Update on Happily Ever After

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Currently working on porting my blog content over to my own domain and increasing it's search engine ranking. Should be done by mid-week and I'll send out an email blast with the new URL.

Fast Flip, Fast Company and Scientific Retweets

I'm so behind the curve on this whole internet thing. People are writing entire books about the power of a viral loop and I'm still trying to figure out how to re-tweet. I've always thought of myself as an intelligent person, but I just can't seem to stay on top of what's going on with the world-wide-web. That being said, I'm also not one to quit something because it's difficult. Furthermore, if I were to give up, it would only be for my own lack of trying, not a dearth of information.

In that vein, I thought I'd share with you guys some of the cool new sites, gadgets, apps and info I've recently discovered. It won't be news to my tech-savvy readers, but for anyone who's also trying to play virtual catch up, you might want to check this stuff out:

I'm always looking for websites that will give me a variety of information on multiple subjects, in one location. I've found that place in Google Fast Flip (http://www.fastflip.googlelabs.com/)--a cornucopia of interesting articles from reputable sources like The New York Times, BBC News, US Weekly (reputable might be a bit of a stretch there) and Elle.

Fast Company.com and Fast Company newsletters. Whether you choose to peruse (cheesy rhyme intended) the website or sign up for one of the site's seven newsletters, you can't lose. but Best of Fast Company and Tech Weekly newsletters are my personal favorites.

Read this article before you download it, but the Viral Loop Facebook widget is pretty sweet. The link to download the widget is at the top of the article.

Speaking of re-tweets (mentioned above), here's an article about Nine Scientifically Proven Ways to Get Retweeted on Twitter.

*Note that most of these articles came from Fast Company, which I discovered as a result of Google Fast Flip. THAT must be why they call it the INTERnet.

I'm sure you're wondering when I became such a geek, and the truth is, I think I always was. Working for an IT website has simply harnessed my inner nerd.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

When It's Ok to Mix Business with Pleasure

Most days, I struggle to find what those of us in corporate America commonly refer to as "work-life balance." However, there are rare instances when my personal and professional worlds come together in perfect harmony. For me, Vogue's feature article about Google executive Marissa Mayer was that ideal merger of life, love and work.

As everyone in the tech community already knows Mayer is quite a remarkable individual. At 34, she's accomplished more in her career than most women hope to achieve in an entire lifetime. Even more impressive--at least in my opinion--is the fact that the woman who's largely responsible for the launch of Gmail, Google Health, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google News and iGoogle wears Manolo Blahnik heels, Carolina Herrera blouses and Oscar de la Renta dresses to the office. In fact, De la Renta says she's one of his biggest customers. (Question: When does she find the time to shop???)

I think there's often an unspoken perception that pencil skirts and code snippets don't mix. As one who works in the world of technology, I'll be the first to admit that it's difficult to dress up for work when most of your peers are, as the Vogue writer so aptly put it, "brainy men in baggy shorts." All the more reason to give Mayer credit for what she does. Hopefully, all you other women navigating your way through the male dominated tech-world will read Mayer's story, be encouraged and proudly don those four-inch wedges before walking out the door tomorrow morning.

For all you fashion lovers on E-E, check out the full article about Mayer and enjoy the nirvana of mingling business with pleasure.

What Would You Say If...?

I’ve been re-reading some of my entries from the past few days. UGH! Can you say VANILLA!? I know I’m my own worst critic, but seriously, who cares what I think about Seth Godin or The September Issue? I struggle with how personal, political, religious or sarcastic to get in my entries. (Yes, you can be religious and sarcastic at the same time!)

I mean, I'm always honest with you, but that's because I don't write about anything that I wouldn't be comfortable being truthful about. However, I'm thinking I should test my limits in this post. I'm going to give you my (somewhat controversial) opinions on a few things and I'd like you to give me your thoughts. So, let's play a little game that I like to call "What would you say if..."

What would you say if I told that I think Kanye West is a complete jerk for interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs (apparently President Obama agrees with me), even if I'm not a fan of Swift's music. He was just upset that the country-singing white girl beat out the African American pop star. (To be clear, Beyonce's video was smoking hot and I am not racist, but Kanye was COMPLETELY in the wrong.)

Or, what would you say if I told you that I think Bill O’Reilly is spot on with his political analysis of just about everything, and I would vote for him for president in a heartbeat.

Lastly, what would you say if I told you that I hate the fact that no one in California dresses up for work. There's a time and place for shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops, but that place is not the office. (Ironically, I think this last statement will enrage more of you than the first two.)

Well, there you go. Now, feel free to let me know whether you like my polite, thoughtful side or my loud, outspoken side better. (Mom, I already know your answer.)

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

Seth Godin's Hierarchy of Success

For those of you who haven't heard of Seth Godin, let me introduce you to him. Mr. Godin is the author of "the most popular marketing blog in the world" as well as "the bestselling marketing books of the last decade" (or at least that's what his website says). I receive email feeds of his blog posts every day, as do most of my co-workers, and it's safe to say that his posts shape many of the ideas that are thrown around my office. If you can ignore his penchant for tooting his own horn, much of what Mr. Godin has to say can be applied to your job, even if you don't work in marketing.

The thing that I find so interesting about his entries is that he has something new and noteworthy to say every single day. Now that I have a blog of my own, I realize how difficult it is to come up with fresh content. Eventually I hope to get to a point where everything that I say is entertainingly thought-provoking; but on the occasions when I'm lacking inspiration, I'll try to point you to someone else who might make you think.

I've posted Mr. Godin's entry on the hierarchy of success below. It's definitely better than anything I could have written today.

Until Tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn

The hierarchy of success by Seth Godin

I think it looks like this:

1. Attitude
2. Approach
3. Goals
4. Strategy
5. Tactics
6. Execution

We spend all our time on execution. Use this word instead of that one. This web host. That color. This material or that frequency of mailing.

Big news: No one ever succeeded because of execution tactics learned from a Dummies book.

Tactics tell you what to execute. They're important, but dwarfed by strategy. Strategy determines which tactics might work.

But what's the point of a strategy if your goals aren't clear, or contradict?

Which leads the first two, the two we almost never hear about.

Approach determines how you look at the project (or your career). Do you read a lot of books? Ask a lot of questions? Use science and testing or go with your hunches? Are you imperious? A lifehacker? When was the last time you admitted an error and made a dramatic course correction? Most everyone has a style, and if you pick the wrong one, then all the strategy, tactics and execution in the world won't work nearly as well.

As far as I'm concerned, the most important of all, the top of the hierarchy is attitude. Why are you doing this at all? What's your bias in dealing with people and problems?

Some more questions:

• How do you deal with failure?
• When will you quit?
• How do you treat competitors?
• What personality are you looking for in the people you hire?
• What's it like to work for you? Why? Is that a deliberate choice?
• What sort of decisions do you make when no one is looking?

Sure, you can start at the bottom by focusing on execution and credentials. Reading a typical blog (or going to a typical school for 16 years), it seems like that's what you're supposed to do. What a waste.

Isn't it odd that these six questions are so important and yet we almost never talk or write about them?

If the top of the hierarchy is messed up, no amount of brilliant tactics or execution is going to help you at all.

It's Not About the Label

If you go on to the website for The September Issue, the subtitle for the pictures in the photo gallery reads: "Fashion is a religion. This is the Bible." Inappropriate religious reference aside, the description may not be that far off. Vogue has been defining American women's views on fashion for decades and Anna Wintour has been at the magazine's helm since 1988.

Many speculate that Meryl Streep's character in The Devil Wears Prada is based on Wintour. The book's author, Lauren Weisberger is a former Vogue employee. The September Issue, a documentary about Wintour, her staff and the making of the magazine's record-breaking September 2007 issue, does nothing to dispell that rumor. Shades of Streep's character are recognizable throughout the documentary, and you almost forget that Wintour is playing no one other than herself. She is indeed cold, stoic, abrasive and hard-nosed--qualities that her critics undoubtedly find repulsive but that I found engaging.

But enough about Wintour...let's talk about the clothes and their designers. Or wait, let's not. If there's one takeaway from this film, it's that it's not about the label. The store managers and employees at the shops in New York and Los Angeles would have you believe that fashion is about the name on the tag of your dress and how much you paid for it. After listening to the conversations between Wintour and her employees, particularly creative director Grace Coddington, you realize that an outfit is one part who designed it and three parts the story you tell while you're wearing the clothes.

Take a look at this year's September issue of Vogue. The 40's themed spreads and feature articles on people like Jenny Sanford and Marissa Mayer prove my point. Every piece of clothing and every person who puts it on has a story to tell. Wintour and her employees are simply better at storytelling than the rest of us.

The September Issue begins with Wintour looking deadpan into the camera, saying "there's something about fashion that makes people very nervous." For years, I have agreed with that statement, feeling inferior to those who paid more for than me for their purse. This morning, I woke up and paired a pencil skirt and satin top from Banana Republic with shoes from Payless and a Tory Burch scarf knowing that the outfit itself was secondary to the memories I'd make while wearing it. In the last eight hours of wearing one or more elements of the aforementioned outfit, I've taught elementary school kids about God's promises, cuddled on the couch with Husband and made new friends at a backyard barbeque; and I'm now more convinced than ever that if Anna Wintour defines fashion, there's something en vogue about all of us.

Baby Sex Reveal Party and The September Issue

Sorry for not posting yesterday and for cheating you guys with a short post today, but I've said before that there's a thin line between work and play; and apparently that line is a baby sex reveal party and a trip to L.A. to see "The September Issue." Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on why every pregnant woman should have a baby sex reveal party and how "The September Issue" changed my view of fashion...

Until tomorrow,
Jennifer Lynn