On Chicagosphere: Social-Justice Success & Christmas Cheer
(Graphic: Yes, Evil Squirrel, there is a Santa Claus…)
My ChicagoNow online-media byline, Chicagosphere, has been all good cheer this month. From the unexpected saving graces of a social-justice shoutout to a few local blogs and bloggers perfect for holiday browsing, there’s been a lot of festivity over on my Chicago Tribune-funded blog. For your enjoyment…
Yes, Chris Brogan, Social Media Can Save a Local Business
The star post of the season–in January, national social-media guru Chris Brogan asked whether Twitter and Facebook could save a troubled small business. Judging by the astounding recent success of Chicago’s Evil Squirrel Comics to stave off financial disaster with a heartfelt social-media appeal to customers, the answer is a resounding yes.
How to Find Chicago’s Christmas Light Displays
Want to drive around holiday-light-festooned local neighborhoods this season beyond old stalwarts like Sauganash? This website maps out almost 300 light displays across Chicago and Chicagoland for your convenience and enjoyment. How cool is that?
Christmas Without a Big Christmas Tree?
Local bloggers Mark Boyer and Dawn Reiss ask what makes for an acceptable Christmas tree. My answer in one word: giganticism.
Fun Times for Sale on Funsherpa: An Interview with Founder Anton Dy Buncia
A new site sells activity-based gifts for the holidays. I talk with the founder about why selling “experiences” helps uncover the new and interesting in Chicago.
Ugly Holiday Sweaters Make for a Warm Community Meetup
A wrap-up to this year’s Chicago blogger Christmas party–and what a joyous, friendly, and community-laden time we had together.
New Survey Says Social Media Good for Holiday Business
You don’t have to take Evil Squirrel’s word about the power of social-media to spur sales. The results of a new holiday consumer survey points to the same happy outcome from taking care of your social-justice business.
Other posts you might like from Chicago Carless:
Ever wonder why NORAD tracks the whereabouts of Santa Claus every Christmas Eve? Turns out the internationally popular North American Aerospace Defense Command holiday tradition got started simply because of a careless cold war-era typo.
You can't run a 21st-century blog network at the speed of a 19th-century newspaper. I wish someone would tell the Chicago Tribune. Here's how institutional lethargy, inadequate tools, inscrutable navigation, and newsroom pushback make it hard to be a successful ChicagoNow blogger. (This post has now officially become the to...
Yesterday afternoon, Alderman Helen Shiller posted a lengthy response on the 46th Ward website regarding the widely viewed August 13th Uptown riot video and the firestorm of controversy surrounding it. Given the gravity of the situation for Uptown residents, it's a response worthy of a line-by-line analysis by a communicati...
