When the world watched the civil uprising in the Middle East, it sparked a whole new discussion of the effectiveness of social media and the part it played to social change. From the ashes of turmoil, came online leaders and influencers who would bring the people together, spark discussion around the world, and bring about change amidst the chaos. In the face of media and internet censorship, social media proved to be the most effective weapon to challenge repression and bring down a regime. This is one of many cases where individuals who are in a position of influence utilize their voice to influence change; these people are social media influencers.

So what is a Social Media Influencer? They are people who garner attention and focus, have a considerable amount of followers, and are actively involved in the online social media space. They create great and unique content, engage with their followers, and influence their followers with a call to action. These individuals wield a unique power of sway to get their followers to participate in helping them.

Going back to Arab Springs, we look at Wael Ghonim, an Google executive who played a key role in the Egyptian uprising. He is credited with the creation of an opposing Facebook page to the Egyptian government, which stimulated the citizens to voice their opinions and demonstrate in the streets together. His call to action was of questioning the government, being active, and working together aided in the collapse of the 30 year Mubarak rule. His influence online led him to be credited as one of Time Magazine‘s Top 100 Influential People of 2011.

The subject on the definition of marriage in the United States has always been a critical topic in politics. It has been the leading discussion amongst Americans as the Supreme Court decides its position on the touchy matter. A small movement online, dubbed the ‘Turn Red’ campaign, asked users to change their profile pictures to a pink equal signs imposed against a red background; an modified rendition of the Human Rights Campaign logo. The popularity of the logo went viral when former Star Trek actor, George Takei changed his picture to the logo. With Takei’s growing popularity online, he was able to influence discussion on the matter, spreading the word, and getting people active.

In spite of everything there is no doubt that social media and it’s people have changed the world dramatically. From these two cases alone, we see the sway that social influencers have over a following as they act as a community connector, a stage conductor, and an information source. Like anything else however it has its limitations as well. As the mind share of idea pools in online communities, information is easily distorted or misinterpreted. Popular opinion tends to take shape whether information is true, false or incomplete. As easily as one social cause starts it ends and is quickly forgotten; the majority of users support causes that are deemed popular or trendy at that moment.

Let me start off by saying that this is a judgement free zone. If you have ever clicked a video link only to find yourself 3 hours later watching something completely unrelated – I would like to welcome you to the club. With over 4 billion monthly video views on YouTube, it is evident that we crave instantaneous visual content. One of the most popular topics on video sharing sites is beauty. It’s time to say goodbye to fashion magazines and in-store make-up demonstrations because YouTube has all the answers. YouTube gurus cover all subjects from makeup to skincare to DIY projects. These vloggers are powerful social influencers with loyal followings and high levels of engagement over most social media platforms, not just YouTube. We watch their videos to learn what products they buy, what stores they shop at and what beauty techniques they use. These expert channels supply us viewers with a constant stream of original content that keeps us going back for more.

Brand channels such as NARS Cosmetics and OPI have approx 10,000 subscribers on YouTube while beauty guru’s channels have hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of subscribers. For example, vlogger Michelle Phan has over 3 million subscribers! It made me ask myself: Why can’t the company channels reach the same activity levels as individual vloggers?

Beauty gurus are a combination of your favourite celebrity and your best friend, they are well known, admired, personable and most importantly, accessible. The one-on-one video style has the same effect as a face-to-face interaction, proving to be exceedingly more influential than a brands commercial. Some company channels have even tried to imitate the vlogger style of videos but have been unsuccessful. Here’s an example from Urban Decay’s attempt.Why you ask? A reason could be that when the user sees the companies channel name, the user automatically assumes the content is biased and therefore ignores it.

YouTube vloggers are influential because they are reachable. They post on a schedule, provide irresistible content, reply to comments, and build content around viewer requests. We also develop a connection with them by learning not just about beauty but also their lifestyle. For example, Lauren Riihimaki, who goes by the username laurDIY has been posting videos since December 2011 and has over 115,000 subscribers and a massive 3.2 million video views. Her videos include DIY Skull Cut Out Shirt, No Heat Overnight Curls and The Boyfriend Tag. She posts a video every Sunday and each video receives thousands of views and comments.

Lauren and Michelle only make up one part of the YouTube guru elite. They are influential because they give unbiased product reviews, unique video ideas and continuously stay connected with their audience. To put it simply, the videos these gurus post are downright addicting and I dare you to watch just one.

Just because users spend most of their time above the fold it doesn’t mean that you need to design your blog or website that way. What about designing in a way that is enticing and builds up a reader’s excitment to see what is … dare I say it… below that fold.

The digital era has transformed the way information and media is presented. We’ve increased the breadth of content and spawned innovative methods of consumption. In the past, traditional media channels sold readers on designing eye-catching features while the remaining content was padded out with less interesting content or “fluff”.

“Above the Fold” is an industry term referring to the upper half of a folded newspaper featuring a captivating story in order to sell the day’s paper. The most interesting content is put at the forefront with other lesser content as support. Many websites today follow this model by compressing as much information at the top of the page or before the user needs to scroll down; the logic being, sell what’s interesting at first glance.

This is stifling; online users want a fulfilling experience. Joshua Porter, interface and product designer at Hubspot, argues here that in a user interface, “Clarity is job number one; [that] clarity inspires confidence and leads to further use. One hundred clear screens is preferable to a single cluttered one”.

We live for experience; users are becoming more interactive with content whether it’s via touchscreen, mouse, or trackpad. A website should be structured for users to explore, see content, and engage. Engaging content should build upon interest to keep the users scrolling for more. At The Blog Studio we’ve been building blogs and websites with stickiness in mind since day 1. We know that users will spend time on many pages and explore below the fold if you structure and design your site accordingly. It’s important to think about the user experience first and cramming everything above the fold could never be enjoyable.

Before you plan your next website or blog design ask yourself if creativity should take place over function. The internet is changing everyday and designing methods for the web must change with it.

We’ve been making some changes around here – playing with new ideas for exploring creativity and focusing on our team working together on each and every project.

When I heard about the David Suzuki Foundation’s “30×30 Nature Challenge” I rallied the troops and we headed to the park with one day left before the challenge began. We have a few great parks close to us in the downtown core that we will be taking full advantage of. We hit up the Grange Park for a lunchtime pop-up picnic, St. Andrew’s Playground for a creative brainstorming session and we’ll definitely need to walk over to Trinity Bellwoods this week to enjoy the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

I’m a nature lover who has always had a special bond with trees. I’m also attached to my computer and a passionate workaholic so being challenged to combine the 2 was something I really believed in. Since we are 1 week in I thought I’d share some of the reasons behind why I’m so passionate about getting my team outside into nature as much as possible.

1. I have no doubt that nature reduces stress and I have no doubt that stress hinders productivity and creativity. Stats show that sunlight improves productivity.

2. After 2 hrs in nature memory performance and attention span improves by 20%.

3. I care about my team and want them to be healthy and feel great about life. Nature is an incredible way to help. Nature reduces anxiety, depression, stress, diabetes, A.D.D and it helps increase energy and immune functions.

4. When I’m in nature I find myself at my most creative and I wanted to test this out for my team as well.

5. We had the longest winter and we all deserve to enjoy the sun.

We’ll be sharing our thoughts and photos on our Twitter and Facebook account so feel free to follow along, send us a message or join us for some nature time.

What’s changed: (to name a few)

• When we opened our doors YouTube existed but since then Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Pinterest, Google +, Vine, Instagram and many more have become big players in the social media space.
• Internet shopping increased by 26% in the last year – so we can assume it’s increased by over 200+% in the last 8 years. Our first clients were afraid of using paypal and thought people wouldn’t trust the service.
• Magazines are dying at a rapid rate. Only the cream of the crop are surviving. Mags dropped 9.5% last year alone.
• More and more businesses are adopting social media as part of their communications plan.
• Mobile, Mobile, Mobile – multiple screen sizes and multiple user experiences on different devices. We aren’t designing for our desktops anymore.
• The authenticity is disappearing online – Marketers ruin everything – I should know I’m one of them.
• The largest demographic? Mommy blogger directories and communities are massive and are only getting bigger.

What’s still the same:

• If you are not passionate about the subject – you won’t keep up with it.
• Content is still king.
• Visual content has and probably always will receive the most shares and clicks.
• Video is definitely growing but photos are still leading in the content sharing arena.
• Email marketing is still on top.
• Google’s algorithms have changed (they change all the time) but strong content is still a big factor when looking for google ranking.
• The more niche and focused your blog/website the better.

We’ve seen more technology, social options, screen sizes and e-commerce in our field. It doesn’t matter what changes occur when it comes to marketing, one thing will always remain the same: you need to connect to your target market emotionally – in print, on TV and on the web.

I’m looking forward to hanging out with robots and living in an open world with little privacy – definitely thinking that will happen in the next 8 years. Maybe I should be careful of what I wish for.

Saturday marked the 8 year anniversary of The Blog Studio – how time flies.

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

And put on our big boots we did. I remember my first 2 years at The Blog Studio like it was yesterday; explaining to everyone that would listen what a blog was. At the time all our clients were American and everyone I spoke with in Toronto was fascinated by my information about blogging but were still very unsure of it being a thing.

I remember the day I realized blogging hit mainstream, I was watching The O.C. when one of the characters (Seth) said to another character (Ryan)… “I’m going to write about this on my blog”. I was by myself at home and my jaw dropped, I got up and started jumping up and down. After I calmed myself, I looked around hoping there was a witness to confirm that moment and assure me I wasn’t imagining it.

Over the years I’ve had that same feeling with Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Seeing check in signs in stores for the first time or hashtags displayed on TV programs. It always excites me when anything in the digital space that I use and love becomes popular to the masses.

Our services have grown over the years from design and development to digital strategy including all aspects of social media. We are constantly trying out new things, submersing ourselves in every aspect of online culture and ensuring we stay up on the latest technologies.

We’ve worked with hundreds of clients throughout the years (too many to name), in industries like fitness, politics, health & wellness, technology, sports, beverages, etc.. I’ve spent time with each and every account, learning about industries that were never on my radar and I feel like the luckiest person in the world for it.

One thing is for sure. I owe everything to all the great members of The Blog Studio team, past and present. I have been so lucky and grateful to have such dedicated, loyal and cool people working with me every day (special mention to Michael Caputo who has been with us since year 1). I’ve always wanted to keep The Blog Studio to a boutique size placing importance on quality over quantity and ensuring we always focus on our passions.

I’d like to give a big shout out to our founder and my dear friend Peter Flaschner – if it wasn’t for him throwing out his back, lying in bed and starting The Blog Studio who knows where we would all be today. Peter’s creativity and insight helped lead us all on this great adventure.

Looking forward to many more years of great clients, great bloggers, new social networks and growing this incredible team.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest where we share tidbits, links, videos and images from our favourites on the web.

Photo Credit: LenSlider

Spring has (sort of) sprung and we’re anxious to kick off a new season of exciting projects! As it happens, the good people at WordPress have also been busy bees – WordPress 3.6 is due to release in early May, and with it comes some very promising updates.

Here are some of the features that have us excited:

Post, Formatted:
Wordpress has really cleaned up their Post interface. The template is more user friendly, and the larger, cleaner icons remind users of the different formatting fun you can have with your post.

Embed YouTube Videos Seamlessly, Endlessly:
This is a feature that I’m personally excited about. Gone are the plug-ins needed to embed a YouTube video directly into your post. Simply copy and paste the video URL into your post et voila: your favourite video will appear in its full, embedded form. You can even play the video and resize it before your post goes live. WordPress is making it that much easier to share great content.

Multiple Author Blogs Rejoice:
Multiple author blogs can get messy when it comes to editing history and overlapping edits. Nothing is more frustrating than mismanaging posts and over-writing edited work. WordPress 3.6 features an improved post locking function. Previously, an often over looked red box would appear at the top of the screen when someone was working on a post, flagging the new comer that you are impeding on someone’s work. Now, a pop up box will appear with an avatar of the person who is currently working on the post. You have the option of leaving the post, previewing it, or ‘taking over’ editing the post  and kicking the other person out. You will be much more aware of your actions, and the editor will get a notification when they are kicked out, improving the lines of communication.

Furthermore, WordPress has upped its revision management game, and will track all revisions and offer a side-by-side screen presentation of two different edits of a post. You can recall earlier versions of a post and recall any changes made. Need to revert to an older version of a post? Not a problem. WordPress tracks all revisions made, and you can easily revert to older formats.

These are three of the top improvements we’re really looking forward to. When WordPress 3.6 rolls out in a few weeks, we’ll be on board. Have any questions about upgrading your WordPress? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help you out!

Once every so often I discover a business that makes my heart leap. The business fires on all cylinders and creates an experience that is perfect from all angles. For me this happens when I’m walked through a great digital experience, the messaging for a business is clear and speaks to me, the graphics, the language, the people behind the machine – all of it stops me in my tracks for a moment of deep appreciation. This was my experience when I stumbled upon YOGASMOGA.

I follow dozens of clothing brands in the yoga space, websites about yoga & mindfulness and I’ll try out any health or fitness app in existence. It takes a lot to really impress me so when it it happens I need to share it.

I had to reach out to the folks at YOGASMOGA to let them know my appreciation and Rishi Bali invited me to their offices and to see the line in person. We discuss his passions, how YOGASMOGA came about, corporate responsibility, believing in quality and the importance of making partnerships with like minded businesses. Nothing makes me happier than sitting with a fellow entrepreneur that shares my commitment to quality, passion and kindness.

To keep it simple I’ve listed out what I appreciated most about the company:

1. The name: ADORABLE, fun and addicting to say.

2. An amazing mission statement: “We are YOGASMOGA. We make things for life – One breath at a time.” It’s was the “one breath at a time” that got me. Whenever I see the word breath it reminds to take a deep one, something we all need to do more often. Any long time practicing Yogi knows the importance of breath in Yoga and yet I haven’t seen a mission statement for any yoga business incorporating it perfectly like this.

3. Models that aren’t all size 0 or 2. It’s about time.

4. Innovation – they believe karma works in harmony with innovative. Anyone or anything that balances science & spirituality is awesome in my books.

5. Excellent website content – loads of well written information about who they are, their values, ethics and yoga principles. The brand voice is lovely and consistent throughout the entire site and all marketing materials.

6. A beautifully designed and fun website. Click around and you’ll discover little surprises. (We do think they should have a blog – of course)

7. You can feel the love and passion from this team and it reflects in their product. Their are many details and design elements put into the line. I’m a big believer that it’s all in the details and clearly they believe it too.

I knew from the moment I stumbled upon this website that I’d be YOGASMOGA’s cheerleader thoughout the years. I’m looking forward to watching them grow and seeing how they evolve.

We’ve been working with clients for 8 years helping them create monitization strategies for their web properties. Paid subscription services is one of the many options we consult clients through. Paying for content is quickly becoming the norm for many businesses and it’s poised to become a dominant business model for a lot of online services.

For just over two years now, online publications have introduced PayWalls in order to generate revenue. This was met with a mixture of frustration and expectancy from readers. The Washington Post recently announced the introduction of a paywall on their (to-be) relaunched iPad app arguing that the content is well curated and it well valued – enough that readers should be expected to help support it financially.

Paying for subscriptions brings next level products and services to the user. The expectation is that content is much stronger and the user experience much more positive. Instead of scraping together playlists for my runs through various downloads – I’m more than happy to pay $9.99 / month to stream unlimited music to my phone from Rdio. The quality and range of content available is more than I’ll ever need – and the social integration of following my friends is a great way to find new music. There is a really great community feeling to joining these subscription sites. Not only am I able to access tonnes of great new music – but I’m joining like-minded people who share similar interests to me. I can make and share playlists with others and discover new songs and mixes.

Similarly, Netflix has found it’s way into my heart lately, not having cable and paying $8/month for unlimited movies and tv shows seems much more economical than recruiting cable. That being said, Netflix’s inventory isn’t as expansive as I’d like – but there are still quality items on there (Freaks & Geeks – hello). Additionally, Netflix seemingly struck gold by introducing exclusive, well-produced, advertising-free content such as House of Cards. House of Cards’ success wouldn’t have been possible without Netflix’s steady and paying consumer base – it’s Netflix’s most watched piece of content. The show was almost guaranteed to be a success – Netflix paid close attention to their user-watcher data and concluded that House of Cards would satisfy the community based on the content that was being watched in the highest volumes from start to finish. Not only was Netflix using original content to please existing users – it was a great pull for those sitting on the fence about getting a membership. Exclusive content surprised and pleased the existing community and made it attractive to those not yet signed up.

YouTube recently announced their plans to introduce paid subscriptions that could launch next month. The launch might start off small, testing the waters and seeing how the community reacts since the service has been free for so long. Moreover, YouTube will need to ensure their content is worth paying any dollar amount for – this will be an interesting space to watch. I’s like to see if and how online content sources and producers deal with paid subscriptions over the next little while. Do you think many companies will follow a similar business model? Are you ready to start spending on content? We’d love to know your thoughts on the matter.

Hearing that wearable technology was one of the biggest take aways from SXSW, I was a little taken back. Yes, I’m extremely interested in technology and fashion (especially in the fitness space) but I consider myself a very grass roots or old-school type of person. I have always preferred to keep technology, fitness and fashion activities exclusive (or at least I though I did). I’m quite primal and I believe athletic efforts should be more organic and unmeasured, especially due to all the studies on the hazards of keeping electromagnetic currents near our person. This being said, the moment I started researching more about wearable technology I quickly discovered I’ve actually been wearing technology from the dawn of its inception.

The calculator watch… Had it. How cool was it that in the1980s you could perform complex mathematical equations from your wrists. This was an essential gadget for a remunerative paperboy of the time. My elderly, out of touch, school teachers had no idea why verbally I was stumped but on paper I was a mathematical genius. The watches advanced exponentially and were soon capable of performing more complicated functions, picking up radio signals and even storing data.

Enter little spy. Thanks to Radio Shack, at an early age (and far too deep within my adulthood) I had dabbled into the art of undercover agent: picking locks, hacking computers, tapping phones and wearing concealed microphones and recording devices. I wouldn’t leave the house unwired. Bringing me full circle was the Casio camera watch: this new piece of technology took up most of my free time for many years there after. To this day those 180×180 pixel, black and white photos are still cherished and continue to be used in a multitude of projects.

A couple of years ago I started wearing my iPod Shuffle as a tie clip. It was the thin aluminium version and no one realized what it was unless my headphones were attached. I thought this both convenient and quite clever of myself. Like the watch, my pseudo tie clip “wore” out and instead of hunting down a replacement I accepted and respected its life span. This is something we just aren’t seeing in fashion anymore: everything makes a comeback. I’m sure there’s a hipster out there rocking an ironic cassette walkman, but for the most part we can count on wearable technology as being something that will continually become outdated.

Today we have Bluetooth cufflinks and earrings, electroluminescent and smart textiles, head to toe body monitors and glasses that see and do everything. If you need to be in the know of what’s both current and on it’s way, you can check out our Pinterest board for a visual representation of how to stay electronically in vogue. I was wrong when thinking wearable technology didn’t pertain to me. It’s true you won’t catch me modelling USB heated socks or gloves but I did recently rig up an old military pouch so I could hang my iPhone stylishly from my belt. Technology is everywhere and even mandatory in many of our modern lives. It’s not always easy to notice when done well because it’s invisible and incorporated seamlessly as an extension of ourselves.