Many of us like to share our traveling experiences with others. Blogging, posting pictures on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, and creating videos are things we do so that others can share in our experience. All of this has become a part of our travel rituals, but it can be a chore trying to do all of this while trying to have fun too. The folks at Marriott are making it easier for us to document our trips in a fun way with a one-stop shop of sorts. Tripographer is a new online application that allows you to create slideshows, edit pictures, give actual street-views of your trip, and more. It’s like having your friends and family with you when you’re traveling even when they can’t actually be there with you.

Kinda cool huh?

You can sit back and relax and actually enjoy the trip and soak in the fun you are having, taking pictures and videos. When your trip is complete, you can easily create a stylish way to show everything you did with Tripographer. You can even narrate the slideshow and utilize filters for photos that can enhance the visuals.

I am currently on a trip right now, a girlfriend getaway of sorts where we flew in to Atlanta, and then will road-trip it to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to a luxe cabin in the woods for three days of fab fun. I am so glad that I have come across Tripographer, because I am going to be using it to document my entire trip with my girls. I cannot wait to begin taking pictures and video, and I will be utilizing it all to put on Tripographer.

And once you are done with your Tripographer masterpiece, you can then share it on your social networks with a click of a button so everyone can see!

I am excited about Tripographer, and cannot wait to post my latest trip on it for all the world to see!

To learn more about Tripographer, you can visit the site HERE. Make sure to bookmark it so you can use it to showcase your next travel experience.

What are your thoughts about Marriott’s Tripographer?

Disclosure: This post was written in partnership with Niche Mommy Network and Conference  and TheCubicleChick.com received compensation in exchange for this review. The opinions belong to the author and are not indicative of the company, brand, network, or sponsor.

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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By now, you’ve all heard the horrible details. The satirical and “false-headline news” making site The Onion shared a tweet last night during the Oscars that called nine year old Academy Award nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis a c*%t. I won’t repeat the word here because it’s not a word that even comes out of my mouth, but I’m sure you know what I’m referring to. What happened next was major social media outcry as celebrities, pundits, and regular ole folk like myself expressed outrage regarding The Onion’s blatant disrespectful and horrendous tweet aimed at a nine year old 3rd grader. We were not having it.

The Onion deleted said tweet over an hour after it was shared (and not within an hour as they are reporting), and took ten plus hours to release apology to Quvenzhané via their Facebook page.

Do I think the apology was sincere? Perhaps. But it took 10 hours for The Onion to even speak on the topic, which is horrendous. They certainly have someone tweeting in the evenings during the Oscars, so it’s not like they didn’t see the social media firestorm they created. Why did it take that long for them to address their “mistake”? I, for one, think it was totally irresponsible for them to even a send a tweet of that nature out, no matter if it is a satirical site or not. Children should be off-limits, period.

But the bigger story here is not about The Onion; screw them, they don’t matter to me. I don’t follow them on Twitter or Facebook, nor do I subscribe to their site. The bigger story is Quvenzhané Wallis and how she is the youngest Oscar nominee ever in the history of life, which is an extraordinary accomplishment in itself. This young lady is surely a talent, no matter her color or unique name, yet she is going to remember her first Oscar experience as one that was hurtful and demeaning.

As a mom of a nine year old lass, I know that no matter how much girl power I instill in her, derogatory names can hurt her self esteem. It’s bad enough growing up in a world that can be hateful and cruel—but being targeted while the whole world watches, that must hurt.

Since when was it cool to call children horrific names that aren’t even suitable for utterance? Since when was that funny? Never.

Quvenzhané Wallis should be basking in the wonderfulness that is her acting career, which is now on the upswing with an Oscar nom and now a starring role in the remake of Annie. Too bad she can’t enjoy it without The Onion stinking up the joint. I hope that despite this unfortunate event, Quvenzhané will continue to hold her head up high. We see she’s got sass and spunk, so dusting her shoulders off to her haters may not be so far off the mark.

If you really want to stick it to The Onion, don’t visit their site. Don’t share their material. Don’t give them any page views. Act as if they cease to exist. They are a website that depends on ads and page views to increase their revenue, so don’t contribute to them making another dime.

Boom, there it is.

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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I haven’t done a video update in ages. Mostly because I have been busy with travel and family life. But I wanted to update you guys with a few new changes in my life as well as pose a question to you: To share or to not to share? That is the question.

Watch the video and you may understand better where I am coming from. My nine year old daughter called me out, and it got me to thinking. Maybe it’s time I change my ways to make her feel more comfortable.

If you are a feed email subscriber, click HERE to view the video.

Thoughts?

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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As a self described Digital Debutante, I work and play a lot online. It’s an outlet that I find very beneficial, especially for my business endeavors. Not to mention, creating and maintaining relationships with others is a snap online. Many of my friends and family live in different cities and states, so social media and being online keeps me plugged in to their worlds. But too much Internet in your life can give you a distorted view of reality (or so they say). Which is why National Day of Unplugging was created, so that we can step away from our MacBooks, iPhones, tablets, and other gadgets in technology so that we can spend more in-real life time with others the old fashioned way.

From March 1st to sundown of March 2nd, we are being asked to unplug from social media and the Internet.

Why?

Well, as I’ve written before, a little unplugging from time-to-time never hurt anyone. And, in addition, a new study by the Pew Research Center and the American Life Project has indicated that all of this Internet in our lives may not be good for us. Per the study:

…the Pew Internet and American Life Project found 61% of current Facebook users have voluntarily taken a break from using Facebook for a period of several weeks or more. Even so, internet addiction is being considered for classification as an official mental health disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, suggesting that unhealthy dependence on technology is increasingly becoming an issue.

Detoxing oneself from the Internet and all of its vices can be therapeutic and freeing. You can come back recharged and refocused after a good unplug.

I haven’t decided yet if I will be partaking in the 4th Annual National Day of Unplugging (insert snicker here), but I am really leaning towards it. On March 1st, I will be coming back from a trip, so unplugging could be just the move I need to make to really enjoy my travel experience.

We will see.

If you would like to sign the pledge to unplug on March 1st, or want more information on the National Day of Unplugging, you can visit the official site HERE. You can also take a photo and share your pledge with the world (so that everyone can call you out if you cheat and update your Facebook status!)

I think it’s a great idea!

What do you think about the National Day of Unplugging? Can you spend a day offline?

Looking for stuff to do while you unplug? Check out the Undo list!

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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I can tell you that even though this is my third CES in a row, it still brings out the amazement in me. There is so much to see and do during the Big Show that it can often be overwhelming. No matter how much you plan and strategize, you still end up being stressed out. It’s always good to have some time to compose yourself and get yourself together so you can remain focused and be able to do your best at reporting all that is fab at the event.

For the second year in a row, Samsung has offered the Samsung Smart Lounge for bloggers and other social media users to recharge their technology, work with stable wifi, refuel with refreshments, relax and mix with others with couches and group seating. They also offer a great backdrop for creating videos while in the Samsung Smart Lounge. It’s well lit, and makes a perfect background for video footage and reporting. Last year, I spent a lot of time in the Samsung Smart Lounge blogging and getting my social networking on, and once again, Samsung helped me in a pinch.

I can tell you that the Samsung Smart Lounge was a lifesaver for me yesterday. My phone was just about out of charge and my feet were indeed hurting. Having a place we could go in the middle of the show floor was perfect—and the fact that it was created just for special invited bloggers made it our makeshift home away from home.

Below are a few photos from my visit at the Samsung Smart Lounge during CES 2013. Can you say fun?

Chillin’ in the Samsung Smart Lounge “studio”. Love the white seating!

Bloggers, bloggers everywhere!

Me and my friend and fellow blogger, Raijean from SwaRai.com

Yay! Endless wifi abound!

Raijean getting her fabulousness on. Yes, she’s a fashion plate even in Techland

Talking shop (L) Raijean, SwaRai.com, Kitty (Kitty Bradshaw.com), Soomin John Kim, Senior Manager Communications Team, Samsung, and moi!

Check out our video from the Samsung Smart Lounge below:

Stay tuned to this site for more information and news from CES 2013!

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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During the past 11 months, I have been blessed! I got to travel a lot this year and do so many things in different parts of the country. And while I didn’t make it overseas, I managed to travel at least once each month of the year. Sometimes, I was in the air more than I was anywhere else!

I got to meet some incredible people and partake in some fabulous events and fun. I wanted to take a look down memory lane at all of the wonderful travel experiences I had this year—what better way to do that than with a countdown of my favorite Instagram photos from 2012?

I started on the Instagram photo social network in February, and managed to take a few photos during my trips with the help of the picture filtering application.

Here are 10 of my favorite Instagram Travel Photos from 2012, in no particular order:

10. Barnyard Perspective

I took this photo earlier this month during a visit to Grapevine, Texas. We are actually visiting Cross Timbers Winery and partaking in a fab wine tasting when some of my fellow travelers asked to go to the back of the property to see the barn, which is used for weddings and receptions. It was an overcast day and made for a really gorgeous shot on my iPhone.

9.  Versace Mansion

In May, I was an attendee at the Mom 2.0 Summit which was held in Key Biscayne near Miami, and we were invited to a special Intel sponsored party at the Versace Mansion. I’ve been to Miami’s Ocean Drive and seen the mansion from the outside a few times, but never had been inside—until this event. I got a photo of us walking through those infamous doors, and it was definitely a highlight of my year.

8.  Dress in the Window

During a visit to Atlanta in March, I saw this fabulous dress in the window of a store called Mooncake. The dress was made entirely out of tissue paper. Interesting, huh? Photo perfect!

7. Times Square, Baby!

The Big Apple is my favorite city! I managed to visit NYC twice this year, and I couldn’t get enough. I took this shot during a rainy night trek in Times Square while in Midtown for BlogHer.

6.  A View From the Suite

While in Key Biscayne for Mom 2.0, I stayed at the Ritz Carlton, and for some reason, was given a posh suite! This is the view that greeted me on the last morning of my stay. It was so beautiful!

5. Cafe Du Monde

The historic Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans is a must-visit. Their beignets and cafe au lait is to die for, and I had a great time in New Orleans while I was there for Mommy Niche.

4. Chicago’s Michigan Avenue

Chicago holds a special place in my heart, and it’s become my home away from home. During my first visit of 2012 to Chicago, I took a photo of the view from my room. It’s a view that I see every time I visit, since I stay in the same room at the wonderful Comfort Suites Michigan Avenue.

3. Lake Tahoe Hula Hoops

I visited Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley for the Wanderlust Festival on behalf of Toyota, and loved being in the mountains. I can’t believe I didn’t take more photos, especially of the mountains. I did manage to snap this shot on my way to a yoga class of a few Wanderlust attendees getting some hula hooping in.

2. Air Force One

While I was in Las Vegas in September for Blogalicious waiting for a flight to LAX, my plane was delayed because the President was landing at the airport for a fundraiser. I managed to get a shot of Air Force One while standing on a chair. Everyone rushed to the window to get a look.

1. Empire State of Mind

On my 2nd trip to New York, I was only there for 1 day! While walking back to my hotel with a group of bloggers, they told me to look up—and there it was! The Empire State Building. I got a quick shot of it for memories.

 (Oops I Forgot One!) My Cabin in the Woods

In October, I got to go glamping in SoCal at El Captian Canyon in Santa Barbara. While you could hardly call this roughing it, I got as close to nature as I ever have been. My cabin in the woods was quaint, cozy, and surprisingly, stylish!

2012 has been an awesome year for me travel wise. I can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store!

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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A few months ago, I told you about my fabulous Custom Facial at Soft Surrounding’s Renewal Room Spa. I loved the experience so much that I reached out to Soft Surroundings to host an event that can introduce other local area bloggers to the store and their wonderful spa services.

I’ve never had the experience of having a spa service within a store, and when I first heard about their Soft Surrounding’s Renewal Room located within their stores, I was on the fence. But I can tell you that the service I received and the chic ambiance in the Renewal Room won me over. So much that I wanted to share it with others.

Earlier this week, I hosted a small group of bloggers at a Soft Surroundings Blogger Breakfast Event. We noshed on muffins and drank mimosas as we toured the store and learned more about the Soft Surroundings brand and their Renewal Room Spa services. We also were introduced to their fabulous clothing, which is made by their own designers, and home and beauty items. They had a full array of holiday gift items for sale and on display, so all of us were able to see what incredible gifts they have to offer.

Each of us got the opportunity to have our choice of a spa service (lip treatment, hand treatment, eyebrow wax, or eye treatment). We also received gift cards that allowed us to shop, as well as 25% off of everything in the store and 50% off of a future Renewal Room Spa service.

Below are some photos for the event, which was filled with pampering, friendship, and shopping. A match made in heaven!

Bloggers in attendance for the Soft Surroundings Event were:

Economy of Style

UncommonChick

Glamazini

Healthy Life Deals

MELISA Source

Get You Moving Fitness

To see pictures of Soft Surroundings’ Renewal Room, click HERE.

You can follow Soft Surroundings on Twitter and Facebook.

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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The Chicklet during one of our trips to Chicago

Just when I thought I wasn’t going to be doing anymore traveling for the rest of the year, I was given an opportunity I couldn’t resist. As a person who is always traveling and going on one adventure to another, I was informed about the Family Travel Conference, which held it’s first event in New York City in February. The conference helps to connect other traveling families and assist them in developing tools to broadcast their travels via social media, blogging, video, and much more. When I heard about the conference from my friend, Barb, I knew it was something I needed to participate in.

The Family Travel Conference is taking place this weekend in Dallas and I am looking forward to meeting other travelers who incorporate their travels into their brands and blogs. I wouldn’t call myself a travel blogger per se, but as much traveling as I do on behalf of my blog and various projects that I work on, I know an event like this can benefit me greatly.

The conference is wonderful because it encourages you to bring your children. They have a lot of activities and workshops planned for the kids as well so they can get in on the fun and learn more about traveling. Unfortunately, I am not bringing The Chicklet with me this time (she has a lot of extracurricular stuff going on this weekend), but since she is my travel buddy from time to time, I am hoping to learn more about traveling with your kids and incorporating them into the journalistic process of it all.

The workshops that will take place during the conference include video, monetizing your brand, PR tools, Pinterest (my current Achilles heel) and much more.

We will be staying at the fabulous Omni Hotel in Dallas, and I will also be indulging in an excursion Sunday night in Grapevine, Texas. This is sure to be a great experience.

Stay tuned to my Twitter feed and FB page for updates and info about what I am learning. Also, I will be taking plenty of Instagram pictures, so make sure you are following me on there as well.

Wheels up, Buttercup!

 Special thanks to the Traveling Moms and Barb for including me on this fab event!

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. For a few years now, Twitter has been my Boo Thing and I absolutely love the instant connectivity that it gives you. Facebook was never a place that I felt really comfortable with, and so, I keep my personal FB page for close friends and family only. My circle on Facebook isn’t huge at all. But I also know that it is the King of all social networks, so not being active on it is a lose/lose for my blog and my business. If most people are on Facebook and I am not, then it probably won’t bode well for me. So more and more, I have been using Facebook and I am actually starting to like it. But it does have it’s drawbacks, and I see plenty of them on a daily basis.

I have also learned that you have to be careful when you are using Facebook. According to a recent report on HLN, Facebook could be ruining your life. Because since it shares so much about your daily activities and your location and articles read, it could be giving the wrong impression about you. And in doing so, people could be repelling against you because of your presentation on Facebook.

For example. A lot of online newspaper sites such as The Washington Post and The New York Times have what is called a social reader. It works like this—you opt in to the social reader (sometimes unknowingly) while reading a particular article on a certain newspaper site. When you opt in to this reader, it automatically shares any articles that you read on their site with your Facebook feed. You don’t have to click the ‘Like’ or ‘Recommend’ button, or copy and paste the article on Facebook. Simply by reading an article, it is shared on Facebook. But what if you are reading an article you really don’t anyone to know you are reading. What if you are reading an article about being addicted to online adult websites, or the goings on of a crazy and wacky celebrity over and over? When people see this on your feed (which is being transmitted on their feeds), they may make the wrong assumptions about you.

Also, you have probably heard of people being fired because of activity on their Facebook page. There was the teacher who was tagged in a photo of a bachelor party with a stripper who was subsequently let go because a parent saw it and shared it with the school. Or the person who didn’t accept the friend request from her boss on Facebook and was fired for not doing so. Facebook has become so engrained in our culture that it is being used a barometer of decency. Which isn’t saying much, but is totally wrong (in my opinion).

Since Facebook has caught on, there has been so much “controversy” surrounding it. Employers checking Facebook feeds to see the worthiness of a prospective employee. Workplaces asking for passwords to do more snooping. It’s a gift and a curse it seems.

What would our lives be without Facebook?

Would they be better? More productive? Drama free?

What’s your take on it? Is Facebook ruining your life, or the lives of those around you? What’s say you?

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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I get asked all the time when I will be holding another social media and blogging class, and I usually don’t have an answer. I guess it’s because I have been focused on so many other things, I forget that there are people out there who truly want to learn the ins and outs of blogging, and they want to learn it from me! Last year, I held a few workshops and seminars about branding and monetizing your blog, and of course there was Show Me the Blog. I wanted to extend more of my time to teaching classes on a subject that I have gotten to know so well.

So I introduce to you, Cube Classes™.

Cube Classes™ is a branch of my brand that will focus on teaching in person and online. Each month, I will offer several classes that you can choose from and for those of you who want more individualized attention, I also have One-On-One Cube Classes that you will be able to schedule on CubeClasses.com.

These classes will be fun, yet informative and affordably priced. I may also have guest speakers, teachers, and other guests to help with material as well as share their expertise.

I am so excited about this!

My first classes will be held in May on Thursday the 17th from 6-8pm and on Saturday the 19th from 9-11am. For more info on these classes, visit CubeClasses.com or click the links above.

If you are in the St. Louis area, I hope that you can join me. And if you aren’t, but want to attend CubeClasses™, stay tuned. I am working on an online workshop schedule as we speak.

I hope I see you at one of my CubeClasses soon!

About The Author

The Cubicle Chick, otherwise known as Danyelle Little, is the owner and editor of TheCubicleChick.com. After losing her job in Corporate America in 2009, she found a way to channel her frustration into a site that focuses on work, life, and play. Danyelle blogs and administers this site full-time, freelances for several other sites and publications, and works as a social media consultant to other brands, bloggers, and businesses. You can learn more about her by visiting DanyelleLittle.com.

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