Maybe this is just my pet-peeve, maybe I’m a bit cynical (who isn’t?), or maybe I’m just cranky and need a burrito. But if I read one more “Predictions for 2010″ blog entry, I think I might have to punch my computer.

Unless you're this lady, stop telling me what WILL happen.

And my computer doesn’t deserve that, she’s been nothing but loyal to me.

But seriously, stop making predictions and start DOING. Stop telling me what you THINK will happen and take the steps, do the work, and take the actions that are necessary to actually MAKE things happen the way you want them to. Don’t let “the man” do the dirty work for you.

That’s what I’m doing.

Do you think I am working four jobs right now because I predict I will be worn out in 2010? Or predict I will be broke? No. I am working four jobs right now and #hustling like whoa so that I can get over this hump, make a real connection, and be a rockstar in 2010.

Now, because I’m awesome and I like to contradict myself a little bit sometimes, I will say that I understand the intent of or purpose behind predictions. We can all see what is coming… in a sense – I think we all have a bit of clairvoyancy (is that a word?). I think it stems from our innate ability to have a vision for the future… and for all of those Nostradamus specials on the History channel.

(In my humble opinion, there’s a difference between having vision and being a “predictor.”)

But seriously, I don’t want to hear ANY MORE 2010 predictions. If so, I predict that I’ll open up a nice can of whoop ass on you.

(Ps: I am just joking about the can of whoop ass. I do not promote violence in any way. I hope that for those of you that are not aware of my sometimes sarcastic tone, that you can take my words for what they are. Just words.)

What do you think? Do you think predictions are valid or just lip service? Prove me wrong. I love being proven wrong.

Word.

photo credit: dailymail.

I haven’t blogged in a week. Blah blah blah, yada yada yada. I went from blogging every day to I haven’t blogged in a week. [Note: I really hate posts when people say, "Ahh I'm so sorry I've been slacking!" or "My apologies for not blogging much" or "I suck and I am lazy and I haven't posted in forever." This is not one of those posts. This is a post of facts. Or truths. Or factruths.

I want to join the RE-UP crew.

But guess what?

Unless you’re a blogger with a gazillion readers, or Oprah, I bet you that people don’t give a rats rear if you haven’t blogged in a week.

But I haven’t blogged in a week and I feel guilty.

I’m not making excuses, but honestly the reason I have slacked off is because I have bigger fish to fry. I love writing, I love blogging, and I have so many thoughts running through my head that if I DON’T write them down, I tend to go a little stir crazy. Fact.

Those of you who have either read my blog, know me personally, or whatever, you know that I’ve been unemployed for nearing six full months. I left an awesome full-time teaching job in Richmond, Virginia and I moved to North Carolina to pursue my love of comedy, writing, and life “en general.”

I’m broke. Fact.

My rent is high, I have a “second rent” paying off a gazillion dollars in debt (only two more years to go!), and I have a Chipotle addiction to feed. Triple facts.

I work 17 hours a week at an art gallery/retail store and maybe 10 hours a week (if I can get the hours) at the mall. I just got a third job waiting tables, something I swore I would never ever ever ever ever do again. Last week I worked every day from at least 9 in the morning until midnight at more than one job. (So? I need the money). Needless to say, when I got home, blogging was not on my mind.

In the past six months, I have applied for over 93 jobs, had a total of 7 interviews, and have yet to find “a JOB… job.” Although working three full-time, part-time jobs isn’t always awesome, it isn’t life-ending. The people are great, my bosses are awesome, and the money is feeding me. Facts.

Again, I am not complaining, these are simply FACTS. I also want to be clear, I am not telling you this to feel sorry for me. I am telling you this to share my experience and I want you to share yours. Hopefully, maybe ONE of you can learn something from me, because Lord knows I’ve learned an immense amount from you.

People keep asking me, “Molly what do you want to do? What is your IDEAL job?” And to be honest, sometimes I feel like that is a bullsh*t question. No offense to anyone that has asked me that, because this is not a personal statement, it’s simply an observation.

Everyone WANTS to do what makes them happy. An ideal job for ANYONE is a job where they can do what they want and make the big bucks.

Right?

My ideal job? What do I WANT to do? Well, I WANT to be a professional comedian. I want people to pay to see me perform and I want people to pay me to make them laugh. But that’s hard to do. I also want friends, and a family, and a life. I don’t really want “things.” Who doesn’t?

What is my ideal JOB job? What do I REALISTICALLY want to do? I want a job that pays me money where I can write, and be visionary, and be a thought leader, and be challenged, and learn, and be creative, all the while, making people laugh. I want room for growth. Personal growth. Professional growth. THAT is my ideal job. Facts.

So, do you want to hire me?

But here’s my deal and here’s why I’ve been rambling on for the past 550+ words…

I am going to be awesome in 2010. It’s not that I’m making New Years Resolutions. I’m not setting goals. I’m changing my life. I’m not complaining. I’m taking the cards that I’m dealt and I’m playing the better hand. Or some cliche phrase like that.

Facts for 2010:

• I do and will continue to work my ass off.
• If I have to wait tables forever to pay my rent, I will. And I will wait tables with a SMILE and PASSION and, damnit, I will make my customers laugh.
• I will love my friends and I will love my family.
• I will eat Chipotle when my stomach wants it.
• I will write because I love to write, not because I feel like I “have to.” As soon as writing becomes work, it is no longer fun.
• I will perform.
• I will change my plans if they need to be changed.
• I will adjust my thinking if it needs adjusting.
• I will work harder if I need to work harder.
• I will make connections.
• I will make a difference.
• I will make an impression.
• I will make an impact.
• I will be awesome.

So, what are YOU doing in 2010?

Word.

I have been asked this question a lot recently.

I've got an idea!

“What do you do when you run out of ideas? How do you keep generating new ideas or new content when you feel like you’ve exhausted everything?”

Maybe it’s because the holiday’s are afoot and people’s minds are stretched thin? I don’t know. Maybe we are, after a gazillion years, just starting to run out of ideas. Well, don’t fret, we are never going to run out of ideas. Now, let me say this, at this point, it is very hard to reinvent the wheel – no one is going to come up with a new invention of the wheel. BUT, we can come up with new ways to make the “wheel” better or whathaveyou. The “wheel” in this case, is a metaphor.

Okay, so you are a creative, or a writer, or a business owner, or a student, or a person and you have to generate “ideas” for things – but after awhile, you have trouble coming up with new ideas. Suddenly, idea generation is not your best friend. Being an improviser, I am trained to think on my feet and take one suggestion to inspire an entire show and an entire set of ideas. I then use ideas to inspire new ideas. So, here are a few things that I, personally, do to help when I am starting to run out of ideas.

1. Lists of TEN (or more)

If you’re writing something (i.e. a blog post, new marketing material, story, etc.) start with a category – then write down IN RAPID FIRE the first TEN (or more) things that come to mind that fall under that category – the first five will be easy, the last five will be harder.
If you find yourself at ten and you can keep going, then by all means, KEEP GOING. Stop when you stop.
For example – if I were writing a blog post about MUSIC I would come up with the first ten things that came to mind:

1. Michael Jackson
2. Songwriters –> singers
3. My favorite band
4. My favorite song
5. Why I wish I knew how to play guitar
6. My favorite song to sing
7. My karaoke song of choice
8. Why I hate karaoke
9. Why I love karaoke
1o. Why are people obsessed with karaoke?

…and so on.

WHY DO THIS? I’m no brain scientist, but our brain associates different ideas with different categories. By spitting out whatever comes to mind, you will be able to cross off ideas that are no good and focus on the ones that are awesome. Most likely, at least eight of the ten ideas you come up with are going to be bogus or bad ideas. You then have two AWESOME ideas to choose from. Makes sense, right? I sometimes makes rapid fire lists a couple times a day. It never hurts to generate information right away in order to be able to weed it out later.

2. The Free-Association Game

Start with ONE word – any word that may fall into a category that you are interested in writing or talking about etc… (whatever project you are working on, large or small). Then free-associate from that word. Go out as far as you can away from that word, but then try to make the conscious effort to COME BACK to the word, having gone full circle. (This is a big-time improv exercise and warm-up. In fact, some improv groups open their entire improv SHOW with this exercise. It’s a huge idea generator.)

For example, I will do a free-association with the word(s) ICE CREAM -

Ice Cream –> Cold –> Snow –> Nicknames for Dandruff –> Head & Shoulders –> Body Parts –> Big Toe –> Tow Truck –> Large Fines –> Hefty Fee –> Hefty Trash bags –> Odorless –> What’s that smell? –> Mmm chocolate –> ICE CREAM!

See what I did there? I started at ice cream and then just wrote down the next thing that came to mind, and free associated off the previous word, and eventually, I made my way back to ice cream. Damn. Now I want ice cream.

WHY DO THIS? Sure, free-associating off the word ice cream may seem silly, but we were able to see what one word can lead to. No idea in this exercise is stupid. Start with one thing and you are able to give yourself A LOT of ideas. Ideas = gifts to yourself. Awesome.

3. Get Random

Sometimes you don’t want to write or work in your niche area. You want to STEP OUT and try something different. Try something new. Get to know a different side, a different angle, a different approach. Well, then get random. What do I mean? Well, the interwebs are FULL of  AWESOME random “thing” generators that can become your best friend.

1. Wikipedia RANDOM ARTICLE generator. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/special:Random / if the link doesn’t work). This will take you, quite literally, to a RANDOM article on Wikipedia. Find a random article, read about it, see what ideas come to you when you learn something you perhaps didn’t know before. Education can be the best idea generator.
2. Flickr INTERESTINGNESS. Flickr is an AMAZING network of photographs. Flickr created INTERESTINGNESS, which compiles new photos that have interesting tags, great comments, or a ton of views. But guaranteed, these photos are interesting. This links to the INTERESTING photos from the last 7 days. Check out the new photos – are there any that catch your eye? Any that seem to inspire you? Use the photos for inspiration and ingenious idea generation.
3. Google Wonder Wheel. I discovered the Google Wonder Wheel a while ago and I immediately fell in LOVE. When you do a Google search, click on the little “show options” button. Look about 3/4 of the way down on the left, and you will see the WONDER WHEEL link. The wonder wheel does a cloud of information and links that connect to whatever you are looking for. It is amazing. (I could talk about the Wonder Wheel all day… but I won’t do that here. Maybe I’ll write a whole blog post about the Wonder Wheel… ahh! Look! An IDEA!)
4. Love the words of Famous people. Find a random famous quote. Read it. What does it make you think of? Use it as a jumping off point to a new thought or new idea. Write YOUR OWN quote. Words are extremely powerful and have a huge effect on our imaginations.

WHY DO THIS? Stepping outside of our comfort zone and exploring something that is different, and literally, RANDOM, is fuel for idea generation. We tend to get stuck in a rut when we write or work on the same thing every day. Try something different. I guarantee you will surprise even yourself.

—————

I hope that my crazy brain and my crazy ideas have helped you a little bit.

Tell me: Have you ever tried any of the things that I do? Do you have any techniques of your own? Leave a comment with some of the things YOU like to when writer’s blog hits and when you have simply run out of ideas.

Word.

photo courtesy of sam.i.am.

I. Was. Tired.

Well, I’m not training for a full marathon, but yes, I AM training for a half-marathon. And I AM building a business.

I give you this disclaimer: I am neither an expert in building a business nor am I an expert in running or training for a marathon… but I can speak from my personal experiences.

They (I have no idea who “they” are) say that the first two years of starting a business are the hardest. I’ve heard some people say one year, some even say three years. And of course, there are the anomalies who build their business successfully in less than a year. Sometimes less than six months – I am jealous of those people.

I have been a freelance writer and consultant for over 3 years, and I have tried to turn my freelance work into a full-time business for a year. It’s hard. Really hard.

Seemingly-Unrelated-But-I-Have-A-Point: I am training for my first half-marathon. I don’t like to run and in fact, I’m a horrible runner. In high school I played golf, in part so I would never have to run suicides. But running is something that I have always wanted to be good at.

One of my goals for 2010 is to run and complete a half-marathon. That’s 13.1 miles. At first I told myself I would just run and complete a 10K (6.2 miles). But I knew that wasn’t good enough for me. I need to buck up and do it. So I, in 2010, WILL run and complete a half-marathon.

I have been doing short distance runs for a while, but I officially started my training a week ago. Yesterday, I ran the longest I have ever run in my entire life, 3.38 miles in 49:24 minutes. (It was a run/walk tempo run – that’s why it took that long). I pushed through when I didn’t want to and I did it. Now, I only have 17 more weeks of training and about 10 more miles to run.

Back to the topic at hand. Why would I compare building my business to that of training for a marathon? Here’s my rationale.

Building a business is hard work. Training for a marathon is hard work.

No one wakes up one morning and has a successful business that runs itself and makes them the big bucks. No one wakes up one morning and says, “You know, I think I’ll run 13.1 or 26.2 miles today.” People who run a successful business and people who run a successful marathon work hard to achieve those things. Neither of these things come easy.

When I’m working to build my business I work long hours or I work when I really don’t want to. I’ll work when I’m sick, I’ll work when I’d rather be spending the night out with my friends. But I am working to eventually make my business rock.

I hate running. And I hate the cold. Well, it’s almost winter, and I’m going to have to get used to running in the cold. I am sticking to my schedule and running even if I don’t want to. Why? Because nothing is going to get in the way of me achieving my goals.

Both of these things take resources. As I build my business I decide what’s an important resource and what isn’t. I knew I wanted to re-do my blog, and I knew that would cost me money. But I did it because it was important.

BIG UPS and huge thanks to Greg Lee and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, I have a gym membership now. I have set myself up with a mobile training program and I am using their facilities to help me along the way. It’s all about using the resources and just asking when something is needed.

The key here is, whether you’re building a business or you’re training for a marathon, you have a process and the key is to stick to that process. Whether you have to blog every day, run every day, go to networking events twice a week, spend money on an important resource – whatever. Find a schedule, find a pattern, and COMMIT.

All of these things take hard work and dedication, but above all, COMMITMENT. If you don’t commit to your goal, you’ll never achieve it. Nothing is going to just “happen” for you.

What do YOU think? Do you have a different analogy you want to throw at me?

Word.

That’s right. They’re back. I was doing these last Spring and frankly, I got busy, and they fell on my list of priorities. I didn’t mean for them to, but they did. Sad. I know. Well, I’ve been feeling inspired lately and I have decided to bring them back. In full force. With Mario Brothers music and all. So, here we go. This week’s tip: BE HONEST. Enjoy.

All for now.

Or is it “No Press is Bad Press”? Or it is “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Press”? I’m not sure which it really is, but frankly after this week, I think at least one version of this saying is true. I refuse to get political or take sides on this blog. I am simply pointing out my thoughts on recent events. Two and a half in particular.

I will be covering the events/topics/thoughts in this order:

1. Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson & his opponent Rob Miller
2. Kanye West’s not-so-smooth-move at the MTV Video Music Awards
3. Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards

Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson & his opponent Rob Miller

Synopsis: By now, everyone and their great-grandmother has heard about SC Republican Congressman Joe Wilson’s “You Lie!” outburst last week during President Obama’s health care address to congress. About 10 minutes prior to Wilson’s outburst, I bet 90% of you reading this had never even heard of the quiet republican from South Carolina’s 2nd district. Whether or not you agree with what he said/did/did not do, you now know his name, what state he’s from, the political party he is affiliated with, and you might even know that he loves animals. The number of hits to his website quadrupled in 20 minutes after his little outburst, and that number is of course on the rise. He may not have liked the press that he got, getting called a “President Hater” and a “racist” – but nevertheless, people are learning more about him, his platform, and his background. He is probably going to get a few supporters out of the whole thing. On the flipside, his opponent Rob Miller received $130K in donations by 1AM the night of the debate. Donations even came in from as far as England (that has probably changed by now… but it’s happening). It’s incredible to think that this guy didn’t even do anything and Miller’s opponent making an outburst caused people to learn more about this SC political race.

Conclusion? Joe “You Lie!” Wilson and Rob Miller have both gotten a TON of publicity in the last week. One of them made a huge mistake, one of them did nothing. Yet, they are both in the news… a lot. In the end, is this good or bad press? I’m leaving that for You to decide.

Kanye West’s not-so-smooth-move at the MTV Video Music Awards

Kanye West. Shown here shooting away success.

Synopsis: 19-year-old Taylor Swift won the MTV VMA award for Best Female Music Video. During her acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West got on stage, took the microphone out of Taylor’s hand and said, “Beyonce had the best video of all time. Of all time!” Kanye is now probably one of the most hated people in the music industry. Whether or not you like Swift’s music, the fact is, what Kanye did was completely uncalled for – she’s 19 and it was her first VMA… give her a break. BUT, nevertheless, Kanye West became the #1 trending topic on Twitter within 5 minutes and has maintained status as a trending topic all day today following the awards. If you’ve never heard of Kanye before (probably because you don’t listen to hip-hop/rap music) you probably know who he is now. And you might check out his songs. Even if he loses fans, he is bound to get a lot of publicity about this over the next few days/weeks/months/years. I know I, personally was appalled that he would do something like that, but truth be told, it got me talking about him. It got everyone talking about him.

Conclusion? This type of press/publicity stunt is NOT a good idea, but it will definitely get fans/folks/everyone a-buzz about your name and your product. Whether that’s good or not, is for You to decide.

Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards

Synopsis: Okay, I might be on a VMA kick because it was on last night, but it’s totally fine. At least this is illustrating my point. Oh, the many faces/outfits of Ms. Lady GaGa. If you missed her crazy outfits, you can check them out here. Whether or not you agree with Ms. GaGa’s fashion choices, she DEFINITELY got people talking last night. She became a trending topic on twitter for over 24 hours after the ceremony was over and her song “Paparazzi” jumped 3 spots to make it into the top 10 songs on iTunes. Her outfits we crazy, but people got to know who she is… a crazy, crazy lady.

Conclusion? Although GaGa’s outfits were rather hideous, her press has probably been the most POSITIVE out of the ones I have referenced. So, my thought on this one is, try something different today. Surprise those you work with, surprise your clients, customers, and friends. You don’t need to dress crazy to get attention. Stand out. Be different. Be awesome. Be a rockstar.

My overall conclusion? Any press can be good press. It just depends on how you deal with it.

That’s just my 2 cents.

All for now.

BTW: Here is a bonus “Kanye West, Joe Wilson, “You Lie!” REMIX Video”

I love it. Enjoy

This past weekend, I was reminded why philanthropic work is so important and why I am so passionate about volunteering as much as you can. (I swear, everything you are about to read has a point… I promise ).

When I was in college, I had the honor of being a part of Phi Mu Fraternity, a women’s social sorority. I didn’t fit in to the typical “sorority girl” stereotype. I played golf, was really into sports, most of my friends were guys, and I didn’t really even know how to put on makeup. Now, a lot of that has changed over the years, but I’m still very much the Molly that I was when I pledged in college. Was really drew me to joining Phi Mu was all the work that Phi Mu did for the community — especially the Children’s Miracle Network (which is also why I have a CMN fundraiser here on my blog –> to the right!). Having been out of college for a few years, I have had the opportunity to stay connected with Phi Mu and am now volunteering my time with the UNC Chapel Hill chapter here in Chapel Hill, NC. The collegiate chapter was in the midst of recruitment this weekend and listening to the girls talk about all they have done in the last few years — it really reemphasized the importance of the work that so many organizations do. It really made me miss my college days, too. So, after thinking more and more about this idea of giving back, which is of course, not a new idea, I thought about how I can incorporate all of that even more into my professional life.

Since I started my business in the realm of blogging, writing, and social media marketing, I have really come to know the importance of acting and exhibiting integrity, honesty, and credibility at all times. Many of the nonprofit organizations I have done work for in the past, taught me a lot of that. I have set myself a goal that I want to volunteer my services to philanthropic causes and work to help organizations that help others.

I challenge you: how do YOU give back? How do YOU work to make things better for others? It just takes a little bit.

Today’s post was short, and may be a little haphazard, but hopefully you get my point. What do YOU think?

As most of you know by now (and some of you don’t know) I am NOW living in Carrboro, NC – aka: the yolk inside the egg of Chapel Hill. I am no longer teaching high school and I moved out of Richmond to focus on my passions: comedy, writing, and new media. [If you are interested in some of the comedy work I'm doing, check out my comedy blog: http://www.mollyhastwothumbs.com.]

For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to strictly be talking about my writing and new media work.

Now that I am in Carrboro and I am getting a fresh start, I have refocused myself and I have set new goals. After a little over 3 months of applying for job after job, after job, after JOB, and hearing nothing I finally realized that I needed to step outside of my comfort zone and really work to expand my own business.

At such an early stage, it can be intimidating stepping out into the business world. I’ve been a freelancer for a little over two years, but only getting clients here and there to supplement extra income. The thought, even the PROSPECT, of working for MYSELF full-time has been such an intimidating idea that I’ve honestly been to afraid to really breach that realm and start the process of getting work. Honestly, I procrastinated. My innate fear of failure kept me putting it off. How many of you have been in that same place at some point? That place of knowing that you have the ability, the resources, and the know-how to get the job done or be successful, but because of a particular arena being so uncertain, you found yourself putting it off in fear of not meeting your goal? Well, that WAS me.

A few weeks ago, someone very close to me said something that was so simple, but completely changed my way of thinking, “I know you can do it.”

It sounds silly, but I had never had anyone express direct confidence in me that I could achieve not only personal goals, but also business goals. He gave me some great marketing, networking, and small-business books and resources — and I started reading.

I’ve now set myself up with a daily work schedule and routine. I’m contacting prospective clients. I’m following up. I’m networking. And ultimately, I’m learning. I’m learning every day about changes in my fields of expertise. I’m learning about business. I’m learning about organization. I’m learning about LIFE. I’m creating a vision and looking towards it with focus and a positive attitude.

Starting your own business can be tough. Transitioning from a part-time business owner to a full-time business owner is a daunting task, but with the right resources and enough support, it doesn’t seem so difficult.

I’m keeping myself motivated through milestones, checkpoints, and definitely rewards (Chipotle burrito, anyone?).

I’m confident that I can provide my clients with the services they need and a quality product. I am a hard worker and extremely driven. I know that this is the kind of arena that I can be successful in.

If you are “the master of your own business domain,” as I like to say, I would love to hear about your experiences. So, share them!

This quote popped up this morning in my e-mail and I found it’s timing to be nothing less than perfect:

“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” -Arthur C. Clarke

Make it an AWESOME day.

All for now.

http://www.molly-buckley.com
http://www.thinkhausdesign.com
http://twitter.com/mollybuckley
http://twitter.com/thinkhaus

Haustalk Facebook EVENT:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid…
BEsocial Facebook EVENT:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid…

Email: BEsocialworkshop [at] gmail [dot] com

The BEsocial workshop, presented by Thinkhaus and Molly Buckley, is geared towards taking away that uneasiness which is associated with the unfamiliar realm of social media and branding by presenting new, exciting, and innovative techniques in a fun and interactive way. Participants will learn better communication, unconditional positivity, and the interconnectivity between good branding and social media practices, more specifically the Triumvirate of social media: Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere. By seeing, hearing, and doing what works, participants will walk away with a concrete knowledge of how to implement good branding and social media techniques into their own businesses and lives to ultimately gain credibility, visibility, and sustainability among the global community.

It’s here. Oh man, am I excited or what?! I am honored to be teaming up with John O’Neill from Thinkhaus design for this seminar. It’s going to be awesome. John and I have been working on ironing out the details of this event to make it as incredible, informative, and fun as possible for the past two months and we are pumped to finally roll it out. If you have questions, feel free to email me ANYTIME or let me know. (mollybuckley [at] yahoo [dot] com -or- BEsocialworkshop [at] gmail [dot] com)

Also, if you are thinking about the workshop, but you’re saying to yourself, “I don’t know, I’m not sure if it’s going to be worth my time.” Then you NEED to come to the FREE haustalk event sponsored by Thinkhaus on Wednesday, July 29th at 7pm at Gallery5 in Richmond, Va. Check the Facebook event for that HERE. I will be presenting at this event talking about my experiences and giving a “preview” into what the workshop is going to feature. It’s also going to be a great opportunity for people to meet and network with other individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations.  Tell your friends. Tell your enemies. Tell everyone. See you there!

++++

The besocial, bemarketable, bebranded seminar, presented by Thinkhaus and Molly Buckley, is geared towards taking away that uneasiness which is associated with the unfamiliar realm of social media and branding by presenting new, exciting, and innovative techniques in a fun and interactive way.

Participants will learn better communication, unconditional positivity, and the interconnectivity between good branding and social media practices, more specifically the “Triumvirate” of social media: Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere. By seeing, hearing, and doing what works, participants will walk away with a concrete knowledge of how to implement good branding and social media techniques into their own businesses and lives to ultimately gain credibility, visibility, and sustainability among the global community.

Seminar Pricing (PRICES REDUCED!!!!)
BEFORE August 5th:

• $50 for ALL Non-Profit Organizations
• $75 for ALL individuals/businesses

AFTER August 5th:

• $75 for ALL Non-Profit Organizations
• $100 for ALL individuals/businesses

The three-hour workshop will highlight a variety of topics.

Topics covered include:

• Good branding (presented by Thinkhaus)
• How to incorporate socially conscious practices into your organization or business (presented by Thinkhaus)
• The “Triumvirate” of Social Media (presented by Molly Buckley) 

Facebook
• What exactly is Facebook?
• How to set your Facebook up to succeed at the highest level
• Advantages and benefits
• Drawbacks
• Do’s and Don’t’s

Twitter
• What exactly is Twitter?
• How to set Twitter up to succeed at the highest level
• Advantages and benefits
• Drawbacks
• Do’s and Don’ts

The blogosphere
• What exactly is blogging?
• Benefits of blogging
• “How often should I blog?”
• “What should I blog about?”
• “How long should my blog posts be?”
• How to promote and sustain your blog with solid readership
• Social networks that may benefit you!
• How ALL of these things work together.

Each participant will also walk away with a tangible packet of information that highlights all the information discussed on each of the topics covered in the workshop.

If you would like to register for the course, please email us at BEsocialworkshop@gmail.com with the FOLLOWING information:

• Name:
• Email:
• Contact Number:
• Company:
• Type of business:
• Are you a non-profit?:
• Experience with social media:

After we have received your email for pre-registration, you will receive an invoice via PayPalto pay for the workshop and to hold your place. Questions? Let us know. Email us at BEsocialworkshop@gmail.com.

On behalf of Thinkhaus and Molly Buckley, we thank you and we can’t wait to work with you!

Oh, and check out the new WORKSHOPS link right here on my webpage! http://mollybuckley.wordpress.com/socialmediaworkshops/