Branding You: A Recap

Living in a digital age, details of our lives are increasingly broadcast over social media sites both for personal and professional purposes. Jewish employment Toronto (JET), a programming arm of United Jewish Appeal's Community Connect, recently held a panel discussion at the Jewish Urban Meeting Place (JUMP). The purpose was to examine the meaning behind, and evaluate how to maximize one's potential for using digital tools to brand ourselves.

Moderated by JUMP staffer Steve Mendel, the panel consisted of Dan Hadad, associate director of new media and campaigns at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Jeff Waldman, a social media consultant, Daneal Charney, author and Generation Y career guide, and Nick Stein director of content and media at Rypple, a social media consulting firm.



The message I took away from the discussion was that when diving into the use of social media you have to, as Daneal put it "work out a clear strategy" for the public display of your information. Speaking as one who also spreads content out across multiple sites, I believe each medium does in fact have a specific use.

For instance, at the moment Facebook is the dominant social tool on the Internet. It has its own niche applications – games, pages and groups for business, event shares and real time chat capabilities.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn is viewed as the place you go to post and build up your resume online. And Twitter, the last of the top three social websites, is a scaled-down version of a Facebook news feed.

The lines between them can't be easily blurred, because the same content can not be pushed in quite the same manner on each site. One must tailor their message accordingly.

Nick Stein believes that our notion of what is acceptable to put out across social channels has diminished. If that's true, that people are much more forgiving of what they see or read, prospective law students and medical students for example, would see fit to leave compromising photos published on their social profiles. Today, many of my friends take a more cautious approach and remove potentially harmful pictures for school admissions and future employment opportunities.



The propensity to "over share" on these sites is increasing, and branding done right tends to create a lasting presence, be it for either an object or a person. So I believe that if content is king, the right image projected is made all the more important.

The question is: Do you believe it best to tailor your image wherever your digital footprint trail may lead?

Sacha Baron Cohen may sit out the Oscars

Actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has stirred up Hollywood for years with his more extroverted fictitious personae.

In the past, awards shows - i.e. the 2009 MTV Music Awards – welcomed his character appearances such as flamboyant fashionista alter-ego Bruno.

However, the Academy of Motion Pictures, the body responsible for the Oscars telecast, has warned Baron Cohen, who this year had a role as the station inspector in the Oscar- nominated film Hugo, not to attend if he intends to make a mockery of the red carpet pre-event dressed as General Aladeen from his upcoming film The Dictator.

They may in fact have good reason, as you can see in the official movie trailer of the upcoming comedy set for release in theaters on May 11.




Often the most polished event of the award show season, many eyes will be locked on the Oscar's red carpet to see if the more reserved Baron Cohen will show up, or if he will fly in the face of the Academy and mock their democratic edict.

Seinfeld letting you view his favourite bits

I don't know how long the following website has been up (I suspect it's pretty recent), but if you're a Seinfeld fan, you're gonna want to visit this thing, a LOT.

Basically, Jerry has just put up a site that offers up three of his stand-up bits daily. There's stuff in there from his early days breaking out on the Johnny Carson show and various intro and segue bits from Seinfeld, the TV show, plus miscellaneous stuff.

"I thought it might be fun to go through all of it and pick out three bits each day that still amuse me for some reason or another." Jerry Seinfeld on Jerry Seinfeld: Personal Archives.

So there you go. Lots of fun viewing. Enjoy.

Oh and in case you're in Toronto on May 5, Jerry will be bringing his act to the Sony Centre for the amusement of all.

Could this be the oldest couple to make Aliyah?

Dorothy and Phillip Grossman [Nefesh B'Nefesh photo]

From the "awww..." category...

This JTA story about a husband and wife, married 71 years, who recently made aliyah is a nice bit of news in an otherwise depressing week of information coming out of the Middle East. Here's the story:

JERUSALEM -- A Baltimore couple married 71 years is believed to be the oldest couple to make aliyah.

Phillip and Dorothy Grossman, 95 and 93 respectively, made aliyah Tuesday on a Nefesh B’Nefesh group flight in cooperation with the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Jewish Agency, together with 43 new emigres from North America.

One of their three children lives in Israel; another will be making aliyah this summer.
The Grossmans were met at the airport by some of their grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren living in Israel.

Single olim in their 80s and 90s have previously made aliyah, including a woman, age 99, in 2010.

“Phillip and Dorothy are probably the oldest olim couple that the State of Israel has ever absorbed, and they are proof that it is never too late to fulfill your dream and make such a significant decision in life,” said Erez Halfon, vice chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “We congratulate them and wish them many more years of health and happiness living together with their family in Israel.”

They will make their home in Jerusalem.

 Kol hakavod. 

Why the Oscars love Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal is considered by many to be the host with the most. A frequent master of ceremonies at the Academy Awards, the comedian almost always gets the laughs. On Sunday Feb. 26, the actor-comedian will have his ninth go-around as the show's emcee (he first hosted in 1990).

Crystal has provided some of the most memorable, and funny, show-opening montages and mid-show ad-lib bits in the ceremony's history.

The first clip below is from his last appearance in 2004 where he answered the then-important question on many viewers minds: What are the stars thinking while in their seats?





And for those who have not seen the upcoming 84th Academy Awards teaser ad, you can view it below. Be sure to tune in for Crystal's performance next Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Cat Power cancels Israel tour

Cat Power

You know, in the great pantheon of musical artistry, rock-folkie singer-actress-indy-darling-of-the-late-90's-early-2000's Cat Power (real name Charlyn Marie Marshall) ranks somewhere between that guy you see playing for nickels on the street corner and Tiny Tim.

But that's just my musical opinion.

My political opinion is also not favourably geared towards Ms. Power today. Why? Read this excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle.

JERUSALEM, Israel (AP) -- American musician Cat Power has canceled her show in Israel, joining a list of artists shunning the country over its conflict with the Palestinians.

Charlyn Marie Marshall, better known by her stage name Cat Power, was to perform in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

But she tweeted on Friday that due to "much confusion" she felt she could not play for her Israeli fans and that she felt "sick in her spirit."

Way to make a statement Cat. Can anyone name just ONE of her songs? Neither can I.

Schalit goes to France

Gilad Schalit salutes upon his return to Israeli soil last year.

Gilad Schalit (you don't really need to know who he is, right?) just took a trip to France.

It was his first excursion outside Israel since being released by Hamas last year. It marks a huge milestone in his recovery from being held by terrorists for nearly six years.

Here's a snippet from a report by JTA:

PARIS (JTA) -- Former captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and his parents met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the presidential palace in Paris.

“We are very happy to be here at the Elysee Palace,” said Noam Shalit, speaking to journalists Wednesday morning.  “We are very touched.”

Hours later, Shalit's parents attended the annual gala hosted by the French Jewish umbrella group CRIF.

Sarkozy had met repeatedly with Gilad’s father, Noam, after the young Israeli soldier, who has dual French citizenship, was captured on the border with Gaza in 2006 and held hostage there for more than five years by Hamas.

Now that he's traveling with his family, hopefully his progressive return to a "normal" life is sped up. But the kind of emotional and psychological trauma he must have endured is still too hard to fathom.

What do you think?