Happy Social Media Day! So, since this is the day devoted to our favorite internet pasttime, we say, take a break from your computer and go out and find some yourself some in-person fun!

If you’re interested in events in your neck of the woods, check this out: http://www.meetup.com/mashable/.

Meetup and Mashable have all the hottest social media shindigs this side of MySpace.

So enjoy! Make some new friends, learn some new tricks, and say so long to June the right way!

Spirit Airlines has cancelled all flights as pilots are officially on strike as of Saturday, claiming that their pay is not proportionate to that of their counterparts at other American airlines. This is yet another impact on travellers as well as destinations aside from the unprecidented oil spill in the gulf. Spirit serves about 16,000 passengers a day and is based in Miramar, FL. It’s the biggest carrier in Atlantic City, N.J., as well as Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Spirit has announced that customers will receive flight credits as well as a $100 credit for a future flight with Spirit and that all flights with the airline have been cancelled through Wednesday. http://www.spiritair.com// But customers who want a refund might be waiting a while. ABC reports that calls to the number Spirit announced should be called if customers are seeking a rfund produced a busy signal today.

For more on the strike, visit CNN’s Travel Section here.

We have all been wondering for some time when Twitter execs were going to make money off this gigantic boom in the social media space. That time has finally arrived. Twitter announced early Tuesday that a new business model has been adopted proving to finally graduate Twitter to a money making business. “Promoted Tweets” are what they are calling this new model, leaving marketers and media buyers wondering how close this will resemble similar models with Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search. Well, it’s along the same line as both.

Advertising messages will be brought into users’ Twitter streams aligning similar search results with the ads relativity much like current search ad models do now. According to the FAQ on Twitter’s Blog about the new “Promoted Tweets” model, the first roll out of search will be with some big names in consumer products: Best Buy, Bravo, Red Bull, Sony Pictures, Starbucks and Virgin America. Promoted tweets will be clearly promoted as just that as Google currently does with “Sponsored Links” and Yahoo! with “Sponsored Results”. This model is very similar and will not be anything consumers are not used to seeing as we surf the web and social media. But what is different with “Promoted Tweets” that makes it anything more than what has already been done? We found this response on their blog:

“Since all Promoted Tweets are organic Tweets, there is not a single “ad” in our Promoted Tweets platform that isn’t already an organic part of Twitter. This is distinct from both traditional search advertising and more recent social advertising. Promoted Tweets will also be timely. Like any other Tweet, the connection between you and a Promoted Tweet in real-time provides a powerful means of delivering information relevant to you at the moment.

There is one big difference between a Promoted Tweet and a regular Tweet. Promoted Tweets must meet a higher bar—they must resonate with users. That means if users don’t interact with a Promoted Tweet to allow us to know that the Promoted Tweet is resonating with them, such as replying to it, favoriting it, or Retweeting it, the Promoted Tweet will disappear.”

Read more about this new model here and give us your thoughts here on our blog.

“When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web … Now even my cat has its own page.” Bill Clinton

Regardless of who invented the Internet … (Mr. Gore, taking credit…lol!) Definitely, almost everyone we know has a website. There are over 300 MILLION domains registered and another 100K+ new domains every day. The entire planet has 6 Billion people and 1/3 or 2 BILLION are online. How the hell do we cut through the clutter?

Well, this is just for fun and your pleasure … here are some of the more fun/creative websites we’ve seen in a while.

http://www.jimcarrey.com You HAVE to spend a lot of time on this site, it’s like a treasure hunt … but completely creative and fun. Way to go, Jim!

http://www.nationalgridfloe.com/ Just coolness and environmentally friendly too! We think you should “befriend a bear”.

http://demo.fb.se/e/apoteket/sneezeaid/site/index_en.html Does your kiddo have a cold? Fun interactive site!!!

http://www.parasol-island.com/ Fun Loader and cool site!

http://www.comcasttown.com/ How fun is this? Imagine your destination like this!!!

http://www.syfy.com/tinman/oz/ A little long on the loading time … but a lot of fun and worth it.

http://www.nike.com/nikelab/site.html?en_US#/ Beautiful, simple flash … great integration.

http://moodstream.gettyimages.com/ Cool Site for “Mood images” if you are on the hunt … good prices too.

My list for cool sites is soooo long, but these should get your creative juices flowing. Don’t listen to your SEO person that says … NO FLASH. That’s sooooo 2006. Today, flash is completely optimizable and, truth be told, if your site is cool … it gets viral. How do you think I found these? Certainly not by looking for the products … it’s the buzz, it’s the entertainment. If you think you are stretching it … stretch it more. And, don’t let your resident geek say, “it’s impossible”. Just look for another tool (you can call me Remember the doorknob from Alice in Wonderland.

Alice: “You mean impossible”

Doorknob: “No, impassible. Nothing’s impossible“.

Augmented Reality – better than virtual reality, the hottest new technology on the geek scene involves making your day-to-day reality more advanced, more informative and much, much cooler. Have you heard about it, but have no clue what it means? Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality (thanks to Wikipedia for the definition). In other words, virtual reality, but instead of a whole different reality, it combines the real deal with the computer generated stuff.

AR is manifesting itself in a variety of creative ways, including through print advertisements, magazine covers, iPhone applications, toys and a wide variety of futuristic concepts for tomorrow’s consumer. Last year, research and advisory firm Gartner named Augmented Reality as one of its Top Ten Disruptive Technologies for 2008-2012.

Take the popular Yelp iPhone app. Loyal Yelpers use the handy app to find reviews, write reviews, read personal messages and basically enjoy all the functions of the Yelp site. But for the iPhone 3GS, the app takes functionality a step further, integrating the use of AR. Hit “Monocle” on the app screen, and your phone will display a live feed of what you’re seeing in front of you – with information superimposed onto the image. So, point your phone at a block of popular restaurants, and see their star ratings directly on the screen in front of the location.

According to a Fast Company article, “We have a vast amount of data on the Web, but today we see it on a flat screen,” says Michael Zöllner, an augmented-reality researcher at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research. “It’s only a small step to see all of it superimposed on our lives.”

Babak Parviz, a bio-nanotechnologist at the University of Washington, has been working on augmented-reality contact lenses that would layer computer graphics on everything around us  – in other words, we’d have Terminator eyes, according to Fast Company.

By integrating AR tags into print content, it adds a whole other element, and makes the materials “Augmented.” Users can take the printed materials, hold them up to a webcam, and a whole variety of multimedia content can show up, including holograms, videos, etc … So just imagine the implications. Like this YouTube video, which features AR business cards that show a person’s image and feed their Twitter stream:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgVAF0YlF6s

The December issue of Esquire featured an AR cover, with Robert Downey Jr. posing amidst the headline, “WTF?! A Living, Breathing, Moving, Talking Magazine?” Once users hold the issue up to their webcams, another layer of editorial content will become visible, including a video of RDJ introducing them to AR. Tilt the magazine in different directions, and different piece of content pops up on your computer screen.

In the fashion section, hold the page up, and users will see the weather changing and the model changing clothes accordingly. In addition, AR is web-based, so it can tell time and change content dependent on the hour. In the magazine, one feature will offer you a joke … but come back after midnight and a different joke is on tap.

Toys are plunging into the AR fad as well. With the advent of James Cameron’s, “Avatar,” Mattel is customizing each action figure, vehicle, and creature in their new Avatar toy lineup with a 3-D web tab called an i-TAG which can be scanned using any computer webcam. After doing so, special content unique to that product will be revealed onscreen. The content varies by toy, but includes things like biographical information, additional images, and 3D animated models showing off the action figures’ “engaging, evading, or defending moves.” Even better, scanning two of the i-TAGs will reveal an onscreen animation showing 3D images interacting with each other.

Company Metaio has developed AR apps for Popular Science, Gillette and dozens of other companies. Recently, they developed an AR platform for the iPhone entitled Junaio, which, in essence, combines location-based social networking and AR. The app allows you to add notes, smileys, 3-D animation and other goodies to an area, then share them with your social network. If you visit a location where other Junaio users have left information or content, you can see and explore it through your app.

But the eternal question is, what does this mean for marketers? The advancement and growing popularity of AR means a wealth of new opportunity. We preach the effectiveness of a cohesive online and offline strategy every day, one where the two elements work together to support a more effective brand message. AR takes this concept to the next level in terms of what options we as marketers have to make this happen. For destinations in particular, we see the usage of virtual tours, games, videos and mobile apps increasing daily. Users are craving more interactivity with the places they’re interested in visiting. It may seem almost unreal that we could engage with our users at this level, but for those who have been doing this online marketing and PR gig for many years, the time has come to think WAY outside the box. In fact, with this type of technology, imagine there is no box. Nothing is within the norm and everything but “smell-o-vision” is possible.

The iPhone was the first device to accept AR apps, but developers are quickly creating similar versions of these apps for the Android platform. The sky is really the limit, as print publications can be integrated into AR as a way to provoke interest and sell copies, per Esquire’s example. With the changing nature of print media, this is one way print publications can continue to remain relevant for users immersed in a digital world. Using this element of engagement is expected to increase popularity for print materials, mobile apps, and techie toys along with online interaction. The idea that both an offline and an online presence are needed to make this technology happen is crucial to understand before developing a strategy for your brand.

While certainly not a cheap venture, depending on the circumstances, it could be well worth your while in terms of PR and opening yourself to new and tech-savvy audiences. Think how your product, destination or organization might play into current AR apps on the market, and those that are in development. Imagine the possibilities for integrating AR even into printed material online – offer a pdf for download that will introduce your audience to AR.

As users begin to further integrate the digital world into their everyday reality through the use of AR, this means even more information will be at their fingertips, allowing them to make better informed decisions about what to purchase, where to go, and how to interact with their environment. For savvy marketers, this is an excellent opportunity to spread brand messages, engage with consumers and find new ways of distributing content through technology.

The most common stress is work-related stress and it can come at anytime and anywhere, and you just can’t help it or avoid it, it just sometimes creeps up you at the most un-needed times in your life! Most of us make the mistake of letting the stress take over our daily lives and we become a wreck before we know it. Work-related stress can’t be avoided but it can most definitely be controlled to some extent.  

Work –Related stress seems to always have us rushing everywhere and trying to be in to many places at once; causing extra work that could have been avoided or put on the back burner. SLOW DOWN!!! Seriously, you may be chuckling right now, buts its true, most work-related stress comes from always being in a rush and trying to push our mind and bodies over the limit of normality. Remember if you don’t slow down, stress will take a toll on you.

Work-related stress has the power to deprive you from time for yourself, your loved ones, and your favorite things to do.  One of the best ways to deal with work-related stress is make time for yourself. I know that’s easier said than it is done!  Its not easy taking time for yourself, but try to prioritize your task weekly or daily so you have more YOU time. Pause short periods of time during the work day and do some breathing exercises, this will help to distress your mind. Our bodies need distressing as well, taking small walks and light stretches will help. And when you go to lunch, don’t talk business at all, not even office gossip! Just let your mind go blank, you will feel relaxed! Have you ever had dreams about work? That means its on your mind too much, allowing our mind to go blank detoxifies stress and even help get rid of worries!

I know you don’t want to hear this, but don’t miss any meals, especially breakfast. Our bodies and mind need the protein from food to sustain and remain healthy. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, remember our moms and school teachers used to tell us that as kids, well its true, breakfast can help jump start a healthy more energized day! Avoid caffeine and nicotine, it doesn’t help; the truth is it increases stress levels.

Work- related stress and any other kind of stress can take over your life and cause you to even have health problems, but you don’t have to allow. Remember slow down, take time for yourself, breath,  and don’t skip any meals, I know its hard to remember to do these kinds of things, but once you start doing them they eventually become part of your daily routine!

The Nintendo Wii – it’s been around since 2006, and is still going strong – quite a feat in the video game industry. I, for one, am still in love with my little grey box. Mario Cart, Wii Sports Resort – I can’t get enough!

And now, there’s a new bonus for those of us with Wiis on hand – starting in the spring, we’ll be able to stream Netflix movies through our consoles!

In order to take advantage of this capability, Wii owners will need an instant-streaming disc for their console, which can already be reserved here. The disc and the service are offered at no additional cost to Netflix subscribers, according to CNN’s Tech Blog.

This is a smart move by Nintendo, especially considering the Wii’s lack of ability to play DVDs or Blu-Rays. Personally, I’d love it if my Wii could be an all-in-one device, no additional movie player necessary. Well now, at least I’ll have my Netflix faves, at my fingertips. Sweet.

So Wii owners, hurry up and get your discs reserved. Now there’s almost nothing the Wii can’t do.