Most of you don’t know the Ryan Paugh that people knew in college. Most of you know Ryan Paugh “the BC community manager.” But back in college I was Ryan Paugh “the frat guy.”
And at first, saying that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Frat guys get a bad rap, because a lot of us flat-out suck. But many of us are actually pretty good guys … promise.
But here’s the deal. I learned a lot from my years as a greek. Sure, I partied hard, got up late and skipped a bunch of classes. But I spent a lot of that time building community right outside my door, in my frat.
Here are few things I took away from the fuzzy, fun-filled days and nights I spent with my fraternity in college. More
When I first became the community manager at Brazen Careerist, I was less than enthused. Nobody could tell me exactly what the title meant, exactly what the job was, and so I had no idea where to start.
Five months later, the work has become the reason I get up in the morning. And the reason I keep working late at night. I also feel confident explaining what I can do for a startup in one word—bridge.
When companies, especially startups, get caught up in the hustle of post-funding mayhem, a sturdy bridge is what will keep you aligned with your loyal, pre-funding customers. And those loyal customers are important when you’re community building. It’s a messy and erratic job, but somebody’s gotta do it. More
The other day I got an email from a twentysomething who was absolutely fed up with people writing about Generation Y. More specifically, young bloggers who consistently use the words “We” and “Us” as if they have a God-given right to be a spokesman for millions of individuals.
The funny thing is, I could relate. I write about Generation Y all the time and it’s hard to do without sounding a little disingenuous.
So why do I do it? Why does anybody do it? Are people like me doing service to Generation Y or are we making things worse for a group of people that has enough to deal with? I’m on both sides of the fence with this one.
More
Because of blogging, my life took a complete one-eighty in less than a year. One day I was working in a cubicle, the next I was part of a startup. And as much as that whole scenario blew my freaking mind, I didn’t change via startup alone. The biggest changes actually occurred from within.
Events in our lives have a way of shifting our attitudes about certain things. Sometimes that’s bad, but then sometimes that’s really good. In my case, let’s just say that I’m a more seasoned millennial than I used to be.
And I think that’s a good thing. Because while I inherently see the world through the eyes of my generation, I’m starting to understand what Gen-Xers and Boomers are talking about.
More
Millennials have been called everything from the Next Great Generation to praise-hungry narcissists. Of course, the media loves to sensationalize (especially news magazines), so we’re either “really great,” or we “really suck.”
I have my own opinion. Since entering the blogosphere over a year ago, I’ve met some great young people who are challenging the negative side of the stereotype. And the best of all, older generations are starting to listen. But I still wonder, does blogging—all by itself—have the power to alter, perhaps even to define, the image of my generation?
More