10 Signs You're A Social Media Addict

1. You’re real life conversations consist of no more then 140 characters.
2. You no longer have “real life” conversations.
3. You belong to a social network for people addicted to social networks.
4. On Facebook you’re a fan of… Facebook.
5. When you heard Google was coming out with a social media platform you became aroused and then promptly tweeted about it.
6. When people ask you who your friends are you say things like: Ashton Kutcher, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Bill Gates.
7. Youtypethingslikethistouselessspace and put #hashtags #in #front #of #everything. 
8. You’re Facebook friends with your entire graduating class from high school even though you didn’t talk to or like most of them.
9. The best part of your day is checking to see if you have new followers, friends or fans.
10. You read this tweeted it, shared it on Facebook, and Dugg it. 

Please share some of your signs of social media addiction. For those of you trying to kick the habit check out http://kdf-comp.blogspot.com/2010/02/3-sure-fire-ways-to-implode-your-social.html 

Matt Valentine is the Marketing Manager at KDF Reprographics, Inc. providers of Large Format Printing, Vehicle Wraps, Fleet Graphics, Color Scanning, Posters, Banners and Trade Show Displays. To contact Matt or setup an interview please call 888-533-2667 or visit our website @ http://www.kdf-comp.com/ or you can become a fan on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockleigh-NJ/KDF-Reprographics-Inc/209102776252?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @http://twitter.com/KDFReprographic

3 Sure Fire Ways to Implode Your Social Media Following

There are literally dozens of people eagerly awaiting this post (that's including my father, so in advance thanks Pops for the "Like" on Facebook) so, I better get to it before we have a full on riot on our hands, or more accurately a small collection of mildly perturb people.

As many of us know we are constantly being bombarded with advice on how to improve, enhance, increase, upgrade etc.our social media followings, but very few people are detailing the best ways to implode a social media following.  And when I see a void I fill it! It's just my nature. 

I am addressing those people out there that are sick of being tied down to their Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. Those of us who can't bare the thought of staring at another stream, throwing out another retweet, or believing  that social media is actually social. I mean really, when did sitting in front of a computer all day become a social activity? 

So, on the assumption that you have a social media following in the first place (why are you here if you don't?)

Here are my 3 sure fire ways to implode your social media following:

Ignore People, Then Get Angry 

Here's the scenario: Some customer has posted a negative comment about you, your company, or your product on one or all of the various social media outlets. 

Step 1-

Ignore this person for as long as possible. This may require weeks or even months of self restraint and discipline on your part. Your goal here is to get this person as angry as humanly feasible. When they have reached the peak of their anger and it is just about to subside you move on to...

Step 2- 

Launch an aggressive, hate filled counter attack and get very angry, I am talking Michael Douglas "Wall Street" angry or Christian Bale angry. You want to call this person names, express to them that they are a liar, and tell them that they most likely emit a foul body odor. Tracking them down and slapping them around Gordon Gekko style is also an excellent approach. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to turn this single angry customer into an army of angry customers sure to destroy your social media following and perhaps even your entire business.

Sell, Sell and Sell Some More
A lot of social media "gurus" will tell you that social media is the place where you can add a more personal aspect to your business. It gives people the opportunity to see your business as more then just an entity, but as a place where actual human beings work. This is a great strategy if you want to build a strong social media following, but we are here to destroy our following like Jeff Zucker destroyed NBC (I'm still bitter over Conan).

Instead of trying to interact with your customers/fans/followers just sell to them all the time and make sure you continually use the same pitch so that it becomes stale, uninteresting and eventually aggravating. You will want to tweet/post this message at least ten times a day... the more the better actually. You should probably hire someone whose sole purpose is to bombard all your followers streams with this message, giving you the time to focus on more important things like our next tip.

Be Depressing 
A recent study done by a company who does a lot of social media studies, found that the most forwarded/retweeted stories are those that inspire awe or good feelings in people. The stories that make people realize just have amazing and unbelievable this world can be gain incredible traction in the social media world. You are going to avoid being an aggregator of this type of content. In fact, you will become an aggregator of the exact opposite type of content.

If you choose to ignore my advice about being personal with your social media accounts, get personal in a way that will surely turn people off. Find stories that are depressing, tweet about how your favorite pet just died in a horrible accident with a Toyota that just would not slow down and that your child, who just got their license that day, their birthday, was the one behind the wheel.  Provide pictures if possible.

Avoid being fun, witty, or interesting. Act is if your job or life in general is slowly sucking all the joy from your soul and watch as your followers recoil from you in fear and loathing.

I would love to hear more ideas on how to implode your social media following because I am fresh out.

Oh and please digg, RT,stumble and share this post, otherwise how will everyone know about it?

Matt Valentine is the Marketing Manager at KDF Reprographics, Inc. providers of Large Format Printing, Vehicle Wraps, Fleet Graphics, Color Scanning, Posters, Banners and Trade Show Displays. To contact Matt or setup an interview please call 888-533-2667 or visit our website @ http://www.kdf-comp.com/ or you can become a fan on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockleigh-NJ/KDF-Reprographics-Inc/209102776252?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @http://twitter.com/KDFReprographic

Trade Show Success Secrets of the Pros

So recently we teamed up with Michael Lake of Redlake Marketing  to create this little video to help those exhibiting at the Warwick Valley Expo Show Saturday April 10, 2010. While the video is targeted towards those attending this particular show it's got great tips for anyone about to exhibit at any trade show. So please check it out and enjoy, don't be shy and pass this along if you like it. Also, don't forget to check out our previous post 10 Tips of Getting the Most out of Your Next Trade Show.




Matt Valentine is the Marketing Manager at KDF Reprographics, Inc. providers of Large Format Printing, Vehicle Wraps, Fleet Graphics, Color Scanning, Posters, Banners and Trade Show Displays. To contact Matt or setup an interview please call 888-533-2667 or visit our website @ http://www.kdf-comp.com/ or you can become a fan on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockleigh-NJ/KDF-Reprographics-Inc/209102776252?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @http://twitter.com/KDFReprographic

The Best of Vinyl Wrap Advertising

So, I am attempting to compile a list of some of the coolest vinyl wrap advertising that is out there. I will be scouring the internet for the best examples of vinyl wrap advertising that I can find, but it would be great if you could help me out and post some of the best examples you've seen. The examples can be anything from vehicle wraps, bus wraps, building wraps, elevators wraps, boat wraps, anything that has been wrapped in vinyl and looks awesome, funny or unique we want to see it!

I look forward to seeing some of your submissions, in the meantime lets get on with it. In no particular order...

From our friends at Premier Wraps  in Fontanta, California
That is one Bad A-- Trailer.

 http://www.premierautowraps.com/

National Geographic Bus Wrap 

National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Bus Wrap 

Created by Amy de Boinville, Patti Odbert, and installed by Applied Advertising, Inc.

A Plumber With a Sense of Humor 
Not sure who to give credit to on this one, but it's pretty funny. 

Copenhagen Zoo
One of my personal favorites 

Canby Graphics Porsche Vehicle Wrap 
Not sure if I would wrap my Porsche, but its still pretty cool. 

 Hudsons Bay Company in Downtown Vancouver Building Wrap 
This wrap is honor of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver (wish I had a better picture) 

SuperWraps.com  It's going to get weird...Two Dragons

ShapeShifter Media Nike Staircase Ad

Application Nation Elevator Floor Graphic 
Im already scared of elevators...I don't  think this will help, but it is different. 

Cranky Creative WWE Elevator Wrap 

Magic Display 3D Building Graphics
Apparently since Avatar came out 3D is all the rage...pretty cool though.

One of KDF's Own (Gotta give us a plug too!) 
O'Connor Racing Trailer 

Gecko Signs and Graphics Native Air Helicopter Wrap 

SCS Vinylworks Mandown Boat Wrap 

That's what i have gotten so far I am sure there is a ton more out there, but I'm going to need your help to find them. Keep in mind KDF can meet all your vinyl wrap needs so feel free to check out or website. 






Matt Valentine is the Marketing Manager at KDF Reprographics, Inc. providers of Large Format Printing, Vehicle Wraps, Fleet Graphics, Color Scanning, Posters, Banners and Trade Show Displays. To contact Matt or setup an interview please call 888-533-2667 or visit our website @ http://www.kdf-comp.com/ or you can become a fan on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockleigh-NJ/KDF-Reprographics-Inc/209102776252?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @http://twitter.com/KDFReprographic

The Best Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Special Someone

By Matt Valentine

I just wanted to make this clear before we go ahead, I didn’t change my name for this article that is my real last name. I actually like it 364 days out of the year, not so much on February 14th. By the way, that has nothing to do with this article, so yea...

Ok fellas, we all know Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching and if you have a sweetheart you are going to have to get her a gift, it is a mandatory obligation. On a personal side note, I feel like we men really get stiffed on Valentine’s Day. We buy everything, have to do everything and often receive very little in return. Though come to think of it, I did get a Bic lighter from my girlfriend one year, so that was nice.

Anyway, most likely you’re going to break out the old stand by gifts: chocolates, flowers, jewelry, or a stuffed animal. If you’re really creative maybe you’ll take her out to dinner too. The point is these gifts are boring; everyone is going to give them and they really don’t leave any lasting impression! Did you know that 99.9% of men give one of those aforementioned gifts! Why not stand out from the crowd this year and show your significant other that you really care and buy her something a little different.

So, here’s an idea. Does your loved one have a favorite picture, piece of art, or something of that nature? Why not take that picture and get it made into a custom poster? It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

While you’re at it, why not surprise her with a custom banner that tells her how much you love her? Now that is something you can use every Valentine’s Day (just don’t put her name on it in case you break up, this way you can still use it for the next girl).

Consider this; does your loved one have a car? You can get her car wrapped with custom Valentine’s Day graphics! Talk about impressive! Just imagine the look on your girlfriends face when she sees that you have wrapped her entire car in a nice rose pattern…priceless.

Now, some of you may be thinking , but Matt isn't this just shameless self promotion? To which  I would answer, yes, yes it is! BUT, remember this Valentine’s Day there is just one eleven letter phrase for awesome… He Went to KDF! Good luck all and have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Matt Valentine is the Marketing Manager at KDF Reprographics, Inc. providers of Large Format Printing, Vehicle Wraps, Fleet Graphics, Color Scanning, Posters, Banners and Trade Show Displays. To contact Matt or setup an interview please call 888-533-2667 or visit our website @ http://www.kdf-comp.com/ or you can become a fan on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockleigh-NJ/KDF-Reprographics-Inc/209102776252?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @http://twitter.com/KDFReprographic

5 Coolest Places to Work- #3

The Wonderfactory 




Corporate Culture- 

The Wonderfactory is another company that prides itself on collaboration from employees on all levels.Among other things the company specializes in web development, design, brand creation and something they refer to as idea labs.  All you need to know about the company's culture can be found on their website (which is incredibly well designed I might add) but in case you are too lazy I'll list some of the cooler things for you.

On their top 15 reasons to work at The Wonderfactory (which can be found here)  reason #3 is "You won't have to work your ass off, although you may choose to do so".

Reason #9 is, "Everyone, in all departments, is hired and valued for their creativity". That's a very brief overview, but if you want to know more definetely look at their site,  they do a much better job explaining it then I can.

Perks-

• A fully stocked kitchen. 
• Xbox, Wii, Apple TV are all available anytime an employee needs to relax. 
• A swimming pool, with free swimming lessons. 

Benefits- 

The Wonderfactory boasts one of the best benefits package you will find at any company including: 

• Free medical for their employees and their families. 
• Life insurance
• 15 days paid vacation and more http://www.thewonderfactory.com/aboutUs/benefits.php

Physical Workspace-

The single coolest reason to work at The Wonderfactory has to be their incredibly unique and awesome office. Located on 28 West 25th St, in NY,NY  the Wonderfactory's view of the Empire State Building alone would be a cool enough perk, but this office is like nothing you've ever seen...unless you work there, in which case you're lucky and I don't like you.

There is a secret entryway, cool employee created wall murals  and my personal favorite a room called "hell", so anyone can tell anyone else to go to hell and the other person is ok with it. Once again to get a better idea of what I am talking follow the link http://www.thewonderfactory.com/aboutUs/our_space.php 

Guess what room this is...

The 5 Coolest Places to Work (Cont.)

Corporate Culture-
Zappos has a very unique corporate culture that consists of ten “commandments”
http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values
The company is so set on employing only those who will adhere to these values that after going through the Zappos training program new employees are offered $2,000, plus time worked, to quit. The belief is that anyone who does not match the Zappos culture will take the money and run, which will ultimately save the company time and money.

CEO Tony Hsieh makes a conscious commitment to understanding what makes people happy and utilizing that understanding to improve relationships with employees and customers.

Oh, did I mention that managers are required to spend 10 to 20% of their time goofing off with the people they manage. And that one of the standard interview questions is, “How weird are you on a scale of 1-10”.

The company is focused on creating an environment of "fun and a little weirdness".

Perks-

• Free lunch. Not quite on par with what Google offers, but still a very nice selection of free meals to be had in the Zappos cafeteria.

• A library of self-help and personal development books that employees, and visitors are free to browse and take home with them.
• Nap rooms. Zappos provides nap rooms because studies show that a 20 minutes nap after lunch helps boost productivity.
• Dr. Vik or coach as he is known to Zappos employees was once a real doctor with a successful chiropractic practice. At age 45 he left his practice to join Zappos where he has become a mentor, counselor, cheerleader, and motivational speaker to all the Zappos employees.

Benefits-
Zappos.com offers an extensive benefits package for all full time employees including medical, dental, vision, and 401k.

Physical Workspace-
Located in Henderson Nevada, the Zappos headquarters isn’t Googleplex, but it does have a charm all its own. Employees are encouraged to spruce up their personal spaces and there's even a VIP room where visitors to the facility can sit on a throne. Office pranks are also a staple of the Zappos workplace.

The 5 Coolest Places to Work

By Matt Valentine

Employment in and of itself is a tough thing to come by these days, so dreaming of working at a place that you don't dread going to every morning (count me among the lucky few) may be far fetched. With that said I still thought it would be a fun post to a countdown to the " 5 Coolest Places to Work" so keep checking back for the complete list and please feel free to add some of your own or comment on those I may have overlooked.

Yes, it’s an obvious move to put Google on this list, but any “coolest places to work ” list would be incomplete without Google on it.

Corporate Culture- 

Google’s corporate culture has played a large role in the company’s tremendous growth. Though one of the biggest and most successful corporations in the world Google disdains the hierarchical order of most large corporations and substitutes it with smaller creative teams which are highly flexible and highly motivated.

Google fosters an environment of innovation and creativity by encouraging every employee to share their ideas no matter their department or position.

Perks-

The perks of working for Google are almost too numerous to list and are one of the main reasons the company received about 777,000 applications last year alone. So here are some of the “cooler” perks Google offers its employees. 

•  Free Gourmet meals. Forget about paying for some Mickey D’s during lunch break, Googlers enjoy free gourmet cooking in one of 11 cafeterias. Yea we’re all jealous.
• Pool tables, a lap pool, a climbing wall, foosball, videogames,  ping pong and roller hockey twice a week in the parking lot are just some of the activities available to the company’s employees.

•  Relaxed Atmosphere:  Take a nap in one of the company's  sleeping pods, or attend a TGIF party, relax in one of many massage chairs, or use scooters and segways to get around. Hate your job yet? 

Benefits-  

Laziness prevents me from detailing Google’s benefits package, but fortunately they have already done it for me! So if you’re interested to see just how sweet the Google benefits package is follow this link http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=benefits.html

Physical Workspace-

While all of the aforementioned attributes make Google a cool place to work, the actual physical workplace known as the Googleplex may be the one thing that makes Google such an attractive job.

Located in Mountain View California  (there are also offices in Bangalore, New York City and Irvine, Calif. Among others) the company has successfully maintained the feel of a college campus environment, hearkening back to its origins at Stanford University.

Pictures do more justice then my words can.

Be sure to check back for the next addition to the list!

Matt Valentine is the Marketing Manager at KDF Reprographics, Inc. providers of Large Format Printing, Vehicle Wraps, Fleet Graphics, Color Scanning, Posters, Banners and Trade Show Displays. To contact Matt or setup an interview please call 888-533-2667 or visit our website @ http://www.kdf-comp.com/ or you can become a fan on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rockleigh-NJ/KDF-Reprographics-Inc/209102776252?ref=ts or follow us on Twitter @http://twitter.com/KDFReprographic