New Media has completely transformed the wedding industry.  Now for better or for worse brides have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips that they are using to help themselves and others.

Whether you are a bride or a vendor, utilizing social media is extremely beneficial, and becoming the standard for the industry.

New media for the new bride

For the Bride

Money Savers

Couples are still deciding to get married, despite a struggling economy.  Finding ways to save money and still have a dream wedding is more possible now, than ever before.  Utilizing social media is a fantastic way to research pricing of dresses, shoes, vendors, etc and make educated purchases.  Classified adds on social networking sites are a great way to shop second-hand items.  What’s more, you are able to post a response to the classified add directly beneath the item.  This gives a great opportunity for feedback from the seller as well as other consumers to help answer your questions.

These websites are also a great tool after the “I-dos” have been said.  What would you do with 150 votive candleholders you bought for your table decor?  Chances are another bride would love to use them.  A great spot for buying and selling all things wedding is:    http://classifieds.weddingbee.com/

DIY for the Crafty Bride

For the bride who would like to save money by adding her personal touch to the big day, www.Weddingbee.com is a fantastic blog that sparks inspiration, and, it’s FREE!  On this particular blog, brides document their way through the wedding planning process. They share thoughts and ideas, and include massive amounts of pictures and personal inspiration.  Bloggers typically end their blog with a question to readers, beckoning feedback and response; opening lines of communication with women who share a special bond during this time.

(Great example of a step-by-step DIY project, provided by a former colleague of mine:  http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/08/31/diy-oot-boxes-happy-bride/#more-108979)

Personal Relationships

It is amazing to see how social media has not only affected the ability to gather information and connect with others online, but has been a source of personal relationship building.  I recently attending a networking event hosted by www.TheKnot.com (at The BeeHive, in Boston, great spot! www.beehiveboston.com) There, I learned that brides are meeting on TheKnot.com, and forming social groups based on geographical location.  They get together in coffee shops and restaurants to discuss all-things weddings and have formed real-life, personal relationships.  Without social media, forming groups such as these would be challenging, and much less likely.

For the Vendors

It’s imperative for vendors in this industry to utilize social media as a marketing/advertising tool.  A venue can have the most expensive online advertising in the world, but a few bad blog posts on TheKnot.com can deter potential clients from continuing research.

***

For the brides out there that have worked with vendors you love, don’t just send them a thank-you email.  Write a review on a social networking site and spread the word!

You can get in touch with Noelle through LinkedIn

A mere decade ago, the voter turnout rate amongst eligible American voters was as dismal as it ever was in our country’s young history.

After social media hit politics full speed in the 2008 Presidential Election we saw the biggest voter turnout in about four decades*. It became clear that in order to a win a political campaign you had to have an online presence; but what if you’re running for office and don’t have the luxury of a new media team?

A dramatization of what could have been had New Media been discovered earlier

Here are 5 tips to getting your campaign off the ground and getting you in office, while spending almost no money through new media:

Have a Website

The website is far and away the most important part of a political campaign now a days, regardless of what you’re running for. People don’t just expect you to have a website, they expect you to have a site loaded with quality content that will keep them wanting to learn more about you and what you stand for. There are a handful of companies out there that actually build political campaign websites, namely The Prosper Group who is actually very reasonably priced and offers a litany of other marketing services. A website now works as a candidate’s political ID card and should include your stances on all the prudent political topics at hand, as well as pictures or videos of any type events you’ve been to.

Setting Up Your Social Media Accounts

Your social media presence is equally important to a campaign, but for different reasons. I like to call your social media campaign an offensive attack. The main website is there for people to find while a Facebook or Twitter account allow you to reach out to people, which is obviously an extremely important factor in a political campaign. Want to reach out to conservatives? Join Conservative Facebook groups and post your thoughts. Have an event you want liberals to show up for? Spend a couple of dollars on an Ad that you can specifically target to democrats living in that approximate area.  When you join these groups, be sure to actively participate in the conversations that are happening, if you appear passionate you have a better chance of winning people over.  You should also be sure to tweet to other like-minded members on Twitter and build your following in the new digital version of a grass roots campaign. With Social Grow you can now take your database of signed up volunteers and supporters and seamlessly build your social media profiles within minutes, something of which is extremely valuable.

Linking

Linking is important because you never know where new people are coming from. Some may have heard about you through Twitter and want to see your homepage, while others may want to “like” you on Facebook after reading your political stances through your homepage. Everything needs to trickle back to your homepage, think of it as the mother ship to your whole online strategy. You need to be completely overloading your followers or potential followers with fresh and original content.  One of the more under-the-radar tactics I’ve found success with is picture tagging. Facebook gives you the option of tagging yourself to pictures you may not have uploaded, what this does is introduce you to people viewing the pictures of other people they’re following who probably have the same ideas or qualities as you (or else why are you taking a picture with them).

Press Releases Are Essential

In political campaigns, any sort of positive press is considered a huge slam dunk no matter what level the campaign is on. What better press to have than through articles written about you…by you? Press releases allow you to control your fate in the media, a lot of newspapers receive press releases through the press wire and either just upload it verbatim or use it as a reference to build their articles. When I was in charge of writing press releases I made sure to always use PR Web because they have the cool feature of actually attaching a website of your choice below the release which encourages interaction and works as a direct link straight to your homepage and your subsequent social media sites, it’s extremely useful.

Update! Update! Update!
The importance of updating a homepage or social media site should go without saying, but I’ve unfortunately seen campaign sites that haven’t been updated for months. If you build up a steady stream of daily nuggets it will encourage people to keep coming back. The more you wait to add to your sites, the more people you lose along the way. Not only do you have a hard time retaining followers but it makes your campaign look sloppy and lazy which in turn reflects directly on you as a candidate. If you continue to add pictures of events you’ve went to, or videos of speeches you gave; you’ll find that not only will you keep people interested, it will help your SEO and in turn garner more followers interested in supporting you in funding and most importantly in the voting booth.

For any consulting inquiries please email Justin at justin.a.miller24@gmail.com

It’s no secret how quickly the English language has been spreading across the world over the past 10 years and a good

The Interactive Chat Between Tutor and Student on Squarko

working knowledge is an essential skill for any migrant professional, but globalization cuts both ways. Within 15 years, the number of EFL learners worldwide is expected to peak at around 2 billion, according to the British Council, and so speaking a second language will become the norm instead of the exception. As a result, being born a native English speaker could actually be a hindrance as many presume that they don’t need a second language.

Fortunately, thanks to technological advances, it has never been easier to learn a new language. Skype can connect a tutor in Japan with a businessman in London meaning lessons can be done at any time, anywhere and for a reasonable price. Skype has now outlived the initial hype and its current levels of VOIP quality mean it can be used by enterprises as a significant tool for increasing productivity. Many tuition companies have jumped on the back of this to spread English learning across the world (disclaimer: mine included) but it’s important that this is seen as a two-way street.

Even more beneficial for the e-learning market is that various companies who traditionally built business conferencing software (such as Cisco WebEx, Adobe Connect, Verishow and DimDim) have adapted their products to suit an educational scenario. These virtual classrooms allow for interactive and engaging lessons using everything from YouTube and Google Maps to slideshow presentations.

Squarko, which will launch this summer, is an e-learning platform which allows language learners to get together and chat. The potential for sites of this kind is virtually limitless, with no age, ability or geographical boundaries. No longer will people have to drive to the adult learning centre downtown, or be limited to tutors within a 20-mile radius. Everyone who tries it is hesitant at first, but the same was true of Skype five years ago. We just say: “give it a try and then make up your mind.”

It’s crucial for English native speakers to spread their linguistic horizons and take in as many different languages as possible. Even if just for basic introductions, this common courtesy can benefit you in a variety of scenarios, from sealing a multi-million dollar business deal to not getting overcharged in a restaurant. It’s no longer good enough to assume that everyone speaks English, just point at what you want and talk slowly, loudly and condescendingly: “eh, Pablo, do you sell chips?”

There are various ways and means to learning a language online. Some prefer the softly, softly approach of building up their vocabulary from basic greetings and questions, week by week. Others take the immersive approach and book themselves regular lessons with a native speaker who provides valuable conversation experience and in-depth knowledge. But however you do it, it’s important to maintain a global perspective, instead of assuming that being born in the Western World will always be your passport to business dominance and economic prosperity.

You can learn more about what Chris does at Squarko.com

Gone are the days where people make the very important decision of voting for a political candidate based on how many yard signs they see on the way to the voting center in their local high school gymnasium. A mere decade ago, the voter turnout rate amongst eligible American voters was as dismal as it ever was in our country’s young history. For as long as I can remember the voting public has always been pessimistic about the selection of candidates partly because politicians typically don’t always have the best track record for being honest, and they just simply didn’t know enough about who these candidates were or what they stood for.

-Enter New Media-

Obama's Profile on Myspace

Although it was prevalent in the 2000 and 2004 elections, we really began to notice social media play a major role early on in the presidential election of 2008. I’ll never forget when I signed on to Myspace (back when everyone was doing it, but that’s still not an excuse) and I had one friend request from Barack Obama. It didn’t take long to see that what the Obama camp was doing through social media was not only inexpensive but effective. When all was said and done the 2008 Presidential Election saw the biggest voter turnout in about four decades*, and it was Barack Obama who emerged overwhelmingly victorious.  Not soon after did the newly elected President’s campaign essentially became a tutorial for all future political candidates regardless of the party or position.

-So Why Was It So Successful?-

For the first time ever the people had access to a presidential candidate where they were able to interact with him like never before. People didn’t need to rely on watching debates or remember slogans on signs. We were able to go straight to the source by reading his daily tweets, or checking his constantly updated Facebook profile full of video, news, and images. Meanwhile you almost felt some sort of disconnect from his competitor John McCain the “conservative” Senator for Arizona, who ran a more old school campaign that focused on small public speaking events while shaking hands and kissing babies.

After the 2008 election, things changed fast; in a matter of two years the online presence of a political candidate is not only the norm… it’s required if they hope to stand any chance of success. Campaign directors are now shying away from traditional television ads and old school tactics all while recruiting young social media experts to essentially run their campaign, and give the candidate an online voice. Social media tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Grow, and Twitter have become essential to running a campaign because they “turn the tables” and deliver the people to the candidates as opposed to the other way around. Candidates now find themselves campaigning in 140 characters or less or plugging their fully loaded Facebook fan page during every event, why? Because it gives them a new level of interaction that is more than just valuable… it’s essential. It goes without saying that new-media will forever now play an important role in politics; the interesting part will now be to see who can use it in innovative new ways to create more exposure…thus the evolution of media continues on.

* http://elections.gmu.edu/preliminary_vote_2008.html255

Well with all this stuff going on what could make me want to stop, sit down and write a new blog post? A great new website called Plummelo. While in highschool and college I worked in restaurants and pretty much any job you could ever do. Despite a decade in the food industry I never really had a true interest in the art of cooking until my college job as an expeditor for an awesome new restaurant called Il Casale located just outside of Boston. Il Casale is run by well known chef Dante de Magistris and has recently been noted as one of the hottest new restaurants in the COUNTRY by Esquire magazine. While working as an expeditor in the kitchen I spent a lot of time talking to the Executive Chef, Daniele Baliani (who you may recognize from the Freschetta commercials) and  when you listen to the way he talks about cooking and how much passion he has for it, you’d be hard pressed to not take interest in it yourself.  The one problem with taking an interest in cooking your senior year of college is…well being a senior in college. I was (am) clueless on what I needed at the store, and even when I got everything I had no idea how to even cook (minor details).

-Enter Plummelo.com-

Set up an account at Plummelo.com

I discovered Plummelo.com in a blog for innovative new startups and they just so happen to be based locally out of Boston Mass where I happen to live. is an innovative new website that aims at revolutionizing the way people cook in the digital age.  Plummelo allows you to easily set up member accounts for free that act as a central hub for all of your favorite online recipes found on some of the premier cooking sites like: TheFoodNetwork.com, AllRecipes.com, and MarthaStewart.com. Plummelo also has begun partnering up with cooking blogs to expand their network of expansive and delicious recipes. Plummelo aims to provide an integrated solution that gives people a new channel through which they can decide what to cook, what to buy, and where to buy all in one place. Essentially with their Plummelo account and recipes in toe, members now have an intensive shopping list that will ensure their meal will come out perfectly, and won’t miss that crucial spice or garnish.

If you’re a fan of cooking, you’re definitely going to want to check out the site, like I said its free to join and it seems like they’re gearing up for some big promotion on Monday June 26^th so that will be interesting to check out.  And I also hope to get contribute more often so keep checking back to US Innovators .

I continue to find it unbelievable how quickly times have changed in the field of video production.  Just sixteen years ago when I was an undergraduate student, we were shooting on S-VHS tapes and editing deck to deck with an analog controller.  Editing tape to tape meant losing a generation of video quality, losing some amplitude, and possibly picking up additional hiss in your audio.  Student camcorders back then cost around $10,000 and the combined hardware required to edit with effects also ran well into the thousands.

Brian Wardyga with Ice Cube 1992

Today, a comparable High Definition digital camcorder can be purchased for under $2,000.  For that same amount, one can buy a high end workstation and professional editing software that allows more control, better effects, and higher quality than we could have ever imagined back in the mid-nineties.  There is next to no generation loss when editing digital content, and instead of dumping back to a $15 tape, we’re authoring to higher quality DVDs that cost less than a buck.

In addition to saving serious money, video professionals are also saving space.  To do what can be done on a workstation today, a video editor in the nineties would need two video tape recorders, two monitors, two speakers, an analog remote controller, and a special effects video mixer.  All of this equipment took up space, which would most commonly use up a large closet or an entire room for a comfortable edit suite.  Even when I went on for my Master’s degree at Boston University, the new Avid workstations were housed in three or four small closets.  These edit suites were in high demand by students, and just like in the analog days, we had to sign up for blocks of time to use the equipment.

Edit suites haven’t gone away, but they certainly aren’t as required as they were back in the analog days.  They now basically exist for the high end professional who wants to view his or her work on High Definition screens and hear his or her sound through monitoring speakers.  They are also used by many colleges and universities for their “wow” factor.  Dimly lit rooms with dual screen workstations, large Hi Def program monitors, sexy speakers, and a sleek new audio board can work wonders on attracting the potential high school senior looking for an exciting college major in video production.

Here at Lasell College, students work in a computer lab with 15 Avid workstations running Media Composer.  All they’re required to bring to class is a pair of headphones.  There are no more lines of students waiting at the door to cram into three or four small editing closets.  The classroom is now the oyster, where the instructor can walk around and work with the entire class—instead of just with two or three students crammed into a tiny booth.  And with the dawn of the ultra small Flip camcorders and the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera, the technology continues to get smaller and more affordable.

So what does it all mean for video production students?  I believe that students can only benefit from the affordability of present day video production tools.  Today, many students can purchase their own video cameras and editing software for their laptops.  I admit that I’m a bit jealous.  Where I would have to commute to college for many miles and spend my weekends locked away in an edit booth, students today can now work off of their laptops, from their bedrooms, and in their pajamas.

Brian is currently a communications Professor at Lasell College. You can utilize his services by visiting wardyga.com.

Homeschooling is no walk in the park. But using the resources available to you will make the process easier and more fulfilling. One of those resources that is a must with homeschooling is the internet. There are so many helps, tips and tricks right at your fingertips. The internet and blogging in particular have helped me in so many ways, including providing support, encouragement, educational material, supplies and homeschooling tools, as well as creating a place to brag on our progress and ask for help or ideas when we need it.

Angie and Her Monkeys

We’ve been homeschooling for six years, starting with preschool, and I now have a fifth grader, a first grader, and a kindergartener. Our homeschooling days can be chaotic at times and when I’m at my wits end, I turn to the one place where I know I can find encouragement, support, and help….. our online homeschooling community. There are several different online homeschooling groups or communities. Some consist of homeschoolers who live in the same area, others are groups of homeschoolers that utilize the same curriculum, and still others are groups that have a certain common bond like homeschooling grandparents. There’s something for everyone and many homeschooling parents belong to more than just one online homeschooling community. Groups such as these are invaluable because homeschooling is a “learn as you go” process, and there is always a group of homeschoolers that has experience and wisdom to pass along to those just starting out. Whether it’s sharing tips on the best inexpensive field trip options in your area, offering up slightly used books and learning games, or creating a list of the pros and cons of a particular curriculum, the online homeschooling communities are a much needed support for homeschoolers.

Often when we’re trying out a particular curriculum, I will find that a particular part or subject in the curriculum is not working well with one of my children. All children learn differently and some curriculum may present the information in a way that works well for one child, but not another. This is where the homeschooling websites and blogs come into play. Homeschoolers are very good about posting online reviews of their curriculum choices. If we’ve tried something and it worked fantastically, or if it was not user friendly, you can guarantee we’ve posted about it somewhere. Doing a simple search for a particular homeschooling curriculum or tool that you are considering buying can bring up several different websites or blogs where a review has been posted. Many homeschoolers who have a blog will post the review directly on their blog as well as the website they purchased it from. Almost all homeschooling websites that sell curriculum have reviews posted on their sites as well. This is very helpful when trying to determine what curriculum will be best not only for you but for your child.

These are just a few of the ways that the internet and online world can be extremely helpful to homeschoolers. There is also a vast network of free homeschooling resources such as lesson plans and printable worksheets. Finding these resources are as easy as a simple online search and most homeschoolers are great at offering their help if you have any questions. I probably would still be homeschooling with or without this large support network online, but I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be near as joyful in my teaching. Having this online community of encouragement and resources has been vital to the success of our family’s homeschooling endeavors

Check out Angie’s Blog at http://www.myfourmonkeys.com

I started to learn about IdeaPaint after I started here at US Markerboard, the product was about as new to the company as I was. The

IdeaPaint

concept of IdeaPaint was conceived around 2002 when three Babson students were trying to think up ideas for a business project. The group came up with the idea to try to create a whole wall of whiteboards to give them the maximum amount of space to write all their notes and ideas down. Although the idea was good in theory, it was extremely expensive to do (think of paying for 10 whiteboards at the same time). Instead they thought of a paint solution; some might think (myself included) why wasn’t this created a long time ago, it seems so obvious? It wasn’t created because people didn’t think it was chemically possible; The group bounced around to different labs until one finally was willing to take a shot and viola, IdeaPaint was born.

What IdeaPaint offers is a unique opportunity to change your office or classroom walls into a giant writing workspace. Here at US Markerboard we painted a whole wall full of IdeaPaint and now use it for meetings; it’s a great product and can save schools and businesses a ton of money in the long run.

My other favorite new innovative product is by a new company called “TouchIT.” TouchIT offers an interactive whiteboard that will

TouchIT Interactive Boards

revolutionize the way businesses, colleges, and schools use whiteboards.
The TouchIT board works in conjunction with any data projector and any computer, which creates a touch-based interactive whiteboard allowing full control of your PC from the whiteboard, very cool.

By using your finger or a stylus, the TouchIT Board works just like a mouse allowing both left and right click functionality. So basically with this board, you now have a giant tablet computer screen that you also write on.
There are products out there like this, but for way more money and with way less functionality. US Markerboard are the only people that sell it so far, but I am convinced products and boards like this will be the wave of the future for meetings and classroom lectures; they allow every student and meeting members to interact with the board at the same time with personal tablets.

I suggest anyone reading my blog check these products out. If you have had experience with either products please tell us about it in the comment section, and be sure to check back tomorrow for our weekly guest blog entry.

The wild world of social media has been an eye opening experience to a lot of marketing professionals, especially that haven’t quite adjusted to the new school tactics that have become a necessity over the past 10 years.

We did a piece on Facebook Ads that mentioned the ability to pin-point your market based on information provided by member’s profiles. It’s a truly innovative tool that has worked for me in my experiences, and has clearly worked for Facebook who continues to back dump trucks of revenue into their headquarters from marketers looking for a more accurate edge.

But we haven’t touched on opportunities they offer companies with a slightly smaller budget, like $0.00. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs are all free services that have been critical to the success of inexpensive yet thriving marketing campaigns. With these types of campaigns, you basically let your customers do all the work; it’s the new school version of the historically most successful marketing tactic: “word of mouth.”

To take it a step further, there is a new social media venture out there waiting to explode on the scene. Shortbord, still in its beta

Shortbord.com

phase is a new site that encourages the exposure of companies, restaurants, and charities by having them endorsed by you and me. Once you sign up for Shortbord, you link your profile with all of your social network sites. Once Shortbord crawls your entire network it gives you a ride score based on your exposure through all your social media profiles. Once you set your profile up you are then able to look through the list of endorsable companies or charities and select which one you’d like to carry with you.

But how do you decide?

Companies often give incentives to endorse them, the more you endorse them the better your chances of receiving the prize; often times they are significant discounts or swag.

How do you endorse them?

It’s easy, just go about your business. Your profile now has a shield wherever you go, and on that shield is the company logo with a link to their site, effectively giving you a free advertising campaign with thousands of impressions per day. So if you write on a Facebook or tweet, that’s just more exposure and impressions for the endorsed company; so basically you’re paid to do what you normally would be doing.

I think Shortbord is a perfect example of the climate of marketing now. It seems like everyone has a Facebook and Twitter account and the ability to tap into those markets could be an invaluable tactic to help launch companies and stay in the game. People are leery of clicking on advertisements, typically people are on the internet for a specific purchase and clicking on picture advertisements isn’t one of them, but being able to get your name out there through the voice of others is extremely invaluable.

Check out Shortbord at http://www.shortbord.com/