Gossip Genie's Blog

Millions Share Their Thoughts on Whitney Houston via Social Media

elizabethryder — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:12:09 +0000

I found out that Whitney Houston had died via Facebook. I confirmed the story was true after I checked Twitter. By 8 p.m. on February 10, 2012, just an hour after Ms. Houston’s death was first reported (on Twitter), 18 percent of all Twitter posts mentioned “Whitney.”

When someone dies, social media spreads the news like wildfire. On February 18, 2012, 1,500 people physically attended Whitney Houston’s Home Going (her family specifically requested it not be referred to as a funeral) at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ. A staggering 14 million others viewed it on various TV networks and live streams from the Internet.

I happened to be watching it on E! where they created the hashtag #WhitneyTributes to collectively allow viewers to share their thoughts on Twitter in real time. Throughout the entire service I found myself going back and forth between watching the ceremony and reading the tweets of other viewers. I even sent a few tweets myself.

I was humbled at how social media allowed millions of people to celebrate the life as well as mourn the loss of Whitney – arguably one of the greatest voices this generation has ever known. When Alicia Keys sang an emotional, “Send Me An Angel,” thousands of tweets went out to salute the performance.

The legacy of Whitney Houston will live on through her music and her films, and thanks to social media – through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest too.

How to get Amazing Karma

laurelmichelle1 — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:13:50 +0000

Do you ever find yourself performing a good deed and wondering when some good karma is going to come back your way? Well with our newest client’s soon-to-launch website, you may be able to do that! AmazingKarma.com acknowledges acts of kindness, honesty, and courtesy, while exposing acts of unkindness, dishonesty, and discourtesy. The more Karma points you collect, the more points you can redeem at over 18,000 vendors! OR, you can use the points toward a charitable donation. Before the big launch, Amazing Karma is looking for website testers in exchange for 100 Karma Points to use as a charitable donation or for yourself to get consumer goods. Watch the video below and then head on over to AmazingKarma.com to register your e-mail. You’ve got nothing to lose and good karma to gain!

Smell Those Roses!

gossipgenie — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:42:18 +0000

We have all heard the expression, “stop and smell the roses” but what does that really mean? Who has time to stop and smell anything when life is about trying to be as efficient as possible? My days, like many others are over before I realize they have even started. My post-it note to-do list grows longer on a daily basis and none of my tasks include, “stopping to smell the roses.” I guess, I never considered that kind of thing productive and sadly, I don’t condone being unproductive, even for a minute. If digital media had a smell, my nostrils would be coated but most days, the only thing I smell is ink from my printer.

However, after reading this story, I think I will take some time today and smell the roses because we all deserve a break to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us in the midst of chaos.

(Taken from Facebook) This is so amazing. Please take a moment to read:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Happy Valentine’s Day! – Love, Social Media

laurelmichelle1 — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:20:18 +0000

Valentine’s Day is a day to spend with that special person, eat chocolate, and of course, post photos on your Facebook of those dozen roses delivered to your office. My news feed is currently filled with these photos. As I scroll through and admire these beautiful bouquets, I recall a day when, on Valentine’s Day, no one would really know if you received flowers! We couldn’t tweet, Facebook, pin, or even send a picture text message-GASP! Nowadays, it keeps us ‘in the know’…. “Did you see Ashley’s mobile upload of her flowers? I wonder who she is dating now. She’s still single on Facebook?”….”O-M-G, Erica posted a photo of flowers today, I wonder if her and Joey are back together?” I am sure the photos on your newsfeed have you wondering and this is the brilliance behind social media. We willingly let people into our lives and then choose how much information to release.

For now, let’s sign out of Facebook, get off Twitter, and enjoy Valentine’s Day sans social media. If you’re single, don’t let those photos get you down, call up a friend, open a bottle of wine, and it will be February 15th before you know it.

One more thing: This is the most heart-warming Valentine’s Day related Facebook post I’ve seen all day! Enjoy.

"So today I was in Hallmark buying my mom a Happy Birthday card when I noticed this old man standing in front of the Valentine's Day card section contemplating which one to get. I decide to go over and I ask him “Are you getting a Valentine’s Day for your wife?” in which he replies 'No my wife died 3 years ago from breast cancer but I still buy her roses and a card and bring them to her grave to prove to her that she was the only one that will ever have my heart' "

How to Achieve Immediate Fame: Get Cast On Any of Bravo’s Real Housewives Series

elizabethryder — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:48:25 +0000

I have tuned in to pretty much every single Real Houswives of ________ (insert Orange County, New York, Atlanta, DC, Miami, New Jersey, Beverly Hills here). I’m not proud of how much time I’ve wasted watching these shows, but I’m hooked, there’s no going back. What’s mind blowing is how much fame these women have gained as a result of being thrust into the spotlight on Bravo’s most popular series. Let’s take a quick look at some of the success stories of the once unknown, now tabloid gold ladies from my favorite shows.

Bethenny Frankel is now worth a cool $120 million, mainly due to the sale of her Skinnygirl business, which was first introduced in the form of the Skinnygirl Margarita on The Real Housewives of New York. She also has her own spinoff show on Bravo: Bethenny Ever After, books, DVDs, workout programs, you name it, she’s doing it. Talk about rags to riches.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta firecracker NeNe Leaks has appeared in several TV shows, including her most recent role as Roz Washington on Fox’s Glee on February 7, 2012. And who could forget her lashing out about Star Jones and Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice? Yikes.

Andy Cohen recently brought it to everyone’s attention that more tuned in to watch the second season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills than Kelsey Grammer’s show, Boss. Former wife of the Emmy-Award-Winning actor, Camille Grammer, could only smirk as she admitted to liking the fact that her show received more viewers than Kelsey’s latest TV series. Great, now change your last name.

Outspoken T eresa Giudice, from The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is the author of two New York Times Bestseller Cookbooks with another on the way and, following in the footsteps of NeNe, was also cast on Celebrity Apprentice. Teresa is most definitely a hustler trying desperately to get out of the $11 million debt that her hubbie Joe put their family in. FAB-U-LOUSSSS!

Kim Zolci ak from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, earns the title of laziest housewife, yet somehow she has managed to have a hit single, a wig line, have a baby with an NFL star, move into a mansion and get her own spinoff on Bravo, “Don’t Be Tardy For The Wedding.” SWEEEEEEEETIE!!!!!!! HELP ME!!!!!!

I just want my chance. Bravo, when are you doing a Chicago series?!

Facebook is Not Free

elizabethryder — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:40:37 +0000

As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of consumer goods, Procter & Gamble has earned the title of the world’s top marketer. This also means they have the highest annual ad budget ($10 billion), which I have to say, was well spent when those Old Spice ads began running a few years ago . P&G received 1.8 billion in free impressions generated by this campaign – not too shabby!

A few days ago, current CEO Robert McDonald announced P&G is cutting marketing costs and focusing more on utilizing Facebook to reach their audiences. He told Wall Street analysts that he would have to “moderate” his ad budget because Facebook and Google can be “more efficient” than the traditional media that usually eats the lion’s share of P&G’s ad budget. Wow, he’s JUST coming to this realization? I’m not saying he’s wrong, but the headline from Business Insider that explained the story was a little misleading, “P&G To Lay Off 1,600 After Discovering It’s Free To Advertise On Facebook.”

People need to stop citing that it’s FREE to advertise on Facebook. It’s not. A business needs to budget for social media strategists, a social media plan, Facebook Ads, creation of content, etc. – there are a lot of moving parts to maintaining a fruitful social media presence. However, I do think allocating more of their ad dollars to social branding is a step in the right direction for P&G. Facebook seems to agree as they favorably cited P&G in their IPO released yesterday:

“Procter & Gamble chose to advertise on Facebook to generate awareness for Secret deodorant’s “Mean Stinks” program and selected a female audience likely to be receptive to the campaign. The ad featured a confessional-style video of a girl admitting that she had bullied others, realizing the damage she had caused, and apologizing. In the 26 weeks after the Mean Stinks campaign launched, Secret experienced a 9% increase in U.S. sales and an increase in engagement with its Facebook Page.”

While our clients are all aware of the necessity and relevance of designating funds to social media in their marketing budgets, there are many who are just discovering and realizing the potential of these social streams. It’s time for an intervention: If you or someone you know would like to reach your target audience via the channels that they spend the majority of their time online, hire a social media team.

What Not to Post: Bathroom TMI

laurelmichelle1 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:52:27 +0000

I sat her for a few minutes trying to provide you with a clever explanation for this photo but I’ve got nothing! It pretty much explains itself and the only thing still boggling my mind is that, according to Facebook, this young man has a girlfriend. Charming, eh? He gets an UNSUBSCRIBE from me.

#LululemonWHUS

gossipgenie — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:26:51 +0000

Lululemon, everyone’s favorite, over-priced yoga gear had a warehouse sale this past weekend. The brand is notorious for never marking their items down more than 20%, therefore a warehouse sale rumored to have mark-downs near 50% was a bargain-hunting lulu lover’s dream. To inform the public about their upcoming sale, Lululemon decided to create a Facebook event invite and communicate sale “teasers,” waiting times, merchandise pictures and FAQ’s via social media. The Facebook event invite went from 0 RSVPs to 5,000 in a matter of hours. As the questions started to flood the event wall on Facebook, it was clear this was not for the fair-weathered lulu fan. People flew in from Ohio, Minnesota and Detroit to attend this sale. I spent a good deal of time researching what this process would be like and decided to read the tweets from sale attendees the previous weekend in Ottawa. After learning that I could be waiting in line for up to 6 hours, my dedication to Groove Pants was questioned until my girlfriend, fellow attendee gave me a pep talk.

The next thing I knew, my alarm was beeping at 5:30am and I was awakened from an anxious dream about having missed the Lululemon sale. The first thing I did was pull up the #LululemonWHUS Twitter feed and tweeted to @LululemonWHUS and asked how the lines were -(no response, which I took as a good sign). By 6:30am we were 15th in line waiting for the doors to open at 7am just to wait another 2 hours indoors. The line:

Was it worth it? YES! I did quite well – my total purchase amounted to $341 and all the items I purchased are currently on sale full price in the store – had I purchased everything at the store, my total would have been $715

Check out what other people were saying on the Lululemon Warehouse Sale Chicago 2012

William was just mugged BUT he still can’t get those sweatpants off of his mind…Clearly he is mocking the fanatics because

Not sure I would agree with Tanya but to each his own!

3:30 am wake-up call = dedication

People admitting to “flying in” for the sale, clearly Lauren is not a true Lulu fan (in her response to Mara) she suggests not checking bags at O’hare, obviously, Mara was talking about the Lulu sale!

Another male mocking the lulu fanatics

Today – my arms are still sore from the pile of clothes I grabbed in an effort to give myself choices before committing. In the end – I went home with all of this:

Are You Proud of Your Web History?

gossipgenie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:24:36 +0000

What a disturbing way to end the week…I have had a headache most of the day that has gotten progressively worse and it feels like a sinus headache. Therefore, I took it upon myself to Google, “How to get rid of a sinus headache” (I intended to type how but typed “where” due to the haze caused by my pulsing temples).

“where to get rid of…”and I couldn’t even finish my sentence because Google offered a disturbing suggestion to my incorrect inquiry:

I have always been terrified of someone gaining access to my Google Web History and reading it aloud in front of people but it’s obvious that people out there have web history that is much more disturbing.

My nearly 22,000 searches would probably diagnose me with an online shopping addiction and possibly slightly stalkerish tendencies. I think you can probably learn a lot about a person by what they search!

Have a great weekend!

Let’s Get Listed by Elizabeth

elizabethryder — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:45:06 +0000

As common as someone asking, “where did you grow up?” I find myself being asked, “Are you on Facebook?” as soon as we are introduced. Years ago, I would have hesitated at such an outright request, but ever since Facebook updated it’s (still very confusing, but getting there) privacy settings, I have less of an issue adding acquaintances as friends and designating them into their rightful list. One popular list that Facebook creates for you is the family list – because not everyone wants to see photos of your grandmother’s 90^th birthday party. I am a firm believer in people utilizing these lists for groups such as their close friends, work acquaintances, college friends, family members and so on. This also means your professional Facebook friends are less likely to “hide” your posts if they’re not seeing every check-in from Foursquare and updates about what you ate for dinner.

Let’s get back to business. Unless I don’t know you at ALL, I am most likely going to accept your friendship. After all, social networking is about building relationships and connecting with people. It increases your opportunity to network with others – people you may not know. I have found the answer to countless questions posting my inquiries on Facebook and waiting for the “oh so prompt” Facebook Gods/my network to respond. In everyday conversation, I find myself answering my friends questions with “I don’t know, I think you should post that question on Facebook.” While I may go to Yelp to see if the new dentist I chose is legit, I will probably start by asking my network if they can recommend the right DDS for the job.

The moral of the story is, use Facebook for all of it’s glory, don’t discount a friend request because you don’t want them creeping around your page. Change your settings to your liking and accept away. You never know who knows who, and the more the merrier when it comes to power of social networking.