I just got a Facebook Badge (on the right-hand column)! Cool! So add me if ya wanna….
But I won’t BADGEr you ’bout it 🙂
Badge is an interesting word. It’s one of the words that is not super rare but not super common either. What does it even mean? We all kinda know intuitively but it can be hard to pinpoint an exact definition, know what I mean? And although Ms. Natasha Bedingfield claims we “don’t need a dictionary helping,” I actually did consult one in this case:
Fascinating….
(this is not my fave JM song, but I still appreciate it)
“This house is safe and warm, but I was made to chase the storm.”
oh my gosh, this lyric TOTEZ reminds me of a speech
girl you are waaaaaay off topic, get back to the basics
back to Badge, you smart-aleck!
I read some stuff by Stephen Crane in an American Lit class at BYU. Interesting. Lots of violence, if I remember correctly. Used stylistically and to serve a purpose, but still I strongly dislike the subject. Just sayin’.
getting off topic again…
BADGE!
…this was for a paper I wrote on “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
Add me on Facebook if ya wanna! No presh. None of at all. But I often pose questions (that relate directly to YOU!) with links to specific posts. It could be fun. A few of you have done it already. So I invite more of you to do so as well. But again, only if you’re into that. Totez your choice.
This blog is powerful. It has the potential to do a lot of good. And it is doing a lot of good! You see, I have been able to open a lot of doors for myself and for others, get in touch with friends and family, attract the attention of a few handsome gents, find my niche as a writer (you can do that in 2013!) and also express my testimony of Jesus Christ. And when it comes to people reading my stuff, all I’ll say now (while hoping to not come across as arrogant and also being fully aware that I may run out of creativity tomorrow) is this:
PEOPLE. ARE. READING.
(28 days, 38 countries, but who’s counting?)
So yes, this blog is good, great, excellent, beautiful, invigorating, et cetera. They need a new word for the potential of this blog. (I’ll probably come up with one soon. Stay tuned.)I would be ignorant if I overlooked the potential it has to do a lot of bad, too. Like, I can’t get SO caught up in it that I don’t go help a friend pack up before a move (which I told her I would do and was 3 hours tardy). Or talk about it all the time (I have improved and repented, but still am not perfect). Or think I’m the next big shot (the thought has crossed my mind once or twice but then I looked in the mirror at my unkempt hair and ate another bite of my cold spaghettios). So to wrap up this paragraph, I’ll just say that I NEED to be careful about this blog!
(Oh, right, I need to make it relevant to the reader as well.) You should care because Katherine’s epiphany involves you too! You may not have a blog. But most people today have a Facebook, or an email, or some other form of social media. And those things can be good! And I personally am glad you have one or you wouldn’t be reading this right now 🙂 But I digress. Let me wrap it up in a cute little phrase that could become the next big meme or may be relayed in some Mia Maid’s class in Timbuktu:
You have a Facebook. Don’t let your Facebook have YOU!
And NOW, let’s get to why I used “sexy” in the title. The LDS Church (and other denominations, religions, affiliations!) teaches that sex is a powerful tool. For good. And for bad. (let me redirect you to a link where I further expound upon this topic and simultaneously increase my own traffic). So make sure you use your social media of choice (and your own physical body) for GOOD!
(look at the title!)
And although our lines of propriety may be different, we all need to have one. I have further ideas/resources available to help us keep in control, but want to guarantee that you keep coming back so I will leave you wanting more with that cliffhanger…
Your Blog is Sexy! But don’t let it become TOO Sexy!
The scripture which I will reference momentarily is NOT the first time I have used it (good readers pay attention when [good] writers repeat because it is screaming “EMPHASIS!”)
Maria is a friend from my Mormon Singles Ward. She is always finding ways to serve other people, expressing her testimony of Jesus Christ, AND making us all laugh. One specific thing I appreciate about Maria is that she is very aware of job opportunities and uses our ward Facebook page to post them for anyone who might be interested or looking. Way to bear one another’s burdens (of unemployment). Love you, sweet girl.
I have never taken a marketing/business/graphics/photography class in my life (true story!), but I’m finding out that I know more than I thought. “You don’t know it all, but you know enough” is an idea that has been used by a prominent Mormon leader to describe sharing the gospel. However, I have also applied it to this blog. I am conscious of not wanting to annoy, spam, or resort to publicity stunts, but also am anxious to get my work out there (!) and wish to utilize social media to do so. And maybe I’ll never earn another cent, but this blog is still valuable, it’s still bringing me great opportunities and friendships, and is still very special.
I admit, I’ve made a few Facebook blunders with marketing. Again, I have a good head on my shoulders and haven’t sinned so badly that I would need to go confess to my WordPress Bishop (see what I did there?), but I have had 2-3 people (whom I know and who’s opinion I respect) tell me that I was a little too liberal in posting my blog on people’s walls. To those people, I’m sorry. But I gather that you aren’t angry with me, and that you understand. Also, I thank you for your input. The Lord chasteneth those whom he loveth (I just compared you to God, so you better keep reading my blog!).
Artists of every medium, level, and experience know the frustration of not having people read/listen to/watch/appreciate their work. So the fact that my story (or at least parts of it) has been seen and read all over the world is pretty remarkable! Thanks again, readers. However, I still know that my blog will never be as valuable to another person as it is to me. And that’s alright. But if I can express a commonly felt truth, expose an insecurity that may help someone else find confidence, clarify questions about God and religion, or just make you smile, that makes me happy.
So I have learned a TON already, but am excited to keep on learning more!
When it comes to our world and its issues, there is a lot to say!
… And a lot to criticize
There are absolutely times when it’s important to speak plainly and even harshly. To reprove with sharpness (Doctrine and Covenants 121:43) , and to not beat around the bush (From what I understand, my grandfather Ernest Wilkinson often preferred this approach.).
So I occasionally will speak harshly (but still intelligently!) about subjects, but my passion does not overrule my logic (and vice versa).
And there are certain topics that Katherine simply will not explore in a comedic way (humor is great, but out of bounds can be dangerous, obscene, and grossly offensive).
You will never see any joke on my blog about racism, abuse, pornography, or violence.
And it is NOT that I am afraid of alienating readers (although I do seek to maintain them!). It is that those jokes are not a part of my life AT ALL, and therefore most certainly will not be part of my blog.
However, when it comes to less serious (but still important!) issues like modesty, time spent on Facebook, and dating, things that are relevant to many people but are especially present in my psyche as a Mormon living in Provo, I like to (try to) be funny! I often think deeply about the issue (let it cook in the crock-pot of my mind for a while), but usually say very little. It’s that whole “economy of words” things again.
Sure I know how to write 15 page papers, but in this case, I think that often the less said, the better. Brevity IS the soul of wit, ya’ll!As long as what you are saying is funny, uplifting, entertaining, honest, but still speaks an important truth and sparks discussion and thought, I believe that often the point gets across most clearly and perfectly. The idea of “truth in jest” shows up in almost all of my posts, and it is the core of my approach to satire.
(2 Shakespeare references in 1 paragraph-not bad!)
Two of my greatest influences in this respect are Ellen DeGeneres and Brad Paisley. Both are brilliant comedians and satirists (Brad is also extremely good looking and could shred a guitar to pieces), but are NOT preachy or unkind. They respect the intelligence of their audience. And I believe this is what makes them so good. Check out these two examples:
Well done, you two. Well done. Thanks so much for your inspiration.
And now back to the woman of the hour…
My satire may not be perfect, but it is funny, witty, occasionally sexy, intelligent, clean, refreshing, and overall pretty darn awesome, if Ido say so myself.
I don’t see you anymore. And it’s not appropriate (or legal I think?) to keep in touch via Facebook. Even if you aren’t checking my blog between every crazy client you see, I sure hope you stop by every now and then.
“Attention” gets a bad name. We immediately think of “show-offs” or annoying kids bragging about their fastest mile time. But we all need attention. We all need someone to notice us. We all need someone to sit next to us in the cafeteria or to clap after our performance (unless we’re in a Mormon Church). We all need to be home/visit-taught every month. Sure it can get out of hand and become too much of a priority. If you sit around waiting for people to like your FB status, you might have a problem. But don’t cringe at the word. I mean, without attention, how would Mark Zuckerburg be making his billions?
about people with pictures (particularly FB profile pictures) of themselves with children that are not directly their own (like a niece or nephew). We want people to think we love them (which we do!), but really we just think we look super hot and want others to see and think we are good with kids and stuff. Ain’t pointing any fingers. I do it too! Now I love my little twin nieces. But come on now, you know who this picture is really about 🙂
Disclaimer: The title refers to me! I would never in a million years call someone else ugly (especially not my dear sister Maizy). Just ain’t my style 🙂 And I also know I’m not really ugly, either. Enough ado. Proceed:
If this girl:
can turn into this in a few short years:
then maybe there’s still hope for this girl:
🙂
*everyone loves a good makeover-that’s what romantic comedies are made for…
*immodesty once again, will I ever learn? I’M WEARING A TOWEL I SWEAR YOU JUST CAN’T SEE!
*fresh outta the shower makes my makeup look like AMAZING!
*juxtaposition of beauty and ugliness (is there a euphemism for this word? its kinda mean)
*that first pic was Maizy’s FB profile picture so I know she wouldn’t mind
“I wish there was a career called “get 8 hrs of sleep a night, exercise everyday, do all your laundry and grocery shopping, pay all your bills and do all your errands, and hang out with friends and have fun” with benefits and paid vacation…”
*don’t you just love how I perfectly and humorously capture the quarter-life angst of many 20-something Americans in 2013? not bad if I do say so myself…
…this was for a paper I wrote on “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
