Full 411: Occupy LIFE

I know I havent posted online in a while but let me Give a FULL 411.

As you know I've been doing Shows and Graduated from College. No?  Oh, yeah, Im a Grad now baby! Guess, Ive been too busy working to even brag or celebrate it in a Major way yet. I guess its just now setting in and I've decided to go to Law School. Its NOT a game over here.

Life has a wierd way of placing things right in your lap when the space is given. I've had some burdens and 2011 didnt come without its Bad News...like : what the heck am I going to do with all this free time? Nothing like an economic meltdown to make the most well to do person feel like a nobody. Chicks dont want no "unemployed" guy, they may be jobless themselves but being "between jobs" actualy means you have jobs to "be between. Yeah, the networking events feel like dating.

Oh...and Im Single. Never thought I'd ever say this but... Im Loving it. Im just had so much time to myself and to grow and really want to be by myself. Ive never been single and this is my 1st single Winter since high school. I dont date, hate the dating scene but Im not the only one. As long as your spending some quality time thats good enough and actually CHILL from our Busy Lives. How busy? Well, I now work for the Mayors Office of NYC on Wall St. as an External Affairs Coordinator.

Thanks to AmeriCorps and NY Service I can put my skills to use, meet people and build on ME. Damn, I love New York City. However, its not all fun and games. I've been taking up my free time with volunteering. In these times when no one has a job, the best thing to do (besides selling drugs or your body) is to sell your time. TimebanksNYC and NY Cares are great ways to just be active, build your resume, meet new people and add some new hobbies to your life that you wouldnt have heard about from your friends.

Ever since I  did my "30 Days Without Google" Experiment, I learned something... "Occupy LIFE". Yeah... I started the Occupy Movement early #ShrugLife but its just like Occupy Wall St. If you dont like the way that things are going, you have to get out there. I, for example, went to every person I knew and asked them how they got there job, i search for jobs on site I never heard of, and i paid attention to my surroundings. You never know when a old name/topic my come up again and give you an IN.

Never take a WIN for granted and Never Take a Loss to Heart. My former client Ken Wydro, Broadway Producer, told me after my break up : Life makes room for big things.  I know I'm blessed to be where and how I am but its never too late to have a change in mindset.

Since then, I've toured, been to several boardway shows and even got selected to final auditions for MTV's REAL World (shhhh its a Secret...well not so much). So get out there and spread love in a Karma Free way. Because even though there are alot of winners out there, they arent all Karma-Free Activities...but hey, live your life. Not every makes it to the Nursing Home (Un/Fortunetly) but until then: Occupy Life.

Statistics vs Relationship: WTF?! (Wheres The Faith)

Last week in the kitchen my friend and I have a small chit chat...went like this
Her: I wanna have a kid...is that selfish?
Me: Maybe...if you weren't Single. Maybe if you were doing it with someone else it would sound that way.
Her: I know but I dont want to get married and I've given up on relationships.
Me: I want a kid too, feel the same about relationships but why give up, right?
Her: true but the statistics of successful relations are dropping and divorce is going up....
Me: But statistically speaking... you smoke and drink...alot....so um

And thats where the convo kind of ended on a obvious odd note... simply... Health ramifications are more guaranteed before a statistic that your relationship wont last. If a Relationships fails... thats really on you.  

So this is chances.... just by Age... Not including, income, health, social status and Looks ( yes a lot of folks stay in relationships simply because they cant downgrade in the looks, sex, or money department)

Its just sad how people can use statistics to prove one part of their life may fail... and not to disprove it. But whats wrong with me, statistically speaking, I wasnt suppose to live on my own, in NYC, no kids, good, health, and be a college grad with fair credit...or even attend a college at all... or wait how old am I, arent I suppose to be Dead? But hey, thats just me. I dont have to show you the statistics for smokers and failed immune systems, just look up a truth ad campaign.


I know my friend isnt speaking for everyone but she isnt the only person I heard say that. WTF?! People where is your faith in Success. Nothing is easy but dont forget how to apply the knowledge you acquire

So, I would never bring up a problem without providing some solutions. I found 10 tips on avoiding divorce by Relationship Expert, Wife and Mother Michele Weiner-Davis. Simple tips, that applied with self honesty, will work (and if you wouldnt try this with ya spouse then you need to cut that long "fling" short)

1. Spend time together. Weiner-Davis warns that if you stop getting that quality time you run the risk of losing your friendship with your spouse.

2. Have sex. Pretty self-explanatory. Weiner-Davis says you better get it on!

3. Touch. Now, this one is different than #2. You gotta make sure you hug and kiss and cuddle and all that good stuff.

4. Flirt.  <---- C'mon Son, If you dunno how to flirt in your relationship

5. Talk frequently.  Like Really talk... quality conversation (note: quality) is important to me.

6. Give compliments.

Shoot, man. I do try. I just…fall short. *adding this one to my to-do list as well, plan to shoot hubby a “Damn, you look hot!” comment tomorrow*

7. Take a marriage class.... or Relationship Counseling   

NOT YOUR FRIEND... but I know there’s something you can learn in terms of your communication, and understanding of each other.

8. Handle conflict constructively.   (for Me this Means DOing whatever it take not to got to bed Mad)

9. Focus on the positives.

REAL Positives...not some "but it feel good tho" excuse or some shallow minded thing

10. Do “real” giving.

This one is pretty much following along the lines of the 5 love languages. It requires giving your spouse what he or she needs, regardless of whether you feel it’s important. Plus be Happy bout it...In my next relationship Im going to practice this a lot more.

How many did you mark off this check list and what are other ways you look out for your love and health?

Cell Phones On the Platform

It may be that no technological advancement in New York transportation history has been so equally desired and dreaded, but the ability to chat on a cellphone in the subway will finally be available — though in a very limited way — next week.

The wired underground project will begin on Tuesday at four stations in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, where subscribers to the AT&T and T-Mobile networks will be able to talk away on station platforms, transportation officials said.

Service will cease during trips in the tunnels, however, and anyone with a Verizon phone will be out of luck.

Providing the ability to rearrange meetings, converse with friends and be a bigger pest than usual to one’s fellow subwaygoers has been a long-sought goal of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The pilot program will introduce cellphone reception to the C-E platforms at 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue, and three other stations along West 14th Street: the A, C, E and L platforms at Eighth Avenue; the F, M and L platforms at Avenue of the Americas; and the Seventh Avenue station that serves the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 lines.

The trial has no scheduled end date. The transportation authority says it hopes to extend the service to other parts of the system if it is deemed successful.

The program is starting about two years late. Transit Wireless, the company behind it, signed a contract in 2007 with New York City Transit and promised to begin a trial in downtown Manhattan by 2009.

The project stagnated until last year, when the company secured financing from an Australian wireless operator.

So chat it up...unless a train is entering or leaving the station, pay attention. 

REST IN TWEETS: The New RIP

Recently there was a death in the Hip hop world, cali swag district member MBooone was killed and everyone is sending their respect via Online. To me this is kind of silly, being that he is dead, but I understand. If you dont know who "Cali swag district" is, they are the kids who can teach you how to Dougie

So the web has been cranking out stories as to what has unfortunately happen but they keep including his Twitter Page >>twitter.com/MbOoONe and his Last Tweet. His last tweet was >>“@NewNew_Monroe: @MbOoONe smh plz tell yo gf nvr do dat again!”yea right<< Now with all the fame that has surrounded him its very sad to see something like this happen only to have your last words be a "side conversation"

Which got me thinking, when you die, what will your last tweet be? The internet in my opinion is becoming the new "Museum of Self". Now I know you may not care much of what happens to your fb or twitter after death but one guy programmed his website to keep updating and publishing new posts for a long time after his death. It's kind of a wild site, www.akumaprime.com. Now I'm not saying to do that but do make sure that your online self is in good hands in the worse case senerio because even though you may be resting in peace, you want to keep it that way. digitally.


We dont all have Fans, but Fans of the rap group immediately responded to the tragic news of M-Bone's passing on Twitter:

"R.I.P M-Bone of Cali Swag District! Got the homie and his family in my prayers!! To the whole crew keep y'all heads up! #luv" Young Money's Lil Twist wrote

SMH We gota stop this yall! Too many brothers in hip-hop, and just too many brothers in general die because of some BS.

"Omg im really sad now waking up hearing that @MbOoONe died...no more nice goodmorning texts such a sweetheart" tweeted NicoleSaldua


What do you think, should there be something for the online accounts of the deceased? Because it would be kind of odd to think your tweeting a "dead" acct. if you had no idea of the incident.

Age Limits Online

New Teens: " now that my mom knows about us, i quess i can unblock her from the old albums"

Are the privacy settings online too good? Should there be an age limit to those who wishes to use them?

Im not sure why or how young kids (13 and under) are signing online to social networks but what i do know is that they shouldnt be allowed certain privacy settings that can block their parents out. I do believe in personal space but I was raised in the "My House. My Rules" setting. I think I turned out pretty well, but with digital world its very hard to say " My Computer. My Rules" because accessibility for teen is a given and they use it like its a right. Not to say that the internet is or isnt a right but we should understand that is really is a privilege.

Osama: The Man, The Myth, The Hashtag

If life ever felt like a Soap Opera it would be now. After the Trump made it his personal business to get the President to show his birth certificate, the question became: “Seriously??? This is the news?”. I personally don’t watch the news but there is a quote that says “If you dont watch the news you’re uninformed but if you watch the news you’re misinformed”. You can say I’m selectively uninformed because I only read my news via twitter and news subscriptions via email. So how did I find out about the death of Osama? Facebook.

I was on facebook when I noticed my whole entire newsfeed was talking about about Osama is Dead. I went on twitter to confirm this and within 10 minutes @CCN confirmed that this was true. Unfortunately, celebrity deaths on twitter trend fairly quickly and are jokes/pranks, but this “Osama is Dead” hashtag opened the floodgates. Every joke and smart remark you could think of came out. I then started thinking about how convenient this death happened to be. That Obama’s rating goes down and bam! He’s a hero. I been hearing that bin laden has been dead for awhile now and I don’t see why I should believe this hype. You interrupt the apprentice to say he’s dead, cant confirm, but now what? Bury him, in the ocean. I cant believe it either.

Now, while I'm not going to discuss my discontent with the ignorant reactions to the situation. We, the people, have as much proof that Osama is dead as we do the "Area 51" stories. This is more about the internet being the ultimate game of Telephone. In fact, imagine reading a book and having someone interrupt your reading to switch books without you noticing or rip whole pages out.

This is the beginning to something new and not in a good way. I fear that we are being fed content that confuses more than clarifies. For example, the photo above is supposedly the reaction shot of when the White House got the word of Osama's Death ( or "Usama" according to Fox News). I just find so many things wrong with this picture. Hilary's off- reaction, eager happy onlookers, confused bench players, turned off open laptops and a Blurred picture on the desk. Im no conspiracy theorist but the signs that something is "missing" is as clear as day. I'm not saying don't find closure in this, I'm just asking to have a little decency. Plus to all you religious folks know that even David mourned Sauls death. Lets use this as evidence to bring the troops back, evidence to low gas prices, evidence to give back TRUE Fourth Amendment rights to the Airports and maybe just maybe I've believe that this wasn't let out the bag to smack Trump in the face before re-election.

What do you think? How did you find out?

Turn it up!!! But will People tune in

May 5th 2011 will be the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the choice radio station and "Voice of Harlem" WHCR 90.3fm. Now WHCR has a low listenership rating but is hoping to hold several events at City College in hopes of raising awareness and driving listenership up on that day. Although this is perfect timing and very thoughtfully planned, social media will be one of the work horse tools being used here.

Now blogging, tweeting and facebooking has done its share of promotion in the past for other organization, but this is Radio. Turning it up for one day doesn't guarantee that the people will stay tuned in. The Real problem is Access vs Content. If its the lack of access or awareness of the access that is the problem, then the event will be effective and all the digital media will pay off 100%.

%. On the other hand, if the problem is content, then you don't have a advertising problem, you need quality control.

For any business and/or public figures, that last thing a poor brand needs is good Advertising, because then we'll know it sucks but that it has failed to deliver on whatever that brand promise was. So here are 3 ways to fix it:

1. Fix your content- make it relevant, consistent and readily available

2. Get online and connect- the internet should really be used to share and enrich what you have. not to create it.

3. Critic and Go- make the changes needed in order to remain on top of what makes you different. Sometimes you need to know when to listen to your critics, they may be right.

%. On the other hand, if the problem is content, then you don't have a advertising problem, you need quality control.

For any business and/or public figures, that last thing a poor brand needs is good Advertising, because then we'll know it sucks but that it has failed to deliver on whatever that brand promise was. So here are 3 ways to fix it:

1. Fix your content- make it relevant, consistent and readily available

2. Get online and connect- the internet should really be used to share and enrich what you have. not to create it.

3. Critic and Go- make the changes needed in order to remain on top of what makes you different. Sometimes you need to know when to listen to your critics, they may be right.

Online Dating, Seriously?

Being single in the greatest city is gift...and a Curse. but online dating well that's the punch line of the joke. Since the social activities has become exclusive to small social circles and lack of funds, dating offline has become strained and harder to do in the city that never sleeps. Which can only lead to one thing, boredom.

Over the recent years, online went from a popular place to find love quickly to a cheap "look at me" fling site. Now alot of people have flooded into the online world to only write on their profile "just passing through" or "not looking for a relationship". I mean, why are you there then? Just another way to look at each other in glass closets if you ask me.

One girl said " I put myself out there, but not really..." its like an "in case of emergency, break glass". What do you think? Is it a serious thing or does a cute pic and nice ice breaker really work online?

Pressure to be Cool Online

Unfortunately the internet has made life REALLY simple, in fact so simple that people feel that are being Boring. With the recent development of "check-in" apps like "FourSquare" and "Food spotter" and having the option to share this information with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc... some may notice that aren't doing enough. With millions of people rushing to a pc, laptop and pda to access the internet its clear that there is more going on online than off it.

While at Starbucks I overheard two men conversing about the pressure that some people feel to be interesting because of the internet. One guy said "they say they never get invited out" but do you really need an invitation? Is there such a thing as internet peer pressure? That sort of thing is self imposed and a little insecure in my opinion. In addition there are those folks who don't in go online to certain sites because they fear what people might assume. Even to say they dont want to go on Twitter and "be a Follower".

I personally can admit to having checked-in, shared and tweeted an experience more than a few times. Offline I feel like a lonely loner so I keep myself busy but online it must look like I'm having a grand ole time. Looks can be deceiving, especially online. Do not feel pressured to be "interesting" if you dont have an active online social life. However, you should enrich the relationships and expand your network with the internet, not replace it. So log-on , plan a meet up, and practice those active engaging skills or put your self in a mindset that is open to meet new people. Then tweet about it. What do you think, is it all mental or are people not going far enough to be a "cool" as they truly?

Facebook...what is it?

I remember all the imaginary perks of going to College like dating sexy girls, crazy hookey adventures and Toga Parties. Surprisingly enough, the toga party is the only thing that held true, because the sexy girls were the nerdy girls from high school (they were in my Friend Zone, ha!)Then I found Facebook, the ultimate bragging right for a high school grad. A chance to say what you over the summer without saying anything at all. That exclusivity no longer exists because now its open to everyone. But what is it now?

Companies have fan pages, cliques and causes have groups, there are even game applications for the average facebooker to play. Still, what is it? Social Networking only works when you are networking. Look at Myspace, on the East Coast, thats dying if it isnt already dead. In my opinion, advertising killed myspace. Too much to look at, very little content and information, in fact, when there was alot of words outside of "Bio" and "Blog" section it wasnt very attractive. So When Facebook came to be and gave details without gimmicks everyone wanted to be apart of the "country club" of the internet. Now it feels more like the local sports bar, where everyone knows your name. But where does someone with no friends get to fit-in in a place like this? This is a problem for new business and performers with the "Fan page" feature.

Here's a joke I read online : "The Facebook news feed is my only source for news... Forget Libya, have you heard that my friend Eric Kemp is in a relationship? " Some folks barely care for the news, much less, your failed attempt at a viral video of you doing an awesome Drum cover to a Beetles Song. People will now only what comes on the news feed that has their friends attached to it. Solution...Get a friend to tell a friend. But how do you find an online influencer without becoming a Stalker? News Feed Optimization!!!! Kinda like Search Engine Optimization.

Facebook always was a place for me to say every and anything without saying anything at all. Only way people knew what I did was either via News Feed or they went on my page. News feed Optimisation is the only choice you have if no one want to go to your page ( maybe because there isnt a relationship status) and engage.

So here are 4 easy to use strategies that can help your posts be seen in the News Feed that I read:

1. Ask Questions! Make them fun, topical, relevant, and easy to answer. Remember, your fans want to be entertained and talk about themselves, so give them what they want!

2. Create a Poll! I love this strategy as it’s so easy for fans to answer. Ask them to pick from a, b, c, or d. Fans will be interested in finding out other peoples preferences are too!

3. Photo’s! Add interesting photos and videos to your posts and ask your fans to comment on them.

4. Manual Posts! Facebook actually gives better Edge Rank to manual posts, rather than prescheduled posts, in tools such as Hoote Suit. This can be more time consuming throughout the day if you are posting often, but well worth the effort. This is not to say that you should never preschedule, but using a combination of both would be a better strategy for News Feed Optimisation.

>>Sidenote: there was a 5th step, "Hit the Like button"...but thats like high-fiving yourself in public. Only the REALLY Creepily Cool kids got away with that. but Fans are more likely to hit the “like” button if others have already done so.<<

So now what is facebook? It's a playground and the best way to make friends is to make a scene. It's the world we live in. I wonder what world we'll live in next?

FourSquare: No Longer a Game

What is FourSquare? Well "Four Square" is played with a rubber playground ball on a square court with four players. When the ball is bounced into your square you must then bounce it back out without hitting twice in your own square, otherwise you are out. The object is to eliminate players in higher squares so that you can make it to the 'four square' and score the most points. Well how does that relate to the actual new "FourSquare" check-in social media Application tool? Well, Let say you download the app and you go too "The Apple Store". You would let the geo-tag in the app kick in and then you check into the location on the Device. This gives you points, in which, every week you would try to get more points than your friends by visiting new places constantly...Problem? Everyone would know where you are, but they have privacy settings...I suppose, but only if you arent the company that uses this information to track consumer activity. As an Artist, if I have a show and I check into the event venue in my app, it gives me more than credibility but advertising. This is due to the linking of the app to the Twitter and Facebook client, so I can share my check-ins, badges and Mayorships. There's only one small problem. If you dont have wifi or a Smart phone that has these apps, it really doesnt matter. I've had the app for 1 year now and they've done away with the Point system, which really gave you nothing but braging rights, along with the badges. Badges are given to you by the app if you check-in a place that has over 50+ ofther check-ins there and are "unNecessary" stuff. However. you can become Mayor of a place by having a majority of mutltiple chekings out of others, this does have its perks from free drinks to discounts. But do to the Recent updates to the program, thats the only thing the app is now good for, trying to become mayor. My only problem with FourSquare is that its not a game and they've updated it to where you cant see the points nor can you just have it. It only works on a Mobile device or Smart phone. Which requires you to have a net/data coverage. Times are hard and checking-in is not a priority when there is soo much in the world going on. I dont think this app is going to last longer than Myspace did, but it was fun while it lasted. Or will it stay forever?

Power to the Tweeple

Twitter is like the New Boyfriend of a long lost friend that you just recently met again and you Hate him. Why? Because you dont know him and the more people say "oh I met him, isnt he Great", the more you feel like everyone else is being hoodwinked but You. Sadly enough I was once that person saying "Twitter?! Why, whats wrong with aim? " and "So I can tell everyone I ran out milk, in mid-pour, for my cereal" (dont you hate that though?). Well, I met their "Twit" and now we're best of friends...not as good as others but we get along well. Here's the how I ended up on twitter (in tweet form) : @InFoDaPoet:" I got into a car crash n thought no 1 cared bc no called me, but everyone that kne showed me love when they saw me, bc I had a #hashtag." So my friend created an account for me to see that, The End So for those of you who know twitter, thats a very sad story, my jeep rollout fiasco was a trending topic. For those of you who dont know what a Trending Topic is on Twitter, lets just say that its the most popular hashtag and its almost never really GREAT to be trending like that. Oh, whats a Hashtag? This -> # <- Yes the Pound sign (sharp note for you musicians). When you put that next to any word or statment on twitter, it becomes a hyperlink. This then connects you with others who are also talking about #Pizza, #Cars and #ReasonsImSingle within the last 48 hrs. At which point if enough people in a region or area are talking about #CharleeSheen it then becomes a Trending Topic where you are prompt to check it out on the side panel. Fastforeward, almost 2 years and 20,321 Tweets later. I've met some awesome people, terrible people and Ego's swollen by a follower number so big it make me wonder "all these people cant possible #givaDamn about your bbm club bathroom pics and poor diet habits" but hey, thats the world we live in. So where do Artists fit in? Right in the Middle! I've linked my Twitter to my Facebook page so that all my poetry, notes, pics, events and status updates become tweets that share that content. So even if you tweet very little, your increasing your interactions and following. Another thing is that you dont need to be approved to befriend someone (unless they have a private twitter...pointless/Suspect in my opinion) and vice versa. So back to the boyfriend anology. Imagine that you met them and they had a sister, who was PERFECT for you. They wouldnt seem so bad after all. Which is what a "timeline" is on Twitter. Its all the people who you follow. So your experience will only be as good as the people you choose to interact with, now here is where being a good judge in character comes into to play. But Nothing feeling better than when a Celeb or Public figure is following you, for example. Producer and Artist/Rapper "88-Keys" is following me . Heres a sample of his work. Mind you, we have mutual friends and other artists who are in our circles but its still just as good a feeling. Twitter breaks that wall and lets you connect, if you truly wish to. It makes people aware of the voice they have and dont use...and those who use a voice but got nothing good to say. I say its an Excellent tool for Poets and Writers for self promo and networking. Models and Singers...Tumblr is more for you (just saying) If your none of the above, its still a great innovative step forward in social networking. Just understand that this may turn you into a public figure so try not to get carried away on the details. You'll be surprised what 140 Characters can do. Power to the Tweeple