I Fricking Love Groupon!

Thursday in class we learned about discovering media. I have a lot of experience with this because I have been a Groupon-a-holic for awhile now. Seriously, I buy one like everyday.

Groupon is a tool that offers group coupons, hence: Groupon.

Organizations use Groupon to get their name out there and to attract business.

I find that it is also a great tool to travel. I visited New Orleans last year and wanted something fun to do while I was their. I consulted Groupon and I found a great deal. I paid $10 for an Alligator experience, which was a $30 value. In my package I got to take a picture holding alligators and tour the farm. The friends I was with didn't get the Groupon and they paid $20 and weren't allowed to hold the alligators. It was awesome! I have also used Groupon for restaurants and retail stores.

Here are some pics from the alligator farm. Enjoy!

Discussing

Today in class we discussed various discussing technologies. More specifically, Communities where people with similar interests can get together and discuss things through forums, threads and posts. One community in particular that is a great platform for people interested in Weightloss or achieving fitness goals is the my fitness pal community.

Along with being a tool to help track and store your diet and exercise statistics, it is a place where you can discuss all your exercise and weightless fantasies! Whether you want to know what eyeliner to wear that won't smudge while sweating or to connect with other people trying to loose weight this is a great forum! Check it out MyFitnessPal!

We Can Be Big Brother Now!!!

Now playing big brother isn't just for the government, big tobacco, prime time reality shows of the same name and this guy.......

We can do it too! All we need is a little help from this awesome new tool we learned about in class, NetVibes!

I had a very fun time trying to figure out what the heck I was doing on netvibes. I don't think that I can post my dashboard since it is password protected, but here is a great video about NetVibes that offered some interesting insight and helped me figure it out!

Middle Finger!

Not gonna lie, I have been waiting for Facebook so I could use that title......ha ha

So today, we are looking at the middle finger

Ha Ha, What were you expecting? Ofcourse I meant......

One company that I think uses Facebook extremely well is Houlihan's. Specifically, Houlihan's in Brentwood. Their Facebook page is run by one woman on a management staff of four yet she does a great job at listening, the have clear objectives, interesting content and it is integrated with other social media like twitter and foursquare. She also does a great job at helping the site endure by being actively engaged in the conversation, she also exhibits a great, friendly and fresh tone. She also keeps control by directing the conversation, but not in a direct way! Also, she is very honest with the clientele. If they have an issue like a customer complaining they don't delete it or mask it, they address it head on and in a timely matter.

Curating

In class we studied curating technologies.

For this post I will be focusing on

and the company up for discussion is

TOMS does a great job at utilizing the curating technology. On their page they offer beautiful imagery of fashionable shoes and their philanthropic quests. It enables us to be visual stimulated while learning more about the company. We are also able to share this content through email, our webpages, twitter and Facebook. With Pinterest offering so much I am surprised that more companies don't fully utilize all that Pinterest has to offer.

I LOVE HOME DEPOT MORE THAN THE MALL......AND THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING!

 Hello Everyone! In class on Tuesday we discussed sharing technologies. One of the sharing technologies that was discussed was YouTube. YouTube is a website where user can load and share video and media clips and viewers can comment on them. As spoken about in class it is a great tool for Organizations, Celebrities and everyday Joe's and Jane's to use.

One company that I think does an extraordinary job of utilizing all of the functions YouTube has to offer is ..........

Can I just say that I freaking love Home Depot! My Home Depot Credit Card gets so much use it's not even funny! Seriously though, it's not funny.

Part of what helps to fuel my Hope Depot addiction is that they offer so much information of their YouTube channel. And a great channel it is!

The Home Depot channel follows all of the basic principles that we have been talking about in class.

1. Listen: It listens to the consumer and provides the information that the consumer is looking for.
2. Objectives : The objectives are to establish the Home Depot as a trusted expert, promote it's products and humanize a faceless corporation 
3. Content: The content is clear and useful, there is also a large amount of content the channel has to offer. Also, all of the content they publish is relevant to the brand.
4. Integration: The YouTube Channel is also integrated with the Home Depot website and other social media outlets, making it easy for Home Depot to satisfy all of your home and garden needs.
5. Endurance: They endure by staying relevant and addressing the consumers needs. Also, by being on YouTube they are showing that they are willing to go where the consumer goes!
6. Tone: The tone on the Home Depot channel is great. The voice and tone is that of a trusty neighbor who give great advice. This tone keeps people interested and avoids making them feel like the incompetent DIYers they may, in fact, be.
7. Honesty: They don't lie! What else can I say?!

One video that came in handy for me from the Home Depot channel was their "How to Prime Walls for Painting a Room" video. I referred to this video, and many others before I tackled the fun, yet stressful task of redecorating my room. Here is the video I used.....

This video was very useful to me, as you can see by the images below the room turned out great! The painting went without a hitch because of the lesson from Home Depot!

Thank you for looking at my blog! See you in class!

- Meredith Rolen

ONE BIRD, TWO BIRD.......

ONE BIRD, TWO BIRD.......

RED BIRD

 BLUE BIRD

If it is not obvious what brands twitter account I am going to talk about today, then you should probably leave this blog page, and Saint Louis. You know what, maybe you better steer clear of the whole midwest just in case!

One brand that I felt had a great hold on what twitter was for and how to use it was the Saint Louis Cardinals. And yes, I mean the one and only real Saint Louis Cardinal twitter page, blue check and all!

The Saint Louis Cardinals offer a very well designed Twitter page and offers information such as live "tweeting" during the spring training games, info about players and current injuries, were they are headed next and what they are doing, and all within the 140 character limit boundaries. They use their page to "tweet" to the general public, the public "tweets" expressing their love of the team and asking questions and even some celebrities are "tweeting" to the cardinals. When I was just on Twitter, Ozzie Smith was "tweeting" to the Cardinals, commenting on how well they were doing in Jupiter right now! Check it out if you are a fan! If you are not, please refer to comment above! 

Thank you for visiting my blog! 

-Meredith Rolen

I Didn't Realize I Was Addicted to a Blog....But Then I Remembered This!!

So, this past week we dug our hands into the world of different social media outlets (and it came out like this, even the boys, ha ha!)

(Just thought that the picture was cool, and oddly relevant in an irrelevant kind of way!)

Ok. Something you should know about me........... I like my Wine

 I like My Chocolate...........

and I like extremely trashy celebrity gossip in the form of Evil Beet Gossip Blog!

(I give myself bonus points if I do all three at once!)

I didn't even realize that I had been a fan of a blog for such a long time until we discussed some of the rules that make a blog a blog. 

This site features:

1. A team of bloggers relaying celebrity gossip and giving their thoughts and opinions in a comical and enjoyable tone.
2. It showcases information that is important to the blogger and would be important to the reader.
3. The blog invites viewers to read and relate and find interest in the material presented.
4. This website has developed a searchable log of material to help direct readers. You can search old blogs by date, topic, order posted and by celebrity.
5. Posts are made regularly and frequently.
6. The information provided is a lengthier form than you would find on Facebook or twitter.

It is a great site! I believe the posts are done by multiple people now since the site is so big, but when it started it was just one woman (likely with her wine and chocolate) who had an affinity for the "mis-goings-on in the celebrity world! (Clearly a woman after my own heart!)

The authors are fearless and they don't hesitate to voice their opinion, call a celebrity out on doing something stupid or even yell at a celebrity. On this blog to topic goes unturned, and I enjoy every minute! Did you know that Justin Beiber's mom hates his tattoos? Did you know that Pete Wentz is annoyed with Ashley Simpson's drinking and lesbian flings? Cause I do!  Please! Go and explore all the trashy unnecessary gossip evil beet has to offer! And don't forget to enjoy yourself!