The Youzus Report: Episode 8

EPISODE 8

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

ZACH KING

the vine superstar

Sochi Problems #DOING RIGHT CIDI-ICDI

Happy 10th Birthday

How to BuilD Your Brand Online

O CANADA 25 Olympic medalists NEKNOMINATE THE OUT-OF-CONTROL CHAIN EFFECT

ts s i l a d e M 5 2 l See al 4 1 0 2 e h t m o r f c i p m y l O r e t Sochi Win !

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HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY

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FACEBOOK

OUT-OF-CONTROL CHAIN EFFECT

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NEKNOMINATE OLYMPICS

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25 MEDALISTS OLYMPICS

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SOCHI PROBLEMS ARE YOU A LOVER OR A HATER?

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VALENTINE’S DAY FEATURE OF THE MONTH

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ZACH KING HOW TO BUILD

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YOUR BRAND ONLINE #DOINGITRIGHT

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CIDI-ICDI FACEBOOK’S NEW INVESTMENT

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$19B FOR WHATSAPP WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM ARE YOU?

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QUIZ

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Creative Driver This month was the month of love – Valentine’s Day to be exact. Some might call it the ‘Hallmark Holiday’ while others call it ‘Singles Awareness Day’ – for me, it’s always been my parents’ anniversary…38 years to be exact. And that is a long damn time if you ask me.

But it got me thinking about commitment and just how committed we are as individuals in today’s society. Whether it comes to relationships, diets, goals, dreams, values, integrity (or our social media campaigns – just saying), and so on, especially with all the day to day distractions, how does one focus or commit to anything? The answer: you just do.

Like our cover feature shows us through his array of Vine videos this month, persistency is key. And if persistency leads us to success, then it must mean we are committed in some way shape or form, right?

Which leads me to one of my favourite quotes (I actually saw this on a shoe insole – creative huh?):

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.…whatever you can do or dream of doing, you can. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” – Goethe Wishing you numerous years of committed success ahead!

Sonya Gill Founder & CEO

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• Social Media Advice • • Interviews with Social Media Rockstars • • Creative Articles • Your one-stop shop for all things social media.

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Happy 10th Birthday Happy Birthday Facebook! It seems like just yesterday we all wanted to be a part of this new social phenomenon, and now it’s hard to believe how much we’ve been creeping these past 10 years. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Facebook created a way for its users to relive their top Facebook memories in a short one-minute video. It was a personalized (and super cheesy) way for us to reminisce our most liked pictures, statuses, and life events set to sappy yet tasteful music. Facebook has come a long way since launching so we’ve decided to highlight our top 10 moments from the past 10 years in a timeline ... see what we did there?

Facebook Chat Launch

April 200

We’ve launched F

International Schools Added October 2005

Founded in February 2004 At Harvard University

Facebook begins to add international school networks.

Introductio

Registration is Open!

February 2009

September 2006

1 Million Users!

December 2004

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Facebook expands registration so anyone can join, anywhere in the world!

Written by Kristen Rubisch

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hes

Check out your Facebook Look Back here: facebook.com/lookback

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Facebook Chat!

on to “Like�

500 Million Users!

1 Billion Users!

July 2010

October 2012

Hello Instagram!

April 2012

Happy Birthday Facebook February 2014

Facebook purchases the photo sharing app, Instagram, for one billion dollars.

Facebook turns 10 and has made 201.6 billion friend connections

Written by Kristen Rubisch

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THE OUT OF CONTROL CHAIN EFFECT

NEKNOMINATE

If you’re on social media, there is a very good chance that you have been (unfortunately) exposed to “Neknomination”.

Neknomination is an online drinking game that has taken over the web. Originating in Australia, this game encourages participants to film themselves drinking (or more realistically, chugging) an alcoholic beverage and upload it to Facebook within 24 hours of the nomination. You then get to return the favour and sabotage, or “neknominate”, 2~4 of your friends. Then the inevitable chain reaction ensues.

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This fad really exploded in the first week of February, and has thankfully just started to slow down (February 28th). It went from just chugging one alcoholic beverage to multiple shots and beers. I actually witnessed one man chug a 26er of rum. On top of the alcoholic intake, participants are encouraged to outperform the nominee. Jumping into nearly frozen lakes and using fire are just a couple tricks that I witnessed. Admittedly, some of these videos are very entertaining but others are just plain dangerous and stupid. .... Is it really worth it?

No, it isn’t - and unfortunately, this online game has claimed the lives of four people.

Nekominate “The Facebook page” released this as their last post:

“Neknomination was fun while it lasted but even I admit it has gotten out of control, this will be Neknominations last post.”

Contradictory, some participants are changing this fad for the better. Now referred to as, Random Act of Kindness Nomination or “RAKnomination”. This version has the same concept but encourages spreading good cheer to people in need or just to brighten someone’s day.

If you are to participate in this online game, I highly recommend the RAKnominations. You don’t need to prove to your friends that you can drink -- they probably already know that. Do something for someone who deserves it.

Pay it forward!

Written by Lisa Tyldesley

A place for online specialists to connect with brands.

www.SocialWu.com • Sign up today!

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O CANADA! O Canada, gold looks good on you! We made history with the Olympic curling teams’ double victory. We won gold AGAIN for men’s and women’s hockey. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters holding hands as they jump up onto the podium in first and second place. Gilmore Junio gave his qualifying spot to Denny Morrison who then won two silvers. Tessa and Scott stole all of our hearts again with a beautiful ice skating performance. And of course, Kallie Humphries and Heather Moyse won back-to-back gold medals, earning the flag bearer position in the closing ceremonies.

Need I go on? We are so proud of all of the Canadians who fiercely represented our country, regardless of medal winnings. We wanted to highlight all of the Canadian medalists* over the next couple of pages.

*Photos are property of the Canadian Olympic Instagram account. See all pictures on their instagram page: http://www.instagram.com/cdnolympicteam

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Written by Lisa Tyldesley

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CANADA’S FAVOURITE GAME IS GOLDEN AT THE 2014 SOCHI OLYMPICS! I remember when I was living in New York during the 2010 Olympics (which were happening in my hometown of Vancouver at the time) and watching the men’s hockey game at a bar in the Lower East Side. It was Canada vs. US and I thought it was the most surreal game I had ever watched because not only was I a Canadian living in the US, but the number of Canadians living in the States celebrating our victory that day was unreal. It was as if we’d pushed the Americans to the side in their own country…. that is, until last week.

With four minutes left, Canada had scored two goals and completed the stunning comeback with a goal from Marie-Philip Poulin in overtime to shock the United States, 3-2, in the women’s hockey gold medal game. We literally sat on the edge of our seats for about half an hour and for a moment forgot 14

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Written by Sonya Gill

we were even at work. I can’t even begin to explain the energy in the room that day. To be a part of the excitement and pride that we as Canadians share was once again added to my favourite “proud to be Canadian” moments. And then there came Sunday.

Don’t get me wrong -- Friday’s game definitely set up the excitement for Sunday. But to see so many people awake at such ungodly hours across Canada was amazing. The fact that our liquor licenses extended to cater to all the liquor-loving Canadians in every city across the country was even more flippin’ amazing. Talk about camaraderie at its finest!

And then -- the win. The gold medal win. Please, let’s all just take a moment to take in the best Sunday in history. The world felt as though it had erupted at our feet, as if the world was ours. Screw it with #WeAreWinter, it was more like #WeRunTheWorld.

Now when I look back to 2010, I will say without a doubt there is no better place on this planet to watch a hockey game than in Canada. I cannot wait until next year.

Written by Sonya Gill

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SOCHI PROBLEMS

who were given three single beds to share. Some of the more horrifying moments were when stray dogs were being hounded up to send to the pound and when anti-gay protestors were pictured.

On 7 February 2014, Russia opened its doors to the world in the opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games. Although there had been lots of talk and speculation regarding Sochi’s unpreparedness as a host city, there was no greater confirmation of this than when news networks and their reporters arrived in the city a few days prior to the Games. Then appeared, as journalists do, an array of tweets describing the current situation in Sochi.

Naturally, the parody Twitter account surfaced not too long after the journalists’ reports. At 338K followers, @SochiProblems boasts a greater following than the actual official @Sochi2014 account which has 269K followers. The mastermind behind the account is 20-year old Alexander Broad, a Torontonian j-school student.

Sochi faced much criticism prior to the Games launching due to issues with their infrastructure, budgeting, and accommodations. Additionally, Both hilarity and horror ensued. Reports of #SochiProblems is also criticized to be an act of sprayed-on grass, Putin-plastered paintings, bug- western journalists epitomitizing on western privinfested jam spreads, and more, appeared. Hotels lege rather than focusing on the reality of the situwere pictured in tweets as largely unprepared, ation at hand. with one of the more obscene tweets picturing reporters who’d been requested to not use the water Either way, Sochi -- we love you, but it looks in hotel taps and the Canadian men’s hockey team like you’ve got some serious #SochiProblems.

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Written by Leah Bae

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by Leah Bae

CANADA’S FIRST SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Sign Up Here to be notified upon launch!

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VALENTINE’S DAY

ARE YOU A LOVER OR HATER?

Valentine’s Day is an occasion that is equally despised as it is loved. Some people spend the day rekindling their love while others do their best not to complain about their love life. Whether you were staring into your lover’s eyes or a Baskin Robbins tub, one thing is for sure: you shared your experiences on your social media platforms.

On Instagram, thousands of your standard Valentine’s Day flower pictures with the perfect filters blew up our feeds. Facebook allowed us to view the heartfelt posts between couples expressing their passion for one another on their walls. And except for 1-800-Flowers, twitter showcased the same type of lovey dovey tweets. Unfortunately for 1-800-Flowers, no love was delivered this Valentine’s day.

Prior to V-Day, many people dialed this giant flower-delivery service to select the perfect gift for their loved one. Little did they know how poorly the company would deliver on their promise. Thousands of customers’ orders did not arrive on Valentine’s Day and still haven’t arrived to this day.

Other customers received flowers that were lacking the ‘liveliness’ they were expecting (yes, the flowers arrived dead). This lack of performance led many customers to hit the Twitter airwaves to express their outrage. Since Valentine’s Day, all apologetic tweets have been deleted I guess I should just be thankful my boyfriend picked up my flowers from Longo’s last minute on his way to my house.

Written by Kristen Rubisch

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ZACH KING

vine superstar

Connnect with Zach King:

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I consider myself one of the lucky ones who found and fell in love with their passion at an early age. My mom tells me I was a busy little guy. I stopped taking naps at 1 ½ years old. I was done with sleeping. Can you imagine a mother with no break all day? As I continued to get older, my mother had to think of more ways to keep me busy and occupied for at least 16 hours a day. This led to: art lessons, magic classes, pottery, wood shop, lego robotics, claymation, cooking, and even dance lessons. Any class or activity my mom could find to do she would sign me up for the class.

My mom homeschooled my 2 younger sisters and me. At around age 7, my mom, trying to keep me busy, handed me the family video camera at a wedding and told me to go film. I still remember the holding the camera and looking through the lens.

I was fascinated how the images would then be played on the TV. I began filming my sisters doing crazy skits and then showing them on the TV screen to my parents. I loved the response of others laughing and watching what I created.

I also loved movies. Sitting on the couch with my sisters behind large pillows watching Jurassic Park, scared out of our minds.

My dad would also put on a dinosaur mask and scare us to death. I remember going to the theatre and watching Star Wars on the big screen when it was rereleased in theatres. It was truly 22

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life size and remarkable. My mind would then try to create the scenes using legos and claymation stop video.

passed my YouTube following of 400,000 and after five months, I currently have 900,000. Honestly, I never thought I would get a following on Vine -- I was just I continued to learn by recording posting videos for pure fun. And my sisters’ dance recitals and my philosophy for any artist is selling the videos to the parents. that if you could keep your work I would make behind-the-scenes fun and enjoyable for yourself, it discs and learned to edit and be will translate well to an audience more creative this way. because they will feel that vibe under the surface of your work.

Fast forward to freshman year at A lot of young people ask me Biola University in Los Angeles, how to get good at filmmaking California. It was December of and I recently read a quote by Ira 2008 when I started my first You- Glass that is the perfect answer: Tube channel, FinalCutKing. I had no idea that it would change “...there is this gap. For the my life and start shaping my film first couple years you make career. I have been blessed to stuff, it’s just not that good. reach millions of people with It’s trying to be good, it has my videos. There were many potential, but it’s not. But your skipped classes, countless all taste, the thing that got you nighters, and long days of filming that helped me produce my into the game, is still killer.

YouTube videos. Usually my And your taste is why your YouTube videos can be shot work disappoints you. A lot and edited in one or two days. of people never get past this Now that I am graduated from phase, they quit. Most people I film school, I work in my garage- know who do interesting, creturned studio creating new con- ative work went through years tent for YouTube and Vine. of this.”

I’ve always been a curious person, so when my friends kept mentioning an app called Vine, I decided to download it and watch its videos. Vine is an app that allows you to post six-second videos to your own channel where people can follow you.

When I joined the app, I started posting these six-second magic trick/special effect videos. It was exciting because my following was growing faster than it had on YouTube. In three months, I sur-

It’s just like getting good at any craft -- it comes down to hard work and continually setting deadlines for yourself to create. I don’t know exactly where my career will take me. I want to start developing TV shows and eventually direct some feature films, but I’ve noticed a pattern in my life. If I love what I do and have fun doing it, the success will follow. I have a motto that I try to live by: “Work Hard, and Love People”.

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How To Build Your

Brand Online

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Facebook

Please don’t say you don’t use Facebook because it’s not cool to say that anymore. If you aren’t growing, you are dying. And you don’t want to become one of those people who live under a rock, do you?

What To Do? • Post twice a day: 8:30pm and 2pm are ideal times • Post visual content: If it’s creative enough, you might get a few shares!

• Post thought-provoking content • Post anything that will activate your audience: emotional, funny, motivating, or inspiring

instagram

Instagram is the platform where the term ‘selfie’ surfaced from -- or as some people say, “Who’s your agent? Instagram?” – but all jokes aside, Instagram is a great way to brand yourself without having to think too hard about what to say.

What Do You Post?

• Behind-the-scenes pictures of what goes on in your life (yes, people are nosy) • If you are a personal trainer for example, let’s see your squats!

• Are you into fashion? Showcase your latest look.

• After all – selfies are a must on IG • Are you a foodie? Take a picture of your latest creation and tell the world how they can make it as well!

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twitter

There are those that understand Twitter, and those that don’t. But for those that do, the question is: How are you using it?

Best Ways To Use Twitter: • Post information relevant to the brand you are creating • Post informative articles and post often • Post visual content or videos • Post quotes – yes, those really annoying one liners that are apparently authored by some intellect from centuries ago.

linkedin

If you are looking to make connections with people in your industry or searching for a job for that matter, this is definitely the best place to be. Consider LinkedIn as the company and you as the employee trying to grab the attention of the big boss – but instead you are aiming to grab the attention of potential consumers or employers.

How To Post: • Your posts should be similar to Twitter in the sense that you want to situate yourself as a thought leader within your industry • Post interesting articles for the public to see • If you own a business, create a profile page and utilize PPC ads • Do not spam people and ask for recommendations, please and thank you.

Written by Sonya Gill

#DOINGITRIGHT

Did you follow the Sochi 2014 Olympic games? If so, you probably heard about the various protests and acts staged regarding LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights. It’s no secret that the Russian government is against equal support of LGBT and heterosexual rights, but there was no greater confirmation of this than a set of recent laws passed in 2013. The Kremlin banned the distribution of non-traditional propaganda to minors, spurring outraged reactions internationally.

Games have always been a little gay. Let’s fight to keep them that way.” The video has already garnered almost 6 million views, and has gone viral across all social media platforms. It has also been featured among the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg, Entertainment Tonight, and more.

This video was crafted by Rethink Communications, an advertising agency famous for curating viral creations in Canada (i.e. Molson Canadian beer fridge, Science World posters, etc). Rethink The Canadian Institute of Di- also has a strong background versity and Inclusion – Insti- of helping organizations of both tut canadien de la diversité de non-profit and charitable status. l’inclusion (CIDI) decided to act cleverly in response to the con- Canadian Institute of Diversity troversies. On 4 February 2014, and Inclusion, you had a difficult they released a short 30-second challenge to address but you still video of two men thrusting back managed to produce outstandand forth in preparation to ride ing reactions. down a luge slope. At the end, a message appears stating “The You’re #DoingItRight.

Written by Leah Bae

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YOUR COMPLETE, RELIABLE, AND FRIENDLY SHIPPING SOLUTION • 26

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH Black History Month is celebrated every year in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. We live in a country where lots of visible work is being done to combat racism and discrimination.

Because of this it’s often too easy to forget how we came to celebrate the events of diversity and inclusion that we do, and it’s more important now than ever to be aware of the reasons why.

In Canada, Black Canadians have a rich background of contributing to our country’s history. With the world commemorating the 100th anniversary of WWI and 75th anniversary of WWII this year, we remember the prominent role Black Canadians played serving in various battalions and militias which led to Canada’s successful outcome in both events.

Here are some of our favourite tweets we found about the cultural celebration:

Try searching #BlackHistoryMonth on Twitter or Instagram for some great educational reads. We know we’ll be heading out to some cultural events this month!

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Written by Leah Bae

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If You Can’t Beat It, Buy It – Why Facebook Wanted WhatsApp

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The key word there is ‘global’.

As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed out when announcing the deal, WhatsApp is the messaging service of choice in Europe and the emerging mobile markets in Latin America, India, and parts of Asia.

acebook’s $19 billion takeover of WhatsApp has raised many an eyebrow among Silicon Valley investors. It’s quite a sum to pay for a company that’s just five years old, but it’s a gamble Facebook felt it needed to take to hasten its quest But a large part of WhatsApp’s appeal is the fact that it’s ad-free, something Zuckfor global mobile social domination. erberg has pledged not to change. So But why would Facebook – with its 1.2 even if WhatsApp hits 1 billion subscribbillion active monthly users – need ers in 2015 as expected (from Mashable), WhatsApp? Well, part of the answer lies how can Zuckerberg generate enough in Facebook’s own evolution over the last revenue to justify an outlay of $19 billion? decade.

Well he’s already let slip the answer – In the mid-late 2000s, all the cool kinda – by observing that WhatsApp’s excollege kids had Facebook. But isting subscription structure of charging growing privacy concerns, annoying $0.99 a year after the first year is “a good advertisements, and the increasingly start”. disturbing presence of parents, grandparents, and teachers on Facebook What I read into is that Zuckerberg is meant it was no longer the trendy brand counting on WhatsApp getting to a point it once was. This has prompted young where its users see it as an indispensable people to turn to the relative anonym- service worth paying a little more for. ity of mobile chat services like Snapchat (subject of a failed $3 billion Facebook I know I do. bid last year) and WhatsApp. I belong to a family of five spread out over WhatsApp is a timely acquisition for Face- four different time zones. For years, we book because in many ways, WhatsApp had a hard time carrying out convenient is the antithesis of Facebook. It doesn’t group conversations. But WhatsApp have ads. It has a simple interface, a big changed that, and is now our primary draw among smartphone users fatigued mode of day-to-day communication. Douby clutter and distraction on their mobile bling the subscription fee to $2 is unlikely to drive us away. screens.

Crucially, its worldwide user-base has been growing at warp speed. According

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to the MIT Tech Review, the number of messages being sent through WhatsApp is “approaching the entire global telecom SMS value.”

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But that’s just us.

...

Written by Rahul Kalvapalle

The truth of the matter is, WhatsApp is not the only service of its kind. But what it has over competitors is the sheer enormity of its user-base. Facebook is counting on these ‘locked-in’ users to make their investment worthwhile.

It’s an expensive gamble. But Zuckerberg and Facebook didn’t get to where they are by playing it safe.

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by Rahul

So Good. So Pure. It’s Nanak.

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What Social Media Platform Are You? >

Do you share everything on social media?

Are you a visual person? >

START HERE

Do you post a picture with everything you do?

>

do you update social media more then 2x weekly?

do you have a lot to say? does your life need a filter?

do you use social media to keep in touch with family? are you adventurous?

Written by Lisa Tyldesley

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Special thanks to Zach King.

Presented by Youzus Inc.

Thank you for reading. See you next month!

WANT TO BE IN OUR NEXT EPISODE? For advertising opportunities, please click HERE. Want to be featured in our blog? Please email lisa@youzus.com.

Have any questions? Connect with us on Twitter: @youzus_inc

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