The Musings of Meg

Plenty of things will grab a dog’s attention: squirrels, tennis balls, funny smells, other dogs. But a TV channel?

I applaude both Sandra Fluke & Maureen Dowd - I didn’t think I could be more appalled by Rush Limbaugh after his “Barack the Magic Negro” bit or when he made his “Phony Soldiers” comment. Unfortunately, I was oh so wrong.

Limbaugh is a classless, misogynistic pig. End of story. One fo my favorite parts of this entire opp-ed is Dowd politely questioning,

Isn’t this the last guy who should be pointing fingers and accusing others for taking pills for recreational purposes?

If you haven’t listened to or read Fluke’s full statement to the House Democratic panel, I highly suggest that you do. She’s not only professional and eloquent, her argument (in my humble opinion) is solid. Before I was able to get a fulltime job with benefits, I was one of the many women who’s birth control wasn’t covered by my insurance simply because my father works for a Catholic healthcare institution. I’ve been raised Catholic my entire life and follow the faith, but I firmly believe that the Church’s stance on contraceptives is completely outdated and archaic. Please don’t jump to the conclusion that I’m pro-abortion. I’m pro-choice simply because I don’t think it’s right for me to judge women who have to make those decisions. I choose to take birth control because I don’t want to ever come close to consider the issue. Bottom line, it’s not a black and white argument - there is no “right” answer.

BUT last time I checked, I was neither a prostitute or slut because I choose to take birth control. Sorry I’m not sorry Rush, but you’re an asshole.

For Dowd’s full NYT opp-ed click here. I also have to give a nod of approval to some of the comments that people left - gotta love smart readers:

• “No sex please, we’re Republican” should be the slogan of the Republican Party since sex apparently trumps unemployment, foreclosures, energy crises and terrorism.
• What about the erectile disfunction drugs and devies for men that are covered by insurance? Do they not contribute to the problem of unwanted pregnancies for women who aren’t able to afford birth control? Let’s level the playing field here.
• As long as this yammering windbag is given a pulpit, he will preach. Fire the sponsors and you’ll get rid of him. Don’t blame a jackass for being a jackass; blame the people who set him on a golden throne and cheer each time he brays.

Incredibly, yet another free site has become white-hot popular, because it’s found yet another purpose not quite served by anyone else. It’s Pinterest.com, which recently laid claim to being the fastest Web site in history to break the 10-million-visitors-a-month threshold. It’s suddenly cropping up in conversation, online and off, with surprising frequency.

Pinterest is a pinboard for online photos. Multiple pinboards, actually, each an individual page in your Pinterest account. You can make one for Cool Craft Ideas, another for Kitchen Redo Concepts, a third for Places to See Before I Die. Or maybe Books I’ve Read, Ideas for the Wedding, Best Web Comics. The sky’s the limit.

For the full article, click here.

As a Social Media Strategist, it’s no surprise that I follow my favorite news sources on Twitter and Facebook. So naturally when the following post from the New York Times popped up on my newsfeed I clicked on it:

Do you have friends who have dropped out of Facebook or refused to ever join? Have you considered closing your account? What would a Facebook-free life be like for you?

Well here’s the answer - I’d be out of a job. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have probably created more jobs for young professionals like myself than the government since everything crashed in 2008 (also the year I graduated with my bachelor’s degree).

Sure, Facebook makes things a little stickier than they used to be “back in the day.” There weren’t any canceling of relationship statuses, the threat of rogue tweets or hacked accounts, and the only pictures that would live forever were safely confined to yearbooks or photo albums.

“Thanks” to Facebook, this is far from the truth now. Of course I’m biased because it’s become the heart beat of my profession, but I really don’t find it to be too much of a burden on my day-to-day life. I do have to question whether or not the people who shun Facebook are really doing it because they find it to be too cumbersome and a true invasion on their private life. Case-in-point, this grad student, Ashleigh Elser:

“I wasn’t calling my friends anymore,” said Ashleigh Elser, 24, who is in graduate school in Charlottesville, Va. “I was just seeing their pictures and updates and felt like that was really connecting to them.”

I can relate - I’ve been guilty of looking at pictures from parties I chose not to attend or trips that I couldn’t go on because of previous engagements. I’m connected to people who I went to elementary school with in DC and Virginia who I would have lost touch with completely had it not been for Facebook. And on that note, Facebook is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to birthday’s. You have to admit, it’s pretty awesome to wake up to multiple notification emails telling you that people have wished you happy birthday on your wall. Insincere or not, it’s a feel good moment.

But here’s my point: if it’s truly keeping you from going out and socializing with the real world (which Ms. Ashleigh Elser doesn’t directly say but I really feel like she alludes to it), I think you’ve got some bigger issues that you should probably look into. Facebook isn’t to blame! It’s your complacency with sitting back and watching everything happen on your computer screen without you being part of it. 

If I’m being too harsh I apologize - this post is based purely on my thoughts and opinions after reading this article. I just get tired of people saying that it’s such a huge invasion on privacy and that it is a major distraction from their lives. If you really feel like that, get out there and do something instead of just watching. Besides, someone is likely to document it on Facebook without you even having to do it :)

Today’s ideal social form is not the commune or the movement or even the individual creator as such; it’s the small business. Every artistic or moral aspiration — music, food, good works, what have you — is expressed in those terms.

Call it Generation Sell.

Bands are still bands, but now they’re little businesses, as well: self-produced, self-published, self-managed. When I hear from young people who want to get off the careerist treadmill and do something meaningful, they talk, most often, about opening a restaurant. Nonprofits are still hip, but students don’t dream about joining one, they dream about starting one. In any case, what’s really hip is social entrepreneurship — companies that try to make money responsibly, then give it all away.

This post goes out to the attendees at Springboard 2011 last weekend - here’s another great reason to join Tumblr!

“A recent report from Nielsen said that the audience for the site tripled in the past year and has drawn more female teens to the site than any other social network. Although Facebook still dominates the majority of the time Americans spend on the Web, occupying more than 53 billion minutes each month, Tumblr manages to capture a reasonable share of screen time as well, with more than 623 million minutes per month.”