Browsing Tag

reading

Reading Off-screen

As much as I love digital technology, there is something comforting and enjoyable about reading newspapers in print, so when The Globe and Mail offered me a free subscription, I signed up.

Since the periodical has started showing up outside my front door six days a week, I’ve changed my morning routine. It’s motivated me to wake up about 20 minutes earlier, so I can get ready and then read it with a coffee while everything’s quiet before heading to class. On the mornings I don’t have class and I’m not tempted to watch CityLine Fashion Friday, it feels like an additional luxury, as I anticipate how many hours during the day will be spent in front of a screen.

Upon checking Facebook and Twitter feeds in the morning, there are only so many worthwhile links to click that were posted since the night prior. The Globe, however, always has articles piquing my interest and more importantly, in print, there are thankfully no distractions, such as flashing colourful ads leading me to open a new tab, which will inevitably lead to more unnecessary and unproductive Internet browsing.

Last week, a colleague told me about the rush amongst her Ivey classmates to pick up a free copy of the Globe at school before they run out and now that I’m a subscriber, I can understand why. I like to read The New York Times too, but since they limited access to online content to ten articles per month, instead of the twenty permitted previously, I’m more grateful for the Globe’s convenient availability.

As the exam period approaches, I know that it will be a nice break to read the newspaper rather than a textbook. Also, just as course material tends to overlap across my different classes, I welcome the chance to read about the same topics on the syllabus in a more relevant context in Globe stories, such as those about Gen Y versus baby boomers in relation to my sociology of work class and current political scandals that will provide examples to theories about politicians’ increasing invisibility.

I find that when some of my profs point out that they still read a hard copy of the paper, they date themselves in a room of twentysomethings, though I can understand why they proudly announce this habit. Proclaiming that you read the paper in print needn’t be done in a self-deprecating or teasing tone. There are great journalists out there and I think taking the time to read their work, without distractions, is a wonderful way to pay respect, whether they write about fashion, business, tech or anything else.

Take the time to read sans screen and you may be surprised how much you like it.

April 3, 2012 by

Another First From Indigo

From a heads up on contest giveaways to exclusive invites, I’ve truly been enjoying all that Twitter has to offer, including the opportunity to connect with people in real life who I would have never met otherwise.

Indigo’s first tweet-up get together in February epitomized the power of Twitter when Cammy (@indigogreenroom) invited 9 of his loyal Twitter followers to an exclusive fun-filled evening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The tweet-up brought new meaning to the term ‘reading week’, which had brought me home to Toronto at the time, as it shows how reading is not merely a solitary activity; it brings people together.

Given that the event took place back in February, I won’t go into much detail about the event, except to say that I met some lovely ladies that evening and enjoyed the opportunity to meet Cammy in person! Chef Jason Bartenger served some delicious treats at LUMA, including this tasty desert pictured below:

For more insight into the Indigo tweet-up, you can check out Sara Hamil’s rave review, from which you can learn why Ivey should consider creating a case study about Indigo’s thoughtful marketing strategy.

As much as I love Indigo, someone else scrawled this on an Indigo notebook for the record. On a previous page, you can find other girls named Sarah doodling their name with the pencil. It’s such a common name!

After brainstorming similar events geared towards bloggers and trendsetters while working at Matchstick, I finally was able to attend a fall preview tonight at Indigo’s headquarters downtown at King and Spadina.

Walking into the brightly lit room on the sixth floor, I found a room filled mostly with women, all of whom were booklovers and Indigo rewards members. For the first time, Indigo granted rewards members the opportunity to preview Indigo’s fall lifestyle collection, just hours after opening their doors to magazine editors and TV show producers. Lack of media accreditation aside, everyone seemed pleased to mingle and browse while munching on appetizers from Chef Michael Smith’s recipes.

While librarians discussed the potential looming strike, teachers and students tried to hide their anxiety about going back to school and Indigo employees worked the room to chat up event attendees about Indigo’s reward programs and stunning new products. It wasn’t salesy at all, but ideally they should have introduced guests to each other rather than approaching them individually without helping them to forge new connections. Then again, it’s more difficult to make that happen without the luxury of a private dining room, like there was at the tweet-up.

My friend Cora, an English major, is eager to start reading the book by Phillip Roth she received in her gift bag!

Speaking of giveaways, one of my lucky friends from the Indigo tweet-up took home a new touchscreen Kobo e-reader and other guests will soon delve into The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which is a highly anticipated book according to Indigo’s team. Check back soon to see which purchases will be bought with my Indigo gift card!

I must also discuss the strategic layout of the room used for the fall preview event. Entering the room mirrored walking into a foyer at a neighbour or friend’s home, whereas this is usually where you would find a branded step and repeat used for photography. The most sales-forward component was a display of leather Kobo cases, but for a company responding to consumers’ adoption of digital readers, that was to be expected and nothing was lost as a result.

The entire room maintained a good balance that showcased how Indigo’s products can be used to create either a classic, sophisticated look throughout your home or quirky, fun atmosphere, depending on the decorative items you prefer. For example, you can easily add colour to a home office with accessories as small as yellow moustache paper clips!

You likely wouldn’t expect such playful decor in a professional setting, but there’s lots of room to experiment with Indigo’s merchandise. For instance, their eco-friendly message wasn’t limited to the tote bags in which goodies were distributed at the end of the night, as a transparent display case set on a desk held pop tabs. Some collect these to donate to charities, while others use them to accessorize I suppose! Meanwhile, vases of flowers and throw pillows offered a feminine touch, while sleek picture frames and modern clocks had mass appeal.

Leaving the event, I realized I may need to return a lamp I bought for my apartment in London because Indigo clearly has a better selection than I realized!

Thanks again to the Indigo team for another great event. Fortunately there were no wristbands required for entry this time!

Waiting in line to meet Shania Twain at Indigo

August 30, 2011 by

Weight Discrimination is Something to Size Up

In preparation for my presentation at Western’s ‘Flaunting It’ conference next Friday, I revisited a paper I wrote last year about weight discrimination. My research focuses on how this affects hiring practices and employment, but it certainly affects overweight people on a larger scale.

In some developing countries, people are starving and malnourished due to poverty, but obesity rates are increasing around the world exponentially. Fortunately, people are taking note of these statistics, such as the producers of MTV’s I Used To Be Fat. The show completed its first season earlier this month after introducing viewers to nine high school graduates who devoted their summer to losing weight. Motivating viewers to meet their weight loss goals is a positive step forward, but it does not change the fact that far too many youth are binge eating, out of shape and lazy.

Before reading Barry Popkin’s The World Is Fat, it never occurred to me that people have developed such a sweet tooth that youth are not only overindulging in soft drinks, but also adding additional sugar. For many overweight people, being weight is not a conscious choice; sometimes it’s merely a matter of genetics. Deliberately sweetening drinks like that is outrageous though. Even after government regulations ensured that all food and beverage packing include nutritional information people are ignoring this data, or at least dismissing it as unimportant. Education is an essential tool to discourage such unhealthy lifestyle choices. This is important for not only nutritionists, doctors, and food manufacturers to reiterate, but also fashion designers and advertisers.

On Tuesday afternoon, I had the privilege of listening to the inspirational entrepreneur, Ben Barry, who spearheaded the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, once again. Ben’s tenacity helped him convince Sears Canada to include models in their catalogue that resemble their customers, unlike the twigs who typically posed for their glossy pages. Since then, he continues liaising with fashion and marketing executives to help them sell products to their target demographic by hiring models who customers can identify with. The average soccer mom does not look like a toned size 2 woman with flawless skin and Ben asks advertisers to recognize that and promote their products accordingly.

As someone who started a business at age 14, Ben strongly believes in the potential of youth entrepreneurship and youth’s ability to inspire others and make great changes in the world. With Ben’s message in mind, I have changed my opinion about the MTV reality show because even if those nine kids inspired 100 people to start exercising, that’s better than nothing. Their reunion episode for the season finale allowed the participants to reflect on the show and prove to audiences that they have since created a social network amongst themselves and offer each other ongoing support. This is what people truly need: support, friendship and motivation. Whether this comes in the form of fat acceptance amongst hiring managers who should change their attitudes about candidates’ physical appearances, or clothing manufacturers that should produce high quality clothing that flatters overweight people, everything counts.

Ben Barry, November 2008, Queen’s University

 

March 19, 2011 by