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Control Your Doubt

One year ago, I thought I had my entire life mapped out ahead of me. I had just landed my first professional job, more than a month before graduation. I had conquered my last semester of college with high marks. Life was good, and it only seemed downhill from there.

There are two types of people reading this. The people who have experienced this and those who haven’t. Those who have know firsthand just how foolish I was to believe that life was finished with me.

Take my advice. Don’t get comfortable in where you are at and where you think life is taking you, because you are in for a surprise.

Don’t get me wrong, confidence is a beautiful tool that hopefully many of you will use to get what you want and need. But doubt is so much more satisfying to control. The day you are able to master the ability to use doubt as an asset rather than fear is a day I look forward to as well.

This is because doubt pushes us forward. It negates lethargy and prevents needless failure. When we doubt ourselves, it i
s because we are aware of what is better than us.

So beware.

Like what you read? Connect with me further via twitter @JonNegroni. I’ll follow back if you seem like a real person. You can also subscribe to this blog by clicking the “follow” button in the top-left corner.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

The Key To Everything That’s Great Right Now

by Jon Negroni

It’s pretty simple really. Everything good we’ve been getting our hands on lately boils down to one concept, whether we’re talking about the social media boom, the advent of streaming television, or even the gaming revolution.

The key to the evolution of entertainment and connectivity?

User-generated content. Self-publishing. The impact of the individual.

This concept of the individual being empowered by the marketplace is the reason we have authors publishing their e-books without major publishers tampering with their work. Two guys can get together with some engineers and create something like “Words With Friends.” I can watch an incredibly entertaining show like House of Cards on Netflix with no commercials.

When content creators like you or me have the power to set the rules, the best work comes out. It’s the reason why us iPhone users are obsessed with iFunny. It’s the reason why I find myself obsessed with discovering new music with Spotify. It’s even why something as ludicrous as Snapchat is becoming an obsession for many people (like myself.)

Put simply, user-generated content is the key to a good experience. Luckily, groups of resourceful people across the globe are exploiting this beautifully.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

5 Things You Must Do After College

by Jon Negroni

Being a post-grad is one of the most exciting, yet trying, periods of time you will face as your education finally reaches its climax. I’m writing this in February, then, as a way to hopefully help get people thinking about this now, rather than later.

This is the time to prove yourself. Really, your 20’s are all about proving yourself. This is it! Your first step into the so-called real world you’ve heard so much about.

It’s only been 1 year since I began my post-grad journey, so I’ve compiled a list of things that will hopefully benefit you once you’ve finally finished your undergrad.

Keep in mind that some of these tips are more or less applicable depending on what you actually studied in school, with communications being my experience for writing this.

1. Learn How to Budget

Yes, you may already know how this works and have been doing a fine job through school. This tip isn’t for you. This is for the post-grads who didn’t work much during school and had their parents handle their finances.

It’s time to get it together. Learn how to do your taxes. Learn how to save money. Watch your parents do it. Figure out what you need to make and how much you can spend before you make other big decisions, like where you’re going to live and what kind of job you’re going to apply for.

It amazes me when people don’t know how much money they want to negotiate for a salary. How do you even have grounds for what salary is “necessary” when you have no idea how much money it will take for you to survive? Think about this now so you can be ready.

2. Plan for your Student Loans

Most of us have plenty of loans to pay for once we’re done with school, and this is something you absolutely cannot go into unplanned. You don’t have much time after school ends before the bills start coming in, so plan ahead. Find out how much you’re going to have to pay and apply for different payment plans if you need to early, so you don’t end up paying way more than you can afford.

3. Stay Busy

In other words, do part-time work. This may mean putting other things on hold, such as relationships and social activities. Why? This is a time of rough transition, and you need to be prepared for anything. As a new professional, you are the most susceptible employee to unexpected layoffs and pay-cuts.

Be prepared. Part-time work, especially related to your profession, helps supplement income and develop even more skills that you will need as your career advances. I highly recommend online tutoring. It’s flexible, pays pretty well, and is a great way to keep your mind active when you’re tempted to zone out on the weekend.

4. Avoid Commitments

I say this with a heavy heart, especially since many people I know get married and have kids shortly after college. That’s fine for them, but I don’t recommend it. This is mostly because you have no idea where your profession is going to take you, and making lifelong commitments with someone who may not align with your career creates intense problems.

Plus, most people just aren’t ready for that level of commitment during this time of transition. I highly recommend that you take a year or more to get settled into your new lifestyle and worry about family life later, when you are more ready for it. You will avoid a lot of problems if you do.

5. Develop a TON of Experience

This is especially important for those of you going for grad school. Education is a great asset to your resume, but don’t rely on it too much. Other people just as educated as you are applying for that same job down the road, only they probably have experience along with their education.

If you wait too long to develop experience through internships or part-time work related to your career, that makes your resume extremely unattractive to employers. This obviously doesn’t apply to every field of study, but it is mostly relevant for people in communications.

The bottom-line is: don’t get lazy or complacent. Once you’re done with school, plan for your future and be prepared for anything. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into one thing, because you might get stuck with it for the rest of your life. Experiment. Have fun. Get your life off to a great start. Prove yourself.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

Top 12 Mat Kearney Songs

by Jon Negroni

Even if you’ve never heard of Mat Kearney, this is a great list to get you started. Kearney has been my favorite singer/songwriter since 2005, so making this list was absolutely painful.

I’ve been following his music religiously since his first album, Bullet, and I currently own every song he’s written (with the exception of some EP songs he wrote that aren’t available online plus some variants of songs such as live versions and iTunes sessions.)

That said, I’ve put together a comprehensive list that looks back to the beginning of his work in an effort to show you which tracks best represent my favorite solo artist. Enjoy!

12. Lifeline- City of Black and White

One of Kearney’s biggest strengths is his lyrics, and the words he sings for “Lifeline,” definitely set it apart in an album full of melodic pieces. City of Black and White was Kearney’s first album to use no rap or spoken word (a style he used with acoustic that made him famous), so the pressure was on here. “Lifeline” is a great example of his ability to craft beautiful songs and evolve past what first made him great.

The world is too big to never ask why. The answers don’t fall straight out of the sky.

11. Never Be Ready- City of Black and White

Kearney is brilliant at writing about relationships. With “Never Be Ready,” he writes about his real experiences with his wife Annie (who has her own song named for her in the album) and the raw emotion of the lyrics matches the song’s melody perfectly.

Love isn’t borrowed, we aren’t promised tomorrow. We’ll never be ready if we keep waiting.

10. Ships in the Night- Young Love

Currently one of Kearney’s big hits, “Ships in the Night” is impressing everyone with its eclectic style of hip hop and acoustic. Kearney’s acoustic/spoken word has really evolved since he left it behind back in 2007, and Ships really delivers just by its message alone. The song addresses the challenges couples face late in their relationships as the initial spark of love fades. It’s a hopeful, yet somber song about a subject not many other artists bother to explore.

Feels like we’re learning this out on our own. Trying to find a way down the road we don’t know.

9. Closer to Love- City of Black and White

This is a beautiful song that is widely misunderstood. On the surface, it seems like a love story between two people, but if you actually listen to the song, it is more of a reflection of Kearney’s relationship with God. The song is about people turning to God only when they need help, as Kearney recounts a tragedy that apparently shook him. The hopeful message is that even though bad things happen, Kearney feels that God is using it make him closer and more dependent on the love of God.

I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees. We’re gonna get there soon.

8. Renaissance- Bullet

This is from Kearney’s first album, though it was repackaged in Nothing Left to Lose. The song features two ballads about two different people who hit rock bottom. The first is in a car accident that takes his family away from him. The second person gets dumped by his girlfriend and slips into depression. In-between verses, Kearney stresses how God offers something “real” to people who experience tragic situations. This is one of Kearney’s most layered songs and features one of his more powerful and uplifting choruses.

I can be the wall when you fall down. Find me on the rocks when you break down.

7. Fire and Rain- City of Black and White

“Fire and Rain” channels a very unique message: the distance between friends over time. Throughout the song, Kearney talks about a sort of prodigal friend (or love) that he often wonders about. The themes of friendship and how people move on are beautifully portrayed here, and the lyrics really tug at something I’m sure most of us have been through.

Do you ever think about me? Do you ever call my name? Ask me now. I’ll give you the reasons.

6. Everyone I Know- City of Black and White

This is actually a bonus track that isn’t as well-known, unfortunately. Kearney gets a little more philosophical in this song, talking about how his experiences have shaped his view in the world. Specifically, he talks about how love is something we’re all looking for, and this is something that everyone shares. I mainly love this song for its acoustic, which is probably the best melody in the album.

Because everyone that I know, every place that I go, every story that I’m told, it’s love that we’re looking for.

5. Nothing Left to Lose- Nothing Left to Lose

This is the song that propelled Kearney to mainstream music. It is a song that, in its core, appeals to a wide audience with its coming of age feel. Like most of his songs, Kearney sings about his own experience of moving from Oregon to California and how liberated he felt. Nothing Left to Lose (the album) is actually a compilation of the first songs he ever wrote, making them some of his more emotional and heartfelt songs.

Come on, and we’ll sing, like we were free. Push the pedal down, watch the world around fly by us.

4. Lifetime- West in November EP

Kearney did two EP’s before releasing his first album, Bullet, in 2004. The first was Revive Us EP (2002) and then West in November EP (2003). The tracks here are extremely difficult to find and can’t even be purchased on Amazon or iTunes, which is a testament to how early these came out. Thankfully, YouTube exists and I happen to have a copy of “Lifetime” in my library. This song is about finding purpose in life and making the most out of it. Tough questions about whether or not Kearney’s music will really help anyone in the long run are addressed, and you can tell that this is one of Kearney’s more introspective songs. Click here to hear the song on YouTube.

Well here’s another stone in the walls of this lifetime, of this lifetime. I built them tall but they gonna fall when the day’s gone by, when my children cry.

3. Count on Me- Young Love

This is actually my most-played song on iTunes…though I am objective enough to only put it at number 3. Yes, this is my favorite track from his most recent album, Young Love, and for good reason. The song is unlike anything you’ve probably ever heard and presents a message so upbeat, positive and entertaining, it will surely make you smile.

Emails and coffee in the evening. Effort ya brother you’ll believe it. Gee, I don’t know your secret! Each “I love you” singing:

2. Undeniable- Bullet

Though it’s more famous for being on the Nothing Left to Lose album, the song first debuted on Bullet as one of its surprise hits. The song basically sums up everything there is to love about Mat Kearney. It has the story-telling lyrics, the spiritual redemption, and the eclectic style of spoken word and unrestrained acoustic that has impacted so many people. This is the song that really started it all.

It’s undeniable how brilliant you are. In an unreliable world, you shine like a star. It’s unforgettable now that we’ve come this far. It’s unmistakable that you’re undeniable.

1. All I Need- Nothing Left to Lose

If only you could have seen my face after the first time I heard this song. It’s in a league on its own. Kearney has not yet written a song that comes as close to being as powerful as “All I Need,” a ballad about two of his friends who suffered from Hurricane Katrina in 2006. The song boasts a set of lyrics and piano that rival that of “Fix You” by Coldplay. If this song doesn’t make you tear up, then you are rock solid.

We’re grabbing at the fray for something that won’t drown.

Of course, there are a TON of other fantastic Mat Kearney songs, making this list feel criminal, even to me. So, I guess I have to include some honorable mentions:

In the Middle- Bullet
Bullet- Bullet
Girl America- Bullet
Breathe in Breathe Out- Nothing Left to Lose
Can’t Break Her Fall- Nothing Left to Lose
Where We Gonna Go From Here- Nothing Left to Lose
Crashing Down- Nothing Left to Lose
All I Have- City of Black and White
Rochester- Young Love
She Got the Honey- Young Love
Hey Mama- Young Love
Runaway- Young Love

Disagree on anything? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

5 Ways to Build a Great Twitter

by Jon Negroni

The other day, I talked about why you need Twitter. Well, today I want to share some practical ways you can ignite (or reignite) your platform on the popular social network.

5. Update All Settings

Before you send out that first Tweet, you need to make sure that all of your settings are updated and customized to your liking. If it’s set to a high privacy setting, I recommend keeping it open unless you have a good reason not to.

Pick a good profile picture and header that best represents who you are. For most people, this means staying away from logos and looking like a human being. Why? Unless you are creating a Twitter for a business, you have no reason to make yourself look like something you’re not.

The best way to brand yourself is to brand yourself as what you actually are: a person. There are exceptions to this, of course, but for most of you, keep it personal.

Also, spend a good amount of time writing your bio. Too long, and people aren’t as likely to read it. Too short, and people won’t know enough about you. Be witty, but informational.

4. Start Following

Most people understand that the only way to find followers (when you’re starting out) is to go on follow binges. What most people don’t understand is that you have to be strategic about this.

First off, stay away from “Verified” users. These are your high-profile celebrities and captains of industry that don’t follow-back because, let’s face it, they have too many followers to follow-back.

Don’t just follow anyone. One of the best strategies I’ve used is to find high-profile users that are similar to me (so for social media management, I would pick Chris Brogan for example) and follow the people who follow them. Simple right?

This helps you in two ways: 1) You’re following people who are aligned to your interests, which is why a smart bio about who you are is really important. 2) These are people who actually do follow other people. In other words, you’re filtering out a lot of spam accounts and people who don’t normally follow others.

Lastly, I recommend you avoid following more than 100-200 people a day. Sure, you can do more than that, but it’s a lot easier to keep up with the people who follow-back, and this allows you time to thank them.

3. Start Unfollowing

Ratios are important. If your news feed is too cluttered, your Twitter experience will suffer. You’re going to want to engage with people who follow you back and normally engage with your content. Keep your ratio pretty tight.

Now, as I’ve said before on this blog, don’t unfollow the people who have actually followed you back. You followed them for a reason. You want them to be engaged with your Tweets, but they will most likely unfollow you in return if they discover your treachery.

There are great tools for unfollowing users that don’t follow back in bulk. My favorite is ManageFlitter, a free website that lets you fast select up to 100 users a day, making your follow/unfollow strategy easy to replicate each day.

2. Use HootSuite

Scheduling your Tweets should absolutely be a part of your strategy, especially since we are all way too busy to consistently Tweet every single day.

What I usually do is schedule 5-7 Tweets in the morning that will spread out through the day. These Tweets are typically articles and links that I find interesting enough to share.

For the rest, I just update like I normally would through mobile. These are usually Tweets about myself, retweets, and replies. To maintain variety, I go by the 70-20-10 rule, which you can check out here.

1. Show some love

The other day, I Tweeted that, “Retweets are currency. Spend them wisely.”

I basically meant that when you retweet someone, you are investing in their content. It helps them because you’re making their content that much more viral, but you are using up your own resources to share what they have to say (the more you retweet, the less value you assign to each retweet because it looks like you will share anything).

If you’re following great people on Twitter, then they will value your retweet or favorite for what it is: you taking the time to invest in their content.

This is how you build an engaging following. Finding out what to Tweet, while important, is not the beat-all to building an audience. You can Tweet something extremely profound, but only an audience that you have formed rapport with will actually see you standing out in their feed.

Yes, you need to use hashtags effectively. Yes, you need to pay attention to trending topics. Honestly, that all develops naturally as you get more experienced with Twitter.

What you need to really focus on is community-building. Show some love and watch it reciprocate. Be relevant, timely, and frugal. Use the methods above, and watch yourself become infatuated with my favorite social network.

Thanks for reading! You can subscribe to this blog by email via the prompt on the left sidebar. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@JonNegroni). I’ll follow you back if you say something witty and awesome.

5 Reasons Why You Need Twitter

by Jon Negroni

Twitter is my favorite social network at the moment, so expect this analysis to be pretty biased. Of course, that bias comes from the personal realization that Twitter can be one of your greatest assets for your career.

Unlocking the potential to Twitter is something I was challenged to do two years ago at the behest of one my PR mentors. She relayed that the medium is not just growing in size but also in engagement, and I would surely be left behind if I didn’t get the ball rolling by the time I moved into the professional world.

The question here is, “Why Twitter?” Well, there are many reasons, and I suspect that a good number of people who read this will have a personal Twitter profile stashed away somewhere with maybe a dozen Tweets or so that they have put out.

I am writing primarily to those people, who will hopefully take their profile out of the dustbin and begin unlocking their Twitter. Now is definitely the best time!

5. It’s where everyone is.

It should be obvious to many that Twitter is hugely popular, especially among professionals and celebrities. It’s not just because it is now the third largest social network in terms of size. Twitter is rivaled by none with how open and ongoing it is.

What other social network has millions of people hinging on the brief words of a celebrity or opinion leader?

For you, this means that you have the opportunity to expand your connections to people that are relevant to you. I personally go out of my way to follow people who are just like me: new professionals in the public relations and social media world.

What that does is allow me to expand my base of connections and have a large following of people that actually want to read what I have to say. Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, you are actually encouraged to connect with people you’ve never met, giving you the chance to build an audience on your own terms.

4. It’s where the conversation is.

Twitter is one of the most effective tools for staying up-to-date on news, whether they be general or pinpointed to your interests and career. Measuring opinion on trending topics is also extremely valuable for many professionals, especially in press release writing.

Another way to put it: Twitter is fantastic for listening and observing. Just make sure you are strategic in who or what you decide to follow.

3. It makes you a better writer.

Habitually using 140 characters to share something valuable helps you develop a skill for saying a lot more in fewer words. This is an invaluable skill for almost anyone, even non-writers. This is because Twitter forces you to think before speaking.

2. It’s always challenging.

A great thing about Twitter is that there is always someone who is ahead of you in terms of follower-size and engagement (unless you’re Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber).

The fun of constantly striving for more and better results keeps you challenged and engaged. It’s probably what makes the medium so addicting, but that is absolutely a good thing.

Why?

Because you should never be done learning. You should never stop challenging yourself to do better. Twitter is a great platform for reminding yourself of that.

1. The potential is limitless.

Mastering Twitter takes hard work. No one I know personally has done it, but plenty people I know have unlocked at least some of its potential.

What that looks like: a Tweet from you, gone viral, can create a lasting impact on a huge audience. Something that you’ve said is being digested and respected by countless people.

Once you’ve unlocked Twitter, you have proven to yourself and the relevant people around you that you are, in fact, capable of cultivating a living, breathing community. You’ve gotten your name out there. Having that in your repertoire can help you accelerate your career in so many ways that it is tiresome just to think about it.

I Tweeted yesterday that, “There are no keys to success. Just doors.” Well, Twitter can create a lot of doors to success for you, and it’s yours for the taking.

So now the question is not, “Why Twitter?” It’s now “How do I unlock Twitter?” I’ll help you answer that question next time.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

10 Ways to Be Less Annoying on Social Media

by Jon Negroni

We all have those people on our Facebook or Twitter that annoy us to death with their irrelevant photos and emotional status updates. Truth is, we can all be pretty obnoxious once in a while.

While I’m not in the business of changing human behavior, I do believe there are a few habits we can all take to heart. Here are a few simple ways to be slightly less vexatious:

*Note, this list is based on the opinions of myself and 5 other people. Obviously, this is all subjective, so take this advice with a grain of salt.*

10. Keep it short (Facebook)

This isn’t a problem for Twitter, obviously, but just because a Facebook post can be forever long, doesn’t it mean it needs to be. A few words can have far more impact than paragraphs of them (we just don’t like to because it actually takes more effort to write less).

9. Post less (Facebook and Twitter)

People are easily annoyed. Seeing two statuses on the same page of 10 or 11 is annoying. Exceptions are when you post photos and maybe do a quick status afterwards. Otherwise, you come off like you are talking to yourself, and no one finds that pleasant.

Twitter is a different beast. You can certainly get away with 3 tweets within a few minutes of each other, but when people see you taking up most of their feed, they will most likely unfollow you.

8. Be less Personal (Facebook and Twitter)

I don’t mind if someone posts the occasional passive-aggressive status update. If that helps you vent, by all means go for it. You cross irksome territory, however, when these posts come to be expected from you.

A good rule of thumb is to abstain from making your status or tweet personal, unless you’re actually writing on someone’s wall or tweeting at them. This is because constant emotional posts come off as desperation for attention.

If you’re looking for help or support, contact someone directly rather than broadcasting it.

7. Be varied (Facebook)

Posting about the same thing all of the time wears on people. Just think about the frustration of seeing someone constantly posting photos of their kids.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sharing your life with people, especially something exciting like marriage, a new baby, or even a new relationship. Just try to post other things as well. After all, too much of anything is unbearable.

This is also true for funny things you share. E-cards and statuses that have obviously been ripped off of other websites are fun every once in a while but get old fast.

6. Cut back on invites (Facebook)

If you really want someone to play a game or try an app you really love on Facebook, message them about it instead and talk about it. Blanket invites do nothing but bother people, and it makes me personally dislike whatever I’m being asked to try.

Event invites are similar. Be strategic about who you invite. Would they really want to go to this event? Yes, this is harder than just sending out 1000 invites all at once, but just think about how many annoying situations you are preventing when you take the extra minute to filter your invites.

5. Talk about yourself less (Twitter)

You can definitely get away with this on Facebook, but Twitter is very different. Follow the 70-20-10 rule:

70% of your tweets: sharing links, relevant info or retweeting.

20% of your tweets: starting real conversations and communicating with others.

10% of your tweets: talk about yourself.

4. Have a reason behind messaging someone (Facebook)

Please don’t message someone, “Hi.”

If you want to catch up, put some more effort into it. “Hey man/girl, we haven’t talked in a while! How’s your new job?”

3. Have a better reason behind DMing someone (Twitter)

I hate direct messages on Twitter. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even read them. This is because people only use them to sell something. “Go to my website for blah blah blah!” “Did you know your SEO is blah blah blah?”

Listen, if you really want people to discover something that is beneficial to them, be more creative. Mentions are a big step forward. “Hey @JonNegroni! Thanks for the follow. I checked out your site and it’s great. Hope you’ve liked mine as well!

See, that’ll actually get me to pay attention because you’re coming off as a human, not an annoying spam-bot.

2. Don’t unfollow people after they’ve followed you (Twitter)

Nothing is more annoying than when someone unfollows you after you’ve positively responded to their initial follow. It’s just rude. If you want to grow your Twitter base and maintain a good ratio, stick to unfollowing the people who’ve ignored you.

1. Don’t announce that you’re about to unfriend a lot of people (Facebook)

Some might disagree with this, but hear me out.

What you’re saying: “Soooo I cleaned up my friends list today! If you can see this, congrats on making the cut!”

What you’re really saying: “Be grateful we’re still friends. I can get rid of you like that.”

See, this can really come off as snobby when you announce to everyone on Facebook that they just won some arbitrary competition for your friendship that some of them might not even care about. You’re basically announcing that your friendship is pretty conditional, which may be true, but it’s not smart to just broadcast that.

If you’re going to make a cut to your friends list, keep it on the DL. It’s much classier, and the best part is you’re going to avoid hurting someone’s feelings accidentally.

Hope this list helped! While I may be frequently guilty of breaking the above standards, I am confident that we are a step closer to being less annoying online. Cheers.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

Control Your Doubt

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