Did you hear? Of course you did. You are on Facebook after all. Apple announced today it’s latest and greatest product: Apple Watch.

Even if Apple isn’t known for coming up with the most revolutionary product ideas, they are known for perfecting them, so this may be something to get excited about.

Purchasing this tiny interface for approximately 350 bucks will give you access to new technologies such as Force Touch – where the touch screen senses the difference between a push and a tap – and Taptic Engine – where you not only hear, but also feel the difference between types of notifications.

Apple Watch will be laced with functions such as constant heart rate monitoring and location identification. Sync your Apple Watch with your Apple Pay™ account, as well as with your Apple TV®, and you’ll never need to dig for cash or pick up a remote ever again. Just one big, happy Apple family of products.

When is Apple Watch coming to stores near you? Early 2015. Just in time to make you feel bad about your Christmas gift.

P.S. Why isn’t it called Apple iWatch?

Read more about the product here.

The yet-to-be-released iPhone app Knozen won’t inform you whether or not your coworkers think you’re attractive, but it will tell what they think of your other (good and bad) qualities.

Interestingly, the Knozen founder Marc Cenedella believes this app will help employees improve their work ethic and personalities after being reviewed on Knozen.

For example, if your coworkers rated you using this personality app, and your physical appearance was taken out of the equation, finding the answers to questions you didn’t know to ask like, “Am I friendly at work?” and “Am I lazy?” may actually help you improve yourself.

This app has been in the works for about a year with $2.25 million in startup costs.

How do we think this new app will affect the workplace? Not sure. But we do know one thing: This glass door mentality sure will keep the water cooler busy.

If you’re interested in downloading this app, sign up here to be notified when it’s released!

“Just Google it.”

We bet every one of our followers understands that phrase. Google is by far the leading search engine in the world, and in the past few years has become a leader in social networking as well, encroaching on Facebook’s territory of connecting online.

Yesterday, Google announced Google My Business – a free service that consolidates the confusing process of registering your business on Google Maps, Google Search and Google+. If you’ve already “claimed” your business on Google, this change will just be an upgrade. For those who have yet to “Get of Google,” you’ll have a better experience than if you’d registered a week ago.

We are particularly excited about this upgrade in the PR world because businesses will now be able to respond directly to their Google reviews! Plus, you can update your business followers similarly to Facebook with industry news, interesting photos, company events while interacting with customers and other businesses.

Want to try it out for your own business? Go to www.google.com/business and let us know how it goes on our Google+ page! Happy connecting!

P.S. If you’ve had a great experience with Liquid or our staff, review us on Google here!

Until the past few years, social media seemed to belong exclusively within the territory of tech savvy teens using sites like Twitter, Facebook and WordPress to deliver their thoughts to a (supposed) audience.

Now, it seems that there has been an overnight revolution in the way businesses, both Fortune 500 companies and tiny start-ups alike, are viewing social media. Companies are realizing that social media is more than a side errand that brings negligible traffic, but a platform to attain a digital presence and increase visibility.

This is the age where droves of consumers are turning to the Internet to find dinner recommendations, product and service reviews and vacation rentals. Scratching out your own digital space is easier and less expensive than other marketing strategies, but can drive visibility, traffic and sales.

Gain Exposure to a Varied Demographic

Social media, particularly Facebook, allows your company to specifically target certain demographics. Reach young women on Instagram, Tumbler and Pinterest. Find business professionals on Google+ and LinkedIn. Denny’s official Tumbler has recently gone viral for not only their mouth-watering pictures of pancakes and bacon, but also for their quirky and witty posts that have reached thousands of “reblogs” and “likes.”

Build Brand Awareness

Promote your products and services online, every day! Cheerwine reminds their fans on Facebook that their drink is tasty and appropriate for any time of the day, as well as offering Cheerwine discounts and encouraging them to support their favorite brand #MasonDixonMadness.

Engage Directly with Consumers and Potential Customers

Online users can now retweet Amazon and add their satisfaction (or lack of) with their most recent purchase. This feedback and modern-day “word-of-mouth” helps this online mogul thrive.

Social media has been around for a while now, and advertising there is on the rise. What is your favorite social media advertising tactic? What annoys you? What’s effective to you? Share your thoughts on our Facebook wall!

Most of us here at Liquid Creative Studio love Apple products. Our office is full of Mac computers and everyone but Scott owns an iPhone. But we recently discovered an iOS7 update feature that has us wondering. Did Apple go too far?

According to ABC Action News and our own sleuthing, unless you have your location feature turned off, your iPhone has been keeping up with your whereabouts. Want to check? Pull out your phone (who are we kidding … you already had it out didn’t you?) and follow these instructions:

• Go to Settings
• Go to Privacy
• Go to Location Services
• Scroll all the way to the bottom and click on System Services
• Scroll all the way to the bottom again and click Frequent Locations

If the feature is turned on, you should see a list of locations you’ve visited in the last month. Click on the general location and it should give exact addresses, dates, times and even show it on the map!

We love technology, but at what point does it become invasive? We’d love to hear your comments on our Facebook page!

After a winter of hibernation indoors at our computers (yes, Floridians feel the need to hibernate too), we’re spending more time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. With the sunshine comes perspective, and many of us at Liquid Creative Studio have felt the need to de-clutter our lives. And by our lives, we mean our virtual lives.

If you’re a slave to your computer, why not make it a more pleasant place to be?

Desktop: Trash and refresh

If you have the same desktop background that you had LAST spring, but you can barely see it anymore because of all the files, this tip is for you. Spend 30 minutes today creating folders, organizing the files and deleting the ones you don’t need anymore. Then find an image online that makes you happy (we recommend www.wallpaperswide.com) and change it out every few months.

Email: Clear out the inbox(es)

Thousands (and thousands) of emails have piled in our inboxes this year. Not only is it slowing our server down, it’s making the “search” tool less handy. If being subscribed to too many newsletters and promotions is your problem, use www.unroll.me to unsubscribe from them all at once. When I did it, it took me off almost 60 lists!

Facebook: De-friend unhappiness

Many of us are slaves to Facebook. If you feel the need to check it every day, at least make sure it’s uplifting. Connecting with people and sharing your awesome life online is great, but make sure you’re not being brought down by other people.

We’ll be spending this month clearing out the old to focus on the new, and we hope you do too! Let us know on our Facebook page how it improves your life.

Where did we get this brilliant idea to de-clutter our virtual lives? We were inspired by Bianca Strzelczyk. Check out her blog post here: De-clutter Your (Virtual) Life.

The weather’s getting hotter, the days are getting longer and vacations are being booked, which can only mean one thing. It’s almost summertime! By Florida standards, at least. For smaller businesses, all the excitement and activity of summer is the perfect time to revamp their social media presence.

Social media is one of the best ways for businesses with limited advertising budgets to stay connected with customers. By being part of Twitter, Facebook and other widely used platforms, businesses can keep their publics updated and informed – even when business might be slow.

Keep your accounts updated

Many businesses are on social media but post very irregularly. Make a goal to post an interesting news article, business update or special at least once a day. Include a link or picture with every single post because it’s proven to increase fan engagement. Don’t get discouraged if you have little engagement at first. As your fan count grows, adjust to producing the content they want to read. The Facebook Analytics feature is great for gauging what that content is.

Join a new social media site

Being involved with multiple social media sites is always a plus because it improves your SEO, or search engine optimization, and makes current and potential customers find you more easily online. If you have your Facebook presence on lockdown, consider expanding to Twitter or Pinterest.

Be engaging

We recommend downloading the “Facebook Pages Managers” application on your smart phone so you get notifications when anyone comments on or messages your company page. As your fan count grows and more people interact on your page, you’ll need a fast response time to keep them engaged. And don’t be afraid to ask your fans questions. “How is everyone’s summer going?” shows that you’re interested in two-way communication and gives the opportunity to know fans on a personal level.

We strongly recommend using innovative methods to connect with fans on Facebook. Hosting contests, highlighting employees and tagging them in the posts, and offering specials are a few proven ways to maximize your social media presence.

The viral-video website, Upworthy, has been the topic of conversation in today’s social media-driven society. So, what is all the buzz about? Upworthy offers anything from inspirational videos to thought-provoking political fares to get you thinking about what really matters in life.

Haven’t heard of it? Well, here’s a little insight to fill you in:

“Things that matter. Pass ‘em on.”

Two sentences. Six words. One successful mission.

The purpose of Upworthy is not to generate traffic to their site, but to generate traffic on social media. Each week, Upworthy browses the Internet for videos highlighting important issues, revamps them, and voilà – a million hits.

Trending just about everywhere

A better question: how haven’t you heard of it? In June, Fast Company reported that almost two years after its June 2012 launch, its up to 22 million monthly viewers. It’s trending on Tumblr, Twitter, and predominantly Facebook.

Its secret is in the “curiosity gap.” The idea is to post a headline long enough to tell the story, but not enough to give it all away. As an example, here’s a video posted recently to market the dangers of speeding:

They thought they were hanging out with friends, but ended up attending their own funeral

It’s good, eh? You can appreciate it even if you don’t speak French.

Upworthy vs. Buzzfeed: Who does it better?

Its largest competitor, by far, is Buzzfeed – the other largescale social news and entertainment website. Buzzfeed’s endless stream of quizzes and clever GIFs can be seen constantly circulating through social media. Although highly entertaining, after the millionth “Which character are you?” quiz, you’ll welcome the counterweight offered by Upworthy.

Food for thought

What’s my point, exactly? Choose to focus on the good, relevant and meaningful. At best, I hope the site will brighten your day. At worst, you’ve gained a few topics of conversation.

Meet the author:

The Liquid Team’s New Years Resolutions

Wondering what the Liquid Team came up with as our New Years Resolutions for 2014? Here they are!

Maryanne:  I didn’t really come up with resolutions, but my roommate and I are going to do one exciting thing off a Bucket List we compiled every weekend for the next three months.
5 of them include: bike the 32-mile roundtrip Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail, get a tattoo, take a weeklong road trip to Key Largo and camp on the beach, spend a few hours every month volunteering, and complete one Pinterest project a month.

Amanda: I’m joining my sister and setting a goal to read 30 books this year. Some of the first few on my list include The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Why I Write by my all-time favorite author George Orwell. Have you read any of these? What books should I add?

Bradley:
Build a coffee table
Do not buy another book until I finish the 80 I’ve bought and haven’t gotten to yet
Play my trumpet a little every day
Write two short stories
Volunteer at least twice a month
Go white water rafting again
Do a handstand
Get back into the rock gym and land a 5.9 by June

Nate: Come up with a resolution for next year’s resolution.

Hector: My New Years Resolutions are to spend more time with my family, not to sweat the small stuff, and to find true happiness.

April:
Spend time playing more with my kids
Plant a garden (I love gardening and find it therapeutic)
Read more and take time to read for fun
Visit my grandparents more
Start yoga and work on improving flexibility and lessening stress

Kathryn: As a family we have several, but for me personally: I’d like to read more like I used to … not just the news or previewing my daughters’ books, but for me. I want to fall into a book at night, not just the couch.

Kelli: My goal is to create a five-year plan!

Scott: I am going to start a nonprofit incubator geared toward helping residents of East Gainesville start businesses.

Here at Liquid Creative Studio we like to be creative, think outside the box, and come up with fresh creative concepts that take our client’s brands to the next level! As part of our creative team, we are proud to have some of the most talented and innovative graphic designers in the area! To show you guys how great they are, we will highlight some of their most successful projects for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes outlook on the various works of art produced at our studio.

The first project we’d like to share was designed by graphic specialist, Angela Doughty. Angela did a fabulous job designing the 2013 Vacation Planner for the Resort Vacation Properties of St. George Island, Inc. She created the planner’s layout, cover page, several of the introduction pages and the graphics in the back of the booklet.

To start the project, Angela created three basic layouts for the client to choose from. When she learned that they wanted a simple and clean layout with photos included on the cover, she found the most creative way to integrate those requests and create a suitable theme. The client then selected their favorite design and the rest began to fall into place.

Angela’s strategy was to work from the front of the booklet to the back. The cover set the tone for the rest of the planner, keeping certain graphic elements like the shells consistent. While narrowing which photos to use was one of the most challenging aspects, the process enabled her to choose the perfect color palate to go with the visuals. “I definitely enjoyed working on this piece,” said Angela. “I always love working with great photography and being so inspired by nature, these photos gave me a lot to work with.”

In just a couple of months, the 2013 Vacation Planner was designed and ready for printing! The Resort Vacation Properties of St. George Island was thrilled with Angela’s work and received outstanding responses from its guests. Angela is now working on a new project for the resort. Keep an eye out for what’s next