Randi Zuckerberg's Blog, page 35
December 17, 2014
Radio Show Recap: Creating Disruptive Business Models
The word “disruptive: isn’t necessarily negative. In the business world, it’s one of the highest compliments you can receive because it means you’ve created something brand new and successful.
On today’s Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg, Nichole Montaya of online group payment site Cheddar Up and Peter Shankman of HARO and the author of Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans explained why entrepreneurs should aspire to be disruptive.
Here are their top soundbites:
Like / Dislike:
On naked bacon-cooking protector:
“Dislike unless it’s someone attractive cooking it for me, then like.”—Peter.
“I like it and I’ve used it.”—Peter
On $150 computer that must be built and coded:
“I’d buy this for my daughter. Computers saved my life when I was a kid.”—Peter
“I don’t know how useful it’d be if I put it together but maybe for my daughter.”—Nichole
**********
Nichole Montaya, CEO & Founder of Cheddar Up
“The idea for Cheddar Up came because I was writing dozens of checks to my daughter’s school.”
“Why haven’t payments innovated in schools?”
“I wasn’t inviting my friends to go to concerts because it was such an awkward transaction waiting for them to pay me back.”
“We see a huge spike that’s cyclical. Fall and spring are busy with sports and holiday time are busy for teacher gifts.”
“A lot of group transactions ended up on the lap of the mom. School, sports, party planning.”
“Every time we get a question it’s a valuable nugget of information—a data point where we have to ask ‘is this a trend?’ We even listen in on Live Chat conversations.”
“It’s great to hear the feedback directly on Live Chat.”
On her 13 years of marketing experience: “It’s a new world of social media. Customer recommendation is more important than marketing.”
“We’ve spent little to nothing in marketing. I would equate customer feedback to our success. Moms loving telling others about a product they like.”
“As many customers we can delight, the likelihood of them sharing it with their friends will lead to our success.”
“People are comfortable with huge purchases online. It’s quicker. Time is valuable.”
“Individuals are clamoring to have the option to pay online.”
On the average transaction: “$145 dollars, which is oddly high. We thought it’d be more around $30 because of school transactions.”
“We have a lot of schools who use it for annual giving. People aren’t shying away from making large transactions.”
“I would say that raising money is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my professional career. We started with friends and family but that wasn’t our goal so we went to angel investors.”
” Pitching to men ages 60 to 70 is hard when pitching a woman centric product may not be the best use of time to audiences like that.”
**********
Peter Shankman, author of Zombie Loyalists & creator of Help A Reporter Out.
“I wish I knew about Cheddar Up before. I’m currently getting the cash for all the doorman for the holidays. They have you by ransom every Christmas.”—Peter
“Tell your own story. Turn to the mirror on the elevator and give that 15-30 second pitch. Try to get it in before the elevator doors open.”
“Get other people’s opinions. Your pitch is different than your co-workers.”
“Companies who act nicer tend to have happier customers who want to tell their stories.”
“It won’t be about friending or liking, social media satisfaction is going to live in my history.”
“Zombie Loyalists is a collection of positive and negative experiences and how companies learned to create a better experience from those.”
“We expect to be treated poorly or at least one level above crap. Think about the last flight that you took. If the airline gave you exactly what they were supposed to, that’s a pretty low bar.”
“Zappos is great. Tony hires for people for people. Uber hires for people who can drive. That’s going to come back and bite you.”
“The Ritz Carlton calls their employees ladies and gentleman serving ladies and gentlemen.”
“Some internet drama queen had an issue with Jet Blue and complained, so they did everything in their power to help but he still boycotted them on Twitter so they boycotted him from all their flights.”
“The last thing you want to do is show your employees that you don’t value them either.”
“Instead of waiting for social media whining, fix customer service before it hits Twitter.”
“Let employees know they matter. I get business cards with their name on them, and candy they like and leave it on their desk on the first day. Win employees loyalty.”
“Let your employee know they will never be fired for attempting to do right by the customer. You WILL be fired if you let the customer walked out the door unhappy.”
“Loyalty matters.”
“If you trust your employees, social media shouldn’t be a problem.”
“There’s nothing better for a customer when the employee can do something without having to transfer them to a manager.”
“I was staying at the Sheraton on my birthday. They left 2 dozen helium balloons in my room. I put the photo on Instagram. Sheraton got reservations from that photo.”
“I mention Morton’s steakhouse because they ask if you’re celebrating anything. There’s a menu is printed Happy Birthday whomever and then they Instagram that photo. People like to be treated well. The infection spreads.”
“I just recently invested in Mumzy, a Kickstarter for moms.”
“Send out a 1 question survey ‘do you think we should do this or this?’ To everyone who responds, send out an email thanking them personally.”
“Your question as a money company should be ‘What can I do to make my customers feel invested in this company?’ Do it in a way that’s subtle.”
“The CEO of Patagonia’s mistake was not looking enough ahead in the future.”
“Show me someone who’s never made a mistake and I’ll show you someone who never got ahead in business.”
“Mistakes are how you grow.”
“Our expectations of customer service are really, really low. To be better than the rest just have better customer service.”
Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg on Sirius XM will be on hiatus until January 7th. Until then have a happy holiday season and remember to UNPLUG!!
by 
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Does Your Family Have A Plan This Holiday Season?
When my oldest daughter was three, she pointed to a mini-Christmas tree decoration at our local supermarket with excitement. “Can we get a tree?” she asked. “No, sweetie,” I explained, “we’re Jewish.” After further pleading failed to sway me, she wailed, somewhere around the cereal aisle, “I HAAAATE being Jewish!”
I was mortified. I was upset. But most of all, at that moment, I wanted nothing more than for her to stop screaming those words in the supermarket. So I grabbed a miniature tree and told her we were getting a Hanukkah Bush. On the drive home, I called my husband to warn him about what I was bringing home.
I obviously had not thought through how to handle this incident and, as a result, committed one of my many rookie mistakes of parenting: I simply reacted in the moment.
What I realized that day, years before my daughter would ask me to re-tell the story of the supermarket scene, is that I needed to think through this holiday thing more intentionally. What did we want to teach our children about our heritage and our beliefs, beyond a Hanukkah bush?
Regardless of each family’s beliefs, holidays provide a unique opportunity to teach our children about our individual and shared family values and traditions. (Sometimes I forget this in my self-inflicted panic over the eight nights of Hanukkah.) By teaching children about holidays and brainstorming ideas for a plan together, the celebration evolves from accidental to purposeful. It is not about making a logistical plan for who buys which presents for whom (although that can be useful, too). A family holiday plan is about actively making meaningful memories. It can be creative. It can be altruistic. It can be playful. It might include, among the endless possibilities:
• creating a family holiday scrapbook or journal about the holidays with photos and stories that you add to every year
• having children record family members’ stories of the holidays using a simple phone
• baking together and giving the treats to teachers or others
• giving out certificates of time as presents, e.g., going on a picnic, having a pillow fight, helping to make breakfast in bed for a family member
• collecting unused household items to donate and delivering them together
• writing special cards or creating artwork as gifts
• putting holiday questions in a bowl in the center of the table for a holiday dinner, e.g., What are you thankful for this year? (to be passed around and discussed)
• going caroling or visiting others who are in need of some holiday merriment
• having a family night to decorate for the holiday
• simply reading together by the fire with no electronics on hand
I used to underestimate how important family tradition is for my children during the holidays. Several years ago, I started writing poems for each night of Hanukkah with a theme for the night. Clues in the poem led to a hunt around the house to locate a present or a “certificate” for a special activity or event. (Now you know why I panic about the eight nights of Hanukkah.) I did not necessarily intend for this to become an annual tradition, but I quickly discovered that as memories of the gifts faded, the themes and clues did not. Our family plan has evolved over the years. The gifts are now smaller, but the themes and clues are more meaningful, and everyone partakes in the planning and the giving, especially the children.
Whether it is through themes and clues, a holiday story, a trip to visit others in need . . . there is no magic to the specifics of a family holiday plan. But you will find that making the plan is itself magical.
You don’t need to bribe, cajole, or trick your kids into focusing more on the meaning of the day than the gifts. If children take part in creating the holiday plan, this will happen intentionally, with the kids enthusiastically leading the way.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower once reflected that while plans can be worthless, “planning is everything.” And so too, bringing children in on the holiday planning changes everything.
Posted on 12/20/2013
Written by Katherine Eskovitz
Katherine Eskovitz is an attorney and writer turned Momtrepreneur as the Founder & CEO of little BLUEPRINT. A graduate of Yale Law School and Cornell University, Katherine practiced law for seventeen years as a federal prosecutor and partner in a national law firm. She turned her courtroom skills and experience as a former speechwriter to writing for a new audience: children. Katherine’s Have a Plan Books, which can be purchased at www.littleBLUEPRINT.com, combine her passion for research, writing, and photography. A native New Yorker, Katherine lives in Santa Monica, California with her husband and three young children.
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December 16, 2014
WePopp Helps You Plan Holiday Gatherings
During the holidays, everyone wants to get together–but finding a happy middle ground where all your nearest and dearest can make it guarantees anything but a good night. You know how things can spiral out of control as people put in their two cents about where to go and what time to meet.
Make your life easier with WePopp, an app that helps you create a plan without the endless texts, Facebook messages, and emails.
Download WePopp to iPhone or Android, then log in using Facebook or set up an account. First pick what you want to do from a list of pre-defined categories, like grabbing a drink, going to a party, or taking a weekend trip. Then invite your friends to join your “popp,” from which they’ll vote on the time and place. After everything is finalized, you can lock it down and add it to your calendar.
The app doesn’t require everybody in the group to be a user. Even if you don’t have WePopp, you can still be included in a “popp” through text messages. The final event details will be sent to you the same way.
You’ll never get tangled up in an endless chain of messages again.
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December 10, 2014
Radio Show Recap: Tech & Innovative Products for New Parents
With 4.3 babies born each second and over 2 billion moms around the world, parenthood is another thing technology is helping to improve. As a new parent you’ll go through 7,300 diaper changes by baby’s second birthday. On average, most parents take 2 minutes and 5 seconds to change a baby’s diaper, which adds up to three, 40-hour work weeks a year. That’s like a freelance job without the pay!
Parenting is currently a $6 billion dollar industry and tech is changing all the rules. On today’s Dot Complicated Joe Hei of ergonomic, pedicure friendly stroller/car seat Orbit Baby and Cara Delzer of consumer, tech-based products for women Moxxly.
Later in the show former model and CEO of Fashion 360, Anina Net discusses fashion and tech in China.
Here are the best snippets from our conversations:
Reports on Grumpy Cat making owner $100 million dollars:
“That’s one hell of an entrepreneurial cat.” —Anina
Google gets girls to program the tree lights for the White House:
“As a father of three girls I love it.”—Joe
Amazon unveils line of diapers:
“I have to test it first. There’s a big difference between good and bad diapers.”—Cara
Inmates in San Quentin can now learn how to code:
“As a former teacher I’m a firm believer in education for everyone.”—Cara
“When we first went out to talk to retail partners we definitely felt discrimination because we were male in the baby market.”—Joe
“Put the user at the center of the design first.” —Joe
“Parenting in general matters more than anywhere.” —Joe
“Celebrity endorsement is important because it’s difficult to establish credibility. But whatever products come from that really need deliver.” —Joe
“Working with my wife we ended up having to have rules. No talking about work after 7. “—Joe
“I like to talk about how good it is, we have a shared experience, the commute is a great time to talk to each other.” —Joe
“I went back to work at 3 months and my breast pump was the most stressful part of that. I knew there had to be a better way.” —Cara
“Our goal is to support women. We want to make the breastfeeding experience as comfortable as possible.” —Cara
“You’re dealing with kids’ safety. The way we look at it is it’s a competitive market for us.” —Joe
“These products are designed for transporting a baby and feeding a baby, so safety is crucial.”—Cara
“You need to sit with parents and understand that they’re going for.”—Cara
“We believe in products that you put into parents hands. We go out with small teams and scour what people are looking for in different environments.”—Joe
“Going global like places in Sweden help because we’re learning about cold weather.”—Joe
“The carrying handle on our car seat we thought it was going be great. It was a guy’s centric view like a briefcase. After talking to moms we made it soft and padded structure.” —Joe
“We go out on a weekly basis and make tweaks to the prototype. Go to HelloMoxxly.com, sign up and become a beta tester.”—Cara
“Our fiber optic dress gently illuminates as the night wears on.”—Anina
“The current archaic model of a runway show is boring. Our show is actually very well laid out. If it were a ring we use video, sound, and light to explain what that piece is.”—Anina
“Misfit Shine has a sports’ tracker, doesn’t need to be recharged and can be thrown in the laundry. But how can you move that into the fashion space.”—Anina
“They give us 300 Shines and we built Shine jewelry answering how to plug it into an outfit to make it seamless.” —Anina
“As robotic and electronics become smaller it will transform fashion.” —Anina
“Get fashion designers in the room talking to technologists.” —Anina
“I was expected to be a computer engineer but my modeling career interested me more. But my experience in tech made me ahead of the game. I wanted to revolutionize my industry.” —Anina
“In China when they want to do something they do it. Over here everybody’s is slow.” —Anina
“We haven’t found a lot of resistance, our challenge is explaining why there needs to be a change in the breast pump industry.”—Cara
“Hardware is hard, software is hard. We have to make sure everything has been to be comfortable and supportive.”—Cara
“When we were going out for our seed-funding, their kids were 17 so the communication gap of how technology and prices have changed. We were playing in a space that has changed fundamentally.”—Joe
“A lot of people discount the sweat equity to get things made. The long nights, the pollution in China.”—Joe
“We haven’t locked a price, but what we look at is as how much is she already spending on this space already.”—Cara
“Our take was practical, we felt like a new technology needed a new price point to follow that. It was the only way to make the business work.”—Joe
“I love that because I’m in China I already have a start-up budget that I get to work with.”—Anina
“When we can find the right aesthetic that can meet the H&M price point, then we’ll find that sweet spot.”—Anina
“Shrink it and pink it is from my co-founder Gabriella about how people usually market toward women. We don’t think along those lines.”—Cara
“In Italy there are a lot of beautiful fashionable maternity clothes.”—Anina
“Do all your testing and tell parents the story of what it took to create that product.”—Joe
Join “ Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg on SiriusXM” next week to discuss how to make money from your favorite games like Candy Crush. Only on SiriusXM Business 111 9 am PST / 12 EST.
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December 9, 2014
5 Digital Detox Getaways
Don’t get us wrong: We love our iPads, phones, laptops, and e-readers. But sometimes all that tech can really take us out of the moment. For our next vacation, we’re going cold turkey by ditching our devices and completely unplugging. Luckily, several hotels are now offering no-gadget packages to help us take a break from technology.
Lake Placid Lodge: When you sign up for this Adirondack lodge’s two-night “Check-In to Check-Out” package, expect to leave all electronic devices at the front desk. Instead, spend the weekend hiking and reading New York Times best sellers. $1,340 for two nights.
Echo Valley Ranch and Spa: The new digital detox package at this British Columbia, Canada, ranch includes a hot-oil massage, guided horseback ride, and complimentary iPhone app that disables your smartphone during your stay. To further combat Candy Crush addiction, the hotel switches off satellite connection on select weekends.
Westin Dublin: Explore the Irish capital sans iPhone with the Westin’s new digital detox package, which includes breakfast in bed, complimentary massages, self-guided walking tours, and an in-room safe in which to hide your technology.
Finally, The Digital Detox offers tech-free retreats all over the world, where guests unplug with yoga, breath work, and healthy eating. Up next: a mindfulness meditation weekend in the Redwood forest.
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December 5, 2014
7 Ways to Jumpstart Your Brain in 2015
Once the holidays are over, shake off that eggnog-induced fog and exercise your mind this January.
1. Start a club with your friends. Set a standing date with some of your favorite people and host a club based on your common interests, like indie foreign films or vegan cooking.
2. Play on your phone. Instead of patrolling Instagram, try a brain-boosting app to make good use of your down time. The Math vs. Brain app features multiplication brainteasers to help keep you sharp (free on iTunes).
3. Visit the museum without leaving your living room. Say goodbye to long lines and rowdy class trips with Artkick, a free app that lets you stream museum-quality works of art on your television.
4. Get out of your comfort zone. Whether you sign up for French classes or take a stab at tie-dyeing, picking up a hobby that doesn’t come naturally to you has been scientifically proven to improve your focus.
5. Recommit to your workout. Like an Angie’s List for private sports trainers, the newly launched CoachUp helps athletes of all levels search for and meet local coaches who fit their needs. All you have to do is plug in your zip code and sport of choice (swimming, jujitsu, etc.) and you’ll see a selection of nearby coaches who will take you on and hold you accountable to your sessions. [Visual is a woman at a light-filled yoga studio practicing her downward-facing dog]
6. Plan a winter staycation. It’ll be nice to have something to look forward to after those holiday parties end. Schedule a movie marathon with your friends, and ask everyone to bring a favorite flick; you supply the cozy flannel blankets and popcorn.
7. Give back. Want to be philanthropical but don’t know where to start? Check out Goodsearch, a little-known search engine powered by Yahoo. Sign up and designate your favorite charity (anything from the American Cancer Society to your local soup kitchen), and whenever you use the site, Goodsearch will donate 50 percent of the search advertiser revenue to your designated worthy cause—about a penny per search. Pretty genius.
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December 4, 2014
Radio Show Recap: The Business of Broadway
Since 1870 Broadway has put out some of the most innovative and creative content into this world of unlimited entertainment. From award-winning costume design like that in the Lion King to hit musicals written by pop stars like Green Day and Elton John, Broadway is a never-ending plethora of amazing talent. Where song, dance, and drama can all unite onstage to create compelling storytelling and visual spectacle at the same time. An experience to had by all, but sadly experienced by little. This is where technology comes in.
Here are the choice thoughts of the day:
TIM KASHANI: Tony-Award winner, co-founder of Showbiz U , and producer of opening December 10 th
On Pizza Hut’s new ‘Subconscious Menu’
“Artificial intelligence is coming. Any of these trends are going to affect Broadway so we have to embrace them.”
On Code.org partnering with Disney to teach kids coding
“I’m all about gamification in learning. Kids are able to learn in a way that inspires. What they’re doing is a natural evolutionary process.”
Amazon Kiva Robots:
“It will be interesting to see when they can sing and dance.”
Girl Scouts selling cookies online:
“There’s something beautiful about young kids learning real world commerce. At the same time the entire world has embraced the online process.”
“Some people are purists and think tech is going to destroy the theater industry but I think it’s something we need to embrace.”
“I’ve found Broadway to change so fast there’s a hybrid of fear and excitement going on.”
“Now you have all of your cast members and their friends to help spread by word of mouth.”
“What makes a hit show? It’s really simple, the next day when the audience wakes up they need to call their friends and say ‘go see this show’.”
“We’ve democratized the communication path. If it resonates with the audience it’s going to find its way, regardless of the critics.”
On becoming a producer: “If we run this show like a business, we can turn a profit.”
“Strong lead producers are essential to a long show run.”
“Your name has to be above the title to win a Tony Award.”
“If you look at distribution of sales you see shows making so much more than they ever were in history. It’s similar to how the airline and cruise industry works.”
“You see many shows closing after the Tony nominations are announced.”
“To have those weeks that may lose money, make sure to have a reserve so you can account for those loses.”
“February, March, April—the sweet spot for Broadway shows.”
“Initial capitalization: How much it costs to open doors is about $10 million plus. You have to raise that.”
“The Weekly Run: How much do you need to spend each week to keep doors open. Now it’s in the $600k a week range.”
“I want to be the first producer who live streams our shows ever night.”
“You have purists who think theater is a sacred event. Seeing the show online makes people want to see the show even more.”
“The audience emotionally connecting especially when they leave the theater is the key to success.”
“Jon Stewart said, “Theater is what changes and moves society forward. Film and TV amplify it. We need theater to expose those issues and talk about it in public.”
“We have to make sure we get all the unions aligned. Make sure to understand the union structures when you come to Broadway.”
Follow Tim @TimKashani
HAL LUFTIG: Tony Award-winning producer Hal Luftig of Kinky Boots
“If you’re a CEO of a company, you’re at the top but you hire people to help you run the company. In the world of musicals it’s lighting, directors—hopefully as a producer you nurture them to do their best and come together.”
“Producers wear a lot of hats at different times. I still have to deal with no toilet paper in the dressing rooms.”
“Disruptive to me means when someone’s cell phone goes off in the middle of a drama.”
“Legally Blonde was the first show that was completely filmed and shown on MTV.”
“One of the greatest things is getting young people into the theater. Social media and new technology has allowed young people across country to see sections of the show.”
“It’s cool to see kids doing the dance or singing the songs from a show. It’s making theater accessible where 20 to 30 years ago it was not.”
“You discover talent like the woman who sang for Evita. She filmed her audition and sent it in.”
“Investing in theater does have its risks. But you’ll never have more fun. It’s something that you have ownership of. You’re a part owner of this team.”
“There was a time where a show either made its money or didn’t. There are so many other ways now that shows can make money offstage. It makes investing in theater more profitable.”
“You look at popular stars like Kristin Chenoweth or Julianna Margulies, even Bradley Cooper, all started in the theater.”
“Snooki hasn’t done Ice Man Cometh, but most do start in the theater.”
“If you can see yourself doing something else, than do that. If you can’t and theater is in your heart, then do it.”
Follow Hal @HalLuftig
JIM AUGUSTINE : Producer and media entrepreneur
“We need an overhaul of structure in the theater investment model. It’s been predicated in the past solely by angel investors.”
“Children of a Lesser God is coming back to Broadway. We’re looking at technologies that will be able to include the deaf audience we’re hoping to bring in.”
“Broadway’s become much more accessible—the international market has blown up from YouTube and social media.”
“Broadway is a brand. We have to embrace new media online and potentially in the theaters themselves. There’s resistance because it’s older than Methuselah.”
“You don’t control Broadway from one central office.”
“Find the place you want to be at in the world and find great mentors. I encourage the mentorship on Broadway.”
For questions: Jim@metamobilix.com
Join Randi and “Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg on SiriusXM” next week as she discusses Technology to Ease Parental Strain with the newest in tech. Only on SiriusXM Channel 111 Wednesdays at 9am PST/12EST.
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December 2, 2014
The Art of Self-Gifting
The holidays are perhaps the greatest example of how mothers put others before themselves. We’re so worried about finding the perfect gifts for our partners and kids, not to mention hosting an impeccable holiday dinner, that we hardly have time to think about what we want. This year, I propose we all get something for ourselves and not feel guilty about it. These four new home helpers are at the top of my wish list:
Nespresso’s compact, incredibly easy-to-use espresso maker ($129) has made getting out of bed so much easier. Purchase a machine, drop in a capsule, press a button and thirty seconds later, your coffee’s done. You receive consistently delicious espresso gained from an experience so simple, you may as well have installed a coffee faucet next to the sink.
It’s not cheap, but the Vitamix 5200 Standard ($449) promises to transform your kitchen. Given the limitless meals, drinks, and desserts this universal kitchen tool can create with the push of a button, getting dinner on the table will be a piece of cake. Best part? Kids go nuts for the healthy fruit smoothies and veggie soups this machine whips up in minutes.
There’s nothing worse than wanting to wear your favorite shirt to a party and realizing you don’t have time to do the laundry or send it out to the dry cleaners. Thankfully, there’s SWASH, a new clothing care system that refreshes garments one item at a time. Put your suit jacket, dress, or beloved blouse into the SWASH machine for ten minutes, and find it spruced up, wrinkle-free, and ready to wear.
Scrubbing shower grout is not fun. Handybook makes scheduling a house cleaning completely painless with its convenient online booking system. Head to the website and plug in your zip code, home specs and desired date and time. You’ll get an instant price quote and can then confirm your appointment and prepay through the site (tip, tax and supplies included). At your scheduled time, a friendly, fully insured and vetted maid will arrive to whip your place into shape.
Happy holidays to us!
By Randi Zuckerberg
This post is part of a branded collaboration with SWASH.
by The post The Art of Self-Gifting appeared first on Dot Complicated.
The holidays are perhaps the greatest example of how moth...
The holidays are perhaps the greatest example of how mothers put others before themselves. We’re so worried about finding the perfect gifts for our partners and kids, not to mention hosting an impeccable holiday dinner, that we hardly have time to think about what we want. This year, I propose we all get something for ourselves and not feel guilty about it. These four new home helpers are at the top of my wish list:
Nespresso’s compact, incredibly easy-to-use espresso maker ($129) has made getting out of bed so much easier. Purchase a machine, drop in a capsule, press a button and thirty seconds later, your coffee’s done. You receive consistently delicious espresso gained from an experience so simple, you may as well have installed a coffee faucet next to the sink.
It’s not cheap, but the Vitamix 5200 Standard ($449) promises to transform your kitchen. Given the limitless meals, drinks, and desserts this universal kitchen tool can create with the push of a button, getting dinner on the table will be a piece of cake. Best part? Kids go nuts for the healthy fruit smoothies and veggie soups this machine whips up in minutes.
There’s nothing worse than wanting to wear your favorite shirt to a party and realizing you don’t have time to do the laundry or send it out to the dry cleaners. Thankfully, there’s SWASH, a new clothing care system that refreshes garments one item at a time. Put your suit jacket, dress, or beloved blouse into the SWASH machine for ten minutes, and find it spruced up, wrinkle-free, and ready to wear.
Scrubbing shower grout is not fun. Handybook makes scheduling a house cleaning completely painless with its convenient online booking system. Head to the website and plug in your zip code, home specs and desired date and time. You’ll get an instant price quote and can then confirm your appointment and prepay through the site (tip, tax and supplies included). At your scheduled time, a friendly, fully insured and vetted maid will arrive to whip your place into shape.
Happy holidays to us!
By Randi Zuckerberg
This post is part of a branded collaboration with SWASH.
by The post appeared first on Dot Complicated.
December 1, 2014
The Double Edged Sword of Social Media
Social media has undoubtedly changed the world we live in today. In fact, it’s hard to imagine life without it now. It essentially revolutionized how we communicate and connect as a global society. Many have weighed in on the costs and benefits of social media and its’ impact on society, but one thing we can all agree upon is – it’s here to stay. I still believe face-to-face interactions and real life human connections should rein supreme, but when those are not possible, utilizing social media is the next best thing.
Times have dramatically changed in the last few decades; many people have to relocate and travel for employment, so it’s rare for one to stay in the same city they grew up in. Because of social media, many of us can easily stay connected with family and friends. I love that my family members and childhood friends are able to see my kids grow up via Facebook, when otherwise they would not get to see them at all.
Social media has helped so many people locate long lost relatives and has even reunited adoptees with their birth parents. It has also fostered global communities by creating special interest groups and support groups for anyone and everyone to join. How cool is it to have a network of millions of people right at your fingertips?
Another notable advantage is how social media can be used as a powerful platform for change and awareness. Because of our need as a society to share, information can be spread very quickly. Viral campaigns can be incredibly influential too. Some have raised millions of dollars for charities (The Ice Bucket Challenge), and another even assisted in freeing a man wrongly convicted of murder, (Ryan Ferguson) more than ten years ago. I’ve also even seen a popular food blogger (The Food Babe) get large corporations to take harmful ingredients out of their foods.
Social media definitely gives people a voice that can be heard, but unfortunately this is where it can turn destructive very quickly. Because information spreads so rapidly, it can easily turn into a virtual game of telephone. With each share of a story, it can become more and more fabricated. Between individual accounts and what journalists broadcast, it’s difficult to decipher between what’s the truth and what isn’t. Social media has also become a bully’s most valuable tool. Cyber bulling can destroy a reputation and a life, with the click of a button. Many feel more comfortable speaking boldly behind the iron curtain of their smart phone or computer screen. Just because you have a voice doesn’t mean you always need to exercise it, especially when it involves hurting someone else.
Social media also opens the door to stalking. I’m not talking about checking out an old flame to see if you’re better than their current love interest, I’m talking about genuine stalking. Know that people are watching you, regardless if there is a lot of activity on your page or not.
Because social media is an integrated part of our culture and future, it’s important to be mindful about sharing information and protecting yourself. Let’s keep social media the positive driving force that it was originally intended to be.
Here are some tips on how to do so:
If you wouldn’t say the comment to the individual’s face, you probably shouldn’t be writing it on their wall.
Show compassion.
Refrain from posting extremely personal information about you or your family.
Disable any Apps that show your location to protect your whereabouts.
Be genuine. The more authentic you are, the more of a positive influence you’ll be.
Refrain from posting when you’re away for extended periods of time. This let’s people know when your home will be vacant.
Remember, the more information you give the more you risk the opportunity of someone hacking your life.
Be sure all your security settings are set to private.
Do not accept friendship requests from people you don’t know or barely know.
Be sure your password is not one that is easily hacked, i.e. birthday, pets name, kids name, etc.
Don’t have the same password for everything. If one is figured out hackers will have access to all other accounts.
Don’t create false illusions. When all you see is happy and perfect, one thinks this is normal life.
Employers do check social media. An old colleague always told me to never be photographed with an alcoholic beverage in your hand.
Always remember people are watching and you can’t undo what has already been seen, so think carefully before posting.
Manage your screen time so you don’t miss out on important things. Enjoy life in real time.
By Holly Rust
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