Never to late to post – Check out my slides on Successful Facebook Marketing

Succuessful Facebook Marketing

View more presentations from Kim Hodgson.

iPhone App for WordPress

Just testing the iPhone app for WordPress. So far… It is just simple.

Welcome to the World Mazzy!

Hey everyone!

Our little angel on her first day of a very surprise arrival. I am sure she will fill our lives with surprises from this day forward and we are ready. Josh and I are very blessed and in love with eachother and our little Mazzy Kat.

Thanks for all the well wishes. The story goes like this… I gave birth to Mazzy Katherine Hodgson on 09-18-08. She was born at 32 weeks through an emergency c-section. It was the scariest day of our lives. I had to deliver early because I got a pregnancy related condition called Preeclampsia. It is pregnancy induced hyper tension that causes your body to become toxic and your blood pressure to rise. The only cure is delivery.

Mazzy is a healthy preemie baby and will be in NICU for a few more weeks before she can come home. She breathes on her own and is taking breast milk from a tube in her nose until she learns to suckle.
Mazzy is doing great!!! She just needs to fatten up!

I have to take blood pressure medicine for a bit to get my blood pressure back to normal. I am fine. Who knew… I am never sick.

Josh is so happy to have been blessed with a baby girl. He has been helping me constantly and I could not ask for a better partner in this life. Thank god for him and my little Mazzy. Josh is my soul and Mazzy is my heart.

Thanks for all for your support and prayers. There has been many emotional ups and downs lately but I guess that is parenthood. If you want to see a few more images of Mazzy you can look here.

Love to all!
Kim, Josh and Mazzy

Low End Theory releases another soulful podcast!

Let your soul fly free! Listen to JayMac’s (My favorite Crazy Canadian) June podcast!

Low End Theory June 2008 Podcast

Another mixed bag this month starting off with a reggae remix of the Fugee’s Fu-Gee-La followed by Ranking Joe. G-Corp’s Murder keeps the dub vibe going into 7Samurai’s Feel the Same. Ballistic Brother’s Provesy Reveal is nice and dubby house. DJ Cam takes it down a few notches to give a nice little come down with Meera. Jazzanova(Much love to Jazzanova), I can’t see enough good things about this group of powerhouses. Jon Kennedy sample some Willy Wonka in his Nerve Centre. Cut Chemist drops in the first song of our Portuguese double shot. Ohmega Watts rounds out our double shot with his track Adaptacao featuring Tita Lima. Cut Chemist channels his inner Thievery Corp/Avalanches for his second track of the podcast, Metrorail thru Space. Skalpel’s Breakin remix by Dr Rubberfunk cools it down for the Wu’s Masta Killa tellin everyone that he is the Brooklyn Kin

Fugees – Fu-Gee-La Reggae Mix

Ranking Joe – World in Trouble (Vibronics ’ska boom’ remix) 4:12 08

G-Corp – Murder 7:56

7 Samurai – Feel the Same Dubben Mix 13:10

Ballistic Brothers – Prophesy Reveal 18:44

Bathysphere – Where’s Vicky(Quantic mix) 23:10

Dj Cam – Meera(Extra lucid remix) 27:37

Jazzanova – Another New Day 33:01

Jon Kennedy – The Nerve Centre 38:15

Cut Chemist – The Garden 41:10

Ohmega Watts – Adaptacao Featuring Tita Lima 47:14

Cut Chemist – Metrorail thru Space 50:54

Skalpel – Break In (Dr. Rubberfunk remix) 54:44

Masta Killa – Brooklyn King 58:33

LISTEN HERE:

Fabulous Book for moms and moms to be!

A fantastically positive book I just started last night but I am already in love. The graphics make me happy too.

“The Yummy Mummy Manifesto, Anna Johnson’s unique mix of advice, do-it-yourself ideas, riffs, and personal reflections about motherhood, shows how to make the most important job you’ll ever have more delicious in every detail. Blooming with comforting and entertaining guidance on everything from style and decor to nutrition and finding your own parenting approach, this book provides something for every new mother or hot mama-to-be, covering breast-feeding basics, dressing the in-between body, emotional roadblocks, quirky mile stones, and throwing a simple but chic first birthday party. Johnson liberates the pregnant belly from the laws of good taste–yes, you can rock horizontal stripes, big polka dots, and crazy, large floral prints–and shares ways to decorate the nursery without resorting to duckling yellow wallpaper and gingham dust ruffles. Most important, through it all, she reveals how to hold onto your spirit, creativity, wit, and sensuality.”

The Yummy Mummy Manifesto: Baby, Beauty, Balance, and Bliss by Anna Johnson

Facebook needs a human profile

FYI – Do not create a profile in Facebook under a company name or the GODS of Facebook will delete your account.

Profile pages on Facebook need be an acutal human. This does not apply to fan pages or groups pages.

Don’t have all your hard work flushed down the toilet.

Facebook application information

Good news! (Thanks for the comment on the previous post from Bill Erikson.) It was before I read that comment that I found out that Facebook applications can be used on profiles pages or fan pages but that is up to the developer of the application to allow both or flexibility to have them on either or. Most Flickr applications on Facebook do not allow you to add them to a fan and a profile page.

If you are an admin of more than one fan page My Flickr will only let you add the application to one page and not multiple fan pages. I really hope that Facebook developers get on the ball with this because web marketing companies need these applications to make social marketing campaigns successful. I would even pay to have a good application with awesome functionality.

I can see it coming… As social marketing gets more popular on Facebook, developers will begin to charge for applications and they will kick ass and give us marketing folks what we need. I know I am very optimistic today.

Today I installed Youtube Box (you must register with Facebook and login to see link – BOO!) on Facebook for the Houston Zoo fan page and there as some grief but now the videos are on the fan page and not my profile. YAY. It works swell I just wish it was an austomatic feed.

If any of you web geeks would like to give more advice and share knowledge, please do leave a comment.

Comment on my previous post from Bill Erikson:

#5 – Yes, you can add applications to pages, but they must be specifically set up by the app developer to run on pages. Developers have the choice to allow their apps to be installed by users, pages, or both (it defaults to users). There are quite a few popular facebook page apps, like an RSS feed app.

Things that suck about Facebook!

Okay, I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I am still learning but I do have somethings that I wish they would change or at least upgrade. Even Myspace is doing somethings better… Yes I did say Myspace is doing some things better than Facebook.

I am sure that some would argue that Facebook is doing some of these things for a reason but they make it hard to use as a online marketing tool.

Here’s my list of things that annoy me and if they changed would make it easier to market businesses online using Facebook.

If any of you know of a work around for these, please let me know!

1. SUPPORT SUCKS ON FACEBOOK – First of all, the support system on Facebook stinks as most do. I have submitted several support questions and no response. What happened to customer service? Maybe it would be better if i paid for the service. I doubt it.
2. NO PRETTY URL’s ON FACEBOOK – You can not have a pretty URL on Facebook which makes it really hard to use your page as a marketing tool. No-one wants to use a UGLY hard to remember link like this on their brochure or billboard: EX:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Houston-Zoo-Inc/15008187525
   It would be much better if the URL could be something like this: http://www.facebook.com/houstonzoo
   
3. LOGIN IS FORCED TO VIEW PAGES: Then you cannot see a page unless you are logged in as a Facebook user.
4. SPONSOR PAGES GET TO HAVE CUSTOM GRAPHICS: I know that myspace ruined the ability to have custom graphics on Facebook. Facebook is taking to the extreme. Why can’t I add a URL to my copy areas at least? Sponsor pages can have custom graphics but the sponsor is control of the graphics. Here is description from Facebook on Sponsored pages: These groups are paid promotions by outside companies. The sponsor controls the look and feel of the group, but does not have access to personal information or profiles. The money from these promotions, like the money from all our ads, goes towards the Facebook’s server and operational costs. Sponsored groups help us keep the service free and fast.
5. CAN NOT ADD APPLICATIONS TO FAN PAGES AS AN *ADMIN: I am an admin of several fan pages that need applications added to them. I can not add applications to fan pages because it adds them to my personal profile instead. For the Houston Zoo I had to create an profile for Houston Zoo and then add the applications but could not do this as an admin logged in under my name. Now I run the risk of being kicked off Facebook because the profile for the Houston Zoo is just Houston Zoo and not a person. (rumor so far)
6. FAN PAGES HAVE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PROFILE: Fan pages must be associated with a profile but for a business this is not appropriate. What if I need to run the Houston Zoo Facebook business page? I have set this page up connected to my personal profile and then I leave the Zoo 2 years later and I am a mad employee. Not good. Why does it have to be a person? Then as rumor has it you could be kicked off Facebook for associating a Fan page with a profile that is not an actual person.
7. BUSINESSES PAGE LINK IS HIDDEN: Ok I realize Facebook may not have been meant to use as a marketing tool for businesses in the start but why link Businesses at the bottom of the site? We are using Facebook as a marketing tool now. It took me forever to find this link. It is time for a navigation upgrade.
8. I CAN’T EASILY SEE THE FAN PAGE OR GROUPS I AM AN *ADMIN FOR: I can not find a way to access my fan pages or groups that I am an admin for. They currently show under my pages if you made yourself a fan. This is all pages you are fan of. LAME!

I am sure I will find more as I continue to email support at Facebook and tinker with the tools that are available.

If Facebook would charge a small fee for business pages I would pay to have quality contacts as part of my fan base. Then maybe they could target this product to normal users and businesses a little better.

If any of you know of a work around for these, please let me know!

Houston Social Marketing Training Seminar

3 Spots left. Register for this class here today!

This Houston Social Marketing Training Seminar will highlight pillars of success for a social media initiative:

We will cover the following:

1. “What is Social Media?” explained
2. What Social Marketing Venues are right for you?
3. Learn Social Media before you practice
4. Get the right people involved in your social media initiative
5. Promote and Connect

Speaker Kim Lange

Kim Lange is the Production Team Lead at Schipul – The Web Marketing Company. Before taking the position on the production team, Kim spent 3 years on the graphics team.  Her duties on the graphics team included: project management and web site design/development.

Kim now assists the Production Team Manager Kerry Gayle with innovation for the Tendenci software and production team.  Her duties include: project management, tendenci web site support and social media strategies for the a wide range of clients.

First week of work “prego”

So it is the first week in my life to live knowing that I am pregnant. I think I am about 4 – 5 weeks which means that the little zygote has just completed it’s 6-day journey through the fallopian tube.

Last week at this time I was getting ready to have Margaritas. Life has changed so dramatically and now I just keep playing Landslide by Stevie Nicks. I am afraid of change. I want to embrace it and will but for now my hormones have me trapped.

I found out Monday 3/17 St. Patrick’s day. I feel like I was a kid until now. Even with a mortgage and engaged to the best man ever I was still a kid until 3/17. Not anymore. I am officially going to be a MOM.

Sorry I sound like a pessimist but my heart breaks as I type and I think about how I got to this point my life and all the ways (good and bad) my parents helped to mold me. My dad is gone and I all I ever hoped is that he would straighten himself out so he could be here for this day. Then Josh (my love) … his mom died in 2004.

I know that Josh and I will make it but the 2 people that should be here aren’t and I MISS them so much. Life is changing and I hope that I can take the love these people put into me and give it right back x 10 to my child and all who I meet. Because of my child I know that will be a better person.

But this week… My mind is like a landslide. If you want to swim for a second into my soul visit my myspace page to listen.

– Daddy and Kat in Heaven – I will miss you so much but this is for you. My life is for you. I will do my best to make sure this child knows you and all your stories. You created me because you loved and now you live on through me. One day we will all meet. I believe that.

Okay – I am done but I promise to keep my blog up more now that my life will never be dull.

Image courtesy of Laureneto