I’ll start with a disclaimer: this blog will be part working through my thoughts, part venting, and part offering you some internet marketing tips. Bear with the back story – I’ll pull it together. Here goes.

We would like to congratulate one of our clients on her start-up business Hot Flash Wines. After months of hard work Mollie Macarthy-Openshaw the owner of Hot Flash Wines, finally has some wine in those bottles! This is also a big moment for us here at Half a Bubble Out because it’s our first wine label that we have created!

I unapologetically love Christmas.  The sights, smells, sounds. Time with friends and family. Giving gifts carefully chosen. Parties and celebrations. Good food. A momentary reprieve from the pressures of work that almost everyone honors, even clients in other countries. Less email!  A reminder to pause and consider the gifts in my own life. Near the top of the list of the many things I love about Christmas is the music. Everywhere you go songs that range from the fun loving songs of Santa and his reindeer, to the deep wonder of O Holy Night, the sounds of the season are a source of both joy and peace for me.

Throughout 2013, as part of our Inbound Marketing strategy, we have been blogging and creating downloadable content in ebooks, not just for our clients, but for our own agency. You can find out how blogging has affected us this year here at the Bubble by reading our blog, but here is a little snapshot into our world through the eyes of our faithful office dog, Backup. Backup really does think we all are here to work for her, to open the door so she can come in or out, as well as throw her toys or chase her around the office. So, with that in mind, I wrote an Inbound Marketing version of the traditional poem The Night Before Christmas. Enjoy!

So what’s all the fuss about Instagram’s secret that they are supposedly unveiling to the world in New York on Thursday?

Well, with the word of the year being “selfie” Instagram is kind of a big deal. Didn’t you know? Not impressed yet? How about this—Instagram’s 130 million users share roughly 55 million photos each day. (Mashable) Also, it’s owned by Facebook.

Instagram is a more user oriented photo sharing social media site, but it's also becoming popular with businesses, especially clothing brands and companies that have a lot of visual products or services to offer.

In a world where a lot of people are less than happy with their jobs, coworkers, clients and overall lives, I want to give a shout out for gratitude and happiness this week. Here are my five W’s on work. I hope reading these causes you to pause and take stock of the reasons you have to be grateful.

Just about every day at HaBO we post a blog about internet marketing, how to create the best landing pages, what makes a good website or how to keyword your online content. This week, in the spirit of this great Thanksgiving Holiday, I want to turn the spotlight a bit inward, and tell you a few things I am grateful for here at the Bubble.

What a wonderful story, especially right before a day of giving thanks. After almost 70 years, a Holocaust survivor has been reunited with the man who secretly sheltered him and his family during World War II—saving their lives. This shows that one decision can make a huge impact.