There’s no press like bad press?

Or is it “No Press is Bad Press”? Or it is “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Press”? I’m not sure which it really is, but frankly after this week, I think at least one version of this saying is true. I refuse to get political or take sides on this blog. I am simply pointing out my thoughts on recent events. Two and a half in particular.

I will be covering the events/topics/thoughts in this order:

1. Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson & his opponent Rob Miller
2. Kanye West’s not-so-smooth-move at the MTV Video Music Awards
3. Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards

Congressman Joe “You Lie!” Wilson & his opponent Rob Miller

Synopsis: By now, everyone and their great-grandmother has heard about SC Republican Congressman Joe Wilson’s “You Lie!” outburst last week during President Obama’s health care address to congress. About 10 minutes prior to Wilson’s outburst, I bet 90% of you reading this had never even heard of the quiet republican from South Carolina’s 2nd district. Whether or not you agree with what he said/did/did not do, you now know his name, what state he’s from, the political party he is affiliated with, and you might even know that he loves animals. The number of hits to his website quadrupled in 20 minutes after his little outburst, and that number is of course on the rise. He may not have liked the press that he got, getting called a “President Hater” and a “racist” – but nevertheless, people are learning more about him, his platform, and his background. He is probably going to get a few supporters out of the whole thing. On the flipside, his opponent Rob Miller received $130K in donations by 1AM the night of the debate. Donations even came in from as far as England (that has probably changed by now… but it’s happening). It’s incredible to think that this guy didn’t even do anything and Miller’s opponent making an outburst caused people to learn more about this SC political race.

Conclusion? Joe “You Lie!” Wilson and Rob Miller have both gotten a TON of publicity in the last week. One of them made a huge mistake, one of them did nothing. Yet, they are both in the news… a lot. In the end, is this good or bad press? I’m leaving that for You to decide.

Kanye West’s not-so-smooth-move at the MTV Video Music Awards

Kanye West. Shown here shooting away success.

Synopsis: 19-year-old Taylor Swift won the MTV VMA award for Best Female Music Video. During her acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West got on stage, took the microphone out of Taylor’s hand and said, “Beyonce had the best video of all time. Of all time!” Kanye is now probably one of the most hated people in the music industry. Whether or not you like Swift’s music, the fact is, what Kanye did was completely uncalled for – she’s 19 and it was her first VMA… give her a break. BUT, nevertheless, Kanye West became the #1 trending topic on Twitter within 5 minutes and has maintained status as a trending topic all day today following the awards. If you’ve never heard of Kanye before (probably because you don’t listen to hip-hop/rap music) you probably know who he is now. And you might check out his songs. Even if he loses fans, he is bound to get a lot of publicity about this over the next few days/weeks/months/years. I know I, personally was appalled that he would do something like that, but truth be told, it got me talking about him. It got everyone talking about him.

Conclusion? This type of press/publicity stunt is NOT a good idea, but it will definitely get fans/folks/everyone a-buzz about your name and your product. Whether that’s good or not, is for You to decide.

Lady GaGa at the MTV Video Music Awards

Synopsis: Okay, I might be on a VMA kick because it was on last night, but it’s totally fine. At least this is illustrating my point. Oh, the many faces/outfits of Ms. Lady GaGa. If you missed her crazy outfits, you can check them out here. Whether or not you agree with Ms. GaGa’s fashion choices, she DEFINITELY got people talking last night. She became a trending topic on twitter for over 24 hours after the ceremony was over and her song “Paparazzi” jumped 3 spots to make it into the top 10 songs on iTunes. Her outfits we crazy, but people got to know who she is… a crazy, crazy lady.

Conclusion? Although GaGa’s outfits were rather hideous, her press has probably been the most POSITIVE out of the ones I have referenced. So, my thought on this one is, try something different today. Surprise those you work with, surprise your clients, customers, and friends. You don’t need to dress crazy to get attention. Stand out. Be different. Be awesome. Be a rockstar.

My overall conclusion? Any press can be good press. It just depends on how you deal with it.

That’s just my 2 cents.

All for now.

BTW: Here is a bonus “Kanye West, Joe Wilson, “You Lie!” REMIX Video”

I love it. Enjoy

Molly’s Good Day

I had a good day yesterday. So I felt like making a quick video. It’s cool.

That’s just how I roll.

All for now.

Giving Back.

This past weekend, I was reminded why philanthropic work is so important and why I am so passionate about volunteering as much as you can. (I swear, everything you are about to read has a point… I promise ).

When I was in college, I had the honor of being a part of Phi Mu Fraternity, a women’s social sorority. I didn’t fit in to the typical “sorority girl” stereotype. I played golf, was really into sports, most of my friends were guys, and I didn’t really even know how to put on makeup. Now, a lot of that has changed over the years, but I’m still very much the Molly that I was when I pledged in college. Was really drew me to joining Phi Mu was all the work that Phi Mu did for the community — especially the Children’s Miracle Network (which is also why I have a CMN fundraiser here on my blog –> to the right!). Having been out of college for a few years, I have had the opportunity to stay connected with Phi Mu and am now volunteering my time with the UNC Chapel Hill chapter here in Chapel Hill, NC. The collegiate chapter was in the midst of recruitment this weekend and listening to the girls talk about all they have done in the last few years — it really reemphasized the importance of the work that so many organizations do. It really made me miss my college days, too. So, after thinking more and more about this idea of giving back, which is of course, not a new idea, I thought about how I can incorporate all of that even more into my professional life.

Since I started my business in the realm of blogging, writing, and social media marketing, I have really come to know the importance of acting and exhibiting integrity, honesty, and credibility at all times. Many of the nonprofit organizations I have done work for in the past, taught me a lot of that. I have set myself a goal that I want to volunteer my services to philanthropic causes and work to help organizations that help others.

I challenge you: how do YOU give back? How do YOU work to make things better for others? It just takes a little bit.

Today’s post was short, and may be a little haphazard, but hopefully you get my point. What do YOU think?

“If you real and you know it clap your hands.”

He’s phony, she’s fake
That’s the type of people I hate
If you real and you know it clap your hands [clap clap]
If you real and you know it clap your hands [clap clap]

-Jadakiss “Who’s Real”

Alright, the lyrics to the above song speak to my thoughts for today. It’s not the best song in the world, but it’s true.

As I work to expand my brand and forge new relationships, I seem to have started fighting this civil war within me. A battle between the organized, visionary, professional Molly and the fun-loving, outgoing, spunky, comedian Molly. I felt for the longest time that I had to keep the two parts of me completely separate. That I couldn’t let both Molly’s meet each other — it was like I was cheating on one side of myself with the other. And then I realized that I wasn’t happy. I felt that when I was being one Molly and pushing back the other, that I wasn’t being myself, or that I was being a phony version of myself.

This made me  realize a few things:

1. If I’m not truly happy or comfortable with a certain part of myself, then everything else that I interact with will be affected.
2. If I’m not showing my true self to my clients or people that I network with, then I am cheating them.
3. People can see through the phony — I only want to be seen as an authentic, honest version of myself.
4. One-sided Molly is BORING.

Finally, I realized that both sides of my personality are what make me unique. Why should I try to hide or stifle one aspect because I think that someone won’t like it, or won’t accept it, or will judge it? So I came to terms with this idea of: If I’m being the best and most honest version of myself at all times, and I’m happy with it, why won’t others accept me for who I am? The quality of my work won’t be affected. In fact, if I’m happy being the 100% version of myself – spunky + professional side and all, then you know what, the quality of my work will probably IMPROVE. Clients and those that I am working with or for will know that they have my full attention and that they are working with some one who is dedicated to her purpose and her visions.

As I fought all of this within me, someone gave me a copy of an excerpt from Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book “CRUSH IT” - and the chapter was on authenticity and being real. Every word in that chapter spoke to exactly the battle I was fighting within myself — worrying what other people will think. And it only emphasized what I felt: I cannot be anything other than 100% myself, or else I will eventually get frustrated, disheartened, and lose interest in what I’m doing and what I’m working towards. This forced me to write down facts about myself to put it into a more visual and “out-there” perspective. Here’s what I came up with:

Here are the FACTS about me:

1. I’m 24.
2. I’m a professional.
3. I am smart.
4. I am driven.
5. I am visionary.
6. I am successful.
7. I have worked for big names and startups.
8. I often change clothes more than twice a day.
9. I volunteer.
10. I am spunky.
11. I love my dog.
12. I often enjoy mindless television.
13. I love rap music [note: the Jadakiss lyrics at the top of this entry]
14. I LOVE Chipotle & Diet Coke.
15. I am an improviser and a comedian.
16. I love to break into dance in the car.
17. I am a writer.
18. I am a teacher.
19. I am honest and authentic.
20. But most of all, I get the MOST joy out of making people LAUGH & SMILE.

What I do in both the comedy world and the social media world is work to make something better. Whether it be making someone’s day better or improving the presence of someone’s brand. In the end, both sides of “Molly” are working to make a positive impact. And I love that. By accepting who I am and embracing all sides of my personality, I am able to serve others to the best of my ability.

Therefore, I’ve come up with a term for what I am: a SOCIAL COMEDIAN. I put the media in comedian. Get it? You see? OK, I thought of that at like 3AM. I think it’s clever.

What are your thoughts on authenticity and being real in both your personal and business life?

[Below is a visual example of what I'm talking about.]

With Governor Timothy M. Kaine

That SAME day. AFTER meeting with Governor Timothy M. Kaine.

Same day. Same Molly. Both equally awesome.

All for now.