Tag: facebook

the social media inspired world of luxury

Published on by BriAlys

This post is mostly about Louis Vuitton … and how super easy it is to get sucked ALL THE WAY in. Instagram and YouTube are mostly the culprits that reel me in. One day I stumbled upon videos on YouTube of people showing off their collections (a cool way to refer to someone’s stash of designer pieces), what’s in my bag videos (what they carry on a daily basis), un-boxings (new product reveals), reviews (what they like  and don’t like ) and finally wear & tear videos (how a handbag is holding up after 1 year, etc.) Oh … you didn’t know? This is entirely a thing! I even made a couple of videos of my own (#WIMB Gucci Soho Disco, #Bag Swap … peep the actual view count from my videos… 👀).

There are hundreds of channels on YouTube (like tv stations) devoted to luxury goods. There’s one particular YouTuber, Minks4All, who produces a weekly Q&A answering all kinds of questions from users…  It’s a coordinated production! She talks about price increases, bag trends, compares bags across designers, all kinds of stuff (I watch it EVERY WEEK… she was 880k subscribers). BTW, one other term I learned watching YouTube is Small Leather Goods (SLG’s) – those are all the designer items that are not handbags (wallets, coin purses, makeup bags, key holders, etc.). And at Holiday time, you can almost always find shopping guides, like from the YouTuber Tracy Hensel. She will do about 3 videos in varying price points. JUST BEWARE OF CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS… IF YOU LEARN SOMEONE OVER TIME AND THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN START RECOMMENDING RANDOM PRODUCTS, YOU’LL KNOW ITS PAID AND TO #IGNORE IT.

Top luxury designers are Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Dior.

Then there’s Instagram… where one hashtag can change your life! Thinking about getting a certain bag? You can search for it and see how others are styling or wearing it, like the hashtag #lvneverfullmm for Louis Vuitton’s most popular popular tote, the Neverfull. This is how I ended up with my diaper bag, using the hashtag #totesavvy. Using social media platforms to RESEARCH before you BUY is a MUST! Long gone are they days of solely using stock photos from corporate websites to make purchasing decisions.

 

I must admit that I used to watch those videos and wonder how in the world they ended up with such large collections (so many pieces)! … until I realized that I had quite a large collection myself. The answer is either you’re rich … or it was developed over TIME (6 months to a couple of years). I’m actually thinking of posting a collection video myself 💁🏽‍♀️ 👛 (stay tuned to my YouTube Channel just in case something pops up). #pursequeen

Before I end this post, here is the complete list of YouTubers I follow: JerushaCouture (the OG), HappyStylishMommy, 408california408, Kristina Braly,  LuxMommy, LuxPurseLove, Just Jennifer, HaveLouisWillTravel You can find them all on Instagram as well.

DoD + Silicon Valley > ISIL

Published on by BriAlys
  • DoD: Department of Defense
  • Silicon Valley: Tech industry leaders, mostly located in California
  • >: Greater than
  • ISIL: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, jihadist militant group

Now you can understand the title of this post, DoD + Silicon Valley > ISIL? Meaning can a partnership between the tech world and the US government be the key to fighting terrorism? That’s exactly what the Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, suggested this week (watch below).

It really is a crazy time in tech and I can’t imagine how the US government can expect this campaign to be successful, without the likes of Apple, who by the way is currently in a fight with the FBI for REFUSING to unlock an iPhone of one of the SanBernardino shooters. Don’t think this is at all inconsequential. As I told you before, it would be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to see what side the other tech companies took in this battle. Facebook, Google, Verizon, Microsoft, Amazon and others ALL support Apple’s position.

U.S. Secretary of Defense on Apple encryption: ‘I’m not a believer in backdoors’

So how can the government on one hand, ask tech to help fight terrorism one way, while at the same time asking these companies to completely ignore the privacy of millions of Americans also in the name of fighting terrorism. Sorry; but, that is not going to fly, so saith and judge in New York.

US cannot make Apple provide iPhone data in drug case, NY judge says

Apple Gets Tech Industry Backing in iPhone Dispute, Despite Misgivings

Screen Shot 2016-03-02 at 5.33.14 PM

Smart Gun Technology

Published on by BriAlys

Yesterday President Barack Obama issued a memorandum, Promoting Smart Gun Technology. It’s easy to listen to everyone else’s summary of what the memorandum entails – even better is to READ THE MEMO FOR YOURSELF. Let me share a few important takeaways from this memo:

  • As with most federal issues, there was a “team” established 3 years ago to look at gun violence in general and make recommendations.
  • Within 90 days FROM TODAY (March 30, 2015), the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall prepare jointly a report outlining a research and development strategy designed to expedite the real-world deployment of such technology for use in practice.
  • Department Consideration of New Technology. In today’s press conference, President Obama made a great comparison to technology most Americans already use today: If we can push a button to find our iPhones, why can’t we push a button to find our guns.

gun-diagram

516ZHwhNaUL._SX342_BO1,204,203,200_That very last statement is the most powerful statement I have heard to date about gun control. This idea is not revolutionary, as noted by The Blaze back in 2011. “Smart guns theoretically offer a way for a firearm to be personalized so it will only work for an “authorized person.” Engineers working on smart guns have already tried things like radio-frequency identification (RFID), fingerprint-recognition systems, and magnetic rings to keep an unauthorized person from firing a gun.” There was even a book written in 2014 called, “The Future of Guns”.

I don’t own a gun, never even touched one. (If I did it would be pink). I have no idea how much they cost. One thing I can comprehend is THE potential COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE A LOSS OF A GUN VS. THE COST OF LOSING AN IPHONE. If you consider it that way, this IS A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION, regardless of the who or the what.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: DISMISSING THE IDEA THAT SOME ACTION, WHILE SURELY NOT A PANACEA, THAT AIMS TO PREVENT SOME GUN VIOLENCE MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE A FOOL WHEN YOU HAVE NO SOLUTIONS OF YOUR OWN TO OFFER. No one with any sense takes you seriously. #solutionsplease #nopoundingthetable

Technology innovation solves tough problems. Now surely, there are traditional “gun companies” that will undoubtedly try to get in on the action when a Request for Proposal (RFP)) is issued. But I would LOVE to see the likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and others – major tech companies – BAN together to HELP the federal government sort through this issue. Think this is too far off? Well, what about Microsoft and Apple’s recently advertised, “Let there Be Peace on Earth and Let it Begin with Me” commercial? Controlling gun violence supports peace on earth, no? Doesn’t sound too far off if you ask me!!! #techrules

You can watch President Obama’s the full speech from today below (save yourself some time and skip to 12:57). and the Microsoft/Apple commercial I referenced here.

What is a Hashtag?

Published on by BriAlys

Let me teach you about hashtags and how to use them! First, I Googled, “What is a hashtag?” in hopes that someone has already come up with an easy definition that I can relay to you in the simplest way possible. #wrong My primary problem is that the first few definitions I ran across don’t cover both sides of the equation. So here’s my definition:

A hashtag is a way for people to contribute to or search for a particular theme on social media.

All you need to do is to type the hash symbol (#) followed by a theme, i.e. #cat and you have made a hashtag. Congratulations! All social media outlets understand hashtags just like all people know how to count to 5 (duh). So for example, if you (let’s call you Tiffany – hey girl!) want to post/share a picture of you and your cat to Twitter, Instragram, Facebook, Tubmlr, Google+, We Heart It, Vine or Pinterest. In the comments section you may write, Love my #cat. You can even get fancy and write:

Love my #cat. #furryfriend #catlover #atlanta  #rescue #animalshelter #bestcatintheworld”

(bold letters for emphasis only) You can choose whatever theme/phrase you want and it can also be more than one word! You really would be amazed how long some people’s hashtags are and how many they use at one time. So that’s the contribution part.

Now, on to the search part, or what I like to call usage. Why do people use hashtags anyway? It must serve some purpose, right? This time, yes! Going back to our cat example above, let’s assume a guy, James, has just moved to Atlanta and wants to find other cat lovers in the area. How can he do that, leveraging hashtags? Well, James can open up any social media app / website and search to find exactly what he is looking for. For the search criteria he may type in “#lovemycat” or “#catlover” and guess what – he’ll see Tiffany’s post as well as anyone else who has used the hashtag. James opens your (I mean) Tiffany’s post, likes it. Tiffany notices how cute James is, sends him a DM (direct message), they go out on a date, then another one and they live happily every after. #kidding #tangent #itwasfunthough #lol

One more example – FASHION! Suppose you have a shiny new red skirt in your closet and you’re stumped about what to pair it with. Just hop on your favorite social media site, search for #redskirt and get tons of inspiration! Trust me when I say you will have no problem finding someone who has used this exact same hashtag. Some people post pictures of their outfits every day!

Here are the results of my #redskirt search on Instagram yesterday. It returned 20k+ pics. Happy hashtagging!!!

redskirt