theryancox.com

Now I understand what you’re thinking…wow, those are awfully big words for a company that is barely two weeks old. Twitter unveiled Vine, an app for iPhone and iPod devices that lets anyone create and share 6-second looping videos. The same way that Instagram burst onto the scene two years ago, Vine is following that same wow-factor entrance. Ad agencies everywhere have been put on notice: there is a new sheriff in town on how digital media advertisements should be created. And you have 6 seconds to grab my attention.

My friend Ann Handley of MarketingProfs had a really great blog explaining Vine as: Stupid, Simple, Brilliant. I couldn’t have agreed more, and I think she hit the nail on the head as to why content creation tools that are both intuitive and flexible scale and scale quickly:

1.     Stupid-simple in design.

2.     Dumb-brilliant in their constraints.

3.     Foolproof-flexible enough to have broad application.

This GAP video collects all of the style, branding and messaging in 6 seconds. You’ll find yourself watching the loop 3-4 times to experience all of the 6 seconds too.

A trip down #Gap advertising memory lane for our #firstpost on Vine. vine.co/v/b5PeYQOLuLj

January 25, 2013

We’ve been slowly hurdled, a lot like cattle, into a digital world where every moment is a documentable moment. Before chat tools like AIM or gchat, were you ever saying, “BRB potty”? Until Instagram, were you ever taking a picture of your food before you ate it? The digital communication tools have educated users to see content moments everywhere. Everyone improves 1-2 levels of a particular skill because of technology apps like Instagram or Vine. Photobucket took too much time, so did YouTube. But with apps like Instagram and Vine, I’m creating visual media that can be digested and liked in a matter of seconds.

I think the true brilliance of Vine is the loop factor. The video is only 6 seconds, but if you watch it 4-5 times on ‘repeat’, which is what looping does, you experience what would normally be a 30 second commercial spot. You know the normal commercial, the one where you tune out everything after the first couple seconds. The loop factor sucks you in, and causes you to digest the video clip for longer, and with more intent and attention than any current non-hilarious commercials or advertisements.

That is where the next generation of advertising comes into play: I’m mobile and I don’t have a lot of time. How are you going to engage me in between checking Facebook, email, and text messages? Better yet, how are you going to get me to remember your brand? And share your message?...please…it’s my turn in Words With Friends. Vine does just that – it grabs my attention and evokes me to want to share what I’ve watched.

You can’t make the video longer than 6 seconds, so it forces content creators to “keep it tight”. There isn’t a pay-to-play premium account that lets your video be longer than mine. Think about that for a minute…if this new medium of delivering messaging 'takes'...30-45 second commercials will be transformed into 6 second commercials. That means 80-87% of the fat trimmed. That is really tight messaging. That is challenging creativity. That is a game-changer if I've ever seen one.

The possibilities are endless. The medium of advertising as we know it has been thrown a very wicked curve ball, and I see Vine as moving a new medium of mobile advertising for brands. This communication style for brands will be adopted and become the newest tool in their marketing and advertising toolbox. The 6 second limit creates hyper-focused videos, which combined with the loop factor keep viewers engaged and enthralled longer than any form of advertisements today.

I realize I'm making some pretty drastic predictions off of very little data, heck no data really. I stand firmly behind those predictions though, I see this as the new 'commercial', especially in our mobile-focused world moving forward. 

Imagine seeing this 6 second clip, with a “Folgers Coffee: It needs to be in your cup,” text for the last second. (You’d have to shorten this video by 1 second to add that, but you get my point.) And with the loop factor, you’re seeing the branding message every 6 seconds of the 18-24 seconds you watch.

Dying for a coffee. #magic #vineart #pleaselike vine.co/v/bJwnA9qjYiH

January 29, 2013

I’m riding one hell of a wave of hard work + good fortune + successes over the last 7 months, and I want to continue to have those dominos fall in 2013. Here is a list of my 10 professional goals for 2013. They are in no particular order. These are actionable, obtainable, and hustleable. 

Update: As I was sitting here rereading my goals and going over my goal sheets, I realized I'm spreading myself too thin. I was in the middle of reworking it when a friend commented and another emailed me. I knew my hunch was correct. Goals have been revised.

Goal 1: Create a daily/monthly/yearly blog calendar and KEEP UP with it — NO dropped balls. I’ve said 10+ times now publicly (via this blog, Twitter, Facebook, other blogs) AND privately (to myself, to-do lists, conversations with mentors) that I was going to blog more. I mean, I have so many friends who are ridiculously good bloggers and the kicker: they don’t have any more time than I do (in most cases less). Here are all the places you can find a blog or two of mine at in 2013: V3 Integrated Marketing, SiliconANGLE, Spin Sucks, MarketingTechBlog, TheCommunityManger, EverythingPR, ArCompany [link coming], ExactTarget, Fierce-Loyalty, KyleLacy.com, Kristen Nicole’s stealth news start-up [link coming], and of course, my own blog.

Goal 2: Begin to define my area of expertise. Over the last 4.5 years I've spun too many plates and become good at a lot of stuff, great at not as much. I really want to strengthen my recognition in three key areas: social data, social business intelligence, and relationship marketing.

(cc: Dan Martell)

Goal 3: Become full-time employee at ExactTarget. I’ve been a full-time independent contractor since August of 2012. I love everything about ET: my potential growth, the Orange Culture, and where I see ET being in 3-5 years. The scale of all three is steadily increasing to the upper 90 right. (soccer reference)

Goal 4: Continue my Thank You initiative. If you’ve ever met with me, whether digitally over #SkypeCoffee or in person, I send thank you cards. It’s pretty simple for me; I’m grateful as heck for the people in my life. Whether we are after-hours friends, or you’re a mentor to me, I’m still grateful and humbled by you giving me time. Something I started about 16 months ago and continue to this day is send a quick thank you card after a meeting. It’s my way of reminding them of how thankful I was they gave me some of their time. Time, after all, is our most precious asset.

Goal 5: Have a successful first year at ArCompany, a start-up I’m involved with that was concocted by the brilliant brain of Hessie Jones. Here is a quick teaser: A social data start-up that aims to filter through the noise of the social web and provide insights, allowing you to make intelligent business decisions. Measurable data translates to measurable dialogue. Arc is dedicated to building a new “social” standard via business intelligence that understands the connected consumer and how it impacts business long-term. 

Goal 6: Hit 100 non-ask features in other blogs, journals, papers, etc. Again, a very aggressive goal, but with the amount of tireless and successful networking I’ve done over the last 4.5 years, I have built a podium of sorts that I can take advantage of with quality content and newsworthy updates. OBTW: And TRACK / notate them!

(cc: Gini Dietrich)

Goal 7: Relaunch my website, theryancox.com, on Wordpress. It is what my gut told me and what I wanted, but I, having shiny-new-object-syndrome (#snos), talked myself into going with Tumblr.

Goal 8: Speak at a big conference.

Goal 9: Don’t spread myself too thin. I had some very good feedback from a group of mentors that summed up said: “needs more focus, needs to execute and have greater attention to detail.” So my attention needs to be laser-focused in 2013 and improve in the areas I have room for improvement: Focus, Execution, Documentation.

(cc: Shelly Kramer)

Goal 10: Increase OMBO apps overall brand awareness, drive demand creation, improve customer retention, and establish key strategic partnerships. A direct goal of increasing brand awareness and customer retention by 50% in 2013. OMBO apps has a flagship product, Urban Gossip App, and plans are releasing additional apps in 2013. I was brought on in December of 2012 as a marketing consultant part-time.

Those are my 10 professional goals for 2013. I plan to move this post to my new blog on Wordpress (Goal 7) and add a √ graphic after each goal is reached!

*big thanks to Jen of TheJennaBee for the edits*

There are plenty of people I am indebted to and owe so much of my success to through the 29 years of my life, but what I wanted to focus on the people who helped me through what started off as a not-so-great 2012, yet eventually became my most successful professional year ever. This blog post is a collection of short Thank You notes written in one post.

This is my humble attempt at a digital thank you with all of the love, thanks, and gratitude a blog post can muster.

Shelly Kramer,

I can say with sincerity that there isn’t one person that has believed in me more over the last 4 years than you. Whether I needed some advice, an ear to listen, or just someone to give me an ego boost — you’ve been there for me through thick and a whole lot of thin. There isn’t a person alive I’d trust more to give it to me straight, but I always know it comes with the biggest hug of love possible. May 25th, when you responded to my mentor-catch-up-email with a job opportunity, you pulled me out of the largest, darkest hole I’d been in. Your words still resonate in my head to this day: “Okay, here’s the deal. I’m a big fan of yours and want to see you succeed.”  I know I’ve told you how much that meant to me north of 5 times, but you’ll never understand the truth depth of how much that meant to me. I think you’re brilliant, I think you’re the savviest of business owners, and most of all, I think you are one of the most humble, good person I’ve ever met. I glean lessons from you on a daily basis, and most of the time you have no idea I’m learning anything. Your attention to detail as well as overall “do good, be better” mentality is something that makes me strive to “be more like Shelly” every day. Thank you for all of your continued support and belief. I look forward to proving that all of the time you’ve invested in me one of the best investments you’ve ever made.

Thank you,

Ryan

——

Tim Kopp,

There aren’t a whole lot of words to say, but I’ll keep it short and to the point. Your belief in me and your help in getting me into the ExactTarget door is something that will leave me forever indebted. From our walking coffee meetings, to you putting your name behind me a bit — thank you. I appreciate all of the advice and actionable recommendations you’ve given me to date. I look forward to proving you right, as well as coming for your job one day. =) Thank you again for giving me a shot, Tim, and for your continued friendship and mentoring along the way.

Thank you,

Ryan

——

Kristen Nicole,

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t consider you one of my best friends. From the days of Schindigs and flying you into my investor meeting that was nothing short of me and a few friends, you’ve always had my best interests at heart. I can’t quantify the amount of on-hand support you’ve given me, even if I have to initiate the gchat. It is always, without question, a “let me figure out how to do that” and not a “sorry that can not happen” with you Kristen. You let me onboard at SiliconANGLE and introduced me to OMBO apps. The Fab giftcard is the least I could of done. You’ve been a best friend and supporter of mine from long before I ever deserved it.

Thank you,

Coxymoney

——

Scott Thomas,

To my boss who basically created an opportunity for me — thank you. You’ve been nothing short of everything an employee could ask for in a boss. You’ve been open and honest with me about anything and everything, as well as laid out a framework that allowed a consultant mentality to transfer into the corporate environment. I’ve had some bumps along the way, but you’ve continued to encourage me and have given me chances to redeem myself. Your continued belief in my abilities and finding a ‘best fit’ at ExactTarget have been nothing short of a concrete “solid” anyone could do for someone else. Thanks again boss, and here’s to knocking out some more ideas for 3sixty in 2013.

Thank you,

Ryan

——

Hessie Jones,

I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but that late October message on Twitter might have been my best move of 2012. I’m tireless when it comes to making connections, but you’re a connection that will prove to be fruitful for years to come. Everything I’ve ever said or given you the impression of was legit. I don’t fluff, and I don’t fake. From that first Skype call, I’ve felt we just “got” each other and that we were meant to work together. I’m all about #TeamArc and making it the social data company everyone envies. Thank you for your near-blind belief, trust, and opportunity. You gave me a shot without a reason to (at least from my point of view) and I am focused on proving that to be the right decision in 2013. 

Thank you,

Ryan

——

Kathy Pierce,

You quickly became a best friend in 2012. I can’t explain where it came from, or how, or why, but I’m glad that it did. It’s cliche to say, but you’re the ying to my yang. You seem to always be able to bring me down from outer space and keep me focused and grounded. Your ability to ideate and connect is rivaled only by my own, and our ability to feed off of each other truly added to my successes in 2012. I very much value your friendship, and I’ve quickly became nearly obsessive with staying connected. You’re, without question, one of the most sincere and coolest people I’ve ever met. Maybe one day I’ll be a profitable partner in that empire of yours that you’re building. =)

Thank you,

Ryan

——

Zena Weist,

Another one of my “cold call” emails, and another one that I’m patting myself on the back for everyday. I just knew you were brilliant and the kind of person I wanted to be connected with. The fact that you took me in as a mentee and have provided hours of your precious time to listen and to provide feedback…well, it’s worth its weight in diamonds and gold. You are so good at what you do, I literally get a little nervous before we have our mentor call every month because I want to sound “smart”. I look forward to furthering our relationship in 2013 and maybe even doing some work together. Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for giving me time that you didn’t have to give.

Thank you,

Ryan

——

David Hosei,

I sure wish I’d have connected with you like this back in high school — I’d be a much smarter professional today. =) You’ve been the best same-city mentor a guy could ask for. We’re learning so much along the way together, and I’m really proud to call you a friend. Simply having someone I can see in person and discuss my goals and my hurdles with has provided me with the most clarity I’ve had in a long time. Really looking forward to 2013. 

Thank you,

Ryan

——

Sarah Robinson,

I didn't have a lot going on for me in the first half of 2012, except your friendship and co-working. Even though I was just getting to know you and you me -- you helped me grow leaps and bounds. You are a great mentor, but even greater friend. You are my go-to when it comes to community building, and I look forward to anything we tackle together in 2013. You were my rock for so much of 2012.

Thank you,

Ryan

These are people that I can directly relate my successes in 2012 to, and I hope that their inclusion in this list gives them any kind of indication just how thankful I am.

Here’s to kicking ass and taking names in 2013.

I need to apologize. I've dropped the ball....big time. I got overwhelmed with a bunch of professional and a few personal changes that all seemed to hit me at once, and I let my blog suffer. July 12th I said I was going to fill you in tomorrow. Well, if tomorrow meant 40 days later, let's do it!

In May an amazing business friend and mentor Shelly Kramer, founder of V3 Integrated Marketing, responded to one of my 'catch up' mentee emails with a proposition that can be summed up like this: "I'm a big fan of yours and want to see you succeed. We have an opportunity we've been thinking about creating for you, but you've gotta start small." Fast forward over two months and I'm integrated deeply into the V3 team and loving absolutely every day of it. Shelly, Katy, and crew are amazing to work with. I'm doing a lot of blogging too. Have you checked out our Best of the Web weekly series?

July started off with a double barrel bang!

The first barrel fired: A year worth of walking coffee with Tim Kopp started a ball rolling in May that culminated with a job offer from Exact Target. I'm a full-time on site consultant that is working on the Product Enablement Team focusing on the 3sixty product. I absolutely love my job. The company culture is second to none. The PE team is a collection of ridiculously smart people that work seamlessly with each other, but anyone could go solo for a few days and still kill it. It's an amazing opportunity that I hope to turn into a ET job (not consultant)!

The second barrel fired: Kristen Nicole has been a dear friend of mine for over four years and is currently is the senior editor at SiliconANGLE. After this guest post on the 4 Obstacles Digital Media Faces, she asked me to be a contributor. It's an amazing opportunity for me, and combined with the exposure I get from the V3im blog -- gives me a very big platform as a writer.

On the personal side I'm getting ready to move into my own place downtown Indianapolis, just a one bedroom sans any roommate. I've narrowed it down to three places and plan on moving the first week of September. I'm really excited to get out on my own!

So there it is, I've caught you up!

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome baaaaack!

Marissa Mayer -- taking up the entire page 1 above the fold of Techmeme. Marissa = #winning. lmao

I'm redoing my website, going to be moving it to Wordpress too. And I'm going to have a poetry tab. Yes this is poetry is mine. Yes I wrote it. I don't flipping care if you like it, read it, or anything opposite of either. I'm doing it for me.

Here's a sample:

Why You Matter

     Words are a vehicle, not a choice.

When you let go of angst, you'll find your voice.

     Believe you me, beautiful describes you best.

Worth every ounce of energy, beating in his chest.

     He will give you his heart, in exchange for one last kiss.

   I sure as hell haven't. I mean, the last couple posts on his blog weren't even his. Where did this fool go?

Well, luckily this story has a happy ending.

The news, is all extremely, positively, awesomely, amazingly, outstandingly, (how long is he going with this joke) phenomenally, brilliantly, astonishingly, (f*cker is still going) fortunately, helpfully, happily, crazily, (seriously dude give it a rest) profoundly, exceedingly GREAT news!

I will share tomorrow.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was How To Generate Buzz And Leave A Cliffhanger 101.

And yes, I'm coming back to blog, and overtly throughout the week again. This blog is going to get some serious attention!

Passionately Love,

No matter what business you may be running, going green is an important step that we should all think about making. It is not only very important for environmental conservation, but it is also important for the conservation of your resources, decreasing the amount of wastage your company produces. By aiming to go green and making your processes more efficient, you could indeed increase profits and have a nice eco-friendly story to help you acquire new business.

Some simple steps that can help lead you to a greener future are fairly obvious things such as ensuring that all unused office equipment is properly powered down – not just left on standby! In addition to this, it is wise to ensure that all PC’s, printers and monitors are properly shut down every night when you are finished for the work, and during the day turning off your monitor when you are away from the desk will help your efforts. This will help lower your electricity bills, as well as lowering ambient temperature in the office decreasing the amount of work that your air conditioners are required to do.

If you are willing to invest in your green credentials, then fitting solar technology to your office can help save significant amounts of electricity – technologies such as solar tubes (natural sun powered light replacement) and photovoltaic arrays (to generate electricity) are gaining popularity, and more importantly getting more efficient by the month.

You should encourage your staff to lean toward a paperless mentality, if that's not possible then you should implement the following tips to decrease your paper usage.

Use an electronic Fax service instead of the old paper based method.

Set up reminders on everybody’s email reminding them to only print the email if it absolutely necessary.

Set your printer to full duplex (both sides) printing by default.

Consider implementing a paper less invoicing system if you are sending a lot of invoices out in the post.

Consider your suppliers carefully. If there is a green alternative for your standard office consumables such as pencils, notepads, and office stationary then it would be wise, if the cost doesn’t prohibit, it to use the eco friendly choice.

Outside of the office needn’t be out of bounds for someone trying to help the environment – help staff understand the health benefits and fuel saving associated with a cycle to work scheme. It’s coming into the summer and you should definitely be encouraging your staff to make the effort to cycle, walk or if unavoidable car-share into the place of work.

The important thing to remember when beginning to go green is ‘baby-steps’. You aren7t expected to be super eco-friendly from day one, but with some of the simple steps listed above you can certainly start to make some baby steps to a greener business.

Do you have any great idea’s about how one can increase their green side in an office -environment? Why not leave a comment below – I would love to hear your ideas.

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[Image Credit: business.com]

Citations:

Green Leaf Image

Natural Pen Stand Image

These days, more and more organizations are turning to video and other digital media to promote themselves. Why is this the case? Consumer preferences are increasingly shifting away from long-form print and instead towards a wide range of dynamic digital media, such as video and audio. Digital media can convey a business's story in ways that print fails to do so: for online visitors, it can bring a business to life, highlight existing products and services and tell the stories of the real people behind the business.

It's especially important for business owners to consider including digital media as a part of their online marketing strategies. When developing content for your website, stop and think about what stories are better told in print, and which ones are better told using a more dynamic medium. You have several to choose from:

Web Videos

Web videos can take a wide variety of forms, from content matter to production value. For example, a web video can consist of a formal commercial, an informal interview with a business owner, interview with a selection of the business's customers or a highlights reel of the business's products or services. Videos can be used to give online visitors a virtual experience of visiting your business. Web videos provide an added benefit in that they help boost your business's SEO ranking and help new customers discover your business. Although anyone with an Internet connection and a camera with video recording capabilities can create a web video, business owners should consider hiring a professional videographer with high-quality equipment.

Audio Podcasts

Have interesting content to provide to your customers? Consider developing an audio podcast series. The subject matter is entirely up to you: for example, if you're a garden supply store, you may choose to talk about weekly gardening tips. Podcasts need not be extensive; often enough, a simple five-minute podcast provides customers with a digestible clip that they can listen to in their cars or at home. Audio podcasts can be promoted online and listed in the iTunes Podcast directory, attracting new listeners and therefore serving as a powerful marketing tool in itself. For a really comprehensive list of audio podcasts, checkout Chris Christensen's list of the 71 best podcasts.

Animated Movies

Although web videos can turn any story into a compelling one, business owners wanting to shy away from the camera or requiring more privacy may choose to develop animated videos. Animated videos have an added bonus in that they can communicate concepts and information clearly and concisely. Although the prospect of animated videos may sound intimidating, they need not be. Animated videos can be as simple as moving text and basic animations, and as complex as 3D, computer-generated graphics, depending on a business owner's budget and interests. If you're looking more for simple animation, you can checkout Animoto. On the other hand, using a post-production company in your area is advisable for more complex projects.

Using Digital Media

We already know that digital media can serve as a more powerful storytelling platform than print. As an added bonus, digital media is infinitely more shareable, which helps strengthen relationships with customers and increases a business's visibility. As a business owner, you have the option to disseminate your web videos, podcasts and animated videos on your various social media accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Pinterest. Users can discover these videos or podcasts on their own through Google search, YouTube, Vimeo or iTunes, and then have the option to share this media with their friends and family. The sharing potential of digital media—and the accompanying potential of building lasting relationships with customers as well as acquiring new ones—is huge.

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I've neglected writing over the last month. And it's hurt -- I've felt different. Like I'm letting someone down. Like I'm not 100% of who I should be. Sometimes things happen 

that cause you to put other things on the back burner (that story for another blog) and 

well ... writing got put on the back burner. I've managed to catch my footing enough to get back into a somewhat simliar grove, so I hope to drop some serious content this week.

My first attempt is this post. The Art of Finding a Job: 5 Musts.

Disclaimer: I don't have it figured out...not even close.

                              But what I do have is the storyboard of what I've been doing since November, and I'll share it with you so maybe it can help you in your search...or you help me in mine. Like I said, I don't have it figured out. But I think I've highlighted 5 musts. =)

Reach out to your trust circle.

Utilize job boards and groups.

Swallow a whole hell of a lot of pride.

Meticulous dedication to hours spent looking.

Luck.

Now I'm sure you're saying to yourself, and rightly so, "Ryan there are a bunch of other factors involved." Yes, however I believe these are the 5 biggest contributors to finding a job, thus the "art" or "musts". 

1. Reach out to your trust circle.

Reaching out to your trust circle means letting those fellow business professionals, friends, mentors, etc. know that you are in the market for a job. Be very specific to the industry and salary requirements. As a +1, giving them a list of 3-4 businesses you'd love to work at. These are the people that know your abilities best, and at the same time have an invested interest in you getting a job. This should not only be one of the first things you do in your quest, but I believe it is something that you should re-touch ever 2 weeks. Now by re-touch, I mean exactly that, re-touch. I don't mean hound once a week with a sob story of why you need a job -- By re-touching, I simply mean shooting a gentle reminder in an email, text, direct message (DM) etc. 

Utilize job boards and groups.

The amount of companies that are online right now actively looking for employees will surprise you. It sure as hell surprised me -- and being online is my profession. But as a potential employee, you have to be able to go to where the companies are posting those active positions they need filled. I have found two resources, for my search, to be extremely helpful. The coupe de gras is LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn is the largest business-focused social network there is. Often considered the "digital resume," LinkedIn offers you a place to be a part of the largest professional network. With LinkedIn Jobs, you can search for jobs and customize your search to place, type, salary, etc. It's extremely well done and very easy to navigate. The second place, for MY job search that has proven beneficial, is a Facebook Group that I help manage called Social Media Jobs. It is by approval only to join, and is moderated very heavily by a small group of us. We average about 20 social media related job postings a week across the entire country. Currently there are over 1700 members. Even if you aren't in the social media space and looking for a job, I venture to guess there are similar groups on Facebook for your industry.

3. Swallow a whole hell of a lot of pride.

I say this with much seriousness. You're going to get a lot of email or verbal no's. The most dreaded introduction to a job application response reads, "We wanted to first and foremost thank you for applying to _________."  Your heart sinks and you immediately know its a "thanks but no thanks" email. With that being said, you need to just button down the hatches, and suck it up. I hate to go all cliche on you, but with every no you hear, you're one step closer to a yes. That doesn't make it hurt any less, but it's the honest to God truth. Swallow your pride, and remind yourself that you are VERY qualified and someone is going to get a STEAL when they hire you.

4. Meticulous dedication to hours spent looking.

I speak from personal experience that "looking for a job" requires an awful lot of work. It's not something you can send a few emails and then the job miraculously finds you -- it takes a lot of blocking and tackling. You have to calendar it off just like anything else you need to dedicate yourself to doing. Give yourself a window: from 9-12 and 3-5 today I'm going to find and apply for jobs (as example). Here is a tidbit that will make the time you spend applying 110% more efficient too: SAVE A FILE OF YOUR ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SO THAT YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ON NEW WEBSITES/APPLICATIONS. In hindsight, I could have saved myself well over 30 hours (to date) if that is something I'd of figured out at the beginning (November) and not in the middle of (last week). Fact: It is a horrible pain in the ass to have to answer the same questions over and over. Fact: It sucks that all job applications are not created equal. Some of the UI's are horribly clunky. Fact: Saving your answers to questions as you go, in a master document, can shave applying time down from 15-30 minutes to 5-10.

5. Luck.

I wish I had something profound to end with, but sometimes it requires just good ole luck. Not the kind of luck that just happens out of thin air though. You won't get a job offer while playing golf on a Friday (although I did once, post to come later). The kind of luck I'm referring to is luck that you create. By notifying your trust circle, utilizing job boards and groups, swallowing pride and spending time ACTIVELY SEARCHING for a job -- you put yourself in a vastly better position to receive good luck in your job search. By inserting yourself into where jobs are, the likelihood of something 'falling into your lap' increases exponentially. 

So there you have it folks. My 5 musts when trying to find a job. Does it mean that if you follow these 5 musts you'll get a job immediately? No. LOL. I wish it did, because I'd have been placed in my next job by now. But I can promise you this: ... you'll be closer to finding a job than if you didn't.

I'm currently looking for job placement on a national level (willing to relocate) in regards to a social media, community manager and/or digital marketing. I have a strong passion for communications, and the processes of those communications. I also have a strong skill-set and desire around building communities and consulting with brands on how best to serve those communities. My resume can be found here, and my LinkedIn profile here. If you know of any open positions or would like to contact me you can email me at: [email protected]

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Jeans should fit. Gloves should fit. #Love should fit. What your job is and your passion, in a perfect world, should fit. Shit in life should fit. We leave something behind when we are fitting into everything though. Friends.

Wait.

I'm not talking about your soccer friends you grew up with since you were six.

I'm not talking about your crew from college.

I'm talking about the people you meet, that motivate and energize the HECK out of you. Like stupid-crazy energize you. The people that you come across and you're just like %&# &*!% #^%^ #LOUDNOISES #$^& %#&@ !%$&.

I'm all about timing. Damn, so much in life is defined by it. Here's the rad thing about timing though: not all of it is out of your control. I'm not even going to argue what the percentage split is on uncontrolled vs. controlled -- that isn't the point. So relax, no need to get puffy-chest syndrome. 

Well I met one of my #LOUDNOISES friends early last week. And by "met" I obviously mean came across online and immediately became enamored with. Her name is Jen Friel aka @JenFriel. She's the founder of a blog called Talk Nerdy To Me Lover. 

Let's digest that for a second.

Seriously? How flippin' rad is that URL? I thought my buddy Joel's website MakingLoveToYourEarVagina.com was a badass URL. Then I found Jen's. 

I read the first post that brought me to her site, a story about 103 #OkCupid dates in 9 months. It wasn't a new post or anything, someone I followed on the Twitter reposted it for some reason. I clicked to read it because I was fascinated by the title of said post. 

Fast forward an hour, and I haven't stopped reading. Post after post I was consuming stories and was more entertained than my favorite episode of my favorite show. This chic was beyond cool. The why? Because she plain and simply didn't give a flip. She went after everything her heart told her to. Fear wasn't a word she allowed herself to hear, emotion she let her body feel, or thought she let her mind have.

I instantly became angry.

(Angry you say Ryan?)

Yea angry.

I had always considered myself a fearless go-getter. And my new "friend" had just proven to me over the last hour, that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I wasn't.

So I immediately felt challenged and accepted the challenge. (We still have yet to even tweet communicate and Jen had energized me to the point that I went and ran a quick mile just to get my thoughts in order)

And damn did I feel good. There was some kind of new motivation I was feeling inside that wasn't there hours prior. 

How can that be? Someone I didn't even know of a couple hours ago, who I've still yet to actually communicate with, and who WAS NOT Steve Jobs -- had literally woken up a side of me that I didn't know had been laying dormant. 

And then it hit me: Jen was a friend fit for me. Whether she ever felt the same or not, it was #Fact. She was someone that motivated, energized and otherwise challenged me to be a better me. And there wasn't anything that was ever going to change that. The damage had been done.

Had I mentioned yet that she was gorgeous?

(No you hadn't)

Okay well, she is. And I'm sure that had something to do with my attraction to her as a person, but it was one of those scenarios where that was just an added bonus -- because her killer instinct to life was one of those awesome feelings you never want to lose. 

Whether its business or pleasure, people that make you feel like this are worth their weight in diamonds. If it was something we could bottle and sell, it'd cost more than your Macbook per ounce. It can't be manufactured, wished or stolen -- it can just be felt.

So operation #befriendjen went into motion, and to my surprise, she only impressed me more. We quickly hit it off, and even made public pledges to visit each other in 2012. And play Duck Hunt. Why you ask? Because #nerdsunite ... that's why. #done

Everything in life should fit. From your jeans, to your friends. People that make you want to totally kick ass and be a better you -- those are the people to get close to. Your life is going to be so much better when you do. And when those people show you that they really care? Like, the "why is this person so nice for no other reason than to be nice" care ... it makes you want to be the exact same way. There are a kagillion different types of #Love. And they all win.

So thank you Jen. Thank you for being so damn you and so damn invigorating that it made me want to tackle impossible, and give it a noogie.  

In the end...everything in life should fit. #nerding 

Hey Jen...Psst: 

Men usually aren't a fan of shopping. Stereotypes are what they are for a reason, because it speaks to the majority. With that being said, stereotypically men are the most adversed to clothes shopping. It was easy when we were younger, if it didn't have a swoosh on it, then it was a jersey of one of our favorite players. 

And when it came to the bare essentials: underwear, socks, t-shirts, socks and toiletries -- if Mom didn't put it in our bathroom drawer or on our bed, we didn't have it.

So what are we supposed to do when we move out? Is Mom supposed to visit every couple months with a significant bare essentials package? Quickly find a wife so she can fill in the void? (That's just silly Ryan. No, duh.)

Enter Manpacks. Manpacks is a web service that delivers manly goods on a schedule. Items can include men's underwear, socks, razors and more. It's that simple. By design, it sets up your recurring service to send your necessities every 3 months. Need something rushed? Need to change (+/-) the scheduling? It's dead simple to do on Manpacks easy-to-use dashboard. Returns are at the cost of Manpacks, not you the consumer. 

Full disclosure: I was showed this website by a friend, and immediately fell in love with it. I've put in my first order, to be scheduled for delivery every 2 months. #BOOM One less thing I have to worry about. One less thing I have to build into my weekly and/or monthly to-do list. One less thing that can cause one of those, "Darnit I'm out of this, I really wish I had new that" situations.

Mother tested, girlfriend approved. Manpacks is a no-brainer for any guy. The pricing is competitive and has name brands like Hanes, Calvin Klein, and Nivea while promising to continue adding more brands in the future. And the cherry on top...any order over $30 is free shipping. 

I can say with unwavering certainty that I am able to find a lesson in anything I hear or see. So when I was watching ESPN's First Take this morning, a great lesson slapped me right in the face. The topic was: will a second Super Bowl ring make Eli Manning more popular and translate into more endorsement deals?

The long and the short of it can be summed up with one word: No.

Eli Manning is an excellent role model for children. 

Eli Manning is an even-kiel sportsman.

Eli Manning is, by all accounts, a good person that stays out of trouble.

But one thing Eli Manning isn't, is marketable. Nice guys actually do finish last in some things, and end up going to the prom alone. With that being said, in the marketing and promotions world -- they're never going to get the girl. I can hear you right now too, you're screaming WHAT ABOUT TIM TEBOW RYAN!?!? Well the #Tebowing phenomenon isn't comparable. He's a very vocal Christian, and we are all well aware that sex, politics, and religion sell. Does Tebow want to make money off of his Christianity? No, I truly believe he doesn't -- nor do I think his faith is based on its ability to make him more money. But Tebow ruffles feathers because of who he IS not who he is NOT. Consequently, marketers have no problem exploiting him and that fact to get impressions and make money.

Eli is not his brother Peyton. All of their father Archie's charisma wen to Peyton, and none was left for Eli. Peyton can sell more pizzas. Eli can't. Unfortunately for Eli, this isn't one of those scenarios where can't should be a word in your vocabulary.

And what about Tim Duncan you ask? 

Well when was the last time you saw Tim Duncan in a commercial? His most recent Bridgestone Super Bowl commercial with Steve Nash is the first time I remember seeing him in any kind of promotional material in four to five years...AT LEAST! Duncan is a go-about-his-business, no non-sense, unassuming guy. And that's about as appealing to marketing departments as this ------------------>

As a business owner don't be Eli Manning or Tim Duncan. We don't remember the Eli's and Tim's of the world. Here's two examples, national and local:

Mike Arrington founder of Tech Crunch and now Crunch Fund 

Scott Wise founder of Scotty's Brewhouse & Thr3ewisemen  

Say what you want about them, one being more polarizing (Mike) than the other (Scott) ... but if you've ever met either of them I bet you remember them. That's the point. Be memorable.

Here is what I am not saying: you need to be brash, polarizing, and loud. 

Here is what I am saying: you need to be confident, approachable, and vocal.

You don't have to be the Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson) of local restaurants or Meta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) of Internet software. At the end of the day, even the greatest business owner personalities can fail. If a business has an unsatisfactory product/service (and/or) it becomes known from having more talk than late night television and it cannot back it up -- well, they'll weed themselves out. It's been that way in business cycles since humankinds first trade. 

Momentum is a very interesting word. It is a word that describes more about what you can expect in the future, as opposed to what you should expect right now. Momentum, in fact, is one of the better forecasters of all-time. (His track record proves it) So as the momentum builds for Super Bowl 46, it's a pretty exciting feeling being a part of the host city.

More importantly, Indianapolis is going to silence some of the cold weather host city critics. Dr. Patrick Rishe of Forbes.com, explained Why Indianapolis Is A Highly Desirable Super Bowl Host City. Here are some highlights from that piece: 

EXPERIENCED AT ACCOMMODATING MASSIVE CROWDS – INDY 500, FINAL FOURS

As far as live one-day spectator sports go, you can’t get much bigger than the Indianapolis 500. With over 257,000 seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and an estimated annual attendance of roughly 300,000, this is easily twice as large and perhaps closer to three times larger than the attendance for Super Bowl XLVI…

WALKABLE DOWNTOWN WITH NUMEROUS ENTERTAINMENT AMENITIES

Having attended numerous professional and amateur sporting events across America, I can tell you that fans appreciate convenience.  And one big aspect of convenience is transportation from point A to point B.  Most notably, the typical visiting sports spectator loves scenarios where they can walk from their hotel to most of the cool visitation amenities in the area.  The less driving, the better.

A wise man once said: This isn't my first rodeo cowboy. Indianapolis has proven time and time again that it can host, and exceptionally well, large weekend or week-long events. Not only does Indianapolis have a history of well hosted events, we're proving to be extremely innovative too. The first ever Social Media Command Center for a Super Bowl is being launched at Super Bowl 46. A team of strategists, analysts and techies will monitor the digital fan conversation via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms from a 2,800-square-foot space downtown.

Tom Spalding was one of the people chosen for Social 46 and he's doing something pretty cool. Tom is chronicling the entire Super Bowl 46 experience pushing social information to the Interwebs through his Storify collection. Social 46 is a gathering of Indiana's top social media influencers according to the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee. In short, it is a list that was put together to help build buzz and spread information about the Super Bowl. Invitations were limited to, <drumroll please> 46. They aren't being paid, and minus a few freebies these are Hoosiers that have been tasked with, and accepted, helping make Super Bowl 46 the most socially connected Super Bowl ever!

The list of people blogging and tweeting about the Super Bowl reaches FAARR beyond just those deemed one of the 'Social 46'. Excitement is contagious, and by no means are only those 46 individuals allowed to share information! It's ENCOURAGED that everyone in Indianapolis contributes to building the buzz of the Super Bowl, AND takes time to enjoy all of the festivities we're hosting too!

Conversations around the Super Bowl, Social 46, and how SB46 can help the Indianpolis economy are everywhere!

There is this post from Jay Baer, this post from Lorraine Ball, and this post from Chris Theisen -- just to highlight a few. Additionally, there is the slew of #hashtags you can follow on Twitter:

#social46

#superindy

#superbowl

#superbowl46

#sb46

#indy

#zipline

#XLVI

superbowl2012

sb2012

sbvillage

super46

The reach of Super Bowl 46 is going to be far beyond any previous Super Bowl. It will be the first truly social media supported SB. Even the mobile app is kick-ass.

On a personal note, I just have one request for all of my Indianapolis friends -- get out of your own way. Ego's and inflated opinions on who should of gotten this, why you should of been on that, etc.etc.etc. is a lot of wasted hot air. Let's just agree to disagree on all of that small nonsense. And in turn, come together to show everyone that Indianpolis throws one hell of a party.