My must-have iPad apps -- and no, Flipboard isn't one of them.

I recently had the good fortune to catch up with one of my besties, Alexis. She's a high powered business woman currently on rotations all over the world, so seeing her is a rare treat. Over delish salads at our usual Houston restaurant (Brasil), we chatted and gossiped about all the normal stuff -- works, travel plans, boys. She also picked my brain about my iPad. Her bro (another high powered business person -- what's with the Jhamb family??) upgraded to an iPad2, so he gave Lex his "old" first generation iPad. "What are the must-have applications I need to download?" she asked.

To be completely honest, I'm not a huge app person. I have about 30 or so downloaded on my iPad, significantly less than the hundreds occupying space on my friends' iPads. Generally speaking, I wouldn't call myself a "simple woman" but when it comes to my iPad, less seems to be more. (And as much as I love technology, I'm pretty retarded when it comes to using it. I won't elaborate, but it's often kind of embarrassing.)

So, what are some of my fave, MUST HAVE, MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT THEM apps?? Here you go. They're not fancy (I have Flipboard and have it used all of two times) or popular (Angry Birds? What's that?) but having them on my iPad has, as cliche as it sounds, sorta changed my life. Or at the very least, changed the way I absorb, share and use information on a daily basis.

- The New York Times. This is probably the only app I use almost EVERY SINGLE DAY. I love the NYT and the iPad interface makes reading articles fun and easy. It's like having the paper version, only without the messy black fingers afterward. And although the NYT is no longer free, it is worth every penny to get access to some of the best journalism in the country.

- NPR. Like the NYT, I *heart* NPR. I grew up listening to it and still tune in to it everyday during my commute. The NPR app is one of the cleanest and easiest to use, and I love that I can listen to hundreds of my favorite programs while also reading other NPR news through the app.

- Kindle. After my first disappointing jaunt into the Apple iBook store, the Kindle app saved my life. With it, I have access to Amazon's entire collection of e-books (I think it's close to a 1 million) including free classics I can download. My only issue with the app: it's one stop shopping, meaning I can buy dozens of books -- and spend hundreds of dollars -- in a matter of minutes. Which I've done. A lot.

- Hootsuite. Nothing particularly exciting here, but as a frequently tweeter, Hootsuite on my iPad is essential. Hootsuite doesn't work through Safari on the iPad, so you have to download the app.

- Sketchbook Pro. For all intents and purposes, a canvas on your iPad. Gorgeous interface and extensive options when it comes to creating digital artwork. Not super easy to use, but some of the sample work produced through it is incredible. (My art work, not so much.)

- Evernote. Like I said above, I generally wouldn't call myself a simple woman. In fact, if we're going to be completely honest here, I'm pretty complicated -- and so is my life. Evernote helps me capture and organize all the random notes, ideas, pictures, etc. that I come across and think of on a daily basis. And it works from my phone, my desktop, my laptop, and (of course) my iPad. For someone whose professional success is determined largely by the ideas and innovations I provide my clients, this is an essential tool.

- Epicurious. There is nothing particularly special about this app, but it's my usual kitchen companion. I just prop my iPad up and it becomes an instant digital cookbook with recipes covering everything from appetizers to cupcakes. It also has cool search options for finding specific recipes and it creates shopping lists based on the recipes you pick.

Other apps that I love and use frequently -- Netflix, ABC Player, and Sex Trivia. Ok, I'm kidding on the last one. (Don't bother with it. It's lame.)

What are your fave apps? Share!!

OH NO SHE DIDN'T!!!

Oh yes she did! I (once again) dropped off the face of the earth.

I could blame my long absence on a multitude of things, among them a ski trip (see previous post), another half marathon (this one!), a ridiculous number of social and networking events (yes, it's a tough life I lead), the Texas Independence Relay, SXSW and a last minute trip to NY to see my brother Gil, who was home from Afghanistan. But I won't. Well, not really.

Fortunately, things are (sorta) calming down. I still don't have a free weekend until the middle of May, but the whirlwind weeks of running and catching planes and hopping between three events in one evening are on a hiatus for at least a month and a half. (The only exception to this is the MS 150, but after the last few crazy weeks, it sounds as relaxing as a spa weekend with girlfriends.)

So now I'm back to catching up on sleeping, cleaning out my inbox, and trying to save some moola, especially since my checking account currently resembles a big black hole. The other thing I'm doing? Revisiting my to do list, aka resolutions. (Remember those? No? That's ok. I didn't either.) Here's a recap on where I stand:

To-do number 1: update my blog more often. Ha. That's funny.

To-do number 2: stop reading crap. I did breakdown and read the last Larsson book (not worth your time, fyi) but right now I'm finishing this book, which is much more inline with what I should be reading. That said, I haven't cracked open even one book on my list. Oh dear.

To-do number 3: get more sleep. Yeah, right.

To-do number 4: do a triathalon. Not yet, but it will happen, although it might make it easier if I swim more than 1x per quarter. The spring sprint isn't happening, but hopefully I'll do one in the summer or early fall.

To-do number 5: rid my life of people and things that don't make me happy. I've been somewhat successful on this one, although I sorta think I may be a bit of a glutton for punishment. I'll analyze that with a shrink another time.

To-do number 6: be a grown up, get my own place. Too early to even comment on this one.

To-do number 7: um, oops. Never did a to-do number 7. Or 8. Or 9 or 10. And since my track record ain't so hot right now, I think I should just stick to trying to accomplish the first 6 I have for now. My list of 10 is now a list of 6. I'm changing the rules in the middle of the game 'cause that's how I roll.

And with that... I'm passing out. I have a post due for my company's blog tomorrow (it's a comparison of ereaders! exciting stuff!) and a newsletter article about my major SXSW takeaways. You best believe I'm re-purposing those for this blog, so get ready to read, folks.

XOXO

BEST.SITE.EVER.

See below and then click here for more amusement. I found this site courtesy of the gorgeous (and hilarious) Aimee Woodall. Love that girl AND love combining sex and silly humor. What can I say, sometimes I act like a 16 year old boy.

Why 2011 is going to rock. Part 1.

(Disclaimer: this post sounds like I overdosed on Prozac. If insanely happy people annoy you, stop reading this now. You have been warned.)

I am in an AWESOME mood today. Why? Because today I got some really, really, REALLY exciting news.

Come March 11 - 15th, yours truly (and this guy) will be attending SXSWi! I am so stoked! For those of you unfamiliar with SXSWi, read about it here. We'll be soaking up loads of digital and social media goodies to bring back and share with the crew at the 'Pont. I couldn't be more excited to partake in such a fantastic event!

But that's not it. This year is going to rock for so many reasons! Here are just a few of the things I have to look forward to: the half marathon (maybe 2), a week of skiing, MS 150 training, SXSWi, more skiing, the actual MS 150, my first tri...and that's just 'til May! Also plotting a VERY cool trip in late summer/fall -- deets TBD but passport will be required. And around that same time, my brother Gil will be back from Afghanistan and Robby will be at flight school only a few hours away in Alabama. Added bonus: I have several friends (and my parents!) planning trips to Houston in the next few months.

I LOVE LIFE!

Now off to bed -- I have an 8 miler tomorrow morning! WOOHOO!

XOXO

Man vs. Wild. I mean, vs. Toddler

Muscle Milk Does Thanksgiving

In honor of my Puritan and Mayflower roots. Who needs turkey when you have Muscle Milk! (Kudos to Adverblog for the link!)

Cool new blogs!!!

Hey folks!

Two blogs you MUST READ NOW.

First, check out one of my best friend's blog -- Images from Above. It's a collection of really cool photos she has taken from flights all over the world. A couple of the coolest photos are below...but make sure you add it to your blog roll and check it out as she is always adding to it.





Next, the fabulous Greg Morago, Food Editor at the Chronicle, style guru and all around freaking awesome DUDE has a great blog on the Chronicle site. It's called Food and Cork, and in it he gives us the scoop on all the cool rezzies and bars opening up in Houston. Bonus point -- he sometimes invites me, which means I'm sometimes in the blog! Um, AWESOME. Check it out here.

ENJOY!

Social Media ... is it a fad?

This video was shown at the Pierpont Digital Bootcamp (#dbcpierpont, @pierpontcom on Twitter). It's f'ing awesome -- and very inspiring for a digital geek like myself. Know someone who thinks social media is a fad? Send 'em this video.



(P.S. Thanks to @elehr, @brittneydanne, @lindseydonnell, @briguyblock, @nancylsims, @denise_patrick, @nicolehub, @stacy_armijo, @helenrod, and everyone else who is not on Twitter for an AWESOME bootcamp! Y'all rocked my Friday the 13th!)

Great Photo

Seen on the streets of Austin....


Thanks to Martin, our fab creative director here at Pierpont, for the image.

Protect your brand -- and pay Godin $400

I tweeted about this yesterday on the AMA Houston Twitter feed, but in case you didn't see it, here's the scoop: Seth Godin, marketing mavrick and blogger extraordinaire, just launched Brands In Public, a site that aggregates internet comments (think Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc.) about brands into one simple, easy to use dashboard that anyone can access. The twist -- if there's a page about your brand, you'll have to fork over $400 bucks to "coordinate" it. What does this mean? Basically, you can't change the content that's rolling in but that you can highlight the positive tweets, direct readers to your own company's videos, blogs, or sites, and defend your brand from any comments that may appear. Essentially, you're "curating" a clearinghouse of consumer buzz about your brand.

"Pay me my money -- or your brand gets creamed."

Thus far, Godin has introduced about 100 or so pages for some of our fave brands, and a few (Allstate and Home Depot, for example) appear to have forked over the dough to coordinate their dashboards.

Others are holding off for right now....and many are pissed. Why? Duh -- they feel backed into a corner where they have to pay Godin or potentially risk having a page on the web that highlights all things negative about their brand.

We'll see where this goes and if it takes off. I think what's really going to impact how seriously brands take this new venture is how well the Brands in Public pages show up in search engines. It'll also depend on how well consumers take to the new site. So far, all the talk about Brands in Public has been from marketing and branding folks like me, but if the site is going to take off, consumers are going to have to bite into it and use it.

Thoughts on all of this? $400 bucks isn't that much when you're a Home Depot, but do you think its fair to "hijack" (as some bloggers have said) comments about a brand and then force 'em to pay to defend themselves? And the most important question of all -- will this really help consumers make better decisions about brands??? Let's discuss.

Tour de France...sur le web

When I first bought my bike a couple years back, I only used it for commuting. Then, last fall, I started hitting the road for real. Granted, I'm not a very good cyclist, and my road bike needs some serious upgrades (which should be taking place this week....I *think*) but it's still an awesome way to get out in the sun, burn some calories, and explore the area.

So given my new-found passion for aluminum and carbon on two wheels, as well as my obsession with all things web and interactive, I was pretty stoked to find this Wired article online. It lists all the ways you can use the net to stay up to date on what's going on with the Tour -- even if you are seven timezones away. Among the cool ways you can track Lance and the other bikers: live video and audio streams, really sweet interactive maps and Twitter updates. Check it out.

Privacy and Facebook

I recently became involved with the social media committee of the Houston American Marketing Association (AMA). I'm responsible for tweeting for the AMA (@AMAHouston) and monitoring the social media sites (like LinkedIn). This also means I manage the AMA Houston Facebook group, page, and updates, so I've been getting a ton of friend requests from people who are involved in the AMA but who I don't know. I don't want to not accept their friend requests (they could be valuable business contacts in the future, of course!) but do I really want a potential future client or employer to see those photos of me out with girlfriends for my birthday last weekend? Hmm, that's hard -- no.

So given that privacy settings are pretty important to me and my two-sided relationship with Facebook, I was stoked to find out that Facebook is implementing better privacy controls -- or more importantly, simpler ones. The old ones were a bit unwiedly and confusing (they took 6 pages to work through!), and they often required a lot of trial and testing to see if they worked. Now, you'll be able to decide right when you post an update to FB publisher who should see that one particular post -- everyone (meaning the WHOLE world, or anyone who goes to your facebook page) or only your friends. Got a complaint about your job? Send that post out to your close friends only. Want to announce a cool AMA event (like I often do)? Post it to the world. They are also ditching the regional networks, which were confusing for a lot of people, and putting all the privacy settings on one page.

So in summary: Although FB didn't really add any new privacy settings, the entire process of deciding who should see your info and updates will be greatly simplified. However, will anyone bother using the new settings? Most people I know use FB for either all professional networking or all fun social stuff (or they mix the two and just don't care :) ). And although I suspect these new settings will be a breeze to use, some less tech savvy people (ahem, my Mom, who yes, is on FB) still won't get it. It's just too much/too many choices for most people.

Maybe FB is trying to be too much to too many people. LinkedIn is all professional, MySpace is all social, and Twitter is 100% public. Facebook is trying to do it all -- and do it so it is simple and easy to use. Is that even possible? I guess I'll see when I get access to the new settings in the next few weeks.

Facebook Privacy Enhancements

View more presentations from guest5f7bf4.

Do you use FB both socially and professionally? If not, will the new privacy settings change that?

When your marketing firm has bad ads

Hi all,

In Austin this weekend with the lovely Ms. Carolyn Goodwin. So far, it's been a perfect weekend --- too much food, too much wine, and too much sleep. Perfect.

At one part during the weekend, Carolyn's mom showed us an ad for a marketing firm in The Woodlands. "Have you heard of them?" Neither Carolyn nor I were familiar with the company (who shall remain nameless) but within 5 seconds we were both grimacing. Why? The ad, for said marketing firm, was awful.

I always find it humorous when marketing or advertising companies boast generic logos, advertisements created in word, or (worst of all) websites reminiscent of 1999. Yikes. What are these companies thinking? Sure, the average person isn't going to know great design from good design, but bad design? Sorry to break it to you -- they know. And the worst part? An advertising company with bad marketing materials is like a surgeon marketing a recent malpractice suit, or a home builder publicly admitting that his homes have leaky roofs.

My current company is doing stuff the right way. We're in the process of reworking our website -- admittedly it's overdue -- but in the meantime we've resisted keeping our old, out-dated site up. Although not having a web site is risky, we recognize that having a BAD site up is far worst.

What do you think? Are you equally as repulsed by marketing and advertising companies whose design or writing leaves much to be desired? Or am I just overly critical?

Facebook, new and improved and (sorta) copying Twitter

Did you guys hear about the new Facebook changes? In case you've been living under a rock, you can check them out here. The overall gist -- Facebook is about to become the ultimate personal homepage. Here are some of the major changes that we'll see in place sometime next week:

- live feed. That's right -- Facebook is copying Twitter! The new live feed will also allow for easy uploading of pics, videos, etc. (Thank God since it is such a pain to upload now!) And, like Twitter, it will be in real time, which means no refreshing (the current Facebook updates every 10 minutes or so.) Sweet!

- no more Friend limit. The old Facebook limited your friends to 5,000, so companies and public features were having to turn to Twitter to keep their fans/customers updated. Sort of makes you wonder if we'll have to redefine the definition of Friend, but I digress...

- a new and improved hompage. The new homepage will feature the live feed and allow users to easily filter and sort through the updates. (Especially important for those with more than 5K friends -- most likely the celebs and corporations who will be taking advantage of these new Facebook changes.) Also cool -- those "friends" you interact with the most will be highlighted to stand out.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Twitter during all of this. Let's not forget that Twitter is still in early adopter stage, and it's very possible that Facebook's changes will wipe it out. I hope not -- I, for one, use Twitter as a professional tool, whereas Facebook is reserved for my actual friends. (After all, does my boss really need to see pics of a recent vaca in Vegas? I don't think so.)

Death of an Idea

Hey all you marketers, advertisers, designers, etc.! Have you ever put hours of work into what you believe is the BEST and COOLEST campaign or advertisement ever....only to have it shot down by your client for one (silly) reason or another? I know I have....and it sucks. All that hard work and you're left with nothing more than a killed idea and 30 hours of unbillable time.

But soon, all will not be lost. Introducing a cool new project I read about through Adrants. Here is the gist:

Beginning February 24, you are encouraged to submit your killed ideas to killedideas.com for potential inclusion in Killed Ideas Volume 1, a book published by Blurb and edited by Adrants Editor Steve Hall. Fifty of the best killed ideas will be selected for the book which will be published in May.

The coolest and most quirky ideas will also be featured on the KilledIdeas website. And for all you Tweeting freaks out there, there is (of course) a Twitter feed. Follow @killedideas.

But you best hurry up and submit your work soon. You only have about a month before entries close.

12 ideas for blog posts

Are you blogger or wannabe blogger? If so, you MUST check out this list of blog post ideas. Someone I follow on Twitter posted it. Read the whole post here or see below for a VERY quick summary:

- Respond to something elsewhere on the web
- Suggest an idea
- Interview someone
- Blog an event
- Ask a question
- Pick a fight
- Reflect on something
- Do something visual
- Review something
- Make a list
- Write a how-to
- Let someone else post

Any other ideas?

Twittering for Work

A couple years ago, one of my contacts introduced me to Lindsey Pollak. Lindsey is THE career guru for anyone under 30, and her blog (which I HIGHLY recommend you follow) is always filled with useful and relevant job search and career info. Plus, she's super sweet -- back in 2006, she spent an hour on the phone with me doling out advice about relocating to H-town, changing careers, and growing my network.

Anyway, one of her recent blog posts was about twittering for work. (By the way, if you're not on Twitter yet, get yer mouse moving and sign up now!) Willy Franzen, founder of One Day, One Job (cool site for entry level positions) gives us 50 twitter users to follow for job searching and career guidance. Naturally, Lindsey (@lindseypollak) was listed as one. (Like I said, she is THE career guru for young folks.) I was already following a handful of the listed people, but I definitely plan on connecting with more over the next few days. I'll keep you posted on the four or five I think are most relevant for marketing peeps like me.

In the meantime, good luck with your search... :) And if you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm @jenpearsall.

Facebook, x2: sacrificing friends and networking

This is sort of old but interesting. Check it out here.

I saw a couple of messages about it through my LinkedIn AAF group, but I didn't investigate it until today. Seems that if you deleted 10 of your facebook friends, you'd be rewarded with a yummy whopper. Sadly, the promotion is over, so if you were looking to score some free fast food, you're a little too late.

Speaking of facebook....the other day I got a facebook message from an old roomie trying to do business with one of my old employers. He needed to get the scoop on the culture of the business, so he searched his facebook connections to see if he knew anyone affiliated with the company. And, as luck would have it -- I popped up. So he sent me a message, we scheduled a call, and I filled him in on the biz. Thirty minutes later, at the end of the call, he said he would keep his eyes open for any new ad positions that might be a fit for me. "I help you, you help me" was the tune we were singing.

But here's the interesting thing -- I hadn't spoken to my old roomie in years. In fact, we barely talked when we lived together since he was on a different floor of the house. (Yes, I once lived in a house where I had 11 -- yes, count 'em -- 11 roommates. We had the best parties EVER. Seriously.) Yet, since we're friends on facebook, we were able to connect without any of the typical "I-hope-you-don't-think-I-am-using-you-even-though-I-sorta-am" awkwardness. Facebook (or LinkedIn, or Twitter, or whatever you use) created a safe way to reach out.

I have been leveraging (excuse the biz speak, I know it is obnoxious) my social networks since I started looking for a job. So far, it's been pretty successful -- I've landed at least one interview and I've gotten my resume in front of the hiring managers for four or five other positions. I have personal, non-cyber relationships with some of the people who have been helping me, but there are others I have never met -- we're connected simply through social media. And while I can't attest to my final success rate with social media networking (I am STILL, er, unemployed), I wouldn't be shocked if it helped me land my next job.

Anyway, to close out my ramblings, I stumbled upon an article by Toby Bloomberg, social media marketing guru and author of the Diva Marketing blog. The article is about expanding your business network via social media, and the advantages of doing it online. It's definitely applicable to job seekers like yours truly. You can read the article in it's entirety here, but some of the key points are below. Enjoy!

- "Meeting" people online may be easier for shy people. (Even extroverts -- like me! -- sometimes find it easier to reach out via social media.) Connecting with people through blog comments and twitter posts is a great way to start a relationship with someone.

- The "duh" point -- social media makes it much easier to connect with friends of friends. LinkedIn is especially great for this, since your network includes three levels of connections. Before I apply for any job, I always look through LinkedIn to see if anyone in my network is affiliated with the company. If it's a second or third level connection, I'll ask my direct connection for an e-introduction. Once I get a convo going, I'll send my application materials directly to my new connection. This helps me avoid the online black hole of death application process or an overworked recruiter who tosses my resume because I didn't major in marketing.

- And one of the best parts of social media -- you can network when you want to. Can't go back to sleep after waking up at 3 am? Open up LinkedIn and network, baby! Stuck in an airport terminal for 10 hours since your pilot didn't show? (Yep, this has happened to me!) Pull out the blackberry and scan facebook for people you want to connect with. Network, network, network -- on YOUR timeline!

So....how are you going to use social media to expand your business connections?