The idea of having a professional headshot shouldn’t be surprising, especially on the professional platform of LinkedIn. I’m amazed every time I see company owners—small business as well as corporate figures—with photos that betray too relaxed an attitude. Putting a picture on a profile is a must for branding, and as part of…
Author: Ellen Eldridge
One of the weird who went pro. #FilterYourFeed
Good parents control candy, set limits, lead by example
As a relatively new parent, I think back to my childhood and try to decide what my parents did right and where I can improve, innovating my children’s lives if you will. My daughter didn’t have a single sweet until her first birthday. I remember nervously trying to take her cake from her because…
The cost of a free vacation – traveling with toddlers
Price versus cost: a lesson in economics When I first heard about the regional conference for the Society of Professional Journalists, of which I act as president for the Kennesaw State University chapter, I felt excited and inspired to be one of the first chapter presidents to put for the extra effort to get…
How to improve your social media engagement, Klout score
Happy birthday Heather Really, this post is about more than what it takes to engage an audience across social media; it’s about listening and responding to an environment where people want to feel valued and listened to. Heather Head, founder of Scopcity, turned 40 yesterday, and while that may not sound out-of-the-ordinary, what she asked…
How to tell a good poem from a bad poem
You know bad poetry Poetry often makes even poets cringe because everyone has seen and heard bad poetry so often that the form itself becomes taboo, and people are prejudiced against it. What ultimately makes a poem bad is the failure of the writer to convey that deep and moving experience to his reader that…
Dumpster Kitties – a coffee table book idea, and a reality
What is a ‘dumpster kitty’? When my husband and I moved into our new apartment at the end of August, we noticed quite a few stray cats. Our upstairs neighbors are feeding them (and I caught myself adding food to the dish one day). Well, after about two months I’ve come to realize these cats…
THE 5 things artists must make time for
I skipped a blog Friday because I celebrated my 35th birthday by interviewing for a job, working, spending the afternoon with my kids at the park and spending my evening on the couch with my husband. Admittedly, all my “downtime” involved responding to texts, emails and thinking about how I would meet my deadlines, but…
How long does it take to build a business?
One thing entrepreneurs need to understand is that growing anything takes time. Unless you buy those dried sponge animals that expand in a tub of water…no, even those take longer than you’d expect to increase in size and resemble an animal. Many times, I’m still disappointed that the promised giraffe looks more like, well,…
To those who say parenthood is a thankless job…wait for it.
Mom Ninjas I’ve been seeing a lot of people talk, discuss, complain and rant about the obnoxious attitudes of other people’s reactions to grocery store toddler meltdowns. One parenting friend of mine shared a blog written by a single guy who stuck up for what he called a “mom ninja.” That phrase pretty well describes…
I’m pretty sure Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston is a nudist
As I celebrate my son’s tenth month on this planet, I simultaneously await the season six finale of Breaking Bad along with many many other fans. The show earned Cranston, whom I believe to be a nudist–but I’ll get to that–three Emmys. I’m sure other blogs exist questioning the merit of the plot line,…