The Next Big Thing in Social Media

Social media is huge! I've been on it for 8 years now. But are any of you starting to get a little overwhelmed by the number of social apps that you "have" to use every day? Are any of you annoyed by the stupid retweets of people you don't know by people you've only "met" online? Are any of you budding bloggers shocked by some of the comments you get in the blogosphere?

I am! I hate that "making it" in the online world means wading through trolls, tweets, and timelines. Maybe it sounds silly or like I'm complaining, but think about it: the next big thing is not going to be another social media site or app. We already have enough apps on which to check-in, like things, and share every little thing that crosses our mind. And there are already apps to combine all your social media sites, so it won't be something like that.

The next big thing is going to be multimedia, but it's going to be chic and clean. I know Myspace just revamped to try be like this, but there is too much on there and it's not original. It's still so social network-y and they kept the name which ties it back to our high school days. The next big thing has to be completely new, not a stripped-down version of something everyone already has.

The next big thing is going to be for the modern "renaissance man/woman": someone who doesn't want to just blog or just sew or just go get a career job. But it can't be for the people who just don't want to go do the typical career thing; it's got to be for the creative people who can do more than one thing very well and doesn't want to be pigeon-holed into a job that they do well in, but abandons their other talents. I mean, sure it's good to be a specialist and be fantastic at what you do, but what about people who are generalists but can specialize in anything when they need to? Those people, the ones who don't want to settle on one job and won't settle for less than perfection, are the ones the next big thing is for.

I don't completely know what it is yet, but the next big thing is coming. And it's going to be big. And it might be me. Or it might be you!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Online Blog Success! ... FINALLY!

I graduated with my bachelor's degree a year ago. I haven't been working because of my fibromyalgia pain. Our plan was for me to take this year to "get healthy" and then get a teaching job for the 2013-2014 school year. Well, that hasn't happened. I've had countless doctor appointments, multiple medicine trials, and all sorts of tests done, and we're still no closer to a solution to managing my pain.

I started this blog and its corresponding Twitter handle back in late August. I started my website and Facebook page in October. In January I started my FibroTips4Chicks blog and I started my Etsy site in February. And made no money from any of it until yesterday! I had my first and second Etsy sales in a matter of hours and my site views rose significantly. 

I've known that building a brand can take years, and I'm still not where I want to be by any means, but between my blogs, website, and Etsy site, I've had almost 27,000 views since August! That means I've averaged over 110 views a day, which is (from what I've read) a pretty decent traffic flow for a first-time blogger!

In terms of making money with my blogs, site, and Etsy shop, I'm right around $150, which I am thrilled about! The reason I started all the online stuff was so I could have an income from online endeavors by the time I wanted to stay at home with my kids (in a few years). But the fact that I'm getting to start making money from it now makes me feel incredibly grateful!

Thank you so much to all of you for helping me get to this point! I can't tell you how much it means to me to have my dream start coming true!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi