This is the fourth post in a series of 5 posts about blogging: why to start, how to start, how to get readers, how to build community and how to monetize your blog.

The title of this post is a bit misleading. Read on and you’ll understand why.

If there’s one person who I admire in social media, it’s Gary Vaynerchuk.  He’s the author of one of my favorite books, “Crush It” in addition to being somewhat of a pioneer when it came to applying social media to a regular brick-and-mortar business.  Gary took his family business – a liquor store in New Jersey that he ran with his Father- from a couple million dollars a year to $50 Million per year.  Yep, a liquor store. He did this by building community online (one channel you may have heard of is Wine Library TV), being passionate about his product and caring about every single person who emailed him, tweeted him or asked him what wine goes with fish. (Sidenote: Gary tweeted me back this morning and I am totally star struck!!!  It’s pretty ironic considering I was in the middle of writing a post about how much he cares about his community.)

The reason I said that the title of today’s post is a bit misleading is because building community is not as black and white as the other topics we’ve discussed in this week’s series and is debated by many.  I can’t make you a list, or show you a process or turn on a plugin to make community grow.

Instead today’s topic is very subjective. Therefore, I want to hear what YOU think about building community online. I also want to know what blogs and online communities you admire the most.

Gary Vaynerchuk is one of my favorite speakers ever.  Therefore I want to share this video below with you.  Gary will illustrate the concepts of building community online way better than I could in a written post.  He is so animated, so funny, so unique. Warning: he swears. A lot. If this offends you, beware.  I take his swearing as pure passion.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do!  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

There are many marketing consultants out there who will charge companies thousands of dollars to give bad advice on building community.  There’s not a magic bullet, an algorithm or a piece of software that can effectively build a long-term community.  There must be a genuine human element that is REAL.

Like Gary says in this video, building community is about passion, patience, caring and pure HUSTLE.

The truth is that without passion, you couldn’t really expect to have patience, nor could you care enough to pump out great content day after day and respond to all of your readers.  And if you don’t have passion, you definitely aren’t going to want to work around the clock and sometimes that’s what it takes.

I have been getting a lot of emails from people who want to know how busy Moms or those who work full-time can build their side business.  The answer is quite simple.  Do something you love and work A LOT. Yep, this means making changes in your life to accommodate your goal.  It means working really hard right now in order to change the course of where you’re going.  No one said it was going to be easy.

And another misconception: just because your business is on the internet doesn’t mean it’s any easier than a traditional business.  Don’t start an internet business or a blog expecting that you can put a few hours in and get hundreds or thousands of dollars in return.  You must be patient, you must hustle, you must have a plan.  If your goal is, “I want to get a ton of readers” it’s not enough.

Another great point Gary makes is that people have huge “bullshit detectors” these days.  Lots of the big brands are failing at social media and community these days.  Why?  Because they are trying to disguise their content as genuine, but it’s really a self-promotion.  They don’t care.  They don’t have passion.  People smell it and people run the other way.

Ok, it’s your turn.

• Which online communities or brands are you a fan of and why?
• How do you build community in your own blog?
• Does the thought of building community scare you because it requires you to put yourself and your personality totally out there?

As many of you know, I was laid off from my job about 6 weeks ago.

When I started at the company, I was promised a long-term career path full of opportunities for growth, autonomy and even shares in the company.  I would be a leader who built out a department, launched the company into new markets and eventually oversaw several managers.  The company preached its belief in work/life balance and flexibility even though I worked until 9pm most nights.  During the strange, multi-week interview process, I was told that if I was doing a great job, they wouldn’t be concerned with tracking vacation days and I could work from home on occasion. It seemed like the whole package and more, yet none of it ever happened in reality.

After less than 4 months, I was laid off along with a third of the company.  Some of the people who were laid off hadn’t even been with the company for 1 month! You can’t possibly expect me to believe that the leadership team didn’t realize times were tough before they hired people.  How irresponsible.

Some of these 3-week employees were recent grads who relocated to Chicago for the job.  Others left much higher paying gigs because they “believed in the brand” and wanted to get in on the ground floor of something.  I’m almost positive that people who’ve worked somewhere less than a month don’t qualify for unemployment benefits in Illinois.  How convenient.

I’ve been Ms. Positive “it all happened for a reason” for the last 6 weeks, but now I’m kind of pissed.  I feel the need to warn you about employer ploys like this before you accept what you think is your dream job.

Since I was let go, there’s been another round of layoffs along with execs cutting their hours in half and other leaders who supposedly left on mutual terms.  The sickest part is that this company is still hiring!  BEWARE!  In fact a whole new class is set to start in a few days.  My guess is that these newbies will be sold the “Kool Aid” like I was and terminated as soon as the company gets what it needs and/or inevitably feels the people are inadequate.

Any successful company or notable brand will tell you that its people are its greatest asset.  Studies of companies who FAIL, on the other hand, reveal a huge LACK of respect and value for their people.

Too many people go to an interview thinking they need to do or say anything to please the interviewer and land a job.

Please, please don’t do this.

It’s just like dating really: you are not a prostitute.  You have values and you will not date anyone who walks.  In a job search, you have values, career goals and bills to pay: don’t just jump ship because someone is selling you pipe dreams and vague perks.  Beware of companies who continuously sell you on their elusive “culture,” and won’t write any of their promises down on paper.

And even if they do write things down (like stock options let’s say) pay close attention to your gut feeling and to when these perks actually kick in.

I had a very weird feeling about this company even during the interview process. I felt totally disrespected and remember even being in tears about it a few times.  In hindsight, my first few weeks on the job were also very telling about the company’s integrity, the founder’s view of his people and the fate of so many of us who worked there.

Beware.  This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced one situation during an interview process only to be put into a TOTALLY different situation (my job selling sub-prime mortgages was a disaster and totally different than how it was sold to me at the interview).

If you’re a hot candidate and companies want you bad enough, they will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you in the door.

BEWARE!  ASK QUESTIONS. TRUST YOUR GUT. READ BETWEEN THE LINES. INTERVIEW THEM.  DON’T BE DESPARATE FOR A CHANGE. DON’T IGNORE THE OBVIOUS.

By, Joanna Lindenbaum

Take a minute and write down your top three fears, doubts, and concerns. Once you have them written down, you may notice that outside help could really assist you in overcoming each and every one of those fears, right? The trick lies in not just asking for help but delegating responsibility within your 3-tier support system. Delegating is such an important tool because the more successful you become – and want to be – the more responsibility there is. Fortune 500 companies aren’t run by one person and YOU are not supposed to do it all on your own.

A great leader knows that to accomplish their goals, you need to enlist others to help you out. By asking for support on your projects, soul-centered goals, and in your life, you don’t just achieve your goals, you achieve them more quickly and easily – while avoiding exhaustion and being overwhelmed. Sounds pretty simple, right? It is and here’s the added bonus: when you enlist others to help you out, you are empowering those support individuals by putting responsibility and power in their hands.

There are three different types of support that you need: support on basic tasks; creative and intellectual support; and emotional and spiritual support. They may sound basic but it’s important that you understand the 3-Tierd Soulful Support System.

Tier 1: Basic Task Support

The first tier includes those people you can delegate tedious, everyday tasks to. In a sense, it may seem like you’ve asked for support from someone who’s a personal assistant but these tasks are the one that annoy you, distract you, or take up too much of your precious time. Examples of basic tasks to delegate are: cleaning your home, scheduling your clients, doing your accounting, doing the laundry, writing press releases and sending them out, doing research on just about anything, sending invoices, setting up your newsletter, etc.

While you don’t need a ton of people in this tier, you do need some. Take a moment and make a list of all of your everyday tasks. Then make a list of people who could potentially fill those roles. Fulfilling this tier is as simple as making the calls needed to get the help you need- trust me, you will feel a huge weight off your shoulders!

Tier 2: Intellectual/Creative Support

In the second tier, you need people to brainstorm or provide you with new ideas or resources. These are your colleagues, mentors, Board of Directors, coaches, and teachers.

Coming up with fresh ideas or solutions to issues on your own in your career, business, creative work, relationship issue, or personal project can add up to be a huge task and there are always wonderful opportunities to learn, move forward, problem solve and create. It’s important to have people around that you feel are creative and smart to bounce ideas off of.

Make another list but place people you respect and believe could help you with the intellectual and creative parts of your project. These are people who you’ll enjoy receiving their wisdom, plus they might be flattered at having been chosen to share them with you!

Tier 3: Emotional and Spiritual Support

The third tier is often the most overlooked group, but they are the true backbone to your success and your sense of connection and joy in the world. We each need our own group of cheerleaders and supporters and these are people we know will hold us up, keep us going, and believe in us – especially when we don’t believe in ourselves. Those moments do happen and you need people like husbands, wives, sisters, parents, childhood friends, clergy members, coaches, and therapists to cheer you on and support you.

Now, write down your top two to five people that can (or already do) support you. Then remember that one person can’t do it all alone, those people on your list could be helping you with a different area of emotional support.

When you have these three areas of support in your life and dream project covered, you are setting yourself up for maximum success!

Today’s post is by, Liz DiAlto (PS- check out her site it’s one of our favorites!)

…to stop trying to do it all.  Yea, I said it.  Let that sink in for a second.

The beautiful thing about being a woman in 2011 is that, yes, we can have it all.  The very honest truth about having it all however, is that no matter how hard we try, we can’t do it all on our own.  And you know what?  That is more than OK.  In fact, the moment you give in to this truth, you give your real super powers (the things you’re excellent at, the things you love, enjoy and are most frequently praised for doing so well) permission to flourish.

You know why? Because as a Superwoman, your non-super powers (the things you absolutely loathe doing, will put off and mentally berate yourself for not doing, the things that make you feel drained, or the simple things that anyone can easily do to save you time) are like kryptonite.  So what do you do?  Take them off your plate!

Somehow as women, many of us have come to believe that asking for help is sacrilege. Like we’re shamefully violating a tacit code we signed with that little footprint on our birth certificate.  Ever find yourself in Struggle-town and hear a voice in your head saying, “What’s wrong with you? You should be able to do this!”  That bitch has got to go.

My Tips on “Having it All”

Identify your super powers and your non-super powers (more boringly referred to as your strengths and weaknesses) as per the parenthesized definitions above.  Note, the critical defining element of a non-super power, is that is drains your energy.  So, you might be really good at it, for example, you might shine the hell out of a bath tub, but unless you love it, enjoy it, are frequently praised for it and NEVER put it off, list it as a non-super power, please J.

Identify the things that someone else could do just as well as you can, (put your ego aside, please) and in some cases, you should not be doing. This goes for at work and at home.  Here’s a thought-jogging list:

• Laundry
• Grocery shopping
• Ironing
• Cleaning
• Cooking
• Making certain phone calls like reservations or setting up appointments of any sort, placing orders for specific things, “administrative” tasks, etc.
• Organizing mail or email
• Other kinds of shopping
• Taking kids to and from activities
• Editing, proofreading, or copywriting if that applies to your business
• This list goes on and on for entrepreneurs, web development and design, site maintenance, graphic design and so much more…
• I’m sure there are a million others too, please leave your thoughts in the comments if you have one!

Check your budget and hire it out, baby! Not everyone is in a position to hire out all of these tasks, but consider this.  In some cases, a few extra bucks (like the $10-12 to get groceries delivered) is well worth the 1-2 hours you don’t have to spend on it.  Or the $60-200/month for a cleaning person to come once or twice each month.  That could save you hours.  A great babysitter or mother’s helper could buy you some sanity.  You get the point. Now, read this blog post by Alexandra Franzen, it’s a phenomenal list of tools for many trades.

And a few more great sites for all kinds of tasks:

• Sitter City (babysitters, mother’s helpers, housekeeping and housesitting)
• Hire My Mom (all kinds of virtual assistant services, and what’s great about hire my mom, is that you’re helping stay at home moms, work and help support the family!)
• Odesk (also virtual assistant services, but outsourced all over the world.)

Understand, this isn’t about giving up, or being lazy. This is about being smart, effective and leveraging your super powers.  You can do more, be more, have more-if you’re able to spend more time with friends, family, loved ones and doing the things that invigorate you.  I promise.

Can you relate to this article?

Share your story below in the comments!  Have some tips of your own to add? We love and appreciate that too!

The balancing act of being a wife, new mom and career woman is like walking a tightrope. Sometimes I glance down and am shocked to find there is no safety net below. I start to shake and worry if I can make it; so much to do and so little time and energy. Then, there are times when I look back and wonder how I ever made it across so effortlessly from one side to the other without even trying and never looking down.

I am an every way woman and this is my story.

I have always wanted to be a successful career woman. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of wearing the sexy business suit to the office, being busy on the phone and making executive decisions that would further my career. I was raised to be successful and assertive, to never give up. You control your future. Your destiny is what you make of it. Sound familiar?

However, ever since I was a little girl, I also wanted to be married and have babies.… at least five or six! I knew I would eventually get married, I just never imagined it would be to the love of my life, my true soul mate.

Why is being a mother always butting heads with being a career woman? Why is this a conundrum for most women? Why is it that we seem like we always have to choose one option over the other?

To be a seriously successful business woman, you have to give up your hopes of ever having a family. Sure, you drive a 500 S-class Mercedes-Benz, own a fabulous home in Malibu, but no free time since you’re always working overtime because you have no one to come home to after work. What a horrible double-edged sword that is….

On the other hand, to be a loving wife and nurturing mother, you have to give up a successful career. Being at home, raising your children and watching them grow-there is nothing like it. Hands down, raising your babies is the most important journey a new mom will take. You are there from their first smile to their first step, you, the mom, were there.

Being a mom is an overwhelming feeling of incredible pride, love, joy, happiness and completeness that is so special.

Being a mom is something so wonderful and so unexplainable, words cannot describe the feeling you have every time your little “bundle of joy,” your “miracle” look up at you and smile wholeheartedly. Just knowing that you helped create this little life is truly a blessing.

However, what about making money and trying to provide for your “little pumpkin?” How can a mom raise her babies, work, cook, clean and still be sexy for her husband?

Is it just me or does this seem so unfair and unjust? On the up side, women are much better at multitasking and on the average tend to outlive their spouses.

Wait, but what does that mean? Great, so now we are innately able to juggle more responsibilities until we are in our early to late 80’s and do all this alone. But, that’s the beauty of being a woman. We can and we should try to do and have it all.

Sometimes life throws you curve balls and just when you think you can’t do something. Stop, face forward and march on.

Many women are in the business of pleasing others. Sometimes this is a wonderful thing.  Other times, our “pleasing disease” is the reason we get ourselves into trouble.

For example, have you ever mistakenly told two or more people you could meet with them on the same day knowing it was going to be a tight squeeze?  How did it turn out?  Have you ever had a gut feeling that you should say no to taking on another freelance client, but said yes because you liked the person so much? 

A few years ago I had 3 weddings in one weekend and RSVP’d yes to all of them.  None of the weddings were in the same city.  I ended up missing one of the weddings which was a much worse result than just RSVPing with a “no” in the first place.

The “pleasing disease” spreads into all of the important areas of women’s lives.  Ever wonder how those women who “do it all” seem to get it done?  Busy women like these know that if they want to grow and get it all done, they’ll need to learn to stop trying to please everyone.  As the Economic 101 gods would say, “we are only given a limited amount of time and resources”; saying yes to everything is not a way to conserve it!

The “pleasing disease” only leads to resentment which, in my opinion, is the beginning of almost all interpersonal disasters. 

I thought long and hard about this bad habit in my own life and realized that if I had only set clear boundaries and  “pressed pause,” I could’ve shifted away from over-committal or doing things I didn’t truly want to do.  It’s so easy to get sucked in to the excitement of the moment or the positive energy of the person in front of you.  In the end, if you are only committing in order to “please” you aren’t doing anyone any good.

This week’s challenge…

Practice saying “let me get back to you” over the next week before committing, making plans or attempting to please someone else.  Let there be “white space,” an awkward pause or whatever it takes to make sure you’re really committing to a decision that is right for you and for the other party.

• How has over committing affected your friendships, relationships and work life?
• Is pleasing others a natural tendency of yours?  How do you work at overcoming it? 
• Have you ever been in a situation where your good intentions of pleasing someone actually turned out to be bad?

I’ve been in a fight with my anxiety for a long time now.

I first started noticing it in high school when I was busting ass to get into the top 25% of my 800 person class , trying to rock my classes and get a decent score on the ACT. I had to get into my top choice school, Miami of Ohio, and focus was never my strong point.

I ruined every family vacation growing up thanks to my incarcerating anxiety. Whether we were shopping for a prom dress while on vacation in Florida or eating a meal at an unhealthy restaurant in South Carolina, I always found something to be anxious and worried about. God bless my family for their patience (and for still traveling with me).

College came and then, afterward, I started my career and did my stint of dating guys that weren’t right for me. My anxiety was definitely NOT my friend during these times. In fact, it started to take a staring role in my life.  My days consisted of a racing heart, paranoia, shaking, lack of sleep, having to step away during work to take deep breaths among many other uncomfortable symptoms.

Thankfully, my anxiety is now under control and livable (I am forever grateful to you my dear pharmaceutical company!).  But let’s be honest, it will never be totally gone.  And I’m very grateful for that.  

As some of you have gathered, I really like working. This runs in my family. If I don’t have a “passion project,” a book to read (or write!), a presentation to give, a class to take, a new business idea to toss around or a person to meet in addition to my day job, I’m completely lost. I don’t really watch TV- I just can’t go that long without intellectual stimulation.

Although my anxiety level is no longer the leading lady in my life, it is the engine that fuels my career.

My anxiety (or maybe we should call it energy?) keeps me working hard, meeting people, learning new skills and diversifying my experiences. This engine is my “career insurance policy,” and my career’s “portfolio diversification strategy.”Without anxiety, I’d probably be sitting on the couch every night after work with no major accomplishemnts to reflect my time. I’d also have nothing to catch me if life didn’t go according to plan.

I’m so glad I didn’t listen to the boyfriends and people who said I was “way too young to take life so seriously” or that I “work too much” and should “relax and enjoy my life.” Well people, I’m happy to report that I couldn’t be enjoying my life more than I am right now. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve learned and the opportunities ahead of me would not exist had it not been for my high “anxiety” level.

As they say, “when you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”  Today I encourage you to pick one of your major weaknesses and look at it as a strength instead!  Embrace the unique insanity that is you.

• What characteristic(s) did you formerly view as a hindrence but now view as a blessing? For example, maybe you started life out as calm and shy and now you realize it has made you a great observer and a serious asset in times of disaster. Maybe you were the class clown and now it makes you a top sales person.

• Was there a specific event that made you realize your “weakness” was actually a strength?

• Do you feel your teachers did a good job of developing students’ strengths?

• What did people tell you about yourself that you no longer believe is true?

I made a mistake at work last week.

I did not miscalculate my numbers.  I did not break procedure. I was simply going way too fast.

We’ve all been there before: it’s a super busy afternoon, and all of a sudden a bunch of requests come in at once.  This happens minutes before the system is about to close which is also about the same time your afternoon reports are due.  On top of it, you’ve covering some accounts you are unfamiliar with for one of your co-workers who is out. 

I’ve written before about making mistakes at work.  In fact, that post brought some of you to this very site after you messed up at work and immediately Googled how to handle it (thanks for sticking around Aimee!).

But my previous mistakes seem minor in retrospect,  because I don’t think I really understood the magnitude that a little mistake can have on you, your department, your clients, etc. 

Mistakes are meant to be reality checks.  They are also meant so that you never make them again.  Lastly, they are meant to teach you something about yourself.

This may sound obvious, but the older I get the more I realize that little things are big things at work.  When I first graduated college, I felt that details were not that important.  It was more about the “big picture” (whatever that meant!).

But now I know that missing a little detail can ruin the big picture.  Immediately.

Consistency is Key

One of the best things an entry-level employee (or really any employee) can do is be consistent.  It is in part consistency in your attitude, but also your reliablility.  You want people to know where they stand with you and that they can expect you to do things correctly and in a timely way.

Think about the little things we do every day: we buy a latte, we go to the grocery store, we  go to the gym.  What happens if your barista makes you the wrong drink on occasion, the grocery store forgets to put a few of your grocery bags in your cart or your gym is out of clean towels?  Small details?  Not to the customer.  My guess is that you probably won’t be a patron of these establishments for long.

If you’re missing the small details, should your employer keep patronizing you? Today there’s an educated and capable person on every corner to waiting take your job.  If there is ever a time to slow down, stay consistent and pay attention to the details it’s right now.

I know for a fact that this little mistake reinforced the importance of the little things at work.  It showed me that focus is really important so much that us ADHD multi-tasker types need to change our ways.  Lastly, I’ve shifted gears from placing value on the quantity of work I can get done and instead focus on the quality.

What are your Work Mistake Confessions?

Have you ever made a mistake at work that made you re-think your daily routine? 

• What did you learn from your mistake?
• How did making a mistake change your perspective on your job?
• Was your first thought ever to blame someone else?
• Did you identify a bad habit after making mistake such as, trying to do too much, answering every client call in the middle of important transactions, trying to get your work done as fast as possible, saying yes to others before you finish your own work?

“Make your life one giant networking event.” ~Dan Schawbel

I graduated college in May 2009 and it wasn’t until I let go of the idea that I needed to spend all day every day looking for work and well, start working, that I began getting job leads. It’s the NUMBER ONE rule of the job hunt – make looking for a job your permanent job. 9 to 5, seven days a week.

Except is that really the best way to find work? Is the best way to network and find job leads to shout from the rooftops that you’re for hire? What if you were passive? What if you spent half that time actively job searching and the other half actually working? Working how, you ask? Temping and freelancing my friends, temping and freelancing.

We all know that the best way to get a job is through contacts. The way to make contacts is through networking. The best way to network is not to hand out your business cards with wild abandon at miscellaneous events serving punch or cold call every person you’ve never met; the best way is to actually show people what you’re made of.

Without a full time permanent job, finding temporary and freelance work are the best ways to show your worth. They put you in touch with people in your industry, build your portfolio and make it possible to can eat on a regular basis. What’s not to love?

For those of you not looking for a permanent job, this article is still for you. All of us could use extra cash to pay off debts, open up a savings account and/or start something entrepreneurial. Personally, I like shoes.

So let’s take a little look-see at how to go about this:

Freelancing

Many people don’t see freelancing as an option because there’s this mentality that you’re either a freelancer or you’re not. But you can take a project here and there for the reasons I mention above. Getting freelance work through friends, using Craigslist and contacting your dream company directly puts great companies (who may not be hiring full time but do need a relevant project taken care of) on your resume, generates contacts and builds up an impressive portfolio.

My favorite ways to find freelance work:

• Craigslist – While it may be the ultimate site of all things spammy, Craigslist actually has some great freelance resources. Use the search function for keywords on jobs you might like to do.

• LinkedIn – This site is one of my favorites because it’s a super fast way to connect with everyone you’ve ever met and take them straight to your resume. Also, the LinkedIn Answers section is the best way to highlight your expertise on any given subject. I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve landed because I rock out solving other people’s problems. Try and answer 1 to 2 questions every day in your field and watch your contacts grow…

• Word of mouth – I know, a little 18th century, but it’s still the best way to advertise. Enlist family and friends to spread the word. However, it does help if you have friends.

• Offer free work – THIS DOES NOT MEAN INTERN. Don’t start doing a 9 to 5 copying job masking as a “learning experience.” No, offer to write an article/guest post, consult on a project or give a free seminar. People love free, but it doesn’t mean you need to lower your standards.

• Check out Freelance Switch – One of the best websites out there for freelancers, helping you stay organize, land more work and provides even more excellent resources.

And at the end of the day, you might find you like freelancing best and decide not to take a permanent position at all!

Temping

Temporary jobs are great. They keep you busy when you’re ready to tear your hair out, add to your resume to give you experience, gives you a chance to prove yourself, can possibly turn into a permanent position and allows you the chance to network and gain referrals. And according to the American Staffing Association (ASA), around 18% of temp jobs a year turn into permanent positions.

To avoid wasting your time, try and hone in on the industry you’d eventually like to be in full time. Because you’d otherwise be spending all your time looking for work anyway, hold out for a cool project you’d really like to work on. Aim to work with temp agencies that cater to your industry.

Here’s a really fabulous post on how to get and keep a temp job.

A Note!!!

I want to reiterate that freelance and temp work are not synonymous with internship. I’m in no way suggesting you should take an internship while you “wait” for the perfect job to waltz on by. I have a pretty public hatred of internships as they’re are really just glorified assistants jobs, so you might as well get paid for the work you’d be doing anyway. Many temp agencies can set you up with part-time gigs in the field of your choice and being a paid employee of a company is always more impressive than being an intern. This also gets around not having the “mandatory” internship on your resume.

Instead, become an expert: Read the top publications in your field, get books, watch webinars, make friends with bloggers – not only does this create contacts and integrates you into the professional community, but slowly establishes you as an expert (basically, all the things you can get from an internship).

Hopefully by now you all realize people hire people, and best way to meet those people is through helping them out.