Social Media Now Defines the Trendiness of Your Wedding.

A specific hotel chain now offers couple’s using their venue a social media concierge to document not only the “BIG DAY“, but also the ups and downs leading up to it. 

 

20 years ago people saw engagements, weddings, the ceremony, and reception as an intimate affair. Couples wanted their special day to be shared by the people who had been by their sides for the journey that led them to the alter where they were about to say” i do”. 

Today, this isn’t so much the case. After the groom-to-be pops the question, the first step is the changing of the relationship status on all social media platforms. Afterward, photos of the ring, the story of the proposal, along with public announcements by all of the family and close friends begin to flood everyone’s news feeds. Your facebook friends “like” the photos, twitter followers “retweet” your status announcements, and instagram peers “heart” their favorite picture of the ring, and suddenly your wedding has a #hashtag attached to it. All of the congratulations the couple will receive start to flood in, but not by phone…. but by the internet.

The couple can now base the success or failure their wedding journey will have online. And who are we kidding, doesn’t everyone want the most attention when it comes to social media? But, how does the couple figure out the best pictures to post, statuses to write, and hashtags to come up with? How will they know if they should choose valencia or sutro for their first instagram photo as husband and wife? And don’t even get them started on the caption.

Just like hiring a wedding planner to help you select the food, venue, color scheme, and  DJ, the W hotels in New York are now offering the option of a social media concierge. For the low price of $3,000 couples can have someone on hand from the day she says yes, to when they both say ” I do” improving their social media presence.

These concierges handle blogging, photo snapping and posting, along with status’, tweet, and hashtags. They have been trained to make sure couples receive the most return on their big day.

20 years ago, the idea of this wouldn’t have been entertained by anyone. But, in the society we live in today, it is becoming one of the more essential aspects of a wedding.

When the idea of a wedding coordinator first came out, did it receive the same feedback? In ten years time, will having a social media concierge be the norm?   

Eat24 is no longer “in a relationship” with Facebook.

Facebook’s new “promote” option is causing one company to go from being ” in a relationship” with Facebook to “single”.

Facebook’s response to the breakup letter is making more companies rethink their current relationship status with the once ” go-to” social media platform. 

     Facebook received an official breakup letter from Eat24, a food delivery company based out of San Bruno, California. In the letter Eat24 addresses their disapproval for the way Facebook has implemented their new business practices, and the lack of attention these new practices bring to companies using Facebook as a way to reach prospective customers. 

   What exactly is it Eat24 had an issue with? The most important issue they addressed was Facebook’s new ” promote” option, which allows people to pay to have their status updates more visible to their friends and followers. Eat24 currently has 70,000 Facebook followers, but still feels as though Facebook’s new focus on money is unfair, and not a business practice they want to work with.

In the letter, Eat24 focuses on the change Facebook has made throughout the years and that it is not the company they once had started doing business with . They discussed how Facebook has gone from an outlet for people to connect on, to an overall advertising site that focuses heavily on money.

“Dear Facebook, Hey. It’s Eat24. Look, we need to talk. This isn’t easy to say since we’ve been together so long, but we need to break up. We’d love to say ‘It’s not you, it’s us’ but it’s totally you. Not to be rude, but you aren’t the smart, funny social network we fell in love with several years back. You’ve changed. A lot. Makes us think all you care about is money. Why should we have to wade through a dozen promoted posts about how to lose belly fat (are you trying to tell us something?) and requests for Candy Crush (NO! Just no.) and suggesting we like our arch nemesis’ page (seriously, WTF) before we can finally find the perfect Doge meme? It really seems like you’ve lost your way and have become nothing more than an ad platform.” says Eat24.

     After Facebook received the very blunt breakup letter, the head of their communications department, Brandon McCormick, thought it would be a good idea to appropriately respond. In his response he apologized for any changes Eat24 didn’t agree on, but ” times are changing”. McCormick discussed how Eat24 needed to focus more on their overall image before being so concerned with their Facebook ranking. McCormick addressed Eat24’s frequent references to 420, which is known to younger generations as the holiday for smoking marijuana. Along with references to 420, he also addressed Eat24’s comments about advertising on porn sites, and their television ad which featured a bears penis.

     McCormick didn’t specifically address the changes happening with “promoting” your status, but he did discuss the changes in algorithms. He also stated people didn’t often get on Facebook to look at status updates from companies, they got on for more personal purposes. McCormick continued by saying people want to pictures of their friends, the weddings they couldn’t attend, reconnect to people they had once been close to, and inform others of their own personal successes; not look status’s about the speediness of their food delivery.

“So we are sorry that we have to part this way because we think we could still be friends — really we do. But we totally respect you if you need some space.” stated McCormick. 

 As abrupt as Eat24’s breakup letter was, their concerns were stemming from a very reasonable place.  Over the course of the last year Facebook has been making an effort to limit how many ads are promoted on peoples news feeds. In October 2013, companies post were reaching 12% of their followers. As of February 2014, companies post are now only reaching 6% of followers.

              Eat24 has since mentioned many other social media platforms they can use to connect with current and potential customers. One of the main ones they touched on was Instagram. What Eat24 didn’t realize when trying to “stick it to” Facebook, is Facebook owns Instagram. Along with Instagram, the company mentioned using Twitter. They said they feel as though Twitter is just as popular ( if not more so) than Facebook, and they practice under free and fair policies.

It will be interesting to see what the future of Facebook entails. The next few months will be very telling of its success or maybe even sorrow.

Grandmabetty33

As one grandson decides to document his sick grandmothers last few months of life, he never thought her Instagram account and abilities would surpass his own.

                

     We often judge our popularity on the number of Facebook friends we have, followers we have on twitter and Instagram, and the number of likes all of these social media portals receive. We know that the more attention our online lives receive, the more popularity we gain in our lives. 

      As one grandson had to soon face the reality that his best friend and role model would no longer be with him, he decided it was time to document her last few months for the world to see. He wanted everyone to see the life his grandma Betty had, and the outrageous personality that followed. He started posting photos of her around town, at home, and her daily happenings. He never thought the social media world in which we are all so accustom to would have the impact it did not only the viewers, but also on his grandmother. 

    18-year-old Zach Beldin, a resident was a local of  high school senior in Indiana. He had found out that his grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer, and didn’t have much time left with him and his family. Beldin decided it was time to share his grandmothers warmth and love with others, so they could see not only how she lived her life but also how they should live theirs. 

    It started out like any other Instagram account, with a few followers and occasional likes and comments. Quickly, it grew from a few to 100. Suddenly, they had hit the 1,000 mark and Beldin was excited, but not surprised. He always knew the life his grandmother led wasn’t ” conventional”, and was happy to see others now could see also. it wasn’t until the account reached 4.400 followers that Beldin knew this was becoming a big deal. As the number of followers grew, so did the outside media attention. Before he knew it, his grandma Betty had 350,000 followers. 

    Not only was this instagram account an asset to Beldin, but to his grandmother as well. He now believes that she is now more instagram savvy than he is. She has learned to take selfies, post photos, respond to comments, and of course creep on her followers. Beldin believes that starting this account for his grandmother not only helped ease the pain for him, but for her. The love, support, and overall popularity she received gave her something to look forward to on a daily basis. 

     It wasn’t until the blue tongue photo was released, that Beldin realized his grandmother would not only live forever in his heat but also in the hearts of so many others. Grandma Betty was known for making funny faces and sticking out her tongue, but Beldin had a hard time capturing it on camera, until now. The photo posted above was taken during a chemotherapy session, and the attention is has gotten is unlike many seen in the social media world. 

     This photo has not only received unsurmountable likes and comments, but it has also been turned into a grandma betty trademark. That blue tongued beauty now has her own logo. In the logo you see her blue tongue, and her glasses. Now, whenever this logo pops up people all over will know the name, story, and impact behind it. 

       This story is one that disproves so many opinions about social media today. Older generations are able to understand and take part in the internet realm that is our generation. All they need is the right teacher, and a great photo. 

Burger King Baby

       After 27 years, a woman is using social media to find the mother that once abandoned her in the Burger King Bathroom. 

 

 

Most children that are adopted grow-up wondering what their biological parents were like,why they gave them up, and one day have the hopes of being able to meet them. They pray that agencies and hospitals carry the birth certificates and documentation needed to locate the people that gave them life. 

 

For Katheryn Deprill, documentation and birth certificates weren’t an option. In 1986 she was found in the bathroom of a local Burger King located in Allentown, PA. She was adopted by a wonderful family, who gave her the life her biological mother knew she couldn’t. 

27 years later, and Katheryn is ready to find the mother who gave her life. Trying to figure out how was difficult, because Katheryn never went through an adoption agency. There was no trace of her biological parents, or where she came from. So Katheryn decided to take matters into her own hands and do things the 21st century way… 

Katheryn posted a photo on Facebook indicating who she was, her Burger King story, and how she was trying to locate her biological mother. She hoped her story would be passed around enough that someone would recognize her, and come forward with some information. Little did she know that within a week of the photo being posted it would be shared 27,000 times. 

Katheryn says she isn’t angry at her mother for what she did, but thankful. She says she is very grateful that her mother decided to give her life, even if she knew she wouldn’t be able to raise her. “Number one is, I would really like to say, ‘Thank you for not throwing me away, thank you for giving me the gift of life, and look what I’ve become,'” Deprill said Monday.

No one has come forward yet with information regarding Katheryn and her previous life, but she is still hopeful that with the help of Facebook and its sharing abilities that her story will keep spreading. People believe her biological mother won’t step forward because she is worried of being charged with abandonment. 

Every day our society evolves more and more. Social media sites become more a source of information, and less for entertainment. Because of Facebook terminally ill people have been given support, children have gotten puppies, local issues have turned into national ones, friends have found each other, and maybe a daughter will find her long lost mother. Social media is making things that were once impossible more than possible. 

Social Media Activity Now Means More Than A Credit Score.

Your Social Media Activity, Now becomes the Make it or Break it For a Loan. 

   

     At a young age our parents have always warned us, ” be careful what you post on the internet.” Making sure we didn’t post inappropriate pictures, attach personal information (address, phone #, etc.), or say something that could be taken out of context.

     As we have gotten older we have been warned from every other mentor, boss, future employer, and professor to keep our personal lives off of our social media pages. Especially if we wanted a chance at having a future career, seeing as how many companies turn to social media to learn more about the ” real” person they are considering hiring. 

    Now it seems social media has taken on a new roll. Banks are using social media to scan future loan prospects to learn more about the personal lives these people don’t normally expose. They are able to see where the money is really going, where it is coming from, and if that person really does have the house and profession they claim to. 

     Banks state that social media can not be the only factor in a person being denied for a loan, but it can be one of the required four points when being turned away. “If a bank representative sees a tweet from a customer — such as one about a job loss — that raises eyebrows, he would probably inquire further. But the bank would not make a lending decision based on a tweet alone”, said Nessa Feddis.

      The Equal Credit Opportunity Act requires lenders to tell people why they have been denied for a loan. Because of this act, it is making lenders more and more hesitant to use social media as a guide. 

     Do we call this ethical? Do banks really have the right to dig into our personal lives to decide on such paramount matters?