In my last post I mentioned that there were a lot of things keeping me busy, including a secret project that I'm sure has had you all going wild with curiosity. Well fear not, my friends, because it's time for the big reveal...
I'M PUBLISHED!!!!
That's right, someone else besides me has published my writing. I got the chance to write as a guest blogger for a travel website called Smarter Travel, and they posted my article yesterday. It was only 800 words and I didn't get paid, but that doesn't matter to me. I finally have something published!
I actually discovered the opportunity to write for Smarter Travel back in October. It was seemingly perfect timing since I had just come back from my California trip and had plenty to write about, so I pitched my story and they were all for it. Unfortunately, this was also around the same time that I moved into my apartment, and my life was a tad bit stressful to say the least. I tried to write my piece as things slowed down, but life was still a bit overwhelming and my writing skills weren't exactly up to par. But thanks to writing regularly again (and thanks to life feeling somewhat more normal), I finally felt ready to give it another go. I was worried about the delay, but it turns out that waiting was totally worth it. Smarter Travel was still happy to take my piece, plus I less stressed and I knew that my writing skills had improved. And overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out.
If you'd like to read my post on Smarter Travel, check it out here: The Budget Traveler's Guide to Northern California.
Also, in case you couldn't tell by the fact that I have a blog, writing is something that I really enjoy and that I would like to continue to pursue. I wouldn't be able to do any of it without the support of my family and friends, and this piece is no different. It may be something small, but for me it's a huge step forward. For this piece I want to thank three friends in particular - Maura and Nicole, for reading several of my drafts before I sent it in; and Carolyn, who not only read it but used her stellar PR and writing skills to help me edit and improve it. It may not seem like much to you guys, but to me it meant a lot. Thanks a million!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Follow Me @hphelps31
I know, I know. It has once again been almost a full two weeks since I wrote a blog post. I'm sorry! But in all fairness, I've been a bit busy. Preparing for the high school retreat, job hunting, watching Avengers to prepare for Iron Man 3, training for a half marathon, running a half marathon...it's a lot to juggle! Plus I'm working on another little project that I may or may not tell you all about in good time, but for now, it's a secret. Cue cliffhanger.
As fun as all of this has been, it has been frustrating not finding the time to write. When I first started this weekly blogging thing at the beginning of the year, I had a hard time finding things to write about. Now I have all sorts of things that I want to write about, but not enough time! Go figure. And of course, rather than write a blog post on my Friday night in (I'm just that cool), I decided to spend my evening doing something that I'm still surprised about -- I signed up for Twitter.
Yes, it's true. I was a Twitter Resister for a long time, and I know that my fellow Resisters are probably scowling at me thinking "Shunnnnnn." But the truth is, I'd been thinking about it for so long, it was time to take the plunge.
To be honest, I really didn't want another social networking platform to keep track of. Facebook and Pinterest take enough of my time, and for a while I honestly didn't understand the point of Twitter. To me, it seemed like it was just a long line of Facebook statuses with a character limit, and that seemed more like an annoying burden than something fun to follow. But thanks to talking to my friend Carolyn who's in PR, I came to realize that Twitter has some practical purposes, and those purposes seemed like pretty good reasons to jump on the bandwagon. Here are those reasons:
1. Twitter is a fast source for news. Headlines, sports, you name it. If you follow news agencies, summarized updates, usually with a link to the full story, will pop up on your feed. It's a great way to know what's going on in the world and have all the information in one place. And it really is surprisingly helpful with following your favorite teams when you can't watch the games.
2. It's practical...and I'm a very practical person. As I look around the job market, a lot of places need someone who's familiar with social media - including Twitter. Knowing Twitter will help me broaden my skills set and make myself more marketable for jobs. Even beyond my own job search, I've realized that a lot of businesses and organizations - that I'm a part of - communicate on Twitter. By not following them on Twitter, I'm missing out on an incredibly convenient way to receive information. Plus, at the last UMD football game I went to, they were giving away prizes via Twitter and I didn't have it. Womp womp.
3. Let's face it, it's a great promotional tool. Big companies obviously manage Twitter accounts, but so do entrepreneurs and my fellow bloggers. Since I would love for writing to become a bigger part of my life, I'm hoping that some day this blog will grow to something more. What that something more is I have no idea, but I think that posting my blog on Twitter is a great way to help that growth along.
I feel like there were more reasons but I can't think of them at the moment. And don't get me wrong, just because I'm getting on Twitter doesn't mean that I'm going to completely bury myself into the world of electronic communication and social media. Those of you that know me know that I am all about face-to-face interaction and I love being around people. As a matter of fact, after days one and two on Twitter I realized that I was spending too much time on it just trying to figure out how it worked, so I made sure to step away. But social media is not a bad thing. My friend Ben Heyman, who I worked with at camp a few years ago, is a PR student who works very closely with social media. He phrases its purpose perfectly on his website (be sure to check it out!):
As fun as all of this has been, it has been frustrating not finding the time to write. When I first started this weekly blogging thing at the beginning of the year, I had a hard time finding things to write about. Now I have all sorts of things that I want to write about, but not enough time! Go figure. And of course, rather than write a blog post on my Friday night in (I'm just that cool), I decided to spend my evening doing something that I'm still surprised about -- I signed up for Twitter.
Yes, it's true. I was a Twitter Resister for a long time, and I know that my fellow Resisters are probably scowling at me thinking "Shunnnnnn." But the truth is, I'd been thinking about it for so long, it was time to take the plunge.
To be honest, I really didn't want another social networking platform to keep track of. Facebook and Pinterest take enough of my time, and for a while I honestly didn't understand the point of Twitter. To me, it seemed like it was just a long line of Facebook statuses with a character limit, and that seemed more like an annoying burden than something fun to follow. But thanks to talking to my friend Carolyn who's in PR, I came to realize that Twitter has some practical purposes, and those purposes seemed like pretty good reasons to jump on the bandwagon. Here are those reasons:
1. Twitter is a fast source for news. Headlines, sports, you name it. If you follow news agencies, summarized updates, usually with a link to the full story, will pop up on your feed. It's a great way to know what's going on in the world and have all the information in one place. And it really is surprisingly helpful with following your favorite teams when you can't watch the games.
2. It's practical...and I'm a very practical person. As I look around the job market, a lot of places need someone who's familiar with social media - including Twitter. Knowing Twitter will help me broaden my skills set and make myself more marketable for jobs. Even beyond my own job search, I've realized that a lot of businesses and organizations - that I'm a part of - communicate on Twitter. By not following them on Twitter, I'm missing out on an incredibly convenient way to receive information. Plus, at the last UMD football game I went to, they were giving away prizes via Twitter and I didn't have it. Womp womp.
3. Let's face it, it's a great promotional tool. Big companies obviously manage Twitter accounts, but so do entrepreneurs and my fellow bloggers. Since I would love for writing to become a bigger part of my life, I'm hoping that some day this blog will grow to something more. What that something more is I have no idea, but I think that posting my blog on Twitter is a great way to help that growth along.
I feel like there were more reasons but I can't think of them at the moment. And don't get me wrong, just because I'm getting on Twitter doesn't mean that I'm going to completely bury myself into the world of electronic communication and social media. Those of you that know me know that I am all about face-to-face interaction and I love being around people. As a matter of fact, after days one and two on Twitter I realized that I was spending too much time on it just trying to figure out how it worked, so I made sure to step away. But social media is not a bad thing. My friend Ben Heyman, who I worked with at camp a few years ago, is a PR student who works very closely with social media. He phrases its purpose perfectly on his website (be sure to check it out!):
"I wake up excited to jump on social media. I do not value social over face-to-face interactions. I value them differently. I value the ability to connect with people around the globe in a new way that was never possible before. I value the ability to learn new things, be exposed to new things and connect with new people."
-Ben Heyman, www.benheyman.com
Using Twitter, or any social media for that matter, is about using it the right way. Not letting it dominate or take the place of real human interaction, but seeing its benefits for information and communication.
Now, if anyone can help me figure out how Twitter actually works I would really appreciate it.
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