Freebie: Nice Things Icon Set (128 Icons, PNG AI Source) | Smashing Magazine

Freebie: Nice Things Icon Set (128 Icons, PNG AI Source) | Smashing Magazine

like it says: nice. Good set of some great icons here

Times of India Farmers Suicides

Saw this in my "marketing sites" feed. It's a campaign by newspaper The Times of India to highlight and help the forgotten plight of some of India's poorest farm labourers - "Plagued by drought, debts and crop failure, nearly 300,000 Indian farmers committed suicide last year."

Times of India Farmers Suicides | The Inspiration Room: Times of India Farmers Suicides
Posted on June 25, 2013 by Duncan
The Times of India Farmers Suicides campaign, raising support for those affected by a plague of suicide in 2009, has won a set of Gold Lions (Press, Design & Outdoor) at Cannes International Festival of Creativity. Plagued by drought, debts and crop failure, nearly 300,000 Indian farmers committed suicide last year. While the issue came under the government scanner and measures were taken to try and stop more suicides, the large, illiterate families of those already dead were left to fend for themselves. The brief was two-pronged: firstly to sensitise people to this harsh reality, and secondly, to raise funds for these impoverished families. Taproot India created the portraits using the very same object that had been the farmers’ undoing: dry, burnt hay. Using actual photographs of 12 deceased farmers as a reference, facial features and expressions were captured and recreated using hundreds of dried hay pieces. This symbol of ruined crops became the canvas on which their faces came alive. The portraits were displayed at exhibitions and auctioned to the highest bidders. The money raised was distributed amongst their families.

Fantastic concept for a campaign and a powerful issue for the paper to get behind.

Why Businesses Should 'Act Human' on Facebook

Why Businesses Should 'Act Human' on Facebook

...pretty simple really. I can testify this happens with our GFA page posts too. I like to think of SMM, particularly on Facebook, as putting a 'face' to the brand. The key is keeping your brand values and tone of voice in mind, but injecting (your) personality into the brand via its social media channels.

What do you think? Do you have some great examples how a brand has shown human qualities in an appropriate - and effective - way on a social media channel, be it Facebook, Twitter or another platform? Let me know!
-Mike

Prayer for Japan

KP Yohannan's (Gospel for Asia pres) perspective on prayer and support for Japan at this time. Worth a squizz...

GMI | Praying for Japan

GMI | Praying for Japan: "Praying for Japan: 10 Operation World Facts

It is a great challenge to pray when we do not understand the situation of others. That is why Operation World is such a powerful tool. By giving you the facts about the situations in the countries of the world, Operation World helps you to understand and then pray out of that understanding. With such a significant tragedy happening in Japan, understanding is crucial. We hope that these 10 facts about Japan and subsequent prayer pointers will help you as you pray for the people there.

OW Fact 1: Pray for the small Christian community in Japan (only 1.54% of the population) as they reach out after the tragedy in their country.

OW Fact 2: 13% of Japan's population is under 15 - pray for the children suffering in this tragedy.

OW Fact 3: The life expectancy in Japan is 82.7 years. Pray for the elderly caught in the chaos and for the families caring for them.

OW Fact 4: 70% of Japanese claim no personal religion but come from a culture of ancestor worship and Buddhism. Pray that they will turn to Christ.

OW Fact 5: The city of Tokyo has over 36 million inhabitants. Pray for the many urban centers where so many Japanese live."