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How To Create a “Rainy Day” Work Collage

06. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Blogging, Business, Career Development, Inspiration · Tags: ,

rainy day work collage.jpg How To Create a Rainy Day Work Collage

No matter your work role- a freelancer working with clients, a corporate employee coordinating with a sprawling team, or a start-up hustler living a fast-paced lifestyle, we all have days where we just want to pull the covers over our eyes, curl up with a cup of coffee, turn on Friends, or take a road trip to get away from it.

On those days, it can rough to remember why you usually love your job and the many successes you’ve had. The awesome client response to a project, the great feedback from your boss, the sweet thank you note from a blogger you worked with all seem to be instantly banished from your memory. So here’s an idea: keep track of all of those encouraging odds and ends so that you can refer to them on a “rainy day” at work.

Where to create your collage:

  • Photoshop (if you already have the program)
  • PicMonkey (though you won’t be able to edit it)
  • Polyvore (you could save it as a draft so that it’s not publicly visible)
  • Evernote (better for words than photos)
  • Pinterest board (keep it secret if you want)
  • A bulletin board (yes, a real one. Not an online one!)

What to include:

  • Thank you notes (or photos of them)
  • Text from positive emails, tweets, or Facebook messages sent by your boss, your contractor, or your client
  • An article with your byline and headshot
  • Screen shots of your successes (like that graph showing a 500% increase in your site stats for your blog!)
  • An autograph of a famous-in-your-industry individual that you were able to meet
  • An image of a graphic you designed

Do you have a “rainy day” work collage? What would you include?

Photo credit

A “Professiongal” Partnership + Professional Development Resources

22. April 2013 · 2 comments · Categories: Blogging, Business, Career Development · Tags: , , , ,

For the past few years, I’ve read blogs about all things Gen Y + career advice + freelancing + personal development + job search advice. Suffice it to say, my head is crammed with all kinds of advice on these topics! One of my favorite sites is ProfessionGal, so I’m thrilled to announce that I am now working with Megan to build the site’s reach, community, and awesomeness. And I want your help!

  • Do you have a go to place where you buy cute office supplies?
  • Do you have books or online resources that you think are must-reads for professional women?
  • Have you taken someone’s advice and regretted it?
  • Do you want to share your knowledge about any of the topics above and expand your blog’s reach?
  • Are you interested in being spotlighted as a female go-getter?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, please get in touch with me! In addition to ProfessionGal, I have several other go to resources that I read in my Feedly account (still mourning the end of Google Reader…). A few of my favorites:

Ms Career Girl

Why You Should Be on a Mission to “Style” Your Life // 7 Ways to Earn More Respect and Influence as a Young Professional Woman

Levo League

Why Your Resume is Like an Online Dating Profile // How to Ask for Great Advice (And Get It!)

Daily Muse

Coffee Shop 101: How to Be a Great Café Co-worker // The Secret to Keeping Phone Calls Short and Sweet

Brazen Careerist

Practical Ways to Use Unemployment to Your Advantage // Basic SEO Every Graduate Should Know (and Why Employers Will Love You for It)

Alexis Grant

Wow-Worthy Tool for Building Your Online Brand: Rapportive’s Raplets // What It Really Takes to Grow a Side Gig

Rule Breakers Club

18 Questions To Ask Yourself To Add Meaning, Purpose, + Spark To Your Life // 7 Ways To Slow Down Without Withdrawing From Civilization

The Prepary

Should I Include My Blog on My Resume? // Tips to Make Your Job Search Efficient (And Enjoy Your Free Time)

“Nobody Cares What You Ate for Lunch”

11. January 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Blogging, Business, Online Presence · Tags: , ,

Why That’s a Dumb Social Media “Rule”

social media cupcakes Nobody Cares What You Ate for Lunch Photo credit

I’m always baffled when I hear people say “nobody cares what you ate for lunch” as a way of explaining how social media should be used. At the risk of sounding too declarative: wrong.

Thousands of bloggers have built their blog content- and income- around snapping pictures of each and every meal they eat. FoodSpotting gets between 55,000 and 75,000 unique visitors per month. Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, and Martha Stewart all have thriving social media accounts that link to the food sections of their websites.

You might be getting ready to argue that they have tapped into a very niche following on social media, but I disagree.

Every time I send a picture of a delicious meal to Instagram, I get several comments or likes asking for the recipe or wondering where I ate lunch or dinner. When I checked into Relish on Foursquare the other day, it prompted a comment thread between several of my Foursquare buddies about the top dishes at the restaurant. Though I do blog about gluten-free cooking, I don’t think my social media connections are much more interested in food than the average social media user.

One of the four social media principles I abide by and teach my clients is authenticity. If you authentically care about gluten-free cooking or trying new restaurants or eating on the cheap, talk about it! Trust me, there is an audience out there. And if you’re a lawyer or an online presence consultant or skirt designer? Guess what- your followers still eat.

Keep in mind, though, that there is a fine line between authenticity and over-sharing or just plain bad etiquette. Say you love to curse like a sailor- think twice before writing your foul words of choice all over your social media profiles. Claiming that you’re just being authentic could help you garner respect from those who also believe in being no-holds-barred, but it’s a risky little game given that nothing ever leaves the internet (as they say).

Do you agree or disagree? What other silly declarations have you heard regarding social media?

Edited: right after I drafted this post, I went into the HUB Raleigh kitchen to prepare my lunch. In the span of 10 minutes, two people asked me what I brought. If they’re curious in person, why shouldn’t they be curious online?!

My Favorite WordPress Plugins, Part II (Guest Post)

10. January 2013 · 1 comment · Categories: Blogging, Business · Tags: , ,

Yesterday, I met Will Hardison for coffee at our favorite Raleigh Starbucks to chat about my new online presence management business and his projects and ideas. Inevitably, we started chatting about WordPress since it’s a site we both spend a lot of time on (which is why I loved Will’s WordPress 101 brown bag lunch session). I asked him if I could write a guest post for his blog to supplement the My Favorite WordPress Plugins post I wrote awhile back. He agreed, so I decided to write it up before I could procrastinate!

—

Buying a domain, setting up an account, and adding posts and pages is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making the most of WordPress, the popular blogging platform.

On the left sidebar of the WordPress dashboard, there’s a magical little button that says “Plugins.” This often-underutilized feature is a gateway to increased functionality and customization within WordPress. So what are plugins? They’re “pieces of code created with the purpose of expanding the functionalities of a software, in this case, WordPress. There are literally thousands of WordPress plugins already created, solving a wide range of problems and needs.”

With thousands of options available, how do you choose a few plugins that will make the most of your website or blog? Listen to my suggestions, of course icon smile My Favorite Wordpress Plugins, Part II (Guest Post)

Read the rest of my post, Favorite WordPress Plugins, over on WillHardison.com!

 

Published on Levo League + Welcome to New Readers

17. December 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Blogging, Career Development · Tags: , , , , ,

I’m so thrilled to announce that I have a piece published on the Levo League today! I’ve been a fan of the website for awhile now (I actually found out about it through Gabbi, who I met through a volunteer event in DC. She is such a career inspiration!), so I am so excited to be one of their contributors.

What better topic to write about than my recent lay-off?! You know I love chatting about it. Haha!

How to get a job after being laid off Published on Levo League + Welcome to New ReadersPhoto courtesy of Senac

What I Learned From Being Laid Off

[Two weeks ago] I was laid off from my job after almost two years with the company. I learned a lot from the experience, namely that I am not invincible. Naive as it may sound, I never expected to be laid off, especially at age 23.

Living in fear of a lay off is not beneficial, but being aware that it could happen to you at any time will likely encourage you to take the following precautions, which will leave you prepared in the event of you do get laid off.

Read more at Levo League

To my new readers: welcome! Thanks for visiting Scintillating Simplicity. Feel free to poke around- you might be particularly interested in my posts about career development. And feel free to reach out to ask questions, propose guest blogging for each other, or just to chat icon smile Published on Levo League + Welcome to New Readers

Webinar Recap: How to Make Money Off Your Social Media Skills

06. December 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Blogging, Business, Career Development · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

how to make money off your social media skills1 1024x580 Webinar Recap: How to Make Money Off Your Social Media Skills

I recently signed up for a free webinar on Brazen Careerist called “How to Make Money Off Your Social Media Skills” and wanted to provide you all with a quick recap! The online course was led by Alexis Grant, who describes herself as an “entrepreneurial writer & digital strategist.” She had some great tips, based on her own experience, for establishing yourself as a social media consultant/star.

  • Benefits of doing social media management on the side:
    • Huge opportunity given the rise of social media and the fact that many businesses can only afford part-time work
    • Making money (woohoo!)
    • Gain experience and contacts
    • Give entrepreneurship a try and use it as a stepping stone for running a full-time business
  • 5 steps to success:
    • Have the Right Skills: Don’t be a sleazy guru (insert joke about guy who is a social media expert but created his Twitter account yesterday!) but don’t underestimate your skills either; get training if need be; know difference between doing social media for yourself and a client (have a written plan for a client; consider doing less experimenting on a client’s platform because it is more risky)
    • Nail Down Your Services: What type of consulting do you want to do? Creating strategies, implementing strategies, individual coaching; corporate seminars; creating products (like e-books), or something different? If you offer niche services, it can actually increase your value, not limit you
    • Be Smart About Landing Clients: Network. Make yourself searchable [I just installed the WP SEO by Yoast plugin]. Work for free- but only once. Tell everyone what you’re doing
    • Feel Good About What You Charge: Some will say you’re too expensive; some will you’re too cheap, so remember that you can’t please everyone. Tweak your price as you gain new experience or work with new clients. Be confident- people will often pay you what they perceive you’re worth, so stick to your guns!
    • Create a Strategy that Will Wow Your Clients: Don’t be on every single social media platform ever created. Explain the content you’ll produce and share on their social networks. Include details that might seem obvious or unnecessary, like goals or their audience. Deliver and then some!
  • Answers to Q&A:
    • On balancing day job and side job: have a day job that allows you to stick to 40 hours; spend weekend hours on your passion project; look for a boss that is understanding of your goals; look for a day job that allows you to put out side job fires during the day if need be
    • Write a blog post letting people know that you’re accepting work (on a completely unrelated note, check out my new Hire Me page! Haha). Be careful about promoting before you have all your ducks in a row, as they say- you don’t to jeopardize your day job, for example
    • See opportunities around you. If you go to a business that doesn’t have a Twitter account, ask for their email address and send them a media kit on your services
    • Don’t be afraid to turn down clients who will be unenjoyable to work with
    • Consider doing a monthly report for clients (numbers, percent growth, anecdotal blurbs, where traffic is coming from/going)

Follow along: Alexis’ blog & Brazen Careerist Courses & Training

I Got Laid Off from LivingSocial

30. November 2012 · 11 comments · Categories: Blogging, Business, Career Development, Entrepreneurship, Life Updates & Recaps, Raleigh, North Carolina · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Update: since being laid off, I have launched my own digital presence management company. I offer consulting and management for small businesses and individuals looking to establish or expand their online presences through social media, blogging, SEO, and online partnerships. For more on CMR Strategies, visit cmrstrategies.com.
whenonedoor I Got Laid Off from LivingSocial

It is with very mixed emotions that I write this post. On Wednesday I received a call from LivingSocial, letting me know that my position was being eliminated (along with about 399 other jobs). Effective almost immediately.

I felt and still feel a mix of things: sadness that I will no longer be with the company that I started with almost two years ago; sadness that I can’t maintain the projects I had been working on; and sadness that I won’t be able to represent the LivingSocial brand anymore. I feel nervousness as I head back out into the job search and sympathy for the other laid-off workers, many of whom may be in more difficult positions than me because of financial obligations or their families.

But I also feel gratitude to the company that let me move back to North Carolina, switch from being an intern to a full-time worker, and change departments to be in one that fit me better. I feel gratitude for the company that sent me to Raleigh and New York City for chaotic but fun-filled trips and trusted me enough to let me take over many aspects of the recruiting team’s social media. And I feel gratitude for the coworkers who sent me countless articles on how to improve my skills, taught me countless sourcing techniques, and supported my countless professional goals.

And perhaps most of all, I feel hope. I feel hope that I will end up in a career that makes me happy and in the meantime, I’ll find something (or somethings) that let me explore my passions.

I was hesitant to write this post, since being laid off is a very personal situation. I feel nervous that you, my readers, will think less of me. But in my everyday life, I work hard to cultivate relationships and build a network of contacts, both on and off-line, that I trust and value. It seems only fitting that I would let this support network in on such a big change in my life.

So I’d like to ask you for help! If you know of a job opportunity- either remote or in Raleigh- that you think might be suited for me, I would love to hear about it. My last position at LivingSocial was as a Junior Recruiting Coordinator, but I also have a strong interest in social media, professional development, cooking, blogging, event planning, women’s entrepreneurship, and more. If you would like a better understanding of my background, please feel free to look at my resume.

And as always, if you ever want to chat about professional development, career opportunities, or just grab a (gluten-free) beer with me, let me know icon smile I Got Laid Off from LivingSocial Thanks for your support!

WordPress 101 Tutorial

16. November 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Blogging, Business, Tips · Tags: , , , , ,

Remember the brown bag lunches that we used to do at The Raleigh Forum? To refresh your memory, they are hour-long skill-based lunch seminars, given by members of our community, that focus on specific issues within the business world. Think Twitter 101, Personal Branding, and Financial Planning 101.

Well, we’ve decided to carry these lunches over to HUB Raleigh, so my sister and I will plan and execute the brown bags. Our first one was this past Tuesday: WordPress 101 with Will Hardison of Fan Base and MediaPlug.

Will Hardison, a graduate of East Carolina University and recent transplant from Indianapolis, IN, is the owner of FanBase. FanBase is comprised of two divisions: custom websites built on WordPress and a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool built in-house to help companies manage and grow their customer database. Will decided to move his company to Raleigh to be closer to family, warmer weather, and to live in America’s number 1 city for young professionals. Having built over 100 WordPress websites, Will brings an extensive knowledge of WordPress, including general set-up, plugins, and a few tips and tricks to get anyone who interested in WordPress off the ground and running.

Here is the PPT that Will shared (please excuse the strange characters):

GDE Error: Unable to load profile settings

A few other suggestions and recommendations from Will:

My one bone to pick with Will? He said that standard themes are like Honda Civics and custom themes are like Mercedes. As a Civic owner, I’m offended (but I understand what he means…).

Interested in attending the brown bag lunches and other events? Join our email list! Interested in presenting on a skill-based topic at an upcoming lunch? Email me!

SaraDoes Design Giveaway

19. September 2012 · 5 comments · Categories: Blog group, Blogging · Tags: , , , ,

You’ve heard me mention Sara D about 10 million times on my blog (like here, here, and here). One of the perks of our friendship is that she periodically designs things for me, like my blog header and these awesome beauties:

bach logo1 1 1024x1011 SaraDoes Design GiveawayBachelorette party “logo”

sample draft1 SaraDoes Design GiveawayFlyer for our blog girls clothing swap

In all three cases, I had an idea of what I wanted but Sara really took my ideas and fleshed them out. She has such a knack for design, and I don’t just say that because she’s my friend! Lucky for you, you could win free design work from her.

Giveaway Details:

3 free hours of design plus 2 revision cycles. Includes 1 hour of meeting time to chat about design and needs. Perfect for business cards, invites, or small scale blog upgrades like headers, theme-ing, etc. Additional hours or larger scale projects can be negotiated with this giveaway time included.

How to Enter:

Each of the following is a separate entry. I will choose a winner randomly on Tuesday, September 25.

  1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would have Sara design for you
  2. Follow me on twitter (if you aren’t already), then tweet about this giveaway (include a link to this post & mention @cmroman). Leave a comment letting me know that you tweeted
  3. If you have a blog, mention & link back to this contest in one of your posts; then leave a comment letting me know you blogged about it

 

My Favorite WordPress Plugins

14. August 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Blogging · Tags: , , , , , ,

Now that I’m on my own hosting, I’ve decided to fully explore the many features of WordPress. I’ve been introduced {by myself, haha} to the wonderful world of plugins and since then, I’ve been on a plugin rampage.
wordpress plugins My Favorite Wordpress Plugins Photo credit

Definition: “Plugins are pieces of code created with the purpose of expanding the functionalities of a software, in this case of WordPress. There are literally thousands of WordPress plugins already created, solving a wide range of problems and needs.”

  • Google Reader: Instead of copying and pasting links and making them into a Weekend Reading post, I can just tag the posts I love and they show up on the right sidebar {check out the What I’m Reading section”}
  • Insert Headers and Footers: Allows me to insert code into the header or footer of my blog. This is convenient if you’d like to have Google Analytics on your site or blog without inserting the code on each individual page
  • Google Analyticator: Installs Google Analytics and lets me see a short summary of my stats from my dashboard
  • Broken Link Checker: Apparently search engines don’t like to see broken links on a site, so this plugin notifies me if I have any broken ones
  • Instagram for WordPress: Shows my latest Instagram pictures as a sidebar widget and has an easy picture embedder {I have yet to use the second feature}
  • Share Buttons by Lockerz / AddToAny: Responsible for the sleek “Share” buttons you see at the bottom of each post
  • Slickr Flickr: Displays Flickr pictures in a slideshow or gallery {like in my Shelton Vineyards post}
  • Yet Another Related Posts Plugin: Generates a list of related blog posts based on tags {see it at the end of this post; helps keep people on the blog even longer!}
  • WP Twitter: Lists my latest tweets as a sidebar widget {it often has trouble loading}
  • Akismet: Blocks spam comments. Enough said!
What is your favorite WordPress plugin? Do you like/dislike any of the ones above?

Awhile back, all of this would have been foreign to me. It’s very empowering to teach myself about analytics, tricks, and codes! If you have any questions, feel free to email me, though I’m certainly no expert.

pixel My Favorite Wordpress Plugins
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