Mommy Bits » Technology

Social Media and Celebrity Encounters

ShannanB — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:41:14 +0000

When I was a child, I can remember taking the time to write a letter to Alyssa Milano. Who’s the Boss was one of my favorite shows and I just idolized her. Back then when you tried to reach out to a celebrity via mail, the odds of ever getting a response were slim to none. And actually, the odds that the celebrity ever even saw your letter were probably pretty slim too.

Today, with the advent of social media and with social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, things have changed. Not only are we able to “peek” into the worlds of celebrities by becoming a Fan of their Facebook Page or following them on Twitter, but we can also reach out to them in a way we were never able to do in the past.

Last night I was laying on the sofa watching bad TV when actor Sean Hayes Tweeted that GRIMM was about to come on NBC. Now this is a show that I had not yet seen, but had heard a lot about. I quickly clicked over to NBC and decided, “What the hell, I’m going to respond to his Tweet.” Thinking nothing more of it, imagine my surprise when a few minutes later, I got the following alert in my inbox:

Sean Hayes responded to my Tweet……….

No longer are celebrities unreachable. No longer are they only accessible through cable network talk shows or entertainment magazines. Have a question for Chelsea Handler? Tweet her. What to know where the band Cowboy Mouth loves to eat in New Orleans? Post your question to their Fan Page. Odds are, you’ll get a response. Oh, and think celebrities aren’t monitoring the social media space for mentions? The smart ones are.

Here’s another example:

Back in August of 2010 E! Network debuted a new TV series called The Spin Crowd. It followed Jonathan Cheban and his public relations business in LA. As a PR professional I was excited for the premeire. Unfortunately as I watched the first episode, rather than pride, all I felt was embarrasment. Embarrassment for the way that they were protraying my field and the people in it. Like many, I took to Twitter to share my frustrations. Not directing my comments to anyone in particiular, but just saying how horrible the show was. Much to his credit, Jonathan must of had a search set up on Twitter for “Spin Crowd” because within moments he responded to my Tweet. While I still loathed the program, I was impressed with his social media savvy.

In this day and age, celebrities have to think of themselves as Brands and the smart ones will take advantage of social media applications and the ability they provide to engage with fans (brand advocates).

All this has me thinking…… perhaps I should try Tweeting Alyssa Milano now

A Bloggy Makeover

ShannanB — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:45:23 +0000

Hey there! Notice anything different? That’s right….. Mommy Bits has gotten a little makeover.

The Mommy Bits blog, as you've known it since 2008

While I LOVED my previous design, I’d had it for a long time and felt it was time for something a little different – I wanted to brighten the place up a bit. I hope you all like it as much as I do. I know it’s not a radical change, but hey, I am not a radical girl .

Freedom Center Launches New iPhone App

ShannanB — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:39:17 +0000

Cincinnati is lucky enough to be home to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Yesterday they announced a new iPhone app that guides you as you tour the Center. Being the total geek that I am, I can’t wait to get over there and try it out.

The new iPod tour at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will provide visitors with a unique interactive experience; enhancing the exhibits, the photographs, and the stories to create a life changing journey for all ages. Visitors will be able to hear accounts of enslaved people, Underground Railroad conductors, founding fathers, and even slave traders, while viewing additional photographs, videos, and maps on the iPod screen that will further bring to life the poignant and powerful story that is the struggle for freedom.

Head over to the Freedom Center’s Blog for complete details and check out this great video too!

Mommy Bits on Fox 19

ShannanB — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:21:42 +0000

If you live in Cincinnati and watch Fox19 news, you may have seen me on their 10 o’clock news last night. PS. It is so weird to see yourself on TV…

A reporter with the station contacted me a few weeks ago after reading about my weight loss efforts both here and on the weight loss blog I contribute to, Cincinnati Losers. During the interview we talked about my efforts and the MAJOR role that social media (the people — you guys!) has played in my success.

A big shout out to my Cincinnati Losers co-bloggers who are my weight loss rocks!

Technology Tip: Blog Analytics Tools

ShannanB — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:34:47 +0000

This weekend I attended Blissdom, a blogging conference that takes place in Nashville each year. While there I had a chance to get together with some of my favorite blogging buddies and swap tips and tricks. During one of the conversations we turned to web analytics. While many of my blogging cohorts use Google Analytics, StatCounter or Sitemeter, most of the people I spoke with hadn’t heard of my FAVORITE analytics tool, Clicky.

This of course made me think, “I should write about this,” and voila, here I am!

1) What are you talking about?: Web analytics tools allow you to see things like how many people have visited your blog, what posts your readers like the most, where your visitors are coming from and much much more.

2) Do I have to pay for these tools?: You could, but I haven’t seen the need to yet. Most of these tools provide basic services for free.

3)I’m interested. Tell me about these tools: There are several sites that offer web analytics programs for bloggers. Like I mentioned above, the most popular (IMHO) are Google Analytics, StatCounter, SiteMeter and the fourth should be Clicky. While they all have their strengths (and I use several of them), Clicky is my personal favorite.

About Clicky: Clicky provides you with easy to understand, real time web analytics information, allowing you to view your stats, as they are happening.

Why do I like Clicky: Easy. There are several reasons:

1) Real time info. I don’t have to wait 24 hours to see what’s happening on my site. I can see it as it’s happening.

2) User friendly. Clicky is very easy to use. No need to try and decode any tech language.

3) Visitor details. I can click on a visitor and view their activity on my site. As a matter of fact, this part is pretty impressive. You can see how much time they spent, all the links they clicked, how they left, their IP address and more.

4) Twitter Analytics. You can set up searches for terms you want to monitor on Twitter and see detailed info like sender, links, hashtags, etc.

5) Pricing: It’s affordable. Clicky will monitor up to 3,000 page views to your blog for free and up to 10,000 page views for just $4.99 a month. For most bloggers, that’s perfect.

6) Clicky iTool. You can install a Clicky widget that allows you to have a top line view of your analytics on your Google iTools page.

7) Clicky for your phone. You can download an app for your phone that let’s you view your analytics when you can’t get to a computer. Clicky for iPhone; Clicky App for other phones

How does Clicky compare to the other programs?: Great question. Clicky has a chart on their site that compares several of the programs by offering. Click here to see it: Compare Analytics Sites.

Will Clicky work with your blog? More than likely yes, and it’s super easy to install too. Click here to check: Clicky Integration Details.

Screen shot of the tracking on Clicky: As you can see, Clicky also allows you to label visitors to your site if you know their IP address. This is a screen capture is of my Blog Troll’s activity from last month. Was pretty sad to see it was someone local.

So there you have it. Just a few of the reasons why I like Clicky for analytics. Have a analytics tool you like best? Would love to know about it as these things are changing all the time. Please feel free to share it in the comments!

Technology Tip: Adding a Print Button to Blog Posts

ShannanB — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:54:05 +0000

Ever wondered how you could make it so that readers could print your blog posts without them looking like a mess? Me too. So last night while I was participating in the SavvyBlogger Twitter Party I asked that very same question ……and I found the answer.

If your blog is hosted on WordPress, simply click “Add New” under Plugins on your dashboard. Next search for PrintFriendly, all one word. It should be your first result. From there follow the install instructions. Once installed and activated PrintFriendly should appear under settings in your dashboard. Click the link to customize your PrintFriendly button.

For those of you using Blogger, just visit http://www.printfriendly.com/button to get the code.

A big shout out to Rachel at A Southern Fairytale and to the folks at PrintFriendly for reaching out and helping me discover the PrintFriendly plugin.

Let’s Network

ShannanB — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:41:50 +0000

Are you on Facebook? MommyBits is now a part of Facebook’s networked blogs. I’d love it if you’d consider following my blog there.

If your blog’s networked on Facebook too, let me know in the comments so I can follow back!

No related posts.

Tech Tips: Top iPhone Apps for Blogging on the Go

ShannanB — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:43:20 +0000

Getting ready to head out on the road but you just can’t take your laptop with you? No worries, there are lots of great apps out there for your iPhone that make mobile blogging a cinch! Here are some worth checking out. If you’re using (and loving) an app that I didn’t mention, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about it.

WordPress (FREE): One of the most popular blogging platforms, WordPress’s iPhone app lets you write posts, publish photos, edit and moderate comments on your blog. Application works with both WordPress.com and hosted WordPress accounts.

Tumblr (FREE): Users of Tumblr will be excited to see they’ve got a great mobile app too. Tumblr’s app, Tumblrette will allow you to write posts, upload photos and videos, post quotes, share links, chat and add audio.

TypePad (FREE): TypePad users can also have access to their blogs when away from their laptops. TypePad’s easy to use iPhone app allows users to write posts, share photos, edit posts, create drafts, manage comments and more.

iBlogger ($9.99): For people managing blogs on more than one platform, iBlogger might be the app for you. The versatile app works with a variety of platforms including WordPress, MovableType, TypePad and others. Like the apps we’ve mentioned before, with the iBlogger app you can write posts, post photos, do tags & categories, insert links and more.

BlogWriter ($1.99): BlogWriter offers users a blog manager and RSS reader in one app. This app works with blogs on Blogspot, WordPress.com, hosted WordPress and a few others. Features include publishing/editing posts & photos, geotagging, multi-language support and a full RSS reader.

BlogPress ($2.99): BlogPress is a pretty extensive app that works with most blog platforms including Blogger / BlogSpot, WordPress, Movable Type, TypePad & LiveJournal. Easy to use, the app allows you to write posts and publish them to multiple blogs simultaneously, upload photos, it supports 450+ Emoji icons, manage multiple blogs and much, much more.

Tech Notes: Adding a Category Link to your Menu Bar

ShannanB — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:57:12 +0000

This morning I set off on a mission to add links to both my technolgy and recipe posts to my top menu bar. Not sure how to do it, I turned to Google.

To my dismay what I found was post after post filled with complicated language and terminology. After visiting probably 20 web sites, I eventually figured it out, but it took way to long. Thinking I can’t be the only blogger out there wanting to add a category link to my menu bar, I thought I would share with you how I did it. It’s really quite easy.

Here’s a quick tutorial for hosted WordPress users.

1) Under Appearance, click Editor.
2) On the right side, under Theme Files, click TopMenu.PHP

You should see something similar to this:

To add a link to a category, insert the following code, customizing for your blog:

Note, the new link will appear in the order you place it. So, if you insert this code at the bottom, it will appear on the far right of your tool bar.

Good luck!

Get Your Sexy Back – SparkPeople.com’s The Spark Giveaway

ShannanB — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:22:32 +0000

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Last week I wrote about how I was once again trying to lose weight. Seems this gal got a little too friendly with the Cherry Cordial ice cream, letting her late night snacking habit get the best of her, and now she’s paying for it with drumstick thighs and a new ginormous rear end. {Creepy talking in 3rd person, right??}

Well if you’ve checked in over at Cincinnati Losers you know that one of the main things I am doing to help myself achieve success is using a site called SparkPeople.com. Spark People is a great (FREE) weight loss resource that offers meal & calorie tracking, fitness tracking, support and a myriad of healthy resources (including recipes).

They also have a great iPhone application that let’s you enter food items (even fast food/restuarant) and check the calorie/fat levels before you order. It’s been a life saver – keeping me from eating items that sounded healthy, but in fact were not! {Unfortunately I did not use the application when we ate at Olive Garden and I trusted their menu when it said “low fat.” I checked online when I got home, and to my surprise “low fat” meant 17 grams of fat – UGH!!! Lesson learned.}

So, how am I doing so far with my weight loss you ask? Well I am happy to report that after my first week of watching my diet and exercising, I have lost just over 2lbs! It’s working and I am psyched.

To celebrate this first milestone. This step towards getting my “sexy back”, I am giving away two copies of SparkPeople.com’s new book, The Spark. Written by SparkPeople.com’s founder Chris Downie, The Spark is a 28-day plan for losing weight and getting in shape that just came out December 28th (Initial pre-order efforts put the book on Amazon’s (#8) and BN.com’s (#2) top 10 best-seller list in less than 4 days!).

WIN IT — Two lucky Mommy Bits readers will win a copy of SparkPeople.com’s book, The Spark.

There are several ways to enter, you can do one or all of them for additional chances:

Leave a comment sharing one of your favorite dieting tips or weight loss tricks.
Add my blog to your blogroll and leave a comment letting me know you did so.
Follow the Mommy Bits blog on Facebook’s Networked blogs (left side bar, click follow this blog) and leave a comment letting me know you did so.
Subscribe to my blog, and leave a comment letting me know you did so.
Follow me on Twitter – @Shannanb, and leave a comment letting me know you did so.
Tweet “Check it out, @shannanb is giving away copies of @sparkpeople’s book The Spark on her blog http://ow.ly/TPEd” and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

Submissions are due by 5 pm on Friday, January 15th, 2010. Winners will be selected using a random number generator. Contest open to US residents only. Winners will have 48 hours to respond.

For those of you who are interested in purchasing The Spark, it is available online at Barnes & Noble, and through Amazon.

Thank you to SparkPeople.com for providing me with copies of The Spark to giveaway to my readers!