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Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
April 4, 2013
profundities (n., pl.)
Today's word was inspired by #IABCwisdom - I came away with so many nuggets of inspiration from last night's IABC/BC event, that I just couldn't help reiterate some of them here - to help them settle, absorb.
In fact, I even refused to enter this term in its singular form - I realized that enlightening moments breed more enlightening moments; I realized that revelations and new understandings rarely come in ones. Profundities travel in a pack. And when they hit us, they inject positive proactive energy - the kind that opens us to experiencing even more profundities!
The "If I Knew Then" event featured 10 communications pros who shared their insights on what they learned through the course of their careers - the mistakes and accomplishments, the lessons, the inspirations and motivations, and generally, the many "profundities" they gathered along the way that were worthwhile sharing with the rest of us as we embark on our own career paths (or trails, or bushwhacking adventures).
Here are some of my most memorable takeaways, in tweets:
Of course, the funny contradiction to the event was that in hindsight, knowing now what you knew then wouldn't have made it possible for you to experience the crucial moments that afforded you the opportunities to gain the insights you did in the first place. Get it? Who cares.
These enlightening experiences give us the energy to really get to the fund (Latin: bottom) of the matter, the truth, so that we can live better, do better, be better - so that we ourselves can make profound impact on the world and ourselves.
The point is this: I utterly advise you to take any and all eureka! moments and ensure they be followed by actions. Profundities amassed move us; but they quickly fade unless their true applicable meaning is harnessed to spring us to transform, change, move forward (or back), decide, go, move, shift.
Rather than regret.
So go do it! Open yourself up to your coworkers, to change, to working hard, to adventures, to being honest with yourself, to being the YOUest you that you can be.
Profundities abound!
In fact, I even refused to enter this term in its singular form - I realized that enlightening moments breed more enlightening moments; I realized that revelations and new understandings rarely come in ones. Profundities travel in a pack. And when they hit us, they inject positive proactive energy - the kind that opens us to experiencing even more profundities!
The "If I Knew Then" event featured 10 communications pros who shared their insights on what they learned through the course of their careers - the mistakes and accomplishments, the lessons, the inspirations and motivations, and generally, the many "profundities" they gathered along the way that were worthwhile sharing with the rest of us as we embark on our own career paths (or trails, or bushwhacking adventures).
Here are some of my most memorable takeaways, in tweets:
MT @lindsayhindle: "The relationships you create are the foundation of your workplace" - Mary Fraser of @lululemon #iabcwisdom
— Visnja Milidragovic (@vishmili) April 4, 2013
"I stood my ground. And nothing bad happened." -@kjrox100 #IABCwisdom
— Visnja Milidragovic (@vishmili) April 4, 2013
Regard your career as an adventure & it will be one. Own the highs & lows. And look for opps to..[dramatic pause] contribute. #IABCwisdom
— Visnja Milidragovic (@vishmili) April 4, 2013
Treat your job like its your own business-John Almond. #IABCwisdom
— Danielle Wolff (@DanielleKWolff) April 4, 2013
"When things are at their best it's often the best time to make a change." This lets you make changes on your own terms. #IABCwisdom
— Visnja Milidragovic (@vishmili) April 4, 2013
Open yourself up and become more compassionate. #transparency much more part of the 'ad biz' than ever before. -@dellasdeck #IABCwisdom
— Visnja Milidragovic (@vishmili) April 4, 2013
@julessiu @mo_mobilize Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. :-) #iabcwisdom
— Anne In Van (@AnneinVan) April 4, 2013
Of course, the funny contradiction to the event was that in hindsight, knowing now what you knew then wouldn't have made it possible for you to experience the crucial moments that afforded you the opportunities to gain the insights you did in the first place. Get it? Who cares.
These enlightening experiences give us the energy to really get to the fund (Latin: bottom) of the matter, the truth, so that we can live better, do better, be better - so that we ourselves can make profound impact on the world and ourselves.
The point is this: I utterly advise you to take any and all eureka! moments and ensure they be followed by actions. Profundities amassed move us; but they quickly fade unless their true applicable meaning is harnessed to spring us to transform, change, move forward (or back), decide, go, move, shift.
Rather than regret.
So go do it! Open yourself up to your coworkers, to change, to working hard, to adventures, to being honest with yourself, to being the YOUest you that you can be.
Profundities abound!
October 4, 2012
broadcasting (v.)
This post is going to very much a morning rant. Mostly because I'm sleepy as I went to bed too late last night, wasting 30 minutes on a boring site that I just have to blog about. I've recently begun a new job, and having done a bit of overtime a few days this week (it's the busy season in MarCom!) I'm really giving myself a hard time for not going to bed before midnight - especially when what I wind up putting my time towards is plain stupid.
So without further ado...
Broadcasting. In the age of the web. Is a force. To be reckoned with.
I stumbled upon a site last night that looked like this:
(YouNow, it's called.) I refuse to embed a link to the site because you shouldn't go there until you hear me out (you may wind up beating yourself up for spending time there). Above, is a guy getting dressed for school (I just grabbed the screenshot a minute ago).
It's a site that broadcasts people live on a number of themed channels. The catch is that once it's your turn to go "live," the time alotted to you to be on air is determined by the number of people watching who give you a thumbs up.
I know - how democratic!
Now, I shouldn't have beef with a site that gives people voice - from both ends. People can decide for themselves what they want to broadcast, and what they want broadcasted to them (or if they want to stay on the channel at all). However, I just found it completely inane that a bunch of these people broadcast themselves out of complete vanity - completely forgetting, along the way, what broadcasting really entails.
Apart from a (very) few people who sing and dance and have something worthy of sharing to watchers (like an opinion, advice, a story....), I mainly watched, in complete Oryx and Crake-ian horror, people (really, teenagers) just sitting at their computers doing absolutely nothing worth watching.
Except I couldn't look away.
Some talked about how they don't know what to say; two people were told to take off their clothes by the people chatting with them (no one did it, but it makes me wonder...); others (popular "YouTubers") recognized YouTube aliases and turned the whole thing into a popularity contest that probably excluded people outside that community (who don't spend 4 hours a day on YouTube).
I spent 4 minutes watching a girl typing on her computer.
And that's when I decided to leave - but, I admit, it was already too much time spent there (and I, once again did not get enough sleep!)
It just makes me think that every idea - even if it's good - isn't necessarily a good idea.
I hope I don't sound like an ignoramus, but something about this whole voyeuristic "broadcast yourself" thing doesn't sit well with me. (Just go read Atwood's Oryx and Crake).
See for yourself and let me know your thoughts. www.younow.com. And while you're there, I'll be on YouTube.
At least I can watch cat videos there.
So without further ado...
Broadcasting. In the age of the web. Is a force. To be reckoned with.
I stumbled upon a site last night that looked like this:
It's a site that broadcasts people live on a number of themed channels. The catch is that once it's your turn to go "live," the time alotted to you to be on air is determined by the number of people watching who give you a thumbs up.
I know - how democratic!
Now, I shouldn't have beef with a site that gives people voice - from both ends. People can decide for themselves what they want to broadcast, and what they want broadcasted to them (or if they want to stay on the channel at all). However, I just found it completely inane that a bunch of these people broadcast themselves out of complete vanity - completely forgetting, along the way, what broadcasting really entails.
Apart from a (very) few people who sing and dance and have something worthy of sharing to watchers (like an opinion, advice, a story....), I mainly watched, in complete Oryx and Crake-ian horror, people (really, teenagers) just sitting at their computers doing absolutely nothing worth watching.
Except I couldn't look away.
Some talked about how they don't know what to say; two people were told to take off their clothes by the people chatting with them (no one did it, but it makes me wonder...); others (popular "YouTubers") recognized YouTube aliases and turned the whole thing into a popularity contest that probably excluded people outside that community (who don't spend 4 hours a day on YouTube).
I spent 4 minutes watching a girl typing on her computer.
And that's when I decided to leave - but, I admit, it was already too much time spent there (and I, once again did not get enough sleep!)
It just makes me think that every idea - even if it's good - isn't necessarily a good idea.
I hope I don't sound like an ignoramus, but something about this whole voyeuristic "broadcast yourself" thing doesn't sit well with me. (Just go read Atwood's Oryx and Crake).
See for yourself and let me know your thoughts. www.younow.com. And while you're there, I'll be on YouTube.
At least I can watch cat videos there.
August 24, 2012
content (adj., n.)
I've spent so much time over the last 2 years thinking about content. Having written my thesis on media and content marketing, having begun a career in online communications, and having continued to be an avid content consumer, I should have realized this sooner: How utterly ironic it is that it also sounds like a very important, often unexplored, adjective. Content.
To be content, I think, is really far different from being happy or full of joy or many of those other frilly ways we describe the state of not feeling something bad - like sad, lonely, empty, etc. There's a beautiful and simple subtlety about being content - something natural, calm, and full of release. Rather than the experiencing of some kind of time-stamped smile or an energetic burst of hedonistic satisfaction, being content is plain, good.
In my work, I think a lot about content strategy, social media, branding and all these "outer-world" kind of things. Lately, I found myself thinking about how we consume information, what we define as "social", and how the online universe affects our everyday (as in, for example, how Facebook makes us lonely). Content is king, and we are slaves of it more than ever in this speedy information-propelled age.
Navigating the online world = Marketing ourselves
Self-branding online is not a new concept. But somehow, I can't seem to put aside this idea as it always reminds me of the demands of a digitized identity. The ways in which we express knowledge - of the world and of ourselves - are changing.
Everything is becoming more and more social online: Google increasingly adjusts it's algorithms to crawl what it deems as "social" content; online activity increasingly informs how and where we choose to "hang out" or hold conversations (online and off), (the same conversations via which we consume, use, and disseminate content). We know more about our world and the world knows more about us - but do we know too much about each other and not really enough about ourselves?
Our Ego has always been the mask that we use to present ourselves to the world. But web communications, and social media more specifically, is giving us a chance to manipulate this (much less transparent, much more agile) mask. Some of us may not even realize we're wearing it. Many of us may be even more aware of the mask though, which may be affecting our happiness because we don't feel real.
The internet is democratic
Online channels are democratic. The internet is a space with flexible hierarchies, where unconventional people can become significant influencers.
Companies, for one, have great opportunities to benefit online - they can take advantage of conversing with their market, which benefits consumers as well. At least, the web has opened up opportunities where marketing can become more interactive, expressive, and real. But does this democratized space harm us as human beings in any way? Just because the conversations are more real and the marketing appears more transparent, doesn't mean we feel more real, more understood.
Sorry - I know I can sound preachy in my posts. I often look to express conclusive answers to questions that I pose (albeit using puns and quasi-homonyms). But this week, I'm going to just ask a bunch of questions - and I'll be content to find that the answers we scramble for may simply float around my question marks - and that that's enough.
Does the internet force us to not be true selves? Or is it just part of our developing another ego, a new way to present ourselves to one another?
Do we recognize the difference between appearing content and actually being content?
Are making of our private life too public?
Should we have anything to hide? Is there value in holding on to something just for ourselves?
Are we practicing content marketing every day when we post status updates? What does this mean?
How does online influence feed into our confidence offline?
Is social media just a new tool for human socializaton?
 |
| "We are living in an isolation that would have been unimaginable to our ancestors, and yet we have never been more accessible." - Stephen Marche (The Atlantic) |
To be content, I think, is really far different from being happy or full of joy or many of those other frilly ways we describe the state of not feeling something bad - like sad, lonely, empty, etc. There's a beautiful and simple subtlety about being content - something natural, calm, and full of release. Rather than the experiencing of some kind of time-stamped smile or an energetic burst of hedonistic satisfaction, being content is plain, good.
In my work, I think a lot about content strategy, social media, branding and all these "outer-world" kind of things. Lately, I found myself thinking about how we consume information, what we define as "social", and how the online universe affects our everyday (as in, for example, how Facebook makes us lonely). Content is king, and we are slaves of it more than ever in this speedy information-propelled age.
Navigating the online world = Marketing ourselves
Self-branding online is not a new concept. But somehow, I can't seem to put aside this idea as it always reminds me of the demands of a digitized identity. The ways in which we express knowledge - of the world and of ourselves - are changing.
Everything is becoming more and more social online: Google increasingly adjusts it's algorithms to crawl what it deems as "social" content; online activity increasingly informs how and where we choose to "hang out" or hold conversations (online and off), (the same conversations via which we consume, use, and disseminate content). We know more about our world and the world knows more about us - but do we know too much about each other and not really enough about ourselves?
Our Ego has always been the mask that we use to present ourselves to the world. But web communications, and social media more specifically, is giving us a chance to manipulate this (much less transparent, much more agile) mask. Some of us may not even realize we're wearing it. Many of us may be even more aware of the mask though, which may be affecting our happiness because we don't feel real.
The internet is democratic
Online channels are democratic. The internet is a space with flexible hierarchies, where unconventional people can become significant influencers.
Companies, for one, have great opportunities to benefit online - they can take advantage of conversing with their market, which benefits consumers as well. At least, the web has opened up opportunities where marketing can become more interactive, expressive, and real. But does this democratized space harm us as human beings in any way? Just because the conversations are more real and the marketing appears more transparent, doesn't mean we feel more real, more understood.
Sorry - I know I can sound preachy in my posts. I often look to express conclusive answers to questions that I pose (albeit using puns and quasi-homonyms). But this week, I'm going to just ask a bunch of questions - and I'll be content to find that the answers we scramble for may simply float around my question marks - and that that's enough.
Does the internet force us to not be true selves? Or is it just part of our developing another ego, a new way to present ourselves to one another?
Do we recognize the difference between appearing content and actually being content?
Are making of our private life too public?
Should we have anything to hide? Is there value in holding on to something just for ourselves?
Are we practicing content marketing every day when we post status updates? What does this mean?
How does online influence feed into our confidence offline?
Is social media just a new tool for human socializaton?
June 1, 2012
conversation (n.)
Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how we start, fuel, and lead conversations in our very speedy plugged-in age of the interwebs. There seems to be more and more emphasis on being a conversation-starter and engaged participant, especially if you're trying to extend your reach, communicate a (brand) mandate, and become someone of influence (online, at least).
I can remember a time, however, when conversations used to only happen with schoolmates at recess, with parents around the dinner table, with friends on the phone... on busses and in line-ups, and with neighbours and people whom you could touch and see.
Today, I start to consider how easily I've adjusted to this new nuance of conversation - and though I am quite a bit surprised, I shouldn't be - at least according to the online etymology dictionary:
Stemming from the mid-14th century definition, a conversation pertains to "living together, having dealings with (con-) others (versus)" and also refers to the "manner of conducting oneself in the world."
From one standpoint, it's bang-on, even today, as the spaces in which we converse with one another change.
I do have my reservations however; the thought of us "living together" in a virtual space, or accepting that "the world" in which we conduct ourselves is one that lacks face-to-face interactions, is a bit startling.
Not until the 1570s was a conversation understood to be a "talk." And before that it was used as a synonym for "sexual intercourse" (hence criminal conversation became the legal term for adultery). It seems we're somehow moving further and further away from touching each other when it comes to conversing!
With its increased presence in the the online space, and as its form changes, can a conversation's intimate and emotive aspects be reclaimed or preserved? I fear a world in which we perceive conversations as modes of 'influence' on each other, where instead of conversing with one another, we speak (and tweet) at each other.
I think we have to reclaim the old conversation - and not by rejecting its evolution as technology advances. But rather, by reminding ourselves that to have a conversation means a lot more than feeding your opinions and agendas into various channels hoping they spur a reaction for your own benefit and "ROI". It's about being "with" someone, on some kind of less media-dependent level. This should also sometimes mean actually being with someone, especially if long distances don't force you apart.
And don't get me wrong; I'm all for vast and varied communications and celebrating the fact that for the first time in human history, we have an ever-growing chunk of the world at our fingertips with which to connect and converse - and "deal with". We've never had the kinds of global networks that we do now, and I, in no way, wish to undermine the significance and advantages of that phenomenon. I just want to have us be reminded of what I wanted us to be reminded of the last time I decided to give an online lecture about what it means to be connected.
I also wanted to have us consider that in order to build influence online, it helps (and it may be healthier) to practice actually having some in the real world. (Perfectly slicing fruit doesn't make you a ninja and being awesome at Fruit Ninja doesn't really mean much, unless you're a ninja (because that's just delicious irony). And creating the perfect persona online doesn't make you any more perfect - it just makes your friends sad, apparently.)
And with that I leave you, world.
*Disclaimer: I may either be posting very enlightened thoughts or exhibiting pure idiocy - both common symptoms of sleepiness and exhaustion.
I can remember a time, however, when conversations used to only happen with schoolmates at recess, with parents around the dinner table, with friends on the phone... on busses and in line-ups, and with neighbours and people whom you could touch and see.
Today, I start to consider how easily I've adjusted to this new nuance of conversation - and though I am quite a bit surprised, I shouldn't be - at least according to the online etymology dictionary:
Stemming from the mid-14th century definition, a conversation pertains to "living together, having dealings with (con-) others (versus)" and also refers to the "manner of conducting oneself in the world."
From one standpoint, it's bang-on, even today, as the spaces in which we converse with one another change.
I do have my reservations however; the thought of us "living together" in a virtual space, or accepting that "the world" in which we conduct ourselves is one that lacks face-to-face interactions, is a bit startling.
Not until the 1570s was a conversation understood to be a "talk." And before that it was used as a synonym for "sexual intercourse" (hence criminal conversation became the legal term for adultery). It seems we're somehow moving further and further away from touching each other when it comes to conversing!
With its increased presence in the the online space, and as its form changes, can a conversation's intimate and emotive aspects be reclaimed or preserved? I fear a world in which we perceive conversations as modes of 'influence' on each other, where instead of conversing with one another, we speak (and tweet) at each other.
And don't get me wrong; I'm all for vast and varied communications and celebrating the fact that for the first time in human history, we have an ever-growing chunk of the world at our fingertips with which to connect and converse - and "deal with". We've never had the kinds of global networks that we do now, and I, in no way, wish to undermine the significance and advantages of that phenomenon. I just want to have us be reminded of what I wanted us to be reminded of the last time I decided to give an online lecture about what it means to be connected.
I also wanted to have us consider that in order to build influence online, it helps (and it may be healthier) to practice actually having some in the real world. (Perfectly slicing fruit doesn't make you a ninja and being awesome at Fruit Ninja doesn't really mean much, unless you're a ninja (because that's just delicious irony). And creating the perfect persona online doesn't make you any more perfect - it just makes your friends sad, apparently.)
And with that I leave you, world.
*Disclaimer: I may either be posting very enlightened thoughts or exhibiting pure idiocy - both common symptoms of sleepiness and exhaustion.
March 9, 2012
rep (n.)
I've taken on a number of new roles in the social media world over the last couple of months and it's really got me thinking about this funny thing we call "klout". (Do note that, however, I have not chosen it to be my word. Rather, it's rep.) Today, I want to talk about reputation, and what it means to represent yourself in the world these days.
It's been a bit of an upward battle for me, trying to see where I (should) fit in. Let me explain. Almost being a grad from the Master in Publishing program at SFU, I'm at bit of a crossroads when it comes to what form my career will take (a little bit like publishing itself, don't ya think?)
It's making me think hard about how I represent myself to the world, how the world sees me - and especially when it comes to the online world, how tangible my reputation even is. Also, once garnering a kind of reputation I can be proud of, what do I do with it?
I've long been a bit nifty with gadgets, and I enjoy using them (as well as fighting them when they don't work). You can say I'm a bit of a Machead, but I am not an early-adopter. Heck, I just got onto Pinterest (and I'm a bit addicted). I've also long been a traditionalist when it comes to art forms: I still scrapbook; I still print my photos; I still cringe at the thought of saving my writing in the cloud (I just don't trust it entirely - even having my entire blog exist solely in digital format makes me wince sometimes).
I'm crossing the line between online and offline constantly, trying to see how to best balance these two planes on which we all operate as 21st century citizens. Being a publishing graduate student, however, this just adds a whole other element to my navigation of the world.
Facebook decided to change our profiles into timelines, emphasizing our "story" over what once was primarily "the wall". I think this is more than significant. This switch brings our personas to the level of community and corporate pages - our stories can be subscribed to. It also embarks to give value to a business' history, present and future and how it tells its story. The holy, omnipresent Facebook has framed the world of society and commerce as a bunch of entities that have reputations to uphold, stories to (re)present. Amidst it all, I'm left to wonder how to best utilize my energy and time to make sure that I represent myself (and my affiliations) effectively and in the right places. It's plain tough (if not impossible) to successfully manage a personal portfolio that exists on a few dozen networks - both offline and online.
I'm gradually delving deeper into the world of social media, becoming more active in more places: As a social media coordinator/online marketer for Global Mechanic Media, as well as a social media engagement officer for the IABC, I'm all over the map: I'm figuring out new strategies and using new tools to boost publicity and increase engagement online; I'm pushing cool new products (like Sir Bit!) and developing content strategy - and all the while I'm also trying to balance my engagement. I engage on a face-to-face level with people in appropriate industries, attend meet ups, find local tweetups, and network at conferences. I'm doing all of this, mind you, while also having what we once unambiguously called "a social life" - I attend concerts and go to parties; I work hard at being a good friend, daughter and girlfriend - generally speaking, while being tapped in online, I also participate in the "real" world (can we still call it that?)
What I'm finding is that I'm incredibly engaged on both a professional and personal level when I use online networking and content discovery tools in tandem with making "real" connections. I try to strike a balance so that when I assess my "klout", I'm assessing my online and offline rep - so that I'm influencing others and being influenced in the most appropriate places and in the most beneficial ways to myself and those around me. We want to feel human. Yet, I also think the human experience is evolving to be very active in an ephemeral place: online.
There's much to be had online, and if we're not active there, are we missing out on an aspect of what it means to be a social being today?
In today's world, I think we benefit from having all kinds of (somewhat paradoxical) "social skills": an ability to multitask while being able to concentrate; being adaptable but also committed; being human, yet always correct; being in many places at once, but always present; being able to think quickly, but also deeply; being open but also judgmental; being hopeful while also cautious and cynical; being creative yet reasoned and restrained; being charming and genuine; being connected and independent...the list goes on.
In a couple of weeks, I'll be sharing some of my (layman) knowledge and experience of social media at Using Social Media to Advance Your Graduate Career panel at SFU, Burnaby. As I think about what advice I'll be imparting, I know I won't be able to stress enough how necessary it is to be personable, not just social, to maintain a good rep.
It's making me think hard about how I represent myself to the world, how the world sees me - and especially when it comes to the online world, how tangible my reputation even is. Also, once garnering a kind of reputation I can be proud of, what do I do with it?
I've long been a bit nifty with gadgets, and I enjoy using them (as well as fighting them when they don't work). You can say I'm a bit of a Machead, but I am not an early-adopter. Heck, I just got onto Pinterest (and I'm a bit addicted). I've also long been a traditionalist when it comes to art forms: I still scrapbook; I still print my photos; I still cringe at the thought of saving my writing in the cloud (I just don't trust it entirely - even having my entire blog exist solely in digital format makes me wince sometimes).
I'm crossing the line between online and offline constantly, trying to see how to best balance these two planes on which we all operate as 21st century citizens. Being a publishing graduate student, however, this just adds a whole other element to my navigation of the world.
I'm gradually delving deeper into the world of social media, becoming more active in more places: As a social media coordinator/online marketer for Global Mechanic Media, as well as a social media engagement officer for the IABC, I'm all over the map: I'm figuring out new strategies and using new tools to boost publicity and increase engagement online; I'm pushing cool new products (like Sir Bit!) and developing content strategy - and all the while I'm also trying to balance my engagement. I engage on a face-to-face level with people in appropriate industries, attend meet ups, find local tweetups, and network at conferences. I'm doing all of this, mind you, while also having what we once unambiguously called "a social life" - I attend concerts and go to parties; I work hard at being a good friend, daughter and girlfriend - generally speaking, while being tapped in online, I also participate in the "real" world (can we still call it that?)
 |
| For a great article about managing time on social media. |
There's much to be had online, and if we're not active there, are we missing out on an aspect of what it means to be a social being today?
In today's world, I think we benefit from having all kinds of (somewhat paradoxical) "social skills": an ability to multitask while being able to concentrate; being adaptable but also committed; being human, yet always correct; being in many places at once, but always present; being able to think quickly, but also deeply; being open but also judgmental; being hopeful while also cautious and cynical; being creative yet reasoned and restrained; being charming and genuine; being connected and independent...the list goes on.
In a couple of weeks, I'll be sharing some of my (layman) knowledge and experience of social media at Using Social Media to Advance Your Graduate Career panel at SFU, Burnaby. As I think about what advice I'll be imparting, I know I won't be able to stress enough how necessary it is to be personable, not just social, to maintain a good rep.
January 10, 2012
connected (adj.)
I've recently taken on the position of managing the websites and social media for a boutique animation studio here in Vancouver (Global Mechanic). What I've found, interestingly enough, is that while it's made me "plugged-in" virtually (literally) every day, it's also made me re-evaluate what feeling connected is.
All in all, I'm trying to make the most of this space that we, as a society, are increasingly looking to for advice, tips, gossip..solace and friendship. It's a beautiful thing really. As I look at my network expanding (LinkedIn tells me I'm only three degrees away from 1.9 million people), I see the amount of people out there with my interests and aspirations...and I find myself looking up to people I don't even know!
I find engaging articles on Twitter and catch up with friends on Facebook. I spend hours at work doing this and then come home and do more of it. What I realized today, however, is that to feel connected to the world as a human being, I gotta disconnect a little bit.
Interstingly enough, what I have to show for it is a smile (yes), a bowl of pomegranate seeds (yum)...and (ironically) this blog entry.
So, here's to staying connected and feeling connected. And maybe next time you grab the phone to chat with a friend you'll avoid doing it through a text message. Just because.
All in all, I'm trying to make the most of this space that we, as a society, are increasingly looking to for advice, tips, gossip..solace and friendship. It's a beautiful thing really. As I look at my network expanding (LinkedIn tells me I'm only three degrees away from 1.9 million people), I see the amount of people out there with my interests and aspirations...and I find myself looking up to people I don't even know!
I find engaging articles on Twitter and catch up with friends on Facebook. I spend hours at work doing this and then come home and do more of it. What I realized today, however, is that to feel connected to the world as a human being, I gotta disconnect a little bit.
Interstingly enough, what I have to show for it is a smile (yes), a bowl of pomegranate seeds (yum)...and (ironically) this blog entry.
So, here's to staying connected and feeling connected. And maybe next time you grab the phone to chat with a friend you'll avoid doing it through a text message. Just because.
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