Rules in the “Real World”

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not graduating until next Spring, which I’m glad of, but recently I’ve been feeling like I may actually be more “real-world” ready than some of my peers. I see people on Facebook and Twitter in the middle of lectures, and their general demeanor makes me wonder how they’ve reached senior level classes at all. An article I read today on Inc.com wasn’t necessarily a wake up call to me, but certainly a solid reminder that in a very short amount of time my peers and I will have new rules to live by. Here are some “old-school” rules that stood out to me as necessary reminders to my generation.

1. Experience trumps education.  This one is kind of hard to accept. We just paid a bunch of money and spent 4(+) years at school and are ready to take on the world! Alas, unless there were many internships or jobs at the same time as school, all that time and money was spent to get to square one on the Life board. SO experience as much as possible while in school; internships, jobs, traveling, living. The more experiences we have the more easily we will be able to show what we can give a company.

2. Commitments mean more than just “best effort.”  Commitment: a pledge or promise; obligation. I don’t know if 20-somethings have historically been really bad at holding commitments or if it’s a newer issue, but I can’t say how many times I’ve been part of a group project and people just didn’t do their parts. By not doing their part in school they get a bad grade, so what do these people expect upon graduating? If a commitment is made and is not upheld in the workplace, especially without any warning that the person needs help/more time/whatever, the non-committer can expect a harsh talking to if they get to keep their job.

3. Multitask, yes; multi-think, no.  This goes back to my frustration with classmates who are always on their phones or laptops, doing everything but listening in class. For this point I’m just going to quote the whole thing. “You can walk and talk on the phone at the same time. That’s multitasking. You cannot give full attention in a meeting and be texting or emailing at the same time. Be fully present to only one activity at a time if that activity requires thinking.”
Come on, guys.

Gen-Y folk already have a bad reputation for having an aura of entitlement-without-responsibility. Taking this advice (and the rest given in the article), we may be able to eventually change the opinion of the general public. Maybe. I hope I do, anyway.

I didn't have a photo for this post... these are some daffodils in front of my house. Daffodils are the flower of hope, and I hope to never seem "entitled-without-responsibility" :-)

Sometimes it’s best to leave things at “Sorry.”

Early this year a Wisconsin man, Ronald Ball, opened up a can of Mountain Dew and was sorely disappointed to not have a delicious glowing green beverage, but instead a rather “rancid” one. After further inspection, Mr. Bull discovered that the can in fact had a dead mouse in it! I’ve never been a fan of Mountain Dew myself, but any liking I had for it just went down the drain… and, according to an article from PRNewser, it gets worse.

“After contacting the company, Ball sent the evidence to PepsiCo. Lawyers and experts from the company say that after closer examination, they determined that the mouse would’ve ‘dissolved in the soda’ in the time between bottling and consumption, turning it into a ‘jelly-like substance.'”

I'm gonna go on and skip this "experience."

Why on earth PepsiCo. thought the best way to approach this issue would be to admit their product can dissolve a mouse, I will never know. If I were a mother and read about this, I would never- ever! – let my kids drink Mountain Dew for fear that one day their organs would join the mouse and turn into a (probably bright green) jelly-like substance. Somewhere along the line PepsiCo. officials obviously forgot to consult their PR people before making this announcement.

I think consumers should be informed when something they’re consuming has the ability to dissolve a small rodent, but this was far from the right way, if there is such a thing, to do it. PepsiCo. should have offered an apology and perhaps some rodent-free Mountain Dew to Mr. Ball.

The Pioneer Woman Knows Her Social Media

One thing I really like about my part-time-to-get-me-through-college job is that I get along really well with all of my coworkers. One of my favorites, Sonja, was the first person to introduce me to the blog The Pioneer Woman. Sonja encouraged me to take a look at it because the writer of the blog, Ree Drummond, was not only funny but she had great recipes and lots of photos to go along with each recipe.

Sonja moved away (thank goodness for Facebook!), but I continued to check into the Pioneer Woman every now and then to find new recipes or just stare at pretty food pictures, but she also has tips on gardening, photography, and homeschooling, as well as a couple other less specific “for fun” sections.

I mean really, look at that. Who wouldn't want to visit this blog all the time?

The Pioneer Woman is a good (extreme) example of how social media can be used for public relations, and to gain and expand an audience. Ree started with her blog, and when it acquired followers she created Facebook and Twitter accounts. Through these outlets people are able to share their finds with others and by word of mouth The Pioneer Woman became a well known blog. So well known, in fact, that Ree now even has her own show on the Food Network (also called The Pioneer Woman), and a cookbook coming out on March 13!

Nearly 400,000 people follow The Pioneer Woman on Facebook, and nearly 300,000 on Twitter. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, interaction is essential to maintaining an audience and Ree constantly replies to fans in addition to starting conversations and posting new content to her blog, Facebook, and Twitter almost daily. If you have never been to this blog I encourage you to at least take a look… there’s so much to find :-)