A Psuedo-Brick-Wall: Add Another Social Network?

I'm flattered that I've had people asking my thoughts on this…so, Google+.  It’s here to stay, and here’s why (in my humble opinion).

Few of us (as in, those reading this post) were around when the first tv channel was on the air, but there was a time when there was only a channel or two, and if you had a television set, that’s all you had the option to watch.  At that time, if you had said that one day there will be hundreds of channels available and that each channel would be profitable in its own way, I’m sure you would have had some people laughing at you.  Actually, a lot of people laughing at you.  But that’s what we have today, hundreds of channels, because we have options.  (I have to admit that I first heard a Twitter contact allude to this analogy, so it’s not my original concept, but I have expanded on it for explanation purposes.)

I believe there will one day be many social networks, and that they will eventually all serve a specific niche.  Take Myspace for example.  Once it was THE social network, and now its niche is music.  It’s not that Myspace has disappeared completely.  It just has a different niche.  Now, whether or not they intended to that, that’s a whole different topic. 

Amongst my contacts, Facebook is no longer looked at as the unbelievable startup it once was.  I’ve heard people say that it’s now become more “big brother” than ever, and Google picked the perfect time to introduce G+ to capitalize on all of the unhappy users.    I don’t think Facebook is going anywhere, but I do think that people will start to figure out which social network fits their niche.  So far, on G+, I see people in these areas: tech, social media, marketing and media.

Social networks should be about connections and convenience.  Right now, the majority of my connections are on Facebook, but on G+ I’m seeing features that make things much more convenient.  It also helps that I have an Android phone.  What’s different?  The stream, circles, photos, and of course the hangouts.  There’s also a lot more commenting and conversing going on.  I’m dying to see what they offer for businesses and brands. 

In my profession, I have no choice but to be on all of the social networks.  It’s a good thing that I kind of geek out on this stuff and enjoy it!  We tend to forget that G+ is still in beta.  Geeks like me can’t wait to see where it goes from here! http://glus.to/jennyweigle

*By the way, Google has announced that they’re going to be making changes to Blogger (the platform this blog is on).  I’ve been interesting in changing my look here…would anyone be willing to exchange some design work for social media consulting?*

So you want to get into social media marketing, eh?

Brick Wall: Breaking into the Business

This post isn't so much about MY brick wall, as it is about a very common brick wall for other marketing professionals out there.  I am constantly being asked, "How can I get into social media marketing?"  Perhaps this question is coming up more often now that I'm in my new role as the Social Media Manager at CareerBuilder.  I'm quite flattered that people seek me out for this advice, especially since I still pinch myself each day wondering if I'm only dreaming that I have this job.  *Am I awake?  This is too good to be true!*  Here is a list of resources that I recommend for anyone who wants to get started:

• FREE certification in Inbound Marketing (add to your resume!):  This was my introduction to social media marketing.  These webinars taught me how to use social media, and other online platforms, for business.  I still reference them every now and then, and honestly, I could probably use a refresher so I ensure that I haven't forgotten about some of the basic principles.
• Books: Check out my reading recommendations below.  This is just to get started of course.  I could list a dozen more for you to read after these.
• Podcast: - Hubspot TV:  I have a reminder on my calendar to watch this every Friday.  It’s only 30 minutes, and it’s a GREAT summary of the latest news in Internet marketing.
• Newsletters:  I recommend signing up for these newsletter/daily emails.  Become a fan of their Facebook pages too...VERY informative and interesting!

          www.socialtimes.com

          www.mashable.com

          www.mediabistro.com

          www.allfacebook.com

          www.techcrunch.com (In order to stay up-to-date in this field, you need to follow technology and the  
          latest apps, websites, widgets, platforms, etc. that are shaping social media today.)

The next question I get is, "How do I get experience in social media marketing if my company doesn't want to break into it?"  Start a fan page for your church or a volunteer group.  Create a Twitter account or start writing your own blog (or offer to start one for a friend's business).  Whatever you decide to do, be sure to have a plan first.  Think about your topic, audience, content.  How often will you post?  What's your ultimate goal?  More fans?  Engagement with your blog or website?

It's an exciting time to be in this new and growing field!  I'm lucky to be a part of it, and I'd be glad to talk to anyone who has more questions about it.  And to my fellow social media marketers, what other resources can you add to this list for someone who wants to "break into the business?"

The Jenny Update 2010

Brick Wall: This is my annual update...you could say it's a recap of my brick walls in 2010.

Hi guys and gals! Here’s what I’ve been up to in 2010:

In March, I had the pleasure of joining a startup company, Visible Vote. It’s a political app you can download and use to cast your vote on the bills in Congress (just as your legislators do). The technology will send your vote to your elected officials (equivalent of calling or writing their office), and then it will tell you how often they agreed with you. This was such an exciting and unique experience in which I was able to practice new areas of marketing for me. Most important, it prepared me for an unbelievable professional opportunity, which is my new job as the Social Media Manager of CareerBuilder! Social media marketing had become a huge passion for me, and I’m thrilled that I have this chance to make it my career!

You all know how much I love the Florida Gators, and this year I was honored to be selected to the University of Florida Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Council. I’ll be serving a two-year term advising the Board of Directors on ways to reach and serve young alumni. This is an amazing leadership opportunity, and you know how much I enjoy being a leader in Gator Nation! Thanks to the UFAA, I even got to go back to The Swamp to see the Gators take on USF in September. Go Gators!

This year has brought many new challenges, the first of which started in January when I decided to become a vegetarian. (I blame Oprah for this. I attended the filming of one of her shows that was based on the food industry.) It was a welcome change, and I liked that it also made me try things I would not normally have tried. When I began training for my first half marathon in the summer, I noticed something was “off.” After a visit to my doctor, she determined that I have food allergies to gluten, wheat and diary (yikes!). She also recommended that I work chicken and fish back into my diet because of my running training and because there is gluten in many meat substitutes. So the vegetarian life was good while it lasted, but I agreed with her that I should make the change, and what a change it’s been! This revelation has made an impact on every decision I make regarding food, but it’s also been a blessing in disguise since I feel 110% better each day! It also made a difference in my running, and I’m very proud that I finished the Rock ‘n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon on August 1!

The rest of the Weigle’s have stayed busy too…Mom and Dad were able to do some traveling this year and take a cruise throughout the Northeast. They continued to host many friends and family and also visited loved ones throughout the year. They amaze me with the way they are able to stay in touch with our extensive family (so that’s where I get that from). Amanda continues to work as a traveling occupational therapist. At the beginning of 2010, she was living in Raleigh, NC. Since then she’s lived in Austin, TX, and her current rotation is in Greenville, SC (Mom and Dad are loving it!). We had Weigle-sibling weekends in both Raleigh and Austin… sometimes we all just have way too much fun together! Adam continues an extended internship with USF’s Athletics Department while also networking for that first job in the “real world.” (If you’re looking for an outstanding entry-level professional, then allow me to introduce you to the one-and-only Adam Weigle.)

Thank you 2010 for another wonderful year. I found myself in Tampa, Gainesville, Jacksonville, NYC, Austin, Raleigh and DC. I made amazing new friends and celebrated special moments with old ones, like when I surprised my college roommate for her 30th birthday (love you Heather!). I helped my dear friend Mike plan a surprise proposal to his girlfriend Brie while they were in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend (oh, that was so much fun! Can’t wait for your wedding Mike & Brie!). I finally found a spiritual home when Urban Village Church started services in the spring. While I still love being in Chicago, the hardest part remains being so far away from many loved ones and not getting to see people enough. And you wonder why I’m on Facebook so often (yes, for work, that’s one reason)…it’s a great way to keep in touch.

What will 2011 bring?! Hopefully, I’ll FINALLY get to do some international travel at some point ( one day…one day). In January, I’ll be moving to a great new apartment on the edge of Old Town and the Gold Coast. The Weigle Family Reunion will take place in August. I’ve got a handful of weddings coming up for close friends. I plan on training for the Chicago Marathon this summer. I will be in Gainesville in March and September for more Young Alumni Council meetings. And I hope I can prove myself to be a rock star in my job and in the world of social media! Oh yeah, and there’s a milestone birthday around the corner for me, too!

I hope 2011 brings you and your family many many blessings and many many many smiles. I’m thankful for people like you in my life! And for the fact that you actually read this until the end (haha)!

Happy holidays and a blessed New Year,
Jenny

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On the Other Side of the Brick Wall (Week 1 at CareerBuilder)

Want to know what my first week at CareerBuilder was like?  Check out the video!  And here are just a few of the accounts I'll be working with as Social Media Manager:

Twitter
@CareerBuilder (for job seekers and general info)
@CBforEmployers (for hiring managers and companies looking for talent)
@workatcb (careers at CareerBuilder)

Facebook
www.facebook.com/CareerBuilder (for job seekers and general info)
www.facebook.com/CBforEmployers (for hiring managers and companies looking for talent)
www.facebook.com/workatcareerbuilder (careers at CareerBuilder)

Now THIS is Social Networking at its Finest

Brick Wall: A job seeker once again

I'm on the job hunt again.  Great changes are happening for Visible Vote, which I am not at liberty to disclose, but unfortunately these changes mean that I'm back on the market.  I will always be friends with the guys leading that company, and I can never thank them enough for the career highlights I had during my time with them.  Let's just say this...I've worked too hard to get to Chicago, and this is where I want to stay and build my career.

When I came to this realization, my emotions were all over the place.  "Am I really a job seeker AGAIN?!  Will people get the wrong idea about me and assume I hop from job to job?  What will people think?!"  This mindset got the better of me for a little while as I struggled to decide how to move forward with my job search while, honestly, I was embarrassed to be in this situation again.

Then, I took a chance.  I tweeted something directly to a potential employer, something I had never done before!  I knew that people would figure it out once they read my tweet, but I'd have to come clean some day.  After all, I have to use social media for my job search if I expect to land a position in social media marketing!  Within a few hours, I had a reply from the hiring manager herself, and we took the conversation offline from there.  My goal was to get noticed, and I achieved it!  That was step one for me.

For step two, without making any kind of formal announcement through social media, I decided to put something out there about an upcoming interview I had.  That was all.  Just a simple short line.  So I typed, and upon entering each letter I felt like I was about to place myself directly in front of the firing squad.  I was preparing for judgement and questions, and I envisioned the smirks on all those who had doubted that I could move to Chicago (in a recession) and start my career here.  And that is when I saw social networking at its finest...

The response to my status update was that of motivation and inspiration.  No questions.  No judgement.  No worries.  Just encouraging words from great people, words that I needed to hear at that time.  Seven "likes" and 21 comments. "Go get 'em!"  "Good luck! You'll do great!"  It was then that I realized that it was silly to be embarrassed.   Yes, I was back in the job search, but I'm still proud of who I am and what I've accomplished.  People find themselves in the job search for all kinds of reasons.  I'm lucky to have people in my life who will support me no matter what.  Thanks to social networking, I'm able to stay in touch with these people, and I hope to support them if any brick walls get in their way.

My brick wall didn't deal so much with social networking, or even how much I was revealing about myself online.  It was about being comfortable with who I am and where I am in my life.  Hello, I'm Jenny Weigle, and I'm a job seeker.  And, by the way, I'm a killer marketing and social media strategist as well.

Wall After Wall After Wall...

Brick Wall: Too many brick walls!

My, how so much can change within two weeks!  I've had a number of brick walls come up since my last blog post, and I'm not going to go into detail about them.  There's been enough complaining on my part recently and it's time to turn the attitude around!  I debated on whether or not to even blog about this, but then I thought, "Isn't this the ENTIRE point of my blog? To share my challenges and hope my experiences will inspire others?"  YES!

What I really want to focus on in this post is what to do when you're feeling overwhelmed.  You may be facing one brick wall, and another after that, and then another.  It's so easy to fall into a rut about the entire situation (trust me, I've been there).  I'd like to share some things that are helping me get through my rut:


The wonderful people in my life
I'm so blessed to have friends and family I can turn to.  It's not easy to tell the people you love that you are in an extremely stressful time of your life.  For me, admitting this was like admitting defeat.  I'd like to think I'm the kind of person who can handle anything, but no, I need people who will help me get through it.  I've been given some great books (for previous occasions) that I've pulled out again recently (listed at the bottom of this post).  For the people who gave me these, you have no idea how much it's meant to me.  And for all of my friends and family who have taken the time to just listen to my problems...I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Prayer
I feel so fortunate that I have found a reconnection with God thanks to my new church.  I've been reminded of the power of prayer and of the importance of taking the time do it.  Thank you to those who have kept me in your prayers.  

Positivity - in every aspect
This is the MOST important time to surround yourself with positivity, in every part of your life. (I should be taking my own advice and engaging in this more often.)  Complete a vision board.  Put your favorite quotes up on your mirror or dresser.  If you're going to watch television, watch a positive show (my favorites for this are Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition).  If you're going to go somewhere, go to a place that inspires you (for me, this is going for a run on the lake path).  Seek the positive in everything you do, and you'll be reminded of the things that you are so lucky to have in your life.  Of course, my very favorite thing to do when I'm down is to rewatch "The Last Lecture", the very inspiration for this blog.

I'm sorry I'm not going to explain exactly what these brick walls are for me right now.  They're deeply personal, and I think it's a big step that I'm even mentioning this at all on my blog.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who goes through a very overwhelming time and to write about it is very therapeutic for me.  I assure you I'm in good health and still freelancing for Visible Vote, in case you were wondering.  Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope it was meaningful for you.

From my sister:













From my former coworker and dear friend:














From a "newer" friend, someone I recently met who has an incredible heart:

Why My Job is Top Secret

Brick Wall: Confidentiality & the Freelance World

You may have noticed that my last blog post was on May 3.  I was excited, hyped, psyched to be in the app marketing world!  And I still am!  The only problem is...I can't tell you about my job.  This is not something my client is ordering upon me, and no, Visible Vote is not a secret government agency of any type.  This is a decision I came to on my own.  Visible Vote is the first of its kind.  Sure, there are some other apps that have just been released with a similar purpose to ours, but none of them have the following and features that we provide. 

Visible Vote is revolutionary, and it's because of this that I've made the decision not to share any of our marketing or social media secrets on my blog.  One day, there will be a time and place to do so, but right now, the landscape is just too competitive.  In the meantime, I still love each day that I get to work with our dynamic team and enhance a product that will truly make a difference for voters and legislators.

With Visible Vote taking up 85% of my time as a freelancer, it's been difficult to bring on other clients to fill that last 15% of my schedule.  And so I embrace my next brick wall...offering my services as a Freelance Digital & Social Media Strategist for small- to medium-sized businesses.  Many businesses want to have a presence in social media, but they just don't have the time.  That's where I come in.  I will run and manage your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn accounts and provide you with regular metrics on these accounts.  Some of you may be reading this and think, "Well, that doesn't sound too hard."  It can be a real struggle for some businesses to find the time to do this.  Plus, there is a strategy behind running these accounts for a business purpose.  Luckily, for me, this is exactly the kind of work I can fit into my schedule.  As much as I'd love to be taking contract jobs, it's just not realistic for me with my workload with Visible Vote.  To get a better idea of what I'm offering, please check out www.jennyweigle.com.

So if you know of any businesses that may be interested in hiring a Freelance Digital & Social Media Strategist, then please send them my way!  Also, I promise to be more regular with my blog posts from now on.  Perhaps I'll sneak in one or two little app marketing secrets along the way, too.  Stay tuned!