Why everyone who works needs a break at some point.

How to Take a Rest.

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5 Reasons You Should Use Your Creative Powers for Good

5 Reasons To Use Creativity for Good

PAY ATTENTION! Facebook is changing. Again.

Facebook is Changing.

Facebook’s annual developer conference is a two-day event focused on telling the people about their new creations (that no one really asked for).

While the event is aimed at developers, it’s the perfect stage for Facebook to announce some of its larger initiatives and to provide insights into the future of the platform. Here at Black Sheep, our layered digital strategies leverage such platforms, producing new ways for our clients to reach and engage with audiences.

This is why we made sure to catch the important nuggets to share. Here’s the need-to-know breakdown:

All of your messages belong to Facebook.
Remember that time Facebook purchased WhatsApp and then forced users to download their Messenger app? It paid off. With messaging app use on the rise, Messenger will support more direct communication between people and brands. Through a new bot platform, bots can be deployed to act as virtual assistants, allowing people to make online orders for a variety of things, to schedule a day or to fetch the latest news.

Saving your content to Facebook for later might start working like it should.
With Facebook pushing their Instant Articles feature, they rolled out a web button companion that says “Save to Facebook.” While saving your content to your Facebook account for later reading has been around, it hasn’t been well utilized. Now, articles and content from across the web have an insta-save button and help content reach that much further.

Inspirational quotes are no longer an Instagram thing.
As you browse through content on other websites and in other apps, such as Kindle, you could be seeing the option to share selected text directly to Facebook. No more having to copy and then paste quotes into a new post like some sort of commoner. Could this be the beginning of us seeing micro-metrics around what specific content pieces are performing well? We hope so!

Videos for everyone!
A real-time live video feature being called Facebook Live rolled out earlier this week, right ahead of the announcement . It is believed that this new tool will challenge services like Periscope and SnapChat, but not directly (but totally directly). The big difference is that Facebook Live will allow for live video to connect to any camera—including equipped drones. The core of this technology is also added to the Messenger update, allowing for FaceTime communication that isn’t actually FaceTime.

Quickly log into just about anything.
Facebook wants your data, even if you don’t use Facebook. With the new Facebook Account Kit, developers will be able to allow (mainly mobile) users to log into web services and apps using only a phone number. These types of features and tools are why data security will continue to grow in importance over time. This is also why SMS spamming is the new email spam.  


There were a lot of other updates and reveals but, overall, our buddy Zuckerberg is taking his company to a bigger playground. Over the next five years, the Facebook team will focus on beefing up their tech arm by creating and facilitating the connectivity of everything—going to new places with artificial intelligence and extending their virtual and augmented reality tools.

We’re still waiting to know whether or not the poke feature is going to get an upgrade.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: IT’S GIVE A DAMN DAY

Give A Damn Day.

THE WRITE STUFF: Advice to Step Up Your Words

#HOPEtag: It's Time To Release The Butterflies

Throw The Damn Fish Already: Marketing Lessons From Pike Place Market 

Better Make Room Campaign!

#BetterMakeRoom for Kim

#BetterMakeRoom for Ignacio

#BetterMakeRoom for Tyrie

Better Make Room For Tyrie, Kim and Ignacio

No matter what you decide to do this Valentine’s Day, just remember: As long as you care and put in some effort, you’ll do just fine. 

Valentine’s Day For Rebels

Scott Pilgrim took on the world. Han Solo? Encased in Carbonite. That one dude from the Proclaimers even walked 500 miles for love.

Debate the merits of a candidate, not to mention the importance of doing your civic duty

Did Someone Say Caucus?

“So this one time…” And other Storytelling Snippets You Can Use

Next time you meet someone, sit down to write a campaign or settle in to tell a good brand story, remember: The best story to tell is one you know by heart.

Making room at the tables in our offices, in our communities and in our cities for all voices to be heard

Why We Worked on MLK Day

Ditch Your Resolutions (And These Things Too)

New Years revolutions that you can actually stick to

WTF Is Peach and Other Stuff You Need To Know Now

Staying up to date on new technology and social media

Be Binge-worthy: 5 Things Making a Murderer Can Teach Us About Work

We do everything in our power to bring the same intensity these shows put into their work, into the work we do everyday.

Making you New Years resolution to do better

BED HEAD: Thoughts for 2016

The world is loud with urgency, and it’s easy to feel stretched thin by everything demanding our attention. We get it. That’s why we’re channeling our energy, creativity and care into a focused set of Social Impact Areas—issues that move us and guide the work we do every day.

These are the issues that stir us up and move us forward—areas where we’re choosing to go deeper instead of trying to do it all at once. They give shape to our research, creative work and client collaborations, helping us stay grounded in what matters most.

For 2025, we’re digging in on three core impact area themes: 

We believe joy is fuel for change. It connects us, uplifts us and reminds us what we’re fighting for. From LGBTQ+ rights to building more inclusive workplaces, we’re elevating the moments that make us feel seen, celebrated and free.

Everyone deserves to feel safe. But right now, too many people don’t. We’re examining the systems that shape that reality—from reproductive rights to housing, climate, and community violence—and working toward a world where peace, dignity, and protection are the norm.

Young people aren’t just the future—they’re leading right now. We’re showing up to support their vision, amplify their voices and make sure the next generation has the tools, mental health support and community power to dream big and drive change.

These themes aren’t limits—they’re launchpads. Inside each one lives a network of vital, interconnected issues: from LGBTQ+ rights and work culture to gun safety, reproductive healthcare, mental health and climate justice. We’ll be writing, building, reflecting and co-creating throughout the year, and we’d love to have you in the mix.

Want to follow along, get inspired or share your work with us? Sign up for updates here.

Progress takes all of us. By learning, building and taking action together, we can push for a future that’s more just, joyful and secure.

So much needs fixing. Where do we even start?

Finding Focus in a Noisy World: Our Social Impact Areas

Semi-Condensed

How do you stay focused when everything feels urgent? We’re grounding our work in three Social Impact Areas to explore the issues that matter most and move with more purpose in 2025.

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

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