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interns wanted: looking for dynamic undergrads* for social media internship

22Dec08

Help, I’m looking for interns. Not just any interns, but really, really intelligent, innovative and fun ones! Do you want to be one or do you know someone savvy who should be? Then let please contact me at vanessa <dot> rhinesmith <at> gmail <dot> com.

Interns Needed for Health Social Media Startup
WEGO Health seeks passionate, super-sharp interns to work in our Boston office. You’ll contribute meaningfully to a variety of community, editorial and market-research projects that support and grow our community of health activists – leaders across dozens of health and wellness areas.

WEGO Health interns are major players who make big contributions. Our atmosphere is relaxed, our hierarchy flat. This is a great place to grow and learn.

Please be:
• A great writer and researcher
• Passionate about and fluent in social media tools (i.e., blogs, facebook, twitter, etc.)
• Have a deep personal interest in health and wellness topics
• Full of positive attitude and high energy
• Known for your sense of humor
• Able to bring a laptop to the office

You must work at least 12-16 hours per week for course credit (or just an amazing resume line!); this is an unpaid internship.

About WEGO Health:

WEGO Health is an exciting new company exploring ways to give consumers a voice in health care. Learn more at http://www.wegohealth.com/about-us.html
Location: Downtown Crossing

*Prefer undergraduate students, but not restricted to (especially if you make a compelling case).

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Filed under WEGO, internships, social change, social marketing, social media, technology, twitter, web and web 2.0. |0 Comments

beautiful birds

18Dec08

Every now and again I feel the need to share something I love: Ann Wood’s handmade birds are one of these things. How can you not fall for these little lovelies, which are delicately made from vintage fabrics. I’m happy to say that I have one of the “Jollies” en route to brighten my home, and in time may need a second to keep ‘em company.

Be sure to visit Ann’s blog for more on her handmade creations.

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thumbs up/thumbs down: reinforcing twitter relationships/commercial interruptions on pandora

17Dec08

Thumbs up: I’m loving the direct messages from Twitter! Recently, I have received a handful of direct messages from folks that I have started to follow (thank you). What a wonderful way to thank people for following you, further enforce the online relationship, and promote the other aspects of your virtual presence.

deborah909 Thanks for following me on Twitter! You’re also welcome to visit my blog: www.cyber-yenta.org 9:49 AM yesterday

Thumbs down: Pandora commercials. Ugh! Could this be the end of Pandora? It will be interesting to observe since Pandora could be walking a fine line - and I’m eager to witness user response. In regards to my own threshhold, I can stand the one commercial every five or ten songs, but it definetly interfers with my listening enjoyment - and deviates from the whole reason why I use Pandora (i.e. uninterrupted, commercial-free music).

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Filed under internet, media, online community, pandora, rants and such, social media, social networking, social networks, technology, twitter, web and web 2.0. |0 Comments

give the gift of sustainability

14Dec08

This evening we came across a new gift option from Heifer International: Fund a Project. While I’ve always loved the mission of Heifer, this takes it to a new level that resonates in a very tangible way. You pick the project that you want to invest in.

We chose Zambia - Rural Community Development Project in an ode to friends that we cherish.

This five year effort will improve the lives of many families living in poverty in Zambia. These families are displaced mineworkers, facing high unemployment rates and food shortages. Through the work of this project, Heifer will not only provide the lifesaving livestock these families need but also provide them with valuable agroecology skills and training in marketing and sustainable agriculture.

My husband and I have been proactively seeking out gifts with meaning. We desire to give gifts that are more than simply “stuff”, but have an intentionality to them that truly speaks to the recipient and relationship all while promoting social good in a sustainable way.

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Filed under activism, microphilanthropy, personal, reflection, shopping and social change. |1 Comment

share the love, not the spam

12Dec08

I’ll be completely honest, I love Twitter, but with one caveat, the spamming and Twitter has become spam-tastic. Just for the record I don’t gamble, model, rent stuff, need stuff or have any interest in acquiring such tastes. So if such Twitter members could please refrain from following me, it would be greatly appreciated.

Clearly I’m not the only one who thinks so, Stop Twitter Spam. Not only am I being inundated with Christmas catalogues (such an unfortunate waste), but also being spammed big time via Twitter. The good news is that Twitter has recognized the issue and with a little effort we can all help to clean up the clutter, making Twitter a happy , spam-free place once again.

Twitter Blog: An Ongoing Battle

Posting links to Twitter is great and we encourage people to do so. However, spammers are posting links on a whole different scale and they’re doing something else we call Aggressive Following. This behavior entails following thousands of other accounts in the hope of reciprocation and it really peeves Twitter users because many of us are sensitive to our Follower count—we don’t want email notifications triggered by spammers and we don’t want to see our avatar on their profile page.

Those who have created thousands of accounts, posted thousands of the same link, or aggressively followed way too many people, stand out like a sore thumb to our support team because they are usually blocked by hundreds or thousands of well behaved Twitter users. This simple feedback is one of the ways we detect and delete spam accounts but there are also preventative measures and more we could be doing

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how much is too much, what’s your personal quota

10Dec08

In recent conversations, the question of how much is too much keeps finding it’s way into the discussion. Everyday I go through a routine of logging into Facebook, firing up Pandora, checking my blog stats, visiting LinkedIn, sifting through my RSS feeds, updating my Twitter, all while sipping coffee, checking my email and outlining my to do list. When will we hit virtual overload? I already have.

As I noted in a previous post (space: public v. private), I’m not only juggling my online presence and relationships, but also my physical ones. I’m trying to wrap up the semester, check in with my mother about various holiday related items, squeeze in coffee with a friend and have dinner with my husband.

For me, intentionally is key in all of my relationships, virtual or other, which means at some point I’m going to reach my personal quota and will be forced to reassess. This is what I’m doing now, and this is what more and more folks will do as new online opportunities and social engagements fight for their attention. As a consumer, participant and human how do we decide what activities are important to us? As a organization, website or producer how do we ensure that our objective provides the most value, community and experience that it’s worth spending what little time we have?

Seth Godin perhaps sums it up best:

The internet isn’t full, but we are.

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Filed under advertising, blogging, blogs, culture, facebook, media, reflection, social marketing, social media, social networking, technology, virtual worlds, web and web 2.0. |0 Comments

happy thoughts: giveaway week @ design for mankind

09Dec08

It can’t all be doom and gloom this week, right. That’s exactly why I’m bringing a little fun and creative cheer your way (post this morning’s journalistic rant).

Well, actually Erin, of Design For Mankind is bringing on the fun, and the goodies, via a week of fun giveaways. Need a dose of something bright, playful and fun, then check it out! Design For Mankind is guaranteed to brighten your day and get those creative juices flowing, even when it’s not giveaway week! P.S. latest edition of mankind mag: THE CONSUMPTION ISSUE.

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the tribune co., what’s next for the economy and the news business

09Dec08

I know, I know. I wasn’t going write, or even be online, this week. However, I’m not really writing anything, just spotlighting this morning’s piece on NPR.

The economy was already hard to ignore, but now the recent filing of the Tribune Company makes it impossible to ignore. We’re not only talking economically, but traditional methods of news telling, sharing and distributing are on the cusp of major change. The models and business structures aren’t working and society is shifting. It’s a good time to ask yourself the following: how do you get your news, what form do you want that news to take and what content do you want that news to be comprised of? More soon.

Debt Forces Tribune Co. To File Bankruptcy
by David Folkenflik
Listen Now [3 min 57 sec] add to playlist

Morning Edition, December 9, 2008 · Tribune Co. which owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun and other dailies has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The conglomerate also owns TV stations, the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. It’s been crushed by a drop in advertising and $13 billion in debt (courtesy of NPR).

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Filed under citizen journalism, citizen media, communication, david folkenflik, journalism, npr, reflection, social change, social media and tribune. |0 Comments

blogs for social change

05Dec08

This is my parting post prior to going offline in an effort to dig completely into finance, for Thursday’s final exam. With a little luck, I’ll survive with all limbs in tact.

However in order to satisfy my own blogging desires, and to leave you with something worthwhile, here’s Beth Kanter’s Top 10 Nonprofit Technology (NPTech) and Social Media for Social Change Blogs (courtesy of Blogs.com):

Amy Sample Ward’s Version of NPTech
CauseWired
Have Fun Do Good
Katya Andresen: Nonprofit Marketing Blog
Laura’s Notebook
Qui Diaz - Evange.list
Social Actions
Social Citizens Blog
SocialButterfly
ext337

Of course I had to add a plug for Cambridge Community Television (CCTV), while they might not be what typically comes to mind in regards to social change via blogging (since they are a public access center), they are nonetheless breaking the stereotype and doing just that. They are rapidly honing in and expanding upon the idea of localism, what it means, what it looks like and how is can be harnessed. CCTV is utilizing social media in a way that’s causing the metamorphosis of the public access community, which is increasingly critical as the traditional access model continues to be threaten .

Visit Save Access for more.

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Filed under activism, blogging, blogs, cambridge, cctv, community media, internet, nonprofit, social change, social media, technology, web and web 2.0. |0 Comments

bright, shiny and new doesn’t always equal effective communication

04Dec08

3. Tim reminded us that a medium is just a “means of human communication.” Media include everything from printed newspapers and blogs to smoke signals and church sermons (Courtesy of Tim Walker, Social Media Breakfast Austin).

I love this statement, it’s simple, to the point and something that is rooted in my own ideology. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamor of the tools. There are lots of them, but the tools won’t magically work by themselves, they need to be directed in a thoughtful manner. As a communicator, marketer, consumer, or other, you have a responsibility to determine if the methods of communication are appropriate to the task, goal or audience.

Miscommunication occurs all the time. There’s an art to communication, to understanding the recipient and how 500+ other factors can play with or against the message you are offering. Perception and interpretation are paradoxical, even more so with the onset of so many new means of communication. It’s easy to be persuaded by the shinier offerings, but sometimes the most effective means of communication is found in the most simple acts, a phone call, note, hand shake or cup of coffee.

So before you get drawn into the bright light, think about what you’re trying to achieve, who you’re trying to reach, how they prefer to be conversed with and lastly, what you want that interaction to say about you, because the definition of your own reputation is inevitably wrapped up within the method(s) and means selected.

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