A slightly snarky post about being "busy"

I feel like I have been hearing a lot about how busy everyone is these days. My Twitter feed will display tweets reading "SO busy this week" or "I have so much going on this week, feel like it will be the end of me."

I have come to hate the word busy.

When I was an undergrad at the University of Iowa, I also found myself thinking (and probably tweeting) about how "busy" I was too. I held two internships, was an active member of my sorority, the President of PRSSA, the public relations director of Sigma Alpha Pi and not to be forgotten a student/friend/girlfriend/daughter/sister.

Weeks were crazy and I was going going going all day long. I definitely had my moments when I complained about my full schedule and how exhausted I felt come Friday. Reading all these tweets venting about how busy the person is takes me back to my days at Iowa...

but

Evaluating where I am now makes me appreciate all those jam packed days and weeks because if I didn't work hard then, I would never have a job now (especially in this economy). I can't help but embrace my hard work and long nights now because it made me who I am and has helped me learn the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn, I'm a recent grad just starting out in marketing/public relations field, but I know that my experiences/internships/PRSSA and my busy schedule helped me learn important life skills (think time management, perseverance) made me grow up (think maturity, teamwork) and embrace the importance/necessity of hard work.

Big picture. Everyone is busy. Not many care about your busy schedule because they probably have just as busy as/busier life than you. Save yourself the time and stop complaining about it.

Students, don't expect your schedule to be less "busy" once you graduate. This may be a bit snarky, but life is busy and shouldn't slow down post-graduation.

I urge students and professionals to embrace their busy lifestyles. As I mentioned above, I have complained about being busy (I'm not a saint) but this is something I'm working on too.

Wouldn't you rather have a full schedule than an empty one?

After all, if you're not busy going somewhere, you're going nowhere fast.

I came across this article from Penelope Trunk (author of the blog, The Brazen Careerist), "Being busy is not being honest"  and I recommend checking it out. It helped change my perspective on being "busy."

What do you think? Would you rather have a full schedule or nothing going on?

Who doesn't love a good diagram?

I came across this diagram that displays the differences between branding, advertising, public relations and marketing. I think it is a great visual of the motives behind each practice.

Do you agree with the way each practice is portrayed? What would the diagram for social media or search engine marketing look like?

An In Between Post

My blog is " A young professional's take on social media, public relations, and everything in between." Here is an in between post I couldn't help but write.

The Killers are one of my favorite bands. My co-workers @katefrankenberg and @neifach can vouch! So I thought I would share one of their beautiful songs. It is called "Romeo and Juliet." (Cover of the song by Dire Straits)

Check it out!




I especially love these lyrics in the song:

"Well, you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin
Now you just say, "Oh, Romeo, yeah, you know
I used to have a scene with him"

It is such a raw song by a talented (and underrated!) band.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Post brought to you by my Kindle

I recently received a Kindle for Christmas and it has been a gift from God. I mean that quite literally. Not only am I reading more, I'm finding that I'm watching less television. (This means less Jersey Shore and more Wall Street Journal, which we can all agree is a better thing!)

The first book I downloaded was "The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life" by the fabulous Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump).

Here is a synopsis:

"INSPIRATION. SUCCESS.
CONFIDENCE. PASSION.

No one is born with these qualities, but they are the key ingredients for reaching goals, building careers, or taking a blueprint and turning it into a breathtaking skyscraper. In The Trump Card, Ivanka Trump recounts the compelling story of her upbringing as the ultimate Apprentice, the daughter of Donald and Ivana Trump, and shares the life lessons and hardwon insights that have made her a rising star in the business world.

From her office in the Trump Organization, where she is a vice president of development and acquisitions and co-founder of The Trump Hotel Collection, to her career as an international model to the launch of her successful jewelry collection, Ivanka offers valuable, practical advice for young women. Whether it's landing that first job, navigating the workplace, or making a lasting impact, Ivanka shows how to:

• Use uncertainty to your advantage: thrive in any environment.
• Step up and get noticed at work: focus and efficiency will open doors.
• Create a strong and consistent identity: your name and reputation are your best assets.
• Know what you want: get the most out of any negotiation.

The Trump Card also features "Bulletins" from Ivanka's BlackBerry that tap into the wisdom of today's leaders, including Arianna Huffington, Tory Burch, and Cathie Black. "We've all been dealt a winning hand," Ivanka writes, "and it is up to each of us to play it right and smart."

I was a little skeptical at first. How hard of a life can you have with the last name Trump? I'm happy to say that I really learned a lot from her book. It was very motivating and her advice is practical yet unique.

Ivanka uses her own life experiences but doesn't present them in a snooty way. I feel like most auto-biographies can be a little "look at me," but Ivanka presented her story in a relatable fashion. I flew threw the book and found myself wanting more. Most of all, it was refreshing to see a young woman rise above prejudices (she was a formal model) and expectations (set by herself, the public, and her family) and ultimately pave her own road to success. Basically, Ivanka rocks.

I highly recommend "The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work in Life" to all young professionals out there. Especially you, ladies!

Fantasy Football is Genius

Fantasy Football.  For those of you who don't know (I am assuming there are a few) Wikipedia defines Fantasy Football as:

"a fantasy sports game in which participants (called "owners") are arranged into a competitive league, earning “fantasy points” by using the statistics of real football players. The owners of each league draft real-life American football players, typically from either the NFL or NCAA, filling a roster containing the various offense or defensive positions on a team, such as Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Tight End. Depending on how well the players on an Owner’s team do in a given week, the team earns Fantasy Points to compete against the other owners in the league."

My boyfriend (@bryanschnicker) and guy friends are all Fantasy Football freaks. Ladies, I'm sure you know a few of them/your boyfriends may be one. Fantasy football freaks are glued to their computers on Sundays and their conversations revolve around "who they are playing this week, injuries, points, and key match ups."  They live and breathe the NFL and their moods are often directly correlated to the performance of a) Ben Roethlisberger b) Aaron Rodgers c) Tom Brady or d) Peyton or Eli Manning (Drew Brees always plays great so he isn't included).

I am a huge football fan and I love the NFL so my boyfriend crowned me "pseudo assistant coach" of his team and before I knew it I was tuning into every game to see how well my players fared. A moment of truth hit me and I realized what I was becoming. I also realized that this "fantasy football league" was making me crazy. I was obsessed with the NFL which is why I believe fantasy football is genius. Dare I say fantasy football is a stealthy public relations campaign?

The league incorporates many facets deemed necessary in any successful public relations campaign. Most of which are being discussed and valued by professionals attempting to connect with consumers today.

1. Engagement: F.F.F. (Fantasy Football Freaks) are engaging with the NFL brand on a daily basis. They are picking their NFL players and visiting the NFL and ESPN (Also Yahoo, etc) websites numerous times a day to check on their team and stay on top of what is happening in the league.

Another facet of engagement are the feelings experienced while participating. I believe that many F.F.F.s get a rush from Fantasy Football. How is their team going to do? How many points are they going to get this week? No offense men, but we all now the male species thrives on these kind of emotions. At the end of the day, most F.F.F.s are loving the NFL strictly based on the excitement that is Fantasy Football.

2. Loyalty: A F.F.F. will most likely never miss a game that their players are participating in. You can count on them tuning in to Sunday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and Monday Night Football.  In the highly unlikely chance that they do miss a game, you can count on the F.F.Fs to be checking ESPN.com or watching highlights from the games on ESPN the next day. The F.F.Fs are loyal to the network and to the NFL brand. Not to mention, most F.F.F. create a new team and join a league every year. 

Apart from engagement and loyalty, Fantasy football has progressed into a nationwide phenomenon. ESPN has an entire show dedicated to Fantasy where sports casters make predictions, report injuries, and discuss stats. A television show, The League, has also been created based on Fantasy Football!

Personally, participating in the league has made me buy into the ESPN and the NFL brands. Not only do I love football season, I love fantasy football season. If that makes me a Fantasy Football Freak so be it. Great public relations tactic, NFL. I'm sold.

What do you think? Any self proclaimed F.F.Fs out there? Come on, fess up.

Have you laughed today?

Life is serious, but it doesn't always have to be. I think it is in our human nature to let loose every once in awhile. Have you laughed today?

"Google Generation"

With Google adding real-time results in their search pages, many have been discussing the implications of this new feature. What about Twitter? Will tweets influence page rank? We have yet to find out. Some speak of Generation Y and call us the "Google Generation." With the uproar about real-time results (which I have been discussing and thinking about don't get me wrong) I have to agree with that statement. I can't go a day without Google, as much as I hate to admit that. New Year's Resolution: start using Bing and register for a Hotmail account! I don't think so....

Here is a cartoon that sums up the social media landscape and "Generation Google."

What do you think about the "Google Generation?" Do you agree?