BRINK is a creative digital agency pushing boundaries in web, mobile, social, video, and even indie film.
This is our blog. A place to cheer the successes and lament the failures. To give wisdom and share experiences. Sometimes it's business, sometimes it's pleasure, but it's always through the eyes of an agency living on the BRINK.
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Are you ready for the end of the world? This infographic has Armageddon and what comes after all mapped out for you. 

Are you ready for the end of the world? This infographic has Armageddon and what comes after all mapped out for you. 

It is leap day, so I think we should slingshot BRINKmedia, and our clients, into the Facebook future. All the pages we moderate are now sporting the new Timeline. And we are into it (so far), though the clean-up process to make these pages the most useful and representative of the brands associated with them will be on-going. If you are hesitant about the switch and need to know more before taking the plunge, we’ve got you. Here are some tips we’ve collected from the big guns: Mashable says there are six things you should consider. 1- It looks different, and you should switch things up (construct a brand narrative) based on this new appearance. 2- Choose your (limited) tabs wisely. 3- Use ads to control the viewer’s experience. 4- Design posts to be pinned at the top of the page. 5- You may need to adjust app icons. 6- Use the new private messaging feature, instead of cluttering up your timeline.  Fast Company agrees with Mashable’s 2 and 6 but emphasizes the need for brand’s to clean house on their timelines immediately so their message doesn’t get garbled in the new layout. Plus, you need to plan future content differently. This switch-up is a big deal, they say, brand pages haven’t really had to figure out how to re-do their FB’s since the change from “sponsored group” to pages in 2007.  Adweek’s article, with interviews from social marketing pro Beth McCade, says brands who use the milestone feature well and have the most engaging posts will be king on the new Facebook. But content needs to be highlighted wisely and not overwhelm the reader. McCabe says brands should hide negative comments, since these will be re-hashed in front of fans’ eyes when you launch the new format.  To see how we adjust our page based on the new Timeline features, ‘like’ BRINKmedia on Facebook.

It is leap day, so I think we should slingshot BRINKmedia, and our clients, into the Facebook future. All the pages we moderate are now sporting the new Timeline. And we are into it (so far), though the clean-up process to make these pages the most useful and representative of the brands associated with them will be on-going. If you are hesitant about the switch and need to know more before taking the plunge, we’ve got you. Here are some tips we’ve collected from the big guns:

  • Mashable says there are six things you should consider. 1- It looks different, and you should switch things up (construct a brand narrative) based on this new appearance. 2- Choose your (limited) tabs wisely. 3- Use ads to control the viewer’s experience. 4- Design posts to be pinned at the top of the page. 5- You may need to adjust app icons. 6- Use the new private messaging feature, instead of cluttering up your timeline. 
  • Fast Company agrees with Mashable’s 2 and 6 but emphasizes the need for brand’s to clean house on their timelines immediately so their message doesn’t get garbled in the new layout. Plus, you need to plan future content differently. This switch-up is a big deal, they say, brand pages haven’t really had to figure out how to re-do their FB’s since the change from “sponsored group” to pages in 2007. 
  • Adweek’s article, with interviews from social marketing pro Beth McCade, says brands who use the milestone feature well and have the most engaging posts will be king on the new Facebook. But content needs to be highlighted wisely and not overwhelm the reader. McCabe says brands should hide negative comments, since these will be re-hashed in front of fans’ eyes when you launch the new format. 

To see how we adjust our page based on the new Timeline features, ‘like’ BRINKmedia on Facebook.

A Little Ode to Valentine’s Day (and some advice) from BRINKmedia

Every year we feel pretty over-saturated with lovey-dovey messages, but it isn’t all bad. Some of the big guns made some special homages to the day for lovers this year without being gross.  

New York City got in on the V-Day act with a giant display. And Newsweek subtly riffed on the day of love with their Politics of Sex issue. The cover they went with was pretty tame but you can also check out the provocative covers they didn’t use.

AdWeek pulled out some well-down ads that are romantic but won’t make you puke. And the Kolner Zoo in Cologne, Germany announced it’s “Tour D’Amour” Valentine’s event with a series of posters featuring some romantic wild animals.

If you are alone this holiday, you may find comfort in this graph (hey, it proves you aren’t alone in your wallowing). Apparently, alcohol intake goes up and self-esteem goes down for singles around V-Day, probably because of all the romantic gestures we pointed to above (sorry). 

If you don’t have a date yet but aren’t content to go stag tonight, here’s an app for you! “Who Likes You” finds potential suitors based on your Facebook connections. But maybe Twitter is a better venue for picking up someone, according to new stats (outlined in this infographic) Twitter is the sexier social media. And Words with Friends is a proving to be a pretty good matchmaker (despite not trying to be). According to Zynga statistics:

“About 47 percent of players say they have a crush on someone they’re playing Friends with right now. About one in three say they would be more willing to hook up with someone if they were good at the game, while 68 percent said they would date someone who beat them in it.”

So maybe your best play is to log on for some Scrabble, and then maybe something more. 

We wouldn’t generally turn to Hollywood for love advice (it hasn’t proven to be the most nurturing environment) but BuzzFeed points out some Power Couples who have made it.  And you can steal some declarations of love from some pretty romantic dudes ( Charlie Parker, Johnny Cash, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jordan, Gerald Ford) from their hand-written notes, courtesy of Fast Company. They might not still be with the object of these affectionate letters but you can still find some inspiration to pen your own interest something sweet. Or turn to Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers with this run-down of the ultimate romantic Hollywood clips to get ideas for your own spur-of-the-moment gesture. 

But perhaps the most impressive proclamation of love, is this regular joe’s infographic proposal (she said yes!)

-Caroline Jackson