Gal Morale's Blog

Gal Morale: Help me name my new blog

Okay....so I've decided to simplify my life. A few months ago I attended the fabulous SOBCon '08. I was immersed in the world of professional bloggers. I wrote about it here. I was pumped! I was motivated! Not only was I going to improve my blog - I was going to author more blogs! A blog about employee engagement. One about red-carpet customer service. One about travel. One about being a speaker/author. I would have blogs on MySpace, facebook....and I was going to twitter! Woo Hoo!!!

Instead, I came home and stopped blogging altogether.

And I miss it.

Yet...the thought of writing all those blogs - or even two blogs, for that matter - overwhelms me. Let's face it. I never set out to be a professional blogger. I spend most of my time speaking, and writing/promoting books...and while blogging does contribute to my business, and afford me the opportunity to establish my expertise, it is not the primary activity that sustains my business.

Up to now I've had this blog called "Gal Morale" which has focused on employee engagement. I've also had a blog which centered around my journey as the author of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service.

After giving it much thought - I've decided to combine them and write one blog only. Just thinking about it gives me peace! Aaaaahhhhhh! Gal Morale will still appear - she'll just be a "regular contributor" to the new blog.

This is where you come in.

Would you help me name my new blog?

The person who submits (in comments below) the winning name (i.e. the one I decide to go with with) will receive a free autographed copy of my book and a trip for two to the movies - complete with popcorn and soda.

Here are some things to consider when submitting your ideas:

1. The blog will focus on the following: red-carpet customer service, engaging employees (so they deliver red-carpet customer service), and anything I learn, discover, experience as a speaker/author who champions red-carpet customer service and employee engagement.

2. I use a character called Gal Morale who will "write" the employee engagement pieces

3. The name of my book is The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service

4. The name of my company is Donna Cutting Presents...

5. I'm known for: Gal Morale, The Celebrity Experience, highly interactive presentations, theatrical presentations, a new song called "I have a choice," wearing red, traveling with a red-carpet.

6. My audience is comprised of various leaders interested in keeping employees happy and productive and delivering an extraordinary experience to their customers AND others interested in my journey as a speaker and author, tips on writing, speaking, getting published, and traveling for business.

Okey dokey? I'm welcoming your submissions for the new name of my ONE blog! The "contest" will run until August 15, at which time I will choose a name and begin writing....

Thank you for helping me to simplify my life as a blogger.

Gal Morale, Private Eye

Gal Morale: Blog Talk Radio

Listen to me live today at 12:00pm EST until 1:00pm EST being interviewed by Beverly Mahone, host of "Passions," on Blog Talk Radio. We'll be talking about The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service.

Follow the link to listen online - and feel free to call in with your customer service stories.

Donna Cutting

aka Gal Morale, Private Eye

Gal Morale: SOBCon '08

This will be a slight departure from topic, as I share about the SOB Conference I attended recently. You read me right - SOB (Successful and Outstanding Bloggers). This was a gathering of people who blog on a variety of topics - including professional bloggers, experienced bloggers, inexperienced bloggers (yours truly) and would-be bloggers.  It was a pleasure to meet up with friends that I had made online, like Phil Gerbyshak, Stephen Hopson, Terry Starbucker, Liz Strauss, Steve Sherlock, and Mark Carter (Carter)...and to meet new friends like Karen Putz, John Hong, Michael Snell, Sandy and Jim Renshaw, Karen Hanrahan, and others.

I came home inspired! I was going to re-dedicate myself to my blogs! In fact, I was going to start more blogs! Woo Hoo! Instead, I've let my blogs sit untouched for two weeks. I could give you lots of reasons why - schedule, family time, speaking clients - and all would be true. Except that the real reason is that blogging somehow became a more serious venture. I left the conference with a realization of the responsibility I have as a blogger....to write well, to check the facts, to be on the cutting edge with news....and it felt intimidating. Blogs and bloggers not only report on events and news....but they influence and change events and the news....Wow! What an awesome responsibility. 

As for me, I may take some time to rethink my blogs, and make some decisions about where I want to take them.

But you might also be aware of the power of blogs...because they are only going to grow in power. Word about you and your company will spread faster and you want to make sure that word is positive. Don't be like Steak and Shake, who find themselves in the midst of a blogging nightmare because of an incident involving Deaf Mom blogger, Karen Putz. More on this later, but suffice it to say that had they simply said YES to an easy customer request, they would not have this problem. Instead, they are in the middle of a PR nightmare and could easily find themselves in a lawsuit.

On the other hand, you could take a cue from Jobing.com and Zappos and use blogs to engage your employees and invite your customers to be part of your culture. Way to go!

It will be interesting to see, a year from now, how my attendance at SOBCon '08 has affected my blogs. In the meantime, be patient with me, will you?

A shout out and a  big thank you to everyone at SOBCon '08 for your warm welcome, generosity and sharing! Can't wait for next year.

Gal Morale, Private Eye

Attendees

• Cliff Atkinson
• Shashi Bellamkonda
• JJ Betts
• Chris Brown
• Chris Brogan
• Harry Brooks
• Anita Bruzzese
• Dave Bullock
• Mark Carter
• Brian Clark
• Tom Clifford
• Clay Collins
• Valerie Combs
• Chris Cree
• Lisa Cree
• Thomas Croghan
• Donna Cutting
• David Dalka
• Kevin Dixie
• Tim Draayer
• Monica Duncan
• Easton Ellsworth
• Kevin Ferrasci O'Malley
• Jonathan Fields
• Sarah Filipiak
• Mary-Lynn Foster
• Annie Galvin Teich
• Brian Gardner
• Chris Garrett
• Jon Gatrell
• Phil Gerbyshak
• Jared Goralnick
• Karen Hanrahan
• Joseph Hauckes
• Vicky Hennegan
• Scot Herrick
• John Hong
• Stephen Hopson
• Robert Hruzek
• Timothy Johnson
• Sara
• Pete Jones
• Todd Jordan
• Bob Kakoliris
• Christine Kane
• Adam Kayce
• Kristen King
• Scott Kolbe
• Jen Knoedl
• Stephen Koernig
• Bryan Kress
• George Krueger
• Amy L
• Tammy Lenski
• James G. Lindberg
• Eli Litscher
• Rick Mahn
• Sim Margolis
• Michael Martine
• Becky McCray
• Maria Meadows
• Cory Miller
• Ann Michael
• Dawud Miracle
• Debra Moorhead
• Matthew Murphy
• Paul O'Flaherty
• Tim Padar
• Jesse Petersen
• Melissa Pierce
• Wendy Piersall
• Sandra Ponce de Leon
• J. Erik Potter
• Karen Putz
• Susan R Quandt
• Sandy Renshaw
• Levy Rivers
• Barbara Rozgonyi
• Jeff Sable
• Sheila Scarborough
• Mary Schmidt
• Derek Semmler
• Maria Sharon
• David Sherbow
• Steve Sherlock
• Brad Shorr
• Louise Silberman
• Sonia Simone-Rossney
• Julien Smith
• Stephen Smith
• Michael Snell
• Derrick Sorles
• Terry Starbucker
• Liz Strauss
• Jon Swanson
• Ruth M Sylte
• Windsor Tanner
• Michelle Vandepas
• Lorelle VanFossen
• Colleen Wainwright
• Denise Wakeman
• James D. Walton
• Randy Windsor
• Sandy Wrenshaw
• Joanna Young

Gal Morale: Short Demo Video

Our team is working on a full-fledged demo video of my speaking engagements. In the meantime, I've strung a few video clips together and posted them on YouTube.com.

These clips include a peek at "Gal Morale's " presentation - done in Keynote Theater style - where the audience is the STAR of the show.

Check out the video now!

Feel free to pass it on....

Find out more about Donna Cutting and Gal Morale.

Gal Morale: 16 PLUS things you may not know about me

I happened over to Customers are Always  yesterday, a fabulous blog written by Maria Palma on the topic of customer service. Immediately, I was intrigued because Maria was echoing my own sentiments about there being two levels to service (whether to internal or external customers) - the business level and the human level.

To engage in some "human" level activity, Maria clued us in to 16 things about her as a person. Then, I found I'd been tagged - meaning Maria was challenging me to do the same.

So here goes..with a twist. Because I'm going to tell you 20 things, using the same 4 by 4 meme that Maria used. Why? Because while my real name is Donna Cutting my alias on this blog and the character I use when I speak about employee engagement is Gal Morale. To that end....

Four Other Roles I've played besides Gal Morale

1. Elizabeth Throckmorton in the PA Renaissance Faire

2. Polly Peachum in Three Penny Opera

3. Anastasia in the play Anastasia

4. Filomena the Fairy Godmother - while I owned a children's theater company called Whimsical Notions

Four Jobs I've Had

1. Director of Activities for Parkview Retirement Community

2. A Schwepper - singing Christmas Carols in front of the Schwepp's display at a variety of supermarkets

3. Avon Lady - when I was twelve

4. Drama Teacher of adults with developmental disabilities

Four Places I've Been

1. Anchorage, Alaska - to speak, can't wait to go back.

2. Cozumel, Mexico - on a cruise with my hubby. Aaaahhhh!

3. Lititz, Pennsylvania - lived there during my stint at the PA Ren Faire and plan to move their with my hubby.

4. Seattle, Washington - took my first solo cross country trip when I was 22 years old to go live in Seattle. Loved it but missed my family and ended up moving to Florida where I met my husband.

Four Music Artists I'm Listening to Right Now

1. Josh Groban

2. Nora Jones

3. Bette Midler

4. Jana Stanfield

Four Favorite Foods

1. Clamboil - a hometown tradition in Westport, MA where I grew up.

2. Butlers Doughnuts, also in Westport, MA - the best donuts ever!!

3. Wilbur Buds - chocolate from Wilbur chocolate factory in Lititz, PA

4. Pasta - right now...whole wheat with organic sauce

Enough clues about me for now. How about I tag a few other "informants" and see what they have to say: Kim Kotecki, Phil Gerbyshak, Liz Strauss, and Terry Starbucker.

And how about you? Clue me in in the comments section below.

Gal Morale, Private Eye

Gal Morale: I'll be back

Donna Cutting, Gal Morale's alter-ego, is in Texas - for 3 speaking engagements AND working on the copy-edit of her book. This is consuming all of her time, and she will be back to her blog when the copy edit is complete.

Gal Morale: On MySpace.com

Oh, the social networking bug has caught hold of me. Now I'm on My Space!

Check my page out by following this link.

Hoping to be your "friend,"

Gal Morale, Private Eye

Gal Morale: Watch for The Celebrity Experience

Shameless Plug Alert! Announcing the impending arrival of Donna Cutting's first book! Watch for "The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service" coming to a bookstore near you in January, 2008.

Learn the secrets of companies that serve celebrities, and apply their techniques so you can treat YOUR customers like STARS. This is the definitive guide to STAR TREATMENT!

More information to come.....

Gal Morale: Out of Hiding

She's ba-aaaack! Gal Morale here, checking in after a long time away. I've been "in hiding," writing my manuscript for my forthcoming book, "The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service." Quite a journey, and it's only just begun, but after a few days off I'm slowly getting back to life as I knew it before book deadlines.

You can count on more frequent posts and new "discoveries" from me from this point forward. For today, let me leave you with a gift.

Recently, I ran across a website called www.kimandjason.com.  Kim and Jason are two amazingly creative people who have a mission to help us Escape Adulthood. In fact, that's the name of their new magazine, and the premiere issue is free for you to download!!  Just follow this link. 

I haven't met Kim or Jason in person yet, but their energy and playfulness just jumps off the page! Check out their site and "escape" if only for a little while.

Until next time,

Gal Morale, Private Eye

Gal Morale: Over and Out, Temporarily

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be out of pocket for a few weeks, and not posting to the blog.  I'm going into "hiding" to write the first draft of my forthcoming book, "The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service."  When the draft is complete, my husband and I are taking a personal vacation.

However, I'll be back with even more tips for creating the kind of workplace where employees get Standing Ovations and customers have a Celebrity Experience.

Thanks for reading!

Gal Morale