Monthly Archives: April 2017

Social Media 60 Years Ago 

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If these dining room sets could talk, we would all hear stories about our lives growing up. It all took place around these tables. In my family, the dining room set was the core meeting place. Everyone came together to share our daily experiences. It was our social platform. 

No Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Just a lot of out loud, chatter. The conversations covered the same topics as we post about today: family events, jobs, friends, holidays, health and politics. One person said something, the others commented. 

Nothing has really changed. We just used a different delivery system. Here’s to the good old days. 

Miami Beach Gay Pride 

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Miami Beach was in full celebration this weekend and Eliot captured it. 

Miami Beach Gay Pride was a three-day event that features a beach party, a festival and a parade area.

The mission of Miami Beach Gay Pride is to bring together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, their friends, allies, and supporters in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of the LGBTQ community. 

Photos by: Eliot Hess

Grand Marshall Ross Mathews is an American television personality widely known as an intern and a correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he was known as “Ross the Intern.”

South Florida NBC Six in the Mix” host Roxanne Vargas

Jawan Strader and Sheli Muniz, co-anchors NBC 6 News

Fake News

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The following was cut and pasted from Facebook. You can use the same guidelines if you can’t tell a real story from a fake one in any magazine, newspaper and Internet site.

After a while, trust your intuition. You know if a story is something silly or dramatic, it usually means it’s fake. The best recommendation is to Google key words of the story. If no other publication wrote about it, more than likely it’s lies, lies, lies.

Good luck trusting your judgement! 

Meet #31 Out Of 42,000

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Darren, Kati, and Larry

Kati, Larry, and Darren

Once again, LA 40 host Katerina Cozias has delved into a topic that many DigiDame readers are interested in: Los Angeles real estate. Is it too late to start investing in real estate when you are 40 or 50 years old? What are the best towns for financial returns? Where should folks 65-plus buy homes and what styles are best? 

Kati couldn’t find a team better than Larry Young & Associates to shed light on the latest news. Larry Young was just named the 31st ranking real estate agent out of 42,000 working for Berkshire Hathaway. 

This is quite an honor. Darren Thomas, Marketing Director, Larry Young & Associates, Berkshire Hathaway, will be the first to tell you that the reason Larry reached this high level of success, is because of his dedication and passion for real estate. Larry will tell you that it’s Darren’s marketing prowess that pushed him to such great heights.

Regardless, Larry and Darren are filled with opinions and important information about the real estate market. Here’s an opportunity to hear it all.

Full disclosure: Larry is my first cousin. Larry and his partner Darren are devoted family members and a good friend to all, despite their big lives in real estate. They share their success with everyone. Congratulations cousins. 

Watch the broadcast here.
 

You Give Me A Title

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I found these on the Internet. There was no title or explanation. They were set to music. I have been carrying them in my camera roll for a while. Obviously, they are pieces of art. But why? 

A Visit To Broward Community College  

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My author friend, Neil Plakcy, invited me to share my life in public relations with his communications class at Broward Community College. I probably learned more from the students than they did from me, because of their knowledge of social media. 

It’s a different world out there today and I’m not sure what some older folks can teach younger ones these days. The Internet has opened up new worlds to youngsters that we know nothing about. 

Below is what I offered them from my experiences off the net. 

 

12 Tips from 40 Years In PR

Tips for a PR Professional In-House (In A Company) Or At An Agency

 1. Read everything. You must be a big reader of everything from the front page of the New York Times to BuzzFeed to E! News.

 2. Have a big personality. Your voice (opinion) is very important. Be an authority on something.

 3. Learn how to explain things in simple, dumbed down terms. Give an overview of only a few sentences. No one listens to long explanations.

 4. Be ready to provide background or orientations in a swift fashion on PR campaigns – just the facts.

 5. An editorial pitch is just like a sales call. You have to pitch a story, not the way you want to say it, but the way the writer wants to receive it.

 6. Content is everything: the better the content, the better the results. Research, Surveys, Opinions Polls and Statistics always make the pitch more bonafide.

 7. Create FAQ’s, Frequently Asked Questions, and answer them. This document becomes the foundation for all interviews. The interviewer and interviewee are referencing the same facts.

 8. Media train spokespeople so they know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Their delivery makes or breaks a story.

 9. Wikipedia and Google are your best friends. Research all recent stories the writer or TV personality wrote or produced. Let the writer/broadcaster know you have taken an interest in them.

 10. Be a social media super star. Be active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Engage people in dialog for networking purposes. Let the world know you are approachable.

 11. Resumes: Education is important and activities are super important. Everyone wants to know “what have you done for me lately.” Resumes must reflect work experience, creativity and accomplishments.

 12. PR Internships: Paid or Unpaid. This is the best way to learn the business without being held accountable. The reputation of interns has increased dramatically over the years. Many companies are relying on the enthusiasm of interns to get the job done.

Thank you Neil. It was a lot of fun.
 

I Don’t Like This At All 

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Courtesy of Associated Press

I would never agree to allowing anyone to implant a microchip in my hand. It’s not that I am worried about people monitoring my whereabouts, it’s just that I would never want a foreign object in me. I would be afraid that years from now the authorities would say that the chip was laced with poison. 

All kidding aside, I was horrified to learn that a Swedish company called Epicenter is planning to place chips in their employees. It’s difficult to believe that the chips (the size of a grain of rice) are to monitor bathroom breaks and how many hours they work.  What’s the real truth? 

It worries me that workers are agreeing to this kind of behavior. Or are they? Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and chief executive of Epicenter, a technology company, was quoted on CNBC as saying, “The microchips inserted into employees’ hands simplify their lives.”

He implied that workers can now automatically operate certain devices and communicate by just waving their hands. Many folks think this is a cool advantage. He also justifies his company’s actions by saying that people have been implanting devices under their skin for decades, including pacemakers. It’s not as uncommon as we think. 

That may be true but I’m concerned that people who desperately need jobs in the future will allow themselves be treated like farm animals. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who wears a chip is being programmed and watched in ways we can’t begin to imagine. 

Our future is getting mighty scary.

Someday …..

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The wonderful thing about social media is that you can travel great distances without leaving  your computer. Everyone posts their travel  photos. The ones below really intrigued me, so I wanted to share them with you,

These are the Lost Gardens of Heligan, one of the most popular botanical gardens in the UK. The gardens are typical of the 19th century Gardenesque style with areas of different character and in different design styles.

Would You Sit Down?  

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UN Women, a very powerful women’s group, came up with the idea of putting a molded penis on a seat on a train in Mexico City as a way to remind passengers of the sexual violence women suffer everyday in that city. Passenger reactions were taped. 

More than 800,000 people viewed the YouTube video since it was posted March 20th. You can watch it here. The United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women in July 2010.

Mexico City was targeted because it ranks as the second most dangerous city for women. I hated hearing that because Mexico City is on top of my travel bucket list.

The campaign asked passengers  “if they would sit on a seat with a mounded penis?” A posted message said, “It is uncomfortable to sit here, but that is nothing compared to the sexual violence that women suffer on their daily journeys.”

The campaign has had significant impact. For example, some trains now have separate carriages for women. The city government is also offering more protection for women. This is a start. 

I hope YouTube keeps us informed about major safety improvements for the women of Mexico City.  For further information, go to Mashable.