So you have a teenager that is online and actively using social networking pages. You are probably asking yourself “how can I protect them from the risks that are online?”  A staggering 94% of 14-15 year olds in Australia are using social networks.  Millions of parents are asking themselves “how can I be assured that my child is safe when online?”

Communication is key.  This can be hard with teenagers!!! Its important that your child has a firm understanding of the online risks.  Its important that they know that the internet is a very public place.  If they don’t want something to be seen by others then they should be aware of the transparency of their online behaviour.  Its a place where you can be mentally, physically, and financially vulnerable.  Explain why…

Activate necessary safety settings.  Most of the main sites have safety and privacy settings that you can control.  Make use of these and they will work to protect and filter what your teenager is exposed to.  My next Blog will be about adjusting your settings on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube.

Embrace the posibilities.  With so much now available at your child’s fingertips the possibilities are endless.  Schools are educating children as young as six on computer basics.  Schools recognise that along with the risks, the internet is a positive place to learn, grow, and be challenged.  For every negative site there is a site that your child can learn something new from. Point them towards those sites and encourage their use of them.

Fear will get you no-where.  Your approach to the internet will directly affect how your teenager sees the internet.  By policing your teenager around the clock and giving them no freedom at all, they will quickly find another way to get around you, and this will reduce your influence in their online activities not increase it.

Educate yourself on the sites that are prone to bullying.  Some should be off limits altogether if they are setup to humiliate or make fun of other teens.  Sites that offer teens the opportunity to gang up on each other are growing and should be avoided.  Most parents would be mortified by some of these sites where teens are encouraged to “rank” each other on sexual performance… Make yourself aware of such sites.

There are some great resources available – the Australian Government has recently released a help button you can download – it offers advice at anytime for your teen when they are online. http://www.cybersafety.dbcde.gov.au/helpandadvice/.  Connecting them to groups like Lifeline, and Kids Helpline.  They can also report the issue direct from their Social Networks to this program.

As Social Networking becomes more prone to bullying we will see more resources like this being provided.  So with the help of online safety tools, communication, and education for parents, we can be confident that we are guiding our teens through the online space with caution and awareness.

The 50′s fair is the ultimate collection of anything and everything that is to do with the fifties.  It is hosted at the Rose Seidler house and has a loyal annual following as I found out today.  I expected to see some folks who were involved in the event to be dressed up – but I certainly did not expect the crowds to be so enthusiastic in their love of retro costume.  I could clearly see that for some this was a way of life and not just a fancy dress opportunity.

If you can sum the event up…its “Happy Days on steroids!”  Everywhere I looked there were groups of girls dressed in their finest “Rockabilly” and the order of the day was red lipstick with a high amount of detail on their accessories.  Gloves, retro heels, pearls, kitten glasses, and stockings gave the girls extra cred. Girls were photographing other girls who were “suitably dressed”.  Girls that were fully dressed up sought after admiring glances and were proud as punch to be asked for a photograph.

There was also a huge array of 50′s furniture, bric-a-brac, clothing and “best dressed” competitions.  A whole lot of fun on a sunny day at Wahroongah.

“Social Media Questions For Newbies” will be a series of posts here on bananamedia based on questions that I am asked regularly.  Its not rocket science, by any means – but its the stuff that most folks want to know when starting out.  When starting out on Facebook it can be confusing to understand the difference between pages, walls, profiles, groups, apps…it can be overwhelming and so its important to tackle the simple stuff first. Lets get started!

“What is the difference between the homepage and the wall?”

Ok, the difference between a homepage and your wall is that the homepage features news from all of your current friends and pages that you like. It is a quick way to keep updated on all your friends updates in one spot. You can select the news to show in two different ways – “most recent” or “most popular”. Facebook will automate the feed to most popular so be sure to tick the “most recent” feed if that is your preference.

Your wall (profile page) is your own personal page where you can write updates, add pictures, video, or notes, and respond to comments left on your own wall. Updates that you write on your wall will go into the “news feed” homepage of your friends.

Got it? Great!

Recently I have embarked on a new online venture -  MIMI.  Combining my knowledge of social media +  my love for fashion +  frequent bargain hunting.  These seem to be regular hobbies for me – so I thought “what the heck, why not put them to good use.”  I am constantly marketing online to gain sales for my clients, so I wanted to put it to use for myself.

So MIMI was launched.  MIMI is a boutique that runs through a Facebook page direct to clients.  This has been done very well recently by some locals. Check out Gary Pepper Vintage – another Facebook shop that is doing exceptionally well.  They keep it simple with fantastic vintage pieces that are styled beautifully and marketed consistently = Success!

Continue reading “Putting Words Into Action With My New Facebook Shop MIMI” »

Introducing a wonderful new client Blossom Bubbas at Erina. Bernadette, the store owner, is very passionate about helping mums and it really shows in her knowledge of products and her awareness of what her customers need. When I first met Bernadette she was aware that she needed to embrace the online market but, as a beginner, was unsure of how to go about it.

With regular coaching sessions she has become much more confident to reach out to the online world and now feels  (in her words) “empowered”.  By working on her social media and writing regular newsletters to her lovely customers we reached out to all the mum’s online that were already on Facebook.  In the next week we will be building a Facebook shop, so that she can sell to her customers direct through Facebook. 

On the weekend Blossom Bubbas had a “Garage Sale” which we advertised via her email newsletter and Facebook.  Many customers accepted the invitation – thank you to all who came and supported this brilliant baby store.  I look forward to seeing Blossom Bubbas go from strength to strength.

Lily Allen may be super savvy when it comes to music…but boy did she get this look wrong! I am a massive fan of hers so was disappointed to see her make such a bad choice for her own wedding. For this reason I am featuring her in my first ever Banana Peel fashion slip ups.

Whilst I understand she was trying to look vintage and chic she should have stuck with a look that is more in keeping with her personality. The lace is beautiful, given, but this vintage look just seems to get lost in translation. I can imagine a chic Parisian woman wearing this, but its just not Lily. Lily is loud, fun, flirty, and bold…so why this?

I would have liked to see her in something with a rockabilly edge to it. A fun frock with a flirty nature. This look is all wrong for her. Look out for the banana peel Lily – its a fashion slip up!!!!

Banana Media is LOVING this track right now! 

Welcome to my new weekly blog post “Spotted!”. Each week I will show you one look that I find out and about on my travels. This one comes from Kye who was visiting Terrigal today. What caught my eye was her cute look. She pulled this look together effortlessly and I could tell it was just a natural look for her. She explained that she had brought her jacket and dress from K-Mart! Scarf and boots (love the ankle boots) from her local op-shop….

Which shows it don’t have to be pricey to look nicey.

Work it Kye!

Its official Alessandra Rich – I love you. Your fluid lines and beautiful design are flawless. Your versatility is inspiring. Love the transition in your line from loose and flowing to structured. Your clothing is feminine yet strong. I wish I could afford to wear you every day of my life! Its amazing.

This month marked the 4th year in business for Central Coast’s Hottest Salon, Allure Hair & Body. The salon is run by the fabulous Renee Marshall who has been styling great hair for over 11 years.  At Allure Hair and Body Terrigal you will find a team of dedicated professionals that consistently turn out amazing hair. Whether its sleek, bouncy, or fierce hair you desire – the team at Allure can do it. This is hands down the best place to be for the ultimate in styling.  By keeping their product range current they have kept the salon on trend. They recently changed to the Paul Mitchell range for colour, giving them an edge on producing great hair colour.

The party was attended by many of their fabulous clients and everyone had so much fun.  It was a beautiful night mingling on the balcony with the best views in town, great food and the DJ was very compliant. I requested so many geeky songs that I am sure she didn’t like… oh well! There was also great prizes – gift vouchers, hair products and one lucky party-goer won some Cloud Nine straighteners!

Yet again the team pulled off an impressive event, reminding us all that whether at a party or at work Allure is the place to be.