I posted a list of quick tricks for IDing SPAM and avoiding internet phishing scams on the Schipul Blog this morning but I think it’s a pretty important topic so I wanted to repost it here.

Especially since (and I’m not admitting anything here) I may have fallen for it… right in front of our IT director.

So yesterday I received an email that looked like this guy below (minus the pink arrows of course)… I clicked the “UPDATE” button and a window like this popped up… and holy moly.

At this point there was a whole lot of cussing and minimizing and I realized a blog post (or two) was definitely in order.

So let’s talk internet scams…

What questions should you ask when receive an email from your favorite site?

1. Who is the email from? If it’s not coming from the actual site that is requesting action from you then it is probably spam. But beware. Email addresses are super easy to spoof. Our example email looks like it’s from Facebook but when we check out the rest of our criteria for IDing spam, it’s clearly not.
2. Who is the email to? If it’s not “to” the email address that is tied to the account that is requesting action then ignore it. The example email was sent to a group address at Schipul but my Facebook account is tied to my gmail address so I know this is fake.
3. Who is the email addressed to? Social Media sites are created to be your buddy, so when they reach out to you via email they will almost ALWAYS use your real name (Dear Maggie McDonald) or your username (Dear MagsMac), if they don’t use a familiar name when they, then they do not know your account. SPAM!
4. Are they asking you to click a link in the email? If an email has failed all of the prior tests then most assuredly DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS in the email. Go directly to the site and check their to see if they need any info from you. If they really need something, you can bet they’ll tell you right when you log in and not just in some random email.
5. Even if the email looks like it’s from the site, beware! See point #1. Emails are easy to spoof. The example email includes the correct address for Facebook headquarters but that doesn’t mean it’s really from Facebook.

Check out ebays guidelines for IDing a legitimate ebay email. They take internet security VERY seriously and are a great company to use as your email benchmark.

So in summary, be careful what you click. If in doubt don’t click anything and head on over to the site requesting action for more information!!

Oh… on a related note. Twitter SPAM is out of control this morning. I have received no less that ten requests that I check out a site to help me “cleanse fat” and I’m either really insulted or assuming your account got hacked.

Tip: If you have entered your Twitter password into any third party software lately, I would suggest you change it lest you inundate your friends with DMs like these:

*** Avatars Starred to protect the innocent.

An open conversation between Moms & Marketers

Mid-January I realized I hadn’t seen Monica in a while as she was super busy planning the Mom 2.0 Summit (and all of the other things she does). So like any annoying, over-helpful little sister, I announced I was coming over one Saturday “to help” and that there would be no argument. Monica didn’t take my threat lightly. When I arrived she had a to-do list as long as my arm ready for me to dive into. And dive I did! I mean…. why not? Some of my favorite women in the world, the Kirtsy chicks, were involved so I was grateful and delighted to be a part of the project.

The next couple of weeks were jam packed with budgers budgets, the matrix, schwag bags and rock band. I spent far more time with Monica and with her co-planner, Amber, than I had bargained for and I absolutely loved every moment of it. I learned more from those two ladies about event planning than I ever did during my River Oaks wedding planning days! I even manged to convince one of my favorite graphic designers and SEO gurus, Matthew, to come to Houston and be a part of our SEO panel. He was the icing on my Mom2 cake!

I was the VIP/PR liaison and so it was with sleepy elation and a tummy full of butterflies (and a new dress to bolster my courage!) that I greeted the morning of the Mom2 kick off. I would be picking up Matthew and then Guy Kawasaki at the airport. Everything with Matthew went amazingly well but Guy’s pickup was a different story.

I was 15 minutes early to the airport and was able to snag a parking spot right in front of the terminal. There was no way Guy was going to slip past me! 15 minutes after Guy’s plane was supposed to land I picked up my phone to shoot him a text…. and realized the ol’ Blackberry was dead. Of course. An hour and a half later there was still no Guy. I was fully convinced that I had lost the Mom2 keynote speaker somewhere at Bush Intercontinental Airport and that the Kirtsy girls were going to strangle me. Too afraid to venture far from my big red truck (which Guy knew to look for) to find a payphone lest I miss him, I befriended a security guard with a phone. Dear Sterling (the guard) called the airport for me and we determined that Guy’s flight was WAY delayed. Thank God.

Thirty minutes later I had Guy in my possession and any nervousness I may have felt about a long truck ride with THE Guy Kawasaki was quickly replaced with a sense of calm when he climbed into my truck and said “I thought your truck was going to be way bigger! This isn’t that big!” Anyone who talks smack immediately upon meeting a Texas Gal who drives a big truck is beyond brave and okay in my book…. and they are DEFINITELY open game for return sarcasm. Next time I see Guy, my truck is going to be so jacked up, he’s going to need a ladder to get in.

Three days later…. the conference was over. The final panel was surreal; how could the conference already be over? Mom2 flew by in a series of amazing conversations, laughter filled presentations and one amazing concert. My evenings were spent with some truly amazing women and a couple of great guys. TONS of irreplaceable advice was received. In my opinion, Mom2 was beyond successful.

Have I mentioned yet how truly happy I am to have been a part of something so amazing?

work, work, #SEOchats and more work

Gwen Bell’s wedding was coming up and I swore I would not be taking my laptop, so I needed to bury myself in work…. the next week and a half flew by even faster than the conference had! Schipul was as amazing as it always is AND I got to participate in the first ever #SEOchat with the 5 Minutes for Mom ladies, Seth Jenks and Gwendolyn. I learned a ton from Seth and Susan! I don’t write about Macaroni, but SO many people stumble upon my blog by searching for Mac ‘n’ Cheese! Seth says it’s all in the URL baby. Who knew? If you missed the #SEOchat, don’t worry! You can listen to the podcast on Susan and Janice’s blog or search #SEOchat on twitter search.

The first chat was such a success, we’ve scheduled another one for March 16! This one is going to focus on Kyword Research. The whole series of chats are geared toward beginners so don’t be timid. Join us! And ask lots of questions. There are only 96 slots for the call so you better get in on the action early! Gwen is on her honeymoon so I’ll be moderating this one…. and things may get interesting. Don’t tell Seth.

Wedding bells and cheesy wonderful tweets

Last weekend I went to Boulder with Monica for Gwen and Joel’s wedding. We rented a house with Laurie, Laura and Gabby and I could not effin WAIT to land. How could a trip with the Kirtsy girls + Cosmopolitician NOT be a blast? Monica and I arrived at the house first and we quickly claimed the upstairs room (the kid’s room, as it came to be called) mostly because of the HUGE bathtub. What can I say. We find happiness in the little things.

Reuniting with Gwen at her “rehearsal dinner” was of course the highlight of the trip. Yes, I had just seen her at Mom2, but I sometimes think Gwen holds a little bit of my heart…. all the time. I miss her when we are apart! It was also awesome to finally meet this Joel I’d been hearing so much about

The next morning was a blast. We met at The Cup for coffee and breakfast (because Monica LOVES coffee) and then we girls were off to do girly things…. You know the drill. Hair, nails and gossip. And the nail place Gwen chose was the perfect venue for these things to take place. I mean, right on the wall at ten20 it says “A Place Where TV Gossip Is Forever Embraced. Diet Coke and M&Ms Are Always In Stock. A Place Where Havaianas Are The Dress Code. Laughing is Strictly Enforced. A Place Where Super-Sanitation is Super-Important. White Robes Stay at the Toga Party. A Place Where Hairlessness Is Fashionable.” I bed the ladies who opened the place love Perez Hilton!

The wedding was was truly truly amazing. It was warm enough in Boulder that we got to move it outside and I totally cried when Gwen and Joel read their vows. I think Jenny Slade summed it up best in her tweet “If you ever wondered whether digital and sacred could co-exist, @gwenbell + @jlongtine are proof possible.”

After Joel whisked Gwen off to Mexico for their honeymoon, Monica and I decided a trip to Estes Park was necessary. We packed it up with Gwen’s rocking wedding photographer, Holly, and her husband and headed up the mountain. What followed was beyond hilarious. We ate some steak, then visited the Stanley Hotel (THE SHINING!), I tried to convince Monica to let me pet some Elk, she said no, and then we played in some snow. I have to say; making a snow angel in minimal cold weather gear may be hilarious but is never a good idea. See this video if you don’t believe me.

Leaving Boulder was sad. I’d felt like I was in the little Kirtsy bubble in the Mountains. But is was good to be heading home. I missed my David.

So what’s next????

Tomorrow I leave for SXSW with a few other Schipulites. Brandi, David and Fayza will be riding with me so I’m sure the drive will be almost as fun as the concert itself. Besides all the rocking panels, I’m most excited about the is the “Girl/Guy” party on Sunday night…. Girls gone SXSW! It’s sponsored by my Kirtsy girls and Alltop so I’ll be getting a second chance to traumatize Guy and he’ll be getting another oppotunity to talk smack about my truck. The RSVP list is full so if you want an invite, you are going to have to hit up Monica, Laura, Amber or I for a bandana. That’s the only way in!!

And then what is Monday the 16th? The #SEOchat that you will all be on! 7 pm. I’ll “see” you there!

After re-reading this post I see two recurring themes. Monica and Kirtsy…. And I cannot think of any two themes I’d rather have.

Gladwell’s insight into into “success” is mystifying and staggering and humbling all at once. With Outliers, Gladwell irrevocably proves that there is no magical kool aid you drink to become successful. Success is about hard work (10,000 hours of it!), some special circumstance and a dash of luck.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal success since I finished the book and have spent a lot of time comparing myself to the “successful” people Gladwell talks about. What have I learned from this exercise? Comparing yourself to Bill Gates is extremely intimidating. To be honest, comparing yourself to any of the “characters” in Gladwell’s book is intimidating! My thoughts went something like this: “I wasn’t born in Canada in 1983 AND I didn’t have access to a computer at the beginning time or motherboards AND I’ve never done ANYTHING for 10,000 hours… will I EVER be a twittering beauty queen who can fly planes?”

Kidding. Sort of.

After my big think following Outliers, I realized something really important. I am never going to be Bill Gates, but you know what? That is not what I WANT to be. So I decided to outline my goals and measure my personal success based on those goals as opposed to the goals of people who came before me.

So what does Maggie want to be when she grows up?

I want to teach. I want to help people understand the magic I feel at my fingertips as I type. I don’t want people to be scared of Facebook or think Twitter is a dirty word. I want people to look at the internet as a tool they can use instead of an evil set of tubes. I want to explain things to people in a way that they understand and I don’t ever want anyone to feel stupid when I tell them something. I want to be a Public Relations Geek but I don’t ever want to be a know-it-all. I want to celebrate my small successes, and I want everyone I know to celebrate theirs.

I graduated with a Public Relations degree from the University of Houston. I ADORE people and can talk to anyone for hours. You are a radish farmer? Let’s talk about it!!!! I didn’t really count this love of people and the countless hours I’ve spent talking as “practice” though. Everyone talks, right? After sitting with my boss and brooding about my intimidation of the magical “10,000 hours” he asked me if I thought I’d done anything at all for 10,000 hours. My response? “Reading, Breathing…. Talking.”

So clearly ya ain’t Bill Gates sweet pea. You’re something a little different…. something a little “louder” I’d say.

For a PR Major, 10,000 hours of human interaction is a pretty beneficial thing don’t you think? But it is also a pretty common thing for people in my field because “people-people” gravitate towards Communication careers. So how will I differentiate myself from the rest of the people in my field? Luckily, I have a level of curiosity rivaled only by my cat. I started digging around on the interwebs 6 months ago and fell hopelessly in love. That is how I’m going to be little different than PR pros. So why am I intimidated? I know that my goal is to be a PR Geek and to help people; what is stopping me?

I’m not even CLOSE to being an expert, on anything internet related and that is half of my goal. 10,000 hours is A LOT OF HOURS. When I finished Outliers, it looked to me like an insurmountable mountain of CSS, HTML and Internet Speak. Where was I to begin?? It took me a little while, but I finally realized: If I am standing still staring at the mountain, I have not begun anything. To “begin” I realized I had to start celebrating the small successes that will get me to 10,000 hours.

So when did your climb begin??

When I first started working at Schipul, I thought a DNS cloud was that white fluffy thing that rolls over your house before a big storm. Who knew DNS had to do with the name of a server where a website lives?!? I looked around at my coworkers and they were all like Bill Gates to me. I had no idea what ANYONE was talking about half of the day! So what did I decide to do? Start the Schipul blog. By myself. WHICH MAKES PERFECT SENSE RIGHT? To me it did. How was I going to learn if I didn’t get down and dirty with it. God bless our IT Director’s patience. I think he could have set up the Schipul blog in 29 seconds or less but he answered countless questions and put up with me for the bajillion 4 or 5 hours it of Maggie-time it actually took.

To be a fly on the wall during one of our discourses would have been highly entertaining.

Maggie: So. I think Webfaction is possessed by the devil.* I can’t get the domain to shoot the right way and the nav makes no sense and their helpfiles are WORTHLESS.
IT Director: Are you sure you’re pointing the DNS to the right server?
Maggie: I think so. I wrote them support ticket.
IT Director: Yeah. I saw it.
Maggie: Did it make sense?
IT Director: (silence)
Maggie: No? Okay. I’m going to rewrite it. Be right back!
IT Director: (puts head on desk)

Poor guy. When it was all said and done, I gave him a big hug but he probably deserved something more akin to an entire keg of Bud Light and a bottle of tequila a case of beer. We got through it though, right?

And you know what I did when it was all said and done? I CELEBRATED! Why did I forget about all these little mountains I’d climbed when I completed Outliers? Because I let myself be intimidated. And I forgot for a second just how much I’d celebrated the “little” stuff just a few months prior.

The biggest most important but most often forgotten lesson in Outliers?

You did not get where you are by yourself. People and circumstances helped you out a long the way. You got a few lucky breaks and did some amazing things with them. No matter what your job is, no matter who you are, you’ve got a chance to be successful. You just have to walk through the door when it opens.

When you get to the other side, you may not be Bill Gates…. But you climbed a mountain and became your own sort of expert. Which I think is better than standing still any day of the week.

*Webfaction is great and not really possessed by the devil. I just didn’t get it six months ago

But really, I’m only kidding (a little). The truth is, the secrets only seem vast when you encounter certain Twitter-isms for the first time. Trust me. I had some pretty interesting and random thoughts when I first saw the following shortcuts and acronyms scroll across my computer screen! Some may even call my blunders “comical.”  I hope to help you avoid all of that!

1. The Hashtag

“What is the point of all the poundy-signs?”

Oh Twitter. Why you gotta be so intricate?? Really… what the heck IS a “hashtag”?

A hashtag looks like this: #. If you are new to Twitter, you may be thinking the same thing I was when I first saw this. “Why the f$%k are people attaching the number sign to words?!? Am I supposed to be randomly be doing that when like something??”

At this point, most normal people would have Googled “# sign on Twitter” but oh no, not Maggie. I asked Fayza, the Internet know-it-all, the above question. I got a really loud laugh before she sweetly explained to me that this “poundy-sign” was in fact called a “hashtag.”

So here we go. Hashtags are simply Twitter tags (or meta tags) that you add inline to your tweets by affixing a pound sign to the front of a word.  It functions by making that word stand out. Think of your hashtagged-word like a bookmark. You are putting that bookmark on a specific post. When people are tracking topics or conversations on Twitter that are related to your bookmark, your tweet will appear.

For example, during Hurricane Ike, many people attached a “#ike” to the end of their tweets. You can then see what everyone is saying about Ike when you search #ike on twitter!

There is an actual hashtag site that was created to track real-time conversations within the micro-blogging community, but it is no longer operating. If you try to search anything there, you invariably get a “504 Network Timeout.”  This is sad, because it used to provide users with some really cool reports and indexing features. Until it is back up again, stick with search.twitter.com.

Real tweet using a hashtag:

2. Tiny URLs

“How do people fit million-character posts in this tiny box?!”

My first day on Twitter, I tried to follow the sage advice of Monica , and be useful to my followers. Except every time I tried to post a useful link, it was too flippin’ long! Since I didn’t want to provide comic relief to anyone this early in my Twitter journey, I decided to obsessively click refresh on my browser until someone else tweeted a link  (I know, I know…I should have Googled it).

After a few people tweeted, I noticed they were almost identical, and lo and behold, they were TINY URLS! Tiny URLs?  Yes!  A place to make your URLs tiny!!! All you have to do is cut and paste your million-character URL into a box, click “Make TinyURL!! and it spits this cute little link back at you.

Need something even smaller? You can use is.gd! With both TinyURL and is.gd, the links are unbreakable and never expire. Perfect for tweeting!

Real Tweet using a TinyURL:

3. The Retweet

“RT your what?”

The simplest explanation of a retweet can be compared to using a quote in a high school term paper. If you use someone else’s words, you have to attribute them right? Well, with the “retweet,” or RT, if you liked what someone tweeted, you can post their tweet for your own followers to take advantage of, with clear attribution to the original tweeter.

On a more complex level, the RT really touches the base of what makes Twitter so amazing. For example, let’s say I tweet something that I think is super important, and I really want to get the word out about it; my followers will all catch that tweet. Chris Brogan happens to follow me, and he has a bajillion followers.  If he thought my tweet was interesting enough to retweet, then I have the ears of a TON of people I never would have been able to reach before. How cool is that?

Here’s how you do it: You type RT + @the tweeter’s name, and then cut and paste their tweet.

Real Tweet using a RT:

That being said, I have never blogged about Nintendo or even my Wii before. Tweet about ‘em? Sure. But dedicate an entire blog post to the thing? Never thought it would happen. My second run-in with a real life Nintendo Enthusiast and the events that transpired last night proved me wrong.

Let me backtrack a little. I first heard the term “Nintendo Enthusiast ” from an Enthusiast herself, Gwen Bell. She kicked off her reign with a Nintendo DS party in Boulder that she invited HappyKatie and me to attend. Sadly, we did not get to go to Boulder, but we got a second chance at Nintendo-Party-Dom when Nintendo dubbed Katie herself an Enthusiast.

“Woo-Hoo!” I thought when I got the Wii Fit Party Evite from Katie. “This party is going to be a blast!”

And it was.

Five sweet Wii Fit girls took over Katie’s house and plied the guests with healthy fare from Whole Foods and white wine sangria, while they walked us through various activities using the Wii Fit Board. It was truly one of the most enjoyable evenings I had in a long time. I went home quite sated and VERY sore. The icing on the cake? I also went home with my very own Wii Fit Board, Wii Yoga Mat and Wii Yoga outfit compliments of Nintendo!!!! How sweet is that?

It is only today that I realize no matter how much I got out of last night’s party, Nintendo probably got more because they have truly tapped into the Social Media groundswell. Clearly they understand that the groundswell matters. You put ten chicks in a room that are addicted to Twitter, and you are going generate buzz and content online.

What I think the most important thing to note about the whole party was that we were tweeting about Nintendo before the party even started and long before we got our unexpected gifts. No one forced us to tweet. No one held us down and said, “You can’t have any more white wine sangria until you tweet!” We just did it out of our own volition. And I would venture to guess it was mostly because we were all just so darn happy!

I mean, how could I NOT be happy listening to Monica talk smack about her balancing abilities or while I’m laughing and poking Fayza while she’s attempting the tree pose.  I watched in awe as the Wii Gamer Chicks racked up 900 rotations in the Hula Hoop game and I talked David’s ear off about it all when the party was over. Nintendo racked up a lot of Karma Points with me last night. That is why I’m talking about them today.

Crazily enough, I think there are lots of ways for organizations to mirror what Nintendo is doing, even without spending the big bucks. Why? It is all about garnering good will!

How can your organization use Social Media to make your peeps happy? Here are a few ideas:

1. If you’re having an event for your organization and you’re charging for drinks, offer everyone in your Facebook group a free one. This means you’ve gotta start a Facebook group first!
2. Broadcast discount codes on Twitter.  Then your followers benefit and feel the love. This will also boost the number of people who follow you, because you will be posting content that people actually want!
3. Send out newsletters that include tips and tricks for whatever industry your subscribers are in. Don’t make your newsletter all about you! These helpful tips will make your subscribers more likely to forward your newsletter on (Jeffrey Gitomer’s is a great example of a helpful newsletter).

The thing to keep in mind with Social Media is this:  BE good people, and good people will talk about you!

* I gave the Wii to David as a gift so it is not technically “mine” but whatever.

** Now I know you were dying to ask about my Guitar Hero skillz, so I will just go ahead and tell you the answer: I totally kicked Satan’s ass playing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” on GH3…. I’m just not going to tell you how many tries it took

The last six month’s have been an absolute whirlwind. I’ve crammed so much Social Media and Personal Branding knowledge into this brain of mine that I’ve been on the verge of bursting for the last month or so.

Tonight I will get my chance! I am speaking to the DigiCom Student Association at Houston Community College on Personal Branding and The Art behind the Personal Branding RockStars.

I. Am. So. Excited!

Check out my slides, let me know what you think! I always enjoy and learn from your comments

Never fear. I’m here to tell you some silly stories about my mistakes so you don’t repeat them! I’m going to start a series of posts on fun words and acronyms that may frighten those new to the internet or to Social Media. Internet Speak: Part One is going to mostly focus on twitter because twitter can be tough.

You have to use short hand in twitter because you only get 140 characters to say what you want to say. Some of the Internet Speak used on twitter is NOT intuitive no matter what the know-it-alls say

1. The follow:

Follow you WHERE???

When I first heard about twitter I had a hard time understanding the concept of following someone. Monica and I had many comical conversations regarding “the follow” as I was really over thinking the whole thing.

When you choose to follow someone, it means that their tweets will show up, along with all of the other people’s tweets that you have chosen to follow, on your home screen.

If you follow someone, they may or may not choose to follow you back. This is NOT a terrible thing. People follow people for different reasons. I follow A LOT of PR and Social Media people on twitter because I’m interested in what other people in my chosen field have to say. I probably would not follow a… botanist. Unless of course they were hilarious.

2. The “@” Tag:

You want me to @ reply you?

When using twitter, in order to respond to someone directly and have their name be clickable, you HAVE to attach an @ symbol to the beginning of someone’s name when referring to them. This is your way of telling twitter that this is a person using twitter and that you’d like their name to be linkable. If you do not use an @ symbol before someone’s twitter handle, it won’t link. I know this because I did this A LOT when I first started using twitter.

When someone asks a question or makes and statement and says in their post “@ reply me,” they are simply asking for your thoughts. If you start your post with @soandso it will show up in the @Replies section on their home, whether or not they follow you.

Keep in mind that you can @reply to someone on any occasion. Agree with something they just tweeted? throw an @reply at them! If they don’t already follow you, it may result in a new follower!

Remember that “@Replies” tab in the right hand navigation on your homescreen. Like I said, I have discovered some really cool people to follow through this feature.

Real tweet using an @Reply:

@she_eats: So…I cut my own hair tonight. As it turns out, there’s a reason why people pay professionals to do that for them.

I replied with: @she_eats one time my little sister and I cut and colored my hair. I ended up with a neon orange pixie cut. Mom still blackmails me w pics! 

3. The OH tag:

People on Twitter sure love Ohio!

Day one on twitter and I’m thinking… these people LOVE Ohio. OH this, OH that. What is with Ohio?!

OH stands for overheard, NOT Ohio, although I still laugh at myself about this and am kind of glad I made this particular mistake as it makes for a funny story.

OH can be used to tweet random funny things you overhear strangers saying on the street or you can tweet random funny things your coworkers say without totally calling them out. When you OH someone, you don’t have to use their name or even KNOW there name. I have read some pretty darn funny OH tweets. People say hilarious things!

Real tweet using an OH:

MagsMac: OH “If we made Warren Buffet the quarterback of the economy… what?! I’m trying to talk in your language!”

Whew…

I know this post was super long and I want to thank you if you made it till the end. The reason I decided to break this post up into a series was because it was originally much MUCH longer. I know… collective sigh of relief

If there are any other twitter-isms that baffle you, leave them in the comments!

Let’s put the brakes on this post so I can quickly explain what personal branding is. Personal branding is a concept that says you YOURSELF are just as marketable and brand-able as say… Target. The example I like to use is George Foreman. Ever heard of the George Foreman Grill? I bet you have. The man slapped his name on a grill originally marketed using middle of the night infomercials and now he and his grills are this crazy international brand with like six different “lines” of grills. I didn’t even know you could have more than one line of grills… much less six! I digress…

I am really trying to understand every facet of this personal branding thing. Really, I am! But sometimes the whole thing gets extremely daunting; I get really unsure of what direction to take. I have found a perfect solution to this sensation though… When I start to get overwhelmed I put on my headphones, turn my music WAY up, and turn to the blogosphere. I always find I feel much much better after my trip.

Well the whole point of starting this blog was to help others learn through my stumblings. At work yesterday I was talking to our awesome new hire, Alexis, about some of the things I’ve learned and a few of the places I go on the interwebs for inspiration… and realized I’m past due on a post on this very topic. It defeats the purpose of this blog if I’m not sharing the things I find! And I don’t want to be one of those posters who just posts to have another post.

Below are some AWESOME blogs that have really helped me out in my search for answers; some of them are extremely Social Media related while others are a bit more personal. If you are a newbie like me, I hope they  save you some time in your search… but more importantly, I hope they inspire you as well.

Drumroll please

1. CosmoPolitician: Monica has somehow managed to become this crazy force in Houston and it seems that everything she blogs about turns to gold. A must read for info on Houston events, travel and random stories about ghastley surgeries appendicitis. (And come on. You knew she was going to be number one on my list.)
2. Gwen Bell dot Com: Gwen’s blog is an inspiration to anyone getting started in Social Media. She touts balance in every aspect of your life and warns against getting so caught up in the interwebs that you merely count the number of friends or followers you have instead of focusing on the gifts you have to share. Gwen was voted one of the 50 most powerful +influential Woman in Social Media but even so, she is lesson in humility.
3. GoingStagg: David writes fearlessly about whatever topic he happens to find interesting on a given day; be it design, sports or energy drinks. His blog has shown me that there is no such thing as being timid online. Why not say what you want and write what you know?
4. Oat.org: Matthew Inman is an awesome graphic designer who has built an amazing personal brand on the foundation of his pretty pictures and even prettier code. He has kicked off several successful projects, including the free dating site Mingle2… and let’s be honest; the boys blog looks GOOD!
5. crowdSPRING: The company was created to help creatives from around the world mash up with people seeking those creatives. Their blog houses tons of amazing Social Media posts but my favorite is a weekly post where Angeline does a recap of all the cool links she tweeted the prior week. This wrap up post is where I have found some of my other favorite blogs!
6. Chris Brogan: This guy posts A LOT. I don’t like all of his articles, but the majority of his posts contain nuggets of Social Media gold.
7. The Personal Branding Blog: Dan Schawbel has dubbed himself “the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y” and while I’m not sure if he is the “leading expert” I do really like his blog. He understands that jobs and job searches are changing and that a personal brand can be a a job applicant’s most important asset!
8. Web Strategy by Jeremiah: Jeremiah is a Senior Analyst for Forrestor research, a company devoted to providing their clients with insight into what THEIR clients want to know. Forrester research is also the company that my favorite Social Media books, Groundswell, sprang from.
9. Web Ink Now: This is one of my favs. Don’t really know why, maybe because it’s one of the first quote un-quote Social Media blogs to populate my Google reader? Anyway, David Meerman Scott is the author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR and his blog is a great resource for both personal branding AND Social Media ideas. He also provides great insight into what practices you should be avoiding.
10. and of course, Fayza. I’m not really going to go into a lot of description here. Fayza makes fun of Britney. People love her. People know her. And she’s not just sitting at home behind her computer plotting how she will take over the internet.

So those are my top 10 blogs! There are many other great GREAT blogs out there, but these are the ones I personally favor. I hope you find yourself inspired by at least one of them!

<whispering> I also love Perez but I already blogged about him once and you all know how I feel his Social Media/Personal Branding prowess. </whispering>

My “big sister” CosmoPolitician has been the biggest force behind me getting involved in the internet.  I was her intern at Mikel Marketing and admitedly a little terrified of computers.  Monica made me helped me create my first myspace page, and I ended up having a blast with it.  Myspace was also instrumental when I broke up with an ex because he didn’t want to believe we were really broken up until my status said “single” but I suppose that is another story.  Myspace may not be as big as it once was, but I am still in debt beacuse it ignited my love of the interwebs.

Next came Facebook.  I spent some time attending the University of Salamanca in Spain and met some truly amazing girls from Canada, Caitlyn and Christina.  Apparently Canadian’s were already too cool for Myspace so they taught me all about Facebook.  In order to stay in touch with them (and other countless people I met while overseas) I created a profile and was immediately addicted.  It has been three years since I drank vino blanco in the plaza mayor and stayed out all night dancing, but I am still in touch with two of the most kick ass chicks I have ever met.

My Flickr and twitter accounts were born more recently and Monica also arbitrarily signed me up for those.  I still remember the random confirmation emails appearing in my inbox… and cracking up over the completely inappropriate random passwords Monica came up with.  I am not so adept at Flickr, but twitter is my constant companion.  Through the twitterberry application on my phone and twhirl on my desktop, I am constantly aware of what the people I love (and the people I want to avoid) are up to.

So I don’t understand why people, or even companies, balk at signing up.

Social Media is not about sitting behind a computer.  It is about creating and maintaining relationships with people you may not otherwise get a chance to know so deeply otherwise… and in turn giving them a chance to get to know you.  If you don’t ever step out from behind your computer and take part in the “social” aspect of new media, then this concept is probably lost on you and it is no wonder you think Social Networking sites have heralded the demise of life as we know it.

If it was not for Social Media, I would not have met the lovely @gwenbell at the grand opening of the Caroline Collective party nor would I still be in touch with her.  I would not be able to write on the wall of the fun Australian chick I met at @kapachino’s wedding and I would not have gotten to know Fayza well enough to have constant sleepovers…  Or, for that matter, been victim to the “cupcake shots” that will go down in infamy.

I would never have been the contributing editor of Barstool magazine or interned with the Houston Dynamo.  I would not have my current job and would not get to drag MommyMac to Stag’s Head once a month in the name of knowledge sharing.  So it is to the people I have met (and the people I have YET to meet) that I say.. I love you… and you have been a blessing in my life.  And I thank Social Media for you.

Social Media has given me a voice.  And I don’t understand why anyone would not want to be heard.

All I ever heard about was what Republicans believe.  I never had anyone to tell me the other side of the story.

Well let me tell you, last week watching the Democratic National Convention I was moved on SO MANY different levels.  I followed twitter religiously and even went upstairs alone at a friends house during a football game (this is a big deal-I’m from Texas remember?) to watch Barack Obama’s acceptance speech.

So I dug down and started doing my research.  I promised myself I wouldn’t make a snap political decision again and I would learn as much as I could before November.  I found as much information on Obama AND his party as I could find.  Along the way I also researched the Republican party more extensively than I ever had before and began to see that I was at a crossroads.  I do truly believe in a lot of what John McCain and his party have to say… But I also believe a lot in what the Democratic Party stands for too

Let me tell you the issue that stands in my way now.  Twitter.

Last week everyone I follow was GLOWING and so happy with what was going on.  Well every since Sarah Palin was named VP, I realized whose voice I was missing.  The Republicans.  I did not hear much from them during the Democratic National Convention.  And since then I have honestly been shocked.  Last time I checked, the point of Social Media and Twitter is to spread awareness and knowledge… not call 17 year old Bristol Palin a whore and point out everything her Mother has done wrong with her family.  I mean… wasn’t Obama’s mother single?  Wasn’t he born when she was 18?  Didn’t Obama specifically say that “people’s families are off limits” during elections???

And I’m not going to even get started on the military thing.  Every day I wonder if this will be the day I am going to be deployed but I still could not find myself saying some of the things that I have heard said about McCain in the last 5 days.

I am not saying McCain is right or Palin is a Saint or that Obama can’t change the world; what I am saying is that I wish we could stick to the facts and leave those kinds of catty comments to Perez Hilton.  I think his blog is best suited for that type of commentary.

I miss the the candid and witty comments on everyday life, the funny OHs, the knowledge sharing and the juicy links to awesome stories…  I miss all that made twitter so charming!

So I’m turning Twitter off during the Republican National Convention tonight.  I want my opinion to be based solely on the facts and not a bunch of angry opinions.  I am all for healthy fact based debate, but since Friday I have felt like I am in high school again.  Except this time the only voices I am hearing are those of the mean.

(Thank you woodleywonderworks for the amazing flickr photo!!)