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.

Be jealous: I went to Las Vegas a week and a half ago. 

But even when I am on a short (but awesome) vacay, a part of my brain doesn’t leave work/writing mode. Well, I’m not a gambler and I have much more interest in partaking in spa services than any of the other “activities” that “sin city” has to offer. But the one thing that continually impresses me about Las Vegas is their use of social media and the way they use it to engage residents, visitors, and potential travelers.

Everywhere you go in The Vegas, social media follows. Almost every resort, spa, casino, and store has some sort of “get connected” signage encouraging people to… well, get connected. (Example to the right).

Even a mention of Vegas on Twitter and you’re going to be followed and @replied by a few casinos and/or shows that might want to help you out.

When I checked into Planet Hollywood on @FourSquare (a location-based social media application), a nearby special popped up. Just for checking in on FourSquare, I got a free drink from the bar at KOI, an uber-nice Japanese restaurant inside Planet Hollywood. (Screenshot to the left.)

If you have Vegas-related questions about discount show tickets, hotel reservations, restaurants, whatever, there is going to be someone in the social media space to answer it for you.

I had a huge breakfast mishap the first morning I was there. I tweeted to them about it, I was taken care of, and @PHVegas checked in with me on Twitter about it.

It was nice to know that if I had a problem or a question, there was going to be an answer, in real time, no matter where I was.

Vegas does social media right.

I know Vegas isn’t the ONLY city that uses social media to such heights, but it sure is a great example of how it should be done.

Need more examples? Look at some of the MANY Vegas venues on Twitter:

• @VegasConcierge
• @zappos (BTW: if you ever go to Vegas, DEFINITELY do the Zappos tour. It’s awesome.)
• @LasVegasHilton
• @PHVegas
• @CaesarsPalace
• @PalmsLasVegas
• @PalazzoLasVegas
• @HardRockHotelLV
• @EverythingVegas
• @VegasCom
• @WeddingsLV
• @HootersCasinoLV
• @MyVegasScene
• @Cirque
• @Vegas_Hotel

By using these tools, Las Vegas is able to reach out to an international audience. People come from all corners of the world to The Vegas and Vegas needs a way to connect with those people. And they do.

Question(s): What other cities do you think utilize social media tools as effectively as Las Vegas? Have you have a negative experience with Vegas social media? Do you think they could improve? What do you think engages you the most when a city uses social media? I would love to hear your thoughts and/or other examples.

Word.

If you know me at all, you know that I need a pair of these glasses. No questions asked. I want burrito vision. Thank you, Fashionably Geek (@NerdApproved) for introducing these to the world.

Need a gift idea for a burrito lover? Look no further.

Burrito. Glasses.

If you could create any “vision” of your own, what would YOU create?

Word.

Yes, this exists.

For this week’s Thuper Therious Thursday, I thought I’d share this incredibly scary, adorable, weird, funny, [insert adjective here] video by @iJustine. iJustine is a blogger, vlogger, tech geeker, and tweeter. I have to give her credit, although it’s cheesy, it covers the entire Twitter spectrum. Hashtags and all.  Anyway, enjoy!

If you were to write your own Twitter song, what would YOU call it? It can be an original or a spoof.

It seems as though everyone and their great-uncle’s cousin is talking about Facebook fan pages recently. I feel like I’ve ready a gazillion (yes, that’s a real number) blog posts and tweets about “Promoting your Fan Page,” “Fan Pages and the News Feed,” or “Get Fans Now!” Some of those blog posts have been great! Some of them, well not so much. It can be overwhelming if you’re just starting out trying to decide what works and what doesn’t. Oh, and no matter what anyone says, you’re not going to be Michael Jackson and get 10,000,000 fans in 10 days. I love you, but let’s be realistic.

SO, as a follow-up to my Fan Page vs. Group blog post from last week, I decided that I wanted to throw some of my ideas and things I have tried out there for how to promote your Facebook fan page. And since I like lists and simplicity, I figured I’d call this “The 5 sure-fire ways to promoting your FB Fan page.”

[These 5 things can be applied to business pages, artist pages, organization pages, or causes - and so I don't have to say all those words - I'm going to call it your ROCKSTAR page. Mmmkay?]

1. Suggest to Friends. (This option is located right underneath the fan page profile picture. Also, you can filter your suggestion by region – this is great especially for local businesses). This first step seems so simple and so basic, yet it is the most important. Some would disagree and that’s totally fine. Sure, your friends will love you anyway, and if you want them to be a fan of your ROCKSTAR page, they, for the most part will oblige. However, the fact is, to build a solid network you have to start from the ground up. Lay the foundation before you start on the mansion. Encourage your friends to suggest the page to their friends – and so on and so forth. You know 20 people, your friend knows 20 people, etc. etc…
2. Make It Easy Online. Yes, shocker, promote your page online. There are a few simple and easy ways to do this. (Yes, this one has sub-categories. It’s totes fine. They go together).
   1. Create a Fan box for your website – this can be done by clicking the Fan Box link underneath the Fan page profile picture. A few clicks, a copy/paste of the generated code, and you’re done!
   2. Put a link in your e-mail signature - by simply putting a little “Connect with me on Facebook” link in your email signature, you’re able to so simple promotion a couple (for me) hundred times a day. Okay, so you don’t email a couple hundred times a day, but most of us at least send 10-20 emails a day. That’s 10-20 more people who will see your link. And if they forward your email on to people they know, that’s 10-20 MORE people, and so on and so forth.
   3. Custom URL - I am shocked to see how many companies still don’t have a custom URL for their Fan pages. If you have over 25 fans, you need to get yourself a custom URL. DO IT. NOW! Leave this site. Go! DO IT! http://facebook.com/username. Seriously, do it.
   4. Newsletters - despite popular belief, not all newsletters are so 2008. Many companies are using email newsletters as a great way to connect with customers. Include a link to your ROCKSTAR page in your newsletter. You’d be surprised how many people will at least click it.
3. Twitter - okay, not everyone who is on Facebook is on Twitter, and surprisingly, not everyone who is on Twitter is on Facebook. But Twitter still is a great way to connect with a different demographic. If your ROCKSTAR page is super interactive, why not link to it in your Twitter URL/bio? Now, don’t spam your followers with “BE MY FAN, YO!” every 10 minutes. But it is totally okay to send out a message once or twice a week saying, “Hey, we’re on Facebook – be a Fan and get awesome updates, etc. etc. etc.” Let them know you love them. Love your followers. Love your fans. And in the end, they’ll love you.
4. Content. Shocker! If you don’t have content, you won’t have fans. Your content has to be as ROCKSTAR as you are. Be creative! Have fun! Change it up. Don’t do all updates, pictures, videos. Add variety. Encourage discussion and feedback. If a fan comments, reply back to them. Pose a question totally unrelated to your ROCKSTAR self – see what happens. Keep fans wanting more. Also, don’t update vomit. Try to spread your updates out throughout the day or the week. Don’t come to the page once a week and post 20 things at once. That will just be annoying, not engaging.
5. If you REWARD them, they will come. Choose a Fan of the week or Fan of the month. Give out freebies and goodies to those who are engaged. Play hide and go seek on your page – hide something on the page and give the first person who finds the hidden thing a prize. Don’t leave them hanging. People love to have their backs scratched – so scratch them, and they’ll scratch you. (Okay, that’s an awkward analogy, but you know what I mean). Give them FAN SPECIFIC offers and content – it will make them feel special and make others want to join in on the fun. When people come to your fan page, they want to see a party going on. Cause people want to be part of the party. Am I right?!

Okay. So I hope some of those things helped. And of course there are a gazillion (yes, it IS a number) other things you can do, but I’ve found, using these 5 simple things has worked really well for me and those whom I have worked with.

Tell me, what techniques, tips, or tricks have helped you out? Have you done any of the things I suggested here? I love to hear other ideas!

But in the end, be the ROCKSTAR that I know you are.

All for now.