InsidEPR

Friday in the Bay: New York Times thinks you should visit Oakland

By Caitlin Mattias

First, an introduction – we at Engage PR think the Bay Area is a pretty unique place and just about everyone has heard about the hippie, hipster or techie culture prevalent here. Whether you discard gadgets like yesterday’s Wall Street Journal or up-cycle regularly in your urban garden, there’s a place for you in the sometimes urban, sometimes suburban oasis that is San Francisco and the East Bay. In the new weekly “Friday in the Bay” posts, we’ll share the shocking, amusing and down-right ridiculous things that make northern California the place we call home. Enjoy!

Oakland is a scant bridge away from San Francisco, yet it’s widely considered the ugly sister of the Bay Area. No longer! From urban wineries to cultural centers to Michelin-starred restaurants, it’s about time Oakland is recognized for the wonderful place it is.

The New York Times placed Oakland #5 on the list of “45 Places to Go in 2012”—between #4 London and #6 Tokyo. Not too shabby for this port town. The Times calls out Oakland’s burgeoning restaurant scene, hip nightlife and music venues as major reasons why you should pencil in a trip to our neck of the woods. We heartily agree.

Seasons Greetings from Engage PR

By Molly Reynolds

What are your holiday wishes? At Engage PR, we're looking forward to another year with our wonderful clients. As we close out 2011, the team recounted EPR's holiday wishes. Along the way, we ran into a few "blooper moments".  Enjoy that gem of a video here: 
 

 We wish you happy holidays and a very happy 2012!

We are Thankful

Complied by Molly Reynolds

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the team at Engage PR has been reflecting on what we’re thankful for. We’ve compiled a short list; feel free to add your own thoughts.

Happy Thanksgiving from the team at Engage PR!

 

• I am thankful for my great clients and their interesting technology which motivates me to come to work everyday.
• I am thankful for GPS!
• I am thankful for my iPhone – it brings me email, music, connections with friends and family, games, restaurant suggestions and reliable directions to everywhere I would like to go.
• Keyboard short cuts!
• I’m thankful for Google Alerts about client coverage.
• Outlook meeting reminders – I would be lost without them!
• I am thankful for iOS5 and the updated Google Maps feature that shows me three different possible routes for my trip.
• I’m also thankful for the Google Maps app on iPhones because of the “use public transportation” option.
• The Wii Fit that will help me work off all the wonderful holiday food!
• I'm thankful for Facetime on my Macbook; I can still feel close to my family who live far away.

Pumpkins, Spiders and Candy… Oh my!

By Leslie Schmidt

The spookiest time of year has yet again come and gone - but not without leaving a trail of delicious candy behind at Engage PR!

Engage PR has quite a few holiday traditions in the office, but my new favorite is BOO-ing! For those of you who have never heard of this strange tradition, let me take you though the steps. Starting on October 1st, one sneaky EPR employee decorated a colleague’s desk without their knowledge. The next day when the colleague came to work, they unexpectedly walked into a black and orange circus tent full of pumpkins, spiders and candy corn! And so it began. One by one, each employee was BOO-ed until no desk was left un-spider webbed! This year, the BOO-ing lasted all through the month, leaving many employees scratching their head as to who could have done the sneaky decorating!

Once all the EPR desks were decorated from floor to ceiling, it was time to celebrate. On Halloween day, we did what EPR does best - had a festive potluck! Only this time we were eating in style. Costume style that is. On the day of the potluck, the office also decided to have a costume contest. With a witch, a nerd, an Occupy Alameda protester, GI Jane, Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin and the devil twins  - there was quite a variety for voting. In the end, the protester and Charlie Chaplin took home first and second place! Congrats ladies!

For even more Halloween fun check out this scary slideshow to see EPR’s Halloween decorating skills!

Facebook's Latest Face Plant

By Dale Legaspi

People are unhappy about some changes Facebook has rolled out. In other news, the sun rises in the east, the weather is cold in the winter and most of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.

Also, people are resistant to change. I’m usually all about ranting at big companies in my posts, but I think Facebook is only part of the problem here. “I hate the new Facebook” is not good feedback.  Clearly, there is no guarantee that Facebook cares or will change anything, but at least give a specific example of something that is actionable. Here’s my attempt.

The first and most obvious issue I see is that Facebook stayed true to form by doing an absolutely abysmal job rolling these new features out and explaining them to users.  A little blue triangle and a bubble popping up when I scroll over it is not helpful in telling me what is going on and why my homepage was overhauled.  I didn’t know any of it was coming.  At least give me some sort of heads up.

Speaking of the homepage, Facebook will now feed you the “top” stories since your last visit. Similar to when the newsfeed was announced, people are up in arms about this feature.  What constitutes a top story?  What if I haven’t talked to the person featured in years?  Shame on me, apparently. Guess I should do some pruning on my “friends” list.

Directly to the right of that is the new ticker. The only reason I know it is called the ticker is because I asked a friend of mine who works at Facebook. It feeds me more irrelevant facts, but it does it in real time, so I can be thoroughly annoyed on a constant basis.

There are a number of other features that are either annoying or just outright invasive, but this is a blog—not a novel. However, we would love to see more of your thoughts on the worst new features of Facebook.

Editor's Note:  Thank you Dale for your contribution to our blog  -- we will miss your commentary on social media missteps.

Are you ready for some Football? Engage PR is!

By The Commish (aka Neila Matheny)

Luckily, it is that time of the year again. The NFL avoided extending the summertime lockout into the  regular season and all of us fantasy football junkies can get our fix of speculating, drafting and smack talking at the right time of the year. For the third consecutive year, the Engage PR crew is taking part in the fantasy football tradition, holding the annual draft this month.

The Hoya Paranoias are returning as the regular-season champions from 2010, who fell just short in the  playoffs last season. Many of the other regulars are back for 2011, such as Shake N Bake and Bitzy’s Bashers, who are always tough foes and postseason veterans. New this season are three recently formed teams named Room for Error, the Mighty Ducks and the Flying Squirrels. With some of the league’s star players on these teams, including Michael Vick, Tom Brady and Larry Fitzgerald, these newbies are primed to make an impact.

Hopefully, I can avoid the curse of the Commissioner this season and avoid any early injuries to my top few picks. However, after winning the first overall pick, it feels like other shoe will eventually fall.

Will a newcomer emerge as the league leader or will an old favorite rise to the top?

Will Probation Nation II overcome the preseason loss of Ryan Williams?

Will the Ragging Royas and A-Bashes remember to change their lineup during the bye weeks?

Stay tuned to the InsidEPR blog for more updates from the Engage PR 2011 Fantasy Football season and the answers to all of these questions.

Dinner and a Show: EPR "Watches" the A's Beat the Rays

By Roya Pakfetrat

This week after a long hard day in the office, we decided to relax and trot on over to the local Oakland Coliseum to enjoy a night full of beer, food, entertainment and a little bit of baseball. The night’s highlights include:

• A full “band” of fans that cheered on the A’s, playing some good music on their drums and other musical instruments
• The honor of getting a hold of some homemade “Matsuiland” stickers from the same “band o’ fans”
• The Godzilla head man and the kid with the vuvuzela cheering for Matsui the ENTIRE game
• A hot dog or ten, a few plates of nachos, a beer in every hand and of course - a night full of laughs

Sure the A’s won but we won’t remember that for long. Instead we have splendid memories and even closer relationships. To stimulate your visual needs, check out some of our pictures. Until next time gang...

Create your own video slideshowat animoto.com.

Netflix Pricing Changes: Why Not Usage-Based?

By Neila Matheny

Since Netflix introduced the "Watch Instantly" streaming feature, consumer reviews were quite favorable. Many consumers relied on Netflix as their only over-the-top (OTT) video service, eliminating television service altogether, while many others continued to receive DVDs in the mail of their favorite movies and new releases.

However, when Netflix announced last week that they would charge separate fees for the streaming and DVD services, which resulted in a 60 percent pricing increase, the social media firestorm began. After receiving a combined service for so long, consumers were asked to take on this increase without any additional services or features, essentially the same service, with plans for catalog expansion for streaming titles in the future.

For me, the pricing hike prompted me to cancel my service. I realized, once everyone on Twitter was blasting the news, that I hadn’t watched my last Netflix DVD in six months. Worse than that, I didn’t even know where it was. (No worries, I found it within the six-day window in order to avoid a lost DVD fee.) But, why hadn’t I watched it. For a few reasons:

• OnDemand – I recently switched to AT&T’s U-Verse and love their OnDemand selections. While it may be pricey to pay $4.99 for some of the new releases, I only have to pay for what I actually watch. So, after paying over nine dollars a month for Netflix movies I hadn’t watched, I am actually saving.
• Delays and Waits – While it normally only took three days to return a DVD and get a new one in the mail, there was still a delay in receiving the movies, especially when I wanted to watch a newly released movie that was often not available for weeks through the DVD service and not at all for streaming. Once again, OnDemand is instant.
• Technical Streaming Issues – My PC is from the olden days and has its storage space maxed out with iTunes files. So, streaming on this old machine never has worked out well. However, I often find that I will turn to streaming when I missed a recent news event, such as Diane Sawyer’s interview with Jaycee Dugard, which is not available on Netflix. So, the network websites are normally the best answer in that scenario.

Maybe I am not the perfect Netflix consumer, ready to rely on streaming for everything. However, I think if they had offered a pay-as-you-go option, I may have stayed on as a customer. I have seen many other comments on various blogs, articles and social media sites about this topic. So, I wonder, why didn’t they go in that direction?

Has this news forced you to reconsider your Netflix account? Let us know what actions you have taken.

Smartphones - The “killer” technology

By Roya Pakfetrat

As my cell phones have become more and more sophisticated, I have noticed there is less of a need for other high-tech merchandise in my life. I find myself using my mobile phone for everything from waking up in the morning to making it through my workout at the gym. Recently, I began thinking about all of the technologies that my cell phone has replaced and this is what I came up with:

• Alarm Clock – My iPhone makes it extremely easy to set a reoccurring alarm or just reset it when I feel like sleeping an extra fifteen minutes. For some time now, I haven’t needed a bulky alarm clock taking up space on my nightstand.
• Calculator – The fact that my phone is always with me helps when I am need of a quick calculation. Whether I am calculating a tip or paying bills, I can do it anywhere at anytime without an extra piece of technology to carry around.
• GPS Units – I never actually had one, but I will never need one. Not only that, but I can’t remember the last time I had to print out directions before venturing into unfamiliar territory. My smartphone can locate me anywhere and get me exactly where I need to go.
• Landline Phone – This is one bill I will probably never pay for. I haven’t had a landline phone since I  was in high school. My cell phone is my only voice connection to the world and if that dies, my communication with the outside world does too.
• iPod – I guess if didn’t have a smartphone I would need to find a new device to listen to my music on. But why would I buy an iPod when I could just buy an iPhone and have a combined phone and iPod?

Smartphones are the way to go. The uses I get out of my cell phone are endless, it’s my notepad, my calendar, my weatherman and not to mention my camera and video camera. No wonder people panic when they misplace their cell phones; it’s like getting robbed of every single piece of technology - all at the same time! Hopefully some of the companies producing these types of products can find a way to overcome the ever-advancing smartphone and maintain a successful business.

Are there any technologies you can think of that will always withstand the triumph of the smartphone?

Engage PR Catches Spring Fever with March Madness

By Neila Matheny

Whether it’s our yearly fantasy football league, company trips to see the neighboring Oakland Athletics play or support of our very own Coach Legaspi and his baseball-playing Pilots in Alameda, Engage PR has always been a sports-loving group.  And, as has been tradition amongst the group for several years, our sports love is captured each spring for the March Madness office pool. With upsets all over the tournament field and the early losses of the top seeds, it wasn’t Engage PR’s best attempt at picking the winners.  Some highlights of the pool include:

• Only one bracket had the opportunity to score more points once the Final Four was set.
• No bracket picked the eventual winner, the Connecticut Huskies. And, no bracket selected Butler to advance past the Sweet 16.
• Only four different possible tournament winners were selected. (Ohio State, Kansas, Duke and Georgetown)
• The most unique Final Four was comprised of North Carolina, Texas, Georgetown and Wisconsin.

Only one bracket picked Morehead State to defeat Louisville, which was the same one that also selected Virginia Commonwealth to upset Georgetown.

Congrats this year to Suzanne Panoplos for being the only team member to correctly pick two out of the Final Four teams, with her selections of Kentucky and Connecticut and for being the winner of the 2011 Engage PR March Madness Tournament Pool.