Author Archives: Kaitlyn White

Visual Search Apps Offering Real Life Solutions

18th May 2011

If you know anything about me, you might know that I’m obsessed with anything Google and that that company pretty much runs my life. A few updates to two of my favorite Google apps are now making my life on the go easier as well.

The Google Shopper app, similar to other apps on the Market such as the Amazon app  allows users to easily compare product prices and make simplified purchasing decisions in-aisle. I found myself using this app often while Christmas shopping this past year, comparing product reviews, prices, etc. all while in store.

Google Shopper app now allows users to employ visual search to identify products. By scanning a barcode, or even the product itself, users are given information such as price, reviews and places to buy. After a recent scan of a DVD, I was even more impressed to see a link to a YouTube trailer of the movie right in the interface. Shopping made simple.

Not to leave visual search to shopping, the  Google Goggles app has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. The basic premise is to perform a Google search through a photo scan. Examples of items that work best include products, logos and even paintings hanging in a museum. However, the most recent update to this app really catches my  heart, translation. Simply scan any foreign text and the app will utilize Google Translate to give feedback into the desired language.

Though I don’t use these visual search apps as often as I should, this could be the next step to connecting our digital and real world experiences. As much as I love QR codes, I would much rather like to scan a photo, ad or product directly to be rewarded than scan a group of boxes. What do you think? Have you been satisfied with the accuracy of visual search apps so far? Do you think apps like these could ultimately replace our use of QR codes?

PS…if these examples didn’t win you over, this one from a few months back should do the trick. Yes, visual search can solve “real life” problems as well.

What is your why?

16th May 2011

A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend Chick-fil-A Leadercast, an all-day event in downtown Atlanta that brings together some of the best and brightest in leadership thanks to my amazing coworker, Lindsay Reene and her friends at the UGA ILA.

One of the best questions of the day for me was “What is you why?” Not your what, your why. Why do you do what you do? Not what do you do. It’s tough question, a year out of college, my answer should probably be, to pay the bills, but it’s not.

Dave Ramsey shared a few thoughts on finding your passion in your daily workplace that I feel we can all challenge ourselves with, and hopefully find our why in the process.

1. Dreams matter: Remember when you were little and there was no doubt in your mind that you were going to be a ballerina despite having no dancing capabilities (maybe that was just me). Think like a kid again, set lofty goals and stick to them, things don’t have to happen tomorrow.

2. An excellent team matters: Luckily, I have an amazing team who teaches me every, single day. Take the time to learn about those around you, learn how you can grow from them and how you can help them grow in return, you never know where a small gesture will take you.

3. Slow and steady wins: It’s not always about big numbers, big clients, or being the boss, sometimes just sitting back and taking your time is all that you need to move forward.

4. Be generous: You never know when going the 2nd mile will make the world of difference. Go the extra mile on to touch up that powerpoint document, or put the extra thought into the brainstorm and don’t forget about the people who need your help along the way.

5. A higher calling matters: Take the steps to ask the way, to find where you want to be, because that’s how you will get through the tough days.

Finding why you have made it to where you are and where you see yourself going in the future is no easy task. It’s not a sudden realization but a series of baby steps, and I hope I can continue to apply some of these types of leadership to my own professional journey and live that way everyday.

365 Days In

9th May 2011

It’s been exactly one year since I became a University of Georgia alumna, yet it certainly doesn’t feel like 365 days. A lot has happened in the past year and I could not be happier with path I have started down.

Graduation always seemed like a terrifying step, and indeed it was, but as with everything else in life, it always works out just the way it’s meant to. To the class of 2011, (or any other class for that matter) here’s a little about what I’ve learned so far during my first year of the real world:

  1. Follow your gut: I know, cheesy right?  It’s true. Don’t settle for the first job offer, or the tenth, if it doesn’t feel right. The job market is tough, I’m sure everyone has heard that a time or two, but the right fit is out there for everyone.
  2. Be patient: Following your gut may take a while, but in the end, it will be worth it, promised.
  3. Make life a priority: If working in the non-stop agency world has taught me anything, it’s that I could literally work 20 hours a day and not run out of things to do. Sometimes it’s hard to leave the office at six or resist emails on a Saturday, but do it. Your body, your mind and your boss will thank you when you are rested and can work at your fullest potential.
  4. Step out of your comfort zone: If anyone had told me a year ago I would be attending new business pitches to talk to total strangers, I would have told you you had two heads. Sometimes trying something totally terrifying can lead you to discover a passion you never knew had.
  5. Build relationships not connections: Business cards are great. Getting 20 at an event and not remembering a single conversation isn’t. Make connections by building relationships with others, it’s harder, but it will pay dividends in the future.
  6. Keep learning: For me, sometimes this is as simple (or difficult depending on the day) as checking Twitter. Find out with other people are up to and learn from them.
  7. Have fun: If you’re going to be at work for at least 40 hours per week, have a little fun while you’re there, even if this means YouTube video breaks in between meetings with the DIG team.
  8. Learn what other people do: Sure, I’ll probably never know how to build an iPad app, but learning what other people bring to the table helps to understand the company and constantly be amazed by how much smarter everyone I work with is.

I’m 365 days in and I know I certainly have a long way to go to really make the list above a reality for my professional life each and everyday, but the excitement is in the pursuit. I cannot wait to see what the next year, or 40 bring for my career and all of the amazing people around me that I have been blessed to have along share it with.