http://aarp.tumblr.com/

#AARPSocial Seeks Summer Intern

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:13:00 -0400

AARP’s membership is aged 50+, but we work on issues that matter to all families.

Be warned: You will not hone your coffee-making skills at AARP (but maybe coffee drinking ones.) You’ll be part of a social media team that is entrepreneurial, creative and quirky. We appreciate nerdiness, memes and we inhale media like we’re drinking it out of a fire hose.

Applicants must have the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively, exercise initiative, maintain a positive attitude, and be available to work a minimum of 20 hours a week with our awesome social media team at our office in Chinatown/Penn Quarter. Intern candidates must also meet the following requirements:

Actively attending an accredited college/university.
Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Provide a recommendation letter from a professor.

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN

Skills You’ll Need:

Proficiency in WordPress
Comfortable with public speaking
Strong editing and writing skills
Managing multiple, varying tasks
Basic understanding of SEO
Deadline driven
Organized
Monitoring blogs, news outlets, etc.
Active and responsible social media profiles
Strong understanding of social media platforms and their strategic use

Because you’ll be:

Combing blogs, news outlets, think tanks and research groups for story ideas
Monitoring social media platforms for content
Answering questions about and troubleshooting WordPress functionality
Aiding in analytics reporting
Aiding in social marketing campaigns
Aiding in the social, paid and earned promotion of AARP Media content
Writing posts and engaging with Facebook fans and Twitter followers

If you think you can hang, email Alejandra Owens asowens@aarp.org with a resume and tell us why you want to join the team!

"When you consider we’re called trailer trash, it’s a joke,” says Louise. “I have very wealthy people..."

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:47:06 -0400

““When you consider we’re called trailer trash, it’s a joke,” says Louise. “I have very wealthy people here. They think it’s the coolest thing there is.” Lunches at the clubhouse are priced at $5 so that those who would never ask for help can bring home leftovers, those who are better off can put a little extra in the jar. One resident likens the diverse incomes and classes in the park to the old canard about nudist camps—everybody’s naked so you can’t see the differences. “In here we’re all equal. Some can hardly afford food. It’s all over the playing field. There’s no tension because some of the trailers are run-down. Who cares? It’s their home.””

- from Pacific Coast Mag’s long, fascinating piece on the state of trailer parks & senior housing in America.

"There’s no airbrushing of wrinkles, no concealing of age spots, no well-intentioned soft focus..."

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:50:12 -0400

““There’s no airbrushing of wrinkles, no concealing of age spots, no well-intentioned soft focus to knock a few years off. This has been their most successful campaign to date.””

- BBC America, “The Fashion World’s Silver Stylistas”

jayparkinsonmd: My grandparents were married for over 60 years....

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:40:19 -0400

jayparkinsonmd:

My grandparents were married for over 60 years. They navigated life together through the outrageously amazing and downright horrible times. Paige and I are starting the early phase of creating a documentary about life and relationships that endure for decades and decades. We’re looking to talk with parents and grandparents who have been together for years and years and have found satisfaction and happiness. If you know someone like this in the NYC area, please email me at jayparkinson+documentary@gmail.com.

"I actually think an adult audience is kind of rising up - the fact that we’re not making every..."

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:40:20 -0400

““I actually think an adult audience is kind of rising up - the fact that we’re not making every movie for teenagers is kind of a cool thing — especially since I’m not a teenager anymore.””

- Quentin Tarantino, 50 years old today, on movies. Watch the full interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L9KtHLUyXs

http://blog.aarp.org/2013/02/25/oscar-night-was-great-for-grownups/

Oh, let’s just have Ronald Reagan explain it: Reagan...

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:03:30 -0500

Oh, let’s just have Ronald Reagan explain it:

Reagan understood that Social Security is a separately funded program unrelated to problems in the rest of the budget, and he clearly stated that: “Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit.”

A little something we got for @ESPN’s @MikeandMike’s...

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:54:07 -0500

A little something we got for @ESPN’s @MikeandMike’s #Golic this morning….#Happy50th

Join AARP Team Social: Hiring Manager of Social Strategy

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:17:00 -0500

The election is so last week. We’ve moved on to the fiscal cliff and preparing for the next Congressional session. AARP’s looking for a smart, savvy social/digital media strategist to help us make sure that Social Security and Medicare are strong for today’s retirees and generations to come.

So, if you just finished winning [insert candidate]’s race, pull yourself off your celebratory beach vacation and apply to join one of the best social teams inside the Beltway.

Must be able to:

- Wow us with a strategic social media campaign that you directed that achieved your goals.

- Build online campaigns that drive offline action.

- Our team specializes in going rogue. We’re looking for someone that shares our entrepreneurial spirit to try new things, break molds and generally #GSD.

- Map social influencers and develop strategic social campaigns to reach key audiences.

- Manage vendor relationships.

Bonus points if:

- Your geeky tendencies involve data, anayltics, and coding.

- You herd cats well. We’ve got a lot of people to teach, collaborate and coordinate with and persuade. Your experience dealing with crazy campaign volunteers will help.

- You want to be based in the DC metro area.

- You have experience in communications or advocacy, particularly working in the White House, on The Hill or in a high profile public relations position.

- Experience being an on the record spokesperson.

- proficient in Convio and/or database integration

You can get a sense of our team here on our Facebook album.

Sound up your alley? Shoot me a note and your resume at tgordon@aarp.org.

- Tammy Gordon, Director of AARP Social Communications & Strategy

Sketch to Final, by Craig Cutler

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:18:46 -0400

Sketch to Final, by Craig Cutler:

page-review:

AARP Media’s Photo Editor, Caitlin Peters, and Art Director, Lesley Q. Palmer, had the pleasure of working with Craig Cutler for a feature running in the October/November 2012 issue. The article is about the changes you can expect in your 50s, 60s and 70s in regards to your skin, senses,…

"You have to make up for your inability to guess the right idea early by guessing lots. As you grow..."

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:44:36 -0400

““You have to make up for your inability to guess the right idea early by guessing lots. As you grow older you get pickier.””

- Evan Williams, Twitter founder, when asked if his age and experience is an advantage.

Hiring: Social Communications Trainer

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 11:55:00 -0400

Are you: a born and bred public speaker, a networker at heart, patient with the proven ability to impart your social media wisdom to groups of all types and a total self-starter?

If so, AARP Social Communications is in need of your skills, now! We are hiring a full-time Social Communications Manager who will head up, lay the foundation for and run AARP’s social training program. So if you know the ins and outs of WordPress, can talk us through a click-by-click promoted Twitter campaign over the phone and have a portfolio of kick butt Prezis on Facebook advertising campaigns this just might be the gig for you.

You must apply for the job here but also send your resume to us directly at asowens@aarp.org.

Responsibilities

Serve as the organization’s primary social media trainer. Develop and execute scalable, enterprise wide social communications and blog curriculum and training program for AARP staff, volunteers and members on platforms including (but not limited to) Wordpress, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Yammer, and Spredfast (or other tracking platform). Must be able to present trainings in person (travel to state offices periodically), via Livestream or webinar.
Identify training modules, tracking platforms and influencer measurement tools to effectively reach the organization’s targeted audiences and protect/enhance the AARP brand.
Working with colleagues across the Association, troubleshoot member service and response issues AARP social platforms.
Develop relationships with platform experts and representatives to ensure close coordination of any changes and /or updates that need to be communicated to AARP social communications and blog teams.
Maintain high credibility with colleagues in Integrated Communications and clients throughout the association and be adept at building teams across disciplines to achieve goals.
Develop and manage collaborative relationships with designated business units and peers across the organization.
Follow AARP Social Communications Guidelines and serve as an example of best practices in social and digital community engagement.
Make recommendations to the Director„ Social Communications & Strategy for new platforms or tools to achieve AARP’s goals.
Work closely with IC departments to ensure that project deliverables meet client needs and deadlines are met.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree, (advanced degree preferred) in marketing communications/public relations or a related discipline and 2-5 years of experience in working on social and/or website/blog platforms.
Previous education or field organizing experience preffered.
Demonstrate a understanding of prioritization and management of multiple organizational projects.
Possess strong client service orientation and account management skills.
Demonstrate excellent understanding of, and ability to work within, organizational politics, networks, and a matrix management system.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills (e.g. listening, negotiating, facilitating, managing conflict, flexibility, etc.).
Demonstrate strong working knowledge and understanding of social communications platforms, HTML, blogs, microblogs, mobile, user-generated sites, tracking and analysis platforms etc.
Possess excellent writing and oral communication skills for trainings and presentations.

Click here for more information about the position.

awesomepeoplehangingouttogether: Neal Stephenson, Neil...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:00:47 -0400

awesomepeoplehangingouttogether:

Neal Stephenson, Neil Armstrong and Neil Gaiman

Hey, this is crazy…but call your grandparents maybe?...

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:55:50 -0400

Hey, this is crazy…but call your grandparents maybe? Don’t forget to call them on September 9th! (Grandparents Day, but you totally knew that already.)

discoverynews: One of the largest government programs in the...

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:49:47 -0400

discoverynews:

One of the largest government programs in the world, turns 77 today. Originally entitled Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), social security now encompasses a significant portion of the federal budget, and is estimated to keep 40-percent of all senior citizens out of poverty.

ourpresidents:

On August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act.

Later that day, the Washington Post proclaimed that the Social Security Act was the “New Deal’s Most Important Act…Its importance cannot be exaggerated …because this legislation eventually will affect the lives of every man, woman, and child in the country.”

This poster was distributed from November 1936- July 1937 during the initial issuance of Social Security numbers through U.S. post offices and with the help of labor unions.

More - Posters from the Social Security Archives

"Part of what I see as the mission of this event is to create enough awareness so that even companies..."

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:52:39 -0400

“

Part of what I see as the mission of this event is to create enough awareness so that even companies not doing specific things for seniors start thinking about seniors.

This space is more touch-driven, visually easier to see, simplicity is a huge factor, ease to entry is key. The level of frustration will be higher. Oftentimes the people who are selling this technology to them are kids, so they don’t understand. If you’re developing a product for this sector, you need to know that the rules you used to follow aren’t true anymore. And you need to be aware of the frustration level. What do most people do when they get to the point of frustration or fear? They stop using the product.

”

- Chris Valentine, event producer for September’s LivePitch event in New Orleans, on why you should design products for the underserved and underestimated 50+ market. To submit your company to pitch to angels, VCs, and the toughest critics of all, AARP members, go here.

pbsthisdayinhistory: August 14, 1935: Social Security Act...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:50:39 -0400

pbsthisdayinhistory:

August 14, 1935: Social Security Act Signed into Law

On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, which was originally designed to provide economic security during the Great Depression.

Funded through a 2% payroll tax, the 1935 Social Security Act offered aid for the unemployed, the elderly, children and various state health and welfare programs.

Today, Social Security remains an important topic in the discourse of health and politics. Read PBS NewsHour’s recent article, “34 Social Security Secrets You Need to Know Now.”

Photo: ”Unemployed insured workers registering for jobs and filing benefit claims at a State employment office,” National Archives and Records Administration.

Just in: Ron Palillo, actor who played Arnold Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter" has died at 63.

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:49:29 -0400

Just in: Ron Palillo, actor who played Arnold Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter" has died at 63.

This is what we do when we see stuff like this on Tumblr.

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:37:20 -0400

This is what we do when we see stuff like this on Tumblr.

garfieldminusgarfield: G-G the book - G-G on Facebook - G-G on...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:33:08 -0400

garfieldminusgarfield:

G-G the book - G-G on Facebook - G-G on Twitter

Heh.

The University of Alabama surveyed nearly 8,000 people in 2012, finding that participants over the age of 50 who used Twitter (and Facebook) were one-third less likely to develop symptoms of depression than those not using social media.

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:50:20 -0400

The University of Alabama surveyed nearly 8,000 people in 2012, finding that participants over the age of 50 who used Twitter (and Facebook) were one-third less likely to develop symptoms of depression than those not using social media. :

via HuffingtonPost