One of my recent interests is social media and how people, businesses and organizations are using it. I went to an event at UMass Dartmouth last night about careers in social media marketing. Yep, I found time to do something that I am interested in. Progress!
Prof. Steve White had 4 speakers talk about how they're using social media in their jobs, or in the case of the Dunkin Donuts guy, how they're not. While impressed by his approach (and the fact that Prof. White was able to find 50 DD's within a 10 mile radius of Dartmouth!), I was especially intrigued by the information that Matt Medeiros, Lauren Barber and Elizabeth Grenier had to share.
Lauren and Elizabeth are recent UMD grads that are using social media in their jobs for a marketing firm that, from what I understood, helps connect higher ed institutions with prospective students in order to meet enrollment goals. You might think, "wow, they get paid to play on facebook and twitter all day?" Eh, not exactly. While it sure seems that they are enjoying their jobs, they are doing some pretty impressive stuff.
Their presentations convinced me of one main thing: get back on Twitter! I've tried it a few times but never saw the appeal everyone was buzzing about, but they are absolutely right - it's not how many people you're following, it's who you're following. Yeah, everyone has their celebrities they like to keep tabs on, but there are plenty of intelligent, motivated people out there sharing information you're interested in and NOT just what they're having for breakfast - a nice break from some of the stuff that fills my feed on Facebook. It's a dream world as one of the students put it, filled with real-time thoughts.
The main thing I got out of Matt's presentation is that social media is not just Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs. Those are just outlets or tools that people use to "be social." He also spoke about the tools that help us organize all these tools. Sure, I get it - I'm already getting a little overwhelmed keeping track of my blog, FB, and Twitter accounts, all while keeping up with the news, other blogs and adding "complete my LinkedIn profile" to my to-do list for the week! *sigh* I need a way to keep it all together in an organized fashion.
Do you feel my pain? What's in your tool box? Any suggestions on how I can keep everything organized?
Stay connected. (now on Twitter!)
Much love.
-MC
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
No more limits.
March 15, 2011 - my 28th birthday. I always do some sort of self-analysis around my birthday and this year was no different. This year's main conclusion is that the last year or so of my life was a bit of a roller coaster ride, between getting my first apartment, a professional commitment that resulted in more personal sacrifices than I ever imagined and a new relationship that helped me - little miss independent - balance the craziness all while presenting challenges that helped me grow in so many ways.
While this was all well and good and a "learning experience," as everyone likes to put it, my main goal this year is to reconnect with friends and family and concentrate on the things that inspire me most. I'd like to finally get to that list of things that I've always wanted to do but never did, one of which is writing a blog! Therefore, the title - the things I never did. I hope to use this blog to share my new experiences with you but I also ask that you help me...more on that later.
On my birthday, I was overwhelmed with all the birthday wishes I received, whether they were phone calls, (such as the one from my mother at exactly 8:05 a.m. - the time of my birth - love her.) text messages, e-mails, cards or Facebook wall posts. The majority of wishes were received through Facebook and while it's the quickest way to wish someone a happy birthday and viewed by many as impersonal, I cherish the fact that so many took 10 seconds of their day to send some love my way. I wanted to thank everyone individually, but instead I'd like to collect all the love and pass it on throughout the year. I decided that for every birthday wish I received, I will pledge 10 minutes of my time to volunteering for a local cause.
My grand total was 37 hours - I'll add 3 more hours of love to that and call it an even 40. Here's where you come in - I invite you to message me with local causes that need help and most importantly invite you to join me. Why do I want to keep this local? I understand that there are many worldwide causes/projects that are very worthy of my time, but feel that sometimes people concentrate on the big problems and forget that there are so many local causes that could also use some help! As one of my favorite DMB songs starts,
"To change the world,
start with one step.
However small,
first step is hardest of all."
I'll keep the purpose of this blog simple - to share my new experiences, educate you on local causes that need some love and keep the rest open-ended. No more limits.
Stay connected.
Much love.
-MC
While this was all well and good and a "learning experience," as everyone likes to put it, my main goal this year is to reconnect with friends and family and concentrate on the things that inspire me most. I'd like to finally get to that list of things that I've always wanted to do but never did, one of which is writing a blog! Therefore, the title - the things I never did. I hope to use this blog to share my new experiences with you but I also ask that you help me...more on that later.
On my birthday, I was overwhelmed with all the birthday wishes I received, whether they were phone calls, (such as the one from my mother at exactly 8:05 a.m. - the time of my birth - love her.) text messages, e-mails, cards or Facebook wall posts. The majority of wishes were received through Facebook and while it's the quickest way to wish someone a happy birthday and viewed by many as impersonal, I cherish the fact that so many took 10 seconds of their day to send some love my way. I wanted to thank everyone individually, but instead I'd like to collect all the love and pass it on throughout the year. I decided that for every birthday wish I received, I will pledge 10 minutes of my time to volunteering for a local cause.
My grand total was 37 hours - I'll add 3 more hours of love to that and call it an even 40. Here's where you come in - I invite you to message me with local causes that need help and most importantly invite you to join me. Why do I want to keep this local? I understand that there are many worldwide causes/projects that are very worthy of my time, but feel that sometimes people concentrate on the big problems and forget that there are so many local causes that could also use some help! As one of my favorite DMB songs starts,
"To change the world,
start with one step.
However small,
first step is hardest of all."
I'll keep the purpose of this blog simple - to share my new experiences, educate you on local causes that need some love and keep the rest open-ended. No more limits.
Stay connected.
Much love.
-MC
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