If you are like me, I am a bit suspicious when I see a celebrity or model with a perfect smile, smooth skin, and skinny hips in magazine coves and advertisements.  There is much discussion about the ethics of changing the image of models and the unrealistic expectations our youth develop after seeing these "perfect" images. I understand that a model may have an imperfection on the day of a photo shoot, but where do we draw line on what is acceptable for the sake of aesthetics and what is a violation of basic ethics. 

What has surprised me is the number of Pinners that pin fake images on Pinterest.  What is the purpose?  I imagine that it is designed to help get followers and repins of these unusual images.  Unfortunately, it will also give unwise Pinners the wrong idea regarding an endangered species or potential travel destinations.  For example, is the above image real or fake? If you said fake, then you are correct. What are some indicators that it is a fake? First, this is a photo of a Clark's Nutcracker that is a gray and black bird.  Second, the watermark indicates that this came from the Worth1000.com website. This website operates photo manipulation contests . . . you can find a great number of really well done images.  So I understand the temptation, but at least confess that this image has been manipulated with a software, such as Adobe Photoshop. Finally, this bird is found in the mountain west region of the United States.  I have seen it many times in our national parks, near campgrounds, pine trees, and in picnic areas.

But alas, even I have fallen for a few of these fakes. Now I take the time to verify the associated link.  Does the pin link to a real website? Is the image still on the website? Is the author or photographer indicated on the website?  Any photographer worth "their salt" will claim credit for their work!  Most will share when and where the photo was taken, and with what camera they used to capture the image. Exercise a little caution before repinning that stunning image.
 
I realize that many of these images are pretty and it is difficult to resist.  But be truthful in your representation!  Your reputation will depend on your ethics.  Consider this . . . if you use a fake image to attract customers to a business website (yes, I have discovered at least one company on Pinterest that has done this), I as a customer would not trust that the images of your products were truthful.  By the way, here is the original untouched photo of the Clark's Nutcracker. Next time you see a beautiful and unusual bird, check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

Do you have a Pinterest Account?  You might want to check out the Pinterest Accounts for my students in Electronic Marketing.

I have an extensive number of Pinterest boards related to electronic marketing and social media. Why not check them out and follow the boards that will be most helpful to you in maximizing your marketing efforts. 

• eMarketing & Social Media
• Advertising
• Blogging for Business
• Branding & Logos
• Content Generation
• Direct Mail Marketing
• Facebook & Google Plus
• Infographics
• ::INFOGRAPHIC::
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Mobile Marketing
• Photo Tips & Tutorials
• Pinterest Tips & Tools
• Pinterest: Mastering Pinterest for Viral Traffic and Conversion
• Publicity/PR
• SEO/Search Tools
• Social Media
• Target Audience
• Twitter
• Website Designs
• WordPress
• YouTube

Please check out these Twitter Accounts for recent articles and information on social media:

Instructor Linda Ralston: @DrLindaRalston

Tanner Andresen: @TanAndresen

Cameron Bailey: @Cssbailey

Tyler Barnhart: @barnsandstuff

Carly Brown: @carlyranae

Cameo Burton: @CameoBurton

Vivian Chang: @_VivianChang

Ram Chapagain: @RChapagain2

David Cravens: @davidfcravens14

Cam Doane: @CameronDoane

Creighton Elinski: @CreightonUofU

Jenny Glauser: @JennLee941

Michael Greer: @MichaelWGreer

Megan Hepworth: @MeganHepworth

Kylie James: @kylieajames

Cole Johnston: @rcj412

Tyler McLachlan: @McLachlanTy

Cris Nelson: @CrisNelson1

Montana Peterson: @MontanaP_

Krystal Schultz: @krystals34

Samu Sitake: @ssitake

David Sylvain: @DavidSylvain2

Jenessa Tondevold: @JenessaShae

Jetta Valentine: @jettavalentine

Jennie Williams: @jenniekinz80

Teaching Assistants:

Si Chen: @elsachensi0622

Jared Hopkinson: @RaftIdaho

Xu Liu: @XULIU2

Ling Sha: @LingSha1

Lin Zhang: @Lin_Emarketing

Qingqing Zhang: @Zhangqq_Tiffany

This week I would like to share some of the blogs created by my students in PRT 5460/6460 Electronic Marketing.  Their first assignment was to evaluate a website using AIDA (attention-interest-desire-action). The majority of the students in this class will be graduating in May 2013.  If you are looking for a capable employee with knowledge of electronic marketing, then check out these blogs:

• Tanner Andresen: http://tannerandresen.weebly.com/index.html
• Tyler Barnhart: http://tylerbarnhart.weebly.com/
• Cameron Bailey: http://cameronbailey14.weebly.com/
• Carly Brown: http://carlybrown.weebly.com/
• Cameo Burton: http://cameoburton.weebly.com/
• Henry Calderon: http://henrycalderon.weebly.com/
• Vivian Chang: http://vivianchangs.weebly.com
• Ram Chapagain: http://ramesworchapagain.weebly.com/
• David Cravens: http://davidcravens.weebly.com/index.html
• Cam Doane: http://www.CameronDoane.weebly.com
• Creighton Elinski: http://creightonelinski.weebly.com/
• Jenny Glauser: http://jennyglausereportfolio.weebly.com/
• Michael Greer: http://michaelgreereportfolio.weebly.com/
• Megan Hepworth: http://meganhepworth.weebly.com
• Kylie James: http://kylieajames.weebly.com
• Cole Johnston: http://robertcjohnston.weebly.com/
• Cris Nelson: http://crisnelson.weebly.com/index.html
• Montana Peterson: http://montanapeterson.weebly.com
• Amanda Rostrom: http://amandaleerostrom.weebly.com/
• Krystal Schultz: http://krystalschultz.weebly.com/electronic-marketing.html
• Samu Sitake: http://samusitake.weebly.com
• David Sylvain: http://occasionalcatnap.weebly.com
• Jenessa Tondevold: http://jenessateportfolio.weebly.com/index.html
• Jetta Valentine: http://jettavalentine.weebly.com/
• Jennie Williams: http://jenniesexcellence.weebly.com/e-marketing-blog.html