Social Media: Overshare?

Wow! I just have to say "thank you" to everyone who read yesterday's post--there were over 300 views yesterday alone, and now I'm up over 2,200 total! I've only had this blog up for a month and I am just so excited that it's getting such positive feedback!

I got to thinking about why my blog is doing so well and realized that I would be completely unknown without social networking sites. (Granted, the photos yesterday didn't hurt my views, but I don't really think that's the reason people read my blog.) This morning, I heard that Justin Timberlake is revitalizing Myspace and launching it soon. This is the link to "The New Myspace" preview video. It looks like it's going to be a music sharing/event making/store/hanging out site. In light of this event, I got to looking at the social media scene, and all of the sites I'm on and what I use them for.

http://www.solveitmedia.com

Facebook: This is definitely the social media site I spend the most time on. I am connected with my family who lives all over the U.S., friends from all over the world, and people I've met at professional conferences or educational events.
Pros: Easy to connect with family. Great photo uploading. User friendly.
Cons: It seems boring; I've been on it for over five years and I don't know if it's because I'm older and have better things to do than creep on people or if the site is really just losing its luster, but it's not as interesting as it used to be. Also, I never know what privacy setting has changed; I feel like I read the "terms" every week just to make sure I'm not missing something.

Twitter: I love Twitter for updates that seem kind of silly. I don't necessarily need to post a whole Facebook status about it, but I still want to share or comment.
Pros: Super easy to use. Easier than FB to connect with celebs.

Cons: From what I've observed, people spend less time reading profiles on Twitter, so it's harder to promote yourself or a product. It's also kind of impersonal; just a list of random one-liners.

http://www.emersonsocialmedia.com

Google+: I only use Google+ for promoting my blog and work-related stuff. (Also, I have YouTube; love that.)

Pros: It's connected to Blogger. Hangouts look like fun.

Cons: It's not user-friendly at all. I really don't like the way it's organized. Also, it's not as clean as FB so a lot of people didn't switch/add Google+ when it came out, because why should they? They have a social networking site that they know and love.

Pinterest: LOVE! :) This is pretty much how I'm planning my wedding and getting ideas for what I want to do with my apartment. I love this site.

Pros: It's so easy to use. It's fun. There are so many links to other sites I would never find with out Pinterest.

Cons: Every single thing you pin shows up under your name if you Google yourself. Interesting. 

Recovery Record: BEST APP EVER for people recovering from eating disorders! I use it every day and try to log all my meals! It's great.

Pros: You get rewards (songs) for logging your meals. You can "pair-up" with someone else and give them virtual gifts. It's FREE. You get encouragement emailed to you if you don't log for a couple days and it's really sweet. It's exciting and makes you want to log your meals and get better. It's customizable for your particular needs.

Cons: Again, pseudonyms are the only thing allowed, so you can't really connect with people even if they sound super cool. Sometimes there are glitches and you don't get them fixed until they send out an update.

http://hazellcottrell.com/category/social-media/

Little Monsters: Joined it yesterday to promote my blog since it was about Lady Gaga.

Pros: If you love Gaga, that's the place to be. It's nice to see young people coming together and sharing their problems without any criticism or bullying.

Cons: It is so emo. I'm a little old for the site, I think. 

LinkedIn: Professional social networking site. I have one, but don't use it a whole lot.

Pros: My resume is uploaded. Everyone can see my qualifications for jobs.

Cons: I've had this site for 5 years and have never had someone call me for a job.

The Knot: Wedding site!!! :)

Pros: It has so many ideas! We can have our own wedding site and blog. It gives you a timeline and to do list!

Cons: Honestly, I don't know if it's worth it. I have found a lot more ideas on Pinterest than The Knot, and I have this blog, why would I make another one? 

Fitocracy: This is like an RPG for fitness! It's awesome! I use it every time I work out.

Pros: You don't have to use your real name. You can upload photos. You can give other people "props." Join fitness events in your area. Join groups that relate to your fitness goals.

Cons: Doesn't tell you why you get more points for some exercises and less for others. There aren't a lot of people on it yet, so you have to mostly connect with people you don't know.

PatientsLikeMe: Track your symptoms and see other users who are going through the same thing! I used this a lot when I started having more medical problems. I don't use it much anymore, but I really liked it.

Pros: Awesome graphs. Tons of conditions listed.

Cons: No real names allowed, so if you really want to talk to someone about something, you don't really have a way to do that. Not very user friendly.

http://nowsourcing.com/2010/03/17/social-media-infographic/

So, these are all the social sites I'm on. Social media and social networking is great, but this is kind of crazy! I know that it's the only reason my blog is read, but at the same time, I don't go out and hang out with people, because I'm working on my profiles all the time. Also, none of these are private! Anyone can search and find all of this about me. I don't regret any of it; I feel like I've been very true to myself and I'm honest on everything. It just seems a little bit creepy that I've allowed all of these sites to have access to my information and keep it even after I cancel my accounts.

Our world is moving forward so quickly and social media and social networking is a HUGE part of it! It seems like being social is the exact opposite now of what it used to be: You used to have to try to be noticed; now you have to try really hard to stay anonymous. So, my life is pretty much displayed online; that's typical for our generation. But is it safe? Is it smart? When is privacy more important than sharing everything online?

myspace.com

I asked for an invite to the new Myspace. :)

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

Anorexia: Lady Gaga and Me

Lady Gaga looking fabulous!

Lady Gaga has started a "Body Revolution 2013." She's been getting a lot of media attention lately for some photos of her on tour. It looks like she has gained a significant amount of weight and the media is ripping her apart. Gaga is taking this chance to tell her followers about her struggle with her weight for the last 11 years; also, that she has been a victim of anorexia and bulimia. She has posted some photos that show her as she is, without all the costumes and corsets. And, may I be the next in line to say that she looks fantastic! She is encouraging women and girls, as well as men, everywhere to be comfortable with their bodies and share their photos online. She is opening up about how it's more important to be healthy than to be super-skinny like the media pushes all of us to be. I love this!!! To be honest, I'm not a die-hard Gaga fan; I don't really listen to pop music all that much. This really got my attention, though! It's exactly what girls need: someone they admire and respect to say "enough" to the way women feel less-than if we're not uber-skinny like all the women we see on TV and in magazines.

Lady Gaga looks amazing!

The reason I like this campaign so much is that it is about health and loving who you are, not only about loving what you look like. While I really like the idea of loving what you look like, I feel like that can be used as a cop-out instead of working to get healthy. "Healthy" does not necessarily mean "skinny." Lady Gaga looks healthy and I think she looks pretty damn good. Is she a size 0? No. But so what? When did we get so stuck on having "little stick figures with poofy lips*" as our role models when it comes to what we look like?

I have struggled with anorexia for years, just like Lady Gaga and thousands of other women and girls have. I wanted so desperately to fit in, I felt terribly out of control, and I thought that if I was a 00 I would be pretty and popular (I didn't even know 00 was a size until I moved back to the States, but the second I knew it was, I had to be that size). I was known but I wasn't popular. Was I pretty? I don't think so...I was bony. I don't even have photos of myself during the first few years of it because I hated my body so much. Was I in control? Sure, of what I ate, but the further I went along the road, the more out of control I felt. I passed out at inopportune moments, I had the lowest self-esteem I've ever had, and I did things that were hurtful to myself and others to keep my struggle secret. Am I completely over it? No. I don't know if those of us who have experienced anorexia or bulimia ever really "get over it" like so many people who haven't gone through it think we should. But I fight every day to keep moving forward.

Now, I am 5'3" and I weigh 108 pounds. I'm a size 2 and I've "grown out" of most of my XS shirts. I have literally spent hours crying over this. Crying over being a size 2, because now I'm "fat." Crying about weighing more than 100 pounds because I used to weigh 97 so that must mean that I'm fat, now that I'm 11 pounds heavier. Crying over the fact that I can't wear super-teeny t-shirts that tiny pre-pubescent sixth graders are wearing. But I know that what I'm doing now is the right thing. I do yoga every day. I work out 3-6 times a week. I see a psychologist once a week. I eat at least 1600 calories a day. I should probably be eating more than that. It is still so hard. But I am getting better.

This is an epidemic the size of which a lot of people do not realize. Keep talking about it, keep sharing your stories, keep trying to get better, keep sharing your photos with Lady Gaga! Let's have a media take-over of women who love their healthy bodies! We've all heard of Take Back the Night; let's Take Back the Media! In keeping with what I'm preaching here, I suppose I owe this post a photo.

Me, Body Revolution 2013.

It is actually surprisingly hard to share this. It took me about 30 minutes to get a photo of myself that I could tolerate and I'm still finding problems with this one. I am so self-conscious and I don't like everyone seeing this. But if Lady Gaga can do it, I can, too. You can, too, at LittleMonsters.com.

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

*Edna Mode, "The Incredibles"