From TweetDeck to TwitterFeed, and Ping.fm, there are a variety of tools available to help manage your social sites. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying out the Pro HootSuite account and thought I would share my findings in case you’re in the market for a new management tool.

What’s really convenient about HootSuite is that you can pull most of your social sites into one interface, so you spend less time logging in and out of the different sites. From the dashboard, you can create a tab for each of the accounts you want to include, with choices of: Twitter, Facebook, Facebook page, LinkedIn, MySpace, Pingfm, WordPress, and Foursquare. As you can see in the screen-shot below, my chosen tabs for the trial were my Twitter and Facebook accounts.

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Filed under: Marketing, New Media, Technology

Over the past week, you may have seen in your Facebook feed that several of your friends have “Just joined Jumo.” You’re probably thinking oh no, not another one…how many social sites do we all need?  Don’t worry! This one actually serves a purpose that isn’t covered by Twitter, Facebook, or most of the others.

Jumo was conceptually introduced in March of 2010 when Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes announced a soft-launch of the non-profit platform that matches users’ philanthropic interests to various causes. Nearly 9 months later, what was just a landing page is now a beta-launched version that is definitely worth checking out. So what exactly is it?

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Filed under: Marketing, New Media, Technology

I’m the Mayor of the IMA.

And I don’t wanna brag, but I also happen to be the Mayor of 100 Acres and Nourish Cafe. Bet you didn’t know I was such a big shot, did you? Now gimme your lunch money.

You don’t recall voting, so how did I end up in office? By frequently “checking in” on the social media app. Foursquare, via my smart phone. And get this: I checked in to the IMA on Foursquare last week and to my surprise, received this badge:

I have to admit, I was slightly offended. Until I actually looked up what it meant: A zoetrope, which means ‘wheel of life’ in Greek,  is a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static picture. So basically, a motion picture.

So how is it I won this badge by frequenting an art museum? Oh, well yes.  The IMA does offer quite a bit for the film buff. And I’m not just talkin’ The Toby.

Part of the 40^th Annual Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration, the IBE Film Fest features the artistry of established and emerging filmmakers creating non-Hollywood productions on subjects relevant to the African-American experience.

Indianapolis International Film Festival

July 15-July 25: DeBoest Lecture Hall & The Toby

The 2010 Indy Film Fest partners with the IMA to host another world-class selection of independent films, actors and directors from around the globe. This year’s line-up includes films from both award-winning professionals and emerging filmmakers, ranging from short-subject documentaries to full-length feature films.

Summer Nights Film Series

June 4- August 27: IMA’s Outdoor Amphitheater

From June 4 to August 27, the IMA will be screening films every Friday in its outdoor amphitheater, located on the west side of the Museum.  The 2010 series includes films from six different decades. This week’s film is Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful classic North by Northwest.

So whatever you are: film-buff, videophile, movie-junkie or zoetrope… we’ve got what you need. And we promise not to call you any names.

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Film, Local, New Media, The Toby

I wasn’t able to attend the American Institute for Conservation’s (AIC) Annual Meeting last month in Milwaukee.  However, thanks to ArtBabble, today I’m able to watch one of the more potent discussions: The Plus/Minus Dilemma: The Way Forward in Environmental, which was co-sponsored by International Institute for Conservation (IIC).

This discussion, which was moderated by our Director & CEO, was recently summarized in an article in the Art Newspaper, Climate control: time to change the settings.

I also want to point out what a great job AIC and IIC have been doing with their blogs to let members know about conferences and current news.  Check out the AIC blog and read all of the recent posts about the Annual Meeting.  While there’s no substitute for actually going to a meeting, the amount of information the members of AIC are sharing through the blog is impressive. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art, Conservation, Current Events, Travel

Bloggers Anonymous #4 was an overwhelming success. Social media junkies from all over the city descended upon Nourish Cafe last Thursday. Here are some shots taken throughout. Check out the full Flickr set here.

@uplandindy kept the beer (and conversation) flowing all night long.

@kylehodges1 aka DJ TwinPeaks manned the turntables.

IMA’s Top Blogger, Katie Neville graced us with her presence.

iPads in circulation. Always a people pleaser.

We’ve got a few ideas up our sleeve for the next BlogAnon. Until then, see you on the internets.

Filed under: Current Events, Local, New Media