Tag: twitter
ABCey’s Weekend Lineup 1.9.14 – 1.12.14
Looking for some fun events to attend this weekend? San Francisco has tons to offer! We have a comedy experience, an IT training session, a prom-themed Sweet 16 launch party, an exhibition of paintings by Bay Area artist, Karen Barbour, tons of shows at the Rickshaw Stop, and an opportunity to shop local at the Jack of all Trades Market!
FEATURED EVENT: Jack of all Trades Market| Saturday, January 11th | 11am – 5pm | Jack London Square| This season, take advantage of the opportunity to shop local at the Jack of all Trades Market! This great event has unique vendors such as mobile fashion trucks, underground food startups, and over 100 local craft and antique vendors! In addition, you can enjoy food tracks, live music, and craft beer. Just a 15 minute ferry ride away from San Francisco, spend your Saturday outdoors at the market!
1. Rickshaw Stop 10th Anniversary | Thursday, January 9th – Sunday, January 12th| 8pm |Rickshaw Stop| Come out to celebrate the Rickshaw Stop’s 10th Anniversary of rocking the San Francisco music scene! The former TV studio has a full bar and food service. Check out this vintage space which also includes foosball and Skeeball tables, and an awesome balcony! The Geographer date has sold out, but don’t worry, there are plenty of more artists! Tickets are still available for The Spits, Mikal Cronin, Yacht, Leslie & the Ly’s, and more. Get tickets and additional info here!
2. “No Should be As Friendly As Yes” New Work by Karen Barbour| Friday, January 10th | 6 – 8pm |Fouladi Projects| Attend a compelling exhibition of paintings by the Bay Artist, Karen Barbour! Karen’s portfolio is a blend of figures and abstractions, and utilizes a combination of ink, oil, gouache, and collage. Her sketchbook is made up of innovative thoughts and drawings that are eye catching! Come out and appreciate this San Franciscan’s art, and get a sneak peek here!
3. Prom Night: Redux | Friday, January 10th | 8pm – 12pm | Roxie Theater |Looking for a fun themed event for the weekend? The prom-themed Sweet 16 launch party for the 16th Annual SF IndieFest also serves as the kick off party for the I Was A Teenage Teenager teen-themed film series, which will be screening January 10 – 14 at the Roxie Theater. DJ Junkyard of Litterbox and DJ Shindog of New Wave City will provide the tunes to bring out those 80s style dance moves, and Out of the booth photobooth will provide you with images to hold on to memories of those tiaras and tuxedos forever! To get in for free, you can simply join the Facebook fan page and you will be added to the list. Tickets are also available at the door. Want to learn more? Visit the SF IndieFest 2014 and I Was a Teenage Teenager!
4. Intro to HTML5 – IT Training | Saturday, January 11th | 10am – 12pm | Training and Entrepreneurship Academy| In today’s day and age, it’s important to stay current with the always changing world of technology! Are you a beginner who is looking to learn more about web programming? HTML5 for Beginners is a web programming class that will provide you with useful tools to make life in the technology and business world much easier. Start your Saturday with this can’t miss educational event that will give you the resources and confidence to be successful and tech-savvy!
5. Mortified Live | Saturday, January 11th – Sunday, January 12th | 7:30pm | DNA Lounge |Ever think reliving youthful years of your past could provide entertainment? Come out to the DNA Lounge to enjoy a truly comical experience! Mortified adults will read their letters, poems, and teen diaries in front of a group of total strangers. You do not want to miss this 2 night event! Listen to the fun narratives of others while thinking of your own hilarious memories from your teenage years. The first night takes place right here in San Francisco, and the second night takes place in Oakland. Get your tickets here!
With tons of fun events to choose from, let us know where you plan to spend the weekend! Leave us a comment below, or on Facebook & Twitter!
Tech Tuesday: Brightbox
Tech Tuesday highlights some of the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming companies for their innovative ideas and ability to think outside the box!
There’s so much social media activity at events now-a-days. Anywhere you look, someone is posting a picture on Instagram, commenting on Facebook, or retweeting something on Twitter with their smartphone. One major downside to this is how quickly battery life decreases. Unfortunately, it’s not really safe or practical to leave your phone charging by some random outlet. This is why we think Brightbox would be perfect to have at any event.
Brightbox helps eliminate the issue of having to wait by your phone at a charging station. It has 6 built-in secure charging stations so users can leave their phone for a few minutes, or even a few hours. All users have to do is unlock a compartment with the use of their credit card. If the event is sponsored by a vendor, charging is actually free for attendees. So, the credit card simply acts as a key. The great thing about Brightbox is that it charges a flat fee as long as the device is plugged in.
We think this device would be a really great tool to have at any event. It lets users charge their phones without having to be restricted to one part of the venue. What do you think about Brightbox? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!
Step it Up: The 5 Most Influential Words in Social Media
Social media is a strange and delicate thing. It has the potential to drive in hundreds of prospective customers or alienate you completely! ABCey helps you hone in on what’s important so YOU won’t be the one in a social media dead zone!
1. Share | Social media exists because people like to share and make connections! In the end, your goal is to successfully share your message with the world, and you love seeing “shared” and “retweeted” pop up on your notifications! Before you post, ask yourself, “would I share this with my friends?” If you don’t find it interesting, others probably won’t either!
2. Interaction | Tweeting can sometimes feel like sending messages off into the void of cyberspace. The only way to know what people think of your tweets is through interactions under the “connect” tab. If you’re not seeing as much interaction as you want, include language like “tell us your opinion” and “what do you think” to encourage your followers to respond. Also, try following those you think would be interested in what you say!
3. Reach | Your message can be witty, well-worded, and interactive, but it won’t matter if only 15 people see it! Below every post, Facebook will tell you home many people saw what you said, whether it was shared, on their news feed, or found through a friend. Beef up your reach by adding more people, especially people who are friends with those who “like” your page! Go on a friending rampage a few times a week and you’re sure to expand your audience in no time.
4. Network | LinkedIn and every other social media site are constantly encouraging you to expand your network with “people you may know” and “who to follow.” Our advice: listen to them!! Following someone on social media is a low-pressure way to keep in touch with someone and maintain relationships. You never know when you’ll want to reach out to them someday, and being “friends” is a good advantage to have!
5. Like| Whether you’re a company promoting a product or a teenager posting vacation pictures, you know that more “likes” is key! Like, duh. Amp up your liking potential by targeting the audience that will be most likely to generate business for you. When you start getting positive feedback (tons and tons of “likes!”), keep the momentum going!
What do you think of our social media tips? Agree? Disagree? Tell us your opinions! Leave us a comment or reach out to us on Facebook & Twitter!
ABCey’s Weekend Line-Up 8.1.13-8.4.13
Thank goodness the weekend is almost here!! Get excited to find your perfect date, do some yoga in the park, hack to your heart’s content, and drink tons of wine! Have fun this weekend with ABCey.
1. Free Outdoor Yoga Day | Saturday, August 3rd | 11:00 a.m. | Big Rec Field, Golden Gate Park | Grab your mat and meet us at the park for some exercise and zen! If you’re a beginner or a regular yogi, you’ll find your pace with the excellent yoga instructors. Families and dogs are encouraged, so there’s no excuse not to spend an amazing day outdoors!
2. Outside Hacks | Saturday, August 3rd- Sunday, August 4th | 3:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. | 651 Brannan Street Suite 110, San Francisco | The challenge: improve Outside Lands for the artists and fans… in 24 hours! Coders compete for the glory of winning and a chance to have the ultimate Outside Lands experience. Good luck, hackers!
3. Twine App Launch Party | Thursday, August 1st | 6:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. |111 Minna Street, San Francisco | Don’t have a hot date for Thursday? Twine has you covered! This new dating app is celebrating its launch with plenty of beer, music, and singles galore!
4. AgriHack | Sunday, August 3rd | 9:00 a.m. | 144 2nd Street, San Francisco | Get ready to hack your way to a better future for agriculture, startups, and the tech industry! Naturally, there will be plenty of awesome refreshments to keep you full and doing your best.
5. Unlimited Wine Tasting at the Old Mint | Thursday, August 1st | 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. | 88 5th Street, San Francisco | Channel your class, inner wino at the Old SF Mint! Enjoy an evening filled with SF history, learning about the region’s wine history, and (of course!) all the wine you could want. What are you doing this weekend??
Let us know what you think of these events and other Bay Area happenings in a comment or on Facebook & Twitter!
10 Interesting Social Media Facts
Social media plays a huge role in our lives, whether we like it or not! To honor our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, ABCey compiled a list of the most interesting social media fun-facts. Enjoy!
1. Half of all smartphones connect to Facebook every hour of every day!
2. 20% of Google searches every day have never been searched before. Which begs the question: what the heck are you searching??
3. The most optimal photos (ones that get the most likes and repins) on Pinterest are photos of salad.
4. “Earlybird” is the most popular Instagram filter, yet 47% prefer #nofilter.
5. The average LinkedIn user is a male college graduate.
6. Twitter handles more search queries per month than Bing and Yahoo combined!
7. Links about sex are shared 90% more than any other link. (Doesn’t its inclusion on this list say it all?)
8. 53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their tweets, which is important because most people trust recommendations from friends versus the 14% of people who trust advertisers. Social media is more important to business than you’d think!
9. 7% of Americans have never heard of Facebook. We don’t know how this happened.
10. More than 350 million users suffer from Facebook Addiction Syndrome.
Want to channel some social media yourself? Tell us what you think of this article with a comment here or on Facebook & Twitter!
Your Ultimate Guide to SF Pride!
As LGBT Pride month comes to a close, the 43rd Annual San Francisco Pride Celebration is just beginning! ABCey put together the ultimate guide to help you make the most out of one of our city’s biggest events of the year.
1. Download | The San Francisco Pride 2013 App is available for download on most smartphones. Put Pride in your pocket with schedules, event information, maps, and even where to find bathrooms throughout the weekend!
2. Ride | The easiest way to get to Pride is to take BART to Civic Center Plaza. However, BART workers are deciding whether or not to go on strike this weekend, which would severely impact transit all across the bay. Visit BART’s website or download the Embark iBart app for train schedules.
3. Tweet | For any and all Pride updates in real-time, make sure to follow SFPride and SFPrideLive! SFPride is the official account for the Pride Parade and Celebration, while SFPrideLive handles the festivities’ televised and online broadcasts. Either way, your Twitter feed won’t miss a beat!
4. Party | The best thing about Pride is the celebrating! There will be so many fun LGBT events this weekend, so keep track of them with Wsup Now. This app isn’t only a calendar: it shows you what events are near you, shows you how to get to them, and lets you post pictures if you’re there! The official Pride calendar can be found on SF Pride’s Official Website.
5. Know | This year, the LGBT community faces many high-profile issues locally and globally. Stay educated by keeping up with the controversy surrounding Bradley Manning and the Prop 8 and DOMA Supreme Court decisions.
The Pride Celebration runs from 12:00 p.m.- 6p.m. on Saturday, June 29th and 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 30th. Sunday’s parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. from Beale Street along Market and ends at Market and 8th St. in the heart of downtown San Francisco.
Will you be participating in any San Francisco Pride celebrations? Tell us about it and let us know if our tips helped you! Shoot us a comment or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!
Tech Tuesday: Tout!
Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming companies for their innovative ideas and ability to think outside the box!
If you really want to wow your social media followers, stop typing that status update! We’re in an age where we can share our lives in real-time, and there’s no better way to do that than with Tout.
Here’s how it works: using the Tout smartphone app, shoot a short 15-second video. After uploading your video to Tout, the app makes it super easy to share with your friends. Tout was designed to be a form of social media and to make it easy to share footage with the user’s other existing social media networks. You can tweet it, post it, use the blog widget, and more!
Everyone seems to be touting Tout! When you visit the homepage, you have your choice between subscribing to the Wall Street Journal, ESPN, or celebs like Shaq. This social media network is great for news junkies who love getting up-to-the-minute updates around the world. Of course, it’s also cool to post a video of your cat sleeping.
Have you used Tout? Tell us what you think! Send us a comment below, a Tweet, or visit out Facebook!
Tech Tuesday: Ninja Blocks
Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming companies for their innovative ideas and ability to think outside the box!
This week, we’d like to credit a certain San Francisco company for daring to look inside the box for inspiration. Meet the Ninja Block, your new personal assistant.
The Ninja Block has a basic “if this, then that” command feature. If the sensors pick up an event in your real life, like a baby crying, the Ninja Block triggers a tech life reaction, like calling the parent’s cell phone. By programming in a command in the rules app (ex: turn on the light if I play music), this handy device can do almost anything for you.
The Ninja Block works as a medium between the sensors you install and the electronic world. Sensors available for purchase include motion, temperature, humidity, and contact sensors. Ninja Blocks also helps you manage your online social presence by automatically sharing the input the sensors with social media. Don’t worry, it won’t say anything you don’t want others knowing! Its message is one you program in advance in the rules app.
If you’re someone who loves to techify your life and home, Ninja Blocks is the perfect way to do so! ABCey loves this company because it bridges the gap between your online and offline lives and automates how the two interact. We’d love to use the feature that tweets a photo of every person entering the door at one of our events!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGRIS_Rqiw
What do you think of Ninja Blocks? Tell us in a comment or on Twitter and Facebook!
Startup Monday: Zendesk
No business is complete without a customer service strategy and platform, and if you have customers- you need Zendesk! Zendesk is a web-based help desk and support ticketing application that gives companies a simple way to manage incoming support requests from end customers.
User reviews say that the app is super modern, clean and easy to use with little customization to get up and running. Many also report that it is a great system overall, with fun widgets and Salesforce integration.
Zendesk has led the way in revolutionizing customer service platforms. They have had some great milestones including adding Twitter data and functionality in 2010 and Facebook integration in 2011, which has allowed customer service teams to engage with Facebook users from within the startup’s popular help-desk platform. Over 20,000 companies are now using Zendesk for customer service with upcoming plans to expand around the world.
Of course, any great idea/company is not without competitors – TeamSupport, Click Desk, Freshdesk, and Desk are just a few of the competitors in this space. Does your company use Zendesk or any other online customer service company? Have they helped your business grow? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.
Tech Tuesday: Twitter Walls
Social media has clearly become an integral part of any big event. Live social media displays are a great way to energize the crowd, source user generated content, and encourage people to tweet and Instagram away. There are many options these days for displaying your audience’s tweets, and moderating those that may be inappropriate or brand damaging! Check out five great recommendations for Live Tweeting!
1. Wall of Tweets: Wall of Tweets offers many different functionalities – from a basic display of text messages to very interactive involvement of attendees in discussions, Q&As, and video and audio streams. Essentially, if it’s digital –it can be included in your Wall of Tweets experience. Price depends heavily on the type of the event, its duration and expected number of visitors.
2. Visible Tweets: Visible Tweets is a visualization of Twitter messages designed for display in public spaces. It is definitely more about the visual display of the individual Tweets rather than the display of collective Tweets. It’s not for every event but it could be the perfect tool for a specific type of event like an art show. Give Visible Tweets a try on their website.
3. Tweet Wall Pro: Tweet Wall Pro is great because it allows for automatic moderation which ban Tweets containing a list of inappropriate words or swear words and/or one or several users. You also have the option of having a person moderate in real-time with the live moderation feature. Tweet Wall Pro is highly customizable and also provides Tweet analytics.
4. Revisit: Revisit is a real-time visualization of the latest twitter messages around a specific topic. Use it create your own twitter wall at a conference or an ambient display at your company or whatever other idea you come up with.
5. Another Tweet on The Wall: Another Tweet on The Wall also posts Tweets one at a time but puts a nice strong emphasis on the profile of the Tweeter. The background of the wall borrows the image from the poster’s Twitter Profile. This might be an interesting way to encourage live conversations at the event between the attendees.
Have you used a Twitter Wall for your events? At our most recent BlackJet SF Launch Party, we featured a Twitter Feed Wall on a giant LCD screen to display all the tweets with our hashtag #BlackJetSFLaunch. Let us know your favorite tool in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!