Almost one full year ago, I started a blog called They Are Coming For Us!, a humorous website dedicated to exploring the inevitable robot uprising. The purpose of the blog was two-fold: I wanted to use it as a testing ground for SEO experiments, and I wanted to have an outlet beyond my professional writing obligations to talk about some things that I really enjoyed, namely robots, science-fiction, and other nerdy delights. I even started a Twitter account for the blog, which, for a time, was even more popular than my actual Twitter account.

After a few months of steady updating, however, I found myself visiting the site less and less frequently. There were viable excuses to stop writing on the site, including some work changes and a couple of new marketing-related blogging opportunities that I didn’t want to pass up, but, honestly, it came down to the fact that I just didn’t know what to with it anymore. The project had become a burden to update, rather than something that I actually enjoyed doing, so I let it fall to the wayside.

For months, the disappointment of walking away from something in which I had invested so much mental effort weighed heavily on my mind. Eventually, I realized that I had made a mistake. What use was there in blaming the site for my lack of inspiration? After all, the reason I was uninspired is because I was creating uninspiring content, and there’s nothing worse in the world of blogging than that.

So, taking inspiration from a couple of other go-getters whom I follow on Twitter (including Matt Cheuvront, Tim Jahn, and Brandon Zeman), I decided to redesign They Are Coming For Us! from the ground-up by changing the site from a general blog to a robot-themed web comic with a blog on the side.

Over the weekend, I put in a few hours here and there tinkering with different layouts until I hit on a brilliant Wordpress theme called ComicPress. After installing ComicPress, everything else started falling into place, and I began publishing comics at the end of last week.

Is the website perfect? Far from it. I still have a lot of work to do in fully connecting the site to the vast world of social media.

Is it a good start? I think so.

The truth is, even if what I’m writing isn’t funny, at least I’m enjoying what I’m doing with the site, which is something that hasn’t been the case for a long time. Besides, like everything else, it’s going to take some time for me to figure out what does and doesn’t work. To this point, if you have any feedback on the redesigned site, feel free to leave a comment here or there (or in a message to either Twitter account).

I look forward to hearing your comments, and I hope that They Are Coming For Us! will soon become a must-visit destination during your day.

Last night I attended the Social Media Club Chicago Holiday Party. That’s me on the right there wearing what can only be described as the world’s ugliest Christmas sweater. Yuck. I actually make Shaun Hildner (far left) and Tim McDonald (middle) look pretty good by comparison. Anyway, I had a great time and met a lot of great people. Here, in no particular order, are my thoughts on the night.

• Am I now officially known in the Chicago social media circle as the “Ugly Sweater Guy?” I certainly hope not. Not that I’m ashamed to have worn the sweater (that bad boy won me a $100 gift certificate to Morton’s), but I’d rather be known as the cool, friendly guy who is also a good copywriter and blogger. Next time I come to an event like this I’ll have to wear an Armani suit or something to regain my cred.
• Shel Israel and Erik Qualman both gave excellent presentations on the far-reaching implications of social media for individuals and businesses. Granted, they were preaching to the choir, but their insights were nuanced and they each offered enough specific examples to show quite clearly that social media is no one-trick pony. It also occurred to me that Erik Qualman played on the Michigan State basketball team at the same time as Shawn Respert and Eric Snow. To some people that doesn’t matter at all, but to a Michigan-born basketball fan like me, it’s pretty awesome.
• I finally got a chance to meet Danny Prager from The Ocean Agency in person. I’ve been meaning to talk to some of the cool people at Ocean since I moved back to Chicago, so I’m glad to finally be able to check that off my list. Also, Danny was one of the few people who actually wore an ugly Christmas sweater, so he was sort of like a brother-in-arms.
• One of my favorite things to do in life is introduce two people whom I think might get along. Last night, I got to do that with my friend Shaun (who I already mentioned in the above picture) and Beyond The Pedway creator Tim Jahn. Shaun currently works as a digital media producer for Flashpoint Academy,  a digital media arts college here in Chicago. Tim produces weekly videos about creative Chicago companies at his website, Beyond The Pedway. Anyway, we three had a nice chat and now Tim may be profiling Flashpoint in an upcoming Beyond The Pedway episode. I love when stuff like that happens, don’t you?
• When I first started blogging back in 2006, one of the first marketing blogs that I latched onto was David Armano’s Logic+Emotion. I’ve always admired how David synthesizes his unique perspectives on business, social media, and community through such simple and visually appealing diagrams. (A personal favorite is the Holy Trinity of Digital Experience.)  Anyway, David happened to be at the party last night and I was very excited to meet him and talk to him in person. I’m happy to report David is a super friendly guy and that I didn’t come off sounding like a weird blogger fanboy. I’d say that’s a big win for me.

All in all, the party was a great success and I was glad to be there. Kudos to Jeff Willinger, Amy Rovit Korin, and Barbara Rozgonyi, along with all of the SMC volunteers for putting together an awesome event.

Friends, today is a special day for me. Why, you ask? Because today, Google, that glorious fount of all knowledge, acknowledged my existence. Forgive me…I’m a little choked up.

You see, when I started blogging back in 2006 for Experience.com, I had a handful of goals. There were the obvious ones: share my opinions with the world, make a name for myself as a young marketing professional, meet other cool people in my industry and learn from them, etc. And then there was one that was not so obvious: get to a point in life where Google autofills my name.

Now, that might sound silly to some, and I’ll admit, it even seemed a little silly to me at first, but goals are goals dammit and I wasn’t about to give up. I wanted to share something with the big shots like Seth Godin (type in “Seth” and he’s number four, now that’s impressive). If someone goes to look up your name online and Google helps them fill it in, it’s like getting your name on the VIP List of a club. “Don’t worry…I’m with Google.”

So, with that goal in mind, I began to expand my social sphere. I joined Twitter, I beefed up my LinkedIn profile, and along the way I began blogging for my company (ReptuationDefender), for two marketing blogs (Digital Pivot and Beyond Madison Avenue), and even for an entertainment news website (Screen Rant). Through all of these efforts, I began to see my professional network grow, and, more importantly, my stock with Google began to rise.

Suddenly, after months of daily vanity searches, the day finally came. Yesterday, for the first time in my life, when I started to type in my name, Google did the rest. Granted, it wasn’t perfect. As shown in the picture at the beginning of this post, I had gotten all the way to “Rob Frap” before Google showed my name, but that’s okay. Now, I just have some new goals to work toward. Next on the list: Get an autofill for “Rob Fra.”

I always hear people say that first impressions are the most important, but I don’t often hear the same advice being proffered about the internet. In the digital age, isn’t Google where we make all of our first impressions anyway? Taking a proactive stance in managing and controlling how you appear online is a vital part of ensuring your professional credibility. You may not care if Google autofills your name, but you should care what shows up in your Google results. If you’re name is associated with a drunken party picture or an inane comment on a decade old forum, you could be hurting your chances of finding a job, getting into school, or even meeting a romantic partner. Don’t let Google control you, learn how you can control Google and begin proactively building your personal brand.

It’s been almost a month since my last blog post (a fact that shames me to no end).  I assure you, however, there is a perfectly justifiable reason for my extended absence. You see, 16 days ago, I lived in sunny San Jose, California. I really liked it there too. The ocean and mountains were just short drives away and I was in the heart of Silicon Valley, where some of the brightest minds in technology live and work everyday.

Yet, despite the great weather and the many awesome friends I made while in California, I never really settled in. Having been born in Michigan, I’ve always held a strong affinity for the Midwest and its people. I believe that, collectively, we midwesterners are gracious, hard-working, and humble people (though occasionally our humility is superseded by a blinding and occasionally pig-headed pride).  My love for the Midwest, is one of the reasons I decided to move to Chicago to go to college, and why I decided to return here.

For those who have not had the pleasure of visiting Chicago, do yourselves a favor and come here. It’s an amazingly cosmopolitan city, yet it was built on the backs of hard-working, blue collar men and women. Indeed, the city still thrives thanks to the industriousness of its middle class. Even in the cold winters, you never have to go far to see a friendly face, and there is no shortage of Italian beef and deep dish pizza to chow down on. It’s truly a magical place.

But, I digress. I did not set out to craft an essay on the virtues of the City of Big Shoulders, only to explain my long absence. Now that I’m not focused on moving, and I am fully settled into my new home, I will be updating this blog, along with my other homes on the web (Digital Pivot, Beyond Madison Avenue, and Screen Rant) more frequently. At least, that’s the plan. :-)