Jennifer Navarrete

Author: jennifer

  • Social Networking Tools = Employment?

    At the recent Co-Working event held at Firecat Studios the discussion came around to what employers are looking for now in new hires. As a self-employed gal who gladly left Corporate America years ago, normally this type of talk has me going through my grocery list while tuning out. However this time was different. What I found fascinating about this was that one of the new criteria for employment consideration is familiarity with Social Networking Tools. Things like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn to name a few.

    I had to stop the conversation to make sure I had heard right. You mean the stuff that most folks get into trouble doing at work is now what could get you hired? The answer surprised me. While it isn’t the only criteria used to make an employment choice, it certainly can put an applicant on the short list.

    Now let me clarify this point a bit before you go off and amend your resume. It isn’t enough for someone to say they have knowledge of the Social Networking Tools. Nope. Having a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account is all fine and dandy. Sure, signing up is easy. The real test is how you have used the Social Networking Tools.

    Do you participate?

    For example, if you signed up for Twitter back in March 2007 during SXSW and haven’t used it much since, it might be time to dust off your account and rattle off some tweets. Thought Facebook was for college kids? Not anymore. You’d be surprised at who and what you’ll find there. Wonder about the value of LinkedIn? It’s where you’ll find some of these new hires that not only get it, but love it.

    Don’t know where to start? Friend a few folks and get to know the community. Slowly but surely you’ll find yourself not only understanding the value of these tools, but having a good time in the process. Still not sure if this is for you? Well let’s take it one step at a time. You can always start with me.

  • Microblogging

    Twitter
    Jaiku Pownce

    With all the cool ways we have to stay connected to one another it’s no wonder that the simple things seem to win out in the end. Blogging in and of itself requires a bit more thought and planning. Whereas microblogging is done quickly and on-the-fly. It suites my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style.

    I’m able to express my thoughts, ask questions, get feedback and so much more. All in small bits. What’s even better is that the feedback is instantaneous. If I need an answer to something I know I can count on my friends in the Microblogging-sphere to come to my aid.

    Having been an active member of Twitter for the past 9 months, I consider it an essential part of blogging. It has been well worth my time to participate in this small but daily bit of conversation. As a matter of fact, you might say it’s my preferred method of communicating.

    The sense of closeness within in this tight knit community is never stronger than when our fellow microbloggers need help. Sickness and sorrow have moved my fellow microbloggers, Connie Reece & Dan Mosqueda, to create fundraising initiatives towards breast cancer research and unexpected funeral expenses. An amazing accomplishment for such a simple medium. I applaud the folks who take this simple but effective form of communication to a real and human level. That is what it means to be a part of the microblogging community.

  • Disagreements

    We all have them. From as early as a toddler there were disagreements. It could have been when another toddler took a favorite toy away. You most certainly disagreed. Each of you felt differently about just whose toy that was and so an exchange of words happened. Granted it may not have been very articulate, probably more finger pointing and screaming than anything else. It was strictly an emotion based response but none the less it was a disagreement.

    Fast forward to today. No longer a child prone to temper tantrums but an adult who has all of their life experience and rational to formulate a fair exchange. Disagreements are probably based around reasoning, facts, past history, current knowledge and not strictly emotion based. Of course there is always an element of emotion to a disagreement or else it would be called something else.

    What happens when the temper tantrum prone child breaks out in the reasonable adult during a disagreement? It’s never pretty and always regrettable. Olive branches are extended, apologies are made and then forgiveness. While the moment can never be erased and relationships continue, there is a sadness to the whole exchange. It leaves a flat spot in an otherwise beautiful landscape.

  • Training for the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon: Nike+ Style

    San Antonio Rock-n-Roll MarathonAs of yesterday a group of us have kicked off the start to our training for the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon. With November 2008 just a mere 10 months away, I for one am going to need every moment to train. Especially considering the fact that I haven not spent any serious time running since the last half-marathon in October of 2006. I have gotten gluttonous in my ways and it’s high time to shake off the excess (literally).

    To spice things up there are six of us who are using a Nike+ Challenge for motivation. It started on January 2, 2008 and ends January 31, 2008. Each month the challenge will change. From Most Miles Run to Longest Time Run to First 100 Miles etc… The challenge this month? Most miles run within the month.

    Our group is wide and varied even though our challenge members are all ladies . We live in 2 states and 3 cities. We have a full marathoner,three half-marathoners, a non-runner and someone who runs but has never participated in a marathon event before. Our ages range anywhere from the late 20’s to the mid 50’s. Our careers run the gamut from professional to dental to entrepreneurial to philanthropic.

    Regardless of these differences, we are united in this common goal: To stand at the starting line on race day. We will not run the same pace. We will not finish at the same time. We will train individually. There will be times we will have the opportunity for a joint training session. But for the most part the next 10 months we spend training together will be online.

    I hear the trash talk has already started.

  • The Theme for 2008

    resolutionsEvery year we create New Years Resolutions “do better”. Eat less, exercise more, save money, do charitable works, give up smoking/drinking etc… It seems there is a common theme to all of these. They’re usually things we didn’t do well at the year before. And just as there are many resolutions for the New Year there are also many blog posts about the resolutions.

    Two in particular struck a chord: First Chris Brogan had this to offer for “Goal Setting Tips”:

    http://chrisbrogan.com/goal-setting-tips/

    Hmmmm…..look at my strengths and not my weaknesses in my New Years Resolutions and Goal Setting? Makes sense. I’m a glass is half-full kind of gal anyway so this actually works well for me.

    In keeping with that same vein of thought here is a post titled “The road to hell is paved with self-improvement” by Pamela Slim

    http://myventurepad.com/ManagingPeople/16980

    Be thankful and appreciative for the place we are. See the lessons learned in each of them. The benefits.

    It seems there is a wonderful theme in each of these posts. I, for one, like it.

    What do you think?

  • The Blog365 Challenge

    With NaPodPoMo & NaBloPoMo under my belt, I felt I was up to the challenge of Blog365.

    Blog365 Sun Badge

    Yep, you read right. By December 31, 2008 there should be 365 posts between here and some of the other blogs I contribute to (Morning BrewCast & San Antonio Podcasters ). You might be asking yourself, “Wait a minute isn’t there 366 days in 2008?” You would be right to ask. It so happens that even we Blog365ers (as I’ve taken to calling us) are taking a day off. With 2008 being a leap year and such we’re calling Feb 29th a holiday. Afterall Blog366 just doesn’t have the same ring to it as Blog365 now does it?

    By the time we have completed one lap around the sun over 642 folks (as of a bit past midnight on Jan. 1st ) will have posted 234,330 blog posts. Staggering, huh? That doesn’t take into account others who will inevitably discover Blog365 throughout the year. Of course, we don’t know what the future holds for the brave 642 so I wish us all the best in this exciting and some would say insurmountable challenge.

  • Preliminary Sound Booth Test

    Living the dream album art I spent some time today looking at DIY Sound Booth sites. I also spent time checking out some of the pro sound proof material. The things folks use to create a sound booth ran the gamut from carpet to duvets to specialty foam/mat boards. It could be free, using items from around the house or it could be several thousand dollars for professional sound tiles/rooms.

    As much as I would like to have a functional and beautiful sound booth, I opted for the ‘use whatever we have in the house’ method. It took me all of 5 minutes to concoct the preliminary set up. The materials I used? Two sleeping bags, two sheer curtains, one heating blanket, a piece of leftover floor carpeting and my sweater.

    What’s missing? Foam bedding for the ceiling and a barstool to sit on.

    With this basic setup done, I decided to test out the sound. I was surprised at how well it turned out. Even in it’s unfinished state, I think the audio from my test is much better than the audio I’ve been doing sitting in my office.

    Let me know what you think.

  • Clutter Cleared!

    I said I would clear out my closet to make room for a sound booth by today.

    The closet was cleared by 7pm.

    clean closet

    I also said I would clear off my desk by today.

    The desk was cleared about 15 minutes ago.

    clean desk

    It has been a tough 3 days. It was in fact more difficult than I had originally anticipated. Luckily, the supportive humorous comments I received here and on Twitter saw me through. Yesterday I felt really overwhelmed, but thanks to you all I was able to laugh at myself.

    I still have unfinished work to do. Collecting all the items that I’ll be taking to Goodwill and organizing the files now that the boxes have been separated by subject: Household, Business, Podcasting/Events, Taxes, Family stuff. So even though I’ve still got a ways to go, I do have quite a sense of accomplishment.

    Of course the best part is that starting tomorrow, John will be hitting the hardware store to get started on my sound booth. Excuse me while I say, wOOt!

  • Clearing out the clutter

    With 2007 winding down it’s time to reflect about the years events and consider upcoming 2008. Once of the things that will help bring 2007 to a close and prepare me to dive into 2008 will be to clear out the clutter. By nature I’m a stacker. I have stacks and piles of things in various places. It starts off innocently enough on my desk with a sheet or two and before you know it a pile has been born. Who knew creation could start so simply?

    Cluttered Desk

    Eventually the pile becomes more than the desk can handle and it becomes a stack or two. Hmmmm…..is this how rabbits multiply? Pretty soon there are several stacks and a mini skyline is born. Once again I’m getting the idea I have a production factory here. Overall, I have a good idea of what is where and can locate things. The taller a stack get, the more difficult that task becomes. When I haven’t touched a stack in a while or I get tired of looking at it the stacks gets relegated to a box. The box then goes into the closet. It’s the place where boxes live, isn’t it?

    Cluttered Closet

    Over the course of the last couple of years the closet in my office has become home to office supplies (on the shelves), my son’s old pc parts and cpu’s (look under the boxes), books, 3.5″ floppy disks (I don’t even own a computer with a 3.5″ drive anymore), ebay items that are waiting to get listed or did not sell (wire basket shelf storage), and of course the boxes full of paper stacks. What is in the boxes? It varies from invoices, receipts, junk mail, bills, and even school projects. Business and personal stacks are mostly separated, but occasional there is an errant page to be found in the mix.

    For some time I have been looking to create an in-house studio. Working from home and homeschooling takes up quite a bit of space. So far, I have not been successful at convincing my family to help me turn a portion of the attic into a studio. I did get a warmer reception to my idea of the closet being a good size for a sound booth.

    So while my dream of an in-house studio may not be close to a reality, a sound booth will be soon. Well, as soon as I can clear out the clutter. Which brings me back to my reasoning for posting the pics of my embarrassingly cluttered desk and closet. My goal is to be done by Friday, December 28th. Not just the clearing out of the desk and closet clutter, but the throwing out and recycling of unneeded stuff. I mean, do I really need the plastic case to a CD that is only God knows where?

    By Friday the closet should be empty, the boxes should be gone and all the stacks inside the boxes should either be filed or thrown. The ebay items will be donated to Goodwill. At the very least I can take a tax-deduction. My son is on his own with his items. I am taking them out and putting them in his room.

    With that done the goal is to spend the weekend turning my (hopefully) empty closet into a sound booth. My husband has stated, “As soon as you clear out that closet I can get to work on your sound booth.” Will it happen? I’m looking to you to keep me honest. If by Friday I haven’t posted a pic of my empty closet. You have my permission to call me out.

    I’ve gotta go now. The boxes are calling me. Wait a minute, wasn’t there a Twilight Zone like this?

  • Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

    Amazing what an early morning can feel like after a couple of days of sickness. I’m walking around the house with a silly grin on my face. I feel great! No really, really great! Let me see if I can paint a picture of just how I feel this morning.

    You know when your kids are little and they wake up at the crack of dawn so happy and chipper everyday? You wonder how can they be that happy so early in the morning? Well guess what? I now know how that feels. It’s super cool!

    What a difference it would make if waking up felt like this everyday. Just imagine all the things that could get accomplished. I might even become a morning person if it is always like this. Wonder why it isn’t? Is this amazing bright-eyed and bushy-tailed feeling reserved only for the very young and the recently ill? Hope not.

    When was the last time you woke up feeling like a little kid?