Posts Tagged ‘photos’

Posted on November 29, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

The 7 most popular photos on Instagram, there’s more than lol cats!

Instagram the fun easy iPhone photo sharing application is a hit for professional photographers, bloggers, and just about anyone who loves to take photos using their iPhone. I’ve been using it heavily over the past few months, but more often when I started posting movember photos. Since then my Instagram activity has increased tremendously and I’m enjoying seeing amazing photos from friends and others around the world.

Still, like any online or mobile community, after joining you will start to see a few trends. One trend for Instagram is cat photos but there are lot more than cats being posted. Here are the five popular photos you’ll find people sharing on Instagram.

1. City scenery

2. Babies

3. Food

4. Coffee cups

5. Cars

6. Dogs

7. Nature

8. Cats

There’s also a lot of face photos of mostly women that are show up fast on the popular photos section.

If you use Instagram what are some the photo trends that you have seen?

Instagram

Posted on July 2, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

The unofficial check-in guidelines for using location-based services

Location-based services continue to be the hot topic of the marketing and tech space. New location-based apps are launching weekly and existing location based apps are growing their user base faster than you can check-in into to @starbucks. But with everyone checking into to what everyone is called the next big thing I think it’s time for some unofficial guidelines for checking in using a few of the popular location based services.

Below are a few guidelines for using  location-based services.

Adding locations:

• Add real locations only
• Add as much information about the location as possible (address, phone, web, tags)
• You can add events/virtual locations if they have been approved by the organizer
• Don’t add fake mobile locations (someone’s boots, paints or computers)
• It’s ok to add a location that’s or check into a location that’s close to your home and check in there instead of your home.

When to check-in

• Walking or driving to a location if it’s in visible eye sight
• When you’re leaving location
• While at a location
• Don’t share too many check-ins with your other social networks or they will unfollow/friend you.

Places you should think twice about checking into:

• Banks
• Courts
• Jail
• Strip clubs
• Bathrooms
• Police Stations
• Day care centers
• Schools
• Your Home

Check-ins that shouldn’t count

• Walking by stores in the mall or at outside venues
• Driving by locations
• Parking lot check-ins where you don’t actually go into the location but you see it.

Adding Photos to locations:

• No porn photos using location-based apps
• Food photos are ok 95% of the time
• Post photos that can show where you’re at or what you’re doing

Leaving Reviews and tips:

• Leave honest reviews and tips about your experience
• Don’t spam by promoting another businesses in a review or tip
• Don’t insult people or leave private information in tips.

Adding Friends:

• Decide how you’re going to use location-based apps first
• Optional: Accept every friend request
• Optional: Block everyone except family members
• Optional: Only accept friend request form people who you know and trust

Choosing a Location-based service

• Pick one that works great with your mobile device
• Pick one that your local community uses
• Try them all at least once
• Pick one that rewards you for using the service.

Check-in Specials:

• Take advantage of as many check-in specials as possible before everyone else does
• Don’t over brag that you received a free cup of coffee for checking in or you’re on top of the leader-board or received a few badges. (most of your friends don’t care)
• It’s ok to let your social graph know that you received a check-in special

No stalking…. PERIOD!

Also see @Whrrl’s community guidelines

for digg: ab994cd58c0940429bd1b8cc2d4ecc74

Did I leave anything out? What are some rules/guildes you would like to see people implement using location-based services?

Posted on June 22, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

Can the Biltmore Estate use social media to enhance their offline experience? Photos and recap from the blogger outreach trip.

Last week I had the opportunity to be one the invited guest to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC for their Biltmore blogger outreach and social media event. I was joined by my wife @LaToyamsutton along with about 8 other bloggers and their families. The event was organized by Biltmore’s Corporate Communications Manager, Jean Sexton @injeanius and some of the other bloggers who attended were @RealLifeSarah @IlinaP @StacieinAtlanta @pensieverobin @JenniferPerillo @mantripping @ManTripping @connerty. It was great to meet everyone and catch up with a few who I’ve known already.

Jean Sexton @injeanius

The goal of the blogger outreach was to increase exposure to new audiences through the use of social media and build relationships with those invited as the Biltmore estate looks as using new tools and online technology to increase visitation and over all sales. During our visit we had a full schedule and had the opportunity to stay in the Inn on Biltmore hotel that was open in 2001. Outside of the Biltmore House tour itself some of the other scheduled plans for the bloggers were:
Blogger group dinner at Cedric’s (one of their newly open restaurants)
Biltmore House (audio tour) & Gardens
Biltmore House “Friends & Family” Specialty Tour w/Museum Services
Biltmore House Rooftop Specialty Tour for spouse/family members
Dinner at the Bistro restaurant
Land Rover Driving Experience Adventure
Lunch at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village

The overall experience at the Biltmore Estate was wonderful, full of learning, history, walking, relaxation and lots of great food, especially the desserts. I learned a lot about George Vanderbilt who is the mastermind behind the famous Biltmore House, along with his vision for the house as a get away from the fast city life and how the Biltmore Estate continues to be a thriving business today. I won’t go into too much detail as I encourage you to plan a trip to Biltmore Estate if you have the opportunity. Tip, if you visit the house make sure you go on the audio tour as you’ll learn a lot more.

After one of the dinners, I had a chance to talk with Kathleen Mosher, Director of Communications of the Biltmore Estate about how they could use social media with their existing marketing efforts. We discussed the some of the challenges and opportunities the Biltmore has, as the world continues to move to become more digital/gadget friendly but yet socially connected online. Here are some of the “nuggets” from the conversation.

Some of the Challenges and Opportunities of the Biltmore House using social media/new technology for marketing:

• The Biltmore House goal is to get people to drive and visit the Biltmore house along with promote and sell their other services.
• You can not take pictures or videos inside the house
• Connect and build a relationship with the hundreds of visitors they have each day
• Find a way to tell more about the history and experience of the Biltmore House online without feeling as though you could lose sales.
• Training hundreds of employees if you implement more digital interactions and tools
• Measuring/tracking content from visitors online
• Implementing an offline social marketing plan to build a relationship with visitors online for pre and post engagement
• Find a way to connect with visitors while they’re on the property such as twitter followers and/or Facebook fans/likes, flickr friends, etc
• Encourage more user generated content and feature it on Biltmore more online properties
• Create self guided mobile tours via mobile applications and/or QR/Bar-codes

After leaving the Biltmore Estate, we had the opportunity to meet Sherida Buchanan @Foodtopia at the Corner Kitchen @CornerKitchen for lunch. During lunch we were treated to some of the best pork chops and chocolate I’ve ever tasted and learned about the http://www.brewscruise.com/in Asheville (#idontdrink). We were also told about how awesome Asheville is and how they support one another by purchasing food from local vendors.

Regardless of what happens next or the results from the Biltmore blogger outreach I believe they’re on the right track and I’m excited to see what they do next online and offline. To Jean, the entire staff from the communications department to the tour guides, thank you for an awesome experience.

FYI I took over 100 photos during the three day venture and you can see them below via flickr.

The Biltmore Company
828-225-6709
www.biltmore.com
www.facebook.com/biltmore
www.twitter.com/BiltmoreEstate
The Biltmore House on TriOut

*Disclosure: “Biltmore invited me as their guest. My travel, admission and other expenses will be covered.”

How would you like to see the Biltmore Estate use social media?

Posted on February 2, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

Breaking: New iPhone app @SquarePik allows pictures and video uploads to @FourSquare

I just wanted to use the word “breaking” in a blog post, it sounds exciting right? Sorry about that. Either way the big news is there’s a new iPhone app on the way that will allow you to upload photos and videos to FourSquare. How you ask? Well, the iPhone app called SquarePik. SquarePik is created by Florida based startups Thirtynine and Pikchur and uses FourSquare API to post. The way the iPhone app works is a very simple. You login with your FourSquare email address or phone number. After signing in you’ll see list of recent FourSquare activity from your friends. There’s a places button that will use FourSquare’s API to find locations nearby. After you select a location, then you click the icon to upload media which can be either existing media or taken on the spot. Next SquarePik will check you into the location and post links to the uploaded media inside of FourSquare and send links to your social profiles such as Twitter & Facebook status updates if you have those options enabled in your FourSquare settings.

Why is SquarePik important? Well in the very competitive location based app market, apps such as Whrrl, Brightkite, TriOut and Yelp provides a way for users to upload a pictures but Foursquare has yet to implement such features. Now with SquarePik not only does it allow Foursquare users to send media to there networks but if FourSquare was thinking about adding media uploads, SquarePik has developed the app to show them how. Note there are a few more features to SquarePik but I’ll let you find them out once the app is released. I don’t have a release date for the app but be sure to follow @Squarepik on Twitter for updates and a big thanks/congrats to Davide Di Cillo @DavideDiCillo of Thirtynine along with Pikchur team for allowing me to test the app.

The Pitch:
SquarePik is an easy way to add photos and videos to your foursquare check-ins. It will also show you all photos and videos that were dropped at a venue.
URL: http://squarepik.com
Twitter: @SquarePik
SquarePik is a joint venture between Pikchur Inc. and 39llc.

Would you use this app?

Posted on September 22, 2009 - by Wayne Sutton

Personal branding: Making your avatar/profile photo standout from the rest. It's the photographer

In a day in time where you’re likely to see Twitter avatars ranging from chin-poses, charity support banners and bikinis, having an avatar that matches throughout your social networks is not a personal branding law but its recommended. But does that mean you need to hire a professional photographer just for a headshot for you to post on your Twitter or Facebook profile? No, but find a few friends from your local flickr photo meetup group or the friend who’s always traveling with their digital camera and ask them to take a quick photo of you. For instance a few of my Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and my online friends on the West Coast are really great photographers who have helped brand profile avatars or profiles for some of the web who’s who and my personal friends. Here are a few awesome profile photos below.

Bio head-shots for Twitter avatars

Photo taken by Don Hazelwood

Photo taken by Brian Solis

Facebook Profiles

Facebook photos taken by Jeff Cohen

Special Case: Self Portrait with photoshop skills
Photo taken by Chris Owens

As for the “personal branding” tip; having an awesome, rememberable photo across social networks are easy to identify and can assist in separating you from the rest of the average avatars or profile photos on the web. Therefore making you memorable ref. to 1918′s blog post “Being memorable“.

When was the last time you updated your avatar or profile photo on Facebook or Twitter? Who took your last profile photo?