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February Pop Culture Round Up

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February was a weird pop culture month for me. I finished a book, couldn’t get motivated to start reading anything else, and mostly just binged the Olympics (everyone watches women’s sports!) and took care of a sick pup. Here’s a few things that kept me going (besides curling) and Crossplay.

Live Theatre

I started off the month seeing The Wiz in Portland with a friend. This is obviously the best version of The Wizard of Oz (well, except for maybe Ted Lasso) with such fantastic music! I haven’t seen the show in ages and it was very fun for all.

The next weekend we had a double date down to Salem to see Nick Offerman on his Big Woodchuck tour. It was VERY fun – in fact his shop manager joined him on tour and built a project from their book during the show. It was VERY fun!

Reading

I finished reading Notes on Infinity this month and it was really good. I feel like maybe I need to have a been a bit closer to college (or in that world) to get a few of the assumed acronyms, but the story was great. It had a very Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow vibe mixed with Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos story.

I can’t get excited to read right now. I know, it’s the dead of winter (or something like that in the PNW) – I am hoping that a flight to DC next month will help me get out of this funk. Clearly I need a vacation or some warm sunny weather to sit outside!

I am excited to attend the Hillsboro Reads event next month where the book this year is Tilt which I really enjoyed! If you’re looking for a fast and thoughtful read, this is it!

Listening

Nothing too exciting this month, Carol Burnett on Good Hang was fantastic, and the Jonathan Groff episode made me laugh more than once! I also really appreciated the Wirecutter episodes about Making coffee (brewing) and how to buy beans. It made me think more about where my beans come from and when and how I grind them. It may need a re-listen to make sure I got it all before I start spending money on expensive equipment I have clearly lived without…

Watching

Like most of the world I started the month with the Olympics, enjoyed a Benito Bowl distraction (hooray Seahawks!) and have spent the last couple of weeks trying to figure out curling, and enjoying way too much bobsled and luge!

But, every once in a while we needed a break, and I am grateful that The Pitt is back, and that this season of Shrinking has started and is PERFECT. I also finally started watching The Burbs, we all know that Keke Palmer is amazing, and the cast on this show is bonkers great. Great actors getting to be funny and awkward and weird is always a good mix for me.

Okay, what pop culture have you enjoyed this month? What gets you out of a pop culture (or seasonal?) funk? What are you getting excited for this spring?

September Pop Culture Round Up

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With less than 40 days to the election, I don’t know about you but I can’t focus on much besides reality TV and a few podcasts. I did manage to read a book this month, and found some time to decompress with some beautiful people behaving badly…Oh and saw Green Day with my husband on a school night!

Reading

I don’t have a ton of extra time right now, and I can’t focus on much these days but I did find a bit of time over Labor Day to enjoy some time in the backyard reading a book. Very Bad Company was a perfect end of summer read if you like bad people behaving badly. A corporate retreat in Miami leaves one of the executive team members of a tech startup found dead. Each chapter is from a different employee’s point of view which is a story writing style that I often find I enjoy. It was clever, fun, and a great weekend distraction.

Listening

Leah Sottile, my favorite journalist, has a new podcast out called Hush produced by OPB. It’s about a man in Salem, Oregon who was wrongfully sentenced for a murder in the 90’s and then magically had his sentence over turned and he was released a couple of years ago. It has some great twists and turns so far!

At the end of September Think Out Loud did a series on Hanford. You may remember I read The Cassandra this summer which takes place during the height of the Manhattan Project at Hanford, and with my husband’s family from the area I am always fascinating by this. Each interview is about something different, from the past to the present and the future of the region. Speaking of, my incredible grandfather (in-law, but he was absolutely the best grandpa I ever had!) passed away earlier this month at 100 years old. He worked at Hanford until he retired and then he lead tours of the B Reactor for years. I am sad I never got to take a tour with him.

I’m still loving The Wirecutter Show, and the new host of What A Day, although they’re futzing with the format and I hope the settle on it soon. Also, if you liked the Scamanda podcast I recommended a year or two ago, I didn’t realize it was becoming a show on ABC/Hulu until I saw the trailer on You Tube the other day!

Watching

What’s better than the return of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? A lot of things, but it’s making me happy to have these good time girls back on my TV. I binged right through The Perfect Couple on Netflix a couple of weeks ago and loved all the twists and turns, it was exactly the kind of weekend “beautiful people behaving bad” story I needed.

Multiple people recommended Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter and holy cow it did NOT disappoint. I don’t always love true crime, but this one goes in so many twists and turns you couldn’t have expected. It’s only 2 episodes (about 90 min each) – it was perfect for a plane ride distraction over the weekend.

I finally started Only Murders in the Building and the abundance of riches in the guest stars is ridiculous, and exactly why this show is so fun. I also started English Teacher and I did not expect it to be as hilarious and raunchy as it is – highly recommend (if that’s your thing.)

What pop culture is keeping you going this month? Anything coming up soon that you’re excited for? I’m hoping to watch Nobody Wants This and Will & Harper in the next couple of weeks, and I’m excited to read the new Rumaan Alam and Lianne Moriarty after November 5th, oh and the 50th season of SNL!

Back to Business on LinkedIn!

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Today’s guest post is from my friend and favorite LinkedIn Expert – Karen Rosenzweig of One Smart Cookie Marketing. Karen is THE PERSON for all your LinkedIn and social media questions. You may still be wearing yoga pants to the home office, but it’s time to spruce up your LinkedIn profile this fall my friends…

back to business on linkedinSeptember has arrived, which means back to school time – and back to business time! The summer is behind us and it’s time to set some solid business intentions to earn you more visibility and more money.

A great place to start is reviewing your presence on LinkedIn, the world’s largest business social network with 675 million members. This is a place to be found, look good, and get business done, so here are my top tips to do just that.

Be Found

Before any of the magic can happen, you need to be “found” on LinkedIn. This happens via introductions from your connections, LinkedIn searches, and clicks from the news feed. To be sure you maximize your visibility here, it’s time to freshen up your LinkedIn profile.

  • Revisit your “headline” which may just be your job title now – but consider boosting its effectiveness by creating a keyword-laden headline (search friendly) or a benefit statement headline (what people experience when they work with you). Here’s an easy article to get you started with that.
  • Be sure you have “keywords” throughout your profile for the areas you want to be found for – realtor, Portland, first-time home buyers, small business owners, etc. Be sure those words are in your headline, about section, job experiences, and recommendations to give you maximum “findability”.

Look Good

If you’re lucky enough that someone finds your profile, make sure you look like the amazing business professional you are! Your profile needs to be current, interesting, compelling, and demonstrate how you can help your target audience.

  • Your “about” section is similar to a cover letter that accompanies your resume. More than 50% of people on LinkedIn don’t have an About section now and that’s simply crazy! You don’t want to be judged solely on the jobs you list in your profile (right?) so here’s where you craft a compelling and valuable narrative. Tell your story and earn their business! Check out this article with an easy-to-follow structure for your About section.
  • If you searched for someone on LinkedIn and found two good candidates – one with 14 recommendations and one with 0 recommendations, which would you click on first? It’s time to get that social proof on your profile, so invite your 1st degree connections to write you a recommendation – and perhaps start the party off by writing them one first.

Get Business

Do you sometimes feel like you are the best kept secret in your industry? You can change that dynamic in a hurry by creating a strategic plan to share your great content and engage with others so you show up on their profiles. You must do something to stay top of mind with your connections and establish yourself as the trusted resource in your field.

  • Posting regular “status updates” (original or shared) on LinkedIn allows you to demonstrate your expertise and add value to other businesses. Taking it a notch up by writing LinkedIn Articles – which are essentially longer form blog posts – that allow you to show your knowledge, provide insights, and establish yourself as a go-to person in your field.
  • “Liking” other people’s posts is a fine strategy but a much better one is to actually comment on their posts. When you comment, you leave your name, photo, and headline on that post, allowing others to notice you and perhaps click over to your profile (especially if you have a snappy headline!) It’s like dropping little business cards all over LinkedIn, but not in a cheesy way – because you are adding smart, insightful comments, not trying to sell anyone.

There you have it, an easy game plan for the fall (I can’t wait for football!) to boost your visibility and credibility on the world’s largest business social platform. It’s a strategy that has worked for thousands of business professionals so give it a shot and let me know what magic happens!

For those that need a little boost to get started, I invite you to check out my LinkedIn Reality Check service ($97) – a full written evaluation of your LinkedIn profile along with a 30-minute Zoom call with me to review the feedback and get your questions answered.  I look forward to working with you soon!

About Karen

Karen Rosenzweig is a marketing consultant, social media coach and trainer, author, and owner of One Smart Cookie Marketing. She has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners increase their customer base and gain visibility through Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging and other social media tools.
Her coaching program allows her to act as “training wheels” for a business, teaching them how to authentically and successfully manage their own social media.

She is a fun and dynamic speaker and presents engaging workshops to audiences eager to learn how to leverage social media tools to make more money in their business.