Laura Zander of Jimmy Beans Wool shares a life lesson

Photo: Digiman Studio

I have had the privilege of listening to Laura Zander of Jimmy Beans Wool speak four times now, and each time I am so impressed with how down-to-earth this woman is. Her story is so inspirational. Laura and her husband Doug are software engineers who ditched the industry when it busted in 2000. They traded-in their San Francisco city lives for the quaint mountain town of Truckee, CA. By the means of fate, Laura stumbled into the yarn business and opened a tiny shop in Truckee. 13 years later, Laura and Doug are running a $7 million online retail business selling, yes, yarn.

Laura Zander has made yarn damn cool. I want to share one of her stories that really stuck with me, and has so many underlying messages in not just business but, in life.

Laura has a 5-year-old son named Huckleberry. Once upon a time, when Huckleberry was 2, Laura and Doug were boarding an airplane with him when the pilot walked by and caught Huck’s eye. Laura leaned over to her starry-eyed 2-year-old and whispered, “Hey, you should go ask the pilot if you can fly the plane.” Fly the plane? Really? Come on. “He is probably going to say no, that’s what he should say. BUT… what if he says yes?! Could you IMAGINE? You could fly a real-life airplane!” Huck looks over at the pilot excitedly, jumps down from his seat and makes his way to the front of the plane. The young boy speaks, “Can I fly the plane?” The pilot is stunned, and at a loss for words he says, “Sure.” Huck jumps into the pilot’s chair and goes crazy. Buttons, throddles, wheels, channels are all poked, prodded, and turned. The kid can hardly focus on what he is doing because he is so full of excitement. He is flying a real plane.

Many trips were taken after that, and each time, Huck prepares himself for a big-fat NO, and asks the pilot if he can fly the plane. Sometimes, the pilot will say yes! Sometimes, they say no and Huck understands, because after all, he was expecting it.

There was one occasion when Huck asked the pilot if he could fly the plane and the pilot replied, “I am sorry buddy, I can’t let you do that. BUT… I can let you under the plane to check out the cargo.” Huck looks over at his mom, and she says, “AWESOME! You never know what could be down there! There could be a whole circus down there, cotton candy, maybe even ice cream, and that would be way cooler than flying the plane! You never know!” Grinning ear-to-ear little Huck followed the pilot to the cargo.

You never know what kind of opportunities are out there if you don’t ask. And often, even a “no” will lead to an open door, if you are looking for it…a door that could be way cooler than the one you were originally trying to open.

Thank you for sharing your story, Laura.

Runners Come Out for the 1st Annual Downtown River Run

So, in February I found a pair of pink Mizuno running shoes, a GPS watch–and the rest is history. I am runner, and I am not turning around. This is one of the best towns for such a hobby (addiction) due to the amazing scenery and trails. There are so many different races held in this town, I wanted write about one that has really set the bar for other races being held in this area.

April 14th was the first of three races for the RENO 5000 race series, and it was held downtown (beginning and ending at Reno’s famous arch). This first race has been titled the Downtown River Run. Dolan Auto Group is the title sponsor for all three of the RENO 5000 races this year, and the Downtown River Run was an exciting success.

“This race was only the 2nd race I have ever participated in.  My wife runs marathons & 1/2 marathons all of the time, and her experience with your race was heads above many others including the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll marathon, the Portland, Seattle & Honolulu marathons as well.  You’re setting the bar high for everyone else.” – Doug I.

Over 1,000 runners arrived under the arch on the morning of April 14th and debated whether or not to run with their sleeves on… It was a chilly spring morning! The Junior 1 Mile race kicked-off the event, and kids took off in pursuit of a Lexus CT 200. The 10k and Half-Marathon racers took off immediately after the National Anthem, and then followed by the 5k runners. Runners headed west and followed the Truckee River, then looped back around to finish under the arch.

RENO 5000 was created in an effort to produce events that will help our community to get fit, stay in shape, and to provide the feel of a world-class race experience for our local runners. You can expect consistency at each of RENO 5000′s events. After producing 40 events in less than 4 years, every single event has started on time and runners can always count on this in the future. There is nothing more frustrating for a runner than a race that has a late or even early start time.”Some of our more competitive and elite runners have a warm-up regimen, and a correct start time is vital to their performance,” says Race Director William Contreras.

“I think it’s the best race we’ve had,” said Taylor Samuels, who placed first for his age group and fifth overall in the men’s 5k. “There was a lot of positive energy.”

Many vendors from the area were in attendance; most importantly L’uva Bella Wine Gallery was pouring beer and champagne to treat the runners after the race.

RENO 5000 Race Director said, “As much as we try to please 100% of the people, it is impossible and we understand that, but if we can come close, we feel we are doing our job.” Furthermore, “I have run a lot of races, and I know that as a runner- all you should have to worry about on race day is your performance. The rest will be handled by us.”

RENO 5000 works hard to establish relationships with businesses in the community in an effort to produce sponsorships, so that the races can continue to offer low entry fees for a quality race experience. It doesn’t stop there; RENO 5000 strictly works with local vendors for all of their events and always donates a portion of proceeds to a local charity. Past donations have been given to charities that support: the victims of Air Races, JK Metzger fund, Northern Nevada Food Bank, and the fight against childhood obesity.

It was wonderful to see runners of all different ages come together for this event. If you would like to join the next race on June 23rd at Damonte Ranch High School, you can register here. The 3rd race will take place on September 8th at Bowers Mansion. The Downtown River Run has plans to return next year with the addition of a full-marathon, and there is even buzz about  next year’s race being Reno’s first Boston-qualifying event. Awesome.

WordCamp Makes Its Way to Reno

Ah, yes! Calling all developers, web designers, marketing professionals, and bloggers! The fifth annual Reno-Tahoe WordCamp will be held at the University of Nevada’s Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center April 27-28.

This unique educational event is an opportunity for WordPress developers and users of all levels to meet, share ideas, and learn more about the WordPress platform and its business applications. WordCamp features two days of conference sessions and workshops taught by local and national experts.  Covering “everything WordPress,” the event is organized by the Reno WordPress Meetup Group to benefit and support the WordPress Foundation.

WordCamp attendees can choose between technical and business tracks, and the agenda includes content and forums for WordPress novices, experts and everyone in between.

“WordPress is an awesome platform that makes it easy to build a website or blog,” says WordCamp organizer Megan Duggan, a graphic designer at Innerwest Advertising and Public Relations in Reno. “The Reno-Tahoe WordCamp packages great speakers and educational content into a low-key, affordable event for the local community. If you are designing websites or using WordPress for business or personal branding, you need to be at WordCamp.”

People can register online at 2013.reno.wordcamp.org. The fee for the 2-day conference is $30, which includes lunch both days, a t-shirt, and a Saturday evening after-party and networking event. Single-day registration is $18, and student discounts are available.

Businesses of all sizes are being told that “content is king,” and WordPress is the world’s leading content management system. More than half of all websites that include a CMS are WordPress-based, as are most professional blogs. WordPress is used worldwide to anchor and streamline ecommerce, digital marketing, and business and personal branding.

The two-day Reno-Tahoe WordCamp offers technical and business tracks that include presentations, live demos, question-and-answer sessions, panel discussions, and more. The international WordCamp organization embraces an “unconference” philosophy, encouraging impromptu sessions limited only by the imagination of attendees.

The technical track is aimed at developers and designers. The program is still being finalized, but topics likely to be covered include WordPress site setup, theme development, jQuery, developer trade secrets and techniques, the latest plugins, web fonts and mobile issues.

The business track is aimed at marketing professionals, business owners and bloggers. Topics include monetization, authority marketing, blog content, branding, e-mail marketing, podcasting and social media strategies.

“Reno WordCamp is one of the best conferences in town for the WordPress community of users, developers and designers, many of whom make their living from using the software and building new things on top of it,” says Colin Loretz, cofounder of the Reno Collective coworking space.  ”It also showcases the WordPress talent in and around Reno by attracting attendees and speakers from other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Sacramento and Las Vegas.”

WordPress enthusiasts at all levels are encouraged to register at 2013.reno.wordcamp.org.

What’s WordPress?

WordPress is a free, Web-based, Open Source software program anyone can use to build and maintain a website or blog.  Originally intended as a user-friendly blogging platform, WordPress has been transformed by a large Open Source community of WordPress programmers who have improved and greatly extended its capabilities. No longer just a tool for bloggers, today’s WordPress is a comprehensive content management system (CMS) that can be used to run full-sized, media-rich websites for social businesses.

What’s WordCamp?

WordCamps are casual, locally organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They come in all different flavors, depending on the local communities producing them, but typically include sessions on how to use WordPress more effectively. Attendees range from blogging newbies to professional WordPress developers and consultants, and often combine scheduled programming with unconference activities. The first WordCamp was held in San Francisco in 2006, and WordCamps have since spread to more than 100 cities spread across five continents.

Hope to see you there!

Mark Estee, 12-months Revisited

“Persistence is probably the single most common quality of high achievers. They simply refuse to give up. No matter how hard it seems, the longer you persist the more likely your success.” — Jack Canfield

I will NEVER get tired of hearing about people overcoming challenges, and stepping into their own.

My life has been a beautiful roller coaster, specifically in the past 12 months. I wanted to take a minute to revisit one of my posts, which really kicked things off for me in 2012. There’s this guy, named Mark Estee, who took the time out of his extremely busy life to give a graduate student (me) an interview late one evening as his newly opened restaurant was locking it’s doors for the night.

I met Mark Estee during his 4^th month in business with Campo, this month marks the 16^th month that Campo has graced Reno with its presence. And oh, what a year it has been. This place is great. Ok… But, in the words of Mark Estee:

“Restaurants are supposed to have great food. That should be expected. There’s so much more to a great restaurant than just the food.”

This place is so much more than the food. I can go on and on about the accolades, the awards, Campo Mammoth, Top 10 this, Best of that… This guy and his restaurant have achieved the unexpected in the past year. BUT, I am not going there. I am going to stray away from the obvious. There are 2 things that inspire me most about Mark: 1. He is the self-made-comeback-kid 2. He LOVES Reno.

Mark says, “No matter what you do, you are bound to make mistakes. That’s the best part.”

I have listened to Mark give a handful of speeches about his journey, and I pick up on something new each time. Rock bottom means different things to each of us. But, I have a feeling that this guy stared rock bottom straight in its ugly face. He climbed out of it. He made the choice one-day to “put on a new self” and has been choosing to put on that new self-everyday since. No one made Mark a successful entrepreneur, no one told him he should be a chef, no one protected him from all the mistakes he has made personally and professionally, no one told him he should create this beautiful concept known today as Campo. No one. He did it- the good, the bad, the ugly, the brilliant, the beautiful, the delicious. On his own.

Mark has put in the hours. But, as much as he is doing it for Campo, he is doing it for Reno. He wants to help define our community and put Reno on the map- and not for our casinos or Reno 911. Mark is so passionate about the Biggest Little City, buying local, and helping people out. He has transformed the look of a section in downtown Reno and he has set the bar for restaurants in this area to a whole new level.

I’ve been on this mission recently trying to figure out what makes Reno. This town doesn’t get as much positive recognition as it deserves, quite frankly I am tired of it and I know I am not alone in making that statement. We have so many cool people doing really cool things, and our town is embracing the small businesses that are popping up all around Reno. You know what’s even better? Mark isn’t from here, he’s from Boston. He came to Reno from California to follow his dream of opening Campo. He left California, to come here.

Small business owners like Mark Estee, in my opinion paint a beautiful picture of the opportunities that this town has to offer. AND I don’t mind making the claim that when I think of the people that make this town so communal and inspiring-people like Mark come to mind. Cause Reno, in a way, is a comeback kid.

Oh, what a year it has been. Thank you Mark for continuing to share your story, and letting Reno be a part of it.

Davy Ratchford of Northstar, Enlightens with Valuable Personal Insight

“We are so lucky. We are marketers. Everyday, we get to be creative and disruptive for a living.” –Davy Ratchford

I am proudly on the board for the Reno-Tahoe American Marketing Association. We host luncheons each month and we host a guest speaker. I want to hear more from the best marketers in our area, and in 2012- one of the best presentations came from Davy Ratchford. We are in a creative field, and marketers constantly have to be on their toes. I am always on the lookout. What is the latest tactic that is grabbing consumers’ attention? What was the plan and thought put behind these tactics?

Davy Ratchford was the Director of Marketing at Northstar California. I just found out hours ago, via Twitter, that Ratchford has accepted a position at Vail Mountain in Vail, Co. Congrats, Davy! Davy transparently shared his personal story and presented some great insight as to what he is constantly looking for, everyday, as a professional marketer.

Davy shared 2 major points that really got my wheels spinning: “As marketers, it is our responsibility to cause disruption and to seek out unique opportunities.”

Disruption: As marketers, it is our responsibility to look for a way to get the consumers’ attention. How do you do that? By being different. Normal is…well…normal. It’s expected, it’s assumed. Disruption, however, gets the people’s attention. Disrupt the status quo if you want people to notice your product.

Opportunity: Constantly be on the lookout for unique opportunities to position your service or product. Ratchford shares a story of a once lost, white, fluffy dog that was spotted wandering around the Northstar resort. This little pooch is now Northstar’s mascot, and his name is Marsh Mellow. Marsh Mellow is a big time celebrity on Facebook, the fans love him! All of this was made possible because someone saw an opportunity. Opportunity can be in the form of a dog, a person, a song, a product…opportunity is everywhere! You just have to find it.

It doesn’t matter what industry you are working in, Ratchford’s insights apply to all marketers across the board. I appreciated his transparency. Thank you Davy Ratchford for sharing your journey with as, as well as some very inspiring thoughts and ideas!

2012 In Review…

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for my blog…

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 8,300 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 14 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Do you have a story worth spreading? Now’s your time: TEDx makes its way to UNR

 

“This is a great opportunity for Reno’s brand. This town is full of talent. We want to find and showcase the hidden stories and talent in our community as well as the familiar ones.” -Bret Simmons, Associate Professor of Management, College of Business

Can it be? Is it true? Word on the street is that TEDx is making it’s way to the campus of our very own University of Nevada in search of “ideas worth spreading.” Believe the buzz. This is yet another excellent opportunity for our community to come together and really shine. TED has created a program called TEDx, and TEDxUniversityofNevada will be held on January 25, 2013 at the Joe Crowley Student Union on the campus of UNR.

The most beautiful part about our town is the people. I just moved back in January, and in the past 10 months I have been nothing but inspired, moved, intrigued, and motivated by the people I have connected with in Reno. There are some extremely inspiring people which make up our community and now is the time for them to share their story.This isn’t for professional speakers or superheros, this is for anyone in our community who has a story or an idea worth spreading. Doesn’t matter how old you are or what you do, the more diversity among the TEDx talks- the better! All proposals will be considered. TEDx wants to hear your story.

Who’s TED?

TED isn’t a person. TED is a nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. It started 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. TED’s mission: Spreading ideas. They believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.

The two annual TED conferences, in Long Beach/Palm Springs and Edinburgh, Scotland, bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less). These talks are recorded, and published on TED.com. What’s your favorite TED talk? Mine is John Wooden’s.

What’s TEDx?

It’s TED, but local! TEDx is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

TEDxUniversityof Nevada

Team TEDxUniversityofNevada consists of: Bret Simmins, Clare Dreyer, Greg Mosier, Kambiz Raffiee, Sue Moore, Lori Mead, Christina Hilfer and Jim McClenahan from UNR, Abbi Holtom Whitaker, President of The Abbi Agency and Liz Christofferson, CEO of Empower Consulting. This team is responsible for organizing the event. The mission is broader than traditional education. This opportunity is beyond the University; the college of Business MBA program is sponsoring this event, but it’s for the best interest of the community as a whole.

“I am a state employee with the College of Business. My responsibility extends beyond the classroom, it’s also to be a good citizen. I have brought TEDx here because it is a great way for the University and the community to work together.” -Bret Simmons

Have an inspirational story you want to share at TEDx?

All proposals need to in by Friday, October 19, 2012. Please visit the TEDxUniversityofNevada site for all of the info, and for specific instructions on how you could be considered as a speaker for TEDx.

Now’s our time to shine, Reno!

Creating a Digital Footprint: My Journey

“In the future, your digital footprint will carry far more weight than anything you might include on a resume.” -Chris Betcher

I was sitting in my kitchen with friends getting ready to leave for the Reno-Tahoe open when my phone alerted me that I had been mentioned in a tweet. I check it out; come to realize that a local business wrote a story about me and what I’ve been doing with the small businesses in Reno (through my blog).  Gah! The eCommerce Director for Dolan Automotive Group had been following my work via social media, and my attention was grabbed when they put together a blog about my work. I was honored, and reached out to them to meet face-to-face. Long story short… they end up offering me a position as an eMarketing Coordinator. I started on September 1^st.

Pinch me. I’m floored. I am getting paid to do what I love, and I understand the value of that. I did a post back in June (Oh Hello Voice, There You Are: The Power of a Blog), which reflects on my discovery of the power of a blog and my social media journey. I felt the need to add a second part to my journey-as it has taken another turn in the past 30 days. This has nothing to do with self-promotion, I am not boasting, I don’t care if you have never liked or even read anything I have pushed out in the past-but I want to inspire others. I hope that as I continue to share my journey, I will inspire others to understand the importance of personal branding.  Also, I hope I will inspire others to take advantage of the infinite space on the World Wide Web and start blogging. It hasn’t just been a rewarding experience professionally, but personally.

I made a commitment in February to be completely transparent on Facebook, Twitter and through this WordPress site that they call a blog. This is what I did:

• I cleaned up my Facebook page (would Nana be ok with seeing this? No. Delete)
• I made my Facebook profile public
• I made my Twitter public
• I accepted anyone and everyone that added me
• I developed content, which offered VALUE to others (this is the big one, this is a whole different blog post)
• I shared my hobbies, passions, interests…I shared my life
• I was transparent. What’s the big secret, anyway?
• I blogged my heart out.

It was uncomfortable at first. So many people have a fear of opening up on the Internet (whether it be personally or for their business), and I completely understand. If you open up those gates, you are opening up a huge opportunity for people to: hate, judge, copy, spy, intrude, embarrass, harass… all that Jerry Springer shit. But, it’s controllable. Now that I have opened up myself to all of this criticism, I wonder why I didn’t do it years ago. I have made more friends, created more connections and have fully exploited my voice more in the past 7 months than I have in my whole 27 years on this earth.

My journey is really just getting started and I am thrilled to share my adventure as an eMarketing Coordinator for the Dolan Automotive Group. I am going to start sharing my experiences out in the “real world” as a social media professional, and my experience as the voice of a big business in a small town. I have figured out what works for me in terms of personal branding. Now, I get to step up to the plate and see how “human” we can make a business. Also, I will be sharing some of my blog posts from Dolan Auto Group’s blog, as I will be continuing my journey experiencing the Biggest Little City.

What’s your personal brand? How are you marketing yourself online? What does your digital footprint say about you? Don’t ignore it, because I promise you- others aren’t.

The Friendliest Bar on the Loneliest Highway Creates a Stir via Social Media

Most people have never heard of the “Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Highway.” 250 miles clear east of Reno-past Sand Mountain, past the Shoe Tree, past Austin lies the charming town of Eureka- population 700. Say what? I had more than 700 people in my graduating class in California.

A point of charm in this town is that there isn’t really a whole lot going on. No rush hour, drive-thrus, or Starbucks. But, anyone in town knows that if you want a great meal, picon, or to simply visit with a few friendly faces- you need to pull up a chair at the Owl Club. 10,434 square feet of bar, steakhouse, dancehall, and casino is a local favorite, as well as a destination for many travelers. This charming saloon holds a place near-and-dear to my heart and I can promise any visitor will leave with a smile on their face, and a full belly.

The Owl Club has been around for quite some time, but the Carrion Family have been the owner-operators since 1981. Ted and Ron Carrion were the father-son duo that took on the challenge of running a business located off the “Loneliest Highway.” Ron and his wife Betsy uprooted their 2 young girls to move to Eureka and manage the day-to-day restaurant duties.  Ted Carrion was more behind the scenes managing the books and frequently visiting the Owl Club, with his wife Mary. Ted and Ron really wanted to create a great place for the small town of Eureka to enjoy a hot meal and a cold beer- and that they did. Famous items like biscuits and gravy, chicken strips, the cheeseburger, chorizo and eggs, and “the manhandler” 24 oz steak (RIP) have made the Owl Club a popular stop.

Since 1981, any of Ron’s daughters could be found hustling about the bar or restaurant. Ron’s life revolved around his girls, the Owl, the outdoors, hunting and farming. Eleny, Eshel, and Evven Carrion each went off to tackle college and careers as Ron ran the Owl and “EEE Farms.” Ron was known for his sense of humor, big personality, cooking, and this man would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.

In February of 2009, Ron’s sudden passing rocked the small town of Eureka, NV as he left his small empire and beautiful family behind.  It was at this point that the Owl Club was put up for sale. Until the business is sold, the duties of running the Friendliest Business on the Loneliest Highway have been put into the hands of Evven, 28, Eleny, 36 and her husband Scooter Mentaberry.

A beautiful picture of Ron overlooks the bar, and his famous bottle of Crown Royal is a featured item. The menu also has been transformed a bit. The Man Handler has been removed, and a couple dishes- “The Hank” (a chicken fried steak and egg sandwich) and “The Peyton” (pancakes and eggs) named after Ron’s beloved Grandson’s have been added. Of course, “Ron’s Favorite” was also added which consists of 3 pieces of sausage, 3 eggs, and biscuits and gravy.

A recent change for the Owl Club has been their social media presence. In a small, small town- an online presence can affect the whole community. Evven Carrion has proudly taken the reigns with creating a Facebook, Twitter and website presence for the Owl, displaying what her Dad and Grandpa have built. So many people are thrilled to see this historical bar and steakhouse pop-up on their newsfeeds. The town of Eureka is pleased to see a representation of their community make an appearance (and cause a bit of a excitement, I might add) on Facebook.

“I remember my Dad finally doing his banking online, and he thought that he could teach me all about it! He would never admit it, but he was kind of a techy, so I’m sure he’s smiling down on all this right now. He loved keeping people connected and meeting new friends, so social media is the perfect venue for the Owl Club to grow. Eureka isn’t a very big place physically, but the history, geography, talent, beauty, potential, town folk, and story need a mic…this is the perfect stage.“

I bet Mr. Ron Carrion never would have thought he would see the day where people from across the country are interacting with his business via Facebook. Well, believe your eyes Ron! Add the Owl Club on Facebook to get daily meal specials, find out what’s going on in the community, or just to take a peek at history as one of Northern Nevada’s hidden gems is on display for the world to see.

Social Media and Tragedy

This blog post is way off of what I typically blog about. I usually veer away from blasting my personal opinions and I keep it semi-factual…But, this is also my blog and the beauty of this whole thing is that I get to do whatever the hell I want on here. I believe in the power of social media, and since I have become a proprietor of the subject, all things involving social grab at me.  This particular topic tugs at my heart as well as everyone else’s I am sure. In lieu of the event which took place in Aurora, CO, this morning- social media had an eerie role and I had to acknowledge. There are 12 people that didn’t get to watch the sunrise yesterday. This post isn’t about the “Batman Massacre,” but it’s about the incredible digital footprints that have been left behind by the victims. My sister text messaged me Friday morning and told me to go on Twitter and look for @jessicaredfield. I did. I have once again been inspired.

Tragedy strikes everyday, some stories we hear, some stories we don’t. This particular tragedy made national headlines as it was the “deadliest attack in Colorado since Columbine, in 1999″ (which, by the way- that wasn’t that long ago, I might feel a tad better if happened in 1699 or how about not at all). This whole “tragedy-strikes-again” is starting to feel a little redundant. We all know the drill. Media has the whole routine down, everyone knows what to say, the President will make a statement and visit the town, there will be a candlelight vigil the following evening… I’m not judging anyone at all but, it’s disgusting and saddening that our nation has this all down to a science. I hate it, but that’s how it is. The first words that came out of my mouth this morning when my roommate told me what happened were, “And then did the killer shoot himself?” Well, cause that seems to be the trend lately. We are so used to this now.

News of the massacre traveled like lightening via social media. Victims were tweeting as the gunman unleashed his fury on a sold-out movie theater. Unreal. I can’t wrap my brain around how instantaneous the news travels. Because of social media, the term “real time” has taken on a whole new meaning. Twitter’s instantaneous updates have created a whole different dynamic to major events, especially when tragedy strikes. If you Tweet, check out the trending topics #RIPJessica and #RIPAlexSullivan, see how the Twitter community is coming together to honor these fellow “tweeters.” @sully_2003 (Alex Sullivan) was celebrating his 27th birthday.

Sports journalist and social media enthusiast, Jessica Ghawi (@jessicaredfield), “Yankee born, Texas raised, and Colorado blooming,” was one of the victims. She tweeted right before the movie started, and that was her last interaction with Twitter world.  Jessica was a blogger, her last blog was about her near-to-death experience during the Toronto Eaton Centre’s shootings in June. Yeah, she was there…and she wrote about it.

 “I can’t get this odd feeling out of my chest. This empty, almost sickening feeling won’t go away. I noticed this feeling when I was in the Eaton Center in Toronto just seconds before someone opened fire in the food court. An odd feeling which led me to go outside and unknowingly out of harm‘s way. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around how a weird feeling saved me from being in the middle of a deadly shooting…”

I didn’t know her. But she was one hell of a journalist, and the world has been robbed of a beautiful and intelligent mind. Jessica’s blog has finally gone viral and has been shared over 14k times as of Friday via Facebook and Twitter. Consider it shared one more time today.

The victims…what happens to their digital footprints? Yes, can their loved ones delete evidence of existence? Yup. But often, they will live on. And I love that. Their writings, thoughts, feelings, pictures, memories, friends, and family…will have a place in this big cloud we call the Internet forever. They will remain the way we always remembered them. One of my high school friends died of cancer a couple years ago and his Facebook page is still up. We post on his wall all the time. It’s like he’s still there hangin’ with all of us. It’s an incredible display of continuing love, it’s comforting, and he will always live on.

This is just a side of social media I have never really thought about until now, when I read how many millions of times Jessica’s blog has been shared in less than 24 hours. She’s not here anymore, but her wit, sarcasm, and beautiful writing is still here for everyone to enjoy. Just a thought I wanted to share. My condolences go out to all affected.

“I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.” #RIPJessica