If you happen to be in the Miami, FL area, tonight The Champ, myself, and possibly Panama Jackson of VerySmartBrothas.com will be guests on Keeping It Real with Te-Ericka,
a radio show on WBRY 1640 AM. The show airs every Friday from 10 pm until midnight, EST. We'll be on there discussing internet dating and
relationships. If you're not in the area but want to hear us kicking
that dopeness, you can also stream the show here: http://www.barry.edu/radiostation/ (click on Listen Now/Live Stream). So far we are slotted to appear in the middle of the show. See you there!
September 2008 Archives
I was wandering along my social media happy trails (i.e. surfing for something interesting to read, watch, consume), and I came upon this here video of Gary Vaynerchuk at New Media Expo NY. It is titled, "Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape." I suggest anyone into web, social media, branding, etc. watch it. I think it's helpful if you need that extra push in getting your web projects DONE, or even started. I know I need a daily push. Sheesh. I might need to watch this very morning when I wake up to work on my projects.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
I am in Atlanta having the time of my life. Okay, so it's not exactly all fun and games. I am actually here visiting with a client of mine, so it's business. But since my business is composed of FUN things I LIKE to do, all my business work is fun. I really do love what I do and the awesome and inspiring people I work with. I also get excited by the things my clients have cooking, and I want to hurry up and help them release them to the world so they can get feedback and just keep improving on their products.
Lately I have been on a new music kick, finding tracks that speak to me, or keep me emphatically lip syncing in the car. This week, my fave tracks are:
1. It's Over by John Legend feat. Kanye West. "Newsflash: shorty we over / We like Def Jam and Hova"
2. Miss Independent by Ne-Yo. I can appreciate someone who can appreciate an independent woman. Still keeping hope alive over here, lol.
3. Love Lockdown by Kanye West. I love Yeezy on AutoTune. This song may or may not be hip hop, but it's dope.
4. Live Your Life by TI feat Rihanna. This is the new theme song of the week. I don't like how Rihanna comes hard on the hook and TI sounds like Mumbles Malone. Not a fan of his delivery on this one, but the hook makes up for it.
Hopefully I will get back to the A soon enough. This was just a quick trip to dip in and dip out. I missed seeing a lot of folks I would have liked to meet up with, but I hope my next trip will be a little less packed in schedule. I need to do better at that whole SOCIAL part of Social Media.
Okay I didn't sleep at all last night, so I am going to go ahead and enjoy this comfy huge king bed calling my name.
Lately I have been on a new music kick, finding tracks that speak to me, or keep me emphatically lip syncing in the car. This week, my fave tracks are:
1. It's Over by John Legend feat. Kanye West. "Newsflash: shorty we over / We like Def Jam and Hova"
2. Miss Independent by Ne-Yo. I can appreciate someone who can appreciate an independent woman. Still keeping hope alive over here, lol.
3. Love Lockdown by Kanye West. I love Yeezy on AutoTune. This song may or may not be hip hop, but it's dope.
4. Live Your Life by TI feat Rihanna. This is the new theme song of the week. I don't like how Rihanna comes hard on the hook and TI sounds like Mumbles Malone. Not a fan of his delivery on this one, but the hook makes up for it.
Hopefully I will get back to the A soon enough. This was just a quick trip to dip in and dip out. I missed seeing a lot of folks I would have liked to meet up with, but I hope my next trip will be a little less packed in schedule. I need to do better at that whole SOCIAL part of Social Media.
Okay I didn't sleep at all last night, so I am going to go ahead and enjoy this comfy huge king bed calling my name.
I was interviewed by the folks over at Black Web 2.0! Go read.
Well, it's been two working days past the last job and I think things are going okay. Today I was notified that my paperwork for my LLC has officially cleared. I have a few other things to do, but for the most part I am now an official business owner.
I want to thank everyone who sent me e-mails and commented on the last post. I am thankful that I have so many people on my side, real friends and internet friends. Sometimes it's a little awkward to know people who don't even know you personally are pulling for you. Either way, I appreciate all the positive vibes coming from everyone.
I can't lie, I am still figuring this all out as I go along. The problem with being on the cusp of new things is that you don't know where you'll be in 6 months or a year. I am somewhat used to this feeling, as my undergrad major at MIT was new, and I was always taking new courses (those were my favorite). My grad program was new, in terms of an academic offering, as well. I like being in that new space....so I suppose it's no surprise that what I am doing will be a hybrid of new....things.
Right.
I've been hemorrhaging money the past few days by buying myself office supplies, office equipment, furniture. I want to hurry up and GROW this business so I can move into a two bedroom apartment. I am outgrowing my space already. I would love to be able to set up some real office space and get a decent tax deduction. Ching ching.
The official office dress code is tank tops and basketball shorts.
I've been going to the gym. Something insane like 5 days in a row. It's been months since I went to the gym regularly. I figured that now I *really* don't have any excuses as to why I don't go to the gym, or buy groceries to eat healthier (and save money). My time is my time now, so I should be able to manage my health. Besides, how is my business going to operate successfully in the long term if I am living an unhealthy lifestyle? Now I think of it more as an investment in my business.
I am still trying to figure out how to manage my time. I am not sure when my best productivity period is. I tend to always stay up until midnight. I also wake up early. I think that 3:00 Oprah time slot happens to be when my brain does not want to focus on work. I might have to break out the plastic foam mat, and have graham crackers and apple juice every day at 3 pm. Throwback kindergarten nap time may also become official office policy.
I can afford to take a vacation right now, but I am going to push through on some things in leiu of that. I am going on a trip to Brazil in November (two weeks), so I may hold out until then.
Anyway, that's the Liz Biz report for now. I now have to set up the company website, but I will keep ya'll updated.
I want to thank everyone who sent me e-mails and commented on the last post. I am thankful that I have so many people on my side, real friends and internet friends. Sometimes it's a little awkward to know people who don't even know you personally are pulling for you. Either way, I appreciate all the positive vibes coming from everyone.
I can't lie, I am still figuring this all out as I go along. The problem with being on the cusp of new things is that you don't know where you'll be in 6 months or a year. I am somewhat used to this feeling, as my undergrad major at MIT was new, and I was always taking new courses (those were my favorite). My grad program was new, in terms of an academic offering, as well. I like being in that new space....so I suppose it's no surprise that what I am doing will be a hybrid of new....things.
Right.
I've been hemorrhaging money the past few days by buying myself office supplies, office equipment, furniture. I want to hurry up and GROW this business so I can move into a two bedroom apartment. I am outgrowing my space already. I would love to be able to set up some real office space and get a decent tax deduction. Ching ching.
The official office dress code is tank tops and basketball shorts.
I've been going to the gym. Something insane like 5 days in a row. It's been months since I went to the gym regularly. I figured that now I *really* don't have any excuses as to why I don't go to the gym, or buy groceries to eat healthier (and save money). My time is my time now, so I should be able to manage my health. Besides, how is my business going to operate successfully in the long term if I am living an unhealthy lifestyle? Now I think of it more as an investment in my business.
I am still trying to figure out how to manage my time. I am not sure when my best productivity period is. I tend to always stay up until midnight. I also wake up early. I think that 3:00 Oprah time slot happens to be when my brain does not want to focus on work. I might have to break out the plastic foam mat, and have graham crackers and apple juice every day at 3 pm. Throwback kindergarten nap time may also become official office policy.
I can afford to take a vacation right now, but I am going to push through on some things in leiu of that. I am going on a trip to Brazil in November (two weeks), so I may hold out until then.
Anyway, that's the Liz Biz report for now. I now have to set up the company website, but I will keep ya'll updated.
Today is my last day of work. I resigned from my job several weeks ago, and the day has finally come for me to say goodbye.
No, I am not sick of my job. No, I am not sick of the people who work here. No, I didn't get a new job with another company. I absolutely loved the work I did at KCET New Media, and working with the people there has been pretty awesome. I used to get clowned in elementary school for watching so much PBS (KCET, specifically), and so I sincerely have a soft place in my heart for this station due to my childhood allegiance (haha). This place has a very fun work environment where I've had the freedom to come up with as many ideas as I could muster, and then see them through. I am often held in high regard as an expert on social media, blogging, all the stuff that makes me warm and fuzzy inside. I also love the flexible dress code. Jeans and sneakers are very important to me. No, really.
Everything was great for me at KCET. Until one day I realized I have been coasting through life for the past few years. You see, I have been supposedly carving my way through life since I left Boston (and my job at WGBH--again I love PBS!) three years ago. However, I haven't been proactive at much of anything. Yes, I completed graduate school, but I wasn't initially looking to go to grad school. MIT was the most difficult thing I had ever been through--I was scarred for life academically. Grad school was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't research grad programs, and apply to different schools and go through a selection process. I worked at USC, heard about this program my co-workers were all in and signed up. Luckily, a program for online communities was just starting, so I hopped on board because it was perfect for me. This job at KCET? I wasn't looking for a job. I was perfectly happy at my last job, with an awesome boss and free tuition. But KCET came along and created a position for me, gave me the salary I asked for--it was an open and shut case. The last four months I have been close to losing my mind because I have been consulting on the side, and working on starting up my own web properties. I am also the CTO of a startup. Again, these opportunities came to me with little to no effort on my end.
I didn't ask or solicit for any of these things, but they have all been awesome experiences to add to my life path. I am thankful that these things have come to me when they did. But it still remains: I have been coasting through life. If I can happen upon these great opportunities just by being fabulous me, what could happen if I actually put myself out there and took a risk? What could happen if I actually created some goals and planned for them?
I have to say, it feels enthralling to plan for something and see it through. I used to be a planner. One of those four year planners. I planned my way into MIT. Freshman year of high school I just woke up one day and decided I was going to plan my way into a top tier university. Nobody in my family has been to a top tier school and only one person (my grandmother) has actually finished college. Nobody was pressuring me to go to a top tier school, especially at age 14. Truthfully, I didn't even know what the top schools were, but I knew that's where I needed to be. I had some nerve back then, thinking I could get really far, given the cards I had been dealt (un-rich, minority, female, single-parent household turned domestically abusive household). I was getting Ds and Fs in middle school, and had a shoplifting habit. I had every excuse to fall back and coast through life, but I made the decision to be proactive about my future and plan myself into a better, happier solution. The day I received my MIT acceptance letter felt so good because it was a long time coming. I had worked so hard for it, and it took a lot of risk and commitment on my end to think it was something I could accomplish. What ever happened to the 14 year old Liz who took a little bit of risk, thought outside of her given circumstances, did some planning and adjusted things along the way? That Liz sure had some guts and imagination. She didn't know it at the time--and she didn't broadcast it--but she had some audacity. I need to get that Liz back.
Anyway enough of my Only In America story. I am quitting my job in the middle of a recession so I can start my own new media company. I will be consulting as well as launching my own web properties. I have shelved too many projects over the last three years. It's time I plan and put real effort into them. I am too fabulous to sit by and coast through life like this. I have some awesome clients I consult, and I enjoy the flexibility and the projects I am working on. I am at the point where I can't manage both my fulltime job at KCET, my consulting work, and get my shelved projects off the ground. The money has been great (though I am too busy to spend it, thus I've been accidentally saving more money than I've ever had), but my sanity and health has been suffering. I have been flaking out on people and projects--and I hate flakes. So, the job had to go. I will miss my job and colleagues, but I am confident this is what's best for me right now. In fact, it's perfect timing.
I admit, it's a little scary. But the worst thing that could happen is I have to go back on the job market. That's not a bad worst case scenario, if you ask me. Even though we are in a recession, there is no shortage of head hunters contacting me out of the blue about new opportunities. So, I'll be aight. Trust.
Wish me luck.
No, I am not sick of my job. No, I am not sick of the people who work here. No, I didn't get a new job with another company. I absolutely loved the work I did at KCET New Media, and working with the people there has been pretty awesome. I used to get clowned in elementary school for watching so much PBS (KCET, specifically), and so I sincerely have a soft place in my heart for this station due to my childhood allegiance (haha). This place has a very fun work environment where I've had the freedom to come up with as many ideas as I could muster, and then see them through. I am often held in high regard as an expert on social media, blogging, all the stuff that makes me warm and fuzzy inside. I also love the flexible dress code. Jeans and sneakers are very important to me. No, really.
Everything was great for me at KCET. Until one day I realized I have been coasting through life for the past few years. You see, I have been supposedly carving my way through life since I left Boston (and my job at WGBH--again I love PBS!) three years ago. However, I haven't been proactive at much of anything. Yes, I completed graduate school, but I wasn't initially looking to go to grad school. MIT was the most difficult thing I had ever been through--I was scarred for life academically. Grad school was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't research grad programs, and apply to different schools and go through a selection process. I worked at USC, heard about this program my co-workers were all in and signed up. Luckily, a program for online communities was just starting, so I hopped on board because it was perfect for me. This job at KCET? I wasn't looking for a job. I was perfectly happy at my last job, with an awesome boss and free tuition. But KCET came along and created a position for me, gave me the salary I asked for--it was an open and shut case. The last four months I have been close to losing my mind because I have been consulting on the side, and working on starting up my own web properties. I am also the CTO of a startup. Again, these opportunities came to me with little to no effort on my end.
I didn't ask or solicit for any of these things, but they have all been awesome experiences to add to my life path. I am thankful that these things have come to me when they did. But it still remains: I have been coasting through life. If I can happen upon these great opportunities just by being fabulous me, what could happen if I actually put myself out there and took a risk? What could happen if I actually created some goals and planned for them?
I have to say, it feels enthralling to plan for something and see it through. I used to be a planner. One of those four year planners. I planned my way into MIT. Freshman year of high school I just woke up one day and decided I was going to plan my way into a top tier university. Nobody in my family has been to a top tier school and only one person (my grandmother) has actually finished college. Nobody was pressuring me to go to a top tier school, especially at age 14. Truthfully, I didn't even know what the top schools were, but I knew that's where I needed to be. I had some nerve back then, thinking I could get really far, given the cards I had been dealt (un-rich, minority, female, single-parent household turned domestically abusive household). I was getting Ds and Fs in middle school, and had a shoplifting habit. I had every excuse to fall back and coast through life, but I made the decision to be proactive about my future and plan myself into a better, happier solution. The day I received my MIT acceptance letter felt so good because it was a long time coming. I had worked so hard for it, and it took a lot of risk and commitment on my end to think it was something I could accomplish. What ever happened to the 14 year old Liz who took a little bit of risk, thought outside of her given circumstances, did some planning and adjusted things along the way? That Liz sure had some guts and imagination. She didn't know it at the time--and she didn't broadcast it--but she had some audacity. I need to get that Liz back.
Anyway enough of my Only In America story. I am quitting my job in the middle of a recession so I can start my own new media company. I will be consulting as well as launching my own web properties. I have shelved too many projects over the last three years. It's time I plan and put real effort into them. I am too fabulous to sit by and coast through life like this. I have some awesome clients I consult, and I enjoy the flexibility and the projects I am working on. I am at the point where I can't manage both my fulltime job at KCET, my consulting work, and get my shelved projects off the ground. The money has been great (though I am too busy to spend it, thus I've been accidentally saving more money than I've ever had), but my sanity and health has been suffering. I have been flaking out on people and projects--and I hate flakes. So, the job had to go. I will miss my job and colleagues, but I am confident this is what's best for me right now. In fact, it's perfect timing.
I admit, it's a little scary. But the worst thing that could happen is I have to go back on the job market. That's not a bad worst case scenario, if you ask me. Even though we are in a recession, there is no shortage of head hunters contacting me out of the blue about new opportunities. So, I'll be aight. Trust.
Wish me luck.
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