first off, holy heck apologies about the delay, I had a ton of life happen between finals week, getting engaged, and work projects taking place — but your girl is back in action! and with a Q1 plan for Erin for Tech — look out, here we come.
Have enough of the end of the decade posts yet?
This is one internet trend I’ll never get enough of. Life is hard as shit sometimes, we should celebrate what we did accomplish, even if it’s just getting out of bed — because let’s be real, that shit can be hard some days.
But as that time of the year comes near, its time for all of us to at least pretend that we have our shit together. And one way that we do that is by keeping our digital lives organized.
Here are the ways that not just myself, but the internet (according to some friends of mine on Twitter), plan stay organized in the coming near year:
Bullet Journaling
This was, by far, the most popular answer. Myself, an avid bullet journal-er, really find it a way to keep my life together. Admittedly, if you Google bullet journaling there’s a mixed bag of results. It can quickly turn into a Pinterest, mom-blog, area of I choose a keep it simple method of bullet journaling, with often the bare minimum. My daily page posts include:
Things I need to accomplish - including small errands and whatnot.
People I need to follow up with
Goal of the week
Weekly goals and a larger tracker at the end as well, items I track include:
Freelance pitches sent
Savings / debt / retirement account goals
miles exercised (distance triathlete problems)
Overall, writing things down helps me stay organized, and on track of things in a physical manner. And I know I’m not the only one, CLICK HERE for a few great links on how you too can get started on bullet journaling.
Lists! Lists! and more Lists!
Much akin to the bullet journaling method, @BambooPR claims that lists and more lists keep them organized. Crossing off things or having a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day is important.
Project management tools: Asana, Basecamp, and Binfire
Email Organization
Nicole Russin-McFarland (@nicrussin) preaches the power of digital organization, by keeping her emails separated with a distinct purpose, she keeps herself organized between her professional endeavors and her personal life. This, in turn, not only helps her stay organized, but also keeps her free from any potential individuals knowing her personal information.
“You should never have an e-mail address you use for everything. Spread it out. You really don’t want that car driver knowing your personal contact info. Do you want that creepy guy you complained about to harass you via e-mail? Your teacher you hate to get in touch? Are you applying for corporate jobs where some of those men and women seem like pervs? Be safe. I cannot stress this enough to young people who are the most vulnerable targets of hacking and harassment. A peace of mind exists also knowing groups of people don’t have access to specifically purposed inboxes.” Russin-McFarland writes.
Saying NO!
It’s something that we all strive to be better at in the coming year, myself included, it’s okay to be no to things that don’t overwhelmingly excite you. By clearing up the mental space, you’re able to make time to do what you truly love and enjoy — and after all, isn’t that why we get organized in the first place?
Need more organization in your life? I’ve got a whole blog post on it.
And as always, feel free to shoot an email or tweet me with your feedback.
Capturing 2019 in the way that only 2019 could.
My friend and talented musician/singer/songwriter/all-around bad-ass human (seriously - she was on American Idol!) Grace Hayes has been KILLING the TikTok game, and her latest one captured this year in the way that this year only could — by internet memes through TikTok. From Marie Kondo, concerns about Kanye West, SKSKSKSK and even a dose of Lizzo, she captures it all in song. Check out the TikTok here.
But this isn’t the only talented TikTok she’ll have in her — her TikTok’s of singing bad Yelp reviews were recently featured on Eater.
But my nerdy digital-innovation and culture mind got me thinking — what is next? As we enter this next decade, and our population becomes only more and more composed of digital natives who grew up with an iPad in their hands, what moments will be added onto the best of end of year lists? And how will we share them?
A more niche year-end review
The one thing that I can say for certain, we’ll start to see a more niche review of the content created and consumed. Book people will read book lists, Star Wars fanatics will discuss their momentous year, and TikToc musicians will share their list of TikTok reviews.
And that’s not a bad thing, as previously discussed in this newsletter - creating things on the internet is cheap, and that allows for more subcultures than ever to have a voice and following. Which is pretty damn cool to me.
The top 2 trends I’m following right now about 2020 (and the people who predicted them.
The Rise of the Journalistic Influencer (Neiman Lab, Lauren Duca)
This concept of the Journalistic Influencer, which, as defined by Duca, is “those who work to entertain the public with utmost allegiance to truth, motivated by the goal of establishing equitable public power,” has me thinking a lot about journalists as a brand and this concept that we follow journalists specifically now.
Personally, I see a shift in media consumption. I’m quick to follow individuals over brands, based on the work they do. I think the case of Taylor Lorenz and her following is a great example of this. People followed her from the Atlantic to the New York Times based upon the coverage she was completing. Her online social media presence made it easier to follow and be aware.
“It seems to me that readers connect most often with individual thinkers rather than the publications they write for. If we can see more journalists aspire to build large platforms, and see more of those who already have them insist on operating out of duty to citizens, there is an opportunity to build a model of ethical influencing that expands into a broader journalistic culture in which citizens comprehend the purpose of the journalist and their personal duty to empower themselves with information,” Duca writes
This leads me to my next note - the power of influencers and how they must be conscious of what they measure.
JUST GROW UP! : Influencer marketing must measure what matters (Coolio Yang, Kantar)
We heard the story of that traveling family that lacked transparency on a hotel giveaway and saw some of the downsides of influencer communication this year, and the average social media influencer is starting to notice. Gone will be the days of influencers crowding for attention and forced to measure what actually matters.
“With influencers increasingly becoming business as usual for brand communications, the risks that come with influencer marketing are now becoming apparent: inappropriate endorsements, lack of transparency and fake followers all damage the credibility of the influencers and the brands that use them, not to mention the trust of their followers,” Yang writes.
My thoughts? This will bring more regulation to a much-needed industry.
I’m working on a full list of media trends happening in 2020, and will be sure to update you all, but these are the two that I’m most fascinated with watching at the moment.
Quick Links
I’m currently reading Moody Bitches, which gives me further thought about how we discuss women’s issues on the internet and in person.
Shameless self-promotion for the podcast I’m a host of — follow The Sham on Instagram and stay tuned for a story of life’s biggest letdowns.
STAR WARS! STAR WARS! STAR WARS! (Heads up the link contains spoilers - but was one of my favorite articles to be reported on)
Cinderblock is in a bit of plateau of weight loss, but I’m still proud of him.
Well, that’s a lot for the first issue of Erin for Tech back - but thanks for your patience on this hiatus. I’ve already started curating up the next issue so we’re back to normal scheduling. In the meantime, stay in touch by following on Facebook or Instagram.
See you on the internet my dudes!