Mantra

"Work is personal.
Computing is social.
Knowledge is power.
Break the rules." 

- Fast Company, 1995

#WearItWell

This isn't helping my itch to travel.

On Social Media

Why not just dump the daily tweeting on to low-level staffers or agency PR flacks?  

That question perfectly captures what's wrong with a lot of corporate and brand accounts! I mean, yes, it's Twitter. We're not mapping the human genome. But it has emerged as a pretty important communications channel, and this is what we do. If you were in a room speaking to an audience of thousands of people, you'd take that pretty seriously, right? I don't see how Twitter is all that different. If you're going to bother having an account, I think it's worth taking a bit of care to say something truly informative, or differentiated, or funny, or whatever. Whether it's a junior person or a senior person, someone in PR or creative, whoever it is should be someone you trust to do a good job and give it some love.

via

Kittens Inspired By Kittens

Will never not LOL when I watch this.

A Month of Plated Meals

About a month ago, I saw a Facebook Ad for Plated - a new subscription service that delivers ingredients and recipes right to your doorstep each week. (As you know, I am a sucker for subscription services. I've been a loyal Birchbox subscriber for over a year now. Facebook Ads know how to target people, that's for sure.) Anyway, I decided to check it out. The ad had a code for 4 free plates, so I thought what the heck. 

Here's the deal - Plated puts up a new menu every week. You select which meals you'd like to try, and how many plates you'll need of each. You can select in quantities of 2, 4 or 6 plates - but be warned, you have to order 4 plates for them to ship to you. Each week, Plated delivers a box of ingredients to your house and the recipes for each. The recipes have lots of pictures and tips to make it super easy. 

Meals without a membership are $15/plate ; meals with the membership are $12/plate. Membership is $10/month. You can skip weeks at no cost (or at least, not that I'm aware). 

To be honest, they really got me with the food photography. It.All.Looks.Amazing. Before I ordered, I checked out #platedpics on Twitter and Instagram to see if real people's food looked as good as the professionally made/photographed, and what do you know… it did. Their tagline is to 'release your inner chef' - so if you're a super picky eater, this probably isn't for you. Although, you can create a profile indicating allergies, gluten-free, vegetarian, aversion to spicy food etc. 

I typically order 2 different meals, 2 plates of each. The portion sizes are legit. I know I tend to eat smaller meals, but I have gotten 2-4 meals out of each '2 plates' I cook. 

I look for ingredients I typically wouldn't choose or meals I wouldn't think to cook on my own. For example, I steer clear of stir fries, as rice + veggies + meat is pretty much the only thing I know how to cook. The meals I've chosen include sweet potato ravioli, eggplant rollatini, shrimp with garlic and white beans, and steak with onions and swiss chard. (I'm working on recaps/tips of each of those meals… Stay tuned.) 

A tip if you decide to sign up - in your Membership settings, turn OFF Auto Delivery. If auto delivery is on, it will charge you for and ship 4 plates to you every week - even if you forget to indicate which ones you want from the weekly menu. I'd rather absorb the $10 membership price than pay $48 for meals I maybe wouldn't have picked. 

The important thing to know is that the food is GOOD. I'm serious. I'm still shocked every time I cook and it turns out well. Out of the 5 Plated meals I've made, there is only one that I didn't love. And even that one introduced me to some new ingredients/techniques that I've used since. (Who knew roasted cherry tomatoes were so good?!)

The big question I get is, "Is it worth it?" In terms of price… we're looking at (in a four week month) $202 on meals if you don't skip any weeks. That's probably more than I typically spend on groceries… but it is also WAY better food than I'd cook if left to my own devices. In fact, I haven't gone grocery shopping aside from milk/bread/dog food in a month. 

Learn more and sign up for Plated here, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me! I'm not being paid/reimbursed/coaxed into writing this post either. I seriously just really like Plated. 

Travel Tip: Use airbnb.com!

Joanna Goddard is in the midst of Travel Week on her blog, and you could probably say the same for me. This week, I've posted about my trip to DC in December and Colorado earlier this month, and am leaving for New Orleans this weekend! (Plus have some long overdue posts on my November trip to St. Petersburg, FL in the que.)

Anyway, today Joanna posted about renting houses on vacations (as opposed to hotels, timeshares, etc) and I felt compelled to get on my soapbox and preach about how much love I have for this concept (and airbnb in particular)!

airbnb is a vacation rental site with homes, apartments, individual rooms, even boats! The cool thing about it is that you're renting from a local. You're living like a local. You're not shut up in a Hampton somewhere. Booking is more personal, the trip is more authentic (in my opinion at least).

I first found out about airbnb from Joanna's blog actually. I had just bought an impromptu plane ticket to Tampa only to find out my parents had cancelled their timeshare in the area. I grew up going on timeshare vacations (through RCI mostly) staying in condos, cabins and townhomes. So when I found out our Florida timeshare had been cancelled, I was not about to book a cramped hotel room! [Call me high maintenence.]

I had remembered Joanna blogging about home sharing websites, found the post, and was immediately browsing VBRO and airbnb.com for places to stay.

We settled on a stay on the 'Full Moon' in St. Petersburg. Why stay in a hotel when you can stay on a sailboat?!

At 44 ft, the space wasn't huge, but... it's a boat. If you've ever stayed in an RV or camper, this is pretty much the same. Perfect for a couple or 2-6 friends. We were across the street from the Vinoy Hotel for pool, spa, larger bathrooms, restaurants + walking distance to restaurants, bars and shops in downtown St. Pete's.

Besides the convenience, we had amazing service from the renters. They answered tons of questions from me beforehand, showed us around when we got there and even left us a phone number if we needed anything. Would definitely do it again and recommend it to others. See the listing on airbnb.com.

I used airbnb again to help Atomicdust find a place to stay in Colorado, and we ended up in this gorgeous house up in the mountains (for way less than if we had tried to book hotels rooms probably).

It easily fit all 17 of us with beds, couches and a couple air mattresses. It had a big kitchen, two living rooms, lots of deck space and a hut tub. Plus, the views. Sigh.

And side note, I just used VBRO to book a trip to New Orleans, and while I have no problems with the site, I just don't think it's as easy to use / pretty to look at as airbnb. I'll let you know how to house in NOLA turned out next week when I get back!

Ultimate 90s-2000s Playlist on Spotify

Are you a twenty something who loves pop music that reminds you of middle school and high school? Yeah, I thought so. 

I've been known to high jack quite a few jukeboxes with my 90-00's pop obsessions, and now I'm taking over your Spotify too. 

Danielle's Ultimate 90s-2000s Playlist on Spotify

Britney. Backstreet. Blackstreet. Cleopatra. All Saints. Alien Ant Farm. Yep, it's all there. 

You're welcome.

Dear Glitter Guide (and other websites),

I love you, really I do.

But you're making it really hard.

First of all, your whole post does not populate in my Google Reader which means I have to click through to read it. Which means I usually don't.

And then when I do, I'm bombarded with a 'sign up' pop-up even though I am already a subscriber via email and RSS.

And then when I make it through that to read '5 Things to Try This Weekend' or another one of your stellar features, I have to click through each of the five things. I understand you are trying to up your pageviews to appeal to advertisiers, but you're ruining the reading experience of your visitors along the way.

Oh, and every time I click through to see the next 'thing'? There's that pesky pop-up again! Seriously?!

Written with much love and adoration (and frustration),

Danielle

Nathan Sawaya's 'Iwo Jima'

You may remember that this fall I went to see Nathan Sawaya's 'Art of the Brick' at the Magic House in St. Louis. Well, look what popped up again at the Marine Museum on our trip to DC?

Very cool.

Read more about Sawaya's work on Fast Co Create. And see the Magic House exhibit in St. Louis thru January 27th.

Save the Campbell House Museum's [Gl]ass™

Can I just talk about how much I adore the Campbell House Museum?

A. It's a freakin' awesome place to visit. If you are a history or STL nerd, you'll love the tour. And it is something different that chances are, you've never done in St. Louis before.

B. They kill it on social media (Facebook and Twitter). I love reading their updates. They refer to the place as 'Robert and Virgina's house' like they still live there. They've taken this really historic institution and instead of making it stuffy, it's fun.

Well, someone very mean/stupid/immature broke into the house and stole $98. (See a great post from Chris on the 'crisis communications' post-attack) In doing so, they also broke a seriously gorgeous (and seriously old) window pane that now has to be replaced. It's going to cost them (a non-profit historic institution) a pretty penny.

So if you love St. Louis or history, head over here and donate to their Save Our [Gl]ass™fund. (Brilliant naming, right?)

thankyoumuch.

I Love/Hate the Internet

My desktop last week. Look at all those open browser windows. Yikes. 

Once Upon A Time: Storytelling in Business

In business, storytelling is all the rage. Without a compelling story, we are told, our product, idea, or personal brand, is dead on arrival. 

Guber argues that humans simply aren’t moved to action by “data dumps,” dense PowerPoint slides, or spreadsheets packed with figures. People are moved by emotion.

Guber tells us that stories can also function as Trojan Horses. The audience accepts the story because, for a human, a good story always seems like a gift. But the story is actually just a delivery system for the teller’s agenda. A story is a trick for sneaking a message into the fortified citadel of the human mind. 

from Why Storytelling is the Ultimate Weapon.

I Must Watch Too Many Cat Videos

via Facebook Ads

I'm Dying. (NCAA Cuteness Edition)

Missouri is out of the tournament, so I pretty much lost all interest. But I'm always interested in little kids being stupid/funny/adorable.



And now, for my ultimate favorites. Be prepared to LOL. I am warning you:

Pinning is Winning at SXSTL

Last week, I got to do something super duper cool - sit on a panel about Pinterest at SXSTL.

Yes, SXSTL. Not SXSW. We hosted our own little shindig here in the Mound City, complete with panel discussions, networking and a bit too much weeknight partying. I was on the 'Why Pinning is Winning' panel with my good friends Lisa, Jenna, Maddie & Jess. Here we all are, looking quite pretty:

Josh Kocurek - friend and unofficial male Pinterest ambassador - served as the moderator and he asked some really great questions. I'm flattered that some people RTed and mentioned me throughout the night, and even came up to me to talk Pinterest later in the evening. Erin from SMCSTL posted a pretty amazing recap of the discussion, so make sure you head over there an check it out!

(Oh, and look! Ad Age Agrees with me on the whole image thing! I said it first.)

Ides of March

For your computer, phone or tablet background. Download here. 

Morning Musings (4th Ed.)

Nothing beats the smell of the brewery in Soulard. Absolutely nothing.

Everytime I hear Nicki Minaj, I wish it was Sophia Grace instead.

I always wondered what the speed limit on Gravois was. I know I should know that, since I drive it everyday, but I had never seen a sign! This morning, I noticed not one, but two 35mph signs! I was going about 50. Oops.

In my professional life, I can point to a few specific instances that reaffirmed what I do and why I do it. This was one of them last night. Omg. Blushing.

You've probably heard of the Dad who shot his daughter's laptop after an inappropriate Facebook posting. You probably think he is nuts. I thought so at first, too. Then I watched the whole video. And to be honest, I agree 100% with what he did. His daughter was posting things she shouldn't online. They tried talking to her about it, tried grounding her and it didn't work. So they took it to the next level. They took away her computer and guaranteed that she wouldn't get it back. Do I like guns? No. Do I like shooting things at close range in fields? No. But I like responsible parenting and holding your kids accountable for their actions. Anyway, this morning, the family was on the Today Show and I like the guy even more now. He's smart, well spoken and seems to have a great relationship with his family - yes, even his daughter. And you know what? He saved the girl's hard drive! He made sure he backed up all her data - her pictures, her files, everything. He saved it and gave it to her so that when she did have a computer, she would still have all that stuff. I think that's pretty awesome. And I think that girl is actually kind of lucky to have parents that are trying to show her that what you put online matters. 

How Did I Not See This?

Facebook Fan Page Fever

Pardon me. These kinds of updates are to me what Apple announcements are to others....

Insight into the changes via Fast Co Create:

"Our main objective is to make sure that over time, the advertising is as good as the content you would receive from your friends or family," said Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s VP of global marketing solutions. "It’s very similar to your own Facebook experience. There are certain friends that you probably love getting updates from--they are witty and interesting--and that’s really what we’re trying to do with brands: Stop thinking about brands over here and people over here, but actually [think of] brands as people."

 In other words, Facebook is gambling that its 800 million users won’t see this influx of advertising as an influx of advertising, but as new content to be consumed and shared. Will they? That all depends on whether brands can figure out how to create content that their fans actually want to share. That’s something that marketers have been talking about--and, to some extent, doing--for years. But the new Facebook brand platform will provide a fairly pressing mandate for marketers to up their content game.

Facebook Friend Activity... Needs Some Work

Facebook rolled out Timeline for Pages today (read all about the changes on the Atomicdust blog) and one of the new features is 'Friend Activity' on the right hand side. It shows how many of your friends like that page, and ideally, who's been interacting with the page - liking posts, commenting or sharing stories and updates.

But it looks like it also shows just general mentions of the brand on Facebook - even if the user doesn't explicitly tag or link to the page. 

In fact, flipping through some of the pages that have switched to the new look, the first five I looked at all had mentions from my friends featured.... and none of them tagged or linked to the page. In some cases, it was a complete misunderstanding! They weren't even talking about that particular brand in their update! And some were pretty old updates - one dated back to July 2011!

Here are some examples (Sorry to my friends I'm calling out..):

From the Today Show. This 'activity' doesn't even mention the show, just the word 'today.' And it's from July 28, 2011!

I'm sure people will have their own privacy issues with this, but I'm thinking more from a marketing viewpoint. Some of these had nothing to do with the brand pages they appeared on, but it doesn't seem like the brand has any control over what appears there or would even know what was showing up. I'd say this feature needs some work.