Dear Future Me

Dear Me at 40,
Just thought I'd write this letter to let you know some things about yourself.  First off, by all definitions you are no longer a young chicken. You are now a seasoned (err old) successful communicator and you have been in the business for a while now.  You have traveled the world almost to the point of being jaded; been to Paris, Italy, Britain and all the states in the U.S. You've met and collaborated with the biggest and the best in the industry. You have handled tough projects, big clients and had to overcome various communications and business challenges (and ego trips) and you're still going strong. You've won various Communications awards. You have figured out the delicate balance between work life, home life with children, pets, husband (maybe...if he behaves) and me time. As a matter of fact, you even think you have it down to a science. Whatever you do please remember these next few words...Do not get comfortable! You have not arrived at your destination. Success is a journey. Don't fall into the trap of stagnation.

"Do not get comfortable, You have not arrived!" 

There is so much more to learn, so many new communication theories, so many advances continually being made in social media and innovation; younger smarter people coming up in the field and they're changing the way people 'get it done' in the field of Communications. You may feel overwhelmed trying to swim against the current but...It's okay, don't panic. You have two options (or maybe both) :

 

1. Ensure that you attend at least three industry conferences a year. While you're at it, enroll in short courses so that you can up your qualifications and keep up with all the latest trends in Communications.

2. Collaborate with the brightest and the best communicators coming up in the industry. Value them and let them know that you have not arrived and that you are open to learning (genuinely learning) the new tools and strategies they are using to 'get it done' in the field of Communications.

If you put this advice into practice. I guarantee you that you will continue to experience the newness and excitement you felt when you first got started in the industry. You will also experience breakthroughs in the projects you work on. I guarantee that you will soar to the front of the line as a thought leader because you are experienced yet you understand that the most important building blocks of communication ,throughout the age, remain; authenticity, currency and relevance.

All the best, from the younger, hopeful and excitedly fabulous you. Get it done! For more inspiration on  career tips and getting ahead catch up on some of the latest articles on Brazen Careerist.

Facebook Addiction

Below is a poem I wrote in 2009 about Facebook addiction. There are several Facebook references to decode. Facebook has evolved so much since this, a new one is in the making:

What's on your mind today?
What kind of person are you?
These are very challenging words
Even for other people you may know.
How long will you pet society?
Or feed on the lives of others?
Like a vampire or like the maffia;
Waging wars without a real cause?
Your brain must not be very big after all
to miss the new events that seek to alter
your privacy settings.

This is not a quiz but somehow you fail to notice the mounting 
requests -of unthinkable kinds- that are 
thrown at you daily.
Or maybe you like poking away at the wall
of indifference and self-indulgence?
I wish that you could see that this is not 
affecting only you, or some of your friends 
or all of your friends, or friends of your friends
but your entire social network!
I do not think I need to further sketch a
portrait of what your life will be like if
you refuse to block and delete this way of 
thinking...this way of being...
Or maybe within the last 10 minutes you have
been too busy uploading pictures from the
past and present to notice that you are 
100% facebook addicted!

For more on social media addiction read PR Daily's recent article, Social Media Addict and Social Media Daily.

If social media could be owned...

I've often wondered...

'If social media could be owned by one person or entity...who would it be?" Would it be the wealthy tech guru Bill Gates, the charismatic Oprah Winfrey, the regal Queen of England or the powerful US White House? The reality is that no one owns social media and no one ever will. Social media is governed by the people who use it to share information and to make connections.

"The reality is that no one owns social media and no one ever will."

Any attempt to drastically regulate it or make it authoritarian will probably result in disuse. The communal ownership of social is what has given rise to this new and exciting era of uninhibited sharing.  Even the creators of platforms have watched as their ideas morphed beyond their expectations based on user habits and patterns. Social media continues to evolve and we social media enthusiasts continue to marvel at the ways in which people are able to connect and carve out meaning from endless streams of information. It's always interesting to read up on the history of these social platforms and how they came to be. An interesting movie to see if you haven't seen it is, the Social Network, based on the evolution of Facebook . Check out the trailer below:



For more on all things Social Media check out Social Media Daily.