This is a Story about a Boy Named SoTacky33

Picture it, Sicily, 1929. A young man sitting in a field dreaming of conquering the social media world. Okay, so it was Connecticut, 2001-ish and I was sitting with Marina Mitas in science class. I can’t tell you what kind of science, all I can tell you is I hated it. What I didn’t hate was gossiping and writing notes with Marina the entire class. We were caddy to say the least, but from that caddiness came the online moniker I beared for many, many years. For us at the time, there was NOTHING worse than being ‘tacky’. From fellow classmates, to science lessons, to people's clothing, being ‘so tacky’ was just about the worst insult we could dish out. So I did what any any teenager in 2001 would do, I made my favorite saying, so tacky, my AIM screen name… and since adding numbers to the end was all the rage, I picked 33, my house number (33 Spinning Wheel Road.)

I’ve used SoTacky33 for every online identifier over the past 14 years. I had no idea that one day, I would be name dropping SoTacky33 at networking events, panel discussions, and on television. In using the name more and more, it didn’t sit right with me that this ‘insult’ was the name I chose to identify myself. It didn’t come from a good place, and I wanted to change that.

For the past year or so, I toyed with the idea of changing SoTacky33 to something that better reflected my name and personal brand. I ran the idea past every single one of my social media savvy friends to the resounding answer of “YES! CHANGE IT!” My buddy, social media guru Joselin Mane, guided me through the process for a seamless transition. Through his guidance I was able to make the switch in an afternoon with no loss of followers… actually I gained followers.

So what does it all mean? @SimkoSays will have the same great content as @SoTacky33 but in a more focused, more cohesive package. The name obviously better reflects my own name and while SoTacky33 will always be a part of my success, it’s time to put it to bed. I plan on incorporating more video and dishing out even more style tips, hacks, and recommendations. Keep an eye on Periscope & Snapchat for lots of behind the scenes video from TV shoots (announcement soon!) and other exciting projects. Instagram & Twitter will remain my homebase where you can follow along with all my adventures.

In the world of social media, the possibilities are limitless. Twitter, Instagram & Facebook have allowed me to chase my dreams and start turning them into reality. I owe that, in no small part, to SoTacky33. So keep following, liking, clicking, snapping, favorting, tweeting, watching, and supporting. I appreciate it more than you know and can’t wait to see where the journey leads.

xo

Matt