My Last Post, I think.

Today I read the website of a headhunter who claims the new rage is posting your resume online on your own website. I'm pretty active online - current profiles I maintain for myself or other businesses on at least a weekly basis include: Facebook (three pages), Twitter (two pages), Blogspot (three pages), Wordpress (1 page), my Linkedin, and a corporate website. This doesn't count my long-ignored Myspace, the other myspace accounts I run for other people, and of course, my abandoned blogs. There is the myspace blog, 2 linked to this account I'm currently in, and another that I've lost access too (and can't remember the name of) that was fully anonymous. Oh, and the one attached to the gmail account I set up last year as a temporary portfolio site, and since I can't recall the exact email address, I'm locked out of it too.

In going to set up another new blog/website on which to post my resume, professional writing and so on, I actually discovered a blog that was not only abandoned, it was also fully forgotten. It was about boycotting Perez Hilton. At the time I started it, I was hooked on that stupid site, checking it every day, even though it consistently pissed me off. I decided that a method of quitting it would be to write a blog post each time I wanted to check the site. I got to 5 posts before I abandoned the site, and then I forgot all about it and Perez Hilton. It's a miracle! I'm actually capable of quitting something.

So then I got to thinking, if I were going to hire me, I'd probably google me first. Good lord. Kids these days have no idea of the permanence of what they post online - even I forget sometimes. That damn record review will haunt me the rest of my days. Even things that were never published online - like that letter to the editor I wrote to a music mag (which was edited to all shit, removing all the good bits, and claimed I was from "Chilliwack") is now in Google Docs. Sigh. Everything people, everything you post online is virtually permanent.

In fact, I forgot that for a short time I used facebook's app "Networked Blogs". Even though I've removed the App and deleted my blog from the app, it still shows up attached to my name in a google search. The link doesn't work, so hopefully at somepoint the app will clean itself up and it will stop showing up in searches. I don't know how else to get it off there.

The thing is this - I'm not ashamed of a single word I've written here. The problem is that now that I'm blogging (partially) for a living, what do I need this blog for? How much time do I want to dedicate to this shit? When I initially started it I guess I harboured some unrealistic idea that I could be a paid blogger just by writing whatever I wanted to. Cause I'm so awesome. I dunno. I also write for enjoyment, but it has become somewhat like art for me. When your hobby is your job, it's hard to use that same hobby as a way to unwind. At very least I recall thinking that if I named my blog after my favourite things to read, review and discuss, that it would keep my interest long enough to at let me remember my password. Of course what it lead to was being able to offer expertise on blogging and eventually hooking me up to blog for other people, and companies.

As I said, I'm not ashamed. In fact there are some articles on here I'm quite proud of. What I'm trying to work towards is having control over my own brand. Yes, me, a brand. Since it is so damn easy to brand onself online these days I have to join in. Doing so will allow me to link up my many social networks and to present the version of myself online that is hireable. I don't think this blog makes me unhireable - that's for sure. But it doesn't appeal to all potential employers, and it isn't ALL I'm about. I guess I just want more brand control and now that I have a vision for what my brand is, I need to start weeding out the useless things I've posted online and leave only the version of myself I would want someone who googles me to find.

After all, I find making out in public pretty repulsive. No one needs to know who I think is hot or what kinky toy I'd enjoy getting my hands on. Well, some people might WANT to know, and I'm overly willing to share that, but I don't think I should continue to post it publicly, unless I plan to become a sex therapist or blogger. Though being a sex therapist or sex blogger is something I'd love to do, it's unlikely at this point. It's amazing how your career can kinda just fall into your lap, your expertise becoming so specific, and almost by accident.

At this point I'm an expert - a real expert - in some areas. Though I might like to think so, I'm not a sex expert.

So I'll be leaving the blog up for a while, I guess. At least until I can figure out if that stupid App will ever fix itself, so as to permanently detach my real name from this blog. If it can't, this blog is coming down, or whatever.  I'm considering moving some of my best posts to my new home, but we'll see.

Those of you readers who actually know me in real life are welcome to join me at my new home. Don't worry - it won't be hard to find - it will be attached to my newly minted brand - my real name.

Thanks for reading.

Called It

You know the great satisfaction of the feeling you get when you say "I told you So!"...yeah, I get that when I mention things that are uptrending and then they become trendy. Like the time I told Carmyn that she would, within a year or so, begin to feel an uncontrollable urge to buy Purple. And she did. We all did. Blue is next, in case you are wondering. Bright blue, navy blue, teal. BLUE. Get some.

Since I forecast as part of my work, being right also comes with professional success to some degree. I imagine people who forecast real things, like profits, also experience this satisfaction when their predictions are correct. Though they probably financially benefit from such correctness, and really, I just get to sit around feeling smug.

Trends are funny bitches though. Sometimes it seems like a sure thing and then you are totally wrong about it. The journey from counter-culture to mainstream doesn't always flow as expected. But remember way back in February of last year when I talked about Steampunk and how it was a growing trend? Yeah, today I popped on to Twitter to update a corporate profile I maintained, and guess what was a trending topic? "Disney Steampunk".

Yep. Disney is getting in on the movement. Nothing quite says "mainstream acceptance" like being a part of the Disney family.

Lingerie Love

Oh I love it so much. Hand made. LOOK AT THAT LACE PEOPLE! Lovely.

Ohhh...drool...it's loving crafted by Carine Gilson.

Excellence

Sometimes when I write a blog post I feel like I just don't quite get it right. It doesn't  have everything I want to say. I can't quite find all the examples that I want or I leave myself feeling conflicted about some parts of it. That's how I felt recently about my "equality" post. Anyhow, this article fully gets it right, and says everything I wanted to say, and then some about equality, and the illusion of it, in our times.

The article also uses awesome pop culture references to help you wade through the heavy bits. Highly recommended reading. Have girls gone anti-feminist?

Video Barbie

Here she is, the truly modern Barbie. That's right folks, this Barbie offers a first-person perspective to the kiddies by including a built in video camera. The lens is...somewhere on the front, while a colour LCD screen resides on her back, allowing for an all-in-one recording experience.

She'll also come with online editing software to allow users to make their own movies!

It can record up to 30 minutes of footage and the software allows for the addition of music, other sound effects and some visual effects as well. Available in July of 2010!

Now, what to do about those terrible denim capris?

I have to say this is pretty cool, and as a kid I would have loved this toy. I see the generation of teens younger than me who are so savvy on how to make/edit videos,  using photoshop to edit their pics for the net, writing html code, etc. Imagine what the generation behind them will be able to do at a young age? It is mind boggling. Also, it makes me happy with my decision to not specialize in web or graphic design and instead use those tools to break into another career field. Because if I had stayed in that field I would  have to constantly worry about keeping my skills up to date - these kids are going to put lots of designers out of work in 10 years. The ones sitting on their 10 year old college degrees, wondering why all these 18 year olds are so much quicker than they are. They'll be able to think a webpage into existence, I swear it. Creative designers will (well, should) always have work - but the ones who are simply technical designers...look out.

BTW, it still sucks they made Barbie's boobs smaller and her eyes larger and wider set. I don't get it.