About Me

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A recent graduate of Ohio Northern University, I picked up my entire life 3 weeks after graduation and moved to Louisville, Kentucky to begin my professional career and new life.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Life Lesson: Breaking Up Isn't So Hard to Do

Best life decisions I have made in the past six months:
1. Move to a new city on my own without knowing a single soul
2. Break up with my college boyfriend

Yep, this just got real, kids.  The second decision may sound harsh, but it is the truth.  I spent two and a half years with a boy I met in college who we will call Sam (names have been changed to protect the innocent). Sam was nice and kind, but did not have the drive and zest for life that I do.  I kept putting off ending things with Sam in hopes that one day he would turn into the man that I wanted and needed.  I used to say that when we started dating he was wearing sweat pants and after about two years was wearing jeans and I was just waiting for the khaki pants to be put on, his "big boy pants." Unfortunately, it became quite apparent that those pants were not going to fit him.

At first the thought of moving on from Sam was terrifying to me. I tried to convince myself for a long time that I could live the life Sam wanted in a small town with no aspirations for something more.  I tried to convince myself that Sam could one day live the life I wanted in a city with room to grow.  I tried to convince myself that the way Sam treated me would improve.  I tried to convince myself that he would one day realize that he was lucky to have me and would appreciate me. I tried to convince myself of all of these things, but in February  I stopped trying to convince myself and started to live for myself and myself only. I realized in trying to hold on to something for the sake of not hurting Sam that I was actually hurting myself. At that point I no longer factored Sam into my decision making.  I actually took him completely out of it. I decided to bide my time until I felt I was ready to let go of this part of my life.

So if you are a math whiz you are realizing that the decision I made did not come in February 2011 because that is longer than six months.  You are correct.  One of the worst things I did was not end things with Sam sooner.  I held on until June 2011.  I was afraid of ruining the end of the school year and wanted to try and enjoy the time that I had even though our relationship was completely dysfunctional. 

It took me one week of being on my own in Louisville to break up with Sam.  Things came to a head when Sam told me my decision to move was selfish and inconsiderate. I knew at that point that there was never going to be a change of heart for Sam.  He would never understand why I needed to move somewhere on my own.  I needed to prove to myself that I could and go on an adventure. I had to bite the bullet and tell Sam the one thing I knew would hurt him most in the world.  I had to tell him I was no longer in love with him and hadn't been for quite a while.  And that was that.

Sad story, huh?  Then why is the title of this post, "breaking up isn't that hard to do"? Because in my case it wasn't hard. Of course I did not want to hurt Sam, but I also had been grieving about losing this relationship for about six months.  I had moved past it in my head and all of my hurt came mostly before we actually broke up.  I detached myself from him in order to protect myself.  When we finally did break up I was able to see the reasons why it was for the best immediately.  I cried for one day and that was it.  All of my other crying came while I was still in the relationship. Looking back, I think I ended the relationship at exactly the right time.  It was a great springing step into my new life.  A complete fresh start.

Wisdom to share:
1. When you love someone you want their happiness to come first, but not when it means sacrificing your own.
2. Everything happens for a reason and at the right time. 
3. There is a big difference between loving someone and being IN love with someone
4. Be true to you


Not all of my posts will be this intense....promise!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

New Beginnings

Ok folks, let's get a little better acquainted.  You may be looking over my previous blog posts and thinking "what is this?" Well, let me explain.  I originally created this blog for my social media class at Ohio Northern University during my final quarter in school.  I stopped blogging as soon as the class was over, but realized today at lunch with my new friend Laura that blogging needs to come back into my life. Why, you may ask? We will get to that in a second.

You now might be thinking, "okay, then why leave the old posts up, why not delete them and start over?" Valid question, grasshopper.  There is also a valid answer. I think they set the perfect stage for what this blog is all about, my journey into big girl life.  There are over 30 posts about academic subjects that were written as I was closing one chapter of my life and preparing to start a new one. It all flows together and shows the transition that my life has made.

Now, why blogging?  Well, again, valid question.  I think it is important to take time to reflect on your life and not simply go through the motions.  I think about all the different experiences I have had and new opportunities that have come my way since I moved and set out on my own and I do not want to simply let them rest without fully appreciating them for what they were.  I have learned so much already in 6 months and I think in order to hold onto this knowledge and continue to grow I need to share it and really make myself think.  It is so easy to just float along through life, but I am not a floater.  I am a thinker and a doer. So, this blog is more for me than anyone else, but if it helps you along the way, makes you laugh, cry or feel any sort of emotion, then it will make it 100 times more worth it for me to write it.  So, here we go!  Please let me know what you think.  Give me feedback and share your life lessons too!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Peace Out

Its finally here, week 10 of my very last quarter at ONU.  This week is filled with various awards banquets, end of the year parties and various other commitments.  Along with all of this comes a sense of finality.  The last time I will be heading to a 10 am class, my last University Singers rehearsal and my last Thursday night dinner creation. I've had a great experience at ONU, but I feel completely prepared to head into the real world on my own.  Bring it on!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

I Got a Job!

As it comes down to the final weeks before graduation, I am proud to say that I have a job! Woohoo!  After sending out at least 75 job applications, I got the call on Tuesday from the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.  I was so determined to know what I was going to be doing after May 22 that I set a goal for myself of one application a day.  This turned into about five a day.  I got a call from the Kentucky Center three weeks ago for a phone interview the next week, then they called me down to Louisville the following week for an in person interview and then offered me the position a week later.  I will be working as an event services coordinator doing contract writing, bookings and other odds and ends.  I am so excited and happy that I have a path set out after graduation.  Now, I just need to find an apartment, but that the fun part!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Think Before You Act

In the book The New Influencers, Gillin talks about a point that I felt was very important.  He says that strategy needs to drive technology.  I think all too often the reverse order happens.  All too quickly organizations and companies are looking to jump onto the newest and most hip technology in order to reach their customers, but sometimes this will not fit the bill. Think about a company like the Walking Company.  This is a shoe chain  that is mainly directed at middle-aged people.  Therefore, if this company was to jump on the twitter bandwagon to try to get recognition they would probably fail.  While some middle-aged people are on twitter, most are not.  The message of tweets from the Walking Company would be completely lost.  Instead, the Walking Company should look at different forms of social media to reach their customers.  Perhaps a class reunion website would be a better place to advertise.

Another topic that Gillin discusses is del.icio.us.  He says that this is the most powerful search engine site.  Having never really taken the time to explore this site, I decided to give it a go. It seems very navigable to me and like it would be a very helpful tool for social media experts.  The key to this site is tagging.  I understand now the importance of tagging in the social media world.  If you want to get noticed by important figures in the social media world, you need to tag properly so that they can track you down quickly on a site like del.icio.us.  While, I probably don't think this site is the most powerful search engine for me, I can see why it is so important to social media as a whole.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Twitter Mania

In the wake of the announcement that Osama Bin Ladin was dead twitter and facebook exploded!  I was not at home when the news broke but my roommate texted me to give me a heads up.  Can I say now how glad I am that I have a smart phone?  I immediately turned on the CNN app as well as my mobile twitter app.  Twitter was having at least 20 new posts every 10 seconds it seemed.  I was getting all the latest information, including a tracking of how long it would be until the President spoke.  Facebook was just as lively.  People first were simply declaring the information, then came the jokes and the puns.  It was an entertaining as well as a history making night for social media.  So, how did you hear the news?  Were you watching your TV at home when the news casters broke into regular programming, or were you on twitter or facebook?  There is no denying that social media has completely changed the way we view our world and the way we relate to it.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Twitter Assignment

The two people I chose to follow were Gretchen Rossi and Geoff Living. I felt these two people were very different in their reasons for using twitter as well as they type of person that would follow them. Gretchen is from the Real Housewives of Orange County and uses her twitter as a self-promotion tool, as well as a social tool. Mr. Living uses twitter as a self-promotional tool, social tool, but also as an informational tool. For example, this tweet from him "SF Chronicle video prompts White House threat http://t.co/pMh476p censorship from @whitehouse." This is a way of him connecting with his followers and letting them know about issues he feels are important.  On the contrast, Gretchen tweets "Just finished dinner with friends, On way to Blackfin now! Look forward to meeting everyone!"  This is her using twitter as a social tool. Gretchen tweeted 16 times on April 27, while Geoff tweeted almost 40 times on the same day.  Gretchen does not use hashtags much, Geoff does not use them often, but more than Gretchen does.  Geoff posts more links then hashtags.  I feel like both of these people are using twitter to connect with their followers and promote themselves, but Mr. Living uses it as an awareness tool, as well.

The two companies I chose to follow were St. Jude, a nonprofit, and Sharpie, a for profit company.  Both organizations use hashtags fairly frequently. In addition, both companies use twitter as a way to promote their products, and pretty much only for that purpose.  Sharpie played into pop culture more, by connecting many tweets to the royal wedding and ways the British could use sharpies.  St. Jude simply promotes their organization and gives hints of ways to donate to the organization.  Sharpie typically tweets under 10 times a day, while St. Jude only tweets about one or two times per day.  Both organizations use twitter in my opinion.  There is only so much that can be said about childhood cancer a day or a marker. 

Make a Plan

According to The New Rules of Marketing & PR, the most important thing your company can do when creating a marketing and PR plan is to focus on the buyers.  In the world we live in with so much access to our clients, there is no excuse for not doing your very best to satisfy the needs and wants of your clients. While your product may be great, there is nothing for you to benefit from unless your clients are getting what they want.

I think a great example of this concept if Ohio Northern. Who are the clients of this organization?  Parents and students, right?  Do you think ONU does a good job of satisfying the needs and wants of the clients?  Yes ONU has a beautiful campus and a great reputation for an excellent education, but would that matter to a parent if they really want their child to be safe on campus?  No.  It is important for the University to focus on the different and unique desires of each student and their family when marketing ONU to them.  ONU was marketed to me as a great place to continue the legacy of my family members who had also gone here.  This was important to me, but this would not have mattered to another student who was the first person in their family to go to college.

Each customer is unique, and while not every customer's needs and wants can be completely satisfied, it is part of the job of a PR professional to make a marketing plan that will create a sense of satisfaction for a customer.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Why I Love the Freed Center

As indicated by my last post, I am mildly excited for the royal wedding happening on Friday.  I have been looking forward to this for months now!  I hear my mom talk about how she got up early to watch Princess Diana get married, and I want to have a memory like that of my own.  So, here is the plan.  I am going to get up at 5 a.m. on Friday morning and make some waffles with chocolate chips for my roommate and I.  They will look similar to a famous British desert, but will hopefully taste better.  We are going to sip tea while wearing borrowed hats from the Freed Center.  I walked into the costume shop and asked Cathy if I could borrow a fancy hat and she pointed me in the right direction.  Without the Freed Center's help my royal wedding viewing would not be complete.  You cannot watch a royal wedding with a bare head.  There must be a hat on it.  I am so excited for the whole event.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Royal Wedding Overload? No Such Thing!

Every entertainment television show, every morning news show, every news network, every talk show and every single show in between has the Royal Wedding fever.  As the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton are fast approaching, it seems as though the world is coming together to speculate and watch.  Everything from what Kate will be wearing to how the Prince and new Princess will travel from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace is being analyzed by news corespondents. And every possible trinket imaginable is available to be purchased as a memento, including Kate and William condoms, tea sets and clocks.  Some people may say that this is overkill, but not me.  I think if the world is able to come together and celebrate something as beautiful as a wedding for a young man who has lived a somewhat sad life, then let all the hoopla come along too.  With all the negative and sad things happening in the world today, if our attention is focused on something as surface level as the designer of a wedding gown, then I say more power to the news editor who is putting that story on the air.  I know that I will be up at 5 am on Friday morning anxiously awaiting the results of all of these speculations.  Friday, April 29 will be a day that the world remembers, just like the day Prince Charles and Diana got married.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Do I Smell a Fraud?

Greg Mortenson is the author of the bestselling book Three Cups of Tea.  And earlier this year a one-man show of the book was presented at the Freed Center for the Performing Arts. After a report on 60 Minutes this past Sunday, it is possible that the amazing stories shared in the novel are a lie.  Investigations are being launched into whether or not this man and his story is telling the truth.  In addition, questions are being raised about where the money he earns goes and if his charity is benefiting at all from his speaking engagements and book sales.  This all seems very reminiscent of the scandal that accompanied the novel Million Little Pieces and its author, James Frey.  Only time and more investigation will tell the truth about the newest novel under suspicion.  Click here to see the 60 Minutes story.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Visual CV and this week's reading

Here is the link to my visual cv. I have to say, creating this was much more fun then I thought it would be.

During class on Monday, we were assigned to groups to look at different sections in Engaged.  My group was assigned to part 6.  I was excited about this, because I think that part has some really useful information and some fun facts, as well.  What fun facts you ask?  Well, did you know that Whole Foods has over 50 different twitter accounts?  Each section of their store has it's own account.  For example, cheese from Whole Foods a twitter account.  What an awesome marketing strategy!
Another part of section six that was interesting to me was the section on hashtags.  As a new twitter user, this information was helpful to me.  I have not completely grasped the concepts of hashtags and when to use them, but this section in the book certainly helped.
One of the most important things this section talks about is the movement from CRM (customer relationship management), to SCRM (social customer relationship management).  As companies become more and more accessible, it is more important for these mew types of relationships to be managed properly.  Instead of just managing relationships, now companies have the ability to listen to and engage their customers.  This is something that can be very helpful to a growing company if it is done correctly. This section of the book was very helpful.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Duck and Cover

Well, I guess there is a first for everything.  Finally spring quarter of my senior brings about a tornado warning in the middle of the night.  Granted, I have experienced my fair share of tornado scares while growing up in Northwest Ohio, the start of tornado alley, but until last night I had never experienced one while at ONU.  There was a tornado scare this past summer in Ada, but I was not around for it.  Last night at approximately 12:30 p.m. I hear the wind start to pick up and my walls start shaking from the thunder.  I guess that is what you get for living on the third floor in the room with the outside facing wall.  Then, that screeching siren sounds and I know what that means.  I go to wake up my roommate and we discuss for a couple minutes what to do.  There is no basement in the campus apartments, so we call a friend who lives on the first floor.  We head to her room only to discover the rest of the people in our building lining the hallways of Stadium View East first floor.  The sirens are continuing to go off and it is starting to get annoying.  I continue to watch the news and once we discover that everything is all clear, I head back up to go to bed. Just a little excitement in the tiny town of Ada on a Tuesday night. One thing that really surprised me though was the number of people who were absolutely terrified.  I actually think storms are fun and exciting as long as no one is getting hurt.  But the number of people I have talked to today who were unable to sleep because they were too scared was astounding.  I guess it is a good thing that a tornado warning has not come to Ada in my four years before now.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Podcast

Here is my social media podcast regarding facebook ethics between faculty members and students.

Elizabeth's Podcast

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Facebook for the Non-Humans

This week I have noticed the number of "friends" that I have on Facebook that are not people.  Seems strange, right? Actually, it is one of the funniest things that keeps me really entertained on the social media site.  First of all, my friend Mike created a profile for his dog.  His name is Skip and he is probably the meanest dog in the world.  He has become a icon among Mike's friends with picture messages being sent back and forth on a daily basis.  So the next natural step was to create a Facebook page where people could communicate directly with Skip.  On his page, Skip talks about other attractive dogs and his latest escapades.  Obviously, it is Mike who us updating this information, but it is just so funny to get a post on your homepage that says "Skip updated his favorite quotes and about me."
In addition to Skip,  I have another friend who created a page for a fruit.  It is called Rasp Berry.  Rasp Berry is not as popular as skip, but he discusses concepts like his favorite fruits and the weather.  Skip and Rasp Berry are two of my favorite non-human  Facebook profiles.  I guess when you think about it, it is a little scary that anyone could create a profile claiming to be something they are not, but when it comes to dogs and fruit, it provides entertainment.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Extra, Extra, Read All About It.

In The New Rules of Marketing and PR, Scott discusses the new realm of press releases.  Back when press releases were simply used either by the main stream market or by professionals sharing information about the inner workings of their industry.  Today, news releases have a whole new job.  Without gate keepers, like newspaper editors, to keep your story from getting into the newspaper, the Internet allows for all sorts of news releases to be shared directly with the public.  With this new and exciting world to reach, Scott lays out several rules that should be followed when trying to reach and audience through press releases on the Internet. I have put them in simple terms so they are easy to follow and remember.

1. Don't just send a release when there is big news, send them all the time
2. Create releases that will directly relate to your customer
3. Keywords are the key
4. Include things that will impel your customers to respond
5. Link!
6. Make it searchable
7. Tag it
8. Drive towards sales

With the speed and accessibility of the Internet, it is more important now than ever to reach your customers consistently and in a way that speaks to your customers. Ever since PR writing, I have thought of press releases as one of the most important ways to get your thoughts and news out there.  After reading Scott, I have a whole new take on the importance of press releases.  They really can make or break a company's success in the social media world.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Small Town Opening the Window to a Big World

Tonight I got a truly unique experience on Ohio Northern's campus.  Dr. Jack Shaheen was brought to campus by the ONU political science department to speak on the American population's perspective of Arabs.  Dr. Shaheen is the author of the book Reel Bad Arabs which looks at over 1,000 Hollywood movies and their portrayals of Arabs and Muslims.  The book was also converted to the screen in the form of a documentary.  I have to say this was one of the most insightful and thought provoking lectures I have heard on this campus.
With over 25 years of research and numerous scholarly credit to his name, Dr. Shaheen deserves every bit of praise that he has been given throughout his career.  He opened the audience's eyes to the way that the media portrays Arabs and Muslims as the enemy.  So many different films, ads and news reports are simply appalling when one looks at them from this perspective.  I am so glad I had the opportunity to hear such a brilliant speaker on this campus.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Podcast me!

In class last Monday we discussed podcasts.  After the discussion and reading on podcasts, I became quite intrigued and wanted to see what was going on in cyber space in the world of podcasting. My first stop, iTunes.  I had no idea the huge number of podcasts available for download, and on every topic imaginable.  The ones that caught my eye included podcasts on podcasting, in-depth interviews, music lessons and museum tours. As Scott discusses in The New Rules of Marketing and PR, podcasts are really becoming more and more popular as more and more people are wanting to listen to audio content then watch a video.  There is a podcast for anything you might want to know about it seems.  
Now, I want to weigh in on the debate over if podcasts will take over radio.  I think yes.  As technology gets more advanced, there will be ways to listen to podcasts through the radio in your car, I believe.  That to me is the only thing blocking podcasts from outdoing radio. Podcasts are cheaper to make, more specialized and farther reaching. In addition, my least favorite part of radio are those annoying advertisements, something that is not an issue with podcasts.  I will be very interested to see how long it takes for radio to take a back seat to podcasts. 

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Best of the Best

While looking on the Internet for interesting social media stories, I came across this list on the Forbes Magazine Website. What did this list teach me? I need to be more up-to-date on my social media happenings. I recognize only about half of these campaigns. I do not know whether I should be proud of this, that I have not been eating up time on the Internet, or ashamed that I am not up on the trends. But as I think more about it, I realize that every single day a new social media campaign is launched on the Internet, and there is no way to keep up with the pace that they are being launched. I do think this class is making me more aware of the social media world, an important tool as I head into the business world.

The one thing that I find very interesting about this list is "The Blair Witch Project." I never thought of that as a social media campaign. For a film that was released in the late 1990s it was way ahead of its time. If you want to know how this film was really a social media phenomenon, click here.


Forbes list of the 20 best-ever social media campaigns:
“The Blair Witch Project”
Blendtec: ill It Blend?
Old Spice: “Smell Like a Man, Man.”
Burger King: “Subservient Chicken”
Pepsi Refresh
VW: “Fun Theory”
OfficeMax: “Elf Yourself”
Evian: “Roller Babies
Ikea: “Facebook Showroom”
Hotmail
Whopper Sacrifice
Target: “Bullseye Gives”
Vitaminwater
Smirnoff: “Tea Par-tay”
The Dark Knight: Why So Serious?
Quicksilver: “Dynamic Surfing”
Cadbury: Gorilla
BMW: “1 Series Graffit Contest”
Bing/Farmville
CareerBuilder: Monk-e-Mail

    Wednesday, April 6, 2011

    Humans Vs. Zombies

    Its spring again at ONU which can only mean one thing...humans vs. zombies has started again. Now as a non-participant it can be very odd to be walking to class or turning into a parking spot when all of the sudden there is a war breaking out in front of you.  This has happened to me twice already and I think the game has only been going on since Monday or yesterday.  Typically, I just scream "I'm not playing," at the top of my lungs to be sure that I am not confused for the enemy.  While the game can seem like an inconvenience to some, I find it to quite entertaining. For example, just as I was walking into my building this afternoon my roommate and I started army crawling down the hallway to hide from the war happening outside the building.  While this may seem just ass strange to other people walking by as a zombie war does to me, it is sure entertaining.  I do have to commend the organizers of this event for creating something that is so well know and popular on campus, as interesting as it may seem to anyone else not involved.

    Sunday, April 3, 2011

    I need you to listen.

    As a communication major, many of my classes have dealt with the difference between hearing and listening.  And let me tell you, there is a big difference.  Listening means really taking in the message you are receiving and processing it.  On the contrary, hearing is simply the physical act that occurs when someone is speaking to you, you hear them.  Well in chapter 5 of Groundswell, Li talks about listening to the groundswell.  It is important for advertisers, companies, and executives to listen to the people who are talking about your product in the social media world.  According to Li, "your brand is whatever your customers say it is" (pg. 78).  I really believe this to be true.

    In order to really know what your customer is saying, you have the listen to them.  Go into their world and find out what they want from you, what they expect from you and what they think of you.  If someone on twitter is bashing your product, that is going to spread quickly, and a company needs to be prepared to handle that situation effectively.  Just like we talked in class about the State Farm isn't always there fiasco.  If the members of the State Farm PR team weren't listening to what the groundswell was saying, there could have been a major crisis for the company come Monday morning.

    In order to start to listen effectively and use the groundswell to your advantage, Li suggests following these steps:
    1. Check the Social Telegraphics profiles of your customers
    2. Start small, think big
    3. Make sure you have an experienced team listening for you
    4. Choose a higher-up to interpret the information and then pass it down through the company

    Listening is one of the most important skills we as individuals and members of the social media world can have.

    Saturday, April 2, 2011

    Randomness: The college expereience

    In my years at ONU I have discovered that on a Friday or Saturday evening you have to get a bit creative when it comes to finding something fun to do before 10 pm.  Last night was one of those nights. I had plans at 11 to stop by a friend's party for a while, but what to do until then?  Well let me take you on the adventure that was an evening in northwest Ohio. It began early evening with a trip to El Campo for some chips, salsa and a margarita. This was followed by a trip up interstate 75 to Findlay to The Spaghetti Shop, the tackiest Italian place with the best garlic bread. We hopped back in the car for a trip to Jack's pets to play with the puppies for about a half hour before heading to Pirate's Cove for some laser tagging.  Yes, that is correct, six 20 somethings playing with puppies and playing laser tag.  After the laser tagging we headed to Friendly's for some ice cream sundaes to top off the evening before heading back to Ada to stop by the party.  Only when living in a small town in Ada while in college will you get this kind of adventure!  It was a blast, not your typical college student night, but an absolutely great time!

    Wednesday, March 30, 2011

    How much is too much?

    As I was perusing E News today, I came across a story that really got me thinking. Leonardo DiCaprio has just signed on to do a television commercial for a Chinese phone company that will reportedly pay him five million dollars.  Yes, that is correct, five million dollars for a 30-60 second commercial!  This situation causes me to ask, how much is to much for an actor, sport figure or other opinion leader to be paid for his or her services as an endorser? All the time you hear of athletes getting millions and millions of dollars with Nike and Gatorade.  But then, I think about a country like China that is so close to Japan, a country that is in the midst of a national crisis, and wonder how in the world is it excusable to pay five million dollars for a television commercial.  That five million dollars could do so much for the relief efforts in Japan or even for important issues in China.  And then I think about Leonardo DiCaprio taking this money.  At a time like this and as an actor who is usually quite philanthropic this is appalling to me that he would accept this offer.  At least say you will give the money to the Red Cross or something Leo!  I think that the world's priorities are a little messed up at this point.

    Saturday, March 26, 2011

    Spreading like wildfire

    This week's reading about viral marketing brought up what I thought was a very interesting and important point.  Most of the time viral videos and stories happen by chance.  It is not always planned.  I'm sure some creators hope that their little homemade video will take the internet world by storm, but a lot of times it is purely chance.  For example, I imagine Charlie and his older brother's mother did not intend for this video to go viral and get as many views as it did.  When Emily and I posted our video for the get connected contest, we did it because it was part of our assignment and I figure no one outside of our class would see it.  But, when I looked at it the other day we had almost 50 views.  Now obviously 50 views does not a viral video make, but it shows the randomness of a video becoming viral. Something else I thought was very clever in The New Riles of Marketing and PR was the geyser metaphor.  it fits so perfectly into the explanation of a viral video process.  First nothing, and then bam, an internet sensation.  
    Our in class discussion about the different youtube videos we all watch was so insightful.  There are so many choices out there on the internet.  Someone can literally find anything they want when it comes to a youtube video.  And the fact that it is such a popular search engine is amazing.  I remember when I was in high school and first heard about youtube.  It seemed like such a novelty and was even blocked from school computers.  Now, I watch at least one thing on youtube everyday.  Amazing what a difference a few years can make in the world of technology and social media.  Which I think it kind of the point of this class.  We need to all be aware and prepared for the constant changes that are taking place in the world of social media.  Something that is becoming more and more relied upon everyday.

    Wednesday, March 23, 2011

    Something in the water?

    It seems as though the new Hollywood "it" trend is to go off the deep end.  You have Charlie Sheen, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan and numerous other stars who have made some questionable decisions.  And now just as the restraining order against him from Rhianna is relaxed, it seems as though Chris Brown is headed back to the dark side.  After the public domestic violence incident between the two singers two years ago, Chris Brown has been flying under the radar.  But with the release of his new album F.A.M.E, he is out on the press circuit.  He performed on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday morning and things seemed to be under control.  Host Robin Roberts attempted to ask some questions about the Rhianna situation, but Mr. Brown graciously avoided the questions by bringing the conversation back to the album release.  He showed a little bit of frustration, but got the conversation back on track.  Successful appearance and welcome back into the limelight right?  Wrong.  After Mr. Brown left the GMA studio a window in his dressing room was found broken.  Immediately authorities believed the singer was to blame.  Mr. Brown took the situation to twitter claiming that people like Charlie Sheen get to do whatever they want and people still buy tickets to his show, but he has one mess up two years ago and people will not let him live. Soon after the comment was posted it was taken down.  It seems as the day went on Mr. Brown's behavior got more and more erratic, even displaying some off the wall behavior at his album release party that night.  Was this just Chris Brown being himself, dangerous as that may seem, or has he had some of the Hollywood water that seems to be making stars lose touch with reality.  Only time will tell as we keep a close eye on the singer.

    Tuesday, March 22, 2011

    Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

    Even though it is officially spring according the the calendar, I feel as though Ada, Ohio is far from it.  While rain is a natural occurrence in the spring months in the Midwest, the freezing temperatures and possible snow showers need to go away.  I would have really liked it for that little taste of spring we had last week to be a permanent change in ONU's weather.  Unfortunately, as is typical with Ohio weather, one can never predict what the weather is going to be from one day to the next, especially in March and April.  Hopefully this possible snow headed our way will be the last of the season. 
    As I was walking to class today and the rain started, I considered the essential weather gear that it seems every Northern girl is equipped with, a list I wish I would have had prior to my freshman year.  So, I am going to provide that list for any future ONU student reading this blog.

    1. Rain boots (I prefer either a neutral colored pair that will go with anything.)
    2. Snow boots (Again, a neutral color or choices depending on your outfit, but make sure they have really good traction)
    3. Umbrella (It is best if the umbrella is quite sturdy and will not flip inside out while in use.)
    4. A fleece jacket (i.e. Northface)
    5. A really warm hat and gloves
    6. A big puffy warm coat
    7. A cuter coat when it is not super cold
    8. Good balancing skills (The ice on campus can be deadly.)
    9. Warm socks
    10. Lots of extra jeans to change into when yours get drenched on the way to class

    While many of these things I brought to school with me when I was first starting, some of them I learned about through trial and error (i.e. the traction on shoes). It may seem silly and like common sense, but it is unbelievable how important a simple pair of warm socks can become in mid-January.

    Sunday, March 20, 2011

    Video Contest Entry

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArPXifOwf_Q

    Mixing the old and the new

    This past Friday night my parents hosted a large party at my house in Findlay for friends and family.  It was a just because type of party.  My parents had asked if the Northernaires, the eight voice vocal jazz group I am a member of on campus, would be willing to perform.  I jumped at the opportunity to sing in front of all these people in my hometown who had watched me perform all through middle school and high school.  It was such a blast! There were about 125 people crammed into my house....a little chaotic I might say.  I feel the best part of the evening for me was mixing my ONU life with my hometown life.  My roommate, several of my other friends and two guys I had gone to high school with and now they go to ONU were in attendance.  It was so neat to see these people that were a major part of my younger life interacting with the people that are currently a major part of my life.  I also enjoyed showing off my hometown folks and family to my ONU friends.  I had a great time and wish my parents would throw a big party like that more often!!

    Thursday, March 17, 2011

    ALFAC taking feeling some flack.

    This week Gilbert Gottfried was fired as the voice of the talking duck for the insurance company AFLAC.  This came as a result of Gottfried posting some racially degrading tweets in response to the Japanese tsunami and earthquake. Saying things like "Japan is so advanced they don't go to the beach, the beach comes to them."  What an untimely and all around rude comment to make. A comment like this would never be acceptable, but especially in a time of crisis in Japan, it is simply appalling.

    I wonder how much heat AFLAC will take for their former employee's comments or will the majority of the media attention be focused on Gilbert himself.  I think in this instance it is more important to focus on the actual person.  The organization has no control over what their employee is going to tweet in regards to current events and really shouldn't have control when it is not concerning a company matter. I am not sure how much of a career Gilbert Gottfried has to salvage, but whatever it is, it is going to be hard to regain the world's respect.

    If you would like to see a news report on the event click here

    Wednesday, March 16, 2011

    Engage Part 2

    Now that I am really getting into Engage! I really appreciate the writing style and the flow of this book as well.  It is very easy to follow, and I like how Brian Solis breaks the topics up in a way that does not make a 120 page section feel like you are reading a 120 page section. There were several different topics in part 2 that were of interest to me. The first one being the section on podcasts and wikis.

    I have to be honest, I really didn't know exactly what a podcast or wikis were.  I had obviously heard about the wiki leaks scandal, but the only wiki i had ever heard of was wikipedia.  I really appreciated learning about wikis in general. I was surprised to find out how prevalent they are and how they are defined by their interactivity. As for podcasts, I had seen them pop up on my itunes, but never had really taken the time to look into them. I now realized they are sophisticated radio media, but more specialized. Almost like a satellite radio station.  I feel like an awful communication major for never looking into these terms, but I am very glad I know them now.

    Secondly, I really liked the section on social calendars and events. I have recently become a little obsessed with evite.com.  I created my account and within a week had sent 3 invitations.  It is just a simple and organized way to keep track of attendees and upcoming events. This summer at my internship I got a lot of experience with public online social events calendars.  Whenever we had an event coming up, as the intern, it was my job to find every possible outlet on the internet to advertise it.  It was amazing to me the number of places that had event calendars that would send posted events to their members through email.  Also, so many cities have city cites where any event happening in the area can be publicized.

    Finally, I got a kick out of the facebook section.  It was funny to me to see groups and pages explained when it seems like such second nature.  But in the future, facebook will probably be no more and there needs to be documentation about this social networking phenomenon that took the world by storm.

    Sunday, March 13, 2011

    "The New Influences" Response to Intro and Ch. 1

    When I looked at the book list for this class and received them all in the mail, I did not understand how a class about social media could have so much supporting text.  Soon after starting the read the introduction and first chapter in The New Influences though, I realized there is so much more to the world of social media then I thought.  Mr. Gilliin writes in a conversational and easy-to-read way that makes reading for this class enjoyable. I have learned so much just from the first 17 pages of this book and the first 18 from Engage.

    The thing that stuck out the most to me in the first part of Mr. Gillin's book was the fact that he immediately admitted that he was wrong.  He first gave a quote that he had published about social media and that it would soon  see its downfall.  Within the next two sentences of the introduction he states "I have never been more wrong about anything."  I feel this is a such a great way for an author to connect with the audience.  It puts him on a level playing field with his readers by admitting his mistakes.  Many authors would leave their faults out or glaze over them to make themselves look better.  The way Mr. Gillin handled the situation automatically made me respect him.

    In chapter one the different types of blogs are discussed. I had no idea there were 15 different types of blogs! I honestly thought a blog was a blog, was a blog. What helpful information to have though when entering the world of blogging like I am.  To know that different formats and styles have to be used when writing different kinds of blogs will only increase my credibility in the blogging world.

    While the author asserted his credibility to by acknowledging his shortcomings, I will be able to assert my credibility with my blog by using the proper format and having the basic skill set needed to be a successful blogger.

    Thursday, March 10, 2011

    No, No Jimbo

    Big PR News this week!

    Jim Tressel, the OSU football coach, was fined $250,000 and suspended to 2 games next season because he apparently did not tell NCAA officials that he was aware of some "frowned upon" behavior by his players.  The details of the story you can get somewhere else, but I want to talk about the PR aspect of this story. Should OSU back Tressel if the NCAA comes to inflict a bigger punishment? Should Tressel be working on his own to improve his tarnished reputation? Should the players come to his aid?

    I am not a sports fanatic by any means, so I am not completely aware of all the no-no's in collegiate level sports, but I do know that this is a good lesson in crisis communication for OSU, Mr. Tressel and his players.  They need to be working to get this stain off of their reputation. Let me know what you think about this story......I would be interested to hear from some people who are more sports savvy than I am.

    Tuesday, March 8, 2011

    New Blog!

    I have set up this blog for my social media class at Ohio Northern University. We had our first day of class yesterday and that is where I made this blog. I am really excited about this class. I think it will help me to better understand how to use social media to my advantage as a young professional. Also, I just think blogging is fun! 

    After my first day of my last quarter at ONU, I realize what the term "senioritis" really means. I found my motivation to be dwindling, but at least this social media class is going to be fun and keep me interested in the subject matter. And at least I will have one class in my spring quarter that will keep me focused on school :) I am ready to head full force into this quarter and "Spring into Graduation"....get it???