Being Yourself.... Online and In Person

I get asked to speak at a lot of events for young adults, and there are a few topics I love to touch on after my main topic has been discussed. 99.9% of the time, I am asked to educate audiences about Florida's Agriculture, and more specifically, Florida's Beef Industry. This upcoming Saturday, for our county's annual Farm City week prospect show, my speech will be about becoming an advocate. I always include information about our beef supply, but this will be awesome as I get to talk about my journey from my awkward teenage years to self-proclaimed "Beef Queen".

After my speeches are done, I like to include a little section about college, life in general, and your online presence. I wrote about the elevator speech exercise for my last blog. (For that stimulating story, click here.)

I hear it all the time in my major (public relations).....

"Be careful what you post online, employers will see that!"
"Don't post pictures of the parties you go too, that will get you kicked out of college!"
"Don't use profanity, or you'll go to jail!"

Some of the warnings can be a little intense, but the message rings true. I am friends with people on Facebook and twitter one minute, and the next minute I'm in their class talking about something agriculturally related. It's important to me that I stay professional and polite on my page, because people see that. I hate the thought of someone going to a classroom to speak and saying, "College is not about the parties, it's about homework and being an adult", and then a student "friending" them and seeing pictures that should NOT be posted for anyone to see. That's irresponsible and unacceptable. I'm not saying that people aren't allowed to post on their sites, it's yours to post. However, I DO think you should use discretion.

I like to stress the "Dad-friendly" rule. This got a LOT easier... when my dad joined facebook. It helps keep me in check. Often, I'll see these young girls saying things, and posting pictures, and I turn into that adult. "What are they thinking??"

Social media is great. It's improved lines of communication, it helps with keeping companies and even politicians accountable, if they so choose, and it's made a way for us to reach out and tell our stories. I believe firmly that every person has a story that is worth telling. I would just hate for that story to be one that reflects negatively on your character. I have said all of this to say the following... here are some simple rules for staying true to yourself, but being successful with your online presence.

- Keep social media as "Dad-friendly" as possible. How would you feel if your grandma knew all about your Saturday night?

- Post positive things that you are proud of. Earned a B in chemistry? That's awesome! Failed that test because your teacher "hates" you? Not necessary.

- PG Pictures. We all LOVE to see pictures of you and your boyfriend, but we don't need to feel like peeping toms. Keep them as PG as possible, please.

- Pretend that a future (or even current) employer WERE looking at your page. If you have a problem with your job or a co-worker, find a solution. Don't bad-mouth on the internet. That has gotten people fired before, I've seen it happen.

- Use your best judgement and be yourself. Don't try to put on a front by any means, but act as if your profile directly reflected your life.... because it does. How you portray yourself online is a direct reflection on how people actually see you, especially since most of the people you are "friends" with or "follow" aren't people who are lucky enough to spend time with you to know any better than what they see online.

Please feel free to share this information, and educate someone you know that has an issue with posting negative or harmful stuff online. It's a bigger deal than they think, and it will probably come back to hurt them in the long run. I'm not perfect, and neither is my online profile, but I'm proud of how I come across as a person in real life, and online.

Thanks for reading, have a blessed week!

The Beef Queen

A Little Off-Topic, but On Point!

I had an awesome day, and I had to blog about it!! Please enjoy!  J

As many of you may know, I am a student at the University of South Florida currently majoring in Mass Communications. My focus is Public Relations, and I could not be happier. I am taking a moment today to not just blog about BEEF, but just to touch on the subject of college for a bit.

I was asked to speak at a middle school recently, and I had an absolute blast. I LOVE speaking in public, and this topic was right up my alley! As I gave my presentation about Florida’s Legacy and about cattle ranching and the Cowboy (and Cowgirl) way of life, I also decided that I would add in some information about college and choosing a career.

While some might think that middle school is too soon to start making plans, I think that depending on the maturity level of the audience, it is never too early to start entertaining ideas. There is something out there for everyone. Usually, children around 12 and 13 years of age start to develop passions and interests in certain areas, and it is up to us to encourage that love and interest.

 I could not be more excited with my major, and I really believe that when someone is enthusiastic about what they are doing and what they are involved in, that passion and enthusiasm will spread. That being said, I hope that the group of middle school students have been encouraged and are excited about fulfilling all of the potential and talents they possess.

The reason I chose to blog about this topic today has a lot to do with my major, and why I love Public Relations and the concepts behind it. My PR Issues teacher invited a guest speaker who was nothing short of AWESOME. (I’m leaving the names to the imagination, as I didn’t obtain their permission, and I want to respect privacy and cover my own tail). J

The guest speaker was a 25 year old ball of fire. I was so encouraged when I left class today, and I can’t wait to embark on my career. It is days like this when I thank God for letting me find such an awesome school, such an amazing support group of friends and family, and such a wonderful major that I fit, and that fits me.

Learning about social media and networking fascinates me, and that was a main part of the topic today. I encourage all of you to find something you LOVE, and blog about it. Start a twitter, and follow people with the same interests. I am on twitter @the_beef_queen, and I am also on LinkedIn.

I realize that this blog is a little more scattered than some of my last posts, maybe it is the fact that I don’t usually drink coffee and that I had some today; maybe it is the fact that I get so excited when typing on topics like this that I can’t hold back!  

I can’t wait to start my career as an agriculture advocate, and I plan on using all of these amazing tools that I am learning to accomplish my goals and dreams. Thank you all so much for reading my blog, your support means the world!!! As always, if I can be of any assistance, feel free to follow me on twitter and tweet me or email me at thebeefqueen@gmail.com.

God Bless,

The Beef Queen