That Reena Girl

• Um, who is this again?

08-02-11

Things You Need To Stop Doing

I write a lot about trends I notice, trends I like. But when you work in social media, you also get bombarded with the most annoying trends on the Internet. Consider this an open letter to the Internet in general regarding things I do not wish to see anymore.

1. Lol-speak

I often imagine what it would sound like if my dogs could talk, what their tone would be and what they would say. However, I’m pretty sure since they are both adults they would not ask me if they could “haz” a treat (not to mention, one of them can already say “I love you”. For real). I Can Haz Cheezburger is cute; I’m OK with Lol-speak as captions on cute pet photos. But where I draw a big, fat line is when 1. You pretend to be your pet online and 2. You insist on talkinz lyke dis.  It’s bad enough you have a whole separate profile for your dog, however I am also guilty of this, but in my defense…

Does my English Bulldog have a Facebook Page? Yes, because he’s ridiculous looking. What do I post there? Photos and videos of him looking ridiculous. Do I pretend I’m him when posting updates? No, because he’s a dog and I’m a person with a pretty decent grasp on the English language… and because if he could update Facebook I’m pretty sure he’d talk major sh** about me. He’s kind of a jerk.

(Don’t be fooled by how cute he looks when he’s sleeping, he can be a total ass)

2. Ridiculously long hashtags

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the point of a hashtag on Twitter is to create a clickable, searchable term. Often they are used for humor (my favorite example being #firstworldproblems) or to participate in a discussion. But almost every day when I look at the trending topics, there is at least one that is pretty much an entire sentence. Example: #icantbelieveitwhenguyssaythingslike

A hashtag is not supposed to take up ¾ of tweet. You are not using your 140 characters wisely or allowing your careful crafted message to be shared as easily.  I’m guessing that the majority of these are caused by someone forgetting how to use a space bar and throwing# in front of their update. Somehow their followers assume this is intentional – “OMG! #isototallyhateitwhenmymomtellsme to pick up my room too!” – and spread this nonsense across the Twittersphere.

Some Twitter users are clever enough to work around them, working them seamlessly into their update.  But most people don’t get the point of hashtags, tack them onto the end and then, in order to fit the max character limit, abbreviate everything until it barely resembles English.

So, please, moving forward #keepitshort, #keepitsimple and #stoppostinguncessarilylonghashtags.

3. Calling your blog a “bloggie”

This is more of a personal one. I’ve been working on a social monitoring project and this term keeps coming up. Listen, amateur bloggers of the world. It’s a BLOG, not a bloggie! No need for to make an already kind of silly word even sillier. Do you update your “Facebookie”, post on your “Tumblrie”? No? Then stop calling your blog a “bloggie”!

If you take it to the next level of annoying by calling it –and I’m not joking, this is really common—a “bloggie woggie”, it takes all my self control to resist the urge to punch my computer screen. OK, if you’re 14, you get a pass. But as an adult, trying to get people to read blog posts you’ve worked really hard on, you should probably not instantly kill your credibility.

I hear the words “bloggie woggie” and I automatically assume your blog is chock full of updates about conversations you have with your cat, how much you wish Edward Cullen would take you away from your sad existence and detailed regurgitations of everything you’ve already posted on Twitter, that I didn’t care to know the first time.

Maybe I’m just being really particular here, but for some reason, it just bothers me. It also makes my job much harder.

Now if only I were The Oatmeal and could illustrate this in a brilliant web comic/infographic…

UPDATE: Contribution sent over by my friend Dan. This proves I’m not the only one that feels this way:

03-22-11

I’m on Mashable!

SXSW really did prove to be beneficial! My iReport I posted recently got picked up my Mashable today!

http://mashable.com/2011/03/22/your-sxsw-adventures-ireport-mashable/

03-20-11

My Top 5 Takeways from SXSW

So, I was on CNN.com this weekend for the following iReport:

10-13-09

What’s in the Red Plastic Cup?

Originally posted on Digithoughts:

Social Media is everywhere. It is on the tip of everyone’s tongue in one way or another. People tweeting this and Facebooking that. There are very few people who don’t have at least one account these days. But what was once used for fun and for connecting with friends can be used for business. And for those who are just finishing college, Social Media could be a good way to not only get a job, but to get the job you really want. This is your chance to market yourself. But, in a world where information is instant and we broadcast our lives to the world, we need to be conscious of what we’re putting out there.

Below are a few do’s and don’t to keep in mind as you move forward:

DO: Have a plan. What is the best way to get your thoughts and ideas out there? How many different forms of social will you use? Who do you want to target? Having a detailed strategy is the best way to go. It doesn’t have to be formal. Here is an example.

Identify My Top 10 Companies I want to work for: Creating a list is the best way to tailor you efforts and go after where you really want to work.

Set up a professional Twitter account and a LinkedIn account: These are just 2 examples. Use social networking sites that you are familiar with first, and then move on to more industry-related sites.

Follow my Top 10 and @reply to tweets and links I find interesting, read any company blogs. The more you know about the places you want to work, the better.

Add my LinkedIn and Twitter to my e-mail signature: The easier it is for potential employers to view your work, your thoughts, and your experience, the better.

Update my Facebook: Include career goals, links to LinkedIn and Twitter, review all pictures and change privacy settings on any that are not professional. Even if it is primarily for personal use, make sure all your bases are covered.

Make sure all my information is correct, up to date, and consistent across all sites: Nothing worse than having the wrong phone number listed on a resume or having different information on different profiles. Keep your story the same whenever possible. Add details where you need to, but overall, follow the same timeline. If you include job x on Facebook, make sure it is on LinkedIn as well.

DON’T: Give us the intimate details of your life. Or at the very least, keep those tweets and those entries private for friends only. When everyone can see what you post, you don’t want future employers knowing how drunk you were last weekend, the things you’d like to do to Megan Fox, how your boyfriend is a jerk, or…most importantly, how much you hate your current job. Same thing goes for pictures. There are privacy settings for a reason. We all know what’s in the red plastic cup. You’re not fooling anyone. This is also something to keep in mind once you are employed as well.

DO: Show your stuff. Whether you’re an avid blogger or maybe Twitter works better for you, let the world know what your interests are and what you are most knowledgeable about. Are you a total techie? Write about the latest iPhone apps or link to an article you think is cool. Are you looking for a job in the Interactive world? Lets see what you think about the latest industry trends and what websites you think are cool and why. Tailor it to what industry you would like to work in. You are marketing yourself; make sure you know your target audience.

Be creative! With so many potential candidates out there, find a way to stand out. Maybe instead of your tradition PDF resume, a video discussing your experience. Don’t go too crazy, keep it in the professional realm, but any way to differentiate yourself from the crowd and show your qualifications is a smart move.

DON’T: Be a stalker. Following companies on Twitter and an @reply here and a retweet there is great, but don’t go overboard. Same with blog comments. Comment on what you are the most interested in and keep it short and to the point. You want to give them enough to say, “Who is this person? They have some great ideas”, but as the saying goes, always leave them wanting more.

Here is a good example of having a balance: Our intern Adam really wanted to work here. He sent in his resume and was forward off to me. What really made him stand out was this- “P.S. Yesterday I stumbled upon your blog. Very interesting! You have a very fun taste in music. I voted for Olive on CuteAsHell.com. Good luck with the next tournament.” Just enough to show he paid attention and read my blog, but not too much where I felt concerned. It showed interest and because of that, I recommended he come in for an interview. Which brings me to my next tip…

DO: Your research. Know the company you want to work for inside and out. Read their press releases, tweets, and blog entries. Get a feel for what they are about. Make sure you know what their core mission is. This is not being an overachiever; it is showing you are serious about the position. Nothing looks worse than coming to an interview unprepared and not knowing about the company you are applying at. If they have their thoughts, their information, and their mission statement online, they expect you to know what they are about.