Monday's Motivational Makeover - Creating a Virtual You!

In last week's Monday's Motivational Makeover post, I touched upon how women are becoming "ageless" through the use of proper nutrition, exercise, and yes, an occasional "lift" courtesy of some talented Plastic Surgeons such as my friend and fellow 85 Broads member, Dr. Shirley Madhere.

I created this blog as an outreach to women who, for a variety of reasons, may not feel like their current circumstances allow them to go to events, or become involved in some of the initiatives I highlight from time-to-time.

Very often this is due to a low self-esteem, or a feeling that "what I do really doesn't matter".

In short, they need to begin writing a "social biography", but lack the confidence, or do not know where or how to begin.

For those of you currently "stuck" in this situation, the key to getting motivated and involved may lie in creating a "virtual persona" first, then work on getting face-to-face in groups as you gain confidence.

The fact that you are viewing this blog is an encouraging sign. It tells me that you are interested in what other women have to say about some of the issues you face, and research shows you are not alone in using blogs and other social media as a vehicle for doing so.

Here are some interesting facts regarding women and blog usage from a study published by Blogher and Compass Partners. Although these survey results are a bit dated, it shows a trend which is only going to increase if history is any indication.

36.2 million women actively participate in the blogsophere every week (15.1 publishing, 21.1 reading and commenting)

* Women are so passionate about blogging that large percentages of women said they would give something up to keep the blogs they read and/or write:

- 55% would give up alcohol

- 50% would give up their PDAs

- 42% would give up their i-Pod

- 43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines

BUT, some things are sacred … only 20% would give up chocolate!

* More than half of women maintain the original blog they started

* Our time shift from traditional media is accelerating. In the general Internet population:

- 24 percent of women surveyed say we watch less television because we're blogging

- 25 percent of us say we read fewer magazines because we're blogging

- 22 percent of us say we read fewer newspapers because we're blogging

* "It's about me": Our own lives are our favorite topic -- but don't assume you know all the different topics our lives represent by lifestage.

* More than half of women surveyed consider blogs a reliable source of advice and information

* Half of women surveyed say blogs influence their purchase decisions

* Despite hype, few women report discontinuing blogging due to problems with trolls or being “outed"

For a copy of the original report please click here.

I encourage each of you to widen your knowledge base by seeking out blogs such as WWRG that are reliable sources of information, and focused on what's important to you. If you enjoy sharing your expertise or opinion, you may even consider starting your own blog.

Either way, you will be taking the first step in making over a "virtual you", and a social biography.

The World will be your stage!