Author Archive
By Taylor Pepe
Now Hiring: Social Media Steamboat Captain
There are lots of titles I like to call myself. Reddit Overlord, Social Media Lumberjack, Marketing Fisherman – just to name a few; however, I find that the appropriate time for those names is when I’m among friends discussing people who actually refer to themselves like that. I’m sure you’ve all come across the sometimes funny, generally obscure, and usually head-scratch-inducing titles some companies use to promote positions within their organizations. After doing some online digging I’ve pulled out some of the pros and cons to coming up with these titles and really what having a goofy name boils down to.
I’d like to preface the rest of the article by saying this is solely my opinion, so don’t let my view take away from your dreams of becoming the next “Search Engine Sherpa”.
First up and probably most importantly, why bother coming up with a tongue-in-cheek job title? Simple: it may help you get noticed. If you’re job hunting in this economy, you need all the tools you can muster to help you stand out. If you can brand yourself as something outlandish, and are able to back up your title with solid experience, you’ll send a great message to an organization.
Second: silly titles can help you expand a company’s brand. I would advise against “Mortgage Magician” if you’re applying to Goldman Sachs, but if you’re applying to a company that’s laid back and encourages a fun working environment, a goofy title might help you assimilate into the company culture faster.
Third: a unique title could potentially lead to more conversations and aid in networking. Keyword – potentially. Unique titles will aid in networking if you’re engaging with other people and companies that share the same values as you do. I highly doubt a financial institution would take you seriously if you described your lending strategy as “ninja-like”.
Now to the part which seemed to come easier: The Cons.
For starters, some of the job titles you want to use are too obscure. Remember, you’re trying to create a title that emphasizes what value you bring to a company. This isn’t seventh grade: the luxury days of choosing a ridiculous AIM screename are behind us. It’s time to really demonstrate why you are good at what you do, not that you’re the DaSureShot112.
Next up, having a creative title can make you come across as bit pretentious. If you’re going to say you’re a “guru,” you’d better be able to wow everyone you talk to with your knowledge of an industry, and I’m not talking about just knowing your info, I’m talking about you needing to have thought provoking statements flowing out of you every time you open your mouth. That sentiment is echoed throughout the hiring community and lot of decision makers are starting to get on board with the idea that the creative titles are becoming too overplayed. 2012 could be the year this trend dies out. The industry is becoming saturated with gurus, champions, and masterminds leading to the question, whatever happened to common titles like coordinator, director, and executive?
Another con, which a lot of people don’t think about, is a creative title can distract the person who is trying to hire you. Unless you plan on working at hip, new-age company, a lot of organizations are still old school when it comes to hiring new talent. This means some of your recruiters are probably your parent’s age. Your mom may think it’s cute you call yourself the “Happiness Advocate,” but the person interviewing may think you’re a moron.
Finally, if you’re going to have a creative title, you need to think about the long-term implications. Today, you’re riding high as the “Web Kahuna,” but what about 10 years down the road? Nobody wants to be known as the creepy person who continually refers to him/herself as the “Big Cheese” when everyone else is going by “Director,” “Coordinator,” or “Executive.”
Really, having a title depends on the person and the organization. If you’re trying to get noticed by a younger, more laid back company, you have solid experience, and you’re able to carry a title without becoming too full of yourself, go for it. Just know how to adapt your title if you ever decide to look elsewhere for employment. That being said, I am still against creative titles. I’d probably get fed up really easily if I had to take direction from a “Corporate Magician” or a “Master Handshaker” as opposed to a “Director” or an “Executive.”
January 23rd, 2012
By Taylor Pepe
You have contacts in high places.
Your freshman year roommate: Executive producer of Mad Men. Your childhood best friend: CEO of Jack in the Box. Your ex: modeling in Milan. With your own jet-set lifestyle, keeping track of where your friends are can be quite an undertaking.
Thankfully, two ambitious blokes from Harvard have harnessed the power that is Google Alerts and created a service called Newsle, now available. Think of it as refined version of Google News that only shows you updates for your specific friends and contacts, instead of random internet people with the same name (thinking of you Michael Bolton).
Working the site is pretty simple, once you log on, set up an account and import your Facebook and/ or LinkedIn contacts. After that, you have the option to browse a list of celebrities, athletes, and public figures you can follow (awesome, Wendy Williams and Dave Couiler news at the same time).
After that, your account will begin showing you a newsfeed involving the friends you’ve imported. Looking to research (stalk) a reporter who just approved your friend request on LinkedIn? You’ll now be able to see everything he or she does that’s newsworthy surely giving you an advantage the next time you want to pitch them on behalf of your client. Remember that classmate you had to do that one project with your sophomore year? Newsle makes it easy to see how their blossoming NBA career is going (time for that winter visit to Miami).
The coolest factor is Newsle offers a tool for measuring everyone’s Fame Factor, so you can see how you stack up in newsworthiness against your friends.
Fairly confident Rondo has you beat.
December 8th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
You’re a person of the world. You can flourish in any culture. One day, you’re chatting it up with your buddies in Boston. The next night, you’re discussing the finer points of architecture in Spanish in Barcelona. The day after, you’re wooing foreign directors in Cannes. Good thing you’re able to tweet in multiple languages.
Twitter and other micro-blogging sites that were originally huge in the States are undergoing a rapid transformation that is paralleling a much larger internet trend: it’s becoming less Anglophone.
A recent study indicated “unique” Twitter users based in the U.S. decreased from 62 percent in June of 2009 to just over 50 percent in January 2011. Who then is taking charge of the Twitterverse?
It turns out the Dutch are not only great at brewing beer and making chocolate, they’re also phenomenal tweeters. The study pointed out that just over 22 percent of the entire Netherlands’ online population is using Twitter. Coming in right on their tail are the Brazilians with just under 22 percent. Indonesia ranks in at 19 percent. So, where’s the U.S.? Oh that’s right, coming up strong with about 8 percent of our online population engaging on Twitter. Being no statiscian, it’s pretty safe to assume that out of the 200 million+ tweets generated a day, many are not in English.
But what languages are now taking charge? Google’s Compact Language Dector (CLD) embedded in the Chrome browser can tell you what language the web page you’re on was originally written in. In a brilliant move of late-night decision making, Mike McCandless extracted this software and a guy named Eric Fischer applied it to Twitter.
The map above shows a sweet aerial shot of Europe and where people are tweeting. That’s cool and all, but the coolest information we can derive from it is what language people are typing in. For example, Belgium tweets in Dutch and French, and Switzerland tweets mainly in German with a smidge of French sprinkled in.
Some areas are all sorts of unexpected. Catalans, for example, tweet in their own language and not in Spanish. German seems to make up a large portion of Central Europe, but out of nowhere, a large portion of Austria seems to be tweeting in Italian – as do multiple dots in France.
Wondering what the U.S. looks like? It’s straight forward English with a few exceptions along the Tex-Mex border where Spanish is the language of choice, and also around St. Lawrence where a strong contingent of French makes an appearance.
That’s fascinating and all, but I’m interested in the blue Danish dot in the Jordanian desert, why no one is tweeting in Lithuania, and if Spanish is becoming the dominant language in Bermuda.
November 22nd, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
The closest most of us will ever get to having a chauffeur: The Cab Driver.
Living in the city creates a whole array of necessities, one of which is quick transportation from point A to point B. Another is getting their in one piece. However, the latter part has always been a gamble, especially in Boston cabs.
Well, not anymore…
Check out SaferTaxi, a new website and app. now available from our friends across the pond which allows you to instantly gather and share some insight on the driver issuing you around the city in the hope that the fear of a negative review will inspire your driver to provide the highest level of professionalism. This should allow all cab users to have a more enjoyable experience.
So, say you’re in the North End impressing an attractive model you’ve just met at the bar with your flawless command of the Italian language when your phone goes off and your friends invite you to DJ a house party in Brighton. Once you’ve hailed your taxi, enter the license plate number or the driver’s registration ID into the app. Faster than a cabbie can navigate Comm. Ave. you’ll get a full rundown of your driver’s history including: ratings, reviews, and most importantly, safety records (should you receive a Lord of the Rings length response, you may want to opt for another driver).
Once you’ve safely arrived at your destination, you’ll be able to plug in your own ratings, feedback, and tales of how you and your driver sang a duet to the Righteous Brothers’ You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling.
Additionally, your account stores all of your reviews, so if you happen to lose your wallet you’ll be able to look up the cab you rode in, and begin to hunt it down.
Or look up who you had the best musical connection with.
November 10th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
It’s fall and that means a few things: Most notably, Spandex.
Almost as recognizable as the changing leaves, the shift from Bruce Jenner-length short shorts to full-on spandex happens quickly. It’s a wonder of nature really. However, sometimes the run can be cold, and when that happens, it’s always beneficial to have a little extra body heat. Thankfully, someone has figured out what to do.
Presenting JoggingBuddy, a new-ish website which helps you find the jogging partner of your dreams, now available in Boston.
Despite its interesting layout, it’s worth noting one major point: this is not a dating website. The purpose here is to help you find a running partner. However, if your new found buddy happens to have amazing flow and looks great sporting running shoes, than best of luck to you.
How this works: once you’ve stretched out those hammies, log onto the JoggingBuddy.com. Once there you’ll create a profile, upload a picture (preferably the one of you out-sprinting the Boston Marathon champion), and enter the zip code of where you’ll be recreating the beach scene from Chariots of Fire (music optional, but encouraged).
Now that you’re profile is updated on the site, you can scroll through pages and pages of runners in the hopes of finding your ideal match. Once you’ve found that special someone, it’s as simple as connecting and scheduling a time to meet up for a jog (and potential cool down over a bottle of wine).
And one of the coolest features of this site is that it’s international, meaning you can connect with running buddies when you travel to your winter home in Spain.
Remember, a cool-down in most European countries involves some form of clubbing.
October 21st, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
Nowadays, we’re always connected. We connect to our friends, our families, and even work over a variety of channels. One of the most utilized means is by phone. It seems everyone these days has a cell phone, and a lot of companies are taking note. So today, we ask you, does your company use mobile communication to stay in touch? Take our quick survey and let us know!
October 20th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
When people think athletic prowess, they think of you.
Your drive: unmatched. Your three-pointers: legendary. Your choke-slam: forceful. Your grace during competiton has been compared to an elephant emerging from a river. But, despite your Adonis-like athleticism, sometimes you need a little edge to truly stay on top of your game.
It’s a shame you dropped your phone while hang-gliding over the Rockies and lost all of your fellow athletes’ numbers. However, instead of going through the hassle of contacting each one of them, you can now get all of their sage advice in app form.
Check out Get in the Game, a new iPhone app that shows video demonstrations by your favorite athletes.
Say for your company’s winter outing, your boss has reserved the frog pond for you and your team to do a little ice skating. Never the one to turn down a competitive outing, you’ve come prepared. You’ve got your skates, hand warmers, and Johny Weir sparkly onesie. What you don’t have is a gold winning triple lutz yet.
Problem? Not so much. Here’s what you do: pull up the site, download the app and select Kristi Yamaguchi as your demo coach. Watch a few of her videos, and if you like the instruction you’re getting, download all of her coaching videos, which take you through proper warm-ups, stretching, skating technique, and most importantly how to stick that killer landing for only $4.99 (much cheaper than the HGH you were talking about).
And since every day is a “gold-medal” type of day, you’ll be happy to note that they have coaching experts for softball (Jenni Finch), tennis (Andy Roddick), football (Jerry Rice), and even wrestling (Hulk Hogan).
Your office looks forward to your bandana and matching boa.
October 13th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
Today’s post will be slightly different than those in previous weeks. After hearing of the death of Steve Jobs, I couldn’t imagine writing about ridiculous applications that appear on devices he was responsible for bringing to life without discussing the man behind the products. Mr. Jobs is responsible for so many good things, but one question has been on my mind since I heard of his passing: what will his legacy be? Years from now, when children study this day and age, the same way we studied the Renaissance, will Steve Jobs’ name be synonymous with the great innovators of history?
Da Vinci, Edison, Tesla, Jobs. It looks funny adding Steve Jobs’ name to that list, but, look at the technologies he helped create: iPods, MacBooks, personal computers, iPhones, and iPads. There was a time once when we couldn’t bring all of our music with us. There was a time when we couldn’t browse the internet while sitting in the bathroom, and there was a time when we couldn’t carry computers around in our pockets and then make phone calls from them. Even if you weren’t an Apple fan or thought Steve Jobs was any good, you still have to admit that he was the greatest technology user of this generation.
Steve Jobs, like so many people, tried and failed. When he left Apple to run NeXT, the ultra high-end computer company, he didn’t succeed. He returned to Apple with a new vision, and we all know the story from there. I believe this is where he begins to distinguish himself as one of the great innovators of all time. One common trait amongst all of them is their ability to bounce-back after not succeeding. Think of how many devices Da Vinci thought of and attempted to put into motion, but failed at. It happened multiple times. Did he dwell on it? No. Instead he continued to press forward the same way Mr. Jobs did.
Steve Jobs was able to make technology simple for everyone. At what other time in history could 4- to 100 –year-olds simply use the same technology? With the invention and popularity of the iPod, millions could pass on music to each other effortlessly. iPads now make sharing information easier than ever while iPhones make us walking encyclopedias. At no other time in history has a movement like this happened. All of this was possible because of Mr. Jobs’ unrelenting approach to making things easy for users.
So will he be added to the lists of greats? There’s no board that decides these things, and really it comes down to what people think in their minds. Having lived in the time he was inventing, it’s difficult to imagine him as having a long term effect, but years from now, when people are taking his inventions for granted, someone will stop and think, “Wow, people didn’t always have iPads”. When my generation are adults, and we’re listening to classic rap at dinner parties (yes, Biggie Smalls will be a staple at dinner parties in 45 years, if he isn’t already), I believe Steve Jobs will be considered one of the greats. In my mind, he’s already there.
October 6th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
P-Diddy is jealous of your parties.
You always have the finest drinks available. Your guest list makes any Oscar after-party look like a c-list affair. Your theme ideas are always well received.
However, the main reason people come to your party is your killer playlist. (Who knew you could follow up Kenny Loggins with Sisqo?) But despite your never-ending list of crowd-pleasing grooves, there are always those people who will interrupt your Grammy-award winning rendition of “You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling” to say “I’ve got a better song, put this on next.” Well, that ends now.
Check out djtxt, a new way to outsource your party music selections via Grooveshark.
So if this weekend you’re planning on throwing your annual Oktoberfest bash, and after you’ve trucked in your lederhosen, pretzels, and light-up leather jacket, you suddenly find your in-house DJ is off to Europe, and you’re too busy setting-up to make your usual playlist, don’t sweat: djtxt has your back.
Go to djtxt’s website and drag the symbol into your bookmark toolbar and launch Grooveshark when your party begins. From that point on, friends will be able to text the artist and song title (e.g.”David Hasselhoff I’ve been lookin’ for freedom”) to djtxt, which will then add that song to a newly formed playlist. It will even let you keep the playlist after the party.
And if for some reason your party-goers really get into David Hasselhoff’s entire catalog, you can always text “skip” to the same number.
But really, is there ever too much Hoff?
September 29th, 2011
By Taylor Pepe
Professional photographers are generally employed, professionally trained, and for the most part take compelling photos that are worth 1,000 words or more.
College kids with digital cameras and macs, not so much.
We all know those “photographers,” usually a former roommate, or a kid on your floor from school who was given a digital camera by their aunt for their birthday in high school. They’re the kids who took one good photo of a tree, and suddenly they think they’re Anne Geddes.
You know their photos are bad. They don’t. If only there was a third party that could stop them from taking that picture of a leaf and uploading it to Facebook, clogging up your newsfeed. That may soon be a real possibility. Much to the chagrin of liberal arts majors and sorority girls everywhere, Andrew Kupresanin is developing a camera which offers a real opinion of your photos.
The opinionated camera, Nadia, judges the quality of your work when you snap a photo. Sadly this product is still in the developmental stage, but we can only hope this becomes the norm quickly.
So, say you’re at your mountain retreat in the Alps when you’re suddenly struck by the poetic balance of the sky and the mountains. Or you’re in the park and you see Kate Gosling and the children being pleasant to people for once. Either way, the picture needs to be perfect.
If you pointed the Nadia camera at the scene, it wouldn’t show you the image in the view finder, but rather its supposedly superior opinion of your photo, displayed as a percentage out of 100, to help you get the perfect photo. It’s like having Simon Cowell and Judge Judy in your pocket at all times.
So, if your photo of the mountains and the sky was a little too much sky and not enough mountain, it would give you a 35%, or a 95% if you majestically captured the Gosling family (even Kate) not looking miserable.
Finally, someone can tell your roommate their photos of rocks in the Common are awful, without fear of their stuff being touched.
September 22nd, 2011
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