Here's looking at you, Facebook.

Of all the profiles, on all the Pages, in all the world, Casablanca will be on Facebook. Wednesday (May 16) at 7 p.m. PST/ET Casablanca's Page will have one of the arguably best movies of all time avaible for streaming. This is a one time deal (one screening per FB account) and, if I do say so myself (and again, I do) a pretty nifty way to follow the release of their recent launch of Casablanca’s 70th Anniversary three-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo edition from Warner Home Video.

Was that cannon fire, or is it my heart pounding? Oh, no. It was just another company doing social media right.

Coming Soon to Social Spaz!

Hello readers!
I've been slacking on the blog, no? It's okay though. I have been busy in other productive ventures, like joining new social networking sites and trying them out for you. (You're welcome, I'm sure.) Now, I'm going to review them in more detail later because...

Starting May 1: Guest Blogging Month!


It's okay to be super excited, because I sure am! Last year's guest blogging was wonderful and I already have people writing and sending things in. (And here I thank you!) So if you want to participate all you need to do is email thesocialspaz@gmail.com or send Social Spaz's Facebook a message!

What I'm looking for in guest blogger's content: something relating to social media/ social networking, sites or organizations that you love or hate and why, or creative outlets that you've seen or participated in. Basically, I guess I'll take just about anything, but I will not post anything wildly inappropriate or a journal entry type of deal. If you want the world to know about your life feel free to make your own blog.

I will make another post closer to the beginning of May.

Now, to catch you up to the social sites Social Spaz has been pumping up recently:

Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
YouTube
Vyou

Follow, like, reblog, comment and have fun!

Facebook Pages: 5 Reasons to be Annoyed at Timeline

I love Facebook. I'm Facebook obsessed. So, it's rare to get a FB rant out of me, but I'm here to tell you that I am not down with the new Timeline format for Pages.

Let me take a quick moment to say that I am completely fine with Timeline for personal Facebooks. It's more organized, more graphic, a lot more interactive but not mind-blowingly different from the last one. All they really did was put our profiles in boxes and threw a timeline on the side. I don't mind this change at all because, the truth of the matter is, Facebook always changes and I always forget what exactly it looked like beforehand. Don't lie, you do too.

So when it was announced that Timeline was going to become available for Pages I was stoked! The new cover photo feature was an exciting feature I was ready to utilize. Not to mention, with the boxes of Timeline, you get to see more of the Page's content without having to scroll down and search.

HOWEVER! I was deceived.

Five reasons why Facebook, in my opinion, defiled Timeline for Pages:

1. Why, oh, why did you stack everything on the top of the Page?
Notifications, New Likes, Messages (this feature I happen to like a lot, just not where it's placed), Insights and Page Tips are the first thing that loads when you click on a Page you admin. This.is.annoying. I know there isn't ample amount of room to store these sections, but I just feel like FB could find better places for them. Why not do the whole sidebar bit? Maybe store it under the new Manage tab at the top? Sure, that tab annoys me, but I'd rather get the drop down than everything jumbled at the top.
Maybe I wouldn't have as much as an issue with the placement if...

2. Business Pages tend to load SO SLOWLY now. When I go to a Page (and mind you, I run about a dozen) the cover photo loads on top for an instant and then, realizing it has to go to the bottom of the Page to make room for Notifications, New Likes, etc., it moves down. The white space then slowly fills with all the info. that has to go at the top of the Page now.
Also, sometimes I'm impatient and like to scroll down to see my Page's wall. So when it is loading I'm already scrolling. But, again, the whole Page loads so slowly. I have to wait for the top to load and then my wall, and then the rest of the top section.

3. TABS--where did you go my lovies? You used to be under the profile picture, all neat and organized and pretty. Then, Timeline came along and I thought they would do something special for you. But, alas, you were attached to the bar that held the About, Photos and Likes. Only three boxes can be shown on this bar. You have to hit the down arrow to see more options. This really messed up businesses that utilize multiple tab sections that they want to be visible at all times. Because, honestly, most people aren't going to really look around your Page to search for a drop down menu of your once-loved tabs.

4. I manage about a dozen different Pages, daily. When I'm on my news feed I click on the Page I want to sign in as and, with the old version of Pages, I would go to the right sidebar to be that Page. It was a simple, simple process. Now, I have to wait for my Page to load and click the Manage drop down and then click the Use Facebook as So and So. I know this a knit-picky thing to complain about, but it's one more step that I didn't have before and it almost feels like it slows down my flow from Page to Page.

5. Let me revisit the slow issue. When I scroll down on a Page to see earlier posts, it takes a good while for them to load. I have faster response time on my personal Page and it just irks me. I only put up with it because it's MY Page, so what about those people who are just browsing? Will they get annoyed and just leave? Am I losing some potential viewers because of slow Page response time?

These are the reasons why I am disappointed in Timeline for Pages so far. Knowing Facebook, they'll make more changes to, hopefully, make it better. Until then, know when you go to a Facebook Page that I cringe with you.
If you have different reasons, be sure to comment!

Month of Chocolate by Awkward Baker

I am the awkward baker.

Work has become very intense and for the month of March (excluding Sat. & Sun. because I don't have super powers) I am making a new chocolate creation and documenting my stumbling attempts at cooking/baking.

To follow my rocky, chocolatey journey go and Like this page: Just For Women Magazine.
You can be a guy and still like it. There are plenty of male members and you can always hide it from your profile if you're that scared.

Here is the first blog post from that page:

A friend showed me the Chocolate Issue of Food Network Magazine and I simply fell in love.  Chocolalte, to me, is the best thing you could ever taste (a close second being sweet tea, of course) and there were so many wonderful recipes in the issue that I thought "there needs to be a month to hold all of these." Thus, the idea of Month of Chocolate sprung. 

Women, in my mind, are the only truly smart people when it comes to chocolate. Not only do they usually like it, they appreciate it. Now, I realize that I'm on the very extreme side of loving chocolate but I thought it would be wonderful to make each dish with a running commentary attached.

Why? So you all could make your own versions and learn new very yummy recipes. Also, to be quite honest, I'm a very awkward baker. I grew up with a single father who did all the cooking and didn't always have the time to show me the ropes. I've baked exactly three things ever: two ugly, but yummy simple cakes and an intense amount of 10-minute muffins. This Month of Chocolate exersion has been approached with equal amounts of excitement and trepidation! 

But oh how I would love for all of the treats to turn out wonderfully and for people to also try out these yummy recipes!

So please follow an awkward baker on Just for Women Magazine's Page for this Month of Chocolate. Feedback and encouragement are greatly appreciated and encouraged

Wednesday Roundup: SOPA? NOPA!

If you don't know what's going on with the whole "let's punch SOPA and PIPA in the face" catch up here.  Tonight's post is all about the funny pictures I have seen trending on Facebook and Twitter today that made me lull.

Enjoy!

YUM Digest: Maggie's Mondays (Week Two)

Spaz Digest-YUM: Twin Thursdays

Another point for Facebook

Blimey Cow's 'The Truth about Youth Group'

Make sure to read part one here, part two here and part three here!

Check out The Truth about Youth Group!

Here is the finished product! We hope you enjoy it, and had fun reading about the days of work that go into a video that doesn't even clock in at three minutes in length. It's crazy, hectic, and stressful... but it's a ton of fun.

Our thanks go out to Tyler Snell for allowing us to take over her blog for the weekend. We've had a ton of fun and hope to hang around Social Spaz again sometime. God bless you all!

Guest Blog Weekend: Blimey Cow Part 3!

Make sure to read part one here and then part two here!

POST-PRODUCTION

Whew! I just hit "render," and this week's Messy Monday video is DONE!

Editing all the footage is honestly probably the toughest part of the whole process. It's definitely the most time consuming. I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that for just a short two and a half minute video (Like this week's episode), it normally takes somewhere between 4-6 hours to edit.

Culling through all the footage, picking out the best takes, and placing them in order in the timeline takes a good couple of hours at the least. When that is finished, I have a workable "first cut" that will never see the light of day. It exists for maybe 30 minutes while I give my mind a break, so that I can return and objectively look at what I have so far, and what additional cuts I need to make or alternate takes I need to insert. Once I've made those new changes, the second cut is starting to look more like the final product that you see on YouTube. Still not quite there, but we're getting close.

At this point, I usually let my wife look at it and ask her if there are any flow or mood problems that she sees. I ask her questions like, "Does Jordan's vocal inflection or tone shift too dramatically between these two lines? Does anything look to abrupt? Are there any jokes that just aren't landing like we wanted them to?"

Honestly probably the hardest part is parting with jokes that just didn't work. I'd say on average, from first cut to final product, I've shaved off about 45 seconds to a minute of video. A lot of times it's just because the good take we got just doesn't work with the rest of the video, or is too abrupt, or just doesn't sound right with the rest of his thought. The biggest lesson I'm learning about editing while doing this every single week is to cut mercilessly. The shorter and more concise the video is, the better. Never let more than about 8 seconds go by without another laugh line.

Once all of that is done, I watch the video a few times all the way through just to make sure all the cuts are tight, so that the video flows seamlessly. And then I'm finally done. It feels good to have this done on a Sunday night! Usually we shoot the video tonight, and I wake up early in the morning on Monday to start editing. Usually by about 2-3PM the video is finally done and about ready to be posted.

Tomorrow, I'll link you guys to the finished product, entitled "Messy Mondays: The Truth about Youth Groups". We really hope you like it!

Guest Blog Weekend: Blimey Cow Part 2!

Make sure to read part one here.

PRODUCTION

Today we shot the yet-to-be-titled video. Before we got started, I printed out the script as I had it, and Jordan and I and the few others that came to watch and help with the video, brainstormed more ideas to help flesh out the whole video. By the time we were done, we'd cut some stuff I'd written yesterday, and then doubled the size of the final product. Honestly, I think it was the most fruitful writing session we've ever conducted that immediately preceded shooting.

So then we began shooting. And the thing about it is- it's hard to understand the pacing and mood until we're actually shooting. It's probably just a product of my own inadequacy, but I just have to be in the middle of actually making the video happen before I can fully understand what it needs to look like. This leads to even more changes to the script (i.e. scraping entire bits that just don't fit once we're actually shooting).

Stressful as it is to find the right mood and pacing, shooting is probably the most fun I have all week. It's just always a really good time. We do it so often now that we've gotten a really nice rhythm. And Jordan and I are able to track with each other- he knows what I'm looking for from a specific line usually without my even having to say anything.

Plus, letting Jordan loose is great too. A lot of times, we have specific lines that need to be said specific ways to set up for the next joke, but other times, I like to just let Jordan know what the basic idea for the next section is, and then hit record. Some of my favorite stuff that we get is the stuff Jordan improvises on the spot. In fact, a lot of stuff for Monday's video was my just letting Jordan run loose with an idea. The balance, I think, is key, and we're getting more comfortable with it with each passing week.

Guest Blog Weekend: Blimey Cow!

**For all of you Blimey Cow lovers, here's a recent interview with Josh (April 30, 2013 to be exact!) over at Almost There! Check it out! Go here!**

Hello, everyone! My name is Josh Taylor. My brother, Jordan, and I started an online comedic video series in the fall of 2005, which we dubbed "Blimey Cow."

We produced about a hundred videos in the first couple of years, before taking a break as I got busy with college, and Jordan got busy finishing high school- slowly coming to a halt as the years past. This last year, however, we slowly began creating new videos, and by the time September rolled around, we were back uploading a new video every Monday.

Though we do skits on occasion, our main focus is on our "Messy Monday" video series which started back in August. Every Monday, we upload a new video wherein Jordan speaks directly to the camera, while he talks about a variety of topics. Facebook , going to the movies, church... you name it.

We have had a ton of fun creating new content each week, but have found it also incredibly challenging to keep the content fresh, fun, and engaging when we are never more than a week from your next deadline.

Social Spaz has asked that that we keep a sort of journal this weekend concerning the creative process surrounding the creation of a Messy Monday video. We don't have a budget. We have a few lights, a camera, and a bedroom. It's definitely not a "professional" production, but it's a creative process we complete every single week now. Tonight, we write. Tomorrow, we shoot. Sunday, we edit.

PRE-PRODUCTION

Prep for the next Monday's video usually starts on the preceding Tuesday. My wife, Kelli, and I begin brainstorming different topics that could be covered. Throughout the week, as I have conversations with other people, ideas, one liners, or anecdotes may come to mind. I keep a big file of various punch lines on a variety of topics to be used when the week, topic, and joke are right. Lord willing, by Thursday we have decided on a topic, and at least a couple of the big laugh lines for the episode- the lines that we hope people will remember long after watching the video, and about which they will hopefully tell their friends. Usually we come up with those laugh lines first before coming to a conclusion about whether or not a topic or idea is viable. Sometimes we come up with one joke, and then make an entire video to work around that joke. I hate wasting a good joke.

The topic this week, as decided yesterday, is going to be church youth groups. I was informed then that a youth group in Clarksville, Tennessee had used one of our recent videos as part of the lesson for the evening. I posted this fun news to Blimey Cow's Facebook fan page, and then quipped, "I guess next week's video is going to be about boys and girls sitting too close to each other..."

It was meant as a joke, but the idea took flight in my head. In short order, I was writing out the beginning of this tentative script. I visited my brother at the college he is attending that afternoon and related what I had written thus far, and he and I came up with more material, which I came home and wrote up. Sharing what was done of the script with my wife later garnered even more ideas.

As it stands, the script stands at about 35% done. Depending on the week, mood, and topic, sometimes it actually helps to have some leeway concerning the content, when it comes to actually shooting the video tomorrow. Sometimes having the entire thing completely done, and then merely tweaked as we shoot, works best. And sometimes having only certain jokes and just a basic idea of the direction, content, and pacing works just as well. It really just depends. And 10+ weeks into this, I can't say that I have entirely figured out exactly how to know which is best, and when. All I know is that Monday's come really, really quickly these days... and most weeks, it feels like we escape with a solid video by the skin of our teeth.

Back to writing for now. I'll let you know how shooting went, tomorrow.

Guest Blog: Darfur? I Hardly Know Her!

A wonderful blog written by a fellow blogger here.

Guest Blogger: Will Francis

(A Social Commentary on
Peer Pressure, Apathy, and Mustaches
in the 21st Century)

Every couple of months I find it necessary to clean my Facebook. This process is a sometimes enjoyable one that includes: getting rid of outdated applications, picking a new profile picture, updating my basic info page, and leaving groups that just don’t matter to me anymore. Completing this list is essential if I want to feel like a productive member of this website, and really society as well. This being said I always run into the same obstacle. Darfur. Yes, the small African nation, which so happens to be plagued by genocide and other naughty things, is ruining my online experience. “Why?” you ask. It’s because I’m a coward.

I don’t exactly remember why I joined “For Every 1,000 that join this group I will donate $1 for Darfur”, but I have a theory that it was during a time when my membership was in its infancy and I was floating in a sea of “unparticipation” in virtual activist organizations. Every so often I would read in the news feed that friends of mine had joined this same group and not only that, but had left it too. During these first instances I passed temporary judgments on these heathens which would last for the greater part of a second. This was always followed by instant forgiveness. Then I came to realize that they too had a ritual of tidying up their online domain, and had found it necessary to distance themselves from Darfur for the sake of having less obligations. That, or because it was no longer in style. 

I want to interject that, as I was once a Political Science major, you would think I might know a thing or two about global incidents. Seeing as the Olympics aren’t happening this year, I feel like that just shouldn’t be a concern of mine. I do however have a thing or two to say about genocide. Surprisingly, I kind of respect it. I’m not one for confrontation so when I see that some mustached leader in a far off land has gotten rid of a ton of people, I have to applaud human effort. I find there is no better way to burn bridges between two groups of people than to burn one of groups alive. On the flip side Americans subject themselves to genocide every day. We are successfully phasing out the “Valley Girl” due to tanning bed radiation. From what I understand this has been in the works for years. Not only that, but fast food restaurants are bringing up new victims every day to replace the ones who are dead. Taco Bell has changed our dining agenda forever by adding a “Fourth Meal”, and Wendy’s Baconater is projected to cause more heart attacks than the Publisher’s Clearing House check deliverers. Unlike Darfur we have developed a killing method that is not only socially acceptable but looks good in a swimsuit and/or tastes delicious. 

Recently I was given the opportunity to be intellectually mortified by an aforementioned mustached leader. Dr. Jeremy Lewis, head of the Political Science department at my college and it’s only teacher, teachs the World Politics I am currently taking. It dawned on me during one of the lectures that not only did I not know what he was talking about half the time without the use of Wikipedia, but I never even wanted to come near to having an educated opinion on the matter. It would just take too much time, heart, and money to get to where I might be a guest of Real Time with Bill Maher, and I don't usually persue something unless I know I will be the best at it. All of Lewis’s lecturing on people thousands of miles away or half a century ago in gas chambers I will never tour, being fire squaded against walls I will never touch, or burned alive in their own huts that I will never smell made me void of all caring. It was as if he were talking about every puppy in ever pound in this world and how bad they needed a home. I wanted to help, but I just couldn’t. The task before me was too large, so large that it became useless to even care anymore. This is the kinda crap I think about when I clean my profile.
Marek Grodzicki, the creator of Save Darfur, promises this to be a real cause and that he has in fact followed through with his pledge. This group is different in many ways from other charity websites: It doesn’t ask you to donate. It’s in the title. The only thing you have to do is join and Grodzicki will have one more notch in his belt. If you read the reasons given for this group’s creation Marek makes a point to tell you that it is not for his “self gratification”. Oh. How very nice of him. Not only does he give to charity, but he doesn’t feel better about himself for doing so. Forgive me for being a sociopath, but I find it hard to believe that. Most things I do in my spare time are wholly for self gratification, and if they aren’t I find a way to incorporate that into my activity. Yes, by all means I’m selfish, but don’t ever tell me I didn’t warn you. Why do I put change into the Salvation Army bucket during Christmas time? It’s so that damned lady will stop ringing the bell for a few seconds to say “Thank you, sugar.” Plus, sometimes I’ve done something real naughty, but not as naughty as genocide, and think the sound of a few nickels clanging together will counter that. Fat chance, but it’s a thought, and it’s the thought that counts.

I consider myself a rather proficient Facebooker compared to other college students. I have successfully utilized the privacy settings so that no Sunday School teacher, professor, or future employer may see anything that would otherwise mar my reputation as an All-American-Church-Goin’-Tax-Payin’- Law-Regarding-Boy-Scout. It also helps that I blocked my own mother. It has crossed my mind several times that I could just quit the group and hide it from the newsfeed. As ingenious as that is, it’s also sneaky. And the only thing I hate more than Darfur is conniving and sneaky sons of bitches. I wouldn’t necessarily lose sleep over doing it the easy way. That sort of privilege is given to people who commit genocide. But I do feel that I would be looked at as an insensitive person if I left the group, because as we all know, Facebook is the apart of the real world now and the things we do on it matter in the grand scheme of things. So, I had to choose what I valued more to me: either try to offend the least amount of people possible, or march down the streets with my own pants on. I chose the latter.

Today I have closed a chapter in my life, because when I made the final click I became my own man. I have severed all ties in my relationship to a dying country. Did I feel any different when I went through with it? No, I didn’t feel anything at all. These first couple of months I am going to take it slow. Maybe one day in a lonely Comparative Government lecture I will think about all the good times we had. I might see Darfur on the newsfeed and I will cordially stop and maybe see what has been going on. I will say, “Remember when we broke our first 1,000 members?” There was excitement, sure. But there always is at first. I am going to keep that in mind when I see other charity organizations pop up. As much as I want to “Save the Manatees”, am I really ready to commit? It takes a lot out of me when I teeter on the fence and only care enough to show my concern and nothing deeper than that. It’s going to take some time for me to get over Darfur. For now I am just going to donate to bell ringers, because it is fast, cheap, I feel good afterwards, and right now it’s the only thing I can handle.

Guest Blog: Facing Facebook at 50

I am happy to announce the first guest blog! It is a wonderfully written article!

Guest Blogger: BA Spears

I’m 50. For my generation, social media started with the junior high “Slam Book,” where we wrote supposedly anonymous but always identifiable comments about our peers, ranging from genuine compliments to cruel attacks. We then graduated to phone conversations in which a group of giggling girls on extensions throughout the home of some accommodating parent chatted with a group of pimpled pubescent boys gathered around one phone in some young man’s basement for the five minutes that the boys feigned interest in the conversation. Eventually, media became the excuse for social: a gathering in someone’s den to watch a Movie of the Week on Saturday night, where the evening’s theme was chatting, flirting and sneaking kisses between the host mom’s infrequent trips to the room to refill sodas or popcorn bowls.

In the ’70s and ‘80s, the life of parents and the lives of their children were almost completely separate, even when they lived under the same roof: parents were not part of their children’s social circle until long after the children grew up, married, and began attending some of the same social events as parents. Family life and social lives were strangely divided, and I would not have dreamed of sharing even mundane details of my life and my friends’ lives with my parents.

My generation, rejecting the decision of our parents to remain distant, and perhaps feeling a wistful desire for greater generational interaction within the family, changed that formula when becoming parents. We attended our children’s events, we stayed in the room during their parties, we eagerly volunteered to chaperone events so that we could be on site, in the midst, part of the fun. We did not want to miss our children’s lives! And in doing so, we earned the name “helicopter parents,” because we hover around our children, watching them, protecting them, and perhaps not giving them the space required to grow up.

Because we are so deeply engaged in our children’s lives, their departure from home to attend college, enter the military, or take a job in another area, brings a grief so deep it is akin to death. Our relationship to our children has become defined by our presence in their day-to-day affairs. Enter Facebook! Texting! Twitter! YouTube! Social media now fills the gap created by their physical absence and gives us a new type of relationship with our children that we never dreamed existed.

My daughter left for college and soon afterward said to me (apparently feeling no guilt or concern about this comment at all!): “Mom, I don’t always have time to answer your calls. Just text me, and when I have time, I’ll text you back.” After learning to text – a challenge for middle-aged eyes and fingers – I began to text, and soon, we had developed a pattern of communication that at least assured me she was alive and well. When I began to lament that the texts were nice but that I’d really like to see her face, she responded (again, with no trace of guilt or concern!), “You need to get on Facebook. I post pics and comments there almost every day, and you’ll know what I’m doing, where I am, who I’m with, and you’ll be able to see me in my pictures.” Really? That’s how she wanted to communicate with her mother? But in desperation, I struggled through what is, I’m sure, a simple process to set up a Facebook page.

True to her word, my daughter was my first Facebook friend. And that’s when it truly happened: we became friends in a way we’d never been friends before. We still retained our warm mother-daughter bond; we still had occasional late-night phone chats; we still wrote old-fashioned snail mail letters (she knows her mom is old school, after all!). I remained a helicopter parent, but Facebook was my helicopter, allowing me to hover on the fringe of her life at most times but make an appearance when needed, satisfying her need for space to grow while satisfying my need to be informed. I began to meet her friends, experience aspects of her social life, see her friends’ comments and jokes, watch YouTube videos of my daughter and her friends. I felt engaged in her life again but she felt free to live that life as the young adult she had become.

Eventually, as I grew more comfortable with forming relationships through social media and having access to her friends’ comments, thoughts and pictures, I became brave enough to actually respond to their comments, thinking to myself that I might be making a huge mistake. These cool young college coeds might be offended by a gray-haired mom’s intrusion on their lives.

Their response? They sent me Facebook friend requests, too! And as they embraced me, I embraced them, getting to know a whole new group of bright young minds who are excited about politics, the economy, the environment! Of course, I remain cautious. I comment only when I believe I can add humor, insight, or an encouraging word. When I see things of which I disapprove (and that does happen!), I remain largely silent or I send a private message of encouragement. I am not the Facebook police, and I am not there to judge their lives. But I am so grateful to be a part of this tremendous social media phenomenon that has enriched my life so much!

Facing Facebook and other forms of social media as a means of maintaining a relationship with my child seemed strange, foreign, and scary to a little old lady who still found email to be somewhat challenging. I have parked my hovering helicopter and walked right through the door, becoming fully engaged in my adult daughter’s social media life. I begin and end each day logging in. Her posts appear on my page, and I see quickly that she is happy. Then I can go on about my business of Facebooking with my own middle-aged friends, some of whom wrote in my Slam Books, giggled on the phone with me at slumber parties, and gathered at my house to not watch movies. Facebook has reconnected me with those friends, introduced me to new friends, and reinvented my family relationships. And my life would be much bleaker without it.

iMenstruate

For the people that know me, know that I have a very thin filter between my brain and my mouth when it comes to my period. Sure, it isn't the best topic to bring up at the dinner table but when I'm around people I'm comfortable with, I won't extend the courtesy to pretend I'm not in pain from cramping or my patience level is at normal. But, to my friends, I'm the young woman that has a fascination with periods.

After watching the f8 keynote about the new Facebook soon to come and how it would get users more connected (like Spotify lets your friends know what you're listening to WHEN you're listening to it) I started thinking how funny it would be to have an app for women that tracked their menstrual cycle.

Megan just started her period!
Rachel has three more days until she's home free!
Tammy is currently cramping, bloated and fatigued.
Hilary suggests Tampax Pearls over Playtex Sport.

Yes, I understand this would be a tad bit excessive, but I decided to Google to see if any phone apps out there catered to tracking women's "time of the month."

Geeksugar.com did an article on the Period Tracker App for iPhones. This App tracks when you start, when you stop, when you're ovulating and fertile and when you get and can get intimate.

"The Period Tracker App costs $2 and is the ultimate menstrual mentor. You enter in your info, and it tracks your cycles, letting you keep notes about your activities and well being, all the while using twee 'lil hearts and flowers to denote important days (to be fair, "ovulation" would be too long to fit in those boxes)."

This is actually one of many apps out there that allow you to get in the know about your relative Aunt Flo. (That kind of rhymed.) My Pregnancy Baby (don't let the name scare you) posted a blog about the best of the best apps out there if you are serious about downloading a nifty tracker. Most are free and have passwords so not just anyone can pick up your phone and know if you're bleeding or not (was that too much?).

Things like this make me very excited and a bit nervous about the future of technology and social networking. What other little tricks like this will be used in a few years?

Flowchart: Poor Google+, Yay Twitter

My friend sent me a picture of a flow chart that begged the question, "Where should you post your status?" It did the whole ask a question then follow the answer yes or no to different paths. Usually I dislike things like this. I'm used to the zombie "Would you survive a zombie apocalypse?" types where you are inevitably screwed by the end regardless of your answers.

However, this flow chart is pretty accurate in my opinion. When something happens that I deem status worthy (which is a lot) I pretty much go through the same thought process.

Take a look:

How accurate is this?

Poor Google+ doesn't make it far. But I have to admit I hardly ever update my status there because only two people really ever comment or +1 it. 

I don't use Foursquare but when I think of updating AT certain public places, I think of it.

I hardly ever decide against something being too risky to post on some social media site. Whereas my Facebook might feature less perverse or outrageous updates, I let my Twitter bird fly free with my thoughts. Plus, I usually don't think most awkward situations are awkward. The same goes for statements.

I understand LinkedIn is a professional site. But that doesn't help the case I've made against it as being boring. My LinkedIn gets Social Spaz's Tweets updated atomically, but that's it for fun or flair. When I update a status there (which I hardly EVER do) it's a thought-out inspiring or self-satisfying claim of intelligence. 

If you have read my previous posts you should know that I have an addiction/obsession/deep love for Facebook. I may not be honed in on Likes as a separate love, but I do update Facebook the most and the most regularly.

Twitter is something in the past year I've gotten pretty sweet on. Its Fail Whale charmed me as well as the amount of people (famous or not) that you can follow no problem and read their Tweets. If any famous person was to do a shout out to a non-famous person it would be on Twitter. Also, people just seem to be a lot funnier on Twitter. These facts make me tweet almost everyday, however, unlike the chart above, at the end of the day Facebook is my number one choice for updating my status.

Facebook Timeline: How to get it now

There are many a blog out there that can step you through how to get the new Facebook Timeline without waiting for the next few weeks to join the masses. So I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and do one too.

Originally, I was going to wait like a good child for the Facebook change to come but caved after seeing a friend's profile with it. My conclusion on the change? I love it.

Let me step you through getting it early and you can see the digital beauty yourself.

1. Go to your search bar and type in "Facebook Developer" and click on the first result.

2. Click "Build Apps on Facebook."

3. You should get a Request for Permission for the Developer. Hit Allow. The App page will load and you need to click Create New App.

4. Name the App whatever you want (no uppercase letters) and check the box for accepting the Terms and Conditions. Facebook will ask you for a credit card number or your mobile number to make sure you are a human. I did the mobile number and they sent me a text lickity split with a code to confirm that I was human. Once you do this you should be able to create the app.

5. After this is done, go to the left sidebar and click Open Graph.

6. This is where Facebook shows you the whole new verb and noun abilities. Type in whatever you want. I did "People can 'read' a 'blog'" Then click get started. It will take you to some settings where you can change a few from default, but if you aren't really making an app for the app's sake this can be ignored.

7. Save the new app and then just go to your newsfeed. There should be an invitation to Get it Now. Then you have the new Timeline!

The first thing I did was play with the Cover on my profile. I'm not going to lie, it's weird!

Very easy but remember, only the people who have the new Facebook can see yours! So, go ahead and get yours today!

The New Facebook: Another decision to make

Mashable.com posted an interesting article about the new Facebook Timeline recently that I want to touch on.
By now I'm assuming everyone knows about the Timeline and the fact that it can document your entire life.
Well, how is it going to do that?
Facebook was opened to students in 2004 then opened to the public 2006.
So will it document those years before its opening?
That's all up to the individual user. On the Timeline you will notice a gap from birth to the mid-2000s.
Facebook is giving us the option of filling in the time between our birth and the present.
I'm just wondering, out of all the people that read this blog, who will manually put in this information?

What will I do about this gap? Most likely I will leave it alone. I've made it this far without my social network seeing my baby pictures and knowing when I made honor roll. I think I can be more than satisfied with just filling in my present and future Facebook years.

5 Blogging Mistakes--The fastest way to turn me off

Just because I have a blog, doesn't mean I know everything about the etiquette that should be used when posting to the world. However, I do have my opinions on the blogging faux pas that will keep me from never returning to your blog.
Remember, just because there are free blogging services, doesn't mean you should abuse them.

Top 5 Blogging Mistakes

1. Design Explosions
This may be because of my design degree, but if my eyes have to continually try to readjust to your blog's design, then maybe you should back-off just a bit. I strongly believe that "less is more" when it comes to outfitting your blog. If you have a rainbow of colors going all different directions with a transparent post background, I will forget why I even came to your page but I WILL remember not to come back. I'm all for personal customization on your online diary or journal, but if you want the world to respect what you have to say, don't made a design that has us thinking you're a 12-year-old tween on Myspace.


2. "What it is hoe"
Grammar/punctuation is king.
This isn't texting with your Blackberry or iPhone, and even if that's where you ARE blogging from pretend it's not. You don't have to be a grammar genius for my tastes, but at least have the basics. I won't follow your train of thought if you don't stop it from time to time with a period or line/paragraph break. I also have a hard time weeding through your Internet speak when your grammar is lacking. "What it is, hoe?" is the example my lovely roommate suggested for this annoyance. Now, I'm not a grammar Nazi but if you are constantly doing things like this, I will leave your blog.

3. Background music...
...should be avoided at all times. If you must have it, be kind to your readers and have a playlist that they can start themselves. I don't know about everyone else, but the times I read the most blogs are late at night/early morning. Occasionally I'll forget my earbuds and every time this happens my volume is turned up to the max. I don't plan for these things to happen, but I especially don't plan for you to have "Who Let the Dogs Out" blaring on your page...where I can't turn it off. So please, be creative and find a good music playlist plug-in or embed it within your design.

4. Lack of sharing
A few years ago I might not have had this on my list but now, when Facebook and Twitter are at the height of social media popularity, I want you to have buttons that allow me to share your post with them. The blogs I usually read are interesting and informative, so sharing them with my network is something I thoroughly enjoy. If you don't want your post finding its way into the online world, then why have a blog in the first place? Remember, sharing is caring!

5. Pop-Ups
Don't do this unless you're hard on money and some advertiser has offered a large quantity to have their product pop-up and distract me from your post. It seriously detracts from your blog in my eyes. I'm all okay for sidebar ads or ones beneath your posts (because I have them) but when they try to assault you Ring-girl style, I'm not a fan at all.

These are five ways to really get me to never visit your site again. I'm sure there are other deterrents out there, but these stick in my brain the most. So please, please think out your blogging choices because if you have great content, it would be a shame to detract from it.

What is Social Spaz?

Basically, I am a social media consultant and a social media strategist wrapped into one.

This is what I do: 

I have a consultation with you and assess your social media needs. I go over these points:

• What is your overall goal? (Are you going for a certain demographic? Are you just starting out or do you just want a larger audience overall?)
• What social networking sites are you already using
• What social networking sites SHOULD you be using

I take your answers and research the best strategy for you and your business. I go beyond the top tier sites (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube), find your niche market and the sites that will get you the most exposure.

Then, from there, I meet with you again with a marketing strategy in hand. I outline what should be done and give you two options:

1. I set up the accounts, like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for example and run them for two months. 

or

2. I set up the accounts and maintain them for a monthly fee. This option is what most clients choose because I pull out all of the stops and become obsessively interactive with them, attracting and keeping a larger audience engaged daily.

Lastly, without going into hardcore details, these are the most popular things I can do:

• Create social networking accounts across a variety of sites
• Update them daily during the hot zones (what I call the times when most people are online)
• Blog/Video Blog
• Content creation, i.e. creative copy
• Design options are also available
• Weekly updates on stats for each site

I am extremely flexible and affordable with each plan and I truly love the work I do. If you are interested or just have questions email me! 

I'm online everyday! It's my job!