Netflix from Steam to Stream

I have a vague recollection at being mad at Netflix. It was 2011 and they had the gall to change the way I had been watching movies for years! You see I was a loyal Netflix subscriber. I would exchange DVD's though the mail on a regular basis. I would select a movie watch it when it arrived and return it for my next selection. Imagine my shock when they increased their pricing and added streamlining at an additional fee. I was steaming about the price I would have to pay for streaming! I was not the only one. Netflix customers took to the Internet and social media and voiced their disdain loudly and often. So much so their stock went from 299.00 a share to 53.00 a share. It became a public relations nightmare. It was a company and customer crisis.  

When the company issued an apology I was unmoved. I boycotted Netflix for a year. I however grew uneasy not being able to watch movies from home in the way I had grown accustom to. I capitulated and signed up for the more expensive service. Perhaps I had been unfair. After all the company was changing with the times and they have an overhead and employees to pay. Maybe I should have thought about how much it cost to physically mail DVD’s back and forth. The one thing I had not considered was I have grown very attached to my smart phone and I can now watch anything from anywhere. I also no longer watch live television as I DVR most of my shows. I also now bingewatch shows. Currently I am hooked on "Once Upon A Time." I can't remember the last time I actually have watched a DVD!

I believe many have felt the same way. "Netflix increased at the fastest rate among the Top 100 measured brands over the last two years (2012 to 2014)  Netflix went from zero to hero in just a couple of years. They did it by being patient and winning back support by providing excellent programming. Perhaps in hindsight they now value that people have a voice and presence on social media that cannot be denied. 

Geo Tag You Are It!

Am I the only one who feels that Geotagging can be dangerous? Don't get me wrong. I love checking into locations and tagging exact locations with beautiful pictures or moments of great delight. I understand it is a useful and helpful tool. Especially when I need assistance with GPS. There is comfort in knowing that a big satellite in the sky knows my whereabouts. However, it is something I like to do myself and to be in control of. I do not like when it is done for me. When the pop up appears and states would you like to make your location known? I often times deny access. If you want to take control right now you can. It is an easy fix really, just disable your Location Services in your settings under privacy. I have allowed a few apps to allow location access but most of them I have disallowed. The ones I do use, I have checked the appropriate box that states: allow when using app only.

Please do not tag a photo or post information without being with others. I have at times even tagged myself in a location after the event. There is one moment in my tagging history that still haunts me. It happened about 5 years ago. I was eating lunch with my husband and I checked in and liked the locations page. I even tagged the location and the food I was eating. Imagine my surprise when someone I knew showed up and said hi. I said "Fancy meeting you here? Their response "Oh I saw you were here on Facebook so I thought I would stop by."Yikes!" The word that came to mind is stalker. This made me take a good hard look at who had access to my every move. Do people really need to know our every whereabouts? This is not a real game of tag. Does anyone really need my latitude & longitude? Unless I go down in a plane or end up missing I think not. This can especially play into when you are traveling. Could say a savvy thief take the opportunity to rob you blind? Good thing I hire house sitters and I have three dogs.

With our information available to everyone at all times it is important that you understand Geotagging and control it  and manage it appropriately. By the way, I wrote this blog in my car at a remote undisclosed location.

Me Phone 6

I admit at the start I am an Apple product junkie. I have purchased Apple products from the beginning and am a loyal customer. I received my new iPhone 6 about a month ago and I am delighted. I love the bigger screen and I am even a fan of iOS 8 operating system. However, there was one interesting phenomenon that occurred while using my new phone. When I text I use one hand, my right. The screen was a little larger and I noticed a pain in the palm of my hand towards the base of my thumb one week into operating the phone. It is fine now but it did affect eating, as I couldn't use a knife to cut my food. Has anyone else experienced this?

 I am amazed at how connected I am to my phone. I don't even use it as a phone as much as I use it as my personal computer. I mostly use it for Google searches, texts, e-mails, social media, banking, bill pay, news, GPS, photos, video & music. It keeps me connected to my family, friends, work and the world.  I believe the smart phone has made me smarter in some things, but memory is not one of them.  I don't have to remember much I just need to know where to go to find what Im looking for. I can't even remember the 90s when I had to actually remember a persons phone number and go to the library for research. I love the immediacy of information and contact. It is perfectly tailored for my ADD. I know they call it an iPhone but I prefer to call it a Me-phone because it has in part become an extension of me.

My New Romance with Instagram

There are so many social media sites to be involved with my head is dizzy. Should I choose one and be loyal to that tribe or should I use them all? I must admit I've grown very fond of Instagram. Don't get me wrong I love my Facebook, Twitter & the usual microblog suspects. However, I find myself drawn to the quick ability to share a picture, which evokes a mood. The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words rings true for me.

I love photography and I love sharing life events but there are some days I really don't feel like saying much. My blog requires at least 250 words and Facebook requires at least a small story and Twitter 140 characters and some days they require a back and forth dialogue and let’s not forget to mention the obligatory cute or catchy hashtags. The photos I post on my Instagram  account usually say it all. It is quick and complete. I can choose to dialogue or hashtag if I feel like it.

I also like the easy use filters that can change the effects of the photos. It’s like a drive-by announcement. I really enjoy how I can post on Instagram and then it can be shared on the other sites simultaneously linking all my social media sites. Instagram just feels young and fresh.

So imagine my surprise that in total, Instagram has over 200million users, just behind Twitter, with younger users driving uptake. Perhaps because I am young at heart I favor it!

I Love Starbucks!

In this ever complaining world I thought I would do a “shout out” to a company I think is doing it right. It's not like Starbucks needs any press but  the things I love about Starbucks are not just the cool vibe, clean bathrooms, décor, free wi-fi, global partnerships, wages for employees, community outreach, pumpkin spice latte, etc. etc., but they get my drink right every time and when they don't, they fix it without attitude or complaint.

I have been a Starbucks Reward Card member since 2009. Suffice it to say, I am a Starbucks fan and devotee. That’s right I love Starbucks! I also love that they interact with me online via social media. They even followed me back on Twitter! I receive free drinks for frequenting their stores and last week they sent me a physical and virtual birthday card. I know they are a big corporation but I have to give them props for succeeding at making me feel like I am not just a dollar sign, even though I know I am.

The many locations, consistency and determination to try just a little harder then their competitors keep me coming back again and again. The customer experience is always positive and generally exceeds my expectations. Their ap is also great. I can pay with my phone and it lets me know where any Starbucks is when I am traveling. I think it is telling that I received 4 gift cards for Starbucks last week from my friends because they know I love them too! I wrote this review not because I want anything but I just know that if a Starbucks exec reads this they would probably send me a free drink because that’s just how they are.

Microblog vs. Microbrew

I must admit up until a few years ago I did not know the difference between a microblog and a microbrew, both of which can be intoxicating and explain my typing errors. So grab a beverage of your choice anything pumpkin would suffice, as it October, and let me inform you of the difference between a microbrew and a microblog. 

A microbrew is a beer, which is made locally in small amounts and is not nationally distributed. It is the antithesis of Budweiser or for my Canadian readers Molson. Microbrews are served mostly in local bars, microbreweries, brewhouses, pubs, and at beer festivals. They can also be purchased through mail order clubs online. A microbrew loses its exclusive status when bought out by large corporately funded brewery or it is distributed nationally.

A microblog is a type of blog that lets users publish short text updates. Bloggers can usually use a number of services for the updates but the best is Twitter. The posts are called microposts, using these services to update your blog is called microblogging. Microblogs can be produced locally but may become international. A microblog gains exclusive status when it reaches a large audience and is bought out and or funded by a large corporation, which may or may not be a brewery!

So now that you know the difference sit back and finish your drink. Cheers!

Mystery Unsolved!

Bet you were just thinking, who is the leading social media influencer in the interactive murder mystery dinner theater genre? After "Googling" it would seem that we at Marriage Can Be Murder are one of the top influencers... yikes! That is a great responsibility and it is also terrifying. When you are in the lead and at the top you spend the rest of your energy staying there or you will be bumped. I prefer climbing to the top not fighting to stay there! There are many murder mystery theater shows in the US. People seem to enjoy them and there are many that have impressive accolades and resumes. Keith & Margo’s Murder Mystery have been around since 1985 and was much of our influence as we worked with them in the 1990’s when we were at Suspects Dinner Theater in Old Sacramento. With only 81 followers on Twitter and only 895 likes on Facebook it would seem like someone murdered Keith & Margo’s social media presence. Leading the pack is The Dinner Detective which have a good website and decent Facebook page at 10,863 likes and a new Instagram account with 96 followers and a filled with potential Twitter page. However, the interaction for the many sites I visited is minimal. The mystery is why they do not branch out and explore the dynamic world of social media? You can’t really call yourself interactive without it now, can you? So we may remain on top for just awhile until they solve their own mystery.