Some of you may be familiar with Foursquare, the fast growing location-based mobile application that encourages people to explore local businesses and check-in for points, potential discounts etc. Like many, I was initially a bit hesitant with the check-in service because I couldn’t quite understand its value. Two years ago, I asked an early Foursquare adopter…
I’ve pestered my family and close friends this week with a series of questions about mentorship. What mentors have you had in the past, if any? How have they helped you? What would your ideal mentoring relationship be? I got to thinking about this while researching tech and social entrepreneurship incubators. There was a noticeable…
How did we ever find good restaurants and services before the Internet? I remember the days when observations like “Mrs. Smith told me that her friend’s son’s girlfriend’s mother’s ex-husband recently opened an Italian restaurant that’s pretty decent” were considered highly useful. Based on these sole recommendations, off we’d go to the pizzeria- such adventurers-…
Read more Lesson #3: Beyond the transaction, connecting is key.
I’ve been in New York for 3 days. So far, Jay-Z’s wisdom has proved on point. Big buildings provoke inspiring thoughts and beats indeed. Aside from its beauteous concrete jungle, New York City has overwhelmed my senses with people. They flood my conscience: fast talkers, knowledge dispensers, young dreamers, drunk loungers, jaded locals, brusque transit…
After some diligent prodding by one of my mentors, I am back on the blogosphere. This time, with more purpose and drive. After all, I am no longer constricted to writing for a grade. The only purpose here is learning. I began this blog earlier in the year for my Interactive Media class simply as…
What gives rise to the trends that stick? The small things. What makes an obscure idea a sudden hit? The changes that are barely noticed. If you haven’t already gotten it by now, an epidemic is not made through the big and flashy. According to writer Malcolm Gladwell in his best-selling book, The Tipping Point,…
My pitch is simple. I love storytelling. Put me on the story. If you’ve been reading this blog, you already know I’m interested in social media and the technological impact the virtual world has on society. But other than an intense curiosity about all things digital, what else can I bring to the table? I…
Today I tried my hand in social good. I encouraged my Facebook friends to “Like” my status, and for every click I got, I would donate $1 to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation. The Sebastian Ferrero Foundation is the designated charity for Twestival Local Gainesville. Twestival is taking place around the world on Thursday, March 24. Twestival, aka…
Last year, I had the awesome opportunity of speaking with Dr. Elaine Young’s (@ejyoung67) Marketing Management class at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. These ’social ninjas’ are truly maximizing their use of social media tools like Twitter and Foursquare to reach target markets. But, more importantly, they are using it to market themselves. Yes, for…
Aspiring journalists, hear hear! In a conversation segment I taped last year for CampusTweet.TV, Washington Post student life and culture reporter Jenna Johnson (Twitter handle: @wpjenna) offered insights into the changing media industry. As a journalist myself, I was excited with the opportunity to exchange words (face to face!) with a real-life reporter. We spoke…
Read more Interview with Jenna Johnson, Washington Post Reporter
The Social Files 