Activities to Replace Summer 2020 Cancelled Events

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you Covid-19, you make many adjustments in your life to help flatten the curve. Many of these adjustments include our upcoming summer 2020 plans including concerts, sports games, vacations, festivals, parades, and more. So how can you make the most out of summer, while the stay at home order and CDC guidelines are still in place? Here are some of my favorite at home activities that you can do just about anywhere, while maintaining a safe distance.

 

First, I am pretty sure we have all been doing this already, but streaming devices have been my life. When the weather is less than appealing, I hunker down in my comfy chair and blankets, and I watch shows and movies until I get hungry or tired. When this gets tiring or old, I grab a good book. Many authors have been releasing books, or when in doubt read an old classic. Stephanie Meyer is releasing a new book from Edward's perspective for all the millennials out there. 

Concerts have been cancelled or rescheduled due to the virus, but do not fret. Some artists have been performing on Instagram Live or through Zoom meetings with their band. Taylor Swift's Live from Paris concert will be uploaded to Hulu and Disney+ for our at home concert series. 

When the weather cooperates, sunbathing outside or taking a nap in my hammock are my go tos. Hey, why not watch one of those concerts while outside? It may not be the festival atmosphere you're use to, but it's still a good way to unwind!

Our favorite sports teams are starting their seasons back up, and although we cannot be in the stands, we can cheer from our family rooms while eating the same junk food snacks that cost an arm and a leg at a ballpark. No one will give you looks for cheering too loudly or giving your opinion to the referee who doesn't seem to listen to you.

A few more activities might include painting, coloring, puzzling, organizing everything, four-wheeling, socially distant hikes or picnics with friends, or playing Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch. 

Whichever you choose to do, this summer might not be as we planned, but we can still make the best of it in the current situation. Hopefully some of these ideas inspire you to try something new or start something old. 

Written by: LEANN FRANK, REBECCA ADELE PR AND EVENTS INTERN 

Graduating in Quarantine? How to make the most of virtual commencement!

As the month of May is quickly passing through, so are graduations! While this years' ceremonies and commencements are a little different than usual, it's easy to create a lasting memory for the senior in your life.

An easy way to celebrate with close friends and loved ones is a zoom commencement! Similar to Facetime, Zoom allows you to easily add friends and family to a chat room.  So why not add the whole class of 2020? Although seniors may not be able to walk across the stage, they can walk across their family room with all their friends cheering along side them.  A graduation ceremony memory to last a lifetime. 

As for grad parties, although there won't be a house full of classmates, you can still celebrate all the hard work your senior had done throughout the years with just a few easy steps.  The first and most important thing are decorations! Simple streamers, balloons and table cloths in your dining room can make the space memorable and fun.  For dinner, support local small business by ordering catering for the whole family. 

Besides a virtual commencement and a family sized grad party, there are still more fun ways to honor your grad.  Memory boards are an easy surprise to add to the celebration.  Pick out some of your grads' favorite memories from over the years, certificates of accomplishment, and whatever art work or other achievements your grad has done over their educational years.  

Coming from a family who has a graduating senior, my mom and I teamed up and tried something special for her.  We sent out a questionnaire to our friends and family asking 1. Your favorite memory you share with Grace (my sister) and 2. Any graduation wishes or life advice you wish to impart on the graduate? These were included with self addressed envelopes which we put together in a book with her graduation picture on the front.  Simple ideas can make a huge impact and lasting memory on the graduate, and they can keep them forever! 

Written by: ABBY WEESE, REBECCA ADELE EVENTS INTERN

What Happened to All the Brands that Didn’t Have Super Bowl Ads?

The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots weren’t the only ones competing on Super Bowl Sunday. Twitter turned the big game into a social media competition with #BrandBowl52.

#BrandBowl52 marked Twitter’s attempt to solidify themselves as the social network for all Super Bowl advertisers. They honored not only brands that viewers saw over and over, but they included brands that didn’t air commercials during the big game. The brands that were the most often referenced on Twitter during the game were the big winners.

Besides the spotlight, winning brands will receive actual trophies, as well as access to exclusive Twitter ad products and consumer research and exclusive 90-day use of a custom emoji. Ryan Oliver, Twitter’s head of brand strategy for the U.S. and Canada, called #BrandBowl52 the “first ever social subscription for users to get TV spots delivered to them on Twitter.” What does this mean for the future of the multimillion-dollar Super Bowl commercials? One things for sure, Twitter is making it more inexpensive for brands to get their message out there.    

Here is the full rundown of the #BrandBowl52 brand winners:

#MVP
Awarded to the brand that received the highest percentage of brand-related tweets.
Winner: Pepsi

#Blitz
Awarded to the brand that generated the most tweets per minute.
Co-winners: Doritos and Mountain Dew

#Quarterback
Awarded to the brand that received the most retweets on a single tweet.
Winner: Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World”

#Interception
Awarded to the brand that did not run a national TV spot during the game but received the highest percentage of brand-related tweets.
Winner: Ally Bank

Twitter also recognized the most tweeted-about brands in several verticals.

Alcoholic beverages
Winner: Bud Light

Automotive
Winner: Ram Trucks

Consumer packaged goods
Winner: Tide

Dining
Winner: Avocados from Mexico

Entertainment
Winner: HBO’s “Westworld”

Financial services
Winner: E-Trade

Home and health care
Winner: No winner named (no home and health care brands enrolled in the competition)

Retail
Winner: Amazon Echo

Technology and telecommunications
Winner: T-Mobile

Travel
Winner: Tourism Australia

Written by Nicole Naiden from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Facebook Introduces New Partner, tbh

Facebook is doing their part to “spread posi vibes” by partnering with a new app called tbh. This app allows users to anonymously answer kind-hearted questions about their friends and then sends the results back to them as compliments.

For example, the question may be, “Who is the best to bring to a party?” followed by a multiple-choice option of 4 of their friends. The user will select their opinion and the app will then notify the chosen friend in the form of a compliment. The creators of tbh hope to spread more positivity through social media by teaching teenagers to highlight the good things in the people around them, as well as fuel self esteem.

Through tbh, young adults not only spread love, but also remind themselves to practice self-love. The founders of this app have expressed the importance that teenage mental health has to them.

That’s a cute idea, but will today’s young adults really be interested in something like that? Absolutely! Tbh was downloaded over 5 million times within the first 9 weeks and of that 5 million, over half have used it daily. The app has collected over 1 billion poll answers since its launch in August and it has topped the free app charts for teens and high school student users.

It’s a breath of fresh air to social media junkies that Facebook took on tbh instead of cloning it like they have with several other popular teen apps. The entire operation and style of this distinctive software sets it apart from its adoptive big sisters like Instagram and Snapchat.

An app like this could be the start of an entirely new species of social media. Encouraging young people to find the positive in things around them entices the possibility of altering their perspective of the world. By persuading teens to practice this form of mindfulness, it could not only enhance their lives, but also the lives around them.

 Written by Sarah Roberts of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Facebook, Fact-Checking, and Fake News!

Fake News. It’s a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot on social media, especially during this past election. But what does it mean, really? Fake news can be defined as, a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media.

Facebook can be a cesspool of fake news articles. I’m sure you’ve seen articles along the lines of, “Hillary Clinton Orders the Execution of Donald Trump’s Daughter,” from a website with a name like “FreedomEagleSoldier.com,” or an article like this one from “News Bible Report,” claiming Sasha Obama had been shot and killed. These articles are clearly ludicrous and the thought that someone could believe it is borderline hilarious.

Unfortunately, these articles can do some real damage. Propaganda and fake news during the 2016 election had such a profound impact that it outperformed real news. Facebook received a considerable amount of backlash because of this to the point where they needed to do something to combat it. Now, if you see an article you believe is fake, you have the option to report it. If enough people report it as fake, it gets sent to a fact-checking organization like Snopes or Politifact. Once determined that it is indeed fake, the article shows up on Facebook with a red banner saying, “Disputed by Third-Party Fact Checkers.”

In some instances, these precautions don’t have the desired effect. Usually fake news stories don’t get branded as fake until after they go viral and the damage has been done. Certain groups see that Facebook flagged a particular story and say, “Hey, they’re trying to censor us! Share this!” This is what happened with Christian Winthrop’s false story that claimed hundreds of thousands of Irish people were brought to the US as slaves. By saying, “Don’t share this, it’s fake news,” it had the opposite effect.

 A number of technologists, academics, and media experts have pitched ideas to Facebook to help them with their fake news problem. Some ideas include verifying news pages, sort of like how Twitter uses a blue checkmark for verified celebrity accounts; sharer reputation ranking which takes into account the types of articles a person shares; and connecting fake news to fact-checking sites, so that when you click a link to a false story, it can also open a page debunking it.

Even with all of these modifications, some think that the more Facebook tries to debunk a story, the more people will still decide to believe it. So, the question remains: How can we get people to agree with facts when the fact in question doesn’t fit how they want to view the world?

Written by Alexia Amato of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Squiggle Eyebrows Take Over Social Media!

First there was the Ice Bucket Challenge, and who could forget the Great Dress Debate of 2015; so what’s this year’s social media trend? Well strap yourself in, cause it’s squiggle brows! 

What are squiggle brows you may ask? Well the whole trend started earlier this year with Youtube beauty star Promise Tamang-Phan (pictured above) when she posted a photo on her Instagram with her eyebrows in the unique shape. As it turns out, she drew her inspiration from a photo that she had seen were a woman had photoshopped her eyebrow to make it look wavy. Promise took this and made it a reality! When asked why she would want to try such a… bizarre look, Promise told the Huffington Post “I am always experimenting and trying different makeup looks on my social pages. It was done for fun to show my followers something new.”

But wait! Social media isn’t stopping there. Some are taking it so far as to draw their lips on that way. What!?

If you want to try the look for yourself, there are plenty of websites online that are posting how to do it. But be warned, it involves gluing down your eyebrows which does not sound particularly present. See below for a link to the instructions.

Before you leave, feel free to leave a comment and tell us how you feel about this interesting trend. 

Directions: https://www.women.com/shannon/lists/how-to-make-squiggle-brows-video-photos-details

Written by Mitchell Clifford of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Has Social Media Gone Too Far with Location Sharing?

Snapchat has recently come out with an update that automatically shares your location to your entire list of friends. It is only once you go into your settings and set your profile to “ghost mode” that you are hidden from being seen. Many are concerned that this feature could be potentially dangerous due to over sharing.

This update takes creepy to a whole new level. It will even show your “bitmoji” or your avatar in the car if you’re driving, or with headphones if you are listening to music off of your phone. It also includes street names on the map and locates you in the specific area of whatever building you may be in.

Updates on various apps including location settings and features such as check-ins call for a constant reminder to always be selective and smart about how much information you put out there about yourself. Many people of all ages are guilty of over sharing information on various platforms or social media.

Although Snapchat’s new location feature only allows Snapchat friends to see your whereabouts, it’s always smart to be aware of who you are adding as friends, and that if you choose to keep this feature turned on that all of those people can watch where you go at the swipe of a finger!

If you don’t like being watched but are unaware of how to turn this location feature off, follow these quick instructions!

           

1.     Open up the Snapchat app

2.     Use 2 fingers in a pinching motion to swipe open the map

3.     Tap the bar next to “Ghost Mode” to turn it on

Lastly, if you want to customize which friends can see your location with this feature, you can go into settings and handpick the 

Written by Meagan Catalfmao of Rebecca Adele PR & Events