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Catchafire Honors Top 10 Social Good Mavens

In Social Good, Social Media on 11/18/2012 at 3:51 am

Yesterday Catchafire.org, the nation’s leading online pro bono network that connects talent and purpose, announced the Catchafire/Fast Company Most Generous Person Series, which recognizes game changing careers and inspiring acts of generosity beyond deep-pocketed philanthropy.  The series launched November 16 recognizing the Top 10 Social Media Mavens who use social media to do social good.  The series will continue through the winter honoring the most generous designers, tech founders, wall streeters, marketing gurus and filmmakers.

“The Generosity Series celebrates the potential we all have to become change agents in a really big way,” says Catchafire Founder & CEO Rachael Chong. “We’re all about making volunteering super effective by connecting talent to organizations that need that specific skill set. We believe that a great volunteer experience has the power to transform a person into someone who is more aware, more compassionate and actually activated by feelings of wanting to do good.”

Top Ten Social Media Mavens & Their Inspirational Quotes:

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, PRESIDENT AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HUFFINGTON POST

“People are hungry for meaning and a life lived as something more than just consumers. They want to play a role in the life of their communities and their country and make a difference in the lives of others”

NICHOLAS KRISTOF, COLUMNIST, THE NEW YORK TIMES; CO-AUTHOR, HALF THE SKY

“One of the paradoxes of the modern world is that it’s really hard to be completely altruistic, because altruism brings with it such selfish pleasures. So altruism isn’t a sacrifice, but a selfish pleasure.”

EDWARD NORTON, COFOUNDER, CROWDRISE; ACTOR

“We’re seeing the sphere of social networking mature in a way that’s very exciting. This is how people interact with each other and get things done. They share their personal and professional lives online. It should be no different when it comes to their philanthropic lives.”

SHAUN KING, FOUNDER, HOPE MOB

“People think and argue and debate about systemic change way too much and fight for it way too little. If all of the people that wanted a systemic change fought for it, they’d happen way more often. Sometimes, it just takes being the person that takes the first step.”

MARK HORVATH, CHIEF EVANGELISTIC OFFICER, INVISIBLE PEOPLE TV

“Twitter allows people to travel vicariously with me under a bridge or into a tent city in real time. But just like in the videos, the way that I stand out most is by sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly about homelessness.”

 CLAIRE DIAZ-ORTIZ, LEADER OF SOCIAL INNOVATION, TWITTER

“One of my greatest desires for the social good space on Twitter is that we will continue to see more and more content coming from the affected populations at hand – rather, from the folks who are often the recipients of aid and charity intervention.”

DANIELLE BRIGIDA, MANAGER OF SOCIAL MEDIA, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

“If you wouldn’t share your ask with your family or friends, don’t share it with your social media contacts. I think the biggest mistake I see is people thinking of social media as simply a marketing channel – it can be so much more than that if you let it.”

CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS, FOUNDER, EVERY MOTHER COUNTS; DIRECTOR/PRODUCER, NO WOMAN, NO CRY; SUPERMODEL

“ I think people respond to authenticity and consistency. Listen to others in your space and support those working on yours or related issues. Allow your audience to inform you too.”

JENNIFER JAMES, MOM BLOGGER FOR SOCIAL GOOD

“No one can make positive change in a vacuum and no one can make real positive change without consistency. Furthermore, a writer cannot make positive change if she isn’t truly immersed in the issue. In the case of writing for social change, knowledge is power.”

SCOTT HARRISON, CHARITY: WATER

“Many people think that our only form of giving is sacrificing big jobs and paychecks in the corporate world to work at a nonprofit. But I’m a big believer in eating your own dog food – not asking someone to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself. My favorite kind of generosity is “surprising.” The kind that can bring two people to tears because it comes at such a cost, and it’s so meaningful.”

Follow the conversation on Twitter with #GenerositySeries and learn more about Catchafire.org:

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Preserving, Restoring and Building Memories Post Hurricane Sandy

In Digital Media on 11/04/2012 at 6:07 pm

When eight feet of water is swarming the top and bottom of your home, the last thing on your mind are sentimental memorabilia such as photo albums.  Yesterday, I volunteered at one of the temporary shelters in Brooklyn set up for Hurricane Sandy victims.  Many whom I spoke with have lost everything—they arrived at the shelters with the clothes on their backs and important identification documents secured in the hand-made, umbrella fabric pockets sewed on the inside of their pant and skirt waistlines.  When helping to sign people up  for FEMA, many didn’t have mailing addresses or e-mail accounts.  In a sense, they were displaced online as well as offline.  After listening to their stories one by one, I began to think about the important role cloud storage services play in archiving and preserving memories.  I began to ask myself what I would do  if I lost my computer, photo albums, and my everything.  Here are the answers to my own questions that can serve as advice for preserving, restoring, and building memories post Hurricane Sandy.

What can you do to prevent losing memories again?

To prevent losing memories again, be sure to scan any print photographs and back them up to your PC, external hard drives and cloud storage platforms such as Google Drive. If you have digital photos, you should still save them to cloud-based Web sites in case of property loss or deletion by social networking sites. One valuable feature of most services is automatic syncing, which means the user doesn’t need to remember to backup files every week or month; the service does the backup automatically at predetermined time intervals. What is most appealing about cloud storage services is that they don’t require buying more “stuff,” no hard drives, server boxes or anything you have to keep track of. Your data is housed in the virtual sky—the cloud.

What can you do with damaged photos?

If you managed to keep the hard copies of your photos but they have been severely damaged, you may be able to restore them. Photo restoration is highly dependent upon the photo process.  According to Paul Messier, a Boston-based expert on the conservation of photographs and works on paper and a consultant to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, some photographic processes or more resilient than others.  He says restoration is highly dependent upon the duration of the exposure to water, and it’s highly dependent upon the response.  It’s very important to restore these precious memories quickly because the more time goes by, the greater the chance that the photos will not be recoverable in any way. Messier explains that a traditionally made, fiber-based, black and white silver gelatin print that has not been mounted has the greatest potential to weather this kind of damage. Dye-based prints on the other hand are a guaranteed total loss.

What can you do if you lost all of your photos?

While most things can be replaced with time, precious photographs serving as our physical memories cannot be.  But there is light at the end of a tunnel–a new effort called Souls Rebuilt is offering FREE family photos to Hurricane Sandy survivors in order to help them rebuild their memories.  Both photographer volunteers and survivors may sign up here.

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Internet Memes Inspire This Year’s Trendiest Halloween Costumes

In Social Media on 10/31/2012 at 11:14 pm

BizJournal.com reports the top five popular Halloween costumes this year are:

  • Witch – Remains the most popular custom for adults and the fourth most popular custom for children
  • Vampire – Always a Halloween favorite, vampire is the No. 2 choice for adults this year
  • Pirate – Worn by 2.8 million adults, it is the third most popular costume
  • Batman – The summer blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises” helped boost Batman’s popularity to the No. 4 choice for adults this Halloween
  • Zombie – Made popular by recent surge of Zombie movies, books, AMC TV series, “The Walking Dead,” and videos games such as “Zombie’s Swipeout,” it is this year’s fifth most-worn custom

Aside from traditional store-bought customs such as the ones listed above, we are increasingly seeing more costumes inspired by pop culture and politics.

Last year we’ve seen costumes inspired by Charlie Sheen, Angry Birds, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Captain America, and the Royal Couple.

This year some of the trendiest costumes such as South Korean K-Pop rapper Psy, McKayla Maroney (& her smirk), TLC’s Honey Boo Boo, Binders Full of Women, and Big Bird incorporate a little creativity based on current events and a do-it-yourself spirit.

What 2012 pop culture icon are you dressing up as?

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Hurricane Sandy is the Second-Highest Search Query on Someecards

In Social Media on 10/30/2012 at 2:46 pm

Hurricane Sandy is no laughing matter. With over 5 million Easter Coasters without power, dozens of homes burned to the ground, and seven deaths tied to the storm, the mammoth and merciless storm is a devastating disaster. Nonetheless, some Internet users (those who still have power) are trying to stay as optimistic as possible.

Someecards, the site for free and funny e-cards, features dozens of Hurricane Sandy someecards, and new ones are going up every hour. The word “Hurricane” is the second-highest search query on the site and the word, “Sandy” is number 7.

 

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The Cost to Educate a President Can Be as High as Half a Million Dollars

In Culture, Digital Media on 10/29/2012 at 11:00 pm

As the 2012 Presidential Election nears, voters are getting ready to cast their ballots.  For the last several months, we’ve seen Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama on the campaign trail urging crowds to get to the polls, on TV during the three Presidential debates defending their values and decisions made while in office, and across social media recreated as cartoon characters in memes.  We’ve heard their talking points and read their plans. To find out exactly how they got so smart, our friends from Degree Jungle took an in-depth look at how they earned their degrees, where they started in grade school, and how they managed to afford their educations.  Degree Jungle contacted us to share this infographic with our readers.

What do you guys think about each candidate’s education spending?

The Cost to Educate a President

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How to Track Hurricane Sandy Through Social Media

In Culture, Digital Media, Social Media on 10/28/2012 at 7:50 pm

Every major broadcast network has hour-by-hour hurricane updates, but social media is still the best source of information for communicating and receiving information in real-time. With 4,749 Twitter mentions/hour of hashtag #Sandy, the social network provides an abundant amount of information quickly and efficiently. And even more importantly, you can get these alerts on the go, no matter where you are!

Here are the most-influential sites to visit:

The Weather Channel Social

The site pulls in all weather-related tweets based on one’s geographic location. Site visitors customize the Twitter dashboard by filling in their zip code after which they receive relevant tweets. The site also shows users which state has generated the greatest amount of tweets and allows users to click on each state to see the specific tweets within that location. The site also has updates on flight statuses within specific locations.

The New York Times Interactive Map

This interactive site allows visitors to look up the Hurricane Sandy forecast with their zip codes and track the storm’s current & projected paths. The site projects three different views of the hurricane: map, satellite and radar.

NASA Satellites

NASA demonstrates animated satellite imagery over the last two days, tracking Hurricane Sandy’s move from the Bahamas into the U.S. eastern seaboard. NASA satellites provide forecasters at the National Hurricane Center with infrared, visible, cloud height, temperature and rainfall data as Sandy continues to affect the U.S. East Coast.

Sesame Street Hurricane Kit

For those of you who have kids at home, Sesame Street has compiled a series of videos, tips and activities that can help young children learn more about hurricanes and natural disasters, help them feel safe, and cope with emotions.

Google Crisis Map

Google just launched an interactive crisis map that shows NYC residents evacuation zones, Red Cross emergency shelters, public alerts, traffic conditions, and links to other authoritative storm resources.

Top Twitter accounts to follow:

  • @fema: The official Twitter feed of Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • @MTAInsider: The official Twitter feed of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York
  • @NYGovCuomo – Official Twitter account for the Governor of New York State
  • @redcrossny – Official twitter stream of the American Red Cross Greater NY Region; serving NYC, LI, Lower Hudson Valley & Greenwich, Ct.
  • @twc_hurricane: The Weather Channel’s all-hurricane tweets
  • @NASA: Lovely satellite photos and animations of not-so-lovely storm
  • @breakingstorm: Real-time severe weather updates

For a complete list of accounts to follow, subscribe to the #Sandy Twitter List: https://twitter.com/femaregion2/new-york-state-sandy/members

Top Twitter Hashtags to follow:- s

  • #Sandy
  • #HurricaneSandy
  • #Hurricane
  • #Frankenstorm
  • #Sandypets
  • #Evacuation
  • #NYC

Must-have mobile apps:

  • Hurricane by American Red Cross (available via iTunes or Google Play): Includes real-time storm monitoring, locations of open Red Cross shelter, simple steps and checklists people can use to create a family emergency plan, preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps even without mobile connectivity, toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm, and badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks
  • FEMA (available via iTunes, Blackberry App World or Google Play): This app contains preparedness information for different types of disasters, an interactive checklist for emergency kits, a section to play emergency meeting locations, etc.

Stay safe everyone!

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The Horses and Bayonets Meme Spreads Like Wildfire

In Culture, Social Media on 10/23/2012 at 2:59 am

“Horses and Bayonets” is just the latest meme emerging out of the election, following popular memes including Clint Eastwood’s chair, the 47 percent, Big Bird, Laughing Joe Biden and Binders Full of Women.  So prevalent have memes become this election season that savvy social media audiences are watching real-time events with an eye and an ear for what might make a meme.

It should be no surprise that the first “Horses and Bayonets” meme was published on Twitter just 6:37 after President Obama made that statement during tonight’s debate.  Within 3 minutes, the first Facebook Page went up and the site, http://www.horsesandbayonets.com was purchased by Don Hennick, employed at a non-profit organization whose global mission is to develop, promote and share positive tools for carbon negative living.

And, according to @GooglePolitics Twitter account, “horses and bayonets” was the top  rising search term tonight. On Twitter, @gov Twitter handle estimated 105,767 tweets per minute referencing the phrase, “Fewer horses and bayonets,” which was made at 9:45 p.m. tonight.

When discussing military spending at the third presidential debate, Governor Mitt Romney spoke about how the U.S. Navy needs more spending and that the amount of ships they had was higher before 1920. Obama came back with a quick zinger, told with such sarcasm that it is no surprise the “horses and bayonets” statement went viral.

Discover how memes start and spread in my interview with Ben Lashes, the world’s premier meme agent to meme stars like Scumbag Steve and Nyan Cat, for sparks & honey: http://bit.ly/BenLashesInterview.

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How “Fifty Shades of Grey” Has Penetrated Pop Culture So Deeply

In Culture Marketing on 07/14/2012 at 12:39 pm

Originally written for sparks & honey; reblogged from their Tumblr. Learn more about us at sparksandhoney.com.  

Unless you’ve been living in a dungeon…you’re well aware of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a romance trilogy dubbed as mommy porn that has shackled female America. Toted through airports, subways and bus stations, discussed at morning chat shows, around the office water cooler and at cocktail parties, “Fifty Shades of Grey” has tickled the fancies of women around the world.  The naughty novel has set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time surpassing the Harry Potter series.   It has stimulated the economy, deeply penetrating the mainstream culture, and leading to a burst of business ventures, everything from lingerie to makeup.

Here are five of our favorite Fifty Shades of Grey-inspired products that can give us all some sexual healing:

  1. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Movie – Social networks have been buzzing with speculation around who will be cast in the main roles of Christian and Ana. The movie will be produced by the same producers, Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti, who’ve produced award-winning The Social Network film.
  2. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Audio Book -  It was uncomfortable enough hearing Ellen DeGeneres read from the racy novel on one of her recent shows. Imagine listening to the audiobook while sitting in a tight airplane seat without much room to exert your excitement.  Fifty Shades of Grey joins the mile high club and will be offered on Virgin Atlantic flights as part of the airline’s JAM in-flight entertainment.  
  3. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ YouTube Musical – Whether you are a housewife, a feminist who thinks ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ has spanked feminism in the butt, or a guy who hates that he loves the book, you will enjoy this fan-created musical that addresses the three reader archetypes and is quickly climbing the YouTube charts. 
  4. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Sex Workshop – A NYC-based sex toy boutique recently offered a ‘Fifty Shades of Hot Sex’ workshop that teaches women how to turn their fantasies into reality.  And to award early arrival, Babeland, the women-friendly sex shop that organized the workshop,  offered to their attendees some spank-me gifts.
  5.  ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Weekend Getaway -  Readers can unleash their inner goddess in the Seattle and Portland landmarks served as backdrops in the book. Portland’s Heathman Hotel, where Christian and Ana exchanged plenty of steamy moments, is offering two add-on packages including a fine bottle of chilled white wine (Christian’s favorite) and an extravagant helicopter ride over Portland. Don’t forget to have your billionaire boy toy pick up the tab.

Thanks to all the novel-inspired online and offline creations, E.L. James is earning around $1 million per week in royalties.  She also has licenses for lingerie/sleepwear, makeup line, fragrances, apparel, jewelry, furniture, bedding, and of course, sex toys!

So how can your brand capitalize on the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ craze similarly to Virgin Atlantic’s integration of the audio book version of the erotic novel?

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Spirit Brands Drinking The Social Video “Kool-Aid”

In Social Media on 02/04/2012 at 5:35 pm

Consumers are bombarded with messages every day. To cut through the clutter, marketers need to shift online engagement from interruption to engagement—in the digital world it‘s about entering the conversation. With the shift in control from marketers to consumers, choice-based video (also known as social video) becomes even more important—consumers no longer want to be forced to watch a commercial, they want to decide how, when, and what they want to watch.

According to YouTube, 70% of viewers would abandon a video if it were to carry pre-roll, as opposed to a social video campaign in which viewers are encouraged by trusted sources to watch. In the past year, spirit brands like Heineken and Calsberg have recognized the importance of choice-based video and are investing more and more heavily in this fast-growing space. So how much is social video growing? Well, in 2010, users shared the top 20 video ads 5.3 million times. In 2011, the figure spiked to 24.5 million.

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Unruly media reports that the average social video ad spend for US spirit brand media buys has been between $100K and $500K over the course of 30-60 days. Currently, Heineken is dominating the choice-based video space, increasing its choice-based video ad spend by 25% in less than a year (between Q4 2010 and Q3 2011). According to Unruly Media, one of Heineken‘s primary social video distribution partners, Heineken tests their creative online and applies learnings from their social video campaigns to create the TV spot.

Spirit brands in general are seeing improved performance of online video when it is based on choice vs. forced, and generates earned media impressions and shares that translate into additional free views. Choice-based social video ads typically see 300%to 450% brand lift to pre-roll ads. In addition, on average, the brand trust increases by 30% because of increased sharing and organic spread, greatly increasing brand engagement by 50%.

How is social video different than pre-roll video? 

  • Qualified views from your target audience: click-to-play, users are choosing to watch and engage with your content as opposed to a forced view
  • Contextually relevant environments: Social video is usually in-page or within editorials due to its relevancy among the site‘s audience where pre-roll is not seen as content
  • Sharing capabilities: Social video offers sharing in a variety of ways to all social platforms, where pre-roll offers none
  • Insights: Social Video offers transparency and reporting on earned/organic activity in addition to paid media
  • Viral uplift: Social seeding is used to build brand awareness and increase web traffic, engagement and, ultimately, sales where pre-roll is strictly awareness

With the Super Bowl and presidential election coming up, social video is inevitably going to grow even more. According to Unruly Media, the potential market opportunity for social videos could reach $100 billion in 10 years.

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