Social Media's WORST Case of The Mondays

Some say I am obsessed with social media.  Guilty as charged.

Still, every so often a story comes a long that really puts things in perspective. 

Like this one, that makes me realize there are people in WAY deeper than I am!

Jemma Rogers, a holistic therapist from London, England, went to "extreme devotion" levels after she was locked out of her Facebook account.  She legally and officially changed her name: new passport, new driver's license, new bank cards, the whole shebang.  And, brace yourself, she changed her name to "Jemmaroid Von Laalaa".  You just can't make this stuff up.  Jemmaroid Von Laalaa is the pseudonym Rogers made up when creating her profile in 2008, as an attempt to avoid unsolicited friend requests.  

Now, 7 years later, Facebook has locked the account and asked for proof of identification in order to unlock it.  With seven years of photographs, friend messages, chats and memories on the account, Rogers pleaded and begged Facebook to understand her situation, but to no avail.  So, we welcome to the world "Jemmaroid Von Laalaa".  

The story broke on social media today, featured on Mashable and Time news.  Yet, as of now, no official word that poor Ms. Von Laalaa has had any success getting into the account!

Talk about having a case of the MONDAYS!

International Kissing Day: Pucker up!

Pucker Up!

It is International Kissing Day.

This day originated out of the UK but has been accepted worldwide to celebrate all the loveliness in a good, old-fashioned lip-lock!

So grab your honey and give them a smooch.  While you are at it, check out this week's top news on celeb love, who is lip-locked in love and who is kissing love goodbye!

Lip-Locked in Love

The gorgeous Vanessa Williams tied the knot this weekend, marrying her fiancé Jim Skrip.  Jim, a former accountant, and Vanessa, who is on her third marriage, had a lavish wedding over the holiday weekend in Buffalo, New York.  And of course, Vanessa looked fierce as ever in her wedding gown, designed by Carmen Marc Valvo!

Kissing Love Goodbye

The biggest news on Twitter today was Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are kissing love goodbye after almost a DECADE together.  The news broke earlier today and I was shocked.  According to Twitter fans of the show, there have been signs of this on Keeping Up With The Kardashians for months.  But, still, I am hopeful that they will patch things up.   

What do you think was the most smooch-worthy news of the weekend?

The MOST liked photo in Instagram history!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, some are worth a million likes.  Or TWO million likes!

This week, the record for the "Most Liked Image on Instagram" has been crushed.  And the media-mogul family that everyone loves to hate (or hates to love!) is keeping this title all in the family.  Yep, Kendall Jenner has stolen this "prestigious" title from her sister, Kim Kardashian.  

Kendall's newly-awarded photo was actually taken almost a month ago, but has progressively creeped up on the "most liked" title.  At the time of this writing, the image has over 2.7 million likes!  That is more LIKES on one picture than Caitlyn Jenner, Kendall's father, has FOLLOWERS in total!

Kendall's pic is a whimsical selfie showing her in a overly fancy but kinda serene corpse-like position on the floor.  Her eyes are closed, she's wearing a beautiful white gown and her strands of hair are meticulously formed into small hearts encircling her head.  Sounds a bit intense, right? Leave it to that family to take a typical Instagram selfie to another level entirely!

I wonder if this battle for the most liked image will continue.  Kendall stole the title from her sister, who's wedding photo had over 2.4 million likes.  Interestingly, Kim's husband, Kanye West, spoke last year about how important it was to them to have the most liked photo!  He said the couple spent four days on their honeymoon making sure the photo was JUST right before they posted it.

Well, Kanye better get moving again.  He might need a week to perfect a new photo this time, if he is going to steal the title back from Kendall!

Who would you rather see hold the title for most-liked Instagram photo, Kendall or Kim?  Or someone else entirely?

Our $10 Bills Soon Get A Touch Of Feminine Flair

The year 2020 will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Constitution's 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
As a sort of "anniversary gift" to the world, we will finally get a lady on a U.S. banknote.
All I can say is, it's about time!!  The last time a woman appeared on any sort of U.S. paper money was in the 1800s when Martha Washington's portrait was on $1 bills.  So, it was quite a momentous occasion when Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced that a woman would be chosen as the face of the new $10 bill.
I mean, these portraits don't change often!  The last time a change was made was between 1914 and 1928, when four portrait changes occurred.   At that time, the changes were Andrew Jackson to Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, Grover Cleveland changed to Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, John Marshall changed to William McKinley on the $500 bill and Alexander Hamilton changed to Grover Cleveland on the $1000 bill.  So, four changes in early 1900s and none....ever.... since.
What makes me even MORE pumped on top of getting a woman's portrait on a bill is the way it is happening.... totally woven into the world of social media!  Historically, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has assisted the Secretary with advice on symbols and themes for currency.  But this time, the theme of the redesigned series of currency is DEMOCRACY.   Because of this, the public has the opportunity to influence Secretary Lew's decision.  The Treasury Department has launched a website (check out www.thenew10.treasury.gov) where you can leave comments and are encouraged to tweet with the hashtag #TheNew10.  Further building on this democracy theme, there will be round-tables and town hall meetings where Treasury officials will collect input.
But, some bad news for those Twitter folk who are nominating the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyonce to be featured on the bill.  As much as we love these divas, by law, only deceased persons may be included on banknotes.  Additionally, the campaign claims the woman should "be iconic and have made a significant contribution to - or impact on - protecting the freedoms on which our nation was founded".
So far, the major contenders seem to be Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Susan B. Anthony.
Who would you vote to place on #TheNew10?

Is Snapchat the New Political Platform?

Every year during election season, we see new trends creeping in that link political campaigns with social media.  We are already getting a sense of what those trends are going to be for the 2016 Presidential election.  So far, all signs point to Snapchat.

Snapchat!?  If you are like me, this is kinda shocking news. Snapchat was originally labeled as a teen and tween sexting app.  Definitely not something that political hopefuls would use to promote themselves.  

But times are a-changin'.  And so is Snapchat.  Earlier this year, Snapchat unveiled "Discover", its news functionality.  Ever since, it has been establishing increased credibility.  So much so that Republican Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush used Snapchat to announce his intentions to run for President!

That's right!  He ANNOUNCED this on Snapchat!  And others are jumping on this bandwagon, most likely to connect with the younger demographic, age 18-34, who make up the majority of Snapchat users.  Governor Rick Perry has made announcements through Snapchat and many others including Senator Rand Paul, Senator Marco Rubio, and Governor Perry have active Snapchat accounts.  In case you are curious, their account names are SenatorRandPaul, MarcoRubio2016 and GovernorPerry, respectively.  

Do you think the Snapchat strategy is wise for political hopefuls?  

Twitter Test

Quick test.

What do you think of when you think of Twitter?

Now, try to describe Twitter in a single sentence.

No matter how much of a Twitter-expert you are (or are not!), your sentence probably had something to do with the concept of 140 characters.  The short messages are what Twitter is KNOWN for.  And at Casey & Sayre, we know the importance of building a brand to be recognizable and known for something!

But Twitter has announced a first step outside that brand identity.  Next month, you'll be able to send messages longer than 140 characters in Twitter!  Now, before you freak out, this change is limited only to direct messages.  Regular tweets will still have the 140 character cap.  But the announced change took many in social media by surprise.  Some have even speculated that it could be signalling a change in the entire strategy of Twitter.  Could all tweets soon have no limitations on length?  And how would that change all that Twitter has become?

What do you think?  Would your Twitter usage change if there was no 140-character limit?

What Better Friday Happy Hour Than Celebrating #NationalDonutDay!

It's National DONUT Day!  Yes, friends, that is a thing!  And there are few things in life that make as many people happy as the humble donut.  That's probably why it has its own "national day"!  In fact, that's probably why #NationalDonutDay has been a trending Twitter topic ALL WEEK!  Well, the day is finally here, and there's still time to check out these top 5 places to get FREE donuts in LA!

5) Supdnuts Donuts

Spudnuts are made with potato flour, making them super light and fluffy.  At any participating Spudnuts, you can get a FREE donut with any purchase!

4) Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts seems to be just as popular for its coffee nowadays!  Today, you get a free donut with a purchase of a beverage.

3) Jiffy Lube

This one is hilarious!  Yes, Jiffy Lube is offering free donuts all day, along with free tire checks to make sure you don't end up with a "donut tire" if one goes flat! Way to be creative in the marketing, Jiffy Lube!

2) Entenmann's 

It might not have as many of its own locations, but that's not stopping Entenmann's from giving away donuts!  Check out their Facebook Sweepstakes to win free donuts for a YEAR!

1) Krispy Kreme

I saved Krispy Kreme for last.  Not because I have dreams about them (but maybe I do!) but because you don't even have to buy ANYTHING here for your free donut!  Now that's reason to celebrate!

Where did you get your #NationalDonutDay treat?  Let us know your fave spot int he comments!