Category: Blog
Happy World Emoji Day!
We ❤️ emojis! Which one is YOUR favourite?
Since the early days of the internet, Emoji’s have been the best way to transmit emotion in the written medium. As internet technology advanced, so did the use of the emoji. Simple text symbols turned into a full-fledged animated series. The best part about emojis is that we’ve all used them at some point. World Emoji day celebrates the history of these emotional expressions and encourages us all to be exceptionally emotive. After all, communicating your feelings in written form can be difficult so why not inject some fun? Long ago the world used to communicate in images, before alphabetic languages were developed, and now in the modern age we’re back to using them again.
To celebrate World Emoji Day, Blab is hosting a simple online contest and giving away three emoji swag packs with tattoos, air fresheners and stickers. Visit our Facebook page for more information!
FUN FACT: The date of Emoji Day honours the date shown on the iOS Calendar Emoji (July 17).
YQG Celebrates Social Media Day 2017
Launched by multimedia company Mashable in 2010, Social Media Day celebrates social media’s impact on global communication. Friday, June 30th, 2017 marks the eighth-annual official global celebration. Join us and a host of amazing local sponsors at Lanspeary Lions Outdoor Rink at Lanspeary Park – 1250 Langlois Avenue in Windsor from 11am-1:50pm on Friday, June 30th. This location has a roof, so we’re covered, rain or shine!
WEtech Alliance, a non-profit organization helping accelerate tech-based companies in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, along with its Social Media Superheroes – a peer-to-peer group of over 30 local social media superheroes that represent a cross-section of our community, including school boards, the media, non-profit organizations and businesses – will once again be celebrating the occasion with their 7th annual Community Chalk Tweet, with this year’s theme centred around Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation.
WEtech Alliance has partnered with Windsor-Essex municipalities including City of Windsor and Town of Lakeshore, organizations and businesses including Cypher Systems Group, Motor City Community Credit Union and Strong Body Yoga & Fitness and media partners including Windsor Star,AM800 CKLW and CTV Windsor to make this a fun, FREE, community event open to all residence and visitors in Windsor-Essex.
The event will feature a giant outline of the Canada 150 logo painted on the ground by local artist DERKZ, with the community invited to fill in the outline by using chalk to draw and/or write their favourite things about Canada, Windsor and Essex County.
Participants will then be encouraged to snap a picture of their creation and upload it to social media using the official hashtag #SMdayYQG. #YQG and#SMday are also encouraged secondary hashtags.
The event will feature a soundtrack of music from local artists; an aerial drone powered by DarkRoast Digital to capture the footage of the artwook being created below; free snacks compliments of The Hub Powered operated by Samantha Buhler, Blab Media and Parker DKI; a free Canada 150 t-shirt from Hogans Printing to the first 150 attendees; a celebration of Canadian Innovation through the CANnovation project and other Canadian themed giveaways compliments of the Windsor Express, Rogues Gallery Comics and Playdium 5 Pin Bowling and the Stilt Guys will be on hand to entertain the crowd in a big way!
For more info about Windsor’s free Social Media Day celebration, you can visit the official website at http://smdayyqg.com/
Windsor Women In Business Show
Last night was fantastic! I spent the evening in a room full of incredibly passionate and motivated female business owners. From clothing and accessories to handmade items, medical services and beyond, the Windsor Yacht Club was bustling with energy. I met so many great women, learned about some pretty cool businesses and even enjoyed a cocktail. Blab was proud to be a sponsor providing free (and blue) #girlboss cocktails to attendees, a door prize and goodies for the 50 vendors.
While the event only lasted a few hours, I was able to catch up with some friends and meet some people I’ve only ever chatted with on social media. I discovered some cool new products, businesses and people as I walked through the vendor space enjoying my delicious blue cocktail.
Crossing my fingers that more events like this happen in the future. It’s great to go out and support the community while socializing and networking. As a female entrepreneur, it’s always great to meet more women who understand the struggle and the joy of entrepreneurship.
What are some of your favourite female-run businesses in Windsor-Essex? Share them in the comments below!
Blab Around Town: St Clair College Graphic Design Grad Show
As some of you may know, I teach part time at St Clair College Centre For The Arts in the graphic design program. While I’m no graphic designer (by any means) I am qualified to teach the Copywriting For Design class first year, first semester. My class focuses on teaching graphic design students how to write copy for ads, how to use copy in conjunction with design to create effective and appealing advertisements and most importantly, how to use their minds to generate ideas instead of their computers.
So many of my students enter the class frustrated and unsure as to why they have to use a pencil and paper instead of laying things out digitally on a computer but I know first hand that an effective brainstorming process should always start in your own mind so I teach them accordingly. Typically by the time they’ve finished their 3 year program, they can reflect back on that class and see the value it added to their lives. I’ve been told that it helps simplify their thought process for assignments, streamline their work time and gives them a better understanding of how and why they generate ideas.
I teach these students for just over 3 months and then I don’t see them again until the grad show at the end of the program where they’re able to display their work and personal brands. I always enjoy attending because it gives me a chance to see how they’ve grown over time and what type of style they’ve developed in the process. As per usual, I ran into many familiar industry contacts, caught up with some past students and also had a chance to chat with most of the designers which is always a pleasure. I brought home a whole bag full of goodies and branded material that I was able to grab from each of their tables. I scooped up candy, business cards, art pieces, pins, pens and even a cootie catcher.
So proud of this year’s St Clair College Graphic Design grads and so excited to see where life takes them next!
Facebook Launches Messenger Day To Compete With Snapchat
Big news from Facebook this week but it seems like we’ve heard it all before. Surprise! Yet another Snapchat clone has entered the social realm and so far, it’s exactly what I expected. While it offers stickers, the ability to doodle and other similar Snapchat features, the prospect of opening the “dark social” door and inviting in the Facebook world is not something I’m ready to do and I think many other people agree. Not only that, but it’s no secret that each platform has its own function/value so adding these Snapchat copycat features comes across as slightly desperate. There’s nothing wrong with trying to attract a valuable digital audience but loosing sight of your brand identity and straying away from your core offerings for the sake of keeping up with competitors is a whole other story.
Have you used Facebook’s Messenger Day yet?
Do you plan on incorporating it into your daily social itinerary?
Blab Gets New Business Cards
A lot of things have changed in the past two years but Blab’s business cards haven’t so it was about time for a refresh. I wanted to upgrade the design a bit and add more modern finishings for a sleeker, more sophisticated look. A big thank you to Imaginative Group for helping me bring my vision to life. I decided to hide a blab logo on the front with a white-on-white Spot UV and was very happy to see that it turned out perfectly. It feels good to have new cards and I’d be lying if I told you I haven’t been flashing them around constantly. Next time, embossing!
Where do you get your business cards designed/printed locally?
Giveaway Alert: Win Two Epic Winery Passports
Do you use Facebook? Do you love wine? If you’ve answered yes to both of these questions then it’s your lucky day because Blab is giving way two EPIC Winery Passports on Facebook and you could win! Follow this link to the original post, complete all the qualifying actions as stated and cross your fingers because you might have the best excuse ever to visit some of our amazing local wineries.
Not familiar with the passports? These little booklets contain information/maps/directions for all of our EPIC local wineries as well as discounts/special promotions for pass holders at the wineries and other businesses in the county. Use your passport to get a freebie or discount at a whole bunch of awesome local restaurants, shops and more. Plus, once you collect a stamp from 5 wineries, you get entered to win a quarterly draw! To learn more about EPIC wineries and the passports, check out their website.
Contest closes Thursday February 9th 2017. Enter now for your chance to win and good luck!
Neilson 2016 Social Media Report Highlights Interesting Stats
It’s that time of the year again and I’m super excited to be checking out Neilson’s 2016 Social Media Report! If you’ve never read it before, the document highlights the social landscape of the past year, looks at trends and outlines interesting facts/stats. It’s a goldmine for presentation content and also makes for an interesting read, especially when you compare it to reports from years prior. There’s something exciting about watching your industry thrive, grow and develop over time!
Just a few pages in and the stats speak for themselves. Computer usage/accessibility has dropped while smartphone and tablet usage grows. Additional stats further strengthening the notion that mobile is here to stay and smartphone usage is taking over. The bottom line and underlying message of this year’s report: if your content isn’t mobile friendly, you’re in for a rude awakening.
Every single demographic has shown significant growth when it comes to time spent using social media and that’s all contained within the first 6 pages! The document outlines internet purchases, content ratings, engagement, simultaneous usage, TV versus social and so much more. Dedicate some time this week to go through the document and pick out some key facts that pertain to your business or how you use social media. To view or download the full 2016 report, click here.
Holiday Posting Times
It’s no secret that winter can be pretty dreary and painfully long but it does offer up a lot of joy during the holidays. As a brand, there are plenty of opportunities to sell, engage and inspire your audiences online but with so many family gatherings, parties and the desire to hibernate, when is best? As with any other time of the year, there are certain days of the week and certain times of the day that are best when it comes to gaining the attention of your followers. It’s also important to remember that every platform is different, not only in regards to what they offer but also how users engage with brands on those platforms.
Do you have any tips for businesses that want to engage audiences online during the winter?
Do you find you engage more or less with brands on social during the colder months?
Facebook Celebrates Halloween
One of my favourite days of the year is finally here! This morning I was super excited to see that Facebook had embraced the Halloween spirit by releasing a set of spooky reaction emojis. I made it a point to use them as much as possible before they disappeared. What did you think of them? Were they super cute or did you find them to be inappropriate on specific articles?
PS Happy Halloween from Blab!