iPhone for Verizon: Will it Impact Social Media?

Now that Verizon has really, truly, officially released the news that it will release a version of the iPhone 4 in February, what changes will occur?  Yes, the Verizon network has some limitations (no browsing while talking) but I don't do that while I use my Android-based phone anyway.

Smart phones are gaining market share.  I was holding out for an iPhone for a long time - refusing to switch to AT&T - until I learned about the Android platform.  Still, there are many "i" loyalists who will jump at the chance to own an iPhone.

What Does This Mean for Social Media?
More users with smart phones means more instant updates.  When I had a regular flip phone I struggled to update my Facebook status or to tweet via SMS text message.  It had to be a really good update otherwise it wasn't worth the effort.

My smart phone has an icon right on the "desktop" that links to the Facebook or Twitter app and within seconds I've reached an interface that looks very similar to the website version.  I type out my status update and boom, it appears.  Simple.

As soon as people realize how easy it is they'll be Facebooking, tweeting, checking in, and everything else like old pros in no time.

Blogging's a different story - it depends on one's comfort level with the touch keypad or in the case of my Droid, virtual keyboard.  My fingers can't handle long typing sessions so to the computer it is for blogging.

Being Present and Immediate
Another cool aspect of smart phones is that they allow you to take a photo and immediately send it anywhere via just about any platform.  Within seconds, people knew our rental car has been broken into in Seattle.  (I was really documenting it for insurance purposes, but it was "fun" to share.)  I made a few friends jealous by proving I was sitting behind equine legend George Morris at the Maclay final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show (he was judging).  You can show off the fact that you're on vacation (see right).  And for work-related purposes you can share images of your company at that trade show/conference or company outing.

Tracking Growth
Facebook should be an easy place to start measuring.  It often notes when an item was uploaded from an iPhone and an increase in these will probably start to appear in coming months.

6 Months to Go!

Note:  This post really should have run on Saturday the 11th, but silly me set it for today.

It's hard to believe there are only six months remaining until our wedding.  Almost a year ago (December 15) we got engaged on a beach in Aruba.  Now we have all of the major wedding plans out of the way and are concentrating on the little stuff - which seems to add up and be more work than the big stuff.

Right now the focus is on gathering addresses for the guest list, tuxes and a limo for the guys, escort cards for the reception, hair and makeup artists for the bridal party, hotels for the honeymoon, and finishing printing the invitations.  My attempt over Thanksgiving only yielded the invites themselves - not the inserts; the paper was too small for the printer.

Only a few small things.  With lots of other small things to follow!  I now understand why people hire wedding planners.  Luckily, there are lots of resources to help guide you through the process.  I have both a book and an online master checklist so I'm covered!

Early in the process I drove myself crazy searching for blogs online and looking through bridal magazines.  Talk about idea overload!  This, in retrospect, was stupid because I more or less knew what I wanted.  But do a search and you'll come up with sites like Style Me Pretty, Offbeat Bride, and One Wed that are full of ideas - in fact, you'll want more than you can handle at a single ceremony/reception!  (No wonder so many people get married more than once.)

Once I get this round of tasks completed there's still a lot more to do - figure out transportation to JFK, determine how to get Chinese lantern lighting for less than $50 apiece, address and mail over 100 invitations, coordinate dress alterations, complete centerpieces, print day-of items, go over what we'll say during the ceremony... pretty much and endless list.  Luckily I love it.  :)

Back in the Saddle

Having unofficially completed my master's degree I have some limited free time for "hobbies" once again.  (During the course of working full time and taking classes part time over the past two and a half years I'd almost forgotten what both free time and hobbies were!)

When I was eight years old I got my first pony, Savvy, and started learning how to ride horses.  I rode constantly until I was about 20 and completed my associate's degree.  From that point riding was sporadic.  If I felt up to it and had time, I rode.  If not - I didn't.

Now I feel as well as I'm going to feel and I have as much time as I'm going to have.  So I'm riding again at a great farm with lots of horses that need work.  

This post is inspired by the fact that I needed to get a new helmet last weekend.  Equestrian riding helmets are meant to be replaced every three to five years because the styrofoam and other materials can break down and become less protective.  Additionally, if you fall in your helmet, you should also replace it because the material could have become compressed.

My helmet was nine years old and I'd fallen in it no less than three times.  So I found a helmet that is comfortable and safe and went on my merry way.  But it got me thinking about a recent blog post I read about how much "stuff" you need to buy when you have a baby (keep reading, I'm getting somewhere).  Horses are much the same!  

I don't even own a horse since Savvy passed away over a year ago.  But just to go ride someone else's horses I need, at a minimum:

• My own clothing - boots, half or full chaps, helmet, gloves, and possibly spurs and a whip
• Equipment - saddle, saddle pad, and possibly a fleece pad
• Brushes (if the horse doesn't have its own) - curry comb, hard brush, soft brush, mane comb, hoof pick

It's also nice to have:

• Towels, fly spray, and horse treats - it's nice to be clean, keep the bugs away, and reward the horse after a ride!
• Girths in various sizes - there never seems to be one that fits and if it's too small - well, imagine trying to put on a belt that's too small - you just won't be wearing a belt that day
• Coolers, anti-sweat sheets, and other blankets - on cold days or after a bath it's nice to be able to dry the horse quickly
• Clippers - in the winter particularly, horses get very fuzzy and things don't fit right - with clippers you can easily buzz off that hair!
• Bits - if you need to try something different it's helpful to have that vast bit collection you accumulated over 20 years
• Boots and wraps - some horses hit themselves when they move so it's nice to have assorted polo wraps, leg boots, and bell boots to choose from
• Training aids - martingales, side reins, and lunge lines make it easier to deal with a frisky horse

This list includes items I could think of in five minutes.  I'm sure I left quite a few things out - and this is just riding equipment - it doesn't even begin to cover the equipment you need to just to own a horse!  Needless to say, I have two big wooden trunks full of stuff at my disposal.  

But when I rode Maverick last week (see picture from two years ago) I found four 42" girths (size small for you non-horse people) but no large ones.  Luckily I was able to borrow a bigger one, because a horse with no girth holding the saddle on would make for a good comedy, but it would also test out my new helmet pretty thoroughly!

Resources:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Horseback-Riding-Helmet-Dos-and-Donts&id=2455160

Holiday Cheer

A little less than a month ago I wrote about preparing for holiday shopping.  Now December is here and the holiday season is in full swing.  Nearly all of the gifts we intend to give have been wrapped and the holiday cards are written - just waiting for a trip to a photo print center so I can pop some pictures in them.

Today we celebrate one of my favorite holiday traditions:  getting our Christmas tree.  When I was younger we'd wander through the woods at a rural tree farm until we found the perfect one.  Now we venture about 20 minutes from home to a fresh-cut tree lot.  Luckily it's not a depressing parking lot tree lot - it's on a farm.  The trees are beautiful Douglas and balsam firs.  The thought of that first whiff of pine has me excited already!

Before we leave we'll pull the boxes of decorations from the basement, along with the tree stand.  I'm also hoping to put up our outdoor lights before we leave.  That tradition is typically conducted on the weekend after Thanksgiving, but I was away this year.

I can't wait to open the boxes of ornaments and Christmas decor.  Each one has a memory associated with it:  the antique tin birds my great grandmother gave me from her own tree, the huge Santa Clause from my grandmother, the beagle and horse ornament collections, and more.

Of course, despite being finished with my shopping, I'm going out for a little more tomorrow.  Target has a coupon for a $15 gift card if you spend $150 (I got their $10 gift card for spending $100 on black Friday).  My mom needs a few gifts and I need to buy her a pair of slippers as well as some grocery items so together we can probably hit it.  I also discovered this pretty cool Android app:  Google Shopper.  Scan a product bar code and it'll tell you prices for the product at various stores as well as other information.

Happy Holidays!

Thankful for Friends & Family

This Thanksgiving I'm apart from most of my friends and family, including my fiance.  I traveled three hours to another state to visit my father.  Oh, and use his laser printer to take care of the wedding invitations and inserts - and participate in black Friday shopping in a tax free state.

I'm thankful for a father who lets me use his stuff so I can save several hundred dollars on this piece of the wedding.  I'm thankful for a mother who proofread my invitations on an ancient computer while on vacation.  I'm thankful for family that understands why I'm apart from them today.

I'm thankful for the friends (three bridesmaids) who stopped by the other night to help assemble some wedding items.  They stayed well past their babies' bedtimes so we could all get blisters from the scissors on our thumbs.  (I guess that's my cue to invest in some more comfortable pairs of scissors!)  I'm thankful for the cousin (another bridesmaid) that offered moral support via phone this morning when I realized I did not bring the files that contained my wedding invitation information with me on my trip.  I'm thankful for yet another bridesmaid who is addressing all of my RSVP envelopes!

Enjoy your day and take some time to be thankful - for whatever it is you appreciate.

Are You Ready for Some... Shopping?

Black Friday is right around the corner!  I was always afraid to shop on this day because of the reports of long lines, crowds, and people being trampled in order to get a great deal on a TV.  One year I tried shopping on the day after Thanksgiving and am glad I did.

I learned a few tricks that make it easier and to me, the deals and relief of getting most of my shopping done in one day are worth it.  I'll share five of my Black Friday tips in this blog entry.

1. Plan ahead.  Instead of watching football on Thanksgiving Thursday I scour the flyers that come with the newspaper.  (Many retailers even have preview ads online this year.)  I make up a shopping list ahead of time so I determine which stores have the best prices for the items I need.  I write down the store(s) in which I can get each item and bring that list with me so I waste no time browsing while I shop.
   
2. Avoid electronics.  Unless you really-really-really want that TV or other appliance, avoid electronics stores on Black Friday.  (Or, make that your primary objective and plan on doing that only.)  I skip stores like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target because I know they'll be zoos.  I don't want to stand in a line just to get in the store so I start elsewhere.  If I make it there later, fine.
   
3. Know where you're going.  I decide which items are the most important for me to get and plan on going to those stores first.  Then I map out the rest of my route for the day.  If the trip involves a mall, all the better, because that only involves parking once.
   
4. Start early.  Get to the first store as soon as it opens.  You may want to adjust your plan in #3 to start at a less important store if it opens earlier than a more important store.  Starting earlier means that it's easier to park, the stores are less crowded, and the check-out lines are shorter.  Yes, Black Friday is busy all day, but the crowds at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday are equivalent to 6:00 p.m. on a regular day.  By 10:00 a.m. they're unbelievable.
   
5. Bring water, a snack, and your patience.  Everyone is focused and in a rush.  Don't forget that you're purchasing gifts as part of the holiday season.  It never hurts to remember what that's all about!

Resources:

http://policeonthescene.com/?m=200811 [image]

No More Pencils, No More Books...

The title of this blog post is not entirely true.  Sometimes I like to write in pencil and I love books and reading.  But don't you remember that little song from elementary school?

No more pencils
No more books
No more teachers' dirty looks


I'm sure there's more to it but that's all I can recall.

The song comes to mind because I recently presented my final project to wrap up my master's degree!  In December, I will receive my diploma for a MA in Communications.  Two-and-a-half years of hard work have come to a conclusion.

I learned a quite a bit through the degree program.  I most liked learning about public relations, social media, and video editing - although I don't have much practical use for that skill.  But it is fun!

I tied the things I learned about social media, PR, and crisis communications together for my final project.  At work I've been put in charge of site moderation for my company's forum site.  The policies and tools are in need of major upgrades to make the site more professional and consistent.

In the course of my research I examined:

• The comment and moderation policies of other sites
• Laws and regulations regarding the First Amendment and copyright
• The time it takes to conduct moderation
• Ways moderation and our tools could be improved

Maybe I'll cover some of my findings in some future blog entries.  I learned a lot and came up with lots of suggestions for improvement.  We've already implemented some new policies for standardization and hopefully we can get some new tools to make our communications even more professional!

Resources:

http://freebieprofessor.com/blog/2010/top-freebie-trading-forums [image]