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Somewhere Only We Know

I have two favorite places to go when I need an escape.  To the left is a place I call "The Forts".  It is an old shelter base that was built during a war.  It has concrete tunnels and an amazing view of Nantasket Beach in Hull, Massachusetts.  When I sit up top of those concrete tunnels I find peace. 

To the right is a spot found right here in Westfield.  Its deep inside Stanley Park but it is magnificent.  It is a hidden gem inside a huge park.  Watching the ducks and swans gracefully move about brings a sense of calmness to this hectic world. I enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by nature as I sit by the water.  This is my peace when I am far from home.

Lighting Up My Life

Best friend is not a term I use loosely but over 21 years I have gained two of the very best girl friends anyone could as for.  With their contagious smiles there is never an unhappy moment when we are together.  Being friends since we were in 6th grade has allowed us three to grow together and become more like sisters.  Their positive outlooks on life have influenced me for the better and I would not trade them for all the stars in the sky.

Campus Life

To all the girls out there with closets full of fashionable close, save them for the weekend.  It may not be the best look, but sweatpants and sweatshirts are a popular choice for hanging around campus.  College allows the freedom to have days where you don't have to get dressed; after all, isn't that the whole reason we go?

Not all colleges have the set up that Westfield State University does, but they should.  With the center of campus being all grass, spring time becomes the best season at school.  This open field is most often referred to as "the green".  When the weather gets warmer, and classes grow harder to get to, the green becomes a very popular spot.  Whether students are playing frisbee, football or even tanning, this is one of the best things about campus.

Sass with a Smile

Sassy. That was the one word everyone used to describe my personality when I was younger.  I always had to get the last word and I had an attitude that parents had nightmares about.  But as sassy as I was, I was lovable too.  I had a huge heart and loved to make other people smile.  

Flash forward 18 years, at 21 I am much less sassy, but just as lovable as I was at 3.  I love to laugh and I do it often.  My family switched my name from sass-a-frass to sunshine because thats what they say they feel when I come into a room.  My grandmother always said "A smile is a woman's best accessory" and I plan to wear mine as often as possible.

"You'll Be Missed, Miss California"

November 8th through 12th of 2012 two of my dreams came true.  First, I got to spend my 20th birthday in the golden state of California and I got to see my all time favorite band perform live for their last show ever. Jack's Mannequin formed in 2004 when I was just 12 years old.  Three albums and 9 years later, Jack's Mannequin announced they would be performing their last show as a band on November 12th, 2012, in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theater. Being from the South Shore, the chances I had to go see him were slim to none, especially because his first show for that weekend sold out in less than ten minutes.  After the show for November 11th sold out so fast, Andrew McMahon (the frontman, writer, and lead singer) decided to add a second show on the 12th.  With a pounding heart I typed my information into ticket master and landed four tickets.  One for me, my best friend, her sister and her mother (all huge Andrew/Jack's Mannequin fans).  I did not think life could get any better.  Not only was I going to see the band live, I was going to do so in California.  $500 later, we were on a plane heading out of the cold and into the sunshine.  For the few days I was in California, we jammed as much sight seeing as we could.  Visiting Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier and of course, Disneyland.  On the last night of our mini vacation was the concert I had been anticipating for 60 days since I purchased the tickets.  Being able to stand feet away from the band and hear them sing live was the best moment of my life thus far.  Jack's Mannequin's songs got me through some of my toughest years and their music puts my mind at ease.  Nothing can take the way I felt that night away and I would never trade that experience for anything in the world.

With 5.6 million twitter followers and 36 millions likes on Facebook, Starbucks is no newbie to the social media game.  As a popular place for caffeine lovers world wide, Starbucks knows how to keep their customers coming back.  In 2009, Starbucks launched, what was considered, "the biggest marketing effort it has undertaken."  This coffee company decided to hold an online/offline contest where they were going to display posters in major cities and then challenged people to be the first to find and then tweet the pictures of the posters they find.  Vice president of Starbucks, Chris Bruzzo said, "It's the difference between launching with many millions of dollars versus millions of fans."  This campaign gained Starbucks an even bigger fan base, because everyone wanted to be included in the race.

Besides holding contests, Starbucks has a link off their website that leads you to their "My Starbucks Idea" page. On this page, Starbucks fans can give the company any idea they have, that could improve the business.  If the idea was used, the comment receives a check mark, a piece of paper next to the comment tells that it is being reviewed and a piece of paper with a check mark shows that the idea has already been reviewed.  This feature allows the brand to connect with their fans.  

With over 20 thousand locations in 62 countries, 149 thousand employees and a net income of 1.38 billion dollars (2012), I'd say Starbucks is exactly where they want to be.  

Image: google.com
Content: http://www.businesspundit.com/starbucks-launches-new-onlineoffline-social-media-campaign/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks

In 1999, Nick Swinmurn found himself frustrated with the fact that he could not find a pair of shoes that he so desperately wanted at his local mall.  It was in that same year that Swinmurn pitched his idea of starting an online shoe store to Tony Hsieh and Aldren Lin.  Swinmurn did his research and discovered that footwear, at the time, was a $40 billion dollar market and it didn't take long for Hsieh and Lin to invest money, 2 million dollars to be exact.  Zappos was officially launched in June of 1999 under its previous name, ShoeSite.com (the name then changed to Zappos, originating from Zapatos, the Spanish word for shoes). In 2008 Zappos found themselves reaching 1 billion dollars in sales and in 2009 they ranked number 23 on the "Fortunes top 100 businesses to work for." Also in 2009, Zappos was bough outright by Amazon.com.  for 940 million dollars in a stock and cash deal.  With this buy out, came reward.  Owners of shares in Zappos received around 10 million Amazon.com shares and employees received a separate 40 million dollars cash (and restricted stock units).

Zappos needed to get their name out there, and what better way to do that than going through social media.  On their Facebook account, Zappos has a tag line that reads, "lets be in a like-like relationship". Clever, I know.  By clicking the like button, customers are then lead into a chance to enter the sites email list for opportunities to view the sites products.  The site also offers for customers to become "a fan" which of course offers content on the site that only "fans" are able to view.
Another thing that sets the Zappos site apart from other online shoe stores is their "fan of the week" contest.  Customers send in clever pictures of their Zappos box and other fans of the site get to vote on the best one.  The winner gets highlighted and is put on display on the sites wall image photo.  This company is definitely all about putting their customers first.

By engaging with the customers and visitors of the site, Zappos has found great success and continues to grow more popular.  Today, it is named as the worlds largest online shoe store.  I'd say Zappos, is doing something right.

Image: google.com

Content: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zappos

My name is Allison, but I go by Alli.  I am a calm person on the exterior, but inside my mind is constantly going.  I enjoy everything, from traveling, to reading, trying new things (especially food) and keeping up on the latest celebrity gossip.  
This blog is going to be all of those things combined into one space where my thoughts and ideas can be shared with all of you.  
Im going to share all the places I would like to travel to and even the places I already have visited.  Along with my favorite restaurants, or my least favorite and what I think about the latest celebrity news.  I am always open to the opinions on others and I am skilled at keeping an open mind.  Im not much of a dare devil, but I still like to gain new experiences in all aspects of life.  This blog is going to be a way for me to share everything I like/dislike and do/or want to do, with you.  The journey has just begun.