USPS is Popular on Instagram

The U.S. Postal Service is becoming a hit on Instagram.

Shareable, a social media software company, recently ranked USPS 19th on its list of the top 30 business brands on Instagram, a popular photo-sharing site.

Rankings are based on interaction with users, including followers, likes and comments.

The list notes the Postal Service boosted its Instagram following by almost 20 percent between last year’s second and third quarters. USPS now has more than 14,500 Instagram followers.

“Our strategy for Instagram is to provide creative, fun, and engaging content to strengthen our USPS brand,” Social Media Specialist Kevin O’Brien said.

The Postal Service’s success can also be attributed to its practice of posting content from its followers.

The organization frequently shares users’ images of all things postal, including
Post Offices and blue collection boxes.

“We love sharing these photos. They’re very important elements to our social media strategy,” O’Brien said.

Source: LINK

Black Heritage Series Adds Height

The 40th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Dorothy Height (1912–2010), the tireless activist who dedicated her life to fighting for racial and gender equality. The stamp will be available on February 1.

In 1963, the Height-led National Council of Negro Women joined the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership. Height was an architect of the August 1963 March on Washington, where, although she did not speak, shared the stage with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

President John F. Kennedy named her to his Commission on the Status of Women. She attended the 1963 White House ceremony at which he signed the Equal Pay Act. In 1971, Height helped form the National Women’s Political Caucus.

In 1977, Height officially retired from the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), for which she worked for 40 years. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A decade later, President George W. Bush presented her with the Congressional Gold Medal.

55 Years and Counting at Miami P&DC

Story & Photo: Dr. Sharon Johnson, Southern Area Employee Engagement Ambassador

Working at the U.S. Postal Service is a home away from home for many. The most exciting feeling is stumbling upon employees who have made this great organization their “home.”  The Miami Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to Robert (Bobby) Jones, Jr. Jones is a Mail Processing Equipment Mechanic in his 56th year of service --- and his smile is contagious. 

I asked, “Can you tell me about life in the USPS for 55 years?”

Well-dressed from head to toe in his postal maintenance uniform, he smiled and proudly stated, “This is my first job.  I started on Columbus Day, 1959. I worked in Cleveland Ohio in the Bulk Mail Center. I was a Mail Handler then and became a Clerk. I wanted to work outside so I became a Letter Carrier. Then I came to Miami in June 1976. I became an Electronics Technician. Today, I am a Mail Processing Equipment Mechanic.”

What made you stay? 

He chuckled and said, “The best thing was the weather, the security, and the people.  Most of my friends are gone now.”  He lowered his head with a soft smile as if he was reflecting on all those cherished years.

What would you say to the new employees about engagement? 

“The Postal Service is work to be proud of. Stay engaged. Come to work every day to support your family on the days you should. The Post Office is more like my second home away from home.”  He nodded, his eyes glistened, as he looked around his “home.”

Here is what co-workers had to say about him:

Mike Cowan, Manager, Distribution Operations:  “That man is so consistent, very reliable.  When you say ‘Bobby Jones,’ I say reliable, never a problem, whatever you asked of him, he does it.”

Robert Cole, Manager, Maintenance Operations:  “I have never seen him angry. He always has a positive attitude.”

#PostalProud

When Only a Hippopotamus Will Do

 

Gayla Peevey is taking another turn in the spotlight, courtesy of the Postal Service’s holiday TV campaign. Photo Credit: New York Times

People want to know: Who is the little girl who sang about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas in the Postal Service’s holiday television campaign?

Her name is Gayla Peevey and the former child star is experiencing a comeback of sorts thanks to the ad featuring her 1953 hit.

No one is more surprised than Peevey herself.

“I thought my life as a 73-year-old was going to be all about playing with my grandchildren,” she  told the New York Times. 

Peevey was 10 when she recorded “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”
After singing it on Ed Sullivan’s TV show, the song became a hit and Peevey became a star.

In fact, Peevey and her song became so popular that the Central Park Zoo shipped a real hippopotamus to her Oklahoma home as a Christmas gift, which Peevey donated to the local zoo.

The young singer went on to record other songs, but eventually left the limelight and settled into a regular life. She married, had a family and opened an advertising agency.

Since the USPS campaign debuted in November, Peevey has been contacted by media outlets and fans from all over the world.

She’s also receiving royalty checks from sales of “I Want a Hippopotamus” on iTunes.

“For people to have all this interest in me has opened things up for me,” Peevey said. “I’ve retired, but my song hasn’t.”

Source: LINK

#PostalProud

#PostalProud