Shauna Moerke is…

So it’s 5 am, I find myself sitting in bed in a much too big suite at The Wit Hotel now that I’m by myself and I’m having problems falling back asleep. Not because I’m not tired, I am most certainly that. And not because I’m missing my BFF April, even though I already am. You see, the last few days here in Chicago have been a whirlwind of activities and emotions and they are all jostling around in my head for attention. I”m thinking that I need to pull some of these thoughts out and by writing them down, be able to not only organize them in my brain, but also be able to get some more sleep before I drive home. You all just get to be the recipients of such thoughts so lucky you.

Here are some of my thoughts on HRevolution:
- The HRevolution committee did an amazing job putting everything together and their hard work is evident in how effortlessly everything seemed to fall into place from the perspective of an attendee. It takes a lot of hard work to make things run that smooth.
- The location for the event was top notch (Catalyst Ranch) and really drove home the the fact that this was an unconference and the old conference rules did not apply. The “feel” of the event was more dynamic and different right from the start due to this and I felt the difference over last year, when it was in a hotel ballroom, immediately.
- With almost 3x as many attendees here this year there were a lot more voices to be heard, people to meet, and conversations to be had. The only downside is that last year I was able to personally chat with everybody, even if only for a couple of minutes, and this year I didn’t come close to that try as I might. And I did try. And try. So if you attended the event but I didn’t get the chance to chat with you, and even if I did, please take this as an open invite to reach out to me. I’ll be doing the same.
- Cupcakes and maple bacon popcorn rule. #justsayin
- I can’t believe I missed a chance to ride in a mini cooper with Crystal Peterson and Jason Seiden. Still kicking myself over that one.
- Shenanigans were had, oh boy were they, and sometimes I wonder how you guys put up with a dork like me. I appreciate the indulgences on your part for the crazy antics.
- Next year there needs to be a nap room because some people, i.e. me, can and will fall asleep in the “sausage room” on a scratchy floor if they have too but they would prefer something a little more comfortable.
-I loved the interactive nature of the tracks, how the attendees were pushed to be creative, how freely people questioned, spoke up, and challenged each other. The conversations were lively and I felt I got at least a few great concepts out of each session I attended.
- You can’t come to an unconference and just do the event itself. You just can’t. The value of all the tweetups, spur of the moment sightseeing, running into people in the lobby or on the street, etc. is not often apparent, but it is there. The socializing aspect is critical. It helps you break the ice, get to know people better in different contexts, and is another way to deepen your relationships with them. Miss out on that and you miss out on a large part of the overall experience. You can learn more about someone and who they are in a quick run to the deli across the street than you would in the short time between tracks as you move between rooms.
- Upgraded hotel rooms rule. #justsayin
- Don’t be afraid to hug people. I will hug you.
- The HR Happy Hour was a little rough this week as we went live from the #MonsterSocial tweetup but it wouldn’t be our show without craziness, technical difficulties, and laughter.
- I came to the event with some specific goals in mind and I accomplished almost all of them. Having that focus was very helpful when there is much to do and less time to do it in, but I’m glad I also stayed flexible and didn’t plan out every second.
- BFF’s rule, making new BFF’s is even better, and stealing other peoples BFF’s is best of all. #justsayin
- #hashtags are now part of my everyday conversation and are awesome, even if only social media geeks like those at this event know that I’m using them.
- Despite the coolness of online relationships, there is no replacement for meeting someone in real life.

Ok, ok, I think that is enough of a brain dump for now that I should be able to get back to sleep. Better formed and more cogent thoughts from the event will be coming your way in the future so please look forward to it too!

For the last few weeks I have been suffering from barely contained excitement. I’ll be walking along, living my life, when all of a sudden I just feel like jumping up and down like a 5 year old about to go into Disneyland. What is causing these strange and sudden bursts of joy? HRevolution 2010, that’s what. Dudes, I don’t know if I can express how much I am looking forward to this unconference. I was lucky and able to attend the first one last November in Louisville and ever since I have been looking forward to the next one. What has me so hooked? The first HRevolution really impressed me. The conversations (both in and outside of the sessions), the sense of community, the live on-location HR Happy Hour show, meeting so many great people face to face after chatting online for so long, and yes, the fun. How could I not get hooked?

HRevolution 2010 takes place May 7-8 in Chicago and as of this posting, only 46 tickets are left! Go here for more details, to check out who’s already signed up, and to sign up yourself. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. But if you are still on the fence, then you need to check out the HR Happy Hour this coming Thursday, March 25th, for a special HRevolution preview show. Big props to the whole HRevolution crew (Trish Mcfarlane, Ben Eubanks, Steve Boese, Crystal Peterson, Jason Seiden, Mark Stelzner, & Joan Ginsberg) for all the hard work they do!

On a related note, my #BFF and #ConferenceSpouse April Dowling and I are thinking we might need an official Conference Chaperone. First of all, with so many awesome people coming, we need someone who will keep us from geeking out on them when we meet. First impressions and all that. Second, we anticipate many shenanigans will be had. Shenanigans I tells ya! What with the tweet ups, #BFFstealin, a really fun back drop like Chicago, and our proclivity towards using explosives, we may need someone to make sure we don’t get too out of hand. And finally, we wouldn’t mind having someone else to gossip with who thinks our crazy antics are cute. Finding us cute is a critical aspect of the position. We are now accepting applications for this exciting role, and offering a competitive compensation package (i.e. Chocolate). Dudes, let’s do this!

Hi everyone! I just have some quick bits of information that I want to get out to you all, so please bear with me. I promise I will be back to our regularly scheduled minion-ness in the next post.

First up, I will be in Chicago (finally!) January 6th-10th on a secret mission. However, said mission will only occupy the afternoon of the 6th, so the rest of the trip I have nothing but time! I already have Jason Seiden, Sarah White, and Charee Klimek on the hook for keeping me entertained. So if you live in or around Chicago, let me know and we can hang out.

Second, if you aren’t really sure what all this HR Happy Hour talk is about, and not sure if you want to know, well never fear, I have you covered. Go here so you can learn what it’s all about and get caught up on all the basic information you need to know. Hey, all the cool kids are doing it.

Third, the super cool and always funny Human Resources Pufnstuf, aka Jim D’Amico, was recently laid off. Here is his resume. Yes, he is that awesome and yes, you do want to hire him, like, right now. Especially if you are a MN based employer because dudes, I want to keep him local so I can keep hanging out with him.

That’s all everyone, thank you for your patience and time.

Okay, so this has been a crazy hectic week for me and I’ve been derelict in my blogging duties. But I’m home now, surprisingly awake for how little sleep I’ve had, and I’ve got not one, but two, HR Happy Hours to tell you about! Both are a little different than our normal shows, both are a little crazy, and that means you really need to check them out!

First up, last Wednesday the HR Happy Hour #17 was on location for the Fail Spectacularly Party in Chicago! Now, let me just preface this show by saying that in the most appropriate fashion, the show got off to a very rough start when Blog Talk Radio Site went down! Epic. Fail. But oh so perfect considering the circumstances. Steve totally rose to the occasion though, and with our awesome roving reporter Eric Winegardner, we made it through and had a lot of fun too. Check it out below:

Second, HR Happy Hour #18 was a part of the festivities of a little unconference you might have heard of: HRevolution. What made this show really special, was that it was the FIRST TIME Steve and I did a show together in the same location. Darlings, this shit just got real. We were running around grabbing attendees to chat, hi-jinks occurred, and Eric Wingardner helped out with the roving again. He works for cookies I’ll have you know. Seriously though, this show was so much fun and was the one I had been anticipating the most. Check it out below:

As always, check out #HRHappyHour, #FailChicago, #HRevolution for all the twitter bacckchannel craziness! Not to mention that Trish Mcfarlane has a YouTube page you need to check out for some fun videos that may or may not show people pacing in hallways, Ben Eubanks showing off, and me dancing with myself.

I can’t understand how spring and summer can pass by in a haze of laziness only for fall and winter to smack me around with busyness. Is busyness even a word? Anyway, I’m going to be bouncing around the US over the coming months, though not as much as I had wanted to originally. And who knows, things will probably change. If there is one constant this year, it’s that my plans rarely survive a few months.

Nevertheless, here’s where I’m going to be:

Talent Camp, Oct. 18th through 21st: The totally awesome Susan Burns is bringing together a lot of really cool people to talk about some big ‘What if’ questions about talent. I hear there will be a beach house, wine, and a lot of deep conversations. I expect to learn a lot and don’t think I won’t be sharing the learning with all of you.

HRevolution, Nov. 6th through 7th: HR Bloggers Unite! Finally an “un-conference” dedicated just to us. What started out as a simple thought on Twitter has blossomed into something that is going to be fun, casual, and a great opportunity to meet some of the coolest bloggers out there. I expect geeking out, maybe a live HR Happy Hour, and no small amount of laughter.

Washington, DC, Jan. 26th through 28th. I will be in DC on a secret mission and I’m going to want to tweetup with you, yes you! I will either be really happy and in a mood to celebrate, or I’m going to be sad and need some cheering up. Either way, we’re going to have some fun so keep your calendar free!

Here’s where I wish I was going to be:

Talent Management Summit, Oct. 26th through 28th: Originally, I was planning on attending and I’m very sad I can’t go now. If you are attending, you lucky person you, please be sure to give Lisa and Sharlyn hugs for me and call Jason a punk monkey (and then give him a hug) for me.

Fail Spectacularly Party, Nov. 4th: Jason and Laurie are throwing a party and we’re all invited! It will be a night of schmoozing, fun, and you better bring your story to share.

Dudes, what is with me and not making it to Chicago for stuff? I live well within road trip distance. Dammit, I will make it out to Chicago this year! That’s all for me, for now, so my question is this: Where are you going to be?