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Team DIGO | 11/17/2010 | in
by Julie Revelant
November 16th, 2010
NYmetroparents.com
Face it: You’ve got cramps in your thumbs from using the smartphone that’s practically attached to you 24/7. And your kids? They’re busy listening to their iPods, texting, playing video games, and gazing at their computers – all at the same time. Technology is great, but it’s changed the way families communicate and spend time together. Read on to find out how some families found a way to shut down – and how yours can to! To read more click here.
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Team DIGO | 11/12/2010 | in
New York, NY; November 8, 2010
Offlining Marks Thanksgiving with New Ads in Digital Print AND on Turkeys; Will give away up to 11,000 Turkeys to those who take the ‘Offlining’ pledge!
The dynamic marketing and “lifestyle intervention” duo – Eric Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo – who created the Offlining, Inc. initiative that highlights America’s ever-growing addiction to technology, are now introducing an unprecedented, first-of-its-kind marketing campaign: ‘Turkeytizing.’
DiMassimo explains, “”We’re thankful for the benefits of great technology. But, aside from carving knifes and special two-pronged forks, and perhaps a digital camera, the Thanksgiving table should be a place for people to connect with people, and some great food. And who better to stand up for a No-Device Thanksgiving than the center of it all – the turkey? We saw the opportunity to innovate by being the first advertisers on turkeys…and let’s just say we gobbled it up!” To read more click here.
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Team DIGO | 09/17/2010 | in
Website Absorbs Atmospheric Jolt. We’re going offline for Yom Kippur, but digobrands.com will be up and running. However, we were down overnight after last night’s freak storms. As of this morning, we’re back up and denizens of the Internet can now go back to their usual routine. No kidding, we’re one of the most trafficked agency websites, so we figure there are a number of you who make us part of your regular surfing routine. Have we told you we love you. W-E L-O-V-E Y-O-U. And not in a Platonic way. In a juicy, enthusiastic, smile when we see you and warm hugs sort of way. We’re sorry we weren’t there for you last night. But we’re back. Want a back rub?
By
Team DIGO | 09/09/2010 | in
Switched.com
by Terrence O’Brien
September 9, 2010
If you’re a regular reader of Switched then you know by now the addictive power of technology. Gamers in South Korea are being prescribed antidepressants and are dropping dead of exhaustion, Americans routinely pick the Web over sex, and evidence is mounting that too much time spent online can lead to depression, anxiety and fatigue. It’s no wonder that many people and organizations have urged us to unplug, even just temporarily, before our brains become little more than balls of gelatin we use to click “add as friend” on Facebook and perform Google searches.
Mark DiMassimo and Eric Yaverbaum, former marketing execs, started Offlining Inc. to encourage people to put down the technology, and to reconnect with the world and the people around them. This isn’t some extremist group. To read more click here.
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Team DIGO | 09/09/2010 | in
September 9th, 2010
Jessica Ravitz, CNN.com
Eric Yaverbaum is as guilty as anyone of making technological transgressions. He’s ignored family to check emails while at the dinner table and tuned out of actual conversations to tune into Twitter. But the 49-year-old New York public relations executive isn’t afraid to admit his sins. “I’m the guy who sleeps with his BlackBerry,” Yaverbaum says. “I’m raising my hand and saying, ‘Yes, I’m an addict.” He is trying to make amends, though, and thinks you should, too. It is that time of year, after all.
The Jewish High Holy Days began at sunset Wednesday with the start of Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year. They end at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on the night of September 18. These 10 days, often referred to as the Days of Awe, are a time when Jews take stock of their lives, how they’ve lived them over the past year and seek forgiveness from individuals they may have wronged, intentionally or otherwise.
Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo, a New York advertising exec who is not Jewish, partnered up to launch Offlining, an initiative to promote unplugging that was introduced on Father’s Day. The challenge they put forth then was to ask people to make a pledge to have 10 device-free dinners between then and Thanksgiving. So far, more than 10,500 have signed on. To read more click click here.
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Team DIGO | 08/27/2010 | in
Choose your poster child for drunk dialing — we’ve chosen ours! Mel Gibson taught the world not to mix alcohol and communications devices, and he’s generously left us many, many recordings to remind us should we ever forget. We created Offlining Inc. to sell you on establishing a sane balance between online and offline time — and, well, we just felt that when it comes to insane examples of too much digital communication, well Mel set a new standard for us all to avoid. But, he’s not alone. Lindsay and Tiger have been pressed into service in this campaign as well.
By
Team DIGO | 08/18/2010 | in
At kids soccer games around the country, hyperconnected Dads tweet about trivia to pass the time. Meanwhile, as you walk into a supposedly social event, people all around you pull out their devices to “check in” on Foursquare or Gowalla. Through the night, people continue sharing their real feelings and thoughts not with the person in front of them but to their audience of “followers” on Twitter, making a real life social event feel decidedly ANTI-social. Sound familiar? As technology allows us to share every moment instantaneously online, are we missing out on what is right in front us? And if so, is the only solution to turn our gadgets off, or is there some imaginary line of balance that we can strike? This session will explore those questions, and the anti-social path that our always-connectedness may be leading us towards. Most importantly, we’ll try to uncover how you might fight back and reclaim your humanity from the social media bubble around you. We like the idea, let them know what you think! … To read more click here.
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Team DIGO | 08/17/2010 | in
Even though it was only a few years ago, life in the year 1999 B.C. – Before Cell Phones – is difficult to imagine now. More than a platform to play ‘Bejeweled’, cell phones have become an essential tool for communicating in today’s modern world. With text messaging, e-mail and evenTwitter now used as vital modes of communication, life without a cell phone seems little more than a a Yakov Smirnoff “In Soviet Russia…” joke — or if you’re truly tech-obsessed, a total nightmare.
But even with the added convenience and ease that a cell phone brings, there are some definite downsides. Some experts believe excessive use can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic, reports the New York Times. A recent poll conducted by the paper found that people think cell phones are intrusive and increase stress levels. To read more click here.
