Technology - by Adam Blackwell

Bluffs & Bayous Goes High Tech


   What an eventful New Year we’ve had here at Bluffs already! As we ring in 2012, we continue to embrace technology and increase our online presence. With our Facebook and Twitter accounts becoming ever popular, we are expanding into other media outlets so we can continue to bring the most information to you—our readers and supporters! We’re now using some awesome new features that I’m excited to clarify for you.
   First, let me update you on our social media exposure. We currently have over a thousand fans on our Facebook page, and that fan base is expanding daily. We avidly are using this page to connect with our readers, share information from our advertisers, and keep everyone updated on what’s going on in our office and in and around our communities. You can find us on Facebook by searching “Bluffs and Bayous Magazine” or by simply typing http://www.facebook.com/bluffsandbayous in your internet address bar.
   Also, you can find us on Twitter, a social media outlet that we are enjoying more and more every day. Our Twitter account is the best way to stay abreast of all that’s happening at Bluffs. On Twitter, we inform our followers of when the newest issue goes to press, when the magazines arrive, and when we distribute them to your favorite locales. On Twitter, you’ll first see the magazine’s cover with its focus and features for each month. We invite you to join the hundreds (and counting) who are on tap with our Twitter account. Follow us on Twitter: @bluffsbayous or www.twitter.com/bluffsbayous.
   Our newest social media site is our Tumblr account. Yes, that’s spelled correctly…Tumblr. The newest form of blogging, Tumblr is great for viewing images and videos. Here, we post early previews of our From the Publisher article as well as our current cover, photos, and recipes. Tumblr makes food look even yummier! If you’re a blogger or would like to subscribe to or view our Tumblr posts, visit http://www.bluffsandbayous.tumblr.com.
   As we build upon our current media exposure, we work to keep you updated as quickly and as often as possible. Our monthly e-updates that began in January are one of the best ways to keep in touch. Giving you a preview of the magazine, these e-updates also post monthly specials and unique offers from our advertisers—offers and specials available only through our e-updates. Shoot me an email at media.bluffsandbayous@gmail.com if you want to subscribe to them!
   Don’t forget about our interactive magazine accessible on our website—www.bluffsbayous.com! An extraordinary feature, our interactive magazine allows readers to save certain pages and even email the entire magazine or a selection to friends. With this, Bluffs & Bayous has gone international! One especially expedient service that our interactive magazine offers is access to advertisements. Those advertisements that include websites and emails are now directly linked so that readers can go straight to an advertiser’s website from our magazine—just another way that we are further accommodating our advertisers and readers!
   Finally—and what I think is most exciting—Bluffs & Bayous is going mobile! That’s right, soon you’ll be able to access our entire magazine on your smartphone. Using an app called I-nigma, which can be downloaded for FREE, you’ll be able to scan the mobile barcode on page 5 of our magazine and view our website and interactive magazine. How can you do this? Go to your phone’s app store, search for I-nigma and download. Once you open the app, it turns your camera on. Simply frame the camera onto our barcode and I-nigma does the rest to put Bluffs & Bayous interactive magazine in the palm of your hand! Look for our barcode on page 5!
   I am so excited about what the future holds for all of us and what the future of technology holds for Bluffs! We will continue to use advancing technology to provide immediately accessible information and entertainment for the convenience of our readers, advertisers, supporters, and contributors. Our magazine now can be viewed all over the world. So no matter where you are—from your home in Mississippi or Louisiana to trips in foreign countries—you will be able to keep up with and enjoy our vibrant tableaux of life along and beyond the Mississippi!