Epic Fails

Now I know I've been harping on about how you all should be online (and you should) and I know I always throw in little warnings to make sure you do it right and give yourself the best profile possible, but what happens when you or your client make a mistake? It can easily happen and sometimes the web isn't a nice a place as one might think. In fact it is probably worst than the real world because people will hide behind their laptops to say things, which I suppose is a down side to technology but anyway I'm going to show you a few epic fails today. By just seeing one or two might save you from doing the same! Some of these may be celebrity orientated but it just goes to show that once it's are out there it's never really forgotten. 

First of all we have autocorrect on your phone or laptop. Now sometimes we love autocorrect and well other times we don't. This can be so embarrassing if you are texting a client, your boss or even your mother. With one simple word changed, the whole meaning of the text can be too, so just be sure to always read over messages before you send them. And of course lovely internet users have set up pages like this one: http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/37735/the-25-best-autocorrects-of-september/ so that we can go on and laugh at other peoples mistakes. 

Next is the world of singing, if you are going to put your voice out there then be sure that your are ready for the whole lot of abuse that comes with it! What makes it even better is that those giving out probably can't sing very well at all. In saying that sometimes it's not the singers fault, take Beyonce for example, we all know she can sing. And sing brilliantly at that but when she lip sang in the presence of Barak Obama people went crazy. And then of course there is Taylor Swift, seems like a nice girl and has a few good songs that you can sing along too, that was until the goat came along! If you haven't seen it then please watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfPndEB2ec0  Now I cannot even say Taylor Swift without hearing that musically talented goat in my head. So there you have the perfect example of what other people with the use of technology can do, just watch out for that! 

Then of course we have how to dress. This may not apply to you as much but I just want you to realise that first impressions are so important so find colours and shapes that'll suit you. Remember Cheryl Cole wearing those purple trousers in America? Remember Cheryl Cole leaving the X Factor and America? Remember Cheryl Cole going back? Oh ya, that's right you don't remember that because she didn't go back! But I bet you do remember seeing her in every magazine under the 'what was she thinking' column. Now I know that is a drastic example and everyday can't be a great day but I'm just warning you because one day, when you make it you could just find your face on one of these websites:  http://likes.com/celebbuzz/celeb-makeup-fails?utm_term=24192613&utm_campaign=ml&pid=100765&utm_source=mylikes&utm_medium=cpc&v=FI23UOuZw_-SDCVhPIIOnLIFUzhk32xIPLl8PEta7F75qWV99kSVOgSfVWMkmvSL7YjXo9gcLwtzevKRUP-duw&page=1 When that happens just fire the stylist! 

Check out: http://www.epicfail.com/ for more everyday epic fails. 

Scroll your eyes for Samsung

If you are like me and love a bit of technology but are not an iphone junkie then you too will welcome the arrival of the new Samsung Galaxy IV. If you are also like me and try to scroll down the page but end up going to far then trying to find your way back to where you were reading and getting frustrated then you too will welcome the new Samsung Galway IV with open arms because....wait for it....it has a new eye scrolling feature! 

I just want to know how we have lived before?! Seriously, I think it's genius! 

The new smartphone will be officially revealed later in the month and is said to have this special feature. The front facing camera has a sensory device to track your eyes and then automatically scroll down/up the page you are reading in accordance to where your eyes are looking. It also prevents automatic dimming as well.

Just to seal the deal it has been reported that Samsung filed for a trademark titled the 'Eye Scroll' in Europe, followed by a trademark for 'Samsung Eye Scroll' in America. Now I will say Samsung have not confirmed the eye scroll feature but did call it 'an amazing phone' and after hearing about the trademarks then it really only points in one direction doesn't it? 

Eye tracking isn't necessarily a new technology and the current Samsung Galaxy III has some similar features but using the camera so creativity on a phone definitely is something we will see more of in the future. A camera is now being used as a tool to track your eyes so I reckon it is only a matter of time before it starts to track movement. Scrolling might just be the first step to new waves of technology so make sure you keep an eye out! (Please excuse the bad pun!)

Video Casting: The star of your own show

Want to catch people's attention? If you are doing PR then of course you do! You should love the lime light and what a good way to get their with good podcasting and video casting. These have just exploded in popularity in recent years and I strongly recommend you get stuck in as well. A good idea travels a long way!

So why would you do this? The answer is simple, to get in touch with your audience in a way that captures their attention. By doing this you can connect of a mass group of people on a personal level, an entertainment level or an emotional level. The beauty of this is you can create your video to your liking and base it on a specific target audience. You are appealing to your client through visual images and sound. A person uses all their senses to engage with online media, you may not think it but all good advertisements arouse taste, touch etc. For example chocolate advertisement are great for making you feel like you need a Galway or Lindt bunny. 

Not only can you connect to your audience but you could also connect to new customers, possible people that wouldn't have saw your product before. When you go online you automatically reach a mass amount of people, this in theory is good but beware if you release a video then make sure it represents your company in a positive way as it might make or break you. On a happier note people will be able to access it 24/7 therefore you will have a presence without actually having to be there which will save you a lot of time to put energy into other areas of your business.

On the topic of breaking money is always a key factor in gaining public interest, you don't want something that'll break the bank and good news for you this won't! Making a video can be done cleverly and cheaply with the right approach and posting it on YouTube would be a whole lot more cost effective than getting it broadcasted live on television.

You could be really brave and try create a trend, a recent trend that came out of nowhere really was the Harlem Shake but as a result the song by Baauer is now massive. You will not go to a nightclub where it won't be heard. So get your thinking caps on as you might become the new internet sensation. Just incase you have been living under a rock here an example of the Harlem Shake http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=QkwV4O5VYJ4&NR=1 This one is pretty epic because is underwater and that takes talent!

Phone Jabber

Phone Jabber

Do you consider your phone as an extended limb? But do you really know what you are holding? Smartphones, android, iphone and blackberrys, which one to choose and what on earth is the difference? Actually, is there any differences? To be honest, I didn't have a clue. Zlich, nero, nada, so like any other astute student I decided to do a bit of research and this is what I've found.

First the smartphone, by the name you expect it have some serious intelligence and you wouldn't be too far wrong. They first started as a phone with a personal digital assistant (which runs on the Windows Mobile network) on it and it just progressed from there really. With the addition of media players, cameras and GPS systems we've found ourselves a whopper of a phone then boom they threw internet in there ka-pow, its a seriously smartphone. So what we hold today is basically a phone that is an actual phone, your personal assistant and a computing device to access all forms of personal or professional information you require. Did you know that the iPhone is a type of smartphone? In fact it was one of the first models of the smartphone to be released to the market, which is why the price is higher than any other smartphones but it also has to do with the fact that apple sets their price higher than their competitors as they are a leading brand.

Sure while we are the topic of iPhones we might as well look into them a bit more. So technically they are a line of multimedia based phones designed by apple but they also have been described as a way of life. People love them, I have seen people breakdown FOR DAYS when their screen cracks but what makes them so great? Hmm well i guess the fact that they probably have everything on them would be one to start with. From 2007 when the first iPhone was released they have gradually continued to improve the quality of the camera, phone storage, functions and develop the iOS system which is the network it runs off.Over six generations of iPhone's (original, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and the latest one, which is iPhone 5.) we have watched them grow into a pocket device that has all the answers. Can anybody even remember the world before the iPhone? It must have been a dark place.

Phone are a little bit confusing to say the least as there is all this jargon attached to it and lets face it we don't really know what it means, we tend to just look at what is the nicest looking within our price range and don't get me wrong that is important too. But with the hundreds that people spend on phones I'm just asking to research a little first, see what phone suits you and what you need. Up next in my next blog we will be discussing androids and blackberrys. 

The Social Media Realm Continued

The Social Media Realm Continued

We've already ready gone through some of social networking sites that from a PR point of view I thought might help and interest you. By just giving you a quick overview of what each site is about I hope that you can decide which ones would suit you or your business. So, check out my previous blog 'The Social Realm' to find out about Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In and Pinterest. Now I know they are the most popular and probably what most people would be interested but there are a fw other sites floating around out there that might just tak your fancy and you never know, with the pace technology moves at these days one of the following might just be the new facebook. So, continuing on:

5. My Space 
Now some of you may have thought that My Space has fell my the way side but it is still out there and due to make a come back. It is being given a new lease of life by the one and only Justin Timberlake as he now owns the site. With a similar purpose to facebook it may be generated at more of an adult generation as opposd to the teenage market. You can find and write to friends, post pictures and private message people which is the basic means to keep in touch with others. With 70,500,000 estimated unique monthly visits it still gets the hits and being ranked 5th most popular social networking site in th world isn't too bad.

6.Google+ 
What has Google not done? between google maps, google drive, google dox, google news (the list is endless,) it only makes sence that of course they would develop a social newtworking page and with 65,000,000 vieews monthly it is coming up in th ranks. Bacially what Google+ offers is a platform to sync all of your other google activites. This means you can access through your google email, share any google activity easily and recieve information from google too. It will also allow you to share pictures, personal posts etc to other social networking sites like Twitter ir Pintrest. With all this google activity you can basicall live in a googl world! This would be ideal for people who are relient on gpoogle in their everyday lives as it is easy to monitor and access all the programmes that google offer through this. 

7.DeviantART 
At number seven we have DeviantART and I'm not going to lie I find this one somewhat of a new interest. It is an artistic based site that won't be to everybody's liking. It is a creative forum that allows artist to be exprssive and imaganitive online. If you do join devientART you can find yourself at the hand of creating your own images at a range of different stlyes for your own personal profile but it also give you the oppertunity to view and appriciate other forms of artwork displayed by those with creative minds like you. It is a very community based social networking site that tries to give artistsa higher profile and job oppertunities such as comptitions to heightenen their experience. Like I said this won't be for everyone but those that like art, photography, interior design or even just fancy a bit of a change then check it out. 

8. Live Journal
This too is also relitivly new to me but if you look at the name it's pretty much what is says on the tin-'live journal' aka a journal online. Once again it is similar to facebook with the oppertunity to connect with people from the past, have your own photo gallery and have a privacy setting on your account. Live Journal say they are a place for 'self expression' where one can just be themselves. I think myself that this site might to a good place for business to start up their own online journal as a means to connect with a community. A journal could also be considered to be a blog and if livejournal donesn't seem right for you then there arre plenty of other blog forums to hav a look at. Live Journal has 20,500,000 estimated views per month so it isn't top of the food chain but that is still a modest amount of views so it might be worth taking a look at if it interests you. 

I think I'll leave it at that for now, I've given you plenty of food for thought! Eight choices of online social networking that might help your or your company's profile. May I recommend not being on all eight because social networking can be very time consumsing and it might tak a little while for you to get used to using it. Also by using it you won't become famous overnight but people will see your name more thus helping you in the long term. So give it a go and see what you think. you never know what might happen, Bill Gates could be the one re-tweeting you!  

The Realm of Social Media.

The Realm of Social Media.

In today's world how can you not be on it? From a PR point of of view it is the easy answer to communicate your messages across to thousands of people within the space of seconds. It is such a powerful tool but it does need to be used correctly and effectively for you to reap the rewards. Here are a few options that you could look at if you were interested in going down this route. I will be blogging at a later date and more in-depth about this but still, it'll be a nice little warm up for what's about to come. 

1. Facebook

Our friendly reliable that almost everybody knows about. Between finding old friends, uploading pictures, posting general comments and sharing items there is actually quite a lot to do. Trust me though, and I speak from experience it can suck you into its world. An hour can easily pass and you'll have realised that you have just been scrolling through your news feed. In saying that it is a great way to keep in touch with people and with 750,000,000 estimated monthly reviews it is the most popular social media website to be on. 

2.Twitter

Our beloved little birdy that tells us all of our gossip through tweeting. The initial concept of twitter, for those of you who don't know is that a tweet should consist of 140 characters or less thus making in the same amount of characters as a text message. So basically a tweet is just an on-line text message, simple as that. Similar to facebook you can upload pictures, private message, tweet to a friend or just to your followers. Anybody can follow you and can follow or unfollow anybody you wish. As for the the use of hash-tags it is basically the summary of what you have said, for example 'watching the Olympics thinking I could totally do this #nextkatietaylor', or something to that effect. 

3.Linked-In

It is the world's largest professional network that helps people find and share opportunities everyday. On this you can develop a professional profile that allows you connect with people throughout your field. You can upload your address book and keep 'linked-in' with colleagues of perspective workers. It can help you build and maintain relationships even as you or others change jobs or email addresses.You can also link to your twitter account and share professional tweets. With 110,000,000 views monthly to Linked-In it is a very modern way to improve your professional profile.

4. Pinterest

To put it in simple terms it is an on-line picture book that you create. On your account you will be able to creative a board, upload a pin(picture) or re-pin someone else's picture. If it a great way to create an image profile for your business, for example a bakery could pin images of their food. Also Pinterest is great for personal use, if your thinking of redecorating, planning a wedding or even just cakes you like the look of you can create a board and use it for inspiration. 

There you have the Top Ten social media websites as according to eBiz but don't just take my word for it, check them out and see if any of them suits you. If not, don't fret I will be back with more options on social media.

The Realm of Social Media

The Realm of Social Media.

In today's world how can you not be on it? From a PR point of of view it is the easy answer to communicate your messages across to thousands of people within the space of seconds. It is such a powerful tool but it does need to be used correctly and effectively for you to reap the rewards. Here are a few options that you could look at if you were interested in going down this route. I will be blogging at a later date and more in-depth about this but still, it'll be a nice little warm up for what's about to come. 

1. Facebook

Our friendly reliable that almost everybody knows about. Between finding old friends, uploading pictures, posting general comments and sharing items there is actually quite a lot to do. Trust me though, and I speak from experience it can suck you into its world. An hour can easily pass and you'll have realised that you have just been scrolling through your news feed. In saying that it is a great way to keep in touch with people and with 750,000,000 estimated monthly reviews it is the most popular social media website to be on. 

2.Twitter

Our beloved little birdy that tells us all of our gossip through tweeting. The initial concept of twitter, for those of you who don't know is that a tweet should consist of 140 characters or less thus making in the same amount of characters as a text message. So basically a tweet is just an on-line text message, simple as that. Similar to Facebook you can upload pictures, private message, tweet to a friend or just to your followers. Anybody can follow you and can follow or unfollow anybody you wish. As for the the use of hash-tags it is basically the summary of what you have said, for example 'watching the Olympics thinking I could totally do this #nextkatietaylor', or something to that effect. 

3.Linked-In

It is the world's largest professional network that helps people find and share opportunities everyday. On this you can develop a professional profile that allows you connect with people throughout your field. You can upload your address book and keep 'linked-in' with colleagues of perspective workers. It can help you build and maintain relationships even as you or others change jobs or email addresses.You can also link to your twitter account and share professional tweets. With 110,000,000 views monthly to Linked-In it is a very modern way to improve your professional profile.

4. Pinterest

To put it in simple terms it is an on-line picture book that you create. On your account you will be able to creative a board, upload a pin(picture) or re-pin someone else's picture. If it a great way to create an image profile for your business, for example a bakery could pin images of their food. Also Pinterest is great for personal use, if your thinking of redecorating, planning a wedding or even just cakes you like the look of you can create a board and use it for inspiration. 

There you have the Top Ten social media websites as according to eBiz but don't just take my word for it, check them out and see if any of them suits you. If not, don't fret I will be back with more options on social media.