#5SmartReads - September 23, 2022

Today’s #5SmartReads contributor is Olivia Howell! She is the co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, the first ever support registry and resource guide for anyone navigating life changes, including divorce or breakup, moving, career changes, stepping into your truth, or starting again after grief. Her background is in social media marketing, and she’s the founder of March Lion Media, which has managed social media for all sorts of companies and people for a decade. She is a single mom of two amazing boys on Long Island (born and bred!), and in her spare time, she loves to watercolor, read about sociology and families (and romantic novels!), and collect crystals she knows nothing about but loves the way they feel.

Don’t Toss Veggie Tops And Greens. Here’s How To Use Them Instead (The Washington Post)

I was never super aware of food waste and scraps until 2018 when I became the social media director for the A+E television show Scraps!

Hosted by chef Joel Gamoran, Scraps was all about turning the scrappy bits of food into culinary delights! Since then, I've become much more aware of the food we eat and using all parts of it without throwing too much away! I loved this article from the WashPo about using veggie tops to make salads, soups, and so much more. Do you use your scraps to make other things?

Now that I've learned so much about the world of scrappy cooking, there's no turning back!

TikTok To Overtake Facebook In Influencer Marketing Spend This Year, Youtube By 2024 (Tech Crunch)

As someone who works in social media on a day-to-day basis, I always have my eye and ear on the pulse of what's happening. It's no surprise to me that TikTok is outperforming every other social media platform in terms of influencer marketing and popularity - but here's my two cents:

TikTok is actually not a social media platform! It's a video community platform - and based in authenticity.

If you posted the super filtered and over-edited videos of the late 2000s on TikTok, they would not perform well! What's happening is an interesting moment in time for the OG influencers to get real, real quick. Their over-done, very filtered lifestyle known on their blogs will not cut it on TikTok - so, what are they to do? What are brands doing?

We do a lot of strategies for brands helping them organize their ideas for TikTok, but when it comes to creating video, it's the rise of the UGC creator - there's so much to think about here when it comes to new platforms, the rise of the authentic creator, and how brands fit into this all.

This Man Set The Record For Wearing A Brain- Computer Interface (Wired)

This piece on implanted devices really made me think!

I've known people in my life who used these devices to communicate (a fellow friend and Latin teacher I know, who has since passed from muscular dystrophy used to teach Latin via a brain-computer interface), but I've never truly sat down to think about the lifespan or testing-ability of these devices. The bioengineering around these devices is so complicated - they must be durable, but also not disturb the functioning of the cells in the brain - there's so many pieces at play. The article takes you through the story of a man who uses a device for everyday living and communicating, and how these devices are currently working - and how they could be improved (and hopefully will be).

A fascinating look at the biomedical world's relationship with computer devices and electronics.

1 in 4 Gen Z-ers Plan To Become Social Media Influencers (The Hill)

I've been around the influencer space since its inception - and I've helped many women make a career from finding their niche on social media - I used to manage influencers and negotiate with brands for them, write contracts, etc - it's a legit job - and take a lot of work! I'm both fascinated by the uprise in the concept of influencer as a career, and also not shocked.

There is a lot to unpack here about the concept of gen z-ers planning on becoming social media influencers - like I said, to make enough money to live on is a lot of work - and really putting yourself and your whole life out there - if you haven't noticed, a lot of the OG bloggers who made a career from influencing have stepped off the scene!

However, I'm also a huge fan of any way that moms raising kids can make money, so if the younger generation of moms can stay home with their kids and find a way to make cash by creating UGC, I'm all for that. I'm actually teaching a course to moms on how to make their own money and one whole day is dedicated to becoming a UCG creator. It's a major need from brands right now (authentic looking content), and helps women make some money.

Meet The Strippers Working To Unionize A Las Angeles Dive Bar (NPR)

There was something about this NPR piece that made me feel really fired up inside - women advocating for their safety and jobs is nothing new (we've been doing it for millenia), but the idea that these strippers love what they do, and are just seeking a safe work environment is not a unique concept! Everyone deserves a safe place to work - and sex work is work (I mean, they're just dancers, but some people would see it differently).

This was a really powerful piece on the community of women advocating together and as the article says, "it's clear that strippers need the protections afforded by a union for the same host of reasons as do actors and stage managers."

It's time we start thinking outside the box when it comes to women and careers, and rally to protect all people in all jobs - because everyone is worthy of a safe place to work.