I'm going to do a mid-month wrap up of my favorite posts every month.  So without further ado...

Grad School class for under $30

When Social Media is Used as a Weapon

Love the idea of FourSquare but Don't Get Out Much?

We've heard all about the Tea Party, but What about the Coffee Party?

Did you hear my family's headed back to the East Coast?

 A Cool thing my alma mater, the University of Maryland, is doing with crowdsourcing

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Even though I'm not blogging as much as I used to (almost daily!), I want to.

More often than not, I find myself jotting an idea down for a blog post and then waiting until I have enough time to post it.

But what I've missed and what I crave so much (and what a lot of my readers have said they want to) are my more "off the cuff" posts, my real time observations, and the things that make me human.

Introducing Jessica Now.  Same person, same mix of personal and professional, but with a little bit more spontaneity mixed in.  I will also be introducing to my readers many of the people that make my life more rich, more inspired, and more energized. 

If you are a fan of Jessica Knows, you will love Jessica Now.  I highly recommend subscribing to the feed for daily updates (and surprises).  And look for my longer, more thoughtful posts about digital strategy, social media, and word of mouth marketing on my agency's website soon.

This was unlike any conference I've been to before, for the following reasons:

• The sheer length, most conferences I've been to have been 3 days max
• The complexity and multi-layered program around Chevrolet's program there (client)
• The size.  'Nuf said.

Not only that but I had to wear many hats.  In the past I've gone as a speaker and an attendee, or as part of a single event for a client and an attendee, or as a sponsored blogger and an attendee.  At SXSW I was photographer, content scout, event host, videographer, influencer interviewer, digital strategist, social media advisor, blogger, and brand ambassador.  WHEW!

So, while that didn't leave much time to attend panels (actually, no time, although I've seen the debates around the panels' content) or go to all the flashy parties (the Chevrolet parties I did attend rocked though).

Bottom line?

SXSW Rocked.

And here's my Top 10 Reasons Why...

10.  I got to drive the Chevrolet Volt...not many people get to, but I was one of the lucky few.

9.  Most social media conferences are the same old talking heads talking about the same old topics.  Now while I didn't get to see any panels, I did get to meet people I wouldn't have otherwise met like Co-Founder of Tubefilter Marc Hustvedt, New Media Agent Brandon Martinez, and urban adventurer & Co-Founder of Go Game Finn Kelly.

8.  Being part of the #ChevySXSW team which included (but was not limited to) high-level executives, product & marketing managers, and other agencies.  There was no "they" or "me"...this was "WE" all the way. 

7.  Catching up with old friends like Jules Pieri & Joanne Domeniconi, Christopher Barger (client), Aaron Strout, Simon Salt, Peter Shankman, Jen Lee Reeves, Damien Basile, Scott Stratten and Josh Unfried.

6.  Making new friends with Brandon Chesnutt, Henry Balanon, Audrey Walker, Dave Murray, Joseph Jaffe, and Corey Grusden.

5.  Checking in on Gowalla.  And Chevrolet demonstrating how location based services can partner with big brands through value-adds and redemption.

4. Swooning over Meeting Josh Stewart (who I first saw on the show Dirt) at Tweethouse who is starring with Jamie-Lynn Sigler in the movie Wake.

3. Driving Mike Schneider, Jason Falls, and Jodi Gersh to the Chevrolet Salt Lick Party and driving Howard Greenstein, Alli Worthington, and Lucretia Pruitt back.

2. Collecting more t-shirts there than I think I acquired during my entire tenure in a sorority in college (now THAT's a lot of t-shirts)

1. Realizing that through the exhaustion, the stress, the lack of sleep, the lack of food, and the surrealness of it all that I'm so very grateful that I get to do what I love everyday and get to work with some of the most brilliant, driven, forward-thinking, genuine colleagues and clients.

See a common theme?

You'll probably see it in a lot of posts.  This conference wasn't about the swag, or the panels, or the photo ops.  It was about the people.  Plain and simple.

Speaking of people...have you met CC Chapman?  I was there for his Chevy Volt Test Drive.

UPDATE:  Need another reason to choose Gowalla as your LBS at SXSW?  Facebook has partnered with them too.

(Full Disclosure:  I'll be at SXSW as part of the Chevrolet SXSW team and we've chosen Gowalla to work with to provide a cool experience for those at the festival.  Chevrolet is an official sponsor this year of SXSW)

This year will be my first South by Southwest Festival experience. 

As the legend goes, Twitter had its debutante party at SXSW and this year it's all about location based services.

So what's a girl with an iPhone to do with quite a few options? 

I'll admit, Foursquare is pretty cool and has lots of users.  In fact, I have switched back and forth between Gowalla and Foursquare a few times.  For Gowalla, wins for me were the interface and the fact that I could "play" while still being a homebody (being Mayor of anything besides my office was looking unlikely).  However, A LOT of my friends - both online and off - use FourSquare...so it's been hard to choose. 

However, I'm going to be using Gowalla exclusively.  If SXSW is all about location and location is all about being local, then Austin-based Gowalla is the way to go.

The social gaming aspect of location based services is very cool, but I'm thinking it will also be extremely helpful if I lose my friends in a crowd or want to find out where the hottest parties are via the volume of check-ins.  Also, since my husband will be following jealously along at home, I can share the experience with him, too.

Plus, Chevrolet and Gowalla have quite a few fun surprises in store.

I look forward to catching up with friends and making new ones at SXSW this year.

Let's connect on Gowalla so we can make those connections happen.

You can find me here.

And in the meantime, follow the Chevrolet Road Trip teams as they  make their way to Austin, plus all the action at the festival by following the #ChevySXSW hashtag because while location based services may be the "it" factor this year, Twitter is still sharing the spotlight with them.

What Location Based App will you be using? 

Basically, I was told that if the community decides to take over the conversation, especially when it comes to a brand, then it is their right to do so.  (I'd argue that there are people, yes, real human beings, that work at these companies, and YES!  even like their jobs...but I digress).

The comments started to give me pause, because it seemed they were moving in the direction of validating being aggressive and forceful.  The rationale was because the "minority" online was saying nice things about a company that the "majority" online had a big problem with and they wanted them to address that problem RIGHT THEN.

When force, intimidation, or mockery becomes involved, the notion of community disintegrates.   That happens online AND offline, no matter what side of the coin you're on.  Communities are not a new development here, we just have new channels for creating, fostering and...well, destroying them if we're not careful.  Human behavior continues to translate online...even if one is behind a computer instead of in a large crowd of people.  From my observation, the only change I've seen is that aggression can become more amplified.  But then again, so can the outpouring of support.  

I've seen more positive outcomes from community movements online when there's been positive intentions behind it.  Perhaps there's something to that.

Think about how what we've learned, where we've been, and how we've built our careers could leverage these experiences to enhance and, in some cases, ensure another person's success.

When I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1999 right at the peak of the internet bubble, I had no idea how much having a mentor would impact the next ten years and counting.

I was lucky.  In 1999, jobs were plentiful.  My first job was an "executive support person" (yep, you're right, a glorified assistant) for three senior vice presidents at a business and technology consulting firm.  However, after three months, I found myself helping to open up a brand new office in another city, sitting in on high level executive meetings, and building an office from four to forty in a matter of months.  After the office was up and running, I went and worked with the user experience group at the same company and soon after that was positioned to rise in the ranks of the client relationship management track.  Those were the days of stock options, stock splits, making the S&P 500 as a digital company (that was not a common feat back then), and riding the wave of a growing high profile organization.

Then the bubble burst.  And about half the company got laid off (along with thousands of others at interactive and tech agencies around the country and the world).

But I learned a lot in those two years and it was because I had incredible mentors.

Mentors that taught me to:

• Ask for what you want.  I would have never gotten that experience working with the amazing people in the user experience group had I not initially asked for it.
• Ask forgiveness later if you're confident in the results.  You can be sure there were quite a few people that thought a "green" employee like me had no right to be doing some of the level of work that I did.  But my mentors trusted me and my skills.  That gave me confidence to get it done.
• Trust your team.  There were days when I felt so unbelievably out of my element I wasn't sure if I could deliver.  The team I was on pulled me through.  And we did that for whomever needed it.  Every time.
• Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself.  Back then, there weren't a whole lot of women in technology.  In fact, at one point I was one of only two women on the team.  And I was young.  And I got ribbed.  But I learned to laugh along WITH them and dish it out every once in a while.
• The sky's the limit, you own your professional development.  I have never forgotten this.  If I start to get comfortable with what I know...well, then I know this:  It's time to start challenging what I already know and learn some more as much as I can.  And I'm not just talking about what's offered internally.  Diversity in where you obtain your knowledge and ideas is key.
• It's all about relationships.  With your teams.  With the people who support you.  With your clients.  With your partnerships.  Relationships are the foundation of everything.

So, when I was asked by the folks behind #Happo if I'd volunteer to review a resume as part of a giveaway they were offering, I did not hesitate to take the opportunity.  It was just last summer that I had returned to the corporate world at Fleishman-Hillard and I'm no fool...good karma keeps breeding good karma.

I was introduced to Brianna Fisher, a stellar senior in the PR program at Temple University.  Their PR program includes a student-run agency and Brianna's hopeful for landing her dream job after graduation this year.  I could tell you how the process went, but she does it so well here.

I've told Brianna that I look forward to being her mentor moving forward if she wants and I'm committed to being there as she continues her job search, makes decisions about offers, and advances in her own career.

I've got mentors in my life now who I can turn to...whether it's a gut check or a major career decision.  And being a mentor to people gives me purpose and keeps me grounded, too.  So it's win-win.

If you're interested in being a mentor or you are looking for a mentor or simply want to share your story about the importance of being or having a mentor, please share in the comments.

Image Source: PCsightings.com

I know what you're thinking right now...

"Really, Jessica, a post about spam?"

Maybe it's because I've gotten more of it recently in comments here on this blog.

Nope.  While true, that's not it.

It's because I'm seeing people engage in spam-like behavior, sometimes inadvertently, and sometimes in the name of their agenda.

You see, spam is not just the product of that person we picture sitting in a dark basement hoping to make a quick buck or an easy power high by invading our inboxes.

It is, in my opinion, the invasion of other's people space to exploit, to antagonize, or simply humiliate.  Whether it's highjacking a hashtag or sending an auto-DM on Twitter.  Or using the comments in someone else's blog to put yourself on a soapbox about a completely unrelated topic.  Or checking in to places on FourSquare or Gowalla despite you physically not even being there.  To me?  That's spam.

We can look at spammers in two ways.  The voice and the vehicle.  The voice is the person who has the intention of spam, the vehicle is their means of spreading said spam.

Over the past week, I've received easily six different spam messages in my direct messages on Twitter.  However, those six messages were sent by countless people.  Now I'm sure many of them did not realize that clicking on the link in the direct message (DM)  they received promising...well, I won't go into what some of those DMs promised, but either way...it was then passed on to all of their friends.

The person that wrote that script that would hack and compromise each person's Twitter account?  They're the voice.  All those people that clicked the link and enabled the viral spread?  Vehicles.

So, please. I implore you, please refrain from being the voice or a vehicle.

Are there other examples of this you can think of?  Please leave them in the comments.

But if you want to talk about your low rate loans or your essay writing services or your erecticle dysfunction treatment...don't bother.

Just this week one high school friend and I reconnected on Facebook and he wrote on my wall:

Nice to see your face. So, catch me up to your life in Five lines or less. Can you do it?

For a split second I thought there was no way.  But then it immediately came to me.  Answer with blog posts!

So here's what I wrote back:

Married my prince charming
have the most amazing 4 year old boy
love love love my job
but still the goofball I always was
and i'm always trying to stay grounded 

Did I kind of cheat?  Yes.  But still...five lines or less.

So, now I challenge you to tell us what you're all about in five lines or less.  Can YOU do it?

Either blog on your own blog and link here or leave your five lines as a comment.

Image Source: FinancialHack.com

In the meantime, for those in PR and marketing there's a grassroots stimulus package developed just for you.  And luckily, this stimulus doesn't have to go through the House and Senate for you to start getting the benefits.

Introducing HAPPO, or Help A PR Pro Out.

Brought to us by the wicked smart Arik Hanson and the amazing Valerie Simon, HAPPO brings PR practitioners and the companies that need them together for what I can only call delicious career goodness through social media.

Last summer, I decided to return to the corporate world and landed my job thanks to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  I used the hashtag #hirejessicaknows and in less than a month, in this economy no less, I landed a job as a Vice President in Fleishman-Hillard's Global Digital Practice Group.

This is not to say that a hashtag will automagically lead to a job offer...you have to have the resume and experience to back it up.  But it does mean that if you've got your LinkedIn account updated with your relevant experience and a few key recommendations with credibility in the industry? It's just a matter of making sure that company with your dream job knows you exist.

This Friday, February 19,  join #HAPPO on Twitter 10am-2pm CT.  Use the hashtag #HAPPO to connect with PR pros, job seekers and opportunities.

In the meantime, become a fan of #HAPPO on Facebook.

And if you're happily employed like I am, find out how you can Help A PR Pro Out by doing what you can to help someone land a job.

If you're a job seeker feel free to leave a link to your LinkedIn profile here in the comments.  To support the movement, I'll use random.org to randomly choose 10 of those listed in the comments to tweet to my 28,000+ followers during the #HAPPO event on Twitter this Friday.

Happy Job Seeking!

But for my husband and I it eventually led to us being the husband and wife we are today.

So in honor of our first date seven years ago, I'm going to tell the story.

Mind you, Robbe and I did not meet seven years ago.  We actually met about 17 years ago at a high school party.  He and I grew up three miles away from each other in the same town, only he went to private school, and it was only because one of his best friends and neighbors went to public school, too, that a girlfriend and I were at said fateful party.  Robbe and I talked for about an hour at this party but alas, he did not ask for my number and I was not about to offer it up (didn't want to look "pressed" as we used to say back in the day).  But I never did forget Robbe.

Fast forward ten years...those ten years brought us other relationships, only a couple serious, but most?  Not so much. 

At the time I was working temporarily at a foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC (because that's how one transfers their skills in DC after the internet bubble bursts).  The controller at this organization went to high school with Robbe and when he mentioned his name in passing one day at work, I said, "I know that guy, we totally met at a party a long time ago and I always wondered what happened to him."

At a benefit party one night, a large group of us were all socializing and Robbe was there.  This group started hanging together at Chadwick's and Smith Point in Georgetown, Clyde's Tower Oaks in Rockville, and a number of friends' homes in and around DC.  Let's just say I would have had a lot more check-ins on Gowalla back then.  And my Facebook mobile uploads would see a lot more photos.

Admittedly, there was a part of me that really liked Robbe and couldn't help but wonder if it was fate bringing us together after meeting all those years ago.  At the same time, I loved our motley crew of friends and thought that if we ended up dating and...gasp...breaking up, well it'd be awkward for the group and at the time, the camaraderie was what movies like St. Elmo's Fire (set in Georgetown) are made of.

I had also just started dating someone but wasn't sure where it was going to go.  Well, that guy, fortunately, made that decision for me and, finding myself unarguably available, you'd think the answer would be obvious, but I somehow knew that if I shared my feelings, there was no turning back.  And that was scary.

I shared with my friends that I was no longer dating the other guy, including Robbe.  And two days before Valentine's Day, Robbe calls and suggests that since he knows neither of us have plans for that night, why not go to dinner together?  The way we discussed making plans was very platonic in nature but after rehashing this story, as we always do on Valentine's Day, neither of us knew what it meant.

Thanks to a friend who could pull some strings to get us a reservation at Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House, that is where we shared our first date.  By the middle of dinner and after a few glasses of wine we both confessed that we were hoping that this would be the first of many dates.  We shared a few kisses in the cab to Old Town Alexandria to meet friends.

The next day, I did something unprecedented.  I deleted, permanently, the phone numbers of ex-boyfriends from my cell phone.  (No seriously, this was unprecedented, my best friends were horrifed, worried, and excited all at the same time.) Had we been on Facebook back in 2003, we probably would have changed our status to "in a relationship" within a week or so and seven months later in September, our Facebook status would have been changed to "engaged".

A year after we were engaged we were married in the chapel of the private school that kept us from ever being in the same Algebra class or any other class, for that matter, together.  And his best friend that brought me to that party?  He flew out from California for it. 

And that motley crew?  They were all there, too.

PS.  Wedding photos by Emilie Sommer, follow her on Twitter