What's Stinkin' in Social Media

How do, dear reader? Why no recent post, you ask? Simply put, I'm on a quest of sorts and focusing my efforts on finding my next evolution. But I couldn't go silent for long without my 15 second social media commentary ala Andy Rooney style:

- Dear everyone, enough "Jizzin' in my Pants" and its female step cousin "Puking in My Mouth" crap. It was mildly funny before, its just pathetic now. And yep, no link love, folks. Wanna see it? Search and click. Kthanksbye.

- Um, did anyone ever think think they'd hear the phrase "Ashton Kutcher Effect"? It took a second rate celebrity who got spotlight from bangin' Demi to propel Twitter into mainstream and now others are taking note of Tumblr and Ning (ahem, not to toot loudly but I called that crap like 1 year + ago). Ok celebs, you got them in the door but will the party stay ragin'? Read on.

- Oye Facebook. First your shit privacy policy and now hackers are in sabotage mode. Which disgruntled employee did you piss off, anyway?

- It's hard to believe FAIL is STILL being coined, dare I say abused. Really?!?!? Come on, limit its use to once a week, maybe even month.

- Let me add to the latest Twitter stew...SWINE FLU SWINE FLU SWINE FLU. Stop ruining bacon consumption for me, even if its not transmitted that way.

-Speaking of Twitter, Nielson's David Martin recently imparted some juicy Twitter stats that concluded that, in spite of its recent surge of popularity, it lacks retention staying power. It's about time! There's only so much you can convey in 140 characters without being overtly promotional, braggadocios and/or self serving, and you KNOW who you are. Mark my words, this one's got a shelf life. Yup, this party's winding down.

- And finally (on a positive note) AdRants, LOVE YOU for turning me on to his hotness, Lawson Clarke. Yum.

Urgh, yes, I'm done. See you bitches soon!

Someone Say UPGRADE?

"Oh?! Beautiful! Gorgeous! Wish You Were Here!"

I've thought of that ridiculous movie quite a bit lately. You know, French Kiss? Meg Ryan gets dumped by fiancee Tim Hutton only to desperately chase him all over Paris and Southern France with Kevin Kline as her scruffy partner in crime? Yeah, that one.

Although fluffy, that movie could serve as a perfect metaphor to life. Confidence shaken by a moment taking place that's completely out of your control. Carefully living in the safety and solace of the expected for so long only to be jolted by something or someone (in some cases, a series of both). Renewal, rejuvenation, realization.

Life throws lemons, you make Limoncello.

I know I've said it until the horse was beaten bloody, but now more than ever I am keenly aware that EVERYTHING in life happens for a reason. There are truly no accidents.

An old friend once said to me that statement provides absolution to the irresponsible, but I don't think that's accurate. What it does offer is knowledge that, no matter what decisions you make, some of life's plan is entirely out of your control, plain and simple. And for a control freak like me, well, you know the rest.

Why am I telling you this? Why ramble here? Why break my devout rule of blogging and self-serve my emotional core? Maybe it's my way of shouting into the online abyss while I'm semi-unplugged. Perhaps this post is my virtual hug to my "old faithful", the internet, that has played such a huge part of my life for so long and will continue to do so. Does anyone really need a reason for a mini-proclamation?

Maybe I should just backspace all this BS and just coin a few phrases from J.Me! "Secret? Upgrade, upgrade?"

Indeed.

...Must come up!?!

Yep, 2009 has made my life "flipped, turned upside down" in a myriad of ways, but I seem to be holding myself together, perhaps better than I have in years. Old friends depart (hopefully not forever) new friends surface and best friends stay just as they are, best and perfect. I am getting intimately acquainted with the disaster that is the Arizona DES, which seems to be run by spider monkeys on meth.

I leave you, dear reader, for one of the only 6 things that have managed to make me smile in the past few weeks, thanks to Andi and SG.



So, pick yourself up, heads up high and just wait for the next perfect set to come in. It always does.

Pet Knows: New Home For You? For Your Pet, Too.

So I recently did a post for Pet Knows about my trials and tribulations of moving into a new home with Cowboy, the wonder Chiweenie. Thought I'd share the love and give my reader of one a glimpse. Enjoy!

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there, right? It’s no romp in the park. Ending a relationship can be difficult on everyone involved including you, kids (if any), friends, family, even your household pets. While your first inclination in any uncomfortable situation is to react, it’s important to stop and think about the consequences of your actions, particularly how they will impact your pets, and plan ahead. (Visit Pet Knows to see how it ends)

New Year, New Life, New Media

Greetings, my lone reader.

As some of you know (or are avoiding mentioning) from my cryptic and often morose status updates, I'm going through a significant amount of change, both personal and otherwise. While I wish it were something simple and fun (like highlights or lypo), it's something a bit dramatic, dare I say traumatic, so the blogging has suffered a blow on the priority list.

The Cardinals losing the Super Bowl was frankly the icing on the crap cake, but I digress.

I did want to tee off my 2009 blogging goodness with something a tad more uplifting. And what is more uplifting than a stellar redesign, specifically the 10 year anniversary face lift of the New Media Strategies website. From a far better user interface, featured enhancements, dynamic content, AN OFFICIAL BLOG, and a stronger showcase of our team and capabilities, this is not just a measly revamp. Have a look around, poke about the terrific timeline, even browse our teams here you might happen to come across a certain someone's page.

Speaking of the NMS blog, I have the distinctive honor of sitting on our editorial board, representing the brilliant Corporate Practice. So, if there's a case study you're interested in, a team member you'd like to hear from or subject matter you'd like to see, let me know! My virtual door is always open. (and yes, I have a couple of posts in the mix, too).

With all this great innovation taking place at NMS, I cannot help but think of that old adage which states "If your personal life is going down in flames, you must be doing something right at work". Guess Obama wasn't kidding about that whole "change" thing.

The Day It Snowed Victory in Phoenix

So for those of you keeping score on 2009, you've got to admit that thus far, it's a little on the surreal side. Between Obama's unprecedented Inauguration goodness (which I am quite BITTER about missing), Mickey Rourke making a comeback (Really?!) and Steve Jobs finally taking a break (Ok, maybe not totally shocked there), I'm having trouble keeping up.

Then I woke up at 2am this morning with a hazy and somewhat achy epiphany. Had it been a dream? A quick search validates what became an unbelievable reality today for many unwavering Phoenicians...


Although I'll forever bleed maroon and gold as a die-hard (and yet always jilted) Redskin fan, watching this monumental Championship game with 200+ fanatical Cardinal fans, collectively sobbing from a mixture of validation, victory and at least 6 rounds of sugary Dollar shots made me a believer, not just in the underdog team but maybe about in life in the desert.

Then again, it might still be the booze talkin'. Go Cards!

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

WHAT?!

Yeah, I know. I've been taking a personal social media break, of sorts, while I sprint madly towards the finish line of yet another surreal year. Besides, someone's got to take the time to quantify all that noise we're pumping into cyberspace, right?!

Rest assured, my one and only reader, that there's plenty of blogging goodness to come in 2009, including the lowdown on holiday madness (think whiskey and keeping the dog from pissing on the Tree), recovering from an Aragonesque birthday celebration (think more whiskey and sobbing uncontrollably) and finally, the deets on some interesting developments from the NMS blog launch.

In the meantime, I leave you with an oldie but goodie unearthed by our friends at Best Viral. Light up and Happy Holidays!