Social Media Superlatives

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Flipping through an old high school yearbook (shout out to Pine Forge Academy!), I stumbled upon the superlative’s section and it made me smile.  “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Best Looking” were a couple of the normal ones you see and “Most Likely to Return and Teach” was one of the unusual ones we made up.  For some reason, taking this stroll down memory lane made me think of ways superlatives could be applied to social media.  The following is what I came up with:

 

Most Likely to Flood Your News Feed

When you view their feeds, large chunks of their postings are within minutes or seconds of each other.  These are then followed by large gaps of time, only to be followed by another chunky slew of back-to-back posts.  You may also notice very little engagement with anyone other than themselves.

 

Most Likely to be a Spam Bot

Their profile bio reads “I will give you [insert number] of [follows/likes/links]” and they are following a ton of people, but have very few followers themselves.

 

Mostly to NOT be a Real Guru or Ninja

They do no possess a high intellect that is visible in the content they are posting; are not a spiritual or religious guide; and the extinct of their martial arts skills lie within the phrase “wax on; wax off.”

 

Most Likely to Scream at You

Their profile bio is written in ALL CAPS.  It is safe to assume without glancing at their feeds, that most if not all of their posts will also be in all caps.  Either they really are excited about everything they have to say; do not understand emphasis over usage; or their caps lock key is permanently depressed and stuck with a sticky substance.

 

Most Likely to Indirectly Talk to You

This person is probably new to the social media platform they are using or to social media all together.  On Facebook, they will post a comment or direct message as their status, but without tagging the person they are speaking to.  Example:  “Thanks Janet, I agree.”  On Twitter, LinkedIn, G+, Instagram, etc. they will forget to @mention in a comment or update.  Essentially, they are whispering to the person next to them at a crowded club.  They will not be heard.

 

Can you think of any superlatives that should be added to the list?  I must admit, I had a bit of fun coming up with these!

 

social-media-superlatives

Look What I Found: Monday Motivation

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It’s amazing what a simple Google search can turn up.  Well, that’s not really what is amazing; me not thinking to do it before is what is amazing.  On to one of my favorite topics: Mondays.  I talk about them a lot and this morning I performed a Google search for “Monday Motivation.”  What I turned up was a Pinterest board by The Little titled, “Monday Motivation.”   The board is full of quotes meant to inspire and motivate.  I thought I would share a few of the ones that jumped out at me.  She also has a board titled, “Friday Fun,” and I am including a few from that board as well, since I like a little humor in the mix.  🙂

Source Links:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166914729908957444/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166914729908957437/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166914729908957305/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166914729908957290/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166914729908957449/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166914729908956168/

Have you found Pinterest to be a good source for motivation, inspiration, etc?  I don’t know why, but I never thought to look there before.  What are some of your favorite Pinterest boards for inspiration? Share them in the comments below!

“Reasonable” Usually Means “Unreasonable”

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This is a bit of a vent…

rea•son•able  adjective \ˈrēz-nə-bəl, ˈrē-zən-ə-bəl\ a :  being in accordance with reason <a reasonable theory>

b :  not extreme or excessive <reasonable requests>

c :  moderate, fair <a reasonable chance> <a reasonable price>

d :  inexpensive

According to Merriam-Webster, that is the definition of reasonable.  However, in the business world it seems to meet this definition:

un•rea•son•able adjective \-ˈrēz-nə-bəl, -ˈrē-zən-ə-bəl\

: not fair, sensible, or appropriate : not reasonable

a :  not governed by or acting according to reason<unreasonable people>

b :  not conformable to reason :  absurd <unreasonable beliefs>

:  exceeding the bounds of reason or moderation <working under unreasonable pressure>

For example, when someone says that they are looking for ABC service at a reasonable price, it usually means at an absurdly low price or free.  I understand that a reasonable price is relative to what that person perceives the cost should be, but it seems that most people that use the word “reasonable” perceive the cost to be well below industry standards.  In my personal experience, it seems to be the perceived cost is low because a) the person does not see the value in the service to begin with; or b) they do not understand the amount of effort, time and energy that may be put into such a project to achieve their desired result.  Either way, when someone uses the word reasonable when inquiring about my services, a red flag is waved.  More than likely, they have received other quotes and did not like the pricing or did not feel them to be reasonable.

Time constraints seem to be another area I often hear the word reasonable used.  For example, someone needs a project/service completed in a reasonable amount of time.  Usually this tends to mean an unreasonably short amount of time.  Sometimes the offender is the service provider with an unreasonably long amount of time to complete the project.  Again, I understand that perception may play a large role in what someone deems to be reasonable or unreasonable, but I have to believe that deep down they know it may be a bit absurd.

Have you had a similar experience with the use of the word “reasonable?”

 

reasonable-usually-means-unreasonable

Learning to Appreciate Feedback & Negative Criticisms

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While I pride myself on being thick skinned enough to not allow negative criticism or feedback to get me down, sometimes it does.  As a designer, I learned way back in art school that art is subjective.  Not everyone will like it, especially professors.  My design professors were very hard on us during critique.  They often told us of their own art school critique horror stories and told us that they were being hard on us out of love.  It would prepare us for the real world, and it did.  In the beginning of my career and before I learned how to read client’s, some of my artwork was rejected by managers, creative directors and clients.  I learned to brush it off and get back to work to create something that would appeal to them.  I learned that it was not about what I liked, but what the end-client or consumer liked.

In a lot of ways, negative critiques made me a better designer because it made me think beyond myself.

As a full-time freelancing creative, I have had to learn how to do the same thing with negative feedback or critiques that were not related directly to design.  At first, someone being negative about the way I ran my business, my marketing strategies or the business processes I had, would rub me the wrong way.  It made me bristle on the inside, while I smiled on the outside.  I wanted to stick my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and say, “la, la, la, la, la, I can’t hear you!”

Because it is for the most part, just me as the business owner; the designer; the marketer; and the project manager, a lot of my processes, marketing strategies and the way I run the business are based around my own needs.  The majority of the negative feedback I have received related to the business, has been unsolicited and from people not very qualified to give advice.  However, I have received some feedback that I really needed to listen to in order to find a balance between what my own needs were and that of my audience/clients.  The world does not revolve around me and neither does my business.

Listening to negative feedback and knowing how to filter out what is noise and what is something that truly needs to be addressed can be a challenge.  However, I think it is necessary to learn and achieve growth.  If you visit here frequently, you may notice that I often pose questions and solicit feedback.  It is because I really want to know, learn and grow from the knowledge and feedback I receive from others.  I think it makes me a better business person.

It is not always easy to hear, but you can’t grow if you don’t listen.

feedback-negative-criticism

Almost Wordless Wednesday…

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…because I’m writing this short paragraph.  My brain is on the fritz and too full of project details, strategies and creative design ideas.  Yesterday I put my rain boots on the wrong feet and couldn’t figure out why they “didn’t feel right” for a good 15 minutes.  I actually thought it was because my pants were tucked into them, which I don’t normally do.  So today I am out of words (except for this paragraph).

I leave you with this meme/photo as I go off to find more coffee…

from Hilarious Pics on Pinterest