Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

Stop Trusting Viral Videos

 

You go on Facebook or Twitter and there you see a video of folks involved in some type of dispute.

You are automatically outraged! How could this be happening? You comment on every news media outlet on social media and you post it to your own profile.

Guess what?

You are part of the problem that is happening on social media platforms everywhere; you are judging based on ONE VIDEO you saw without seeing the entire incident!

The parts of the video that seem to ALWAYS be posted are the parts that are the “juicy” details that the media knows will have outrage follow.

When multiple videos present multiple possible truths, which one is to be believed? This is the question most don’t ask themselves BEFORE they judge a video. When do they ask this? Most ask this once they realize that they are being duped by the mass media for a reaction that fits their agenda.

Not only this, but on social media it’s so easy to do two things: 1) Lie and 2) Be anonymous. This can especially be done on Twitter. Twitter today has turned into a place you go when you just need to know the gossip and only do it with folks who believe the same as you do. When you find an “outsider” you attack. This is just what the mass media loves and wants. They love tweets from folks who fit their agenda. Right now they love folks who are against the President and all those people who are for him. He is the enemy and they are fighting this battle with their pose on Twitter. When will these folks realize that this can quickly turn against them?

I was ecstatic to see that Twitter suspended the account of the person who started the latest viral lie. But that doesn’t stop these folks because just as quick as they are to get suspended, they can turn around and create a new account. I have said this many times on my radio show, and I probably will say it a million times more; social media was NOT designed for political conversations nor is it the place where folks should be getting their news from. With so many bloggers who have an ax to grind, and folks who believe anything that they are selling, the internet has made it difficult to understand what it true and what is false.

The add the point, on Facebook this week, a woman created a post saying that a certain number of kids went home cancer free, and she wanted folks to share it so she did what you are “supposed to” do, she said, “ I bet you won’t share this!” Boom- over 1 million folks shared it WITHOUT researching just how true the post actually was/is. I can tell you that if kids who had cancer went home cancer free, and it was a huge number, the mass media would cover it. That is a heartwarming story and they do still cover those, especially on social media.

In closing, I will just give this advice to all who are on social media: 1) Be careful what you write and put out there. It can always come back to bite you later. 2) When mixing personal with business, be smart about it. This means not to incorporate politics and religion as those 2 topics can wipe out half your clientele. And finally, 3) Look at social media more as an investment, not just an activity. (Especially if you are a brand or business)

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

How Your Data Is Being Used

pexels-photo-1092671.jpeg

 

So, if you are like anyone else on Facebook, you probably did the 10 year challenge without even blinking an eye.  It’s for fun, right?  Well, if you are like me, you would think that the 10 year challenge is a way for Facebook, scammers, police enforcement and just about any other company to collect data using facial recognition algorithms on age progression and age recognition.

Now only that, but half of the stuff that folks do on social media can be seen as a way of marketing schemes to collect data on it’s audience to best determine how to get you to buy or use their product/service.   When you click an ad on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you give that platform very important information.  You might not even know this, but when you pass a billboard on the highway, that billboard is collecting data of you through your smartphone.

For people to even complain about Facebook selling data or data breaches, for that matter, is ridiculous, simply because you are giving Facebook the data in the first place! No one is telling you that you need to give your date of birth, your most recent photos, check-in to places, and so forth.  No one is forcing you to tell Twitter what you think about this, or post that picture of you eating sushi for the first time on Instagram.  The only person doing all of this is YOU!

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all public forums.  Yes, you can have your account as “private,” but the platform is still collecting your data whether your profile is public or private.   What it comes down to is not giving out so much information.  These sites won’t know what they know if you don’t tell them!

Be careful what you post.  Be careful about what you say. It can always come back to bite you later on.

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

2020 On Social Media Is Going To Be Brutal

 

If you haven’t guessed where I am going with this yet, then maybe you really are hiding under a rock. I am talking about the dreaded Presidential Election in 2020.   If talking and reading about politics hasn’t killed you yet, don’t worry, it will in a year and a half.

You will have nut jobs from both sides of the isle arguing back and forth and forth and back on why we should vote for ……. and not for ………

So this is my plea to all those crazies who JUST love to talk politics: For the love of everything that is holy, please, don’t make social media even worse than it is now!

Social media was developed for 3 reasons: 1) To keep in touch with family and friends. (Yes, I want to see those pictures of kids I once taught, kids that I know and cute cat videos!)  2) To network. This is the most important thing for any business man or woman to do if they want to succeed in their business. Entrepreneurship is all about connecting with not only customers or clients, it’s about people in the same industry as you are. It’s also reaching out to those who aren’t to see if they can support you in any way possible.  And finally, 3) To build up the community.  This is what we really should be doing instead of tearing each other down and building up hate.  There is more hate and negativity on social media than I have ever seen the eleven years I have been a social media guru.  Literally, people will argue over the dumbest things!

vote 4

Are we really becoming that cynical?  We should be banning together, like everyone did after 9/11. Remember that moment? Remember how we all hung the American Flag from our homes and cars, everyone held open doors, was polite, compassionate, and showed what the American Spirit TRULY was- One of the worst days in U.S. history brought out the best in  ALL of us.  And for those who weren’t born then, read this:  http://bit.ly/2wuliw4 

We need to go back to HOW we were back then. We need to STOP bashing each other on social media. Instead we need to use social media for the greater good.  Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion whether or not you agree with that opinion, ( remember that while you are trolling Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, okay?)

vote 3

How about we all cool off and go back to posting pictures of food, rainbows, unicorns, and cats? You know, the way Facebook use to be BEFORE people decided to use it as a platform to bicker with each other who don’t agree with their point of view. If you want to have a political conversation, why don’t you do it the old fashioned way: in person?  This way there are no “misunderstandings,” while I read your post on why I need to vote for_________. Oh, you weren’t being serious, only sarcastic?  Oh, you meant that as a joke? Oh, you were trying to tell me how important this issue means to you but at the same time you keep posting pictures in the opposition? People can’t read emotions on social media.

It’s one thing for people to talk about freedom of speech, but it’s another to to be a hypocrite in the same sentence.  Freedom of speech doesn’t work when someone ONLY agrees with you. It works even when someone doesn’t agree with you. Remember that, okay?

You’re not going to change someone’s beliefs on social media. You can argue until the cows come home or pigs fly, but you’re just wasting your time. People are different and believe different things. Accept it and move on. Life’s too short.

Let your vote be your voice.

 

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

The Release of “Diary Of A Drama Queen”

I’m so excited to announce that February 28th, my upcoming book, “Diary of A Drama Queen,” will be released on Amazon as an eBook.  The paperback will be available on Barnes and Noble dot com in the coming weeks, so you can get the paperback exclusively through me or on my author page on lulu dot com.

I have Meet the Author events coming up- in person and online.  I also will be holding contests and giveaways! It will be a fun next few months.

SO if you don’t follow me on Facebook , Instagram, or GoodReads, you will miss out on the FUN!

 

drama of a diary queen

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

Fan Of The Month Club

It’s February- can you believe it?

To make the shortest month go by faster, let’s have some fun with a fan of the month contest.

Here’s how it will work:

Go to my Facebook page: Click here to go to it.

Like the page or just click Follow.

Share my posts and comment on my posts.  And that’s it! That is how you are entered into the contest.

You can also purchase a book from me and write a review for extra bonus points.

Winner will be chosen at random.

 

 

 

Comment

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

If You Use Social Media, Then You Need To Read This- Now.

Thanks to social media, our lives will never be the same again. Period. Ten years ago, no one knew what the phrase “social media” was, let alone how it would impact our lives. So with the growth of social media came the growth of people saying whatever popped into their heads at a moment’s notice. No one thought about what they typed, they just typed it and sent it out there into cyberspace, hoping that they would get someone’s attention. Well, it worked. They not only got attention, they now have gotten themselves into a dilemma. In other words, people are getting into trouble at a recording setting pace just by what they post on Facebook and Twitter.

In some studies it is suggested that more than 90% look at a prospective employee’s social media accounts before making a final hiring decision. Which means that the line drawn between either getting the job or not getting the job can all come down to what you post or tweet.

One applicant found himself out of the running for the job he applied for because after he joined the group, “I shouldn’t have to press one for English,” on Facebook, his would-be employer branded him as a racist. Another Facebook story is a man who was tagged as someone with, “the potential for violent behavior” because there was a picture of him holding a gun.

A 22-year-old North Carolina waitress blasted two customers over Facebook for stiffing her on the tip and keeping her late. She also took the time to mention her workplace by name. She was fired for breaking a rule about disparaging customers.

And that is not the only thing that can go wrong while using social media.

There was a person who was looking for work who was flagged for “illegal activity” after putting an advertisement on Craigslist look for the drug Oxycontin.

Then there was a woman who had been living off of disability insurance for depression since 2008. But when the Canadian insurance company making the payments, got into her Facebook page, they saw her “relaxing at the beach, hanging out at a Chippendale’s-style club, and generally having a lot of fun.” She immediately lost her insurance benefits.

The only one that has the power on your profile or your page is you. Its a sure thing that people who have gotten fired, not recruited or even hired didn’t think their social media sites would be the reason, but it seems to be the trend. Nobody thinks before their tweet or post- they just tweet and post.

Then there were stories brewing that would-be employers are asking potential employee’s for their emails/passwords combos to their social networking sites.

I just love the hypocrisy of people today.

On one hand you have people who cry that their privacy is being compromised due to Google and due to their online activity, while on the other hand these same people are posting/tweeting information that they shouldn’t. You can’t claim you are a victim when you are the one putting yourself out there.

These people cry foul but yet haven’t changed their online behaviors. . Since there are no true boundary lines drawn as of yet on these social media sites, there are always going to be situations that people and even professionals are going to find themselves in. If we can cut down on the negative uses and abuses of social media we can then start to use social media for what it’s pure intention is: to network, keep in touch with friends and family as well as meet new people. The only way we can curb the negative, such as cyber bullying and just plain stupidity is to force people to think before they post or tweet since our employer’s will be checking in on us from time to time. Cyber bullying would be a thing of the past instead of our future.

The thing that people don’t realize is that what you post or tweet most certianly reflects your employer, your friends and your family. Social media has in turn made everyone lose their common sense, manners, and we somehow have forgotten how to respect each others opinion. We instead mock people, call them outlandish names and intimidate them. Some people decide to unfriend a person in real life as well as online simply because we don’t have the tolerance to accept the fact that everyone is entitled to their opinion. It’s like I have always said to kids when I was a teacher, “ You don’t have to like everyone, but you do have to respect everyone.”

The best advice I can give everyone is this: If you aren’t going to say exactly what you are typing in public or to someone’s face, don’t post it or tweet it. Don’t become a social media troll. Plus, we don’t need to know what you are doing at every freaking minute of the day. Yes, your kid is cute but I don’t need to know that he or she is potty training. I don’t care if you are going to workout, get coffee, go to the laundrymat, etc. What you are in turn doing by letting everyone know where you are and what you are doing, is being open for robbery, theft, or even personal harm. You really don’t know who is “spying” on your page. This goes for when people “check-in” to places. But the personal level of stuff, let me just say that 90% of court cases have Facebook listed as evidence in them. Let’s make social media a place where we show respect, kindness and joy. Remember, there’s a difference between fact and opinion. Your opinion is not a fact. Let’s stop attacking people and using it to incite violence.

Dirty laundry belongs in a basket, not posted on the Internet. Just because it pops into your head doesn’t mean you need to post it.

It’s really that simple. Or is it?

Posted on by Stephanie's Corner

Don’t Do These 4 Things If You Want Your Business To Grow

In business, as in life, some of the best advice I learned early on was not to try to be all things to all people, because it typically means you are only trying to please everyone, but yourself.  Most of the time we  jeopardize our true strength to focus on what we may not be successful at and create overall pressures for ourselves, our budget, and our company as a whole.  We tend to not focus on the tasks at hand, and place our focus on things that are not going to help in making our business better, but weaker. I have seen a number of very smart people get into business only to ultimately fail because they didn’t look at their business through the eyes of how to have success, but instead focused solely on having the “build it and they will come” mentality.

The first thing I have seen business owners do that will not help their business grow is take things personally when things don’t go their way.  What I mean by this is simply this; they think the world is out to want them fail.  That couldn’t be further from the truth! The world is not out to get you. The world wants you to succeed.  The saying, “It’s business, not personal,” strikes a cord with me. If business is going to continue, someone has to be held accountable. The purpose of business is to make a profit, change the world, let your voice be heard, and that other things, such as personal feelings, must not be allowed to prevent this.  Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t develop personal relationships with co-workers, team members, clients, etc. It just means that you can’t let that fog your brain when you need to make an important decision about your brand.

The second thing I have seen business owners do that will not help their business grow is that they don’t take their bills seriously and they are always looking to save money, by cutting corners. First off, the saying, “You need to spend money to make money,” is true to its core. You can’t expect to make money when you are afraid to take risks. You need to market yourself and your brand. You need office supplies. You need money for insurance, rent, stamps, staff, etc.  Cutting corners and trying to save a buck or two, usually never works out. (This depends on the corners you are trying to cut. There is a thing called the Internet that can help you save time and possibly money. But use it wisely.)   There are the companies that don’t understand that when you hire someone to help you succeed, or purchase a different service, you are paying for that service.  Therefore, you need to treat every invoice as you would want your customers to treat your invoices. You have to remember that everyone has bills to pay, not just you. Always pay your invoices on time.  When you don’t, that is a reflection on you and your character, not the company’s.(From which you are paying)

Thirdly, it takes a combination of strategic planning and creative thinking to ensure that a brand or business is successful. Going into a business without a plan is never a smart move.  I wouldn’t want to start a business if I didn’t know if I had opportunities for it to grow, how long it will take to get it off the ground, and what effort and amount of energy I need to put into the business for it to grow.  A lot of times people don’t realize that the location, location, location,  of your business is going to have the most effect on if you are going to succeed or fail.   For example, opening a deli on a street with no foot traffic isn’t a good idea.  But at the same time, today, social media is the only thing that is going to either make you or break you.  And most companies hire “big” name companies that whisk them off their feet to handle their social media instead of hiring local social media experts to handle the gig. If you don’t hire the right people to help spread the word on your brand, you mostly are heading for failure. And not to mention, you are headed for sleepless nights!

Finally, the most important thing NOT to do, is to give up on your business too early. In today’s world, everyone wants instant gratification. But with patience, perseverance and determination, you can have your business grow.  Remember, Facebook wasn’t making any money for a very long time, and it was considered a billion dollar business. Stick to the fundamentals.  Good things, sometimes, take time.

You can follow Stephanie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram