social media

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August 22, 2012

Hello lampost. What’cha knowin?

Posted by Grendel's Mother under God, social media, Uncategorized | Tags: , , |
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One of the things I find fascinating about God is how he communicates with me. There are times when all around me I see and hear messages that I feel come from Him—sometimes through people I know, sometimes through strangers, sometimes on a billboard, and of course, through the Word. I know there are skeptics out there and yes, I could be completely wrong about what I am interpreting but I do know that He is always right and I believe He is trying to talk to me and comfort me.

So when I do stop all the worry and stop filling my head and life with useless things, I can sometimes get a clue or maybe just a feeling of support and encouragement. Like today. I’m reading facebook and see a post from my pastor, Mark Batterson, who wrote about slowing down in our fast-paced society. I loved the scripture he posted—so relevant to what I need right now. “Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10. Pastor Mark says, “If you’re working too much and not taking a Sabbath, it probably means you’re trying to play God.” Yup, guilty. Not that I’m working too hard but being too busy and getting stuck in that stress loop inside my head means I’m not listening or giving my problems over to God and therefore wallowing in worry.

So a few moments after reading that post, I move on to the “daily message from God” app on facebook. I love to read it because it always seems like it’s very relevant to what I need to hear at that moment. Today’s message read, “On this day of your life, Dawn, we believe God wants you to know … that when whispers do not get your attention, bricks will fly your way. Don’t speed through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention. Slow down and be present.”

Hmmm. Two messages within the hour telling me to slow down and be still. You’d think I would have learned how to do that from my cats. They have the amazing capacity to remain still for hours on end. Maybe that’s why they seem so content. In any case, my point is, I think it’s one of those things that if you’re a believer, you can see the wonderful ways God chooses to communicate his love for us. He’s a hipster, our heavenly Dad. He invented the Internet and social media and uses them just like the ancient people used stone tablets and papyrus. Maybe He wants me to use foursquare so  I stop and mark where I am and look around at my surroundings instead of zoning out. Or maybe I should turn off my iPhone altogether and have a real conversation with the people around me. Being me, that is terrifying unless they are friends, so that particular activity will take some work.

Either way, I’m pausing now to write this. And I think I’ll put on a smile and tell myself that He is in control until I calm down and believe it. Looks like a beautiful day out today! Enjoy it (and then tweet a nice photo so we can share in your fun.)

P.S. If you’re wondering about the title of this post and not sure why I used it for this topic, then listen to the song lyrics in this video of The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).

And speaking of social media…one of my favorite sites, I can has cheezburger, or LOL cats, now offers users the ability to create their own pages. So naturally I have. Visit my new cheezburger page at http://grendelsmom.cheezburger.com/.

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March 7, 2012

Always be Batman.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under Animals, social media | Tags: , , , |
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Years ago when asked what she would like to name her new little brother, my niece thought for a half second and with all deadly seriousness replied, “Batman.”

Unfortunately my brother decided not to go in that direction. Man, that would have been fun. Crazy people are what makes life interesting. We’re just not that far gone—yet.

I did a blog post for my company a few months back about selecting a name for your brand (or in some cases, your child’s brand). I thought it would garner some conversation when I mentioned that I had found some research that said some parents were actually naming their kids “Like,” “Facebook,” and ah hem, “Batman.” I made a little fun of those people and frankly if you’re going to do that you deserve to be mocked.

I’m in the process now of thinking up new names for the fish I just bought. Note, animal names can be as creative as “Grendel” or as plain as—but yet still lovable—”Joe.” Maybe this time instead of naming them after loser ex-boyfriends (those fish died as a result of my inexperience as an ichthyologist, not because I was torturing them), I will name them something strong, something legendary. And yes, I know what ichthyologist means, I just don’t know what chemicals the fish needed to survive the murky waters of my new tank. Anyway, these new fish look pretty hardy. Maybe I’ll name them after characters in the Icelandic sagas. Or maybe not. Those guys were kind of jerks.

If you would like to offer some suggestions, please do. In the meantime, take a look at Pinterst for some great ideas to share and get hooked like the rest of us. (I just saw this on Pinterest and it made me laugh at the memory of what could have been for our little nephew.)

 

February 29, 2012

Pin me baby.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under marketing, social media | Tags: , , , |
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Part of my job is to keep up on the latest channels of communication (in 2012 that translates to the latest technology and social media sites). Why? Because they are potential marketing vehicles for my company or one of my clients. Unless you’ve been living under a rock—or have decided that you aren’t going to be part of the social media environment like the people in the ancient days of the late 90’s who didn’t want to get an email address—then you’ve no doubt at least heard of the site called Pinterest.

Last year my friend and colleague, Stephanie, wrote about it on her blog and I took a look at it and asked for an invitation (you have to be invited to start your own account). I finally got one and have been pinning away for the last several days. I’m torn between absolutely loving this site and hating the fact that I have another potential addiction to deal with.

Pinterest has really opened my eyes to the amazing amount and variety of creativity in our world. And while this site is the fastest growing social media site in the world and is exploding with unprecedented popularity (they are making Facebook eat their dust), in the grand scheme of things is still a small community. Which makes me even more blown away by the sheer amount of imagination and talent that’s out there. I have been truly humbled. I like to think I’m creative (not a typical artist but a good amateur photographer and a half decent writer). I have to say though that there are some seriously talented people out there—whether it’s photography; designers of home elements, clothes, jewelry, graphics, and more; chefs, cooks, and bakers; authors; humorists; you name it—someone is there sharing their work. The travel photographs are making me really, really, really, want to see the world. Yes, I keep saying how much I want to travel and photograph God’s creation but the urge is getting almost painful when I see all these glorious pictures.

One of the nice things about Pinterest is that the community is about sharing and spreading cool stuff. Haters can stay home (with the exception of a few people who think certain things are funny but maybe not so much). Getting your stuff “repined” or “liked” feels good. Sharing others’ work and commenting on how cool it is lifts people up. I like this positive reinforcement, this encouragement of art in all its form.

So is it good for businesses? For some brands, absolutely. Others, not so much. Companies that have products or services that are creative in nature fit the mold of this site. But like any social media channel, if you shove your wares down the throats of the users, you’ll be ignored or shunned. Social media is about sharing content and creating a forum for discussion and thought. With that said, I’m going to shamelessly plug my page and ask you to follow me on Pinterest!

Follow Me on Pinterest
 

Need an invitation? Let me know!

(The photo below was something I found on Pinterest and was posted here: http://pinterest.com/pin/142989356888534418/

It's the latest "thing."

Pin It