#PrayersForNewtown

I am just speechless and heartbroken for the families in Newtown, Connecticut.
Today, I urge you to get offline.  Go visit your mom.  Go hug your brother. Call a long-distance relative to tell them how much they mean to you.
And say a prayer for those involved in today's senseless shootings.  My thoughts, prayers and love go out to the community.

Rumor Has It: Filter Fight 2012

If you can't beat them, join them.  
According to rumors, Twitter is taking this advice as a next step in its war against Instagram!  
Twitter hasn't confirmed this yet, but here's the latest gab... 
Before the end of the year (that's not too much longer!), Twitter is rumored to be releasing photo filters of its own to use right within the app.  This is a logical next step to competing Instagram out of Twitter’s market.
I'm pretty excited.  Instagram's filters were one of the things I was most thankful for this year, remember!?  And we all know about my love for Twitter.  So I am falling right into Twitter's plan for market domination, huh?  Thus far, Instagram has actually made it quite easy to use both apps together, but Twitter is now putting a stop to that (like I mentioned last week). 
Geez, this rivalry is making me want to pick a side!  But I just love both, so it’s hard!  Maybe Twitter's rumored filters will push me over the edge onto Team Twitter!? More updates on this as they come!   

Are you Team Twitter or Team Instagram??  
And, more food for thought, if you could have Twitter improve something about photo filters, what would it be?

Instagram "Defriends" Twitter!

The way I see it, Facebook and Twitter were like the odd couple of social media. They are similar, but different enough that people used both.  And everyone seemed happy.  That is, until this September when Facebook's affair with Instagram began!  Sure enough, Facebook bought Instagram and now no one is happy.

The latest feud here is over pictures.  Instagram previously used Twitter as a way to get traction for its images.  But now that it's owned by Facebook, that game plan is changing.  This week, Instagram's CEO announced the company wants to keep users and their images solely on the Instagram site.  Now, Instagram pictures are not displaying correctly on Twitter!  Twitter updated its site this week claiming that Instagram has disabled its integration with Twitter cards (which are used to display images on the site).

Oh. My. Gosh.

This sounds like a bunch of bickering fifth graders to me.

What happened to customer service? What happened to caring about user experience?  Yes, the sites should want users on their site but NOT at the cost of hindering our overall social media experience.

This seems like it is going to be a long and drawn out war.  I've tested images through Instagram and they seem like they are showing up fine on Twitter.  So is this just being blown out of proportion?  Or are we headed into social media throwdown?  Only time will tell.

Are you having compatibility problems between Instagram and Twitter?  Do you think Instagram is right to disable their pictures within tweets?

Could This Be The #Trendiest #Babyname Ever?

Quick, what do these words have in common: Apple, Sparrow, Bluebell.

Yeah, crazy celebrity baby names.  We all get a kick out of them, but I've never understood going for shock value when naming a baby.

This week, my friends, we have what has to be the #trendiest baby name of the #Twitter generation.  I'm giving you clues.  Any guesses yet?

Hashtag.

I'm not kidding.

Last Saturday night, baby Hashtag was born and her proud mama posted this pic of the precious child onto Facebook, announcing her birth and her unique name.  Granted, this Facebook post isn't an official birth announcement, but the story has blown up on Twitter and transferred to more mainstream sources including Huffington Post. 

Sigh, I don't even know anymore.  I thought we'd gotten to a new low last February when the family in Egypt named their son "Facebook" to honor the website's role in igniting Egypt's revolution.  That was different, but at least tied to a worthy cause.  Hashtag?  Someone please tell me why that is necessary or meaningful!

I'd recommend to this girl to start going by "Ash" as quickly as possible.  Otherwise, recess teasing might get pretty rough.

Know of any other crazy baby names? Share your strangest below!

Top 10 Things to be Thankful For: Social Media Style

30 Days of Thanksgiving has taken over my Facebook feed.  Every other person seems to have taken the oath to write one thing per day for each day of November that they are thankful for.  I love it.  It is so important in our daily lives to take a moment to remember our blessings.

With that said, what if some of the things I am actually thankful for don't seem to fit with the status updates?  Most people are saying lovely, beautiful, heartfelt appreciations every single day.  Example:  For the love my husband bestows on me every day.  For the children who light up my life with their laughter.  For the family that has stayed by my side through my biggest struggles.

Yes, these are all wonderful things to recognize.  But for me, a social-media-lover, it makes some of my potential posts wither away from lack of significance.
BUT NO MORE!  I post proudly to the world, the Top 10 Things I am Thankful for in Social Media!

10. Thankful for Twitter for being there to tell me the facts when I THINK I feel an earthquake, but am not positive.
9. Thankful to Instagram for making me look like a much more creative photographer than I actually am.

8. Thankful for Pinterest for motivating me to clean areas of my house that I didn't even know were dirty!

7. Thankful for Skype, that I can virtually be with the ones I love even if we are far apart for the holidays.

6. Thankful for Goodreads, my digital book cataloger-of-choice, for suggesting amazing books and steering me away from less than stellar ones.
5. Thankful for streaming Netflix on my iPad, for those nights when I can't fall asleep but don't want to go all the way to the couch to turn on the TV.
4. Thankful for YouTube and its instructional videos that instantly teach me everything from "Best way to tie a long scarf" to "How to fix a cracked iPhone Screen".
3. Thankful for status updates that help me stay, at least somewhat, in the loop on the lives of friends and family that I would not be able to otherwise.  
2. Thankful for Facebook Birthday Reminders, you know you need these too!!
1. Thankful for my SocialMediaDiva family and readers for their love and support!

Of course there are so many more social media tools and tricks that make our lives just a little better every day.  Let us know the ones you are most thankful for.  And Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

Is Social Media the Other Woman - Or Man - In Your Love Life?

 

I love the holidays.  It is truly the best time of the year.  And the best time for love and romance.  Nothing like snuggling up in front of the fireplace, sharing some eggnog and singing a few holiday tunes with Dean Martin or Neil Diamond.  

 

Ahh.  Now that's romantic.  But then....

 

Does technology grab your significant other's attention?  Does he or she start checking the old smartphone?  I am starting to wonder whether social media is the other woman - or other man - in relationships today.  Mashable an interesting article this week on the biggest problems technology brings to relationships. Here's my take on their top 5 Social Media Relationship Pitfalls!

1. Constant Tweeting/Facebooking/Emailing

Ever been on a date or at dinner with your significant other and you can't keep their attention long enough to hold a conversation? Keeping up with the fast pace of our digital lives is important, but we shouldn't be sacrificing face to face time for it! Typing on your cellphone throughout dinner doesn't make your partner feel loved or cared about, so put it away and focus on making googly eyes at each other instead!

2. Sharing info on Twitter/Facebook before you share it with your partner

This is a major no no. If your mate finds out about your promotion from a tweet, something is broken. It may not be an intentional slight, but make sure you are mindful about how to share information!

3. Should I de-friend my ex?

This is a tough one. Your comfort level with being Facebook friends with an ex might be different than your partner's. It's an important conversation to have. And even if you don't cut off digital ties completely, make sure you aren't constantly "checking in" on that ex's life and kids and updates- it may be tempting, but it's not worth it.

4. Why is SHE commenting on your pictures?

Do you get instantly suspicious when another girl (or guy) writes on your partner's Facebook wall or likes their photos? You are not the only one. Voicing these thoughts constantly will make you look crazy, but holding them in too long will DRIVE you crazy!

5. Relationship status updates: oh my!

This is the big conundrum of social media relationship issues. "It's complicated" "In a relationship" "Single"? Putting your status up for the world to see is a big stepp.  But the bigger question often is: "To change or not to change?" I'm in the camp of being slow to update a relationship status, unless you just got married or engaged.  Often girls who think their beau might be cheating on them are eager to get that "in a relationship" status up and linked to their partner. But trust me, if you have these concerns, the status-war is the least of your worries!  And you better make sure that the man in question agrees to the posting.

Have you dealt with any of these social media relationship pitfalls? What advice do you give your friends to deal with these problems?

What are your biggest relationship arguments that technology has caused? Let us know in the comments below.

Rest Assured, Your Twitter Account Wasn't Hacked.

 

 

If you woke up to an email from Twitter warning that your account might have been compromised, rest easy. Twitter reported that they mistakenly emailed a mass amount of users urging them to change their passwords, when only a few accounts were actually in danger.

I was one of those users, and received this email this morning: "Twitter believes that your account may have been compromised by a website or service not associated with Twitter. We've reset your password to prevent others from accessing your account."

Yikes!

Luckily, no strange tweets from my handle. Best thing to do is be safe and change your password, even if you don't think your account was one of those actually targeted. But don't lose sleep over it! And, follow these tips from The Twitter Team for the safest tweeting experience!

• Always check that your browser's address bar is on a https://twitter.com website before entering your password. Fake scam sites often look just like Twitter, so check the URL before entering your login information!
• Don't use websites or services that only promise to get you lots of followers. These sites have been known to send spam updates and damage user accounts.
• Review your approved connections on your Applications page at https://twitter.com/settings/applications. If you see any applications that you don't recognize, click the Revoke Access button.

Be Happy! Keep Tweeting!