Posts Tagged ‘twitter’

Twitter Party Wrap Up: Moms and Tech

Posted by ruckusholly on March 2nd, 2012

Did you know that in 2010, 88% of women purchased tech products as compared to 83% percent of men?  Yep, it’s a proven stat.

With this stat in mind, last night we gathered with dozens of amazing women on Twitter to talk about MOMS and TECH.  We were curious about the gadgets they’re using, how they’re using tech and how they’re balancing their usage, as well as their kids.

We also gathered four tech bloggers to moderate and guide us as we talk about two topics close to their hearts and professional lives.  They were:  Beckie Mostello from Tech Talk for Moms, Heidi Leder from Coast 2 Coast Mom, Jacqueline Cromwell from Nerd Family Blogs and Grace Duffy from Formerly Gracie.

What did we find out?  That moms are tech geeks.  They’re using iPads, iPhones, Mac Computers, Androids, Roku, HP Laptops, Apple TV, nooks and more.  When asked what gadgets they’re currently using, they had a lot to say:

Tracyparral: I use my desktop, laptop, iPad, and Samsung tablet, and on occasion my phone.

Graceduffy: I have an obscene number of tablets in my house.

CoziFamily:  I’m such an Apple geek: Macbook, iPad, iPhone are my main gadgets.

These tech savvy moms are online often but they balance their time when the kids are around.

C2C Mom: We’re always connected!

hippie_mom: Phones are to easy for mulit-tasking so always.

nikki2kids: too many hours, but I”m always connected to the internet.

techtalkformoms: most of the day, I try to turn off when kids get home from school.

ophelan83: My kid is a techbaby. I dont ever stop him from using it because its just part of his generation

There are lots of social media moms.  Women use it to connect to other moms, they use it for work, as well as pleasure, but are definitely more careful of their use of venting on social media.  There is also a clear love for Pinterest among women, as most at our party last night expressed their love for the new, extremely popular tool.

lilstylefile: Social Media is a creative outlet for us! We use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram on a daily basis!

IrishRed02: Yes! Its a sounding board for many facets of life: advice, questions, rants.

Women choose gadgets for functionality, not design.  They use apps to manage their busy lives, particularly calling out to Google Calendar, Cozi, Stickie Notes, Drop Box and Evernote.

And moms love educational apps. They had a lot to say about their importance:

secretskri_jail: educational apps are very important. that is what we try and find. educational yet fun

techtalkformoms: ebooks are another mode to help a struggling reader learn to read

CoziFamily:  Agree! Book apps, educational apps. I’ll let my kids spend way more time on that than just games

techtalkformoms: I think book apps r great, what ever it takes to get children reading!

@iPad_storytime: if I focus on the quality of tech use by my kid, it’s easier 2 set limits on quantity.

ophelan83: Super important! Education is our first priority in my home.

We couldn’t have enjoyed our discussion more and thank everyone for coming to our Moms & Tech Twitter Party.  We also send our congratulations to all the prize winners and thanks to our wonderful prize sponsors: Cozi, FashionPlaytes, The Digital Mom Handbook,Blue Sky Planners, Discovery Bay Games and My Little Pony.

It’s a wrap!

Day #7 of Holiday Free Family Fun with Ashley Saunders

Posted by ruckusholly on December 19th, 2011

Ashley SaundersWe are continuing 12 Days of Holiday Free Family Fun with our friends at ZiggityZoom.  Our seventh guest blogger is Ashley Saunders of TeachableMommy.com.   Ashley is a Teachable Mommy of 2. When she is not teaching her children or learning life lessons, Ashley is a blogger, foodie, coffee lover, and a book nerd.  You can also follow her over on Twitter at @IrishRed02.

When asked how she keeps her kids busy during the holidays, Ashley said:

If you are like me, keeping little ones busy during the holidays can be a daunting task! I like to get mine involved in as much of the to-do of Christmas as possible. My daughter likes to help wrap and my son uses his muscles to put, or throw, the presents under the tree (thank goodness nothing is breakable!).

We also love a good dress-up dance party. Nothing gets the sillies out like rocking out to our favorite songs.  It’s also a great way to work off any extra holiday treats!

Visit ZiggityZoom.com for today’s 7th Day of Christmas Free Family Fun Printable- fun kids activity, Snowflake WORD Worksheet, and a giveaway for a FREE Ruckus app.

 

Join Our Twitter Party to Discuss Teaching Our Children the Importance of Giving Back on December 6th at 9pm EST

Posted by ruckusholly on November 28th, 2011

St Jude HospitalAs you know, we have partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to help children who need it most this holiday season. It’s an honor to be involved with an organization that cares so much about children and their well-beings as much as we do.

Being involved in this phenomenal campaign has made us think about our own children and how they’re never too young to learn the value of helping others. As we know, children learn by watching their parents. Take talking, for instance. We talk to our children from the time they’re babies and, after a while, they start talking back. We know that if they see us reading, chances are they will learn to love it, too. We can also model compassion and generosity. If children see us donating our time, money, and belongings, they will learn to do the same.

As parents ourselves and producers of educational products, we care a lot about this topic, so we thought we’d spend this month’s Twitter Party sharing tips and encouraging others to raise their children to help others. For this conversation, we are partnering up with our friends at @StJude and a few of the campaign’s partners.

Come hang out with us on Tuesday, December 6 from 9-10pm EST at hashtag #stjuderuckus on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer. @StJude will be on hand, and @mommymentor, @ciaomom, @amotherhoodblog, @complicatedmama, @saving4today and @primetimeparent will be on board to moderate the discussion, and as usual, we’ll great giveaways including plenty of Ruckus apps, St. Jude merchandise and more.  You must RSVP on Twitvite and be at the party to be in the running for the prizes.

To learn more about St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign and its partners, please visit www.stjude.org or call 1-800-4STJUDE. To purchase Ruckus’ interactive storybooks for iOS mobile devices and help support St. Jude during the holiday season, visit the Ruckus Media Group page at iTunes.

If you’re not already following us, we’re on Twitter at @RuckusMedia.  RSVP for the Twitter party here and while you are at it, please join us on Facebook  for the latest and greatest on Ruckus. Be sure to check out our videos on You Tube, sign up for our RSS feed and pick up our apps on iTunes.

Calling All Bronies! My Little Pony Tee Shirt Giveaway

Posted by ruckusholly on November 3rd, 2011

Bronies shirtTo continue our celebration of the launch of My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day, we have two official Bronies tee-shirts to give away.  We have a ”Friendship Is Magic” tee-shirt with a shout to Bronies – it’s a size medium and is tight-fitting.  We also have the tee-shirt pictured on the left of this post in a size medium that is more loosely fitted and reads “This Shirt Just Got 20 Percent Cooler”.

To enter, comment in the comment section below, Friend us on Facebook  and let us know which shirt you want. Open to everyone everywhere, who enter by Thursday, November 10th at 11:59 AM EST.  Winners will have 24 hours to claim their prize, or we will have to offer it to the runner-up.  There will be two winners, one for each shirt.

BONUS ENTRIES: Earn a bonus entry for each of the following that you do or have done. Leave a separate comment for each-

  • Subscribe to Ruckus Media Group feed in a reader or by email, leave a comment telling us which way you subscribed.
  • Stumble the post, submit to Digg, delicious, Mixx, Reddit, Propellor, or other social bookmarking sites. Leave the URL in your comment.
  • Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the URL.
  • Follow The Ruckus Media on Twitter  and tweet this link: Win a Bronies Tee-Shirt from @RuckusMedia http://bit.ly/vJm4xc #giveaway

Good luck and happy entering!

 

 

My Little Pony: Sharing the Social Media Love

Posted by ruckusholly on October 6th, 2011

Our new co-branded with Hasbro My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day  has been available in the iTunes store for about weeks now and it’s reached #1 in iTunes, and we’ve been loving all the buzz filling our Twitter and Facebook streams.  We thought we’d share some of the great comments we’ve been getting and we’d love for you to put any new ones in the comment section below.

 

My Little Pony tweet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

my little pony tweet

 

 

 

 

 

 

And over on Facebook, where there’s never a dull moment, supporters have been submitting the cutest photos of their children playing the app.  Check this one out:

And listen to what some have to say over there:

my little pony tweet

my little pony tweet

 

my little pony tweet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve also been mentioned on a wide variety of blogs including The iPhone Mom, Classy Mommy, Best Apps for Kids, Saving for Someday, 7 on a Shoestring, Moms Take On Things, The Chatty Momma, Fun Educational Apps, Dad of Divas, Apps 4 Moms,  About.com toy section, HipMamaB and many others.  We are so grateful for all the support.

So, head on over to our Twitter handle and share the My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day  love with us there, or on our Facebook page.  Also, check out our FREE lite version, available in iTunes.  Sign up for newsletter updates. Lastly, check out our new sizzling video all about the app and watch it come to life on You Tube.   And one last thing: My Little Pony is .99 cents for one more week.  It will go back up its regular price at midnight on October 12th. Go get your copy now!

BlogHer Twitter Party!

Posted by ruckusholly on July 25th, 2011
BlogHer 11Thursday, July 28th

3pm EST /12pm PST / 2pm CT

 

Hashtag: #RuckusBlogHer

Tweet Grid Link: http://bit.ly/nXYFNj

We’re just over one week to BlogHer 2011 and we are all thinking about it! Join our fabulous moderators as we talk about what to expect at the conference, what we hope to get out of the conference, the agenda, the parties and so much more.  Feel free to bring all your questions and comments to the party.

As usual, we’ll have prizes galore.  Stay tuned for further information, but you can always count on multiple app giveaways from our growing library.

No RSVP is required, just come, but if you are know that you’re coming, please RSVP in the comment section below.

Twitter Party Wrap-Up: Chuck & Friends, Play Dates, Friendships, Tech and More

Posted by ruckusholly on June 29th, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 29th, 2011

Chuck & Friends

If you’re familiar with the story of our new app,  Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul, you know that Chuck has a lot of friends (other trucks, of course!).  He spends his time leading his pals on high-gear adventures.  Every time they get together, they have all kinds of issues that develop including sharing, teamwork, playing outside and more.

So, with all that in mind, we gathered with eighty-seven tweeps on Twitter and talked about play dates, friendship and other parenting issues.  It was a popular night, partly because we were giving away the Chuck & Friends app, as well as prizes that were graciously donated by our friends at Playskool.  The winners were xxkimhcxx, jen276here, ThatsItMommy, mellanhead, unkatchable73 and VectoringMomma.  Congrats to all of them!

We were also so lucky and thrilled to have four guest moderators:  ToyQueen, Thebigtoybook, Saving4someday and Teachwtechbrox.

If you’re wondering how play dates and apps go together, well, it’s simple. Read the questions and some of the responses that we got during the party to put two and two together.   We actually did bring up the topic of play date planning apps, and it looked like no one in our group  knew of any, so feel free to post any play date apps in the comment section below.  We also learned about the newest kind of play date: Skype play dates.  It’s a new day and age, and we’re all rolling with it.

 

Q1 - How much effort do you put into play date planning?  Do moms contact you or do you contact them?  

TeacherMomOfTwo They usually contact me and I don’t put as much planning into it as I would like to.

ToyQueen There are many drop-in type playgrounds at local playspaces, library, so I like the non-committal route.

A4CWSN We have play dates using Skype sometimes with other special need children :)

mom4everandever Playdates are not forced but its good for socialization, let them play and be kids.

ADL_Kane I’ve had parents contact me on Facebook to schedule playdates. There’s irony there somewhere.

theteacherswife My son has social interaction issues so we keep it pretty low key on the playdates! Mostly close friends.

Lilac_the_bunny oh, I love the summer enrichment programs at the library!  Excellent resource.

Zebastyandylan No real effort..we have a play group that gets together at least 1x a week.

Thebigtoybook I am more of a spur of the moment play date planner.

Shuggysmommy Play dates give me or the other mom some free time to do whatever which is also great.

 

Q2: How do you keep the peace among kids? Do you set ground rules? Do you set the amount of time for the play date? Do you drop your child off or do you stay? Do you let kids play electronics on play dates?

 

VectoringMomma I keep the peace with snacks and saying, “be sweet” a lot, lol!

Jen276here I don’t know – it just kind of happens on its own.  We are not very structured in playdates.

Beeacutie2 media is known to rule our lives so keeping it down is a must even kids need to unplug.

xxkimhcxx set rules, and make sure they are sharing toys.

theteacherswife No electronics with small exceptions  Need to learn how to socialize!

Duckyone I would make sure there’s enough of whatever they are playing with so they don’t fight over stuff.

Sleatham1 Sharing is a must, and not an option!  They play outside and no electronics are allowed.

A4CWSN  In today’s society, teaching our children to share on playdates with their electronics is very important.

unkatchable73  I see nothing wrong with interactive educational games on the xbox.

 

Q3: What are some no-fail play date activities?

Lilac_the_bunny Outdoor things…bubbles are always fun, playing sports, running around.

Thebigtoybook  My kids love to try and play tag running around the stair case.  Possibly their favpass time – even with ALL the toys.

Saving4someday My daughter liked legos or a craft or playing anything make believe.

ToyQueen I like sometimes using board games and play-doh, has a little structure but not too much, when I work with groups.

Peggysbooks We build forts – giant ones, inside or out.  Dress up and crafty stuff always on hand.

Mommyinstincts Or outdoor things like water balloons.

unkatchable73 Personal play station – it’s a mini-play station.

VectoringMomma They love anything that goes VROOM, hehe!

7onashoestring I hate when others do that ignore my child.  They should play!

Saving4someday tech is difficult for a play date because not all kids use it an may not be respectful of the device.

Thebigtoybook We don’t usually bring iPad/iPhone out for playdates but on bus rides for school trips?  Kids love playing them together!

 

Q4:  How do you handle the play date aftermath?  Do you give the kids a head’s up that the play date is ending?  Any clean-up tactics?

A4CWSN ChorePad APP 4 cleaning up or iReward.

Tracyparral I tell them ahead of time and them ready to clean up.

Bctripletmommy Just give them a countdown; 30 minutes.

Jen276here Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!

Complicatedmama My 6yr sings it but rarely does it.

Saving4someday My saying: Count down avoids the melt down!

ToyQueen Countdowns or transitional warnings we call them can be great.  You can flick the light as a visual reminder.

 

Q5: How about you as a mom?  Do you keep in touch with the moms you met in your child’s early playgroups?  Do you need the time during playgroup or play dates to have adult conversation?

Mom4everandever sometimes we make meals together.

VectoringMomma I try but I stay in contact more with all my twitter mommas, hehe!

Beeacutie2 I do we have a month get together, it is amazing!

ToyQueen I think playdates should be about supporting the kids, we can schedule mommy time without them!

Teachwtechbrox I think adult conv is ok as long as the kids needs come first.

xxkimhcxx Yes, adult conversation is always good, I just try not to use the baby words when I’m talking to them.

 

Q6: Do you encourage new your kid’s friendships or try to nurture old ones?

VectoringMomma Both!  I want my little guys to be loyal AND outgoing!

Lilac_the_bunny I think you need to let kids pick their own friends and only step in when they aren’t being nice.

unkatchable73  encourage new friendship and try to nurture the ones they have, some of which might not be easy.

Bostontwinmommy It sounds like a dream to have playmates in the house, but they rarely want to play together nicely.

 

You can get the full script by going to Twitter and looking at hashtag #RuckusPlayDate.

Join Us for a Twitter Party to Talk about Chuck & Friends, as well as Play Dates on June 28th, 10-11pm EST

Posted by ruckusholly on June 21st, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 23rd, 2011

Chuck and Friends

Our new app, Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul, is one big play date: Chuck, Handy, Rowdy and Boomer are chasing bad guys, making noise, playing in the mud and having four-alarm fun.

The ongoing story of Chuck & Friends is all about friendship. Whenever Chuck and his pals get together, they always wind up having a whirlwind of adventure and fun while trying to stay out of trouble with their parents.

How important are your child’s friendships to you?   Do you nurture their relationships and set up play dates?  During these play dates, do you set up activities and make sure they have particular toys to play with?  Come discuss your play date issues and more with us and panel of bloggers (to be announced).

Come hang out with us on Tuesday, June 28th from 10-11pm EST at hashtag #RuckusPlayDate on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer) for a discussion on play dates.  We’ll have great giveaways provided by our friends at Playskool, including a few sets of both Chuck & Friends Big Air Dare DVDs and Chuck & Friends Tumble Towers.  We’ll also have plenty of  Chuck & Friends: Friends for the Long Haul apps on hand to give away, as well.

If you’re not already following us, we’re on Twitter at @RuckusMedia. RSVP for the Twitter party here and while you are at it, please join us on Facebook for the latest and greatest on Ruckus. Be sure to check out our videos on You Tube, sign up for our RSS feed and pick up our apps on iTunes.

Look forward to “seeing” you then!

Twitter Party Wrap-Up: A Conversation with David A. Carter

Posted by ruckusholly on June 9th, 2011

 

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

June 9th, 2011

Spot the DotOur recent Twitter party was a bit of an experiment.  We asked the brilliant artist and creator of our latest Spot the Dot app, David A. Carter (@PopArt123), to join us in a conversation with our followers.  It was unlike anything we had done on Twitter before, and we didn’t know how it would turn out.  Needless to say, not only us, but everyone who came to the party, really seemed to enjoy being in a room with one of our app creators and loved having the opportunity to ask him everything – about his work, his career, Spot the Dot and for advice on breaking into the app business.  We talked about the development of Spot the Dot, the creativity and technology behind the app, as well as Carter’s inspirations.  It was a night to remember for many of us.  We’ve included just a few of our favorite comments in this short wrap-up for your perusal.

 

Q1 – David, how did you transition from paper engineer to app designer?  How did you bring pop art to life?  Everyone, are the concepts David introduced (i.e. counting, colors, shapes) important to you?

PopArt123: Creating an app is similar in that both are interactive. I try to integrate the interactivity into the concept.

FamiGo: Interactivity is definitely what takes a book app beyond a regular paper&ink book, +great for making reading fun 4 kids too!

PopArt123: I work mostly from drawings the straight to Illustrator.

mamagames: Concepts like counting, colors, shapes are important not just to my 4 yo but to 8 yo working on creating & appreciating art.

 

Q2 – David, can you talk about the process of creating an app?  How does working digitally compare to developing a physical book?

PopArt123: We start with an idea then work with the developer to make it happen.

DSloanandco: @popart123says Bruno Munari has influenced his work. Here’s a link to some Munari artwork: http://goo.gl/UhHqa.

PopArt123: The editor Marc Cheshire and I designed the interactivity.

A4CWSN: If it is a Story, it has to be a good Story, otherwise people will forget it.

PopArt123: es I use the computer along with traditional methods for my print work.

moglueDOTcom: I agree, a story has to be a good story that people don’t forget it!

ostmega: I like it when an app (or digital book of any kind) highlights the words as their read. Helps with recognition.

brooks_jones: Randomization is key for re-play value–plus it adds interest for the adults too.

hoppingfun: Emotional immersion. Optimal use of video, text, audio, interaction to achieve it.

teachermomoftwo:  I think digital literacy appeals to the millenials as well as the younger generation. Much more interactive.

 

Q3: David, let’s talk about the special effects behind Spot the Dot.  How do you hit on such great ideas to share with such young children?  How important is sound?

A4CWSN: Agame or interactive anything will become boring over time, this is fact, it has to be a good Story or theme.

PopArt123: I think about ideas a lot, I fill notebooks with ideas and I am very influenced by the Montessori classroom.

brooks_jones: High-quality sound files essential–and they must be appropriate to the story or action.

ipad_storytime: Sound is increasingly vital to an app book’s market success, but personally I like to turn off & read.

brooks_jones: I fear that my app will be outdated and trumped by better tech as soon as it appears in the app store!

 

Q4: David,what is your advice for other story creators who want to break into the story app world?

kishizuka: In SLJ’s app advisory, educators were concerned abt how to use apps in a classrm/library. Any thoughts as the creator(s)?

popart123: Like a book, you should have a good idea or story and then make sure you work with talented people.

popart123: Interactivity is #1.

mamagames: Spot the Dot encourages adults 2 sit with the young player(s) and offer another level of engagement.

mamagames: Having an app that adults enjoy right along with the kids is very important to me.

bctripletmom: Everyone, Spot the Dot in particular encourages adults 2 sit with the young player(s) and offer another level of engagement.

ostmega: Sometimes the interaction is a little too close. Almost had a fight break out here today over Spotting the Dot!

 

Q5: David, who are some of your inspirations and favorite storytellers in the digital space? Everyone, how about you?

popart123:  I like Mike Austin’s A Present for Milo, Ben Roberts’ Alice for iPad, Sesame Street’s The Monster at the End of.

letsgochipper: Roald Dahl! Danny the Champion of the World a fav.

brooks_jones: Pretty fond of the Loud Crow, Touchoo and Auyrn story apps [and Ruckus, of course].

thedomesticexec: I love all the Christmas digital stories my kids even read them in the summer:-)

ipad_storytime: I think my personal favorite is The Fine Musician.

aaallain: Ansel’s Africa is a new and upcoming interactive story app.

SimpleLeigh: My kids love digital work that goes with paper books, like Search for Wand-La app.

A4CWSN: Special needs books and apps are the future:) I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but it is true!

PopArt123: Watching my children grow and spending time in the classroom has inspired many ideas.

 

You can get the full script by going to Twitter and look at hashtag #ruckusspotdot.

Thanks to David and to everyone who came.  See you at our next Twitter Party next month about our new Hasbro-branded apps.  Details coming soon.

Join Us for a Twitter Party to Talk with David A. Carter, Pop Up Master Extraodinaire on June 8th, 9-10pm EST (NOTE NEW DATE)

Posted by ruckusholly on June 2nd, 2011

by Holly Rosen Fink, Ruckus Media Staff Marketing Consultant

 

June 2nd, 2011

 

David A. CarterEver wanted to hang out with the creator of one of your favorite apps for an hour and find out about its creative process?  We’ve teamed up with pop-up master and NY Times best-selling children’s book author David A. Carter to adapt his creative genius to his very first app, Spot the Dot.  You may know him from his best-selling books, perhaps it was One Red Dot that got you and your family hooked?  Or his BUGS IN A BOX series?  David gets kids and families and how to share key childhood concepts – colors, counting, colors, and more – in a simple yet absolutely mesmerizing way.  He’s agreed to help moderate our next Twitter party where he’ll answer all kinds of questions about the app, his work and inspiration.

Come hang out with us on Wednesday, June 8th from 9-10pm EST at hashtag #ruckusspotdot on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer) for this discussion   As usual, we’ll have great giveaways.

If you’re not already following us, we’re on Twitter at @RuckusMedia and please RSVP for the Twitter party here.  While you are at it, please join us on Facebook for the latest and greatest Ruckus updates, check out our videos on You Tube (including one of David on the app process and the creation of Spot the Dot), sign up for our RSS feed, join our mailing list and pick up our apps in iTunes.