Margie Clayman

What the Cleveland Indians Can Teach You About Blogging

David McGraw asked me to write about the Cleveland Indians actually making a run for the pennant this year. Now, at the time, the Indians were reigning supreme in the American League central, ahead of Detroit and everybody else. Of course, now we are biting at the Tigers’ heels, but we are in second place. Every game seems to go right down the last strike, and we don’t seem to be playing particularly well.

In other words, this season is making me a nervous wreck!

Because of the fragile state of my nerves, I can’t think too much about whether the Indians will actually end up making a real run for the pennant. We still have 10 games against the Tigers and Chicago may well give us a run for our money. However, in thinking about this baseball season, I realized a lot can be learned from the Cleveland Indians if you are a blogger. Here is what I came up with.

Measuring Your Online Footprint

by Margie Clayman

Tom Redwine submitted a topic idea about how we measure our online influence. I’ve been thinking about this concept for a long time. On the surface, it seems like an easy question. I thought, “Well, this will be another sort of “resource” post.” But the more I thought about it the more I thought that I really didn’t just want to list the expected answers. As I thought about that, I realized that measuring our online influence is a lot like measuring aspects of our real life, like what impact we have on other people, for example.

Because I’m torn, I’m going to answer Tom’s question in two ways. First, I’ll provide some ideas on how you can sort of start to get your arms around how you might be influencing people online. Then I’ll talk about some ways that aren’t as tangible but are just as (if not more) valuable.

30 Tips On How To Find A Job Using Social Media

by Margie Clayman

This post idea came from Christina Pappas. A lot of people are looking for jobs right now, and it seems like the online world can be a great help in that quest. But how exactly can Social Media evolve into a job-hunting tool? Here are some ideas I’ve seen.

LinkedIn

1. Make sure your photo is updated and that it looks the way you would want to look in a job interview (that means a picture of your baby may not be the best choice)

2. Load up your resume into LinkedIn.

3. Use keywords carefully, because people *do* search on LinkedIn. If you want to be found for copywriting, make sure copywriting is one of the words you use in your profile

4. Join groups on LinkedIn tied to your profession of choice

5. Scan the Questions section, especially in your areas of expertise. Start answering questions as often as possible – this not only shows how much you know but it can also reveal a great deal about how you interact with others

6. Keep an eye on companies you’d like to work for. LinkedIn is a good place to see new job openings

7. Network with people who can help you get your foot in the door. Don’t be a jerk about it, but search them out.

8. Do NOT import your Twitter feed into LinkedIn. That’s one of the best ways to lose your entire network.

9. Make recommendations for people you have worked with. There is a general understanding that when it comes to recommendations, it’s polite to return the favor (but only if you truly worked with that person in some way).

10. Don’t post frivolous updates as much as you might on Facebook. LinkedIn is a bit more “formal wear.”

Things you may not know about Margie

by Margie Clayman

Well, Corinne Edwards has been saying for awhile now that I am nebulous. While I blog here pretty much every day, no one really has the whole picture of what I am really all about. Today is Corinne’s lucky day – I’m doing what she wanted and I am telling you a bunch of stuff about, well, me. For future generations, I want to make clear that I am doing this because a friend asked me to. Generally, I find talking about myself to be quite intriguing, but not a spectator sport 😉 I found this old meme from years past, and then there’s some more stuff. That should be all you could ever need to know 🙂

Your Inner Critic Needs A Vacation

by Margie Clayman

Mimi Meredith suggested I check out a post she wrote about refraining from criticism for a whole month. Being an obliging soul, I did, and I must say, her post really has me thinking. I have been maintaining that a lot of the strife we encounter online and in the real world is based on a sense of entitlement. You know, entitlement along the lines of, “I’m entitled to my opinion and yours is stupid.” But Mimi has a bit of a different idea. She thinks that we butt heads with each other a lot because we are so critical of each other.

In a way, this isn’t really our fault. Bloggers tend to end their posts by asking us to weigh in or by asking us what we think. Facebook and Twitter ask us what’s on our minds. We want to answer all of these things honestly, and honestly, a lot of times our first response is to critique.

Now why is that?

Do we default to criticism because it makes us feel like we are really engaging with the content we’re reacting to? After all, one would think you really need to absorb something in order to tear it all to shreds. Do our insecurities make us look for imperfections in other people and then pounce on those imperfections? Maybe we just feel like criticism is a way of being helpful.

Like I said, Mimi’s post got me thinking.

The Value of a Liberal Arts Education

by Margie Clayman

Sometimes, people ask me how I came to be a marketer when I earned my advanced degrees in Library Science and History. It’s a fair question. I mean, let’s face it, American Revolution to The Now Revolution is not exactly a straight line. Some people may assume that this was always my destiny since my family owns a marketing firm, but in fact, the universe was wide open for me to do something else, and still, I ended up working in (and loving) the world of marketing.

The funny thing is not that this is my story, but rather that most people I know have experienced similar things. A lot of people I went to college with majored in English, Theater, or History. A lot of them today are in banking or are working as lawyers. My friend Ryan, who gave me the idea for this post, went to grad school with me and earned an MA in History, and he now works in the insurance industry.

The not so funny thing is that these stories are I think influencing people to wonder whether a Liberal Arts education is the best way to go. I remember when I was working at the craft store between my senior year in high school and my freshman year in college, my old principal came in. He asked me what I was going to major in and I said History and English, and his response was that he’d see me at McDonald’s. Ouch.

Margie Clayman

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