Want to Be a Better Blogger? Treat it Like the Job it Is
By Tiffany Monhollon | January 2, 2009
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The challenges of holding down a full time gig while maintaining a professional presence are no small feat. In fact, in reality, it’s more like holding down two jobs, although one may not pay the same way the other does (if at all). Being a successful blogger requires time, creativity, and consistency. And if you’re maintaining a presence elsewhere – like on Facebook or Twitter, the amount of time you spend online can become overwhelming. But that’s no need to give up. Realize that, whether or not it’s on your resume as such, blogging is a job, and start to think about it that way.
As you’re thinking about your goals for your blog this year (or month, or quarter), think about your blog like the job it really is. Use these seven steps to help you along the way.
Topics: Blogging, Business, Career Development, Goals, Leadership, Tips | 12 Comments »
Forget Resolutions. The Secret to Freedom and Focus this Year.
By Tiffany Monhollon | December 31, 2008
It’s been a whirlwind of a year, to say the least. Looking back, I am so thankful for the journey and all I’ve learned. About relationships. About letting go. About starting something. About blogging. About networking. About creativity. About priorities. About myself. About life.
I’ll be honest. I’m a sentimental gal. I love milestones, the bittersweet mix of all that was and all that could have been.
That’s probably why in my start-and-stop affair with pen-to-paper journaling, one thing you will see without fail is an entry on the last or first day of every year since I started writing. Or the night before – or after – a big event.
So this morning, I sat down and decided to make the most of my week off (I took the time off to finish my thesis proposal, but hey, a girl’s gotta reflect), and pulled out my most recent journal. I untied the blue leather strap and fingered the gold filigree on the cover, thinking. I knew it had been a while, but I didn’t realize that the last entry I’d made was the night before my wedding. I won’t tell you what it said, because some things a sentimental gal wants to treasure just to herself, but I will tell you what it meant to me now.
Part of it was realizing that every day, not just the milestone days, are worth treasuring.
Topics: Blogging, Goals, Learning, Life, Personal Development | 11 Comments »
This Changes Everything.
By Tiffany Monhollon | December 12, 2008
Yesterday, I got to experience in person the miracle of birth as my best friend delivered her second daughter after 18 hours of incredibly painful, unmedicated labor. Back labor. If you want to know more about it, Google it, and I’ll spare you the details. But suffice it to say, it was a rough night and a long morning.
But let me just tell you one thing. Being in the room as that child came into this world was one of the most incredible moments of my life thus far. The surge of pure joy that filled that room was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
And I thought, this changes everything.
But this is not a post about becoming a mother, because we’re still waiting a while for that. And it’s not a post about working and being a mother, because I don’t have any experience in that yet. And it’s not a post about how crappy the insurance industry is, although it could be, because I have learned a lot about that in recent days. It’s not even a post about pain or labor or any other metahpor.
It’s actually a post about blogging. And how that has changed my life. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Blogging, Career Development, Expertise, Personal PR, Relationships | 7 Comments »
Don’t Let Guilt or Fear Steal Your Thanks Today
By Tiffany Monhollon | December 2, 2008
After the blessing was said and we sat down to our festive holiday meal on Thursday, my grandmother asked us all to share something we are thankful for, but this year, there was a caveat: something we’re thankful for that we don’t normally think about in terms of gratitude.
As we went around the table, the answers my family shared were fascinating. My husband, an artist and designer, said he was thankful that God gave us the ability to create. My dad, who works in medicine, said he appreciated the fact that we can distinguish and enjoy different flavors. My mom, a preschool teacher, said she loves the fact that as humans, we have the ability to learn and develop.
The holiday is over, so you may be wondering why I’m writing a post about thanks today. To be honest, it’s partly because I was spending time being unplugged over this holiday and partly because even though it’s great to have an excuse to stop and think about all you’re thankful for, all the normal, ordinary things we take for granted, we should be thinking about thankfulness more than just on designated federal holidays.
But let’s be honest. Even though it shouldn’t be, being thankful is sometimes really, inexplicably hard. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Life, Personal Development, Productivity | 10 Comments »
Leadership Alive: A Lesson, A Book Review, and A Challenge
By Tiffany Monhollon | October 30, 2008
Chuck had reached a point many bloggers reach. He was ready for something new. So, Chuck took a step and launched a new blog despite people who say starting a new blog is a mistake. He ignored the noise and pressed on, determined not just to duplicate but to shatter his former success.
One day, Chuck had a big idea. His idea, borne, I’m sure, partly out of his own experiences, aimed to help other bloggers who’d been where he’d been: Bloggers who were writing great content but had few readers. He knew there were thousands, millions, of people out there who needed a solution to this problem. I can tell you one thing: Chuck’s not the only one who’s ever identified this problem. He’s probably not the only one who ever had an idea of how to solve it.
But Chuck did what most people never do. He didn’t just see a problem and come up with a solution.
He moved past the fear and did something about it.
Topics: Blogging, Followship, Leadership, Learning | 9 Comments »
Social Media Reality Check: How Deep is Your Brand?
By Tiffany Monhollon | October 28, 2008
In case you missed the news, social media is officially mainstream! OK, so the announcement may not have you jumping up and down or ringing up everyone you know – not even grandma – because it hardly constitutes news. In fact, research shows that 60% of web users access social networks at work. Social networking is arguably ubiquitous, as it transcends generational and social lines on a growing basis. In fact, Ning.com - one site dedicated to helping users create their own social networks is itself increasing exponentially and predicts to have over 4 million social networks by 2010. On almost a daily basis, another major corporation announces jumping on the bandwagon to create their own social network.
The Appeal and the Problem
In the era of personal branding, one of the most widely-acclaimed and accessible tools you can have in your toolbox is apresence is social media. The logic behind this is simple: social media has the ability to connect you to some of the most influential, popular, and interesting people in the world. The problem behind how many people apply this logic is also simple: simply having the word “friend” or “follow” between you and someone else doesn’t mean a real connection exists.
You know how the story goes. A friend sends you a link to a new network or tool, you join up – just in case it becomes popular so you can tell everyone you discovered it first. Or, someone really cool online starts a new social network, so you join too, hoping to bump digital elbows. But before you realize it - or even if you are so “connected” you never have time to really notice - your presence in the majority of these social networks is the metaphorical equivalent of taking a cardboard cut out of yourself to a cocktail party.
Topics: Authenticity, Networking, Personal Branding, Personal PR, Social Media | 12 Comments »
Social Justice in an Uncertain Economy
By Tiffany Monhollon | October 15, 2008
Many things define a generation. What happens to us, around us. The culture we’re immersed in, the technology that shapes our norms and opportunities, the pulse of a society, the issues that divide and bind.
One of those issues binding us all right now is the shaky shape of the economy. The news is unavoidable. The constant ups and downs in the market has everyone from wall street to main street panicked.
It’s a time of incredible uncertainty, to be sure. A time that will mark our generation. But with that, it’s important to realize that it’s also a time of incredible opportunity.
That’s because it’s more than simply what happens passively to a generation that defines it. The actions we chose, the choices we make, set the course to define the landscape of the future.
Topics: Generations, Personal Development | 10 Comments »
