UT's Ridiculously Photogenic Guy

https://www.facebook.com/UTexasMemes

As a follow up to my post last week I wanted to share UT’s very own ridiculously photogenic guy. Mathew “Mattie” Kelley, a 20-year-old University of Texas at Austin student was photographed in the second annual Longhorn Run last Saturday. What a funny spin off of a silly, but popular, trend!

Another reason to be addicted to Pinterest

Goodbye to you,” said Kelee Khalil, to the hours spent perusing through bridal magazines, scrapbooks, sites and blogs. Founder of Lover.ly, Kellee Khalil, has created a wedding search engine to simplify the wedding planning process.

“We are trying to make wedding planning online easier and image discovery better,” Khalil said.

Khalil found inspiration from planning her own sister’s wedding. She found it hard to follow 30 wedding blogs at once and coordinate with other bridesmaids when planning for her sister’s wedding. So, as entrepreneurs do, she filled in the gap.

Lover.ly operates with 32 wedding blog partners including Wedding Chicks, The Brides Café and celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss.  Lover.ly is different than Pinterest in that it does not allow its users to upload their own pictures because Khalil wants to keep the site searchable and beautiful.

“We want to have the most beautiful gallery of weddings and our partners are seeing the best stuff in the industry and are able to curate,” Khalil said.

http://lover.ly/color/blue

Texts from Hilary

Texts from Hilary, a popular Tumblr post called it quits yesterday one day after the founders met the secretary of state herself.

What started as a joke between two Beltway public relations guys has resulted in 83,000 shares on Facebook, 8,400 Twitter followers and over 45,000 Tumblr followers.

“As far as memes go – it has gone as far as it can go. Is it really possible to top a submission from the Secretary herself? No. But then when you get to text with her in real life – it’s just over. At least for us,” wrote founders Stacy Lambe and Adam Smith.

Check out Hilary’s own version of the meme below!

http://textsfromhillaryclinton.tumblr.com/

The Tale of Ridiculously Photogenic Guy

Well, social media has done it again- it has catapulted an ordinary person to a worldwide idol of fame in a matter of days. Zeddie Watkins Little, or “Watkins,” who this week was dubbed “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy” is now one of the hottest icons in the world.

The story begins with photographer Will King, who attended the 10K race in Charleston, S.C. where King’s friends were participating. King previously had no relations to Watkins until he snapped his picture while looking for his friends.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ridiculously-photogenic-guy-zeddie-little

"I noticed he looked really good in that picture," photographer Will King said. "Overall, it didn't look that good except for this one guy, so I tossed it out there to see what people think."

King then posted the photo to Reddit and was spread by users to Facebook, Twitter blogs and meme creators. Watkins and King have now begun being interviewed on national television talk shows like “Good Morning, America.”  

This is yet again another story of how social media can change peoples’ lives. 

Is Facebook making you feel fat?

Facebook usage has been linked to low self-image and has been named a factor to developing eating disorders, according to a recent public survey. The survey was conducted by the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt in Maryland among a sample audience of 600 Facebook users ages 16 to 40.

"People are now constantly aware of their appearance, thanks to Facebook," Steven Crawford, associate director at the center, told TechNewsDaily. "A common reaction is, 'I need to be thinner' And it's that kind of thinking that can lead to hazardous dieting."

The survey showed an astounding 75 percent of Facebook users are uncomfortable with their own weight and an additional 51 percent of the people said that Facebook photos of themselves made them even more aware of their body size. Even more devastating, nearly 1 in 3 Facebook users said they when compared pictures of themselves to pictures of their friends, they felt sad. Forty four percent wished they had the same body or weight as a friend on Facebook.

I believe that this survey is really just touching the surface of this issue. Young or vulnerable people log onto Facebook several times a day, only perpetuating their insecurities. I will be interested to see what other results will come from similar studies.

Chick-Fil-A now serving steak sandwiches!

A succulent, juicy steak filet lies perfectly poised between freshly baked buns emitting a sweet aroma of deliciousness and awe. The Chick-Fil-A new steak filet sandwich pleases all your senses down to the very last bite.

The king of fast-food chicken known for their anti-cow campaign has finally done it- they have opened the door to a new market of beef lovers.

Say goodbye to your beloved Chick-Fil-A cows! All “Eat mor chikin” advertisements were pulled last week in anticipation for the new steak filet sandwich launch.

http://hophogs.com/2012/04/01/trying-the-new-chick-fil-a-steak-filet-sandwich/

April Fools!

This blog post was inspired by the true April Fools joke played by Chick-Fil-A. They have once again made their way into the consumer conversation… and on a Sunday when all operations are closed. Just brilliant!

#openheartsurgery #live

Houston’s Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital celebrated Heart Month by being the first institution to ever live-tweet during an open-heart surgery.

The event made an estimated 125 million impressions on Twitter, Storify and media coverage in the weeks following the operation, capitalizing on its social media efforts.

“We’re always becoming more connected as a society,” says Gary Kerr, CEO of the non-profit Memorial Hermann Healthcare System’s Northwest Hospital. “Information can’t be contained anymore, and that’s the most positive thing about the Internet.”

The event combined the digital and medical environment to educate a large audience, whether or not those audience members have every connected with Memorial Hermann before. Users were able to ask questions and get answers during the two and a half hour procedure.

Keep up the good work, Memorial Hermann!

Twitter can bring out the worst in people...

I would like to think that with advances in technology and research, our beliefs would advance as well. A blissful thought, I know, but it’s depressing to see just how wrong I am.

Take for example, the Hunger Games racism squabble. If you haven’t heard, many Hunger Games fans are complaining about the races depicted of two characters, Rue and Cinna, in the recently debuted movie.

Take a look for yourself:

http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made

If you have read The Hunger Games, I hope you catch the irony in this response. Author Suzanne Collins based the conflicts in the trilogy on the evils of human nature in an attempt to warn society of our potential downfall. And here we are proving her right.

As a media guru, I can’t help but comment on the powerful presence social media can have on issues like these. Perceptions on social issues can multiply and be shared in a stunning new way but as we see in this case, it’s not always in the best light.

Feel free to check out the below links for more information on The Hunger Games racism response.

http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made

http://jezebel.com/5896688/i-see-white-people-hunger-games-and-a-brief-history-of-cultural-whitewashing

Financial institutions wary of social media

It’s undeniable that the world has reshaped its culture around social media. We see it everywhere…except in financial institutions.

William Alden of The New York Times’s DealBook reports that Wall Street firms are “tiptoeing into the fast-paced world of social media.” Firms either tightly monitor communications in regards to security regulations or flat out block employees from using social media sits while at work.

In addition, Michael R. Bloomberg, that mayor of New York, says technology can just add pitfalls to financial endeavors.

“Social media is going to make it even more difficult to make long-term investments,” Bloomberg said

My suspicion is that the financial institutions don’t want any chance of data sharing to put their clients’ money and their own money in jeopardy. Well Facebook and Twitter, you win some, you lose some.

Why I oughta... fight Kony on my phone!

Iconosys recently released an Android app called Kick Kony’s Ass, which allows you to punch and generally beat up a picture of Joseph Kony. Kony has kidnapped children in Uganda and required them to become soldiers for the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has resulted in a largely universal hatred towards him.

“This is a therapeutic way to allow you to get out your frustrations,” Wayne Irving, CEO and Founder of Iconosys told Mashable. “I often go and hit the speed bag or the punching bag, and I feel a 100% better afterwards. This is a novel/virtual way to accomplish some of the same therapeutic practices to deal with this fracas.”

 “Simply tapping on the screen in different areas determines whether you get to provide Kony with a Roundhouse, a 1-2, a left, a right, and finally, a big hand to the face. The more you tap the screen, the more punishment you get to give Kony. Finally, you can share your experience with the game on your Facebook page, directly from the embedded game-over screen.”

Iconsys claims that they “[do] not endorse violence in any way.” …but yet they created this app for you to commit virtual violence towards Kony.

My personal opinion is that this is a hypocritical way to combat Kony’s violence. However, it gets the job done of publicizing the social injustices Kony has committed. Originally, I was concerned it would cause users’s violent tendencies to increase but studies show this is really only a concern for young audiences…and you won’t find 8-year-olds playing this app.

What do you think? Is this a good idea or not?

Facebook welcomes Timeline for Brands

Today I saw what is hopefully the last edition of Facebook Timeline editions on my personal profile. But don’t think Facebook is done just yet. Facebook announced this morning that Timeline is now available for Pages.

Now brands can reap the benefits of a more personal experience with Facebook users. Brands can now display cover photos to reflect logos, products, or personalities. The timeline itself can be used to tell the story of the brand identity.

“The goal is to make Pages more engaging and more social,” said Gokul Rajaram, Facebook’s product director for ads.

Administrative changes will also be improved. An admin panel is easily accessible off to the side of the page. The panel allows admins to post notifications on your Page and displays performance data. This feature also allows you to directly respond to inquirerer’s messages without having to switch to another page.

These features will do wonders for a PR consultant by providing an organized storyline of the brand. This will allow us to uncover the evolution of the product and the way the brand interacts with consumers. Oh the places we will go!

Do not fear! Google's new privacy policy is here!

Google implemented a new master private policy last week that now replaces more than 70 different documents over all of Google’s products.

The point of this new document is to condense all the legal jargon into one, easy to understand document that outlines the company’s privacy policies.

Sounds sketchy? It’s not.

“We aren’t collecting any new or additional information about users. We won’t be selling your personal data. And we will continue to employ industry-leading security to keep your information safe,” wrote Google’s Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering Alma Whitten in a blog post.

The video below best describes the new privacy policy. Check it out!

#themeaningoflent

A lot of people complain that the Christianity isn’t “up with the times.” They say the church can’t relate to the 21^st century and that the bible is outdated. Well, try telling that to Pope Benedict XVI, who plans to tweet every day of the Lenten season to spread the message of Christianity.

 “Many of the key Gospel ideas are readily rendered in just 140 characters. The idea was very simply to try and use Twitter to share with people the essence of the Pope’s message for Lent, so over the 40 days of Lent to tweet every day one of the ideas of this message…. doing it in a way so that people can re-tweet and already people we know from our meeting with bloggers last year are already re-tweeting…” says Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications Paul Tighe says,

This is just another example of how Twitter is changing the social media environment. Be on the watch to see how the Twitter audience responds to the Lentel tweets.

"No Boys Allowed"

Plan UK, a nonprofit organization that helps children in third-world countries, gives men a taste of their own centuries-old medicine in their new interactive media campaign.

http://www.psfk.com/2012/02/facial-recognition-billboard.html

Plan UK has launched a new interactive outdoor media engagement initiative that only allows women to view the whole ad. The advertisement is being tested on Oxford Street in London’s West End for two weeks before launching in various cities across multiple publics.

The advertisement uses a high-definition camera to scan pedestrians and identify their gender before determining which ad to show. If identified as female, the pedestrian will be shown the full 40-second “Because I’m a Girl” video that promotes sponsoring a girl to receive an education in a developing country. However, if you are identified as a male, you will be routed to the Plan UK’s website. What’s the point, you might ask? To show men “a glimpse of what it’s like to have basic choices taken away.”

Will this campaign be a success or a flop? Facebook and Twitter comments are already saying it’s a flop. Many people view the video as regressive, offensive, and down-right dumb. What if a couple wants to watch the video? Will a man be as enticed to visit the website instead of women? And why not install a card reader so people could donate on site?

Good luck, Plan UK.

Love Visualized: A Mashable Love Story

You may have seen this little news nugget on your Twitter or Facebook feed this week, but let me set the story straight. Drake Martinet of All Things Digital proposed to Stacy Green of Mashable the night prior to the launch of this internet graphic. But the traditional proposal wasn’t enough for Martinet, he wanted to show his love for Green in the context of his second love, digital media. His solution was to create a statistical analysis of the chances of their love.

“I always say something unromantic, like ‘Yeah there’s probably only a few hundred thousand people who would fit with you as well as I do, and the odds of them meeting you is pretty low,’ ” Martinet said. “To me, that’s sort of the equivalent of soul mates.”

Martinet looked up population statistics and created an algorithm based on various factors such as where he’s lived, the amount of time he lived there and the average number of people he met each day. The couple believes that they met by more than just luck and the infographic is an illustration of that.

“I wanted to showcase that even though I’m pretty logical, and probably over-logical, I still believe in small miracles,” he said. “Stacy is evidence of that.”

LittleMonsters.com

Little Monsters UNITE! Lady Gaga has launched a social media website to do just that- create an online community exclusively for her trillions of fans, whom she lovingly calls her little monsters.

The site is currently an invite-only beta and invites fans to sign up to “be among the first to experience a new community only for little monsters.”

While I’m anxiously waiting for my invitation to be confirmed and therefore cannot give a first-hand perspective, I have heard the site is a mix between Pinterest and Facebook. It sounds like the site is a type of Lady Gaga shrine where little monsters can vote for their favorite Lady Gaga tributes, pictures, and videos.

So how will this social media site measure up to its predecessors? Based on previous social media presence, she should do pretty well. Lady Gaga currently has over 19 million followers on Twitter and over 47 million likes on Facebook. But don’t jump the gun just yet. Facebook and Twitter are platforms that can be used for other reasons besides your Lady Gaga fascination, so can Little Monsters compete? Well just wait and see.

Puppy Bowl VIII

For the third time in three years, the Super Bowl ranked first in the most watched television broadcast with an audience of 111.3 million. And as it has for years, the Super Bowl served those 111.3 million viewers with football, commercials and…dogs!

Four out of eight of the top ranked commercials on USA Today Facebook Super Bowl Ad Meter featured furry canine friends, including my personal favorite, Volkswagon’s “Dog Strikes.” And if you didn’t get enough canine action during the Super Bowl, perhaps you were able to tune into Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl VIII.”

Legend has it that this “Puppy Bowl” wound its way from network executive’s jokes to a full-on media counterprogramming strategy. If you can’t beat ‘em, why not just air an endless loop of cute puppies and join ‘em? The Puppy Bowl first aired in 2005 and drew an audience of 150,000. Since, the Puppy Bowl has grown into a multi-media mega-play place with sponsors like Ice Breakers, Kraft, Pedigree, and Disney to draw an audience of over 8.5 million viewers.

I’d say this year, Super Bowl XLVI went to the dogs.

AdAge’s partner Bluefin Labs, a social-TV analytics company, is currently tallying up the Super Bowl social media commentary. Bluefin Labs has tracked as many as 12.2 million social media comments during and after Super Bowl 2012, mainly on Twitter and Facebook. That’s an astounding 578 percent increase over the total Bluefin tracked last year. Specifically, there have been over 985,000 social media comments specifically related to just Super Bowl commercials.

While they are still busy crunching numbers, a Bluefin Labs study that measured the most social media responses within 45 minutes after a commercial air is available for viewing. And the winners are….

http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/10-super-bowl-commercials-won-social-media/232548/

That's right, David Beckham's salivating H&M Bodywear ad racked up the most social media comments in the first 45 minutes. Apparently, 108,914 people were able to overcome the initial speechlessness of the ad to type out a comment.

Then, of course we have the Clint Eastwood Chrysler ad with 95,682 comments. Certainly less scandalous, this classic, inspirational spot sure did get people talking. 

And again, Betty White to the rescue for NBC's "The Voice." 

Take This Lollipop: The Ultimate Facebook Creeper

Interactive video “Take This Lollipop” creatively visualizes the undeniable horrors of online socializing. The video transports you to a dank, stuffy basement where you watch actor Bill Oberst Jr. (whose credits range from “True Blood” to “The Secret Life of Bees”) grow in aggression as he hacks your Facebook profile, scrolls through your personal pictures and news feed, and even searches a map of your town.

Creator Jason Zada, a commercial and viral marketing director who created the interactive “Elf Yourself” online campaign for OfficeMax, said he “wanted to do something that messed with people” and to spur thought about how much information we allow people access to online.

"Our privacy was dead a while back and will never be the same," he said. "Life as a whole has changed. If you look at the video, the scariest part is that your information is in the video. The piece is scary because a person is violating your privacy, not because it's bloody or there's anything jumping out."

In order to check it out for yourself go to this site, http://www.takethislollipop.com/ and click allow. Then sit back and lock your doors.

Woes of a Facebook user

Oh, you know the drill. Facebook updates a new feature and everyone throws a fit. Facebook status after Facebook status begs for anyone to provide a shred of information to restore “the old Facebook”. But then days go by and low and behold, we get used to it. “The old Facebook” seems like a thing of the past.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/07/22/timestopics/facebook/facebook-sfSpan.jpg

However, for those who just can’t quit throwing a hissy fit, check out the following links to change a few features back.

http://mashable.com/2012/01/25/get-old-facebook-back/#448278-For-Firefox-Show-Only-Online-Friends-in-Chat-with-Tidy-Facebook-Chat-by-Nicolas-Maravitti

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/facebook-changes-old-facebook_n_974517.html#s368200&title=Tom_Metcalfe