Using Social Media Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Tendenci

2009-11-022014-11-02

Thirty Days of Thanks – Coffee Groundz

I want to thank Coffee Groundz and specifically JR Cohen for being one of the biggest inspirations for not only me but countless others in our community. You continue to raise the bar in social outreach and never forgetting where you came from. You embraced Houston with open arms and I’ll be damned if we’ll ever stop hugging you back.

Coffee Groundz Lovez Geekz

Coffee Groundz started off with a basic but killer recipe of great coffee, tea, food and full bar, throw in their embrace of all things Geek and Coffee Groundz has easily become THE place to be and be seen. Over the past year or so Coffee Groundz has become the jump off in all things Social Media, Twitter, independent Art shows and anything and everything Geek.

Looking to get your Tweetup on? Head to CG tomorrow at 6pm. Looking to brush up on Social Media? Join other SM geeks at the Social Media Breakfast, there’s one this Friday November 6th at 8:30 am. Fan of KPFT’s Technology Bytes? Check out their Geek Gathering this Friday at 7:30 pm. I could go on and on. Check the Coffee Groundz Events Page for more info.

Not only did they embrace online social connections they opened the coffee shop to real life interactions that go beyond Facebook and Twitter. CG is regular stop for local artists and musicians. I was lucky enough to have a one person poster show showcasing some of my Concert Posters there.

Basically, they are ingrained in our community. If you want to know what is going on with Web, Arts and Music in Houston Coffee Groundz is a great place to start, and you’ll never go thirsty plus they always have free Wi-Fi and electrical outlets for your laptop

JR Cohen, You Rock Our World

It’s like they say, behind every great coffee shop is a great man. If they don’t say that when then they should but what can you say about JR? For one thing he is a winner of the 2009 Social Media Awards by the Austin-American Statesman. A very prestigious award that left a lot of people jealous and for good reason, he makes it look easy. Awards aside JR makes sure that everyone is taken care of and things like that aren’t easily taught, you need to be born with it

Open Letter to JR Cohen:

You sir give each and everyone of us a warm fuzzy every time you walk into a room. Whatever it is you do, whether it is some kind of voodoo magic or Jedi mind tricks please keep doing it. You make each and everyone of us 100% better just by knowing you. I always know that you have our backs and on behalf of everyone else in this crazy community we whole heartedly have yours. Houston and Texas is proud to have you as it’s son.

I know you’ve easily turned into one of my favorite people and its not because you’re going to grow a mustache for charity with us this year but because of the reasons above, plus many more and the fact you always have a smile on your face

Coffee Groundz and JR Cohen’ Thanks from all of us, you deserve it!

2009-08-182014-11-02

Trend Tuesday: Picking Panels for SXSW 2010

Well folks, it’s that time of year again. The time when technology experts, social media gurus and a whole slew of other web personalities congregate to the same online place. I’m talking of course about the SXSW 2010 Panel Picker. There are a few changes this year that make voting a bit more Interactive.

First, the voting is for more than just the Interactive (web) Conference. Voters can now select panels for the Film and Music Conferences. The many different panels are displayed in a table interface similar to Google Reader list view, with keyboard shortcuts for quick browsing. J and K will move you down and up, and a Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down vote can be cast with a 1 or 0 (very binary, we know). Voting closes September 4th, so be sure to get your picks in by then.

Speaking of picks, it may at first seem overwhelming when you discover there are 2215 panels to choose from. There is a search option to filter, but if you still need some inspiration you can always count on your social networks. A quick search on Twitter for SXSW Panel will give you an almost endless list of bit.ly links. You can also check out Facebook to see which panels you friends are voting for, or to let them know which ones you have picked. As the conference continues to grow, keep an in out for more discussion and promotion for these panels in the next few weeks.

The formula for choosing the final panels that will appear at the SXSW Conference next Spring is a mix of the voters (you and me), the staff, and an advisory board. While it isn’t a pure democracy, the voters do have a say, which is a welcome change from other large conferences. This type of outreach to the attendees and larger tech community is one of the reasons that SXSW has been so successful.

You now know where to vote, how to vote, why to vote, and places you can find out for whom to vote. If you need more recommended picks, we have a page dedicated to the Schipul SXSW 2010 Panel Picks. It is filled panels staffed by some of the Schipulites and some of the community members that we think are awesome. Along with voting, you can support your favorite panels by talking about them around the internet.

Let’s make SXSW 2010 the best it can be by using the web to promote the top panels that we want! See you in the comments…

2009-07-30

Boss Blog of the Month: Bumper 2 Bumper Traffic Blog

Boss [baws, bos]
-adjective

exemplifies a unique quality; awesome; incredible
An expression from the mid 1950s, which fell from favor by the early 1960sâ€¦.until now..

Bro, traffic blew this morningâ€¦I was 20 minutes late to work and missed donut circle time. Dude, go check out the Bumper 2 Bumper Traffic Blog, it’s so boss!

My mornings are not your typical ‘wake up, drink coffee, sit on your thrown reading a nice article about ‘Why we swing our arms when we walk‘â€ routine. They usually entail a Sprite on the rocks, Quaker oatmeal, andâ€¦(queue harmonious music)â€¦KPRC’s traffic updates brought to by Jennifer Reyna. To be quite honest, I don’t really care much about traffic, my morning drive is pretty ordinary with the familiar stoplight hobo and occasional rubber necking. Basically, it comes down to the simple fact that Jennifer Reyna is so gosh darn adorable and an hour on the ol’ boob tube just ain’t cuttin’ it anymore. But I have found the light…

Jennifer Reyna’s Bumper 2 Bumper Traffic Blog is seemingly mundane, but I stand true to my word when I say this is a must-read. And I think you know where I am going with this. That’s right my tiny cupcakes, the Boss Blog of the month is every Houstonian’s greatest foeâ€¦traffic.

This recent “find” if you will, is what I like to call a boss moment. I could equivocate this to the time your beloved Harry Potter obsessed monkey friend literally dragged you to opening night of H.P.’s latest flick, in turn leaving you with a little obsession of your ownâ€¦Hermoine Granger. In a nutshell, the movie is the traffic and Jennifer Reyna is Hermoineâ€¦now you’re with me folks!

So what makes a blog about traffic so special? Go ahead and pump those breaks champ…I am going to tell you.

Here are my Top 5 Reasons why Jennifer Reyna’s Bumper 2 Bumper Traffic Blog is the Boss Blog of the Month:

I really don’t have to say much here…
It’s rare to find true passion in a human being, much less through a traffic blog. The Bumper 2 Bumper blog exhibits just thatâ€¦passion. With every post, you know Jennifer is writing from the heart. Hell, I bet she sits at her computer singing The Beatles and yelling out random sayings like, Skittleeedooo!, just because she is that happy. To be honest, I find it quite enjoyable to read about Goat Milking Contestsâ€¦
Jennifer posts pictures from just about every event she attends. I realize that posting pictures on your blog is nothing new, but for a reporter, it’s good to show people you are actually human. Like I have said before, I just don’t trust robots and neither should you if you know what’s good for your children.
She listens. Every few posts, she takes questions that she has received from her viewers and answers them openly and honestly.

Dear Jennifer,

Could you please tell me why we swing our arms when we walk? Also, thank you for being you.

Sincerely,

Courtney P.

I will be crossing my fingers for a response in the meantime.
Jennifer has obviously realized that KPRC is not just a TV station. It is a media outlet. She has enabled viewers, like me who are unable to watch a lot of television, to receive information through her blog. She has also built an extraordinary brand through her Bumper 2 Bumper blog and that is definitely something to be modeled. Jennifer Reyna is not only an inspiration to the Houston community, but she has made my morning commutes a little more enjoyable. Jennifer Reyna…you’re boss.

Say hi to Jennifer on Facebook!

Thank you Kim Yokota for the awesome traffic pic!

2009-05-26

Trend Tuesday: You’re a Facebook pro, your friends are not

Tired of getting tagged in embarassing photos? Yeah, us too.

File this under ‘(semi) oldie, but goodie’, this Facebook Blog post on 10 Facebook Privacy Settings is still incredibly invaluable if you’re one of thousands that find themselves logging on to Facebook for more business than pleasure these days.

So how do you separate your cool business persona from your old grungy college dorm pals on Facebook?

Glad you asked, here are our top 5 ways to keep your image all pretty-like on Facebook in the face of even the most obnoxious photo tagging collegial chums:

Create friend lists
Friend lists (accessible by visiting www.facebook.com/friends) are an easy way to sort your Facebook contacts into your own personal Facebook spheres that each sport their own privacy policy. This is not only an easier way to read updates and see content specifically for a group of people you want to catch up with, but lets you control who sees your content too.Don’t want your co-workers to see last weekend’s birthday party photos (see #4 below)? You get to say what friend lists, networks and even specific people can see them (and very specifically NOT see them).

You are a multi-faceted person, so create whatever kind of friend lists work for you: ‘college friends’, ‘high school friends’, ‘family’, ‘work’ or ‘roller derby pals’. The point of being on Facebook is to connect with people you want to stay in touch with and/or grow a relationship with. Make sure that you customize, tweak and mold Facebook into the exact kind of tool you need.
Take control of your search (be invisible or be bold!)
You may not be interested in your Facebook profile showing up in Facebook searches at all! Update your Privacy Search page and customize your Search Visibility by selecting from the dropdown box. Also take a peek at what content a search for you will come up with on Facebook (your profile pic, friends, fanpages, etc. to further customize your search experience.

For further privacy, uncheck your ‘Public Search Listing’ box to remove you from search engine indexing. This means that no one searching on Google or Yahoo will come across your Facebook profile when searching.
Watch your contact information
Depending on how open you are or what your professional goals are on Facebook, you might want to go all out and include your mobile phone number, your birthday and even your physical address. But many of us want to keep some of those personal details under major wraps.

Visit your Privacy>Profile page to select who gets to see what on your profile — you get to fine tune your friends’ access to your info. From basic details to contact info to work experience, you have the final say on who has access to what. Still concerned? You can even test drive your profile’s privacy by typing in a Facebook friend’s name to see how they see your profile.
Embarassing photos? Forget about it!
Facebook also lets you control who can see your Photo Albums – so you can send your goofy river trip photos to your family and select friends — or make it visible only to the Friend Lists you specify.Go to your Privacy page >> Profile >> ‘Edit Photo Albums Privacy Settings’ and select the dropdown applicable to who you’d like to see/not see that album. To choose from your Friend Lists, select the ‘Custom’, select ‘Some Friends’ and then choose the Friend Listing from the dropdown box.

If you want to limit who sees Photos and Videos that haven’t uploaded yourself but have been tagged in (remember those embarassing high school prom photos!?), select the dropdown and select ‘Custom’ > ‘Some Friends’ > and then choose the Friend Listing you want. No more problems!
Cloak your facebook activity
Not everyone needs to know when you’ve gone through a relationship status change, have left a note on a friends’ wedding photo or have added a friend. Check out your News Feed and Wall page to make sure that only the actions you want made public are, in fact, public.

Photo thanks to Flickr user (and awesome publication) Found Magazine

2008-11-192014-11-02

Want to Start a Blog? Schipul Can Help!

’71 percent of all journalists get stories from bloggers,â€ said Dallas Lawrence at the Central Michigan PRSA Social Media event on November 14th.

Hold the presses! If your voice is worthy of making headlines, why isn’t Schipul helping you make your voice heard?

Good news! Schipul is offering blogging services to our clients. Join us in kicking-off this new service by attending our blogging seminar today.

So, what took us so long to offer blogging services to our clients? It’s not like we aren’t avid about blogging; in fact, many of our employees voice their personal passions via blog posts. For example, MagsMac ‘N’ Cheese is a blog which translates the techie lexicon into easy to understand terms for the emerging tech geek.

We have guided community organizations in creating fun and factual blogs, like the Houston Zoo’s Frog Blog.

Schipul has also helped organizations such as the Houston Arts Alliance take advantage of the blogging mouthpiece to amplify their voice around the Houston area.

Whether the blog is for your organization, your company, or your own personal musings, Schipul is here to serve you with a customizable line of blog offerings.

2008-11-122014-11-02

5 Social Media Myths brought to you by Rohit Bhargava

Today a few of us Schipulites attended the Houston AMA Luncheon to hear Rohit Bhargava speak. Rohit is the SVP of the Ogilvy PR group and founding member of the international agency’s pioneering Digital Influence group. The topic for today’s talk was “Why Personality Matters” and Rohit is considered expert on helping companies discover their personalities.

He wrote Personality Not Included, “a new marketing book for entrepreneurs, marketers and all businesses about the importance of personality and a guide on how to use it.” His talk today seemed like a pretty good overview of what I imagine one can expect from the book.

He passed on a lot of great information today but the takeaway I really want to focus on are the five myths businesses harbor when it comes to using Social Media to maximize on their personalities.

Five Big Myths:

Myth # 1: “If we admit we’re marketing, they’ll stop listening!”

Fact: People listen to what they are interested in so BE RELEVANT! Don’t attempt to force feed your audience with boring marketing gobbledygook. Engage them and they will listen. Social Media is a great avenue for companies to share things things that are relevant to their consumers.

Myth # 2: “You should just give up control.”

Fact: What! Why? Social Media allows your company to get the truth about your company out there so why would you remain passively unengaged with your audience? Applications like twitter allow you to monitor what your clients/prospective clients are saying and interact easily and immediately. The example Rohit used was the cable company, Comcast, using Twitter as to help its consumers solve cable issues faster.

Myth # 4: “Our brand is the hero!”

Fact: Sometimes it is okay to share the spotlight or even totally promote someone else. People don’t like companies that are constantly talking about themselves. Highlight others, pay it forward, and don’t just talk at your consumers.

Myth # 5: “Transparency is the Future!”

Fact: Transparency is great. If you practice transparency and actually have good practices, it builds trust. But even more important than transparency is AUTHENTICITY. You can be transparent all day long, but if you’re not being real, no one will be listening to what you have to say.

“Blogging is the answer!”

Fact: So your company has a blog. Great! Just because you have a blog, it does not mean that things are going to be all cake and pie for your company. A blog does not magically solve all of your communications. So don’t slap a blog like a Band-Aid over your issues and ignore them because they will not go away!

So there it it, the 5 Social Media Myths businesses believe as explained by Rohit Bhargava! I’ll be purchasing Personality Not Included and I’ll let you know what I think. 🙂

To read more check out our Search Engine Marketing Blog on Social Media Myths.

2008-11-072014-11-02

Facebook Users Attacked by Trojan Virus

Thanks for reading our Schipul Blog – feel free to subscribe to our RSS feed and check out how we can help you with your Social Media and online marketing needs!

Facebook and its users are having a rough day. A serious Facebook virus is attacking the network’s users.

For the laymen:

If you receive a Facebook message (or a Facebook message alert in your email) with a questionable subject line, DO NOT CLICK THE LINK IN THE BODY!

All of the information in this post was garnered from an awesome article from news.com.au by Narelle Towie.

Questionable subject titles vary from “Maan,yyou’re great!” to “your ass looks not bad in this video”, “Some0ne thinks your special and has a *Hot_Crush* on you. Find out who it could be*” or a youtube link that says ‘”i can see yooooooooo”. These links disguise a trojan worm and should not be clicked.

This trojan comes just months after Facebook said it was working to protect its user from phishing scams.

For the tech geeks, here is a more detailed explanation of the virus from Towie’s article:

FACEBOOK users are under attack from a virus sweeping through the online social network.

The virus is technically a trojan worm that disguises itself as an email from facebookmail.com.

People are enticed to click on a misspelled video or picture link that directs to a malicious web site.

The worm spreads its tentacles by emailing everyone on the victim’s friend list.

According to anti-virus software company Symantec, the trojan works by executing a worm called W32.Koobface.A that searches for cookies on the user’s machine.

If the worm finds the appropriate Facebook cookie, it modifies the users account settings and profile – adding links to malicious sites to trick others into installing the invader.

Facebook discussion boards talk about the trojan directing users to a page which looks like YouTube.

The phony page asks the user to install a video player upgrade.

Installing the fake upgrade allows the worm to work its magic and access files on the victim’s machine while destroying their Facebook account.

Facebook has begun combating the virus by deactivating link when it can.

Facebook has not released an official comment regarding the attack.

**Thank you Flickr user pshab for the awesome Facebook photo.

Is your company just jumping into the Facebook and Social Media world? Schipul can help!
Check out our Social Media page and be sure to attend our upcoming Blogging seminar!