Blog « Ramblin Jackson | a multimedia marketing + branding agency in Boulder, CO

Neighborland, Misophonia, and How to Scan .PDF’s on your Smart Phone

May 18th, 2012

Welcome to the 40th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films! You know, negative forty is the unique temperature at which the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales correspond; that is, −40°F = −40°C. It is referred to as either “minus forty” or “forty below”. And that is fitting because today’s show is going to be extra cool.

Neighborland, a startup with connections to Boulder, raises $1.2M

Have you ever wanted to network with people in your neighborhood…without leaving your house? Well, soon you may be able to thanks to Neighborland, a social network for neighbors… Neighborland, which has offices in Boulder and New Orleans, is developing a social network for people to collaborate with others in their neighborhoods, districts and cities. Neighborland recently raised $1.2 million dollars.

BREAKING NEWS: Lyons Man Catches His First Trout Fly Fishing!

In other news, a man in Lyons caught his first trout fly fishing last weekend. Officials say that the fish was so big that when it’s picture was taken, it shrank with fear. Or maybe it wasn’t that big…

RAMBLIN JACKSON’S REALLY REMARKABLE REPORT – MISOPHONIA!

We all have sounds we don’t enjoy – the dentist’s drill, a nagging spouse or a child whining. But what if those sounds literally made you sick…?

Emma Riehl suffers from misophonia – or “hatred of sound.” She tells ABC News that everyday sounds – like someone with a cold sniffling – can send “shockwaves of anxiety” through her nerves. Unfortunately there is no known cure for misophonia, but most people afflicted with it learn to cope. So, the next time you’re annoyed by that construction site or loud cellphone talker, be thankful it’s not enough to make you physically ill. And speaking of annoying sounds – what are a few of your least favorite noises – let us know in the comments!

WOODLEY’S WEEKLY WONDERMENT

This week, Chris explores a bit of the unknown…spooky…

How to Scan .PDFs on your Smart Phone

Speaking of misophonia, if you’re anything like me, you have mild anxiety when people ask you to fax them things. Even the thought of the sound of dialup Internet makes me sick… Luckily, faxing, or even scanning documents, is a thing of the past thanks to a couple of sweet mobile apps.

Genius Scan, a free iPhone App, allows you to take a picture of a paper and convert it instantly into a .pdf or .jpegs. This is perfect for scanning agreements, or even recipes. Afterwards, you can even save it in Google Docs if you’re really neat.

Genius Scan will soon be available for Android (who cares?). In the meantime, check out Handy Scanner if you’re on Android.

Join us at Small Business Week in Denver and Boulder next week!

Join us with Constant Contact for our Small Business Week presentation. We’ll be raffling off a free mobile website, so you’ll definitely want to be there! Learn more about that at ramblinjackson.com/events. That’s all the time we have for this week. Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you next Friday!

Castle Rock named “Large Community of the Year”, Tweets in Outer Space, & Google Docs App for iPad

May 11th, 2012

Welcome to the 39th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films. We now have as many episodes as people who signed the U.S. Constitution! Go America!

News Report – Castle Rock Wins “Large Community of the Year” Award

The Economic Development Council of Colorado recently named the winner of their “Large Community of the Year” award to be Castle Rock. With the recent addition of a number of small businesses around Castle Rock, including one of our favorite clients, Smart Cow Yogurt Bar, the Council had no choice but to give the award to Castle Rock, claiming that the city took significant steps to improve the business climate and increased the their value to site selectors, business owners, developers and residents. The Large Community of the Year Award is only eligible for communities with a population of 20,000 or higher and comes down to the economic development achieved throughout the year. Congratulations, Castle Rock on this award, but I think Boulder may take it next year. What do you think?

Ramblin Jackson’s Really Remarkable Report – Tweets in Outer Space!

Isn’t it about time your tweets were seen…by another planet?! Visionaries Scott Keldall and Nathaniel Stern have been coming up with creative ways to use social media and the internet for a while, but they may have outdone themselves this time. The two of them plan on sending a series of tweets to the nearest planet that’s thought to have the potential to support life. The planet that will be receiving these tweets is known as GJ667Cc, and it’s only 164 trillion miles away. If you’re hoping to get your 140 character message into the hands of an extraterrestrial, all you have to do is end a tweet with the hashtag #tweetsinspace. Keldall and Stern hope to gather all of these tweets by the time the next International Symposium of Electronic Art comes around this summer, and then they’re off to space! After that, we just have to hope GJ667Cc also has Twitter, and if it’s inhabited by intelligent life like some have theorized, then we can probably assume they do. What kind of message would you send into space? Let us know in the comments! And if you haven’t already, follow us on Twitter @ramblinjackson

NEW SEGMENT! Woodley’s Weekly Wonderment

You’ve asked for it, and now, dog gone it, you’re going to get it. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Woodley.

Pro Tip – GoDocs iPad App for Google Docs

From writing scripts and proposals, to collaborating with our clients on their marketing plans — we use Google Docs for just about everything at Ramblin Jackson. We also like using iPads when we’re out of the office at meetings or at video shoots, but Google Docs and the iPad don’t like to play nice… until now.

Over the past few weeks I’ve tried a few different iPad apps to edit Google Docs, and I finally found one that I like called GoDocs. Although using this app doesn’t have all the functionality of using a google Docs through a desktop browser, it’s still a major improvement from accessing Google Docs through Safari.

GoDocs works great on the iPhone too. I like using Google Docs on my iPhone for my beef stroganoff recipe. Do you do that too? Let me know on Facebook.

GoDocs is available in the app store for $4.99. What are some of your favorite productivity apps? Let us know! Oh, Boy! I’m wrote this script on the iPad!

Small Business Week – May 22nd and 23rd

Join us for our Small Business Week presentation with Constant Contact on May 22nd in Denver and on May 23rd in Boulder. More details at RamblinJackson.com/events

Have a great weekend, and let us know what you thought of today’s show in the comments!

How to Create Facebook Video Ads, Australian Penguin Thieves, and Startup Colorado

May 4th, 2012

Welcome to the 38th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films! Chris, did you know that Colorado was the 38th State to join the union? It’s true!

News Report – Startup Colorado

It looks like that Boulder entrepreneurial spirit may be catching on all across the Front Range soon thanks to a group called Startup Colorado.

Startup Colorado’s main focus is promoting entrepreneurs along Colorado’s Front Range by taking some of the lessons Boulder entrepreneurs have learned and sharing them with Denver, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. Boulder has been noted for its tech-savviness and multitude of successful startup companies, even being featured in a recent New York Times article with the headline “A Magnet for High Tech Startups.” Among the group’s initial goals are to get entrepreneurs across the Front Range connected with successful entrepreneurs from Boulder, as well as starting a summer camp in Boulder for college students from around the state who want to learn about what it takes to start a company. If you think this could lead to some exciting opportunities, you can learn more at their website.

Ramblin Jackson’s Really Remarkable Report – Penguin Stolen in Australia!

It appears that two Brits down in Australia have created their own version of the popular movie “The Hangover.” However, instead of stealing a tiger, they stole a penguin.

After a night out drinking the two tourists, accompanied by a third member they had met earlier, broke into an Australian Sea World late at night where they proceeded to go swimming with dolphins, throw a fire extinguisher into a shark tank, and steal a penguin that they took back with them to their apartment. And how did they get caught? By taking video of themselves, and throwing it up on Facebook! The two tourists got off each with a fine of 1,000 Australian dollars and a written letter of apology to Seaworld, and their Australian friend now faces a criminal trespass charge. I think we’ve all wanted to go swimming with the dolphins and thought about having a penguin as a pet, but I don’t know if this is the way to go about it.

Have you ever had a wild night out with some buddies? Tell us about it in the comments below. Actually, on second thought, you probably shouldn’t.

Pro Tip – How to Create A Facebook Video Ad

Have you tried Facebook advertising yet? We’ve had great results running Facebook ad campaigns for our clients, and one of our secrets is using Videos in our ads. But creating a video ad on Facebook is kind of tricky. Here’s how it’s done.

1) To create a Video Ad on Facebook, you must first make a Status Update with a Video attached to it.

2) After you’ve made your Status Update with the Video, click on “Create an Ad” under the “Build Audience” tab.

3) Next, select your Fan Page, and then click on “A specific Post”

4) Click on “Choose a Page post,” and then select the Status Update you made with the video.

Proceed with the creating the rest of yoru Facebook ad as you normally would. If this is your first time experimenting with Facebook ads, feel free to ask us a question, or check out the Facebook Advertising Tutorial.

Be sure to join us for our Facebook Marketing presentation at Small Business Week with Constant Contact on Tuesday, May 22nd at the PPA Center in Denver, and on Wednesday, May 23rd at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder. Learn more about that at Ramblin Jackson.com/events

That’s all the time we have for today. See you next week!

Let us know what you think should call Chris Woodley’s segment in the comments!

US Politics on Facebook, Giant Nintendo Controller Coffee Table, and How To Make Better LinkedIn Requests

April 27th, 2012

Welcome to the 37th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films! Seeing as 37 is a prime number, we’ll try to give you guys a prime episode.

In the News – Facebook and US Politics

We all use Facebook to check out the latest deals or to scope our friends’ pictures from Spain, but how many of you realized the potential it holds politics? Did you know that both of our Colorado Senators and all of our US Representatives are currently active on Facebook, where they often post about issues they feel strongly about and other content related to the happenings in Congress? Currently, Senator Mark Udall has the most Facebook likes out of the group, with a little over 8,600. However, this doesn’t come close to US Rep Paul Ryan, from Wisconsin, who has over 96,000 likes! So what do you think about this recent trend of politicians using Facebook? Do you think it’s a great way to stay in touch with your politicians as an outlet to speak directly to them? Or do you feel politics should have no place in Facebook? Let us know in the comments!

Ramblin Jackson’s Really Remarkable Report – Giant Nintendo Controller Coffee Table!

Remember the original Nintendo controller? The one with the directional pad on the left and two buttons on the right. Did you ever wish it was a little bit bigger? Well now, thanks to a company called The Boho Workbench from Venice, California, it’s a LOT bigger. That’s because they have designed a coffee table that doubles as a fully functioning Nintendo controller. The table measures at 42”x18.5”x18” and just one of the buttons is as big as your entire hand! Since we’re talking about the 80’s, this all kind of reminds me of that giant keyboard in the movie Big with Tom Hanks. Did you like that movie? Well, anyways, this table comes with a large piece of glass to rest on top of the controller for those times when you just want to use it as a coffee table. As of right now this unique table costs $3,500 and only is compatible with the original Nintendo Entertainment System. However, a version is currently being designed that would be compatible with the Wii as well. How many of you had or have the original Nintendo? If you do, would you be interested in this multi-function table? Let us know in the comments!

Pro Tip: Always Include a Personal Message with Your LinkedIn Requests!

To make the most of sending requests to new people on Facebook or LinkedIn, always include a personal message that qualifies why you’re reaching out to the person, where you met, and so on. This will make them more likely to accept the request, and more importantly, to reply.

But don’t stop just connecting with people on LinkedIn, use it to learn more about your potential customers before meeting with them. If you’re working with other business owners or decision makers, connecting with them on LinkedIn can help you a) learn more about them so you’re prepared for your meeting and b) show them that you’re qualified for the service you’re offering by having them read your testimonials. Regularly ask your customers for LinkedIn recommendations to help keep your profile up to date. And of course, remember to write reviews for people you’ve done business with too.

Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Tune in next week for something extra special. I can’t tell you what it is, but I know you’re going to Like it. In the meantime, if you send Chris Woodley a request on LinkedIn, make sure you include a personal message. It drives him nuts when you don’t.

Have a great weekend! See you next week.

Let us know what you think below in the comments or on Facebook!

The Social Madness challenge… What is the name of Twitter’s bird? And how to grow your email list

April 20th, 2012

Welcome to the 36th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films. We hope everybody is in…good spirits…today, the 20th of April.

News Report – the Social Madness challenge!

Did you know that only 19 and a half percent of all small business websites have a link to a Facebook page? And even fewer have a link to a Twitter or Linkedin page. With this astonishing fact in mind, the Denver Business Journal has teamed up with its parent company, American City Business Journals, to create the Social Madness challenge. Social Madness pits local businesses against each other in bracket-style competition to see who can garner the most social media interaction through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and clicks on bizjournals.com. The local winners will go on to compete against other local winners from all across the country. So, for all you small local businesses it’s time to embrace social media and enter the madness!

Ramblin Jackson’s Really Remarkable Report – What Is the Name of Twitter’s Bird?

By now you’ve all got a Twitter, right? Right?! But have you ever looked at that little blue bird that you see all across twitter and wondered what his name is? Recently, a twitter employee let us all in on what the avian logo likes to go by. Last chance to guess. It’s Larry. Larry the Bird. Why Larry? You may ask. It’s not named after Google co-founder Larry Page, although that would be fitting, seeing as Google has been indicating a desire to acquire Twitter. No, the name Larry actually comes from Boston Celtics basketball legend, Larry Bird. It turns out Twitter founder, Biz Stone, actually grew up right outside of Boston idolizing Larry Bird. So, when the bird logo was developed it was only natural to associate “Bird” with “Larry.” So, did you know the name of the Twitter bird? If not, what did you guess its name was? Let us know in the comments!

Pro Tip - Grow Your List

Have a branded signupsheet for your Email Marketing at your check-out, and train your sales people to ask your customers if they’d like to join the list. Ask and ye shall receive!

Post your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook Page. Have a great weekend!

How to Get paid for your Social Media influence, Airbag Bike Helmets, and Facebook Check-In Deals for Local Business

April 13th, 2012

Welcome to the 35th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films. You may be wondering why you’re looking at a still frame of me — well, it’s Friday the 13th, and some spooky stuff is happening over here. Somehow we lost the intro to the show, and my friend opened her computer to find a spider in it. That’s spooky stuff, so be careful, America.

We’d like to say thank you to Jan Summers, Andrea Vahl and Lisa McAlister for donating to our Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser campaign last week and helping me get out of “jail”!

Get Paid for your Social Media Following with Wingsplay

Isn’t it time you cashed in on all your Facebook friends and Twitter followers? Well now, through a company called Wingsplay, you can. Wingsplay is a start-up company that allows you to get paid for sharing video ads with your social network. This will work on a “per click” basis, so the more influence you have in the Twitterverse or amongst your Facebook friends, the more likely you are to get paid. But this isn’t simply spamming Facebook and Twitter with tons of advertisements, they are designed to be videos that people actually enjoy watching. Founder Olivier Lasry stressed that he only “wants ads to be funny, gripping, cause-related or clever” What do you think of this idea? Would you be willing to earn a little cash in order to share an ad that you thought was funny or interesting? Let us know in the comments.

Ramblin Jackson’s Really Remarkable Report – Airbag Bike Helmets

Are you a cyclist AND a fashionista? A bicycle helmet may be a lifesaver, but it’s hard to coordinate your outfit with that bulky thing. However, it appears our friends up in Scandinavia have figured out a way to protect your head, without committing any fashion faux paus. A company called Hovding has designed a collar meant to be worn around the neck while bicycling. What’s so special about this collar? Sensors inside the collar will deploy a hood-shaped airbag around the head any time an irregular motion, such as a swerve or bump, are detected. This airbag is inflated by a tiny gas inflator within the collar. But the best part, for all you fashion-conscious ladies out there, is that while the collar is not being deployed as an airbag, it has the appearance of a stylish scarf.

Pro Tip: How to Facebook Create Check-In Deals

This week’s pro tip is for those of you who have a local business. If people come into your store, ask them to Check-In on Facebook with their smartphone. Here’s why: when someone “Checks In” on their phone, their Friends see that they’ve checked into your business. Having your customers promote you in this way is the bees knees, and getting started is easy.

Simply click on Edit Page under the Manage tab at the top of your Page. In the left column, click on Deals, and then follow the instructions to create your Check-In deal.

Now that you’ve created your Deal, promote it in your store with flyers in your window, at check out, or even in the bathroom!

Well that’s all the time we have for today. We have a workshop in Denver next Wednesday afternoon Facebook + Email Marketing. There are only 5 seats left — and if you purchase your ticket today, I”ll give you a free copy of the constant contact guide to email marketing. RamblinJackson.com/events

Muscular Dystrophy Association Fundraiser, The Odds of Getting Struck By Lightening, and Oyster

April 6th, 2012

Donate to our MDA Fundraiser today!

Welcome to the 34th feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films! This feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films is being presented from “jail!” And no, they never caught me for my series of daring train robberies, I’m actually here for a fundraiser benefitting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Muscular Dystrophy refers to a series of genetic disorders that cause the gradual weakening of muscles in the body. Roughly 30,000 people in the United States are affected by Muscular Dystrophy, so help the cause whenever you can!

News Report – Custommade.com

Do you have that perfect coffee table in mind? The one made of marble and shaped like your head? Or maybe you’re envisioning a necklace, but can’t find what you want at your local jewelry store. Luckily, there’s a new website to help.

CustomMade.com is an e-commerce site that acts as a marketplace for customized and personalized goods of all types. Once you’ve requested the type of item you want, the site helps you get in touch with small, specialized businesses across the country who will help turn the fantasy object you’re envisioning into a reality. And don’t be surprised when this site blows up fast, as big time investors such as Google Ventures and First Round Capital have been eyeing it very closely!

Really Remarkable Report – Man Gets Struck By Lightening

Remember last week’s record setting Mega Millions lottery? Did you buy a ticket hoping to quit your day job and live out the rest of your days on a private island as a millionaire? I bet when you didn’t win you felt pretty unlucky…but not as unlucky as Bill Isles from Wichita, Kansas…Bill, who bought three lottery tickets prior to the winner being announced, reportedly said to his friend, “I’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning the lottery.” And guess what happened to Bill later that night? He got struck by lightning. Bill’s doing fine after the incident (despite not winning) but it just goes to show that luck is all relative. And just to put this all into perspective, and prove Bill’s initial theory correct, the odds of winning last week’s lottery were said to be 176 million to one. The odds of getting struck by lightning in a year? 775,000 to one.

PRO TIP - Travel with Oyster.com

Summer vacation time is rapidly approaching and some of you are probably already making plans! These days, there are many great travel sites to help book flights, find rental cars and analyze hotels. One of the best we’ve found for the hotels part is Oyster.com. Promoted as “The Hotel Tell-All,” one of the main differences with Oyster is that – instead of aggregating hundreds of hotel reviews from the public at large – they dispatch their own professional reviewers to stay in, write about and photograph each property. One of their most popular features is a “marketing vs. reality” section showing how some hotels use dishonest photography to make their properties look MUCH better than reality! Otherwise, you’ll find standard features like maps and ratings. But the main thing that really sets Oyster apart for us is the hundreds of useful, non-retouched photographs they take of each property! Showing you great detail of the rooms, amenities, restaurants and surroundings. And, like many other hotel sites, you can also check pricing and availability from top players like Orbitz, Hotels.com and Priceline. So, whether you’re researching a vacation of a lifetime or just a quick getaway, we highly recommend Oyster.com to really see what a hotel property is made of – both inside and out.

Oyster also recently released a beautiful new iPad app that’s one of the most useful we’ve seen. If you have an iPad, check it out! That’s all the time we have for this week’s show. I’m hoping to be “bailed out” of “jail” here soon. In the meantime, please check out the MDA’s website and consider helping them in their mission to end Muscular Dystrophy.

That’s all the time we have for this week’s show. I’m hoping to be “bailed out” of “jail” here soon. In the meantime, please check out the MDA’s website and consider helping them in their mission to end Muscular Dystrophy.

Post your thoughts below or on Facebook.

Facebook Timeline for Pages, Tapose iPad App, and Wind Map

March 30th, 2012

News Report – Tapose Split Screen iPad App

For those of you with iPads, do you ever wish it had the functionality to work on more than one thing – on the same screen – at the same time? Well then, your day might be here…

A new app, called Tapose´ provides split-screen functionality to the iPad using a “Slide Bar” feature that separates the screen into two separate areas for apps. You can also store items like maps, notes, and images in the middle bar to easily move content from one side of the screen to the other. For example: The app’s promotional page explains you can “Drag addresses to Maps for directions” or “Drag and drop from Safari” into a document. Pretty cool and it could take the iPad one step closer to being a laptop replacement for many users.

Ramblin Jackson Really Remarkable Report – Wind Map

With all of the wind lately across the front range, have you ever wondered what the wind patterns look like across the United States? Some scientists at Google did and it’s actually pretty interesting…

VO: The new project went live on Wednesday, called simply Wind Map. The wind information, updated hourly from the National Weather Service’s forecast database, is portrayed as white and grey strands, almost like hair. It’s actually somewhat hypnotizing to watch the winds whip across the American continent, over mountains and through the plains. Check it out for yourself at: http://hint.fm/wind/.

PRO TIP – Facebook Timeline for Pages

Thank you all for responding to our question in last week’s feature when we asked if you liked our pro tips. Those of you who responded said that you found the pro tips helpful, so we’ll continue giving them. And without further adieu, this week’s pro tip is for switching your business Facebook Page to the new Timeline format.

Facebook Announced several weeks ago that pages must make the switch to the new timeline format by March 30th… which is today. To help you make the most of this switchover, here are X tips for timeline:

1) Use a great photo or create a compelling graphic for your Cover Photo. The specs for the cover photo are 850px by 315px.
For your cover photo you could

use a photo of your company
create a graphic of with your mission statement
use a photo of your storefront during sunrise
Or really anything visually interesting. But remember, your cover photo can’t have any calls to action on it…

2) For your profile pic, use an image, such as your logo, that looks great at 180 x 180 pixels and also looks great when it’s shrunken down to 32 X 32 pixels.

3) Create graphic that is 843 x 403px for your important milestones. Milestones are posts that stay up at the top of your timeline. (USE FOXCREEK GRAPHIC)

And our fourth tip is to not worry too much about Timeline… or Facebook for that matter. Focus on getting your taxes done on time, and with that, here’s a special guest tip from Nancy, our bookkeeper at BookIt Bookkeeping.

OneID Password System and Nokia’s Magnetic Tattoos

March 23rd, 2012

Welcome to the 32nd feature of Friday’s Informal Facebook Films! That’s as many as a full set of teeth in a human! Also a shout out to March birthdays. Chris Woodley’s was on the 1st, mine is on Sunday, and our intern, Nate’s, is tomorrow!

News Report – OneID Password Tool

Are you like us, and have more usernames and passwords than you can count on both hands…and feet?! Or are you one of those people who make every password, password? Well luckily, it looks like a solution has arrived to this username password overload. A company called “OneID” has created a way to login to anything previously requiring a username and password with one simple click. No longer would you have to enter usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or billing information more than one time for everything. Worried about security? OneID has no centralized data storage, making it extremely difficult for hackers to access your confidential information. The way it works is, a user logins from a computer using OneID, and then verifies the login either with a second device of theirs, such as a smartphone, or with a pin that you choose. The pin, however is not centrally stored, so hackers won’t be able to gain access to it. So, what do you think of this idea? Do you feel the weight of a million usernames and passwords bearing down on you? Would your life be made simpler with a one-click-does-all system? Let us know in the comments.

Ramblin Jackson’s Really Remarkable Tattoo – Nokia’s Special Tattoo Ink

When is a tattoo more than just a tattoo? When it also receives calls! Nokia has developed a special ink containing magnets that vibrates when you are receiving a phone call. So now, when you’re deciding to use your body as a canvass for a permanent work of art, do it with this stuff. It would work by having your phone send out a series of magnetic pulses that would be received by the ink that would, in turn, start vibrating. The vibrations could even be customized depending on who is calling or texting you. No longer would “I didn’t feel my phone on vibrate in my pocket” be a valid excuse for missing a call. But we may start hearing people walk out of meetings saying, “Excuse me, I think my tattoo is ringing.”

Pro Tip – Do you like our pro tips?

We don’t have a pro tip this week… because we don’t know if you like them? What would you like to see in our pro tips? How can we help you? Let us know in the comments.

That’s all the time we have for today. We hope you have a great weekend, and look forward to seeing you next Friday! Let us know what you think in the comments below or on our Facebook Page.