CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

When Bad Social Media Happens to Good People

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me if I would post something about a business that did her wrong. And I politely declined as I don't really love to use my blog for such things, and to be frank, it wasn't really my problem so I hated to set a precedent.

But how about this teachable moment? 

On Thursday, I went to a screening of X-Men Days of Future Past at The Arclight in Hollywood. I love The Arclight. It's a nicer theater, far fewer kids, much nicer seats, higher quality concessions, a bar, coffee stand, etc. It's really nice and it's basically ruined me for any other movie-going experience. 

Clearly, I'm a fan. In fact, I'm ever a member. I pay an annual fee to belong to their club and accumulate points for perks. Like the screening I attended Thursday night. 

And then disaster. 

After the movie, for reasons unexplained, it took me almost 30 minutes to get out of the parking garage.

Which was horrible, but whatever. I mean, what can you do about it, right? You can bitch and moan, you can bang your head against the steering wheel, but nothing was changing and I doubt it will prevent me from being a customer down the road (although it may not be my first choice from now on). 

But I did tweet about it.

If I die here in my car in the @ArcLightCinemas parking structure, at least I got to see the new XMen movie.

— AJ (@AmandaJoy) May 23, 2014

They responded. I was not the only unhappy driver trapped in the structure.

@rockybarragan @ZenFeet @AmandaJoy Hi all - We do not own the parking lot, but we hope you enjoyed your film!

— ArcLightCinemas (@ArcLightCinemas) May 23, 2014

I responded to them in kind. Because I thought they took a shitty position. 

Here's the thing - they failed. They had an opportunity to look up the people who's complained and they would have found between us we have almost 6000 followers. They would have found we're fairly influential users. They could have said how sorry they were and explained in some way that they do not own the garage but would investigate. I mean, lie to me, guys. Say something. 

But throwing your hands in t he air and essentially saying "Tough shit, not my problem! But thanks for giving us your money!" was a horrible response. 

Happy customers are returning customers. And if they think that parking garage is not their problem because they don't own it, they need a lesson in best business practices. While not owning that garage may prevent them from being legally responsible for what happens inside of it, it does not prevent them from ensuring their customers have the best experience possible while patronizing their business.

Social media aside, they failed in general. As Rocky mentions in the above tweet, most businesses in LA will just raise the parking garage barrier and let people go without ceremony, just to get everyone out of the building in a timely fashion and keep the masses happy. The Arclight in Sherman Oaks doesn't own the parking garage they use but that garage does that all the time. I guarantee it's because they know a lot of movies are letting out and they don't want angry visitors. 

It's called "customer service," guys. Look it up. Then run a search for "user experience."

So like I said, I can't claim I'll never go there again, but it certainly just lost a spot at the top of my list. 

Sorry, Arclight. Social media FAIL. 

 

That Time I Organized a #BlogSwap!

So.... I got this idea to organize a blog swap. The idea being to let a blogger walk in another blogger's shoes. What would happen when a single girl had to write for a mom blog? When a mom had to create a glunten-free recipe post? It gave a handful of bloggers an opportunity to mingle in new spaces.

 

I asked bloggers from one of the networking groups I'm in to sign up on a Google doc and then I got to sorting. I initially assigned everyone a number and then just drew numbers from a hat. I mean, literally -- I sat at my desk and drew numbers out of a baseball cap. But then I had people guest-writing posts for similarly themed blogs and that just didn't capture the spirit of what this was all about so I had to trade a few. 

 

Once that was done, emails went out. Instructions were given. Follow ups made. And, since I like to make things pretty, badges were created -- and there were choices! 

 

 The open-toe black and gold pumps were picked the most, followed by the red-bow polka-dot shoes.

 

An InLinkz Link-up

A Look Back on Twitter

I randomly got curious this week and here is what I learned:

I was the 6,798,762nd person to join Twitter. (There are currently over 1.8 billion Twitter accounts.) 

The first tweet was sent by co-founder Jack Dorsey on March 21, 2006. He was followed by 31 people who were likely friends and colleagues. Today he has 2.4 million followers.

Originally, it wasn't spelled out, you see. It was just "Twttr."

Here's a cool article from back in the early days of Twitter if you're curious - written by co-founder Evan Williams. Originally, Twitter was a project from the Obvious Corp., founded by Dorsey, Williams and Biz Stone. I think. I actually didn't Google that - I could be talking out of my ass but I'm going to publish as is and hope I'm right. Live on the edge.

I have been on Twitter for over 83% of its existence, for longer than 99.9% of its other users.

I joined and tweeted for the first time on June 13, 2007. This is actually rather special to me because on June 13, 1992, I was Bat Mitzvah'd. On June 13, 1997 I graduated high school. And it was my Grandfather's birthday. June 13 is one of my favorite days. 

This site is kinda cool (if not a little stalkery) -- get your own Twitter history here.

P.S. I think Jack Dorsey is kinda cute. Frankly, if for no other reason than he founded Twitter, Sqaure and is kind of a genius and is even a little douchey -- I think he's sexy. ;)

This Couldn't Wait Any Longer

Originally, this was going to be something I saved for tomorrow's "What's up, Friday?" but I couldn't wait anymore. I get excited. Especially after writing an entire post earlier in the week dedicated to boy band love. It's too exciting. 

On Saturday, I posted this amusing photo on Instagram. Please take note of who LIKED it:

Yep. That's right. Mother-effing LANCE BASS. 

We are not Instagram "friends" although I do follow him. That means he happened upon my post by accident, you guys. 

I have to assume this means we are best friends now. And that he will be asking me any day to officiate his wedding. 

Lance, I'm ordained now so call me anytime. 

Social Media Pet Peeves - Unleashing the Fury

I have been thinking for a little while about writing something like this. I'm sure since the onslaught of social media, we've all started making mental lists of online habits we would like to bring to an end. And when I saw blogger Alaia Williams' post (it's great!) on Facebook habits that drive her crazy, I was motivated to get my list together and share. 

I've been awfully preachy lately, I know, but hopefully it's been infused with enough wit and laughter to make it tolerable. Again, like lists I've made prior, I hope you will keep in mind that there are always going to be exceptions and that I am not the be-all, end-all knower of things. I am also a giant hypocrite and probably guilty of like 92% of these crimes.

In no particular order... 

1. Serial likers. I'm sorry - I may be hurting someone's feelings. But give it a rest. You know what I'm talking about. That person who mere seconds after you post something, immediately clicks "like." And every. single. time. you post. It's creepy, right? 

2. For tweet's sake, people (see what I did there?), auto-DMs are obnoxious. Stoppit. If I follow you, show your gratitude by following me back or tweet something at me sometime. But I don't need your sales-pitchy auto-direct message. 

3. Incessant game requests. Take a hint. Enough said. I mean, I'm sure Candy Crush is a delightful game but the only candy I want is the kind I can put in my mouth and chew.

4. Adding me on Facebook or LinkedIn when we have no discernable connection. Who are you? How did you find me? Where can I get a restraining order?

5. People who do not know how to use comments and wall posts, etc. correctly. I'm sorry, I know there's a learning curve for a lot of you, but it still bugs me. If I'm in the middle of conversing with friends under the banner of a post I put up, it is not the place to ask me for my cookie recipe. Put it on my wall. It's another conversation. 

6. Do NOT tweet people and ask them to follow you. That's not how it works, people. And double-don't do it with a hashtag to stack the deck. Tacky. You know what happened to the last account that did this to me? It got suspended (not because of anything I did, but just sayin'):

Sidebar - calling me out in public for not following you on a social media channel does not earn you a place in my heart. My follow has to be earned with content and engagement. My follow is valuable. I'm not even joking. 

7. Liking your own status. We assume you like it. If you didn't, it stands to reason you wouldn't have posted it. I hope.

8. Vaguebook -- it speaks for itself. If you don't know what it means, you probably aren't bothered by the crime. Lucky you.

9. Moms who only post about their children and do so nonstop. Furthermore, I do not need to see photos of diapers, stitches, infections, etc. Similarly, people who post about how awesome their significant other is 19 times a week. This is probably a controversial one and easy for a single non-mom like me to whine about. But there it is. 

10. More, quickly: too much political and/or religious content, posting on Facebook waaaaay too much (you know who you are), starting an argument with someone you don't know on a friend's Facebook status/thread... I would have said Facebook group messages at some point, but once they added the ability to leave the conversation, I was a much happier Facebooker. And I'm not going to get into hashtags because, well, frankly, I enjoy them as subtext and find them amusing more often than not, though I acknowledge incessant hashtagging annoys a lot of people. 

I think a lot of folks will tell you it's in bad taste to post show off type things (like when I post a pic of a super cool event I'm at). I say do it. Social media is nothing if not hugely self serving. And ego enhancing. And actually, if you work in a field like mine, it becomes part of your portfolio -- don't think employers aren't checking you out. And maybe that's a good note to end on because I could go on and on and on about this, I'm sure.  

Of course, the good news is, I can hide you from my feed, keep you off my Twitter lists, and so forth. Social media is fabulously customizable. 

Did I call you out? Do you disagree? What social media or online habit drives you batty? What did I miss?

• Does Being Social Online Keep us From Being Social in Person?
• My Hour Without Social Media
• A Blogger's Guide to Event Coverage
• Five Best Basic Tips for Bloggers

 

Does Being Social Online Keep us From Being Social in Person?

What is the connection between online social networks and being lonely? I don't think it's a secret I've been battling this one! And when I saw this video on a friend's Facebook page, I basically burst into tears and reached for the flask. 

Inspired and based on Sherry Turkle's book, Alone Together, as well as Dr. Yair Amichai-Hamburger's article, "The Invention of Being Lonely;" script, design and animation by Shimi Cohen.

Let me know what you think. 

This line just KILLS me: "We slip into thinking that always being connected is going to make us feel less alone, but we are at risk, because the opposite is true...."

It's the Little Things

This may just be a formality, but whatever. It made my day.

Another Blog Conference Success

It's always nice when I get to arrive to a blog conference in a non tow truck! ;)

But frankly, I should have known this weekend was going to be awesome when I scored free street parking in West Hollywood on Friday night. 

No, really, this never happens.

I even took a photo to mark the ocassion. 

 

Take that, WeHo parking!

After a brief dance of joy (you're welcome for that link), there was sangria, sliders and charcuterie in a bar predominantly filled with gay men. All the makings of a lovely evening.

 

Saturday night, I saw this little up and coming band at a club (they're going places!) and Sunday night I spent the night with Michael Buble (yeah I phrased it that way on purpose - I'll keep dreaming).

But the BEST part of my weekend was participating in the Lifestyle Blogger Conference in Downtown Los Angeles. I spoke on a panel offering advice to a diverse audience of 100 bloggers on how to best work with brands and reps. It's a topic I am rather passionate about -- especially since I come at it from two angles. 

I get terribly nervous whenever I have to speak in front of a group. I do. Despite my outgoing nature, I worry about how I'll look or what I might say by accident. I know that when I get up in front of a room, I tend to rant and when I'm sharing the stage, as I was on Saturday, I panic that I'll inadvertently hog the mic. I know how I am -- when a thought pops into my head, I need to get it out of my mouth immediately and often times it forces people to perceive me as bitchy or as a know-it-all. It's not that - just nerves. 

But in any case, it all seemed to go well. I cannot believe how kind everyone was before, during and afterward. I met some truly amazing ladies and already have drink dates scheduled with some of them (I did sort of mention on the panel that I can be bought with cash or vodka). My co-panelists, Jose Resendez of Fleishman Hillard and Lisa Rocha of Ilaments, could not have been nicer or more knowledgable. And what an absolute honor for our panel to be moderated by one of my blogging idols, Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista (hopefully she's not sick of hearing me tell everyone how amazing and fabulous she is). 

Thank you so much to my fellow panelists and fellow attendees. Hugs to each and every person that came up to meet me afterward - it means so much to me. And thank you to Ana of Latina Lifetstyle Bloggers and Carolyn of the beloved SoCal Lady Bloggers for their tenacity and patience; for inviting me to participate in this great event. A thousand million thank yous! 

 

We'll pretend I don't have 18 chins in this photo.

  

The big room.

Two of my favorite bloggers - Melissa Dell and Chris Lam . Frankly, I don't think I should ever have to speak at a conference without Chris.

The take-home items were kind of ridiculous. (Click here and scroll down for the list on sponsors.)

Hands down the most hilarious thing I've ever seen in a swag bag. I don't even know if I have the courage to unwrap it.

See you next year at #LALLBLOG14!

 

Click for additional photos courtesy of Allen Taylor Photography