Retro Packaging Trend

When you’re at the grocery store, have you recently felt like you’re dreaming and woke up in the 60’s? Consumer package goods companies have been experimenting with retro packaging and ad campaigns to help boost sales. Instead of marketing to niche groups, retro packaging means something to all age groups and provides significant opportunities for brands. Whether it resonates with a childhood memory or just because it’s cool, this is a popular trend that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

Tweet To Your Heart's Desire

The social networking phenomenon Twitter has just about everyone in a tweeting frenzy. Like any other social outlet, it takes time and effort to cultivate and expand your reach. If you haven’t done it yet, follow the below tips and you too can increase your Twitter following.

1. Tweet about stuff you know and love
2. Make sure your twitter account name reflects who you are and what you do
3. Make sure you fill out the bio
4. Follow people
5. Read other people’s tweets and ask questions, clarifications, and followups
6. Don’t hose people with links to your stuff
7. Don’t link and run
8. Tweet consistently
9. If you outsource, make sure you trust the person tweeting on your behalf
10. Being retweeted gets you more followers

What Nuns Can Teach You About Social Media

A new trend to hit the digital world are Nuns using social media, not to tweet about their favorite movie or celebrity, but to spread goodness through this media channel. Religious centers are turning to facebook and twitter to inform people about their different missions and other things that most people are unaware of.

They are continuously searching for kind-hearted souls to volunteer their time to a particular cause. How can they leverage the network to ask for help? They also touch on the importance of ethics, commitment, values, creativity, etc.

Whether you’re the CEO of a major corporation or an everyday Joe, this story can resonate with everyone and offers a different outlook on social media.

Whirrling Around

Whrrl is a location-based social application designed to help you discover places to go and things to do at those places. BUT… instead of searching for the right ideas, the right ideas find you. Users join “Whrrl Societies” and exchange relevant recommendations. At the core of Whrrl are Societies – groups of people with similar interests, tastes, passions and physical world patterns. Whether you’re a foodie, mountain biker or margarita lover, there’s more than 5,000 Societies (and growing!) to fit everyone’s lifestyle. If you don’t see a Society you like, you can create your own Society and add your own recommendations to inspire others to go out and try something new.

Word Lens

Want to visit a country but don’t know the language?

Why carry around a translation manual when you can carry around your phone?

Word Lens is an exciting new travel mobile application available on iTunes. When your camera views a sign/phrase, it will instantly translate it to whatever language you chose, without using the internet. This new application is a necessity when going abroad to prevent from getting lost in translation.

Voluntourism

More and more people are planning trips that allow them to give back to communities while they travel. Travelers feel that they should give something back to their host countries rather than simply hopping through them for a few weeks.

Some popular trips include working with elephants at a rescue center in Thailand, volunteering with underprivileged children in Brazil, etc.

Even Whole Foods Market’s Whole Planet Foundation is giving away a volunteer trip for 2.

Pack For A Purpose

Through this organization, now any traveler can make a difference. Based on your destination of travel, Pack For A Purpose encourages travelers to pack 5lbs worth of supplies for a needy community (school supplies, soccerballs, clothing, medical supplies etc.) and then deliver them themselves.

When people travel for vacations, they have the tendency to overpack and bring unnecessary items because they have “room” for it. By participating in this program, you become enormously rewarded by being able to help people. It’s truly a life-changing experience.

Travelers Tracing Their Roots: Genealogy Travel

Traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent your roots is hotter than ever. You no longer have to live your life wondering what your ancestors experienced, where you’re family came from, stories of heroism, etc.

Research and planning are key for these kinds of trips. The more prepared you are, the more productive your trip your trip will be.

Everyone has their own story. What’s yours?