowing and I’ll have a ton of work to catch up on when I get back. But this isn’t your every day experience. I would kick myself pretty darn hard if I passed it up. So, I’m taking a deep breath and hoping I don’t keel over from exhaustion before my wedding!

To get rewards, we must take risks, right?

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With all that exists on the Internet for people to consume, it’s not easy to create content that spreads like wildfire and grabs people’s attention. But whether you’re a marketer or a small business owner, if the people you are trying to reach spend time online, then understanding how to create signal with content (Valeria Maltoni defines “signal” as the ability to convert traffic to a website) is really important.

So, how does one successfully create the type of online content that people want to share? What we discovered during this week’s Tweetea chat is there are some core reasons why people are motivated and inspired to spread content online.

We have the Detroit in Ruins photo gallery on the Guardian’s website to thank for this lively discussion. As of today, it has been tweeted 7,234 times and shared on Facebook more than 71,000 times. Those are mind-boggling numbers! Here’s the key question this example prompted:

What motivates people to share online content?

I was feverishly taking notes of my suggestions and those of the Tweetea participators this week because I didn’t want these great suggestions to only stay within the Twitter chat. So, here are 22 reasons why online content spreads:

• It helps people improve/become better at something.
• It’s community-oriented.
• It’s innovative and unique.
• It’s all about an emotion. Thoughtful, inspiring, sad, funny, etc. Evoke emotion through content and people will share it.
• It deals with unexpected experiences. Surprise the viewer/reader/listener.
• It’s inspiring.
• It’s current and relevant.
• It’s beautifully crafted.
• It’s something people have never seen/heard of before.
• There’s a compelling message, whether positive or negative.
• It tells a good story.
• The timing is right.
• It’s something impossible to contrive.
• The site is clean and simple to navigate, so it’s easy to share the content.
• The content or site it’s hosted on has strong SEO.
• It’s a component of a well executed marketing plan.
• It tugs at the heart strings and is heartwearming.
• There’s a newsworthy angle.
• There’s humor.
• The quality is great (poor audio turns people away from your content).
• It’s accessible via mobile devices (you can’t watch Vimeo videos on an iPhone).
• People with a large community spread it.

One piece of advice kept making it’s way back into the conversation – You can’t ever guarantee that content will go viral. And if it does, that content better be part of a bigger plan to help sustain interest in the product/service/company/person long after the shiny object syndrome dies down.

What are your thoughts on online content? What’s missing from this list?

** Shameless Tweetea plug – Join us every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. either in person or on Twitter using the #tweetea hashtag for more fun and interesting convos like the one that inspired this post!

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Everyone knows someone who gives uncondtionally because they care more about others than they do about themselves. These are people who never stop trying to make the world a better place. Whether they’re helping a handful of people or hundreds of thousands, their actions make a positive impact.

Some of these people get showered with thanks and gratitude for their hard work. Others are silent soldiers who do good but don’t get rewarded as much as their counterparts for any number of reasons. From saying “thank you” to nominating someone for a prestigious award, there are a variety of ways to put the spotlight on do-gooders. I recently learned about a really creative way to recognize people who shine.

It’s called the Yellow Envelope Project. It’s an initiative started by the House of Shine, which brings together people who are committed to being their best and to bringing out the best in others. The goal of the Yellow Envelope Project is to recognize everyday citizens who make a difference. Each week, people who participate in the initiative send letters of gratitude in a yellow envelope to the selected person of the week who will receive the letters. I really like how the person of the week’s story is included so you can clearly see why this person is deserving of recognition.

Pretty creative, right? If you’re any bit inquisitive, you’re probably wondering about the story behind this project. Claudia Beeny is one of three ladies who makes up the House of Shine team, and she answered a few questions for me about the Yellow Envelope Project:

When was the project started, and what inspired you to start it?
The Yellow Envelope Project is an outgrowth of my website, www.houseofshine.com. – a website dedicated to teaching and promoting principles of excellence. We thought that one way we could promote the principles of shine would be to catch everyday citizens in the act of being excellent – of brightening their corner of the world by going above and beyond.

Our focus is very clearly on everyday citizens who go out of their way to shine. They are the teachers, coaches, neighbors, postal workers and baristas who help keep our communities going. You will never see them on the front page of the paper or the Today Show. They might never win an award or receive a plaque, but they shine because every day they get up and find ways to pour themselves into the lives of others.

We were inspired to start the Yellow Envelope Project because we recognize that shining takes effort and that sometimes going above and beyond can leave you feeling tired. We were inspired to find a way we could help keep these people motivated. Our idea is, each week, to select a winner and to flood his or her mailbox with anonymous letters of gratitude. Letters that, of course, are mailed in yellow envelopes.

How many people have nominated someone for the Yellow Envelope Project since it started?
The project has existed for a year now, and during that time, more than 100 people have been nominated. Currently, we select one winner a week, and on Saturday mornings, post a mailing address for that week’s recipient at www.yellowenvelopeproject.com. Participants have one week to write their note and mail it before we meet again the following Saturday to recognize another person who shines.

Do you have a favorite story to share about a nominator or a recipient?
A few weeks ago, we flooded the mailbox of a woman who volunteers quite a bit of her time in the neonatal unit of her local hospital. It turns out she was out of town the week her mailbox was flooded with yellow envelopes. She was visiting her grandsons, both of whom received devastating medical diagnoses that week. When she returned home she was greeted with countless anonymous letters of gratitude from around the country. That felt good.

Last weekend we sent our first letter to a teenager. Her mother wrote in telling about how her daughter ate lunch with special needs children, despite the bullying and ridicule she received from other middle-schoolers. Encouraging her at such a young and impressionable age felt especially important.

Why is spreading happiness your passion?
I think promoting excellence is more of a passion for me than spreading happiness. In a world where so many people worry only about themselves and take pride in finding loopholes or in taking the path of least resistance, I am motivated to send a different message. I am committed to harnessing the energy of everyone who believes that settling for mediocrity is the surest way to beget more mediocrity and that individual acts of excellence can eventually add up.

I want people who shine to know that others notice. I want them to know we realize how much extra energy it takes to go the extra mile and that we respect their commitment to going above and beyond. I want people who shine to have letters – physical proof – that their time on earth matters and that small gestures in small communities really are appreciated. I want them to know they are a part of a larger movement – a growing group of people committed to powering the planet with shine.

Do you have any future plans for the Yellow Envelope Project or House of Shine that you’d like to share?
We wouldn’t shine if we didn’t have big plans for the Yellow Envelope Project and the House of Shine, would we?

In the immediate future we will develop a new Yellow Envelope Project website. The site will feature Yellow Envelope Project recipients, as well as introduce readers to other ways they can join our mission to Power the Planet with Shine. We are working on initiatives that introduce concepts of shine to elementary school kids, as well as providing workshops and trainings on the principles of shine. Naturally, another goal is that each week we would have hundreds of nominations rolling in from all over the country, spotlighting people who go above and beyond.

Our plan for the House of Shine is to establish the site as a resource for people who are committed to principles of excellence. Currently, we host a daily blog on our site, but we would also love to feature vendors, products and websites that shine, offer virtual workshops and someday make our message of shine every bit as recognized as “Life is Good.”

So, how can you get involved? You can mail a yellow envelope and letter of thanks to recipients, you can nominate a recipient or you can select your own recipient. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, taking part in the Yellow Envelope Project is an awesome way to show thanks for someone who puts a smile on your face. I know who I’m nominating!

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We learn in college that we must know how to effectively communicate our skills and knowledge about the career we’ve chosen and our related experience in order to find a job. Once we start our careers, we must continue developing who we are both personally and professionally, distinguishing ourselves from the millions of other people who are in our chosen field. Essentially, we need to know how to “self-package” our unique attributes and what makes us who we are. This is personal branding.

It’s not easy to think of yourself as a brand, and I understand the notion of focusing on making an impact versus building a personal brand. Call it what you want, but we all want to be perceived in a certain way. Same thing goes for companies and brands.

The social Web adds a whole new element to the concept of personal branding. How do we stand out among the hundreds of millions of individuals, companies and brands vying for people’s attention online? How can we use the real time Web to continue pursuing our passions and achieving our professional and personal goals?

Brand Camp University is an interactive conference that aims to answer those and many other questions related to how social media has forever changed the way individuals and companies position themselves personally and professionally. Hajj Flemings founded the conference in 2008, and it will take place this year on October 8 at Lawrence Tech University.

Working in a creative industry is great because aiming high is encouraged and finding ways to successfully pull off wild ideas is invigorating. Approaching each new project with creative freedom is fantastic…except when you’re in a creative lull. You know what I’m talking about. It’s when your creative side forgets to show up to the party. Everything else is in place, but it’s like your creativity is stuck in a serious rut and needs help to get free. Sound familiar?

After the July 4th holiday this past weekend, some of my followers on Twitter who returned to work tweeted about having a hard time getting back into the office routine, or feeling like their brains were mush and it was difficult to get back in their groove. This seems to frequently happen after a vacation (which is ironic, because vacations are supposed to refresh us, right?). It’s hard to kick start our brains and get our creative and motivated sides pumping again when we just come off a relaxing few days of no work. Lack of creativity also happens when we get burnt out or become too accustomed to one way of doing things. Sometimes we get so stuck in our routine that it’s hard to look at something with a fresh set of eyes.

Those tweets got me wondering about the different approaches people take when they get into a slump and need to re-energize and refocus. I asked my networks on Facebook and Twitter and got some pretty interesting answers. I hope you can take a few of these suggestions and try them the next time your creative side is being stubborn.

The very anticipated Startup Weekend Detroit will take place May 14 – 16 on the campus of Wayne State University. For those of you not familiar with Startup Weekend, it brings together a hodgepodge of creative and ambitious developers, Web and tech geeks, startup enthusiasts, marketing pros, business developers and jack-of-all-trades. Attendees are charged with building out a business idea in one weekend (essentially 54 hours). The concept of Startup Weekend centers on learning by creating. Quick decisions and non run-of-the-mill thinking are key to Startup Weekend. The goal at the end of the weekend is to be as close to possible as launching a business.

Sounds intense, right? It is, but there will be PLENTY of fun, humor and friendship at Startup Weekend Detroit. I attended last year, and it was definitely worth giving away an entire weekend. My group’s business idea never came to fruition, but I met some awesome people who have since become close compadres.

I decided to do things a bit differently this year. As a PR and social media pro, storytelling and content creating come second nature to me. Rather than participating in the business development, I will serve as Startup Weekend Detroit’s “official” content creator on behalf of my agency, Identity, which is a gold sponsor of the event. I plan to chronicle the happenings during the three days through blog posts, tweets, photos and video.

Here’s what I want to know: What type of content do YOU want? Whether you’re attending or planning to follow along at home, I want your feedback. Do you want blog posts throughout the day that detail the groups and where they’re at with their business plans? Do you want quick two or three minute interviews with attendees? Do you want tweets throughout the day that keep you updated on the groups’ progress? Do you want to know what’s working and what’s not working as the groups hash out their business ideas? Do you want photos of Henry Balanon roundhouse kicking a drink in someone’s face (true story, that HAS happened!)? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

And if you haven’t registered yet, click here to get a move on it.

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Live to Give Foundation (L2G) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is rebuilding the state of Michigan in a personal way. The organization’s goal is to make the charitable experience more personal by showing the path of  each donation from an initial fundraiser to the final recipient it actually benefits. I first learned about L2G about a year ago when I attended a charity Tweetup that raised money for the organization. I researched it a bit more and was immediately impressed by the founders’ creative vision toward running and raising awareness about a nonprofit.

I reached out to Ryan Doyle, founder and inspiration director, to learn a little more about L2G.

How did you and the other L2G team members come up with the idea for the company?

During my junior year at the University of Michigan, I was watching a 60 Minutes special in my apartment and it dissected American economic classes as they relate to giving to charity. To my surprise, the lower class gave the more charitable contributions as a percentage of their total paycheck, followed by the middle and upper classes respectively. I thought it was so honorable that the poorest group in our country was giving more of what they had than the richest. It forced me to look in the mirror and ask myself why I hadn’t given more considering the fortunate lifestyle I was blessed with. So, I opened a Word document, starting writing and I ended up starting my own nonprofit.