Social Media Favourites I January 2015

Last year I documented my best weekly social media finds with regular blog updates called ‘Social Media Favourites’ and i’ve decided to continue this series of blog entries into 2015. After all, i’m an advocate for using social media for goodness. 

Therefore, please find below a hand picked selection of funny, entertaining and educational content that have been shared across YouTube and twitter over the last week. 

1. Foot tapping in New York

New York based band Coyote & Crown performed a cover of ‘Me and my uncle’ by Greatful Dead in Williamsburg back in November last year and their performance certainly sparked a few funky dance moves and the odd jig.

Source: +Coyote AndCrow 

2. Awesome Facebook profile pictures

Everyone loves a good looking guy with a sense of humour and this one has oodles of creativity too! Each week he uploads a new transformation, complete with costumes, make up and the perfect location. 

There’s 20 to scroll through and no two are the same: 

Source: +Bored Panda 

3. Break Free

Australian model and DJ Ruby Rose wrote, produced and stared in her own short film last year about gender roles. The film addresses gender fluidity, being Transgender and what it is like to have an identity that deviates from the status quo. The autobiographical video includes insightful images of Ruby cutting hair, removing make up, binding breasts and putting on a prosthetic phallic. 

For those that don't understand, please take five minutes to watch and for those that do understand, you still may learn something. I did. 

Source: +RubyRose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFjsSSDLl8w

4. Mini Me's

Baby boy’s dressed in cute outfits to match their dad’s is pretty adorable and Bored Panda have gone one step further by collating 20 of the best ‘like father, like son’ photos of dad’s and their sons in different scenarios. 

*Warning* - Cuteness overload!

Source: +Bored Panda 

5. Isabella takes on Gaston 

Imagine taking a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida and being able to meet the characters from your favourite Disney films? Well, YouTuber ‘Jonas Almost Famous’ happened to capture the funniest moment whilst queuing to meet Gaston (Villain from Beauty and the Beast). Situated at his meet and greet spot in Fantasyland, Gaston meets an adorable little girl named Isabella who takes upon her self to stick up for the Beast and the scene that unfolds, is just hilarious. 

Source: +JonasAlmostFamous 

Have a great week!

Keep smiling :-) 

Social media favourites | Week Six

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, which means that this post is a couple of days late. I have been experiencing some terrible internet problems over the last few weeks and have just had to trial uploading blog posts and YouTube videos when the internet will allow.

There seems to be a running theme of ‘doing good’ this week because the majority of the videos i’ve chosen are about people being kind but there are a couple of incredibly funny clips to keep you giggling too. 

Enjoy! 

1. Man gives homeless guy a ‘winning lottery ticket’

A YouTube magician and prankster who goes by the name MagicofRahat gave a homeless man called Eric a lottery ticket as a gesture for not having any spare change. He had set up the scenario so that once Eric cashed in the lottery ticket he would ‘win’ a great amount of money. What the homeless man did next will bring a tear to your eye! Please click on the video to watch. 

In addition, because there has been a tremendous amount of support for Eric, a campaign has been started to improve his lifestyle and raise $20,000. If you would like to help give Eric a pick-me-up then please donate here: https://fundly.com/eric-s-fundraising

Source: @MagicofRahat


2.  Cooper Loves Ice Cream

Coopers Dogpatch is an outdoor action resort for dogs, ran by Sunni and Katie who also happen to have a YouTube channel for capturing the doggy days!  In this particular video they took two dogs, Cooper and Daisy through the drive through at McDonalds because they both love ice cream and you have to watch below to see why Daisy gets to try the ice cream first. 

Source:  +Coopers Dogpatch 

3. Seeing her for the first time again!

Jason Mortenson had a hernia repair to fix residual tears from a previous surgery. But when he woke up, he didn't recognise his wife and unintentionally began to chat her up! It was his fifth surgery in six years and this time, his wife Candice was smart enough to capture his sweetness. 

The couple are now raising funds to be able to adopt an orphan from Africa http://www.gofundme.com/5s0100

Source: @JasonMortensen

4. Wee Bunny taking the pish

Two Scottish guys are driving home at night when they are obstructed by a rabbit that just won’t get off the road. They try to slow down and even park up, hoping that the rabbit will jump into the fields, but instead it seems the rabbit is tormenting them! All you can hear is great commentary and belly laughs.  

This video contains strong language. Please don’t watch if you are easily offended. But with that aside, it’s guaranteed to make you laugh, a lot.

5. Photo Booth Challenge with Isabelle & Finley

For the last feature of this weeks social media favourites, I couldn't help but include my gorgeous niece and nephew. I filmed them playing about with the Photo Booth application on my MacBook a few weeks ago and created a montage of the best moments. Watch how we turned them into aliens, chipmunks and lots of other funny faces. 

Source: @Krissie_Akrill

Happiness Fact

This week our happiness fact is just adorable! Did you know that Sea otters hold hands when they sleep to keep from drifting apart? Here is a picture to extend the cuteness.

Keep smiling :-)

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 |Week 5|                                                        |Photo booth|

 

Social media favourites | Week 4

Happy Monday to you! 

My social media favourites for last week is being shared a day later than usual because my internet has been on the blink and so instead of posting this out over the weekend, I can now brighten up your Monday morning with a couple of great finds! 

I hope you have a fabulous week and enjoy watching, reading or even singing to my top 5 favourites. 

Here is a quote to keep you motivated throughout today!

' One small positive thought in a morning can change your whole day!'

1. Little Boy Shocks a Guitar Store Owner 

This I believe is an old YouTube video from quite a while ago, however I have only just come across it as a friend of mine shared it over on facebook. 

Brendan McFarlane is a singer, song writer and musician from Perth. In this video he sings a little country number inside a guitar shop which completely delights the store owner. You can tell from watching that he oozes talent and it came as no surprise to find that Brendan is now in the studio recording his first original album! 

Source: @BrendanDmac


2. #SingitKitty

Here is what happens when a pedal-pumping songstress meets a flat-faced dynamo. - Isn’t that just an incredible summary? But the brilliance doesn't stop there, actually there is 1 minute and 14 seconds of it over on Three’s YouTube channel thanks to their new advert called #SingitKitty. 

Using the basis that we all need silly stuff, and how magical the moments are when we share silly stuff, Three have coupled a cute little girl named Jolie and a singing cat called Bronte to entertain our socks off! The short film tells the story of two friends who come together to ride around their street singing along to Starship’s 1985 classic, We Built This City and they end up taking us on the most fun, emotional ride of their lives.

The advert is genius and has me in stitches, singing along every time I see it. It’s a great follow on from their moon walking pony advert #DancePonyDance and just goes to show how the ‘silly stuff’ really can and does go viral through social media. 

Source: @ThreeUK

You can star in your own kitten-rocking, face-morphing music video at http://www.singitkitty.co.uk and for a Brucey bonus, here is the one i made! 

http://www.singitkitty.co.uk/#play/TFGrU 

Just make sure that your mouth is lined up, otherwise you will look like you have two mouths like i did! 

3. If It Fits, I Sits

Carrying on with the occurring theme of entertaining cats, the writers of boredpanda.com have rounded up a collection of photos to prove that no space is too tight for a cat!  

Again, if you love having a giggle, then these cat are the best of the best and even when it might look like they won't fit, then these cats demonstrate just how flexible they are. 

Click on the panda below to see the cats in action! 

Source: @boredpanda

4. Haribo Starmix advert 2014 

Also this week, it seems that i’ve found another great advert to share and this one is from Haribo. 

We all know their tag line ‘Kids and grown ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo’, therefore this film is cleverly set in a boardroom to demonstrate how the sweet shapes inside a bag of Starmix bring out the child in everyone. 

The advert also features Adam Brown who plays Ori in The Hobbit, so there is no wonder that he likes the rings the best. - See what I did there? 

Have a watch by clicking on the Haribo below. 

Source: +UKHaribo 

5. Boy with autism gets surprise gift from trash man

Austism Speaks is an organisation based in New York whose goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders and they've recently shared a video on their YouTube channel of rubbish collector, Manual Sanchez carrying out an act of kindness for a young autistic child. 

They were sent the video from Robin Newberger as her son Daniel has a fascination of rubbish vans, which means every Monday he waits and watches as Manual drives by to pick up the rubbish. But on this particular day Manual steps out of his truck to give the little boy a gift. 

I won’t spoil the surprise, instead click on the link below to see what Daniel is presented with.  *Warning* you may need tissues!!

Source: @autismspeaks

Happiness Fact

Happiness has a fragrance. Clinical experiments on body odour have proved your scent changes between when you are stressed or happy

Keep smiling :-)

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 |Week 2|                                                        |Week 3|

 

Social media favourites | Week 3

Here is this weekend’s second instalment of my social media favourites. 

I hope that you enjoyed week 2 that went out yesterday, as it was actually meant for last weekend but instead you can read both now! 

Don’t worry, there are enough great things to share and please let me know if you have found a story, video or quote that you think I would like to include in next weeks favourites by tweeting me at @Krissie_Akrill or leave a comment below. 

Yesterday I came across this quote from Dr. Seuss which is a great outlook to have on closing chapters in your life. 

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

1. Mother and Son wedding dance

Picture yourself enjoying a lovely time at your friend’s evening wedding party and it comes to the point of the night when the groom announces that he is going to entertain his guests with a mother and son wedding dance.

Once you have that picture in mind, take a look at the video below because you won’t expect what you are about to see.  Plus if you are in the mood for dancing, why not turn up the volume and join in! 

Source: +Doug Larson 


2. Coming out speech 

At the Time to Thrive LGBTQ conference on Friday, Hollywood actress Ellen Page came out as gay during her speech. Explaining that she was "tired of hiding" and "lying by omission".

Ellen also went on to say "I'm here today because I am gay. And because, maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.”

Hoping that her revelation will help other young people who are struggling with their sexual identity, it took lots of courage for Ellen to openly talk. 

Please take a few moments to watch Ellen’s speech in full and show her some support.

Source: @EllenPage

Go Ellen!

3. 20 things to start doing

During the many hours I spend swooning on Pinterest, I came across this motivational picture named ’20 things to start doing’ which reminded me of my New Years Resolutions and details tasks that are fab for anyone who would like to make a few tweaks to look and feel better. 

Plus if you are the type of person who starts new regimes and gives up after a few weeks, then the best advice I can give is to start with one task at a time. 

You could dedicate week one to task one and once you have practised drinking lots of water and green tea, you can then move onto the next task, continuing until you have added all of the tasks into your routine. 

Source: Please note that this image did not have a direct link on Pinterest, but can be found on my tumblr profile. @Krissie_Akrill

4. L-O-V-E Mr & Mrs Fletcher

Mcfly guitarist Tom Fletcher and his beautiful wife Giovanna have shared yet another amazing cover for the subscribers of Tom’s YouTube channel (tommcflytwitter). 

Over the years they have graced our laptop screens with many collaborative sing-alongs and this one was made even more special because Giovanna is pregnant with their first child.

The couple sang Nat King Cole’s 1964 hit song L-O-V-E and left a lovely comment for the viewers in the description box that read “Happy Valentine's Day from me and the wife (plus bump)”

If you are ready to smile from ear to ear, then be sure to check out their video and give them a ‘thumbs up’  to let them know that you are a fan! 

Source: @tommcfly @MrsGiFletcher

Also, if you haven’t seen it - you should definitely check out Tom’s wedding speech! 

5. Dancing with your dog

Carrying on with more YouTube inspiration in this weeks favourites.. 

I am subscribed to a channel named Hello Giggles which is described as the ultimate entertainment destination for smart, independent and creative females. 

I’d link to think that I fit that category.

The channel was founded by actress and musician Zooey Deschanel, producer Sophia Rossi and writer and internet sensation Molly McAleer. But you don’t have to be smart, independent or creative to enjoy this bundle of joy! 

Zooey demonstrates how to dance with your dog in three easy steps:


1. Pick music your dog will like
2. Cater your dance style to your dog
3. Work with your dog's size

For a detailed description, please click HERE and you could also join in with your dog whilst watching the video below! 

Source: @hellogiggles @ZooeyDeschanel

Happiness Fact!

The most powerful way to increase your short-term feelings of happiness is to perform random acts of kindness to others, or to send a letter of gratitude to someone you care about. Five such acts in a week will increase your happiness for up to three months.

Keep smiling :-)

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 |Week 1|                                                                    |Week 2|

 

Social media favourites | Week two

Hello all, I hope you have had a fabulous week! 

A great quote to start off this blog is from Mother Teresa. 

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

I didn’t post a social media favourites last week. You know how it is when time whizzes by and before you know it, it’s Monday and to make up for it, i am posting two this week. 

1. A South African Neck Nomination

Sometimes the power of social media worries me when extreme activities become a global phenomena and people feel obliged to participate. The latest Neck nomination trend is an online drinking game where nominees are filmed drinking alcohol and afterwards partaking in a physical activity. They then nominate a few people to outdo them and give a deadline of 24 hours for the task to be completed. 

Don’t get me wrong, some people haven’t gone too wild and made really funny videos but they are outweighed by the amount of people who have mixed alcohol with harmful substances and have died as a result. 

So when Brent Lindeque received his nomination, he decided to create a positive change to the craze by driving to a homeless guy on the street and giving him a sandwich, chocolate and drink. His video description also read “imagine if we all harnessed the power of social media to make a real difference in peoples lives. #OnlyGoodThings”. 

He’s set a great example for others who wish to spread kindness instead of harming themselves. Please take a look at his video and leave him a supportive comment :) 

Source: @RazzleMonster

2. Innocent Drinks - Pass it on

Anyone that follows me on twitter (@Krissie_Akrill) will know just how much i love Innocent Drinks! 

It’s always a good start when one of their tag line’s in “We’re innocent and we're here to make it easy for people to do themselves some good (whilst making it taste nice too)”. 

But that’s just the tip of the ice berg, they actively raise awareness and funds for Age UK with their Big Knit campaign which sees people knitting thousands of tiny hats, which are then sold in stores and 25p of each smoothie sold goes directly to help older people stay warm in the winter. 

Before i go off on a tangent with all the reasons why i love Innocent, their latest campaign Chain of Good has turned into yet another fabulous social media campaign. 

If you haven't seen their latest advert explaining about the Chain of Good, check it out here: http://www.chainofgood.co.uk

It’s about starting with good tasting fruit drinks that in turn does you some good, then when bought also does others good. But a great campaign is made even better when it can be shared on social media and Innocent always do this well. 

They are inviting people to start their own a chain of good instantly by passing on a compliment to ‘a friend/lover/the postman’. It’s genius, and mainly because the compliments have been written perfectly. 

As soon as they launched #passiton I shared with my friend Jo, which she loved and then my partner and I read the rest, giggling between us. 

You can join in by following this link: http://www.chainofgood.co.uk/passiton

Source: @Innocentdrinks 

3. Father and Daughter  (Jorge & Alexa Narvaez) cover song

There is nothing more adorable than a father-daughter duo and YouTubers Jorge and Alexa Narvaez have this perfected! 

I’m subscribed to their channel, named Reality Changers full of video's oozing positivity and I came across a lovely cover of Edward Shape’s Home - it’s just too beautiful not to share. 

Plus, if you ever need a pick me up then subscribe too! 

Source: @narvaezjorge  

4. Newcastle street art

On 7th February, local Newcastle street artist Chris Fleming aka Ida4, spray painted a murial in protest against Russia's anti - gay laws. He painted a young gay protester being pinned down by a Russian policeman close to the Newcastle gay scene on the day of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony .

As a gay man himself, Chris was quoted by The Guardian saying “I have been deeply troubled by what has been happening to the LGBT community in Russia and wanted to show my support by creating this piece.”

Source: @ida4_ncl

I know only too well the struggles that LGBT young people face when coming out, after working for The Albert Kennedy Trust in 2013 and to see the harsh reality of LGBT people being hunted in the streets of Russia as a result of laws being introduced, it’s just disgusting! 

To show your support, say no to the abuse of basic rights and tell Putin that the world supports equally by pledging via the ‘To Russia with love’ campaign. 

http://torussiawithlove.no

5.  Maid of Honor Toast

Jennifer Gabrielli uploaded a video around 6 months ago that has only recently caught my eye, and i’m very glad it did. 

For her sisters wedding, she made a toast to their guests in her own little way. Instead of reading a selection of stories and reliving funny moments, Jennifer turned the toast into a rap with the backing of Eminem’s ‘Without me’. 

It’s a brilliant piece of creativity and a great way to round up this selection of social media favourites, enjoy! 

Source: @jengabrielli

Happiness fact!

Happiness doesn't just feel good. A review of hundreds of studies has found compelling evidence that happier people have better overall health and live longer than their less happy peers.

Keep smiling and look out for the next instalment of favourites. :-)

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 |Week 1|