What’s Your Social Media Personality?

If you’re an active social media user, chances are that you’re aware of your impact in the digital world. However, as with any other form of marketing, it’s important to realize the type of impact that you or your business is having online.

– How do your clients interpret your tone?
– Is your organizational “voice” being heard as you would like it to be heard?
– Is your content “share-worthy” and engaging?

Self-awareness is essential to an organization’s success, so understanding your tone and presence in the digital world is becoming increasingly vital.

A National SurveyMonkey survey commissioned by MyLife resulted in this infographic (left). While this interactive chart is geared toward personal social media use, there are elements that can certainly be interpreted into useful data for any organization.. Not forgetting that every business is, in fact, made up of several individual employees.

More often than not, personal accounts are looked upon as a reflection of the company of which that person is employed. Understanding and recognizing your social media “habits” won’t hurt. Taking time to assess and analyze should already be a part of your regular routine, despite the size or nature of your organization.

So dive in. You might find out that you shouldn’t spoil the end of that movie you just saw, or that your kid is too cute for your Facebook friends to handle. (But let’s be honest- can a kid reaaaally be too cute?)

Silo: The Arrival

Yesterday, Maranda and I arrived at Kirkland Farm with the opportunity to participate in the Silo Guest Artist Residency. After driving ten hours through the night, it was refreshing to arrive on location and explore the property. It’s a fully functioning farm- horses, cows, little (and massive) pups running around, and, obviously, several barns. Quaint, cozy, and filled with inspiration.

Naturally, I’ll post photos and videos soon. But for now, just know that since we’ve arrived, four pieces have been born. Some will last longer than others, but it’s all about process, exploration, and discovery. What happens will happen; we can’t ask for anything more.

So, for now, I’m going to pamper my sore limbs with excessive amounts of Aleve, Tylenol Extra Strength, and sea salt gelato topped with bananas. I’m obviously assuming that the latter of the three will be equally as effective as the first two options. So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night.

Dear Women Of All Ages, Here’s How Your Sensitive Nature Can Change Your Life

Teresa Sabatine

@teresasabatine

Ashley Burgauer
December 13, 1985-August 29, 2013

As a little girl I was constantly made fun of.  I remember in 5^th grade hearing the following things on a daily basis; “ew you’re so skinny,” “your hair is an afro”, “you’re so sensitive, quit being a baby”.  Imagine my poor mother when I’d come home from school, hide away in my room only for her to find out I was actually crying like a baby because “no one at school liked me”.  Catholic school kids can be brutal.

Luckily “your hair is an afro” translated into hair dressers drooling over my thick Italian locks as an adult (thanks Mom and Dad) and “ew you’re so skinny” meant I would still have my fast metabolism at 28, and it’s a good thing because I LOVE french fries. But the thing that stuck with me the most wasn’t the comment on…

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FINALE

Well, this is it! I can finally reveal a project that I’ve been working on for quite some time.

www.finalenation.com

This past December, one of my dear friends approached me about building a website for their up-and-coming band, FINALE. I must admit, I was nervous to accept. Don’t get me wrong- I am always willing to help a friend in need. However, I had only recently finished my HTML/CSS lessons (via Codecademy) and certainly didn’t want to promise a site more professional than I was capable of producing. But, there was a perk. Their website was (and is) going to be hosted through GoDaddy, something that I had never had the opportunity to play with.

So, after a touch of reassurance and an agreement to work side by side (figuratively speaking), I agreed to do my best to help the group out. I must say that I found GoDaddy to be quite simple to manipulate, once I got the hang of things. Unless you’re feeling insanely brave or know 150% what you’re doing, I would highly recommend utilizing their wide selection of templates. As with any template, there are only so many font options, but a quick remedy to this problem is uploading your own graphics. The photo editing services offered weren’t the best that I’ve seen, but they definitely weren’t the worst. Again, I found that it was best to do most of the editing on my own computer, but the uploading process was (fortunately) a breeze, even for my ol’ monster. (I have a VIAO PC laptop that refuses to function w/o being plugged in, freezes when you attempt to do too much at once, and is quite literally falling apart.)

For my first attempt at a website through a new hosting site, I’m fairly pleased. What matters most, though, is that the group is happy. I definitely love getting to play, and FINALE certainly handed me a box of fun. Anyway, be sure to head on over to their website and connect w. the group via social media. They’re a talented bunch, ready to make an impact in the music industry. I’ve included a teaser video below; you’ll definitely want to keep your eyes peeled for their music video launch in March. Enjoy!

Grant Writing Basics

Over 250 people have enrolled for my “Grant Writing Basics” Udemy course! To celebrate, I’m offering the next 100 students 75% OFF the original course price. Use this coupon to enroll; read more about the course description below.

Are you new to grant writing? If so, the process can often seem daunting and overwhelming. Hiring a grant writer may seem tempting, but could cost you $100+/hr. So put away that checkbook, pull out a notebook, and slip on those slippers. This course is designed to help you understand the basic principles of writing a grant narrative, executive summary, and a variety of other proponents essential to your proposal- all from the comfort of your own home.

Oh, February.

Let’s be honest for just a moment: February is a “blah” sort of month. Besides Valentine’s Day (for those of you that don’t spend it watching Netflix with a bottle of wine), there’s not much else that happens. It’s the final stretch of winter and let me just tell you- those 28 days seem like an ETERNITY when we’re all daydreaming of spring break.. on the beach.. in the sunshine.

February. Never. Ends.

So, to combat the February blues, I’ve decided to indulge in another #selfchallenge. (I love hashtags; you should probably just accept this now.) And, as usual, my #selfchallenge will incorporate the Charity Miles app. Throughout the dreadful month that is February, I will be walking, running, and/or biking 100 miles for various charities. With exactly four weeks to spare, the goal is to accomplish 25 miles/week. Obviously, I’m hoping for this polar vortex slash winter tundra nonsense to completely vanish.. I would much rather be able to jog in my neighborhood, walk around the mall, or (finally fix my bike and) go for a bike ride around town. But, thanks to the most recent CM update, the app is able to utilize the iPhone’s accelerometer to track distances indoors. It’s a little iffy on the elliptical, but definitely works on the treadmill!

In addition to my distance goal, I am also completely eliminating pop/soda and fast food from my diet. I’m no stranger to either feat; I’ve gradually weaned myself off of pop/soda during the past 2 1/2 yrs., only drinking it if I have a strange craving for the taste or am in dire need of caffeine (and am lacking coffee). I can also count the number of times I’ve had fast food since May 2013 (nine, maaaaybe ten or eleven if we’re counting just ice cream), which is a huge deal for someone that used to go to McDonald’s every night in college. 

“But how will you motivate yourself?”

As I quite literally #lol at asking myself this question, I’m going to share another favourite app with you all. Pact, formerly known as GymPact, is a motivator app for your smart phone that pays you to go to the gym. How great is that?! Reversely, when you make your pact, you set the stakes for not completing your owl goals. My personal stakes are a mere $5- more money than I would like to lose, however. I used to avoid the gym. Now, I’ve only ever missed one day of working out! You can read more about the app and it’s additional programs here.

So, that’s how I plan on getting through February. Will you join me in a #selfchallenge?

Building the Bridge

A good read on the generational gap in today’s workplace. How will you bridge the gap?

What Makes A Good, Trusted Advisor?

#SelflessSelfie

As someone who loves both social media and making a difference in our world, I am always in awe with what ideas people create to combine these two passions of mine.

First, I was introduced to Charity Miles. This mobile application allows walkers, runners, and bikers to track their personal mileage and donate their miles to the charity of their choice. For each mile that you walk or run, 25¢ is donated; for each mile that you bike, 10¢ is donated. My friend Chris implemented a competition throughout the state of Indiana, encouraging universities to raise more miles than their competitors. While I’m proud to say that Ball State was the Charity Miles Challenge champion, I’m even prouder to say that my involvement didn’t stop there. Thrilled by the idea of being able to make a difference from my own pocket, I continued to utilize Charity Miles and was eventually featured in their Spotlight On blog after my friend Aaron and I challenged the CM community to a #September70 #selfchallenge. And to think- all of this involvement and interaction with various charities in our world was stemmed by one simple app.

Now, I’ve discovered a new app that allows me to reach out and help others. (Don’t worry, CM! I’m still using you- especially after your most recent update.) Started by Johnson&Johnson, Donate a Photo allows you to, well, donate your photos to various causes. While their cause list may be smaller, their impact is just as mighty. For each photo donated, J&J donates $1 to the cause that you have selected. They’ll even stamp your photo for you, proudly showing the world what cause you chose to support that day.

You now have an excuse to take that embarrassing selfie!

I could advocate for these apps all day and all night, but that’s not going to do much of anything. What will do something, however, is you downloading either one of these apps, using them, and making a difference in our world. So go. Help a child go to school. Protect a child from bullying. Provide support to the Special Olympics. Stand Up 2 Cancer by walking a mile or two. It doesn’t matter how you help the world, it only matters that you help.

And I quote: “Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.”

#SelflessSelfie
#EveryMileMatters

Captured.

At one point in my life, I wanted to be a photographer. I loved the idea of experiencing a moment, capturing that moment with the click of a shutter, and sharing the image with the rest of the world. Photography was something that I enjoyed; something that I was passionate about.

I still love photography, but I’ve come to realize that I love adventures more. While I can document my experiences through photography, it’s impossible to share those experiences with anyone else. Images can be admired, but they can’t put you on the train; they don’t allow you to feel the wind in your hair and the coal bits on your face. Be it a lack of ability to capture the “perfect” moment or simply the face of reality, my experiences are true and personal to one person: me.

Every adventure is unique. Allow yourself to fully experience yours.