How We Survived the Blizzard of 2015

Wow! It was a rough night, but we all survived it.

Even the most calm and organized person wasn’t truly prepared for the events that transpired in the wee hours of the morning. We all sat clutching our cell phones in fear as we watched the inevitable happen, and we were powerless to do anything about it. It just happened.

Facebook and Instagram were BOTH down simultaneously for approximately one hour.

What?

Oh yeah. There was a blizzard, too.

But did you miss what I said?

Facebook and Instagram were BOTH down simultaneously for approximately one hour.

I even heard that the popular dating site Tinder was down as well. I mean, it felt like we were seeing the End of Days here, people!

Oh yeah. And there was a snowstorm, too.

But alas, Twitter was up and functioning, so we all had a place to go and vent…

… about Facebook and Twitter being down.

Here are some of my favorite tweets from the night:

 

TODAY’S QUESTION: Be honest. Were you having a little bit of withdrawal when Facebook and Instagram went down? Or did you even notice?

What are you doing to pass the time as we recover from this storm. No… the real one. With snow and wind? Yeah. That one.

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

 


3 Ways to Make A Snow Day Better

IT”S SNOWING! Now what?

Yes. It”s snowing. In New England in the winter. I”m just as shocked as you are.

Since you”re reading this, there is a good chance that you are lucky enough to still have an Internet connection. But everyone on Facebook is complaining about bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper. So what do you do?

Well, here are a few ideas to pass the time and make it better.

1. WRITE A BLOG
If you write a blog for your business, take advantage of the downtime to enjoy some casual and fun writing. Sure, the kids maybe home from school and the volume levels in the house may rival a small concert… but is it really any better in the office?

So what if you don”t blog for your business? If you have ever thought of writing a personal blog, why not go for it today? Blogging is a great way to express yourself, so head over to a site like www.blogger.com and start your own blog right now!

2. CLEAN YOUR FACEBOOK NEWS FEED
With so many people home from work and school today, Facebook is definitely going to be busy with all sorts of commentaries. On one hand, it is great that you may finally see some updates from a friend you haven”t connected with a while. On the other hand, we all have those friends who drip negativity and only post complaints. Or even worse… Vaguebookers!!! (I. Just. Can”t.)

Did you know you can filter what you see in your Facebook News Feed? If someone is overly negative and you don”t want to see it anymore, but you also don”t want to unfriend them, simply do the following;

Hover over the post and a drop-down arrow will appear in the top right corner of the post.

From the options that appear, click on Unfollow

There. You”re still friends with them, but there will be no more of that person cluttering your day and bringing you down!

3. GO PLAY!
Remember when snow days were so exciting? Why did that have to stop?

So (after you comment on and share this blog, of course...) head outside and make a snowman! Make some snow angels!

Just be sure to post some pics to Instagram and maybe even some six-second videos to Vine. Leave your name in the comments and I”ll come check out your pics!

TODAY”S QUESTION
What else are you doing to pass the time and enjoy this snow day today?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Nemo is coming! Four Tips for Today’s Snowstorm

Ready or not, here comes NEMO!


No, really… that’s the name of the big blizzard that is slated to hit the Northeast US today. (Seriously… Nemo? Who names these? OK. I’m over it.)

So if you are like me and live in an area where the snow forecast is in feet instead of inches, you may end up stuck inside with a whole lot of time on your hands. Here are some suggestions to keep you busy:

1.) Review your Facebook Privacy Settings

After so many changes to Facebook’s Privacy Settings over the years, it looks like they finally may have got it right. They are now broken down to answer three basic questions:

  • Who can see my stuff?
  • Who can contact me?
  • How do I stop someone from bothering me?

It’s pretty intuitive, actually. Take a minute and click through these options by clicking on this image on the top right corner of Facebook (desktop of laptop) after you log in.

 

 

Mobile device users should scroll in the app menu to find “Privacy Settings” and go from there.

Trust me… you’ll be glad you checked this out. Why wonder what people can see? Go find out!

 

2.) Join in a conversation on Twitter

So many people on Twitter, just watch… and that’s OK, but you’re missing out! If you’re going to the party, why cling to the wall? Dive on in and be part of the fun!

If you know me, then you’ll know that I am absolutely clueless when it comes to sports. But tweeting during the Super Bowl was a blast! Seriously… I couldn’t stop laughing with all of the witty commentaries on Beyonce and the commercials. (Apparently there was a game, too, but I wasn’t following that.)

Find a topic that interests you (perhaps in the Trends list), or do a search for a hashtag.

How do you do that?

Once logged in to Twitter, go to the search bar and enter the number sign in front of a word or group of words. But don’t use any spaces or punctuation.

When a hashtag is used in a tweet, it creates a hyperlink where you can search for others commenting on the same topic.

For example, today people are talking about the storm using many hashtags such as:

#Nemo     #blizzard     #findingnemo     #snowfail

You get the idea. Search, click, read, retweet, and REPLY! Keep the conversation going!

 

3.) Photo Time

Whether you’re a fan or Pinterest, Instagram, or anything else, take some pics of the snow! Get creative! You know there will be a TON of snow pics out there today, so yours better be special if you want it to stand out.

I absolutely LOVE snow, so if you’ve got a good pic from Nemo, be sure to post it HERE on my Facebook page.

 

4.) Disconnect and Reboot

No, I’m not talking about your phone. I’m talking about YOU!

Sure, we all live in this virtual world in Social Media. And I LOVE it!

But chances are you may be stuck inside with friends and family, so take a few minutes to put down the phone, tablet, or keyboard away for a little while. Make some hot chocolate, light a fire in the fireplace, and have a good conversation.

After all, it will probably give you something to post about in a status update or tweet later anyhow. Whatever you do, stay safe, stay warm, and have fun!

So what will YOU do during the storm today?

Let me know in the comments below!