Now, it’s one thing to get someone’s attention, but it’s another to hold it and get them to take the time to absorb the information that is being presented.  You can have all the bells and whistles, but if they are not organized and presented in a helpful way, the infographic will become more harmful than useful. This is where you will need to carefully plan out step by step what you are going to do.

• Plan your message – The first question you need to address is: what message will you want this infographic to send? Come up with one topic that you want your viewers to understand and solely focus on that. Having too many topics can cause confusion, and your audience will not be able to distinguish between one message and the next. Think of it as listening to someone explain a complex chemistry formula. If you already have a lack of understanding on the topic of chemistry and the more they jump from topic to topic, the less likely you’ll be able to understand any of the information. The information will run together, and trying to remember where one topic ends and another begins will become impossible.

• In every message there is a story – After you are content with a topic, the next step is developing the story. A well-designed story will help your audience get involved and guide them from one point to the next. You have to sell them on the reason why they should continue reading. Let your audience know why they should care about the information. While facts are great, how are they relevant? How can they be affected by this information?

• Organization is key - Once you have a story, organize it. Make sure that the story is going to be easy to follow. Is there a noticeable beginning and ending to each section? Are the transitions from one fact to the next clear? The good thing about infographics is that the separation of information helps create breaks in between, which allows the audience more time to absorb and reflect if needed. Furthermore, having an organized message is friendly and welcoming. This is what makes the visual appeal of an infographic better than a plain paragraph. If the audience can tell that an infographic is organized right away, then there is a greater chance that they will invest time, whereas, if a paragraph looks too long, there is a high chance that it will be overlooked.

Finally, create your infographic! There is no need to worry about a lack of artistic ability; there are plenty of programs available that will help you with graphics (http://www.easel.ly/). Focus on having fun with it. Add different colors, shapes, and fonts. Go with anything that you think will help with your message, but try not to go overboard. Remember, less is more. You don’t want your infographic to appear cluttered and scare off any potential viewers. Once you finish, have a couple of people with less knowledge of the topic critique the message. Were they able to grasp the concept of your message? If so, then your infographic is ready for the world!

A look into the elements from the periodic table that contribute to the production of the iPhone. Originally posted by Scientific American.

As the Marketing Coordinator at Rainman, part of my responsibilities includes keeping abreast of, and evaluating trends in digital marketing and social media. In 2012, I noticed an unnerving trend, a kind of sign-up-for-all-the-social-networks-because-a-few-blogs-said-I-had-to-or-my-business-will-crumble attitude towards social media. To me, that yields only one result: oversaturated, under-utilized networks flooded with “look-at-me” advertisements begging for your attention and a shot at getting you into their sales funnel. I am not going to sit here and tell you that social media is worthless, and I’m not going to sit here and tell you that not using social media will be your downfall; neither are true, so don’t believe those who speak to you in such rash absolutes.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, let’s get a little more upbeat. I’m going to use a personal anecdote to illustrate how I see social media being effectively used in the coming year. I joined Instagram in September of 2011, early on in its meteoric rise. What drew me to the service was the simplicity of the photo sharing and the mobile-only interface. To me, it felt like a place where I could really share what I was doing and actually “connect” (I really hate using that word) with someone else. Now, a lot of my friends had not joined the service at that point; likes and comments were slow going, so the use of hashtags was really useful in discovering like-minded Instagrammers worth following. To this day, I still have 5-7 Instagrammers that I “met” through use of hashtags, and I connect with on a somewhat regular basis.

People wanted the service to work. They had something they liked and liked to use, and they wanted more people to join in; there was real community forming. That type of “friendship” has not happened for some time now. Nearly all of my friends use Instagram now, which is great, but I really miss the days of spontaneous conversation and exchanging followership with a like-minded stranger.

So, what’s my point, you’re asking? Well, the lesson I take away from the earlier Instagram days is this: When users are forced to be more outgoing and social, a different kind of network emerges. A new network doesn’t look like groups of people connected to other groups of people through several mutual contacts; rather, a more complex web of individual contacts, if that makes sense. To me, it is precisely this kind of network that really fulfills the term “social media,” and creates a pull and value for a user. So, where businesses using social media are concerned, it goes a little like this:

Stage 1: Social networks are built by individual users.

Stage 2: The networks themselves run out of venture funding and search for revenue.

Stage 3: The networks ask businesses to join and tell them that if they buy ads, they’ll get great access to potential customers.

Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?

If you answered no, then you’ve got the right idea. No one joins a social network to be marketed to – NO ONE.  Don’t delude yourself. Social network users have just grown accustomed to ignoring the ads and marketing that are thrust upon them every time they log into their account. Inherently, there is nothing social about advertisements in that arena – it’s an eyesore! So, this begs the question: why should a business involve itself in social media at all?! There’s a more complicated answer to that question.

I am sure that I sound like I am in complete opposition to businesses using social media, but I’m really not. I follow a number of businesses on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and I genuinely enjoy doing so. So where is the line between just being on the Social Media bandwagon and actually providing something of value (accept that it might not be monetary)? Intent. I firmly believe that the line between “good” and “bad” business users of social media lies completely within intent. If you set out on the social media ocean with the intent of “being out there” and “growing an engaging community” or “building brand awareness” and “generating sales leads, ” you’re doing it wrong and you’re gonna have a bad time. Certainly, all of those goals can be achieved, but they have to be rooted in a truthful, honest intent.

As an example, I’ll use Dogfish Head Brewery. I love following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram because they post content that is relevant to those who are passionate about their product. They’ll post anything from photos of the brewing process to pictures of food at tasting events they put on. They do an excellent job of embracing and participating in the passion and culture of the people who follow them. To be honest, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a “sales-y” social media post from them – it’s refreshing. In the end though, there have been times I’ve purchased their product above another brand simply because I respect them and actually want to support them. Dogfish Head has built up goodwill, at least with me, through their use of social media, and I am in full support of the idea that being “good” will garner business.

So, I need to wrap this up, I’ve been rambling. Let me put it this way, social media is great. I think it has definitely improved the way we communicate as individuals, and has made businesses more accountable to their customers, ultimately improving customer service.  I don’t believe that it’s for everyone, and I don’t believe it should be approached from a textbook marketing stance; it needs to be human. So if 2012 was the flood, let’s make 2013 the drying of the rain.

May the weak/underutilized/overly sales-driven business users fade away, and may brands that truly embody the idea behind their product or service get the attention they deserve. I know I’m going to do what I can to have my clients present themselves in that light.

Here’s to looking forward to a great 2013!

Personal Networks are where people go to get away from work and interact with one another. The user is in a casual state of mind, looking for ways to entertain, kill time, and socialize with others. Have some fun with your content; show your audience that business isn’t always on your mind. Stay current with your post and make sure your topics are relevant.

Professional Networks are the networks people go to for information. When a user logs onto a professional social network, there is normally a purpose. They are searching for opportunities, looking at trends in the job market, and staying updated with brands. Your posts should have a purpose. Users are not looking for jokes, unimportant information, or “memes.” Post information that you think they can use, or is information that you think they need to know. Show professionalism in your posts.

Make a calendar of what you are planning to post. Write out each post in advance and put them aside for another day. Before the posting date, go back and read over it. If you still agree with the post then keep it, but give yourself some time for changes. Lastly, remember where you are posting and who will be viewing the post.

The hot-off-the-pit social media outlet that is Pinterest just rolled out new accounts and tools tailored specifically for businesses, a big step in the right direction for the 3^rd largest social networking site. This announcement marks, what I believe to be, the beginning of Pinterest business fever. So in celebration of this new feature, I present you with a few marketing tips that you can apply to your Pinterest account to help gain brand recognition, drive website traffic and, more importantly, increase sales. And you thought Pinterest was only good for planning imaginary weddings and decorating unrealistic Barbie and Ken homes.

1. Add interesting stuff that connects with people – It’s that simple, really. Adding attention-grabbing images that connects emotionally with users is an excellent way to expand your customer base. Get the audience in touch with you, rather than your services or products. Nobody wants to see boards filled with a company’s entire product line only. In fact, Pinterest does not allow it. Consider mixing it up by featuring pins that showcase your products AND the lifestyle your brand promotes. For example: Minted, a paper company, does a killer job at doing this by creating boards that show unique ways to use paper, while incorporating other related lifestyle images.
2. Create a user-curated pinboard – Leave a pinboard open to pinners. Rather than doing the pinning all by yourself, invite fans to pin content to one of your pinboards. Ask customers to pin smiling pictures of themselves using your product or something related to your brand. There’s something about seeing people happy because of your product that creates a positive sentiment around your business. Also, you can ask customers to leave a testimonial on your website, and pin a quote from the review to your pinboard. This is a great way to get more reviews, and a pinboard that’s filled with customer testimonials.
3. Engage and participate in the Pinterest community – It’s not just about you. Sure, pinning stuff that makes you looks good is awesome. But Pinterest is a social media network, which means one thing: mingle with others. Build relationships with all types of members, even businesses. Follow them, repin their items and comment on their pins. The more you re-pin items from others, the more likely they are to re-pin your content. Ultimately, this will help build awareness of your brand on Pinterest and gain new followers.
4. Hold contests– This is where you can get all kinds of creative. Contests are effective tools for engaging and attracting users, and exposing your brand to a large audience. Be sure to integrate your Pinterest page with your other social media platforms to promote it.  Some ideas include:
   1. Users create a pinboard dedicated to you
   2. Host scavenger hunt
   3. Run a sweepstakes, à la AMC Theatres.
   4. Customers pin your products to win
   5. Repin top boards to own page and ask followers to select the winner

With nothing left to say, I say: Pin away, my friends!

One of the wonderful perks of social media is the ability for groups to spread ideas quickly, and to mobilize those motivated masses. Specifically, I’m speaking about awareness campaigns launched by non-profit groups. One I’d like to highlight and discuss, as it’s quite timely, is Movember.

Started in 2004, the group took the idea of “no shave November” and turned it into an awareness and fundraising opportunity for men’s health (specifically Prostate and Testicular Cancer). Gentlemen are encouraged to grow their mustaches for the entire month of November, and post update pictures of their ‘stache on their very own Mo (what they call a mustache) Space. The mustache is meant to be a “pink ribbon” of sorts, and to bring awareness to the issue of men’s health. In just seven years, Movember has grown from raising $40,000, to 126.3 million in 2011. To date, nearly 300 million has been raised in total. The movement has even made its way into the offline realm. Just the other day, walking through Austin, I saw several establishments with street signs promoting Movember, and offering specials to those participating.

What makes this such an awesome use of social media is the way in which it blends its own network and other social networks. As a participant, you sign up at their website and set up your Mo Space. From there, you can join a group or just go it alone. You are encouraged to post photos and updates to this profile throughout the month. Instead of insulating the network, Movember has done an amazing job of encouraging users to share their Mo Space content all over the social web. You have the option to easily share your profile, share posts, and ask for donations with just the click of a social icon. Personally, I think it is this social integration that has helped Movember grow to its current mass.

Movember is such a prime example of what a good idea, some fun, and excellent use of social media can do for a cause. Do you have a non-profit group you work with? Are you utilizing social media to further your cause? If not, take a look at how Movember works and try getting your cause social! It can do wonders.

I am, as they call it, a Mo Bro. Feel free to visit my Mo Space and help me raise money for Men’s Health. At time of this posting the group I have joined, The Alamo Beard Club, has raised $503 collectively! Help us raise even more!

Regardless if you use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or even Google+, social media has become the most utilized avenue for the majority of people to engage in two way communications online. Computer mediated communications have made it possible for users to engage in many forms of person to person communication. Emails provided us with one to one asynchronous communications, and instant massages and chat rooms with synchronous communications. From these forms of communication evolved the hybrid that is social media.

The origins of social media are as varied as the people who use them. Many people give the credit to classmates.com for paving the way to the current state of social networks. Although it had many limits that most critics believe should exclude it from “social network” status, it did begin a shift to a more social way of communicating. Because you could only engage with people who you went to class with, it failed to be a real “social” means of communicating.

In 1997 Andrew Weinreich took the idea that everyone in the world is connected to anyone else by a simple six degrees of separation, and developed the famous Sixdegrees.com. Six degrees was the first website to be considered a true Social Network because it had the three basic parameters of a true social media: it allowed you to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, it articulated a list of other users with whom you shared a connection, and it allowed users to view and traverse their list of connections and connections made by others within the system.

Facebook, the leading social network today, has recognized the need to evolve to keep it relevant and not suffering the same fate of the many social networks of the past 15 years. Facebook has recognized the need to change and adapt to the ever-changing needs of it users. If you were to compare the current state of Facebook to “The Facebook,” as it was originally named in 2004, you would see how much it has evolved. What set Facebook apart and gave it the ability to remain relevant was the News Feed feature. This featured allowed you to see what people were posting right on your homepage. Since then Facebook has been adding features that the company hopes will keep the users engaged and keep Facebook at the top of all Social Networks.

One of Facebook’s most recent endeavors is to better engage users in the comments. The new ability to comment on comments is something that Facebook is testing out to see if users will embrace. Weather people embrace this new way of interacting with other users; the important thing is that they are using the site.

Like most things, social media relies on its users. When users believe that a company has stopped listening to their needs and another company comes along with a way to fulfill those needs, another shift will occur.

Evolution among users will force social networks to evolve, and will allow for users to remain the ones who control what stays and what goes. The users are the social part of social media and networks like Facebook and Twitter are the venues that we use to connect to each other.  Without us, the users, there is no social media.

From the Texas Hill Country town of Kerrville, “Johnny Football” was an outstanding High School athlete. He excelled in baseball as well as football, but his true passion was football! He accumulated many football awards while attending Tivy High School. His High School awards included District 28-4A MVP (unanimous selection), Class 4A First Team All-State, San Antonio Express-News Offensive Player of the Year, Sub-5A First Team All- Area (SA Express News), No 1 QB in Texas by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, National High School Coach Association Football Player of the Year. He is also the only player in the history of Kerrville Tivy to have scored on throwing, rushing, reception, and kickoff returns according to www.recruiting.scout.com.

As a Red-shirt Freshman, “Johnny Football” continues to accumulate staggering statistics on the field for the Texas A & M Aggies. Watching him lead the Aggies has a two-fold interest for me…..one because I reside in Kerrville, and two, because I am a Texas A & M Alumni!

*Statistical content from Wikipedia

Rain is not abundant in Texas. Average rainfall varies a great deal across the state; from 10 inches in the west to up to 55 inches in the far East of the state. Despite the lack of abundant rainfall some see it as a nuisance when flooding occurs. In the hill country, various organizations that value the conservation of water have come together to inform people about the value of rainwater.

On October 27, the 3rd annual Rainwater Revival took place at the Boerne Convention & Community Center from 10 AM to 4PM. This event aimed to promote the use of falling rainwater at home. The event included guest speakers and presentations on how to build your own rainwater collector. Music and fun for the family ensured that attendees had a good time, as well as learned about the value that harvesting rainwater can have on their wallets and on the environment.

Living in the Hill Country and utilizing aquifers, most people would ask, why collect my own rainwater when the aquifer can do it for me? One of the main points that can be made for collecting our own water is that energy and water are interrelated. “We use water for energy and energy for water” (Stillwell 9). If we as individual homeowners begin harvesting the rainwater, it will not only save water but it will save us money. We all know that it takes energy to process water and bring it to our homes. A lot of that water is used for keeping our lawns lush and beautiful during our extremely dry times. If a home has even a rudimentary water collection system it benefits the environment and takes some of the burden off the municipal water system.

Rainwater collection has been used since man had the need for water. By constructing aqueducts, The Romans were the first to really take advantage of natural sources of potable water. Not unlike the ancient aqueducts, our homes’ roof aims to move water from one location to another. To keep our homes’ foundation stable, we aim to move as much of the rainwater away from our homes. The power of water, if not properly channeled, can cause major problems for our homes. Instead of focusing on dispelling said water, what if we could store this water for later use? Water harvesting systems use a home’s roof to gather and store rainwater for later use.

The Rainwater Revival aims to educate people of the importance of conserving this valuable resource. Events like this allow for people and organizations that share views to come together and spread a message of conservation. “A properly designed and installed rainwater harvesting system can provide clear, safe water for potable and non-potable use, especially for landscaping and other outdoor needs” (HC Alliance). If we work together with the infrastructure we have in place, we can begin to take better care of our water sources, and ensure that future generations experience the joy of having a clean and abundant source of clean drinking water.

Don’t get me wrong; I just never had the chance to experience it. I never traveled much when I was younger. I grew up next to the border, and the closest thing within my reach was Mexico.

But this changed when I moved to San Antonio for college. I began road trippin’ with newfound friends, and during one getaway, I glanced at a billboard on the road that read, “The Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar, Exit 191 Historic Gruene.” I pondered for a minute. “Gruene? What is this Gruene?” But of course I had to make a pit stop to see what the town was all about.

Shortly thereafter, a girlfriend and I headed to Gruene one late afternoon. A two minute drive from I-35, and I found myself entering another kind of Texas; a Texas I had never witnessed before. Lush oak trees, old-fashioned stores, turn-of-the-century buildings – it was just steeped in history.

It just so happened that Gruene’s Market Days was going on that weekend. Taking place near the banks of the Guadalupe River, the market featured artisans from all over the state to showcase their cultural wares, crafts and food. We made our way through 100 stalls, and saw everything from handmade jewelry and pottery to roasted nuts and peanut brittle (shaped like Texas, mind you).

While hunting for treasures, I heard live music coming from the legendary Gruene Hall – the oldest continually running dance hall in Texas. We left the market to take a peak. It was über honky-tonk. The walls of the hall were filled with rusty, metal signs from the 30’s, and a country western band provided the sounds to an open-air, hardwood dance floor. It had such character. It was quintessential Texas.

Afterwards, we took a stroll past the Gruene Mansion Inn, the Victorian-esque home from 1872 initially occupied by the Gruene Family, and boy, was that a pretty picture.  Granted we didn’t go inside, but I envisioned it looked just as gorgeous as the exterior.  After fetching some grub at some al-fresco restaurant, we headed back to the city.

One thing I didn’t do (but wish I did) was tour through a Hill Country vineyard and winery like the Vineyard at Gruene or Dry Comal Creek Vineyards. But I plan on returning soon and enjoying a flight of Texas Hill Country wines such as Comal Springs and Bone-Dry French Colombard. Maybe savor a little of Blanco Dulce and sip some Orange Muscat. Actually, the White Black Spanish sounds good right about now. But I digress.

All in all, Gruene was astonishingly breathtaking. This was the real Texas. And I want to become part of the real Texas, which wholly lies in the Hill Country.

I hope to become a Texas Hill Country Girl someday.

Before living in Boerne, I had heard about Boerne Lake, but never seen it. To be honest, I really didn’t believe it could be anything special, but now that I’ve visited the lake a few times, I’m hooked, especially after this weekend. This past Saturday, I took my kayak out to the lake for a few hours of sun, relaxation, and exercise. To put it bluntly, it was AWESOME. Not only was the day absolutely beautiful, but there was hardly anyone on the water! It felt like I had the lake to myself. Now that the weather is cooling off, I’m a little sad that I won’t be able to head out on my kayak all the time, but it’s nice to know for when it warms up again!

Whilst living in Alpine, I became a pretty avid road cyclist and fell in love with my long (20-30 miles) bike rides. I got to see such amazing scenery and challenge my strength and endurance. I’ll admit, I wasn’t very excited about riding in the Hill Country, but now that I’ve been here for a while, I LOVE IT. The winding back roads and extreme/quick elevation changes are beautiful and challenging; in fact, I think riding in the Hill Country is FAR more challenging than West Texas. I haven’t been able to do a whole lot of exploring just yet, but I rode to Welfare and back this weekend and it was very pretty ride.

So, there you have it, a few things I love about living in the Hill Country. Pretty simple really; it’s a great place to live and a great place for outdoor activities!