V4Men. Wait, what?

There's a store called V4Men.
That's it. No explanation, no clue as to what the store wants to sell you. They just give you a handy V4Men label, and expect you to walk right in.

So I think I'm gonna walk in. Because all I've been able to think about for a whole day is what this V stands for (ok, and Jacob Black). It's something just for men, and it starts with a V. I'm fairly certain I know what this thing may be, but I won't spoil the surprise. And I just in case, I've come up with a list of alternatives:
-Velcro 4 Men
-Vices 4 Men
-Vacuum's 4 Men
-Vapid Men
-Varicose Veins 4 Men
-Velociraptors 4 Men

Now, unless it's a velociraptor, I'm not really interested in this product. And obviously, the store isn't interested in selling it to me. But regardless, I will brave the awkward stares and the uncomfortable moment when I open the door to find rows of V----- surrounding me, just so I know. Once and for all.

So why has this store been so irritatingly present on my mind? Because the store didn't come right out and say what it was selling. It gave me a hint, a little teaser, and then left me to my own devices. Dangerous territory, but effective advertising.

The whole point is that I'm still thinking about it a day later. Had the store simply told me that it was selling Vegetables 4 men, I would have lost interest before I was done reading the title. But by leaving me with sneaky little V, the company has successfully piqued my interest. It's sort of like that godawful 5-dollar-footlong Subway song--the godfather of all annoying advertising. You might hate Subway for it, but that song is ingrained in you for life. Sorry.

Lesson learned? Find a way to keep people thinking about your product. Preferably a much less annoying one than Subway.

Socializing + Stephen Colbert=Good Time

Why does everyone love social media? Let's give this a think. Oh, because it's SOCIAL. We, the humans, like to be social. We like to connect, we like to gossip. It makes us happy.

So by incorporating this social aspect into businesses, we the humans will by extension be happier.

At my company, Journal Communications, we like to be social. We like to chat, we like to hang out, we like to have a good time.

This called for a Good Times Committee, responsible for ensuring that every once in a while, we come together and, you know, have a good time. Last Friday we had an ice cream social. And nothing in the world makes someone happier than 'ice cream' and 'social' put together.
Unless they're lactose intolerant.

Now, I'm not just trying to say that JCI is brilliant and came up with this awesome idea, but really, it is kind of brilliant. They actively take measures to make sure that the company environment is more enjoyable, which a lot of places might not do. Apparently, there was dodgeball last year. At work.

So, for people that work 8-5 five long days a week, its good to know that someone actually cares that you're happy during that long day. Someone wants you to have a Good Time.

By the way, Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream will give a whole new meaning to the words 'good time'. It's that good. And it's Stephen Colbert endorsed. Yum.

Turn That Frown Upside Down

It's Monday and once again I am in need of a good laugh. Luckily my colleagues are there for me.

Today I was directed to an article that claims that social media sites are more then just a way to stay connected. Did you know it can actually make you happy? I mean super duper happy! Dare I say Viagra happy ( I know, gasp!).

But turns out, it's true. Well, that is if you listen to Dr. Paul J. Zak’s and his one and only specimen. But like I said, it's Monday so I will humor the thought.

According to realistic and conclusive studies there is a chemical called oxytocin a.k.a the cuddle chemical. It is a hormone created by our brains to produce mushy gushy feelings that allows us to feel secure and trust others and all that icky love stuff.

So this is where Dr. Zak's decided to step in and test how happy we get when we are tweeting our life away. The results...pretty darn awesome! His subject experienced a 13.2% increase in oxytocin levels which was said to be a significant hormonal spike equivalent to a groom on his wedding day. But wait, there's more good news. Turns out the boy who tweeted also experienced a significant decrease in stress hormones.

So what did we learn from this? Well, not too much since it is only one test on one person. But I'm sure it is safe to say that social media is becoming the drug of choice.

If you want to learn more about the study and all it's glory just click here

Social Media is like Hitting a Pinata: A lot Harder than it Looks

My niece turned 7 yesterday, so naturally, we partied.

The best part? Make your own sundaes. Those never get old, no matter how old you get.

The worst part? There was a pinata, but nobody got to hit it. They took it on vacation instead, like it would somehow be more fun to play with other kids instead of a crowd of 22-62 year olds. I know, weird.

I probably wouldn't have been allowed to play with the pinata anyways. Though as the baby of the family I've been freeze-framed as a perpetual seven-year-old, so maybe they would have given me a swing, which I would have missed and it would have been embarrassing. Whew, dodged that bullet.

But when you think about it, the whole concept of a pinata is embarrassing. You stand there, blindfolded, and bat randomly at some hanging thing that just smiles and laughs at your failed attempts while your friends laugh at you in the background when you miss and hit the birdfeeder instead. And then you stand there and awkwardly laugh with them, internally crying and feeling pathetic because you can't hit the giant animal swinging in front of your face. Really, the things we put children through. No wonder they grow up and need things like the Beautiful People dating site to reinstate their self-esteem (or obliterate it completely).

The point, you ask? I've wondered a few times myself, so I'll try to make this sound semi-enlightening (though obviously I really just wanted to talk about pinatas). Finding success in an industry like social media is just like being a kid with a dream of bursting the pinata. Except its not just a kid, it's all the kids at the party. And this is a big party, we're talking thousands of kids. They're all trying their hardest to be the one to start the candy shower, but only one can do it.

So there you are, whacking blindly at the pinata (aka social media success) and no matter how hard you swing you still can't make contact. People smirk at your efforts, and sweet success dangles inches in front of your eyes, taunting you. You try to swing a different way, try a different formula, but still success evades you. Maybe that's you; maybe you're the one who gives it your all but just can't manage to break through.

Or maybe you're the one who steps up to the plate, gives it a few swings and voila! Candy and success rain down upon you. Everyone is both extremely miffed that you burst the bubble first and in awe of your triumphant attack.

The good news? The pinata has been opened. It can be done

The bad news? You might not be the one to do it, and you might need to find a new pinata. Thats okay; take all the pinatas you need.

If there's one thing I've learned in my few short weeks working, both about social media and all work in general, it's that success is hard to come by. You don't always hit the jackpot, and there's always a competing group of people fighting to find it first. But don't give up. Remember how good it felt to actually be the one to burst the pinata? (assuming that you did in fact manage to do so, if not, insert another happy childhood memory). Got it? Good. That felt great, and grown-up success is gonna feel a whole better. I hope.

So how do you become the one to best the pinata? Erm..check back in a few months; we'll see if this pinata's still hanging. I'm still swinging.

The Good, The Bad and the Beautiful

There isn't a whole lot you can't find on the internet today. Is it nice to be able find anything you could dream of with a few swift clicks? Sure. But there's also a lot out there that shouldn't be: the weird, the creepy, the downright wrong.

What's the creepiest of the creepy? The wrongest of the wrong? The beautiful people dating website, which basis its membership on the votes of its established, beautiful members. If someone isn't deemed beautiful enough by the masses, they don't get in.

And now according to Mashable, the site has included its own sperm bank, where beautiful people can connect and plan to make beautiful babies. The site's creator has announced that now, even the non-beautiful (or as he graciously calls them, ugly people) are allowed to browse at the beautiful bank.

Seriously, this a real site. I couldn't make this up if I tried; these things called morals wouldn't let me.

The real point of this post is to show how the internet can and is used for bad. Almost anything can be made easy now, from the wonders of email to the creepiness of designer babies, and it can happen so fast people won't even know it until its done. So keep yours eyes open.

I am. And I will never look at a beautiful baby the same way again.

The Formula for Successful Followership

It already exists, and it's time to jump on the bandwagon. Everything has a formula, from the modern modes of social media to the great literature of our time.

So without further adieu, I would like to take a moment to talk about The Lightning Thief, or as he's known to us mortals, Percy Jackson. Percy is your 12 year old, average, run-of-the-mill kid. Except Percy can make strange things happen, and one day he finds himself whisked away to a secret place just for magical kids like him. But Percy isn't your average magical kid either. He's special. He's the One. And there's little downtime when you're the One. Before long, he and his two new friends (a comic-relief sidekick and a braniac girl) are off on the adventure of a lifetime to fight the forces of evil and ensure that good prevails.

Perhaps the plot sounds a little familiar. Perhaps some of you have heard of a little book (7 little books, to be exact) that follow the adventures of a boy named Harry Potter. And by some, I mean all, because unless you've been dashing through hyperspace for the past ten years, you've heard of Harry Potter. And you know exactly how it begins, how it ends and who dies in the middle. You know enough to know that The Lighting Thief is The Boy Who Lived reincarnated, right down to the nerdy names and comic/brainy sidekicks. Oh yeah, Percy Jackson deals with Greek gods, not wizards. The key (and only) difference.

Lo' and behold, The Lightning Thief is a smash hit. People can't get enough of Percy. And as a die-hard Harry Potter fan, I'm not ashamed to admit that I myself am a new Percy fan too. As obvious as it may be that Rick Riordan (author of said book) is a major J.K. Rowling (who needs no introduction) fanboy, no one really cares that the basic plot and premise is the same. They like the plot, they miss the premise, and they're willing to buy anything that will suck them back into someone else's fantasy-land. The book is just different enough to make the story its own, and that's really all an audience needs.

Now lets turn back to social media. Think of all the facebook pages and twitter feeds you've ever seen. How different are they, really? Besides the fact that all pages and feeds are programmed to look exactly the same, you might notice that most of the really successful ones follow the same formula. Formulas they picked up from other pages (retweets, @'s anyone?) that have proven successful. Same with blogs. Every social media guru runs to Seth Godin first, and bases their blog off of his uber-successful example. No shame in it; if it works, why not? There's countless examples of multiple blogs, twitterers, whatever, pitching the exact same idea with an almost identical angle, and the successful ones are those that take that angle and deliver it in a fresh, interesting way.

See the connection? Substitute gods for wizards and people will be intrigued all over again. Put a sarcastic voice on a blog pitching cereal and you'll pique the interest of those bored with their bran.

So take a leaf out of The Lightning Thief's book, and steal.

The Building Blocks of Blogs

Every blog has a beginning, and everyone has a beginner blog. Usually those blogs fail to receive the proper amount of TLC. But even with the tenderest of love and care, some blogs are still guaranteed to fail, because somewhere along the line, the blogger missed a step.

Just like it's guaranteed that every time I get a to-go box at a restaurant, I'm going to leave it on the table. And if I do manage to run back for it in time, I'm going to leave it in my car. And even if I get it all the way home to the refrigerator, I won't remember it's there the next day. Bottom line: The food's not getting eaten. And sometimes, blogs just don't get read.

But every once in a while there's that special one that does. The Seth Goden's, the Junta42's, those guys. Everyone knows those guys because everyone reads those guys. Why? Because they're good at what they do and know what they're talking about. They took all the right steps, they got their food into the container and safely tucked in the refrigerator, and now everyone's eating it right up.

So those may be the lucky guys, but I'd be willing to bet that even they had a beginner blog, and only by building on that beginner were they able to get where they are now. The bright side is that for those like me who have trouble completing the food-to-fridge process, there's always the hope that one day it will click, the right formula will be found and we could have our very own special blog. But it won't just appear, it takes work to make a quality product. And it takes time to make sure that product is in fact quality. 'Cause if the food's no good, no one will want to eat it the next day anyway.

With that said, I'd like you to semi-disregard my last post about the billboard. Because I don't think I would ever climb up on a billboard and tell the world that it was too complicated for me to remember to eat my food. But hey, if I did, I'm sure I'd get someone's attention.

At a loss for words

Striking up a conversation has never been that difficult for me. I can usually find something relevant to talk about, even with perfect strangers. So this week I was given a task to join a few groups on Linkedin and join in on the conversation. By doing this I will hopefully get myself noticed in a sea of professionals and if I'm lucky make a few new contacts. Easy right? I thought so too. Unfortunately though, not so much.

My problem...well, let's just say I feel like the new kid at school.

I have been going from group to group trying to find a place where I can belong and feel comfortable to start a conversations let alone chyme into a discussion. But every time I get the slightest never to jump into topic of conversation a sense of skepticism begins to overwhelm my brain and that pesky subconscious of mine begins telling me "WAIT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!"

I know I sound paranoid, but to be honest I haven't found it that amusing to make a fool out of myself. Plus, when the group is called Intelligent Social Media I would rather not sound unintelligent.

Lets face it I'm a newbie. What do I know compared to the people who have been using social media for marketing, advertising, campaigning, and so on? Up until about a month ago all I used social media for was to be, well, social. I didn't realize I was so out of the loop. MTSU certainly didn't provide a Social Media 101 lecture my junior or senior year of college.

I realize my fountain of social media knowledge will come within time, but my join group+start a convo assignment can't wait for forever. So to help me not sound so...oh what's the word...feebleminded; I'm going to utilize the advice from a column I read on Socialmediatoday. The article is called The 8 Commandments for Participating in Online Conversations. Not bad advice if you ask me.

Keep the Content Relevant

Social media is a great way to spread information about your company or brand to the public: True.
Social media is an easy way to spread unwanted information in a very public fashion: True.

It's a fine line to walk between saying enough and saying too much, and social media outlets are littered with those who have lost their balance.

My limited experience with professional social networking has left me with few of my own words of wisdom, so I'll borrow someone elses: "Don't say anything in a blog that you wouldn't want plastered on a billboard with your face on it." -Erin Bury.

Basically, if you wouldn't say it out loud, don't say it online. I tend to gear this advice more towards professional media outlets, where its important to remember not only who you're trying to reach but who you're representing. After all, the whole world may be listening.

Oh Mondays...the day that requires a good sense of humor.

I always try to find something that will amuse me just so I can make it through the first day of the week. Could you blame me? I didn't think so.

So what has me giggling inside. You guessed it. This guy!

This is David Perez. A regular 29-year-old recruiter for Leo Burnett. Now, I know what you must be thinking. That's great Abbie but nobody cares. Well trust me, you will care.

For six days (June 21-26) this poor fella will be at the mercy of a plethora of tweeters. As a bet this man has agreed to do whatever his twitter followers tell him to do, that is everything that is legal. Call me cruel, but I find this very exciting.

Now this is of course a semi-cheap ploy for his employer to gain some heavy publicity (gotta love social media!). But I wouldn't scream employer harassment just yet, especially since David will get a pretty sweet deal out of the whole debacle if he completes the the entire six days.

If you want to learn more you can go to CNN or Mashable to get the whole scoop. Until then I call upon my followers to help me think of some things we should have David do. Any ideas?

Whahahaaaaa......

My Battle with the Like Button

Facebook's Like button has earned a giant Dislike from me.

My battle began recently, and it began with this blog. I cannot for the life of me get a Like button to appear on this lovely screen you're looking at it. I've spent too much time trying to deliver the exact code into the exact spot in the edit tab. Nothing happened. I finally managed a pathetic Like button that doesn't sit in the right place and only appears for me when I publish my post, and then promptly disappears when I try to view the blog.

So I decided I didn't really need a Like button. Like buttons are weird; I don't need to know everything that my facebook friends give a big ol' thumbs up to.

But then I stumbled across this article on Mashable, which claims that a Like button can increase a blog's traffic by 50%. Great.

Despite my general dismay with the article and the now inescapable task of adding a Like button, the general message is interesting. Link your blog to facebook, and more people will see your blog. I'm sure if your twitter account were linked to your facebook or vice versa both accounts would be getting a lot more hits as well. Social media is so interconnected that it's become hard to have one without the other. Everyone has their favorite (I'm a facebooker, despite our Like button quarrel), and I'm sure everyone has their least favorite (really, how can something that constantly tweets in your ear not be annoying?), but no one can deny the power of social media when the forces behind it combine.

And so my battle continues.

Mark your calendars...it's time to celebrate

Do you love social media? Of course you do! And that is why I hope this blog post gets you excited because the time has come for us die hards to have our day...that is our day completely devoted to social media.

Thanks to the good ole folks at Mashable they are declaring June 30 as the internationally celebrated day of SOCIAL MEDIA. All across the globe Mashable is urging everyone to attend or organize a Social Media Day meetup.

This has been a long time coming if you ask me. Social media has completely revolutionized the way we communicate with one another. Plus, almost everyone does it. To think that Facebook was originally a social networking site for college students is laughable. Now that everyone and their mama, businesses, and much more are connected in some social media aspect it only makes since to have an international day to recognize it. I can only hope that one day it will become official.

So mark your calendars everyone and lets make social media history together!

Good to Kno...

Do you know about Kno?

As adults in the professional realm we may never be that familiar with Kno. However, if you are a teacher, a student, or a parent of a student you might wanna pay attention because textbooks are getting a major face lift.

Now there is Kno! (Que the church choir singing hallelujah)

Kno is a 5.5 pound dual screen tablet that allows students to upload their textbooks, write on a digital notebook paper, make notes, have instant internet connection, highlight material, keep track of test dates, and so much more. Oh what I would have given to have something remotely like this as a student. Who knows the long term damage my spine has suffered from 30+ pound book bags.

Anyways, I thought this would be interesting to see where this goes in the long term. If your ever around kids you know the feeling of astonishment when you see a four year-old navigate the computer just as well as you do. So I'm sure Kno will be a walk in the park.

Easy & Effective Webpages

How do job applicants get noticed in today's job market?

I have found myself asking that question a lot lately. To me, it seems that one would need more than a error free resume on ultra bright white paper. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel that a single piece of paper doesn't do anyone justice, and I didn't suffer through all those years of college just to have my resume passed over. So I have decided the best thing for me to do is escape the norm and to market myself using any and all resources possible. Lo and behold, Mashable introduced a brilliant idea. Design and Build an Attractive Personal Homepage with Flavors.me.

Flavors.me is a website that allows it's users to create an original homepage for themselves while showing their uniqueness and creativity. Not only that, it provides a space for viewers to look at one's social media sites (personal or professional) all in one place. I find this pretty awesome on the social media aspect because, for professional reasons, I now have a place for my potential employer to see my portfolio using Blogger. They can also access my Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter pages. And for those of you who are connected to other social media sites, Flavors.me is connected to 20+services.

If your like me and HTML is so not your thing then Flavors.me is perfect for you. Flavors.me takes a "just-add-water" approach on designing your page. Lets hear it for super easy!

Put Some Confidence in Your Creativity

I am not creative. It's not my gift.

Here's why: I can't draw pictures. I don't sculpt. I've never thought of a science-fiction or fantasy plot. I don't wear hot pink eyeshadow or hang out at indie coffee houses. I go to Starbucks, ok?

So when the situation arises that requires a little creative thinking, I immediately revert to the aforementioned "I am not creative" mindset. You can guess what happens next.

Nothing.

So I'm trying out a new mantra: I'm creative. And in order to fully embrace my new-found creativity, I must address some of the major roadblocks keeping this creativity in check.

1. The constant "I'm not creative" chant. I'm done with that. I'm no robot; I have a mind, a personality and even a little imagination. I think I can produce some creativity with that.

2. The Fear. The dreaded, make-your-heart-pound-and-palms-sweat fear of sounding a little bit stupid. Or worse, a lot stupid. I am quite familiar with The Fear, and quite ready to be done with it. This is a blog, which means that if someone's laughing at what I'm saying then at least I'm not there to see it.

The point? Social media in general requires a little creative thinking, and a blog certainly does. But it's not something to spend hours stressing over; I'm not ready to take the fun out of Facebook or the funny out of YouTube videos. And if I can break through my mental block and tap into some creativity, anyone can. Even if they go to Starbucks.

The Secret To Successful Social Media

Ahem. Hello? Anyone there? ...didn't think so.

Getting people to pay attention to your blog/facebook page/twitter account isn't easy. There are thousands of them for people to follow, and it's difficult to separate yourself from the many. Unless you know the secret. George W. Bush certainly does.

George W. Bush's new facebook pageT was Liked by 57,000 people in one day. So what's the secret to success? Simple: You have to be famous. Everyone Likes famous people.

Unfortunately, for the non-famous portion of the population, there is no real hidden secret. There are tips and steps to take to improve your numbers, but no sure-fire method to success.

I'm sure that many may ask themselves what someone with 5 followers thinks they're doing offering advice on how to build their following. Not only am I clearly not famous, but I clearly haven't mastered the art of virtual popularity. It's a fair question, so I won't offer advice. I'll offer a fact.

It all starts with content. Write something worth reading. If the content isn't there no trick or tip will save your blog. Write about something you know, something you love or something other people can relate to. Then it's time to start looking for ways to really spread the word.

It's really no secret at all.

Language Please!

Do you know someone who could benefit from a swear jar? Twitter does! According to the site they estimated, on average, that there are 475,200 swear words tweeted per day. Whew, that sounds like a lot of aggression. So since Twitter is missing the automatic bleep button they decided to make those potty mouths pay...for a good cause of course.

Now there is a Twitter (APP) called the Swearjarr. It's pretty advance too. It keeps track of everyone on Twitter and calculates every time a foul word is used. All you have to do is enter your user name and it provides you with the suggested amount that you owe for not using your words. The most naughty word is more costly of course. It all goes to a good cause though. Each month SwearJarr splits the proceeds between two charitable organizations. New charities are chosen every month.

If you still don't get what the whole concept of a swear jar here is a funny YouTube video brought to you by the good people of BudLight.

The Tweet Life: Twitter for Beginners

Today I joined Twitter. That's right, I'm a tweep.

I'll be the first to admit that as a new member to the Twitterverse, it took a little while for the lingo to grow on me. I thought tweet was bad, but after a little practice I grew comfortable throwing it out in normal conversation. Then came tweep, which took a little longer, but as you can see I have now proudly declared myself one.

But it gets worse. Much worse. There are tweethearts, twitteritas and even twitterati. For anyone interested, here's a full list of all the words that now begin with tw-.

After reading a list like that, people may begin to doubt the validity of a site like twitter. It's tempting to dismiss it as just another social site being taken over by teens (tweens?) who want their own world complete with their own language.

But don't. I've recently learned that Twitter is an amazing way to stay connected with customers, find new ones and establish an ongoing interaction with people who could be beneficial to your brand, as well as stay up-to-date with what's going on in your industry. Here's a list of 10 best practices that I liked (especially #7--listen before engaging. Always a plus in a social setting).

Now go on, tweet away.