Connect with Fellow TV Fans on Beamly

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Beamly. The opinions and text are all mine.​




What are you doing at 8pm? Do you have a standing prime time engagement?

After I tuck my kids into bed it is "me" time. Time that I like to unwind with my favorite shows. Unfortunately, my husband is more of a Top Gear and Discovery Channel sort of guy, so my dramas, science-fiction and food programming is something I enjoy alone.

Well, not anymore at least. I have found a fun, interactive community online where I can share episode thoughts, dish about my favorite actors and discuss plot lines and those horrid cliff-hangers. Yes, no one quite gets my weird ideas on Orange is the New Black like the community at Beamly.




Beamly is an interactive, online community for TV fans. There are places to chat about the show episodes (TV rooms), as well as learn more about the show, and even keep track of the TV schedule. I usually forget to watch Suits when it airs, but now that I can use the Beamly phone app to remind me of a new episode, I am there.

Yes, you can either check Beamly out on your computer, or download it free to your smartphone. I enjoy tweeting during my favorite shows anyway, so I just keep the Beamly app open and I can not only chat with fellow fans about how Mike and Harvey from Suits need to make up and start working together again, but I can also send my tweet with the show hashtag (#Suits) right there. It connects me with the wider online community of fans.




Now I recently was turned onto watching MasterChef on FOX. Many of my favorite shows are between seasons and I always love interesting food challenges. I learned all about the show, the cast and even the program schedule through Beamly.

Speaking of MasterChef, did anyone watch last night's episode? I am really loving the idea of that Prosciutto, Guinness and Maple donut that Gordon Ramsey gushed about. Okay, he didn't really gush (does he ever?), but he did give it rather surprising praise.

So I guess you could say Beamly has taken my TV viewing to a whole new level. I am interacting with fellow fans, learning more about the behind the scenes workings of the show and even finding new shows to fall in love with.

Okay, so put down the remote for a moment, go create your own profile on Beamly and follow my profile (Andrea Kruse) while you are at it. I would love to discuss the finer points of prison food (Piper style - OITNB) or tell you why I think Donna is the glue that holds together Suits. But, I am sure there are a whole bunch of other Beamly users who would love to chat with you too.

What is your current favorite show? Which Beamly TV room would you join?

Beamly is THE 24/7 social and content network for TV and TV fans. Join me today in TV conversations and get the latest juice and gossip about your favorite shows!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Beamly. The opinions and text are all mine.

Finding Peace of Mind with the Tagg Pet Tracker

*Disclaimer - This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Tagg™ Pet Tracker, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #pettracker  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Our Border Collie, Cooper, is an important member of our family. I didn't have a dog growing up, so when we moved out to the country I knew finding the perfect dog for my young family was a priority. Kids should grow up with a dog, right? A dog out here helps me feel safer at night. He also does a great job of keeping pests out of the yard and from around the chicken coop, and he loves to play with the kids.

We adopted Coop from our local animal shelter. You could say it was love at first sight. We don't know why he ended up at the shelter, but I feel very lucky to have found him. Border Collies are popular dogs around here and I am sure if we hadn't snatched him up, he wouldn't have stayed family-less for long. But I like to think he was meant for us.

He reminds me a little of my 5-year old son. He has endless energy,  and can run for hours

Luckily we live on a farm with enough room for Cooper to just run. His favorite thing is to play catch in the alfalfa field when it has been mowed. This dog can really move!

We have a fenced backyard and side pasture, but there have been a few times that Cooper has gotten out of the yard. A downed fence or a child that forgets to latch the back gate and he is gone. Down through the cherry orchard, out past the corn fields and off chasing smells and animals around the farm.

The last thing I want is for something to happen to our family dog. With big log trucks on the main roads and people driving extra fast down our "quiet country road", I worry.  The chance to try out a product that could track and help me locate our beloved pet seemed perfect.

The Tagg Pet Tracker is a really cool product. I know, our dog was micro chipped when he left the shelter, but that only works if someone takes Cooper in to be scanned. It doesn't help us find where Cooper has wandered off to on the farm. It is a big farm.

The box contained everything I needed to get started. From the lightweight tracker and docking station, to cords and a protective cover it was easy to set up everything in a couple of minutes. There were two sets of clips for attaching the tracker to his collar so I have a replacement if one gets lost or damaged.

I placed the tracker on the docking station to charge and then attached it to Cooper's collar when it was ready.

I set up my account online and set up Cooper's information - breed, size, weight, etc. Not only does the Tagg Pet Tracker monitor where Cooper is and help me use GPS to locate him if he gets out of the yard, but  it also gives me activity reports and tells me how active he is during the day. It was no surprise, Cooper is a very busy dog. He earns points daily for different intensity levels and duration of his activity. It is fun to review the charts and compare his activity.

I also set the Tagg Pet Tracker home tagg zone. Anytime Cooper went outside my set zone I was given a text or email depending on how I set it up. Luckily, Cooper wandered back on his own and the tracker even notified me when he come back.

To keep track of his activity, notifications and easy location tracking, I downloaded the Tagg - The Pet Tracker free app on iTunes.

Not only could I easily monitor my best friend, but I can now do it anywhere. From work or while away, I can make sure my beloved pet is safe and healthy. I know several people who could use this feature for peace of mind.

Here are some of the features of the Tagg Pet Tracker:

• Keeps an eye on your pet at home
• It tracks the duration and intensity of your pet's activity
• has a long-lasting batter
• is lightweight
• attaches to any size collar
• water resistant, even while swimming

I love having peace of mind that Cooper is where he is supposed to be. And if he does get out again, I now have a way to find him quickly and easily.

Try it for yourself. Use the discount TAGG10 to save 10% off of a Tagg Pet Tracker. (The Tagg Pet Tracker is normally $99 with 3 months of free service

Has your pet ever gotten lost? How did you find them?

Teach By Example - How Do You Share Your Photos?

As the mother of two young children I am more aware of my own actions than ever before. I know there are two sets of eyes watching everything I do...

I teach them to be kind and compassionate to others, never liter, look both ways before crossing, but what about my online habits?

My son is almost 5 and there are an increasing number of sites and apps targeting children his age. I want him to feel comfortable online and with technology, but there are ground rules.

I have told him we don't give out personal information and I don't publicly post my their names or our street address, so why wouldn't I be just as careful with our family photos?

How fast photos can be shared over the internet scares me. When I was a child we still had manual film and clunky envelopes of freshly developed film! The biggest worry was if you dropped or lost a photo. My children are growing up in a completely different world. Amazing, but easy to lose your privacy.

Yes, I blog and share photos publicly all the time. Most of those are for a project or event, but that doesn't mean all my photos are so openly shared. Yes, outmywindow^TM  allows me to set some boundaries on who can see my photos - I'm in control. By practicing what I preach to my own kids, I hope they follow my example and control who sees their photos in the future.

Of course, I better be in the share group!

Have you taught your own children about web privacy? Do you currently use outmywindow^TM to control who you share your photos with?

If you haven't yet, check out the outmywindow^TM  App on iTunes and see how easy it can be!


*Disclaimer - I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for 'outmywindow™.' All opinions are my own.