Our Tumblr success makes us want to tumble! Source: Shutterstock.com

Confession: When I started at Gurl, I basically knew zero things about Tumblr. I’d been on a pretty steady Facebook and Twitter regimen up to that point. I mean, I’d checked out a couple of Tumblr pages here and there, but I didn’t know too much about it. When I found out that I’d be posting things to the Gurl Tumblr, I got a little nervous.

I quickly learned that Tumblr is kind of a magical site. It’s like if you just took everything on the Internet and condensed it into this single website! I find celeb stuff, fashion tips, inspirational quotes, and most importantly, GIFs galore! I’m a pop culture enthusiast to the extreme, so just searching Tumblr for GIFs has been a dream (and it makes writing the GIF My Life posts that much more fun!).

Well, we are pleased to announce that today we just put up our ONE THOUSANDTH TUMBLR POST. We even took a special photo here at Gurl for the occasion! Of course, if you want to see it you’ll have to go check out our Tumblr page (click! click!) to see special post #1000.

A thousand posts is pretty darn impressive, but you know what else is pretty sweet? We recently passed 11,000 Tumblr followers! So take our already big number of posts and multiply it by 11! That’s definitely amazing, and of course, that comes down to all of you that follow us and reblog us and contribute to the success of Gurl’s Tumblr.

Without you girls reading our site and giving your feedback, we’d never be able to keep building our site or expanding our social media. We’re proud of our accomplishment, but really we’re grateful for all of you who have helped get us there.

Whether you’re sharing our funny pictures from our Facebook page or retweeting something interesting you read on our Twitter, we are so excited to be able to share what we do with you in so many different forms, and we hope you have as much fun with all of it as we do.

Remember too, you can always get quick access to our social media sites (not just Tumblr, but all of them!) from our main Gurl site by clicking on the various social media icons over on the right side of the page where it says “Connect With Gurl.” See ‘em? Awesome! Again, thanks so much again for helping us reach this super exciting milestone.

Do you have a Tumblr account? you follow Gurl on Tumblr? What sorts of suggestions do you have for our Tumblr? Do you follow Gurl’s other social media pages? Tell us in the comments!

10 Things I’d Do With My Free Time If I Deactivated My Social Media

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

While we of course hope you are checking out all the awesome Gurl social media pages, we can also sympathize with the feeling that it seems Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. are totally taking over your life. Seriously, being social can be a little overwhelming!

Demi is a busy girl with a whole lot going on, and while as a non-celeb, maybe I don’t have as much going on as she does, I still sometimes think about deactivating my Facebook and canceling my Twitter because I just want my life back. What would I do with all my new free time exactly? Well, here’s what I think I could accomplish if I took a cue from Demi and said bye-bye to Twitter and deactivated my Facebook for a while:

Skip this Ad

Next

ADVERTISEMENT

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

See My Friends In Person

A few days before her Twitter leave of absence, Demi tweeted some sage advice about the importance of friendship. I’ve forgotten what some of my friends look like beyond their Facebook profile picture. For all I know, they only exist in the digital world. I'd give them a call or meet up with them... you know, just to confirm they are still actual, real people.

Source: Nikki Nelson/WENN.com

Take Advantage Of Extra Drying Time

I would do my nails every single night. It’s hard to paint my nails and scroll through my news feed at the same time. Now, no need to worry about the time it takes to let my nails dry and getting polish all over the keyboard! Plus, without all the key tapping, that should cut down on chips.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Close My Eyes

If I stopped going on my social media accounts, I think I would start blinking again. I’m kind of convinced that all of the staring I do at computer screens has given me a big time case of "Overly Attached Girlfriend" meme level-crazy eyes. It’ll be nice to close them again.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Go On Real Dates

Right now, my most frequent dates are me snuggling up on the couch with my laptop to watch a movie while we scroll through Facebook or read new Tweets. If I canceled my accounts, I would be able to go on dates with a real guy, and not just my laptop. I know there will be a little separation anxiety at first, but I think it is what is best for the both of us.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Read Books, Not Statuses

I happen to own the entire collected works of Shakespeare. Currently, the book makes an awesome doorstop, but if I hopped off my social media, instead of reading thousands of status updates, I could read the Bard’s entire works. People are always making up new social media slang (hashtag, anyone?) but Shakespeare was making up words before it was even cool.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Express Long Thoughts

No Twitter means no more calculating my thoughts into 140 characters or less. I have so much more room to express myself now! I could maybe write a very long one-woman show or pen a whole memoir. I’d never thought about writing beyond the character limits before!

Source: Shutterstock.com

Swap Real-Life Drama For TV Drama

Instead of dealing with Facebook drama, I could watch so much more drama on television. I could have finally catch up on Revenge so I could actually talk to my roommate about it, rather than lying and just repeating back what I read other critics say about it (shhh, don't tell!).

Source: Ai-Wire/WENN.com

Reconnect With Mom

Sooo, I kind of forgot my mom doesn't use social media. I'd finally make the time to have real conversations with her since I guess I shouldn't have assumed she'd been reading all my statuses for the past three months. She probably has no idea what is going on in my life. #SorryMom! Wait no, I'm going to say it normally: "Sorry, Mom!" That's progress.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Expand My Photo Skills

My Facebook photo collection is pretty huge, but that's also because I snap pics super quick. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about picture quality, just the fact that people know ASAP what my dinner looks like. If I wasn't only taking pics for social media, I could take a photography class, and maybe make some money off my shots.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Play Real Tag

When was the last time I played tag? No, not tag someone in a status or a photo. Like the original definition of tag. Considering I’ve spent so much time sitting on my couch looking at my social media, running around to play an exciting game of tag with my friends would give me a much needed exercise boost.

Source: Shutterstock.com

How much time do you spend on social media during the week? Do you have a favorite social media website? What would you do with your free time if you canceled your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts? Tell us in the comments.

This pre-teen started his own social network!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter

Social media has a special place in our hearts. Source: ShutterStock

The amount of time that I spent on Facebook in my dorm room instead of studying probably could have gotten me an honorary degree in college. I’m kidding – I did study a lot, but it’s true that social media was a big part of my college experience.

So while all I got in college because of Facebook was less sleep than I should have, some students at Newberry College in South Carolina will actually going to get course credit for getting their social media skills on.

Newberry is introducing a social media major and minor for the Fall 2013 semester. According to the school, the social media curriculum is going to be made up of a bunch of classes from all different departments (ranging from business to psychology), plus a few newbie classes just for this program. Seems pretty sweet, right?

I was a journalism major, and I really, really wish I wish I had more experience with social media in college. I don’t know if I would have necessarily switched my major to one entirely focused on it, but social media skills are a big plus – not just in journalism, but a lot of different fields. Think about it – probably nearly all the companies or businesses you can think of have a Facebook page these days.

In my experience, using social media in your job requires different approach than you would use with your personal profile. I definitely feel that learning those strategies has a place in the classroom, and it’s cool (and useful) that it seems like students will get to think about social media from a bunch of angles with such a variety of classes.

According to the Huffington Post piece where I first read the news, some people have expressed that they’re a little dubious about if this new major is a good idea. Is it something that will be useful for graduates or is it just trying to be hip and trendy for the young, techie crowd?

I don’t think I have to tell you guys how fast technology changes (guys, I remember a time before email, let alone Facebook), but to me, it seems the school has really considered the demands that will be on them to stay up to date in order to make this degree and experience a worthwhile one for students. When a local news station interviewed Newberry associate professor Tania Sosiak (who designed the major), she said: “Each semester the technology is new, so the textbook is obsolete, so I’m challenged, as well as all the other professors.”

We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out, but let the record show that as it stands now, I “like” this bit of news (click!).

Would you ever consider a major in social media? What sorts of skills do you think a major in social media would provide? Speaking of which, have you checked out the Gurl social media pages lately? Tell us in the comments!

What Do You REALLY Do With Your Parents On Facebook?

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!

It’s so not worth the bragging rights. ShutterStock.com

I know, this does not sound real. This only sounds like something that would happen in a teen movie from the ’80s. Nope. What’s amazing is that they actually did it. They pulled it off! They broke in, threw a massive rager, then cleaned everything up exactly the way it was supposed to be.

But then they just had to show everyone how cool they were by posting pics of the party on Facebook. The homeowner quickly recognized his house (duh!) when he saw the photos online.

Huffington Post reports, “Months later, the police are now using tagged photos as evidence in their investigation of the break-in. ‘If the kids weren’t bragging about it or showing it off via Facebook, nothing would have come about from it,’ the homeowner said. ‘They would have gotten completely away with it.’”

Word to the wise, ladies, if you’re going to do something illegal keep it off of social media. You don’t need any police officers making an example out of you.

Have you ever posted incriminating pictures on Facebook? Let us know in the comments!

Source: ShutterStock

Community service is pretty awesome. Not only do you get to give back to your community, but doing so will actually make you feel really good about yourself. Oh, and it makes for some excellent homework procrastination. We know you probably want to get started… you’re just not sure exactly what to do or where to go.

But guess what? It’s as easy as going on some of your favorite websites. No, seriously, that’s exactly what you can do. Staples for Students is making community service ridiculously easy. Even celebrities are getting in on the fun, like amazing spokesperson Bella Thorne. So what exactly are we talking about?

All you have to do is sign onto Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. But instead of checking out pics of your friends and reading everyone’s status updates, you can virtually lend a hand. Just share a pre-written Staples for Students message on any of those sites. Staples will actually make a $1 donation for each message you share. So, yes, we’re telling you that you don’t even have to get out of your bed in order to give back. Mixing community service with your Facebook downtime? Sounds perfect to us!

And if you’re looking for more ways to give back, you can check out our other tips here. It’s stuff that’s as simple as donating new school supplies, drawing on your hand or asking a parent to donate $1 to a Staples store near you.

What kind of community service have you done in the past? Are you going to share Staples message on your social media sites? Tell us in the comments!

This post written in partnership with Staples for Students.

Credit: Apega/WENN.com

I can’t deny how much I love how open and outspoken she is about sexuality, politics and being an individual, it’s just plain awesome. However being outspoken (on the internet, especially!) comes with a price. That price is people will hear what you say and comment back.

Miley’s recent responses have reminded me of a lot of friends I have on Facebook and Twitter who get a little oversensitive about comments that aren’t malicious at all. At the end of the day, the internet is public. The things you post are meant to be seen. It’s called SOCIAL media, not “private e-diaries”.

Here’s a little criteria we cooked up to determine if you or someone else you know is a Miley. Remember, being a Miley isn’t such a bad thing to be. You used to be Hannah Montana for freaking sake!

Do you post a ton of pictures and wonder why your friends comment on them?

You might be a Miley. Girl, it’s all good. Posting pictures is your divine right, but so is having an opinion. Everybody has got one, and the Internet is where they like to share it. It should be EXPECTED that people will comment, not surprising. Word to the wise: your friends love you, but when they see you doing something they believe is out of character it’s only natural for them to wonder why. They just want to have your back if something is really going down. It’s actually the opposite of haterade.

Do you announce life changing events and wonder why people ask, “So when is the big day?”

You might be a Miley. It’s totally healthy to want to shout exciting news into the ether, but you can’t be surprised when the ether shouts back. Everyone loves a celebration and saying, “Hey girl, what’s up?” isn’t the same as being nosy.

Do you vigorously promote your blog and wonder why people do strange things like read it?

You might be a Miley. This isn’t rocket science–you want people to read your blog. Constructive criticism and curiosity does not equal hating! No one is trying to run game on you, girl. These people are actually being supportive by visiting your site. Browsing every page and sharing their thoughts means they are interested, not bashing. Don’t get it twisted.

Do you know anyone who might be a Miley? Let us know in the comments!

They'll ask about more than your paperwork in most interviews. Be prepared! | Source: Shutterstock

Thankfully, a lot more interviewers today are getting more specific and more tailored to our generation. Are you addicted to Facebook? Are you a particularly prolific tweeter? Are you always on your iPhone? These are topics that may come up! Entrepreneur, Forbes contributor, and general girl expert Denise Restauri has the top three questions for today’s girls (that’s you!). Now that you know what they are, you can also prepare your answers!

The first question may send you into a tech girl tizzy: “It’s 8 AM, you just arrived at work and the whole computer system collapsed. You have no technology available. What do you do and how do you get on with your day?” Your response will tell the interviewer a lot about your problem solving skills, initiative, and how (and if!) you can think without gadgets. If you have a SmartPhone, could you still use that? Would you call tech support? Would you hunker down and try fixing everything yourself? Would you hand write notes and ideas for the day, research in books, or go to a library and input your info into your computer later on when it was fixed? There are a ton of ways to respond, and a lot of them will vary based on where you’re applying to work or study, so be sure to take that into consideration when forming your answers.

Your second question is multiple choice–but don’t do that whole “when in doubt, pick C” method here! This one is about your decision making skills, investigative and research habits, and how fast you react. Remember the whole “Kony 2012″ phenomenon? How you reacted to it says something about you to potential employers:
“When you see something on Facebook and other sites, such as a video requesting activism, an article about a celebrity’s recent breakup, or an inspirational quote from a famous person, do you:
A) Research the “claim” to see if it is legitimate before you share?
B) Research the claim out of curiosity whether or not you are planning to share?
C) Accept the claim whether you are planning to share or not, unless it seems super far-fetched?”

Interviewers judge you on more than the tagged photos on FB--they're also into your sharing, likes, and comments. | Source: Shutterstock

Your social media habits are another big deal in interviews, in ways you may not even realize. We’re not even talking about the jerks who ask for your Facebook password, creeps who lurk your check-ins, or strangers who judge you based on what you post, either. Interviewers may ask pretty harmless questions about stuff that you “like” or comment on Facebook, or your likelihood to retweet something. Restauri suggested that interviewers ask, “If your Facebook friends ‘like’ a certain product or company or link an article they find interesting or music that they like, do you check it out to see what it’s all about, or do you not bother?” Your response to this part of the question shows that you keep track of what people are into and what’s trending–do you do your own thing or are you influenced by others? Are you in tune to what others are interested in?

You may also be asked, “When you link things onto Facebook that you are interested in, such as articles and music, do people tend to comment and share, or do they mostly ignore it?” Your answer will tell interviewers a lot about your influence on others: Do you present things in a cool way that people want to check out? Do you discover awesome things (viral videos, new bands, newsworthy items) before your pals? These are all good ways for them to gauge whether or not you’d be good at marketing whatever they’re selling!

Now that you know the kinds of questions you may be asked at your next interview, it’s time to tweak your resume to get yourself noticed!

Do you get nervous before interviews? What’s the weirdest question a job interviewer has asked you? How do you prepare for interviews? Let us know in the comments!

Here Are A Few Things You Totally Don’t Want To Say On A Job Interview!

Trayvon Martin's death--and the subsequent scrutiny into his social media--has led to nationwide outrage. | Source: Shutterstock

On the one-month anniversary of his death, Trayvon Martin’s Twitter account and school records are making the public rounds.

Some background for those unfamiliar with the case: On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin was walking unarmed through the gated community where his dad’s fiancee lived. He’d just bought some Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea and was on his way back to her house when he was shot by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed Neighborhood Watch volunteer. The events that led up to the actual shooting–whether or not there was a struggle, whether or not Trayvon was being followed, whether or not Trayvon attacked George Zimmerman first–are debatable and still being worked out by authorities.

Numerous protests have been held in Trayvon’s memory, ranging from anger at the Sanford, Florida police to wider reaching undertones of racial injustice. A member of Congress, Bobby Rush, was even escorted out for wearing a hoodie in support of Trayvon Martin’s case. The more that comes out about the shooting, the more uproar there is, and there are even more protests marking the month since Trayvon’s death, especially on college campuses.

Since the shooting has drawn national attention, Trayvon Martin’s Twitter has been in the headlines almost as much as his death. But why? He took a picture flipping off the camera. So do a lot of other people. He posted some questionable things. So do a lot of other people. Unless he was tweeting about it at the time, what does it have to do with the fact that he got shot when he was unarmed? A lot of people post stuff that they assume people won’t see later on, and a lot of people post stuff that they don’t mean. How is his social media activity relevant to his death?

Similarly, Trayvon Martin’s school records show that he had a penchant for tagging, truancy, and tardiness. Fair enough. But again, what does this have to do with his shooting? He’d been suspended for having an empty marijuana baggie and suspected of jewelry theft (but never charged or actually investigated for it). While it’s not commendable behavior by any means, it doesn’t change anything else about his death.

A lot of people are angered by the notion of racial profiling in Trayvon Martin's shooting. | Source: Shutterstock

To us, pointing out Trayvon Martin’s Twitter and school records and using them to justify his being shot is nothing short of absurd. It doesn’t sound much different from saying a girl wearing a short skirt was just asking to get raped. It doesn’t sound much different from someone saying that since most dollar bills in the United States have traces of cocaine on them that anyone carrying cash should be arrested for drug possession.

We’re not saying Trayvon Martin was a saint. But we are saying he was a 17-year-old kid. If we were all judged by our tweets, statuses, and tagged photos from our teen years, chances are no one would ever be able to run for office ever again. We’d all be asking for it, we’d all deserve everything that came to us, and we’d all have our reputations eviscerated when we were no longer around to defend ourselves.

What’s the most telling about Trayon Martin’s Twitter and his background is that all of this came to light after he was dead. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by someone who ostensibly didn’t even know about his past–because if Zimmerman’s account of what happened is true, it didn’t include a background check before he pulled the hammer and fired. We think this says more about those trying to destroy his reputation than about Trayvon Martin himself.

Do you think Trayvon Martin’s Twitter and school background are relevant to his death? Do you think social media activity should be monitored? What are your views on Trayvon Martin’s case? Let us know in the comments!

Are your parents racist? Here’s how to deal.

Do you think her future boss is reading her IMs right now? It could happen to you! | Source: latestdigitals.com

Imagine you’re applying to your dream school. You have all the right grades, your essay is awesome — and then you get to the interview. You’re already nervous–and then your admissions officer demands to see your Facebook page.

WTF?! Not only do they want to look at your wall, they also want your password… Meaning they want to see everything. Those cute IMs you exchanged with your crush? Those semi-dirty inside jokes with your BFF? Those silly pics you took at the party last weekend (that you made sure not to tag and are friends only)? All accessible.

Talk about terrifying! And it’s becoming a reality.

MSNBC reports that not only colleges, but potential employers, are demanding access to students’ and employees’ Facebook accounts. If this seems like an insane invasion of privacy (seriously, it’s like someone reading your diary), that’s because it is.

This is a lot scarier than your crush seeing a tagged photo of you from a bad angle! | Source: live.drjays.com

On one hand, we can kinda see where they’re coming from in certain situations. For example, people applying to be prison guards were being asked for their Facebook info because their potential employers wanted to make sure they weren’t affiliated with gangs. Taking a glimpse at their photos to scan for gang symbols, colors, and the like could certainly help with that.

There are still so many problems with that, though: How many times have you done something in a photo as a joke? If a stranger looking at something doesn’t get the context of what went down, it can be really easy for them to misjudge you. Plus, it’s a slippery slope: What exactly constitutes a gang sign? Does wearing red or blue in your Facebook default pic disqualify you from a job?

You know it’s bad when even Facebook employees are against the policy, considering the site’s privacy policies are also scrutinized pretty often! “Under our terms, only the holder of the email address and password is considered the Facebook account owner,” Facebook spokesman Frederic Wolens said. “We also prohibit anyone from soliciting the login information or accessing an account belonging to someone else.”

Even if you’re not applying for jobs and are already in college, you may still be at risk for this kind of privacy invasion–especially if you play sports. Some colleges are requiring you to friend your coaches on Facebook or else be disqualified from the team. Say it with us now: WTF?!

The logic behind that, apparently, is that coaches want to make sure their athletes are well behaved. Fair enough, but where does it end? If their authority goes from the field to your Facebook account, what’s next? Installing a webcam in your dorm room to make sure you’re not acting out?

Thankfully, there are people out there fighting to keep your private life private. The American Civil Liberties Union is monitoring these cases very closely. In the meantime, know that you should never feel forced to fork over your account information for anything– email, Facebook, Twitter–or to anyone.

Here's hoping they don't turn anyone down for "duckface" photos. | Source: telegraph.co.uk

Also know that there are privacy settings you can use to keep things private even if a teacher, coach, or other authority figure friends you: You can make separate friends lists for them that limit their access to your information and postings while still technically having them listed as a friend. It also helps to create custom friends lists for just the people you trust and your closest pals–and make your posts visible only to them. The new Timeline feature on Facebook, while confusing at first, actually lets you adjust individual postings to be visible to certain groups of friends — even past posts — so that’s also a good tool to get to know.

Have you ever been asked to hand over your Facebook password? Would you be willing to give a potential employer your password if it meant getting a job? Do you have any privacy tips and tricks that you use to keep yourself and your information safe online? Let us know in the comments!

Do You Have A Facebook Stalker?

Going online can be kinda addicting...

When we heard about the new MTV movie (dis)connected, which is about how growing up in the digital age can complicate a teen’s life, it made us think: Where would we be without the Internet? Would teens be different if they weren’t using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr and  YouTube?  Fill out this survey about your favorite technology and think about it: What would you do if none of this stuff existed? Copy and paste the survey and leave your answers in the comments.

1. How old were you when you got your first computer?
2. Did you go on the computer all the time when you were younger?
3. Do you have a Myspace, Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr? Which?
4. What’s your favorite social media site?
6. How many times do you visit your favorite site every day?
7. How long have you been on Facebook?
8. How many times a day do you check your Facebook account?
9. Have you ever met anyone on a social media or online dating site?
10. Have you ever had only an online relationship with someone you’ve never met in person?
11. Did you ever have cyber sex? Would you?
12. Has anyone ever spread rumors about you online? Have you ever spread rumors about someone else online?
13. Have you ever gotten into a fight with someone over something that happened on a social media site?
14. What’s the longest you’ve gone without going online?
15. Do you feel like you have to go online every day?
16. When did you get your first cell phone?
17. How many different cell phones have you had since then?
18. What kind of cell phone do you have now?
19. Approximately how many texts do you send a day?
20. Do you always carry your cell on you?
21. What’s the longest you’ve gone without having your cell phone with you?
22. Do text people more than you call them?
23. Have you ever gotten into a fight with someone because someone misunderstand a text message?
24. What would you do if you could never use a cell phone again?
25. What do you wish you could change about technology?

Take more fun gURL surveys right here.