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How I Became an NY Times Olympian

 Above: The "NY Times Olympian" Foursquare Badge

 

Above: The New York Times' Foursquare Page (http://foursquare.com/nytimes)

Last weekend, I took a long weekend trip to Vancouver, Canada to visit my friend, Dario. A week prior to the trip, I had no firm plans to go, but an interest in checking out the city during the 2010 Olympics. Not only that, I had just recently led The New York Times in creating a Foursquare page. Phase 1 of the NY Times presence on Foursquare was sharing a list of Vancouver tips during the Olympics. Vancouver Foursquare players following The New York Times had the opportunity to unlock the "NY Times Olympian" badge by checking into NY Times-recommended venues. As somewhat of a Foursquare fanatic, I was 95% sure that I NEEDED to go to Vancouver to get the first badge that I helped create. (Note: Kudos to Paul Lau, the incredible NYTimes designer who designed the Olympian badge!)

Dario and I were chatting and he asked if I'd be in Vancouver for the Olympics. That was the last straw - I had to say "yes". How could I miss out on such an opportunity? It was on like Donkey Kong. Within a few days, I booked my flight and had a place to stay (Dario and his biz partner, Ryan, were kind to let me stay with them!).

On my second day in Vancouver, I unlocked the official NY Times Olympian badge by checking into the Granville Island Public Market, where a few new friends and I ate lunch and waited in the Altantic Canada House line, before giving up and taking the AquaBus back to downtown Vancouver. Great times, though.

While in Vancouver, I had the opportunity to stop by a few NY Times-recommended venues including the Vancouver Art Gallery and Salt Tasting Room. I was hoping to make it around to Vij's Rangoli. That will have to wait for another time!

That, my friends, is the story of how I became an NY Times Olympian. See more photos of my time in Vancouver on Flickr now!

Vote Now in the Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards

My favorite online sample sale website, ideeli, has partnered with Style Coalition to create the Fashion 2.0 Social Media Awards. The goal is to measure the best of style influence online. They need your help determining which brands engaged you, moved you, and inspired you to shop, dress, and think in 2009. There are 7 fabulous categories to vote on- so check out the poll here!

Vote now for The Innovator Award, Fashion 2.0!

President and First Lady Caught in Advertising Turmoil

(Above: Michelle and Barack Obama pictured in unauthorized ads.)

What's up with publishing unauthorized images of U.S. politicians as brand endorsements? Well, it seems like a new trend. Within the past few days, the White House has issued statements about ads Michelle and Barack Obama have appeared in without consent.

Above, Michelle Obama is pictured in a recent anti-fur PETA ad. "We did not consent to it," said Semonti Stephens, spokeswoman for the wife of US President Barack Obama.Oh, PETA, when does the madness stop? We understand that you are trying to save animals, but that doesn't justify publishing unauthorized photos! To all the readers out there, though, serious question: do you wear fur? Vote here!

Meanwhile, Barack Obama was featured in a Times Square billboard, wearing a Weatherproof jacket with the copy, "Weatherproof Since 1948." It has come to light that the White House did not give permission for the use of Barack Obama's image for the ad. The New York Times reported yesterday on the matter, in which a White House aide said, "This ad is clearly misleading because the company suggests the approval or endorsement of the president or the White House that it does not have." The article points out that the photo was taken on Obama's trip to China, in which he was wearing what seemed to be a Weatherproof jacket. It appears that Weatherproof had paid the appropriate licensing fee to AP for the billboard image but failed to obtain necessary clearances from the White House.

Oy vey, it's startilng what a company will do for a little press and sales. Do you think that either of these ads are justified?