The "You are Going Places" Award! Ray J, you should not have! Thanks hun! This award could not have come at a better time. I am a bit of a rut. Last week, I told you about my YouTube Culture and Trends Editor position dilemma. When I heard the job was filled through a Google recruiter, I feel like I am going nothing in my life. You can take a look at my blog to get a glimpse of my bumpy road.
Despite my shortcomings, I always see the positive side at the end of the yellow brick road. Whether you are in circumstances worse and more incomprehensible than my own, if Dorothy got home with her red, glittery shoes, then you can click your heels three times hard enough to achieve your goals.
I appreciate that there are people out there like Ray-J and my social media family that are rooting for me to succeed. I am going places and with my witty charm and determination, there is no point in stopping me.
The main rule of this award was to answer the question: Where I will see myself in ten years?....Such as a vague question to begin a conversation with. What would a random person say?
Random person: Omg, I want to live in a big house out in the country with children and live happily after.
I am one of those people out there that don't have a year or 5 year plan all laid out because life is unpredictable. I do keep a weekly plan, my New Years Resolution, monthly goals, and blogging resolution, but I do not live by them each and every second of my life. Things happen that are out of my control. It is best to work your life around your goals. Have goals, not objectives; goals that are realistic and idealistic with a bit of flexibility thrown in.
So for instance, if you want to be an astronaut, you can be and there is no stopping you, but you have to understand that there are events that will be beyond our control. What if down the road a loved one passes away or a freak accident profoundly impacts the rest of your life and your goals? Did you have that listed on your 5-year plan? Think about it.
A teenager's alarm clock goes off in the wee hours of the morning. She stretches and yawns as she gets up from her slumber. You would think she would go straight to the bathroom to take a shower or brush her teeth. Nope. She picks up her iPhone 3GS phone from the nightstand and checks her latest Facebook updates. Forty-five minutes has passed. She is almost ready to go to school, but before she jets out the house, she takes one last picture. This has become her morning ritual. She strikes a scandalous pose. She bears her flat bottom or cleavage, but she is a hipster and must creatively channel her Twilight, teenage appeal in front of her iPhone and onto her Facebook profile. Did I mention that she is looking for a summer job?
Facebook has come under fire lately for its new Facebook privacy changes, changes that I cannot fathom at this moment because 1.) I use Facebook daily and could be possibly deceived by Facebook's antics. 2.) I see both sides of this net neutrality/privacy controversy. I use Facebook to post blog posts, pictures, and comments, but I make sure that my actions are appropriate for everyone and don't undermine or jeopardize me from obtaining a future job or network opportunity.
Critics do not want their digital footprints to be publicized and used by Facebook or other affiliated Facebook companies. Others continue to create new accounts every day and are continuing to share their information with friends, family, and their other Facebook networks. My question is to not to ask you whether or not Facebook is a capitalist enterprise, set to monetize on your personal information. We all should know that answer.
My question to you out there using Facebook is why in the world would many of you post raunchy photos and comments about your boss when you know that Facebook and everyone with a Facebook account could read them? You as the consumer is responsible for what you say on the Internet. You do not have to use social media. You do not have to log in every second to see your friend's status change from married to single. You can delete your Facebook right now at this very moment. You can try to live a life without social media and the personalization of data. But do not blame Facebook for your inconsiderate behavior and the amount of information you reveal. That was a conscious choice.You are responsible for your online presence and reputation.
Remember the teenager I mentioned earlier? She did not get any job interviews greatly because recruiters and hiring managers googled her horrible Facebook profile and declined to interview her. Do you want to end up as her? I have two great resources for you to check out:
- If you want to take the first steps to learning how to construct a good Facebook profile on your own terms, read this article here.
- Also, Jim Hopkinson from the Hopkinson Report draws some great insight on how Facebook, with all the criticism it has been getting in the last several months, might become the next social fad.
What do you think about Facebook and its privacy platform? Will you delete your Facebook profile? Are there any alternative social media sites (not talking about Twitter or Linkedin) that offer readers with more privacy options than Facebook?
