Redbridge Online

Author: Shannon

6 Steps to Branding for EDM Artists

A giant mouse head fist pumped behind the biggest rubix cube ever and the crowd went wild.

When @Deadmau5 became the house DJ at the 2010 VMAs, electronic music gained mainstream recognition. Today, everyone has a pair of fluffies. And why not? EDM’s recognition in the music industry is long overdue.

So, what’s the difference between @Deadmau5 and every DJ that hasn’t had the opportunity to play the VMAs? Some produce using the same equipment and have loads of musical talent. Why is he successful when so many other talented DJs still go unrecognized? Well, for one, DM5 is a freaking musical genius and for two, he has those ears that light up.

But there’s more to it than a sweet pair of ears and a ginormous rubix cube. Deadmau5 has a distinguishable brand and continues to build support by marketing himself successfully. He’s everywhere and doing everything to connect with his followers and establishing his brand. From Facebook to Minecraft to Instagram and gaming – the Deadmau5 brand is in constant interaction with his audience. And, his brand is him. That simple.

From a marketers perspective, here are 6 things every aspiring DJ can do to keep the dream alive.

1. Be Professional.
In every interaction, be respectful, committed and reliable. It’s the foundation for every career. Music is no different. Bring your “A-Game” 110% of the time. If you have an audience of 2 or 2,000, play like you’re playing for your MOM, or someone else of equal awesomeness. You never know who is watching and what doors can open or close based on how you perform.

2. Build a following.
Anyway, if you’re professional, that’s half the battle. If your personable, that’s the other half. There’s something mysterious about musicians that makes people wonder about what makes them tick. Establish portals (not the game) for people to connect with you. A website is a must-have and can serve as a central hub for your musical marketing efforts. And push your music out to the world wide web – it loves great stuff. YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Facebook…and pretty much all things social media.

Music and dancing are personable and social – so make your music available on those venues and watch as the support grows. I don’t know about you, but I follow all my favs. People want to know their favs and see how they exist in the world. How many people know that Meowingtons has a seriously cush life? I’ll tell you how many…ALOT.

Social media is amazing for building awareness for your music. And, not just about your music, but about what’s going on in your world so your audience can relate to you as a person — your brand. Trust me, it’s a good thing, even though it can be time consuming. If you don’t have a ton of time and do NO other social media, I recommend;

– Facebook Page
– Twitter
– Instagram
– Soundcloud

Post at least once a day, except on Soundcloud. Soundcloud, just stay active and upload new music as you complete it.

3. Make your music accessible.
Seriously, you might end up in the right place at the right time…and if someone says, “Where can I go to listen to your music” you should be able to hand them a jump drive or direct them to your Soundcloud. And have a business card that shows you’re taking your music serious. Again, be professional. Make it look like you and gave it the same amount of professionalism that you put into your music.

4. Make media connections to distribute media kits to
Uh, the big part of getting your name out there is getting your name out THERE. Get active in the local music scene. Connect with local newspapers, magazines, venues, radio stations, etc. When something newsworthy comes your way, let your list of connections know. But remember, they’re busy doing news-y stuff so be relevant and succinct. Don’t fire off an email to your connections because you’re going to be playing at the same venue you always do. As much as your following wants to know those things, your media connections are looking for stories that will get both you and them noticed. So…wait till epic happens and grab the nearest megaphone to share the news.

5. Create marketing materials…aka GEAR.
Design a website and some tshirts. Burn some CDs. There’s so much…MUCH.

6. Be YOU.
This is the most important thing I’m going to write. Be yourself. You are your own story. Tell it. What are your ears? What’s unique about you that comes out in your music that no one else has. Know what it is about your music that makes people stop and listen and want to share. If you don’t know, ask. Music is a very personal expression so in order for your listeners to get invested in your music they need to understand and relate. We’re all humans with the same range of emotions. Share the emotions behind what drives your music and people will know it’s genuine and react. Be yourself. Know who you are, why you play, and what’s inspiring you.

If you happen to rule at Destiny, drive an energy-efficient car, like Charlie the Unicorn, or just got the new iPhone6 Plus…share that. People like to know what makes you tick. And they’ll love you and your music for just being you. :)

So, if music is your dream/passion – be yourself and be professional and do everything you can to make the dream come true.

My favs:
@Deadmau5
@Kaskade
@MorganPage
Ridium
Evan Alexander (Seriously, when it comes to Step 1, this dude is the epitome of professional. You’ll want to work with him.)

Oh, and…don’t stop believin. :) Hard work and perseverance will open doors.

PS: If you read this and want to get started but don’t know how/where – you can email me.
PSS: That is NOT the real Deadmau5 in the picture, nor do I do any of his marketing. Buuuuut, his brand is so recognizable, that I bet you saw it and thought it was. I’m telling you, he’s a marketing GENIUS!

10/03/2014
Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps
I may have mentioned a time or two, I pretty much love Earth…leaves, butterflies, oxygen…love…all of it. So, yes, I’m pretty passionate when it comes to sustainable marketing practices.

Before I became the CEO for @redbridge, I was a marketer of energy-efficiency programs. I called what I did, saving the world one kwh at a time. Anyway, when you promote energy-efficient products and choices you need to lead by example or people get skeptical. Nobody wants that.

My 10+ years of sustainable marketing practices can be boiled down into 3 simple steps. Here they are:

1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!
2. Design to make green “the new black”.
3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

Have I wowed you with my brilliance yet? Well…I hope NOT because I can talk about this ALL DAY! So, here I go, the 3 secrets revealed in 5…4…3…2…1…:

1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!

In my perfect world, a marketing plan serves as a road map for upcoming marketing activities. You’ve planned out as far as a year in advance. Relaxed brainstorm sessions happen in the quarter prior to the deliverable’s deadline allowing you to glance out further in the timeline to see if there are other materials forecasted that can be combined. I also have a pet unicorn in that world.

In my real world experience, you plan out as far ahead as possible and stay flexible. So the more you can think green thoughts on the fly, the better Earth is going to get. Whether your next item is well-planned, or a marketing emergency, consider what you’re trying to accomplish and how the end result can be created, greenly. For instance:
- Email vs. Direct Mail: Get email addresses for your target audiences and send email campaigns versus direct mail. They have similar return rates, AND e-mail can be re-purposed easily for a follow-up emails. It’s also got analytics for capturing data and saves paper and ink.
- Web ad vs. Print ad: Think about it…you can be more targeted, include animation and capture analytics. I’m giddy just thinking about the possibilities! Animate a .gif, or better yet, add flash or link to a video that shows your audience how much you love them. Expand your advertising dollars by linking your ad to an even more targeted page inside your website etc., etc. That’s…uh-mazing!
- Web-based contest vs. Print: Printing can be both beautiful and expensive. Why not create a wildly exciting web-based contest solutions and encourage users to forward their invite to non-participants? Use Scvngr and create a web-based n hunt and get your participants interacting in all sorts of picture-taking, webby goodness. Or, maybe create a video contest. Here are some cool samples of how others like are doing it. Go @Zappos!Web based contests can increase activity without increasing budget. You could have a full-fledged viral contest without adding labor resources or printing dollars. Analytics provide direct return on investment results. And, by letting technology do the work, your resources are freed up to focus on the next great thing.
- Online forms vs. Printed forms: This one should go without saying…direct input to database…genius and earth-friendly. And think of the paper you’ll save! You stand to benefit from real-time data and your customers will love that you’ve sped up rebate processing times. It’s a Win-Win. Even Steve Covey would love that!
- Less deliverables vs. more: Why create a multiple pieces that serve the same purpose as one. Sustainable marketing encompasses more and lasts longer. Think “timeless content and multi-use materials” and watch your marketing dollars stretch.
- Online events vs. In-Person events:Cloud computing has enabled conference hosts to stream live audio, video and collaboration of events. Companies like Social 27 have created full-fledged ways to share valuable knowledge over the world wide web while saving attendees travel expenses. It’s the ultimate “green” conference.
2. Design to make green “the new black”.

You know black. It’s always in, always sexy, and always in demand. Well, let’s bring green’s sexy back, yes?

There was a time when making green materials meant spendy and with some quality sacrifices. But great news…those days are history. There are so many cost-effective and beautiful marketing alternatives that are eco-friendly. And not just digital solutions, marketers have an opportunity to take green marketing to a whole new level. From concept through production, there are tons of things that can be considered.
- Size to maximize paper usage. Yes, bigger is big, but take creativity to the next level. Instead of producing a single sheet 8.5×11, consider minimizing content at half the size. Work with your printer to find out what sheet size the project is printing on in order to get the most from one sheet. If you can get two by reducing the size by a 1/2″, why not? You’ll save materials and cost. :) Uh…yay!
- Paper materials. Recycled paper stocks are available for all sorts of things. Eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean that your materials look like chipboard, even though chipboard can be pretty, too. @NewLeafPaper produces Reincarnation paper stocks that print beautifully, and feel like velvet…velvet. Recycled paper is available in cover and text weights. There are also biodegradabe substrait substitutes for Banner materials and event very beautifully done event displays – all earthy-goodness. Whoda thunk?
- Design for long-life. As you’re developing your marketing plan, look at the current materials, but also see what you’ll be developing further out to see what you’ve got on the radar. Consider what materials could be combined into multi-use items.
3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

Everyone says buy green, right? And it means a LOT of things to different people. Here’s my interpretation…
- Use recyclable materials. If you’ve got a short-term promotion, create marketing materials that can either be reused or will easily break down into the environment. Vendors usually have recycleable substrate options on hand or easily accessable, so ask for an environmentally friendly option.
- Consider environmentally friendly promotional products. Think about what products can be both useful and and memorable to your end user and work with a vendor to see what sustainable products are available that fit your needs. Stress balls and those little flashlights are inexpensive and fun, but when we’re 100, there’s a pretty good chance, they’re still going to be in a landfill.
- Give love to local. Local vendors mean a few things…support for local businesses and no shipping. And, look for FSC Certified vendors…that’s gold star worthy. Establish ways to dispose of used materials in sustainable ways. Include messaging on your materials to let users know where they can recycle.
So there you go — 3 steps — planet…saved. Feel free to comment with additional ideas! And if you’re interested in greening up your marketing, let’s connect! Ooh…and if you want to know if I’m paid to promote the companies/products mentioned my answer is…Nope. I just love what they do and how they do it. Earth does too.
08/08/2014
Product Review: The Starbys App Makes Me :)!
Sooo…it’s Peppermint Mocha time at Starbys and I love love looooove red cups. Imagine my sheer glee when I realized that I can not only pay for a venti with my phone, BUT that I can send one via the world wide web to a high school friend who lives 10 hours away…Neat-o!

Yup, Starbucks has an app. (Well, actually they have three, but I’ll go into that later.) Two of my favorite things combined — technology + coffee = download ASAP.

It’s free and it’s in the App store. The interface is very user-friendly and does a little bit/LOT of everything. Here’s a list of features:
1. Drinks: Create and store your favorite drinks AND those of your friends
2. Favorites: Create and store locations, coffee types and foods
3. Coffees: Get full descriptions, photos and recommendations for the entire line of Starbucks Coffees
4. Food: Find nutritional, allergens and calorie info for foods available at Starbucks
5. Drinks: Create and store customized drink builder with nutritional information using a step by step process
6. Jobs: They have a pretty green brand…
7. Settings: Your profile
8. Help: Help
9. Scanner: Hellooooooo, QR Code scanner…LOVE
10. My Card: Store card and transaction history, PLUS allows easy balance reload by storing card info
11. Rewards: Birthday Coffee?! Yes… I’m so in!
12. Gifts: Brighten someone’s day – no matter how far away they live!
13. Stores: Location, location, location…
14. It’s sustainable – no cards, no paper, just environmental goodness
Long story short, if you love coffee or know someone who might enjoy getting a coffee, you might want this app. You can gift, buy and discover all things Starbucks Coffee. I am a Starbucks maniac and had heard about the app from a friend a few months ago. Since I first downloaded, I’ve tracked over $100 in purchases, reloaded and surprised a friend with a free coffee on his Facebook wall.

Aside from Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks seems have the coffee company app market cornered. In comparison, the Dunkin’ Donuts app is limited to locating stores and feedback via a discussion forum, versus the fully customizable interactive app from Starbucks.

A word of caution, as I mentioned before there are three Starbucks apps available; the actual Starbucks App, the Starbucks Card App, and the interactive Christmas Starbucks App, for the real brand enthusiasts.

To locate and install the correct app, just search for Starbucks and look for the green mermaid. Or, download right now.

(Oh, and if you want to test it out, feel free to send me a coffee…shannon@redbridgeonline.com…yes? No?)
12/01/2011
People Who Inspire Me: Sarah Hulbert Creates Holidays

Personal narrative written by Sarah, the fun-loving, caring best little woman you’ve ever heard write about the red bridge. I’m pretty sure you’ll agree, she’s pretty inspiring. From now on, September 3 will be called San Francisco Day. I love this!

San Francisco Day
By: Sarah Hulbert

It was a sunny summer morning in San Francisco California; it was a hot 90 degree day in the big city of San Francisco. As I got up out of the hotel room bed, changed from my blue pajamas to my blue t-shirt, and my short shorts with the rhinestones. It was our third and last day in San Francisco. We had gone to the bike rental shop to get bikes, it was a clean shop. The shop was teal blue and had white tiles for the floor. There were light green walls with all different types of bikes, all different shapes, colors, and sizes. There was an old fashion bike with purple and pink accents on the wheels. It was a very special day for my dad.

My dad was wearing his blue jeans, black t-shirt, and his funny looking sunglasses. My dad’s girlfriend, Shannon, was wearing her black wolf hat, the short black dress, and her fuzzy black boots. Tyrah and Alex, my little siblings were riding on bikes attached to the adult’s bikes. Tyrah was wearing her pink striped t-shirt with her brown skirt and her rainbow belt. She had her small bike attached to her mom’s, pedaling away on the little orange pedals. Nick, my little bro, was wearing his cool black Tap Out shirt, skinny jeans, and his Nike shoes. He had a little black and gray bike. Antone my big brother was on his own bike, and Nicole my big sister was on her own bike. Also of course I got my own bike too, it was blue with white patterns going down all sides of the bike it had black handles and black pedals. It wasn’t a big bike but it wasn’t a small bike either. It was just the right size for me.

We stopped at this playground. It was blue green and had swings, monkey bars, and a slide. The slide was small when I tried to go down it I almost broke it. I think it was for 2 year olds. I went to the water fountain bent down and took a slurp before we set off again. I could just see a mere glimpse of the bridge. The bridge was easy to see. I could only see the little grey fog above the top of the bridge. Only a little further to see the glimmer of the sun, it looked beautiful. I looked up to the bridge just past the gravel road. I honestly don’t know why they call it the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s red and there is no gate. So off we went up the concrete hill it was pretty steep. This hill was steep and I was tired. There was a dirt path just among the road on the big hill, to be safe we rode on the dirt path. We had a little further to go and I felt exhausted.

Finally we got to the top of the hill; we were in a very sticky situation. I didn’t like all the people and cars around me but I just kept trekking on. When I finally got to the bridge I rode my bike to the first tower and I got off and put the kickstand down. The bike stood perfectly. I then waited for my dad to get to the tower. I stopped, got off, walked over to my sister and handed her my phone. She’d asked for the whole ride. When we were all there my dad took a hold of Shannon’s hands, he bent down on one knee, pulled out the orange case with the diamond ring inside. He was about to say the words “will you…”

“Say no say no,” said the passerby. Then when he realized what my dad was doing he said to say yes.

We all laughed, “ha ha ha.” That was going to be memorable.

“Of course I will,” Shannon said with a smile. That was a happy ending to our new beginning. And one more thing we saw a little seal swimming down below the big red bridge!!! Now that’s a happy ending.

My response: I love love LOVE this and her. And…when dreams come true.

10/19/2011
People Who Inspire Me: Gabe Berman, Lives Like A Fruit Fly
Sorry, yes, those are my feet. And yes, I did just post them on my blog for the world to see…but, I did blur them a ton.

Anyway, I blame Gabe Berman (@GabeBerman). Because of him, and his book Live Like A Fruit Fly, you have to see my feet gliding through the air because I spent Sunday afternoon in a swing at the beach.

Here’s my Sunday:
1. Sleep in.
2. Indulge in Starbys.
3. Frequent an AT&T store…looking for the phone…no luck.
4. Take a random spontaneous road trip to the beach.
5. Buy/Wear a cowboy hat. I’m pretty sure it’s a prerequisite for #6.
6. Swing…ON the beach. (Smiling!)
7. Capture a ginormous pikachu on film while he’s giving the peace sign. (Rare.)
8. Research which mustache should be worn on a Sundays. ANSWER: The Bollywood
9. Dominate at air hockey. (hmm…lost all three games, despite the fact that I was wearing my lucky engagement ring and a cowboy hat)
10. Pose for a random picture with the happiest tin man EVER! (We’re waving. I have a cowboy hat on. He’s wearing an oil can thing-y.)
11. Go for a long walk.
12. Hold hands. (That’s my favorite part.)
13. Buy a book. (I’m a reader).
14. Eat cheesecake.
15. Spend the day without television.
16. Laugh often.
17. Wear sunglasses. (The future’s so bright…I gotta wear shades.)
18. Do something to encourage someone else’s dream.
19. Do something about your dream. (i.e., www.redbridgeonline…yay!)
The photo journal was religiously captured on film via instagram…redbridgeonline. It makes me smile just thinking about it!

Oh, back to why…I was living like a fruit fly! Gabe’s book is about the meaning of life, as seen through the eyes of a fruit fly. I won’t spoil the ending for you. You should read the book it’s on Amazon. But, I will tell you this. A fruit fly’s life is short, so they make the most of each moment. Pretty cool.

What does this mean for you? Seize this moment. Look around and see the crazy wonderful stuff that’s around you every day that you don’t take time to see, like a tin man. Hold hands. And at the end of the day, that’s a really great feeling!

Its funny how life lets you cross paths with random people exactly when you need to meet them. Gabe refers to them as bread crumbs. We only “met” because someone re-posted one of his tweets. I followed him. We chatted. I learned about his book and bought a copy and the next thing you know I’m barefoot on a swing at the beach.That’s a pretty cool bread crumb.

The book deserves a kagillion gold stars. Buy it – you might love it.
10/17/2011
4 Seriously Inspiring Tweeters From Today

4 Seriously Inspiring Tweeters From Today

I wake up at 5am, just so I can do absolutely nothing but be inspired by Twitter for a minimum of 2 hours every morning. And, so far so good. There are some seriously inspiring things being said between the hours of 5 to 7am. Here are my favs from this morning’s lounge-about-and-stretch-like-a-cat session.

1. @ruhanirabin

Today’s tweet: “Because your heart is so beautiful, everything looks beautiful to you.” ~ Japanese proverb

You can’t read this and NOT just look around and love life! So many people spend so much time focusing on the negative, when, for every negative there is a positive. You really can choose what you focus on. Choose the beautiful stuff. It makes your heart smile and you can truly look around and say, What a Wonderful World. Thanks @ruhanirabin – for the reminder to focus on important things.

2. @MichaelReagan. His Twitter bio says he gets stuff done before 8am.

Today’s tweet: “Finished Boot Camp. Worked out on the TRX system again today. Amazing way to exercise!”

So, this morning, while lounging and reading this, I sent him a quick, “Good job!” It’s pretty unlikely that I’ll be doing any TRX (what is that anyway?), but tomorrow morning…I’ll be take a quick jog around the neighborhood. So thank you @MichaelReagan, for the inspiration. Cheers to good health – and leading by example. :)

3. @celestialbeard

Today’s tweet: “when I approach the 140 character limit I start typing more quietly (but not slower) in the hopes that twitter won’t notice”

Inspiring for two reasons…1.) Hello! Celestial Beard? You KNOW you can’t have a name like that without having something along the lines of Led Zepplin. I hope hope hope he posts a pic of that…soon. Oh, and 2.) Clearly a rebel! He’s not afraid to test the limits – maybe timidly…but still testing nonetheless. I like this. MUCH. Thank you inspiring rebel with heavenly facial hair!

4. @FasTake

Today’s tweet: “@FasTake: 5 Amazing Eco-Friendly Office Buildings of the Future http://fstk.it/q1RdW ”

So, my thing about large commercial buildings is that they account for about 18% of energy use and the average building has a life span of about 40-50 years. So, I’m inspired by anyone who’s leading the industry in energy-efficient building design and sustainability. Earth is a pretty cool blue and green marble and we all like oxygen, so…cup up to little footprints and eco-friendliness in any form. :)

The moral of the morning – stretch, look on the bright side, be good to your body, test boundaries, and don’t forget to love the planet. That’s a pretty great morning, ya? :)

10/11/2011
Using the 5th “P” to Put a Ding in the Universe.

Put a Ding in the Universe. Use the 5th P’s.

On Wednesday I received a random text from a 17 year old that inspired this post.

17 year old text – “What are the 4 P’s?”
My text reply – “Easy…Price. Product. Placement. People.”

Yup, got it wrong. The 4th P is actually promotion. And I DO marketing for a living!! So, crash course in the 4 P’s it is. Here we go. There are four critical elements needed to market products and services. They’re called the 4 P’s.

1. Product – Do you have a product that is wanted or needed by an audience?

2. Price – Is your product priced at an amount that your audience will consider affordable and worth their money?

3. Place – Is your product available at a place where it can be purchased by your audience?

4. Promotion – What are you doing to let your audience know that your product is available for them?

I’m keeping the 5th P. It’s pretty genius. I mean, without people, the other 4 p’s can’t exist.

5. People – Sellers of the product. Buyers of the product. Marketers of the message. Audience of the message.

No matter which of the 4 P’s are being focused on, it’s people who make products successful. Know your audience. Who buys your product and why do they buy it? Is it something they need or does it satisfy a want? How badly do they need or want it? What is it about using your product or service that satisfies that need? Interacting with your audience provides valuable insights. Form a relationship with them so they’re comfortable giving you feedback. Listen to their suggestions. Thank them. Act on their requests. They’ll love you and your product a TON if you do.

Pricing can be tricky. It’s important to know that there is always an exchange, whether it’s monetary or not. You’ve invested time and effort in the development of what you’re selling and should be compensated for it. Know your audience well enough to know the value of your product to them. Both buyer and seller should walk away from the transaction satisfied. There is a middle ground where you both agree that what you’re selling is worth what they’re buying. Find the middle ground and it’s a win-win.

Your customers have likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests. Life is busy and fast. We’re told to stop and smell the roses, but often times there aren’t enough hours in the day to do that. So make buying and using your product easy for your customers. Know where they live and how and where they carry out their daily activities. Be where they need you to be to make buying easy.They’ll love you. And they may even get some time to smell roses as a result.

In 1984, Apple bet the farm and spent a kagillion dollars to talk to its audience in a :60 ad during the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl. It said, simply, “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like “1984.” Apple had taken the time to get to know their audience and in 60 seconds, launched the company into a technological dynasty that put a dent in the universe. So…long story short, know your customers well enough to speak to their needs in a language they understand and in a place where they are likely to see it.

Be crazy enough to want to change the world. Use the 4 P’s and your path will unfold successfully. :)

“I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs. Mission accomplished.

10/08/2011
Product Review: Postcard on the Run App (genius!)

The absolute greatest thing EVER happened! My, now fiance, Eric asked me to marry him…on the red bridge*…and I was wearing a SpiritHood…and there were sea lions down below the bridge…swimming. And we have pictures of THAT moment!

Attention Selena Gomez, you just invested in the best company EVER!

So…after the magic moment, naturally I posted and shared with all of my social media accounts. Hmmm, I’ll be honest, in my excitement I didn’t immediately call my family and they were less than pleased. But…crisis averted, calls made, people forgiven. Except, my grandma. She’s 86 and hasn’t realized the magic of #Apple and the world wide web just yet. She prefers mail to calling.

So when I heard about the FREE Postcard on the Run app on Twitter I downloaded right after I sent a “woohoo” text to @POSTCARDing expressing my gratitude (to which they promptly responded with a thank you). It might’ve taken two minutes before I was opening the app and gearing up to send my grandma the best postcard of my LIFE. Oh…for $0.99. Postcard on the Run is the perfect solution to the busy techy with moments to share and not enough time in the day.
(Download now at http://postcardonthego.com/)

Unfortunately, I wish that I could have a LOT of moments for life (shout out to @NICKIMINAJ1Luv). My phone was packed with 10,000 pictures. Everything from Norbert, the Gnome on his epic vacations to the view from the 86th floor on the Empire State Building gets shared with random @Foursquare, @Instagram and tweeting people. When I touched the “Use Existing Photo” button the app froze. I sent a reply back to @POSTCARDing about what had appened and they responded right away reassuring me that they wouldn’t sleep until the problem was fixed. We sent a few emails back and forth and agreed that the number of images might be causing the freeze. It turns out 10,000 great moments on an #iPhone will not only cause your phone to randomly rebuild the image library on occasion but will also freeze the Postcard on the Run app like nobody’s business. Aside from the initial freezing on behalf of my picture hoarding there wasn’t a downside to this app.

On the cup half full side, Postcard on the Run is a low cost way to send personalized postcards to people you care about. The interface is intuitive, the app is available on the app store. It’s fast and it’s easy to download and use. The attention to detail and level of customer service is amazing. On the security side, your information isn’t stored. In terms of quality, if an image is used that isn’t high enough resolution, the app will reject it, ensuring that when your reader gets the card, they see a sharp and professional looking postcard that you can sign, add a personal message to and preview before sending. My grandma’s going to be super excited!

I’m probably going to be an addict so, send me your address. I’ll send you a postcard.

And, if you love that wolf hat, you can buy one at www.spirithoods.com.

09/29/2011