If you know me, you know that there are three things in the world that get me talking. In fact, if you know me you’re probably sick of hearing me talk about any of these three things — unless you have a strong belief in any of them as well. And, if you do have a strong belief in any of these three things, than I probably consider you one of my good friends. So, what are they?
Social Networks/Media — Apple — Google
If there is a new social network available, I’m there. Apple News? I probably heard the announcement as soon as it was released. And Google? Well, I just love the belief system behind the Google name. Now, combine any of the things into one device and you definitely have my attention.
Enter, Google+ (Google Plus). Wait, no, that’s not good enough… Enter the Google+ iOS App. Now it’s perfect.
Already on the Android Market, Google+’s native iOS app is simply in a holding pattern for the App Store. I can assure you I’ll be one of the very first to download the app.
We all belong in a Circle of Trust, unless of course it’s the Fawkers Circle of Trust, nobody is allowed in there. With the recent launch of Google+, and Google’s answer to “grouping”, the following video seems to fit perfectly with this.
Okay, so the title of this post is a little one-sided. When I say “semi-professional” I don’t mean the kid down the street that thinks he’s a professional, I’m more so talking about the persons like myself that are professionals, but currently lack the ‘professional status’ that many notice. The students, job seekers, etc of the world. Obviously, these tips can also be used for the professional, but my main focus is on the ones that are in need of the assistance.
Many of the people reading this know what QR codes are… for those unfamiliar with QR codes you can check out this link for a more thorough description of what they are and how they work. A QR code is a square bar code containing bits of data such as URL’s, text or other forms of information. As the United States begins adapting the concept of QR codes, we begin learning more and more uses for these nifty looking blocks of bits.
So, how can a semi-professional use QR codes to spread the word about who they are and what they have to offer? I found a wonderful article over atTheJobShopper.com that gives 7 very useful ways of using QR codes in the professional world.
LinkedIn page – direct the reader to your personal LinkedIn page to provide more detail and depth to your professional background. It would be best if you have a robust LinkedIn page, complete with blog links, social media feeds and recommendations.
YouTube video – link to a YouTube video page where they can view you describing your professional strengths and detailing the value you can bring to their organization.
vCard – although this might not be the best idea if you’re applying to a very large corporation through HR, it could work well if you’re submitting your resume directly to an identified hiring manager. Knowing that they will likely want to contact you directly at some point, you can have your QR code download a vCard with all of your contact information directly into their smartphone.
Blog page – if you have a professional blog, direct the reader to your page so they can read your posts and get a sense of how you think about industry issues and gauge how well you communicate.
Display a creative text message – The QR code can instruct the reader’s device to immediately display a text message on their screen. This is a perfect place to present your unique positioning statement, like: Tim Johnson is the person who will build lasting relationships with the people you want to do business with.
Custom landing page – create a custom landing page that highlights your professional strengths and direct the reader to your personal sales page.
Portfolio page – Showcase your work and direct the reader to an online portfolio of your best work. This is especially powerful for those candidates in design and marketing who can display visual examples of previous design efforts or marketing campaigns.
As QR codes gain steam and more professionals load readers on their smart phones, we will find these nifty little uses popping up. Get out there, learn them and utilize them as best as possible. They will soon become an integral part of both the career world and the social world.
All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work. ~ Calvin Coolidge
Today I read a great article by @mitchjoel that discussed the importance of blogging every day. I think the idea that habits are broken by forcing your body and mind to think and do differently has been beaten beyond recognition, and I’ve gladly held the bat. The thing is, I never thought that my lack of motivation (though the want was there) to blog every day was a habit.
Even if you have to force yourself. The resistance to not to do it will go away over time. Forcing yourself will create a habit. Habits are very hard to create (they can take weeks or even months), but once you have the habit, it will become that much more natural and an integral part of your development. A Blog is to your brain what the gym is to your body. Getting into the habit of working out is tough, but the benefits outweigh the struggle to get there.
I reckon my wife has gotten sick of hearing me reiterate the fact that the gym is overly important to personal, mental, and physical development… and yet, I missed my own cues of personal and mental development through blogging. I think it’s time to attempt a change, succeed or fail, and a change in the habit will be made.
On June 6, 2011 Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. announced the newest features of Apple’s upcoming Operating Systems iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion. The next day, Jobs attended the Cupertino, California City Council meeting to begin the extensive process of building a brand new world headquarters for Apple. The following video showcases the proposed building design and statistics, seems like an amazing concept and will prove to be beneficial to the surrounding area as well as the environment.
On a side note, please pay attention to the first questions asked by Council Member Kris Wang… it makes me very sad for the city of Cupertino that these questions were asked.
My wife convinced me. I guess I am a sucker for begging and continuous attempts at convincing — I think I’m going to make a WONDERFUL father. We are now proud owners of a baby Cockatiel. That’s right, a Cockatiel, the cute little thing to the right.
So, while I don’t have children yet, it is very likely that this cute little thing will teach me great things about myself and my life. Here’s to the next few decades of writing about life, love and this little guy.
Live. Love. Inspire.Live your life. Love what you do. Inspire others.
A very simple idea, a very strong impact. Here is how the thought breaks down:
Live. (Live your life): Our daily grind can very easily and very quickly get in the way of us doing what we want to do and how we want to do it. While obviously not getting yourself into trouble, do things that make you happy. Don’t let others hold you back from your passions, regardless of how stupid or childish you or others may think they are.
Love. (Love what you do): We’ve all seen it before. Jimmy at the local grocery store hates his job. You know this not because Jimmy told you, but because it’s blatantly obvious with how Jimmy acts towards others. Follow your passions, don’t be just another statistic, don’t be another Jimmy.
Inspire. (Inspire others): We cry about needing a better education for our youth, but what are we doing to help this cause? We need to learn to draw on our passions and help inspire our younger generations to follow their own passions. Inspire our youth to believe in themselves.
Be yourself. When it comes to how we live our lives, the only ones that can control what we do is ourselves. Spread the word and be sure to pay it forward (Inspire).
I’ve lived near the Detroit area for my entire life, and until recently never knew that the Belle Isle Ice Tree existed. Thanks to the great Becks Davis from Detroit Moxie, I’ve had the opportunity of seeing some amazing pictures from last years tree.
Since hearing about it, I’ve been looking forward to the day when they turn the water on to get a picture like the one on the right there, allowing me to make my way down there to see it. Sadly, the news has come that due to electrical issues the tree will likely not have the opportunity to come to fruition this year.
Hoping they are able to get things fixed, I’d love to have the opportunity to see it before the weather gets warmer! Come on Belle Isle, fix the the magic tree!
Thought I would start my blog off with the greatest attention getter of all time… BACON!
Back in the day, before most people that know me well knew me, I ran a little site called onederlnd.com. Sure, it was my personal blog, but it became a semi-popular blog (at least in my universe it did). After some issues with the registrar (the fabulous godaddy.com who tried to charge me $90.00 to renew this domain that I owned for 8 years) I have finally repurchased the domain for an amazing $7.95.
With that, my blog is back! I plan on keeping this simple, updating at least once per week, and venturing into discussions such as Marketing, Branding, Detroit, events, random happenings around the city and much much more.
I am a lifetime student of life, so this blog will be ever changing. I have two rules for those reading the blog:
Don’t feed the monkeys or trolls living under the bridge
Enjoy.
If you ever have any blog suggestions, whether it be design, article suggestions, or any random thing out of the blue sky, feel free to drop me a line at onederlnd@gmail.com.
My wife convinced me. I guess I am a sucker for begging and continuous attempts at convincing — I think I’m going to make a WONDERFUL father. We are now proud owners of a baby Cockatiel. That’s right, a Cockatiel, the cute little thing to the right.
