In an industry where your reputation truly hangs by a comma, you can’t afford the slightest grammar mistake in your copy. Readers lose respect for your message when they come across the improper use of affect or effect, even though these are innocent mistakes to make.

Even the best editors will miss a grammar mistake every now and then, even when they’re obvious. Should that detract from the validity of a message though?

Do we judge Apple for one malfunctioning iPhone 5? Certainly not, the idea is preposterous. But you can bet the public would be up in arms over a capitalized “I” in iPhone in one of their national advertisements. Nothing but perfection is expected from your print media, even if the reader is an atrocious writer themselves.

Although you cannot be perfect, you can certainly help yourself get closer to that goal by engraining a few of the most commonly misused words in the English language into your brain. The following is a review of 4 common errors. I’ve also listed a memorable mnemonic to help you remember each of them as you write.

Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun. They mean the same thing, only the first letter changes according to part of speech.

Eg. How will the drug affect me? vs. The drug will have negative side effects.

Mnemonic: Aardvark is a Very Easy Noun (AVEN). A = Verb, E = Noun.

That vs. Which

“That” connects restrictive elements to a clause. Restrictive elements are phrases required for the meaning to come through clearly.

Eg. Music that inspires me is my favorite kind.

The word “which” allows you to insert a non-restrictive element into a clause. “Which” acts as a side-note that the sentence could live without.

Eg. Music, which inspires me, is my favorite kind.

Mnemonic (paradoxical): Use that to tell which, and which to tell that.

Compliment vs. Complement

A compliment, with an “i,” is a nice or flattering remark. It is given by one person to another.

A complement, with an “e,” is when two colors, personalities, buildings, etc. match. They don’t say anything, they just make sense together.

Eg. Jack and John’s personalities complement each other.

Mnemonic: “I” like to give compliments.

Coordinating Conjunctions

The coordinating conjunctions are For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So. They are often used to split two independent clauses. In many cases, they require a semicolon before the conjunction and comma to follow the phrase.

Eg. I think you should clean the dishes; and if you won’t, you can cook your own meal tomorrow.

Mnemonic: FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

As you prepare your copy for SEO, marketing, or internal purposes, be sure to use the right words. It can be embarrassing for your company when you don’t. It could save your job.

Nextdoor has developed a safe environment that will allow neighborhoods to share any information they normally would in person, online. Every member is required to verify their address, and use their real name in addition to being able to change their own personal privacy settings. The app is meant to help communities become unified and build strong neighborhood relationships.

Why Nextdoor?

Many people are already using the app, and on Nextdoor’s website they’ve listed some things people are using it for:

“1. Quickly get the word out about a break-in

2. Organize a Neighborhood Watch Group

3. Track down a trustworthy babysitter

4. Find out who does the best paint job in town

5. Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog

6. Find a new home for an outgrown bike

7. Finally call that nice man down the street by his first name”

Unifying neighborhoods by allowing a safe place for online interaction may lead to happier, more efficient towns and cities. The application of Nextdoor to police work, or any emergency service is phenomenal. Neighbors can immediately be notified of crimes, inclement weather, or other natural disasters whereas before the lack of a phone number, email address, or Facebook account may have hindered such communication. Selling or donating items can be done in a much safer manner than other websites such as Craigslist. Through all of these improved interactions, people will begin to trust each other more and develop strong neighborhoods that gain reputations as great places to live.

Nextdoor and Local Businesses

Local businesses can also make use of Nextdoor, by optimizing their websites and spreading the word through the community. Additional exposure on a service like Nextdoor could bring in more people than something like Facebook, because your target audience would all be local. With Nextdoor users all raving about your local business, the talk will spread from neighborhood to neighborhood, further extending your Social Media image. Your local business may be new to social networking, but there are tons of tips for engaging consumers and fans via Social Media on the internet.

While online interactions can never replace face to face discussions, Nextdoor is looking to merge the two by enabling more in-person social experiences through social networking. The Nextdoor app is available now in iOS devices in the App Store, and will soon be available for Android.

Images Courtesy of: Nextdoor, webtreats,

Re:Brief aims to re-envision some of the most captivating print and television ads from decades past. Google selected four iconic campaigns: Avis’ “We Try Harder,” Volvo’s “Drive It Like You Hate It,” Coca-Cola’s “Hilltop” and Alka Seltzer’s “I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing.” Google then asked the marketing creatives behind these legendary print and television ads to update their campaigns for the digital age. This is a turn reminiscent of AMC’s television hit “Mad Men,” which turned to an old ad man, Brian Sanders, to develop a print ad for the show’s sixth season.

Inside the Campaigns 

Avis’ “We Try Harder” was the 1962 brainchild of copywriter Paula Green. The phrase is still in use today. The re-envisioned campaign took a customer-forward perspective by asking customers to write in about their experiences. Written testimonials are instantly transformed into animated videos the customer can watch. Together, the videos illustrate the truth behind Avis’ slogan.

Alka Seltzer’s “I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing” became an instant classic when it first appeared in 1972, and it found its way onto an episode of “The Simpsons,” Newsweek’s “best quotes of the decades” list and the Trivial Pursuit board game. The updated ads take the lead character, Ralph, and follow him to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Google weather and StreetView tailor the ad to the user’s climate, time of day and location for a geo-specific ad experience that maintains the fun nature of the original.

Volvo’s “Drive It Like You Hate It,” was used in 1962 to introduce Americans to this new Swedish car, a car with an average life span of 11 years, twice that of American automobiles at that time. The ad features a race car driver putting a Volvo to the test. Consumer response was amazing, and American Volvo sales tripled in 5 years. The updated ad tells the story of Irv Gordon, who bought his first Volvo in 1966. Since then, he has driven the car 2.9 million miles. The ad follows Irv on his quest to break the 3 million-mile mark with his Volvo, a true testament to the car company’s slogan.

If you know the song “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” you know Coca Cola’s “Hilltop” ads. The campaign’s message of peace and harmony was most welcome when it debuted in 1971. The re-envisioned ad actually allows users to buy people across the world real Cokes. Receivers can type a thank you message back, truly connecting the world.

Can It Succeed?

This campaign certainly has the nostalgia factor going for it. Millennials aside, users should remember the catchy jingles and slogans and just may watch the whole ad for nostalgia alone. New digital and cable.tv resources allow direct marketing integration, which may allow the ads to appear on television, too.

Time will tell whether the project will create change in advertising. The ads are available for watching on the Project Re:Brief website, should you want to relive history by watching the originals or make history by participating in the new interactive ads.

Photo by Flickr user gui ambros

How it All Started

For those unfamiliar with the show, it follows world-renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay travels across the United States as he works to change the people and practices behind failing restaurants. While I’m not a fan of some of the over-the-top drama, I do enjoy a good success story – and every episode thus far has ended with remarkable success.

Well, all except one – Amy’s Baking Company of Scottsdale, Arizona. Owners Samy and Amy enlisted the services of Chef Gordon Ramsay, after receiving several negative reviews via Yelp, believing that the chef would  ”tell them [their] food is good”. When Ramsay told them that their food was indeed quite terrible, they didn’t react well.

During the episode, Samy and Amy yelled at a customer, demanded he pay for food he didn’t receive, physically assault him and then threatened to call the cops on him because he wanted to leave. Samy also admitted that he and his wife confiscated servers’ tips. Ultimately, because Samy and Amy were unwilling to accept reality, Chef Ramsay did something he had never done before.  After five seasons of Kitchen Nightmares, he walked out.

How to Destroy Your Brand’s Image via Social Media

“A restaurant’s reputation can live or die, in seconds, on the internet.”
~Chef Gordon Ramsay

Since this episode aired, the Facebook page and Twitter for Amy’s Baking Company has become a public relations nightmare. We live in a world where information is passed widely, quickly, and efficiently via social media. When people find a story as shocking as this one, it spreads like wildfire. Samy and Amy retaliated, using their Facebook page and Twitter account to post vulgar and obscene comments and threats directed at those who used social media to share their opinions on the company’s food and business practices.

The story of Samy and Amy has become a perfect case study on how to not use social media as a business. Developing personal relationships with customers and spreading positive information are two of the primary benefits of social media for businesses.

Using Social Media to Better Your Business

Complaints on review sites such as Yelp can actually be quite useful. It’s important to see poor reviews as opportunities to develop a relationship with a customer and to improve your business. It’s important to remember that these are not personal attacks. Is your food consistently undercooked? When you receive negative feedback, you can work improve your company’s reputation by asking for more details, thanking customers for bringing problems to your attention, and offering solutions to their problem.

Facebook is also a great place to develop personal relationships with local customers. Small local companies such as Amy’s Baking Company have a unique advantage over larger companies – they have the opportunity to get to know their customers on much more personal levels. This is a difficult task for larger companies to accomplish because there are just too many facets to the business and the owners or CEOs are usually involved with management of the business and removed from most of the market. Facebook can be a great place to excite the community by doing things such as posting personal or company-related details, goofy challenges or memes, or even taking suggestions for what the next weekly special should be. Whatever you decide to do, most important is that your interactions with customers be positive, professional and uplifting.

And whatever you do, don’t swear at them. They don’t like that.

Photo Credit: John Aho via photopin cc

Tumblr the Traitor

Yahoo has been struggling to re-vamp and strengthen their brand since they got lost in the Google-verse and Facebook storm that descended on the internet a decade ago.

This acquisition just might bring them back into the good graces of the younger, savvy generation of social media users. It could also kill Tumblr.

Many users have begun posting on Tumblr and other social media sites in response to this change. Some users feel betrayed by Tumblr while others are speculating about the death of the social media standard.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Both the CEO of Yahoo and the CEO of Tumblr have promised that this transition will not change the application and that the devoted users will not be disappointed by any changes made.

Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer has “promised not to screw it up.” While Tumblr CEO, David Karp, has promised that Tumblr is “not turning purple” and assures users that the mission and the direction of the company will not be changing, but will be enhanced by the additional resources provided by the transition.

 What’s Next

At this point it is really just a waiting game to see what effect this change will have on both companies.  Other popular blogging sites have seen an bump in activity since the announcement, but only time will tell if this will prove to have been a wise choice.

Understanding how this and other changes in social media affect SEO for your small business is important as you work to build your brand. With a little help you can gain the comprehensive knowledge required to optimize your social media and put it to work for you.
photo credit: The Last Paladin via photopin cc
photo credit: tess_marie via photopin cc

I don’t have a problem with giving my employer information. I do however have a problem with the possibility of them having access to my personal accounts that have nothing to do with work. As for if it’s legal, well it very well might be.

An amendment for Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) that would have prevented employers from being able to require personal social media passwords to retain their job was shot down. Anyone else feel like this is an invasion of privacy? I understand wanting to monitor employees, however I don’t think this entitles employers to have free rein over personal social media usernames and passwords.

Perlmutter, the one who proposed this amendment, said this before the amendment was shut down. They stated, “It helps the individual protect his right to privacy and it doesn’t allow the employer to impersonate that particular employee when other people are interacting with that person across social media platforms.”

Thinking of it this way, that amendment could prevent the misuse of information by employers. If they can get away with requiring access to your social media accounts, what’s next? Access to your bank account? Where does it stop?

These are my personal opinions, not the opinions of the company. I wouldn’t want to hand out my account information, what about you? What would you do if your employer required access to your accounts?  I’d be happy to hear further opinions on the subject.

For more thoughts on social media privacy breaches read Facebook Graph Search Breach Of Privacy?

Photo Credit: Mountain/\Ash via photopin cc

After the Bing Challenge, Google had some trouble with confidentiality issues.  One of the biggest problems they had was with their app store.  Most people didn’t know that your information concerning what apps you buy and other things could be accessible to the apps creators and sellers.

The Scroogled Campaign

Thus, the Scroogled campaign was born.  Microsoft and Bing combined their efforts to take down Google.  Together, they launched a website (scroogled.com) and a commercial campaign to inform everyone that Google is sharing information personal information.  In the end, it about the same information that people post on their social media accounts.

With all this negative advertisement, you would think that Google would be doing poorly?  However, the biggest comment is… no comment.  There have not been many that have left Google or changed over to Bing/Hotmail with this new information.  No one but a few people and Bing are talking about this issue.

Thus, on an average consumer bases, this ad campaign has not done too much.  Google is still the most preferred search engine and email service online.  In the government, on the other hand, many questions have been brought up in regards to Google’s ability to protect the privacy of consumers.

Google Glasses

Especially with the development of ‘Ok glasses’, the government has stepped in to ask some important questions.   Eight members of a Congressional caucus ask Google to respond by June 14.  Some of these questions include how will information be store of non-users? How will Google refine and update its privacy policies?  Would this make privacy impossible?

In my personal opinion, I think it is amazing that we live in an age of innovative thinking in an ever technologically advancing world.  It is incredible to think what we are able to accomplish and create something like the Google Ok glasses, see more about it at, Social Media Through the lens of Google Glass.

I do think there is a balance though.  As soon as we let technology run on a rampage, we might not be able to keep up as a society.  What would that mean for those left behind?  How can they defend themselves?

Google for the Win

Thus it goes both ways, I don’t have the answers but I hope one day to help out to create a good balance.  Till then the one thing I do know is that I will always use Google for all my Search Engine Optimization needs… sorry Bing.  As a good friend, James Hayes,  once wrote:

 “I will not try Bing.

I will not try Bing in a box.
I will not try Bing to find a fox.
I will not try Bing in my house.
I will not click Bing with my mouse.
I will not try Bing here or there.
I will not try Bing anywhere.
I do not like Bing don’t you see?
So make like Yahoo,
let Google BE!”

Photo Credit: Weidert

An online campaign is making a lot of noise on Social Media by attempting to “rebrand” A&F by donating the company’s clothes to the homeless, after an author alleged that company CEO Mike Jeffries “doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store.”

The most recent allegations pulled from a 2006 article in which Jeffries admits that A&F markets to “cool kids” while excluding the unattractive or overweight. Since the comments went viral, the online campaign undermining the “cool kid” image has made headline news. Los Angeles-based writer Greg Karber launched the campaign, which uses the hashtag #FitchTheHomeless, in a video posted to YouTube on Monday.

In the video, which has nearly 6 million views, Karber encourages viewers to donate their Abercrombie & Fitch clothing to a local homeless shelter, and then share what they’re doing on social media.

His goal? To make Abercrombie & Fitch “the world’s number one brand of homeless apparel.”

This is another example of the power and attention that Social Media demands on a daily basis. From a business standpoint, if you do not understand marketing through social media and successful branding, someone else may step up and “rebrand” your company.

What are your thoughts of the #FitchTheHomeless campaign?

Respond to comments

Because this is the internet, people will post their concerns or thoughts.  And they will post it on your wall.  Some may not be the most rational or the most well expressed thoughts,  but even if the comments you are responding to, don’t seem that important, the fact that you took time to speak with them will make all the difference.  By taking the time to read their comment and address their concerns, you are showing that you actually care.

Don’t feed the trolls

A ‘Troll’ is one who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.  The best policy is usually “don’t feed the trolls”.  I said before that responding to consumers is good but in the case of trolls, there is an exception.  It is best to simply ignore them.

One example of Responding poorly to trolls is Amy’s Baking Company in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In response to the restaurant’s appearance of last week’s episode of Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares, many taunting and provocative messages were posted on its facebook page.

Don’t insult the consumers

There have been many rumors about the soon to be announced successor to Microsoft’s Xbox360.
One of them being that the console would require a constant internet connection in order for games to be playable.  A lot of concerns were expressed about this feature.  Sadly, Microsoft Studios’ creative director responded with such sarcastic tweets as “Sometimes electricity goes out.  I will not purchase a vacuum cleaner” and even a picture of a smug looking President Obama with the caption “Deal With It”.  This of course did not sit well with consumers.  Microsoft Studios later wrote an apology and the creative director stepped down from his position but the damage had been done.
People want to know companies listen to them and take them seriously.  Mocking them will only serve to damage a company’s image and build distrust.

Of course, there is a lot more that goes in to having a successful social media campaign.  These are just a few of the things I find important.  How about you?  Do you have any successful stories of companies engaging consumers?  Or any fails?  Please post in the comments.

Photo credit: Failbook

Photo credit: MrDarkroom

Google’s goal for the Google Glass is for it to become as ubiquitous as the smartphone. It would essentially make many tasks we usually do on the smartphone become easier and more convenient to access. Many wonder at the true accessibility and utility of the Google Glass, but as Google goes forward with more public tests, its applications are becoming clearer.

Facebook, Twitter, and Google Glass

Social Media through the Google Glass is something millions of people are looking forward to. One of the Social Media giants, Facebook, has been busy ensuring a clean, universal user interface across all platforms. Android’s Facebook Home, along with numerous updates for iOS and internet browsers shows their dedication to a current user experience.

Twitter must be soon to follow this trend of increased third party support for the Google Glass to keep up with Facebook. Where Facebook and Twitter go, others follow. Once Google Glass gains traction and releases officially, there will no doubt be Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr apps either available for download or built in at launch.Recent news includes Facebook launching their official app for Google Glass. Taking pictures, updating statuses, and managing requests can now be done through a native app made by Facebook’s developers.

A New Platform for Your Social Networking?

Google Glass’s built in display, and 5MP camera will be able to snap photos and record 720p video on the fly and upload to your favorite site with a simple command. What this means for Facebook’s ongoing privacy notoriety or what the consequences for copywrited material will be, remains to be seen.

Whether Google Glass will succeed in replacing the smartphone in tasks such as recording videos, taking pictures, tweeting, and updating statuses cannot be determined yet. What we do know, however, is that Google is prepared for the Google Glass to completely overhaul the Social Media environment that has grown and developed on smartphones, and transition it to a new platform.

Photo Credit: Ted Eytan, Jeff Turner, Lucas Leite