Disqus - Latest Comments for BrightGirl

Re: GOP Rep: Obama partly responsible for political divide that led to Scalise shooting

BrightGirl — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 12:29:13 -0000

Is this guy up for re-election in 2018? I'd like to donate to his opponent.

Re: It’s Not Obama, It’s You

BrightGirl — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:19:21 -0000

Awesome! Another article about how liberals are stupid, Obama is the Devil and the poor beset-upon Republican party is pious and pure and only interested in what is best for everyone. If only people weren't so ignorant and could just be accept that the rich, powerful and corrupt NEED to make a stand against everything that the unholy "infidel" Obama does -even at the expense of the American people. (I mean, it's not like politicians can be expected to GOVERN amid all their posturing, politicking, corporate retreats, lobbying and fundraising, right?) Why should any politician worry about the American public being able to own a home, get a job, feed their family, not go broke if something catastrophic happens or send their kids to college when it's a MUCH better idea to make sure Obama fails and/or is perceived as a failure? Priorities.

Re: The success of feminism is the failure of science

BrightGirl — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 17:49:53 -0000

I think this is a bigger fear for women than men because we see daily that this is a legislative possibility. There are hundreds of bills introduced to Congress each year concerned with what women can or cannot do with their bodies. 634 bills pertaining to reproductive rights were introduced to Congress in the first 3 months of 2013 alone. Zero bills have ever been introduced that attempt to regulate what men may or may not medically do to their bodies.

Re: The success of feminism is the failure of science

BrightGirl — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 11:01:43 -0000

So, the science here is over my head. Not because I am a woman, but because it is not my area of study. However, I do think there's merit in what is being said. When I was in Grad School for a Master's in Art History, most of the teachings were filtered through a feminist lens which - even in my early 20's - I thought was a bunch of BS. To me it was disingenuous to teach the creation of art through a modern interpretation rather than putting into the context of the time the art was created.

That being said, the national dialog today surrounding women's issues is becoming increasingly aimed at controlling women's sexuality and reproductive rights. Or at least attempting to swing back that way if you look at it historically. This may, in fact, be a genetic response as men throughout the history of mankind have been tasked with the protection of the family as well as being the main contact to the outside world, the decision maker and provider.

This changed dramatically, IMO, with Westward Expansion, as it was no longer possible for women to continue to do solely "women's work" of home management and child care. The harsh living conditions meant that everyone had to pitch in equally to survive and women (at least in the US) began to see more parity and freedom in their lives.

But, I digress. My point is this: In my opinion, a lot of the ardent "feminist" diatribe comes from a place of fear. Women fear being subservient and beholden to men. We fear having out individual liberties taken away. We fear that our bodies will be violated, either physically or legislatively or both and we fight like Hell to maintain control of our own destinies. (And, BTW, an argument can be made that a Man's need to control is also a fear born out of the "otherness" of women and the fact that all men come from women and that only a woman can create a man.)

Because there is so much legitimate fear, women are conditioned to fight any attempt to lessen, marginalize or "infantilize" us. And this is a shame, because obviously there are genetic, biological and evolutionary differences between men and women. And it is not "misogynistic" to note or study them. If we hide our heads in the sand and allow only overly-homogenized, politically correct studies to be completed or theories to be posited so that we don't "offend" anyone, then no true learning is taking place.

Re: I hate Ayn Rand — but here's why my fellow conservatives love her - The Week

BrightGirl — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 15:35:55 -0000

I really like Ayn Rand, but people don't seem to understand what she writes about. (And P.S., I have actually read all of her books) She's not talking about trodding on the weak or using them up at the expense of others. In fact, I'm always astounded that she is a conservative icon. Her ideas about individual freedom and the freedom to be who you are without regard to convention is far more liberal. Her books are more about the strong and able being forced to be lesser so that those who can't do as much or produce as much don't feel bad. But, the strong don't hate the weak. They love them, they just don't want to be forced to carry them at the expense of their own ideals, ingenuity and liberty. What's she's against is Socialism, Communism and any other 'ism' that attempts to provide for the many at the expense of the few while the greedy sit back and take from them all. Which means that if she were alive today, she would be disdainful of both sides of the government equally.

Re: Boo! Meryl Streep as The Witch from Into the Woods: First Look - Into the Woods, Meryl Streep : People.com

BrightGirl — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:32:38 -0000

Why didn't they just get Bernadette Peters? Meryl Streep is a great actress, but this role is vocally challenging and she's not much of a singer.

Re: Everyday Lounge Act: making money with sponsored tweets: part 1

BrightGirl — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:13:30 -0000

Great post!

Thanks so much for putting together such a thoughtful and detailed review.

All the Best,
Carri Bright
Sr. Manager, Community & Support
IZEA.com

Re: What were the best company blogs in 2012?

BrightGirl — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:45:42 -0000

I'd like to Nominate the SocialSpark blog http://socialspark.com/blog/

Re: Lay off the Social Media Experts

BrightGirl — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:14:01 -0000

If your support people aren't particularly great at communicating and can't fix issues, you are clearly hiring the wrong support people or not training them correctly.

It's been my experience that the support staff actually knows the most about the ins and outs of the business and knows the most about how to address and resolve issues.

That being said, I do agree that you can't just throw anyone who has a Facebook page into social media management and expect them to succeed. Social media management is daunting simply because of the sheer volume of the information involved and the breadth it covers throughout the internet.

You DO need someone who is not only plugged in to the medium, but also adept at communication and conflict resolution as well as being intimately familiar with your business and possessing the ability to solve issues or the knowledge to find those who can. On top of all this, they need to stay abreast of the latest news and trends.

It's a pivotal role that's constantly evolving and it can make a huge difference to how your business is perceived online. It's not a job that everyone can do.

Re: How to Make Money With Twitter Using Sponsored Tweets

BrightGirl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:17:45 -0000

Hi Alison,

Thanks for taking the time to write up a review of Sponsored Tweets! We appreciate the honest feedback.

All the Best,
Carri Bright
Communications Lead
IZEA

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:49:23 -0000

Stay classy, Joe!

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:29:24 -0000

I <3 this!

Re: Izea: Where Is That Line Again?

BrightGirl — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:44:38 -0000

Thanks for your response, @Bill! That really gave me a lot to think about. I can absolutely see your point (and that of others) that one of the main factors here is perception. And I think that it's valid that bloggers (whether it is fair or not) need to be mindful of that trust that others instill in them. I'm interested to know what you and others think would be a better way to approach to this in the future.

Although, I am sure that many will adamantly argue that bloggers should NEVER be paid for content, I just don't see that being a viable option. More advertisers are beginning to realize the online market is the next big thing and more WILL be spending their advertising dollars online. So, it becomes imperative for all of us to figure an amicable way forward through this inevitability. IZEA will be operating in this space and we would like to continue to do that in an ethical and transparent manner. Our goal is to be leaders and innovators in the Marketplace so that our example will become the standard. And, certainly, we do not want to do this alone. We can't! However, neither are we going away (and even if WE do, someone else will come along to take our place), so we're just going to have to figure out a way to get along. :)

@Marc Overall, KMart has been extremely happy with the buzz and participation this has garnered for them. Through this process we have been trying to impart to them how important it is for them to be engaged with their audience online. What the IZEA campaign did for KMart is get the conversation started, it is really now up to them to jump into that conversation and run with it from here. To that end, they are putting more resources to their Facebook Fan pages and they have this site http://www.sk-you.com/ specifically for feedback, polls and discussion.

All the Best,
Carri

Re: Izea: Where Is That Line Again?

BrightGirl — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:36:05 -0000

Thanks for your post! It has raised a lot of valid points about the nature of ethics, especially as pertains to online advertising and I for one am thrilled to see so many people really thinking and conversing about this . As I work for IZEA, I have a slightly different perspective to share. So here are my thoughts, ideas and questions in no particular order. :)

First, KMart does not have the vetted resources that we do to put this campaign together. Many companies realize that the conversations about their products and services are increasingly happening online and want to get into the Social Media arena, but do not have the resources, or even the first idea where to start. What we do at IZEA is broker the relationship between advertiser and blogger. We are able to pre-screen bloggers to ensure that they meet the criteria of the advertiser to help make the conversations that they start more relevant. I do not find this unethical. Are Match.com unethical when they bring two people together who otherwise would not have met? How about apartment finding services or head hunters? Why does the existence of an intermediary necessarily make the relationship unethical?

In addition, at IZEA we are very stringent about transparency and disclosure in ALL of the posts sponsored through us. In addition to disclosure for all posts, in SocialSpark (the system through which the KMart campaign was run) all links are automatically no-follow which is search engine (re: Google) compliant.

KMart approached us wanting to be part of the conversation, wanting to be visible in the online world. This is smart marketing. Although maybe Chris Brogan is not exactly their target audience, many of his readers ARE. Why is it unethical for him to go to KMart and talk about his trip? If Chris had been openly raving about KMart and telling his readers that they HAD TO GO THERE NOW, this might be a different argument, but the post I read contained several not completely positive opinions. Do you think so little of Chris and his personal ethics that you believe that he would say anything for a $500 gift card (the spoils from which were largely given to charity)? Do you think he would even accept a sponsorship for a company that he felt strongly against? Isn't this contributing to the general overly-PC, overly litigious attitude that demands marking coffee cups as "hot" and cigarettes as harmful to your health. Do you really think the average consumer is that clueless as to not realize that a post clearly marked sponsored, three times, has in fact been sponsored?

On the other hand, does the addition of compensation necessarily negate any opinion he may have? If so, why is the same not true for those who review products that they receive for free or even those who work directly for a company (clearly, since I work for IZEA, all of my opinions must therefore be suspect, biased and unoriginal?). Do you think people believe that Michael Jordan really wears Haines? Do you think people voted for Obama because Leonardo DiCaprio said to? Do you fault Michal Phelps for parlaying his success to a Wheaties box cover? Would it even occur to you to ask if he actually EATS Wheaties?

In addition, isn't there also value in negative feedback? How is Kmart (or anyone for that matter) expected to improve service without first knowing the issues that concern it's customers? How do you fix something that you were not aware was broken? Not only did this campaign generate traffic and buzz for KMart, but it allowed the company direct access to their customer base to view the good, the bad and the ugly. They were granted a window into the conversation about the company and are now better equipped to respond to critics and locate brand evangelists.

And finally, I read in the comments of another post that much of this argument is moot as "the horse has left the barn". I think this is particularly apt. Social Media Marketing is not a theory and it is not the Anti-Christ. It is an increasingly viable medium that is already here. It is somewhat counterproductive to ignore it or devalue it or to wish it away. I think we would all be better served if we could work together trying to create and agree on a code of standards and ethics for this new medium, based on the parameters OF the new medium, that we can all follow.

Thanks again for your thoughtful post!

All the Best,
Carri Bright
IZEA Communications

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:08:48 -0000

Honestly, i thought it might be Steve b/c I smelled it when I was over talking to him. I'm relieved to find that it was in fact the dog. :)

Re: Social Media Ate My Homework!

BrightGirl — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:25:07 -0000

Thanks, Juliet! I accepted your request this morning :)

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:38:28 -0000

They look like they're either dead or dying.

Re: Gender Gap?

BrightGirl — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:04:57 -0000

@Tina Hmmmm... I wonder if that's an either/or proposition? Do you have to give up a brain to get a penis or give up a penis to get a brain?

Re: Bright Ideas

BrightGirl — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:45:05 -0000

@akeorlando I go this at failblog.org, so I don't know where it came from originally, but judging by the trees in the background, I'd say probably not Florida. :)

Re: High Aspirations

BrightGirl — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:25:14 -0000

Seems like a waste of a perfectly good batch of mashed potatoes to me.

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:13:29 -0000

hahahahaha! NICE!

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:12:39 -0000

No WONDER Twitter is so popular!

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:16:03 -0000

Oh, yeah, that's a man.

Re: izea overheard

BrightGirl — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:13:57 -0000

Is the prison co-ed or is that a man dressed as the date?

Re: Bright Ideas

BrightGirl — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:56:20 -0000

I know. I LOVE IT!