A few weeks ago a friend of mine suggested that I check out the KIN (new Microsoft phone) Webisodes on Facebook. So I took 5 minutes out of my day to take a look at the adventures of a girl named Rosa, as she traveles with her new KIN to visit her social network face-to-face and find out if her “friends”, are really her Friends.
Now, for a social media geek like myself, this is an extremely intriguing idea, because I’ve made friends and built relationships with people I don’t know personally. We are able to have a relationship online, in the “fake” world, but the question is could we be friends in the “real” world. This is exactly the question Rosa is looking to find out. The KIN is Microsoft’s latest phone living only on Verizon.
Its biggest pull is that it you can tweet, talk and post in real life. According to its website, the KIN was designed to communicate as naturally as you, as Microsoft put it, “KIN is everything you love, everyone you want, all together in one place.” More than the idea of the phone being so connected with your social networks, I love these webisodes. I have an Iphone, and it connects me enough to my social networks, that I don’t feel the urge to go out and buy a new phone, but I do LOVE every time a new webisode is posted. Rosa is such a curious grounded person that she is incredibly relateable. The concept behind these webisodes is so brilliant I wish I would have thought of it first!
For example, the episode that go me hooked, Rosa asks the questions, “should we be friends with our parents on Facebook?” Now I AM friends with my parents on Facebook, and I think I’ve learned enough about posting private things on the internet that it’s doesn’t bother me to be friends with my parents. Unlike many of my friends who wouldn’t dare friend their parents on Facebook, I mean I’m even friends with my Grandma! Plus, I’m pretty close with my parentals so that’s not really the issues. But some of the things Rosa brings up is that her mother embarrasses her online, all the time. You can check out the video yourself here, it’s actually quite funny. But her mother said, “You should be comfortable enough with yourself that it doesn’t matter what I say to you online!” Which is so true.
My mother is slowly grasping the concept of Facebook, but still, nonetheless she weekly has a question trying to decipher the difference between her Wall and her Newsfeed! (Don’t worry mom, you’ll get it soon!).
Online Marketing tactics like this are great. I truly appreciate something that connects my social networks with my cell phone. Rosa asks legitimate questions that you find yourself say, “OMG I think about that all the time.” Although I may not be running out to buy a KIN, Microsoft has done a good job of hooking me into their webisodes.
Disclaimer: I have NOT been provided compensation for this blog post. It is truly a topic of interests.
A little bird sent me a direct message on twitter the other day that I should weigh in on a conversation I am most certainly passionate about.
I mosied on over to PROpenMic and weighed in on a conversation about requiring students to participate in social media in their college courses. Now, this conversation was coming from students not professors or practitioners.
I was pretty frustrated with the post and a majority of the replies from other students who agreed they felt like it was a chore. Social media has changed my life as cheesy as that sounds, and shaped my career. My first reaction was “Do you ever complain openly about writing a paper for your Writing class?” because that is what I would compare participating in social media for your PR class to. Your professors give you an assignment for a reason, you can fight it all you want, but in the end you can:
A.) Do the assignment
B.) Not do the assignment and fail
-Or-
C.) Drop the class and potentially the Major
It’s your choice, you’re a big girl or boy at this point in your college career and your professors are not here to baby you because you don’t like an assignment.
Okay, that is my rant.
What really frustrates me is what these students do NOT SEE! What I would give to go back and be a part of the social media courses they are teaching now! I Think I ask my old professor just about every week if she would video her classes and send them to me. I’m very impressed with the high level of conversation her students get into on their Twitter chats. It makes me proud to say I am a product of the same professors and School of Journalism and Communication (*cough University of Oregon cough*).
Here is my Note to those students who feel they should not be required to participate in Social media.
Dear SM Student,
I’m sorry you feel as though you are being “Forced” to learn about social media. My first question for you is, “what do you want to do with your life?” or “what is your dream job?” Is it being a sports journalist, CEO of a fortune500 company or Manager at McDonalds? Whatever your dream job is social media can help you achieve your goal or assist you in advancing within your company. But you don’t know this yet, because you are resistant to participating in social media as a useful business tool.
Your professors are trying to teach you a skill that will put you miles ahead of your peers applying for that same job. They are trying to teach you a skill that senior level managers and account directors, VP’s and Presidents in so many companies don’t understand—Social Media. Hiring managers at these companies you want to work at so bad are looking for the next great Social Media talent who can teach the organization about the wonders of Twitter and Facebook and how they can help their company reach its consumers. Your professors are trying to provide you with the tools to be that next great employee with the social media skills.
We are in a Recession and it is going to take years, not Months to get our job market back to an expectable level. I guarantee you will graduate and have a panic attack that you have no idea how you’re going to land a job–I did. But you know what I did, I used the skills I learned in my Social Media class and I put it to use. I pitched myself to hiring managers on twitter—Beat that Elevator pitch! Try selling yourself in 140 characters—it ain’t easy. But it worked. I found a creative way to sell myself and my skills that caught the eye of quite a few hiring managers. I got the job.
I continue to use my twitter account and blog that I created for my SM class to advance my professional career. I interact and network with key opinion leaders in my industry and they know who I am! This wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t TRUST my professors when they said, “leap- And the net will appear!” The net did appear and now I have a huge network of professional, professors and mentors who I can bounce ideas off of.
Social media is not a fad. It is the future. It is the future of every business and every organization. If you’re not looking for a job in public relations you can use these skills in any job whether it be to promote yourself and your services or to help promote your brand message and build relationships and two-way communication with your consumers.
Take advantage of the advice your professors are giving you, be a sponge and soak it up. It’s harder to continue learning when you’re working at a full-time job. You begin to yearn for the days you sat in class. My Blog and Twitter account have acted as wonderful supplements to my resume. I no longer have to send along writing samples, I just direct potential employers to my blog. It is not only highlighting my ability to write, but it is also highlighting my social media skills.
I will bet money that no matter what your career may be, that your future employer is either already in the social media sphere or is looking to dive in. That means they are looking for someone with ideas and knowledge about how it works…. You could be that person.
Clean up your act online. Your employers WILL Google your name— that is not a myth. Stop complaining about the work, and start caring about your future. Social media is the future. You’re paying to go to college, start caring about where that money is going toward.
I apologize for being harsh, but this is a reality and it seems as though, you need a reality check.
I use tweetdeck. I feel like it offers easy ways to share photos, shrink links and organize your twitterverse.
I do still get on twitter.com to check out my new followers profiles and see who is following whom. But I don’t use twitter.com to post links or photos or my rants. I am curious how many people do still use twitter.com as their main platform for twitter, or what other twitter clients people are using.
So I did a little research, and this is what I found:
Around 46% of all updates are made directly on twitter.com according to Sysomos twitter report. Sysomos analyzed 500 milion tweets it collected over five months and found that TweetDeck is the most popular third-party client. TweetDeck has a comfortable lead with a 8.48% share of the market, followed by tweetie, Twitterific and Seesmic.
TweetDeck is the client of choice for Active twitter users.
TweetDeck doesn’t just have the largest number of users, it is also the tool of choice for the most active Twitter users. Sysomos analyzed the number of tweets posted by active users based on their primary Twitter application. On average, TweetDeck users send out 1.24 tweets per day, followed by Seesmic users (1.18 tweets/day) and HootSuite (1.11 tweets/day). Users of all the other popular clients like Tweetie, Twhirl and Twitterific update their status less than once a day. Those who prefer Twitter’s own web interface only send out 0.67 tweets per day.
The ability for our world to integrate technology and philanthropy amazes me. How
Corporate Social Responsibility is at the forefront of development and implementation among large corporations. It’s wonderful to see Pepsi, Starbucks and Trader Joes care about our world and what is happening outside of their state-of-the-art buildings.
Today, I was introduced to CauseWorld, a wonderful phone application modeled slightly after Foursquare. Instead of simple checking in for points to one-up your friends to become the mayer, you earn Karma points to donate to an organization or
cause of your choice.
CauseWorld is sponsored by Kraft Foods and Citi and donate to the organization of your
choice when you gain Karma points and designate them, it is Kraft and Citi that is donating to the organizations you choose.
What a great way to donate while shoping or having dinner with your friends. Open up the free application, check-in and donate within minutes. You can donate to anything from offsetting carbon,
helping students in need, preventing child abuse, help fight cancer, bring art to schools, help at-risk girls, Provide relief to Haiti or Chile, give clean water, treat autism, plant a tree or care for abused animals. So many options of ways to give sponsors money to great causes.
What are you waiting for. Go download the app and start giving Karma points out!
Like many of you, I am becoming more and more obsessed with iphone apps and fun sites that interact with my friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. I’m on every social networking site you could imagine, twitter, facebook, myspace, Google BUZZ, linkedIN, Loopt and FourSquare.
Virtually, you could probably figure out where I am at all times. Which means, is my house empty? Am I a target? Could all of my tweets, updates and notifications be aggrigated into one site that informs the world I’m not home?
Pleaserobme.com is a site that is bringing awareness to those naive internet goers who are caught up in the excitement of new applications and are constantly letting the world know, “Hey, I’m not home, Please Rob Me!”
The site was created by three individuals who aren’t really out to get you robbed. Here’s how they describe the problem created by check-ins and the purpose of the site:
“The danger is publicly telling people where you are. This is because it leaves one place you’re definitely not… home. So here we are; on one end we’re leaving lights on when we’re going on a holiday, and on the other we’re telling everybody on the Internet we’re not home. It gets even worse if you have ‘friends’ who want to colonize your house. That means they have to enter your address, to tell everyone where they are. Your address.. on the Internet.. Now you know what to do when people reach for their phone as soon as they enter your home. That’s right, slap them across the face.”
There are a few things you can do to protect yourself:
Don’t list your address ANYWHERE on the internet. If you even have your Resume posted somewhere online, make sure you blur out your address or remove it.
Don’t connect your FourSquare or Loopt to your twitter or Facebook status. By keeping these social media tools separate you avoid your exact location being broadcasted to 10x as many people.
Avoid including your phone number. This is also a search that is easy to conduct and find where you are and where you live, leaving your vulnerable.
So are Foursquare, Loopt, Google Buzz and all the others just sites that make us all easier targets? Location-sharing is becoming such a popular trend this year that it doesn’t seem likely that the site will do much to curb the behavior. If there is such a thing as safe location-sharing, however, I hope you practice it.
Last Friday, January 29, 2010 marked one year since I was “22 and laid-off”. What a year it has been. I’ve always been told, “Life’s a roller coaster, enjoy the ride!” Although, through my eyes, this roller coaster has been nothing close to enjoyable…
Frustration is the best word to describe how I’ve felt. I understand I was 22 years-old, new into the professional world and was lucky enough to still have my parents to fall back on. But my stubbornness wouldn’t allow me to fall into bad habits. Yet, I had no choice.
Thankfully, I was not married with mouths to feed, or a mortgage to pay off. I do realize that. There are so many people in that situation. But it did affect me in both good and bad ways.
I joined this company in October 2008, after I spent my summer in Europe. I spent August and September job hunting, packing my life and moving North. After 10 interviews and hundreds of resumes and tailored cover letters, I received my first professional job.
This job was different, it wasn’t in a field I knew a lot about. I mean, how many people know about the Biotech industry? I’d never even heard the word. But I was ready to jump in and learn.
I spent three months grasping as much knowledge that I could about the industry, working in a large agency and managing client relationships. I’ve never been so eager to learn–science flew over my head in high school and I completely avoided it in college. I all of a sudden was reading about cancer cells, therapies and spitting out acronyms like it was a second language.
I learned so much from everyone I worked with, but I think I left the company with something better than industry knowledge; I left with the most valuable professional and life lessons I could have ever imagined learning in my lifetime: Nothing in life is certain, be prepared for everything.
I left the University of Oregon a naive young journalist with this great outlook on what my professional life would turn out, and it is nothing like I imagined, but it is perfect. The professional world is fast pace, harsh and political like you could not imagine.
Being laid off is one of the most confusing feelings. You have ten different emotions flying through your head, and the questions, they could consume you for the rest of your life. Asking the “what if’s….” and “why me’s” but when it comes down to I’ve learned it’s a little bit of politics, but mostly about money.
I remember the moment after the door was closed behind me, my heart sank, I knew what was happening. I looked up and saw her talking, I couldn’t hear what she was saying, as the words came out of her mouth, “I’m sorry to tell you, we’re going to have to let you go…..” she went on and on and I couldn’t form a thought, I just wanted to leave. I went back to my cube and was met by a friend who hugged me as the frustration melted to fear mixed with anger, with a twist of terror. “I am 22 and unemployed”, I thought this had to be a sick joke, I’d just started there, three months earlier!
Out of my own pride I refused to pack my things in a box, I left with my possessions spilling out of my arms and my purse. Here I was with no job, no friends or family to comfort me, and my crumbled future in my arms.
I went home, packed a large bag and moved to Medford, Oregon to work for my family business until I found another job in Seattle. To me this was short term, I couldn’t comprehend being in Medford for more than a few weeks, if not for my pride, but for my sanity.
I made looking for a job my new job. I had friends and mentors sending me links to job positions in Seattle. I reached out to as many people as I possible could and tapped every networking opportunity available. Every waking hour was spent searching for companies I was interested in working for and writing numerous cover letters telling these employers why I’m the best fit for the position.
My desire to be back in Seattle was my pure motivation. I’d become attached to the city and my life there, I’d just gotten started and all of a sudden it was ripped away from me. I drove up from Southern Oregon to Seattle multiple times in a two month period to attend multiple marathons of interviews. Out of the 100+ resume’s I sent out, I went to at least 10 in person interviews and was offered 3 jobs.
I turned what could have been a year or more of job searching into a two month sprint to find what is now a great job. It was tough to turn around after you’ve been laid off and your spirits are down to find the energy and will to push forward and continue to search.
Some days you want to give up, other days you come to a dead-end. But I was 22 years old, I wasn’t going to settle, I had my whole career ahead of me. When I began my search I said I wanted to stay away from health care. But I found that in those three months I had learned so much about the field, for the first time felt like I could look at a job description and say, “Hey I can do that!” So I continued to persue looking for a job that had to do with Advocacy Relations. I have passion for the experiences people have gone through, and to help tell their stories is one of the most rewarding jobs. I found the perfect home.
Now, I’ve almost been at my new job for a year and I look back on the experiences I went through and realize it was such a great life lesson to learn at a young age.
I now know…..
To be prepared for anything and everything
Just because I’m a “cheaper” employee, doesn’t mean you’re not expendable; and just because you’ve been at a company for 15 years doesn’t mean you have a solidified position- it’s a business
Keep going, no matter what. You have good days and bad days but the search will come to an end, just don’t give up
Utilizing your connections and network can provide good leads, but also it provides good practice
Save save save. You never know when that rainy day is coming, and how long you’ll be stuck in the down pour… be prepared financially
You’re constantly proving your worth at your job. Make yourself an invaluable employee so that you don’t have to ask the “what if’s”
To anyone that has been laid off, I feel for you. All you can do is keep your head up and move forward. Don’t look back, that is behind you. I never thought at 22 I would be laid off. But it happened, I adapted and moved forward and I’m a better person for it. I’m no longer naive about my professional life.
To all of those that have supported me through this roller coaster, I thank you. I couldn’t have done it with out you. A few to mention: My Family: Mama Stringer, My dad, Ken, My Brother, Matt; Jessica Lomelin, Kelli Matthews, Scott Wayne Indiana, Laurel Yamaguchi, Bridgette Quinn-Greenhaw, Libby Whittemore and all of my friends.
Seth Godin once posed the question:
“Are you better at what you do than you were a month or two ago?”
I find this an intriguing questions because as I had found over the past year I was not improving my skills, I was simply trying to learn the ropes.
What I’ve found is that you can do both at the same time. You will never advance in your job or even land the job you’re striving for unless you constantly work at improving your skills.
Here are a few thing to help get you started: 1. Make a list of your Skills you want to improve- This is not only a good place to start, but this is also a good thing to know because you will be asked the question “what are your weaknesses?” in an interview, or you will be asked to improve on your weaknesses for a development goal. But don’t just pick something easy, find weaknesses/skill that you can truly achieve, but will also give you a challenge.
2. Brain storm – Brain storm a list of rescources that will help you turn your weak skills into strengths. Maybe it’s keeping up with your blog to enhance your writing skills, or taking online classes at Linda.com. But find ways to achieve your goals.
3. Schedule time to work on your skills – If you don’t actually take the time to asses your skills and work on them, you will never move forward. You can increase the time you put out a project, but if your skill that needs improvement is your grammar, then take the time to re-read your project before you turn it in.
4. Take your time- If you’ve already admitted to yourself that your skills need some improvement, then take your time to actually work toward improvement. Take an extra five minutes to asses your work and make sure you’ve completed it to the best of your ability.
5. Save Compliments - If you or your co-works or professors have noticed an improvement in your skills and have commented on it, save the compliment. It helps to look back at encouraging works to keep your momentum going in the future. Also, if it comes down to a promotion, you have proof that you’re moving forward and working hard to improve.
Take some time to improve your skills in the new year.
I would like to introduce Jessica Nicole Lomelin, an everyday advocate. Jessica is more than an advocate, she in an inspirational, open-minded young woman who finds passion and joy in helping others.
Jessica has been given an amazing opportunity to make a difference. In less than a month Jessica will leave her friends, family and stable job to tell the stories of the Men, Women and Children of Gulu, Uganda. Jessica will be working with the organization Invisible Children as a communications assistant.
Seeing the excitement and glow on her face as she describes the organization makes supporting my friend worth every tear and every cent I can manage to pass along. The passion Jessica has to make a difference in the world is something we should all strive for.
Jessica will be documenting the people she meets and her numerous endeavors on her blog jessicalomelin.com. I ask that you please pass along her story and read her inspiring words.
As my best friend, sister and support system leaves me for this amazing adventure, I may not be able to support her financially, but I can support her emotionally.
Jessica will do great things in her lifetime, she is an amazing young woman with an open mind and an open heart. I look up to her and can’t wait to see what she can do for the people of Uganda.
Below is a message from Jessica.
——————————————————————————————————————————
I’m asking friends, families, strangers and kind-hearted people to donate to my trip and support the work I will be doing in Uganda. The organization is providing a discounted living situation, but I am essentially having to cover my airfare, vaccines, visas, and travel items.
Your donation will help me help Invisible Children.
I’m not receiving a large amount of financial support from Invisible Children given that the majority of their funding goes toward projects and initiatives. This is expected for non-profits and regardless of the financial set-backs this may cause, it is something I am still passionate about doing.
Donating even just a dollar to my trip will help me extend my stay in Africa and continue working with either Invisible Children or another similar NGO. Money permitted, I would love to stay in Africa for some time and do my best to positively impact the community and the people I meet.
Imagine if we got 500 people to donate just $1? How powerful that could be! I understand we are in the middle of numerous natural disaster’s and money is a tough situation, but consider giving up 1 latte this week and putting that money toward the work I will be doing in Uganda. If you are unable to donate, all I ask is that you just follow me as I take this adventure. Pass my name and my story on to your family and friends, and know that anything helps. You can help me make a difference in the lives of others.
Please take some time to become familiar with Invisible Children. The more people that are familiar with Invisible Children and the crisis going on in eastern Africa, the more likely things will improve.
If you are interested in contributing to my trip and to the work I will be doing in Africa you can donate through my secure Paypal account Here: http://jessicalomelin.com/contributions
They say that people who do good things reap benefits in more ways than they can imagine. Think of this as a good deed, whether contributing, telling the story of Invisible Children or becoming inspired to take action. Simply, pay it forward.
As stages of internet development are being deemed the 2.0 and 3.0 era, the state of online healthcare has jumped in head first with Healthcare2.0.
What does this look like? And what will Healthcare 3.0 look like?
As a student of the internet and a healthcare professional I have been intrigued by how the internet can help patients bring care into their own hands. Let me first define what I think Web 1.0 is to set the foundation.
Web 1.0 – information that is communicated from company to individuals (i.e. your basic web site). The web becomes one big encyclopedia of sorts.
Web 2.0 – information is communicated between company and individuals & between individuals. This is the Facebook, myspace, twitter, message board youtube web. If web 1.0 is a book, web 2.0 is a discussion.
Web 3.0- it’s not information anymore, it’s intelligence, artificial intelligence. You’d interact with it almost like another person. The web won’t just blindly do what we tell it do to, it’ll think for you.
As for Healthcare…
Healthcare 2.0- brings your healthcare questions and answers online. Do you remember all those medical books your parents used to have and they would look up your symptoms as a kid to make sure you didn’t have Rubella or some crazy illness. Well now they can look it up on sites like WebMD and Medipedia. You can join online advocacy organizations such as Patients Like Me, and ask questions to people on message boards. Healthcare has become interactive.
With Web 3.0 on the distant horizon what does this mean for healthcare 3.0?
It could mean a ton of different things. Such as online database where you can choose your Physician based on specialty, number of years practicing, number of malpractice suits, if they accept your insuarnce provider. I imagine Healthcare3.0 making it easier for the patient to find exactly the right dr. Web 3.0 will be more interactive, where your computer can diagnose you based on your symptoms. Healthcare 3.0 can help patients be more educated about their health and diseases.
There are so many possibilities as to where we can go from here. I’m excited to see what’s next for Healthcare-something-point-something.
Every day we are affected by something; sick family members, the environment, political decisions. Every day we make choices that can change our lives forever. We also have the power and voice to persuade others to make the correct decision for themselves. When you believe in something enough to turn your passion in to action you have become an Advocate.
Find any topic that has affected you in one way or another, environment, health care, teen pregnancy, child abuse –anything that makes you so passionate you want to yell from the roof tops. To be an affective advocate you need to have first hand experience. Whether it’s being a patient with Parkinson’s Disease, or being a caregiver to an autistic child you’ve seen and experienced what it is like to see someone struggle because there is no cure or no answer to question or need. Being a passionate advocate involves a few things:
1. Know your topic from all angles. Know first hand experiences and the effects if nothing is done about it. By honing in on your personal experiences you only strengthen your case. No one can fight with what you see or feel.
2. Share your experiences. Whether it’s with a family member or friend. or a random stranger at a party. Strike up a conversation and share you knowledge and your experience. The passion from your experiences inspire others to take action.
3. Get involved. Beyond sharing your story and experiences find groups and organizations of people just like you, working toward the same goal. Together you can make larger advances to either accomplishing your goal or just making other aware of your cause.
4. Begin an online campaign. Whether it’s a twitter or facebook campaign. or a video on Youtube. Word of mouth campaigns are eye catching and very relate able. Sit back and think about what messages resonate with you. Share those with the world. Advocates are taking over the Social Media sphere and if you want to be a part of it you’re going to have to dive in head first.
Being an advocate for something you are passionate about can help guide someone who is struggling with a life changing decision. Be compassionate, share you story. Turn your Passion into action.
A few weeks ago a friend of mine suggested that I check out the KIN (new Microsoft phone) Webisodes on Facebook. So I took 5 minutes out of my day to take a look at the adventures of a girl named Rosa, as she traveles with her new KIN to visit her social network face-to-face and find out if her “friends”, are really her Friends.
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