#HASHTAGS: Teachers hate them, Marketers love them

With the rise of social media usage has come the popularity of hashtags. If you do not know what a hashtag is, you have probably at least seen it in an ad campaign, on a Facebook post, or even in a text or email (by the way, they don’t work in text or email).

Hashtags originated as a way to group conversations, topics, or events within searchable streams in social media. They are most commonly used on Twitter and Google +. I’ve seen hashtags on everything from TV shows (#madmen, #TrueBlood) to general slang (#swagg, #ohsnap) and the ever popular #FF – FollowFriday.

I recently had an interesting conversation with a teacher about how her 8th grade students are using hashtags. She told me students use them everywhere: on homework assignments, in general conversations, and even requested she accompany the lesson plans on the chalkboard each day with hashtags. She hates them because they are overused and misused. This could be a translation issue with youth. Her frustration is understandable.

The Golden Rule of Olympic-sized Success

Joanna Hayes' 2004 Summer Olympics Gold Medal

Today I had the unique opportunity to hold an Olympic Gold Medal in my hand (yes, that one!). That gold medal belongs to the fabulously talented Joanna Hayes for her 2004 Summer Olympics win in the 100 metres hurdles.

Joanna was the keynote speaker at a conference, talking about her journey from a child to winning the gold medal, as well as her competitions and challenges along the way. The key takeaways for me were her messages to "work hard, do the right thing, and be persistent."

Above all, I found it very inspiring that she is going for the gold again in the #2012Olympics, as seen on her Twitter profile here:

 Which got me to thinking....Joanna has already won a Gold Medal, but doesn't want to stop there. She's not settling for success once- she is motivated to make a comeback.

This just proves that you should always strive to better yourself, challenge yourself, and top your own accomplishments because #WINNING is more than just a token, such as a medal- it is proving to yourself that you can make your dreams come true if you try- and try again. Never settle. Strive for greatness!

*Learn more about Joanna Hayes at http://joannahayesfoundation.org/.

Marketing me: The queen bee networking guide to job searching.

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Finding a job is not the most fun thing in the world, but here are a few tips I'll share with you that I'm utilizing to make it work for me:

Determine where to put your stinger:  Set goals / target job search focus on positions of career interest.

 

Drip a little bit’o honey:  Access features, advantages, benefits…AKA skills, qualifications, and current experience that is applicable to reaching that goal position and appealing to recruiters.

Get your stripes on:  Create your marketing materials- keep in mind brand consistency across all points of contact with potential employers (resume, business cards, email signature, LinkedIn profile, blog or personal website) Use consistent descriptions, fonts, colors, etc.

Google me- how search & social media have changed relationships

I was just chatting with a friend when the topic of "Google Me" came up. We joked for a minute, before admitting we had each "Googled" each other. That made me wonder, what does my searchable profile tell people about me? What content is public? Social Media and search have changed the "first impression" for most people.

I am often curious before meeting a new business associate or when interviewing for a job, for example. I even Google as a screening effort for potential dates. So if I am using search to learn about people, I would only assume that others are doing it as well. And why not? The more social media sites out there, the larger a person's digital footprint.

Your digital footprint is kinda like how much real estate you have on the web. Every time you create a profile on a website, that info can be traced and is searchable. That is why there are so many privacy setting options on social sites such as Facebook.

Speak no evil, hear no evil: A lesson for Facebook Page Managers

So I realize that I have not updated by blog or written a new article in a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGG.... time. Over a year to be exact. That makes me a bad blogger. Good thing I'm not putting my career on the line, based on my blogging frequency.

Checking in on my blog page reminded me of a lesson I have been practicing lately as a Facebook page manager: If you do not have anything good/ fascinating/ amazing to say on your social media channel, it is best to not say anything at all. People do not share crap. It is a fact. People share amazing.

Think about it...what is the last video, picture, song, etc. that you shared on a social network? What was it that evoked an emotion in you to make you go out of your way to tell others?