I’ve got a crush. 
Make that... 5 crushes. 

As the human behind Kinvey’s social media accounts, I have a keen interest in how other companies represent themselves on the 'net, particularly on Twitter. I am a huge (pronounced without the h, like the old folks do) proponent of allowing personality to shine through a company’s social media presence, with a dollop of humor and perhaps a sprinkling of edginess. There are some companies that do these things very well. I have a big ol’ crush on these companies. Let me count thy ways:

Athenos

I don’t know about you, but when I think of yogurt, “innovative,” “hilarious” or “clever” aren’t exactly the first words that come to mind. But Atheno’s embodiment of an old, sassy Greek woman named Yiayia exemplifies all of these qualities that many brands strive for. Their website features Yiayia front and center as the authority on all things Greek food. And her personality really shines on social media. Athenos’ Twitter handle conveys a stubborn, no-bullshit, wise old woman with no filter in less than 140 characters at a time. Ironically, she’s behind the times and rather clueless about social media. She tweets borderline inappropriate (in the best way) tweets such as:

Here's the deal: I'm (re)starting a blog. This is the very first post (hi! welcome!). It will be awkward, because that's just how firsts are. First dates? First kisses? First impressions? You are either a filthy liar or a flawless human if you tell me that you've never experienced a painfully, laugh-about-it-later-but-in-the-moment-you-want-to-die awkward first.

Quite unsure how to kick off my blogging reattempt, I fumbled through dozens of topic ideas. This is okay; that could work; this is better, but not perfect. I told myself I would finally publish something but then I didn't and I didn't again. I wasn't sure if I should just jump right into a real blog post of actual value without any sort of ... introduction. But intros are awkward and boring and bla bla bla, said my annoying self-conscious brain, preventing me from actually just DOING it. 

So here we are. I said "Fuck you very much!" to my doubts and embraced the inevitable awkwardness of my first blog post, if for nothing more than to just get something out there and become motivated to continue blogging. Rest assured, subsequent blog posts will center around marketing, startups, music, art, creativity and general daily musings. But for now I present to you: Kelly at her most awkward.

My teeny nugget of wisdom from this awkward post: if you’re thinking of starting your own personal blog, stop. Stop thinking about it. Just effing DO it. It'll be awkward, but it will BE. And that's all you need to get things rolling.