In November of 2009, EYMER DESIGN Laboratories + Think Tank developed a Social Media Test Kitchen, the Tiny Mind Gazette (www.tinymindgazette.com). The TMG is a TypePad blog that is interconnected to Facebook and Twitter. The content is provided by various designers/writers as a creative outlet of free expression. Much of the content is provided by my fellow Cohasset (Massachusetts) resident, Sally Sisson (http://sallysisson.com/). Sally is a creative content developer for mostly Business-to-Business and Educational Companies. Sally and I first met through Facebook and discussed the possibility of starting a blog, loosely based on our charming New England town of approximately 7000 residents. Picture in your mind, Lake Wobegon seen through the eyes of The Onion or Spy Magazine of the 1980-1990s.
The editorial parameters of the TMG are fairly loose and we attempt to push the humor/satire button whenever possible. As a quick demonstration of our growth and reach, I have posted the graph (below) which demonstrates our TMG Facebook Page demographics. I find our gender split very interesting. We are also reaching people within our (collective) age group.
The second graphic shows daily Tiny Mind Gazette clicks. The 'peaks' identify days when we send out email blasts, encouraging recipients to visit our site.
For us, the Tiny Mind Gazette is a 'dessert project.' Something that you work on after you have eaten all of your vegetables. Occasionally, a great idea hits and you are forced to sneak a piece of between-meal cake!
Longterm, we would like to widen both our contributors and readership base. If you have any thoughts or ideas on how we might move the vehicle forward, please feel free to jot them down and send them over. We value all suggestions, opinions and constructive feedback.