YOUR CURATION

2011-09-07T03:19:00.004-04:00

With this very post I had to write something. Because I posted it, I dont want you all to get the wrong idea. I found this controversial video to have very thought-provoking visuals and wanted to share it to stir up some thoughts in the minds of those who wander. By no means to I support anything that is going on in the video, said in the song, nor anything beliefs that these particular music artists stand for. Creativity is creativity.

Brittney-

2011-09-07T02:31:00.000-04:00

2011-09-07T01:34:00.001-04:00

Bridget Kelly- Thinking About Forever

2011-09-02T04:01:00.000-04:00

MOTH

2010-12-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

MOTH Trailer from Hilton Carter of FRESH KILL on Vimeo.

Love this commercial!

2010-11-28T15:08:00.001-05:00

2010-11-11T02:06:00.002-05:00

A. Sauvage, This is not a suit from Edward Gibbs on Vimeo.

Lenka- The Show

2010-10-21T23:52:00.001-04:00

Rihanna- Only Girl (in the World)

2010-10-17T16:16:00.002-04:00

The Crowd

2010-09-22T03:44:00.002-04:00

Mystery Repeats

2010-09-22T03:17:00.001-04:00

Pete Philly & Perquisite - Mystery Repeats - Music Video from Danny Merk on Vimeo.

Bilal- When will you call?

2010-09-22T03:03:00.002-04:00

Estelle feat Nas - Fall in Love

2010-09-20T01:54:00.002-04:00

Mansions on the Moon -She Makes Me Feel

2010-09-20T01:23:00.000-04:00

Mansions on the Moon - She Makes Me Feel from Illusive Media on Vimeo.

Miguel featuring J.Cole - All I Want Is You

2010-09-18T23:35:00.003-04:00

Tegan and Sara- Call it off (live Performance)

2010-09-18T03:09:00.002-04:00

Nivea-Stronger Than Pride (Music)

2010-09-18T02:47:00.001-04:00

Travis Mccoy- We'll Be Alright

2010-09-18T02:17:00.001-04:00

"We are young, we run free, stay up late, we don't sleep, got our friends got the night, we'll be alright" Travis Mccoy

2010-09-18T01:30:00.002-04:00

"Every entrepreneur starts out with a dream, every successful entrepreneur learns to share their dreams."

Suai- Power (No one man)

2010-09-16T01:41:00.002-04:00

Suai - Power (No One Man) from Dante Marshall on Vimeo.

The Fabric of Our Lives-Colbie Cailat

2010-09-12T20:35:00.002-04:00

Donell Jones- Love Like This

2010-09-03T22:04:00.000-04:00

2010-08-28T01:10:00.000-04:00

"The best small businesses do what they do well, but they don’t stop looking for ways to do things better."

Eric Roberson-Still

2010-08-27T21:37:00.001-04:00

Corinne Bailey Rae- Closer

2010-08-22T13:55:00.002-04:00

Esperanza Spalding- Little Fly

2010-08-22T13:52:00.002-04:00

Celine RTW Fall 2010

2010-08-15T14:26:00.002-04:00

VanessaBruno

2010-08-14T02:11:00.002-04:00

Discover the film “ Le bel été ” with Lou Doillon and Gonzales.
http://www.vanessabruno.com

Naptural Hair Diary- My story Part 1

2010-08-12T17:05:00.009-04:00

BEFORE TRANSFORMATION

I wanted a change... I let my relaxer grow out in Spring 2008. With the help of a few cuts, trims and chops, It took about 2 years for my relaxer to fully grow out. The journey began when I let my friend style my hair in bantu-knots. This style made my hair spirally but it was also very tangled. I eventually began doing wet braid-outs, again this style was very tangly. But I refused to do the big chop, so I rolled with the punches. After a while I was frustrated with all of the natural styles , my hair was breaking because the new growth would get tangled with the permed ends. This tangling became a huge issue, thinking my hair was in terrible condition- I finally made a visit to the hair salon. I got my hair pressed and oh was it amazing and such a breath of fresh air. At this time I didn't have the right tools to straighten my hair so after I'd return tho school and the press wore out I'd do more braid outs.
I continued doing braid outs for a while, until I felt comfortable getting more than an inch chopped off of my hair. Like many women, I couldn't imagine letting go of my beautiful tresses... so I decided to get my hair cut into a long bob. It was cute when styled, but I could only wear a ponytail with the top of my hair up and the back down. I eventually got sick of the bob and week by week I'd cut my own hair. (I advise you all NOT to do this...if you do, please use styling scissors (unlike me). Getting my hair cut into a long bob allowed me to let most of my relaxed ends go without doing the big chop.

MY VERSION OF A BIG CHOP

This was the beginning of my Naptural hair transformation...
I continued doing braid-outs for a while then I realized that twist-outs were much better; braid-outs gave me a crimped look and twist-outs gave me a soft curly look. (It's still my favorite style) Months after my relaxer had completely grown out, which was in Spring 2010 I realized that I could do wash and go styles, with a little bit of leave-in conditioner. To this day dry or wet twist-outs, and wash and go styles save my life...But I'm ready for another change. Maybe color?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of "My Story"... I will post a video with pictures from my transformation.

IMPORT.10 Culture
Originality- Expression- Boldness

(NEW Music) Ciara- Up and Down

2010-08-12T05:36:00.001-04:00

Colbie Caillat- Bubbly

2010-08-07T02:40:00.003-04:00

Wale- Ambitious Girl

2010-08-05T03:29:00.001-04:00

A visit to J.Crew

2010-08-04T04:06:00.002-04:00

Someone Told me that Life is About Taking Chances

2010-07-31T15:13:00.001-04:00

"nothing ventured, nothing gained."

2010-07-31T14:58:00.005-04:00

"PROPER PLANNING PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE"

Wynter Gordon- Dirty Talk

2010-07-30T18:23:00.002-04:00

Woman Wakes up to Find Intruder in Her Bed

2010-07-30T04:21:00.001-04:00

This is CLASSIC. Top that.

2010-07-24T02:13:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Boy

2010-07-23T02:53:00.001-04:00

Boy you're so beautfiul.
I wish i had two of you.

Is it possible to Miss What You Never Had?

2010-07-23T02:31:00.002-04:00

Inspiration

2010-07-22T17:56:00.000-04:00

I know that many opportunities ~~lie~~ ahead of me.

"Boy, what a large brow you have."

2010-07-22T03:26:00.001-04:00

I just thought I'd inform you all that I'm letting my eyebrows grow its their entirety. I want big bushy, thick eyebrows. lets see how much they'll grow! Updates coming soon.

Nicki Minaj- Your Love

2010-07-22T03:15:00.002-04:00

Slum Village- Faster

2010-07-22T02:27:00.003-04:00

The Ann Arbor Art Fair

2010-07-22T02:17:00.002-04:00

If you're wondering why I'm so amped to go home this weekend this is why...

2010-07-21T19:27:00.003-04:00

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Maxwell- Fistful of Tears

2010-07-20T03:18:00.004-04:00

I absolutely adore anything that Maxwell creates, music video, album, single...Whatever it may be he is awesome to me. I didn't even know that he had a video to Fistful of Tears but here it is. Let me know what you think! And what is your favorite Maxwell song, album or music video?

I LOVE Google Tools

2010-07-19T23:05:00.004-04:00

Wow, Google has so much to offer. I hear so much talk about Google and I've been wondering why they're the best... my findings have justified why Google wins. Like me, when you first think of Google, you probably think search engine. But guess what! Google offers a wide variety of tools that allows website owners or just regular people like me stay up to date with consumers, and to effectively market to consumers as well as gain insight as to what they are searching for, what they are viewing online, what their interests are, etc.

A few of the tools google offers that caught my attention were listed under the "insights" page, these are a set of tools that can help you discover rich, current and actionable consumer and marketplace insights to inform your entire marketing strategy. The offered Google Insights tools are;

Google Insights for Search- Search activity is a measure of consumer interest. Search trends from Insights for Search can inform your brand's positioning, messaging, advertising strategy and budget.

Understand global search trends.
Where in the world is your customer interest the storngest?
Track seasonality.
Measure interest levels across categories and over time.
Match your marketing to the times.
Study search levels for your brand, product and category.

Google Keyword Tool- Use the Google Keyword Tool to discover global and local monthly search volumes on words and phrases related to your brand and category. Assess competition on specific queries. Enter a URL to see data on keywords related to the content of that page.

Ad Planner- Uncover Audience Insights to better understand your target audience by indentifying the websites they visit with Ad Planner.

Google Analytics- Derive insights from your site's traffics patterns

YouTube Insight- View detailed statistics about the popularity of the videos you upload. Understand the size of the audience, the sources of your video views, and trends over time. Reports include demographic information, including the age range, gender and geographic location of your audience.

Google Alerts- Easily monitor news, blogs, videos and other coverage. Some handy uses of Alerts include:

Tracking a developing news story
Keeping tabs on your brand or products
Keeping current on a competitor or industry

Google Blog Search- Search posts in more than 18 languages on all blogs across Google's continuously updated blog index to find information related to your brand.

Now you see why I LOVE Google...Explore Google Tools for yourself here!

Usher- There Goes My Baby

2010-07-14T21:43:00.001-04:00

Social Media- Survival of the Fittest

2010-06-14T22:17:00.004-04:00

We've seen companies who have yet to grasp onto the concept of proper social media etiquette. We wonder is it because the employees who handle these accounts do not have social media "expertise"... or maybe it's some other reason. I think I have the answer to this mind boggling question.

Three words: Social Media Policy

The overall purpose of social media policy is to give companies and their employees direction when it comes to presenting and representing their company through the use of Social Media. Social media policy helps the organization to be more responsible by setting guidelines for the employees to follow. It is is used because organizations are aware of how fast information travels on the Internet, they are also aware of how any bad representation can taint their company's image...possibly for a lifetime; which is when PR comes into play, but I won't go into that. Included in many company's social media policy is how to effectively communicate when using social media.

Social media policy is quite simple; be cautious when tweeting, blogging, updating statuses etc. etc. Deliver to the customer, give them what they need and want, but at the same time keep in mind what is best for the company that you are representing.

Businesses and social media can go together like children and McDonalds or like bad breath on your first date.
Below I have listed a few ways social media can benefit a company and a few ways it can harm a company.

Pros

Increases reach across various markets
Inexpensive..or free (Who doesn't love free stuff?)
Allows businesses to be more personable and interactive with consumers

Cons

Anyone can put their face on your brand
Very easy to spread negative publicity about a brand
It's difficult to control what's being said about your business

Above are just a few pros and cons of businesses using social media that I came up with. Click here for more Pros and Cons.

Social media strategy is all about:

Finding your niche in social media
Using your voice to tap into that niche,
Influencing other's with your voice enough to have them influence others
Engaging and facilitating meaningful conversations
Measuring your results

A Brand that seems to have pretty good grasp on social media is Zappos. Zappos effectively uses Twitter by having conversations with their consumers, highlighting interesting facts. Zappo's owner Tony has lent his personality to the company as a way to liven up the brand.

Click here to read about more companies that are making their mark in social media marketing.

Rhymes and Reasons We Love Social Media

2010-06-09T11:18:00.006-04:00

In 2009 Honda launched their Rhymes & Reasons campaign featuring music artist Mickey Factz. Honda took this campaign to a whole new level when introducing the Rhymes & Reasons micro site ,which consists of webisodes hosted and written by Mickey Factz himself. The webisodes give viewers an inside look at his journey into and throughout the music industry. The micro site is set up in a blog format, giving viewers the capability to comment on each webisode.

In the webisodes, Mickey Factz is shown driving a Honda Accord around "the big apple". Honda mastered a way to combine marketing with hiphop. Now that's what I call innovation in social media marketing.

You can check out the Rhymes & Reasons micro site here.

" I feel like art is timeless and it can be interpreted in so many different ways and so can music, that's why I decided to call my album The New Museum, so diversity is what makes me who I am. It's all about the will-power you have, the determination, so if you believe in your dreams and you continuously work towards your dreams and won't let nobody stop you or hender you, after a while you will definitely become your dreams." - Mickey Factz

Sometime in the 1990's my father introduced social media to my older brother and I, beginning with AOL; I would spend countless hours in chatrooms, communicating with strange acronyms such as a/s/l. As I grew older I quickly advanced to social media outlets such as, myspace.com and facebook.com. I can't say that I knew anything about social media marketing as a child, in fact I didn't know much about marketing in general, until my senior year in high school when it was time to fill out college applications- I had to choose a major. Surprisingly I chose marketing, and that's when my knowledge of social media marketing began to expand. I became more interested in social media campaigns, and social media networking sites. I learned the importance of branding myself through social media, and with that knowledge I created a blog, linkedin and twitter. My blog went through many renovations as I constantly picked up more interests and grew as a person... To this day it is still changing.

Social media is an inexpensive and conveinent way to build brand awareness, whether it be for yourself or for a company. I believe that more companies will venture towards the use of social media as a marketing mechanism and non-traditional marketing will become more prevalent. These companies must first recognize the opportunities that social media holds for their company.

Alicia Keys- Unthinkable (I'm ready)

2010-05-23T00:38:00.000-04:00

Beyonce- Why Don't You Love Me?

2010-05-05T22:01:00.001-04:00

"Why Don't You Love Me" - Beyoncé from Beyoncé on Vimeo.

Bjork- Pajan Poetry

2010-04-19T01:33:00.001-04:00

Bjork - Pagan Poetry from Medusa on Vimeo.

Drake-Over

2010-04-12T20:09:00.001-04:00

AXE TWIST 2010- Commercial

2010-04-07T00:38:00.001-04:00

A Month In Fashion- garance dorè, the sartorialist)

2010-04-07T00:28:00.000-04:00

Kelis- Acapella

2010-03-29T15:08:00.001-04:00

Kelis - Acapella
Uploaded by UniversalMusicGroup. - Explore more music videos.

Ryan Leslie x adidas Originals - "When I Think About Love"

2010-03-28T01:50:00.001-04:00

Ryan Leslie x adidas Originals - "When I Think About Love" from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo.

Mayer Hawthorne- I wish it Would Rain

2010-03-22T20:34:00.001-04:00

Love J.Cole

2010-03-22T03:29:00.004-04:00

Lykke Li is Full of Possibilities

2010-03-19T13:03:00.001-04:00

Jcpenny Spring 2010 Commercial

2010-03-19T12:53:00.001-04:00

I Put That Bleep on Everything.

2010-03-19T12:44:00.002-04:00

LEE- The Chronicles

2010-03-08T01:57:00.000-05:00

Lee Timeline video from Street Etiquette on Vimeo.

Chromeo- Needy Girl

2010-03-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

Chromeo - Needy Girl from Vice Records on Vimeo.

Little Boots- Remedy

2010-03-06T14:59:00.001-05:00

ESTELLE ft. KARDINAL OFFISHALL - FREAK

2010-03-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

Mia Wasikowska is Alice in Wonderland in Harper’s Bazaar Australia

2010-03-04T14:56:00.004-05:00

Black on the Runway

2010-02-27T01:14:00.006-05:00

Here are a few of the Black models that graced the runway during the New York Fashion week 2010

Mos Def Feat. Talib Kweli- History

2010-02-26T01:12:00.000-05:00

Mos Def Feat. Talib Kweli-History (Creative Control Color Edit) from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Vivienne Westwood Red Label 2010 Fall

2010-02-26T00:35:00.004-05:00

Personally, I love the accessories that are paired with these pieces.

Adidas Goes High Fashion

2010-02-24T00:03:00.007-05:00

Trends via TrendHunter.com.

Rachel Ray- Look Book Photoshoot

2010-02-23T23:47:00.002-05:00

Rachel Roy look book shoot from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Think about it.

2010-02-22T16:11:00.001-05:00

Billy Reid...

2010-02-22T15:29:00.001-05:00

To-do list

2010-02-22T15:21:00.003-05:00

To do list:
Matte Nail Polish-Essie?
Flat Iron- Chi
Let Eye-Brows grow thicker
Get Hair Color
Drink lots of H20
Catch up on work, get focused.
Quit eating fried foods
Blog in detail...maybe
Watch How to Make it In America Ep.2
Catch up on Shark Tank

I admit..I'm a little over my head.

2010-02-22T02:51:00.000-05:00

"Is that suppose to be Cookie Monster?"

2010-02-22T02:34:00.005-05:00

As embarassing as it is... the cookie monster on crack is me.

Usher- Daddy's Home

2010-02-22T01:59:00.001-05:00

Fancy Ass Men

2010-02-22T01:44:00.002-05:00

Blessed.

2010-02-17T21:06:00.002-05:00

I'm blessed to be able to move on from some of the things that once acted as a road block in my life.

Life.

2010-02-17T01:26:00.001-05:00

It's hard being a full time college student, juggling a job, and trying to start your own business all at once. *woosa*

Corrine Bailey Rae- Paris Nights, New York Mornings

2010-02-12T13:32:00.003-05:00

2010-02-10T02:16:00.002-05:00

Valentine, Smalentie...When is Valentines day again? Oh Feb 14th...

Single.

& Happy.

2010 Doritos -Commercial

2010-02-09T02:58:00.002-05:00

Going Thru' Changes

2010-02-09T02:43:00.007-05:00

Is it me, or do I look two different complexions on these pics? I know a lot of people couldn't tell that my hair has been cut, but when you compare and contrast it's quite evident. Enjoy.

BEFORE AFTER

Coolness

2010-02-09T02:30:00.005-05:00

Hopefully I contain my coolness when I'm this woman's age.

2010-02-06T11:55:00.002-05:00

Dear God,
what does it mean to truly forgive? Does it mean going back to your past to reconcile with people who hurt you long ago. Where there is no closure, there is no growth...or maybe that's just me. There's only one person I would like to reconcile with. Maybe I've already had my chance.

"Forgiveness is God's invention for coming to terms with a world in which, despite their best intentions, people are unfair to each other and hurt each other deeply. He began by forgiving us. And he invites us all to forgive each other."

2010-02-02T04:39:00.001-05:00

Jay Z- Forever Young Feat. Mr. Hudson

2010-02-02T04:09:00.000-05:00

2010-01-31T05:30:00.000-05:00

I think u&me look good together.

2010-01-31T05:25:00.001-05:00

MSU Introduces Team Insomnia Cookies

2010-01-31T04:15:00.006-05:00

Dear Readers,

I have a new position with Insomnia Cookies, I am a Marketing Representative on Michigan State University's campus along with 4 other students. We had our first meeting today to plan the logistics of our promotions that we will be hosting for the next weeks and we tossed around some ideas for future events. I like my team members, I know that we're going to be successful with hard work,dedication and most of all working as a team. Over the years, I've realized how important it is to work together, you can't be a one man show- that is where people go wrong, they try carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders and then wonder why they're moving so slow.

Any who I hope Michigan State is ready for Team Insomnia, they're going to need their baking gloves and cookie sheets for this group. :)

Brittney-

Big Sean -Supa Dupa Lemonade Freestyle

2010-01-29T13:44:00.001-05:00

Hey did you all catch the BIG SEAN Sean "Supa Dupa Lemonade Freestyle" video Directed by Dante Marshall

Clipse- Freedom (Video)

2010-01-26T02:39:00.001-05:00

Big Sean- Million Dollars

2010-01-21T03:36:00.001-05:00

Ciara-Work (Music Video)

2010-01-21T02:34:00.003-05:00

Keri Hilson- Knock You Down (Acoustic)

2010-01-21T02:33:00.001-05:00

2010-01-21T02:23:00.005-05:00

I know what needs to be done, its all a matter of getting it done or procrastinating.

why do my most deepest inner thoughts seem to come to me at night, when there's nobody awake to share them with? lol. Maybe thats why they come in the first place- because there's no one awake to talk to.

I swear, sometimes I think it's me against the clock.