Let's Talk Livestreaming: Periscope, Fashion & the Social Content Shift
Spring of 2015 now goes down in tech history as the advent of “lifestreaming,” or livestreaming daily activity through mobile devices. Meerkat launched in February, and as the official app of SXSW Interactive, quickly became the new social magnet, attracting brands, digital strategists, and early adopters alike. A few weeks later, in March, new-to-market Periscope was dominating downloads. The one-year-old startup which was purchased in January by Twitter in an effort to fight its decline in user acquisition, became the biggest competitor to Meerkat overnight.
Listen Up: 5 of Our Favorite Podcasts
The last few days here in Los Angeles have been super hot. The kind of hot that makes even the smallest task seem complicated, sweaty and entirely un-doable. We've been passing the time by cracking non-stop cans of Lacroix, sitting in front of a cranked-to-the-max AC and listening to podcasts. Here, five favorites that are helping us keep our cool.
Do It For The Gram: Tips For The Best Instagram Feed
For a lot of us, Instagram can be our weapon of choice when it comes to dominating the social media game. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the social media channels where you can express yourself or your brand creatively and really put best foot forward when it comes to building a great aesthetic.
5 Instagrams For Minimalist Inspiration
We may be the firsts to jump at bursts of color and a maximalist approach, but sometimes — especially in a tiny 1x1 Instagram — less can be way more. If you want to know the trick to having a beautifully curated Instagram feed, it's minimalism and a few basic principals of design. A focal point, negative space, and a splash of one or two colors (or no colors at all if that's more your style), with no more than two subjects in your photo, and you're well on your way to more double-taps.
C+C Link Love Vol. 2
Making the Most Out of Pinterest
Just thinking of the word “Pinterest” elicits a mental moodboard of hosting hacks, dreamlike bridal showers, recipes for the perfect chocolate chip cookies, and DIY projects that elevate any standard living space to Apartment Therapy status. As we enter the age of the “buy it” button, these once distant, aspirational products and lifestyle brands have become that much closer (read: one click away).
My personal insufficiencies in the DIY and party planning departments aside, Pinterest is making huge strides. The social network is valued at $3.8 billion, and is becoming a smarter investment for brands, pending they commit to maximizing the platform’s functionality and strengths.
Below is a quick list of Pinterest hacks to help jumpstart new Pinterest community growth and lay the foundation for monetization.
Pro Tip: Jaclyn's Top Apps for the Modern #Girlboss
The millennial proverb “there’s an app for that” is both terrifying and amazing. We truly are living in an on-demand society—pretty much anything you want delivered to in an hour or less. While I don’t plan on exploring the larger implications of this phenomenon, I will say that as a busy entrepreneurial female, there are a few apps that have made my life easier. Way easier.
5 Must-Follow Hilarious/Real Talk Instagrammers
We love Instagram (duh) and while we love love love the macaroon, peony, jet set explosion that often fills our feed, we also love the people who lay it out there real talk style. The people who aren't afraid to talk about their dog barfing in their car (Jayne Min) or admit that they have a mustache hair (Jen Gotch)--- we need them, the world needs them. We thought it was time to share what basically gets us through our day, which is often not filled with cute cups of coffee and European vacations, but is sometimes filled with, er, mustache hairs.
Kelly Oxford / @kellyoxford
The author, writer, show-seller, and cool mom is one of our favorite follows. She posts the ins-and-outs of motherhood, the hilarity surrounding her kids, her dogs, and general commentary on the craziness that is life. Our favorite is the picture of her mom where she says "Hi Mom. Sorry I don't call, I hate the phone. If it makes you feel any better, I call no one. You're cute for an old Baba." #truth
Jayne Min / @stopitrightnow
Don't be fooled by her couture looking imagery - Jayne Min isn't as serious as her posts may look. She is constantly killing it with self deprecating humor. For instance, her caption "Cowlick profile shot featuring ear cameo" (see image below at the upper left), plus her posts about her pups hit way too close to home -- we like it Jayne!
OrlandoSoria/
@mrorlandosoria
OMG, WE LOVE ORLANDO! His effortless use of CAPS when instilling hilarious puns and wit into his often beautiful interior photos literally gets us through the day. For National Donut Day, his post declared "I hate donuts but LOVE RUGS." As do we, Orlando.
Jen Gotch / @jengotch
Jen is everything. No really. She is a boss lady extraordinaire, she pulls off pink hair and mumus with ZERO effort and she is not just funny-- she is freaking hilarious. She literally doesn't care what you think (in the best way possible) and her Instagram is a direct reflection of that. Do yourself a favor and watch the mustache video.
Samantha Duenas / @sosupersam
Don't let her freakish good looks fool you, Sam is WAY more than a pretty face. When she isn't spinning the best parties, she is posting hilarious commentary on Instagram. Her post featuring the guy juggling at the airport, simply captioned "go ahead daddy", literally made us pee (just a little bit.)
Create + Cultivate's Go-To Apps of the Moment
We love to disconnect as much as the next creative, but in reality, our phones are our everything: from a personal assistant, entertainment center, meditation coach, our modern day Rolodex, and everything in between. Here are just a few of the many apps that are well worth the real estate on your homepage. Get the to the app store stat!
Calm
calm.com — When vacay is a little too far off the calendar, Calm is a great app for a quick escape via guided relaxation and meditation. Just a few minutes really does lead to increased focus and decreased stress, plus, it’s way cheaper than airfare.
Highball
Highball by Studio Neat— Happy Hour in your pocket. This is one of the best drink recipe apps we’ve found: you can upload, share, and search through tons of cocktails at the tap of a button. So whether you’re playing hostess or need a new after-work special, this one’s a must-have. Drink responsibly.
Niice
Niice.co — The design-focused, minimalist mood-boarding platform of our dreams. Their newly released iPhone app still has some room to grow, but on the web, it’s a perfect resource to get your creative juices flowing or even share a collaborative board. Export your moodboards as PDFs, Dropbox folders, or send a link directly to a client.
VSCO
VSCO — If this photo editor isn’t a mainstay on your home screen, it should be. VSCO Cam & Film (for Android/iPhone & Lightroom) are more than just great film-simulating filters (and they really are great!) — they’ve built a beautiful community of artists around the world. They’ve also got a suite of products (VSCO Grid, Journal, & Film) that are great places to get inspired and maybe even get discovered.
And an honorable mention goes to:
Felt
Felt Pro / This one’s pre-launch (May 2015) but we’re already sold. Write and send handwritten personalized stationery, all from your iPad. Personalized thank-you notes in the mail are always good form, and stand out even more in the digital age, so good on Felt for making the process easy and modern at $4 a card (including shipping)!
Are there any apps on your home screen that everyone should download? We're always up for an App Store shopping spree.
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