Power of freedom/freedom of expression on Tumblr

Cheers to the Social Media network that is the secondary lowercase “t.”

I hopped on Tumblr a few months ago to see what the hype was about and I got hooked.

Blogging platforms have allowed us to express ourselves as freely as we can. Tumblr allows us to curate our passions and likes onto a creative platform. It is quite easy to chose one of the graphically striking formats to showcase your stuff. For what a post may lack in copy, it makes up for it in any visual representation.

With Instagram (And Instagram type services for other smartphones) people can create a vintage artistic representation of things they find to be cool and post it on their Tumblr’s. This is very authentic, because anything you capture with your phone is most likely random. A great plus is you can embed Youtube, and Vimeo videos into your posts. For music it allows you to embed Soundcloud audio into your post.

Twitter and Facebook can be forms of expression but there are some barriers for people to truly express themselves. Twitter is too random and followers tend to have the attention span of a toddler, plus it uses third party websites for its photos. For music and videos, you can only post links. Facebook has way too many things going on, and too many changes happen.  Plus Facebook has always been to generic to be looked at as an expression platform.

From a Marketing standpoint, I don’t think there is a way brands can measure how posting to Tumblr can relate to sales. But anyone who has a job where they have to keep their brand culturally up to date, it is a wise choice to use this as a cooler version of  a Flickr account. Of course it should be used in conjunction with Twitter. Fashion brands have capitalized on this a whole lot more than any other brand, mainly because they must keep abreast and educate people on changes that happen each season. Spam free is awesome, but I hope to see more analytics other than how many likes or reblogs a post has.

 

As I might have been neglecting this WordPress blog, I have been freely posting on my tumblr. Feel free to follow me here on Tumblr Robert Innis’ Tumblr

Take a look at the founder David Karp as he elaborates on  why he invented Tumblr.  It makes so much sense.

Personal Branding

I found this perusing LinkedIn.

I thought it would be wise to share this with some of the readers that I may have.

It is in Flash so do not feel bad if you cannot view this.

Personal Branding 2.0 by Social Media & Digital PR Strategist Ty Jennings

View more presentations from TyJennings

Homesick? Get over it…by doing this

When we are on our paths to greatness, we tend to forget that we are human beings. No matter what company we work for they may have a small roll if any in our personal lives. But if you are new to the city you basically have no personal life unless you know people that are there already.

A lot of young professionals move to cites without any connections and on sheer will they stick it out with the hope that their push to keep on with their careers will be their life.

Some individuals are ok with this. Other’s who might have seen themselves as tough willed and open minded could often experience periods of homesickness. Being homesick does not have to refer to where you grew up and where your family is either, some miss the fun and easy social scene in college.

There are many ways to ease this sense of homesickness:

• Keep in touch with close friends and family, without their support you would not be where you are.
• Reflect on yourself and find out the things that defines you as a person. This will give you a strong sense of self awareness which will give you confidence to go anywhere.
• In the beginning, some of your closest friends and acquaintances will be your co-workers. Embrace their likes and ignore their dislikes. This will ease any loneliness factor. (This could work against you by playing a major roll in office politics. You do not want to be a part that of early on)
• Do your best to embrace the local culture no matter what it is. Learning about new  things and cultures is a part of growing up. It is important to realize that what you are used to might not exist everywhere. This will help expand your perspective of the country and the world. (There may be times when those around you are not as open to new things, you have to live by the “when in rome” proverb)
• Enjoy the company of this new culture, but still never forget where you came from. Look for the appropriate opportunities to introduce some of what reminds you of “home” to this new environment. It will allow your surroundings to draw from your experiences (maybe)
• Designate a go-to bar/restaurant/ hang out spot, look for one that has a variety of choices of people, food, drinks, and entertainment. Get to know a bartender and/or doorman. This will help you connect with people that you do not see on a daily basis. It may give you a better, realer POV of the city you are in.
• It is crucial that you do your best not to criticize the city you are in for its ills, instead embrace any positive uniqueness that it may have and make that a regular part of you life while you are out their. This will boost your morale in life and at your job.

There may be many other circumstances that may exist, that will help a young pro cope with being in a new city.

I hope this helps. Get up off your bum and go see stuff.

Cultural Blending

Major Lazer, Diplo, Some other guy

**Disclaimer: I am not a Sociologist, or a Cultural Anthropologist. These are strictly my opinions, however I welcome comments of criticism or praise**

Stereotyping is a defense mechanism. It debilitates us by keeping us away from things that could be an inspirational part of our lives. Because those inspirational things are not introduced to us through a familiar medium we tend to shun things that don’t fit in.

Reading about and seeing the videos about The Influencers film and how they talk about being in the pursuit of cool definitely makes me think more in depth about my ideas. It takes bold people and ideas to break stereotypes, half of the time when this happens, what comes out of that occurrence many times is cool and groundbreaking.

INFLUENCERS TRAILER from R+I creative on Vimeo.

As I have been in the Midwest for about seven months, I have notice many cultural differences from how I grew up on the East Coast. The Midwest is great, because these people are the backbone of America, and quite resilient. Their social habits are different as well, as they value craftsmanship. When I say craftsmanship, I mean Craft-Beer. There are more things that I need to learn and pick up on from them as inspiration. The simplicity in their lives lacks confusion, it allows them to see and know what is important. Simplicity  might be the reason the divorce rate isn’t as high as the East Coast. Lack of simplicity on the East Coast might be why people don’t get married as early.

The East Coast I love because it is so colorful with so many different nationalities. This allows fusion of music/food/art and many other parts of culture. With the cultures that exist, it allows people to be open to many ideas. Even when an out of towner moves in they see stereotypes vanish in front of their eyes.

Cultural blending is important because it allows new ideas to be formed out of old ideas that may come from different point of views. Current Music & Fashion are prime examples of brands collaborating with each other.

Music was probably the first adopter of the phenomenon. With Run DMC and Aerosmith, to Jay-Z/Beatles the Grey Album, to Diddy sampling Sting. The fashion world capitalizes on the limited edition collaboration. Brands grab ideas from other areas of the world. American brands like J. Crew gathers many of their products from overseas, including their great fitting Italian suiting. Some of the high-end European brands look to vintage America (where they can gather from the Midwest) for inspiration as well

All of these creative industries look to create fusions of their ideas and passions. These fusions educate people about things they would otherwise ignore. It is very important for brands to start paying more attention to any new fusions and blends that may occur, it might hint that they are able to utilize that person in their office with that one radical idea.

The day you see a Kenny Chesney Ft 50 Cent song is the day you might see a Nike X John Deer Tractor (You may see KAWS before Nike)

I feel that change agents exist not necessarily in times of despair but when great/new ideas are introduced to new and eager environments.With all of that mumbo-jumbo being said, the smaller cities in the MidWest are full of people who are change agents, whether they are born and raised or transplants like myself.

What are you doing??

*On a beuatifull Sunday afternoon, I start my day off contemplating on going to church but then oversleeping. I also sell some stocks cuz i see my portfolio shrinking by a lot.

I also feel like im neglecting my blog, Havent posted in a few months as I was reminded the other day by a co-worker.

But nevermind the simple stuff, I think live is lived best randomly, so right now Im gonna put my music on random, and im gonna write about stuff be it about marketing, life, this city, Whatever comes to mind. I think Ill start off with three songs.

Song #1 – REVOFEV (Kid Cuddi)

Good old kid cuddi, nice music for an easy sunday morning. Kinda makes me want to hit up the vintage store, and by some ill shades or a pair of suspenders or somthing. Randomness is the spice of life, and I kinda feel like freestyling outloud in the middle of this starbucks. I remember when cats at St. Benedicts used to beat on the table and freestly at lunch. I never hoped in cuz I was kinda whack. But another random act I could do is some cartwheels, Im kinda nice at cartwheels, I cant doo backflips though. My brother still can do backflips.

Song #3 My Last (Big Sean ft. Chris Brown)

Doesent really seem that random but oh well, I feel like hittin a night club with this one, Im also gonna work real hard to convince my bosses that we (USATF) should carry Snap-backs. Although a college of mine in NY told me that thats what everyone is doing, in order to do big things you gotta go agains the grain, go hard with any unorthadox idea. If you go hard enough, “real” people will see ya hustle, and respect what your doing and eventually you will blow up, if thats not the case than youre not putting your self/your stuff out there enough.

But As I remember I think I am supposed to write a post or a video on the Wiz-Khalifa/Big Sean concert that I saw a few weeks ago in Indy, Im doing my best to embrace this city. but what sux is you have to look real hard for a good time. the time that Im used to at least.

Song #3 Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin (Michael Jackson)

Ahh yes, so you think you can dance, I used to be able to, but I was educated about 4 years ago that danceing is no longer cool. RIP MJ, I actually drove through Gary Indiana on my way to north. We all could learn from Mike. Can draw inspiration in lots of things. From a marketing capacity, dude was a workhorse, look what he did for Pepsi in the 90′s, I never drank coke. Shoot, the main reason was because I felt bad that he burned his jerry curl in the movie. I bet if Soul Glow was a real thing he would have been the spokes person for that. I can just imagine him singing the song along with bebe and cece winans.

As for me, I have to see what kind of impact I can have on this city before I decide to leave. I know for sure, I cannot have an impact if I dont have internet. It kind of blows, but I will be ok for now. Starbucks is kinda cool.

Mama See Mama Saa Mamakusa!!

——-

Well thats it, no editing, just went in and thats what it is, Im not even gonna read it over before I post it.

I think I got this idea from #u30pro they have a music room for thier chat, unfortunatly when im participating Im on my celly.

* There is no editing. Raw. Real Uncuttttt!!

 

First Friday’s Indy

Some kid from Jersey purchased a Flip-Cam a few months ago to help drive viral traffic for his job at USATF. He knew it was a risk, being that Flip-Cam just shut down its opperations.

As he has somewhat of an artistic spirit, he has had no formal training in the arts. He feels he needs to capture some of the esscence of the city that he just moved to a few months ago, to have some sort of documentation on his path to success.

He spent some time hanging out in the city on a Friday night by himself, and ended up with a few friends and probably some inspiration that he could bring back to his job at USA Track and Field.

First Fridays, is a collaborative effort of artists in Indianapolis. They open thier gallaries to the public so that lovers of thier art can purchase it and there for they won’t fall into the steryotpe of a starving artist and actually starve. Feel free to take a gander at his video of his expereince on his 1st “Frist Friday” in Indianapolis.

Looking for Indy Style: Broad Ripple

By Rob,

As I was unsure of moving to Indianapolis due to the lack of comfortable overcrowding that Im used to in the Northeast. I have had the chance to find many gems in the neighborhood I live in. I plan on making other video of other “hip” neighborhoods in Naptown. But for now I did Broad Ripple in Indianapolis. I highlight mostly all the spots that I might shop at.

Not gonna lie, even when I was in Jersey, it would be either a 40 min train ride into the city, or a struggle to find parking downtown Newark to find some sneakers. But these places are a five min walk from my apt. Not too bad of a thing to get used to. Plus I dont haveto drive home from the bars.

 

Looking for Indy Style: Broad Ripple

 

Wait For It…

By: Kimberly

You update your resume, write a nice cover letter, research a job and make sure you meet the qualifications,  apply for the job, get the interview, prepare for the interview, go to the interview, and then…you’re still waiting to hear back. Unfortunately we have all been there (some of us more times then we care to admit).

I feel that since job applicants are expected—some may even say required—to be extra professional and courteous in all aspects of  applying for a job: submitting resume, sending emails to the recruiter, confirming interview dates & times, and following up to thank the person who interviewed you, that companies should do the same.

It’s extremely nerve wrecking to prepare extensively for an interview and feel like you really secured the spot and you wait around, maybe even putting your job search on hold or turning down other opportunities only to find out that you didn’t get the job.

In addition to finding out you didn’t get the job it would to be nice to find out exactly why you didn’t get the job. Some companies do tell you but most don’t. It would help you in your continuing job search to find out exactly what you did wrong in the interview or why you weren’t selected. For instance let’s say you didn’t get the job because you appeared to be too shy.  If you had that information, going forward, you would try harder to make eye contact and speak confidently about yourself in future interviews.

It would be beneficial if companies were required to notify applicants that they were declined for a job. As I mentioned it would give applicants a sense of what they need to do to improve themselves for future opportunities.

Some may ask  how could companies possibly notify all applicants declined for an interview or job when they are extremely busy and strapped for time? The answer is simple. I would suggest automated emails, generic automated letters, or automated phone calls. Those  tools are not that time consuming in the overall scope of things and they are inexpensive for companies to utilize.

If companies always informed applicants they were not chosen for a chosen it would be ethical under the “treat other how you want to be treated” standards.  And in business we should all be held to the same standards of ethics, professionalism, and courteousness.

Dream Chaser or Dream Cather?

When I graduated college in 2007, I had no idea what the hell my future would look like. And now, my present looks like how I pictured it in 2004 when I changed my major to Sports Management at East Stroudsburg University (I dare you to say that 5 times fast)

While being in a developing yet rural area of Pennsylvania for 4.5 years without a car meant it was difficult for me to grab the opportunities that existed if I were to go to school at home in the greater NYC area. As I might have been displeased, I can never regret the choice I made to go there. Little did I know, my coach had a family member that worked for United States Track and Field. That allowed me to volunteer for the biggest track meet in the country, this opportunity spurred the descision to change my major to Sports Management with the intent to work at USATF after college. Sadly, after applying before my graduation, I wasn’t even offered an interview. Being a recreation center attendant for 2 years fit me well to work at a gym after college. I though the money would be good, but I was wrong. The work was quite taxing on an emotional level because I was not able to utilize any of the skill sets I learned in college, or ones I learned from my colleages in the social media realm.

From researching Sports Marketing companies, I knew I wanted to try to get a career in any one of the communications companies in a sports capacity. I did everything in my power to create opportunities for myself, from starting this blog, to volunteering at various sports events, to going to networking functions. I was able to land a contract opportunity with an Experiential Marketing company, which made me ecstatic. As I joyfully performed my duties, I noticed the opportunities that existed for freelance event professionals. I also saw a huge difference from event professionals, to that of PR, and print or TV Advertising pros. As they all fit within the same function, the duties and expectations vary drastically and they all call for different skill sets. The more versatile you are, sometimes doesn’t make more valuable on the agency side, but more so on the client side. Although I loved the idea that when the project was done, my time was “MY” time, I still had an empty feeling that there is more that I could do to possibly change the program for next year. However, my strengths in the digital realm may have gone un-nurtured.

The scrutinous eye of the author on the failure and success of this blog, will go un noticed as my potential employers value any work that I have done in the digital space. As my experience with the tour mixed with a new found understanding of analytics, provided me with opportunities for interviews with four companies, in which prior to the tour, wouldn’t even look at my resume. I gladly accepted an opportunity from United States Track and Field. I can say that my push for a job in Marketing, and my thorough understanding of all things running has lead me to this Starbucks in Broad Ripple Village in Indianapolis typing up this post.

As I have seen many individuals in this recession unhappy with their circumstances, I can say I was/am blessed to be around the ones who have made any descision to change their situation, even if it might have been the wrong one. As I still keep in touch with these individuals, (or I try to) I notice how they are handling life, and I see a huge difference than those who have been in the same roll for 10 years or more. Influenced by those both in and out of my generation, I can say I am proud to be as hungry as I am. I know its not done, but I think I’m on Chapter 2.

Till I write a new post, so long from Indy……

Thanks to the Super Bowl, Ill have more: Beer, Chips and Soda

It that time of the year again, where people comment on Super Bowl commercials. Everyone has their own opinions on what their favorites are. My opinion is there are two type of commercials that always pass. The ones that are classics that pay homage to culturally relevant topics, and ones that are tastefully funny. But then again good taste is relevant, however as long as it makes sense and you don’t have to think too hard about it its a pass.

My Top 3:

#3 Pepsi Max-Torpedo Cooler

I like this one, because no one likes douche bags. It is very humorous, but almost crossed the lines of being in good taste. Plus if you ever tried Pepsi Max, you would be surprised at how good it is for a low calorie soft drink, just as how surprised I was when our stereotypical geek got his payback. Ultimately looking cooler than the guy in the summer shirt.

#2 Mercedes Benz- Welcome

Mercedes Benz, always has great commercials during the Super Bowl, that either play into how cool they are compared to their competitors, or how they are still culturally relevant while paying homage to their long history. Hell, I thought the commercial was cool even before the Diddy cameo. Putting Diddy in it allowed to be cool as well as culturally relevant, without hurting the historical aspect. Although their commercials have never been funny, this attempt worked.

#1 Chrysler-Imported from Detroit

This commercial came at a good time. At a time when we were inundated with horrible commercials for the past 30 min. Instead of showing us flash and humor, this commercial was the real, in the end it almost gave me chills. To be honest I think I want to buy a Chrysler 200 after watching that commercial, I sure as hell at least checked the website to see how much it cost. I don’t feel like critiquing it too much because it will mess up what it was intended for. As a side note, I think Eminem made more money off of the Super Bowl commercials than Fox did.

Im tired of this

You cannot have the best without mentioning the worse. There is are a lot of brands that I forgot because the commercial had no impact on me. But big brands can be very disappointing, probably more so than the up and coming ones.

Budweiser – Wild West

This commercial was grade A #WHACK. I have never been a fan of the Clydesdales. After watching this I feel bad for Clint Eastwood, because it did not do any justice to any western movie. It tried to be funny, but it was no where near culturally relevant. And there is no way you can mix Westerns with Elton John songs. If I were them I would do some serious social media monitoring, because I am not the only one talking bad about their commercials.