When setting up some company pages last week there were several issues integrating everything in a friendly and diplomatic manner. Nobody wanted to play nice. To spare you the logistics, let’s just say whenever  one channel was accessed another would log out and by the end of the whole fiasco, I had completely forgotten what I was doing in the first place which was a little embarrassing to say the least. There are only so many times you can walk back to the coffee pot in hopes of jogging your memory…so I just ended up with a serious case of Social Media Rage.

As a company and as consumers, we appreciate and even promote the importance of social media integration in creating seamless web-based experiences. We also realize it is going to take some time to iron out the kinks as we find better ways to integrate all these rapidly developing platforms.

I guess through all my frustration I had forgotten, as many of us do, that there are thousands of people working independently or in teams to bring us these amazing services that are often very inexpensive -- if not free -- to use. They have roll-out deadlines just like we do, are inspired to improve consumer experiences like we are and maybe even occasionally curse out loud at their computers like we do (it's part of the job description, after all.) I guess what I'm trying to say is take a deep breath, provide kind and constructive feedback and don't forget to hug your programmer...if they let you. Otherwise it might be a serious breach of HR policy. So ask first...

Share your frustrating and/or positive social media integration stories in the comments below, but first please login with your Tumblr account.

The Reverend shooed out all the negative spirits and ushered in some good ones, giving a particularly hearty welcome to those in charge of creativity and entertainment, naturally.

While there was a good amount of Sake splashed upon the entry doors, there was still plenty to go around for a toast to new beginnings. Thanks to everyone for being there and we look forward to many great and positive years to come! (And more Sake. Definitely more Sake...)

Have a happy Cinco De Mayo tomorrow and please celebrate safely!

image by frncissdominc

Today feels like the last day of middle school. “So long” to that locker plastered with momentos and cut outs of your favorite popstars. “Bye bye” to the spot in the cafeteria you’ve been sitting comfortably at for everyday of the last few years… Our heads are buzzing with the posibilities and stomachs full of trepidation.

Lucky for us, unlike how it was transitioning to high school for us the first time around, we get to take all of besties with.

Stay cool and see you at Plexipixel 2.0!

My favorite part of this week's episode? Gabe asks what would be so bad about sharing games used for recruiting and hiring with the general public. What a brilliant idea, I thought. So here's the latest recruiting/consumer crossover game idea: OUTSOURCED TECH SUPPORT FUN-o-RAMA. That's right, you too could understand the frustration and intense emotional labor exuded by tech-support engineers around the world. Complete with NSFW language, of course.

All kidding aside, there are some great points discussed by Gabe and his guest Valeria Maltoni about how gamification can be used and presented in ways that are purposeful and provide "levity in otherwise serious situations."

Check it out here!

We often talk about tapping into our inner child when it comes to getting creative, so nothing can be more inspiring than watching young people tap into their own creative roots to carry on the fine art of film making. From short film to animation and beyond, this event brings industry experts and the next generation of filmmakers together to better share these important media with the world.

Come join contribute to the excitement at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) during their Future of Film Expo at the Seattle Center.

Using pretty simple scientific principles of audio and electric current and an amazing amount of creativity, these molded jelly shapes have been turned into an awesome audio-tactile game by design students Raphaël Pluvinage and Marianne Cauvard. We can tell these two have a bright—and loud—future ahead of them.

Learn more about the project by watching the video or downloading the PDF here.