11 Most Popular Places to Focus Social Media Efforts in 2012 March 20, 2012

If you’re feeling torn about where to turn for the biggest bang for your social media buck, seek solace in this list. Granted, 11 places to focus still sounds like a lot, but in the grand scheme of social media things (i.e., with hundreds of sites vying for our attention), this is a short list indeed!

1) Facebook. Need I say more?

2) Twitter. I’m continually surprised at how reluctant my friends and colleagues are about getting on Twitter. Though I personally don’t spend as much time there sharing and engaging as I should, Twitter is a goldmine for building networks with people from all over the world who you would otherwise never be able to meet and ultimately build relationships of mutual support. It’s not about tweeting meaningless mundane things. In fact, I find Twitter users to be far more likely to share and engage about newsworthy stories than their Facebook counterparts. And if you are a public figure, or have a product you’d like to see hit the mainstream, securing your Twitter name is imperative before someone else does!

3) YouTube. This is the number two search engine in the world, second only to Google. So if you don’t think your business is conducive to video-worthy content, think again! Know the keywords relevant to your product or service and get creative with it.

4) Google+. When I talk to people about this one, they moan and they groan. “Really, another social media site I need to update on a regular basis?” Uh, yeah! This is GOOGLE‘s social media site, so it’s no shocker that Google favors it in the search engine results. It really is easy to use, quick to update and well-worth the time and effort.

5) Tumblr. Of all the micro-blogging platforms, this is the big one and is poised to grow even bigger. It’s easy and fun to use, not only as a blogger but as a re-blogger (i.e., post interesting content and re-blog others, and chances are good they’ll re-blog you).

6) Pinterest. I’ve yet to receive my invite to this one (despite having requested one more than once, argh!) but I’ve seen this “virtual pinboard” in action and have heard only glowing reviews about it. In fact, research shows Pinterest is driving more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined!

7) About.me. Think of it as your online business card where you can list all of the things you’re involved with, including links to your other social media sites. About.me is a big one because if and when someone searches your name, it’s going to increasingly turn up higher and higher in search engine results. It’s not the kind of site you need to update every day. Just check in with it now and then to be sure you’re listing and linking to the most up-to-date information about you and what you do.

8) Quora. Whatever your area of expertise, you have an opportunity to share it via Quora, a popular question-and-answer site starting to rank high in the search engine results.

9) LinkedIn. Around for years and trusted by most, LinkedIn is still a solid source for professional networking. As immersed as we can get in sites like Facebook and Twitter, don’t forget about keeping LinkedIn up-to-date, not only with current posts but also maintaining current connections.

10) Flickr. Even if you’re posting pictures to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social networking sites, it’s helpful to keep all of your pictures saved and organized in one central place. Consider Flickr for that task. It’s not only easy to use but also owned by Yahoo meaning it turns up big in search engine results.

11) Social Bookmarking Sites. When you’re looking for interesting content to share – and a place to share your own – social bookmarking sites are key. Though there are a number to choose from, do yourself a favor and stick to one or all of the top four – StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit and Delicious.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, check out my Social Media Services.

Street Art Gets the Royal Treatment at L.A.’s Lab Art Gallery August 16, 2011

As I blogged a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been taking a collaging class at Barnsdall Art Center in Hollywood. I’ve been intending to find local art shows for inspiration but before I could seek anything out, the art found me.

A mutual friend introduced me to Carlos Ulloa at Hollywood’s Yamashiro’s Farmers’ Market a couple of weeks ago. He’s the Designer and Project Manager of Yamashiro’s restaurant, but also a talented artist – collage, in fact. I saw a sampling of his work at the market, and he referred me to his show at Lab Art in L.A. – the largest art gallery in the nation dedicated to street art. I visited last week and fell in love with Carlos’ “Anchored Down,” as well as a number of other pieces by the incredibly talented group of street artists represented there.

I am so grateful the gallery allows photographs so I can share these amazing pieces with you (though nothing compares to seeing them up close and personal).

"Anchored Down" by Carlos Ulloa

"Jack 3" by Alec Monopoly

"Muse" by Cantstopgoodboy

"Morons" by Kai Aspire

"Untitled" by Sand Over

"Dancer" by Mar

Now I must say something about the gallery space itself. In a word, AMAZING – the light, ceiling height and general vibe of the place is truly inspiring. A lovely woman showed my friend and me around – Rachel Joelson, who it turns out co-owns Lab Art with her brother. They’ve only been open three months, but Rachel says traffic is great, and with good reason.

I took a couple of photographs of the space, but even these pretty good pics do not do it justice.

Lab Art Gallery is the largest gallery in the nation dedicated to street art, all in an amazing 6,500-square-foot space.

Some of the most talented street artists in the world have work on display in Lab Art Gallery.

SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW

Website/Blog – Of all the social media reviews I’ve done, no website has impressed me more than LabArtGallery.com. As every website should aim to do, their virtual space perfectly reflects the essence of the brick-and-mortar business. And the site is filled with all sorts of information about the art, the artists, events and more, but manages to keep it all clean and organized. The blog frequency could be greater; I would recommend at least once a week. And beyond the pics posted there, some commentary would be nice, particularly keyword-rich text for SEO purposes. The site does a great job of integrating Facebook and Twitter, though it would be nice to see icons for them on the Home page.

Facebook – For a company just three months old, more than a thousand fans on their Facebook page is impressive. So is the frequency and diversity of posts. I would recommend adding an Events tab to reflect those listed on the website Events page.

Twitter – There is quite a bit of room for Lab Art’s growth on Twitter. They’re posting frequently – several times a day in fact – but it would be nice to mix up gallery announcements with more retweets of other Twitter users, as well as general engagement. And of all the Twitter pages begging for a customized Twitter background, Lab Art is it, as they have so much incredible artwork to draw from.

Flickr – There’s already an impressive collection of photos on Lab Art’s Flickr page. They need to be optimized though, with keyword-rich titles and descriptions.

Yelp – As of this blogging, Lab Art has five 5-star reviews. Great news, but as of this blogging Lab Art still needs to formally claim the page. That’s how business owners get access to Yelp page editing tools – for optimizing the business profile, adding pictures, making announcements, responding to reviews (when necessary) and downloading Yelp badges for website display.

I would also recommend Lab Art get its own YouTube channel, as gallery events are ideal for video ops. LinkedIn could be a good fit too, as they now allow businesses to create pages, a la Facebook.

VISIT

Bottom line, L.A.’s Lab Art should be included in any art-lover’s top 10 galleries to visit. Located at 217 S. La Brea Avenue, in Los Angeles, hours are:

• Monday and Tuesday by appointment
• Wed through Friday 11 am to 7 pm
• Saturday 11 am to 8 pm
• Sunday 11 am to 6 pm

But the next best time to go is Friday, August 19th, for the opening of the “Desire Obtain Cherish” show that runs through September 14.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, check out my Social Media Services.

Exploring the Collage of Creativity at Barnsdall Art Park July 31, 2011

Colorful murals decorate the exterior walls of the Barnsdall Art Center building.

If you’ve read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, you may have tried the collaging exercises, piecing together random images into a cohesive map of what you want your life to look like. I loved it – as an exercise and as an art – so in recent months I’ve been looking around for a collaging class to take it to the next level.  But after Google turned up nothing in my area, I let it go, consciously turning it over to the universe. It was just a few weeks later when a seemingly random invite from a friend led me to the Barnsdall Art Park where I discovered the Barnsdall Art Center and where, low-and-behold, a new collaging class was starting up soon.

It’s been years since I sat in a classroom; I forgot how comfortably humbling it is – surrendering my time and attention to someone whose direction I accept without judgment.

I cannot speak highly enough of our instructor, Naomi Buckley. I could sit in her presence for hours, watching her play with different collaging techniques. She may have demonstrated them a thousand times, but she still seems struck by the process, as though it’s a new discovery for her too. That’s art, I guess – we can all use the same techniques over and over again, but the expression is different every time.

ABOUT BARNSDALL ART PARK

Classes at the Barnsdall Art Park date back 65 years. The property is remarkable, set on top of a shady hill just off Hollywood Boulevard – 11 acres of space dedicated to trees, grass, open air and art buildings that blend beautifully into the landscape, including Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s first L.A. project and a National Historic Landmark.

In addition to art classes – for adults and children, beginners to advanced – the Park hosts wine tastings on Friday nights, movies outside on Saturday nights, and free art workshops on Sundays. The park also rents out the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre for individuals and organizations looking for an affordable space for live theater, dance and musical performances.

Numerous metal art sculptures sit under the trees on the lawn of Barnsdall Art Park.

SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW

Barnsdall Art Park has a social media presence in three of the most important places for a non-profit arts organization like theirs to be:

Facebook. They post a steady stream of interesting, diverse updates and, as of this writing, have well over 6,000 fans!

Twitter. Here they have just over a thousand followers, again with a steady stream of updates. In fact, it is the same stream as shared on the Facebook page. While this is a practical, time-saving means of updating both feeds at once, maximizing Twitter means writing updates specific to that outlet, particularly regarding hashtags. For instance, the Park would benefit greatly from including tags like #art, #LA and other relevant keywords in its tweets. The message can be the same as what’s shared on Facebook, but with the hashtag additions. The Park would also benefit from personal engagement on Twitter, including retweets and replies to other relevant Twitter accounts. Twitter at its best is not a one-way billboard, but a conversation.

Yelp. As of this writing, close to 70 people have left reviews of the Park on Yelp, the vast majority of which are near perfect, and with good reason. As a number of reviewers note, it really is like an oasis in the city. When you’re up on top of that hill, it’s like being in a different world.

As for the website, the Barnsdall Art Park does a great job of incorporating opportunities for sharing its content. The “News” page seems to function as the blog, however, the RSS feed links to the Twitter feed. It’s an interesting choice that I personally like, but it may not be the best choice for readers. When we click on an RSS feed icon, we’re expecting to find a link to a traditional blog, not a Twitter feed. Since many people do not use Twitter, the Park could be missing out on an opportunity to convert blog subscribers.

For your own take on the Park, “like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and, if you’ve been there before, leave a review on Yelp.

Most importantly though, if you live in L.A., check out the Barnsdall Art Center. It’s refreshingly affordable. (I paid something like seventy bucks for a six-week course!) The instruction is top-notch. And the setting is an inspiring backdrop for exploring your creative side.

UPDATE

A new 12-week series of classes starts in September. There’s no online registration though and the classes fill up fast. To register, show up at the Barnsdall Art Park on Saturday, September 10. Everything is a first-come-first-serve basis so try to get there early. Number distribution starts at 8:30 a.m. but that’s when I showed up last time and it was quite a wait. I’ll be shooting for 7:30 or 8 this go round. Click here to see the 12-Week 2011 Session Schedule September 16-December 17.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, check out my Social Media Services.

March Into Anarchy Scared the Hell Out of Me, and Other Reasons Why You Must Go March 9, 2011

Founded in 1981, this is The Actors' Gang 30th Anniversary season.

I was warned. Though I don’t remember her exact words, the woman introducing “Satiristas Live: March Into Anarchy” at The Actors’ Gang Theatre last Tuesday night suggested those of us who may be uncomfortable with all that a “march into anarchy” implies should leave the building. I remember feeling only a tinge of amused discomfort because nothing within my realm of live theater experience could have informed the fear I felt for the next 90 minutes (a guesstimate, as the last thing on my mind was keeping an eye on the time).

Involving the audience is one thing. Scaring the hell out of them is another. Granted, I’m probably not representative of the masses. I hate being the center of just about any attention. Honestly, it was my worst nightmare – this march of bizarre characters milling, mingling, marching, crouching, running and jumping through the audience, expecting us to react and interact. Thank goodness my boyfriend was with me, seated on an aisle and comfortably deflecting as much attention from me as possible.

I thought I was going to a play, the ultimate observer’s experience. Instead I was involved in what seemed an eternal assault on my normal, my comfort, my personal space — at any moment, from any direction, from any walk of life. And that, my friends, is why “March Into Anarchy” is so f’ing brilliant.

No way I’m going to give you specifics on exactly what happens at “Sataristas Live,” which is probably a little (or a lot) different every time. It’s one part of the larger whole “Axis Mundi Series” — curated by Tim Robbins and produced by Shana Sosin — playing Monday and Tuesday nights at The Actors’ Gang Theatre. No way the telling could do the participating any justice at all. Just know this: You will leave the theater with a deeper appreciation of society’s chronic, compulsive, predictable habit of distracting us from what’s most imperative for us to see, hear and, most importantly, do.

Satiristas Live is every first Tuesday at The Actors’ Gang Theatre in Culver City. Tuesdays (and Mondays) are “pay what you can” nights, so you genuinely have no excuse not to go, aside from your own personal fear. I dare you.

The Actors' Gang Theatre is located in The Ivy Substation, built in 1907 and listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW

At one point in the evening, a character with a camera asked if I was a chronic Facebook user (or something to that effect), presumably alluding to the daily distraction that is collecting friends and sharing details of our personal lives. I said yes, “It’s my job.” She got a real kick out of that.

The Actors’ Gang has a dynamic, easy-to-navigate website that effectively communicates the colorful, dramatic, edgy tone of their productions. But it took me a while to find the blog as it’s not included in the main navigation. It’s also a Blogger blog, and one that hasn’t been updated in quite some time. If possible, it’s always best to have a blog associated with the main domain name, as in theactorsgang.com/blog — preferably a WordPress blog that gets updated, at the very least, once a month.

They’re doing everything right with their Facebook page though — updating frequently, sharing engaging posts and building an impressive following. They could definitely benefit from doing the same with their Twitter and YouTube pages. Their Twitter following is respectable, but the last tweet (as of this writing) is dated in September. And the YouTube page reflects their branding well, but needs a little love to bring it up-to-date and attract more friends and subscribers.

I’m especially impressed with The Actors’ Gang Yelp page. There’s only 8 reviews (again, as of this writing), but they’re all stellar, giving them a near-perfect rating. They would do well to ask for Yelp reviews from audience members via Facebook and Twitter, and to include a Yelp icon/link on their website to encourage the same.

Finally, I would recommend a Flickr page. This is an important tool for not only sharing photos from shows, but including SEO-optimized descriptions that can ultimately help push traffic to The Actors’ Gang main website.

Besides the ongoing “Axis Mundi Series,” what’s up next at The Actors’ Gang is Moliere’s “Tartuffe” starting March 31st. Be forewarned though, the same interactive experience of “March of Anarchy” apparently infuses all Actors’ Gang productions (though I’m hopeful to a lesser extent).

As stated on their Facebook page, “Erasing the concept of a fourth wall, performers connect directly with audience members, for the sole purpose of sharing these moments in real time. The goal is to bring your audience on a journey, that they might be transformed. This is how we tell our stories.”

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, check out my Social Media Services.

Annie Potts Shines in AfterMath at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble March 7, 2011

Elliot Shoenman's "AfterMath" at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is a haunting comedic drama starring the brilliant Annie Potts.

I’ve never been so close to acting so good as I was at L.A.’s Odyssey Theatre Ensemble for “AfterMath” starring Annie Potts. I sat in the front row just a few feet from the stage, and was blown away by the effortless authenticity of her every expression, movement and word. This Elliot Shoenman play — directed by Mark L. Taylor, and produced by Gary Guidinger and Linda Toliver — runs through March 13th, so there’s still time for you to witness the brilliance that is Annie Potts.

“AfterMath” is a comedic drama about a family coping with the suicide of the father. Annie Potts plays his widow and the mother of their two grown children, played by Meredith Bishop and Daniel Taylor. A family friend rounds out the cast, played by Michael Mantell. Together they make for a well-balanced supporting cast, all with impressive resumes of their own.

The story stays with you for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its basis on the playwrite’s father’s suicide when Elliot Shoenman was 18 and his younger sister was 11.

On stage, the real-life suicide note haunts the family via its larger-than-life projection on an interior wall.

It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate venue for this intimate story. I didn’t count the seats, but the Odyssey Theatre doesn’t seat many. I’m the worst at guesstimates of this sort, so I’ll keep the range large and say 50 to 100. In the best possible way, it feels like sitting on your couch watching a play performed in your very own living room, starring one of the finest comedic actresses in the world.

 

The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble was founded in 1969 as experiment-oriented theater.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA REVIEW

To mark your calendar for upcoming shows at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, check out www.OdysseyTheatre.com. They also have a Facebook Fan page with a respectable following and overall stellar reviews on Yelp, but overall would serve themselves well to dramatically broaden their social media reach.

As all websites do, OdysseyTheatre.com needs a blog. As I reiterate here in just about every post, blogs are what we look for first in websites these days. Unlike other website content, it can be written in a very conversational style and gives visitors a sense of the personality of the person or place. It’s also a great way to woo search engines, as they love regularly updated content. For the Odyssey Theatre, a blog would be the ideal way of promoting upcoming shows, sharing reviews, and spotlighting actors, directors and producers of note.

Beyond that, the Odyssey needs a Twitter page, an invaluable tool for targeting theater lovers in the L.A. area. And assuming they take pictures during their shows, a Flickr page would be ideal for posting pics with search-engine-optimized descriptions.

The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble was founded in 1969 as experiment-oriented theater. The Odyssey produces 10 plays of its own every year, but “AfterMath” is a guest production, with performances March 10 and 11 at 8 pm, March 12 at 3 and 8 pm, and March 13 at 2 and 5 pm. Click here to purchase tickets.

With gratitude,

Meredith Simonds, Social Media Reviewer, Blogger and Consultant

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The social media suggestions in this post are general and brief. To see what a comprehensive review entails, check out my Social Media Services.