Celebrating 5 Years at Microsoft and 5 Lessons Learned
Fellow colleague Mel Carson and I holding our plaques
Yesterday, I celebrated my 5 years at Microsoft. The tradition is to bring in a pound of candy for each year served, so I’ve already burdened my team with consuming 5 pounds of M&Ms to start their week. Since I can’t share the love with everyone, I thought I’d share 5 sweet lessons in lieu of candy. Read the rest of this entry »
Social Media Etiquette
Most business schools host an etiquette dinner to teach students about mannerism and conduct. You learn things like using your utensils “outside in” and shaking with your right hand while making eye contact (and catching an à la suave glance at their name tag). Most students avoid this event under the impression that etiquette should be common sense, and I’m guilty of making such a false assumption. Eventually, I attended an etiquette dinner at a networking event and learned a thing or two, realizing and deeply regretting the simple mistakes that could have been avoided. Now, I stand strong behind my embarrassing and educational experience. You gotta learn somehow, right?
The virtual world is a bit different. You don’t have to face people in person, nor do you have to worry about body language. But etiquette is a universal language that stretches into our online interactions. With the rise of social networks, you have to be extra cognizant of your connections and how you converse with them. To avoid looking like a fool, learn etiquette and let it take your online presence to a higher level. Read the rest of this entry »
Sunday Afternoon
I was strolling around my neighborhood today and finally stumbled into Elliot Bay Book Store. In a world where Kindles and paperbacks coexist, it is nice to be reminded of the satisfaction that comes from turning the page of something delightfully tangible. (I mean, look at this picture. These are short, hand written reviews of each book. How amazing!)
Shoot me if bookstores like this ever go extinct.
Microsoft + Yahoo = <3
Happy August! Check out this video to learn more about the Search Alliance between Microsoft and Yahoo. Enjoy 
31 Flavors of Me
I remember teaching myself how to use HTML for the first time in high school because I wanted to “soup” up my AsianAvenue page (you heard me right, feel free to chuckle and judge as needed). When I went off to college, I used Microsoft Frontpage to build my first website. Grad school introduced me to WordPress and tweaking CSS to change my font color, but nothing more elaborate than that.
I wish I knew how to code. I can read HTML and make token changes, but I’m no developer. And these are the extent of my coding abilities.
You might find yourself in my shoes, and I have an amazing resource to share. Need a website? No coding needed. Read the rest of this entry »
Bing Bling!
You may have heard of Seattle’s gloomy and depressing weather – it’s all very real and true. With the exception of last week’s annual heat wave, Seattle is predominately overcast (nine months to be exact), but three precious months of glorious Pacific Northwest summer is what has kept me in this Emerald City for the past ten years.
That preface is meant to be an excuse for why I’ve kept mum in the blogging world. I’ve also been busy doing some spring cleaning on my blog. Thanks to my lack of coding background, I’ve spent countless hours re-vamping my blog for simple aesthetics and social bookmarking features. Hope you like it.
Excuses aside, I’ve decided to make my comeback post with a chance to win some free stuff from BingTM for their one year celebration. If you’re not too cool for freebies, read on for more details. Read the rest of this entry »
Own Your Online Identity
In light of the latest privacy controversy with Facebook, I’d like to re-purpose this post (yes, published in the past but it’s Memorial weekend. I’ll risk plagiarizing my own work to enjoy some play time as I have been developing another blog for the past few days).
So, let me just get the cat out of the bag: I can’t emphasize the value of creating your online identity enough . I totally respect those who want to keep things private, but there is a way to balance privacy and making sure that your identity is kosher. Especially in this digital age, it is important to develop your identity first, then control what is being shared. Luckily, we have so many resources to make this possible. Read the rest of this entry »
Twitter = Cash Cow?
Last week, Twitter finally announced the news the world had been waiting for: a revenue stream model. People were speculating for months how the social networking phenomenon would monetize itself, with hopes that there would be a profitable plan other than online advertising. Well, fanboys, you can put that dream to rest.
Jumping on the Vlogging Bandwagon
So here’s a thought when thinking about a blog entry describing a different use of streaming media (not emulating a television or radio show): Utilizing streaming media as a blog platform, also known as “vlogging”.
With the popularity of reality shows rising, it’s not a surprise that we (society) also flock to user generated sites that contain video content, like YouTube. But if you try to think about another way of using streaming media, why not a blog entry in video form? Here are some different ideas for streaming media blogging and reasons why it wouldn’t be so shabby…
Pimp My Blog
U-G-L-Y, your blog ain’t got no alibi… (it’s ugly)!
Unless you enjoy being dissed by a bunch of cheerleaders, you may want to consider the usability and design of your blog. I’m no graphic designer (despite my small stint as a digital design major in my college days), but I do know how to spell ugly when I see one. Here are a couple of great blogs I follow, and the design takeaways from both.
