10 CLEVER LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
For my first ever blog post I’m going to keep it simple and by simple I mean a lot of pictures with few words. In honor of Halloween I’ve compiled a list, picture list that is, of the top 10 easiest/most clever last minute costumes. Enjoy!
10. A little face paint + a deep v-neck and you’re French Kiss…
9. For all you powerful women out there, grab a blue button down and a red headband. You can do it!
8. Put on a little yellow face paint, a fake mustache, and some glasses and Hey-Diddly-Ho, you’re Ned Flanders.
7. Or trade the yellow paint for a cardboard sign Goshhhh…
6. If you have access to ceiling tiles, find some electrical tape and learn how to spell debt.
5. This next costume is great if you’re looking to steal beer all night without getting in trouble. After all you’re just staying in character!
4. For all you gingers out there looking for a last minute costume on a budget, this one’s for you!
3. You know that red flannel t-shirt you like to wear every other day of the year? Why should today be any different?
2. I can always appreciate a great nerd costume and this one is by far the easiest.
1. And the easiest and most clever costume for all you last minute party goers…
Well I feel pretty good about this first ever blog post. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Picture Sources:
http://sarcasticcharm.com/17-halloween-costumes-that-are-actually-clever
http://sarcasticcharm.com/25-best-homemade-halloween-costumes-ever-totally-awesome
https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-halloween-costumes-2013-10#simple-nerdy-oh-so-funny-2
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-halloween-costumes-o_n_4170143
GOOGLE GLASS AT SMC DALLAS
I’ve always been a bit of a gadget girl. I love tech toys. So when Google Glass came out, I read the articles, watched the videos, and “liked” (a bit enviously) the picture a college friend posted on Facebook showing a Google Glass box. I hoped I would somehow get the chance to play with Google Glass. Then last night it happened!
I went to a Social Media Club of Dallas meeting, and there was not one but two guys walking around wearing Google Glass. Within a couple minutes and some awkward please notice me staring moments, one of the guys walked over to the group I was with. I tried really hard to wait an appropriate amount of time and have enough polite conversation before asking with what I hoped was innocent curiosity but probably came out as slightly over-eager, “Aren’t you wearing Google Glass?”
This guy must be used to this or could sense my determination and intense desire to get my hands on his Google Glass because a minute later this was happening:
Glass was surprisingly difficult to use, I’m hoping it was due to all of the noise in the Angelika lobby, but then again, I’m not sure…
It doesn’t seem like my experience was that unique.
That video pretty much sums up my success rate using Glass. I tried to navigate to my house, but since I don’t have an android phone to connect, that was unsuccessful. I couldn’t look up anything due to Glass’ inability to understand my commands. I did, however, inadvertently share a picture to G+.
And the “coolest” thing I tried to do with Glass?
Yes, that’s a selfie of me trying to take a picture of me taking a picture of me. An attempted selfie of a selfie.
Have you tried Google Glass? What did you think? What’s the coolest thing you’ve done with Glass?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks again to the incredibly accommodating @chrisgoulet for the use of his Google Glass and @andyodom7 and @theedcelmer for indulging my need to document every second of my Google Glass experience.
GLOBE RUNNER CAMPING TRIP
We spend a great deal of time and effort working to create and maintain a specific culture at Globe Runner SEO. We want to foster ingenuity and creative thinking, provide an environment that nurtures yet challenges and end up with a cool, fun place to work that turns out great results.
With that in mind our intrepid C.E.O., Eric McGehearty, organized our 1st annual Father-Son Camping Trip. Several members of our staff have small children and thought this might be a great Saturday night, Sunday morning adventure. We ended up with 6 families, and even crossed the gender barrier and had two ladies join the boys club festivities.
On Saturday November 21st, our fearless group of 6 braved the treacherous roads of Dallas/Ft Worth to pitch our tents on the beautiful rocky shores of Lake Grapevine at Murrell Park.
We spent the afternoon collecting firewood, fishing with no luck, hiking and topped it off with a special racketeering presentation by one of the fathers. Despite windy conditions and water surrounding us on three sides, we successfully recovered every rocket launched!
We settled in that night to a wonderful dinner of steak, chicken and scallops on skewers cooked on an open fire under a starry sky. Add in a side of grilled vegetables and some olive oil and rosemary potatoes and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. We finished the night with some s’mores for the kiddos and then retired to our tents for the evening.
We were greeted the next morning with an absolutely brilliant morning, clear skies, cool but pleasant temps and all the colors of fall we yearn for. After collecting some more firewood and taking the kid’s on a “bear” hunt, we built a nice fire and enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and grilled vegetables . With full belly’s and our time running out, we enjoyed some last minute fishing, football and then cleaned up our campsite, making sure to pick up and dispose of all trash and take care in dousing our fire and turning the dirt with a shovel to ensure all coals were extinguished.
As a guy with very limited camping experience, none in the last 25 years, and a self-labeled suburbanite, I was apprehensive about the entire experience. I was totally and completely wrong. We had a fabulous time as my 4 year old is still talking about the experience nearly two weeks away. From food to conversation, to ambiance to location, this was a trip we’ll seek to replicate. While I live in a digital world and work for a digital company in a digital industry, our analog night was a memory that no algorithmic update can erase or devalue.
SHOP TALK: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE TO GATHER INSPIRATION?
We wanted to start a new series of blog posts that involves everyone in our office. Because we all have different sets of skills and knowledge, the information we share may be beneficial or entertaining to others. So, keep an eye out for more of our ‘Shop Talk’ series.
What Is Your Favorite Source to Gather Inspiration?
Cody, SEO Specialist:
My most creative moments are born from discussions with other individuals. Websites developed for creative inspiration are great and all, but I truly enjoy a person-to-person discussion to find the inspiration I’m looking for. An intellectual conversation allows me to understand multiple perceptions about a certain topic.
Sean, Project Manager:
My most creative moments are in the bathtub… Well I’m a big guy so I’m never really in the bathtub, but anyway. I’m bombarded with information all day long whether it be thing I read or knowledge I learn from all of my very talented coworkers. It those quiet moments away from work and children that all that information solidifies and come together like a giant puzzle.
Chris, Lead Web Developer:
Often reading books on my kindle, stackexchange, instructional youtube videos, watching business oriented reality shows (e.g. shark tank) and reading code projects outside my domain can be the provenance of new found creativity for me.
Jonathan, Application Developer:
Music is one of my top inspirations. It isn’t so much that any specific music or artist makes ideas pop into my head; rather it puts me into a creative state of mind. I generally don’t like to work in silence, finding my work (whatever it may be) isn’t as strong as it would be otherwise. Another place I find inspiration is artwork, usually digital and concept art, cinematography, and graphic design. Something about striking visuals gets the gears in my head turning.
Kate, SEO Content Creator:
I find inspiration in documentaries. There is nothing like the realm of unscripted reality in the sense of exploration and narration. I feel passionate when I watch documentaries that invite in a motivation to see how others live and work outside my world.
Damon, Online Traffic Strategist:
Ultimately, while many forms of media and people feed my subconscious and provide the fodder for my imagination, my favorite and most tapped source to gather inspiration is my children. My 3 yr old sees the world in a way I once did, unfiltered and pure. Whether it’s the drive to meet a deadline, the seed that blossoms into my next great idea or the ever present reminder of my duty as role model, my children both inspire me in ways I never thought possible and serve as my inspiration in nearly all things I do.
ERIC MCGEHEARTY NEW VP SPONSORSHIP FOR DFWSEM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOffice: 972-472-8528
Dallas, TX December 6, 2011 – The Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association (DFWSEM) held its annual board election meeting this evening in downtown Dallas and elected Eric McGehearty, Founder and CEO of Globe Runner SEO, as its new VP of Sponsorship. DFWSEM is the leading organization in the Dallas area focused on education and networking opportunities specifically for internet marketing professionals.
As new VP of Sponsorship, McGehearty will be responsible for attaining sponsorship for each monthly meeting by local and national businesses as well as further enhancing the organization’s reputation as a thought leader. Voting was only open to current and active board members and, for the VP of Sponsorship position, three volunteers including McGehearty were up for election. When asked for his reaction, McGehearty said, “I’m very excited to be a part of such a prestigious organization. DFWSEM demonstrates thought leadership in the online marketing community and has an impressive track record of bringing in some of the best speakers in the country. I’m very much looking forward to helping the organization reach its fundraising goals.”
DFWSEM meetings are held once a month on Wednesdays at 7pm, usually in the middle of the month, and host speakers on topics such as affiliate marketing with Rae Hoffman-Dolan, CEO of Sugarrae SEO Consulting, and new trends in the search industry with Duane Forrester, Sr. Product Manager at Bing. Those interested in gaining an audience with DFWSEM members—who cumulatively represent millions of dollars in search engine and related advertising spend annually—are encouraged to contact DFWSEM at in**@****em.org.
Globe Runner SEO is a Dallas-based internet marketing agency specializing in search engine optimization, search marketing, link building, website design and development, and social media campaign management. To contact Eric McGehearty, call 972-472-8528 or email in**@************eo.com.
PAKISTANI CITIZEN BECOMES ACCIDENTAL JOURNALIST
An IT Consultant in Pakistan tweeting about loud noises and a random helicopter unwittingly provided live coverage of the raid US Navy SEALs led on Osama Bin Laden’s that ended in Bin Laden’s death.
Sohaib Althar has become an unlikely folk hero since his tweets about this event were discovered. Overnight, he has gained 45000 followers and been added to over 300+ lists. He’s received calls and emails from all over the world to give his account of what happened in Abbottabad. Althar provided an invaluable insight on an international event just by using Twitter like 200 million users do every day.
Twitter truly proved last night and lived up to its intention as an information-sharing network. I remember when Twitter first began to spread past its early adopters into the mainstream, and several people asked me what the difference between Twitter and Facebook- the main one has proven to be Twitter positioning itself as sharing information rather than building connections between people. This, the Arizona shootings, and the Royal Wedding are just recent examples of events where Twitter users provided excellent news coverage as well as analysis and commentary. A service like Twitter would have been a game-changer on 9/11 and ten years later it has proven itself to be not only helpful in reaching out to new customers and crowdsourcing public opinions and monitoring brand awareness, but as a tool for breaking world news. By the time Obama finally held his press conference, Twitter users were already keenly aware that Bin Laden had been killed.
Twitter has found its special role in the spectrum of online news and social media, and it’s my prediction that it’s become so useful in so many ways that the service will be around for years to come.
WELL PLAYED: OLD SPICE AND THE SCENT OF SUCCESS
I can’t refresh my Twhirl/Tweetdeck/Twhatever without seeing people rave about Old Spice today.
My favorite commercials as of late have been the Old Spice “Man your man could smell like” ads, starring Isaiah Mustafa as The Old Spice Man. And he’s the BEST.
The ads are hilarious and great on their own, but today Old Spice started filming Isaiah responding to YouTube commenters, celebrities, Twitter followers and prominent bloggers with individual videos, all of them around 30 seconds apiece. Some of the best:
So many things work about the video series- the Old Spice guy is consistently funny, the writing is snappy, he’s not hard to look at, etc. But let’s talk about efficiency here- Old Spice is uploading a new video response from the Old Spice guy a few times an hour. Same guy, same background, every time. Really, it’s only limited by the time it takes to find a question, craft a witty response, and record an acceptable take. With preparation, you could create dozens of these videos in a day. Less than a day. Old Spice Man made a response video to a tweet from Lisa Barone within a matter of hours. That’s efficiency. That’s brilliant marketing.
By creating these individual responses, they’ve come up with the viral ad version of microblogging. It’s taking a public conversation and making it a party line. These videos have made Old Spice the most-viewed YouTube channel today AND the #4 most-subscribed channel of all time. Before this campaign, Old Spice was just my grandfather’s brand. Now they’ve come roaring back to relevance in a big way, and our belly laughs are all the better for it.
Well played, Old Spice. Well played
NAVIGATING THE SPILL- WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM BP’S BLUNDERS
The news about BP’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been a hot topic since the Deep Horizon explosion on April 20th. The initial hope that BP would cap the gusher, which is spewing an estimated 12,000 to 150,000 gallons of crude into the ocean every day, has since faded. The ‘Top Kill’ effort failed. Every day brings new images of oily seagulls and tarballs on our beaches.
People started getting angry, and whether it was just BP executives being out of touch with social media or just holding their hands over their eyes until it’s over, the headlines about BP executives’ gaffes inundated Twitter: between BP CEO Tony Heyward saying he “wants his life back” rather than having to deal with the spill or BP Rep Randy Prescott saying “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp”, the satirical hashtag #bpcares has trended consistently, tacked on to people’s angry or sarcastic tweets about the oil spill or BP’s insufficient response.
The ringleader of these efforts seems to be “Leroy Stick”, the creator of the @BPGlobalPR parody twitter account. With 135,000 followers, @BPGlobalPR’s tweets are retweeted and favorited hundreds of times.
Selected works:
“The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct. #bpcares ”
“Safety is our primary concern. Well, profits, then safety. Oh, no- profits, image, then safety, but still- it’s right up there.”
“Please do NOT take or clean any oil you find on the beach. That is the property of British Petroleum and we WILL sue you.”
BP has tried to shut down this Twitter account, which sparked an outrage that Twitter described succinctly with a widely-retweeted quote from comedian Jimmy Fallon: “BP wants Twitter to shut down a fake BP account that is mocking the oil company. In response, Twitter wants BP to shut down the oil leak that’s ruining the ocean.”
As Stick put it in his press release,
I’ve read a bunch of articles and blogs about this whole situation by publicists and marketing folk wondering what BP should do to save their brand from @BPGlobalPR. First of all, who cares? Second of all, what kind of business are you in? I’m trashing a company that is literally trashing the ocean, and these idiots are trying to figure out how to protect that company?….
Do you want to know what BP should do about me? Do you want to know what their PR strategy should be? They should fire everyone in their joke of a PR department, starting with all-star Anne Womack-Kolto and focus on actually fixing the problems at hand. Honestly, Cheney’s publicist? That’s too easy.
As a social media enthusiast, I have to agree with Stick. If you want to manage your PR online, trying to destroy other people’s dissent only creates more dissent. Twitter should be used for crowdsourcing public opinion of your brand, the rapid dissemination of company news, and engaging with your audience. One look at the real BP Twitter Account reveals one reply, and several RTs of tweets from government response initiatives, but no conversation. No outreach. No attempts to answer the angry or comfort the afflicted. BP is missing an opportunity here to polish their public image here simply by being transparent. People cry out because they want to be heard. If BP’s Public Relations team really used their Twitter account to engage, even with only 11,000 followers- if they made those 11,000 followers feel like they were listening, then millions more would listen too.
If BP wants to turn the tide of Twitter rage, they need to engage. As it stands, their reputation (and our ocean) may be an oily mess for years to come.