Tangible Tidbits 2011: Special Edition -- Our First Contest!

Something Tangible's Strut Your Stuff Photo Contest!

Time: Friday, August 19 at 10:00pm - September 30 at 12:00am

Location: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, other social media, email, snail mail, carrier pigeon, personal delivery...whatever works for you!

Created By: Something Tangible LLC

Background: I have a wall mount jewelry case that I received as a gift from my sister & her family. There are 12 spaces for photos on the front door, currently displaying the photos of strangers that came with it. I want to see people wearing Something Tangible pieces in those 12 slots!

Here's the deal: Submit a candid photo of you strutting your stuff -- i.e. wearing piece(s) from Something Tangible -- or of your friends or family members strutting theirs if they were gifts. ;) Some items aren't really wearable, so any "in use" photo will suffice. :) I've created a Strut Your Stuff! album on the company's Facebook page, and, hopefully, photos can be uploaded there directly (I have to find out where to set the access for that), or to our other social media pages (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) For those not on Facebook or uncomfortable posting pictures publicly, feel free to send me your photos via email at info@something-tangible.com, snail mail (contact me for the address), in person, etc. Please let me know if I have permission to post your picture in the Strut Your Stuff! album on Facebook (I know some people are technically-challenged)...I will happily honor your wishes in that regard. ;)

Photos will be collected until midnight EST on September 30 (giving you that final day in case you need the extra time to take photos :D). Twelve pictures will be selected at random to go into the jewelry case collage. Each of the 12 winners will receive 20 percent off one in-stock item from our website (there's my incentive to update the store by the deadline! LOL)! I will probably have to handle the discounts personally via email, as I'm not sure I can add a coupon code to Go Daddy...I will let you know about that as we get closer to the deadline.

I hope you all have fun with this! I can't wait to see you strutting your Something Tangible stuff! :D

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Tangible Tidbits 2011 #14: NAET, Social Media & My Latest Video!

Hi, everyone! What's new?

On the personal side of things, I've been undergoing allergy treatments to help stop my reaction to calcium oxalates. Yesterday, I had my second session of Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET), which incorporate acupuncture and avoidance of certain "food energies" for 25 hours following the treatment. Two weeks ago, I had the treatment for calcium and eggs. The egg one worked, but the calcium only relieved 50 percent of the problem. I'd inadvertently put my hand under tap water that afternoon, and tap water contains a certain amount of calcium in it. I will have to repeat that one at a later time. This week, we did grains, yeast, and sugar. Let me tell you...it is REALLY HARD to avoid these items for 25 hours! I spent most of the day in bed with a major headache. I also had to avoid tap water again, since it was not listed on the "okay to consume" list for sugar or yeast (I forget which one). The last time was just as bad because I had to avoid anything related to eggs, including fowl and anything with feathers in it such as down comforters and pillows. Calcium is in many vegetables, toothpaste, and a lot of other things you wouldn't necessarily associate with calcium. I also spent most of that weekend in bed with a headache. The doctor is inquiring about getting a calcium oxalate sample, so we can treat me directly for that. The way we are going about it now, we're not entirely sure what will alleviate the itching and what won't. :\ Hopefully, I will get through these soon, as I can't take too many more "fasting" weekends! :p

A quick update on the projects I told you about last week: I received the aluminum sheet metal for the Chinese box project for school. I also went to Staples and made 11" x 17" copies of the template I found on the internet, so I'm ready to rock on that this coming week in class. I made the chopsticks last week...I even broke the second one while trying to whittle it down to a tapered end! Luckily, super glue and a vice worked a minor miracle, and I can't even tell which one was split! I had already sanded them both down to make them smooth, and I applied one coat of Tung Oil yesterday. I'll probably apply at least one more coat, maybe two. A classmate also suggested I reinforce the ends with metal...it will not only help make the broken one stronger, but also embellish the chopsticks and make them totally unique! I will try to get to that this week or next. :) I also finished the enamel-covered metal white hoop earrings I mentioned. In fact, I made two pairs...one with large filigree hoops and a second smaller pair with wire donut spacers that have spokes going around them like bicycle wheels. Both turned out really nice! Hopefully, my coworker will like at least one pair. :)

In social media news, the Twitter page for the Virtual Mall seems to be drawing attention from somewhere, but I'm not quite sure where. I've been adding followers pretty regularly without much effort on my part. I think the page added 15 today alone! :o Between that page and the Facebook Page, we have close to 800 followers now! :D I also added a Company page for Something Tangible on LinkedIn. I was doing something over there and the option popped up, so I took it! :)

Lastly, I finally finished my fourth San Diego video and posted it to YouTube. I think it turned out pretty well! ;)



Have a great week! :D

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #2: Something Tangible Makes Its Mark on Facebook

During the week before we launched this website, I launched a Something Tangible Application and Something Tangible LLC Fan Page on Facebook. In the world of social media, that's where I have the largest presence. I have Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, but I actually participate regularly on Facebook and have 411 Friends on my personal page, gathered together and combined from the various phases of my life. Of course, that number also includes some strictly Facebook friends, made playing one Facebook application or another.

Since the week between Christmas and New Year's, the company Fan Page has garnered an impressive 880 fans as of this evening! I will gladly give a large amount of the credit for that to a Facebook sidebar ad I've been running since December 27, but the ad has a limit of something like 88-95 clicks a day. I'm actually paying per click up to a set dollar amount per day. In any case, just because people click on the ad and check out the page, that doesn't automatically mean they will be interested in our message or opt to "Become a Fan" of the company. So, while the ad is driving traffic to the page -- an ad I wrote the copy and selected the photo for, I may add -- it is still the company and its message that is getting their attention and keeping it there. I am very proud of that.

As for the application...to date, we have on record 59 "monthly active users," 28 of which are people on my Friends list. Facebook actually gives me that statistic as the developer of the app. We've also given 686 gifts so far -- again, since the week between Christmas and New Year's. The application only has four fans, including me and three friends, but that's okay. I don't think too many people think about becoming fans of applications or post much on their pages. The gift-giving is the more relevant statistic here. :) For anyone not familiar with Facebook applications, the idea is that users send friends something like "success," accompanied by a photo of one of my jewelry pieces that have gemstones in it with properties that address success. The photo is marked as "Success (Turquoise)." Other traits included so far are truth, sincerity, wisdom, prosperity, love, balance, among others. Basically, I just look up whatever is in a particular piece and select something from the list of properties I find on the internet. I thought it was pretty clever for a marketing scheme. :D

I started my Advanced Wire Jewelry class last night at the Adult School and had my Montclair State University Orientation this past Saturday. That class starts next Friday. I also have my first meeting with the Bead Society of New Jersey (BSNJ) next Thursday. That will be a beading challenge presented by Kabula Designs.

And I should mention that the gurus at LightWork Designs managed to sidestep GoDaddy's standard format and set up a photo gallery in the Store, so I'll be moving the NOT FOR SALE photos there when I get a chance. That will be less confusing. That was what we originally wanted, but GoDaddy's standard format wasn't cooperating. :\

Take care and, as always, feel free to contact me if you have questions regarding any products you see here or if you'd like to request variations on a particular product, either in stock or no longer in stock. I'll do my best to accommodate you.

Thanks for reading!