Thanks to Douglas Adams we all know the meaning of life is 42 so what do we do now?

Globalisation and recent economic situations have ensured we can no longer live in the apparent isolation that Australia has always enjoyed, whilst we dip our toes in that great big World out there we have for many generations allowed ourselves the luxury of returning to our somewhat secluded cave existence when things got too scary or too crazy. That's the best part of being an Aussie right :)

Certainly it was the case for the Baby Boomers era (and those before) and for many of my fellow X generationers we thought we had it all together better than our parents; we had it all - we knew what the meaning of life was all about thanks to Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Monty Python. We could have it all, women could work, we could have a house in the suburbs, with our 2.5 children, 2 cars and a dog and watch the apparent craziness of the outside world from a safe distance. It only affected us if we chose to go on holidays right?

Hello what sitcom did you fall out of? 

Is there truly equality within the workforce? Does global poverty not affect us all? Do not the problems of the globe affect us here? Think about the ripple affect on the lake, of course we interact and we are very fortunate that our isolation protects us from many of the global issues that confront our neighbours but does that mean we should be complacent? Today more than anytime we need as responsible adults in an ever changing environment to reflect on what "is the meaning of life" and how we make a difference... even a tiny one... remember it only takes one person to make one change!

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/25-ways-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world-every-day/

A film with a social conscience... Street Dreams

DEVINE MEDIA is delighted to be associated with this inspiring documentary Street Dreams: The Survivors and The Victims, produced by RED EARTH FILMS, a MUST-SEE for anyone that believes in our global community, our youth and making a difference... Is that you? Then book a ticket today!

Jason Bray (director/producer- Street Dreams) will be available for Q & A after the screening...

The documentary is a powerful insight into the international sex industry, as experienced by the girls made to service it and those trying to save them. Street Dreams shows the sacrificial work of those devoted to rescuing girls from a life of terror and anguish. It is an inspiring call to action."

This event is a fundraiser to support the production of the next documentary in the Street Dreams Series Mafia, Monsters and Manipulators 

Watch this trailer please come along and support this and help the marginalised be heard!

...Suitable for Mature Audiences...

Wednesday 18 September 2013 - 7.00pm sharp
South Pine Church
Corner of Eatons Crossing & South Pine Roads, Eatons Hill Qld
$10 per person

Tickets
store.devinemedia.com.au
3264 2120
robyn@devinemedia.com.au

To Google+ or Not To Google+... now that is a question....

Almost daily lately it seems we wake to a new type of social media platform or networking system... what are the differences between them all and why choose one over the other?

Currently in Australia Facebook dominates Tumblr, Twitter, MSN is old news, Linked In is the contender for professional networking, MySpace has been converted to an underground music promoter - but look there is Pinterest, BranchOut, as well as numerous other minor and less well know and of course there is the ever growing Google+...

As our world becomes more global and therefore closer to us via the world wide web the value for companies and businesses to be part of the conversations online becomes more and more imperative to their promotion and growth. So which one do you choose and as most small businesses cannot afford to have a committed social and online networker on staff - how do you decide what is cost effective and profitable for your company.


Well essentially it depends on your products or services, your time and your audience but basically the following simple rules can be applied.

If you are a company with a visual presence for example clothing or merchandising, design or photographic then Tumblr, Pinterest and Facebook work in the current format for you, this is where your target audience can follow you, chat with you and you can monitor and engage the conversations. If you are a service provider of professional service for example then Linked In, possibly Twitter and Facebook may be well suited.


But what about Google + - well as Google continues to dominate the search engines for Australia, they are firing up Google+ as a genuine Facebook contender, word on the street is that there will be a Google+ Tsunami down under within the next six months..."but it wont take over from Facebook" I hear you say. I remind you that's what was said about Facebook by the Myspacers out there - whom I might add are now regular Facebook users!


Google has the money, power and serious web domination to alter their search algorithm to ensure that Google+ will be a main player when it comes to your company's website being found through organic searches. The reason you want to be involved in these platforms in the beginning. Google+ has the ability to integrate social and professional networking, following and information updates - in feels like a combination of all the main players in these arenas. 

I am very curious to see where the next 12 months online will venture, I am excited about all the communication possibilities currently on offer for companies.


So are you brave enough to be in the game before your competitor's do... online is where consumers research with the conversion from 'research to purchase' continuing to increase weekly amongst Australians.


I put this to you - can you afford not to be on these sites...


Robyn Devine
 

The beauty of the blog

AS Social Networking Mediums continue to dominate the marketing plans of many companies, many questions arise. Does our company need to a blog? Should we be monitoring other blogs within our industry? How often should it be updated? How do we promote it? And is there a time when too much information is a bad thing?

The rules of PR and Marketing have changed dramatically in the last decade or so, if companies want to reach target audiences like X and Y and now even more so igenerations - embracing the social media platforms is imperative. 

Managing these platforms required a strong knowledge, a true understanding of their importance and sustainable and budgeted actions to ensure their success.

Will you be one of the brave CEOs to allocate real funds to these important technologies that support customer service best practices?

Time will tell which companies will make it using these techniques.