social media day

Let's Celebrate Social Media Day

Although most would consider every day as Social Media Day there is only one day a year that celebrates it globally.

Started in 2010 by social website Mashable, Social Media Day was initiated to acknowledge how social websites have grown and influenced our everyday lives. Whether it’s checking the latest scores or looking for design inspiration, social media websites and apps have opened us up to the world and left it at our fingertips.

As accessibility rises, social media enables information to be spread instantly. Whether you see this as a good thing or a bad thing, it shapes our behavior and continues to influence how we interact both online and in society. Often blending both…need I say more than, #selfie.

For now, we’re celebrating social media day by sharing our favorite social media accounts:

https://twitter.com/Adweek

https://twitter.com/bdnwheatkings

https://twitter.com/Forbes

http://fourpins.com/

http://thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com/

http://themanrepeller.tumblr.com/

https://instagram.com/costanzagram/

https://instagram.com/thiswildidea/

https://instagram.com/ihavethisthingwithfloors/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/wired

http://www.refinery29.com/

http://trend-sisters.com/

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/theneedledrop
Happy #hashtagging :)


Happy Earth Day!

In honour of Earth Day we here at Fusion decided to have a "pot party".

I know what you're thinking, and no, we weren't smoking grass, we were planting it!

With our paint brushes in hand we (puppies included) gathered around blank terra cotta to create custom designs to house our greens. Once the paint was dry we added soil, seeds and water, and set them in the sun with hopes of blooming herbs and flowers in the near future!

Here's a peek of how we're making our office a little greener :)

Keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to track our plant progress!


Snow Art

As Festival du Voyageur begins yet another year in Winnipeg, I thought it would be relevant to take the time to show some appreciation to the dedicated artists who work with snow and ice throughout the world.

It takes a special person to be able to focus for hours on end, in frigid temperatures, all for the sake of art. Take for example, Simon Beck. At age 56, Beck estimates that it takes around 10 hours on average, to complete a design in the snow. First there is finding a location, then concept development, calculating the geometrics and sketching the design before all the outdoor fun begins. If you take a look at his Snow Art below you'll see that stomping down the snow is only a portion of the task, but it brings a whole new level of appreciation.


Beck's Snow Art may not be available to be seen in person, but lucky for us Winnipeggers we have the pleasure of taking in other winter artistry with snow sculptures scattered throughout the city! This year there are eleven teams from across the world that will be battling the cold to carve sculptures at nine locations in Winnipeg. Whether you choose to venture outside, or appreciate the sculptures from the inside of a toasty, warm vehicle, I highly recommend checking out some, if not all, of the sculptures!

Click the link below to find a sculpture near you!

http://festivalvoyageur.mb.ca/en/

Also, to see more of Simon Beck’s, Snow Art check out his website: http://snowart.gallery/


Filter Feature

For those of you out there who are social media savvy, you may have noticed that Instagram recently (as of yesterday) updated their app and expanded their filter collection. To save you from posting a photo to see the effects of each, let me introduce you to; Slumber, Crema, Ludwig, Aden and Perpetua (below).

With the addition of these five new filters there are now a total of 24 to choose from. However, with the new update to Instagram there is a feature that allows you to hide filters that you may not like (aka Kelvin... sorry Kelvin). So if you notice some filters missing from your options, they are most likely hiding in the 'manage' box at the end of the list.

For more detailed descriptions about each of the new filters click here: www.adweek.com/news/technology/hidden-meanings-and-inspirations-behind-instagrams-5-new-photo-filters-161988


#BendGate

With the recent release of Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, there have been floods of people complaining about the durability of the phone. This in turn has sparked the widespread use of the term #BendGate throughout social media. KitKat, in particular, took advantage of this posted this tweet (below). With more than 23,000 retweets and 10,000 favourites, KitKat has far surpassed the record of Oreo’s ever popular, “You can still dunk in the dark” from the 2013 Superbowl.

Reminding us, yet again, how quick and clever comebacks can make light of even the worst PR nightmares.

So whether you’re a fan of Apple or not, grab a KitKat and take a #break!


#WorldCup

As the World Cup goes into a lull until the quarterfinals, I thought I would explore what FIFA has done to make a soccer (or “futbol”) tournament the most popular event in the world. With more mentions and hashtags than the Sochi Olympics, the Oscars and the Superbowl combined; the World Cup has taken over social media.

If you’re not already checking into one of the numerous social ‘hubs’ on Twitter, Mashable, TSN or FIFA, then you’ve already noticed the oh-so-clever, daily, Google ‘doodles’.

For the lucky ones who get to watch at work, home or at local restaurants, you get to see the creative commercials which sponsors have spent billions on. Yes, billions, and it’s for good reason.

For example, ESPN online had a record-breaking 1.7 million concurrent viewers during the USA vs. Germany match. Along with that, the first two weeks garnered over 300 million tweets. Using the #WorldCup hashtag, along with fans cheering for their favorite countries (#BRA, #MEX, #GER, etc.), it made it easier for advertisers to target their audience.

As a matter of fact, 75% of viewers are also engaging on social media while watching the match. Analytics company, Sysomos, actually created a global hashtag tracker to show which countries are talking about #WorldCup the most.

So what country are you cheering for? I'll be cheering on whichever team Morris is rooting for.

 

References:

Mashable
New York Times
Sysomos
Marketing Charts
Facebook
INC.com


Social Slang

You’re “up on the times” right?

Well, here’s a test:

#YMCMB

For those of you who did the head tilt/eyebrow scrunch, followed by Google search, you’re not alone! Abbreviations, acronyms and hashtags are popping up all over social media, leaving (most of) us not-so “up on the times”.

Since full sentences are apparently, so five years ago, here is a list of social slang to bring you up to date:

#AAMOF: As a matter of fact
#CMIIW: Correct me if I’m wrong
DERP: A response to a dumb comment
#FOMO: Fear of missing out
#FTTB: For the time being
#FTW: For the win
#GOMB: Get off my back
#HYFR: Heck right, freakin’ yeah (NOTE: PG version)
#ICYMI: In case you missed it
#IFSFY: I feel sorry for you
#IMO: In my opinion
#KHYF: Know how you feel
#KOTL: Kiss on the lips
#LBVS: Laughing but very serious
#LMS: “Like” my status
#LNT: Leave no trace
#LOL: Laugh out loud OR Lots of love (NOTE: There is a difference, see below)

#MCM: Man crush Monday
#MFW: My face when…
#NIMBY: Not in my backyard
#NOYB: None of your business
#NSFW: Not safe for work
#OOMF: One of my followers
#OOTD: Outfit of the day
#POTUS: President of the United States
RATCHET: Undesirable
#RT: Retweet
#SMH: Shake my head
#TBH: To be honest
#TBT: Throw back Thursday
#TT: Trending topic
USA: United States of America…derp!
#WCW: Woman crush Wednesday
#WIWT: What I wore today
#YMCMB: Young money cash money billionaires…ha!
#YKTS: You know the score
#YOLO: You only live once
#143: I love you

There, now when the time comes you can be a “cool” dad/mom.