Pod Squad

I attended my first Halifax Podcamp this past weekend and I'm so glad I finally got there.

Podcamp is an "unconference" about social media and marketing, which basically means it's an informal conference - anyone can host a session and discussion is encouraged. Best of all, the entire day was FREE!

Although I don't do any marketing or social media work at my day job, I hope to someday and I am very involved in social media in my spare time and hope to pick up more contract work to keep my communications skills up. So, the information was certainly useful to me on a personal level and I think anyone who spends a significant amount of their time on social media or marketing activities would find the information helpful, whether it's your day job or not. Learning new things is never a bad way to spend a Sunday!

I attended 3 sessions altogether - Branding in the Digital Age, How to Get Good Ideas, and the 5th Annual State of Social Media in Atlantic Canada.

The first session (delivered by Sean Williams of Brand Bandit) reminded me of being in PR class, but in a good way. He refreshed my memory on the basics of branding and brought up good points about how a brand is about the emotional side of a company or person as much as the physical and practical points.

The second session (delivered by Mike Hayes of Free Agent Factory) revolved around strategies for coming up with ideas. A lot of the suggestions Mike gave seemed like 'no-brainers' (two heads are better than one, rest up, fuel your brain, etc) however they are also things that most of us don't remember to do when we're actually in the moment. I will definitely keep some of the tips in mind next time I am sitting down trying to get some ideas on paper.

The third session (delivered by Giles Crouch of Media Badger) was basically the keynote of the conference (if there was a keynote) and presented the findings of the annual survey of social media activities in Atlantic Canada. Some of the findings were really surprising (activity on Linkedin increased by 67% over last year) and eye-opening (women are 8x more likely to share content then men). It was all a fascinating exercise in psychology and it was nice to see some local stats. This session was definitely important education for anyone who deals with social media and marketing in Atlantic Canada. (Psst you can read the report highlights here).

Not only did I attend a bunch of free, great sessions but I also had a lovely latte and croissant (prosciutto and provolone - gah!) from Two If By Sea - one of the best cafes in HRM (imho) and an even lovelier brunch at Nectar Social House with fellow Podcamper, Megan. Wow! This place is gorgeously decorated inside and the food is delish. My poached eggs parisienne was a refreshing detour from my usual eggs benedict and (coincidentally) our waitress was a fellow tweep who recognized us from our avatars (did I mention the Halifax Twitter community rocks?).

I also had a twist on the usual mimosa - a "nectarosa", which was cranberry juice and champagne. Very refreshing! I will definitely be back to this little downtown Dartmouth gem!

Social media is so much fun when your local community is so active, friendly, supportive and interesting. I'm proud to be part of the Halifax social media tribe!

House Parties

Photo taken by Kimberly Piccott

Since I entered what (I guess) you could call my 'late 20's' (I turned 27 in December), there has been a noticeable shift in the lifestyles of my friends, namely more and more people I know are buying homes.

One of the great benefits of this is the greater opportunity for entertaining at home - tiny walk-ups that can barely hold 10 people are replaced with spacious living rooms and rec rooms; actual dining rooms that hold tables and chairs provide somewhere to sit and place your food other than your own lap.

One of my best friends just moved into such a house in January with her fiance, and practically every weekend since they've moved in she has hosted SOME kind of get-together. One of the trends in her entertaining has been what I like to call "At-Home Sales Parties", where you invite a group of friends over and a consultant/independent sales rep of some kind talks to you about the products they offer, and shows you examples, samples and tries to convince you to buy something.

Remember Avon and Mary Kay? Yup, just like those. However, these are no longer your grandmother's parties - my friend's many entertaining forays have opened my eyes to an entire "home-selling" world out there that I never knew existed. I can certainly see the appeal - shopping in your own home can be a much more laid-back, comfortable experience and you can actually try the products out or see how they are used (can't do that in most stores!). Plus, if you host, you usually get free products and/or discounts on what is offered.

And I can also see the appeal for the consultants - you get the chance to run your own little business, but with the support of the bigger business to provide you with all the supplies and training you need, and you can work as much or as little as you want. I'm telling you, if selling Mark (the 'young women's' line from Avon) were open to Canadians, I would be on that in about two seconds!

I do find that some of the products for these lines can be a bit pricey, depending on the company, and sometimes I feel an awkward pressure to spend money (I am not going to lie, I have skipped out on such parties before because I was broke and didn't want to be pressured into buying), but for the most part I think they can be a great way to entertain and shop if done the right way and you end up with a good salesperson.

One of the recent parties my friend hosted was for Lia Sophia - I have to say, I was impressed with this jewelry and ended up buying two pieces (a necklace and a pair of silver hoops). Their stuff is good quality and the prices are a bit high, but still reasonably affordable for most budgets (although, for the higher prices are are getting good quality, so it makes it less painful). I really liked the consultant that my friend had also - she was really nice, but not pushy, and knew a lot about the pieces. My pick: The "Parade" Necklace.

Pampered Chef and Epicure are two parties that friends of mine have hosted but I haven't attended. I have looked through the catalogs though and many of the things look and sound super-yummy. A lot of their items are cater toward convenience, which is nice when you are someone who is busy and doesn't like to cook (like me). The prices are also pretty reasonable here, which is another added bonus. My picks: Pampered Chef - "Round-Up From the Heart" 2008 Trivet (they donate $2 to Food Banks Canada for every one purchased!)/ Epicure - Smoky Bacon Salad Topper

I have been to a couple of these parties - in case you couldn't tell from the company name, these are all about sexy toys and bedroom accessories (meow!). These parties are always a lot of fun, and they offer a bunch of different packages depending on your preferences. One package they offer is the "Unleashed" party, where the consultant demos the products (in a PG way of course - clothes stay on, people) and you and your friends can try them on and take funny photos. It's a little crazy but also a comforting and discrete way of buying some sexy products for yourself (and your partner, if applicable).

What is really neat about the Halifax branch is they have a "Party Pad" downtown here (within blocks of all the great nightlife) that groups can rent out and it has a full kitchen where you can bring whatever food and drinks you want and you get VIP cover into a nearby bar with your fee. Definitely a unique idea for 'girl's night out' or bachelorette. My picks: Hah - yeah right! I don't kiss and tell ;)

Have you ever been to or hosted an "At-Home Sales Party"? What did you like/not like about the experience? What is your favourite home-party company?

pinteresting

Ok, it's official - I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. It seems like everyone and their dog has been talking about this site lately and I am not normally one to jump on bandwagons right away, but I thought it couldn't hurt to check it out and see if I liked it.

This is what happened with Twitter. I thought Twitter was so dumb, then eventually got so curious by all the talk about it that I just said 'screw it' and joined. Now I am obsessed (ok not quite, but I do love it alot).

I just joined Pinterest like a week ago and I already have 193 pins. Yes, I realize how sad that is.

But that's the thing with these Internet searchy thingys - you search for one thing, then that leads you to something else, which leads you over here and pretty soon you realize two hours have gone by, you have a major kink in your neck, and your kettle has boiled dry waiting for you to unplug it. However, you at least have lots of pretty pictures to look at once you get off your ass, make your tea and come back to the couch (because, let's be honest, that's exactly what you are going to do).

Anyway, Pinterest seriously is a really useful tool - I am ALWAYS finding cool recipes, hairdo ideas, decor and event planning tips, etc, and I am the type of person who has to have everything in one place, easily accessible. So, this tool is perfect for me. I love that I can categorize things however I want and then when I need inspiration, I just have to go into my boards and peruse a little. I admit it, it's handy.

I have been particularly interested in pinning in certain categories lately - including wedding ideas, dream house decor, and outfit inspiration. Yes, I also realize how sad it is that I am this obsessed with pinning ideas for my wedding and my house when I am neither engaged or a home owner, but I can't help it! So. Many. Pretty. Things!

Anyway, I may not be able to use all of these ideas now, but they are there for when I want them later!

Sigh, as if I needed ANOTHER procrastination tool. Unfortunately this one seems to be the worst one yet. And that's saying something

Here are some of my favourite recent pins:

(wanna check out ALL my pins? Follow me here)

Wedding Ideas

Wedding Mad Libs! Such a fun idea for tables as an activity for guests between courses

I would love to have my wedding ceremony outdoors - this forest setting is beautiful

DIY 'lamps' using wine bottles and Christmas lights! So lovely for a patio/outdoor reception

My Style (aka fashion inspiration)

I love everything about this outfit - so cozy and great colours

I love anything with elephants 

This is the kind of outfit I wish I could pull off on a daily basis - cute, quirky, colourful yet polished

And this is just funny. Sometimes that's all it takes to warrant a pin!

Are you on Pinterest? Do you like it? What things are you obsessed with pinning?How do you keep track of the things you discover and like?