Happy Birthday! On One Year of Blogging

This week marks one full year of blogging here at the rsmithing.com. In some ways, it certainly feels like a year. In another ways, I can’t believe it’s been a year already.

Original by Keristars, via Flickr. Edited in Pixlr.

First of all, THANK YOU for reading this and thank you even more if you’ve ever commented on a post. I sincerely appreciate your feedback and the fact that you find my ramblings interesting enough to keep on reading.

I started this blog for my own personal enjoyment, education, expression, and curiosity. It’s been a rewarding journey that’s greatly boosted my knowledge of social media in general, and has been a satisfying creative outlet I look forward to growing every single week.

One of the most fun things about this is interacting with some of the folks mentioned in my posts, like Neil Strauss, Delta Airlines, and for-real professional writers such as those featured in Esquireand The Atlantic.

I’ve been contacted to help promote one of my favorite bands, and interviewed some of my favorite artists. I’ve also discovered a plethora of resources on how to get the most out of blogging, and made many meaningful connections with like-minded individuals along the way. It’s all definitely been very fulfilling.

So here’s to the future, and again thank you.

What do you think? How long have you been blogging? What have you learned in the past year, either from blogging or otherwise? Let us hear from you in the comments.

Related articles

• Neil Strauss Talks About Mastering the Game of Storytelling (hubspot.com)
• The Versatile, Though Delinquent, Blogger (jasonwrites.com)
• My Happiness Project (bedsidesign.com)
• Understanding Online Community and Influencers with @Tamar Weinberg [@InboundNow #8] (hubspot.com)

Mooney’s – Single Image Sundays

When an afternoon thunderstorm sends you into the right spot at the right time…

Mooney’s Mediterranean Cafe, Winston-Salem, NC.
Click to see more like this on the Pinterest board of my iPhoneography.

Downtown on a Saturday just after the start of a thunderstorm was the perfect place for this quick snapshot of a peaceful moment, reflecting on the day so far and the future ahead, while anticipating Mooneys‘ excellent shawerma over hummus. In retrospect, I’m grateful for having the technology and inclination to document the moment. It was one of those simple times that’s easy to forget, but worthwhile to remember.

Click to Share this on Twitter…

What do you think? Ever serendipitously documented a moment that you only realized later? Ever wish you’d done that? How do you think you might do that in the future? Let us hear from you in the comments!

Join the Pin Party!

A pin party is where bloggers get together and pin each other’s posts. This is my first time trying one, inspired by Sarah Dawn Designs.

Pin Party Rules:

1. Visit at least two other links and pin two projects from the authors’ blog.
2. Add Sarah’s button somewhere on your blog, whether it is in the post itself or on the side.
3. Link to a specific post and it must be something you wrote or created.
4. No give-aways or other link parties.
5. Please limit your submissions to 3 or 4 projects.

Related articles

• Mooney’s Mediterranean Cafe (MooneysMedCafe.com)
• Pintastic Monday Link Party #4 (Sarah Dawn Designs)
• Winston-Salem Restaurant Review: Mooney’s Mediterranean Cafe(AFoodieStaysFit)
• Winston-Salem Eats: Mooney’s Mediterranean Cafe(ForagingFoodies.Blogspot.com)
• Winston-Salem’s Craft Beer Festival: Twin City Taps (wurlitzerprize.com)

Virgin America Gets PR Right

Unauthorized Bedtime Nonsense – Click for full size at Pinterest

Safety can be fun, even for big businesses like airlines.

I’ve written in the past about how refreshing it is to see a big company get public relations and customer communications right. In that case it was  Delta Airlines endorsing their mile runner superfans. I’m pleased to report another discovery of a similar company offering up some positivity and humor with their own messaging: Virgin America.

During a recent #PinChat on Twitter, the featured guest was Jill Okawa Fletcher, Virgin America’s Director of Social Media. Ms. Fletcher was sharing insights about Virgin’s use of Pinterest and I immediately referred her to my pin of Virgin Atlantic’s wacky insert card campaign (at right). We then had the following exchange:

Richard Smith@rsmithing11 Jul 12

@JillOinSF I'd just like to say: love those faux safety insert cards. #pinchatpinterest.com/pin/1907697341…

Jill Okawa Fletcher@JillOinSF

@rsmithing Wish I could take credit. Those belong to our friends at @VirginAtlantic (diff airline). But you may have seen our safety vid?

11 Jul 12

And Ms. Fletcher then referred me to Virgin America’s easygoing in-flight safety video:

Corporate Wackiness Can be Entertaining

As you may know, I’m a big geeky fan of this type of thing, and true to its brand spirit, Virgin makes the most of an opportunity here with its captive audience. Yes, safety is important, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun with it.

Coincidentally, back to Delta…. I first noticed this in Delta’s in-flight safety video, where an attendant’s shiny tooth actually goes “ding!” after demonstrating proper use of a seat as a floatation device. That’s so funny to me just because it’s very subtle and wacky in an otherwise fairly standard video. I’m such a fan that once on a Delta flight, I was ready with my phone to get a picture of the exact moment… voila:

My favorite part of Delta’s in-flight safety video. The guy’s smile literally sparkles. And makes a “ding” sound. Brilliant.

What do you think? Can you name any examples of companies having fun with their otherwise serious messaging? Does this influence your perception of the company or a brand? Let us hear from you in the comments!

Related articles

• An Airline Gets It… Right? (rsmithing.com)
• High-tech Virgin America again rated top airline (slashgear.com)
• Secrets of Social Media Buzz Marketing from CMO of Virgin America(hubspot.com)
• How Delta’s Tweet Saved The Day (unmarketing.com)

Cheers With A Sleeve Tattoo – Single Image Sundays

It just so happened that my phone was ready for a quick snapshot when I got up to the bar last night. This bartender’s ace-up-the-sleeve tattoo, literally up a sleeve (though not the typical sleeve tattoo), makes an appropriate background for a highball glass alight with a candle. Shot with an iPhone4, processed usingNoir and Dynamic Light. Check out my iPhoneography board for more like this. Cheers.

What do you think? Ever seen a cool tattoo at an appropriate moment for a photo opportunity? Do you take photos more often with your phone or with a camera? Let us hear from you in the comments!

Related articles

• Black and Color (iPhoneography Series) (blakebyers.wordpress.com)
• Sleeve Tattoo Designs Ideas For Men and Women(roomsecret.blogspot.com)
• Samsung Galaxy S III handles drops worse than iPhone 4 (slashgear.com)
• How to be an iPhoneographer: The #Hashtags – Update (paulcahill.net)
• Dream Catcher – Single Image Sundays (rsmithing.com)