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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
Epic QR Code-yness in 4 Quick Tips

Yoda likes QR codes too.
Ok, you got me! I LOVE the scan-able little black and white squares that bridge print with technology. How did marketing ever exist without them?! How long will they be around? And how do they work?

I’ll admit (sshhh…) I’ve had some QR code fails and spent more than a few hours getting Google to cough up everything it knows about creating, tracking and best practices for these mysterious and wonderful squares. And great news – I’ve condensed all the research, failure and smashing success into 4 Quick Tips.

4 Quick Tips

1. Know your audience. QR Codes aren’t for everyone. If you’re audience doesn’t have a smart phone, then they will never know the pure genius you’ve included for them by way of QR codes in your marketing materials. So, know who you’re talking to in order to ensure success. It’s also helpful to include instructions in your materials to help your users know what to do. This can be as simple as two words, “Scan me.”

2. Create the code. People are doing amazing things with QR codes, and others are simply using the black and white squares as is. Goo.gl has an excellent feature for shortening links and generating QR codes. Even the most colorful QR code centerpiece ad begins as the black and white code you can generate in using Goo.gl. tool. A word of advice: If you’re changing any elements of the qr code, be sure to test as you go to make sure it continues to scan successfully. Nothing’s worse than spending hours rounding corners, colorizing and dragging points to find that your masterpiece doesn’t work in the real world.

3. Reward the user. They’ve taken the time to get out their phone, point it, scan the code and then view your content. So make sure the destination is an experience worth their time. Don’t just take them to your website, take them to a page or video, or survey that was specifically created for them. It’s your chance to interact directly with your customer, so don’t just hand them a brochure and walk away — shoot the breeze with them and let them know that from this moment on, you’re besties!

4. Track the results. Oh, right…results. We all want to know if what we’re doing is actually creating a return, so do what you have to do to make sure you’re capturing results. If the QR code is taking the user to a survey, welllllll…this is your opportunity to get to hear their feedback. Create custom 800 numbers. Make custom web pages and track traffic with Google Analytics. And speaking of Google, if you do use Goo.gl to generate the code then it’s tracking scans for you as well! It’s a win-win!

And…that’s my version of Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Learn about QR Codes in 2 minutes or less. :) May the Force be with you.

09/20/2011
The Entrepreneurial Path Unfolding: 3 Questions from Cre8Con 2011

“To believe in yourself and to follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, and to surround yourself with the things and the people that make you happy – this is success!”
– Sasha Azavedo

Eight successful entrpreneurs presented at @Cre8Con 2011. They each spoke about obstacles they overcame and the approaches they took that turned their passions into success. Each of the panelists have transformed what fuels their fire into fruitful business ventures and the resulting work is…phenomenal!

Was it an easy path for any of the eight panelist? No. The deep story behind all the successes was the same; Each had tried and failed miserably and more than once in many cases. So why were they successful? How did it work for them when so many people go to work every day at “jobs” that they find unrewarding.

The common denominator in each presenter was that they had all identified what it was they were truly passionate about and made a decision to pursue it no matter what the obstacle. Each person experienced a moment where, after failure, they stopped and reassessed what they were doing and why it wasn’t working. In some instances, they were trying to please other people instead of staying true to their passion. Some were stuck in the rut of doing what historically worked initially for fear of being unsuccessful at the next thing. Some spent lengths of timeaway to reconnect and just be…listening to their inner voice to learn what they needed to do to be the best them that they could be.

How many people give up after trying and failing once, or even twice? What if they stuck it out? What potentially amazing life works can come out of someone who does what they love every day? When you’re 95 years old, how great to look back at that journey?

So how do you become one of the success stories? @JellyHelm seemed to have it figured out…and he’s smiling. So I’m guessing he’s on the right track. I took away from his story these three questions.

Ask yourself:
1. What do I love and feel passionate about?
2. What am I doing about it?
3. How can my passion and love benefit others?

Sometimes you ask youself these question and get an answer right away. Other times you have to really search yourself and the people you surround yourself with to find the answers. Don’t be afraid to ask the people who are close to you.

One of the speakers was #IreneTaylorBrodski, a documentary director. During a time after she’d begun her career journey, an opportunity to film a life-changing procedure presented itself. A deaf married couple who underwent surgery to hear again was almost not captured. The reason? They were Irene’s parent’s and so close to her that it was only from a friends suggestion that the idea even came about. Irene went on to film the award winning #SundanceFilmFestival documentary Hear & Now. So you see, sometimes the opportunities are right in front of us and we just need to step back to see them.

Is it easy? No. Each of the panelist had tried and failed. Each had been out of their comfort zone and scared. But being scared is human. If you’re scared, it’s because you’re in unchartered territory. You’re likely trying something new or in a different way that may lead to success or failure. Or maybe you begin to surround yourself with peers who are “out of your league” or better than you. Nothing is scarier than working with someone who knows more than you. But at the same time, isn’t it better that they’re on your side? And why shouldn’t you view it as an opportunity to “up” your game?

If you stay inside of your comfort zone all the time then nothing will ever change. And if nothing ever changes then you aren’t changing either. Getting yourself from Point A to Point B means taking the first step, and following that with the second…And then the 10,000th. Know you’re going to fall sometimes in the journey, but also knnow that you’re going to get back up. :)

The path is always unfolding – do what you love. :)

09/19/2011
Technology…meet humanity, aka Shannon, aka @redbridgeonline, aka scrabble genius?
I love technology, design/marketing and gummy bears. I spend my time thinking deep thoughts and smiling. Are you a social media genius? Let’s be pals.

That’s me, @redbridgeonline, in a less than 150 characters or less autobiography. Add a few more characters and you’ll see that I’m also fairly optimistic, work at a non-profit saving the world by drawing pretty pictures, love white stickers and was recently proposed to wearing a cat hat and riding a tandem bike on the red bridge, i.e., Golden Gate Bridge. Oh…and I love QR codes. LOVE.

The world wide web is filled with geniuses that talk about everything I love all day every day. I want to meet those geniuses (all of them), learn from them, and spread happiness and optimism in return. Earth needs more marketing genius and I’m making it my calling to find geniuses and get them talking.

Soooo…QR codes, blogging, Apple’s white stickers, marketing, strategy, cloud hosting…I could go on for days. The internet has introduced so many cool things! It’s challenging to stay on top of it. But I love projects and I’m about 700% positive this is going to be a serious amount of fun.

Oh, that’s the other thing about me…fun. I love love LOVE life. The interactions, the experiences, the path that’s always unfolding. Just when you think you have it all figured out, there’s a curve ball, right? And sometimes the curve ball doesn’t make sense…but later, in hindsight you realize that you were always exactly where you were supposed to be, right that second. Like reading my blog – you’re supposed to be doing that very thing right now. I can’t wait to see how what’s next!

Oh…well I already know one thing! I’ll be blogging. I hope you’ll be reading. You don’t want to miss out on these thoughts and opportunities to interact about:
- What I learned at Cre8Con 2011
- Epic QR Code-yness in 4 Quick Tips
- Totally Random and Personal
- 5 Resources That Help You Listen to Long Distance Audiences
- Why @redbridgeonline? And What’s With That Cat Hat?
Ending the first redbridgeonline blog post with something memorable is a MUST. Here’s an inspiring secret to success written by someone seriously smart named William Purkey.

“Dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”

Nice to meet you!
09/08/2011