Archive for category Social Networking

The Known Universe

Posted by Shaun McNicholas in Life Lessons, Social Networking on December 21, 2009

I have a theory about our known universe. Most people believe that the universe is expanding outward, but I believe that God created the universe in an instant and the light has traveled from all the known universe to us giving us a globe image of what exists in the universe. As time passes we see more of what God created because the light has traveled from it’s origin to us, so as the Earth ages we see more of what God created out to infinity. It’s not that nothing exists beyond what we have seen, but the light has not yet reached us, so we just haven’t seen it yet.

Consider this: If we know so little about so little, why do we strive so hard to understand things beyond our ability to understand. Why not instead accept that it is beyond our ability to grasp. Paul says of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-8 that Jesus becoming a human gave up his ability to understand in order to show us how to live without understanding. We can only observe and react to what we observe. Our small little brains do not have the capacity to comprehend the vastness of the universe, we are barely beginning to understand our own bodies, still don’t know how many species of fish live in our own oceans, still don’t know how to predict the weather accurately; how small and insignificant we really are! “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3,4

We don’t have the mental capacity to even comprehend all of the books humans have written, all of the paintings and sculptures and architectural creations made by humans, all of the music created by humans. Yet we strive to explain the unexplainable. God cannot be explained any more than the universe can be, he/she/it should always be explained as “I AM” Exodus 3. God has as many faces and descriptions and names as the number of humans who have tried to comprehend. In the end if you want to know then search for understanding and wisdom, but don’t criticize people who do not wish to understand. Ignorance is a wisdom of it’s own. Innocence is lost with knowledge. Striving to understand is like eating the forbidden fruit, the more we understand the more arrogant we become and the less faithful and innocent our hearts.

The Known Universe — By the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)

Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot:

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Free Advice

Posted by Shaun McNicholas in Life Lessons, Social Networking, Web Development on October 16, 2009

It always amazes me how many people exist in the world – and are actually making money giving people advice or “consulting” or “coaching” on things that are available for free. The question is: what do you have time for, or more importantly what has the most VALUE to you. For me it’s time. More than likely for you the answer will be the same. So if you can afford it then pay someone to manage all of this stuff for you, after all your time is better spent on more profitable things. Like sipping margaritas with your friends – of course only if that’s how you make MONEY and provide for yourself and your family if you have one.

Of course if you are not named Ashton Kutcher, or Madonna, or that guy that just has a symbol for his name – or does he call himself Prince now??? I don’t know, anyway… if you need to manage all of this stuff for yourself for now – until you get your first big break… read on.

You are a brand, whether you want to believe it or not in today’s world you are actually a brand.

Do a search in google for your name. When someone new meets you in a club, at church, at the local show you just attended, a friend of a friend and yes especially at work, or a potential new job. You are actually being looked at online. Do you know what the internet says about you? Do it yourself, what does google say about you?

A couple of months ago I did this for myself and realized there were quite a few people that shared my name:

Of course there is me: Patrick Shaun McNicholas (PSM) Hence the name PSM Design
Then there is my wife La’Shaun Jenae Paschal McNicholas – a wonderfully beautiful and talented singer/model and yes we actually share the name!
Then there is this guy in Australia (http://www.unisa.edu.au/CELUSA/about/directorwelcome.asp)

There are probably more people but that is all I can find now in the first few pages of google search results. And I don’t mind being confused for a moment with a guy who is a Director for the Center for English Language.

I think the best advice I could offer anyone in the professional world today is to go through this practice yourself. If you can’t find yourself online – then you aren’t saying anything and you need to register on as many free web sites, portals and social media sites as you can; and start talking. You are probably a great person, a professional with valuable skills and a high level of integrity. Maybe you are thinking about breaking out of the corporate world to go into something you are more passionate about, perhaps you have lost your job and just need to get your name in front of as many people as possible so that your skills are out in the open and you can be found be prospective employers. Maybe you just like attention and you just want people to know who you are. Hey go for it! You don’t necessarily need to be selling something to have a presence online, and more than likely there is a presence online. If you don’t have one you are building yourself talking about your good and admirable skills and qualities, people will simply get directed to a site like intelius.com where for a small fee they can find out every location you have ever lived and much more embarrassing information like that time you spent in jail for driving on a suspended license when you were 19 years old. Or that drunk and disorderly from college. There are much worse examples but I’ll leave that up to the rest of you to imagine what embarrassing things there are as a matter of public record that people might find out about you.

On a much lighter note – for me: I just moved back to my home town of Tampa Florida from Chicago and started aggressively marketing myself as a consultant and designer/illustrator. So it was important to me that all the places online that might have my information or a profile about me have complete and up to date information. I found many sites referencing past places I had lived because I registered at one time or another and never used the site and never went in an updated my information. So I took some time and went out there and updated my information everywhere I could find a reference to the person who is supposed to be me.

Next thing: get yourself registered everywhere! Linked-In, Facebook, Twitter, Google
Most of the social media and profile sites are free.
Here is an interesting practice:
Check this page out! http://www.prelovac.com/vladimir/top-list-of-social-media-sites
That’s just the top 100 – there are thousands of sites out there the important thing is to be on all of the top ones, and make sure your info and the description of who you are and what you do is accurate. Especially for your industry!

Here’s a challenge – get your name registered – pay for a hosting package and just start a basic blogging site for your name, you can do this for under $50 per year! (That will be a different post) Then register in all 100 top sites and make sure your name, phone, email and about you description are all up to date and pointing to your blog. Then register for the free google analytics package (MORE FREE STUFF) and start tracking your results. You’ll be surprised how quickly people start finding you online!

If you want or need help with anything shoot me an email – I am always glad to offer help. I only charge for complicated things that you couldn’t do for free somewhere else!!!!! And in today’s internet society you would be surprised how much power you have in that little box on your desk with the keyboard attached to it.

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