Using social media to put Obama on the spot? Count me in!

Tonight, at 9 PM, our president plans to address all of us Joe Schmoes during his annual State of the Union. To us, this is a time that, once a year, we can feel as if we've reverted back to the good ol' days of FDR's Fireside Chats; although Obama's speech will air to millions, when we watch such broadcasts, it seems as though he talks directly to us, to me, as I sit on my living room couch.

This year, though, this intimacy has been brought to a whole new level. Throughout the broadcast, which will be available live on Citizentube, viewers can submit their questions for President Obama via video or text. In the following days, we can submit more questions and vote on which ones we would like to hear Obama address the most. Next week, the folks at YouTube will field some of these favorite questions to our president himself, in a live interview from the White House also broadcasted from Citizentube.

Now, this isn't on the same level as me tweeting Pauly D to find out if he's spinning at Rick's this Thursday in Ann Arbor (it really looks like he replies to all his fan tweets!). He's not, by the way. This is me, talking one-on-one with Big Man Obama. How cool is that?!

Since I didn't vote for the Massachusetts Senatorial election last week and feel like a giant jackass, this is the least that I can do to remain somewhat passionate and politically involved. Yeah, the chances people will vote for my questions are slim, but who cares? I'm definitely interested to hear what he (and all of us) have to say.

How to become a material girl/a girl that's got some material to write about?

Obviously, now that I've really pledged to put myself out there with this thing - and even promoted it on Facebook! - I've got a case of writer's block. Typical.

I think that this might be because of all the reading and writing I, as an English major, have to fulfill for my courses here. I'm really making an effort to separate this blog from my schoolwork, but as a senior (and a pretty hard-working student, if I do say so myself), is that entirely even possible? Earlier this week, I wrote a little bit about an online reading from my New Technology and the Humanities class. I did this because the reading truly inspired me, utterly taking over my mind until I finally put it out on paper - or in this case, out in the blogosphere - that I vowed to take heed. Now that I think about it, I'm not even so sure that it's such a bad thing that I incorporate class lessons and materials into my own life. I guess that it means that I am, dare I say, actually learning something.

Since I have been having minor technical difficulties in the material department as of late, I've decided to really make an effort to resume following some of my favorite other bloggers. Hey, if I've got nothing interesting to say, I can at least point you to someone who does. Right?

Chris Brogan is one such mastermind; he's got a ton of valuable insights into the online world, how to navigate it successfully, and how we can use it to really improve our lives. Here's an interesting post from today that I found particularly relevant. Happy reading!

Why I (Should) Blog

I'm pretty psyched about this semester. I, believe it or not, actually really enjoy all of my classes that I'm taking. I truly feel like each one pertains to both my interests and my career goals - a double whammy!

Last week, for my Technology and the Humanities class, we read Andrew Sullivan's piece, "Why I Blog". It really got me thinking - why do I blog?

Yes, I blog to vill a void I felt has been left open in the online world, that void being an open forum (led my me, duh) on the painstaking process of finding one's first post-grad job. Yes, I blog to share resources and offer experiences for fellow college students (and hopefully others) to empathize with. And yeah, I'll admit that I blog because it's somewhat therapeutic to get all my thoughts out on the table that is the online world. But do all of these factors really make this blog worth it, even if I don't blog nearly as often as I want to/should? If I want to communicate with readers, I have to have some readers in the first place, right? And I know I personally wouldn't continue reading something that only uploads new content only every two weeks.

Ally - one of my precious few regular readers (this far, wink) - told me last night that she enjoys my blog more when I veer off course, when I blab about stuff that isn't necessarily job-related. Complaining about my career ventures, she told me, might sometimes even produce more anxiety within readers. Hmmm.

So, I've decided to really make an effort to blog more. Really. I know I've said this before, but I think that the reason I've held back is because of my previously proclaimed theme of this blog, a theme that I deeply care about. Although I do wish to adhere to this theme from time to time, in the past, I think that because my posts "had" to be somewhat informative, writing here felt like a minor chore.

My promise to you, dear readers, is that I will be more honest about my daily life and all that goes on within it, including interviews, rejections, and the creation of new contacts. But there will be less of a limit upon this. All that I ask of you is to comment! I really do want to hear what you guys think - maybe you can offer me some advice (or make me laugh, cry, or want to throw my computer out my second-story window). As Sullivan says, "Rudeness, in any case, isn't the worst thing that can happen to a blogger. Being ignored is...The conversation is the point."

Oh, and by the way, I had another phone conversation this morning with that same company from last week - things are going well. I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch, though. But that's not my point anymore! Consider this blog a little less anxiety and a little more fun.

How much preparation is too much, really?

Ummm...pretty sure I have a 3-hour long interview tomorrow morning. No big deal.

Essentially, I need to call three separate people from this company at 10, 11, and 12. Hopefully, these conversations will end with a little bit of time in between for me to regain composure. The thing is, I'm honestly not so sure how ready I am. I have reviewed the company, their major clients, and my interviewers. I have brushed up on my own experiences, so that I'm ready to discuss leadership or teamwork experience with ease. I've even looked over certain vocabulary to strategically include in the conversation, that might be key terms the interviewer is looking for. But for some reason, I still don't feel ready.

I think that the reason for this is the sheer fact that I just returned back to school from my winter break; because I haven't had any real work yet, I'm still not in a motivated, go-get-'em mindset. But I have prepared. So, is this relaxed feeling such a bad thing? In the past, I've gone so crazy preparing for these interviews that I have given myself such bouts of frustration and fear that borderline classify as minor panic attacks. Maybe I should try to reinterpret these feelings of unreadiness with feelings of confidence. If I go into an interview feeling at ease, I'll probably act as if...I'm at ease. Which is good. Right?

I'll report back with news!