Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Maintenance is everything.  Keeping up with your social platforms is where business referrals will often come from.  It’s an update on word of mouth and I’ll likely only connect with you if you’re saying things that are new, relevant and not outrageously obnoxious.

We’re at a time in the social media life cycle where status updates about your breakfast are so 2009.  If you’re going to create a space online to interact with your friends, fans and followers, interact with your friends, fans and followers! The worst thing you can do is develop a place for active engagement with your organization, brand, (fill in the blank) and let it fall because it wasn’t one of your maintained or favored platforms.  You attract people for a reason, and it’s probably not because you’re on every social platform ever created; however, it’s likely because when people looked for you, they found you.  And if you can keep them there with content, do it!  Wasn’t it Socrates that said, “The unmaintained page is not worth keeping”?  Something like that…

Wherever you are, be completely there.  Social media isn’t going to socialize itself.  It’s not new and exciting if you’re not going to make it new and exciting.

Hungry for the hippest summer bracelet? PuraVida’s bright website showcases the non-profit organization’s bracelets, headbands, home decor and more! We love this site because it not only features an awesome product, the website is easy to maneuver with a classic WordPress format. Whether you want to click the “shop” tab to browse through bracelets, click “story” to learn how this organization started, or click on “blog” to follow Pura Vida’s efforts and progress.

The many attention grabbing pictures on the site showing models sporting these glowing wristbands, are enough to get me online shopping! Not a fan of internet ordering?The Pura Vida site also allows customer’s to find a location nearest you where the bracelets are sold where you can find colors that range from neons to any guys favorite sports team.

With every Pura Vida Bracelet sold, 1% is donated back to The Surfrider Foundation, which helps restore the cleanliness of our beaches and oceans world-wide. Money is also given to support artisans in Costa Rica by providing them will full time jobs. Click on the “cause” tab to see awesome Vimeo videos and learn more about how these bracelets give back.

Follow Along: PuraVida proves they are up to speed with all the latest social media outlets that can enhance a brand’s identity. The sites features the easy to find social media section where you can like Pura Vida on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, pin their creations on Pinterest, or follow them on Instagram to interact with the brand and other supporters!

Get Involved: This website is designed so it’s easy for students to get involved who are interested in spreading the word of Pura Vida. Campus Reps not only get to brag about this awesome organization, but also get 100 free bracelets to hand out to friends and sport these new gems around campus.

PuraVida is a triple threat: a great cause, great product, and great website to show it all off.

Our guest blogger of the day is Sarah Jacobson. Sarah is a student at the University of Delaware and is a dual Psychology and Management major. Keep up with this self proclaimed “Jersey girl at heart” by following her on twitter.

10. MyFitnessPal

After downloading and registering, MyFitnessPal requires you to put your current weight, height, age and of course, your goal weight. Not only does it analyze the amount of calories you intake per day but also gives you gym routine (how many days a week/how long you plan to workout). We instinctively want to refuel after the gym, and this app allows you some extra calories for a healthy post-workout snack so you don’t lose steam for the rest of the day!

9. MapMyRUN

Tired of staring at the same wall or mirror in the gym during your runs? Don’t skip out on the cardio…just take it outside! One of the biggest advantages of the treadmill is seeing the exact distance you’re running, but this application lets you do that while enjoying the beautiful weather and fresh air. By logging in through Facebook this app tracks your location and length of your run. If you liked a particular route, save it! Added bonus? There’s a Nutrition feature where you can log your food and daily water intake!

8. GymGoal

Whether you’re a gym rat or just looking to tone up your arms and legs for tank tops and shorts, definitely download this app. On the opening screen, there’s a quick fitness tip, but the bulk of this app is in the “exercise” option. It provides an alphabetical list of workouts that can be customized into a “routine” tab, and there is even a body part map to help you target which muscle you want to work on!

7. ShopWell

Going grocery shopping after the gym can be a challenge.  Don’t ruin your hard work by purchasing foods that will counteract all those miles and reps you finished. Download ShopWell to personalize your shopping list to include foods that will help you en route to that beach bod. This app lets you pick any food restrictions (lactose-intolerant readers and gluten-free people don’t fret!) and anything you specifically want in your diet, like more fiber or vitamin C. There is a browse option where you can pick what kind of item you’re looking for, and it provides plenty of options. In addition, the “scan” option lets you shop freely while checking an item’s nutritional value.

6. Butt Workout

An app like this doesn’t need a creative name to tell you what it will do! If you’re looking to firm up your backside for those swim trunks or bikini bottoms, look no further. The app offers various routines and different time intervals so if needed, you could squeeze in a five-minute workout before you head off to work, class, or right before you leave for the beach! Tip: Make sure you have your headphones plugged while you do these workouts or the people at the gym will hear the helpful video coaching you through every squat and lunge!

5. Health Tips

This app is perfect for when you’re bored of playing Temple Run or sick of refreshing your Facebook newsfeed. Why not learn a little something new when you have some time to kill? Health Tips is straightforward and not limited to one-a-day  tips like a lot of other applications. This app is a great way to make subtle switches in your diet that can result in big changes for your body…all year round!

4. Cardio

For some people, running on the treadmill or outside just doesn’t do the trick. This app, appropriately titled “Cardio” offers a variety of cardio workouts, like butt kickers, mountain climbers, and “shuffle punches,” to spice up a boring weight routine. Short bursts of cardio between toning exercises makes for a better workout!

3. Ab Workouts

If you’re like me, the body part you’re most concerned with for the summer is your stomach! This application allows you to view a variety of effective abdominal exercises in circuits that vary in intensity (from “Ab Toner” to “Boot Camp”). In addition, it offers fun facts on super foods like whey protein. The application will definitely help you off the couch and into your favorite bathing suit this summer!

2. Lose It

I was referred to this application by a friend and have faithfully been using it ever since! Think Weight Watchers without a membership fee. It provides you with a daily calorie allowance and encourages that you not only record what you eat, but any daily activity. Lose It is a perfect on-the-go food diary and makes you more conscious of your food choices. Exercise isn’t the only thing that will get you to your ideal beach bod (although it definitely helps); staying within your calorie allowance will get you there in no time!

1. Snack App

Of all the applications I have downloaded, this one was definitely the most impressive and helpful. A huge reason people are struggling with weight loss is snacking! If you’re a snacker or a “bored-eater” like me, you will love this app. All the options are under or around 200 calories (depending on how hungry you are you can pick between 100 and 200 cal snacks), and they aim to satisfy your cravings by letting you choose what you’re in the mood for. For instance, if you want something cheesy around 100 calories, they give you the brand, portion size, and exact amount of calories in each snack! The best part: They have a late-night option!

So if you’re ready to get whipped into shape for the sun and sand, happy downloading!

*Bonus for Twitter users: Follow @weightloss and @EverydayHealth for great daily tips on how to keep up a healthier lifestyle!

Our guest blogger of the day is Meredith Castellani. Meredith is a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Delaware, studying communications. She is from Linwood, New Jersey, and when she’s not at school, she spends most of her time at the beach. If you want to learn more about Meredith, follow her on Twitter: @meri_christmas.

Just a few years ago everybody and their mother (or father) had a Blackberry. The “Crackberry” addiction got to the point that it was making news headlines, which explained that the furious typing motion on the keyboard will affect give you “Crackberry Thumbs.” Since that time, Blackberry has taken a significant loss in the smartphone race. They continue to struggle to even compete with Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android phones.

Now with unveiling of some sneak peaks from the Annual Blackberry World Conference that took place just this past Tuesday, May 1st, Research In Motion, Blackberry’s parent company, hopes that this new Blackberry 10 software will be the answer to their smartphone struggles.

This video clip shows software that is a leap in the right direction for RIM.

PROS: Showing the touch screen OS platform with “flick” technology, you can literally flick presumed words onto the screen. Showing multilevel they have entitled “Flow”. It will feature a camera that captures a handful of shots before you snap the shutter, which improves your chances of capturing that perfect photo. The phone has a 4.2-inch, 1280-by-768 resolution display, on par with that of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

CONS: they forget their biggest user base is corporate – these people read hundreds of emails, constantly responding in quick intervals, on a daily basis. They absolutely NEED to keep a phone similar to the 9900 that has a keyboard for those users that refuse to have completely touch screen.

Which leaves us wondering, will people switch back to Blackberry? Will BBM be as big of a fad as it used to be? Will Blackberry be able to make a full recovery? Or will they fall flat? Time will tell.

Guest blogger, Jon Morfe, is a student at the University of Delaware and plans to utilize his visual eye to enhance and stage rental units in NYC. He is constantly being referenced by his friends with anything that has to due with technology. He has always held an interest in gadgets and finds himself researching new pieces of technology and learning new operating systems.

Do you find yourself getting nervous about running into people (or street signs) while texting or sending an email? Well, here is an iPhone app to take away your troubles!

This app titled “Type n Walk” is a hidden gem that can take away your texting worries. Living in a major city can be quite scary if you can’t see where you’re walking. You never know when you’ll need to send someone an urgent text saying you will be late to a meeting that can not wait another second.

This app utilizes your camera whilst having your keyboard present and running simultaneously. It allows you to type in portrait mode, while seeing where the sidewalk is from the back camera.

I currently use this app while walking to class when I find myself in bigger crowds. I especially love that I no longer have to say, “excuse me” from bumping into other students.

PROS: very easy to use, suitable for all ages, able to use in all environments

CONS: Easy to forget to utilize app when sending a text or email.

Jon Morfe is a student at the University of Delaware and plans to utilize his visual eye to enhance and stage rental units in NYC. He is constantly being referenced by his friends with anything that has to due with technology. He has always held an interest in gadgets and finds himself researching new pieces of technology and learning new operating systems.

This project began with a request to rebrand PBR’s old site. What started out as simply rebranding their website, led to the idea of creating a new logo and launching a Facebook photo contest aptly named, Beer Porn.

Since this was our first Facebook Photo Contest, we worked very closely with the staff at PBR to create exactly what they were looking for and generate a constant stream social media buzz.  Before launching the Facebook page, we also created a Facebook banner to advertise the contest and created print material  in order to promote the contest. One of our favorite concepts was a business card handed out to patrons at PBR reminding them to upload pictures of their favorite brews to the Facebook page. We designed more print marketing materials, which included 11×17 and 8×10 full size posters to hang up around Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant, and both a four page ad and six page ad.

What’s the incentive for uploading your photos, you ask? Winners of the contest are treated to the “Ultimate American Craft-Brew Experience”, which includes a homebrew starter kit, two VIP passes to Philly Beer Week, the annual Forum of The Gods even at PBR, and a kegerator draught beer dispensing unit complete with a sixtel of Flying Fish. Um, can you say awesome?

But why stop there? In the midst of this contest, we redesigned the menu and integrated the new logo. We are so pleased to continue working with PBR on brunch menus, creating new ads, and promoting the popular Philly Beer Week.

Cheers!

GOTO’s main goals were to update their site to make it look fresh, current, and most importantly, take donations online. This amazing organization is a non-profit, comprised of many volunteers who are passionate about enriching the lives of underprivileged middle schoolers.

When redesigning their site, it was truly built from the ground up. We created a concept, storyboard, and the whole three step process of donation without using a PayPal plug in to accept payment. This site is special because it is a custom design built especially for GOTO. We built this site using drupal, a content management platform, which allowed us to accomodate all of GOTO’s requests easily.

Working with GOTO was a dream, and although the process took a bit longer than we anticipated, it was that much sweeter seeing their finished site go live. Within 10 hours after the launch, GOTO had their first online donor. Success! Check out what GOTO’s Chairman & Executive Director, Rainah Berlowitz, had to say about their website’s new “facelift.”

Side Note: Taking payment online is not as hard as you may think! If you want to enhance your company’s page to accept payment online, contact us and we can make this happen.

The 790px body content is a little slim, but virtually perfect on almost every current machine surfing the net these days.  Some additional assets worthy of pointing out, are Jones’ subtle declaration of trends. HenryJones incorporates a black and white, attention-grabbing logo, multi-layered background texture, typography, and interactivity (though it be flash-based).

A  link to Theme Trust displays the company’s products as well.

Hats off to HenryJones for an inspiring design this Web Design Wednesday!

Quick tip:  Wordpress relies on a theme in order to drive the way a site looks and feels. You can buy themes for WordPress from many websites, or contact us for a custom WordPress theme.

Brolik helps clients “reach their full potential through brand development, web and mobile technologies, user experience, trendsetting marketing campaigns, and responsive design.” The web gurus offer array of creative services that include app development, social media marketing, animation, and print design.

Sure, their services are what makes the company, but what makes the company stand out to us, is their web design.

The homepage is pure enchantment. At first glance, the life like tree suspended above clouds looks like a still from Lord of the Rings. Then after a few seconds, the tree begins to develop small “poofs” of thought and shed leaves. With such an engrossing, interactive image, the simplicity of a full picture background lined with clouds, works perfectly to offset the tree. We also appreciate that the featured About, Work, Clients, and Blog links are kept in plain, capitalized text that does not draw away from the image, but still helps us navigate the site.

Brolik also kept it simple in terms of text and showcasing just the right amount of clients and services on the first page. Their logo is easily read, but still interesting with the emphasis on the “o”, which is followed by text that varies in size, boldness, and italics.

Being in the industry with design and marketing, we can appreciate good work when we see it. We can all use an extra dose of creativity in our day.

Also paying millions for a Super Bowl spot, Toyota focused on advertising the newly redesigned Camry. Instead of letting the Camry commercial generate buzz organically, Toyota worked with LocalResponse to create ten Twitter accounts spamming anyone who tweeted about the Super Bowl with generic tweets about entering a contest to win a car. The tweets created a controversy because the accounts were verified, from @CamryEffect all the way through @CamryEffect9, proving their authenticity to the Toyota campaign.

Although the social media world and Super Bowl ad critics were buzzing about Toyota, it was not how the automobile powerhouse envisioned it. The backlash from Twitter users was harsh, how would Toyota recover from this PR nightmare?

Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager of Toyota Motor Sales, Kimberley Gardiner, issued an apology shortly after, but the damage was already done. “We apologize to anyone in the Twitterverse who received an unwanted @reply over the past few days. We were excited to share the message of our Camry Effect campaign in a new way and it was never our intention to displease anyone. We’ve certainly learned from this experience and have suspended the accounts effective immediately to avoid any additional issues.”

Let’s hope other companies learn from Toyota’s mistake and think before they tweet.