paint your passion

Life is simple. It's about being happy. It's about being happy with others and with that it's got its moments and layers.

I like to think of life's many facets like a painting. I'm not super creative or artistic but I appreciate a good piece of artwork for its beauty, even if I don't completely understand how it was conceived or what the artist meant to convey. There is a never-ending range of colors, or elements, that can make up one's life, all of which are determined by the painter, the artist, you. You pick and choose the colors and decide how much or how little you will use or allow on your canvas. In the beginning, we may have strong influences that may guide us to use certain colors with different measures of intensity, but as we learn and grow, we are able to paint over what has been done for us. Those other colors cannot be removed, but they can be covered or complimented by our choosing. It's completely beautiful in its own way, in a way that only you can really grasp because you live it.

I am happy because of this point of view; however, I am not content. I am not satisfied unless I am striving to do more. I want to do good in this world. It's like that time my brother and I went to Universal Studios and we rode The Incredible Hulk Coaster eight times in a row. We were in our late and mid-twenties, respectively. We loved it so much that one ride was not enough. I'd certainly love to live out the rest of my life similarly. I want to keep riding that good ride and continue to help others and maybe, in turn, feel contentment and satisfaction.

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." Nelson Mandela

practice

Some people say they don’t know how to do it. Others claim they require liquid courage just to consider it. I lived and breathed it for more than 20 years. I began dance at the age of five at my local dance studio beginning with tap and ballet. Throughout my tenure as a dancer, I experimented with break dance, ballroom and gymnastics and excelled all the way to a handful of years choreographing, traveling and teaching. The picture below is a look at my second year of dance in 1993.

 

Dance is an art form performed using movement of the body. It was my fad exercise for the majority of my life. Dance many times has a positive impact on human mental and physical health. It is a fun form of cardiovascular exercise that burns calories and strengthens muscles. Dance was always an enjoyable activity that never felt like a workout. In my years since using dance as regular exercise, I've tried running and lifting weights, which have always been groan-worthy events.

I find myself watching dance videos and yearning for the days of flexibility, endurance and fun through dance class and performance. So I've been on a mission to find a dance studio where I can get back to the dance floor and look forward to an exercise routine once again.

As soon as I find that studio where I can rediscover my favorite hobby, I'll post about it here. Until then, I'd love to hear your stories on your favorite hobbies. Feel free to post in the comments or reach me directly on Twitter!

I'll leave you with a compilation video of my favorite dance group, the Jabbawockeez.

Today, Success

Two weeks ago, I lost my job for reasons beyond my control. It was sad and I was very upset. Once this rug had been pulled out from under me, the fall was quick and then I hit the ground running. I spent several days updating my résumé and scouring job listings. I had many great friends that kept their ears open and passed information and opportunities my way. One friend immediately thought of a possible position at the company where she works. Unknown to me at the time, they were not looking to hire for my skill sets. In fact, nobody else was holding the position for which I was attempting to qualify. I sent my résumé that my friend then forwarded to her boss along with a very positive recommendation. He took her word for it and asked me in for a meeting to see what my friend's recommendation might be founded upon. I then  prepared meticulously for the meeting, experienced a spectacular interview and today,  the company's founder and CEO offered me the opportunity to work for his company. It has all happened so quickly that I almost don't know what to think or feel other than pure joy and happiness and wonderful feelings of being blessed by the career gods. Now I will not give the career gods real credit. I owe it to my friends, family, my earlier life and job experiences and my determination to get somewhere, better myself and be happy. Even more, I am very into this new company and it feels like a great fit. Today, I succeeded.

On to the Next

So, I've been let go from my job for reasons beyond my control and what I'm going to pin as a blessing from the career gods. It happened last week, on a Tuesday, in March. It was terrible and sudden and horrific and sad all rolled into a conference room meeting during an absolutely gorgeous afternoon. I've always known that these things happen, but have never been on the receiving end during this rather unpleasant event. I was in shock and disbelief while struggling to breathe, remain strong and fight back the tears. I loved the work I did and I had grown to believe in and love the company as well. As it turns out, this job was just the first small step through a lifelong career journey.

I was lucky to have been unlucky in experiencing my first job loss with a coworker whom I have developed a happy friendship. She housed me on nights I did not want to make the 45 minute commute to work the next day. We cooked dinner, we had Monday night wing night and we enjoyed wine night together. We even sometimes participated in what we call business drunk. I thank Jack Donaghy for his wise words: "Well, it's business drunk. It's like rich drunk. Either way, it's legal to drive." I missed my friend today. It has been nearly one week since we last worked together. So, I emailed her:

How did your interview go? It was today wasn’t it? It felt weird not gearing up to get to work today but it was refreshing and happy at the same time. Until I finally decided to go to the doctor to find out I have walking pneumonia. $(#@*! Seriously awesome timing but crappy realization I need to find a way to keep my health insurance going. I went ahead and paid for this month because sheesh, what happens the next time I get some weird illness I’ve never had before?!

After we get through some of this process of picking ourselves up again, we should really plan that trip to the beach, NYC, across the world or where ever. That will be the reward we give ourselves once we are in jobs that we truly love with people we truly like and bosses that take everything seriously.

Missed you not at work today,
Amanda

There's some more motivation, along with this bit of wisdom I stumbled upon today. I'm prepared to push through week two!

It Has a Name!

I am excited to announce that I have come up with a new name for this blog. As you see above, I decided on the title, A Social Stroll. I came about this name because for one, I wanted to make sure the title had that nice little buzzword 'social' to convey not only the vast social media, but also the cooperative and interdependent relationships between individuals the world over. I chose the word 'stroll' because for one, I love a leisurely walk outdoors and because of my affinity for random research I stumbled upon this gem. The Stroll was a slow rock 'n' roll dance craze from the late 1950s that originated from American Bandstand. This is a small discovery that rolled a few of the little things I appreciate into one: dance, history and finding new information at random. Also, I realize that term stroll in the name lends to how my mind tends to wander where ever inclination directs. Maybe the name should be A Social Ramble. That may paint a clearer picture. You decide.

Transition! (Because I want to share a funny observation from my job.)

I have had a work experience all too similar to the movie "Office Space". Here's the story. I've got my own frosted glass desk here at work and proceeded to decorate it with file holders, a pen holder, a redneck wine glass filled with SweeTarts Jelly Beans, a homemade business card holder using a spring paper clip and a couple sock monkeys wearing sweatshirts. The sock monkeys were gifts from one of my clients. So my desk appears very kid-(and redneck?) friendly. I decided that I might as well complete my desk's look by adding a stapler brought from home. This stapler has been used by many people in my office. I am happy to share such things, after all it's only a stapler, but there's a twist! I was raised in the South where I was taught to say 'please' and 'thank you', especially when giving or receiving items. My stapler was used frequently by one particular co-worker that never used these polite words. So each day, I would get more and more irked when the stapler was taken without asking. Now I don't expect a person to ask every single time, but at least the first time. Almost daily, this stapler usage would occur and it would be returned to another random location from where it was not originally found, another action I found annoying. After weeks of this, it finally dawned on me that I was Milton Waddams from Office Space who is in love his red Swingline stapler. At this point of realization, I had already acknowledged how petty this entire thing was, but continued to feel negatively about it. So I eventually took the dang thing back home which made me feel even more silly about it. I have since learned that this rude stapler user has had their own stapler this entire time, yet claimed there were no staples loaded into it. I found the stapler (staples included), tested its stapling abilities and placed it on top of their desk with a sticky note that read 'Staples Included!' And wouldn't you know, this happens to be a fancy schmancy stapler of the Swingline brand. Finally, I think have solved the silly stapler issue! As I write this post, I think the stapler has yet to be noticed or used, but I have high hopes! No, I do not plan on burning down my office as Milton eventually did, but I do plan to work on my strange issues with manners and stapler usage. These are the fun office antics that I am privileged to experience on any given day. I learned a little bit more about myself and just how far I will (and will not) go for my black, plastic stapler. And as this post demonstrates, I am reminded that I clearly have a highly Type A personality with some minute obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I'm just wondering how far that will get me.

Don't miss my next post where I talk about putting paper and ink cartridges in the printer! (Goodness, I'm full of wise cracks.)

*Update: On the last day I worked for this company, I left that silly stapler as a parting gift. And my issues are resolved!

Renewal

Hello Blogosphere!

It's been some time since I've had words with you. In fact, it's been TOO much time. Since the last post (nearly two years ago), I've let this poor blog go and after this long period of neglect, I thought I was going to let it remain defunct. In the back of my mind, I always knew this was not the proper fate for this blog. I mean, what ever did it do to me that would justify me to leave it sitting there with only a handful of posts? It would not do it any justice if I fail to use it for what a blog was created to do: provide fresh content through regular updates. While mulling the fate of the blog around for a while, I was fortunate to come in contact with an accomplished and invaluable individual that I knew could offer the direction I needed. It's people like her that really care about others and I'm grateful to be one of those others. This ally gave me some great ideas and instilled the bit of confidence I needed to start blogging again.

This blog was originally created during PR independent study (overseen by the aforementioned ally) in which I reviewed companies that were sponsors during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and their uses of social media focused around the event. (Hence the title - The Business of Sponsorships: Social Media for the Gold!) It was an opportunity to break into the blogosphere while exploring the world of social media via a relevant topic at that time. It was interesting, fun, new and overall it was a wonderful learning experience. Once I completed the independent study, I dropped it like a bad habit. I somewhat wallowed around wondering what to do after graduating college and finally landed a PR internship at a local marketing agency and suddenly I was too 'busy' to update anymore. The internship turned into a job and before I knew it, I was advising clients on best marketing strategies, social media practices, branding and mixed-media campaigns. And what would you know, I was also educating some clients on blogging, why they would benefit from having a blog and the importance of creating new content for their audience as well as their site's SEO (a website visibility in search engines). In a nutshell, I created a blog with a concentration on social media uses, and now I'm teaching others about blogs and social media uses. This was quite an unforeseen, yet interesting and surprisingly great turn of events!

That being said, I'm back with a different purpose this time. I would like to share some of my experiences now that I've had the opportunity to roam around the marketing industry. Some posts may discuss marketing/social media/PR know-how and some may surprise you with the next amazing event to take place on and around the job i.e. we resolved the iOS versus Android argument. Stay tuned!

I'm very glad to be back. Now on to renaming and redressing the blog. What should I call it?

Checkpoint

This blog began as a self-learning experience for me to get my foot in the door in the blogosphere as a professional on social networking. I'm using this post as a way to review my progress and recapitulate what I've learned as well as what I would do differently if I were to do it over.

I learned that writing a blog in itself really isn't all that difficult like I initially thought. Using what I know from previous classes in writing, research and analysis, I was able to create posts without being too self-conscious. Finding information and posting it became rather enjoyable. One thing I found to be somewhat difficult was the actual promotion of the blog. I have listed links to posts on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and PROpenMic. If I could do it again I would have tried linking though other ways like tweeting on other people's accounts as well as other social networking sites. My advice to anyone starting a blog would be to post as much as possible, promote yourself as much as possible in as many ways as possible and just put yourself out there and don't be afraid of any sort of feedback, positive or negative.

I have really enjoyed myself writing this blog and I definitely plan on continuing to post; however, the subject matter may change around a little. I'll stretch myself further into social media outside of the use by businesses that sponsor the Olympics. Stay posted for updates and I thank any of you that have read and/or given feedback.

Oil Spilt

As I was browsing my Twitter homepage, I noticed a tweet from the 2010 Winter Olympics people saying there are no changes expected in the BP sponsorship deal, despite a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP signed as a major USOC sponsor, saying the commitment to environmental issues coincides with their own green initiatives.

BP's Facebook page looks a lot like GE's page from my last post with a company description followed by related posts. These related posts; however, are from friends from my own account, most of which were negative. The related global posts follow those from my friends. Many people are outraged by this oil spill, so hopefully this sponsorship will help them cling to some sort of positive reputation after this oil spill catastrophe. I'm thinking BP should have some sort of response on their Facebook page.

Their Twitter account, however, offers frequent updates on the issue. They've tweeted information on a call center created for oil spill-related claims as well as a hotline for those who are interested in the aid for clean-up. I am now very interested in how this will all turn out and I am now following their account so that I may do so. How convenient.

Imagination at Work

Forbes ranked General Electric Company, or GE, as the world's largest company which undoubtedly is a product of countless seriously working imaginations. The company is a Worldwide Partner and exclusive provider of products and services integral to the Games.

According to their website, GE works with the Organizing Committees as well as hosting cities that plays an integral role in producing successful Olympic Games. Their partnership was launched in January 2005 with GE providing infrastructure solutions including power, water treatment, transportation and security, and to supply hospitals with ultrasound and MRI equipment used to treat athletes.

The question that comes to mind is, can the world's largest company effectively use and manage social networking? Twitter research reveals there are many of what seems like random users posting and updating GE's news, but nothing that looks officially run by people at the company.

Their Facebook page offers a description on the company followed by an interesting section offering related posts that global Facebook users have written about the company. Posts range from individuals trying to sell their GE products to others posting news clips covering company products.  I find this is particularly exciting because unless they do some serious screening, it means they are not afraid of what people have to say about them, good or bad. Any feedback is helpful, positive or negative. Even the largest company in the world isn't squashing the public's thoughts or opinions, at least not on Facebook. Kudos GE!

Yes Ohno?

He is named after the Greek words "ap," meaning to "steer away from" and "lo," which means "look out, here he comes." If you haven't already heard, Apolo Ohno is an American short track speed skater and eight-time medalist in the Winter Olympics and if you watch any reality television, you may have seen him win Dancing with the Stars in 2007. Not too shabby for someone who's only 27!

Soon after the 2010 Winter Olympics began, I found Ohno on Twitter and began to follow him. It's most definitely really him and not someone working for him posting random facts and news updates. Side note: I discovered that account or no account, anyone can view public tweets! I think it's pretty smart to allow non-users to see what's going on.

As for Ohno's sponsorships, he's gotten them from Coca-Cola, Vick's, Omega, Alaska Airlines and the Washington State Potato Commission. I went to Vick's Web site (or "website" according to AP Style) and typed in "Apolo Ohno" in the search box and revealed no results! So I logged into Facebook and searched for "vicks' and found only a few fake sites under "Vick's NyQuil". And after further research I discovered they do not frequent social networking sites whatsoever! It's interesting they don't do something because if anyone else is like me, when I'm sick, I stay home and spend more time on the internet and social networking sites. Also, many people look up cold remedies and other sicknesses online and they could offer advice, news, etc. It almost makes me crazy thinking about the possibilities and opportunities they are passing up!

Social Media to the Side

While thinking about the ways businesses use social media, I began to wonder why many businesses do not use it. In a world where technology and the World Wide Web point toward the future, it seems that joining in on Facebook, Twitter and other social media giants would be the most commonsensical thing to do. From what I've gathered from research as well as an interview with one of these non-conforming companies, fear of negative feedback and uncertainty of employee reception seem to be the most common reasons businesses are not participating.

A Google.com search under "businesses that do not use social media" found many websites listing reasons why, how to use and other helpful ideas on the use of social media. Very few yielded negative results such as this one which gives reasons businesses should not use social media; however, it maintains social media can be positive if planned and maintained on a regular basis. While many listed websites were opinion-based, the benefits of using social media can be obvious, from the immediacy of getting information to target audiences to positive ideas being spread around the Net.

Twitter has over 100 million active users worldwide, Facebook currently has more than 400 million users and there are countless other websites out there dedicated to social networking. It seems like a no-brainer to find a way into social networking for businesses to create or build relationships with their publics.

You Could Need a Visa

Since I have already posted on Coca-Cola and McDonald's as the Olympics' official soft drink and restaurant, respectively, I decided to discuss Visa's involvement as the official credit card of the Olympic Games.

The TOP ("The Olympic Partner" program) sponsors pay a boatload for exclusive use of the Olympic rings in advertising and logos. Visa's Web site states they are America's Olympic Team Partner and provide direct funding, promotional support and life skills training to athletes. Through professional events, they also provide the opportunity for Olympic hopefuls to train, compete and earn prize money.

As for Visa's social media involvement, they have an impressive looking Facebook page dedicated to Team Visa Athletes complete with videos, photos and posts packed full of updates on the Olympics as well as the Paralympic Games. With over 105,000 fans, this is a great medium where fans can easily find updates and interact with one another through discussions on posts. I'd say they aced it on the Visa Go World Facebook page.

I was unable to find Visa on Twitter, but hey, it's not for everyone. However, Twitter is such a big deal these days that someone over there in communications should consider adding it to their social media list. I was able to find a list of Twitter users that also uses Visa. It's a small list not created by Visa and I think if an official Visa Twitter page came up, people would be likely to follow. I mean, don't "more people go with Visa"?

A Panasonic View

Panasonic Corporation, the Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games as well as the last 20 years, supplied some eye-popping visuals this year. Panasonic's high-definition camcorders and equipment were used to distribute the Winter Olympics footage. This was the first time the Winter games were filmed in HD.

As I typed in 'Panasonic' into the Twitter people search, a plethora of profiles popped up. They have created accounts for different countries and areas including Russia, Australia and United Arab Emirates. Their account dedicated to their Full HD 3D lists the same post in several different languages including English, Spanish, Chinese and Polish. Very cool to combine this all into one account; however, separate language accounts may be easier for users to navigate. I found myself just skipping over the languages I didn't understand and not involving myself into the posts I was able to read.

Panasonic's Facebook page included only three posts about the Games during the event. I would have posted much more but I did like how they posted about certain athletes and not just their product.

As I browsed through Panasonic's different posts, there was much to be desired. I did not feel very included into the Panasonic lifestyle, but just an outsider watching what new products they will be talking about next. They could really work on interacting with their followers on a more personal level. How about tweeting with questions to followers about their favorite products and how their products impact their daily lives? Just a thought.

McPartners

Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games, McDonald's can be found on many major social media Web sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace working to enhance their relationship with consumers. They have partnered with the Games for over 40 years and have developed and adapted their approach to reach consumers that are increasingly spending time on social media Web sites.

While a press release from McDonald's Web site said global activities for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games officially launched Feb. 11, 2010, I was surprised to see that their first tweet of the day did not mention the Games. Around midday their Twitter Team finally tweeted about the McDonald's Champion Kids for 2010. I noticed they tweet directly with followers which is great because some companies simply tweet their activities and do not respond to their followers! Kudos McDonald's.

As I browsed McDonald's Facebook fan page, I noticed more mention of the Olympics and links to promotions and information regarding their involvement in the Games. There they post a link to their main Web site, but why not a link to their Twitter or MySpace? Also there is a link from their Web site to Twitter, but not to their other accounts. Hmmm...

Ice-cold and Responsible

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games opening ceremony was very entertaining and I truly appreciated the amount of dance involved. (I have been dancing since elementary school.) While the cultural storyline and insane projector effects were something I highly recommend you see if you missed it, the commercial breaks entertained my attention as well. One commercial in particular was Coca-Cola's snowball ad  featuring an all-out snowball fight between Olympic team members from several countries in which an icicle initiates said fight.

Coca-Cola's Twitter account named MyCocaCola tweets news about the company, keeping followers updated in real-time. Posts include links to Web articles for further information. Their account named CocaCola tweeted that Coca-Cola staff at the games is wearing uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. An article from packagingnews.co.uk covers the story.

This is part of Coca-Cola's zero-waste approach to becoming a more sustainable business. What a way to promote your company as well as an environmentally responsible message.

The Olympics are here!

Besides the fact that the Olympics are being shown on NBC, I have noticed the signs that the winter Olympics in Vancouver are upon us. As I was cooking up dinner last week, I noticed the Tyson frozen chicken I was using officially sponsors USA's Olympics. This is just one example of the way a business has chosen to communicate to the public of their sponsorship in the Olympic games. I checked up on the Tyson Foods, Inc. Web site and found this in a press release:

"As the official chicken, beef and pork Sponsor for the U.S. Olympic Team, Tyson will serve as a vital protein source for America's Olympic hopefuls in Beijing and Vancouver. In addition to supplying product to all three U.S. Olympic Training Centers, Tyson protein will help fuel the athletes during the 30 days when the U.S. Olympic Team is in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games, including the 16 days of competition.

Their Web site features promotions such as "Eat to Compete" which lists recipes that promote healthy food choices as well as tips and recipes created by U.S. Olympic team chefs:

It's interesting to see how businesses contact their publics and make known what they support and how they go about promoting their interests!