brand new

I declare Chilis as the "Most Meme-ed" Chain Restraunt

October 23, 2017

       Yes, I just made "meme-ed" a verb. In this case, however, it is appropriate. Whether it's the internet meme-ing the restaurant, or the place talking back, the chain is very vocal to the millennial generation. It makes me want to say "Hi, welcome to Chilis!"


      Honestly, not sure if this blog post is making me hungry or miss Vine. It's making me do both, but I'm not sure what I'm feeling more. I'm not entirely sure why it's making me hungry, however, because Chilis is mediocre at best. Don't come for me Chilis stans, please. I will admit - I am a food snob. I prefer something more classy... like Not Your Average Joes.

      Now that I've ended my cravings for sugar margaritas and lava cakes, I want to discuss the best conversation that Chilis has had with the public on the internet: their great debate over their favorite Brand New album. For those of you non-emo kids (I'll never grow out of my phase, Mom!), Brand New is a rock band that has been around since the year 2000, and is still pumping out BOPS.

According to Alternative Press, the interaction all began with this innocent tweet from a curious customer:

      I don't blame him for being curious. The musical tastes of my favorite chain restaurants are very important to me as well! This tweet, they responded that they liked both. Very political and PR of them...

Next, a customer asked what their favorite album was, and they said it was "Your Favorite Weapon", leaving out the "r" in your as a typo. 
At this point, they're going back and forth with fans, defending their choice and asking fans when they started listening to the band. I've seen brands have philosophical conversations with fans of many bands, TV shows and more on social media. This leads me to believe, do social media teams of of these brands have an on-hand pop culture expert? Is Wendy's hiring a pop punk expert? Why Wendy's you ask... have you HAD their fries?

Next, Chilis ranked their favorite albums, and fans LOST IT.  Did they expect to rank albums of a well-known band and not polarize the audience?  The newest thing to add to all social handbooks for brands? Do NOT rank albums.


Unless you're a competitor of course. Fans started asking for Applebees, TGI Fridays and Dennys for their opinion. This is a no-brainer. Give the people what they want to hear, and the tattooed customers in skinny jorts will run in. 


In case anyone was wondering, which you're definitely not, my ranking of Brand New albums mirror's Alternative Press's choices:

1. TDAGARIM
2. Deja Intendu
3. Science Fiction
4. YFW
5. Daisy


What's your lineup of Brand New albums?

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I think I realized why Instagram has "stories"

August 04, 2016

On August 2nd, 2016, an earthquake of confusion shook from all Instagram users. When I opened the photo-sharing app, the top was scattered with little circles with glowing usernames of people I follow under them. I figured that this was the not-so-long anticipated "Instagram story" I had heard about yesterday.


Paxton Mittleman, friend, student, social media marketer extraordinaire 

Basically every story followed the same script, give or take a few words:

What am I supposed to do with this?
Hi Snapchat, uh, I mean Instagram
What IS THISSS?

Some people periled in the idea of another form of social media, questioning whether they have to do two stories now.  Most people, ended up going the self-promo route and plugged everyone to follow their snapchats.

But really... follow n_vergak on snapchat for self-deprecating humor


Some celebrities and brands are welcoming this with open arms, and I actually enjoyed their content. Some brands were even transparent with their dumbfounded-ness, and asked us what content we want to see on there. How interactive!



Instagram has become a feeder for jealousy, while Snapchat has become a feeder for intimacy. 

Snapchat and instagram obviously have their differences. Although Instagram technically did come first, it's been trying to be more and more like snapchat. Instagram added a "direct message" feature, where you can send images and text. Unlike Snapchat, however, it doesn't disappear immediately. 

Snapchat does miss the whole "uploading a picture to a feed and it staying there for forever - or at least until deleted", and the whole hashtag thing, but it does have its own benefits: temporariness, face-misshaping filters, and geofilters.

Te big difference between Instagram and Snapchat is the level of intimacy. Snapchat is where you can post unedited, raw content that not only takes minimal time to create (unless you're Shonduras, but you can reveal personal stories and antidotes that happen to you every day. Instagram has become known to pique people's jealousy, users scroll through questioning why their lives aren't as full of Brandy Melville dresses on Newport Beach, hikes at Yosemite, parties in SoHo, and so on like the people they follow. Instagram has become a feeder for jealousy, while Snapchat has become a feeder for intimacy. Maybe Instagram is onto something trying to be more intimate.

What team are you on? Snapchat - or Instagram? While you decide, here are my six takeaways from "Instagram stories".

1. Think about the dog accounts
Harlow and Sage and Marnie the dog are adorable in pictures. Imagine them in video now! You actually don't have to imagine anymore - the dream is a reality, and the still-life is now live action. It's basically like the account coming to life, and the second closest thing to actually holding the puppy in your hands.

                        
 

harlowandsage, marniethedog

2. You just gained 50 new Snapchat followers
Yes, everyone was using this to advertise their snapchats. Either that, or they resolved to just stick to the original 24-hour story app: Snapchat. If you're like any other social media user, however, you love getting new followers. Use this as an opportunity to grow your brand. Just what our egos need - more people following our every move on social media.


3. Another outlet for brands
I know that some people don't trust brands no matter how much they love their products or how transparent the brand is on social media. As a student of communications, however, I happen to always appreciate a brand's effort to explore social media territory. I can see how some are forced (I love a good  "Brands Saying Bae" Example), but I really appreciate it when it's done well. Social media is kinda my job, so I'm an optimist when it comes to new forms of social media. I'm excited to see how brands approach this.

4. You can reach an untapped audience in a more intimate way
I was scrolling through my "stories" feed, and I was seeing people I forgot I had even followed on Instagram (even some I'd like to forget).  Now, a whole other audience can see your daily life, and maybe bring them over to your snapchat for more. As a user, you can untap the intimate lives of people you forgot about on instagram.

5. Shaking the jealousy problem by tearing down the curtain
As stated before, this may be Instagram's way of being notorious for harvesting jealousy over filters and sushiritos. Now, we can see unfiltered, un-curated content from users that usually don't upload a picture unless the color follows a certain "instagram theme"



6. This could be fun
Think of how cross-platform this could be. Imagine a story that starts in snapchat and ends in instagram. You can drive followers to both accounts, and tell a multi-platform story.


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Our Bios Are Shrinking, But Our Characters Are Growing

July 23, 2014


It seems like every website nowadays is making us describe ourselves in 300 characters or less. All of our little quirks, favorite books or movies, deepest thoughts, and aspirations are now being cut down from being sprawled out in our journals to being small enough to fit our twitter bios. Prime examples of this are Twitter bios. Just like any biography section on a social media account, they’re short, powerful, and have room for some humor. Mari Smith, a social media strategist and marketing expert kept hers more straightforward:

Mari-Smith-Twitter-bio

However some people, including Kevin Spacey, decided to make theirs more humorous:

kevinspacey
Doing a once-over on these bios is like a first impression on the street: you only have one shot at them. Even if someone goes back and changes your bio, people will never forget the first time they saw it. Every aspect of this first impression is similar to a street glance: if someone is verified that they are an influential person, it’s like if they’re carrying a nice Prada bag; if someone has influential co-workers tagged in their bio, that’s the cool posse they’d be walking down the street with. In this way, first impressions in real life and in social media are now equally important. However, this is old news. This doesn’t mean added pressure; it means added growth. Having another place for people to define themselves, such as social media, may increase their self-worth and self-confidence, which may increase the quality of work they produce. This is very important for Millenials.

The Dailyesque stated, “being attached to social media is actually okay, and could even be better for you, because the most criticized aspect of Millennial culture is also the most important aspect for Millennial growth.” Dailyesque makes another point about adapting quickly. Think about the revolution of social media from the last fifteen years: Friendster to AIM to Myspace to Facebook to Twitter to Pinterest to Vine and more. If Milenials can adapt to this change, they might adapt to workplace change easier. . Dailyesque also states that by having to create shorter messages or bios, people are becoming better communicators. Words with more punch, less fluff!Screen shot 2014-07-20 at 7.14.14 PMSocial media are altogether empowering. People now have a channel to say what they want, when they want! People also have a place to “brand” themselves however they want. If there are people that disagree with their image, they can choose to address it or overlook it. That’s called freedom. They can paint a picture of what they really think they are deep down, and show others what they want them to have seen. That’s called growth and development.

image credit:
http://www.real-dating.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Social-media-for-public-relations.jpg
sources:
http://www.dailyesque.com/us/posts/6-ways-social-media-is-helping-millennials

Want a chance to win a summer essentials beauty box?

Then you should enter the giveaway run by itsemmaelise.com, me, and a bunch of other bloggers! Follow the directions to enter to win these must-have beauty products below:


Summer Beauty Haul



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100

10x10= ONE HUNDRED: 100 =Things I Love Including You!

April 30, 2014

Since September 2012, I've gone through many changes and grown so much. I changed my school (well, college), my hair color twice, my hair length, my relationship status, my car, my house, sadly not my phone, my running shoes, and many more. However one thing I didn't change was my blogging platform and url. I've been here on dsdstyle.blogspot.com since September 2012, and I've created 100 posts since then. It's been a little over a year and six months, and I've never learned so much in that amount of time then I have with this blog.
Not to get all sentimental, but just like any good relationship, you gotta appreciate them milestones. My blog and I are past the honeymoon part of our relationship and we're thriving - I thankfully don't see us splitting up in the near future.
I'd like to thank all of you lovelies for believing in me and reading this babble I post sometimes. I never thought I'd accumulate any reader, but somehow I have. I've also had sososo many opportunities through this, Glam-Express, Youtube, and HerCampus. I can't wait to keep riding this rollercoaster.

Now to celebrate my 100th-ness, I'd like to share my top 10 of my top 10 things, if that makes any sense. 
1. Top 10 Youtubers (in no order)
1. Rachel Whitehurst
2. Grace Helbig
3. Jenn Im
4. John Green
5. Bethany Mota
6. Cassey Ho
7. MissMeghanMakeup
8. Arden Rose
9. Michelle Phan
10. Tyler Oakley






2. Top 10 Bands (In no order)
1. The Story So Far
2. The Wonder Years
3. Coldplay
4. Mayday Parade
5. Two Door Cinema Club
6. The Wombats
7. Pierce The Veil
8. A Day to Remember
9. All Time Low
10. Bastille




3.Top 10 Social Media Sites I Use In Order Of Frequency
1. Facebook (sorry, I still check it first...)
2. Twitter
3. Instagram
4. Snapchat
5.  Youtube
6. Blogger
7. Hootsuite
8. Mashable
9. Tumblr
10. Behance 


4. Top 10 Best TV Shows
1. Gossip Girl
2. Parks and Rec
3. Awkward
4. Girls
5. The Office
6. Mad Men
7. Big Brother
8. Vanderpump Rules
9. iCarly
10. Suburgatory

 5. Top 10 Most used Programs on my Computer 
1. iMovie
2. iTunes
3. Google Chrome
4. iPhoto
5. Adobe inDesign
6. Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
7. iCal
8. Skype
9. Pages
10. Photobooth

 6. Top 10 Most used Apps on my iPhone
1. UP by Jawbone
2. Twitter
3. iTunes Radio
4. Instagram
5. Vinted
6. iMessage
7. Mail
8. Snapchat
9. Embark Boston
10. Dunkin' Donuts



7. Top 10 Fashion Trends This Year
1. Daisies
2. Flower Crowns
3. Androgyny
4. Flatforms
5. Chunky Necklaces
6. Miss-Matching/ mixing patterns
7. Peter Pan collars
8. Neutrals
9. Skater skirts
10.  White & Black





8. Top 10 Beauty Products
1. Kate Moss Lipstick
2. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
3. Benefit "They're Real" mascara
4. Benefit "Watts Up" highlighter
5. St. Ive's Blemish Control face scrub
6. Bare Essentials blush
7. ELF eyelash curler
8. Pink body spray
9. Revlon Balm Stains
10. Aveeno calming lotion




9. 10 Reasons I love blogging!
1. It's a way for me to have a creative outlet
2. I get to give advice and express my opinion
3. It's a way to gather my thoughts
4. I can make videos and graphics
5. I have freedom - I AM my own boss
6. Sometimes cool people read them and give me feedback
7. It makes me feel important when people notice my blog
8. It helps me develop writing and social media skills that I'll be using in the future at a job in PR
9. It makes me feel like I have a purpose
10. It's always something I've done.

 10. 10 reasons I love YOU!
1. YOU
2. GUYS
3. ARE
4. AWESOME!
5. THANK YOU SO MUCH
6. FOR EVERYTHING
7. SERIOUSLY
8. I MEAN IT
9. XOXO
10. ME


photo credit:
GRACE HELBIG - picture from buzztubeonline.com
TSSF - picture from thewellzstreetjournal.com
UP - picture from itunes.apple.com
CHUCK AND BLAIR - picture from tvfanatic.com
CHUCKY NECKLACE - picture from www.trendhunter.com
BENEFIT THEYRE REAL - picture from www1.bloomingdales.com

account

Personal: Keeping Up Instagram Style

April 03, 2014


Keep Up - Lately on Instagram

Like everyone else, my instagram is the portal to my daily life. I thought I'd start doing a "personal" post every once in a while, summing up my instagram and what I've been doing. I thought it would be a nice refresher other than me barking at you to buy a piece of clothing or do 50 roll ups. (If you didn't get the roll-up reference, check out my latest youtube video.) Here's what I've been up to lately according to my instagram. 

The oldest picture is of my cohost for our radio show "Dom and Nik at Night", Dominique, and I at the young the giant concert! We got right up to the barricade the whole time. It was such an unreal experience, I almost cried. SO MANY FEELS. Also a great tip  - eat at the House of Blues before so you can "skip the line", just show your receipt at the door

The end of March was the one year anniversary of my Nanny and Papa's death. They were two angels for me my whole life. They loved me with their whole heart, because I'm an only child so I got all the looooove. I miss the 4-hour trips up to DownEast Maine. However, their love was an eternal love story. I'll cherish them forever.

This weekend my I showed some Pennsylvan-ians around  the Witch City and the Boston area. We explored the best of what downtown Salem has to offer. We came across the Derby St. Bookstore, yes, the one from tumblr! All of the books are piled on top of each other, but you can easily find a gem. The owner is retiring and the store is going out of business, so it was all 70% off! I found a Gossip Girl book, and a book called "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR." I'm such as communications nerd, I squealed as soon as I saw that.










This is a picture of my roommate (far left), me (middle), and Tiffany, one of the Pennsylvanians (far right). We desperately wanted to try French macarons. On a rainy day in Boston, we finally found them at Modern pPstry. They were DIVINE! The owner of the small North-End bakery gave us free biscotti as well.










A final cool thing that happened this week was that my Writing for the Media class went to the TV Studio of my school. I learned how to be the "on-air talent", work the control room, and work the camera. It was super fun! I'd have to say my favorite part was working the camera. My first dream was the be a news anchor (only after my dream of being the next Britney Spears failed). My TV Crew here is Victoria, Me, Marcio, and Dominique!








Thanks for much for reading this, I hope my life currently is interesting, or at least a part of it!
Just a gentle reminder that my Smashbox giveaway ends April 14. Check out the deets in this video:




feature

FEATURE: EMILY-ANNE RIGAL OF WE STOP HATE!

February 28, 2014

Back in my older YouTube days I made a friend, Emily-Anne. She was always different in a good way. While everyone else was making music videos to Ke$ha's latest hits (nothing against my girl Ke$ha, of course), she was making inspirational and uplifting videos. I always knew she'd make something great of herself.

Emily-Anne, holding up a sign for "Active Minds Eating Disorder Awareness + Body Positivity Week" (Feb 24-27).

Now, she has! Emily-Anne is the founder and director of a Realize inc. anti-bullying/self esteem-raising NGO called We Stop Hate. The main idea of WSH is to stop teens that put other teens down just to raise their self esteem. Stopping this prevents the harmful impact it can have on the ones who are bullied. The organization also strives to give teens ways to raise their self-esteem.
This is done on various social media platforms. There are hundreds on videos on the site made by fellow teens who have similar experiences and are willing to help. Knowing your not alone can be the first step to a happy life. The word is spread through through videos, apparel, newsletters, and social media platforms. Aside from being featured on The Today Show, Seventeen Magzine, Forbes, MTV, CNN, and more, Emily-Anne also shared that she is working on a huge project withYouTubers and Celebrities and a self-esteem guide to be released in 2016!
WSH has been sponsored by Nickelodeon and The Body Shop. 



picture from westophate.org

Click here to read, watch, get involved, or donate!

Now, what about Emily-Anne? She's currently attending Barnard College at Columbia University majoring in Urban Studies. Self-esteem building is no new idea for Emily-Anne. She interned at Seventeen Magazine and worked with a health editor to make body peace videos about the Seventeen Magazine staff. She also interned at the Chew. Between her busy life at school and organizing WSH, she took time to catch up with me and ask some questions!

What keeps you going on a day when you're stressed?
"I try to take things one task a time. When I'm really busy, I prioritize. I have giant sticky notes and write own all the things that I need to do, and I have another giant sticky note, and write down what order it needs to get done. It keeps me sane. It's nice to see it visually."


"The act of being able to juggle different things is such a good skill."

How does it feel making a difference?
It feels really good to give back. By doing things to serve other people... it helps give you a sense of purpose. It feels really rewarding to do something to make a difference in someone else's life. On days when I feel like there's a lot to do, I can look back and realize I did something to help someone else, and it makes me want to continue. Like if you give a compliment to someone else, you feel good about yourself."

Inspirational words for people trying to make a difference?
"There's this quote that I really love:
'You don't have to be brave to start, but you have to start to be brave'
- Big Ziglar
My biggest advice for people that want to make a difference is just start. I didn't have all the answers, I just believed I could do something... I just started and learned along the way and that mentality just stayed with me all the way. You just have to try and it will all come together."


"Its about figuring what you want then going balls to the walls after that"

What's next after school?
"I'm a sophomore, I'll be doing four years, and my hope is to work full-time at WeStopHate after I graduate, working on the mission and growing the business when I graduate."


She also had some advice for either college freshmen, like myself, or even highschoolers. "I learned so much freshmen year. Where I am today and where I was last year is two difference people. You'll have plenty of time, don't worry."

I hope Emily-Anne's story inspired you. Thank you so much, Emily-Anne for catching up and letting me put you in the spotlight! 

WeStopHate: http://www.westophate.org
Emily-Anne's twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EmilyAnne_Rigal

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Social Media Frenzy!

February 19, 2014

If you're reading this right now, you can probably relate in me saying that I'm a social media freak. As a PR student, I have to be. However this brand "dollar store diva" already has a YouTube, and this blog, obviously. They say the best way to grow your brand is to 1. be genuine (a real representative from a YouTube networking company told me this) and 2. Have a huge social influence! As you can see, I'm trying to make banners and logos for this site, so they can be associated with it. Do you like my logo?
How do you like my logo? Cute? No? Okay.

So, where am I on on this social media web? I have my own personal twitter, facebook, instagram, google plus, and pinterest. For this blog, there is a blog and youtube, and now.... FACEBOOK!

I finally launched a Facebook Page for this blog! Please like it so I know who actually reads this, and you can get updates! I'd love to grow my brand so that I can create a community and also eventually merch! Imagine cute little workout tank tops, and t shirt with Dollar Store Diva on them. Imagine it and love it.
Some people dream of being pop stars, I just dream of having my blog known.

So yeah, follow that facebook page and also find me on twitter and instagram under the handle of n_vergak!

I have a few posts and videos planned for the upcoming weeks, and hopefully an exciting feature post. Stay tuned!

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Lifestyle: Stop Body Negativity, Spread Body Positivity!

January 15, 2014


It's been drilled into our minds since we could read and understand language that we must be this pristine, skinny, virginal princesses with flowing dead-end free hair, non-oily skin, minimal pores, the perfect sculpted-puppy-saving boyfriend, a great career but also have time to do all the chores and the cooking. Oh, don't forget to find time to work out so you can have the perfect bod, too. No wonder all we hear from girls these days is "fat talk." Even on some of my favorite TV shows, mostly reality ones, I'm shocked by the self-defaming words that come from the already skinny girls.


We blame these notions from the "media." However, the generation that grew up with this, is either college-age, graduating from high school, or are just starting off in the work force. Therefore, we ARE the media. Not only if you work on TV or the press, but just with social media at its peak, we are all journalists in a sense. If we see a tweet from a girl saying how guilty she feels about that cinnamon bun #fatty4life, or a girl in a tight dress in instagram with a caption complaining about how fat she feels, we are taking in those thoughts and thinking about ourselves compared to them. If you think about it that way, we're the only ones to blame for body negativity in the "media", not the latest Gucci ad in InStyle.
Not to get all Karma crazy, but if you put out good vibes, good vibes will come back to you. Write down five things you love about yourself and post it on twitter, instagram, tumblr, or pinterest. They may even be bad, quirky qualities but they make you, you! 

So, when we want to act on what's bothering about us in our bodies, we should be doing them for the right reasons. Make our New Years resolutions for the RIGHT reasons, like I mentioned in my resolution post. Don't work out to be a Victorias Secret Model. Even Victorias Secret Models don't looks like VS Models. Work out because you LOVE your body, not because you hate it! Think of a part of your body you love. Maybe your booty. Do some squats to loovee it even more1 Maybe you hate your arms. Do some push-ups or bicep curls so you can learn to love them. Every time we take the time to exercise a muscle we are giving it love. When we're sweating and in the zone, we're not worrying about deadlines or drama. We're not near the phone or the computer. Bring yourself to that happy place.

Just like Jennifer Lawrence believes, wouldn't you want to look up to someone who's fit than someone who's flat?
picture from Women's Rights News

I love her and everything she stands for. Shes funny, beautiful, outspoken, and looks great. There's nothing wrong with enjoying some non-clean foods now and again. Yes, we want to best for our bodies but sometimes we must feed our soul. Say things with a positive light in the media you put out there. You are in total control of what you say, not a big wig behind a computer with six-figure salary.
I LOVE what special K is putting out there "stop fat talk." Yes I'm a fan of Special K's oatmeals and cereals. I never joined their "eating plans" because I like to do my own thing. But their latest ad campaign just feels right.



Follow my blog with Bloglovin 93% of women do this. More like 100%. Including myself, we've all been guilty of this at times. Some people are skeptical about Kellog's angle with this - however I'm hoping that they mean eat our low-fat/sugar/calorie foods to love and nourish yourself, and love your body. Instead of fat talk, we should be talking positively. Think of that next time you fat tweet.