1. 2015 is the year that I'll turn 30, so I'm spending lots of time thinking about my next decade. To date, one of my favorite posts on turning 30 is from Mark Manson. Manson crowdsourced his readers to find out what they would tell their 30-year old selves. Unlike most "you're turning 30" listicles, this one is gloriously free of GIFs with insights that actually made me take stock.
Some of the advice I'm taking to heart right now:
“I’d tell my 30-year-old self to set aside what other people think and identify my natural strengths and what I’m passionate about, and then build a life around those.” (Sara, 58)
“Less fear. Less fear. Less fear. I am about to turn 50 next year, and I am just getting that lesson. Fear was such a detrimental driving force in my life at 30. It impacted my marriage, my career, my self-image in a fiercely negative manner. I was guilty of: Assuming conversations that others might be having about me. Thinking that I might fail. Wondering what the outcome might be. If I could do it again, I would have risked more.” (Aida, 49)
2. Also loving this lighter take on approaching 30 (Still GIF free!) from Cecilia Rabess on The Bold Italic.
This is the ugly truth, 20-something friends:
Workwise, I'm digging through the latest from Pew's social media research, released Friday. The research continues to show the major platforms reaching full maturity, with massive chunks of the online population active on them, often with very distinct demographics/behavioral attributes that make life that much easier for online marketers:
- If you want to reach seniors, Facebook is where it's at: 56 percent of adults 65 and older are using it. That's a whopping 31 percent of all seniors.
- Instagram is experiencing the sharpest growth among major platforms, with 53 percent of young adults (18-29) active on it.
- 50 percent of internet users with college degrees are now on LinkedIn. That is...significant to say the least.
- 42 percent of women online are now on Pinterest (who recently announced that they are open for business for ads--brace yourselves for the onslaught, ladies).
- Facebook is still the most actively used site, with 70 percent of its user base visiting daily, giving credence to Nilay Patel's argument that "Facebook is the new AOL"-- the "beginning and end of the Internet for a huge number of normal people.
3. Finally, enjoyed these quick interviews with young female entrepreneurs in this month's Self Magazine.