riveting rosie

Sorry It's Been So Long

2009-10-23T18:21:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I've posted anything. I wonder if anyone really reads this anymore. I've seen a steady flow of incoming search traffic - but not sure how many people are sticking around since I haven't updated in months.

I just don't know what direction to take this blog anymore. My job transition has been pretty good and very different. My new job keeps me away from the computer more - which is refreshing but at the same time frustrating because I'm not able to keep up with the networks that I had previously.

But never fear, there is always ways to utilize your time and that is what I am doing. I am learning the ins and outs of medical manufacturing and honing my web developing and design skills. It's kinda cool to have such a challenging projects and being thrown into an industry that I know nothing about. Growth is good but it can wear a girl out at the end of those 8 hours a day.

With any job there are ups and downs but I am happy and glad for work that keeps me busy and keeps me learning and challenged.

I think that's what matters more than most things - to stay challenged. It keeps us from getting bored or complacent. So always be looking for a challenge!

Until next time.

Hiking Through Life's Uphills

2009-08-05T22:40:00.000-04:00

Back in May, I had the pleasure of driving a good friend of mine back to the Appalachian Trail. She's hiking it from start to finish and stopped off on her way past Charlotte for a week's worth of rest. I drove her back to her journey and the whole way we talked about her experience. See, Rachel is a recent graduate and, like most graduates, they have no idea what they want to do with their lives once they leave college. Though, not many people choose 5 months of hiking in the wilderness to help them figure that out...

We had some awesome discussions about our connectivity to the earth - how when she was faced with the elements it was like feeling the Earth's emotions. When the Earth was upset, rainy, gloomy... So was she. We talked about how work can a lot of times hinder us from our hobbies, our passions and while careers are fun and important they are not the end-all-be-all of who we are. How we are constantly working to make a life for ourselves but a lot of times our work ends up BEING our life. But also how work can be so fulfilling when you're doing something that you love and care about.

These things really hit home for me considering I had recently been laid off and had a few job offers to choose from. They were all really great offers but when it came down to it, I wanted the one that best suited my life. That would best allow me to live and grow. Not just in my career path but as a person. Life is so short and we have to live it while we have it. I chose the company I now work for, for a few reasons. One of the major ones is I admire the owner. He really seems to value being ethical, understanding and appreciative of his employees, and just a good person in the community that he lives. All the other people in the company seem to completely respect him. There are so many ways that he gives back to the community that I felt like I could really learn from him and stand behind a product that is created in such an environment.

I am grateful that my friend took time to stop in Charlotte for a visit. If you'd like to follow her trip, she occasionally posts details on her adventures at her blog: Appalachian Trail Tales. I will leave you with a wonderful meditation she wrote while on her journey:

Wait.
Stop and slow down.
You aren´t there yet,
not quite yet.
Here, now.
This is where you are,
where you truely are.

Tomorrow´s worries
and yesterday´s failures
are neverending,
passing and changing
each moment, each day.
Today´s to-do lists can wait,
so can the shoulds and shouldnt´s,
and the wish I could or would.

Stop and listen.
Your heart opening,
being shaped and molded
by the precious gift of life,
moving through you,
each moment
each day.

Future of Online Collaboration?

2009-05-29T15:30:00.002-04:00

Really cool things being developed over at Google that were announced this week. Check out Google Wave. The presentation is a little long but really cool to see some of the features that it can do. It combines blogging, social networking, email and document sharing.

What Do Your Words and Spending Habits Say About You?

2009-03-26T11:12:00.009-04:00

A couple of weeks ago at the 8th grade youth group session where I volunteer weekly, we talked about gossip which got the kids thinking about how we use our words. One girl even questioned, "So if we can't talk about each other then what will we have to talk about? The weather?!" It's interesting that at 13 kids don't even know what to talk about besides the goings on of their peers. Granted, they're teenagers but how many coworkers do you know that all they do is talk about everyone elses' business. Then last night we talked about social justice and it really got me thinking about how we use our money to support companies. Especially in a downturned economy, how we use our dollars, in the same way we use our words, is also a reflection of what we value.

Today when I read Scott Hepburn's post questioning how conversational Twitter really is it brought to mind some of these same thoughts. He puts a disclaimer on it saying the research isn't extensive but he's got some really good questions on how much of our involvement in social media really IS conversational and how much of it is just trying to tell people about ourselves?

As sort of an experiment, I created a Wordle image of my Twitter RSS feed. It's a cool little feature that creates a tag cloud of your conversations. (The more you use a certain word the larger the font will be in the image.) I love this little tool because it almost creates artwork out of our very own words. So here's what my Twitter updates look like:
I was kind of proud to see so man @ usernames in my cloud. I guess to me that says I respond to people more than most things. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean that my conversing with people is necessarily of value to everyone or even anyone but it's still interesting Then I thought about my blog, which I have been somewhat neglecting the last few months. But I wanted to see what kind of things I've talked about here and this is what the Riveting Rosie blog looks like:

Things that stand out "love," "live," "people," "work," "just," and "purpose". It's kind of cool way to put into perspective what you write about and what it is that I'm publishing. I think in this case, these things are a pretty good reflection of what is important to me. Of course it's not really the end-all-be-all of what interests me but it's again, just interesting to think about and reflect upon.

Then moving onto how we use our money: Justin Ritchie has an awesome post called Exploring the Ramifications of a Shorter Week that touches on this idea. I just love this quote from his post:

Because our time is so limited we have to ensure that the way our money is spent truly allows us to build the life we desire. Yet, the life we desire has no fundamental need to exceed our income. We can seek to communally share expensive items among groups of friends while changing lifestyle choices to reduce our dependence on purchased items or monthly fees. Sure, my smartphone has a cool touchscreen and it can take pictures but I’ve found the functionality superfluous, it dosen’t support my life goals. After my contract ends I’ll be retreating to a less expensive solution. I have the income to support a parking space downtown but I would rather ride the bus because it is a viable alternative (even though a slightly less convenient one). But often when we make less financially independent decisions we must rely on others and in that reliance we gain a relationship of equal exchanges for a greater goal.

Americans are known for living beyond their means. It's been engrained in our culture with how much credit card debt most of us are in and the constant advertising of the latest and greatest gadget... I think it's great insight to think beyond the here and now and look towards a larger goal. To really look at the quality of our interactions and the use of our words and our finances and figuring out how that is reaching our goals.

One area that I really want to work on is supporting local food and companies. I am terrible about going to major chain restaurants, grocery stores and other companies. Granted, when I'm strapped for cash sometimes this is the best option for my budget. But if I made more conscious effort to change my spending habits like Justin's example above, maybe I'd have more room to actually achieve that goal. So it's good things to think about, reflect upon and figure out how to put into action.

What do you value? How are you portraying that in your words? In what companies you support with your money?

A Call for Help for a Friend

2009-03-26T08:58:00.003-04:00

Dear readers,

I wanted to write you about my friend Kristin who is participating in Team in Training. Team in Training (TNT) is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and they ask people to train together for an athletic event while raising money for people who suffer from blood cancers. Kristin is currently training for a triathlon, her 3rd actually through TNT, and currently is actively raising money for her event.

She and I were at dinner last week and were talking about her fund raising. How hard it is to ask people for money when the economy is the way it is. I know times are hard and everyone is trying to make sure that they cover their bills. But in our conversation, we realized that cancer doesn't ease up either and the hospital bills don't go away. Those who are trying to survive these cancer need our help now more than ever.

Currently she has 6 weeks to make it to her goal and she's still about $2,000 away. It sounds like a lot, and it is for just one person. But I was thinking about it and if 66 people donated $5 the rest of those 6 weeks, the $2,000 would be met. That's a total of $30 over a month and a half. So please consider donating to Kristin's cause even if it's only $5. Whatever you can manage would be helpful. And even if you cannot donate, your thoughts and prayers for her and those who will benefit from her participating in this event would be equally helpful.

I am so proud of her and her effort to support the LLS and those who need help. Not only that but doing the grueling training on top of the fund raising. I've known a few people who have not survived blood cancer both were incredibly young, way too young to die. And I know a few more who are currently fighting other cancers right now. That's why I'm asking you to to help support her goal because really it does effect us all in one way or another.

You can make your donations online at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nc/txtri09/ktarase

To Survive or Thrive?

2009-02-11T16:23:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love this quote from Brandon Uttley's post, Stop Worrying About the Economy and Start Living Your Life!

The fact is, neither you nor I have any impact whatsoever on what happens with the government. Sure, we vote, we pay taxes and all that—but when it comes to something as monumental as the very financial system itself, we are pretty powerless. And no amount of worrying about it is going to do you or anyone else any good.

My advice is to control what you can, which is all between your ears. You can tune out all the negative news and energy, all the stuff you can’t control, and focus on the stuff you can. Stop complaining and blaming the economy, the government, the banks, etc. and do your part to make the world better—starting with your attitude and outlook.

Because it's so easy to find excuses. Yes, the recession is a big deal. But you still have control over you. If you're looking for ways you can take control, how about reading Take Your Vitamins from Harry Hoover's THINKing. He gives solid advice on how to improve your business - getting back to your customers and your employees and taking care of them: "marketing vitamins" as he cleverly terms them. So what can you do to change your business today? What can you do in your life or work to make it better? How can you better your community?

What would it look like if we decide to help out each other first instead of worrying about ourselves all the time? The same old thing isn't just going to work in this time.

If we look to providing value to the people we come in contact - customers, business partners, etc - then maybe in a way we can take care of one another first and in turn the business will come to us. Maybe, just maybe, not only can we "survive" a bad economy but also better ourselves and our relationships with one another while doing it. Instead of just surviving, maybe we can thrive.

Charlotte Photographers That Rock My Socks

2009-02-11T14:49:00.009-05:00

I really wanted to highlight two photographers that I really admire their work. So here goes:

Neil Cowely - You can find his stuff at MakeLoveReal and MakeLightReal blog. One of my favorite portraits he has done is here. (I'd post it but all rights are reserved, yo. Gotta love the copyright.) Check out the rest of his Flickr images or shout out on Twitter. He's just got a cool style and I love his facination with light and the Make Light Real blog. Maybe because I've always sorta shared the same facination. Also find it really cool that Neil uses video and integrates it into his work and site. It's something I've never seen in before and it's really unique.

Armando Bellmas - Check out Armando's site or Be Still Please blog. I love the "What could this photo be an ad for" contests. He really has a knack for capturing people and expressions. I admire his work because it's clean and crisp. This is something that I always strive(d) for in my own work. He's also on Twitter.

Andy Ciordia - What I love about Andy is that he's got a hand in everything. He's got media consulting, chocolate, photography and is all about supporting organic and local foods. Yeah definitely do NOT look at his photographs of chocolate because you will not be able to control yourself from drooling all over your keyboard. I also love the way that he uses depth of field and lighting to get this really cool effect. He can make a ordinary event look really spectacular. Check out Andy on Flickr or chat it up on Twitter.

Thanks guys, for creating beautiful and inspiring work!

Finding Purpose in the Quiet Times

2009-02-10T11:05:00.003-05:00

Do you know what your purpose is? A couple of months ago, I agreed to help chaperone a youth retreat for high schoolers at my church this past weekend. I had helped out last year and because I was very involved in my own high school youth group, I figured I could give back in this way. Anyways, the point is even though I was there to keep the teenagers in line and be someone they could talk to about life and whatever else... I still found myself with ample amounts of time for self-reflection.

I think it's so important to get away, to quiet ourselves to find out what our bodies, our souls are really saying to us. This is great for any aspect of life, not just matters of spirit but even in your career. When you're on vacation, shutting off the iPhone or Blackberry for a week can help you reflect on your career, where you are going and what your purpose is.

It's funny that at the end of the retreat, the last session is to open it up and say what part you really found most memorable. Most everyone said having quiet time. Even teenagers realized that it's so good to clear your head and just let yourself be quiet and think about the good, the bad and the ugly. Life is so loud and busy and fast in the everyday. There's always deadlines, traffic, rushing to the next event and people to please.

For me this weekend I realized while I don't think my purpose lies in youth ministry - while I enjoyed myself and was very impressed with the teenagers - not something I could do on a regular basis, I found other things about myself that I need to work on, readjust and refocus some areas of my life. All by unplugging for 2.5 days.

Take some time - even if it's one hour - to just sit and be quiet. No TV, no radio, nothing. Just breathe and reflect on what at this time in your life is making you happy? What is making you unhappy? What is your purpose? And how can you fulfill that purpose?

Give a Little Bit

2009-01-22T15:26:00.003-05:00

My good friend Kristin just started training for a triathlon. You're probably wondering, so what? Well she's doing it through Team in Training. Team in Training is a program by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) that gets people ready to participate in triathlons and marathons, and encourages the athletes to raise money for blood cancer research.

I don't know if everyone who visits this post will have seen someone they know go through having blood cancer, but it's pretty rough on the people that this cancer effects (as with any cancer.) With blood cancers, though, it effects such a wide-spread part of the body. So please consider donating even just $5 and then pass on the link below to your friends to donate money to help find a cure.

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers and in memory of those who have lost their lives to these cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Read more about Kristin's race. Or click the link below to go and help a sister out:

Click here to make a donation.

The Grass Isn't Always Greener, But You Still Need to Grow

2009-01-08T10:14:00.008-05:00

You know the saying the grass is always greener on the other side... Sometimes all it takes is some time to wander over to the other side to realize what you have is pretty good. I read Penelope Trunk's blog a lot and something she always says is to always be searching for a new job. I think she's right. It keeps you on your toes, makes you aware of what's going on in your industry as far as salary, job descriptions, etc., and it helps you evaluate your current situation.

Back in November, I had a really difficult week at work. You know one of those where you just wanted to walk out. I was so fed up with all the problems that were arising at the time and felt particularly unappreciated for various reasons (both valid and maybe not valid). Anyways, during this time I decided it was time to update my resume and send it out to see if I could get any bites. I was frustrated and wanted to know if there was something better out there.

On the couple of interviews that I had, I realized: what I have isn't all that bad. Sure there are things I don't like about my current situation. But there are a couple of things that I wouldn't trade. I decided the flexibility and freedom that I have under my current management is something I wasn't ready to trade for what I was being offered at these other places. All it took was talking with a few possible managers to realize that I have a great manager that I work for. Plus, by being patient and working through some of the uphill battles, some new areas for me to grow have arisen. I have been asked to be on a new taskforce to help with the future of our company.

I have a friend who is 26 and is a Regional Manager for a project management company. He always told me he applies to at least 1 job a week, just to stay on top of his game. It sounds a little weird at first, and maybe that's a little zealous but the point is, he does it to know what's out there in his industry. What he can be doing better in his current position, what kind of salaries are being paid out at other companies.

Sometimes the job search isn't always about getting a new job, it's about realizing more about your current job. Sure, you may send out your resume and interview and find that this offer is a much better situation than the one you're in. That's great but sometimes it's about evaluating your career and what you need, want and where you are going. Sometimes it's more about personal growth, learning how to present and sell yourself to a potential employer and building your professional network.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-12-22T15:22:00.006-05:00

Hi friends and visitors!

Just wanted to wish everyone who reads my blog a Merry Christmas or any other holiday that you celebrate. As we're going into Christmas and finishing up 2008, after all the holiday buzz is over it's pretty common to start thinking about resolutions. At least this is true of me. Honestly, I don't remember what my resolutions were last year. But this year I have done more to go offline, to reach out beyond my computer and my own web real estate, such as:

Connect with more Charlotteans and expand my network here
Wrote my first guest post for Business Pundit
Joined Brazen Careerist community
Participated in StartUp Weekend and started a company with complete strangers
Started a 20's and 30's group at my church
Occasionally help contribute to CLTBlog.com
Gotten more involved with my company (joining committees, taking on extra responsibilities, etc.)

It's kind of cool to see my network expand and how far I've come in a year. I have no idea how but someone I got named 1 of 50 top business blogs as well. So from doing all this, here's some of the things I've learned in 2008:

Sometimes ya just gotta let go and have fun with it. Twitter is not always serious business.
Not everything is always what it seems at first.
It's ok to hit "Mark all is read" on your Google Reader and walk away from the computer.
Memes might be annoying but they're still really fun.
I will always be a Browns fan.
While I absolutely love the ocean, I have fallen in love with North Carolina mountains.
You can accomplish just about anything with a little creativity.
Social media is still just a tool, just one means of communicating.
It's amazing what one or two after-hour networking events can do for you if you just show up, listen and be genuine.

And I gotta give out random link love because I absolutely love this interview by Brett Borders with Wayne Sutton. Wayne is an awesome guy and I'm glad to have met him, so just read it already, ok?

In other news, I just updated my blogroll so be sure to scroll down and check it out. I added a lot of people I've been reading, just never got around to updating the thing. There are some really smart folks there (much smarter than me) and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy their blogs and information. So here's thanks to a most excellent 2008 and a cheers to a even greater 2009!

P.S., Have a cookie before you go:

Observer's 100 Best Photos of 2008

2008-12-18T10:01:00.005-05:00

I have a strong appreciation for photo journalism. There's something about being able to capture a single moment in time without (supposedly) being a participant in the event. The Observer's got a nice gallery of their best images, so you should definitely check out these images from the Charlotte Observer's best 100 of 2008. There are some really excellent photos there, nice work Observer!

Street Photography: Beauty in the Mundane

2008-12-15T16:18:00.006-05:00

It has been awhile since I have posted any photography on this site. I hope to remedy this. I found this image courtesy of Guy Kawasaki posting to Twitter this Smashing Magazine article about the Beauty of Street Photography. They go on to post different examples of some really great images of just street photography. I chose to highlight the image above by tbaur because there's something about street photography that is expressed in this. Such a simple image of a woman resting or maybe she's sad or upset and yet it so easily elicits an emotion.

It's always interesting to me what people look like when they don't know anyone is watching them. Kind of like Simon Hoegsbeg's Public and Private project. If you look through his photographs very few people are smiling. It's just interesting for a people watcher like myself to see these shots immortalized or frozen in time. Most of these shots are taken probably while people were walking between places - work and home or wherever.

What's also amazing is these examples of street photography can turn an everyday occurrence into something beautiful. For example the above shot by MisterKey. Usually when we're walking and a bunch of pigeons are flying around we're more worried about dodging them than the scene that is before us.

So stop and look around you today. See the beauty in the seemingly mundane.

7 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

2008-12-11T13:20:00.003-05:00

I hate to be the loser to stop a meme, and seeing how Scott Hepburn so kindly tagged me, so here goes. But first: The Rules

Link to your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged

Ok, so my 7 things you probably didn't know about me.

I love to sing. Doesn't matter where. Usually it's whenever there is music playing. I didn't say I was good at it. So if I start singing along, don't mind me.
Social networking and blogging sometimes wear me out. There's so much of it going on and so many people out there to connect with it's hard to not get overwhelmed sometimes. I am a student of life and I always feel like there is more that I can learn so it's very hard for me to close the RSS reader or close the Twitter for awhile. I've been leaning more towards using these mediums to facilitate face-to-face interaction and just living my life somewhere other than behind a computer screen. Not that I've stopped participating or learning by any means. But I have unfortunately cut back on blogging as often as I'd like. Then again, life's too short to consume myself with social media 24/7.
I love MTV. I hate admitting this to people especially because I should be bitter like the rest of the people who remember when MTV actually had music videos on it. MTV isn't really MTV anymore it's TFRTV (Teen-Fake-Reality-TV) My favorite is probably one of the worst reality TV shows because it's anything BUT reality: The Hills. I just can't seem to pull my eyes away from all the drama. And I love the Real World, True Life and all those other shows. I don't do drugs or anything so I guess this is my human nature trying to kill off a few brain cells. Usually I catch shows on sick days or in between work and various meetings I've got going on.
I hate American Idol. Go figure! I think something like The Hills is interesting and American Idol isn't. It doesn't make sense, I know. I've seen 2 episodes of American Idol and that was enough.
Reading a good book is on of my favorite things to do. My mother instilled this into me when I was little. (She's a librarian.) The only type of book I don't really like is mysteries. But even then I can appreciate it if it's written well. I use GoodReads.com a lot to keep track of what I want to read, what I've read and what I liked and I love getting books from the library.
I was a band geek in high school. Well I had been playing the clarinet since 4th grade but I joined the Marching Band my freshmen year of high school. The majority of my closest friends are people I met in Marching Band. This one time, at band camp...
I already did one of these memes in 2006, so you can find 5 more facts about me here. (Although, 2 years later, I'm no longer infatuated with Zach Braff.)

As for the tagged... I'm gonna go with:

Business Pundit Blogathon

2008-11-10T10:37:00.005-05:00

A month ago, Drea from Business Pundit asked to contribute to a blogathon she was putting together of guest posters from around the Blogosphere. She posted the schedule of guest posts to appear on her site in the coming weeks and you can view that here. From the topics that are listed, I'm really looking forward to reading what her other contributors have to say! Plus you can check out my post scheduled for this Thursday.

UPDATE:
You can now check out my guest post titled: Businesses Need to Embrace Their Inner Pirate

Retail Goes Social, Should You?

2008-10-29T09:41:00.009-04:00

The easy answer is yes. Social Media isn't really optional.

It doesn’t matter what the demographics of your customers are. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. Your customers and prospects are talking about you online. Your company needs to be part of that conversation. Today.

eMarketer has yet another interesting report that shows the top 30 retailers in the US and where they're maintaining pages on social sites. Facebook is the most popular with Myspace and YouTube not far behind.

A quote from Adam Cohen from Rosetta:

“It’s important that retailers don’t just slap up a page because everyone is talking about Facebook. An effective presence requires that you carefully consider what your customers are looking for, what you would like to communicate, and what role a fan page should play in your overall online strategy.”

I would suggest really focusing on the first two items.

What are your customers looking for?
What are you trying to communicate?

I think those will then help to answer the role that a Facebook Fan page will play in your online strategy, if at all. Check out what some of the retailers listed below are doing on Facebook:

I checked out the Ambercrombie & Fitch page. You'll see that 4 different results come up. I have no idea which is the offical page, if any are even an offical page. None of them particularly say anything about the company. Amazon uses it as a blog aggregator. MTV is also another one that's kind of hard to tell which is the official fan page. Though once you click through you can find where they've added RSS feeds of their shows and added music vides (wait, music videos on MTV?!) None of these seems to answer the two questions clearly.

Ok so who's doing it right? Take a look at American Eagle's page. Right now there's a 20% off coupon. What are their customers looking for? Clothes. How can you communicate that? By offering a coupon to get them to come into the store or go online and purchase. And the role of the fan page? To provide a way for 113,739 people interested in American Eagle products to easily access discounts and information their clothing line.

I think Cohen is really right though. With social media you can't just slap something up there anymore just because everyone else is. At the same time there's a challenge to not overthink social media. "It’s not about the tools, it’s about what the tools allow you to do, which is share and connect." As Lisa quotes from Mack Collier. How can your message connect with others whether it's potential candidates or consumers?

Oh and Facebook isn't the only way to connect. Check out this amazing list of different companies and their social media presence online to give you ideas. (hat tip Rachel Happe) And how to measure success? Well, it just depends on what you want to accomplish. But for an example, here's how Carnival Cruises measured their social media success. (Hat tip Lyell Peterson)

Online Reputation Management for the Job Search

2008-10-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

The following is a cross post that I wrote for the Atlanta Job Spot.

Have you Googled your name? Of course you have. These days the results that do or don't come up for your name could very well make or break the decision on whether or not you get the job. So let's say you search for your name and either nothing comes up or some negative things come up. What then? Obviously you shouldn't put online what you don't want people (in this case, potential Employers) to find. But these tips may help you beat the system if for some reason you want to bury less than flattering search results and ways you can better take control of your brand online.

Try various versions of your name.
Full name with middle initial, nickname (i.e. Steve, vs. Steven) You want to see what information is out there. Usually the name you put on your resume is the name that will be searched in Google. You can avoid or draw attention to certain search results based on what name you use on your resume.

Get Online.
You have to have a presence online to show up in search results. One way to deal with bad or no press is to bury it with the information you want people to see. Utilize sites like LinkedIn, HiredIn, ZoomInfo, Emurse and other sites that allow you to create professional profiles and include your experience and expertise information. Manage your privacy settings on MySpace or Facebook for less than professional items. You don't have to remove everything - employers understand that you have a life outside of your day job - but make sure inappropriate material is not available or just don't post what you don't want them to see.

Start Discussing.
How can you distinguish yourself in your industry? You can browse LinkedIn Answers, participate in discussions on a industry-specific forum where you can showcase your expertise, comment on blogs or start your own. These are great ways to boost your search results. Not everyone needs to start a blog but you can still participate in discussions, connect with people in your industry and city on Twitter, share interesting posts and websites with your network on FriendFeed, etc. Get active in social media professionally.

Stay In The Know.
Sign up for Google Alerts to get emails when a new search result shows up with your name in it. Knowing is half the battle, right? So this way you can be prepared and know what is out there.

If I've missed anything please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear them.

Also read Why Social Networking is Important for Your Job

How College Students Learn About Your Product

2008-09-25T09:50:00.006-04:00

An interesting graph from eMarketer. This study is based on how college students learn about a new product. Looks like word of mouth and personal research are still the top ways collegiate consumers learn about your product.

Because online social networks do not capture the real social graph, tapping into those extended, real-world connections are important for marketers.
Even among Internet-using college students in the US—the heaviest social networks users—talking to friends and family still ranks highly as a way to learn about new products.

What was surprising to me is where blogs and online communities ranked: at the near bottom. I wonder if these numbers would be different if the demographic were different. Do you think those in the professional realm, who are using social media to aid their professional network might rank online communities or blogs higher?

Does this social graph challenge the push for brands to get involved in social media communities? Maybe social media sites will become the means for consumers to talk with their friends and family about new products... It's not easy to be a corporate voice active in social media. But it goes back to the idea of social media being a cocktail party. We don't necessarily participate to watch a commercial. We participate to build relationships, from those relationships we can find information that is important to us.

The Separation of Personal and Corporate: Questions on Branding Management

2008-08-07T09:03:00.001-04:00

There's a solid group of Twitter users that get together every so often to talk about various topics surrounding online media. The past few times it seems we've been migrating to the topics and questions surrounding Online Reputation Management.

It's a topic that's growing in everyone's minds as we become more and more visible online to a broader spectrum of people, we're trying to figure out how our personal brands (and even company brands) are being effected by our interactions online and offline. And as a person who does some reputation management for my company, the differentiation of the two is something that is extremely interesting (and sometimes perplexing to me.) Here's some of the discussions and ideas that we've come up with and are talking about.

Who Owns the Content?
If you're blogging for a company, who owns the blog? On one hand the company has to protect it's brand but if the person who was behind the building of that brand moves on? What then? Kayla Castille wrote a great summary of our discussions at one of our Tweetups where she offers two solutions - Don't let the blog or account die. Find another person who can help keep your community going but be honest with the audience that the person is no longer the voice behind the blog.

As someone who writes for a company blog, I never have had ideas that somehow I would take that blog with me. My name is on all my content and if I were to ever leave, search engines will link my content to my name. So I don't feel like I will lose my thoughts and ideas. So that really was never an issue. If your content is published on company space - especially their domain name - it is their server space, their content. (At least in my eyes.)

But more than logistics - there is more to the blog than just words on a screen or server space somewhere in the Internet that are being used. There is a voice. Unfortunately for companies, sometimes the voice is the blog. If that person moves on, sometimes that social media space won't work the same. Our voices make our blogs, tweets, etc. unique.

How Does Personal vs. Corporate Brand Mesh, or Does It?
Where does my personal brand end and my company's begin? How much does my brand reflect on my company and vise versa? I have a personal brand. I also help manage my company's brand. This is something that I've gone back and forth with a lot. I think a lot of people are questioning it and will because there are so many things that could arise when you're meshing your personal life with your work life. Twitter is a good example of this: many people use it as a means to find professional contacts, to connect. But we also use it to broadcast little personal snippets of ourselves. How much of it can the company control? If I'm off the clock, can my company get upset about my Tweets after 5pm? CNN has a set of ridiculously extensive blogging guidelines. On one hand, it's nice to know what the company expects but goodness!

I don't have all the answers to my questions posed above but they're really interesting to think about. The truth is that companies will never become living, breathing human beings. Sometimes I wonder if companies can even play the social games like poker or mah jong. Maybe they're only capable of solitaire. Because people are what do the communicating, not an inanimate object like a company. My voice is what makes this space what it is. (For better or worse.) My voice is what makes the company blog that I write for what it is. Afterall, they are my ideas and thoughts. They just happen to be published on the company's space.

I don't know what do you think? Am I completely off here?

2.5 Days + 53 People + Focus = 4 Companies

2008-07-14T10:16:00.009-04:00

Think Summer Camp for adults (who maybe act like kids) who want to see what's possible in a weekend. That's what Startup Weekend is about: creative people coming together to merge their ideas and create a company in one weekend. I was quite nervous heading up to RTP Startup Weekend on Friday. I didn't know what to expect or what I'd be able to contribute.

I am happy to say that the experience this weekend was such a good one. I've learned a lot about starting a business - what all goes into building and branding a website from scratch (in a HUGE time crunch) and had a blast doing it.

There were four awesome companies that merged from this weekend:

MyFriesSuck.com
My Fries Suck lets you easily and instantly provide feedback on your restaurant experience. Making a difference and letting your voice be heard has never been so easy.
Dealcastr.com
DealCastr solves a unique problem; local businesses have things they want to get rid of QUICK. Like hockey tickets for tonight’s game. Tomorrow, they’re worth nothing. How much would they sell for today just hours before the game?... The only way to find out about these special deals is with DealCastr. Choose the deals you want; DealCastr sends the deal to your mobile phone or email.
BarsforUs.com
Take the guesswork out of finding Raleigh’s best bars. Bars For Us,
at barsforus.com, has created an easy way for people to find bars
using the criteria most important to them. Bar listings are displayed
on a map and change dynamically as people refine their search.
Scavenja.com
Scavenja is a photo-based scavenger hunt. Time limited games challenge players to complete thematically connected goals. Players post photographs to document completed goals and goals are awarded points based on difficulty level. Game play combines social interaction with competition and prizes are awarded to top players.

One thing that really struck me is how much work you can actually get done in a short amount of time. I mean, essentially we were a group of strangers on Friday and by Sunday, we had 4 businesses for the most part ready to launch.

Check out the launch presentations on video, here.

I guess it goes to show what a little bit of effort and focus on a common goal can do.

The group that I was part of, Scavenja, got a lot of mentions on being creative in using social media. We created Twitter and Plurk accounts, started gathering fans on Facebook, made some (really ridiculously goofy) promotional videos and even a mashup video with one of the other teams. It paid off because we got most votes on our video pitch and now have over 250 results in Google search results when a few days ago there were 0.

We're also going to be starting a few more games this week so if you're interested in playing, contact me about getting an invite code. We've got some killer prizes lined up.

Watch me trying not to laugh while doing a promotional Scavenja interview. Enjoy!

Episode 4: We're Americans, Dammit! from Scavenja's SquirrelTV on Vimeo.

Look for the CNBC story that's scheduled to air on Friday about the weekend!

Yes, I am a Pirate

2008-07-11T08:13:00.003-04:00

Right now I'm reading A Pirate's Dilemma by Matt Mason. It was recommended by several people who are also apart of Brazen Careerist so I decided to give it a go. I'm only 2 chapters into it and it's been really interesting to read about the revolution of how companies are operating. Basically how piracy - particularly in the music industry - has been an example of changing the whole way we do business.

Anyways this weekend I'll be attending Startup Weekend up in Raleigh and I'm really excited to have a concrete example of this "piracy" and convergence of creative people in one place for a weekend. I'm sure I'll post more on the weekend when I get back.

One man's copyright terrorist is another's creative freedom fighter.
- Matt Mason, A Pirate's Dilemma

Assessing and Building Your Personal Brand

2008-07-08T09:50:00.007-04:00

I found some really good questions posed by Harry Hoover on determining how to develop and build upon your personal brand:

What are your most important values? (For example: honesty, trustworthiness, patience, etc.)
Do you exhibit these values consistently?
What comes to mind when they think of the brand called you?
Is this view consistent with your stated values? If not, what can you do to change these perceptions?
Do you dress for the job you have or the job you want? What is the state of your personal grooming? What is your body language like when talking with co-workers, or supervisors?
Are you always prepared for meetings? If a colleague asks for something that you should have, could you find it or access it quickly? How do you service your colleagues and your company's customers when they make a request of you? Do you answer the telephone politely? How is your email etiquette?
Are your workspace and your computer desktop organized so that you can get to things quickly and efficiently? How does it appear to someone coming to your doorway
Are you up-to-speed on all the skills you need to excel at your job? Do you take advantage of all training offered?
Will your brand thrive thanks to a coordinated effort on your part, or will it always need brand aid because of neglect?

Read: Personal Branding White Paper, My Creative Team

I think these are all important things to consider / remember when assessing and building up a personal brand and just being a better person in general.

If you want your brand to reflect honesty, you must first be honest. Duh!

So true, I have even said this before. Also check out this: Creating a Positive Impact when assessing and building you brand.

Go for the Goal

2008-07-07T16:21:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it's already July. Time flies, I suppose. But the fact that it's July means that NFL Preseason is quickly approaching us. While most of my readers (may or) may not be Cleveland Browns fans, I still thought that this quote from Joshua Cribbs, WR and ProBowl athlete in 2007. I like this quote because he's constantly setting goals for himself and as soon as he hits them, he's making another goal.

“I’ve been proving people wrong my whole life,” says the former Kent State quarterback. “People said I couldn’t play in the NFL and I proved I could do it. That’s what I live for. I live for new challenges. Now that it has been publicly stated that (the rigors of football) will wear me thin, I’m going to show them. I’m young. I still have a lot left to give to this sport.

“Right now, I’m not going to be satisfied until I reach my ultimate goals because I feel that when I reach those goals, my team will have done something great. I want to be a future Hall of Famer or something like that. I want to raise the limits for myself. I made the Pro Bowl, but I can’t sit back and be complacent. I’m trying to be the guy, not just a guy in there.”

I didn't know Cribbs at Kent State but I did watch him play once or twice. So as a fellow Kent State alum I've been really proud to watch him play on the Browns and is a really cool example of someone who no one expected to do some really great things. It just shows the power of making a plan on how to get to where we want to be in our field. So, what are you waiting for?

Source: Josh Cribbs Sets Another Goal, Scout.com The Orange and Brown Report

Space Travel to ???

2008-06-23T11:05:00.003-04:00

Last night I watched Discovery Channel's series "When We Left Earth" documenting some of the NASA Missions and how we got to the moon and to space. One quote from Eugene Kranz, the flight director from several of the Apollo Space Missions stuck with me when he was talking about Houston control room during these missions (paraphrased from memory).

We worked with the best. The average age was 26. I was 36 and was the oldest person in the room.

Kind of cool to think that young professionals were responsible for making history happen. They kept saying over and over again throughout the interviews with the various astronauts and systems engineers that anything was possible. So what is next, Gen Y?

Photo courtesy of NASA.

Leading with Your Strengths

2008-06-15T10:01:00.001-04:00

Life is so funny. Everyday I am learning something new and sometimes I learn something new about myself. Growing up I was the shy kid. I never was very outgoing and preferred to be silent and let others approach me. Since college and entering the professional world I've realized that sitting back and waiting for others to make things happen for me is going to leave me waiting for the rest of my life. That's not the way I wanted to live.

Find A Need
Fastforward to the present. Last year I helped out with The Edge program at my church. It's a middle school youth group, a lot of fun. Most the other volunteers on the core team of adults were parents. It was really discouraging to me that more people my age weren't helping out. Middle schoolers don't want to hang out with their parents. I really thought it would've been great for them to meet more young professionals who were closer in age to them and not their parents being good role models. I also realized the reason that my parish had few young adults volunteering is that there was nothing specifically for them. There was the need: a place for young adults to feel a part of our church community, to connect with one another. So I decided to help start something.

Start With What's Easy For You
Here's where my self realization came in. I found myself so frustrated after each of our Monday night meetings. I felt like there was a good solid group of young adults who wanted to make a space for others to come together and meet, learn and grow - to be a part of our larger community (both in the city and in our church). But each meeting it seemed everyone liked to talk about what we didn't want instead of what we wanted and how it was going to happen.

It became clear to me that I was able to ask questions on how we channel our wants and needs of young adults into a realistic action. Sometimes someone has to step up and take charge. Knowing what not to focus on (no we don't need to spend 3 weeks on a mission statement) and what really needs attention (We want to have a BBQ? How do we determine who will show up & how are we going to feed them?) I ended up stepping up. I didn't even realize I had done it until this week, one of the other members of our core group referred to me as the group Quarterback.

Then Tackle The Challenging Stuff
I never thought of myself as a leader or a manager. I mean, I was the one who waited on everyone else to take action. But somehow I've transitioned into the role in this case and I'm learning a lot about myself and how to piece together a project from the ground up. Someone had to do it. It was funny because I wasn't sure what was going wrong until I read this blog post last month. People are afraid to take charge because of the possibilities and the responsibility that comes with it. I might even argue that it might be particularly true in our generation.

It's been so cool getting to know a new set of people and seeing them figure out where their strengths are and how they're willing to use them together to get something accomplished. We collectively decided that our strengths is what is going to make this whole thing work. Sure, we all have weaknesses but instead of trying to cover up and fix them, we're going to focus on where we have strengths. We accept one another's weaknesses (a lot of them have mentioned they find it hard to walk up to a stranger and introduce themselves) and of course want to still be challenged (starting a social group won't continue if everyone doesn't introduce themselves) but if we can play up our strengths our weaknesses don't seem like such a big deal anymore. And while I've been termed as the QB, I don't make all the decisions. There are other really vital players on our core team that help me.

It's not always easy to recognize what are your own strong points. Ask a good mentor or asking a trusted manager comes in. Take a Myers-Briggs Personality test. Go to a leadership workshop or conference. Start with something that you're passionate about. When you use your strengths and focus on them, you become more confident when you have to step out of your comfort zone and tackle something that maybe you're not so strong in.

So what in your career have you not stepped up and taken charge?
What need in your community is there that someone needs to start up?
You don't have to start your own group to be a leader. What program needs help getting off the ground?