My New Passion is To Be Social

In about three months, I'd be celebrating my 32nd birthday. We'll be celebrating in Bohol, which is why I'm excited about turning another year older. Am I a little wiser? I believe so.

Last January, I started working officially as a Social Media Manager / Strategist for a US-based company. I've enjoyed managing my own social media accounts, so I knew it'll be a fun experience for me, too, to make a living out of something I'm passionate about. Though it can be a lot stressful at times, I can say that I'm glad I was led to this path because I feel like I'm doing very well at this. :)

I've started writing about social media on my geek blog because I believe I know a lot more now than I ever did before. I feel like I have some kind of authority now since I do it EVERYDAY, even when I'm not working. I LOVE IT!

Like a friend of mine, Jonha, who said she lives and breathes social media, I feel like that I am too. I've been blogging since 2003 (on a different platform) and have maintained my various social media accounts and pages for years. I enjoy connecting with other people, even from other parts of the world. I'm not as networked as Jonha is since most of the people in my Facebook network are Filipinos. On Twitter though, I feel much "social", which is why I'm addicted to it now.

So, if you want to tweet with me, follow me - @blankpixels. We can talk about anything under the sun! Doesn't matter if you're a man or a lady. We can talk about fashion, gaming, gadgets, beauty, promos, food, celebrities, politics, shoes or even Alpinestars SMX 5 Boots. I tweet about my life, my reactions to latest news, movies or music I love or currently enjoying, but mainly about social media, design, food (yes, again! LOL) and SEO. :)

Warm Up Without the Mess

Living in a country that enjoys tropical climate most of the year, it's natural for us here to not fully comprehend the necessity of fireplaces for those people in the USA, Canada and other places that experience winter season. That's why I don't completely understand why there are houses here in Manila that have fireplaces (well, aside from the aesthetic value perhaps). Baguio, I can understand.

I mean, considering that there are difficulties in maintaining a fire pit (its prehistoric nickname) inside the house, such as the need for wood for the fire, and making sure the chimney is good enough to vent out the smoke, plus the mess of cleaning up wood ashes after use. These are major issues. Well, not 'til electric fireplaces were introduced in the market. I think the first time I saw one was while watching Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D List.

The advantages with this innovation has outweighed the use of a conventional fireplace. It has spiked interest of many because of its practicality:

• Portable - does not require remodeling as it can be placed inside your conventional fireplaces.
• Convenience - non-high maintenance just need to plug, plus it’s mess-free.
• Smoke-free – does not require a chimney, so it can be installed inside an enclosed/small room.
• Energy-efficient – consumes energy comparable to a normal appliance we use everyday such as coffeemaker.
• Adaptable to any color motif in terms of interior design.

If you’re thinking of upgrading your old fireplace, you should seriously consider an electric fireplace.

Facebook : Google Before You Share/Tag

There's no doubt that Facebook is the top social networking site to-date. Though I'm seeing myself using and browsing Twitter more often now, Facebook is still unbeaten when it comes to user-friendliness and reach. Anyone you meet who has access to the internet is expected to have a Facebook account.

Because of the high usage of this social networking site, obviously, it'll be misused by those who don't understand or cannot comprehend the value of privacy or thinking before clicking or sharing, and abused by many people. Being paranoid when it comes to online security, especially after my own experiences with scams and hackers, and knowing a thing or two on how easy it is to fool / trick people online, I ALWAYS take everything I see on the internet with a grain of salt. Make that a cup of salt. ;)

I've been very cynical even when I was younger, so I didn't believe in Santa Claus. Well, I'm glad our nanay didn't really make up any of those fantasies when we were little. We've been realists since we were kids because of her, but it was our aunts and uncles who thought they can fool us that there's such a thing as a tooth fairy. *LOL*

This is why whenever I see something online that has been shared by people on my network, no matter how heartbreaking the story behind it may be, I always make it a point to do my research first, especially when it's something that'll attract strong opinions and reactions from other people. It's better safe than be humiliated later on to know that the post you shared was actually just a bunch of BS someone concocted for the fun of it.

If I can't find anything written about the said topic, I'll skip sharing it, especially when it's about someone committing a crime or guilty of general nastiness. You'll never know when the post you're sharing started with malicious intent to ruin someone's image. So, it does help to be extra careful.

One thing I also want to mention (though totally unrelated to the topic) is this: because of my Facebook network, people have been requesting me to add their other accounts that are connected to their store where they sell clothes, shoes, audio rack, gadgets, etc. They're supposed to be creating a Facebook page for it, if you ask me. I know what they'll do - they'll repeatedly tag me on their photos in an attempt to get my network of people to see what they're selling. No, thanks. Good thing Facebook now allows us to review any photo or post where other people tagged us. It prevents others from spamming our wall. I mean, I'm okay with my actual friends tagging me, but if I don't know you well enough, I won't accept that tag request and will remove my tag, then unfollow the post. And, also, it doesn't hurt to ask, you know. :) For contest entries though, I don't remove tags.

I'm currently thinking about maintaining a TRUE personal Facebook account, but I just don't have the time to manage yet another account. Besides, I've learned my lessons over the past years on what I can and should post on my wall. Plus, with the things I'm working on and my upcoming projects, I don't think I'll have the time to share anything personal anymore anyway, except the ones you'd see here on my blog. I tend to rant in multiple paragraphs anyway. ;)

How about you? What do you think of the funny and ridiculous things that have been shared and spread like wildfire through Facebook? Care to share your own experiences? :)

Thinking Out Loud : Inspiration from Architecture

Bastille Day is coming up and it's one of the important holidays in France. One of the many reasons why I've been fascinated by anything French is because of the picturesque places in France, particularly in Paris (it's in my bucket list). Everyone would agree that the world-famous Eiffel Tower is one of the metal buildings that were created to defy or challenge architecture and engineering.

As I browse for more information about this spectacular monument, I found out people back then were amazed by its bold structure and it was even considered built to ignore the rules of engineering. Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who spearheaded the construction and design of the Eiffel Tower, has proved that it can withstand the test of time.

This reminds me of a story my best friend told me about the landlord of the apartment she once rented in Mandaluyong City. She said she noticed that the house of the landlord was built with mostly non-combustible materials (steel bars, concrete and glass), She later found out he is a licensed architect who lost one of his family members in a fire, which in turn inspired him to build a fireproof building, which was a big advantage for everyone living there.

These stories remind me that...

• Most of the time, we have to challenge what others may think in order to achieve something awesome and fascinating. We shouldn't let others limit what we can aim for.
• Crazy ideas or decisions may or may not end in failure. If you don't take risks in life, you're not making the most out of what you can do and accomplish.
• We shouldn't worry too much about force majeure. It's beyond our control. We can never tell when our last day would be. The best thing we can do is to live one day at a time, live life to the fullest and know that each mistake, heartache, and hard lesson in life would eventually lead us to a better path. Everything happens for a reason.

The weekend is again coming up. I hope you all have a good one! :)

3 Online Tools to Leverage Your Business Enterprise

In business, leverage is everything. In a marketplace that seems to be increasingly saturated with the same products and services, what point of differentiation can you have over your competitors?

If you are new to the business, you might want to focus on two things first: branding and efficiency. Effective branding can lead to effective marketing, giving you the customers you need. Efficiency ensures you save up on costs so you have more for improving and running your business. Below are three simple, but brilliant online tools that may help you with the leverage you need for your business:

 

1. PickyDomains.com

For a tiny fraction of what branding agencies would normally charge you – which can run up to hundreds of thousands of dollars – PickyDomains.com helps you utilize the power of crowdsourcing. At PickyDomains.com, if you find coming up with a catchy name or slogan for your enterprise a little too daunting, you can tap into the power of over 50,000 registered contributors to generate a pool of ideas that can skyrocket your visibility in the marketplace.

You simply need to register as a client and pay a small downpayment fee. The fee is $50 for names and domains and $75 for slogans. You will then need to submit a list of requirements that will be taken into consideration when coming up with possible names. PickyDomains can even work with bloggers for free. Two great guarantees that come with this service are the confidentiality and the money-back guarantee you get if you do not happen to like the service or any of the names suggested.

 

2. Bitrix24.com

Starting from scratch when designing a tool that manages both your office and your organization can be quite overwhelming, especially if it is your first time to run a company. With Bitrix24.com, you get a CRM and a corporate intranet all in one.

Bitrix24 combines features like free workforce management, free activity planner, free sales funnel, free real-time streaming, free file and document sharing, free social communications, free calendar, to name just a few. Best of all, it's free for companies with a maximum of 12 people. Not only that. Bitrix24 also has a mobile version, making this tool literally handy and accessible whenever and wherever you are. For an upgrade to unlimited number of users, you need to pay a mere $99 a month.

 

3. JetRadar.com

Searching for the best deals in airfare can now become much easier with JetRadar.com. A meta search engine, it lets you access information from 728 airline, flight and ticketing sites and even has a quick reference portion for flights that have been searched by customers with destination points which may be similar to yours. This can be an enormous help if you need to travel on a constant basis, setting up business locations or checking up on branches and franchisees. It helps keep you organized and frees up your time for other equally important matters.

Maintaining a Good Online Reputation

In this digital world that we currently live in, people seem to have forgotten to think first before reacting, saying or doing anything. With a 140-character phrase or sentence on Twitter, someone can ruin another person's image or a company's reputation. Imagine how much more damage a blog article can inflict.

Don't get me wrong. There are advantages to consider when we talk about the advancement of communication nowadays. Companies seem to be more careful with how they deal with their customers. But, there are just people or customers out there who seem to think that the company owe them the world just because they bought their product or availed of their service. And having experienced being on either side, I know how frustrating this can be to a customer and to the company.

I think that customers' disappointment can still be taken care of. What's scarier is when a competitor resorts to black propaganda to ruin your company's image, just so they can steal your customers away. This is why many companies, especially the startups that have a decent amount of money to back them up, hire individuals to take care of their online reputation management. It's no easy task as some companies can get real dirty, even to a point when they'll pay online writers to publish articles to ruin their competitor's credibility.

This is why I've chosen to be more careful with how I write reviews or how I share criticisms about a company, product or service. If the problem was really intense and I feel the need to warn people, that's when you'd see me publishing my account of what I experienced. Otherwise, I'd rather give the company or restaurant another chance before I make a judgment. Besides, my work as a Social Media Manager has helped me understand how it feels to read negative reviews about the client restaurants I handle. And I feel that this has helped me become a better blogger. :)

I will write a more detailed post about this on my geek blog.

The Trends That Never Stop

For generations, freshwater pearls have made a huge impact for the everyday fashionista. These gems are widely consuming the trends and it seems it will never stop! Pearls are classy, elegant, simple, delicate, and imperfect. Imperfection seems like something we, as humans, try to reduce. However, pearls are perfectly imperfect and that is why they are sought after. This imperfection comes from them being the only gem that is created by a living organism. Being this way only creates individualism and originality.

Thousands continue these trends because they are known as the "Queen of Gems". As all of the fairy tales go, a queen has powers, and so do these gems. They enhance love, luck, and protection in your life. Therefore, not only do they contribute to your everyday life by adding wonderful powers, they complete your outfit like a charm!

Finding that perfect accessory is always a challenge in the morning before work or right before the date night, but with pearls, they make everything easier. They are simple, light and absolutely stunning however way you wear them: dressed up or down. Their high demand is causing thousands of women to represent the pearl family in so many ways. Find yours: anklets, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, even bridal jewelry, whatever you think will suit you. Myfreshwaterpearls.com is the best way to start shopping for high quality pearls for a fraction of the price.