Link Love Wednesday: Graduation Edition

I graduated from college on Saturday (look out for an upcoming post about it!), and as I prepare to begin my first full-time job next week, I look forward to a lot of the changes I am about to experience. Of course, with every monumental life event comes at least a twinge of nostalgia, and I can credit my university for giving me the best four years of my life thus far.

Some of this week’s articles and links are geared toward graduating seniors in particular, while others are merely meant to make you think or smile. What have you been reading lately?

• Have you secured a job for after graduation? Mashable composed this list of digital skills every college graduate/liberal art major should know in order to stand out in the job market.
• A lot will change between your freshman and senior years of college! BuzzFeed lists some of those major changes, complete with animated GIFs. (I especially like the one about going out to bars.)
• The ladies at We’re Calling Shenanigans shared a delicious black bean salsa recipe that I’m just aching to try!
• According to PR Daily, “awesome” is the most overused word. Find out why.
• Virgin is now rolling out a new in-flight flirting feature that allows passengers to send drinks and food to other passengers on board. (No Mile High Club jokes, please!)
• Did you know that Mavis Beacon was never actually a real person? My heart was broken when I heard the news! Cracked.com shared a list of five “famous people” who never truly existed, and a few of those shocked me.
• The month of May may have been named after the goddess Maia, but its origins are still up for debate.
• What does a week of groceries look like for families around the world? (Hint: Very differently in Chad.) Check out these photos for an interesting look into the lifestyles of families across cultures.
• This video outlines everything wrong with The Room in just eight minutes. My friend Robert sent this to me and I could not stop laughing! If you’re an ironic fan of the movie, you will love this video.

Enjoy this week’s link love, and feel free to share your own favorites in the comments section below!

The Weekend Five: Blogging Highlights of 2012

I can’t believe the year is almost up!

For me, 2012 has been a spectacular year in the realm of blogging. Although I didn’t have as much time to write as I did in 2011, I experienced some major milestones here at So It Must Be True throughout the past 12 months. Today, as we approach the very end of 2012, I would like to share some of this year’s most memorable moments, and to thank each of you for being such an integral part of the blogging experience.

The Weekend Five: Blogging Highlights of 2012

1. In 2012, I received nearly twice as many visitors as I did in 2011, and I had visitors from at least 77 countries.
It is so exciting to look at the blog’s analytics and discover that people from all around the world are reading! I love hearing from you, and am always thrilled when I receive a notification that someone has subscribed to the blog. I am hoping to grow the blog even more in 2013 through stronger branding and more frequency in posts.

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2. My site received a makeover, including several new pages that made it easier to navigate.
This year, I created a Portfolio page, complete with all of my written work that has been published elsewhere, as well as a special Links page that readers could reference for suggested reading. I also made some major revisions to my About page, and revamped the Awards & Press page as well. A new look is a girl’s best friend, no?

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3. I wrote my first guest blog.
Earlier this year, I was asked to write an article for a very cool site called HUGstronger.org for its September series. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity! My post, Unhealthy Relationships: 5 Signs That The Nice Guy Isn’t So Nice, was a blast to write, especially on a topic so close to my heart. In 2013, I hope to be able to write more guest posts for HUGstronger and other blogs out there!

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4. I received four blogging awards.
In 2012, I was extremely fortunate to receive the Versatile Blogger Award, the Very Inspirational Blogger Award, the Illuminating Blogger Award and the Kreativ Blogger Award. How awesome is that? I am so thankful to have such supportive fellow bloggers, and I look forward to passing the awards along to other talented writers out there.

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5. I was able to connect with more writers and readers than ever before.
Ultimately, having this blog would be completely worthless without having such wonderful readers. I have been lucky to have the chance to interact with so many of you in the last year and, in turn, explore your sites and share content. A huge thank you to everyone who reads, subscribes and comments on my blog! I read each and every one of your comments, and I truly enjoy looking at your blogs as well.

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Thank you to everyone for making 2012 so bright! I look forward to an even brighter 2013.

Fellow bloggers, what were the highlights of your blogging experience this year?

FSPA District 7 Conference

Home sweet home!

This weekend, I took a trip back to my hometown to attend the Florida Scholastic Press Association’s District Conference, which took place at my old high school. I gave two presentations this afternoon: Enhancing Your Professional Image Through Social Media and Finding Your Audience: How To Market Your Blog To Readers, each of which I geared toward high school students.

A few personal realizations today: First of all, even though I’m only 22 years old, I feel ancient. I attended this conference as a high school student and yearbook editor in 2008 and 2009 (and won first place in the on-the-spot news writing competitions, thank you very much!), and when I mentioned that to students, they seemed surprised. As someone who is usually mistaken for much younger, I suppose that a nice shirt and slacks will make you look a whole lot older!

Also, during my social media workshop, I asked students if any of them had ever created a MySpace. The answer? None of them. In fact, as I spoke with students later in the day, I found out that some had never really heard of MySpace to begin with! It made me wonder how obsolete our current forms of social networking will become in the next ten years, and what I will tell my children about them.

I also realized that as much as public speaking intimidates me at times, I love to teach. This reaffirms my belief that pursuing a Master’s degree would be a beneficial path for me, because then I will have the opportunity to teach the subjects I love at a higher level.

Presenting my workshops today (as well as a resumé building workshop last weekend at a leadership conference) was a huge honor and privilege, and I look forward to the next opportunity I have to present a workshop.

Kreativ Blogger Award!

Hello everyone! Just recently, I was fortunate enough to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award from the ever so talented Julie (Of a Writerly Sort). Thank you, Julie! To accept the award for creative blog content, I must share seven things about myself and then pass it on to seven other bloggers.

I’m still in the process of selecting recipients for this award (as well as for the Versatile Blogger Award and Very Inspirational Blogger Award), so stay tuned for those. Here are seven facts you guys may not have known about me!

1. I am learning to play the Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World medley on my new ukulele, whose name is Tiberias.

2. My closet is color-coordinated and the books on my shelf are alphabetized.

3. I made my acting debut this past year as Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls in the school’s Homecoming skit. (There is a video somewhere on the Internet, but I will not be posting the link!)

4. One of my goals in life is to become so successful in my field of study that I am asked to give a TED Talk someday.

5. When I was in high school, I wanted to marry Adam Brody. Then I saw him on an interview and realized I actually wanted to marry Seth Cohen, his character on The O.C. Then I realized I really just had a thing for nerdy (but still cute) guys who listen to Death Cab for Cutie and make sarcastic comments about society.

6. I am a huge fan of roller coasters!

7. Rabid sports fans annoy me more than almost anything else.

I hope this gave you all a deeper insight into my life I would once again like to say thank you for such a lovely award. I am truly honored!

I Won The Illuminating Blogger Award!

On Monday night, I was thrilled to learn that I won the Illuminating Blogger Award for illuminating, informative blog content, courtesy of Food Stories. I am fortunate to have such wonderful readers, and I wouldn’t be able to do this blog without each of you.

In accepting this award, I have to share one random thing about myself, so here goes (in honor of tonight’s finale of America’s Next Top Model): Sometimes I do a decent impression of Tyra Banks.

As another part of accepting this award, I get the opportunity to pass it on to five other talented bloggers. Therefore, I would like to give the Illuminating Blogger Award to the following bloggers:

1) Sarah from Bumfuzzled Jane.
This nutrition and fitness blog is motivating and easy to relate to. Not only does she provide a lot of helpful information, but she does so in an interesting and funny way.

2) Julie from Of a Writerly Sort.
The talented authoress shares her own tips for aspiring fiction and YA writers. It’s always fun to hear about the writing process from her perspective, and her advice is helpful for anyone who has ever suffered from writer’s block (read: everyone).

3) Truthlets & Thoughtbits.
Her blog is constantly winning awards for its insightful posts about wellness. You can’t help but feel inspired by what she has to say!

4) HUGstronger.
Headed by the super talented Kaleigh Somers, HUGstronger is the perfect safe haven for college students to turn to. Students from across the country provide their own expertise about the collegiate experience, and bring hope to those who need it.

5) Becca at  College Relationships.
A professional counselor at a university, Becca is an excellent source for all things relationships. It’s always fun to read her perspective on dating in college, and her information can be extremely useful.

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Congratulations to all of you! And thanks again for all of your kindness and support

Note: I still haven’t given nominations for some of the other awards I’ve received– I promise I will! I just want to put some good thought into all of them

You’re So Vain, You Probably Think This Blog Is About You…

There’s a new epidemic out there and it’s sweeping our blogosphere (or, okay, maybe just my little corner of the blogosphere!). Fellow writers, how many times have you wanted to blog about a particular topic but you were afraid someone might read too much into it, so you scrapped the idea entirely?

This is a problem that I like to call blog apprehension. Because I blog about very personal topics (relationships, friendships and college life itself) without name-dropping or getting into specifics, my posts may leave a lot of room for interpretation for those who know me. I’m extremely fortunate to have such supportive friends in my real life who regularly read my blog and give me feedback, but in the two years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve had my share of “Is this post about me?” and “It’s obvious you were writing about ____ and ____,” which are comments that can be very difficult to answer.

The truth is, my blog posts are inspired by a variety of different things: personal experiences, casual observations, people I’ve met,  random passages in books, what have you. Sometimes I’ll reference a specific friend for his/her own personal amusement, but for the most part, my blog is not a diary of my daily life or the lives of my friends. Instead, it is a place for me to discuss my own beliefs about certain subjects and to hopefully provide some advice to my readers in areas that are relevant to them. Still, I receive the occasional “This post was totally about [insert personal event/relationship/friendship here],” and it can make it a little more difficult to write.

Because of this, I have had to explain to boyfriends in the past that “no, this post about relationships isn’t about you,” and that I refuse to blog about a relationship while I’m in it. I don’t believe in broadcasting your personal life all over the Internet, and I feel that blogging about a current significant other just adds pressure to the relationship. Similarly, for the longest time, I’d been working on a post about the concept of opening yourself up to failure and rejection, but when I finally was ready to finish writing it, I went through a breakup. The post had nothing to do with my breakup, but I was terrified to publish it because I was afraid that the readers who knew me would assume I was writing solely about that.

In the end, I decided to stop worrying about that and just let people interpret things the way they wanted to. But what I would like my readers to take away from this is that chances are, I’m not writing specifically about you. I’m writing about a human experience that may apply to you, but it’s not exclusive to you. I may be inspired by you, but I may also be inspired by ten other people. I don’t write to air people’s dirty laundry or complain/gloat about the people in my life (if I did, I would get a Tumblr!) — instead, I write in the hope of understanding the world a little more, and to share what I learn with everyone else.

But yeah, that one post I wrote a while back was definitely about you.

I Won the Versatile Blogger Award!

After spending a mediocre day at the doctor and in bed, I was both surprised and ecstatic to learn that I have won the Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks to Sharon from Hyperactive Inefficiency (who so kindly nominated me for the award), my day has gotten a whole lot better, and I am extremely honored to have even been considered.

As one of the rules for accepting this award, I must tell you seven things you might not know about me.

1. If I were a Disney princess, I would be Belle.

2. Contrary to what my social standing in high school would suggest, I was a cheerleader for five years and was, at one point, ranked at the All-American level. (Read: I used to do flips and stuff.)

3. I collect spoons from every new state, country or exciting tourist attraction I visit.

4. I could watch the TCM channel all day, especially if they were having a Humphrey Bogart/Audrey Hepburn/Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy marathon. Old Hollywood > New Hollywood. (Does that make me sound like a hipster?)

5. My most recent obsession is the new fairy-tale show Once Upon a Time on ABC. I’m waiting for an excuse to blog about some aspect of it… because it’s that good.

6. Back in October, I orchestrated a Triwizard Tournament consisting of nearly 100 people.

7. I never know what to write about myself!

Another rule for accepting the award means that it’s my turn to nominate 15 versatile bloggers for this award. I will be announcing those nominees in a future post!

I would love to thank Sharon once again for such an honor I’m so flattered to have been considered!

The Friday Five: What I’ve Learned From Blogging

On most days, I don’t write anything specific about my personal life, but today is a notable exception. Today marks a very special one-year anniversary for me — in fact, exactly one year ago, I registered for an account on WordPress and started blogging right here. 365 days and 96 posts later, I have loved every minute of the blogging experience, and have grown tremendously since the very first post I ever wrote on WordPress.

To commemorate this occasion, I would like to share some of what I’ve learned in the past year of blogging. Feel free to comment below with some of what you’ve learned as well!

The Friday Five: What I’ve Learned From Blogging

1. You never know who is reading.
It doesn’t matter who your target audience is… you will still attract readers from other groups as well. Yes, most of my readers are college students, but I have also heard from various family members and employers who have read it as well. My readers come from all over the world and it is amazing to hear from so many perspectives when reading through comments. Blogging has allowed me to learn more about others, but it has also taught me the importance of inclusivity and not alienating any potential readers.

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2. Blogging means community.
Throughout my blogging experience, I have found that it is extremely important to keep up with other blogs in order to stay fresh and informed. In doing this, I’ve been able to meet and interact with a variety of bloggers, forming somewhat of a community through WordPress, Twitter and other social media. As a blogger, I have become acquainted with such a variety of writers, and in turn, have introduced some of my IRL friends to the world of blogging.

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3. There’s a Taylor Swift song for everything.
I used to make fun of a lot of Taylor Swift songs for their subject matter (“I like this boy but he doesn’t know I exist” “I’m in a relationship and it’s the best thing ever” “I wear a lot of dresses”) but with the release of her album Speak Now, I realized that I could relate to more of her songs than I thought. With nearly 10 percent of my blog posts pertaining to something written by T. Swift, I can’t simply disregard the fact that there will always be an artist whose work speaks to you. For the past year of my life, Taylor Swift’s music has spoken to me, and it will be interesting to see who and what I draw inspiration from in the next year.

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4. Making connections is one of the most important things you can do.
In English classes, we are taught to look for specific literary devices that don’t mean much to us personally, but as a blogger, I’ve definitely been able to pick out more prominent themes in famous works and apply them to my own life. Whether an excerpt from a novel, a scene from a movie or a line from a song, these various pieces can shed some insight on our own life experiences and observations, and help to point out a more universal truth. Blogging has taught me the power of making such connections and also enhanced my overall enjoyment of the works I read, watch and listen to.

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5. You are bound to contradict yourself.
In time, as you learn and grow from every experience, you will find that sometimes your thoughts, feelings and opinions will change. Because of this, some of your blogs might seem to contradict one another, and that’s okay. A blog doesn’t have to be perfectly static — it can change over time, just as you will. Realize that what you find in the next year may surprise you, and embrace the contradictions that you face.

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To my readers: Thank you for such a wonderful first full year of blogging. You have all been such an inspiration to me and I could not have done it without your support.

To my fellow bloggers: What have you learned from your experiences in blogging?

The Friday Five: Best Posts of the Week

As a writer and blogger, I have always felt that the only way you can create quality content is by reading quality content from other writers. Because I am subscribed to a lot of different blogs varying in subject matter, I constantly find interesting, funny and thought-provoking posts throughout the Internet. For this week’s Friday Five, I have gathered some of my favorite blog posts from the past seven days, now available for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

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The Friday Five: Best Posts of the Week

1. Lessons From The Backstabber (The Utterings and Mutterings of a B.A.G. Lady)
The film Something Borrowed didn’t just inspire my own blog, but the blog of one of my close friends (with whom I watched the movie!) as well. Beth’s post about the chick flick takes a more positive approach, analyzing what lessons we can take away from Rachel’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) story line. The post is introspective and well-written, and will definitely give you something to think about.

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2. Motivating Mondays: Charlie Sheen (Stop Being a Loser)
Okay, so usually we don’t find the words “Charlie Sheen” and “motivate” in the same sentence, unless that sentence is something along the lines of “The recent antics of Charlie Sheen motivated the young boy to stop using drugs.” However, the ladies of Stop Being a Loser give the crazed actor a fun twist. Among his bizarre interviews, there are a few (dare I say it?) motivating quotes from Charlie Sheen. Go take a look — he may surprise you, tiger blood and all!

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3. George Lucas Strikes Back (The AV Club)
Before I introduce this link, I have to admit that I did enjoy the prequel Star Wars movies. (I know, blasphemy!) Like everyone else, I cringe any time Jar Jar Binks comes onto the screen, but for the most part I really liked Episodes I through III. Having said that, I couldn’t help but laugh while watching this trailer, entitled George Lucas Strikes Back, in which George Lucas is locked up for 20 years while an imposter releases the newer films, and seeks revenge for their poor quality. Star Wars nerds will feel a bit more at ease after watching this trailer, as if the old trilogy has been avenged.

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4. Literary Characters Who Should Be Tweeting (Flavor Wire)
Not only is this an awesome concept, but it gives me more ideas of books to read. (I can always use more – I’m running behind!) I can think of a few literary characters of my own whose Tweets might be interesting: Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, the inappropriate nurse from Romeo and Juliet, everyone from the Harry Potter books, and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Check out the list and try to think of some of your own!

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5. Advice at 18 (The Frenemy)
I love this blog anyway, but this post really made me think. Like the title suggests, the writer includes advice that she would have given her 18-year-old self. I was 18 nearly three years ago, which doesn’t feel like very long, and I often wonder what I would have told my younger self if given the chance. Some of this is great advice period, no matter how old you are.

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What are some of your favorite reads from the week?

The Friday Five: Reasons NOT to Post a Friday Five

Between classes, internships, club meetings, a social life and attempts to sleep, it can be difficult to finish blogs on time. Because of this, bloggers may occasionally neglect their weekly and monthly regulars. My Friday Fives have been no exception! Having skipped three weeks because of time constraints, I would like to dedicate this post to the reasons why a blogger (perhaps this specific blogger!) might miss a post or two. Enjoy!

The Friday Five: Reasons NOT to Post a Friday Five

1. The homework for your online class is due on Friday nights and you always wait until the last minute on those.

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2. You were getting ready for a theme party and put more thought into your costume than your WordPress.

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3. You were packing to leave for Spring Break.

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4. You were packing to return from Spring Break.

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5. Your life is so hectic that you’ve simply forgotten what day of the week it is.

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Sorry to everyone for neglecting this segment! I will try to make these a bigger blogging priority!