Frankly, My Dear . . . : Shine Like the Star You Are
Psst. Yeah, you.
That’s right. I’m talkin’ to you.
What’s your favorite thing to do? Nah, you don’t have to tell me out loud. But, really. Think about it. I bet right now you’re smiling, aren’t ya?
There are certain talents we individually possess, certain traits, habits, behaviors. Wonderful things that bring out the best in us. The things we do to make ourselves feel good and healthy, to bless others, or just because.
Ever realize no one else can do it quite like you?
That’s right. I’m talkin’ about you.
You are amazing. There’s something about you that makes me smile. Makes your family and friends smile. Makes you feel like you done good.
Focus on that. It’s not selfish to share the parts of you that bring joy into the world. Yup. Because when you are confident, when you shine, your aura flows out and lights up the world around you.
So go ahead.
Laugh like a Bohemian. Sew quilts. Paint buildings. Sing out loud in public. Bake those cookies. Listen. Hug. Love the world.
The family table is where it all happens: It’s where the day is discussed over great food. Plans are made. Moments shared. It’s community at its finest. Serious discussion and laughable antics abound.
And when your chair is empty, God sends out His Son to find you and bring you back.
Because you’re that important to Him.
You bring something to the table no one else can: You bring you.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous how well I know it.”
~Psalm 139:14 NLT
Don’t deprive the family of your company.
Frankly, On Faith: Take your rightful seat at God’s table.
Oops. We did it again. We overshared. Coulda been a status update where delete would have been the better option. Coulda been a tweet from a, uh, unsavory source. Coulda been one or two or ten million things that we prob’ly obviously should not have put out there.
Can I just say, we’ve all been there, done that.
Trust me.
Depending on what you’ve done, you may have to do some damage repair. But for the most part, you can recover.
It’s important to take a deep breath and think this through before taking action. [Except for the delete option. Whatever it is, your immediate response should be to take it down, if at all possible.]
If your post is just embarrassing, sometimes it’s to your benefit to leave it up. Reason: Humanity, man! It shows your peeps you’re not perfect. I know, right?! For. Realz. We all kinda like it when we know we’re not alone in this oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-I-did-that world. Also, seriously, if it’s just embarrassing, a good laugh may be had by all. It’s good to poke fun at yourself now and then. And allow others to do the same.
If your post is mean, delete it. If you’re using foul language, venting, or talking smack ’bout someone else, you don’t want that affecting your brand. Hey, we all have bad days, but c’mon. A little respect goes a long way, okay? And self-respect? Even more.
If your post puts you in a bad light, delete it. If you want to share your beach party drunk photos with your friends, do it in a private group. Don’t put them where it can tarnish your professional reputation.
If your post goes against moral and ethical standards, delete it. ‘Nuff said.
You may need to follow up with a statement or apology or comment to address those you’ve hurt, and those who follow you. Don’t make light of what happened. (Unless it was just embarrassing. Then you can laugh all you want.) Open a dialogue and listen to others as they share why what you did affected them. Now, yes. You may need to ignore the trolls who were just waiting for you to slip. But with sincerity, you can address your true community and take steps to move forward.
Don’t use your social media as an instrument of instigation. Be careful not only of what you post, but the comments you share on others’ posts. Sure, you may get a lot of attention, but you won’t always keep your reputation.
It happened again. I’m in the middle of doing my other nine thousand things to do, when I realize I’ve yet to write today’s blog post. Well, nothing like waiting til the eleventh hour. Literally.
So, in order to get this done in time to still rightfully claim I wrote a blog post today (Friday), I give you Five Things Friday, The Late Night Edition.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
I love cleaning my house on Friday nights. I know I’m a bit weird that way. But I’ve always loved having all the lights on as I move from room to room and dust, sweep, mop, freshen. Also because then the rest of the weekend belongs to me, and only eight-thousand-ninety-nine things on the To Do list.
TV. I can crank up the Pandora tunes, put on an old DVD, or watch any show I want. There’s something about starting a binge-watch when you know you still have close to 48 hours to see more. It’s not always a bad thing, staying up til daybreak.
It’s a time to relax. Even when I have something to do the next day (which is like, almost always) I can still chill on a Friday night with a nice drink and dinner, or cat cuddles and Candy Crush.
It’s usually open. Because I rarely make plans for a Friday night, I’m available to do whatever I want on a Friday night. Friends call for coffee? Yup. Wanna movie date? I’m your girl. Or, see Items 1, 2, and 3 above.
It’s Alpha and Omega. The end of the work week (usually) and beginning of the weekend. It gives me that down-time I need to focus and prep for the next week.
And, bonus item: It gives me that last-minute opportunity to do stuff like, oh I dunno. Write a blog post I almost forgot to write.
As long as I’m here, I think I’ll key in tomorrow’s post. Hey, it’s only thirty minutes away . . .
With a stopwatch and strong coffee,
Happy Friday.
~Molly Jo
Whether you do it yourself, for yourself, for others, or have others do it for you, social media is a great tool to connect you with the world.
But we all know it can take up a bit of time. [I guess that’s why they call it “management”.]
Now, I’m not exactly an expert, but I’m also not-not one either. In my ventures with social media, there are a few things I’ve learned that make it easier.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Presents for Your Social Media Manager
Scheduling is prob’ly the first thing you need to manage. I recommend a scheduling app like Hootsuite. Hootsuite gives you a variety of options, from posting to all your sites at the same time, to scheduling them separately, to working with a team of contributors. With a range of prices from free to professional (read: not free), and somewhere in between, there are a lot of great reasons to give a year’s subscription to your favorite media ninja.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Hootsuite for Social Media Management
Another calendaring “app” I recommend is the old fashioned paper and pen system. You know my love for Happy Planners, yes? I have one exclusively for the use of tracking which posts are on which sites, who’s contributing to Frankly, My Dear . . . , and what’s coming up that I need to pay attention to (contests, celebration day, speaking engagements).
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Blogging Planner
A camera comes in handy, not just for the writer, but for the social media manager as well. Let’s say y’all happen to be at a Christmas party together and one of you hates social media and so has hired the other to do it. Party A wants to take a picture of Party B in their Coolest Ugly Christmas Sweater at the Party C. Y’all best make sure your smart phone has the new awesome camera, or you have a digital at your side. You can also use an instant film camera, and take a smart phone photo of your print photo for a double shot of photographic greatness. If you do this, I recommend a middle-grade camera. Something you can have fun with and trust to give you decent pics. [Dear Santa, the Fujifilm Instax in Pomegranate Red is looking rather delicious. Just sayin’.]
Now, we all know media managers don’t live on internet alone. There’s this life-sustaining thing called coffee that makes the world a better place for everyone. An individual Keurig machine, a gift card to Starbucks, or a can of their favorite brand of beans goes a long way in keeping your manager functioning properly.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Merry Christmas with Cafe du Monde
And while you’re at it, throw in a gift card to their favorite eatery or two and you’ll sustain them for at least another round of “Why did you put that online?” – “Because you pay me to” dialogue.
Let’s see, what else. Ah. A plethora of research and photo sites. There’s plenty of free stuff available, but if your topic requires a bit more, subscriptions to photo sharing sites or in-depth informational platforms (think online news articles) are a boost.
But wait. There’s more. Plates. Because no matter how much you give your social media ninja to do, if they’re really good at it, they can heap it high and keep it spinning.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What’s on Your Plate?
Books, magazines, or gift cards for such, anything that helps with research.
If you really want to spoil your social media person, think break time. A day-vay (one-day vacation), tickets to a movie, an evening out with friends. Let your ninja know they’re more than just your internet poster. Let them know you see them as a person, too.
But you know what you can give your social media manager that would mean the most? Your time. Sit with them, hash out your game plan, and work together. Knowing what you want from them, and that you trust them enough to accomplish your mutual goals, is the whipped cream on the pie. [Ooh. Foodie reference. And I didn’t even try!]
