Laura Lohr

Not Just an Alliteration

Facebook, Are You Following Me?

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Facebook is Tracking Me

Facebook Tracking

Lately, I have noticed something very peculiar. It seems like every single Google search I do, somehow ends up in the sidebar on Facebook in the form of ads. What is up with Facebook? Is Google in on it? I didn’t think Facebook and Google were pals. Days later, I noticed Amazon, Zappo’s, Target and any shopping I do shows up in my sidebar in a creepy, “we’re watching you” sort-a-way. Lately, the “sponsored stories” and ads have been jamming up my already busy feed and some of it? Well, sometimes it’s a little embarrassing. You have to be really careful what you search for/buy, because it is going to show up everywhere—Facebook tracking is following every bit of your web browsing.

Stay tuned, I am going to tell you how to stop Facebook from following you around. You won’t be completely rid of ads on Facebook. Ads are here to stay. HOWEVER, you can opt-out of Facebook web tracking, by blocking Criteo’s web browsing tracking methods. [Read more…]

FitBit Zip—A Healthy Way to Connect with Friends! An Amazing Fitness Gadget!

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I love gadgets. I love technology. I especially love fitness gadgets! I love new ways to help me measure my effort, progress and to hold my interest, I always look for the best gadgets reviews online, for this. For me, exercise is a ritualistic and I love any tools that can aid me in reaching my goals. That is why I was thrilled when Verizon loaned me the FitBit Zip to try out for myself. I have many friends that have one of their own and I couldn’t wait to link up and get to calculating my steps. [Read more…]

The Sleek New Windows 8X HTC Phone by #Verizon

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In December, Mr. Bear and I got the opportunity to try out the new Windows 8 HTC by Verizon. When it came in the mail, I could not wait to try it. I opened the box and found this beautiful blue phone. I powered it on and was immediately excited by how fast it is! It has all the bells and whistles that we love and couldn’t wait to try the new operating system. I love how it fits perfectly in the palm of my hand and even Mr. Bear remarked at how light it is and how easy it is to hold, even with his bear paws big hands.

windows 8x phone 3

Windows 8x phone 4

Of course, the first thing I did was customize the menu to suit my social media needs. The Twitter and Facebook apps were incredibly fast and responsive. I have noticed with my Droid phone the apps have a lag in updates at times—but not with this phone! I was however, disappointed to discover that the Instagram app has not been developed yet, although doing a little research revealed that that too is in the works. With the Verizon 4G LTE network, I was blazing the internet in record speeds which made my little heart skip a beat, and I also got a great plan that let me send a 130 characters text message really cheap in all India.

The menu on the home screen features Windows 8’s live tile feature, instead of app icons. What I like the best about it, is that it displays live updates on each app, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, weather, e-mail, or any other app. It was a little bit challenging to figure out the new format, but with some playing around, I was navigating the tiles in no time. There definitely is a learning curve, like with any new technology. The screen is crisp and displayed video with great clarity. The sound was great, although the volume rocker was a bit difficult to adjust while on a call, as it is extremely flush with the phone body. The sound quality on calls was excellent, however and calls were clear on both ends.

The phone boasts a 8 mega-pixel rear-facing camera and front-facing camera. The camera took great pictures and performed better in low-light than my Droid Razr has performed. The screen resolution is A-MAZING with HD 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution.

I have come to love using Google Drive to store my important documents to view everywhere, but taking a document from Windows Office and uploading to Google Docs has sometimes resulted in a lack of functionality. With the Windows 8X, it features Windows Office, which makes it possible to view documents from anywhere, without losing the functionality within the doc. LOVE.

One thing that did not light my fire, was the battery life. I’ve been sporting my Droid Razr Maxx for over a year now and the battery life does perform better than the Windows 8X for my constant connection with social media. I found that the battery did not last an entire day when I used the combination of the camera, Twitter, Facebook and all the updating tiles.

All and all, this phone was fun to use and once I got over my initial frustration with trying something new, the Windows 8 OS grew on this creature of habit and Mr. Bear too. This fun little phone has great features and is a great phone for the Windows lover out there.

The Windows 8X HTC phone is $199 from Verizon Wireless with a two-year contract.

London Olympics 2012—Delays, Time Zones, Bogus

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I love the Olympics. I always have. I remember when I was a little girl, my dad would tell me I could be in the Olympics because I would be great in the Equestrian events. He may have been delusional, but when I went horseback riding while the 1984 Olympic games were happening in Los Angeles, I would pretend like I was an Olympic rider. I would have my horse jump over logs and anything else I thought necessary to go to the Olympics. I watched every single Equestrian event I could on the family television set, studying the riders’ every move. I was 11 years old and I will not forget the impact the Olympic games had on me at that impressionable age. Those images. That pride I felt. It left me with a sense of patriotism, a sense of belonging. It was special.

We watched whatever my dad wanted to watch and sometimes (okay, well, most of the time) it was not the exact programming I would have enjoyed. We also did not have the ability to watch sports whose times conflicted. We did not have DVR. We could not watch every single event, because once it was broadcasted, it was over. If you missed it, you would have to find out from friends, family, neighbors, the water cooler conversation, or the newspaper to get details beyond the short news clips aired on the evening news. If you wanted to watch tennis and soccer, great—as long as their schedules did not conflict. Our options were limited by our lack of technology.


“The Olympic Coverage Was AWESOME on NBC last night,” Said No One EVER

Today, we have everything we could possibly need in place to watch what we want, when we want, where we want, and DVR it for later. What amazing opportunities we have! What I do not understand is why NBC did not get it last night. I am completely confused by NBC’s refusal to broadcast the Olympic ceremonies last night LIVE! In California, we watched the Olympic ceremonies a full 8 hours after the rest of the free (and probably unfree) world. Why is it that they could not figure out how to make it work? I understand it is about ratings. I understand it is about advertising profits for the network. I understand the network paid millions of dollars to get rights to broadcast. I get that. HOWEVER, there has to be another way that does not completely screw California, and Hawaii (the rest of the West Coast) completely. Advertisers are going to have to get with the program too. This network system is antiquated.

The ceremony went on so late last night that my daughter fell asleep before the torch lighting. If it had been on three hours earlier, we could have been more alert, more interested, and less stabby by the end of it. Viewers clearly want to watch when they want to watch. How can this message be sent any clearer?

It bugs the snot out of me when I am watching a show or God forbid, the Academy Awards (THAT ARE FILMED IN CALIFORNIA for Pete’s sake) and someone on another time zone announces the winner a full three hours before California gets the feed. Instead of live tweeting or Facebooking during the PST programming, I have to shut it down so I do not get spoilers. I want to watch it when it is available. I want to see it when it is fresh and new, not when it is stale and already broadcasted across three time zones, or in the case of the Olympic ceremonies—after the whole entire world has already seen it.

The commentary:

Where to start with this one? The commentary was awful last night. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I do not want someone talking to me while I am trying to concentrate on a show and this includes commentators. And Meredith Vieira? Bless her heart. I am sure she is a nice person. How many times did she say “money shot”? She should really Google the contemporary references to money shot. Each time she said, “money shot,” I giggled.

I was properly entertained on Twitter, with some fabulously sarcastic friends on #CleverOlympics. I had a few much needed laughs, mostly at Vieira, Lauer, Costas, and Seacrest’s expense. Everywhere you looked, people were watching at the slated time that NBC deemed appropriate for America and they were not thrilled about it. (NBC, could you tell?) Why did they start the ceremony after the kids’ bedtime? The consensus was that America would rather have watched the opening ceremonies with the rest of the world, instead of with Ryan Seacrest, Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer, and Bob Costas. We want to watch without so much noise. STOP WITH THE INANE CHATTER! Also, let us decide when we want to start watching a three hour ceremony.

NBC and MSNBC, the Internets are here to stay. Say hello to social media. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, Foursquare, and every other avenue of social media is growing with or without you. The sooner you realize how to meet viewers’ wants and needs, the better for all. I am all for you making a profit. You provide us with a service and you should be compensated for that service. No one is denying that. We, nonetheless, should be able to have a say in our viewing habits.

You can find some of the 40 funniest tweets of the evening here, 40 Reasons Vieira and Lauer’s Olympics Coverage was an EPIC FAIL – via Twitter.

A New Chapter. New Opportunities.

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A little less than two years ago, I went to a pre-BlogHer meet-up with other local San Diego bloggers. I was nervous about going to the meet-up. I was nervous about my first time at BlogHer. I had been blogging for more than five years at that point and had few meet-ups with friends I had met online. For me, meeting people from online “friendships” was still a bit taboo. What if these people were creeps? What if they thought I was a creep? My anxiety was running high. I bribed Mr. Bear to come with me to the meet-up. I was afraid I might need him to rescue me.

Mr. Bear was reluctant to go. He had a long day at work and coming to this “blogging thing” was not something he really wanted to do. He was on the fence about blogging. He was not quite sure why I was so mesmerized by putting my whole life on display, nonetheless, he supported me because it made me happy. Happy wife, happy life, as the saying goes.

Hours later, I had made many friendships. I met many women I felt I had a connection with and those friendships have blossomed throughout the past two years. Mr. Bear never had to rescue me that night. In fact, he practically had to drag me away. Furthermore, the results of that meet-up and the blogging opportunities that followed changed his mind completely about this “blogging thing.”

Months after BlogHer, a friend I had met at the BlogHer meet-up posted on Twitter about a part-time opportunity at the publishing company she works for. I applied for the position. I got the position. It was only supposed to be a part-time, temporary position for three months. I have been there for over 18 months now. It was surreal! I got my first job since I became a mom on Twitter. It was awesome!

Next week, this opportunity will end. I was well aware when I got hired that this position could end at any time. With budgets, my own skill limitations, my time constraints with wanting to be at home when Allie gets out of school, and numerous other hurdles that could arise—this opportunity could be 3 months or 6 months, but likely not forever.

In the past 18 months, I have learned so many new things. I knew very little about marketing. I knew very little about publishing. I knew very little in many areas that I now know significantly more about. I have had a lot of things happen personally during that time, including health issues and various other challenges. I have learned many skills in balance and planning, as being a working mom has had its own share of obstacles. I have loved these experiences, by virtue of the growth I have seen in my life professionally and personally. I enjoyed my job and the people I have worked with. I have loved learning new things and developing new skills. When you want to market your websites or business, it is better to ask SEO firms and experts from North Gold Coast.

We leave for New York City and BlogHer next month. I know that new opportunities await with the networking I will do. Sure, BlogHer is parties, swag, and fun, however I will never approach another conference or meet-up the same again. There are friends to meet, connections to make, and grand possibilities ahead. It is all about the people. You never know what these fabulous experiences may offer. Two years later, I have many friendships from BlogHer 10 and the pre-BlogHer meet-up.

I walk away from this chance meet-up with a multitude of blessings: friends, job opportunities, new skills, a discretionary income, and no regrets. While I am sad to see this chapter end, I know in my heart there is something new on the horizon and I am anxious to see what is waiting for me.

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