A link to the article I wrote for the latest Boelter + Lincoln newsletter. Keep in mind that this piece was written for Milwaukee area businesses that have varying levels of social media knowledge. Enjoy.
It’s 2010. Ninety years ago American women won the right to vote. In 1973, women won the right to choose via Roe v. Wade. In 1984, the first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, received a vice presidential nomination from a major political party. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi was elected the first female Speaker of the House. And finally, in 2008 the U.S. received its first realistic female candidate for president, Hillary Clinton.
Yes, it’s 2010, and despite all these accomplishments, I’m here to say sexism is alive and well in America.
How do I know this?
I know this because despite the fact that 35 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 have a bachelor’s degree, compared to 27 percent of men the same age, women still make 78 cents to every dollar men make. I know this because despite women making up over half the U.S. population only 17 percent of the U.S. Senate is made up of women. And I know this because despite the rise of stay-at-home dads, women continue to do 70 percent of housework. But perhaps, more importantly, I know this because a few years ago a drunken relative “humorously” said to me, “Sarah, you can be senator, but you can’t be president.”
Despite all these statistics and accolades, I know there are many who disagree with me. There are many who say women don’t make as much as men because they choose to take time off from work. To those I offer the following recent news stories:
Google Tells Sites for ‘Cougars’ to Go Prowl Elsewhere
This New York Times article explains that Google has banned dating sites like CougarLife.com (a site that caters to older women looking for younger men) from appearing as sponsored links or other types of Google advertising. However, Google continues to allow sites “like DateAMillionaire.com, which assures its clients they can meet sugar babies” to advertise.
K&L Gates: Closed to Associate Mothers?
This article discusses how the large New York law firm, K&L Gates, somehow finds a way to get rid of their female staffers once they have children.
Is This Woman Too Hot To Be a Banker?
A single mom was allegedly fired from her job at Citibank because “her bosses told her they couldn’t concentrate on their work because her appearance was too distracting.”
Do you think blatant sexism is a myth? Please feel free to share your thoughts and stories.
There is one argument as a PR professional that I am forever having with my tech-obsessed boyfriend. That is the idea of personal branding. The argument goes like this:
Me: Everything you do is branding. Even if it’s not your intent. When you post things on Twitter you are adding to your image, people’s idea of who you are. In other words, your brand.
Him: I am not a brand. I don’t care how other people see me. I’m going to do and say what I like. If people don’t like it, (expletive) them.
Me: And that’s your personal brand!
I will leave the rest of the argument to your imagination.
My point? Today the tech-obsessed boyfriend (who I love dearly) passed along a great post on personal branding by author Maureen Johnson. She has developed her own manifesto on the subject:
“The internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people—talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free. Look at what other people are doing, not to compete, imitate, or compare . . . but because you enjoy looking at the things other people make. Don’t shove yourself into that tiny, airless box called a brand—tiny, airless boxes are for trinkets and dead people.”
If you haven’t guessed, she agrees with my boyfriend. But I have to say, I don’t really disagree with her statement. The Internet is made up of people, and when I talk to others about social media I try to make it a point to say it’s a two-way street. Yes, company XYZ, you will need to log-on several times a day and actually talk to people. After all, social media is about building relationships.
The term “personal branding” has gotten a bad rap among those who don’t work in marketing. It’s the same as the term “networking.” Ugh. Networking. Who wants to be forced to talk to a bunch of strangers and push business cards? Tweet-ups are much more attractive. At a tweet-up I get to have a few drinks, and meet new people!
It’s all a case of you say tomato, I say to-mah-to. In fact, I encourage people to post Lolcats photos, join causes and produce wacky videos. Just make sure the things you’re sharing, and the image you’re putting forth is one you’re OK with having. If that’s the image of someone who doesn’t care what anyone else thinks, more power to you.
I’m in PR. I cater to people every day. I call or e-mail clients and journalists based on their personal preference, print out documents for those who like hard copies and use Twitter and Facebook to enhance my relationships. When I’m finally the client, the one to be catered to, is it too much to ask for people to communicate with me the way I prefer?
I recently e-mailed my personal banker with a question about one of my accounts. The response? A voicemail on my cell phone. I hate voicemail. I didn’t send my banker an e-mail because I wanted to talk on the phone. Weeks have gone by. I still haven’t called, and let’s just say his follow-up has been less than stellar. Meanwhile my questions are unanswered, and I am left with a less than perfect impression of my somewhat new bank.
There are a lot of different ways to communicate, and we all have our preferences. However, when you’re dealing with clients and other business professionals it’s important to take the time to cater your communication style to them.
A good rule of thumb: respond using the same communication method they used.
So if you’re wondering why I haven’t returned your voicemail, try sending an e-mail.
Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But for all the female Brewers fans out there, I have some bad news. Doris Hajewski (@dhajewski) of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the Brewers did not make the cut for a new Victoria’s Secret line of Major League Baseball inspired clothing. Here’s a link to the official release.
Who was chosen?
For the most part the “beautiful” cities:
- Chicago Cubs
- Chicago White Sox
- Boston Red Sox
- Los Angeles Angels
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- New York Mets
- New York Yankees
- San Diego Padres
Sure, there were a few oddballs - like the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies – but all the cities are in larger DMAs with a seemingly larger selection of “beautiful” women.
I’m not sure what Victoria’s Secret criteria was for picking MLB cities, but it seems to me that they should have included fan loyalty in their decision-making process. Sure, L.A. is a huge market, but how many females really care about the Angels or Dodgers?
On the other hand, the women of Milwaukee (and the entire state of Wisconsin for that matter) are pretty fanatical about the Brewers. I’d wager that Milwaukee women would at the very least match the sales of the two L.A. teams. Heck, we’d probably wear the apparel more too.
What do you think? Am I out of touch with the female baseball-lovin fans of L.A.? Maybe I’m just blinded by my Brewer pride?
As one JSOnline commenter said, “Like I want panties with the Cubs logo on them. Then again, a well placed Cubs logo could be a great expression of the disdain I feel for them or the Yanks.”
Better luck next time, Milwaukee.
This post has been a bit delayed, but I wanted to tell you about a project I’m involved in that launched just last week. It all started when I saw a tweet about six months ago from one of my favorite Gen-Y bloggers, Matt Cheuvront (@mattchevy) asking for a few volunteers. A week later I was recording a video of myself describing my own “epiphany moment.”
For those who don’t know Matt, he is a highly motivated, Chicago-based, Gen-Y blogger and Web designer among other things. I encourage you to check him out at his blog, lifewithoutpants.com or his personal Web site, mattchevy.com.
With a little help from his friends, Matt has put together well over 20 videos of people describing their epiphany moments. The videos are meant to inspire and encourage you to upload your own epiphany moment.
A teaser trailer of the project is posted below. I hope you’ll check it out. What is my epiphany moment? Well, I guess there is only one way to find out…
While you won’t find any official rules at Foursquare.com, I feel there are some unspoken rules the Foursquare community has embraced. While I haven’t followed all of these rules to the letter, this is my interpretation of how the game should be played.
- No checking in at a drive-thru
If you’re going through a drive-thru you aren’t at a venue. You’re in your car. How long are you going to be there? Five minutes? - No checking in after you leave a venue
This rule is pretty self-explanatory. The one exception? Celebrities with stalkers and crowds to worry about. - No checking in at home or work
Checking in at places you go to everyday is cheating. Also, no one cares if you’re at work. We do care if you’re at a hip new bar. - Do leave tips and to-dos
Tips and to-dos are great, and very helpful when checking out a new restaurant. - Do encourage all your friends to join
The more friends you play with the more fun the game is! - Do fight for your mayorship
Mayorship is a source of Foursquare pride. It is perfectly acceptable to visit your local pub to reclaim your throne on a Tuesday night. Not to mention the deals you can get when you do! - No checking in when you’re sitting on the couch watching Lost
Again. Cheating. - Do not friend request people multiple times
I understand that everyone uses social media tools in different ways. Maybe you’re using Foursquare to increase your social network. However, I’m not, and requesting my friendship over and over is not going to change the fact that I don’t want unknown people stalking me. - Do go on weekend badge crusades
Laugh at me if you will, but weekend badge crusades are a fun, cheap way to spend the weekend. - Do not share your check-ins on Facebook and Twitter
Remember, we all use social media tools differently, and not everyone on Twitter and Facebook are into the whole Foursquare thing. Unless it’s a special occasion (Ex. You’re at an event, conference, traveling to a new place) my Twitter and Facebook feeds do not need to be clogged by your check-ins. Please keep that to your Foursquare friends.
So there you have it, the rules of Foursquare according to me. What are your Foursquare rules, policies, dos and don’ts?
