July 13: Resolutions Update

By: The Owner and Operator of Social Spaz


Here's an update, two days after I started.
For the first part, go here.

Finish First Draft
Can you say heck yes? If you follow my personal Twitter, you've already read that I conquered a big bump of writer's block by listening to The Wombats new album on Spotify. I never listened to them before but something about their sound worked my writing kinks out and I wrote two chapters worth. Now I'm closer to finishing my first draft!

Maintain My Budget

Woops. Is that a picture of my favorite saying on my Nook in a brand new book? Nook book! It is. Not exactly keeping with my budget and it's only been two days. I need to learn self control when it comes to new books.

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

I'm excited to say I finally found an exercise routine that I really enjoy and really seems to work. If you told my middle school self that I'd be jump roping in my living room in my 20s, I would have laughed. However, that's what I do. During commercials of two hour long shows I break out the jump rope and go at it. I'm not going to lie, my legs are sore and I was out of breath really fast, but after doing it yesterday and then today I was able to keep going for three minutes straight doing double jumps. Not impressed? Go buy a $5 rope and give it a try. It works your entire body!

Become More Personal
I am doing okay with this goal so far. I've been tweeting and this counts as a personal blog, right? Not to mention I've been uploading pictures to Instagram. Find me @socialspaz.

Take More Pictures
Mickey (my Canon) is thrilled to be going back home for a few days so we can take pictures of my little goddaughter. She's a natural model and always fun, so Mickey will be getting some camera time after all!

And there there it is folks! A quick update on my personal goals! Check back for more soon! #exclamationmarks #hashtags

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Tyler Snell is owner and operator of Social Spaz. Get to know her on a personal level by following her tweets @professorsnell.

10 Tweets That Summarize the Book Angels and Demons

By: InternetService.Net

The prequel that introduces Robert Langdon, the protagonist of Dan Brown’s runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code, entitled Angels and Demons, shares the same themes of religion and conspiracy as its popular successor. The novels have spawned hit films starring Tom Hanks and spurred much debate among readers about the true nature of secret societies. And if we had to sum up the book Angels and Demons on Twitter, we imagine it’d go a little like this:

1. “@MaximilianKohler has invited me to #Switzerland to consult on @LeonardoVetra’s murder.” – When Maximilian Kohler, director of Switzerland’s CERN discovers the corpse of leading physicist Leonardo Vetra, he decides to contact symbologist and Illuminati expert Robert Langdon due to the “Illuminati” ambigram on Vetra’s chest.
2. “The #ambigram on @LeonardoVetra’s chest is authentic. His latest discovery has also been stolen.” – They quickly determine that the once-dead Illuminati society has reformed and is potentially responsible for the theft of the antimatter that Leonardo Vetra was studying. Because the antimatter is highly destructive, the race to recover it and solve the murder begins.

10 Examples of Stars Leveraging Their Fame on Twitter

By: InternetService.net 

As a tool for building a large following in a short time, Twitter is hard to beat. That’s why so many celebrities are using their profiles to such great effect. It provides a venue for communicating with their fan base, and building their brand. The following are ten examples of stars leveraging their fame on Twitter:

1. Wil Wheaton @Wilw – Known to trekkies as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: TNG, Wheaton has reinvented himself as an online personality as well. Regularly interacting with his followers, as well as following back, he has generated a following in large part because of his techie persona as well as his on-screen celebrity.
2. Stephen Fry @stephenfry – British actor and comedian, Fry is another example of engaging celebrity who follows and tweets quite often. His tweets are genuine, funny, informative and a lot more frequent than you might expect from a busy star.

Guest Blog: Confessions from a Twitter-hater convert

By: Holli Keaton

When Twitter first came out, I had no idea what it was. I would hear people talk about “tweeting” and thought they were crazy people who played some strange bird-related game together.

Eventually, I found out what Twitter really was, and my first reaction was, “Well, that seems stupid.” That remained my response for years. 

On the other hand, when Facebook first came out my freshman year of college, I was quick to jump on board and immediately grew to love it. I could keep in touch with old friends from high school and shamelessly stalk the photos of those with whom I wasn’t so chummy. With Facebook, I was connected. 

And through the years, my enjoyment of Facebook has only grown. Sure, it changes its template or other features all the time, but I’ve never wavered. What started as a way to keep in touch with old friends turned into a way to connect with people I see everyday to what it is today: an absolute necessity to anyone who wants to be a communicator.

While I was living in Facebook la-la land, I guess Twitter was growing right along with it. But principally, I vowed to stay away forever. Everything I could do on Twitter, I could do on Facebook in a much more interesting way. The Twitterverse had other plans.

While working for a newspaper, my boss approached me one day and told me I had to get a Twitter account. After some protesting, I saw that nothing would change her mind. So, I asked someone else to set it up for me, and I cleverly would post something about a random news story every so often.

Looking back, I was the most boring Twitter-user in the world.

Eventually, I left my job at the newspaper, leaving with it, my Twitter account. But a few months later, I came crawling back with my own account @hollikeaton (follow me and I’ll follow you. Come on, it’ll be fun). The truth was, even though I hadn’t quite gotten the hang of the Twitter lingo—shorter sentences and hashtags—I was now intrigued.

Here’s why:

-Unlike my biased beliefs, the majority of people did not use Twitter to simply post updates about every move they make. Legitimate news sources and businesses posted information I wanted to know, and I only had to look one place to find it.

-Looking at updates on Twitter was much easier than Facebook. My iPad, in fact, marks the spot I leave off reading tweets, so I can easily stay away from Twitter for days and catch up within five minutes. #thatsboss

-It’s socially unacceptable to update your Facebook page every hour. Tweeting is just fine. (If you are live-tweeting an event you can even post every five minutes).

-Sometimes you accept Facebook friend requests from people you aren’t super interested in. On Twitter, you choose who you follow and no one sends you constant reminders that you aren’t one of their followers.

-Twitter is simple. You post updates. You interact with others who update. And you put up the occasional picture. That’s all you have to learn to do with Twitter. #digit?

-Because many people get tweets sent right to their phone, Twitter is one of the most effective ways to mass communicate to a lot of people at one time. If you are a business not using Twitter, then you are failing to utilize a very effective advertising tool.

-Last but not least, Twitter lingo is more fun than Facebook #amiright? The way I talk in real life includes side bar points. Twitter accounts for that with its hashtags (aka #signs). #thanksTwitter

So here I am, a once Twitter hater now advocating the site for the entire world. If you are where I used to be, maybe it’s time you think about coming around. If you are a business owner who is where I used to be, you need to put aside those notions immediately. #itstime #youarelosingbusiness

Featured image by GeekSugar.com
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Holli Keaton is a freelance writer and social media consultant. Tweet @hollikeaton and she promises she’ll tweet back to you.

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!

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!

Annoying Tweets & Much Thanks

First off, I want to say a big thank you to all of my readers! In less than one month Social Spaz's blog has been viewed 5,000+ and I couldn't be happier!

Secondly, I've decided to do another round of The Most Annoying Tweets soon! Stay tuned and if you didn't catch the first round go here.

Thanks again!

Be a Spaz

Like us at http://www.facebook.com/SocialSpaz.

Then follow us at https://twitter.com/thesocialspaz.

While you're at it you should check out Social Spaz's list addiction at http://listgeeks.com/socialspaz. Everyday for a year straight I will make a list!

Guest Blog: Social Media: A Force for Good

I'm happy to present guest blog number four!

Guest Blogger: Sean Sporman

Social Media: A Force for Good

The Internet is truly a marvelous invention. The World Wide Web is perhaps one of the best, most life-changing inventions of the past half-century. It brings a seemingly infinite amount of information on a seemingly infinite amount of topics to one's fingertips with a few clicks. Worldwide communication with very little to no delay is possible in many forms. Fans of practically anything that can have fans can gather together online to share and express their interests.

Of course, one major part of the Internet, especially in the past few years, is social media. Almost all TV commercials and even some billboards now have “Find us on Facebook and Twitter.” Literally hundreds of millions of people are on both of those aforementioned social networks. And, despite criticism in some circles, I would argue that social media can truly be used for many good purposes and is much more than the waste of time that some on the outside perceive it to be.

I have been in a long-distance relationship for nearly four-and-a-half years. I met my lady through one of the more “retro” forms of Internet social media, the chat room. We became the best of friends and eventually, a couple. She lives thousands of miles away, and thus, we must fly out our respective states to visit each other. In the interim, we use the Internet to keep in touch.

Aside from the cell phone, the two of us use Facebook to communicate, especially during times such as when I am on my lunch break at work or when she has some spare time at her college. Facebook's chat engine may have gone through several changes over the past couple of years, but its a great (and free!) way for us to keep in touch when we can't call each other. We have also just recently begun to use the wonderful Skype for video chatting.

In addition, Facebook is a wonderful tool for keeping up with classmates. No longer does one need to wait for the high school reunion to know what your former fellow students are up to—you can reconnect with them easily through Facebook—from former best friends to those you only knew briefly. I can say that I have become even better friends with some people from my high school that I only had one class with one year thanks to Facebook. I am also happy to keep in touch with many college friends as well, no matter where they may have moved to.

I also use social media for something a little different than most on a daily basis—daily weather status updates. I've long dreamed of becoming a TV weatherman—and hope to become one soon. I follow the weather every day, and a couple of years ago, began the idea of weather updates for my friends and family through Facebook (and Twitter). I started off with special watches and warnings during severe and winter weather, but eventually began doing daily forecasts.


Amazingly, what I thought was a little thing that perhaps a few friends would read turned into much more! I've been told by many people that they check my status updates on weather instead of more conventional means! I have had parents of old high school friends add me for my weather updates. Even the creator of The Social Spaz herself has told me she reads my weather updates daily. While she was chatting with me about writing a guest column for this site, Tyler told me that her step-sister wanted her to go to my page to see if it was going to rain that evening! If I may say so, I think that's pretty awesome right there.

I even provide daily weather forecasts for a friend in Canada, and have had a friend from Wales ask me about the weather on occasion. I especially hope that my severe weather updates during events with possible tornadoes, hail, and strong winds help to keep people safe and provide them with important information.

Aside from providing friends and family with weather information, I really enjoy the chance to cheer friends up on Facebook when I can. I make an effort to tell a sick friend that I hope they feel better soon. And, I always enjoy wishing a friend a Happy Birthday on Facebook.

I've mentioned previously in this column that I've wanted to be a TV weatherman. I was thrilled to be a part of one of the best college TV stations, TrojanVision at Troy University, for nearly four years while a student there. At first, I would use Youtube and post through Facebook some of my broadcasts so I could share them with friends and family outside of the TV market area. I later began to upload broadcasts for other friends of mine so that their friends and family could see them. Even after graduating and having people I had never met do broadcasts, I continued to upload for others—adding them as friends on Facebook and then sharing the videos on their “walls.”

I received some wonderful comments of thanks for this, including ones from their parents and siblings. But, I was happy to do it, since I knew how cool it was to be able to share my TV broadcasts with those unable to watch them live. I recently uploaded parts of a university pageant for two friends of mine as well, including one friend I made through Facebook and later met in person to give her a bag of Halloween candy.

Of course, I am just one person in a huge social world. I haven't even used Google Plus yet, and am still growing a small following on Twitter. I have no doubt that there are others out there that have equally pleasant and positive experiences with social media, which allow people all across the world to connect in increasingly advanced and unique ways.

I want to thank Tyler for allowing me to share this column with all of you, and I want to thank all of you for reading!

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.

Link of the week!

My favorite link of this week has to be this baby here.
I laughed hard.

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.

Haters gonna hate, hackers gonna hack

I'm ashamed that I'm excited about the recent rash of hackers that have been cropping up in the news and word-of-mouth. Now, I don't condone what they do, but I have always been a fan of underdogs and in my mind that's what they are for the online world.

However, the most recent hacker news, that actually doesn't excite me in the least, I've heard has to do with poor ole USA Today's Twitter account.
They call themselves "The Script Kiddies" and they used USA Today's account to solicit requests for future targets and to also promote their own Facebook page. The FBI takes this group seriously though, due to its hacks earlier in the year involving terrorism claims it posted on NBC's Twitter. Unlike other, more notable hackers that do what they do to kind of say "F the man!" The Script Kiddies went a less valiant route and days before this year's 9/11 anniversary these Kiddies posted news that Ground Zero was attacked using #nbcnews.
Not cool little hackers, not cool.
Now Twitter and USA Today are back in control of Today's account, posting apologies for any confusion that was caused, but who knows when the Kiddies will pop up again. The group has also claimed it has hacked Fox News, Walmart and Pfizer.

Whatever they hack next, I just hope they have a little more class.
Yes, that's right people, I'm telling hackers to have more class!

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!

Social Media isn't my only guilty pleasure

I am a bit fanatical when it comes to social networking sites. Twitter to be specific, Facebook to be more specific. I creep through the sites taking in my family and friends' lives, while immersing myself in new tools that pop up here and there. It's my guilty pleasure (aside from chocolate) and I love to participate as much as I can.

However, my third (again, let's not forget chocolate) guilty pleasure is something less attainable but almost as enjoyable--HGTV. #hgtvmakesmylife

I never really watched the channel until recently but that was enough to get me hooked. House Hunters? Property Brothers? Design Star? Yes, yes and yes. Average, normal human beings remodeling, selling, decorating and buying new or vacation living spaces that have wonderful before and after transformations is something I can get on board with any day.

The one absolute drawback of the HGTV addiction is the fact that I think I'm a design critic. A professional one at that.
"The crown molding is beautiful," "This lot has wonderful curb appeal," "I'm not loving the white countertops but we can gut the kitchen and get some granite ones and stainless steel appliances on top of that." 

My father was a victim to my recent HGTV "knowledge." I took him through his house and showed him what buyers would most likely say when scoping out each room. My father was very proud of his handiwork and became defensive easily, but I just threw my hands in the air and said "HGTV!"

So, as I was watching House Hunters International last night I decided to be creative and starting painting. Take a look at this horrible BEFORE and I'll update later the, hopefully, wonderful AFTER!

The Most Annoying Tweets: Meet Hamlet & Bella Swan

Twitter has become an utter addiction in the past year for me, the hash tags especially. I often annoy myself when I use them outside of Twitter (on FB, G+ and here) and even verbally. #itsfine
However, while I was trying to think of a Twitter-related blog post I started thinking about other users and their hashtags. What was the final conclusion that my random brain came to?

Hamlet and Bella Swan would be the most annoying Tweeters if they were real.

Hamlet is my favorite play. I've read it countless times and seen it live. I even know one of the soliloquies by heart (no, not the "To be or not to be" one). But, deary me, his Tweets as well as his hashtags would be so #emo.

By the way, I'm modernizing some of the language.
Hamlet: My whole life is a lie. Why me God? Why me?! #anguish
Hamlet: You think you know someone...#youdont
Hamlet: Life isn't worth living. It's just not. #thetruthwillsetyoufree #painendsafterdeath
Hamlet: Karma's a bitch. What goes around comes around...and I'm coming for you! #shank #poison

You get the idea. Granted I would probably Follow him just for ridiculous giggles.

Next is Miss Bella Swan before and after her marriage to every tween's favorite vampire--Edward.

Bella: Is this real life? He's just so amazing. #imdreaming #nowayimthislucky #sweetweet
Bella: I knew he'd leave one day, but not this soon...my heart is breaking into millions of pieces. #foreveralone #emotionalwreck #thetruthhurts
Bella: My friends and family just don't understand. We're MEANT to be together. Why is that so hard to grasp? #truth #destiny #twilightnewmooneclipsebreakingdawn
Bella: Last night was everything and more...It was so beautiful and all I could ever want! #wetotallyjusthadsex #vampiresrock #hecanbitemewheneverhewants

So, that's that. In the literary world these two characters pop out at me as some of the most annoying Tweeters. I'm sure there are more! Let me know yours in a comment or email!
#pleaseandthankyou