Let's talk about fake news.
 
The term, known by many as of recently, has been used for a long time.

I mean, honestly... do you know anyone who actually wants to hear or read fake news? I don't... or at least I hope I don't. Anyway, unfortunately, fake news is spread quite often. From my experience, a lot of fake news is actually spread by people who don't even know they're spreading it. Yikes.

 I'm here to help guide you through sharing factual news with a method that I'm going to call the Four-Rs. Before sharing an article, make sure it is:
Real
Researched
Relevant
Responsible

Let's break down each R and explain its purpose.

I decided to dedicate my quarantine-weekends to self-development and educational opportunities. I've been reading, writing, blogging, and learning. I recently discovered HubSpot Academy, which is an online resource inbound marketing, sales, and customer service/support training. Last week, I signed up for HubSpot Academy's Social Media Strategy Certification course which consisted of eight lessons and an exam. It took about five to six hours which I split up over several days.  ​The best part about this course is that it's FREE! I just passed the final and am so excited! Yay! I love that the certification includes these badges for social media and digital communication.

Throughout my years in Eastern North Carolina, I've had the pleasure of working with the BBB serving Eastern North Carolina on several projects and campaigns. This organization is truly an asset to businesses and the community.

In April, the nonprofit's communications team reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in coming on an episode of the new "Brunch with BBB" podcast to talk about how COVID-19 is impacting the news industry. I was so honored and, of course, said yes! 

 ​It’s a time of uncertainty.

COVID-19 is uncharted territory and millions of Americans are struggling. While some are losing jobs, others are working overtime to meet industry demand.

If you’re somewhere in between, you might be looking for ways to help. Public health experts say that the best way to help is to flatten the curve. That means protecting yourself and others by preventing the spread of the disease. This includes recommendations like thoroughly washing your hands, practicing social distancing, and staying home.

As we're encouraged to stay away from others, there are still plenty of ways we can help our communities and work to make a difference even if we self-isolate.

Have you ever purchased something because it looked really great in an advertisement?

I'm guilty.

Thanks, Instagram fam.

While some purchases were a waste of money, some others were incredible. I'm here to talk about the incredible ones. Here are five products that I bought because I saw them on Instagram. I'm sharing them because I love them enough that I think you should buy them too. The holiday shopping season is upon us so you might even find a few gift ideas or stocking stuffers.