In a 5 day whirlwind, I went on an intensive photography course…in Africa….with National Geographic…and was accompanied by Jason Edwards, world renowned photographer.

Could it have gotten any better? Short answer is no, definitely not!

I was introduced into the world of photography and was taught first hand, how to use my newly purchased DSLR camera to its fullest potential by an elite; all with the stunning backdrop of Africa.

I flew across the scenic planes of the Mara in a hot air balloon, I ate Ostrich meat balls and crocodile, went on game drives alongside the Big Five all with thanks to National Geographic.

Now that I am back in the rat race I will take head on some of Jason Edwards’ very favourable advice; when times get tough, I will recall some of the moments I have been fortunate enough to have had in Africa…and best of all, I have some fantastic shots to prove it!

Since the age of 14, when I started earning my own money, I have been the ultimate consumer.

Back in those days my friends and I would lose whole days at a time roaming around Westfield’s only to buy one item and were very happy to do so.

As the years went by my love of shopping and fashion continued & having more salary further fuelled my favourite pastime. The feeling of endorphins and adrenalin pumping through my veins from first sighting beautiful items and then having it handed to me in a lovely paper shopping bag (the cute bag not to be underestimated as a meaningful part of the experience!). I would somehow look down to see a handful of bags full of items I had just bought in no time at all. Temporary insanity I guess!

I can’t remember when I made my first online fashion purchase and what store it was from, probably about 5 years ago when it was gaining momentum but still far from common place. I do however remember the feeling of receiving the package in the mail, so exciting, just like the lyrics from the sound of music Brown paper packages tied up with string…there is something very special about receiving a package in the mail. It was also thrilling to have something different & unique, that no one else would be wearing since it can’t be found in Australian stores.

However this uniqueness is more of a distant memory now for the online shopper, with anything and everything at our easy disposal on an array of popular sites. My heart sunk the day a girl wore the same ASOS brand dress into the office that I had bought the night before. That day I realised the store wasn’t my secret treasure and of course today ASOS is very far from it. The online shopping revolution has also made it far too easy to rip-off a look, like something you see? Ask where it’s from and within 2mins you can be at the e-checkout buying the same! Most girls don’t like being asked how old they are, but hey, if I tell you that will you stop asking where I got my clothes from? I mean, I don’t mind sharing sometimes but not every day!

Retail shopping is a beautiful sensory overload, with so much choice right in front of your eyes. In stores we can touch the beautiful fabrics, smell gorgeous leather and see a piece up close, sitting amongst the range in its full glory. We can try it on, ensure it not only fits, but fits in all the right places and makes us feel a million dollars. The instant gratification of buying something that we love.

There is nothing worse than waiting for an online order to arrive, only to find it’s just not right or looks very little like the photos. The “you have a package at reception” email if about the best a girl can get in her day, running excitedly to collect, tearing the package apart and…it just better be perfect!

In my eyes though, the awesomeness of online definitely makes up for the negatives;

1. Price! Apart from the very obvious, we are also buying opposite seasons from the US and Europe, so just when are starting to shiver, coats are going on sale and when we start hitting our beaches bikinis are hitting the clearance section! Most offshore stores are now taking full advantage of our countries love of online shopping, offering free shipping & in some cases even setting up a local base. Like we needed more to encouragement!!
2. Range! You can buy absolutely anything you want from anywhere!
3. The ultimate shopaholic pastime. Instead of rushing to the shops after work before they close, you can shop whenever it suits you. While waiting for my morning coffee, I can buy a new pair of shoes, on the bus ride home you can have your whole races outfit sorted. Weird too that I happily spend hours searching sites and filling wish lists and carts with items I may never get around to buying or dream items I can’t afford, yet there is nothing I hate more than window shopping at the shops!

The debate rages on with bloggers, retailers, media and beyond. But I say why choose when you can have the best of both worlds and limitless choice!

http://lisasdailyritual.tumblr.com/

Where has the spirit of social media gone?

Last week I heard two prominent alcohol brands were in hot water by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ABS) for not monitoring their fan generated content. The fan generated content was deemed politically incorrect, misleading and discriminatory. Who should be held accountable for the inappropriate content? Well not the fan of course! That truck load of responsibility was lumped onto the shoulders of the advertiser. It’s on your page, so clean it up! The new ABS ruling deemed that a Facebook site is in fact a marketing communication tool and therefore advertisers are responsible for everything on it. The new ruling stipulates that brands are not only responsible for all their own pictures, comments and posts but for those of the user as well. I might also add that the advertisers have been given an unforgiving 24 hour window of opportunity to remove any unsuitable content.

As a Facebook user and fan of many advertisers’ Faceboook pages, I think the responsibility for my comments and my interactions should lie in my hands. I wouldn’t like to think that the validity or credibility of my social media comments is merely at the discretion of a company’s ‘Facebook Moderator’. Yes, yes everything we do on a social media platform needs to comply with their policies and local legislation that’s widely accepted but no one knows each and every clause in the policy they signed a few years ago. However, I do adhere to the basic principles of social etiquette; – that social everyday etiquette which should naturally extend to the ‘cyber world’. There is no need for politically incorrect, discriminatory or abusive comments in other mediums, so what makes ignorant social media users think it is okay to broadcast them in a public domain, such as Facebook?

With the exciting revolution that social media has brought into our lives over the last few years, the content and conversation developed between users and advertisers is invaluable. Advertisers can now easily and freely tap into the psyche of their existing and potential customers. They can engage us and we can respond online in a dialogue. We can speak up, share our product reviews, ask questions of the product or service, upload photos, leave our comments of satisfaction or dissatisfaction etc. All of which can be instantly shared between millions of people, at the click of a Facebook post.

However, now this open forum is not so ‘open’ anymore. The fast and accessible (often innocent) conversation between consumer and advertiser is ruled ‘an advertisement’. An advertisement subject to the list of ASBs’ regulations and is censored by the cyber moderators at ‘Advertiser H.Q’. This opens up a minefield of implications into how businesses manage and moderate their pages, particularly those who encourage a more liberal, informal community on Facebook. Who are the Facebook moderators and will they be equipped to discern what is and what isn’t ethical behaviour? It sounds like censorship to me. How many additional work hours will businesses need to ensure all content is moderated 24/7? What about those small businesses who cannot afford the additional cost?

Watch this space.

Today I have a hangover. A big one. One of Olympic proportions.

For two weeks I have been bingeing on sport, scandal and Swisse multi-vitamin ads – staying up til all hours of the night drinking in as much live sport as humanly possible.

Whether it was the fine wine that was the Equestrian or the shot of Jagermeister that was the 100m sprint, I consumed everything in sight.

For a fortnight I have been drunk on sport. Loudly opining on the merits of the butterfly kick in swimming, sneering at a missed shot in the basketball, leering at the Rhythmic Gymnastics – acting like a proper lout and offering my uneducated insight on… well everything really.

Overnight, I had become an armchair expert – arguing with my friends over what the best tactics in the Marathon are, nodding in agreement when the commentators made statements like “that pike was a bit loose, it might cost the Belarusian a medal.”

Worse still – at some point during those two weeks, Australia stopped competing in the Olympics, and apparently I took over instead – “We won gold in the sailing last night!”, “USA smashed us in the basketball.”, “When did we get so shit at swimming?”.

And then, all of a sudden, it was over. I awoke on Monday morning feeling extremely disoriented and confused.

My Olympics hangover has brought with it many questions. Where did the last 14 days go? What did I find so interesting about the 50km Walk? Why do I care about cycling so much?

Most importantly – what the hell am I supposed to talk to my friends about now? If the Olympics has taught me anything (apart from the absurd rules to some obscure sports), it’s that my television viewing habits pretty much define my social interaction with friends. If I couldn’t quote Seinfeld or South Park verbatim, I don’t think I’d understand half of what our conversations are about.

So please excuse me while I go channel-surf to find something else to talk about.

After experiencing the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003, I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to head over the ditch for the RWC 2011 to watch Australia vs. Ireland at Eden Park Auckland on Saturday 19th Sept.

As soon as I arrived at Sydney Airport at 5am and saw a sea of green, it was then I reconsidered my tipping choice in the Ignite RWC Tipping comp, I knew the Wallabies were in for a fight.

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What started out as a way for regular people to use the internet to voice their thoughts and opinions about life, love and stuff they like has become a credible source of content. Blogging is still king!

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The power of big broadcast brands has never been more relevant than in today’s environment of rapidly fragmenting, highly competitive and platform agnostic media consumption. The question remains, how do big broadcast brands (the likes of Nickelodeon, MTV, National Geographic) remain relevant and defy market conditions to continue their growth strategy?

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Over the years I’ve watched programme directors sweating the wait between the launch of a big TV event and the arrival of overnight ratings, on edge as the audience judges a program the next big thing or the next big mistake.

These days they can sleep like a baby or cry like one, by getting a sense of the outcome from viewer interaction across Twitter and Facebook.

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In September 2011 I had the amazing experience of travelling to China with the National Geographic Channel. After successfully winning the infamous Nat Geo Trivia Night, we were joined by a group of aficionados from Mitchell Media. They battled with their wits to win and now they would battle with their dumpling addiction as we visited Beijing and Xian for the trip of a lifetime.

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