What has snapped me out of my self imposed personal “opinion” writing seclusion? It seems that while everyone embraces the new world of sharing – many keep forgetting some basic media 101. Media 101 are the rules I use to engage in the social media sharing world. I am not saying I have it down to perfection – but my personal “media” rules do help guide me in this new environment where the lines between news and opinion have blurred. So I thought I would my personal opinion to Time Magazine, Jamie Grumet, Mashable and everyone else that should consider developing their own Media 101 rules.

Media Training 101:

1. Dear Time Magazine -  While I really appreciate you including me in your 2011 Time Top 140 Twitter Feeds list (seriously – I do appreciate that). And even though you forgot to include me this year (maybe you left my out by accident), I am still a regular reader of Time magazine and have the online site included in my daily RSS feeds. I also understand that journalism is journalism,  and while it may seem tempting to be provocative with your cover photo and your headline – I suggest in the future you just pick one and not both. It is kind of like accessorizing with fashion – it you are wearing an over-the-top beaded dress that has bright colors, you need to tone down the accessories to let the dress shine. Of course I think every problem can be solved with a fashion metaphor. Another good tips is not to use the term “mommy enough”. All moms that raise their kids in a loving environment are “mommy enough”. Enough said.
2. Dear Jamie Grumet – You should feel proud that you are raising your kids in a loving way. Don’t ever let anyone judge you for that. It is great to see the parent blogging community come out in support as well (including MomsLA).  But when you talk to journalists, reporters and those in the news business – realize their job is to be provocative and to start conversations. Sometimes they do that in a way that is detrimental to you and your family. It is not personal – it is just the business. I like to consider what my kids will think when they are older before I pose for public pictures with them. But of course – finding that balance is a moving target as they get older. Currently it seems everything embarrasses my 13 year old. Also, the internet likes to make fun of things in something that is called “Internet meme“, which can be a magnifying force.
3. Dear Mashable- You have enough amazing writers that are moms, so when posting about “mommy blogging” please get input from one of them.   Also – don’t use the color pink and aprons in infographics talking about moms, that is so 1950′s. From a term standpoint, the appropriate one to use is “parent blogging” because Dads are also a big part of the blogging community. The real story is that parenting is challenging and isolating at times;  parents started blogging as a way to share, get information and interact with others. While many parent bloggers have created businesses around their blogging, it started out as a passion and still is so for many others. The parent bloggers that have businesses from their blogging either have a professional background related to their niche or a new found talent that they are taking to the next level.
4. Dear blog readers – Please don’t become lemmings and take the bait when journalists become provocative, that is their business (i.e. to get people to read their article!). MommyPsychologist brought up the lemmings concept and I agree. We can’t forget that part of journalism is provoking conversations. I think in situations that are offensive, it is important to state our objections by commenting. Or share your perspective with a blog post that creates the image you want. Sabrina Parsons from Forbes shared her version of an attachment parenting picture: her with her baby in a sling. Most of, don’t buy into the mommy ways – parents need to not judge each other (I agree with Christy Matte on that one).  But in many situations, humor is a good way to respond.  For example,  MamaPop blog did a good job of using “humor” to respond to the Time breastfeeding cover controversy. Humor is also another good way to parent (laughing is good for you!). Update: MamaPop also snagged an interesting interview with Dr. Bill Sears!

While it may seem that I am being a lemming as well to jump into the controversy discussion, I view this as sharing my opinion on media interaction (and throwing in some of my own humor). I did not take the bait, I feel that every mom who raises their kids in a loving environment is enough. I have to admit – the controversy did bring up some amazing blog posts. But when it comes to using humor,  Jenny Lawson (a.k.a The Bloggess) is the Queen of finding appropriate respones to outrageous media questions.  Next time I will ask her to share her media 101 rules. Or maybe Taxidermy and Media 101 rules.

Like many entrepreneurs these days, I share my professional brand and parts of my personal life online using various social media platforms. While my main focus online is to curate the most relevant tech information , I also consider myself a fashionista who has found stylish heels that can make it through a week at Consumer Electronics Show (fashion), clueless in the kitchen and always looking for easy recipes (food) and a number one fan of her twin sons’ Little League baseball team (sports).  But I do wonder what a snapshot of my digital life would look like. That is why I was excited to try a tool created by Intel called “What About Me?”. The tool captured a snapshot of my social media life in an infographic to represent the topics and updates I share.

So, what would a snapshot of your digital life look like? Here are the steps to create your own digital snapshot:

Step 1: Visit the “What About Me?” page and follow the prompts and approvals to add your Twitter, YouTube and/or connect with Facebook:

Step 2: Wait until it processes – and run a mouse over the circles to have some fun while waiting.

Next, click on the results and see your digital life. There image has different areas that cover the topics, stories, popular updates, pictures, mood, connections and when you clock in.  The areas represent different types of updates – but it mainly covers Facebook. There are also buttons to share the results on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google+ and save as an image.

What shocked me about my results? Please join co-hosts @IntelEdge @LittleTechGirl @TechMama as well as panelists @TechSavvyMama @Tech4Moms @scrappinmichele and @c2cmom for a Twitter Party where we share our results and discuss how we use social media (and hope to find out how you use yours). After the Twitter Party I will update this post with my results and a video discussion on the topic.

Details:

Intel “What About Me?” Twitter Party
Date: Thursday May 17 5-7pm pst (7-9pm cst and 8-10pm est)

Co-hosts: @IntelEdge @LittleTechGirl @TechMama  Panelists: @TechSavvyMama @Tech4Moms @scrappinmichele and @c2cmom

Hashtag: #IntelSocialButterfly
Create a snapshot of your social media life by visiting this link http://bit.ly/JNQUwk  to create your own infographic. Then share your results and how you use social media during the Twitter Party.
Prizes are: Five (5) $50 Best Buy gift cards and (1) $250 Best Buy gift card will be randomly awarded.
To qualify for the prizes please follow 3 steps: (1) please RSVP here (link will be added TBD) , (2) tweet out your What About Me? image with the hashtag #Intelsocialbutterfly and (3) participate in the Twitter Party.
For details and contest rules visit Little Tech Girl and TechMamas (click to bottom of this post link for contest rules).

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Intel. All opinions are my own.

Also check out CoolMomTech ‘s also post on the What About Me tool

SOCIAL BUTTERFLY TWITTER SWEEPSTAKES Official Rules:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
Social Butterfly Twitter Sweepstakes (“Promotion”) begins May 17, 2011 at 12:00:01 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time (“PST”) and ends May 17, 2011 at 11:59:59 p.m. PST (“Promotion Period”).
The Promotion sponsored by Intel Corporation (“Sponsor”) and administered by CMD is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years of age and have reached the age of majority in their home states at the time of entry. Void outside the United States, in Puerto Rico and where taxed, restricted, or prohibited by law.

1. How to Enter
To participate, you must have or create a non-private Twitter account (“Twitter account”). If you already have a Twitter account, you will have to sign in to your account. If you are not an existing member of Twitter, you will be required to follow the directions and join Twitter. When you join Twitter, you are indicating that you have read and agree to accept the Twitter Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Membership to Twitter.com is free. To enter, users must send a tweet containing #IntelSocialButterfly.

2. Prizing Prizes: One (1) of five (5) Best Buy gift cards valued at $50.00 USD and one (1) Best Buy gift card valued at $250.00 USD. Total Approximate Retail Value of all prizes: $500.00 USD.

3. Prize Drawing
The Sponsor will choose six (6) winners (subject to verification) from a random drawing of all eligible entries appropriately received. Such drawings will occur same week as the end of the Promotion.
Only one Prize per individual, family or Twitter account during the Promotion Period. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes and all unspecified expenses or fees associated with prize acceptance, receipt and use. No substitution, assignment, or transfer of prizes permitted, except by Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute a prize/prize component with another prize/prize component of greater or equal value if prize/prize component cannot be awarded as stated for any reason. Sponsor will report taxes as required by the applicable law of Sponsor’s jurisdiction and winner’s jurisdiction. All prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranties, representations, or guarantees, including but not limited to, quality, condition, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. Winners must look to the manufacturer or service provider for any potential warranties or guarantees. In the event that a potential prize winner cannot be contacted, prize is rejected, or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize without compensation. In the event that a potential prize winner is disqualified for any reason, potential winner forfeits prize. In the event of prize forfeiture, an alternate winner will be selected in a random drawing from all remaining eligible entries received for the particular Giveaway’s drawing. Potential winners will be notified by Twitter direct message. Prizes will be fulfilled by mail approximately 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the Promotion, subject to verification of potential winners’ eligibility and full compliance with these Official Rules. Winners will be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release (where lawful) within seven days of the
date indicated thereupon in order to claim his or her prize. If the potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release within the required time period, or if (for any prize) the prize is returned as undelivered, potential winner forfeits such prize and an alternate winner will be selected.
Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

4. Eligibility
Promotion open to all legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years of age and have reached the age of majority in their home state at the time of entry. Void outside the United States, in Puerto Rico and where taxed, restricted, or prohibited by law. Employees, officers, and directors of Intel Corporation (Sponsor) and CMD, their respective partners, agencies, related companies, and agents, as well as the immediate family (defined as parents, spouse, children, siblings, and grandparents), and same household members of each such employee, officer, and director are not eligible to enter. All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. By participating, you agree to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects.

5. General Conditions
Sponsor’s computer is the official clock for purposes of the Promotion. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the Promotion if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond its control impairs the integrity of the Promotion, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor will select the winners via random drawing comprised of all eligible entries received prior to (and/or after, if appropriate) the action taken by Sponsor or by some other means deemed by Sponsor in its sole discretion to be fair, appropriate, and consistent with the spirit of these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of this Promotion or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in a disruptive manner. Tampering includes but is not limited to the submission of Entry that is not solely and completely the original work of individual submitting same. Any attempt by any person to deliberately damage Sponsor’s or any related website or undermine the legitimate operation of this Promotion may be a violation of criminal and civil laws and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law (as well as disqualifying such individual, if appropriate). Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. These Official Rules (or any other promotional materials) may not be published elsewhere without the express written consent of Sponsor, which may be withheld for any reason.

6. Publicity
Except where prohibited by law, participation in the Promotion and acceptance of prize constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s use of winner’s name, likeness, voice, opinions, hometown, and state and other indicia of persona for promotional, trade, or advertising purposes in any media without geographic or time limitation, and without additional payment or consideration.

7. Release
By entering the Promotion and, if applicable, receipt of any prize, each entrant and, as applicable, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, its partners and agencies (including but not limited to Intel Corporation and CMD), their respective related companies, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Promotion or any Promotion-related activity, or from the receipt or use or misuse of any prize or from merchandise delivery, from claims based on publicity rights, defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, or any other intellectual property or personal rights related cause of action.

8. Limitations of Liability
Sponsor, its partners, and agencies (including but not limited to Intel Corporation and CMD
) are not responsible for and you hereby release Sponsor, its partners, and agencies (including but not limited to Intel Corporation and CMD) from any claims arising from: (1) incorrect or inaccurate transcription of entry information or lost, stolen, illegible, incomplete, misdirected entry forms (including but not limited to content/story submitted therewith, if appropriate), or entry forms (including but not limited to content/story submitted therewith, if appropriate) received through impermissible or illegitimate channels, all of which are void and will be disqualified; (2) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunctioning of any telephone, computer, network, hardware, or software; (3) the unavailability or inaccessibility of website or any other service; (4) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Promotion and/or incomplete or inaccurate information being displayed on website whether due to unauthorized human intervention, equipment failure or malfunction, or other cause; (5) electronic or human error which may occur in the administration of the Promotion or the processing of submitted entry forms (including but not limited to
content/story submitted therewith, if appropriate); or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property, including but not limited to an individual’s computer (or any information/materials stored thereon), which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by participation in the Promotion or from downloading any material from Sponsor’s or related website(s), regardless of whether the material was prepared by Sponsor, agency, or a third party, and regardless of whether the material is connected to a Sponsor’s or agency’s website by a hypertext link.

9. Disputes/Choice of Law
Except where prohibited by law, you agree that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by state or federal courts situated in the state of Delaware, (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) no punitive, incidental, special, consequential or other damages, including without limitation lost profits may be awarded (collectively, “Special Damages”), and (4) you hereby waive all rights to claim Special Damages and all rights to have such damages multiplied or increased. Delaware law (with the sole exception of the choice of law/conflict of law rules of Delaware or of any other jurisdiction) governs the Sweepstakes and all aspects related thereto including construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules. By participating in Sweepstakes, you agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Delaware.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF
LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY
NOT APPLY TO YOU.

10. Winners List: For the winners list, send an email with Subject Line: “Social Butterfly Twitter Sweepstakes Winners List Request,” to pmay@cmdagency.com. Or, for a copy of the winners list, mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to Social Butterfly Twitter Sweepstakes Winners List Request, 1631 Thurman Street, Portland, OR 97209. Requests must be received by June 1, 2012.

11. Use of Data. Sponsor will be collecting personal data about entrants online for purposes of administering this Sweepstakes, in accordance with its privacy policy. Please review the Sponsor’s privacy policy at http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/privacy/privacy.htm. By participating in the
Promotion, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor’s collection and usage of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Sponsor’s privacy policy

We’ll be joined by expert panelists Ciaran Blumenfeld of Momfluential.net, Katie Dillon of LaJollaMom.com, Heidi Leder of Coast2CoastMom.com, Janis Elpas of MommyBlogExpert.com.

RSVP by clicking HERE – to sign up at the PixyKids blog for a chance to win one of our prizes! For more details, here is the post on the PixyKids blog.

PRIZES: One Amazon Kindle Fire and 2 $50.00 Amazon gift cards.

You must RSVP here to be eligible to win, so be sure to click over!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

Other then my personal blog TechMamas.com ( and as a big fan of CoolMomPicks),  I was thrilled to be part of the team at their sister site CoolMomTech – the top tech shopping site for moms. It was also my dream as a tech blogger to contribute to a mainstream tech site.

I am excited to announce that I am a guest columnist at none other then Laptop Magazine (ok, yes I am giddy)! My first column discusses if Augmented Reality toys are bad for your kids. To find out my thoughts – you will need to check out Laptop Magazine online or the May magazine issue. Even better if you do both. As I head out on a business trip next week, I picked up my regular “plane” – shut off your electronics and read a magazine – reading. I must say, buying the recent issue of Laptop Magazine was extra special this time.

So check back next week where I will share my adventures and all the family fun the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship has to offer!

Disclosure: My travel expenses for this media trip are covered by Disney. This is not a paid post, my words are my own.

The camp consists of four primary “themes” this summer with thoughtful curriculum for each “theme” planned along the three vectors of Art, Science and Outdoors. The curriculum is customized within age groups from Kindergarten through eighth grade and seems to be have lots of thought put behind it. As a mom, I appreciate that Galileo has an approach focused on developing innovators, collaboration and creativity – all important skills for kids to help them develop into innovators as adults.

The four themes for this summer are “Leonardo’s Apprentice”, “ Create the Golden Gate”, “Galileo Olympics” and “Galileo Rocks”, each with its own innovative activities. In “Leonardo’s Apprentice”, campers are inventors in the time of the Renaissance, bringing alive the time of Leonardi DiVinci through frescos or a cloud-filled dome ceiling. The science of this time is realized by studying the science of compression forces or gears and pulleys. Compliment these brain and expressive exercises with some outdoor exercise like maypole games or juggling and fencing and the week is complete.

The other three themes are similarly balanced between artistic expression, science associated with the theme, and physical activity to keep the kids moving, excited, stimulated and social. My kids are looking forward to seeing a few friends, exercising the different parts of their brain and having a ton of fun along the way. Every year they build some exciting new project, so I can’t wait to see what they do this summer!

5th to 8th grades can attend Camp Galileo Summer Quest which has subjects such as  Arts Academy ( Digital Photography, Digital Filmmaking, Cartoon Workshop, Painter’s Studio and Fashion Design ), The Builders and Makers (Inventor’s Inc., Go-Kart Makers and Go-Kart Makers Extreme),  Culinary Arts (Chefology: 30-Minute Meals, Chefology: Just Desserts) and High Technology (Video Game Design Foundations, Video Game Design,  Advanced Web Design, Lego Robotics).  When my twins boys are in 5th grade, I would like to send them to Chefology class. Who knows, there may be hope in the future for me getting help from my three boys with cooking dinner!

Disclosure: I am participating in a mom blogger program and will be receiving a complementary week at Camp Galileo. I have been a customer of Camp Galileo for years before this program – my words are my own.

As one of the Founding Members of the Friends of Ricki (Lake), I had the fun opportunity to ask her questions about her favorite tech devices. On the same topic that happens to be my daily challenge, Ricki Lake shared with me a tech accessory that keeps her phone charged:

The device Ricki Lake discussed in her video is one of the cases made by Mophie that also charges the battery.  This all-in-one device does not take away from your battery life – it actually charges it. What a great recommendation!

My journey at CES did not include a Mophie case only because the cases are not yet made for Android phones. Mophie does make a portable Powerstation that can be used with smartphones or tablets that I had on my list to try. But it was not until I arrived at the CES Mophie booth that I saw a demo of what I hope will be the answer to my battery-charging challenge: Mophie Powerstation PRO.
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The Mophie Powerstation PRO has an expected release date of March 2012 for $130 on Mophie.com and will work with many USB-enabled devices including smartphones, iPads and other tablets. The 6000 mAh battery capacity (the Mophie Powerstation has only 4000mAh),  impact-resistant exterior combined with up to 2.1amp, high-output charging would of kept me going throughout the long days of CES. I look forward to giving the Mophie Powerstation PRO a test run when it comes out, with the hopes that someday my device’s batteries will actually last throughout the day.

What are your favorite ways to charge your devices?

The Keurig Vue custom brew, single-serve beverage delivery technology allows me to brew coffee strong or regular, Latte with foam or iced tea, hot chocolate, hot tea and more. The high-tech brewer adjusts water pressure, timing, and airflow to brew to taste. The programmable settings offer temperature, strength and size selections so my husband can get his extra hot, extra strong coffee while I can have my tall regular coffee. The eight brew sizes range from 4 oz. to an 18 oz. travel mug. The removable 74 oz. water reservoir means that I don’t need to fill the water every day or when we are entertaining many guests. Best of all, it brews each cup in under one minute, which I need with my busy schedule.

To keep on our eco-friendly roll (we just started composting), I appreciate that the Vue packs are made from recyclable polypropylene #5 plastic. I found the recycling locations by checking the Keurig Vue recycling website.

The individual Keurig Vue packs come in so many fun flavors including different coffee roasts, Cappucino, cocoa, and teas – who needs a coffee shop with these!  The press release stated the following choices:

“Vue^™ packs will debut with more than 30 varieties representing a mix of brands and taste profiles including Green Mountain Coffee^®, Barista Prima^®, Tully’s^®, Coffee People^®, Gloria Jean’s^®, Green Mountain Naturals^™, Café Escapes^®, Caribou Coffee^®, Celestial Seasonings^®, Emeril’s^®, Newman’s Own^® Organics, Timothy’s^® and Van Houtte^®.  In addition, exclusive to Vue^™ is GMCR’s newest beverage innovation, two-step Barista Prima Café beverages, which includes separate dairy frother packs designed to deliver a high quality blending of premium gourmet coffee and creamy froth while maintaining the convenience of Keurig^® brewing.  GMCR expects of offer up to 50 varieties by the end of June.”

 

 

The digital controls let me know both what I need to do and what step I am on. For example, when I turn on the Keurig Vue, the controls show me that the brewer is pre-heating.

It is easy to pop open the lid to add the Keurig Vue pack of my choice when I am ready to brew.

Then I can select which beverage I am brewing, the strength and the beverage size. If I were brewing a beverage with froth or ice – then I would select that setting.

After I make my selection, I was happy to see that the controls show me that the beverage is brewing.

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In under a minute I had myself a hot, yummy cup of coffee. It was easy enough for even culinaryphobias like myself to use.

The only frustration I had was that I raced to the store to buy more Keurig Vue packs last week  – then realized they are not coming out until early March. Ah…. such a dilemma… to be patient for great coffee.

The Vue Brewer press release provided information on availability:

“The Keurig® Vue™ V700 Brewer is the first of a planned Vue™ Series for home use. Currently available for purchase in Bed Bath and Beyond stores nationwide as well as GMCR’s two consumer- direct websites (http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com and http://www.keurig.com), the Vue™ V700 Brewer and associated Vue™ packs will become more widely available in a variety of retail stores over the coming months. GMCR’s new Vue™ Brewer and Vue™ packs will complement the current Keurig® platform and its K-Cup® packs.”

Disclosure: I was compensated to participate in the Keurig Vue Twitter Party on February 16, 2012 and received a Keurig Vue unit to review. All of my opinions and words are my own. This is my first experience with the Keurig System and just received the unit. I will post an update after I have taken it for a full test drive.

One of my favorite parts of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the booth tours that help me learn more about the tech companies and their technologies. For CES 2012, I was invited to a Qualcomm press tour that included a booth tour and briefings on the new technology Qualcomm presented at CES.

I was already well aware of the Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor after years of reviewing mobile phones and tablets.  I have used multiple phones with Snapdragon processors and found the performance to be speedy and responsive (even with the ultra demanding mulit-tasking I demand of my smartphoness). Just recently I gave myself a holiday present by purchasing the Samsung Galaxy Tab from the AT&T store during a sale.  But there are many other devices with Snapdragon processors including the range of my old phone the BlackBerry Torch to my new favorites Samsung Galaxy SII, HTC Sensation 4G, HTC EVO 3D, T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide , HTC Radar 4G, Samsung Focus Flash. I realized some of the new technology I saw at CES and covet also has Qualcomm Snapdragon processors: Nokia Lumia 900 Windowsphone that has just started pre-orders and Samsung Galaxy Note (tablet/phone hybrid).

And as luck would have it, last week I had the opportunity to obtain an  AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note review unit (that has the  Snapdragon processor with 1.5 GHz dual-core CPUs). I was impressed not only by the Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen offering me the ability to write notes (that can be converted to type) and draw pictures – but that the speedy processor raced between tasks in a device that was the perfect mix of smartphone and tablet.

But it was the CES Keynote with Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs that helped me learn more about their mission of mobile tech to connect phone, tablets, eRreaders and growing list of devices. Qualcomm will be expanding mobile offerings into Windows 8 tablets, more Windows Phones, Snapdragon TV and Augmented Reality by discussing their partnership with Sesame Street (Grover actually made an appearance at the Keynote).

The augmented reality can be experienced on devices such as tablets by utilizing the Vuforia platform to read images and turn them into augmented reality. Sesame Street characters not only become animated but kids can interact or even pick Ernie up!

Qualcomm also works closely with top game developers utilizing advanced graphics capabilities in Snapdragon mobile processors to improve the gaming experience in mobile devices. To help mobile users find and access games, Qualcomm created the Snapdragon GameCommand which was just released in the Android Market on January 10, 2012.  Currently there are over 100 Snapdragon GamePack featured games for mobile phones and tablets. Future versions of Games Command will have Augmented Reality games, something I can’t wait to start playing.

Along with a selection of wireless health initiatives, Qualcomm announced at their keynote the Qualcomm Tricorder Xprize: a 10 million dollar global competition to revolutionize healthcare. Their goal is to “revolutionize healthcare by accelerating the convergence of mobile, wireless, and health technology”. Any fan of Star Trek (yes, I am a Trekkie) can’t help but recognize the word “Tricorder” which was used by Star Trek’s doctor to diagnose illness. The goal of the Xprize is to bring Tricorder to life (partnership Qualcomm foundation) which translates to teams around world building devices to integrate artificial intelligence, wireless sensing, cloud computing, digital imaging, lab on a chip technology. People could diagnose themselves without going to hospital. Parents especially could benefit from Tricorders, especially when their child is sick at night when the Doctor’s office is closed.  At the end of Xprize, the winning technology launches a new industry.

The keynote also discussed the Hanvon C18 e-reader that was released in China. The Hanvon C18 e-reader is the thin, light and uses the Mirasol display technology. The press release added that the Hanvon C-18 e-reader “includes access to tens of thousands of e-books, more than 100 Chinese newspapers and more than 300 magazines, 90 percent of which offer full-color digital editions.  Additionally, the device features Hanvon’s patented handwriting recognition technology – Hanvon Input – to further enhance the user experience.” I look forward to thinner, lighter e-readers coming to the US, especially those with handwriting recognition technology.

On my tour of the Qualcomm booth I learned about Qualcomm’s vision for the Connected Home - which includes blending together broadcast video with services like Netflix. With facial recognition you can walk up to the TV and the interface will recognize your profile, changing to match the device. Connected home technology will evolve to 100′s of devices being connected (not just TV – things like light switch etc).  The demos at the booth included the Qualcomm Atheros technology which wirelessly connects and shares content between tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and other Consumer Electronics Products. One demo at the booth was a tablet game that was shared with two other screens (a PC and a TV). The Skifta Media Shifting Platform was also announced at CES, which “transforms any Android device into a global media remote control, helping consumers access and enjoy their music, videos and photos at home over Wi-Fi and while on the move with 3G.”

Another exciting connected home product is the first Snapdragon powered smart TV running on Android 4.0 (made by Lenovo) with Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi to deliver real-time Internet video, multi-player online gaming, voice control and local content to home TV’s. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Smart TV press release explained “Thousands of apps from Android Market and Lenovo Store, including console games, are ready for access with a simple touch. With full Internet access, consumers can access their favorite songs and videos, share files between the TV and their tablet, smartphone or PC and control the TV via tablet or smart phone. ”

Because there is a “fashion” focus to this event (a topic I enjoy discussing), I decided to take a look at some social media branding resources relevant for those in fashion and design careers (both of which have many aspects of technology).

My advice to a student in fashion/design looking for work after they graduate (or someone changing careers) is to create an online brand for themselves. This “brand” should be focused on the professional niche related to your career goals.

Step1: Create Your Online Brand

Building a professional brand means that you need to define what that brand is then translate that online. Forbes wrote an article titled “The First Step To Building Your Personal Brand” which covers many of the main branding points.   In general, I suggest to build an online brand you need to:  define your “professional”  brand, setup your brand online, define and connect with other relevant brands/communities and then set up a daily social media schedule. Guy Kawaski’s book Enchantment is a great resource for tips on engaging with a social media community. A key part of building the brand will be investing in the right devices and resources such as a laptop, tablet, smartphone, digital camera, video camera, professional headshot/logo and “outsourced” training  (web designer, video training) when needed.

The first part of setting up your brand online is to create a landing page. Lifehacker posted with the “Best professional NamePlate Sites” including About.me, Flavors.me, Zerply, Re.vu. A  good example of About.me is Owen Geronimo’s page.

Two professional sites to look into are Intern Sushi  (a great resource for finding Internships) and LinkedIn professional networking site.  For LinkedIn, an example of a professional page is from one of co-speakers from the event Joanna Weidenmiller – CEO, The One Page Company. The One Page Company has great information on tools needed to create a  1 Page Job Proposal. Another fellow speaker,  Lily Balfour – Founder of Atelier Advisors,  also has a great LinkedIn page.

Another alternative for setting up a landing page is to set up a blog or website. I self-hosted my about page on my blog TechMamas.com.  Neelu Jain (a fellow panelists) also has a great landing page. An example of a fashion blogger that has an about page on her blog is Mira Torres of Beauty Bohemian.

Step 2: Set up your brand online and connect with your community

The next step is develop your social media channels to curate, share and develop an online community.  The brand on your social media channels should match your professional brand. It is important to keep any personal sharing on your social media platforms to information that is “public” and fits with your brand. This step will be the “daily” process as maintaining social media channels requires daily interaction. Here is a list of some of the top social media channels:

Twitter is a “micro blogging” social media platform to share whats going on at that moment (in 140 characters).  Twitter is highly relevant because the information shared is very current. The community on Twitter is engaging and it is a great platform to reach out and gather a public following.  My TechMama twitter feed is focused on the niche of curating content for family technology & social media and has let to accolades such as Time 140 Best Twitter Feeds, Working Mother.com List of Most Powerful Moms in Social Media and PCMag twitter top 100 ). Twitter also plays an important part with Fashion week including “live tweeting” fashion shows.  SF Fashion Week also has a Twitter ID that is a must follow for anyone that follows fashion. The FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising main site and the  Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s Career Center are on Twitter to share current updates.

Creating a Facebook page with your professional branding will allow you to interact with your community on Facebook.    H&M, Zara and Burberry are good examples of fashion brands with interactive Facebook pages.  Mari Smith has a Facebook page that focuses on her professional image of Facebook Marketing. Getting Gorgeous has a fashion focused Facebook page for the mom community. Ricki Lake is coming out with her new talk show next fall, but has already started a social TV community called “FriendsofRicki” which has a great Facebook page. The key to Facebook interaction to not only share your own content – but share other relevant content to your brand and interact with your Facebook community by asking questions or sharing thoughts that spark discussion.

Video: YouTube & Livestream for creating a video and/or livestream presence: NYMag had a list of 50 Livestream and videos for last Spring’s New York Fashion Week.  The San Francisco Fashion Week site shared across multi-media platforms.

Google+: For social search purposes, create a “professional” Google+ presence to share content relevant to your brand. Owen Geronimo also has a good example of a Google+ page. Setting up a Google+ Page can also enable you to appear on Google+ related people and pages, one of the new parts of the Google social search features.

Pinterest:  Pinterest is one of the top sites for sharing visual content – especially those with a design focus. Mashable picked the ” 10 Most-Followed Users on Pinterest – one of which is a design student from Boston name Caitlin Cawley has over 790,000 followers. One local Pinterest example is SF Indie Fashion’s board. Another example is the Independent Fashion Bloggers boards. One of my main (TechMama) Pinterest board’s. focus is on Interesting tech I find each day to match with my “tech” niche. The Pinterest boards with the top following are design and crafts (including photos of handmade items in Etsy).

Blogging on WordPress or other blogging platforms: Fashion Bloggers are making a big splash with their online fashion coverage which means starting a fashion blog can lead to big opportunities. Tumblr is a “micro” blogging platform that is used for shorter versions of blog posts. Whether you either work for a fashion company – or work for yourself – creating a blog is a great way to share your voice online and identify yourself as an influencer. A video by Coveted Media discusses the impact of Fashion Bloggers. There are many blogging communities to connect with, but a few such as  Fashion Bloggers Connect, Independent Fashion Bloggers and BlogHer have communities of fashion bloggers.   360Fashion also has a blogger network of Fashion Professionals. One of the key features of a fashion blog is either beautiful digital pictures or high quality video that showcases the artistic and design skills of the blog author. Because of this focus on design, choosing a high quality digital photo or video camera (and getting training if needed) will be important to the success of a fashion blog.

There are many other social media platforms if you have time! Please do share your favorites.