Category Archives: Smartphones

Build communities, build yourself

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photoLast summer, I was fortunate to attend a Socialmedia.org conference in Chicago. It’s is an exclusive community of social media thought leaders who are enthusiastic about sharing their own experiences and best practices with members of the organization. I love any opportunity for a conference in Chicago — home to amazing hot dogs, pizza, Navy Pier, pizza, the Cubs, pizza, museums, pizza and more. See where this is going? Fortunately, I was traveling with a colleague who was smart enough to suggest that we consult Yelp to make our culinary decision. It led us to Pizano’s and the rest is eat-until-you’re-miserable history. I still dream about that pie.

If you travel, Yelp is a necessity. Last year I used it in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Princeton, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Miami. So, when I arrived at this month’s Social Media Breakfast (SMB) Madison meeting with speaker Corey Dane of Yelp Madison, I was expecting to hear what I already knew about one of my favorite apps. Boy, was I wrong!

Corey reminded me that Yelp is not merely an app for travel and it’s much more than a means to quiet my growling belly. Yelp is a fantastic way to support your local fare by finding that lesser-known cafe or dive bar and then writing a review about the best burger to ever cross your lips. Or to inform fellow hotel guests that they can exchange their floral scented hotel shampoo for an unscented version. Maybe you want to rave about the spa that offers wine with your pedicure. Yelp sponsors offline events for its most loyal contributors and grants them with “elite” status. It encourages you to stand behind your reviews with accurate profiles and personal photos. Yelp builds communities.

While Corey highlighted three main keys to success in building a loyal community for your business, I couldn’t help but notice the parallels to success in building your own personal and/or professional success. These notions to 1) Get Personal, 2) Forge Connections and 3) Embrace Fun are undoubtedly why companies like Starbucks have built strong communities while spending little money on advertising. They seem so simple and yet the impact of applying them can be tremendous.

What do you think might happen if you tried applying those same notions in other areas of your life? Where do you begin? For starters, you need to work hard, cultivate relationships, surround yourself with positive people, celebrate people from all walks of life, don’t be afraid to laugh out loud. According to Corey, “Success = Time + Passion.” Great tips from a guy who knows a lot of about building communities…and the best places to eat in Madison.

Is this camping?

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I didn’t camp much as a child. My only real memory of camping was a weekend with Uncle Ed and Auntie Rita at a Yogi Bear’s Jellystone campground where my dad accidentally pitched our tent on top of a spider’s nest. In his defense, we arrived in the dark and had just narrowly escaped a group of angry pre-teens who didn’t appreciate our station wagon headlights shining on their outdoor Yogi movie.

I camped in a tent once or twice with my husband and spent one entire evening shaking through a severe lightening storm waiting for a tree to crush my skull. While admittedly not a huge fan of the tent camping, I love all that goes along with the full camping experience…hiking, biking, kayaking, bonfires, s’mores, Toby Keith, and Tanqueray. I wanted it all, and so began our camping evolution.

The tent retired into the basement and we bought a pop-up camper. Had some good times in that old Dutchman and even camped into Month 8 of my first pregnancy. God bless the Luggable Loo. A couple years went by and we splurged on a used hard-sided camper, which we still own today. We’ve blown all four tires, almost lost a side wall on the Interstate, smashed a window and cracked a water pipe. Time for an upgrade?

While a friend might (and does) argue that dining in supper clubs and having a private bathroom is not camping, it suits me just fine. That said, this past weekend when we took our not-so-trusty old camper to northern Wisconsin with the kiddos, I realized that maybe, just maybe, we have evolved a little too far.

What do you think? Too much?!

Google Doodle gets it

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Google is famous for its timely “Doodles” that change with the seasons, the holidays, and world events. This morning’s Google Doodle was dedicated to Valentine’s Day, of course. It featured a short video of a boy scouring the Web to buy his young crush a myriad of stuffed bears and candy only to be rejected in favor of her jumping rope. Finally, the boy gives up his Google search for the perfect gift and decides to simply jump rope with her. Shazam! She puts down the jump rope and the boy gets the sweet hug he’s been working sooo hard to get.

Keep it simple. Why 24 roses when one beautiful rose can put a smile on somebody’s face? Even the best-selling Valentine’s Day candy of all time, Conversation Hearts, gets it. The phrases are simple: Kiss Me, Be Mine, Love You. Have you ever pulled one from the bag that said, Buy Me a Diamond Necklace?

Take your time. What do we really want from our significant other? Time. Get off your computer, put away your smartphone, and spend time talking to each other. Or don’t talk at all.  ;-)

Ninety-nine percent of Google revenue is generated from its advertising programs. That includes advertising for flowers, chocolate, jewelery…all big sellers on a day like today. In my opinion, that makes this morning’s Google Doodle even more special. I was already a Google loyalist, but today I <3 Google even more!!!

Word Girl prevails

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I have a love/hate relationship with Alec Baldwin. On the one hand, I’m not so much a fan of listening to him call his 11-year-old daughter a “thoughtless pig” on her not-so-private voicemail. On the other hand, Baldwin’s Schweddy Balls skit on SNL helps rank him as my second all-time favorite host of the show (my heart belongs to Justin on that one). When Baldwin made news last week for being kicked off an American Airlines flight because he refused to turn off his cell phone while playing “Words with Friends,” the first word that came to my mind was moron. But a few days ago, I was invited to play my first game of “Words with Friends” and now I get it.

Words are my friends. They got me through four years of journalism school and a certain co-worker of mine has been known to call me “Word Girl” when she needs a good synonym. The mere thought of myself sporting a superhero cape and saving the world with my words is enough to rouse goosebumps!

While I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, I have enjoyed an action-packed Scrabble match in my day. “Words with Friends” is really just an online Scrabble match with people who don’t live in your house. So then why is it so much more addictive?!

It took 2.5 days to finish my first and only game. Granted, my opponent and I have busy lives and families, but we also calculated each move very carefully and I could literally feel the tension from 300+ miles away. I found myself playing under the kitchen table during breakfast and hiding around the corner at playtime. I even studied my game at a 6% incline on the treadmill while watching the Green Bay Packers do their thing. Now that’s multitasking at its best!

There were some exciting moments during this weekend game as well as some questionable word choices such as zee and fixit, played by my opponent. At one point, I was horrified to realize I had lost a turn when I swapped my letters and suddenly found myself 30 points behind. Several moves later, I pulled out a 33-point tween and was back in the game. Just when I thought the board was mine, my opponent won a 39-point brugh and become very cocky on the messenger, so I appropriately retaliated with a 30-point glib. In the end, this Word Girl brought it home.

What’s my next move? Mr. Baldwin, if you’re reading this, I would be super jazzed if you would accept my invitation to play a friendly match with yours truly. If you must fly, I might recommend trying Funjet…seems like they might better understand our predicament. Game on!

Video chat, schmideo chat

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Remember the first time you recorded your own voice and then listened to it? For me, it was on a large black tape recorder owned by my elementary school. I remember cringing at the sound of my voice and thinking that the machine must have distorted it to create that annoying whine. Interesting that technology hasn’t advanced much since then because that same voice exists on my voicemail today. Hmmm.

When I was pregnant with my son, we bought our first video camera to document our miracle baby and all of his milestones. Five years later, I still run for cover when my husband grabs the camera to catch me and the kids dancing in the living room or playing soccer in the backyard. I like to consider myself more of a director type than the actual on-screen talent.

I recently splurged and purchased my first smartphone. It’s everything I could want in a phone and more. What’s the more? Video chat. Why on earth would I ever want to video chat?! I love a good Google Talk as much as the next person, but by talk I really mean type.

When I get home from my day job, the real work begins…cooking, cleaning, kids to bed, and finally a killer workout. By the time I’m ready to hop online, I ain’t too pretty. The last thing I want is to do is chat with my friends and family sporting a sweaty ponytail and a spaghetti-stained tank. Have you ever seen what you look like through the phone camera anyway? Talk about a close-up…your forehead looks twice as big, your eyes are slightly crossed, and your pores are enormous. Vain? Absolutely.

Will I never video chat? Well, I must admit that I do look forward to personally blowing my babies a kiss goodnight during my next trip to New Jersey. For that alone, I’ll learn to tolerate the feature. But don’t expect an invitation from me to video chat with you anytime soon.