Yesterday, I ran a 10k at my fastest time (or personal record for you running junkies). The ridiculous part is that I get embarrassed to actually tell people just how slow my fast is. I ran in 1 hour and 14 minutes which cut 10 minutes off my previous 10k time.  It's ridiculous to be […]

Ok party people. I'm off to heaven on earth (Aruba). Picture to make you jealous upon my return. For now, here's a good one from my last trip.  

I imagine your initial reaction is "what the hell? Fear of MOUNTAINS?" I'm not all crazy. My fear started when I earned my head band at Tough Mudder.  I mean, when you round the corner after the 7th mile after going up and down this mountain about 10 times [read: legs burning]  and you see […]

I love spending time at the driving range. Thinking is not encouraged. There's no crisis to address or time limit. This is what happens in the awkward space between my ears when I'm there: Keep your eye on the ball the whole time not just when you plan to swing. Missed the ball that time. […]

When I write, there's no inflection to make sure I'm coming across as funny. There's no opportunity to read your eyes and make sure you get the joke. There's no moment for me to clarify if I offend you. I think that means I'm blogging. I think that means I have to leave the judgment […]

I just signed up for a Tough Mudder race. Haven't heard of it before? Watch this. "If you can do this - you can do anything you put your heart and your mind to." Seriously.  I'm doing that. Let's face it. I'm not a runner. I can't do even one pull up without some assistance. […]

The purpose of a hashtag is to segment the firehouse of information that comes from a live Twitter feed when you follow more than 10 people. For example, hashtags can help people find career information when the title of the article doesn't have the keyword "career" in it. Somehow, as Twitter has grown the purpose […]

Here's my formula for calculating Twitter reach: (Retweets / Followers) = Twitter Reach (The % of my audience each tweet reached) Example for my current company: (116 / 2523) = 4% Most formulas I've seen include a variable representing how many followers each fan has to calculate reach but I prefer to skip it. Why? […]

I really need to blog. I know I need to blog. So here's my blogger away message: I'm away right now doing a lot of things. Innovating or something. Blogging is not one of those things. That is all. I'll be back soon.

I've been thinking about advocacy... the greatest advocacy of all being between a mother and child. The important moment when the easiest and best thing you can do is just be there. Stand up for them. Listen and understand the person you aren't. I don't have kids yet but I'd like to believe that in […]

"The survey, published Jan. 26 from the Congressional Management Foundation, found that of  138 senior legislative office managers and communication staffers, 20 percent said Facebook is a "very important" tool for communicating a member's views. But only 8 percent said it is very important for understanding constituents' views. The divide between broadcast and feedback is […]

Lerner Farrington wrote this post (that I can't find) a few months ago that really got me thinking about this blog. Thinking about how it shouldn't jut be a how to, 100% functional place because that's not how I connect with people. It's not my style in real life so why should it sound that […]

This video is too adorable and funny for me not to share. Plus, it's my first video in a series of posts that will try to figure out the "viral coefficient" of viral video. So, people smarter than I -- what makes this video viral? My vote, it's different to hear a little girl in […]

Throwing a great tweetup isn't as easy as throwing a great party (where free alcohol= good time). Ok, maybe it is. Regardless of the alcohol availability, here are a few ideas to throw a great tweetup. Partnering with a conference to get on the official schedule Hosting at a bar — offer 2 free drink […]

90 million tweets are sent every day. 70% of them are about TV. Why? You get 168 hours a week to save the world, breathe, all that fun stuff. If you're in work for 45 hours a week (lets face it, the 40 hour work week is a fantasy) and the average person watches around […]

Me in 140 characters or less? No way. That's why I started this blog. I'm Katrina and I live in Boston, MA where I work in social media at Care.com. This blog, however, does not represent the thoughts of my company -- only my rants. Read my blog if you want social media tips that […]

I keep getting the "your blog has Twitter, do you have any Facebook info?" Before today my answer was, not really which is a shame considering the amount of time I spend on the site. I love Facebook. It's a great place to tell your company's story, share success stories and start a conversation. I'd […]

I was thinking I should start to blog about things I like and other topics I can write, edit and post. When I write too much, I find myself going on tangents and then no good writing happens. This week, I was doing a competitive analysis and found Topsy. Why do I like it? In […]

I want to be made into the NFL's social media manager. OK, I'll admit that's a bad MTV reference but watching the playoffs on Twitter and how @NFL is operating- I want to be their social media ninja.  I've worked (and am working) in social media for some really amazing companies but it would be […]

"How should we get the word out about a new product? I want brand awareness! Brand recognition!" Now, one thing isn't going to magically create branding but one important piece of the brand awareness puzzle is online sponsorship. I file these sponsorships in 5 categories: Content Sponsorships: Sponsor content about specific brand related topics on […]

Laurie Ruettimann is my blogging idol. The point of telling you? I'm following her lead. For my end of year posts, I'm talking about accomplishments, failure, regrets, and resolutions. I can't promise I'll stick to posting daily as I'm taking a flight at the crack of dawn to North Carolina tomorrow for a big spoonful […]

How do you promote Twitter to people who aren't using Twiiter? Hm. Well, my first thought - not on Twitter.  Here's the question I got (with slight revisions): Hey Katrina, Thanks so much for your time. So,  I am helping a company run their live Tweet from a conference. We are going to hold 3 […]

Walking the streets of Boston, you'll notice plenty of store fronts have the signs - "Follow us on Twitter" or "Like us on Facebook" - but what do they mean for the business? Is anyone listening? Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake is. They're using what you're Tweeting and posting on Facebook to give guests an […]

I'm a social media geek so I guess the first reason is: "I have to." I wasn't intrigued by Foursquare until I checked in at the Ben and Jerry's in Harvard Square and got a great deal. Now I check in pretty often - who doesn't love a discount? I also like seeing real-time tips […]

Have you ever attended a social media class? Do you have a bachelor's degree in social media? Well now you can at Birmingham City University in the UK.  Initially, I approached " Is a university course in the use of social media a degree too far? " with a bit of skepticism. How do you […]