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Social media best practices put into perspective

Social media is just that—social. Dialog between company and consumer is a two-way conversation. Long gone are the days of marketing brands from the top down, broadcasting campaigns and controlling messages. Today's marketing landscape is a much more level playing field. Starts-ups can compete right along side established brands in the social media arena.


So what is the best way for a company to build a social media presence which will lead to a strong brand?


Here are some tips, tactics and best practices that can be implemented into any company's social media strategy.

Quick Tips

    1.    Know your audience and what makes them tick
    2.    Share your knowledge
    3.    Get involved with the online conversations
    4.    Be transparent, genuine and real—let your passion and personality show
    5.    Post frequently, add new content
    6.    Provide tips, insights and info that is easy to share
    7.    Be responsive—answer questions promptly
    8.    Listen to feedback and suggestions
    9.    Learn from mistakes, be humble
    10.    Link to and share others' relevant contact

Who are you?

Have a clear message and voice that is targeted to your audience. Not sure who that is exactly? There are free tools to help you learn more—two of my favorites are Buffer and FollowerWonk.

Build a giving relationship

Interact with your customers in such a way that they want to engage with you; be open and authentic. Create a win-win relationship by providing value to customers while gaining their insights and loyalty. Offer tips, information and incentives to your followers to keep them coming back for more. Always give more than you receive—good life tip too!

"How may I help you?"

Listen to customers. Be responsive. Keep track of the online conversation by using mention alerts like Google Alerts or Mention to see who is talking about you. Customers expect that social media is the new customer support center, so it is critical that you can monitor and respond to your customer’s questions quickly. "More than 40% of people who post a complaint on social media expect a response within 1 hour." - Convince and Convert

Hashtag, Hashtag

Create brand awareness by using hashtags to help you reach your target audience and help connect to people already engaged in your market. Check out Hashtagify.me to search for popular hashtags and the top influencers who use them. By engaging with influencers in your industry and sharing their content within active conversations you will build your own relationships within that community. Communicate diligently and consistently and your industry influencers will send new followers your way.

Implement!

All these tips won't help a bit if you don't take the time to implement them! Seem like a big job? Well, that's the beauty of the new way of marketing...it's not just up to the Marketers any more! Get everyone in your company involved in collecting and sharing information online—from CEO to intern, we can all play a role in sharing our company's message.


For information about creating a Social Media Policy check out "Don't be that guy".

Don't be that guy

We've all seen it, some disgruntled employee decides to vent their grievances on social media for all their friends and followers to see. Yikes! Can you be any less professional? 

Let's face it, not everyone chooses to take the high road in life—obviously. Some people just focus on the negative and thrive on drama—no thanks! 

This week in my Marketing Management class we discussed Social Media Policies and how companies can not only protect their brands from these damaging characters, but also how to leverage employee advocates to help build a brand's reputation.

Unfortunately, there is potential for some serious brand damage to occur through social media. In this age of digital connectedness, harmful content can spread like wild fire across the internet—very unsettling. This may cause some companies to tighten down employees' use of social media by putting in place extremely ridged policies. (Just remember, employees have rights too! The NLRB and Social Media) Realistically however, no company policy can prevent people from saying what they will. 

Hopefully, lessons can be learned by marketing crises that have already occurred—like the infamous Domino's Pizza employee video prank that went viral! 

“We got blindsided by two idiots with a video camera and an awful idea,” said a Domino’s spokesman, Tim McIntyre. - New York Times  

Dominos is a pretty extreme example of what can go wrong when employees use social media to promote brands in a damaging way. In most cases, there are preventative measures that can be taken. Most importantly, there needs to be an effective internal system in place where employees can voice their dissatisfaction while feeling valued, listened to and anonymous if need be, otherwise, employers risk this type of online retaliation.

That being said however, there are some precautions that can be taken to help protect their reputations. 

Here are some important guidelines for not only protecting a brand from slanderous attacks, but to help empower and guide employees to spread a positive message about a brand—it can be a win-win relationship!

Social Media Policy Guidelines

1. Outline clearly what is and is not allowed to be posted
2. Be clear about consequences for not following rules online
3. Define a person(s) in charge of managing social media—spokesperson
4. Discuss the proper online etiquette for engaging with others
5. Forbid illegal activity and require respect of copyright and trademarks 
6. Be mindful of the company's culture
7. Train and educate employees about these guidelines

How Some Companies Cope

"Employees must clearly define their personal social media posts as their own when they associate themselves with the company. The company should not be held responsible for any repercussions the employees’ content may create." - ADIDAS 

"While personal social network accounts (e.g., Facebook) should remain personal, owners will be encouraged to call for actions consistent with actions being promoted by Bread. Such messages can and may be re-tooled into the voice of the owner, but not in a manner that could be construed as new Bread policy. To the extent possible, sample messages will be provided." - Bread.org 

"All of these activities are referred to as “Internet postings” in this Policy. Please be aware that violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. " - Cisco 

Additional Resources

The National Labor Relations Act protects the rights of employees to act together to address conditions at work, with or without a union. This protection extends to certain work-related conversations conducted on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. - The NLRB and Social Media

"Generally, employers have the right to monitor their employees’ use of the Internet (including visiting social networking sites, checking e-mails, and instant messaging) on computers owned by the employer, during employees’ on-duty hours. " - WorkplaceFairness.org

#TheSolitudeChallenge

I never used to know that happiness was a choice. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz—"you've always had the power my dear, you've had it all along," I had to learn that lesson through my own experiences. I spent many years looking for happiness in my marriage, from someone who wasn't fully capable of giving it, I lost track of the only person who had the ability to provide it—me.

During the process of rediscovering the good stuff in my life, I have learned to "Keep your head where your feet are." What a concept! When I was first going through my divorce that was a constant struggle. I remember feeling so distracted I literally had to force myself to focus!  Whole innings would go by during my daughter's softball game and I wouldn't have a clue what happened. I had to repeat to myself "keep your head where your feet are," over and over when I'd catch myself not being present.

Taking time to unplug and find solitude, even for just a few minutes is essential to my finding peace and balance throughout my day now. So when I was asked to participate in the #SolitudeChallenge for the class I'm taking, I welcomed the assignment!

Practicing mindfulness and meditation has gradually made a huge difference in my ability to pull my mind back to the present and choose happiness. At night before falling asleep I go through the alphabet listing what I am grateful for—A, "adventures" with my daughter; B, "breathing"; C, "climbing" mountains etc. I now have an attitude of gratitude which keeps me focused on the good stuff.

Just being aware of what makes me happy allows me to make better choices. Today I recognize that life's good stuff happens all the time, and I notice it now--like the spontaneous conversation one morning at work when a coworker shared something deeply personal, or the feeling I get when I do something kind even when no one is watching, or seeing my daughters make healthy choices...or even making a mistake. It's getting the giggles with my daughter because we're having a "serious" conversation while using ridiculous accents. Life is so full of these little moments for me now and I am so grateful for my ability to see them. It wasn't that long ago that I was so consumed by everything else that I was missing them and didn't even realize it! 

In this busy digital age we live in, the ability to find solitude and practice mindfulness is even more important than ever. To take the time to interrupt the constant distraction of Tweets, texts and emails needs to be a conscious effort. Taking the time to stop and smell the roses is what helps keep the balance and gratitude for the things in life that matter the most.

So... unplug for 30 minutes? My pleasure! I am happy to put down the iPad, turn off the phone and back away from the computer! (Right after I post this blog!)

Keep the focus on #thegoodstuff!

Here are some of my favorite ways to unplug:

Kundalini yoga class

Hiking 

Jon Kabat-Zinn body scan meditation

Sitting quietly with my morning coffee and my dog...and not while I check my texts, emails and social media feeds!

Social media has changed the marketing landscape - in our favor!

As customers who engage socially with the brands use, we hold the ball when it comes to their strength. For any company to be successful at branding today, they must listen to, learn from and leverage what their customers say - user-generated content (UGC).

"User-generated content (UGC) requires a disciplined approach to deliver brand building benefits. To realize UGC’s brand building potential, marketers must solicit authentic content that is generated from consumers’ genuine love of the brand." (Forrester)

Expressing the love of a brand on social media

Take a look at REI for example (one of my favorite outdoor-loving companies). Their recent bold move to close on Black Friday has spurred an enormous outpouring of expressions of love for the brand.

A quick look at a graph of their analytics for #OptOutside shows a tremendous spike in engagement through REI's hashtag campaign (Hashtagifyme).

When companies like REI take the time to listen to, learn from and leverage their customers' social media engagement, they align themselves to become a brand that evolves with their customers. They can grow their products and services to focus on their customers' needs and wants by building a Brand Evolution Strategy which engages the four voices of a brand: the brand image, its consumers, its influencers and brand advocates. By leveraging its influencers and advocates they can capitalize on their advocacy to build their brand.

Will REI be able to capitalize on the nearly 60K people who engaged with their #OptOutside last month for closing on Black Friday? Simply inviting the consumer to participate in that conversation and creating a democratization of content, REI has already differentiated itself from its closest competitors; #LLBean barely maxed out at 20K during that same period! (Hashtagifyme)

Social media is a game changer when it comes to brand management, and I for one am glad! The need for a company's transparency and 2-way dialog with its customers can only strengthen the customer's long-term experience and ability to get what they want from a brand. The end result for me and REI...more time to enjoy the great outdoors using products I am proud to advocate for! #OptOutside!

REI takes a stand against Black Friday

Risky move for bottom line or genius for building customer loyalty?

REI has a loyal following of outdoor enthusiasts both online and off, building membership through their co-op for 76 years dedicated to "a life outdoors," and nurturing customer relationships with more than 308.2K followers on Twitter alone! 

In a resent announcement, REI Chief Executive and President Jerry Stritzke, took a bold stance against Black Friday. Saying that it has "gotten out of hand," pushing competing retailers to open so early that employees end up working on Thanksgiving. "(REI) has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors. We believe that being outside makes our lives better. And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth," said Stritzke. Giving all of their employees a paid day off not only on Thanksgiving, but also on Black Friday to "explore the outdoors" reinforces their brand values and sharing that message on social media is the perfect combination.

"Stritzke said that it's more valuable for REI to bring in new, passionate members than to compete for holiday bargain hunters." CNN Money article

At first, it seems like this bold choice could go one of two ways - either the business will struggle to regain giant loses from being closed on the busiest shopping day of the year, or they recoup multi-fold through the gain of new loyal customers enamored by their compassion for their employees and their business' mission to embrace the outdoors. This loyal customer believes the later is already evident.

Sharing their message through social media using #optoutside has produced more than 50k tweets in just a few weeks. (Analytics by TOPSY)

But will REI sink or swim by this tactical choice? 

Businesses fail when they focus on their business goals and pay less attention to customers' unmet social needs. (Social Strategies That Work)

Let's look at 3 components to successful social media strategy and consider REI's position.

1. Must reduce costs or increase customers' willingness to pay

REIs customers are already declaring their support by the thousands by choosing to #optoutside, stating that they are willing to forego sales in support of REIs anti-commercialism values--showing a willingness to pay more! 

2. Help people establish or strengthen relationships

REIs "Tell the World" campaign tool allows followers to easily customize their own Opt Outside message to share with their friends/followers. As of November 14th, 878,459 people have shared this message with friends expressing their values while connecting with others with similar values.

3. Customers do free work on the company's behalf

Thousands of influencers and followers are spreading REI's message. According to Hashtagifyme, three of the top influencers using the hashtag #optoutside are USATODAY, Newsweek and Shape Magazine! Big influencers spreading the message on REIs behalf!

It seems that REI is confident that closing on Black Friday will not only attract new loyal customers, but also build existing customer loyalty which will out weigh customers' desire to pay less.

In an era of consumer marketing, the outcome of this bold move rests in our hands. I for one, commend REI for taking a stand against the excessive commercialism that Black Friday represents and that will factor in on my future purchases! 

Will you #optoutside on Black Friday? I will! Thanks REI for taking a bold stand in favor of your values--and mine!

A loyal customer,

Nancy

Where will you be on Black Friday? I'll be hiking!

Winter hiking, it's not an extreme sport anymore!

How to start winter hiking

Nice butt slide! TrailToSummit.com

Since I have become completely addicted to hiking over the last couple years, I am struggling with how to fill the need through the winter. The more hikers I talk to about this the more I hear "You don't have to stop! Winter hiking is the best—the peace, the crisp air...and the butt sliding!" Sure, I snowshoe during the winter, but just on local trails—isn't winter hiking for extreme sports enthusiasts? I don't want to slip into an icy ravine or get buried in an avalanche, I have kids! I have read Not Without Peril! (Great book to help gain a healthy respect for the elements!)

Not Without Peril: 150 Years Of Misadventure On The Presidential Range Of New Hampshire Among the most dangerous mountains in the world, Mount Washington... this book offers extensive and intimate profiles of people who found trouble on New Hampshire's Presidential Range, from the nineteenth century through present day. Amazon

With a little practice and the right equipment, I am urged to continue hiking, even continuing with the 4,000 footers during the winter—not necessarily the steepest and longest hikes initially, but there are certainly plenty of New Hampshires' 48 left on my list! Count me in!

So, how do I start? What do I need? Thanks to the Internet and my hiking group friends, there is a wealth of information available.

Gear!

Having the right equipment goes without saying, and there are many experts out there—I tend to refer to the trusty sales staff at EMS now, ever since my daughter's toe trauma and the awesome service we received there fitting her new shoes. (Read my post: Two a Things I Learned from Hiking Monadnock for details!) Micro spikes are essential, as well as the right layers—dress like an onion!

Check out this helpful video! (Enjoy the British accent—makes everything seem more proper!)

Another go-to resource is Appalachian Mountain Club's (AMC) website: Outdoors.org, where you can find a comprehensive list of winter hiking/camping: "The following lists are recommendations for what you should carry in winter when going into the backcountry. For more detailed information on trip planning and preparation, as well as tips for safe travel, refer to the AMC Guide to Winter Hiking and Camping." 

Workshops

AMC also offers winter hiking workshops—free for members and $5 for non members. The workshops are typically a couple hours long, and are followed by a series of winter hikes: "Workshop will provide information on hike preparation, proper gear, hydration, nutrition, and more for winter hiking. Workshop will be followed by a graduated series of hikes from December to February."
Here is one near me, but check for one in your area >

Weather

Highly unpredictable and with full exposure above the tree line, the weather in the White Mountains is no joke! I always keep my hiking plans up in the air until a couple days ahead so I'm sure to get a current weather report by checking the Mount Washington Observatory report. This report gives me the worst case scenario for any of the NH 48, so I can plan for the worst and hope for the best:
Weather in the Whites >

My Plan

Gather information, grab my experienced winter hiking friends, and get out in the snow and build up gradually in difficulty. Winter in New England can be fun, get out and enjoy, I will!

“Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory." Legendary mountaineer Ed Viesturs - I will follow that guidance for sure!

I'd love to hear about your favorite winter hikes! Leave me a comment or send me a tweet!

My nest might be getting empty, but my heart couldn't be more full!

Hey college students, what do you think your empty-nester parents are doing while you're away at school? Ever wonder how they feel with you away from home? Well, I never really thought college students would even have the time to consider that until I my own daughter shared with me that she would be interested in reading my blog—On the Edge of an Empty Nest.

Certainly, all relationships are different, and not every daughter is like mine, but it made me wonder, if my daughter is thinking about it, maybe others are too.

Going off to college or leaving home for the first time is exciting and scary for both parents and kids (young adults). As a single mom, it is certainly bitter sweet. For years it just been me and my girls. A close family of three who have been through a lot of emotional challenges and growth together. So as the time approaches that both my daughters will be off to school, I admit, I was thinking of my own feelings and not even realizing that my daughter was wondering how I was feeling about it too.

So, what do I want to share with my daughters about how I'm feeling as I face an empty nest? That I don't regret a single minute of being a mom! That for all the struggles and hard decisions I've made, I wouldn't take back any of it if it means not having you! I have learned to live my life with no regrets. Every day is a new opportunity. The challenges of yesterday only make me stronger and more grateful for today. The joy and satisfaction of seeing my daughters grow into amazing young women is like nothing I could ever have imagined. This is an exciting time to be your mom. To see you putting into practice all the life lessons I tried to teach you along the way. Certainly not always perfect—being a mom isn't easy, and you didn't come with instructions, but you are doing great and I couldn't be more proud. You know how to take care of yourselves, face adversity, and make healthy choices.

What more could a mother ask for? Well, we will see as we move down our independent paths. Today, I hope for you all the things I hope for myself—a satisfying and fulfilling life, abundant with love, peace, health and happiness—all the things we already have!

Life is all the little things (the good stuff) that happen while you are working on your bucket list!

My nest might be getting empty, but my heart couldn't be more full!

XOXO

---

Did you know...?

Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents or guardians may feel when their children leave home for the first time, such as to live on their own or to attend a college or university. It is not a clinical condition.

Is your parent is suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome?

3 Tips to help them cope:

1. Encourage them to pursue their own hobbies and interests.
2. Suggest they talk with their friends, family or therapist about their grief.
3. Ask them to try journaling about their feelings—or Blogging about them!

Parents going through empty nest syndrome can ease their stress by pursuing their own hobbies and interests in their increased spare time. Discussing their grief with each other, friends, families, or professionals may help them. Experts have advised that overwhelmed parents keep a journal, or go back to work if they were full-time parents. Wikipedia

Additional Resources

Worried about empty nest syndrome? Find out how an empty nest can affect parents, what you can do to prepare for the transition and how to cope. - Mayo Clinic

6 Ways to Transitions from Single Parent to Empty Nest: By Divorced Moms / Tools for Healthy Living - Maria Shiver

How to Overcome Empty Nest Syndrome, Filling the psychological void when your last child leaves home - Psychology Today

One way to fill the empty nest...

Find people with common interests!

So, I'm admittedly freaked out by the idea of online dating, but I have found a very rewarding way to meet new people without the pressure or expectations of online dating—Meetup! 

Meetup: Find your people

www.meetup.com/

"Find Meetups and meet people in your local community who share your interests."

For me, Meetup offers an alternative to online dating because it offers the opportunity to get out and be social and meet other people who have similar interests without the pressure to impress anyone. I can sign up and attend an event, even bring a friend if I want to, and enjoy the activity while getting to know new people. I am part of a couple different Meetup groups for hiking, but there are thousands of groups to join depending on your interests, everything from arts and eating to fitness and careers.

This is a photo from my latest Meetup hike—the summit of Mount Monadnock. These guys are helping me fill my soon-to-be empty nest—and most of them don't even know it! I have met some great people through this group, most of them I just meet once and enjoy their company for the moment—we chat along the trails, have lunch together on the summit, share aches and pains on the descent, then go on our separate ways. It's a very low pressure way to find connections with other people. Occasionally there have been more significant relationships that have come about this way, (that's another blog post entirely) but mostly just friendships. It helps me be social while I continue to work on myself.

I love this sentiment, and try to live by it:

A man once asked his father, "Father, how will I ever find the right woman?" His father replied, "Forget finding the right woman, focus on being the right man."

It certainly takes the pressure off of worrying about my future, and helps me keep the focus on the one thing I can control—myself.

Two things I learned from hiking Mount Monadnock

It was a crisp fall morning and under the groggy shroud of a 7am wake up call, my daughter and I were getting ready for our hike up Mount Monadnock. We had planned the day trip in preparation for our first overnight foray into the White Mountains the following weekend. We were both psyched. Sporting my new back pack and she her new boots, we departed with a friend, carpooling to join the rest of our Meet Up group at the mountain—sounds promising already, doesn't it! Well, I'm guessing if there are any experienced hikers out there reading this, they can already feel the pain that was in store—but you will have to wait, because it really was a beautiful hike!

We gathered with our fellow hikers and began our ascent. Our trusty leader, Michael, had planned a long scenic route for us—the most challenging trails up and long winding trails down through old growth forest carpeted in lush moss totaling 10 miles and avoiding the crowds. It was gorgeous! My daughter and I both reveled in the challenge of the steep rocky climb up Spellman—what a blast! I think we both smiled the whole way up! We did have to do some coaxing and guiding for one of our new hiker friends who was a bit slower, but we enjoyed taking our time under the guise of waiting for her.

After a nice break and some photo ops at the summit, we headed down the mountain joking and having fun about the proper way to pronounce the word "crevasse." (It must be the altitude, because I get punchy up there sometimes!) We weren't far below the tree line when I started noticing my daughter really slowing down. Stepping very carefully and wincing a bit with each step. Oh yes...remember the new shoes? Well they had been fine all day and I assumed we were out of the woods, so to speak, as far as having to deal with any break-in period, but no such luck. Even after tightening up her laces to keep her feet from sliding to the front as much as possible, it became painfully obvious that there was not enough toe room in her new shoes. Ugh! Here we were 5 miles up a mountain with only one way to get down—hike 5 miles down.

So, since you have never met my daughter, I will give you a bit of history. She's badass. When she was 3, she had to get stitches in her face after a "collision" with our dog's mouth—while waiting in the ER, with a hole through her cheek, she insisted she was fine and just wanted to go home. In high school, after being told of the tragic death of a friend right before having to play a big volleyball game, she collapsed in tears for a few minutes then realized she couldn't let her team down and pulled herself together to play her best set ever, then broke down again as soon as it was over.

Well, my daughter pulled some kind of amazing inner strength out that day to make it down the mountain one excruciating step after another. I will save you any more of the details except to say that once we finally made it back to the car, she gingerly removed her shoes and socks to reveal her big toenail had split across the middle and had ripped almost entirely off!

Yes, she's badass, but I knew that before we went up that mountain. What I did learn was:

1—Always get expertly fitted when buying new hiking shoes.

2—Be prepared with exit strategies especially when trying new gear. In our case it would have helped if we had a plan for an alternate/shorter route down; packed the old shoes as spares; and brought a knife to cut the toes off her new shoes.

Live and learn, right?

So, I'm sure you would expect that our big trip to the White Mountains that next weekend was cancelled. Well, even after totally traumatizing her toes, my badass daughter was insistent on not canceling! So a few days later, we went to Eastern Mountain Sports where we spent about an hour with Cindy—saleswoman/shoe guru—who diligently fit her properly with some awesome new shoes. (Salomon's for those of you wondering!) That weekend, we conquered our first 4,000 footers together with smiles on our faces! A trip we will always remember!

@AppTrials: All about shoes, arguably the most important piece of gear you'll take with you. http://t.co/pwfbIScxSt

The view from the edge

"They grow up so fast," we've all heard it countless times as parents, but can never fully comprehend it in the midst of it all. They really do grow up fast—and I'm still trying to comprehend it as I find myself facing an empty nest, a really empty nest—I'm a single mom. 

Yes, I took the advice I heard so often as a new mother—"enjoy every minute, they'll be grown and gone before you know it!" I really have enjoyed being a mom and I am grateful I had the opportunity (and chose) to be a stay-at-home mom for many years. It sounds so old fashioned to say it, but I was pretty happy being "Betty Homemaker." I loved being so close with my girls—the baths, bedtime stories, home made birthday cakes—that's the good stuff!—and no, that was not entirely the plan when I got married. My plan was to share in all that, have a partnership, work together, split the responsibilities of parenting and keeping a home. Well, we all know that life has plans for us that we just don't see coming! 

Today, and I am grateful for the plans I didn't see coming! Certainly not the easy road, but I've survived—no, I've thrived! My daughters are 17 and 20 now, both are amazing in their own right. Young women charting their own course in life—strong, independent and compassionate. I like to think I had something to do with that, I'm a work in progress though. 

So even as I'm writing this, I find myself stalling. It's a little scary/sad/intimidating/exciting to really stop and take a look at what this means for me. An empty nest. My whole adult life has been hyper focused on being a mom (and dad in some ways). I love seeing my daughters growing into young women, I'm so impressed with them both. They certainly don't need me much any more—which was of course the goal all along—my job as a parent to raise them to be self sufficient. So, for me, job well done I suppose... This is where I need to pause and be grateful, not fearful. This is where I need to ask, "ok, what do I want from my life?"

It wasn't that many years ago that I couldn't even tell you what I liked to do, what my goals were in life or how I was even feeling! I was consumed by an unhealthy marriage. Focused on my girls and in denial of the reality of my circumstances. But from the outside, not many people knew that about me. I put on a happy face and pretended everything was "fine"—that pretty much covered everything—"How are you?"—fine. The less people knew about how empty and hopeless I felt inside the better—then I wouldn't have to face my reality either. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!

I know what I like to do now: hike, snowshoe, drink coffee on my deck, do Kundalini yoga—yes, chanting is incredible, don't knock it til you try it!—meet new people, go new places, stop and smell the roses! I know how I feel now and I know who I can share that with now. I know my only limit is me—thanks to my daughter for putting Nike's mantra on the fridge!

What I don't know, is where my path will lead me. For now, my plan is to enjoy the last year of being a live-in mom, help guide and support my daughter through her college search and decision, and let life's plans happen!

Join me as I share with you in this blog the view from the edge of an empty nest!