Brookfield Zoo: Take Notes

When thinking about the best accounts on social media, a city zoo isn't the first thing to come to mind. After reading the attached article in the link below, my mind has completely changed. While the content may not be appealing to everyone, it's no denying that the Brookfield Zoo knows what they are doing.

With only one single location, Chicago, the Brookfield Zoo has to put in work to get followers outside just their central location. That being said, the company does a great job at attracting new followers from all over. This is because they do more than just post about business aspects of the zoo. In addition to posting about hours, deals, coupons, and events, this Chicago zoo keeps the public updated on animal activities throughout the day. It is these updates that gets the company all its followers, because even if people don't live close enough to go to the zoo, they can still appreciate pictures and videos of cute animals. Because who doesn't love cute animals?

The Brookfield Zoo may be a small player in this big world, but they have managed to make a name for themselves on social media. The article posted below highlights that the zoo is awesome at marketing their product, interacting with fans, and announcing updates & coupons. The only thing that they have to work on is sustaining and varying their content. Take notes from Brookfield Zoo.

Link: https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/blog/brookfield-zoo-social-media-done-right/

Fluffy Cows Go Viral

How often do you scroll through Twitter and see pictures of cute, little animals and say "Awww, I WANT ONE!" If you're like me, it's every time you get on. Well for once, you can make that dream a reality. Just look at these #fluffycows. Thousands of people scrolled through their social media and saw these giant teddy bear-like animals, did some research, and found out that they could purchase one in Iowa. Located in Adel, Iowa, Lautner Farms is home to these squeezable animals.

So why are they so fluffy? Two hours. Two hours is why they are so fluffy. In order to get these cows ready for show, they get pampered for more than double the amount it time it takes for me to get ready. They get washed, combed, and dried up to twice a day. Talk about spoiled. These "fluffy cows" get all this special treatment in order to be shown at county fairs. Such an innocent reason to gain so much attention, right?!

The best part about this story is that it wasn't even the farm's intention to go viral on social media. In fact, they didn't even know they were trending. It was a shock to everyone. Some random person found the farm's website with pictures of their fluffy herds. They posted it on Reddit and BOOM, the cows have since gone viral.

Although it wasn't Lautner Farm's intention to get recognized on social media, they are trying their best to use it to their advantage. While it is nice that people now know about them, they are only seeing "fluffy cows," nothing more. The farm is using this knew trend to inform and hold conversations about cattle farming today. Similar to what we say with humans, there is much more to these fuzzy animals than just a pretty face.

Link: https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Article/Iowas-fluffy-cows-go-viral-on-social-media

Esther the Wonder Pig

I'm sure you have all seen the wave of obsession with miniature pigs recently. I mean, honestly.. what's cuter than a tiny piglet in rain boots? Nothing. For instance, Olive the Pig, from Vermont, is more popular than some celebrities on Instagram. It's such a unique pet and so stinking cute that we can't help but fawn over them.

Well, there is another pig in town that is making headlines for being not so mini. Steve Jenkins, from Ontario, was already a pet owner, of two dogs and two cats, when he was offered a mini pig. It's hard to say "no" to a tiny pig to begin with, but when told the precious piggy isn't being treated well by other animals, it's impossible. And it is for this reason that Mr. Jenkins took in (what he thought was) a miniature pig. It wasn't long after he took in the piglet that Jenkins found out that Esther was far from mini. After a few short months, what began as a 70 pound piglet, turned into 650 pound pig. I'm sure you can only imagine the surprise. Being as unbelievable as it is, Jenkins decided to create a Facebook page to show off the porky pig to his friends and family. To his surprise, she has 2,000 the next day - and her following is continuing to grow.

While most people would have panicked and done away with the monstrous pet, Jenkins decided to keep Esther and turn what could have been a negative, into a definite positive. A definite bacon fan, Jenkins decided to go vegan after having Esther in the house. He decided to create an animal sanctuary. Since Esther was able to get so much attention on Facebook with minimal effort, Jenkins decided to create an Instagram for her as well. Through the use of all these social platforms, he was able to raise $400,000 to build "Happily Ever Esther Animal Sanctuary." What started out as an innocent adoption, turned into a crazy, hectic, wonderful experience for Jenkins and everyone involved.

Link: http://nypost.com/2016/05/28/how-a-mini-pig-became-a-650-pound-social-media-star/

Poachers on Social Media

Over the past few weeks, I have posted about all the amazing ways that social media has helped animals across the world. Unfortunately, not all aspects of the platform are used with such good intentions. In the link I posted below, it talks about how poachers are using social media as a way to hunt down animals.
To go on a safari and observe these beautiful creatures is one thing, to go on the safari and gather information for a kill is completely different. Not all poachers are going about it in this way. The majority of the paid killers are using innocent safari-goers to prey on their next victim.

For those who don't know, each picture you take contains a geotag, which provides the location of where the picture was taken. Anyone is able to access this information which means that poachers are provided with the coordinates of their next hunt. The article below focuses on the rhinos that are being taken down. They are easily tracked because they stay in a central area for days at a time. Once the poachers get the information from a posted picture, they follow the directions and wait. People are unknowingly contributing to the death of hundreds of animals.
While the parts of the rhino can go for up to $60,000 on the black market, the security efforts to stop the poachers is about $1.5 million. While the gap is huge, we have to remember that these animals lives are priceless.
In a world obsessed with social media, it's important for us to remember that there are also negative effects of the platform. We have to be smart about the way we use it. In such a prominently digital age, it is almost impossible not to capture import moments on your smartphone and post them right away. Because of this, some safaris no longer allow cellphones on the trip. While it may seem like an inconvenience to the innocent man, we need to keep our wildlife safe - or we may no longer have anything to look at on a safari.

Link: http://dailycaller.com/2016/07/27/poachers-are-using-social-media-posts-to-target-endangered-animals/

Petworking

I'm sure we are all too familiar with dating websites. With our busy, conflicting schedules, it seems like online is the only place we can go to meet people. I never actually used a dating site but for some reason I still get emails from them. FarmersOnly.com really wants me to join. While we may be secretive about dating websites, there's a new way to meet people online and it's blowing up. In my other posts, it's clear that we are no stranger to creating profiles for our fur babies on social media. But what about networking sites? "Dating" websites for our pets are on the rise and we are all about them. Do you ever get the feeling that your puppy needs a playmate but you can't afford the time or the money it takes to get one more? Sites like UrbanHound, Catster.com, Dogster.com, PetPop.com and ZooToo.com are there to provide you with a plethora of pet owners in your area. You can read up on the pet and owner to determine who looks like a good match for you and you pet. It's literally like a dating website for our animals. The picture below is from UnitedDogs.com and it shows all the basic information about Brownie, his albums full of pictures, his friends, the gifts he's received, the clubs he belongs to, and his blog... What?? How did this become a thing? I don't know but I love it!

Just like we use Facebook, these websites are used to creep on owners and their pets to see if they are a good match. It's a place to make and meet friends, for your pet and possibly yourself. There are so many platforms to place you pet on, you just need to find your best fit!

Link: https://www.care.com/c/stories/6200/petworking-social-networking-for-animal-love/

They're Basically Human

What's the likelihood that you can log into any of your social media accounts right now and find a picture/video of a ridiculously cute animal? Pretty likely, right? Over the last few weeks I have been finding a lot of interesting facts about how our furry, four-legged friends are taking over. Of course, they are getting help from their owners. These animals are becoming so famous that they have the blue check mark (the ultimate verification) beside their name on Twitter, more followers that Paul McCartney, they are getting rumors spread about them, and people dying to meet them... Just like famous people in today's society. Let's face it, they are cuter than us. I am happier watching videos of smiling dogs than looking at someone's selfie.

We love to give our animals a voice of their own (granted it's not really their own). If people are interested in your pet, why not give them what they want? Give them their own account, post tweets and update statuses to let the world know what your precious ball of fur is up to. We eat it up. In the link I posted below, it talks about how we use our pets as a way to "break the ice." I never really thought about it that way, but it's so true. We don't feel as guilty posting too many pictures of our dog, we show them off  like our children, and we are are proud of them when everyone comments on how cute they are. On the same note, we also don't feel as creepy liking or commenting on that "cute boy from homeroom's" German Shepard or that "random girl you followed because you love her make-up's" Pomeranian. Just like when you don't know anyone at the party so you play with the hostess' cat, we use our pets on social media as a way to escape that awkward feeling.

It's clear that, in more ways than one, animals have completely transformed our lives. Our precious fur babies are so full of innocence and love that they have managed to change our lives for the better!

Link: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/from-cuteoverload-to-social-petworks-adorable-animals-are-taking-over-the-web/

Shelter Animals Go Social

Last week, I found out that our favorite dogs on Instagram can make upwards of $3,000 dollars a post. Since then, I have found out that their post can have more of just a monetary impact. It's a complete game-changer. It's a life-changer.
The amount of time spent in the shelter has drastically decreased for these shelter animals since their appearance on social media. Claire Garth, from Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, shared that the average time spent in the shelter is just a short 10 days. This can be attributed to posts like the one shown below. Followers see it, tag a friend, visit the shelter, and sometimes leave with a new member of the family!

That being said, it has been discovered that dogs have a much bigger impact than cats. Not to say that cats don't have their 15 minutes of fame. They are still a focus point of social media accounts everywhere. It has also been determined that keeping the message positive is much better than trying to make followers feel bad. For instance, we all know that Sarah McLachlan commercial that makes us cry as soon as we hear it. Most of us change the channel. If you're like me, you sit there throughout the whole commercial crying at the television. But do we go out and adopt? No. It's easier to convince people to go adopt a happy, playful dog, than to bring home a pitiful one. If the shelters can keep the animals happy once they arrive, it is only a few days before they find a forever home.

Link: http://mashable.com/2016/08/10/social-media-shelter-animals/#KIuY79WRwmqx