I read an interesting article from AdAge on the different "profiles" of people who use the various forms of social media. I've supplied some of the findings below and added my own 2 cents.
In general:
"Their top three interests are music, movies and hanging out with friends, and they use social media most to stay in touch with friends, family and classmates... Anderson's research breaks down general social-media users into four categories: business users, fun seekers, social-media mavens and late followers."
My perspective - In general, I think social media users started out as the sorority or student council type who were on the networks, but now it has pretty much expanded to include people of all different "profiles", especially those 16-40 in the working world and frequent internet users. It would be interesting to see if the economy's downturn has increased the social media users as a cheaper way of staying in touch, networking or more effective way of looking for jobs/getting job leads.
Facebookers:
"They are more likely to be married (40%), white (80%) and retired (6%) than users of the other social networks. Facebook users skew a bit older and are more likely to be late adopters of social media. But they are also extremely loyal to the site -- 75% claim Facebook is their favorite site, and another 59% say they have increased their use of the site in the past six months."
My perspective - Facebook has different usage levels, the casual users who just want to keep in touch and don't use regularly, all the way to the "Crackbook" users, who are on facebook every 10 minutes and is their "go-to" when they have a moment of downtime. Facebook is definitely more of a time commitment and leans more toward social rather than job connections. Personally, I think if you don't have a Facebook page in this day & age you are so out of the loop.
Twitterers:
"Twitterers especially like pop culture, with music, movies, TV and reading, ranking higher than average. They're more likely to buy books, movies, shoes and cosmetics online than the other groups. Twitterers are also entrepreneurial. They are more likely than others to use the service to promote their blogs or businesses. Some 31% buy coffee online, far above the average 21% of other social networkers. They're more likely to be employed part-time (16% vs. 11% average)."
My perspective - Twitter users are like Facebook users but to the extreme. They are either super addicted or just join because they want to say they are on it, but don't really know how to use it. I think its more effective for advertising, marketing, celebrity and news world, but not a good way for schools or employers to reach their audience.
MySpacers:
"The 67 million who are still there are into having a good time. They're more likely to have joined MySpace for fun and more likely to be interested in entertaining friends, humor and comedy, and video games. They're less into exercise than any other social group but seek out parenting information more than any other. Their average income is the lowest, at $44,000."
My perspective - Is this seriously still a site people use? It's kind of like the WT of social media if you ask me. People who have Myspace pages and not Facebook pages are just too lazy to swtich.
LinkedIn:
"LinkedIn has the only user group with more males than females (57% to 43%). They have the highest average income, at $89,000, and are more likely to have joined the site for business or work, citing keeping in touch with business networks, job searching, business development and recruiting as top reasons. Excluding video-game systems, they own more electronic gadgets than the other social networkers, including digital cameras, high-definition TVs, DVRs and Blu-ray players. Here were two surprises among the things they're more interested in than the others: gambling and soap operas."
My perspective - LinkedIn is the Facebook of the job and networking market. It's for working professionals and isn't something that requires updates very often to stay relevant, which fits the working professional profile.
Check out the whole Ad Age article by Beth Snyder Bulik "What Your Favorite Social Network Says About You."
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
I Can’t Make This Stuff Up
A series of random texts inspired a series of facebook posts that inspired a series of fun comments from good friends, old and new!
My boyfriend sums the whole experience up nicely in one phrase, “You have a weird life.” But I’m glad my weird life can bring a chuckle to others.
Here’s a chronicling of events:
My first post:
I just got a text from a random number, so I sent the random a text back saying “I don't know who this is so stop texting.” And the text I got back from the random was "It's your wife dufus".
Comments:
HAHA megan this is the funniest thing i have read in a long time - and i am sooo bringing 'dufus' back into my vocabulary!! -KDA
Omg that's hilarious! -AC
HAHAHA Gah Megan, your such a dufus. Don't you know your own wife's number? –LBG
My second post:
I'm glad some people enjoyed my last status about the random phone # that was texting me, so here's more of the ensuing conversation.
After not answering back to the "It's your wife dufus." I walked away from my phone and returned to find the following 3 messages:
#1 - "i love you."
#2 – “are you okay?”
#3 – “please talk to me”
Comments:
Haha, Oh my! –CR
haha Megan that is too funny! I just had to share that with people I work with because I started laughing to myself and they wanted to know what was so amusing -MR
That is hilarious ... you should tell her to double check the # she is texting! Haha -AP
There is your entertainment fir the day! You should keep texting them back! –JB
AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA -LBG
My third post:
And now for the 3rd, and final, installment...
After the random's text #3 - "please talk to me". I replied: "I don't know who this is but stop texting".
To which the random replied: "You gotta be kidding me".
So I then CALLED and left a VM saying "Someone is texting me from this number and they have the wrong number, so please stop texting". To which the random replied: "Can't talk."
Comments:
I bet she feels like an idiot!! -LBG
This is really entertaining me... I'm on the edge of my seat with anticipation - what will "random" text next!? -BO
Awesome. -PM
Love the play-by-play Meg! Hope to see you this weekend!!! -ES
this is amazing :) -CE
that is hilarious! -SB
Monday, July 6, 2009
Talking About My Generation
I read this article last week and couldn't agree more.
Jonathan Lewis Hopes Economic Hardship Knocks a Little Sense Into His Generation
by Jonathan Lewis Published: July 01, 2009
I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, because the excess that fueled Generation Y and the current economic meltdown is fading fast -- along with, I hope, the most negative characteristics of our generation. Whether you've just graduated into the worst job market in decades, were recently laid off or shudder every time your manager calls an impromptu meeting, one thing is true: Like it or not, you and I are going to face some very difficult personal and professional decisions.
Do you remember when, not long ago, volumes of articles, books and even conferences were springing up attempting to teach the "old-school" business community how to best manage this upcoming and unique generation entering the work force? Authors used terms such as "entitled" and "narcissistic" to describe what they called the most digitally connected and self-focused generation to walk the earth. Ample advice was given on how to best manage our fragile self-esteem, fickle career decisions and, as freelance writer Carol Forsloff put it, resistance "to anything that doesn't involve praise and rewards." The only positive thing said about us was our intimate knowledge of technology, and even that is being eroded by the boomers' rush to embrace it (my mother-in-law just friended me on Facebook).
I don't know about you, but having to write the above paragraph about myself and my generation has me more than a little embarrassed. That's why I hope the current economy and accompanying hardships will do more than scare us. I hope they will knock a little sense into us too.
We're not the first generation to face tough times. If we can heed some of the following age-old advice and learn a thing or two from folks who have gone through this before, not only will we have a better chance to thrive through this hardship, we might just disprove a few stereotypes along the way.
1. Get over yourself - The only thing self-esteem gave us was a dangerous dose of entitlement. If we're going to come out of this downturn alive, we're going to have to remember one thing: No one owes us anything. We earn what we get, and that "earn" part involves time and effort. Our employers and interviewers don't care if their demands interfere with our lunch appointment or 8 a.m. workout. And frankly, we can't afford to have the world revolve around us anymore. We must take a bite of humble pie, prove our value and get over our collective selves.
2. Remember what your mama told you - There's a reason Robert Fulghum wrote "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." He understood the value of mastering the basics. And chances are your mom did too. She sure didn't teach you to stroll in to work at 9:30 a.m. or take that extra-long lunch. And you can just imagine what she would say if she saw the apparel you deemed appropriate for work this morning. No matter what happens in the world around us, the fundamentals never change. Be professional. Work hard. Honor your word. Do unto others ... I mean, seriously, I know our generation doesn't emerge from adolescence until we're 25, but c'mon. Grow up.
3. Get off your butt and innovate - It wasn't buckets of cash or bailouts that pulled our grandparents out of the Great Depression. It was the hard work of a generation, a bloody world war and some of the most groundbreaking innovation the world has ever seen. Economies don't recover when generations sit on their hands hoping someone else will fix their problems.
According to author and speaker Alexandra Levit, Holly Hoffman took this to heart when she saw layoffs looming at the national newspaper corporation she worked for in Texas. Instead of lying low in team meetings, she decided to take things into her own hands. Hoffman explained, "As the bottom person, I knew that I would be eliminated unless I could directly tie my position to profits. So instead of just using the sales program I was given, I interviewed our field reps to see how we could improve it." Levit reported that "Ms. Hoffman's revamped sales program was expanded to three additional newspapers, earning her a promotion even as many of her friends were being laid off."
If we are going to do more than just survive in this environment, we must step up to the plate, put our green pencils to recycled paper and innovate our way to success.
4. Things will never be the same - Our nation's rush to borrow its way out of debt has more than a few economists worried. And you can bet your Euros it's our generation that will pay for this mess. The era of "Bad credit? No problem" is over, and the luxuries we've taken for granted are slipping away. We're inheriting incomprehensible debt, unsustainable social programs and leaders who think the way to fix the problem is to keep doing more of the same thing. You and I have to come to terms with the knowledge that more trouble is heading our way, and hiding from it won't make it disappear. Like any major challenge, you can't deal with the problem until you admit that you have one.
5. Berlin or bust - Our grandparents faced a similar situation during their generation's greatest challenge. The Great Depression and WWII fostered hardships we can't even imagine -- yet. It was the excesses of their parents' generation, embodied by the Roaring Twenties, that fueled their hardships. Their response: Stand firm, work hard and help a neighbor.
And now we're faced with a similar choice. Our grandparents could have thrown in the towel and resigned themselves to their poor lot in life, but they didn't. They rose to the challenge and earned their place in history as the Greatest Generation. So what will our response be? Will we wait for someone to swoop in and fix our problems, or will we build off our strengths, harness the incredible tools at our disposal and pull ourselves up by our Nike shoestrings? With a little old-school work ethic and innovation, we can take our new-school technology and show our critics, and the world, what our generation is really made of.
It's yet to be seen if this worst-case scenario will end up being the best thing to happen to our generation. But one thing is certain: The choice is ours.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Lewis is an account executive at McKee Wallwork Cleveland. At 25, he is squarely in what has been dubbed the millennial generation.
Jonathan Lewis Hopes Economic Hardship Knocks a Little Sense Into His Generation
by Jonathan Lewis Published: July 01, 2009
I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, because the excess that fueled Generation Y and the current economic meltdown is fading fast -- along with, I hope, the most negative characteristics of our generation. Whether you've just graduated into the worst job market in decades, were recently laid off or shudder every time your manager calls an impromptu meeting, one thing is true: Like it or not, you and I are going to face some very difficult personal and professional decisions.
Do you remember when, not long ago, volumes of articles, books and even conferences were springing up attempting to teach the "old-school" business community how to best manage this upcoming and unique generation entering the work force? Authors used terms such as "entitled" and "narcissistic" to describe what they called the most digitally connected and self-focused generation to walk the earth. Ample advice was given on how to best manage our fragile self-esteem, fickle career decisions and, as freelance writer Carol Forsloff put it, resistance "to anything that doesn't involve praise and rewards." The only positive thing said about us was our intimate knowledge of technology, and even that is being eroded by the boomers' rush to embrace it (my mother-in-law just friended me on Facebook).
I don't know about you, but having to write the above paragraph about myself and my generation has me more than a little embarrassed. That's why I hope the current economy and accompanying hardships will do more than scare us. I hope they will knock a little sense into us too.
We're not the first generation to face tough times. If we can heed some of the following age-old advice and learn a thing or two from folks who have gone through this before, not only will we have a better chance to thrive through this hardship, we might just disprove a few stereotypes along the way.
1. Get over yourself - The only thing self-esteem gave us was a dangerous dose of entitlement. If we're going to come out of this downturn alive, we're going to have to remember one thing: No one owes us anything. We earn what we get, and that "earn" part involves time and effort. Our employers and interviewers don't care if their demands interfere with our lunch appointment or 8 a.m. workout. And frankly, we can't afford to have the world revolve around us anymore. We must take a bite of humble pie, prove our value and get over our collective selves.
2. Remember what your mama told you - There's a reason Robert Fulghum wrote "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." He understood the value of mastering the basics. And chances are your mom did too. She sure didn't teach you to stroll in to work at 9:30 a.m. or take that extra-long lunch. And you can just imagine what she would say if she saw the apparel you deemed appropriate for work this morning. No matter what happens in the world around us, the fundamentals never change. Be professional. Work hard. Honor your word. Do unto others ... I mean, seriously, I know our generation doesn't emerge from adolescence until we're 25, but c'mon. Grow up.
3. Get off your butt and innovate - It wasn't buckets of cash or bailouts that pulled our grandparents out of the Great Depression. It was the hard work of a generation, a bloody world war and some of the most groundbreaking innovation the world has ever seen. Economies don't recover when generations sit on their hands hoping someone else will fix their problems.
According to author and speaker Alexandra Levit, Holly Hoffman took this to heart when she saw layoffs looming at the national newspaper corporation she worked for in Texas. Instead of lying low in team meetings, she decided to take things into her own hands. Hoffman explained, "As the bottom person, I knew that I would be eliminated unless I could directly tie my position to profits. So instead of just using the sales program I was given, I interviewed our field reps to see how we could improve it." Levit reported that "Ms. Hoffman's revamped sales program was expanded to three additional newspapers, earning her a promotion even as many of her friends were being laid off."
If we are going to do more than just survive in this environment, we must step up to the plate, put our green pencils to recycled paper and innovate our way to success.
4. Things will never be the same - Our nation's rush to borrow its way out of debt has more than a few economists worried. And you can bet your Euros it's our generation that will pay for this mess. The era of "Bad credit? No problem" is over, and the luxuries we've taken for granted are slipping away. We're inheriting incomprehensible debt, unsustainable social programs and leaders who think the way to fix the problem is to keep doing more of the same thing. You and I have to come to terms with the knowledge that more trouble is heading our way, and hiding from it won't make it disappear. Like any major challenge, you can't deal with the problem until you admit that you have one.
5. Berlin or bust - Our grandparents faced a similar situation during their generation's greatest challenge. The Great Depression and WWII fostered hardships we can't even imagine -- yet. It was the excesses of their parents' generation, embodied by the Roaring Twenties, that fueled their hardships. Their response: Stand firm, work hard and help a neighbor.
And now we're faced with a similar choice. Our grandparents could have thrown in the towel and resigned themselves to their poor lot in life, but they didn't. They rose to the challenge and earned their place in history as the Greatest Generation. So what will our response be? Will we wait for someone to swoop in and fix our problems, or will we build off our strengths, harness the incredible tools at our disposal and pull ourselves up by our Nike shoestrings? With a little old-school work ethic and innovation, we can take our new-school technology and show our critics, and the world, what our generation is really made of.
It's yet to be seen if this worst-case scenario will end up being the best thing to happen to our generation. But one thing is certain: The choice is ours.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Lewis is an account executive at McKee Wallwork Cleveland. At 25, he is squarely in what has been dubbed the millennial generation.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Top 10 Signs Your Virtual Life is Better than Your Real Life
1. You have to post pictures to prove that you actually do go out and have a life
2. You still know everything about your best friend from high school even though you haven’t actually spoken to her or seen her since graduation.
3. Your “happy hours” consist of your group g-chatting while drinking a beer alone in your house.
4. You vacation vicariously through other people’s Facebook albums.
5. You get asked on a date via text, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or LinkedIn. When you get to the date you realize he looks nothing like his pictures online.
6. You have to lie on your status updates to seem more interesting/ fun.
7. When you go out, you spend more time on your iphone than interacting with actual humans.
8. You know exactly where Ashton Kutcher is at all times (thanks to Twitter) but you can’t even remember the last time you saw your roommate.
9. You aren’t sure that your “top Facebook friends” would even recognize you if they ran into you on the street.
10. Besides going to the bathroom, never leave your cube at work because you interact with your co-workers via Facebook, email, IM, Twitter, skype & Myspace.
2. You still know everything about your best friend from high school even though you haven’t actually spoken to her or seen her since graduation.
3. Your “happy hours” consist of your group g-chatting while drinking a beer alone in your house.
4. You vacation vicariously through other people’s Facebook albums.
5. You get asked on a date via text, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or LinkedIn. When you get to the date you realize he looks nothing like his pictures online.
6. You have to lie on your status updates to seem more interesting/ fun.
7. When you go out, you spend more time on your iphone than interacting with actual humans.
8. You know exactly where Ashton Kutcher is at all times (thanks to Twitter) but you can’t even remember the last time you saw your roommate.
9. You aren’t sure that your “top Facebook friends” would even recognize you if they ran into you on the street.
10. Besides going to the bathroom, never leave your cube at work because you interact with your co-workers via Facebook, email, IM, Twitter, skype & Myspace.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Client-Vendor Relstionships Parody
Funny video about client-vendor relationships in the real world :) If you are in the advertising industry, you'll especially enjoy this one!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
"Megan" on Wolfram Alpha
So I'm obsessed with Wolfram Alpha (obviously) so expect to see some more posts in the upcoming days/weeks...
Another thing that's nice is you can make pdfs of your findings!
Another thing that's nice is you can make pdfs of your findings!
Wolfram Alpha
Check out this new type of search! It's kind of like Google or Yahoo, but it tries to "think" about what you are asking and provides facts, stats, graphs and other related info about the topic or topics you are inquiring about.
To test it out, use some of the suggested searches on the right-hand side of the home page.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
To test it out, use some of the suggested searches on the right-hand side of the home page.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Obama's first 100 days - as seen by London Media
From London's Daily Telegraph: Obama's first 100 days - a day-by-day guide. Read full article here
Our day-by-day guide shows that he kept up a frenetic pace as he concentrated on selling his plans for steadying the economy to Americans, restoring amicable relations with nations not enamoured with George W Bush and finding time to spend with his family.
Jan 20: Obama became President watched by 1.8 million people on Washington's National Mall.
Jan 21: First day at the office. Received his first daily intelligence and economic briefings, called Arab leaders and limited lobbyists' influence on the administration.
Jan 22: Ordered closure of Guantanamo Bay prison within a year and ended "enhanced interrogation techniques".
Jan 23: Reversed Bush policy restricting aid to organisations that promote or provide abortions overseas.
Jan 24: In his first radio address, also posted as an online video, stressed the importance of his stimulus bill.
Jan 25: Spent the day with First Lady Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha at the White House.
Jan 26: Allowed US states to decide their own emissions and fuel efficiency standards.
Jan 27: In first overture to the opposition, met high-ranking, skeptical Republicans.
Jan 28: Plied Congressmen with cocktails at the White House in his attempts to win support for stimulus.
Jan 29: Attended a class presentation at Sasha's school before signing equal pay legislation for women.
Jan 30: Created a middle class working families task force to be headed by Vice President Joe Biden.
Jan 31: Attended dinner at the elite Alfalfa Club and poked fun at himself and election opponents Senator John McCain and Sarah Palin.
Feb 1: Gave pre-Super Bowl interview where he stated that many troops would be home by next year's Super Bowl.
Feb 2: Held a series of closed-door meetings with top officials.
Feb 3: First bad day. His pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Daschle, resigned over unpaid taxes, the first of six selections to do so.
Feb 4: Introduced executive pay cap of $500,000 at companies receiving government bail-out money. Signed a bill extending health insurance to low-income children.
Feb 5: Invited "my good friend" Tony Blair to speak at the National Prayer Service.
Feb 6: Named an economic advisory board, gave another speech touting stimulus bill.
Feb 7: Headed to presidential retreat Camp David with wife and two daughters for first time.
Feb 8: Quiet Sunday spent preparing for first prime time press conference.
Feb 9: Public meeting in Elkhart, Indiana, a town badly hit by recession.
Feb 10: Visited Fort Myers, Florida, worst foreclosure spot in country.
Feb 11: Gave a speech at a Virginia construction site promoting US infrastructure spending.
Feb 12: Celebrated Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday with two speeches.
Feb 13: Speech mourning the victims of the Continental Airlines near Buffalo, New York. Democrats muscled the $787 billion stimulus bill through Congress.
Feb 14: First trip back home to Chicago with family. Valentine's dinner with Michelle.
Feb 15: Played basketball with old friends, got hair cut at barber Zariff's.
Feb 16: Scrapped idea of a car tsar to handle the automotive industry.
Feb 17: In Colorado, to view a solar panel installation, signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Feb 18: Unveiled a multi-billion dollar plan to prevent further home foreclosures.
Feb 19: Debut foreign trip as president to Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Feb 20: Spoke to mayors about the importance of the Recovery Act.
Feb 21: Reassured the country that his stimulus package would yield immediate results.
Feb 22: Hosted a White House dinner for state Governors – the administration's first official banquet.
Feb 23: Hosted a bipartisan fiscal responsibility summit to discuss the Recovery Act.
Feb 24: Welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, first head of state greeted at the White House.
Feb 25: Finally appointed a commerce secretary; honoured musician Stevie Wonder at White House bash.
Feb 26: Unveiled his $3.55 trillion budget for the 2010 fiscal year. Hosted members of Chicago bulls.
Feb 27: In North Carolina, announced plan to withdraw combat troops from Iraq by August 31, 2010. Watched basketball game in Washington.
Feb 28: Another weekly radio address. Warned special interest groups and lobbyists that he was willing to fight.
Mar 1: Some family time at the White House, while Sec of State Hillary Clinton announced $300m in aid to Gaza.
Mar 2: Named Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Mar 3: Awkward press conference with Gordon Brown, and even more awkward present of 25 DVDs of great American films.
Mar 4: As Brown spoke at Congress, Obama appointed new head of Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mar 5: Health care reform forum; homeowner rescue bill clears Congress.
Mar 6: Told police cadets that his recovery plan had ensured the jobs they were heading for.
Mar 7: Weekly address extolling "controlled" spending in $3.6 trillion budget.
Mar 8: Led singing of "Happy Birthday" at Senator Ted Kennedy's 77th birthday celebration at the Kennedy Centre.
Mar 9: Signed an executive order reversing the Bush administration's ban on federally-funded stem cell research.
Mar 10: Announced plan to increase spending on education.
Mar 11: Signed the $410 billion omnibus spending bill left over from Bush.
Mar 12: Warned stimulus money had to be spent wisely.
Mar 13: Ended use of term "enemy combatants" to describe Guantanamo detainees.
Mar 14: Met president of Brazil.
Mar 15: Kept low profile as economic team did the rounds of Sunday talk shows.
Mar 16: Attacked bailed-out insurer AIG for awarding $165 million in executive bonuses after receiving bail-out.
Mar 17: Wore a green tie for St Patrick's Day as received Irish PM. Michelle turned White House fountains green.
Mar 18: Took the blame for AIG, and made his pick for college basketball tournament.
Mar 19: First real gaffe, when he compared his poor bowling skills to the Special Olympics on Jay Lenok talk show.
Mar 20: Met supportive Governors Schwarzenegger, Rendell, and Bloomberg to discuss the stimulus package.
Mar 21: Weekly address focused on infrastructure and technological investments.
Mar 22: Appeared on "60 Minutes", defended under-fire Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Mar 23: Speech at the White House discussing clean and renewable energy.
Mar 24: Prime-time press conference to answer questions about the AIG bonus scandal. Spoke to orbiting astronauts with schoolchildren.
Mar 25: Met Nato Secretary General on Afghanistan.
Mar 26: Online 'town hall' meeting in which he confirmed he was against legalising marijuana.
Mar 27: Announced 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan and "benchmarks" for US aid to Pakistan.
Mar 28: Declared the Red River area in North Dakota a disaster area and authorised emergency funding.
Mar 29: Called on Big Three car companies to boost efforts at restructuring.
Mar 30: Rick Wagoner, General Motors chief executive, forced out the and company given 60 days to sort out its problems.
Mar 31: Signs public lands bill that protects over a million of acres of wilderness. The Obamas land in Britain.
April 1: Arrived in Britain for the G20 Summit where he met the Queen and Prince Philip.
April 2: G20 leaders agreed to a $1.1 trillion boost to the IMF and other world financial institutions.
April 3: Town hall meeting in a basketball arena in Strasbourg answering questions from French and Germans.
April 4: Persuades Nato to pledge 5,000 troops for Afghanistan.
April 5: Calls for a nuclear-free world are overshadowed by North Korea firing "satellite" rocket.
April 6: In Turkey, said that America "is not and will never be at war with Islam."
April 7: Surprise visit to Baghdad where he declared it was time for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their country".
April 8: Hosted first Passover Seder at the White House for friends.
April 9: Urged Americans to take advantage of low-mortgage rates.
April 10: Said the economy was showing "glimmers of hope".
April 11: In weekly radio address, urged global partnership in facing global adversity.
April 12: Attended Easter Sunday service at St John's Episcopal Church.
April 13: Announced easing of US restrictions on travel to Cuba. Hosted annual Easter egg roll on the South Lawn.
April 14: Presented six-month old Portuguese water dog named Bo to daughters Malia and Sasha: a.
April 15: Tax filing day. He and First Lady Michelle jointly declared an income of $2,656,902, chiefly from book sales.
April 16: Released memos on Bush-era CIA interrogation techniques, but said agents would not be prosecuted.
April 17: Told Latin American and Caribbean leaders gathered in Trinidad that he sought co-operation with the region.
April 18: Met and shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of America under Bush.
April 19: Returned home from Summit of Americas and admitted nothing was achieved, but goodwill created.
April 20: Held first cabinet meeting. Invited Tiger Woods to the White House.
April 21: Held open possibility of prosecuting Bush officials who drafted memos.
April 22: On Earth Day, President Obama travelled to Iowa to promote new a new alternative energy focus.
April 23: Told credit card company executives to clarify contract language and change some laws that many feel "trap" customers.
April 24: Said he wanted to change student loans to government funding.
April 25: Asked Congress to pass legislation forcing members to include budget cuts or tax increases against any budget increases.
April 26: Played golf at Andrews Air Force Base with his Commerce Secretary, a White House staffer, and trade representative Ron Kirk.
April 27: Said flu outbreak in Mexico was a "cause for concern... but it is not a cause for alarm."
April 28: Visited FBI headquarters and spoke to members of the investigative bureau.
April 29: Due to hold a prime time press conference to mark his 100th day.
Our day-by-day guide shows that he kept up a frenetic pace as he concentrated on selling his plans for steadying the economy to Americans, restoring amicable relations with nations not enamoured with George W Bush and finding time to spend with his family.
Jan 20: Obama became President watched by 1.8 million people on Washington's National Mall.
Jan 21: First day at the office. Received his first daily intelligence and economic briefings, called Arab leaders and limited lobbyists' influence on the administration.
Jan 22: Ordered closure of Guantanamo Bay prison within a year and ended "enhanced interrogation techniques".
Jan 23: Reversed Bush policy restricting aid to organisations that promote or provide abortions overseas.
Jan 24: In his first radio address, also posted as an online video, stressed the importance of his stimulus bill.
Jan 25: Spent the day with First Lady Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha at the White House.
Jan 26: Allowed US states to decide their own emissions and fuel efficiency standards.
Jan 27: In first overture to the opposition, met high-ranking, skeptical Republicans.
Jan 28: Plied Congressmen with cocktails at the White House in his attempts to win support for stimulus.
Jan 29: Attended a class presentation at Sasha's school before signing equal pay legislation for women.
Jan 30: Created a middle class working families task force to be headed by Vice President Joe Biden.
Jan 31: Attended dinner at the elite Alfalfa Club and poked fun at himself and election opponents Senator John McCain and Sarah Palin.
Feb 1: Gave pre-Super Bowl interview where he stated that many troops would be home by next year's Super Bowl.
Feb 2: Held a series of closed-door meetings with top officials.
Feb 3: First bad day. His pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Daschle, resigned over unpaid taxes, the first of six selections to do so.
Feb 4: Introduced executive pay cap of $500,000 at companies receiving government bail-out money. Signed a bill extending health insurance to low-income children.
Feb 5: Invited "my good friend" Tony Blair to speak at the National Prayer Service.
Feb 6: Named an economic advisory board, gave another speech touting stimulus bill.
Feb 7: Headed to presidential retreat Camp David with wife and two daughters for first time.
Feb 8: Quiet Sunday spent preparing for first prime time press conference.
Feb 9: Public meeting in Elkhart, Indiana, a town badly hit by recession.
Feb 10: Visited Fort Myers, Florida, worst foreclosure spot in country.
Feb 11: Gave a speech at a Virginia construction site promoting US infrastructure spending.
Feb 12: Celebrated Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday with two speeches.
Feb 13: Speech mourning the victims of the Continental Airlines near Buffalo, New York. Democrats muscled the $787 billion stimulus bill through Congress.
Feb 14: First trip back home to Chicago with family. Valentine's dinner with Michelle.
Feb 15: Played basketball with old friends, got hair cut at barber Zariff's.
Feb 16: Scrapped idea of a car tsar to handle the automotive industry.
Feb 17: In Colorado, to view a solar panel installation, signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Feb 18: Unveiled a multi-billion dollar plan to prevent further home foreclosures.
Feb 19: Debut foreign trip as president to Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Feb 20: Spoke to mayors about the importance of the Recovery Act.
Feb 21: Reassured the country that his stimulus package would yield immediate results.
Feb 22: Hosted a White House dinner for state Governors – the administration's first official banquet.
Feb 23: Hosted a bipartisan fiscal responsibility summit to discuss the Recovery Act.
Feb 24: Welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, first head of state greeted at the White House.
Feb 25: Finally appointed a commerce secretary; honoured musician Stevie Wonder at White House bash.
Feb 26: Unveiled his $3.55 trillion budget for the 2010 fiscal year. Hosted members of Chicago bulls.
Feb 27: In North Carolina, announced plan to withdraw combat troops from Iraq by August 31, 2010. Watched basketball game in Washington.
Feb 28: Another weekly radio address. Warned special interest groups and lobbyists that he was willing to fight.
Mar 1: Some family time at the White House, while Sec of State Hillary Clinton announced $300m in aid to Gaza.
Mar 2: Named Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Mar 3: Awkward press conference with Gordon Brown, and even more awkward present of 25 DVDs of great American films.
Mar 4: As Brown spoke at Congress, Obama appointed new head of Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mar 5: Health care reform forum; homeowner rescue bill clears Congress.
Mar 6: Told police cadets that his recovery plan had ensured the jobs they were heading for.
Mar 7: Weekly address extolling "controlled" spending in $3.6 trillion budget.
Mar 8: Led singing of "Happy Birthday" at Senator Ted Kennedy's 77th birthday celebration at the Kennedy Centre.
Mar 9: Signed an executive order reversing the Bush administration's ban on federally-funded stem cell research.
Mar 10: Announced plan to increase spending on education.
Mar 11: Signed the $410 billion omnibus spending bill left over from Bush.
Mar 12: Warned stimulus money had to be spent wisely.
Mar 13: Ended use of term "enemy combatants" to describe Guantanamo detainees.
Mar 14: Met president of Brazil.
Mar 15: Kept low profile as economic team did the rounds of Sunday talk shows.
Mar 16: Attacked bailed-out insurer AIG for awarding $165 million in executive bonuses after receiving bail-out.
Mar 17: Wore a green tie for St Patrick's Day as received Irish PM. Michelle turned White House fountains green.
Mar 18: Took the blame for AIG, and made his pick for college basketball tournament.
Mar 19: First real gaffe, when he compared his poor bowling skills to the Special Olympics on Jay Lenok talk show.
Mar 20: Met supportive Governors Schwarzenegger, Rendell, and Bloomberg to discuss the stimulus package.
Mar 21: Weekly address focused on infrastructure and technological investments.
Mar 22: Appeared on "60 Minutes", defended under-fire Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Mar 23: Speech at the White House discussing clean and renewable energy.
Mar 24: Prime-time press conference to answer questions about the AIG bonus scandal. Spoke to orbiting astronauts with schoolchildren.
Mar 25: Met Nato Secretary General on Afghanistan.
Mar 26: Online 'town hall' meeting in which he confirmed he was against legalising marijuana.
Mar 27: Announced 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan and "benchmarks" for US aid to Pakistan.
Mar 28: Declared the Red River area in North Dakota a disaster area and authorised emergency funding.
Mar 29: Called on Big Three car companies to boost efforts at restructuring.
Mar 30: Rick Wagoner, General Motors chief executive, forced out the and company given 60 days to sort out its problems.
Mar 31: Signs public lands bill that protects over a million of acres of wilderness. The Obamas land in Britain.
April 1: Arrived in Britain for the G20 Summit where he met the Queen and Prince Philip.
April 2: G20 leaders agreed to a $1.1 trillion boost to the IMF and other world financial institutions.
April 3: Town hall meeting in a basketball arena in Strasbourg answering questions from French and Germans.
April 4: Persuades Nato to pledge 5,000 troops for Afghanistan.
April 5: Calls for a nuclear-free world are overshadowed by North Korea firing "satellite" rocket.
April 6: In Turkey, said that America "is not and will never be at war with Islam."
April 7: Surprise visit to Baghdad where he declared it was time for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their country".
April 8: Hosted first Passover Seder at the White House for friends.
April 9: Urged Americans to take advantage of low-mortgage rates.
April 10: Said the economy was showing "glimmers of hope".
April 11: In weekly radio address, urged global partnership in facing global adversity.
April 12: Attended Easter Sunday service at St John's Episcopal Church.
April 13: Announced easing of US restrictions on travel to Cuba. Hosted annual Easter egg roll on the South Lawn.
April 14: Presented six-month old Portuguese water dog named Bo to daughters Malia and Sasha: a.
April 15: Tax filing day. He and First Lady Michelle jointly declared an income of $2,656,902, chiefly from book sales.
April 16: Released memos on Bush-era CIA interrogation techniques, but said agents would not be prosecuted.
April 17: Told Latin American and Caribbean leaders gathered in Trinidad that he sought co-operation with the region.
April 18: Met and shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of America under Bush.
April 19: Returned home from Summit of Americas and admitted nothing was achieved, but goodwill created.
April 20: Held first cabinet meeting. Invited Tiger Woods to the White House.
April 21: Held open possibility of prosecuting Bush officials who drafted memos.
April 22: On Earth Day, President Obama travelled to Iowa to promote new a new alternative energy focus.
April 23: Told credit card company executives to clarify contract language and change some laws that many feel "trap" customers.
April 24: Said he wanted to change student loans to government funding.
April 25: Asked Congress to pass legislation forcing members to include budget cuts or tax increases against any budget increases.
April 26: Played golf at Andrews Air Force Base with his Commerce Secretary, a White House staffer, and trade representative Ron Kirk.
April 27: Said flu outbreak in Mexico was a "cause for concern... but it is not a cause for alarm."
April 28: Visited FBI headquarters and spoke to members of the investigative bureau.
April 29: Due to hold a prime time press conference to mark his 100th day.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Don't Become a News-asaurus
There is so much talk about saving the old archaic form of newspapers and job cuts for journalists everywhere, but newspapers need to step up and adjust their business strategy to the modern times! Problems with every industry’s dinosaurs have been brought to the surface through the recession, proving that those companies or industries need to do some major restructuring or throw in the towel.
The traditional newspaper needs some major formatting, content & multi-media adjustments to fit the culture of today’s reader. In today’s fast-paced, multi-tasking, information-driven society newspapers can no longer get away with the traditional dimensions, long involved stories and lack of multi-media support. I know some of these improvements mean a departure from “true journalism” but journalists also need to embrace the future and find innovative ways of keeping true journalism alive while making money and keeping their job!
One example of a newspaper that is doing a good job balancing the journalism and adjusting to the marketplace is the Chicago Tribune. Their redesign, content audit and format changes fit the market and the profile of today’s reader. Readers can more easily take their paper with them and read on-the-go. In addition, they have shorter stories, tickers and social media updates in the main section and to quickly give readers an overview of the news. However, they still provide in-depth stories, offer a “full” Sunday edition and use their website to provide more information & links to readers who want more. So kudos to them and hopefully it will prove to be successful and provide a model for other papers to follow (quickly) before they go the way of the dinosaurs.
The traditional newspaper needs some major formatting, content & multi-media adjustments to fit the culture of today’s reader. In today’s fast-paced, multi-tasking, information-driven society newspapers can no longer get away with the traditional dimensions, long involved stories and lack of multi-media support. I know some of these improvements mean a departure from “true journalism” but journalists also need to embrace the future and find innovative ways of keeping true journalism alive while making money and keeping their job!
One example of a newspaper that is doing a good job balancing the journalism and adjusting to the marketplace is the Chicago Tribune. Their redesign, content audit and format changes fit the market and the profile of today’s reader. Readers can more easily take their paper with them and read on-the-go. In addition, they have shorter stories, tickers and social media updates in the main section and to quickly give readers an overview of the news. However, they still provide in-depth stories, offer a “full” Sunday edition and use their website to provide more information & links to readers who want more. So kudos to them and hopefully it will prove to be successful and provide a model for other papers to follow (quickly) before they go the way of the dinosaurs.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Jonesing for Those Harpos/Tonic/El Rancho Nights
I just saw this video posted on Facebook by a friend from Mizzou and had to add it to the blog!
For those who went to Mizzou all I need to say is: El Rancho
For those who did not, I'm sorry you missed out.
For those who went to Mizzou all I need to say is: El Rancho
For those who did not, I'm sorry you missed out.
It's all Just A Little Bit of History Repeating
Pirates? Tea Parties? I'm sorry, did I wake up in the 17th century?
I never thought I'd be able to tell my grandkids about "When I was young and Pirates were taking French & American sailors captive" or "I remember when taxes got so high we revolted with a tea party!"
Read about the Tea Party.
Read about the Pirates.
And who says history doesn't repeat itself...
I never thought I'd be able to tell my grandkids about "When I was young and Pirates were taking French & American sailors captive" or "I remember when taxes got so high we revolted with a tea party!"
Read about the Tea Party.
Read about the Pirates.
And who says history doesn't repeat itself...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Shamrocks & Shenanigans: An International Celebration
St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays, second only to Halloween & Homecoming (this counts as a holiday if you went to Mizzou, trust me). I'm not entirely sure why since I'm only about 7% Irish, but it was something my family always "celebrated" growing up. My mom would encourage us to wear green, give us cards and a small gift and serve corned beef & cabbage or other Irish treat. It could also have something to do with the fact that I think I got all the Irish genes in the family with my pasty skin, red hair and green eyes...
Despite my impending finals (on St. Patrick's day & the day after), my jam-packed work week and just having returned from a weekend of traveling... I refused to let a St. Patrick's Day go by without a celebration. Especially since a Chicago St. Patrick's day is on my list of things to do before I die.
To date, I have managed to celebrate in a variety of cities and with all different types of celebrations so I allowed myself one day of revelry last weekend so I could check one more place off my list.
The Southside Irish parade was definitely an experience that I won't soon forget, but it got me reminiscing about St. Patrick's Days of years past...
- 2009 - Southside Irish Parade in Chicago
- 2008 - Irish bars in St. Louis
- 2007 - University of Missouri - Rolla
- 2006 - Irish bars in London in Pickadilly Circus
- 2005 - Unofficial at U of I
- 2004 - McNally's at Mizzou
And made me wonder where I will be next year...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Moral of the Story - Don't Be Dumb
In today's shaky economy and volatile employment environment, why anyone would post something negative about their work on any social networking site is beyond me. While the two cases below of an employee getting fired over a Facebook status is a little extreme, it just goes to show that you shouldn't bash your work or fellow co-workers on any online portal if it wasn't obvious already...
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Jimmy Fallon is my Tweetheart
While I hate trying something new because "everyone else is doing it", I also hate being the person who doesn't try something new because "everyone else is doing it". So a few weeks ago, I joined Twitter, just to see what the buzz was all about and spent 30 mins trying to understand it before giving up and writing a blog post about it.
Since then, I have never actually "tweeted" or even gone to my profile page... and pretty much wrote it off. Today I feel like the world wanted me to give it one more try. I heard Perez Hilton talking about Lindsay Lohan's twitter posts on the way to work. Then saw an article about Twitter on my daily AdAge update email. And when I was leafing through the Tribune at dinner, landed on a story about Jimmy Fallon promoting his new late night show starting tonight and became intrigued.
First of all, I love Jimmy Fallon! During Saturday Night Live's low point in early 2000s, I tuned into Saturday Night Live only to watch Jimmy Fallon on Weekend Update because he was so real, it was hilarious! Second of all, I began to become curious. What did Jimmy Fallon and all these other celebrities get about Twitter that I didn't? Was I missing out on something? (I hate not being in the know.)
I cut out the Tribune article to add it to my "Sign of the Times in 2008-2009" binder where I keep interesting newspaper clippings, magazine fashion ads and paper memoirs of events that I consider to define our lives in this day and age. As I was sitting in bed, working on homework and catching up on emails I got my final nudge - a Twitter follow request from a friend. I took out the article and decided to check out Jimmy Fallon's Twitter posts.
I found them rather interesting, so I added him as someone I wanted to follow. Then while I was on, I checked out Perez Hilton and even decided to even take a look at some of my (5) friends that I already followed to see what types of things they posted.
Even after reading a few celebrity and friend's profiles, I still don't totally get it. But took the plunge and published my first post. I have no idea if someone will ever read it or will respond (not even sure how that works). But who knows, maybe Jimmy Fallon will see me following him and say hello. After all, I lost my Tweeter virginity with a post about him...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Google says I need...
I stole this from someone's facebook notes. Seemed kind of fun and came up with some interesting results!
Rules: Go to Google; type in your name and needs (ex. "Megan needs") in quotations. Post the first 10 results from the title or little summary. (I had to skip the first one because it was a case study that didn't make sense).
"Megan Needs"
1. … to return to Rexburg (not sure where this is but apparently I'm missed).
2. …an ass kicking now!! (not true)
3. …to find the truth so she investigates by visiting the strip club and cross-examining the bouncer. (I'm wondering what exactly I need to find the truth about).
4. …a very quiet home in a place with few or no thunderstorms. (true, I am terrified of bad storms).
5. …to buy me a drink. (or rather needs a drink herself).
6. …a dress rehearsal. (for my award winning performance of course)
7. …a summer intern. (haha, I wish I had that much power at work).
8. …is on facebook. (apparently there is a person named Megan Needs).
9. …a boy’s profile? (no and not really sure what this means).
10. …to be an optimist (actually this is very true because I've been a grump all week. But this little exercise seemed to turn the tables).
Rules: Go to Google; type in your name and needs (ex. "Megan needs") in quotations. Post the first 10 results from the title or little summary. (I had to skip the first one because it was a case study that didn't make sense).
"Megan Needs"
1. … to return to Rexburg (not sure where this is but apparently I'm missed).
2. …an ass kicking now!! (not true)
3. …to find the truth so she investigates by visiting the strip club and cross-examining the bouncer. (I'm wondering what exactly I need to find the truth about).
4. …a very quiet home in a place with few or no thunderstorms. (true, I am terrified of bad storms).
5. …to buy me a drink. (or rather needs a drink herself).
6. …a dress rehearsal. (for my award winning performance of course)
7. …a summer intern. (haha, I wish I had that much power at work).
8. …is on facebook. (apparently there is a person named Megan Needs).
9. …a boy’s profile? (no and not really sure what this means).
10. …to be an optimist (actually this is very true because I've been a grump all week. But this little exercise seemed to turn the tables).
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Speaking of men...
Very interesting and intriging article about the state of American men, especially in our current economic crisis. Could today's men step up and stand in food lines for hours or do back-breaking labor like during the Great Depression? Would they willing sign up for the draft if our country was faced with a war like WWII? Would they sacrifice their electronic gadgets and nice clothes to help out their families?
Is this generation of American men just a bunch of spoiled mama's boys? So are we all going to be forced to settle for Nell's guy (see previous post) over real men?
Dismissed, Denigrated and Demonized: 'The Decline of Men'
Author Guy Garcia Worries About a World of Man Boys and Self-Absorbed Sissies
Posted by Robert Rosenthal on 02.12.09 @ 12:41 PM
Just as modern mothers may be saving us from the bank-born recession, I wondered about the state of men in these calamitous days. To better understand why down is the new up, Ad Age spoke with Guy Garcia, author of "The Decline of Men: How the American Male Is Tuning Out, Giving Up and Flipping Off His Future."
Ad Age: The title is alarming, Guy. Are American men really that much of a mess?
Garcia: You should be alarmed. The story of the decline of men starts before conception. Did you know all human beings start life in the womb as a female? It's only when the Y chromosome triggers the production of testosterone that some of us turn into what we recognize as males. With the number of genes in the Y chromosome dropping and testosterone levels down 17% over the past 20 years, some say men as a "species" are facing extinction. I'm personally hoping that won't happen.
Ad Age: Me too. Extinction is so ... final. What do we know for sure?
Garcia: We do know that men are losing traction in high schools. The same is true in colleges, where 59% of all students are female. Harvard professors tell me male students have lost their drive and ambition, women tell me they can't find a guy who's not a dummy, slacker, cheater or loser. Men of every stripe and part of the country are telling me they feel confused, besieged and worried that they have lost their place in society, that they have lost their bearings as men. They sense the male gender is adrift and increasingly dismissed, denigrated and demonized -- by the media, by women, even by other men. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Ad Age: Well that's a real kick in the Titanic. Sure, women have deservedly made their mark and increased their sphere of influence. But "just the tip of the iceberg"? Really? How much worse could it get for us dumb/slacking/cheating/confused losers?
Garcia: Let's start with the says-it-all title of Maureen Dowd's post-feminist creed, "Are Men Necessary?" The answer, of course, is yes, we are. The reason is that in this great unraveling of gender roles and male identity, one of the casualties has been the nuclear family. Last year, for the first time ever, single people outnumbered married people. More than ever boys are growing up in single-parent homes without fathers who can guide them into adulthood. And we've known for a long time that boys who grow up without strong male role models are more likely to drop out of school, make less money, be more likely to use drugs or get in trouble with the law and, ultimately, end up divorced themselves. It's a downward spiral.
Ad Age: So we're paying a real price for being jerks these past few hundred years?
Garcia: I explain to women that they have a stake in this, too, because the next generation of men is at risk -- these are their sons, daughters' boyfriends, future sons-in-law. So women have a vested interest in what happens next. Also, as bigger consumers of media and most consumer products, women are increasingly setting the social agenda.
Ad Age: It's remarkable that the disaster course you describe hasn't been more widely reported until now. Congratulations on that, and thanks, I think. But what are we guys supposed to do? You've delegated much of the repair work to women; they seem to be more competent than we. But isn't it up to us guys to reverse the vicious cycle?
Garcia: The first step is to begin the conversation. One thing we know is that men do not feel the media is speaking to them. Men all across the country have told me that they are tired of seeing guys in advertising portrayed as preening metrosexuals, cavemen or clueless slackers -- sometimes all at the same time! Parents of both sexes are worried about the message that their young boys and girls are getting about men, about their dads.
Ad Age: So, it's the media's fault again?
Garcia: It goes way beyond that. The industries projected to grow in the next few decades are mostly in the service sector, where communication, collaboration and multitasking rule. At the same time many of the industries that favor the physical and mental attributes of males are shrinking or disappearing. Women in their 20s in the 10 largest U.S. cities already out-earn men of the same age. The trend is pretty clear.
Ad Age: You talk about the "message" that the media portrays, but let's be honest: Men have brought this on themselves. Whether you look at our politicians (Bill Clinton, Governor Spitzer, Senator Toilet Stall), sports heroes (Clemens, O.J., Isaiah) or CEOs (Kenneth Lay, Dennis Kozlowski, Conrad Black), you witness men behaving badly at the highest level. At the other end of the spectrum, guys seem to be feminized, flimsy and fatuous. What do you make of that?
Garcia: Your examples are all symptoms of male decline. Men have been conditioned to be selfish, greedy and aggressive. Infidelity and perfidy are manifestations of insecurity. Society has taught men that it is manly to be competitive, to make as much money as possible, to win at any cost. I would add the war in Iraq and the implosion of Wall Street to the list of troubles that have been brought about by the old-fashioned, swaggering macho approach to politics, economics and life in general. Yet in spite of this -- or partly as a result of it -- other guys have simply given up. They sense that they've lost the high ground (and the future) to women, and they aren't even trying anymore. They've opted out to become jackasses, stoners and slackers. Responsibility is shirked, and adolescence is extended indefinitely.
Ad Age: So men are trapped in their own macho stereotypes, turning into man-boys and self-absorbed sissies?
Garcia: It's very hard to change, not to mention that guys don't like to talk about their problems. Denial, I have been told, is a river in Egypt. But it also is a way to pretend everything is fine in spite of the facts. Still, when the pain factor gets high enough we actually are capable of adjusting our assumptions and behaviors. The first step is admitting that there's an issue that need to be addressed.
Ad Age: Speaking of addresses, isn't Barack Obama a new kind of man?
Garcia: Does his tendency toward negotiation over aggression, communication over silence and compassion over ruthless ambition point the way to a more humane and sustainable form of masculinity? So far, the answer is yes. Most Americans, male and female, have accepted him as the new model for the world's most powerful man -- and, by implication, all men. That is a big change, and a reason for hope.
Ad Age: Outside of the White House, what "new kind of man" might we see emerge?
Garcia: The new kind of man will take many shapes and forms. That's what's new about him. We know that the old, rigid definitions of manliness are outdated and dysfunctional. Men can no longer hammer women -- or the world, or each other -- into submission without ramifications. That game is over. It's time for us to resurrect the masculine virtues that are much older than modern society: compassion, generosity, loyalty, modesty, humility, farsightedness, curiosity and patience.
Ad Age: What are those?
Garcia: That's the point. These words barely appear in our vocabulary anymore. There's one more: courage, as in the courage to change; the courage to be different and not apologize for it; the courage to care about a stranger or cause that does not directly benefit you. And don't forget the courage to frankly admit and talk about the decline of men.
Ad Age: So the audacity of men is not hopeless?
Garcia: In his inaugural address, President Obama spoke about a "sapping of confidence across our land" and the need to regain the can-do spirit of Americans as "the risk takers, the doers, the makers of things." These are things that guys are best at; it's why they matter and are necessary. Our country will lead the world again, but it won't happen if the male half of the population forgets what always has made them -- and America -- great.
Ad Age: Point taken. What about the marketing implications? Aside from an increase in the sales of video games and pornography, what should marketers know about guys and how to reach them?
Garcia: We know that men, as a group at least, are not reading. Women read twice as many books as guys, and non-pornographic magazines that cater to men are struggling. So what, besides sex, gets our attention? The messages that seem to resonate with men fall into two general categories: escape and reassurance. As men lose economic and social traction they look for ways to relax and forget -- games, sports, physical activities of every kind, travel. Male-targeted reality shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" and "The Deadliest Catch" tap masculine nostalgia for a time when physical brawn and bravery -- not PowerPoint and spreadsheets -- defined manly work.
Marginalized by society and maligned by the media, men are yearning for anything that tells them, or shows them, that they still matter. Meanwhile, a multibillion-dollar industry sells goods by reassuring males that they are virile and powerful and up to speed with the latest gear. Deep down inside, every guy knows he's Ironman, even if he's actually an ironing man. Stay-at-home dads are fully aware that their tricked-out Bugaboo baby strollers have fat tires and awesome tech specs. And it's no surprise that James Dyson's space-age DCO7 vacuum cleaner, with its guy-friendly promise to "never lose suction," has become a worldwide best-seller.
Ad Age: Well, of course. Who among us isn't totally turned on by the prospect of a perfectly groomed rug?
Garcia: As long as we don't sweep our troubles under it.
Ad Age: Speaking of which, I do the cooking in my family. Does that make me a girly man?
Garcia: Au contraire: Cooking, which combines chemistry with creative self-expression, has been reclaimed by modern men who recognize the primordial power of preparing a gourmet meal.
Ad Age: You're preaching to the pulpit, bro! Except for that gourmet part.
Garcia: Just as women once used food to get to a man's heart, men have learned that whipping up a delicious meal is a mutually satisfying way to get something else. Grown guys may no longer have a suped-up Mustang in the driveway, but in the kitchen, they can still get under the hood.
Ad Age: I'm hearing "Little Red Corvette."
Garcia: Zero to 60 in three courses.
Ad Age: Any more news on the fragile male psyche?
Garcia: Early findings from the OTX Modern Male study show that younger men are more likely than older men to be accepting of women as their equals or even their superiors. But those same men are also less optimistic about their future than women their age. This breakdown of confidence has produced a schism in the male psyche, and that insecurity turns up in different men in different ways. Some men retreat, submit or become "feminized," while other guys retrench, bulk up and swagger. The fact that both of these male archetypes exist in every guy is the key to understanding who men are and what they want.
Ad Age: What do we want?
Garcia: Men do not want to be separate from women; they never have and they never will. What men want is a social role, sense of place and duty that differentiates them from women. There's an unspoken assumption that just because women want to do things that only men used to do, that men should want to do things that only women used to do. This is a source of great disappointment for women and great angst for men. As women become more educated and independent, straight men have started using their own physical attractiveness as a way to compensate and even out the power balance. The assumption that men who groom and preen are secretly gay could not be more untrue. Guys are shaving and wearing tight jeans to get the attention of the opposite sex, just like women used to do, and for exactly the same reasons. But to openly admit this, of course, would be unmanly.
~ ~ ~Robert Rosenthal, the SHORT ORDER DAD™, is an international marketing professional, frequent TV and radio host, writer, classically trained cook, and father. He is a partner in the pre-eminent firms of BrightLine iTV and Walton-Isaacson, as well as the big cheese of Rosenthal Heavy Industries, a creative digital-video production company.
Guy Garcia is the CEO of Mentametrix, a research and marketing consultancy based in New York City, and is author of several books, including "The New Mainstream: How the Multicultural Consumer Is Transforming American Business."
Is this generation of American men just a bunch of spoiled mama's boys? So are we all going to be forced to settle for Nell's guy (see previous post) over real men?
Dismissed, Denigrated and Demonized: 'The Decline of Men'
Author Guy Garcia Worries About a World of Man Boys and Self-Absorbed Sissies
Posted by Robert Rosenthal on 02.12.09 @ 12:41 PM
Just as modern mothers may be saving us from the bank-born recession, I wondered about the state of men in these calamitous days. To better understand why down is the new up, Ad Age spoke with Guy Garcia, author of "The Decline of Men: How the American Male Is Tuning Out, Giving Up and Flipping Off His Future."
Ad Age: The title is alarming, Guy. Are American men really that much of a mess?
Garcia: You should be alarmed. The story of the decline of men starts before conception. Did you know all human beings start life in the womb as a female? It's only when the Y chromosome triggers the production of testosterone that some of us turn into what we recognize as males. With the number of genes in the Y chromosome dropping and testosterone levels down 17% over the past 20 years, some say men as a "species" are facing extinction. I'm personally hoping that won't happen.
Ad Age: Me too. Extinction is so ... final. What do we know for sure?
Garcia: We do know that men are losing traction in high schools. The same is true in colleges, where 59% of all students are female. Harvard professors tell me male students have lost their drive and ambition, women tell me they can't find a guy who's not a dummy, slacker, cheater or loser. Men of every stripe and part of the country are telling me they feel confused, besieged and worried that they have lost their place in society, that they have lost their bearings as men. They sense the male gender is adrift and increasingly dismissed, denigrated and demonized -- by the media, by women, even by other men. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Ad Age: Well that's a real kick in the Titanic. Sure, women have deservedly made their mark and increased their sphere of influence. But "just the tip of the iceberg"? Really? How much worse could it get for us dumb/slacking/cheating/confused losers?
Garcia: Let's start with the says-it-all title of Maureen Dowd's post-feminist creed, "Are Men Necessary?" The answer, of course, is yes, we are. The reason is that in this great unraveling of gender roles and male identity, one of the casualties has been the nuclear family. Last year, for the first time ever, single people outnumbered married people. More than ever boys are growing up in single-parent homes without fathers who can guide them into adulthood. And we've known for a long time that boys who grow up without strong male role models are more likely to drop out of school, make less money, be more likely to use drugs or get in trouble with the law and, ultimately, end up divorced themselves. It's a downward spiral.
Ad Age: So we're paying a real price for being jerks these past few hundred years?
Garcia: I explain to women that they have a stake in this, too, because the next generation of men is at risk -- these are their sons, daughters' boyfriends, future sons-in-law. So women have a vested interest in what happens next. Also, as bigger consumers of media and most consumer products, women are increasingly setting the social agenda.
Ad Age: It's remarkable that the disaster course you describe hasn't been more widely reported until now. Congratulations on that, and thanks, I think. But what are we guys supposed to do? You've delegated much of the repair work to women; they seem to be more competent than we. But isn't it up to us guys to reverse the vicious cycle?
Garcia: The first step is to begin the conversation. One thing we know is that men do not feel the media is speaking to them. Men all across the country have told me that they are tired of seeing guys in advertising portrayed as preening metrosexuals, cavemen or clueless slackers -- sometimes all at the same time! Parents of both sexes are worried about the message that their young boys and girls are getting about men, about their dads.
Ad Age: So, it's the media's fault again?
Garcia: It goes way beyond that. The industries projected to grow in the next few decades are mostly in the service sector, where communication, collaboration and multitasking rule. At the same time many of the industries that favor the physical and mental attributes of males are shrinking or disappearing. Women in their 20s in the 10 largest U.S. cities already out-earn men of the same age. The trend is pretty clear.
Ad Age: You talk about the "message" that the media portrays, but let's be honest: Men have brought this on themselves. Whether you look at our politicians (Bill Clinton, Governor Spitzer, Senator Toilet Stall), sports heroes (Clemens, O.J., Isaiah) or CEOs (Kenneth Lay, Dennis Kozlowski, Conrad Black), you witness men behaving badly at the highest level. At the other end of the spectrum, guys seem to be feminized, flimsy and fatuous. What do you make of that?
Garcia: Your examples are all symptoms of male decline. Men have been conditioned to be selfish, greedy and aggressive. Infidelity and perfidy are manifestations of insecurity. Society has taught men that it is manly to be competitive, to make as much money as possible, to win at any cost. I would add the war in Iraq and the implosion of Wall Street to the list of troubles that have been brought about by the old-fashioned, swaggering macho approach to politics, economics and life in general. Yet in spite of this -- or partly as a result of it -- other guys have simply given up. They sense that they've lost the high ground (and the future) to women, and they aren't even trying anymore. They've opted out to become jackasses, stoners and slackers. Responsibility is shirked, and adolescence is extended indefinitely.
Ad Age: So men are trapped in their own macho stereotypes, turning into man-boys and self-absorbed sissies?
Garcia: It's very hard to change, not to mention that guys don't like to talk about their problems. Denial, I have been told, is a river in Egypt. But it also is a way to pretend everything is fine in spite of the facts. Still, when the pain factor gets high enough we actually are capable of adjusting our assumptions and behaviors. The first step is admitting that there's an issue that need to be addressed.
Ad Age: Speaking of addresses, isn't Barack Obama a new kind of man?
Garcia: Does his tendency toward negotiation over aggression, communication over silence and compassion over ruthless ambition point the way to a more humane and sustainable form of masculinity? So far, the answer is yes. Most Americans, male and female, have accepted him as the new model for the world's most powerful man -- and, by implication, all men. That is a big change, and a reason for hope.
Ad Age: Outside of the White House, what "new kind of man" might we see emerge?
Garcia: The new kind of man will take many shapes and forms. That's what's new about him. We know that the old, rigid definitions of manliness are outdated and dysfunctional. Men can no longer hammer women -- or the world, or each other -- into submission without ramifications. That game is over. It's time for us to resurrect the masculine virtues that are much older than modern society: compassion, generosity, loyalty, modesty, humility, farsightedness, curiosity and patience.
Ad Age: What are those?
Garcia: That's the point. These words barely appear in our vocabulary anymore. There's one more: courage, as in the courage to change; the courage to be different and not apologize for it; the courage to care about a stranger or cause that does not directly benefit you. And don't forget the courage to frankly admit and talk about the decline of men.
Ad Age: So the audacity of men is not hopeless?
Garcia: In his inaugural address, President Obama spoke about a "sapping of confidence across our land" and the need to regain the can-do spirit of Americans as "the risk takers, the doers, the makers of things." These are things that guys are best at; it's why they matter and are necessary. Our country will lead the world again, but it won't happen if the male half of the population forgets what always has made them -- and America -- great.
Ad Age: Point taken. What about the marketing implications? Aside from an increase in the sales of video games and pornography, what should marketers know about guys and how to reach them?
Garcia: We know that men, as a group at least, are not reading. Women read twice as many books as guys, and non-pornographic magazines that cater to men are struggling. So what, besides sex, gets our attention? The messages that seem to resonate with men fall into two general categories: escape and reassurance. As men lose economic and social traction they look for ways to relax and forget -- games, sports, physical activities of every kind, travel. Male-targeted reality shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" and "The Deadliest Catch" tap masculine nostalgia for a time when physical brawn and bravery -- not PowerPoint and spreadsheets -- defined manly work.
Marginalized by society and maligned by the media, men are yearning for anything that tells them, or shows them, that they still matter. Meanwhile, a multibillion-dollar industry sells goods by reassuring males that they are virile and powerful and up to speed with the latest gear. Deep down inside, every guy knows he's Ironman, even if he's actually an ironing man. Stay-at-home dads are fully aware that their tricked-out Bugaboo baby strollers have fat tires and awesome tech specs. And it's no surprise that James Dyson's space-age DCO7 vacuum cleaner, with its guy-friendly promise to "never lose suction," has become a worldwide best-seller.
Ad Age: Well, of course. Who among us isn't totally turned on by the prospect of a perfectly groomed rug?
Garcia: As long as we don't sweep our troubles under it.
Ad Age: Speaking of which, I do the cooking in my family. Does that make me a girly man?
Garcia: Au contraire: Cooking, which combines chemistry with creative self-expression, has been reclaimed by modern men who recognize the primordial power of preparing a gourmet meal.
Ad Age: You're preaching to the pulpit, bro! Except for that gourmet part.
Garcia: Just as women once used food to get to a man's heart, men have learned that whipping up a delicious meal is a mutually satisfying way to get something else. Grown guys may no longer have a suped-up Mustang in the driveway, but in the kitchen, they can still get under the hood.
Ad Age: I'm hearing "Little Red Corvette."
Garcia: Zero to 60 in three courses.
Ad Age: Any more news on the fragile male psyche?
Garcia: Early findings from the OTX Modern Male study show that younger men are more likely than older men to be accepting of women as their equals or even their superiors. But those same men are also less optimistic about their future than women their age. This breakdown of confidence has produced a schism in the male psyche, and that insecurity turns up in different men in different ways. Some men retreat, submit or become "feminized," while other guys retrench, bulk up and swagger. The fact that both of these male archetypes exist in every guy is the key to understanding who men are and what they want.
Ad Age: What do we want?
Garcia: Men do not want to be separate from women; they never have and they never will. What men want is a social role, sense of place and duty that differentiates them from women. There's an unspoken assumption that just because women want to do things that only men used to do, that men should want to do things that only women used to do. This is a source of great disappointment for women and great angst for men. As women become more educated and independent, straight men have started using their own physical attractiveness as a way to compensate and even out the power balance. The assumption that men who groom and preen are secretly gay could not be more untrue. Guys are shaving and wearing tight jeans to get the attention of the opposite sex, just like women used to do, and for exactly the same reasons. But to openly admit this, of course, would be unmanly.
~ ~ ~Robert Rosenthal, the SHORT ORDER DAD™, is an international marketing professional, frequent TV and radio host, writer, classically trained cook, and father. He is a partner in the pre-eminent firms of BrightLine iTV and Walton-Isaacson, as well as the big cheese of Rosenthal Heavy Industries, a creative digital-video production company.
Guy Garcia is the CEO of Mentametrix, a research and marketing consultancy based in New York City, and is author of several books, including "The New Mainstream: How the Multicultural Consumer Is Transforming American Business."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Is this guy real?
With Valentine's Day approaching you might be thinking about dating. And the chance of meeting someone new who might turn into the man you'll want to marry.
My friend, we'll call her Nell, thought the very same thing when she gave her phone number to a guy she met out last weekend and agreed to a date for this week.
Nell was delighted when she saw his number appear on her caller ID last night to confirm the upcoming date... until he started talking...
He proceeded in talking for 25 minutes straight about himself, please find some of the highlights of the conversation below and be thankful that you aren't in Nell's shoes.
His opening:
My friend, we'll call her Nell, thought the very same thing when she gave her phone number to a guy she met out last weekend and agreed to a date for this week.
Nell was delighted when she saw his number appear on her caller ID last night to confirm the upcoming date... until he started talking...
He proceeded in talking for 25 minutes straight about himself, please find some of the highlights of the conversation below and be thankful that you aren't in Nell's shoes.
His opening:
- "As far as expectations for talking to you for the first time, my goal is to make you laugh and provide you with an opprotunity to get to know me. I am special in my own ways."
In regards to dating:
- "I wouldn't be offended if you checked out another guy if you were going seriously with me."
- "I am trying to figure out who to be with now and 30 years from now."
- "I consider myself a little more picky than a man slut..."
- "I don't know what your deal is, with respect to being born."
In regards to her likes/dislikes:
- "Do you sing in the shower?"
- "Do you talk to yourself when you speak your mind?"
Poor Nell...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
What's Your Definition of Valuable?
With tax time approaching, I've been thinking about my valuable assets*. After realizing I OWN very few things with any actual value – my Subaru Forester and queen sized mattress topping the list – I decided to take a look at what was most valuable to me personally and came up with two items listed below.
1. My Mommom's original engagement ring that I wear on my right hand. She passed away the eve of my graduation from Mizzou. My dad didn't want to tell me about it initially so as not to ruin the celebration but didn't feel like it was right to keep it from me. In order to get through the weekend, I had to push it out of my mind and refrain from thinking about it until the following week when I made the trip to Pennsylvania. That week I learned so much about my grandmother and her life – everyone couldn't stop talking about what a kind-hearted woman she was despite all her hardships. My mom and I found the ring in a jewelry box when packing up the house. It was small and fairly plain but beautiful and unique in its own way. It was a perfect keepsake.
2. My Celtic friendship knot ring. My freshman year, I met two amazing young women who turned some of the best friends I have ever had and probably will ever have in my life. I can't even put into words how much fun we had together and how close we became in the four years we spent together at Mizzou. The three of us have matching friendship knot rings to symbolize our friendship. Although we can be very different people at times and its hard to keep in touch now that we now live across the country from each other, I will treasure their friendship always.
1. My Mommom's original engagement ring that I wear on my right hand. She passed away the eve of my graduation from Mizzou. My dad didn't want to tell me about it initially so as not to ruin the celebration but didn't feel like it was right to keep it from me. In order to get through the weekend, I had to push it out of my mind and refrain from thinking about it until the following week when I made the trip to Pennsylvania. That week I learned so much about my grandmother and her life – everyone couldn't stop talking about what a kind-hearted woman she was despite all her hardships. My mom and I found the ring in a jewelry box when packing up the house. It was small and fairly plain but beautiful and unique in its own way. It was a perfect keepsake.
2. My Celtic friendship knot ring. My freshman year, I met two amazing young women who turned some of the best friends I have ever had and probably will ever have in my life. I can't even put into words how much fun we had together and how close we became in the four years we spent together at Mizzou. The three of us have matching friendship knot rings to symbolize our friendship. Although we can be very different people at times and its hard to keep in touch now that we now live across the country from each other, I will treasure their friendship always.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sign of the Times?
Don't you love it when you get mail? I'm not talking about bills or catalogs, but a thank you note or birthday card? It's kind of fun because it occurs so rarely - case in point, the article below.
This piece of news illustrates two major "signs of the times" - the increase of electronic mail over paper mail and the severe economic situation our country is facing today. As a side note, I'd like to point out that despite all of our technology advances, the police department still only accepts money orders to pay even $5 fees...
Postmaster General: Mail days may need to be cut
WASHINGTON (AP) - Massive deficits could force the post office to cut out one day of mail delivery, the postmaster general told Congress on Wednesday, in asking lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail six days a week.
If the change happens, that doesn't necessarily mean an end to Saturday mail delivery. Previous post office studies have looked at the possibility of skipping some other day when mail flow is light, such as Tuesday.
Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year.
Total mail volume was 202 billion items last year, over 9 billion less than the year before, the largest single volume drop in history.
And, despite annual rate increases, the postmaster general said 2009 could be the first year since 1946 that the actual amount of money collected by the post office declines.
This piece of news illustrates two major "signs of the times" - the increase of electronic mail over paper mail and the severe economic situation our country is facing today. As a side note, I'd like to point out that despite all of our technology advances, the police department still only accepts money orders to pay even $5 fees...
Postmaster General: Mail days may need to be cut
WASHINGTON (AP) - Massive deficits could force the post office to cut out one day of mail delivery, the postmaster general told Congress on Wednesday, in asking lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail six days a week.
If the change happens, that doesn't necessarily mean an end to Saturday mail delivery. Previous post office studies have looked at the possibility of skipping some other day when mail flow is light, such as Tuesday.
Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year.
Total mail volume was 202 billion items last year, over 9 billion less than the year before, the largest single volume drop in history.
And, despite annual rate increases, the postmaster general said 2009 could be the first year since 1946 that the actual amount of money collected by the post office declines.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Nothing says Chicago like Italian Beef!
Check it out this website entirely devoted to Italian Beef and where you can get the best in Chicago (meaning you should probably come visit me if you aren't already in town).
http://www.italianbeef.com/
http://www.italianbeef.com/
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wall-E Cheese Sandwich
In an attempt to spice up my posts a bit, I thought I'd post a picture of the cutest sandwich ever courtesy of my boyfriend :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Do Chickens Tweet?
I must be so challenging to be a seasoned workforce veteran in today's technology-driven society. I would consider myself a spring chicken with enough curiosity to severely maim a cat but sometimes I find myself struggling keep up with the latest technology trend.
Yesterday, after reading the Ad Age e-newsletter that I signed up to have sent daily to my Gmail account, I discovered that General Motors was voted one of the 40 best Twitter brands in 2008.
Martin Retail, the company that I have worked at for more than 7 months, does advertising solely for General Motors and I had NO IDEA that they were on Twitter. In fact, I didn't even know a company or brand could be on Twitter. In fact, I didn't really know WHAT Twitter was beyond another social networking/ blog type of program. So my curiosity kicking in, I decide to investigate Twitter a little further. Al I found was that even after joining Twitter, reading the FAQs, browsing other people's pages and letting people "follow" me, I STILL don't understand.
For a while, I was reluctant to embrace new technology trends, convincing myself they were just fads and telling myself I was too busy to deal with the technological mumbo-jumbo anyway. But then I realized that it was 2007, I was about to enter the "real world" and I hated not being in the know. So over the past year and a half, I've done a complete 180 and constantly look to different types of media to stay up to date on world events, major news, entertainment news, the advertising world, my company, happenings in my town, what's going on with my friends and helpful advice beyond my personal "Megan bubble".
So now I have a Facebook page, a Myspace account (if you can call a name an account), a G-mail account, an "iGoogle" customized homepage and a blog. I sign up to get daily e-newsletters from a variety of organizations and other news sources. I can message my friends via AIM, Yahoo, G-chat, Facebook and by text. My digital camera pictures are stored on my Macbook, I listen to my ipod daily, watch my favorite TV shows online and use my cell as my primary phone. I conduct most of my "business" online – sending gifts, doing my banking, enrolling for classes, dealing with my benefits, etc. Google and Wikipedia are my lifelines when I don't know the answer.
Yet, there are so many technologies that I still don't get, like Twitter. As you can tell from my technology "resume" I am proficient in many areas and regularly use a variety of different types of technologies yet there is still so much I am in the dark about. My only hope for not becoming a laggard is remaining in advertising – a business that forces you to keep up with the latest trends, employs many young, creative thinkers and where "survival of the fittest" rings true.
Despite all the obstacles and hurtles it seems that slowly the veterans are coming around and seem eager to learn, whether their motivation is actually interest or just an attempt to stay afloat.
Maybe tomorrow I'll give Twitter another try. After all if my friend's Mom can have a Facebook page, my dad can get LinkedIn and my boss can send a proposal from his Blackberry while on the toilet maybe there's hope that a spring chicken can learn how to tweet.
Yesterday, after reading the Ad Age e-newsletter that I signed up to have sent daily to my Gmail account, I discovered that General Motors was voted one of the 40 best Twitter brands in 2008.
Martin Retail, the company that I have worked at for more than 7 months, does advertising solely for General Motors and I had NO IDEA that they were on Twitter. In fact, I didn't even know a company or brand could be on Twitter. In fact, I didn't really know WHAT Twitter was beyond another social networking/ blog type of program. So my curiosity kicking in, I decide to investigate Twitter a little further. Al I found was that even after joining Twitter, reading the FAQs, browsing other people's pages and letting people "follow" me, I STILL don't understand.
For a while, I was reluctant to embrace new technology trends, convincing myself they were just fads and telling myself I was too busy to deal with the technological mumbo-jumbo anyway. But then I realized that it was 2007, I was about to enter the "real world" and I hated not being in the know. So over the past year and a half, I've done a complete 180 and constantly look to different types of media to stay up to date on world events, major news, entertainment news, the advertising world, my company, happenings in my town, what's going on with my friends and helpful advice beyond my personal "Megan bubble".
So now I have a Facebook page, a Myspace account (if you can call a name an account), a G-mail account, an "iGoogle" customized homepage and a blog. I sign up to get daily e-newsletters from a variety of organizations and other news sources. I can message my friends via AIM, Yahoo, G-chat, Facebook and by text. My digital camera pictures are stored on my Macbook, I listen to my ipod daily, watch my favorite TV shows online and use my cell as my primary phone. I conduct most of my "business" online – sending gifts, doing my banking, enrolling for classes, dealing with my benefits, etc. Google and Wikipedia are my lifelines when I don't know the answer.
Yet, there are so many technologies that I still don't get, like Twitter. As you can tell from my technology "resume" I am proficient in many areas and regularly use a variety of different types of technologies yet there is still so much I am in the dark about. My only hope for not becoming a laggard is remaining in advertising – a business that forces you to keep up with the latest trends, employs many young, creative thinkers and where "survival of the fittest" rings true.
Despite all the obstacles and hurtles it seems that slowly the veterans are coming around and seem eager to learn, whether their motivation is actually interest or just an attempt to stay afloat.
Maybe tomorrow I'll give Twitter another try. After all if my friend's Mom can have a Facebook page, my dad can get LinkedIn and my boss can send a proposal from his Blackberry while on the toilet maybe there's hope that a spring chicken can learn how to tweet.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Grad School Learning - beyond the textbook
While you do learn many valuable life skills in Kindergarten, I’ve found that I’ve learned equally valuable life skills and information from my grad school classes. Here are just a few snippets of wise information passed on to me from some very interesting professors and through my experiences thus far at DePaul.
Valuable Information That I’ve Learned from Grad School:
1. Grad school brings a whole new level of creeps & idiots who somehow slip through the cracks at the admissions office and end up in the same class as you and forces you to revamp your strategies for dealing with difficult people.
2. You are not only allowed to, but you should, ask your HR department at work about where YOUR pay falls within your salary grade and the schedule of your manager’s appraisal period.
3. Graduate professors all have a unique story and eclectic background. For example, I have had a management professor who is in several bands, a marketing professor who grew up in eastern Europe and has lived and worked many places across the globe and an economics professor who travels abroad to places like Vietnam to name a few.
4. A government deficit isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as it’s balanced by other factors.
5. All managers should be required to take at LEAST 1-2 management courses.
6. History repeats itself, making articles regarding business from 20-30 years ago relevant again today.
7. An INCREASE in an Asset account, such as Cash, is recorded as a DEBIT.
8. Obama’s chief economic advisor, former President of Harvard, once presented a scientific theory to explain why there are much more men than women in the natural sciences at high tiered universities with the following premises: 1) Women are smarter, on average, than men (a very normal curve). 2) However, men have more outliers – meaning there are more “dumber” men and more “genius” men than women. He was forced to resign.
9. Make yourself noticed – in class, in the workplace, among your friends – people will remember you better. Bad publicity is better than no publicity.
10. Keep an “Atta girl” folder on your work computer and add docs with date & description when other co-workers give you praise, completed projects and regular lists of things that you completed. You never know when this might come in handy!
Monday, January 19, 2009
2009 Starts with a Bang!
After a rough end to 2008, 2009 is set to be a turbulent year full of highs, lows and will require a lot of patience and an open mind to innovative ideas.
The new year dawned with everyone across Chicagoland and the United States hanging on to their job, their house and their stocks for dear life. The economy was not looking good and everyone was turning to our incumbent president Barack Obama for a quick-fix solution. Despite Obama’s quick and careful cabinet selection and pending legislation, it will be months or even years before our economy really sees a turnaround.
Speaking of Barack Obama, the United States is looking forward to changing history tomorrow by inaugurating our first black President who is already hard at work to try to change the country for the better. Tuesday, Feb. 20 will be a day not soon forgotten and one that has been a long time coming for the United States and the State of Illinois.
Speaking of the State of Illinois, Rod Blagovich, our current governor, is treading on thin ice as his impeachment trial gets underway. After several weeks of completely ignoring the nationally-released audio tapes that implicated him of multiple accounts of corruption and going on with his normal every day life, he shocked the nation as he appointed Roland Burris to take over Barack Obama’s Senate seat at the close of 2008. He has continued his antics by refusing to step down and swearing in the same government officials that will work on his impeachment over the next several months.
Burris, refusing to step down from the appointment, has caused a stir in Washington in regards to whether he should be seated after Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s initial refusal to sign Burris’ nominating document. Probably to save face for any possible shred of decency left in Illinois’ government sector, White finally signed the document last week that allowed Burris to be seated in the U.S. Senate.
If the economy and government were enough for Illinois to handle, Chicago is in the midst of one of the snowiest winters in 30 years and the coldest in 15 years. Seriously the news reported our neighboring town of Aurora at -30 degrees ACTUAL temperature and -50 degrees WINDCHILL last Friday (1/16) morning. So needless to say, I’m second-guessing my choice to move back to Chicago this past year…
The weather has brought more than just miserably cold mornings and required at least 3 layers of clothing on every part of my body; it’s brought a lot of ice and car accidents. Unfortunately, a close co-worker was involved in a very severe accident last Thursday. Luckily, another co-worker saw his car at the accident scene on her way to work and when he didn’t show up 40 minutes later, called the hospital to discover he was in fact brought in. After heading over to the hospital, two co-workers were able to get in touch with his parents and fiancé who immediately rushed to meet him. We all prayed as the news seemed getting worse – a removed spleen, kidney, shattered pelvis and broken ribs. The following day brought much more positive news – the surgeries went well, he was being closed up and the doctors’ were impressed with how well he seemed. He continues to improve but his condition is still serious. He is a great guy with a very promising future, so please keep him and his family in your prayers over the next couple of weeks.
In a much less serious and traumatizing ice-related incident - I was on my way to the train station at 7:15am for my Saturday class in the Loop and despite my rush, was driving fairly slow down the neighborhood streets since the snowplows and salt trucks often forget us in unincorporated Naperville. The road curved and I turned my steering wheel, but my wheels kept going straight taking me right into the ditch. The good news - no damage to my car, myself or anyone else save a dusting of needles that I dragged off the nearby pine tree. The bad news – I needed a tow truck to get me out. After my mom came in her car to wait with me for the tow, I noticed movement in the house who’s side yard I was in. Being a nice person, I walked up to the door to explain the situation, let the homeowner know that a tow truck was coming and give her my business card just in case she found damage to her lawn. I felt a little better learning I was the second person this week to end up in her ditch, until she called the cops. Long story short, I made it to my class an hour late with a safely towed & working car returned to my driveway and a police report waiting for me at home. BUT I am very thankful that it wasn’t much worse.
In the upcoming week, my mom is undergoing some surgery so please pray for positive results and a speedy recovery!
So far 2009 has proven to be chaotic, unbelievable and an emotional rollercoaster, but I still have high hopes for the coming months for the country, the economy, the State (and state) of Illinois, my co-worker, my family and myself.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mayo & Beer... a life lesson
Not my own words... it was passed on to me from a good friend.
But I liked the metaphor a lot and thought it was very relevant to my outlook on life right now!
Enjoy!
When things in your life seem almost too much tohandle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers. TWO BEERS: A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the classbegan, wordlessly, he picked up a very large andempty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it withgolf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. Theyagreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles andpoured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.The pebbles rolled into the open areas between thegolf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand andpoured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filledup everything else He asked once more if the jar wasfull. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two Beers fromunder the table and poured the entire contents intothe jar, effectively filling the empty space betweenthe sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,"I want you to recognize that this jar representsyour life. The golf balls are the important things;your family, your children, your health, yourfriends, and your favorite passions; things that ifeverything else was lost and only they remained,your life would still be full."
The pebbles are the other things that matter likeyour job, your house, and your car. The sand iseverything else; the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," hecontinued, "There is no room for the pebbles or thegolf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend allyour time and energy on the small stuff, you willnever have room for the things that are important toyou." "Pay attention to the things that are critical toyour happiness. Play with your children. Take timeto get medical checkups. Take your partner out todinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down theski slope. There will always be time to clean thehouse and fix the disposal. Take care of the golfballs first; the things that really matter. Set yourpriorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquiredwhat the Beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It justgoes to show you that no matter how full your lifemay seem, there's always room for a couple ofBeers with a friend.”
But I liked the metaphor a lot and thought it was very relevant to my outlook on life right now!
Enjoy!
When things in your life seem almost too much tohandle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough,remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers. TWO BEERS: A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the classbegan, wordlessly, he picked up a very large andempty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it withgolf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. Theyagreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles andpoured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.The pebbles rolled into the open areas between thegolf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand andpoured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filledup everything else He asked once more if the jar wasfull. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two Beers fromunder the table and poured the entire contents intothe jar, effectively filling the empty space betweenthe sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided,"I want you to recognize that this jar representsyour life. The golf balls are the important things;your family, your children, your health, yourfriends, and your favorite passions; things that ifeverything else was lost and only they remained,your life would still be full."
The pebbles are the other things that matter likeyour job, your house, and your car. The sand iseverything else; the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," hecontinued, "There is no room for the pebbles or thegolf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend allyour time and energy on the small stuff, you willnever have room for the things that are important toyou." "Pay attention to the things that are critical toyour happiness. Play with your children. Take timeto get medical checkups. Take your partner out todinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down theski slope. There will always be time to clean thehouse and fix the disposal. Take care of the golfballs first; the things that really matter. Set yourpriorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquiredwhat the Beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It justgoes to show you that no matter how full your lifemay seem, there's always room for a couple ofBeers with a friend.”
Sunday, January 4, 2009
This is NOT a New Year’s Resolution…
… (because New Year’s Resolutions are too often broken and this is a lifestyle change) this is just an additional reflection on my “Quarter-life Crisis” post a few days ago.
It’s not that 2008 was a total wash – I did start my second job, graduate school, become more “professional” at work, continued my healthy lifestyle, tried new things, became closer with my family and enjoyed some really fun times with old & new friends. But I want to make sure that I continue moving my “post-college” life forward and toward my goals.
So I have come up with a few small goals for 2009 to hopefully cure my Quarter-Life Crisis or at least keep it at bay…
Re-discover my inner nerd – Over the holiday break, I rediscovered my love for reading and acquiring new knowledge. So every month I want to read a new book in each one of the following categories (not including required books for class) – 1) history/ biography, 2) advertising/ management, 3) self-help – like for being better at my job or thinking more innovatively, etc.
Be less of a hermit – the holiday season makes it easy to be a social with parties, visitors, time off of work and the underlying cheer of the season. However, I am not as social as I used to be - mostly because I enjoy getting a good night’s sleep, my sweatpants are REALLY comfortable, I am trying to save money and I don’t have a place of my own. But my friends are really fun and I want to go out while I still have my youth and vitality. I also apologize to anyone that I have flaked on over the past year. My pet peeve is people who don’t follow through and I found myself being that person occasionally. So again, I’m sorry and it won’t happen again!
Re-discover my individuality – In my management class on Saturday, we went around the room and introduced ourselves and had to say something we did for fun. While that may seem like an easy question, I struggled to think of something I currently participated in and was not too cliché (like hanging out with my friends or working out). I USED to dance, I USED to do pro bono marketing, I USED to write novels & short stories regularly, but I don’t do those things any more. So my goal is to work on what makes me unique an rediscover my passions – like reading about history or scrapbooking or watching the Blackhawks with my dad.
Make a daring leap – I am a constant worrier and tend to over-analyze risky situations. Risky situations in my book include anything that involves a large amount of time, money or uncertainty… so a lot of situations. But I am going to take a leap this year and do something unplanned.
TALK – While I think I’ve improved staying in touch with friends in general, I seem to rely on many non-personal forms of communication like facebook, g-chat, text messages and an occasional birthday note. But I want to do a better job of really communicating via email or (gasp) by setting aside time to make a phone call. I am a champion multi-tasker, which is why I rely heavily on the “quick & easy” forms of communication, but I want to make it more of a habit to invest in a few more minutes to make a phone call because good friends are rare and I want to stay vested in the ones I have.
Try not to have a worse day than you – sometimes I tend to exaggerate my sorrows and get frustrated over the small things. (Okay maybe more than sometimes). But I am going to try to keep my mind on the big picture and focus on the positives each day. J But maybe I’ll let you have a better day than me every now and then because I’m sure some crisis will come along at some point.
Friday, January 2, 2009
2008: Were You Part of History?
Although I may not feel that I personally accomplished a lot in 2008, I’d like to think that I made my mark in history and I will be able to tell my kids and grandkids about the time when…
1. I voted for Senator Barack Obama who became the first black President ever elected in the United States of America.
2. I went to the Cubs first game in the Central Division Playoffs at Wrigleyfield during their record-setting season and saw the Cubs go 100 years without winning the World Series… my wounds are still not healed.
3. I worked for (and maintained employment at) a General Motors-exclusive advertising agency during a time where the American auto industry was on the verge of extinction until they were granted millions of dollars of emergency government loans.
4. I was the “end person” for a close friend who successfully completed the Chicago Marathon… maybe some day I will actually run it myself or maybe not...
5. I went to Mardi Gras in St. Louis (second only to New Orleans).
6. Gas reached upwards of $4 a gallon and I was forced to change my lifestyle and cut back on visits to Justin in Columbia because gas cost $200 for the trip there and back – more than a plane ticket.
7. I ACTUALLY watched Michael Phelps win his record-setting eighth gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
8. I lived in Chicago during the 10th snowiest winter on record with more than 23 inches of snow at the end of December.
9. Justin and I bumped into Rolland Burris on the eve of the New Year after his extremely controversial appointment to the vacant Illinois U.S. Senate seat left by Obama by Governor Rod Blagovich who is on the verge of being impeached.
10. I saw David Cook the 2008 American Idol winner from Kansas City switch on Kansas City Plaza’s Christmas lights over Thanksgiving.
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