Pinning Pinterest

So Pinterest is everywhere now…But what is it?  You know when you’re looking online and see something you love but don’t want to forget it?  You either email it to yourself or Bookmark it on your computer. Well not anymore….A genius has created Pinterest.  There is a simpler way to compile everything you love and do not want to forget.  This ranges from wedding ideas, food, crafts and more.  One can create boards of every category and save everything they do not want to forget.   It takes a while to get the hang of everything but you’ll get the hang of it soon.

It is a great way to get lost in time looking for everything under the sun.  Here is a great info graphic below to explain how and who is using Pinterest.  I have also come across a great article about the ups and downs of the Social Media craze from Pinterest themselves:  http://www.pinterest.com/rlott55/pinterest-how-to/ …Be sure to check it out!

 

 

The Top 10 Inspiring Photographs from 2013

In today’s time there are so many smart cameras and accessibility to multiple effects that enhance their pictures.  With that being said it is rare to find photographs that have something special about them.  Below are a few of my favorite images from 2013.  I found them while stumbling upon some interesting photography sites. The link below has 75 pictures of 2013, which contains several amazing images from all over the world.

Here are my top 10:

#1 – Invisible Reflection (originally #69)

#2 –  GRAND CANYON LIGHT SHOW (originally #66)

#3 –  IRIDESCENT ANTARCTICA (originally #63)

#4 –  THE WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES (originally #58)

#5 –  THE FULL CIRCLE RAINBOW (originally #56)

#6 –  IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT (originally #51)

#7 –  KAMCHATKA ICE CAVE, RUSSIA (originally #24)

#8 –  THE EYE OF THE MOON (originally #7)

#9 –  CLOUD CITY, DUBAI (originally #5)

#10 –  FOREST ON SHIPWRECK ISLAND (originally #30)

CLICK HERE to view more amazing photos: www.artfido.com/blog/the-top-75-pictures-of-the-year-for-2013/ 

Who is Santa?

The million dollar question over time is who is Santa? Is he real or just a made up figure in time?  Well personally I believe that it depends on you…If you choose to believe in a man, treats, or a spirit then Santa could be anyone.

There have been millions of theories, movies and books about Santa Claus.  Some believe that the story began hundreds of years ago, with St. Nicholas.  “He was a monk who was born in Turkey around 280 A.D. He was however not a jolly fat old man but a skinny generous man. There was a poor man, who had three daughters, but did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn’t get married. One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house This was repeated later with the other daughters as well. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.”

This story was shortly brought over to America by Dutch settlers.  The Dutch gave St. Nicholas the nickname “Sinter Klaas,” a derivation of the Dutch Sint Nikolas, which eventually evolved to Santa Clause.  Roughly 100 years later, Santa Claus started to resemble the Kris Kringle of popular culture, when giving gifts to children around Christmastime. One of the modern images of Santa Claus took shape in part to Clement Clark Moore who wrote the famous Story “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Soon after illustrator, Thomas Nast took, was inspired by the poem to then create the image of Santa Claus as a rotund figure with a white beard and holding toys for children. Nast is also given credit for associating Santa with his North Pole workshop, reindeer, elves, and Mrs. Claus.

From these historical stories, Santa Clause has evolved over the years from stories to tradition.  So who is Santa Clause?  Is he a generous skinny man or a Jolly ‘ol Soul?  Man or Myth?  Well we may never know…but we should always believe in the spirit of a figure who inspires and bring life and joy to those around.  HoHoHo.

Check out this fun Infographic about Physics of Santa:

O Christmas Tree…O Christmas Tree..How lovely it is to find the right one

As Christmas approaches it is very important to have a tree this Holiday season.  It is a very strong tradition in many American households.  I know personally picking the tree and decorating is a huge deal in my family and a tradition that I want to pass down to future children.  I came across this great infographic I wanted to share.  Its fun and has great stories about Christmas trees throughout the years.  Have a blast picking out your Perfect tree for Christmas!

Changing Social World…Are you Changing with it?

As the world changes advertising and marketing is changing as well. One of the main questions is what is this social media? Social media is defined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as “user generated content, the blending of technology and social interaction with other users. This technology in many different formats gives every user the means to put out information to the greater world. This media is commonly known as Facebook, Twitter, Photo Bucket and scores of other sites.”

This social trend is evolving over the past twelve years or so. Traditional media has been filled with various articles about social media and the changes that comes with it.  This brings up the subject of social media in everyone’s mind. Social media seems to have grabbed hold of everything and shows how much of a big movement it has become.

The growth of social sites isn’t for nothing. Individuals  are posting  information on the Internet for their friends and the whole world to see.  As Im sure we all have seen frequent useless  information that is nonsense  like celebrity sightings and comments about what  Mary had for lunch. But there are many postings that one can learn about important things too. Today  you can learn just about anything you want on the Internet and especially form  social media sties. The world has evolved and everyone is jumping on board.

Corporations are also using this new movement for their benefit. Many large corporations like Google monitor their social media sites to take care of their customer service issues. I have heard of people that complain about their service or damaged products on a certain companies’ site and they receive a call, email, or tweet back from the corporation to see what they can do to correct things.  What great customer service! Sometimes better service than what you would receive in the store or by just calling.

These same corporations are utilizing social media sites to advertise products or services in more modern ways.  The social movement is influencing how people think and act today. This medium has changed how business  think and how they operate  communication methods for both people and organizations. Now some people now use social media to take the place of the old fashion advertising.

The world is changing…Are you changing with it?

What an internship can do for you!

Internships have become an important part of a college student’s education. Through internships one gains experience in different fields, test career interests, establish contacts that can assist with networking, and receive letters of recommendation from professionals in the field. Internships can really build and contribute experience to ones resume.

In addition to these benefits, internships act as a way for one to gain experience without committing themselves permanently to a specific field.  Internships allow someone who do not know exactly what they want to do to, work in different fields with the hope of finding a job they really enjoy. For others internships confirm their interest in a particular course of study and reinforce their career goals.

Internships gives one the competitive edge over other students when seeking a full-time job after graduation. Many employers give preference in hiring to students who have previous internship experience in their respective industries.  In today’s competitive job market it is essential that you gain career skills and make the most of your experiences.

What do you do in a social crisis???

After just searching the web for a research project I am working on I came across this article: 4.5 Tips for developing a Social Media Crisis.  This is great for any one to know what to do in not only a professional standpoint but a personal one as well.

So how do you prepare for a social media crisis:

Designate a spokesperson.

• Who is going to respond to all comments.  One person should be driving the boat.  Make sure that you keep your passwords to only one person so everyone is not commenting on all social media mediums together.

Prepare Responses beforehand

• We all hope that there will never be a crisis but make sure you have a plan in place for different scenarios  just in case.  You can never bee to prepared in a case of emergency.

Create a game plan for comments

• Figure out what comments are going to be said and how the wording will flow. Do not argue with fans or bicker back and forth.  Be polite and professional.  Having a game plan for disrespectful comments will pay off.

Keep the negative comments up

• Never give into the negative comments.  Dont make or comment on these negative comments.  Stay away form making slanderous and negative phrases on social media sites.

 

Now that you’ve had the recap, hopefully we all will follow these plans and be prepared for a social media crisis. Click on link below to view full article:

http://www.copypress.com/blog/4-5-tips-for-developing-a-social-media-crisis-plan/ 

 

Best!

MG

Late night thinking…

Late night thinking…

– Be what the world needs…No what the world needs is for people to come alive…Come Alive

To Advertising of 2013 and beyond

It is no secret that advertising is going digital, moving from the older print age. If I were to teach the youth of today about advertising there are several things I would make sure they knew.

This is one of the most dynamic and creative industries, one that changes rapidly. Advertising has changed in many ways due to new trends, different audiences, and different products.   The advertising industry holds more change than the previous 80 years. Increasingly empowered consumers, more ever-evolving technologies are redefining how advertising is sold, created, consumed and tracked.

Today consumers are increasingly in control of how they view and interact with the media.  This happens by filtering the advertising in a multichannel world, by shifting their attention from traditional TV to skipping ads, sharing and rating tools.  Thanks to technology, advertising is pushed forward by the introduction of new innovations and approaches for controlling online intelligence.

Advertisers are constantly trying to monitor and measure the amount of data across the web.  While social metrics like tweets, likes, comments and mentions record the consumer engagement, companies have yet to determine how these connections drive a company’s growth.  In the next few years’ companies will be able to connect the dots between engagement and customer possession.

With the rise of the smartphone, advertisers have been taking advantage of this method of online consumption.  Mobile ad clicks and purchases have been low, but in the years to come a new generation of mobile networks should support even better online experiences, creating more opportunities for advertisers.

With methods evolving and changing so rapidly, who knows where advertising will take us in the next five years.  Over the past decade there have bee massive changes to the digital advertising industry but the main objective to sell the idea or product remains the same.  As an advertiser you want to build a relationship with you customer and the brand. Building relationships are one of the most important aspect to hooking your customer. After all the change, some things just stay the same.

How ready are you?

In the upcoming year I will have finished a second degree at Radford University in Communications- Advertising and Graphic Design.  I felt that obtaining both of these would greatly help me for my future career.  Having all of these degrees state I know what I am doing is wonderful, unless I really do know what I am doing.  So do I?

After reading Jeremy Poter’s Blog article, Skills Entry-Level PR Hires Should Have, I really started to think: “Am I ready for a future in Communications”?

He has a great point to state that one should go and experience life before working the 9-5 everyday right after school.  When I graduated with my first degree in graphic design I jumped right in without any experience.  I wish I had taken the time to know myself and develop my skills a little more.  This would have given me an upper hand on the performance and skill set I brought to the table.

Now that I am back in school, I feel more confident that I made the right decision to further my education in the communication-advertising field.  I had the writing skills, internship experience, social media experience, and multimedia experience but not as much as I thought.  Even now, taking advertising classes and working on these group projects are helping me strengthen my skill set.

In a year from now…Heck…Three years from now, I hope to have the knowledge to be able to hook that job.  I believe that I will be prepared for the past media, in hopes to develop and continue to work with the new- not yet invented future. 

MG

Read Jeremy’s Article for more insight. CLICK HERE!