National Poetry Month

national poetry month

As you may be aware, April is recognized as National Poetry Month and also, Gardening Month. (Two of my favorite things, if you’re keeping count.)

In an effort to reclaim a bit of my life from busyness and encouraged by the reminder of National Poetry Month (#npm), I have been reading poems aloud to my 2 year-old, usually over breakfast. He digs it; I dig it. This is the beginning of a beautiful little tradition for us.

Poetry may not officially be as ubiquitous as it once was, but I don’t buy into the idea that technology or the internet is killing it. Our days are full of poetry, whether we note it or not. We live it; we write it; we read it. Poetry is in our Facebook and Twitter feeds, flitters through our Instagram, and is in our text threads. And of course it’s in the music we listen to, with the exception of pop radio (#lyricssnob). Social media isn’t just meaningless nothings drifting around the web and it isn’t all about the business side of things, either. Not everything written on social media or a blog is poetry, but I see poetic expressions of life all the time. Social media–not unlike poetry–is essentially about connection. Some of us prefer one medium to another, and so poets, like all creatures, must adapt.Continue reading

A Homebuyer’s Final Walk-Through Checklist (Free Download!)

A Story

A recent first-time homebuyer myself, allow me a quick ax-grinding before getting to the final walk-through checklist. This past winter, my wife and I negotiated an acceptable price and list of repairs for the house we wanted. Among other things, the list included repairs to the back gate of the fenced-in backyard and a deep cleaning of the inside of the house.

The fence was not fixed, although a new piece of wood was precariously nailed on (nailed!) to make it look like it was. To my chagrin, that was good enough to fool me during the “quick once-over” misleadingly referred to as the “final walk-through.” The inside of the house wasn’t cleaned either, which was not obvious to me at the time of the walk-through, partially due to the late hour and waning daylight. The utter lack of cleanliness was instantly apparent when we began the move-in process, as the home had obviously hosted small children and pets. I love children and pets, but I did not love the many, many boogers on the walls (boogers!).

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How to Use Twitter for Business

How to use twitter for business cover pic

So what does Twitter offer your business?  And how-in-the-hashtag does one use it effectively?

Twitter has a clean layout and an easy process, and it has established itself as one of the more enduring social media marketing tools for businesses. All the top social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram) work to attract brands and all have similarities, and the best strategy is to use the appropriate platforms for your business.

Check out these 4 ways that Twitter sets itself apart as a quality marketing resource, each accompanied by a tip for how to use Twitter effectively.

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Compassion, Humanity & Technology

compassion & technology

As technology continues to whittle away at the frequency of face-to-face interaction, are we slowly losing touch with compassion? Sometimes it’s easier to be rude (or downright mean) when communicating via technology. Technological devices afford a certain degree of separation between people, making it easy to forget there is a person on the other end of our communiqués. Perhaps the more prevalent our technological interactions become, the more humans are losing a bit of our humanity (the ability to sympathize, feel compassion, or consider people outside him or herself). Let me give you some examples.

  1. Your daily commute. Do you vocalize about the incompetence or recklessness of other drivers? Possibly you’ve railed against them, called them names, insulted their intelligence, or wished them ill.
  2. The drive-through line. Have you ever expressed frustration at the service personnel when your order was misunderstood, or failed to keep your patience when asked to repeat yourself?
  3. Cyber bullying. Anywhere from 15 – 50 percent of students experience cyber bullying of some kind. You may have even seen or experienced it yourself; it’s not limited to students and children. Unfortunately, there are several cases that led to the suicides of young people being cyber-bullied.

What do these examples have in common? They are devoid of face-to-face interaction. Whether separated by a car, a speaker box, or a computer screen, people commonly disrespect each other when we are detached from the human aspect.

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Business Blogs: 12 Major Benefits (& Blunders)

Business blog feature image

Business blogs are gaining attention for being the invaluable marketing tool that industry leaders have believed them to be for some time now. One of the first questions business leaders ask regarding a blog is, “What’s the ROI?” Valid question. With enough successful business blogs paving the way, there is growing research to answer it with impressive percentages.

The biggest benefit — the one pretty much all the other benefits point to — is driving traffic to your website. Blogging offers more long-term bang for your buck than any other traffic-increasing method (like paying for Google ads).

Let us show you what we mean. Here’s a breakdown of the benefits a business blog provides its company, along with some backing statistics and tips for best practices.

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Red Velvet Macadamia Muffins

red velvet macadamia muffins

It’s no secret that muffins are a big deal at Jemully Media. We love talking about all kinds of desserts. We also love Macadamia nuts, which star is these delicious muffins. One of our web clients sells amazing mcadamia nuts and oil, in fact. During one of our meetings, we were dreaming up different kinds of muffins and our web developer, Riley, requested red velvet muffins. Now, red velvet would seem more like a cupcake, but I was on a mission to make this healthy. Thus, the use of apple sauce instead of oil, and tada!

Here’s a healthier version of red velvet macadamia muffins.

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