Hello, everyone! My name’s Patrice and I blog over at Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman. I’m pleased to be swapping blogs with Annelie today for the 20 something bloggers blog swap! Here’s a little about me:

I’m 21 years old, a college student and sorority girl (Alpha Chi Omega!). I’m studying Communications in school and hoping to go into social media marketing.

Make sure to go check out Annelie’s post on my blog, “Write it down-< to get it done (2011 edition)“.

So, the theme of the blog swap is “Action: What Will You Do in 2011 that you have putting off for too long?”

Ahh, the loaded question! Every year around this time, we start to think about what we failed to accomplish. This was supposed to be the year that I lost weight, finished school, volunteered more, gave to charity. Whatever it is, we’ve all been there. And in a couple of weeks on January 1, we will once again pledge to change our ways: This year I will lose weight, I will volunteer more, I will be a better friend. Maybe you make a list, maybe you’ll blog your resolutions, or maybe you’ll just keep them to yourself, but changes are you too will resolve to do something different next year.

My list would look a little something like this!

What about me, you ask? Well, of course I could make a whole list myself. Lose weight, do better in school, be a better sister, friend, daughter, etc. I could go on and on and have a list a mile long of things I could have done better this year and that I could do better next year.

However, in the last year I’ve learned a lot about how short and precious life is. After my younger sister was diagnosed with cancer, I realized that life really is short. You never know what’s next for you.

So this year, my resolution is to carpe diem, “seize the day”! I am resolving to live every day to fullest. To appreciate the little things in life more. To live every day like it’s my last. I am often guilty of not taking time out of my day to appreciate the little things. To live every day to the fullest and not wish it away. Because every second counts, you know!? Life is short, so we have to live it up before we can, you know!? So that’s what I’m gonna do!

Photo Credit: http://www.clipartguide.com/_pages/0511-0811-1015-4072.html

What is the perfect balance with having good social skills and be able to take a difficult discussion?

I’ve realized that I think I’m better at the second. I’m not afraid to take up a subject for discussion which others might be uncomfortable with. Sure I might be super nervous before and need to ask for advice on how to bring it up, but I always try to not avoid the subject just because it feels uncomfortable.

I have not always been like this, it is coming more and more and I realize that it is a protection mechanism that comes from what I see around me. I see people change their behavior and feel bad about thing that other people do, which they don’t have the courage to bring up. This triggers me to bring it up my self, to protect others.

I know this can be a good capability, because most of the time people usually feel better after having issues like this brought to the table. Yet, I cannot help but wonder if I should work on my social skills before I take up subject like this. I definitely now people who are a lot better than me on social situation and know what to do and say to make the people around them like them and feel comfortable around them, while I can seem harsh in my approach to things. My concern however is that when you have “too” good social skills, will you have the courage to bring issues like this up?

I don’t know if there is any better answer to this than “it depends on the situation,” but I would like to hear someone else’s opinion on the subject.

Photo credit: Kirsty Pargeter

How would your sales statistics look if all your products where as easy to understand and use as the iPhone or Spotify? Do they sell because they don’t need a manual? Is that the 3rd or 4th reason to success (After right product at the right time etc.)? Can we apply this to other things?

I’ve started to realize that the products that I use the most and actually enjoy using are the once that do not need a manual or a course or years of experience to learn. IPhone and Mac, Twitter and Facebook, Spotify and Filezilla are all products that do not need a manual or a handbook and still I find them very useful and well-thought trough. They might not all have started as they are right now, they have had additions and changes made to them, yet they are all so easy to use that one just have to log on and it works.

I never thought I would be writing the specifications for IT systems but that is part of my work now. Quite intimidating sometimes as most IT systems are difficult to use and lack many of those features one wanted. Therefore I try to find inspiration in the products that are easy to use, with the intention to define what make them easy to use and try to transform that into how I can build IT systems that are as easy to use as Spotify. Quite challenging, isn’t? I will let you know how it goes.

Finally I have some time to write. In other words I’m on yet another flight. This time to Lausanne and my friend Mikaela.  I will try to write a few post about an event I attended last week which I wish all of you could got the sometime. Prime Showcase, very inspiring!

But first I want to talk a bit about Twitter relationships, because for me this is getting more fascinating every week. Most people don’t understand twitter, they do not see the point of it, they do not understand why anyone uses it and when they log on they do not know what to do. At least that is a recapture of all my non-tech friends experiences, and every some more techy.

I think my first experience was a bit like that as well, I did not really know how and what to do. But I had to figure it out for a work project. Said and done, I did it!

I also started a private Twitter account, and today most of you have probably found my blog via my Twitter account. At first Twitter was a place to exchange information and learn new things but it soon became a forum where I had conversations and discussion, where I could ask about things that I could not find out about elsewhere. It became a necessity.

Along with this, I also got to know many of the people I was talking to. I began to read their blogs, comment on things they wrote, advised them when I could.

Now, I’ve reached a new level. I’ve got to know a few of them in real life.

Believe me when I say it, this are amazing people. Getting to know people online used to be taboo, it was for unsocial people and it was only creeps online. For me this is reversed now, some of the most brilliant people I know today, I found online.

What I’m trying to say is, never underestimate a possible relationship, even if the first introduction in in less than 140 characters online. You never know who is behind the keyboard and what possibilities this might lead to.

And to all of you who I finally know IRL. You truly are amazing!