Did you know that 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer before they turn 85?(1)
Put your bras out ladies and #IPledgeToCheck. To join in the cause visit –www.bit.ly/IPledgeToCheck and get together to put your bra out in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
As a daughter of a Breast Cancer Survivor this campaign is close to my heart! 😍❤️✌🏼️
Thanks @qvskincare and @mcgrathfoundation for this great initiative. #BreastCancerAwareness #BreastCancer #Pink #Bra
What I really mean is – I’ve heard about it before but never really thought about how I could use it / what it could do for me?
Since leaving teaching, one thing is clear – the academic development that I once had does not exist in my corporate world. There is nothing like consistently re-assessing my own knowledge by the constant challenges faced by the evolving door of curriculum and assessment. I miss delivering content daily. I just don’t miss dealing with everyone else’s problems.
So after listening to the Question Of The Day podcast – I got addicted to Quora. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to do because it is almost fulfilling the educational void that I have been missing since leaving academia.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Quora, it is a place to ask questions and provide answers. Sounds fun right? I thought so.
Once you set up you profile and provide details such as educational achievements and degrees, as well as experiences, you can begin to ask or answer questions.
At first I found it a little difficult to get the hang of things, as my answers were constantly being hidden due to lack of credibility as an author. It meant that I needed to fill my profile up with more information so that I could be an expert in the fields that I was providing answers for. Ironically you could just make it all up and become a self-proclaimed expert without a hint of experience. But I believe that these people are only ultimately cheating themselves.
Once I have chosen my interests, Social Media Marketing and Education, I set off to answer as many questions as I could before my eyes shut on me. The very first night I was on Quora, I was awake till 1am typing answers to a variety of questions.
As I am now an active member of the community and have finally reached 10,000 views on my content, and as a result I am finding that more and more people are asking me to answer their questions.
However what is annoying about listing Facebook as an area of expertise is that a lot of people are asking questions about stalking blocked profiles, or how to contact people that they have a crush on. These questions I hate and pass right away. I am on Quora to help people with Facebook marketing, not stalking.
From my experience on Quora so far, there are four types of users;
Thus leading me to my next point, what is the point of Quora? I believe the contention of Quora is to provide users with a network of shared knowledge. That the network is in fact responsible for the development of an educational community of acquired knowledge. I think it is the next step from Wikipedia in the sense that it is not moderated and controlled as vigorously and it works on a question and answer system as opposed to topic-based encyclopedia.
I think you miss the point when you are on Quora, if you ask questions that lack depth and are loaded with a personal vendetta.
I think you miss the point when you are on Quora, because you are too lazy to do a Google search to bring up the appropriate websites.
And finally, I think you miss the point when your questions tinkers on the privacy laws and are indicating that you are crossing illegal boundaries.
On Quora, I am the one answering questions. I’ve asked a couple of questions but to be honest, it is probably easier for me to seek those answers through Google. I am not one to completely trust shared knowledge yet, but I am excited to see how this builds over the coming years.
I look forward to developing a further analysis on the type of people who partake in the network Quora. But in the meantime, I suggest you give Quora a go.
Find me – Em Mango
~Mango
“Seek and you shall Quora.”
I can remember being a teenager and being excited about being in my 20s, with all of the things to come. I imagined teaching in London, travelling the world and becoming a millionaire.
For the most part, I have travelled a lot. But really – the more you travel, the more you want to travel. And it is expensive. Not as expensive as buying a house, at least I can say I’ve done that.
The problem with being a ‘wanderlust’ is you get lost in the experiences outside of the world you live in. But they are not a reality. And they are not forever.
Somehow all of these travel aspirations have drifted off in my mind for more prevalent issues, like how to pay my mortgage or what wedding gifts I am going to buy for my friends. As Notorious BIG once said “Mo money, mo problems”.
Turning 30 is a weird feeling. I think that I have finally reached the point in my life where my mind is hanging out in my 20s and my age has surpassed it. It is a strange feeling to know you are one age and feel like you are another. I imagine as you age this feeling doesn’t change. You are still that crazy wanderlust of your 20s, only you have two children, a mortgage and a dog.
I feel like I need to be more responsible, save more money and stop hanging out at underage dance parties. (Insert sarcasm emoji). I don’t care so much for the latest fashion, but I am checking on my Health Insurance to ensure it covers me in emergencies. I am staring at my forehead in the mirror and trying things like an Acupuncture Facial to dissolve the fine lines.
More alarming is the number of children, proposals and marriages that are popping up daily on my Newsfeed. It is like a race to the finish line. Quick! – Is just symbolic of the stage of the life that I am now in?
In a world of social sharing – how do we stop ourselves from comparing ourselves with others?
I believe that the moment that you stop dreaming about the ‘what if’ and start looking at the ‘what is’ we are able to become happier with our own achievements.
I made the decision a year ago that I would plan to be as fit as possible, to stop eating the bad things and focus on being the best version of myself. I was sick of thinking about things that I wanted to change, so I made the decision to start changing them.
I want to be awesome by 30 and I believe that I am on the right track. Moreover, it is my version of awesome not anyone else’s that counts.
Follow my journey to awesome on Instagram – @MsMMango
~Mango
“Find the extraordinary within yourself.”
Approaching the end of my 20’s I have learnt a great deal of things about relationships. And by relationships I mean all relationships.
I’ve learned two fundamental principles; that some people will give you more than you ask, and that some with take more than they deserve. Consequently by experience I’ve learned not to bother with those who don’t meet your reflection, but to treat them as they do.
As a self confessed thinker my thoughts are often vibrant and contextual. This inevitably allows me to express my conclusions by carefully constructed prose. It is with further clarification of my relationships, that I can reveal to myself the repetitive nature of my conversion. Moreover I am able to develop an understanding into the methodology of my thought practice.
As creatures we all posses differentiated skill sets. That in order to develop a fully functional relationship we must have a Ying and a Yang. It is in this that I admit defeat. I will accept that I can not be more of what I am not, that I must focus on my abilities and accept help when required. Providing myself with an equal partnership of sorts is how I can rationalise my standing amongst my central goals.
First and foremost the success of any relationship boils down to happiness. I have learned that happiness is a state of mind, that you are the only one responsible for your own happiness. It is through happiness within oneself that leads me to believe that in order to be happy in a relationship, you must at first be happy with oneself.
Easier said than done. But is it really that hard? What really makes us happy is the acceptance of the unchangeable and the willingness to produce satisfaction by hard work and determination. And it is disappointing that sometimes we can get so caught up on the failures of the past, that we are unable to see the successes of the future.
My formula is simple; it could be worse. My glass is always half full. Because being half empty is a complete waste of liveable time. Focus on the things that we can control, and ignore the things we can’t. We can control our happiness, we can control our future.
To this effect I focus myself on setting goals. And becoming the person I want to be. And even though I am not religious, in principle many of my morals are drawn from the ‘goodness’ of religion, however this does not overshadow the fact that I ultimately believe in me.
When formulating new relationships I focus on key points; to actively listen and to relate. Possibly what is misinterpreted from me is that I can relate to a person in some way or another, always. It can be seen as competitive but for me I view it is as a development of similarities.
Reflecting on my relationships around me, I have friends that fit into many categories. Those who are the popular self assured type and those who are generally more difficult to get along with. I don’t mind the difficult ones, they often come hand in hand with untold honesty. That you can be real and uncut with them and that they will be the same back to you. However many people find them inappropriate and confrontational.
I’m not one for sugar coating. I will say how I feel regardless of whether or not you want to hear it. I can’t pretend for one moment to be fake, I just can’t. I also expect the same of those around me.
Then there’s the popular friends, the ones that everyone is drawn to by their ultimate charisma. The problem with these people is that you must complete to stay in their ‘SnapChat Bestfriends’ spot. The moment you stop the sooner you are pushed to the bottom of the pile.
In my personal relationship I strive to maintain happiness. That when we come together, the worries of the world are left outside. That we are brutally honest. That we can be disappointed without being angry and that we can trust each other.
Moving forward into 2015, I have made many changes to my immediate circle of friends. Due in part to my realisation that many people simple do not meet the standards of which I expect of a friend. I am looking for those people who are my equals, who express the same views as me and share the same morals and ethics. These people are the people who will answer the phone at your greatest time of need.
For the most part the acceptance that people will move throughout your life, and some will stay and some will go, has taken a long time to settle against my expectations. I believe it is because I tend to give everything to someone until they break my expectations of a worthy character. My point is; how many people do you have in your life that are stealing the oxygen you breathe? Moreover, why do we struggle so hard to keep them around?
I guess the fundamental process of moving forward, can sometimes be hindered by the ties of the past. We hold people close because we feel it is a duty, as opposed to a right. I am honestly more forgiving as a friend, than I have been in relationships, but eventually it all equates to the same thing.
Still, what intrigues me the most is how relationships are formed. How is it that some people you bond with immediately and others you just understand from the get go, that they’ll never be that friend. Moreover, what makes us drawn to some people and not to others?
Ultimately this repetitive nature of friendships will undoubtedly replay throughout the course of my life. I commit myself to looking for and keeping those who share the same ideological foundations. I additionally hold myself to the same expectations. After all, life means nothing if you do not develop complex relationships with the people around you.
~ Mango
“Define yourself by the people who share your light.”
Nothing frustrates me further. Being an Academic who studied version 2004-2006 of Media and Communications at Monash University Melbourne, I understand what is meant when people talk about this new breed of uneducated ‘Social Media Gurus’. Idiosyncratically the pimply kid with the ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, a pair of Beats headphones, wearing skinny jeans, carrying a Mac Book Pro and a latte. As the current Social Media explosion is self taught and those whom fit into the above category generally are the experts.
As Social Media evolves quicker than the seasons change, so does the social landscape. A Social Media Expert knows this and actively participates in building and developing this landscape through understanding the culture in which they exist. A Social Media Guru lives and breathes Social Media Strategy. They post, share, emote, comment, RT, pin, blog and like in their sleep.
In response to the development of Web 2.0, Universities are finally beginning to understand and educate about the power of such a large medium. In the future we will see a Bachelor of Social Media And Communication. Our experts will be experts and educated accordingly.
Yes, anyone and everyone can jump on Facebook; upload a picture and make sense of it, but a Social Media Strategist is able to identify inadequacies in the work of a novice to the highly constructed and contextualised piece of an expert. As Covey once said “Begin with the end in mind”, we can apply this theory to the creation of a sound Social Media Strategy.
Let me make this clear, just because you can upload something onto your personal page does not mean that you can create an engaging and interactive strategy for your business. But then again maybe you can, and if you can you should really be working in Social Media alongside me.
From my experience in the industry, those who choose self management over external management rarely succeed in this ever changing landscape. With a wide range of errors on posts and general directional focus clearly identified by experts with one scroll on the page. With Social Media networks changing the rules as often as Google sends out a Penguin and Panda update, you need someone who knows what they are doing. Moreover someone who has ‘tried and tested’ beforehand.
Having been on Facebook before it was open to the public in September 2006, I have seen the changing face of the interface. And the way the initial Fan Pages have developed into advertising giants of the current version of Pages is a demonstration of it’s willingness to evolve into a highly marketable product. To turn the need for digital social interaction into a medium of considerable marketing opportunities for users and businesses is technological progression at its finest.
Social Media Solutionists are across a variety of different platforms in the most effective ways. We understand the environment we exist in, as we are the ones who shape it for the future. And yes, there is always something new to learn and to read and to follow. We connect and chat with other professionals and most importantly we love Social Media so much that we write blogs ourselves. We lead by example.
Part of my job is managing what people are saying about your brand and topics that relate to your brand, as well as creatively thinking and developing content for posts and branding. The last part is having my finger on the erratic Social Media pulse in order to develop appropriate strategies in line with Social Media trends.
Furthermore, the moment you hand over your profile you are not losing control of your brand, you are opening it up to your audience directly. Your company will still have access to every one of your pages and have the ability to create posts at any point. But before you post, I recommend that you send them to your Social Consultant instead so it does not disrupt the marketing and direction of the strategy.
Experienced Strategists will have worked within a variety of different industries and be able to understand the best use practices for the said audience. They will also understand in part the process behind the Search Engine Optimisation and how to increase your website traffic through the integration of Social Networks.
Having ‘tried it before’, experienced strategists will know what are the right mediums to engage your audience and what content will be the most successful online. We know it because we live and breathe it. We mimic our expertise on our own personal pages and we continue to learn and go.
Companies who do not dive into this landscape now will be left behind in the digital rat race. As we increase in social communication, we change how we wish to receive information. In the ‘olden days’ before Facebook, we could seek information through news and content outlets, we would search for the information and we would receive an opinionated and biased view of the news. Times haves changed and now we choose when, how and what sort of information that we want communicated to us, and by what platform in which we receive it.
Gen Y has moved so effortlessly into this technological sphere through schooling and are less and less reliant on televised news for current political, economical and social events. We are sitting on our smart phones, subscribing to RSS feeds and tweets. In addition, Gen Z is the first generation to not have lived without the internet. Technologically connected from the beginning and their exposure to content out reaching their capacity to comprehend it.
My point here is that in order to continue to ensure the longevity of your business, you will need to move with the times and tap into this digital market. As Gen Z will be your future and the decisions you make now will impact the likelihood of them continuing to build your brand.
So next time you are thinking about the value of a Social Media Professional, you must ask yourself if trusting the branding of your company to inexperienced hands is really worth it? Moreover why poorly paint your nails yourself, when you can get an expert finish at a Manicurist?
~MsMMango
“Being social is more than a post.”
#NB: This is a repost of an original post by MsMMango – if you want to talk Social Media, follow me on Twitter @MsMMango or emmango@me.com
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