Posts Tagged ‘Social Networking’

photo credit: dollie_mixtures

Today I am on a roll!

You want to instantly plug in awesome photos like this one? Check out Photo Dropper!. This fantastic wordpress plugin lets you grab Creative Commons photos right from your dashboard and sizes it and puts all the lovely code in for you.

Ah…blogging hacks…so wonderful.

Like the buttons? Aren’t they cute? And they are all in one lovely little bunch. I picked them up at buttonshut.com so go on over there and grab some for yourself. There is a lovely selection to choose from.

Btw, this is random but I just added a few words to the Urban Dictionary – you might get a kick out of the definitions. I was inspired after I UD’d my own name…turns out I’m lovely, hot, AND possibly an evil genius! Nice!

Anyway, I just spent about an hour and 1/2 modifying my page – adding shtuff, gettin rid of shtuff. I may change my theme again in the future cause this one is already startin to feel old but that will have to come at a time when…you know…I have “some”. That is “time” that isn’t already assigned for work and shit.

The modifications were to make my website more of a hub – where you can find all the goodies that involve 365daygirl. Well not all of it…they don’t make nearly enough buttons for ALL the stuff I do. But I can always add links right?

Okay, so with this page, and my web presence reasonably situated I will probably be focusing my content on more real stuff and genuinely sharing my story about why I’m doing this all in the first place. It’s been an interesting, almost sobering couple of weeks. The challenge of putting up all manner of content led me to a point of exhaustion. So now I’m trying to re-focus and re-build my energies.

In other news, I finally “get” Twitter! It isn’t the total waste of time I thought it was! lol.

Okay, back to work.

I have a sinus infection…again! But thanks to facebook one of my very informed and well meaning friends just told me about a product I can use to kick this infection to the curb. Here’s the process:

1. I tweet about my misery via my facebook and twitter account
2. Friends leave well wishing comments and condolences
3. One friend in particular recommends a product she’s had awesome experience
4. I jump on Google to find the product, read ingredients, instructions, other customer reviews, and get a price.
5. I search engine where to find it in the REAL world.

while I was checking out all the specs for this amazing nasal flushing product I read one of the best reviews ever. I mean, this guy was fantastic! Funny, lyrical, illustrative…just a joy to read. He even wrote a haiku about an instant brownie mix! Freakin awesome.

God I love the Internet.

So, this hot guy is Curtis. Curtis Mock, Guru in the Business of Fitness (Summer, bookmark his site! You’re hot personal trainer boyfriend could learn a LOT from this guy). I am using him, or rather the “brand” of him as an example of awesome social media “practice”. It is an art form and a science, one of which every business owner and professional today is wise to put into habit. Get that? TODAY. Not yesterday, like your good ole dad’s day of cold calling.

Apart from his rockstar “personal brand” Curtis is real and genuine about interacting with his audience, his fellow business colleagues, and I’m sure his clients. Do you notice how his authentic concern for YOUR success effortlessly comes through? You just want to eat this guy up don’t you? He’s informative, takes time to explain something, and he’s damn funny to watch and listen to. He shares his realness, his story, and his desire to help YOU be awesome. You WANT to leave a comment because he wants to read it! He wants you to share YOUR story. You WANT to ask him a question – cause you see him answer others questions. He is actually taking the time and interest to “interface” with you via the media at all our fingertips.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been on a blog and wanted to be part of the discussion, be heard and answered and then get nothin. Or even a youtube video. The “I don’t have time to respond” is not an excuse if you want to build a business or be a personality on the web. In fact it’s total bullshit. Social media is there to facilitate conversation and hopefully start the foundation of a relationship, be it friend or business partner (actually it’s usually both!). The beauty of it is you can use it to reach customers, business partners, and real friends, across miles and miles of land.

Curtis does not live anywhere near me, which could have been considered unfortunate a little while ago (and perhaps a little now since I can’t like pat his butt or anything physically flirty *nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*). But thanks to the internet I get the pleasure of both receiving his awesomeness as well as sharing my own in the form of actual real communication. This is both because we are awesome at employing these tools and networks.

He is a perfect example of why it pays to jump into this whole social media ocean. In in we will either sink or swim. For those who have said there are not real connections to be made in this day and age, in business or personal, I say you are letting yourself sink. For the rest of us, we are happily learning how to dog paddle ;)

Numbers…data…numbers…letters…comments…posts…tags…spam…tweets…email…letters…numbers…Oh. My. God! There’s that fried brain feeling again :P

So I’ve been learning a ton about social media, personal branding, even tweeting! It’s fantastic! But…still a lot of work.

My flickr account has fallen by the wayside recently as I answer emails and make comments, upload my videos on youtube for 5 hours, record videos for my dragon boss and my “working projects”, and sleep.

And then today, I check my blog and lo and behold I’ve got 83 new comments! 90% of which are total gibberish. Into the trash with you! Perhaps there is a better spam filter out there but I don’t know where to find it. Recommendations?

It’s been AWESOME talking with REAL people on the web. Especially women on the web. Right here in town too! Such as Summer and Stacy and @Ghennipher and Tami. As well as getting questions about my 365daygirl adventures from real folks in interent biz.

Meanwhile the Magical Mexican and the Russian Photo Babe are still super fans and keep poking me to see if I am okay and still producing content for them to ingest ;) Love you guys!

I’m curious, how do ya’ll keep up with all this stuff? I’d love to hear your blogging/posting/tweeting/vlogging/facebooking strategies and how you keep it all in check with your real work!

-Aprylcat

No time to tweet huh? Bullshit! I mean…Sure ya do! Just set the way back to FORWARD by using a handy little tool from Socialoomph.com and send wonderfully original and unique tweets on schedule while you nap, shop, or otherwise attend to that REAL life of yours :)

And, in case you haven’t noticed you can also time your blog posts…a damn convenient option I just recently discovered.

Hey! I’m learning here!

Today I got my first snarky comment. It was in reference to a recent video I posted on youtube and basically said that I looked funny. Who was the texty offender? A 19 year old girl that seems to enjoy leaving a trail of poo all over youtube apparently. When she isn’t lauding the godlike powers of her favorite hair straightener that is. I didn’t feel butthurt about it and instead have decided to spread some web 2.0 love by leaving super positive comments for the videos she shat on after my own. Videos put out awesome and courageous gals that do their part in beautifying their own corners of the web. They deserve major kudos for being creative instead of crap comments flung by anonymous “users”.

In the meantime I am keeping my eye on ms. turd talker just for amusement sake…

I have a question for you web users out there: How much does your use of your devices and your web profiles to express your interesting little self COMPARE to how much you use all that to screw around?

Folks be forewarned – I am one opinionated little missy but I say this all out of LOVE: *steps onto soapbox

Ahem.
Being in this here Information Age is a real challenge. An exciting one mind you – at least depending on how you look at it. I think those of us that are thriving within it know just how to rock the social media. Everyone else may just be cluttering up the net with virtual chatter. People we love too! It’s so freakin sad sometimes! I know it bums me out when I read more about a friend’s Farmville status reports then their actual life! Let me be a little voice of sense and reason here okay? Just because you are awesome at growing pixelated vegetables doesn’t mean all your friends care to know… each and every time you get a new sprout or rutabaga spouts up from the virtual ground. Does Oprah rock at Farmville? Hell. If. I. Know! Thankfully she doesn’t share those precious little updates with her fans on her web profiles.

what the hell is that??

I know I’m gettin on my high horse here but I just find it ridiculous reading about stuff that DON’T MEAN SHIT! So instead let me tell you how you can share somethin REAL and how it’s really not all that hard.

Things to Post: Links
This is the easiest type of content to post and it can still be unique to you. So go ahead and post links to all sorts of great stuff:
*Movies
*Events
*Clothing
*Toys
*Software
*Music

Things to Post: YOU-ness
You can also share the unique and weird stuff about YOU:
*Your wacky philosophies
*Your silly adventures
*Even your wisdom
*I suggest postin little 1 to 2 line blurbs in most things and then spilling all the juicy details in a big wordy blog post. NOTE: formatting things with headers and bolded text is FANTASTIC.

Things to Post: Comment Lovin
Share the love okay? Tell your friends you are thinking about them or compliment them or somethin. Believe me they need to know and it’s just super nice and cool.
*Wall Comments
*Blog Comments
*Share a link just for them
*Refer some cool resource
*Tell them their photos are cute and you want to see more
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
SHARE SHARE SHARE!

And THROW SOME MUD ON THE WALL. Do not get all preciously perfectionist about it. Otherwise you won’t learn anything and nothing will progress into something truly valuable. Chances are you won’t say, post, or upload the most perfect thing at first. But you will learn if you practice and allow yourself to get some golden feedback :)

Take me for example. I’ve decided to put my goofy ass out there and produce content at the most basic freakin level possible with this whole project.
*I’ve uploaded the most amateur photos from my sorry ass little webcam.
*I wrote my first blog posts on the generic little wordpress template EVERYONE starts with.
*And I’ve posted my videos with the lamest lighting I have available – including the creepy blue glow of my laptop.

All with the intent to show you fabulous people what this whole journey starts out like. And I have learned every step of the way and produce better content each time! Half the time it’s from people that are just wanting to be helpful and lend their expertise:
“Can I show you how to not take Myspace photos?” -says Anomaly Boy who is a genius with Photoshop.

Let me get back to Oprah here – she’s nearly Queen of the Universe right? Her first Twitter post was all in caps and Shaq had to be the well meaning jerkface to tell her that she was SHOUTING on the web. Maybe a tad embarrassing but INSTANTLY fixable. Just by pressing a button.

So Here’s Your ACTION List:
1. Do.
2. Screw Up.
3. Learn!
4. Make something Prettier next time!

Or you could be one of those fortunate souls that produces something brilliant your first try and everyone wants more more more!

Either way it’s easy as pie :)

Okay I’ll get off my soapbox here and get back to work.

Fashion obsessed girls, I have a question for you:
Do you dress fashion forward or do you dress feminine?
What’s the difference you ask?
Well one is more for yourself and to impress other women (Fashion Forward) and the other is dressing more to attract men (Feminine). So I suppose the real question girls is: Do you dress for men or do you dress for women?. Here’s another breakdown for you:

Fashion Forward is:
*dynamic
*bold
*cutting edge
*androgynous
*sexy in a high fashion model way ala “my cheekbones and clavicle bones can slice you in two!”
Think: Mary Kate Olsen (you know with her slouchy coolness and morbid hotness)

Feminine is of course:
*body hugging
*form fitting
*flirty
*pretty or cute
*sexy in a playboy bunny way ala “here’s my boobs, betcha wanna play with em!”
Think: Kim Kardashian (ever noticed that girls ass? it’s devestating! I’m sure it’s given J-Lo a marathon run for her money!)

Personally I veer slightly more towards men because I enjoy flirty with them and accentuating my femininity. But I also have a very strong creative streak that allows me to get all creative and experimental.

I promised to post links from my video so here they are for you girls!
Fashion/Makeup Links for the Ladies!
*Fashion: Veni Caprice: store on Etsy where I got my awesome revolver hoodie dresses.
*Makeup: < href="http://www.youtube.com/user/SarahVictor">Sarah Victor: does really fun and super informative makeup tutorials on youtube. You can also check out her facebook fan page (I just became a fan myself!).

Spread the social media joy and tell your girlfriends to look, read, or watch 365 Day Girl and I’ll post more girly goodness for you!

Pardon my stink. I forgot to put on deodorant after I got up and attended to Five Thousand Things At Once. Hey it happens. I’m not the smelliest of girls though so I didn’t notice until I cleaned out my purse and found a roll-on from Avon. Always good to put backup stuff in your purse girls!

Anyway…you ever notice how every Simpson’s episode starts out with one story for about a minute and then blossoms into this completely different story for the rest of the show? It goes from Apples to NOT oranges but politically ambitions sea urchins or something not naturally related?

I love that! So yeah, my deodorant has no natural connection to this post :) Other than it’s a mundane REALITY thing that I do often forget when I get wrapped up in being on the web or social networking. Cause hey! I don’t have to smell good while leaving a comment on your facebook profile! haha!

Anyway, today I gotta get back to my working reality. To like pay bills and shit. It’s been a frantic sort of week back and forth the web and my social life in the real world. Time to work so I can actually pay for all that stink pretty my underarms need and my real life friends appreciate me wearing :)

got some new vids up on my youtube channel: “girlgurutv” in case you are interested.

and leave a comment if you feel so inspired. even just to say “hello”. in fact if you leave just one word, ANY word in the comment box I will totally freak out with happiness and comment back to you and thank the bejeezies out of you on here or whereever :)