Crappy Holidays? I Think Not!

When I opened up my homepage, www.msn.com, I was interesed by an article concerning the worst Holiday movies of all time! Now, first, I love movies. I am a Netflix user and have to avoid the movie section at Wal-Mart to make sure I don't purchase anything. Second, I love the holidays. Everything about Christmas just makes me giddy inside. So, naturally, I love holiday movies. Last night, I just watched the Santa Claus 2 and right before I came home, Home Alone. In my mind, these are two classics. After reading this article, I was shocked and angered by the selected movies. Not only do they bash the Santa Clause series, starring funny man Tim Allen, and Home Alone, but also Christmas with the Kranks and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Personally, I agree with some of the movies such as Deck the Halls. But the three I mentioned are not bad movies. They truly embrace the holiday spirit. And shouldn't that be what a good holiday movie does? There are much worse holiday movies out there. What about 8 Crazy Nights? Not to bash on the Jewish holiday, but that movie was not top quality. Or A Christmas Story? The kid gets his tongue stuck to a pole. Granted I have yet to watch this movie (it's a family thing), but from what I have seen, this movie stinks in my opinion. I think this article lacks tact when bashing these classics. They are out right mean about some of my generations favorites. Not every movie has to be as wonderful as Elf or Miracle on 34th Street. Come on now. Have you been watching "Falalala Lifetime" or "The 25 Days of Christmas" on ABC family? Some of those movies are plain sappy and cliche, but you don't see them on this crappy list. I just thought I should let the rest of my followers check out this list of a few of our favorites and see if they agree. Because I am currently enraged about Home Alone and the Santa Claus series. The nerve this Sean Nelson writer has. He needs to get his Christmas spirit back in check and leave the good movies off that list!

Ranking Social Media

This week, I explored digg.com, as usual. I think this is my favoite social media site to find news. I find it easy to "digg" through news that I am interested in and weed out stuff that I could care less about. I decided to search for new social media stuff. I came across a blog that rated the Top 10 Social News Sites, according to their appearance and layout.

I was extremely pleased when Digg.com came out as number 3 in this bloggers opinion. I find this site so easy to use. But the best part about the article, was looking at the other social news sites I have yet to explore. First, I checked out StumbleUpon, which appeared similar to digg. Every story had a brief sentence or two describing the article along with a picture. But despite the easy layout, the unfamiliarity and difference from digg, turned me away.

Next, I looked into Mixx and loved it! Rated number 1 in the blog I read, Mixx is the perfect site. There is a poll on the right hand side that changes everytime you vote. First, there was a political question and then one about the popular TV show, GossipGirl. How fantastic! Similar to Digg, users can rate stories by voting. Also, on the home page, you can enter into a search bar labeled "What are you interested in." After entering a topic you want to see news on, the home page will stay the same, but there will be additional stories beneath the search bar pertaining to your interests. Definitely check out this Web site because it is now my favorite social media site!

I think it is awesome that people are blogging about news sites because I can now look at multiple news sites that I never knew existed. With the new sites I found, I feel like I will be able to get a better variety of news from multiple sites and become a better informed blogger. Everyone should look into these sites!

Let's Chat About Ethics

I have been trying to start my paper on ethics for three days now, but I just can't seem to pick a topic. First, I wanted to write about social media and how ethics plays such a large role. Yet, after reading the past winners, I realized that I needed something more meaningful. Not only would winning $5,000 be nice, but I wanted to examine my life. I know I have been faced with multiple issues of ethics. Day in and day out, everyone is faced with ethical issues. After realizing this, I wondered how I became the person I am today despite all of the unethical experiences I have been exposed to and if I am even as ethical as I think.

The things I want to write about may hurt others. Even though they are all true, they might affect someone else's feelings and I am not sure if I am okay with that. I know they will make a great heart-wrenching paper, but should I air someone's dirty laundry out for my benefit? Is it ethical that I am even thinking about doing it both to win and pick apart the person I am?

So I am in a dilemma. I am not sure what to write about because the topics I want to write about might hurt others, therefore making me unethical in the end. Jeez, this will be a tricky paper.

Social Media Changing the World

Written over a year ago, an article I found titled Digg Life: How Social Media Will Change the World hit the nail on the head with the direction social media will go. The first half of the article discussed many aspects of social media we have already studied. It highlighted how "the masses" such as the users, decide what pieces of information are important. Everyday people just like you and me can have a voice as important as popular news anchors. I loved one part of the article where it explained that information on the Web is now made popular based on "how good you are, not who you know." I think this is a great point regarding to media, but not networking. I think with jobs and internships, knowing people is still key, but when focusing on getting your blog out there, it is based on how well you write.

The most interesting thing in the article discussed politics. Since this article was written over a year ago, it was when the presidential election was just beginning to start up. Digg began discussion about a social media Web site solely for politics. I think this would have been a fantastic idea so people could voice their opinions and other citizens could look at issues from multiple view points. With the election now over, I have yet to see a site such as this. I feel as though many people did voice their opinion but there was not one site where you could look at multiple opinions at once.

Overall, it's crazy to see how people predicted social media would be such a big deal years ago. I can only imagine where it's going to take us in the future.

Coke Down

I was taken back by the fact that when searching for Vault, a soda made by Coca-Cola, the Web site made by Coke didn't appear for over twenty-five pages. But, the fan-made page was the first result. This astounds me. The mere idea that consumers have this much power with the break out of the Internet and blogging is insane! Karkovak was able to launch not only one, but two, popular Web sites dedicated to different sodas that significantly. Coke used to be a company that did not embrace consumer fan clubs and opinions. Karkovak completely changed Coke's opinion and helped them to use consumers as a benefit. Karkovak, in a round about way, helped Coke to alter their Web site and make it more user friendly.

Citizen Markerts really demonstrated in this chapter the power the consumer now has with the advances in the Internet. As a Generation Y, I have had access to the Internet since I was in ... maybe 6th grade? I have always used it solely to surf the Web and to connect to AIM. When MySpace came out in high school, I joined that networking site. And then Facebook, I signed on as soon as I could. Since being in college and especially a social media class, I have truly seen the endless possibilities the Internet offers. Everything from blogs to consumer feedback to Web sites dedicated to the revival of a soft drink, the Internet is limitless. I am excited to see how public relations and marketing take on the Internet in the upcoming years and I hope, with my major, I play an active role in my profession. Ready or not Internet, here I come!

How You Can Save a Life

More Construction?!

First, the new pharmacy building. Next, the Inn. Now, new affinity. I am not sure how much more construction I can handle! With the Inn, I would walk to class and all you could hear was Spanish music and construction workers yelling. I was more than excited when ONU was finally finished building at the beginning of this year. And I will give it to them, the Inn looks sweet, but it took forever to complete. And instead of waiting until this upcoming summer to continue new construction, ONU has begun clearing land and placing pipes for a new affinity. I think it's great that they are finally building more housing because this has obviously been a problem for years, but do they really need to start during week 9 of fall quarter? Right out my window, I can see all of the machines and hear the terribly loud noises. I'm not sure if I can handle this for the year. Even when I walk to class, I pass by newly constructed fences with men creeping around them talking about the most random things that I really don't care about. And if that isn't bad enough, their work begins around 7am. Or at least that's when I can hear them. What better to wake up to then a bulldozer?

And with next week being 'dead week,' I don't think my sorority can handle the noise. We all like to study in our rooms and that just doesn't look like it will be able to happen due to the noise. I wish ONU would be more considerate. They know finals are coming up, why couldn't they wait to begin their construction? Or at least warn the two existing affinity buildings about what is happening.

Who is going to live in the new affinity anyway? You have three sororities and honors housing at the moment. I think ONU should have just moved the three sororities and given us Greek-style houses somewhere new on campus and used our current affinity houses for housing. I guess this is due to my bias of being in a sorority and knowing ONU pulled a fast one on us. When I was a freshman, affinity was brand new and it was the first year of DZ living there. And I was told by our seniors that the house we ended up with is not what we signed on for. We were supposed to have a Greek house, columns and all. The works. But ONU claimed multiple things such as they didn't have enough time and since only two sororities signed on, they couldn't follow the original plans. To me, this is completely unfair. I grew up with contracts. My dad owned five companies at one point. He hired people to build and excavate all the time. He always drew up contracts and if they were broken, it did not go unnoticed. He made sure the people he hired followed through with what they said they would, otherwise, he would sue them. I would like to see the contract DZ signed with ONU about our housing. I am sure something is broken but ONU is so shady about everything. I am sure they have burned the contract or something. My goal before I graduate is to get to the bottom of the DZ housing issue. Because right now, I live in a 'sorority house' with multiple RA's in dorm style rooms with construction lingering constantly outside my window.

Shady ONU. The small friendly school I once fell in love with is no more.

The New Rules of Week 9

I will admit I am a bit of a nerd when reading our books for social media. This week, while deep into The New Rules of Marketing and PR, I pulled myself away and decided to look at some of the Web sites Scott was talking about. First, I went to Cervelo. Now, I don't like bicycling. In fact, I actually hate it. My dad used to take us out west every summer and we would bike around national parks for hours. And even though I am not a fan of cycling, I know good bikes and what matters. This Web site was really easy and instead of just reading about how fantastic their marketing strategies are, I got a look at them first hand. One of my favorite things Cervelo has on the Web site are reviews. You can click on either the 2008 or 2009 bikes. Then, under these categories, you can click on over 10 different bikes. On each bike's page, there are so many details such as price, what professionals have them, where they have been featured, highlights, and then reviews. These reviews are from various magazines and Web sites who have critiqued the bike. I love that Cervelo connects the consumer directly to positive media about their product. I think the review section would be even more sweet if they included a place where customers who have purchased bikes can write their opinions.

Aside from just looking at bicycles, I checked out Amazon.com. And until I read chapter 2, I never really noticed how helpful this site is. I signed in under my mom's name and as soon as I got to her home page, Amazon already provided suggestions for me including movies and books. And surprisingly, they were things I am or would be interested in purchasing. I clicked on "A Charlie Brown Christmas," because who doesn't love this movie? And Amazon not only told me details to the movie and showed me what other customers who liked this product bought, but Amazon showed me what other products were often bought at the same time as this movie. For those of you interested, it was "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

I completely agree with Scott that these two Web sites take the new rules and really apply them. I think it's time for some online shopping thanks to Amazon. I feel like they want me to be happy with my purchase and be aware of my choices and the variety they offer. And I sent my dad, the bicycling enthusiast he is, the Web site for Cervelo. Maybe a new bike will be make him happy enough and I won't have to ride with him!

Clean Up In Aisle 9

Who doesn't love Rock Band?  And Rock Band: World Tour is the newest addition to the Rock Band collection.  Released on October 28th, the new video games was being sold everywhere!  But one store, Circuit City, seemed to have things a little mixed up.  After reading Consumerist, I came across an interesting experience one customer had while trying to purchase the new game.  Instead of the game being priced at $189.99, the computer rang it up as $10,000.  Now that is a huge difference.  After having to wait for over an hour and talking to managers and multiple people in the Circuit City chain of commands, the customer found out he was being lied to and Circuit City was being dishonest in more ways than one.

In my mind, this is a great example of public relations.  The poor public relations person for Circuit City most likely had to smooth out the waters and discover what really happened.  

Has anyone ever had a terrible experience at a popular store, maybe not as drastic as this, but similar?

Time Flies ...

BAM! I was just hit with the realization that I am a junior. A year from now, I will be looking for jobs. This summer, I will have an internship. In a little over three months, I will be 21! I am an upperclassman. I just cannot fathom this. In a few weeks, I might be a grand big in DZ. Which is crazy! I remember when I was a freshman and talking to juniors, mainly in DZ. They seemed so scary and intimidating. Yet, they were poised and classy. I looked up to them so much. They really appeared so much older. And now, living on the first floor of the house with my pledge class, I really do not feel like a junior. I only have two years left at ONU until I face the real world.

As if it isn't bad enough realizing I will be graduating in less than two years and could be called 'gbig,' looking back, things have already changed so much on this campus. When I came as a freshman, the Phi Kap house was on fraternity circle. White Bear just got remodeled. The location of the new Inn was the home of scary apartments. Affinity was brand new. Brookhart was given a make-over. Sororities and fraternities weren't watched like hawks. Klondike was still cute and cuddly. Two years later, all of this is completely different. I can't even imagine coming back and seeing more drastic changes. When I talk to freshman now, they have no idea what the old Klondike looked like or that there used to be more than six fraternities.

I honestly just can't grasp that things have changed this much. And that I am growing up. I don't believe all of this is happening and that everything is moving so fast. People always said it would, but I didn't truly understand that until this year. I just want things to stay this way. As much as I wanna grow up and get into the real world, I want to stay in college forever!

Webinar

Last night, for Delta Zeta, I attended a webinar on recruitment. The program is called Recruitment Boot Camp and it is meant for both sororities and fraternities. When I walked in, I had no idea what was going on. In class, we have talked about webinars and video conferencing, but I haven't experienced them in a long time. The last time I remember a video conference was when I got to watch knee replacement surgery my senior year. And I'm not sure if watching someone cut open a patient's knee really counts as a conference.


Anyway, as soon as we walked in, the guy, David Stollman, was talking and asking questions while the advisors of panhel and IFC typed to him. Everyone else in the room looked genuinely confused. They had no idea why there was a God-like voice talking to them and where the voice was coming from. I turned to the 8 other members representing DZ and told them what this was. I felt extremely proud of myself, that I paid attention in my class and knew what was going on. The rest of the room remained in a state of confusion as the presentation started.



Now, at this webinar, since it's the only one I've been to, there were a number of cool things. First, David Stollman had a powerpoint that he was able to put up on our screen and change the slides from where he was. A chatroom type area was located on the lefthand side of the screen. Other schools that were viewing the same presentation were writing comments and asking questions. I was really excited to see how the whole webinar worked, like the complete social media geek I am.



Halfway through the presentation, David Stollman asked for questions. Here is where I got angry. First, I was upset with the two advisors that neither of them explained to everyone what exactly was going on. Not everyone knows what a webinar is and they were all really taken back by what was going on. It took the room quite a few minutes to be quiet and grasp what was happening. As if that isn't bad enough, some of the other schools were asking questions and typing them into the chat room. David would answer the questions right away. What upset me, was that both advisors were sitting in the back of the room and not asking for us to participate. The point of a webinar is to be able to have an active conversation with the person presenting even though they are not really there. At some points, David Stollman would ask for feedback on if we were following or if we could still hear him. He would ask for each school to type into the chat room if they were doing okay. Well our advisors were sitting in the back of the room and never typed back or participated. I was extremely maddened by this because I am in a social media class and I understand the whole concept, and it's aggrivating that other people are trying to use these new technologies but not in their respectable form.



Aside from my anger, I loved Recruitment Boot Camp. Everything David Stollman said was extremely helpful and beneficial. After leaving the session, I felt so motivated to do more in the chapter. I wanted to make a wish list last year but had no idea if it would be successful. After last night, I know it will be a success. I read "I Heart Recruitment" and that motivated me a little, but this webinar was eye opening.

Social Media Takes Over

After searching for some stuff on social media, I realized I didn't need to post about something new, because I learned so much at the PRSSA National Conference.

First, I know social media is the new thing. I have a class, I read blogs, I know what is going on. But after hearing professional after professional discuss how social media is impacting their career and public relations in general, I did not truly get the full affect.

First, in an international PR session, the woman discussed how international PR is now mainly geared through social media. How every campaign is seen world wide, so they always need to take into consideration, the content. They also need to adapt every aspect to every culture. I felt as though the whole hour long session was about social media, not international public relations.

Then, during the PRSA sessions, all of those speakers spent much of their time on social media. Bob Lutz, of General Motors, spoke about how he reads blogs and welcomes positive and negative comments. He even said there are people who are specifically hired to monitor that aspect of the company. Craig from Craig's List, obviously spoke about social media. Someone asked if he was going to vamp up his site, and he said no because social media is meant to be simple and to the point. Penelope Trunk touched on social media since she has a blog and such.

Honestly, the amount of speakers who talked about social media was insane. They all motivated me to get onto the bandwagon and really begin taking social media more seriously than before. I really need to begin almost budgeting my time so I can read and check on blogs, post my own, and even get more in-tune with whats going on.

Social media really is taking the reigns with PR and I can not wait to get on the bus!

Rock the "D"

Since Thursday afternoon, I have been at PRSSA National Conference in Detroit! And let me tell you, it has been nothing short of awesome! I have really learned so much. Everyone told me conference was the place to be. How you can network and meet people and get motivated. Sure, I thought it would be fun, but it has exceeded my expectations. This conference made me feel like I was growing up and on the right track. But instead of being scared and upset that I am going to be in the real world soon, I was excited. I saw, first hand, all of the opportunities PR will offer me when I graduate. I am more motivated than I have been in a long time.

The worst part of conference was my lack of time. Our group decided to go to every speaker and every session, to get the most out of the experience. And as awesome as it has been, we have had no free time to do homework or even post. I should probably work on that tomorrow!

Oh, and now, I can not wait for conference in New Orleans next year!

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is something remotely new in the social media world.  This type of marketing relies on others to spread the word about everything from products to contest to Web sites.  Personally, I think this is a great thing.  I know my friends all go on YouTube and find cool videos, then post about them on my Facebook, create a bulletin on MySpace, and recently, many of them Tweet about interesting articles or Web sites.  People sometimes share too much information over the Interne, but I think when looking from a pr perspective, this kind of information is interesting.  I like knowing what my friends are reading and sharing with them current events or something cool I found.  

In The New Influencers, Gillin discusses why viral marketing has a driving force behind it.  He first points out how the response to banner ads has declined.  Personally, I hate them.  I think ads on the sides of Web sites are annoying.  They are usually too flashy and overbearing that I get extremely annoyed.  Sometimes I think I'm lucky I'm not epileptic. 

Another point Gillin makes is about demographic shifts.  I feel that since our generation, the Millenials, are so into over-achieving and are slightly narcissistic , we want everyone to know what we are looking at and what we are doing.  We want the world to know that we are informed and educated on hot topics and all the trendy things.  

Gillin also makes a great point about the customer preference.  I really do trust my peers more than marketers.  Marketers obviously want you to buy their product so they make it as appealing as possible.  This summer I ordered new Nikes for working out.  Instead of going to the store and talking to the clerks, or going by which ad was the best or which shoe was promoted the most, I looked at comments posted by people who had bought the shoes.  Consumers told the truth.  They said if the shoe ran big or small, if the laces were too short, or if they were truly comfortable.  I based my decision on my peers rather than the marketers.  Gillin really hit this topic on the head (and not surprising since he has throughout his book).

Talking about all of this makes me want to be a more active consumer so other people have comments and first hand experience like I did instead of just the influence of print ads and commercials.

Stupid Colds

Every year, when the weather starts to change, I start to get sick. And not just like a week long thing. No, not that. I get a stuffy nose and my ears clog. My throat starts to hurt and I can't breath. My body aches all over and I get super cold. And this will last for probably a month. It's terrible. And, as of last night, I am sick. This year, I can't decide if I want to just let my body take care of itself, go to the health center (my mom is a firm supporter of just going, that they 'might' be able to help), or use something from over the counter. Brandon took that mucinex stuff and was better in days. I am thinking I will try that since conference starts this Thursday and I'm pretty sure my car doesn't really want to spend two hours with me sniffling and I don't think my room would like to sleep with sickness. I better get to the drug store today, I can't handle this today. With the research paper due tomorrow, a spanish presentation on Wednesday, firm stuff, and other classes, I can't exactly afford to feel like crap. If anyone knows anything else that will kick this other than mucinex, let me know! Please!

You Make Me Sick

I hate people who are uneducated and till voice their opinions. I think it is redic that people can't differentiate between Obama and McCain yet claim to support one over the other. I really hope people like this don't vote. Please check it out because they are not voting for the right reasons. People died for our right to freedom and to vote. Americans should not vote for who is more popular, or younger, or more hip. They should vote for whose beliefs they support and who they think would better this country. God, people make me sick!

Ohana

My sister visited last night. Right now, she is standing across the room doing her hair before she has to drive to her new house in Illinoise. Her husband is in the Air Force and got orders this summer to move from Jersey out to the mid-west. Let me tell you, she is none too thrilled. She decided to stop here to break up the 17 hour drive and I think last night was the first time we got along in a long time. We never argued or anything. She's nine years older than me and it's usually hard for us to see eye to eye. We grew up in very different times and she always takes on a more motherly role, but not last night. I'm not sure if it's cause all of the DZ's were around or what, but she was a lot of fun! I even dragged her to the PAC lab and introduced her to the PR kids :) She thinks they are all super nice and quite funny. I even took her to the place some of us are looking at for next year and she loved it. I don't necessarily need her stamp of approval, but it feels good to have her enjoy the people I have been surrounding myself with at college.

Her latest idea as of last night was to get tattoos that say "ohana." In Hawaiin, this means family. It's something her, my mom, and I all say to each other. In theory, I think a tattoo would be sweet, but I always talk myself out of it. Now I need to talk my sister out of it too!

What Did We Do Before This?

After reading this week about search engines and such, I realized how privileged I feel our generation is. In the past, people had to go to the library, search through old-school book catalogs, and do all of the research for their papers and homework themselves. Today, I can just sit in my dorm room, listen to music, and use the Web to find anything I need. I really see this as really spoiled. The fact that I can get my hands on anything with a click of a mouse is insane. Search engines are such a crazy concept. You type in a statement or a word and thousands of results surface.

Our generation has taken things further by using social media. When reading, it was like a light bulb. Not only can we use the the Internet for school research, but for our professions. We can google topics and find blogs and public opinions. We can even discover target audiences. And now with things such as digg.com and technorati.com, searching for these things is even easier.

As much as I curse social media at times, because it is overwhelming. And as often as I yell about the Internet, because it never seems to find exactly what I want. I know I would be lost without the ability to just sign onto the Web and find the answers to silly questions, research topics, and target audiences. I guess, deep down, below my hatred for the Internet and social media, I really do like it and it's really growing on me.

Tweet Tweet

As everyone knows, I have bashed Twitter week to week in class. But after reading a webinar on the Fahlgren-Mortine Web site, my mind has changed. There is so much you can actually do with Twitter. It reminds me of AIM in a sense. Twitter is like having a conversation with multiple people when they get around to it. I can post a question and multiple people answer me, but on their own time. I should have given Twitter more of a chance from the beginning. At least now I know better and am going to start taking this page a little more seriously. I feel there is a lot to learn from people on Twitter, not only about social media, but news and PR in general.

Maybe Not So Easy

I just signed up for FriendFeed. As predicted, I am unsure how to use it. Hopefully someone else will read this and sign up. And then we can figure it out together :)

Creeping Made Easy

First, there was the news feed on Facebook. Where you could find out what all of your friends were up to. Then there was Twitter. Where users update their statuses everytime they start something new. Now, there is FriendFeed. In this week's PR Tactics, writer Claire Celsi discussed this "one-stop social networking" site. She even quoted some avid social networking users when claiming this site is "Twitter on steroids." The whole idea of FriendFeed is to have one site that will update you on all of your social networking accounts. All of the updates on Twitter can be seen through this site along with Facebook and even blogs.

I decided to check out the site since it was sounded like the next big thing. And much like Twitter, it seemed overwhelming. I quickly closed out of the sign up page and tried to look around the site some more. Celsi did say that it took time to get used to and that you needed to weed out what you didn't want to read, but I am still apprehensive about signing up. I feel like this might be another site I won't use and will curse at. There are just so many social networking sites that I am signing up for, I'm afraid I won't keep up with most of them. Yet, this site claims to link them all together, like a data base. So part of me thinks I should give it a chance, cause I can always delete my account. Like many of our speakers have said at PRSSA, you need to be on the cutting edge with this stuff to appeal to potential employers. I guess I should stop thinking so much and give it a try.

Polar Bear Nation

Way to go VisionCommunications! Not only have we created a page for Polar Bear Nation on Facebook, but we also have made it into the Toledo Blade and the Lima News promoting both Polar Bear Nation and Steve Amstrup. PBN is extremely pleased with what we have been doing so far and we need to keep it up.

On a less exciting note, the table tents that were supposed to be placed in the napkin holders in MAC are too big. This is a huge bummer because we were really banking on these as a promotional piece. But instead of letting this get us down, Katie and Brandon thought of a superb idea. We are just going to hand out the papers at MAC during the busy lunch hours. Tomorrow, Brandon and I are meeting with Carol to discuss the Web site and will make sure it is okay with her before we start handing them out.

Be good. Be damned good.

It's the second week I have left PRSSA inspired. Tonight, Dr. Joe Trahan spoke to us, but not about something typical. He didn't discuss social media or how to stand out from a crowd. He took us back to the basics of being a leader. He served in the military and that definitely shaped him into the professional he is today. When he was talking about being a leader, I re-evaluated everything I do as a leader. I hold two executive positions. One in Delta Zeta and the other in PRSSA. I love both of my positions, but they can get extremely overwhelming. Yet tonight's speech made me remember why I ran for these positions and why I got elected.

I can do great things. We all can. We just have to lead from the front. And even on days when I have been busy from the time I woke up, I need to handle my leadership roles with energy and enthusiasm. If I am not excited, why should the people who look to me be excited? With DZ, we dress up for our sisterhood meetings. And as an executive member, I try every week to look extra nice, not just kahkis and a polo. It's little things like that that I think people notice and take note of.

After tonight, I realized I need to keep doing what I am doing and even start doing more. I need to remember L.E.A.D.E.R. everyday and try to live it in my daily life. Anyone can be a leader, but to be a great leader, you need all of those components.

And even though the whole presentation was motivational, one of Dr. Trahan's final sayings was to "be good. Be damned good." And to me, it was like a light bulb went on. I can't just be great or pretty good. I have to be damned good to be successful in PR. And what better time to start than tonight?

New Clients for VisComm

This week I met with the newest client for our firm, Career Services. And let me tell you, this one might be more challenging than I expected. They want us to promote their new services, but we aren't allowed to edit their Web site. The guy I spoke with seemed to know what he wanted, but definitely threw a lot of stuff out there. He spoke highly of Career Services which is hard for me to grasp since what I know about that place revolves around resumes. But apparently all of that has changed. They are now offering mock interviews, workshops, and other various programs to prepare students for the real world. They are still holding job fairs and even helping with internships! Check out their new Web site! They just re-did everything from their appearance online to their buildings appearance. Career Services is stepping it up and hopefully, VisionCommunications can help them change from their old identity to their new one across campus!

Help Needed ASAP!

Hey Social Media Class, this one's for you! As you know, I am the director of our NATIONALLY AFFILIATED firm, VisionCommunications. One of our clients, Polar Bear Nation, is looking for someone to manage their blog. I know we are all busy, but I figured this is a great opportunity for one of us to get our feet wet in the real world. If anyone who is in social media is interested in joining firm and managing this blog, please let me know ASAP! Either comment on here or stop me after class. It would only be once a day. The blog will be about the environment, so there really shouldn't be too much to manage. You will just have to make sure no one is saying anything too out there or causing a ruckus. You would also need to post a few times a week about some new environment issues or something going on in the world affecting the environment. I am sure Agozzino will let this count towards class. Let me know if you are even remotely interested :)

Obsessing Over Drums

To kill an hour between research and social media, I hung out in the PAC lab with Brandon.  And instead of being remotely productive, we played on youtube.  We watched a bunch of clips of travis barker killing it on the drums.  I think we determined this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOfsr9D-KXU was our favorite.  He pretty much owns it.

Limits on Teen Drivers

While on digg.com, I found something pretty high tech and fairly cool, if you ask me. There was an article [http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081006/ap_on_hi_te/ford_teen_drivers] about Ford coming out with new models that will let parents limit the speed of their teen drivers. Being from New Jersey, I didn't get my license till my 17th birthday. And personally, I think many states need to up their age on driving to 17 as well. Not that everyone is bad drivers, but at 16, I don't think kids are mature enough. Looking back on how I was when I was 16, I can't imagine how other teens acted. Something like these new models might be a good way for parents to have some control over their teenagers without increasing the age. I feel as though speeding is something new drivers run into. Everyone has those awkward first few weeks of driving. You use your blinker 24/7 and turn it on more than 100 feet before the stop sign. You are super careful pulling out of places and never make sharp turns. But once the fear of messing up passes, many drivers turn into speed demons. Although I support increasing the age in crazy states where you can have your permit at 15, I think this control over speed is a great idea for Ford and will help parents have a better sense of control over their teens.

Pod-what?

The more I read about social media, the more things make sense. One of my friends back home always talks about podcasting. And until I read chapters 6 and 18, I never really understood what qualified as a podcast. I know this sounds redic since I am a 20 year old college student, but I really had no idea what any of these terms meant.

YouTube is a prime example of a Web site used for podcasting videos. And in the past, it used to just be fore music. But today, podcasting is taking over. People can watch religious sermons and weekly shows. And one of the craziest things, it's able to be accessed on the go! There is actually a category in my iPod for podcasts. Now that I know what it is for, maybe I will actually use it. lol. I always just linked them to music clips. But now that I know there are specific shows online that are only broadcast through podcasts, I can't wait to find them!

One of my favorite shows on YouTube which counts as a podcast is this guy named William Sledd. He has a fashion show where he bashes fads he doesn't like and encourages ones he supports. For example, he hates crocs. And so do I :) He even has a few shows where he goes through his local mall and wal-mart pointing out fashion do's and don'ts ... well, mostly don'ts. Check one out :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVESRceJL5k

VisionCommunications

Thursday night was amazing. I haven't felt that motivated in awhile. First, we had our first meeting with Donate for Life Do It Now College Challenge. The presenters really impacted our firm. There are some key points that make this challenge a real life experience. I can't wait for our next meeting to start getting our plan together and begin implementation. And even though this is a competition and there is a prize, it all means nothing compared to the action we are taking. Just by signing people up to be donors, we are helping save lives of people young and old. There were a lot of things I didn't know about organ and tissue donations. I feel as though this campaign will do more than just get people to sign up to donate, but they will learn from our campaign, which is important.

And if that was not enough to motivate, we had PRSSA afterwards. Billy Fischer came to speak to us and it was inspiring. He spoke about social media [surprise, i think agozzino is planning this]. And it was the first time I left PRSSA wanting and needing to get on my computer. He was so chill in his presentation, that I wasn't stressed about being behind with social media, but instead, motivated. It really was a great feeling and my new goal is to get onto my social media sites a minimum of once a day. As for blogging, I am determined to write in it at least every other day.

Social Network Profiting

I meant to post this the other day, my blog still hates me. I found this article http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_40/b4102050681705.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_technology on digg.com. It discusses how google wants to make social networking sites profitable. The basic gist is that google wants to place promotional ads on the most popular social networking sites. They want to create a Web site that will rank the most popular sites so then companies can then target the audiences they want and advertise on the popular sites. To me, ths is stupid. Social networking sites are not for ads or promoting. People use them to get information, to hear people's opinions, and to find interesting links about what is happening. If there were advertisements, I know I would pay no mind to them. Facebook now has ads on users homepage. I never click on them and actually find them quite annoying. I would not like seeing these ads on even more social networking sites. They are distracting and utilizing these sites for the wrong things.

And after thinking more about this issue, I realized that if google ranks and categories social networking sites, people would not need to do research. Everything would be right in front of them. They wouldn't have to research their target audience because they could find them through which sites they visit and target them there.

I think social networking sites should be used for one thing, social networking. Why does everyone need to make a profit through every way possible?

Boom Boom Boom Boom- Week 4

I know recruitment has been going on for awhile, but last night made it a reality. We had Open House for girls interested in Greek life. After all the planning and getting ready, things went so well! I was really proud of myself to see that I planned and organized this entire party and it was successful. There was a great turn out and my homemade chocolate covered pretzels seemed to be a hit :) Which is good to hear since I stayed up uber late making them. We had so much food left over though. Sisters brought it all to the football game, hopefully they come back empy handed. Recruitment always makes me remember why I joined DZ and a sorority in general. It brings back all of the excitement I felt when I went through. Recruitment just shows me that I made the right choice and couldn't be happier :)

Silly Blog

It's official. My blog hates me. Sometime this week, it started placing my posts under the wrong days and are mixing up their order. I feel that makes it hard for any of my friends or followers to see my latest blog and be able to comment on my most recent thoughts. If that isn't bad enough, my professor isn't getting my updates. In other words, she reads everyone else's blogs but mine. Sad day. Blog, please fix yourself :)

Adopt a WHAT?!

Continuing my research of freedom of speech for bloggers in China, I discovered that you can adopt a Chinese blogger. Or any blogger for that fact. The issue is that Chinese blogs are being shut down and closely monitored. Bloggers have looked into moving their blogs to sites outside of China, but it would get expensive and they would face language barrier issues. Therefore, it would not be worth the move in the end. Instead, blogs using independent host services can host a blocked blog. This is basically a loop hole. The host blog just makes it harder for the adopted blog to be shut down. The only requirement to be a host blog is that the blog does not have large readership in the same country as the blocked adopted blog. If the host blog does, it could get shut down. Here is the more in-depth version, http://www.masternewmedia.org/free_speech/China/adopt_a_chinese_blog_initiative.htm

After reading this article and grasping the concept of adopting a blog, I was taken back. It really is a shame that bloggers have to go to such an extent to keep their blogs up and running. It's disappointing. China is seen as such a great country at times, especially after the 2008 Olympic Games. They are advanced in technology and have a thriving economy; they appear so civilized and seem to be a power nation. But really, they are barbaric in a sense. Their government micro-manages everything, even the Internet, to avoid people from saying negative things about their country. The government should not be so concerned about this. Look at America, people say negative things all the time, but we are still a united country with freedom of speech. It really is a shame, a damn shame.

Freedom of Speech

According to Citizen Marketers and a research paper by Matthew Hurst, the most active bloggers are in China. Although America takes second, we were behind them by "a factor or four." And following the U.S. is Taiwan, Japan, and Brazil. Part of me was not surprised that China was number one. It is the most populated country. Since there is a larger population to participate in blogging, it would make sense they would have more active bloggers than the U.S. But what surprised me is the realization that China, and other countries, are becoming as technologically advanced, and some even more, than America. This book even predicts that China may become the blogging capital of the world. That seems crazy, but again, so true. And even though China is most active, their freedom of speech is still in jeopardy when it comes to blogs. Citizen Marketers touched on this issue in the book which peaked my interest. Then I found this article at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/technology/06blog.html that clearly states how China's government is monitoring and deleting posts by bloggers. The government even takes it so far as to delete blogs completely if they are seen as "anti-government." And the most disturbing part is that MSN Spaces, where one blog was completely deleted, is maintained on computers in the US. When asked why they deleted the entire blog, they defended it by saying they had to upon request from the Chinese. And the blogger they deleted was well-respected even represented China in Germany for a blog competition. After reading this article, it's apparent that the Internet might not completely support freedom of speech.

New Influencers 2

I know this is a little late, but when getting ready to blog about this weeks reading, I remembered that I wanted to say something about Chapter 2 of the New Influencers. This chapter had so much information in it. I really enjoy this book. My favorite part was definitely the commandments of social media. I think it's neat that there are unwritten rules that people really do follow. Now that I have been a part of the social media world for a few weeks, I was able to see the trend of people posting links, commenting, and being transparent. I think it's nice [best word I can think of] that people can still follow unspoken guidelines. I think that really shows the maturity of bloggers and social media. Also in this chapter, I loved the excerpt at the end. Gillin didn't want to write about popular social media sites such as MySpace or YouTube throughout his book since there are so many other useful sites out there. But, to give them credit, he wrote four pages acknowledging their influences on our generation as well as explaining them in more detail. When I sign on my MySpace now, I feel more informed and have a better idea of what the site really is capable of. I never realized until reading this section all the aspects of MySpace such as music, commercials, giveaways, and more.

Social Media Replaces Porn

The past few days, I've really been trying to remember to visit multiple social media sites. A lot of the information and links are really interesting, but my schedule is pretty busy. But when I get a chance, I love looking around on http://www.digg.com/ or checking out other people's blogs for quirky links. While looking around digg, this Web site, http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/9/is-facebook-distracting-us-from-porn-no, caught my eye. Apparently the number of people visiting porn sites has dropped with the trend of social media sites such as Myspace and Facebook. Some people think it's because people can more easily access these sites at work and in public, unlike porn. Another theory is that people spend so much time on those Web sites, they don't have time for porn. Others think the drop is due to the fact that porn is more accessible through downloading movies has a better quality through other outlets. Personally, and this may be a little blunt, but I feel a lot of people use social media sites for sexual purposes. Aside from the fact that there are sites such as Adult Friend Finder and YouPorn, which is similar to YouTube, people connect through things such as Facebook and MySpace. Girls, and some guys, post scandalous photos in minimal clothing. On Facebook, you can say what you are looking for which ranges from "friends" to "a relationship." And I know when MySpace first got popular, lots of younger users would use the Web site to meet members of the opposite sex. And, as if that isn't bad enough, sites such as Eharmony or Match.com are letting people find partners online. I feel as though these social media sites enable people to use other Web sites to fufill their sexual needs in a more modern way.

Too Many Tweets

While sitting in class just now, I tried to log on and utilize the social media site Twitter. To my surprise, it was "over capacity" and there were "too many tweets." Looks like twitter is getting popular!

There is a light

It's official, the world works in mysterious ways. Today started out terribly. Aside from waking up late for class, a bunch of things started to pile up on me. Of course, all revolved around DZ since my position is in full swing for the next two weeks. First, I ordered stuff for sorority recruitment and it was supposed to arrive today. But instead, I get a phone call and it has yet to be shipped due to the fact that the shipping address is in Ohio but the billing address is in New Jersey. After jumping through multiple holes and having a huge freak out/mental breakdown, everything seemed to play out. The company prioritized my shipment for no charge since the products would be used for a philanthropic event. I was so relieved. It was like a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. And then, I started to get nervous about decorations, planning, and my budget. But after venturing to Wal-Mart, I was still very well under budget. I always worry about money and the fact that I still had so much money for recruitment was another breath of fresh air. So my day, which started with no light in sight, ended on such a great note. It made me realize that sometimes being positive pays off. Although I got upset and freaked out, I kept telling myself things would work out and could always be worse. And now here I am, cool, calm, and collected :)

Can you Digg it?

I am so excited! I just posted my first thing on digg.com! It was a little confusing at first, but it totally worked. Maybe this social media thing isn't too hard after all. Go check it out at http://digg.com/arts_culture/Drinking_Age_May_Get_Lowered or the original Web site where I found the article http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_College_Presidents_Sign_Petition_to_Lower_Drinking_Age_22620.html. And please comment or digg it ;)

Narcissism: Generation Y

While searching the web at the last minute for an interesting fact, I stumbled upon this article http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0302/p01s01-ussc.html?page=1
that states "... according to the study, 30 percent more college students showed "elevated narcissism" in 2006 compared with 1982." And at first, I was a little surprised. But when thinking about it, all my shock went away. I thought about myspace and facebook. Some users post more pictures they take of themselves than anything. And I will admit, I am guilty of the "typical myspace photo" at times, but now that I am older, I am no where near as bad. Why do girls and even guys feel the need to take 40 pictures of themselves in the mirror, on the phone, making kissy faces, and being redic. I understand that people have "good hair days," but do we need to document every angle of it? Generation Y really is narcissistic. Aside from our array of self-photography, we all have social media Web sites that ask us to tell them about ourselves. It is an open opportunity for people to toot their own horn.

The other day in social media we discussed Generation Y in detail. How they are babied by parents and how fantastic their grades are. Our generation was over-rewarded in my opinion. My mom always laughed at the way parents rewarded their children for an A or acted like their painting was comparable to Picaso. I would question her and compare myself to my friends, asking why I didn't get to go out to dinner because I got an A. And she would always say something to the effect that I should be getting A's because I want to, not because I want a reward. And when I would bring something home from art class, if it was terrible, she would tell me it was a good effort or great for my first try. Other parents though were the complete opposite and I feel as though the way they acted plays greatly into the fact that a good majority of Gen Y is so self-centered and has such high self-esteem.

Another factor is the need for attention. Growing up, Generation Y had loads of attention from parents, teachers, and coaches. Once we enter college, our parents aren't there at every game and don't see every grade. Professors give us a little pat on the shoulder here and there, but nothing as monumental as what we saw in grade school. And coaches are constantly expecting us to be better and push harder. The lack of positive attention drives our generation to use social media outlets to gain attention. Some write blogs about their everyday life in hopes people will read, others post pictures so people can tell them how cute they look, and most have an about me section they have perfected so everyone wants to be their friend. Overall, I believe we are more narcissistic than previous generations, but it is not due to just one thing. Multiple factors have played large roles in Generation Y's overdose of self-esteem and constant need for attention.

Path to Great PR

Handouts...they seem to drag on and be pointless. Honestly, the book must not be that great if you only copied a chapter to hand out to class. The writer has one line of genius and the whole chapter is handed out. But all of this changed while I read chapter 15 in PR 2.0. I actually got out my highlighter and went to town. There were so many interesting facts and such helpful information. This handout really highlighted how social media is helping people to communicate better. When discussing how social media is a great asset to society, the author focused on the terrorists attacks on the subway in London. There was no way for media to get down there so people used their cell phones to let the world know what was going on. This resulted in the BBC setting up a cell phone news channel. I mean, 10 years ago cell phones were used only for talking and now we can text, access the Internet, and even have a news channel via these devices.

The author also called out social media while discussing job interviews. In the past, laws have been implemented to ban interviewers from asking candidate's personal questions ranging from age to religion. With the rise of social media, interviewers can find a loop hole to get the answers to these controversial questions and some. By logging onto Facebook or finding a their blog, the interviewer can discover extremely personal information and have preconceived ideas about the candidates.

Overall, this hand out made me realize that PR is changing, but for the better. And it made me see that maybe all handouts aren't terrible.

Public Relations: a Science or an Art?

After my public relations research class this morning, I had time to look around at some of the social media sites that I keep hearing about. While on www.PRblogger.com, I found a link to a blog all about the importance of research. I found this interesting since I just spent two hours learning about research. After reading it, everything from class and the blog started to piece together.

In class, we discussed whether PR is an art or a science and analyzed case studies. And even though the blog focused on research, it made me think. PR is both a science and an art. The researching part is much like science. Practitioners have to conduct surveys and find data to help them better understand their client, target audience, and even product. After all their research is complete, they have to analyze it, much like science. And if they don't research, their campaign may not reach it's true potential, or worse, the campaign may just fail.

But after all the research, PR takes art form. Practitioners must be creative and think outside of the box. They are constantly thinking of new ways to use their research to reach their audience and sell their product or client. Practitioners can't always just send out press releases and place magazine ads. With social media on the rise, there is always something new for a practitioner to use to reach their target. And this is an art. Not just anyone can think of innovative new ways to promote. It takes a trained professional who is skilled in the art of PR.

Here's the blog on the importance of research in public relations. I liked it so much, I even commented!

http://pohlmrl.prblogs.org/2008/06/17/the-importance-of-research-in-pr/#comment-53

Sorority Forever ♥

So, I just wrote a blog, but I need to get this out there. I have a myspace and I sign on every so often. Well, on the homepage to place my email and password, I saw an advertisement for some Myspace tv show called Sorority Forever. The tagline for the show said "The most beautiful girls on campus have an ugly secret." And all I thought was what a load of bull that was. I really can't believe people feed into stereotypes so much. I was one of those people, that's for sure. I thought Greek life was stupid and full of dumb drunken girls and arrogant self-centered guys. But as a freshman at college, I gave it a try. And thank god I did. I love my sorority. More than anything. And I know people think it's cheesey, but it's the truth. These girls mean more to me than anything. They are some of the most intelligent and genuine people I have ever met. Of course they party, we all party. We are at college for god's sake.

But why must everything having to do with Greek life in the media be so negative. Greek, the show on ABC Family, is really good about balancing stereotypes with real life. But there are books that are published that bash sororities and claim they haze and make it sound like hell. And I will be honest, some campuses have sororities that haze and do terrible things. Yet, there are colleges like mine, where Greek life is so different from what people think. We don't spend every day wasted and we don't force girls to drink. We don't circle girls' fat or make them do things against their wills. We instead have TV nights and sleepovers. And on this campus, all sororities and fraternities get along fairly well. We do philanthropic things almost monthly. We have socials without alcohol and go everywhere together. We are more than just a sorority or a fraternity, but a sisterhood and a brotherhood. We aren't in it for parties and beer, but we do it because it makes us better as students and people.

I have learned so much from my sorority and I still have two years ahead of me. I am currently the Vice President of Membership, which puts me in charge of recruitment. I designed shirts and made books. I organized and planned four mini parties from scratch ranging from theme to food to activities. And all of that applies to my public relations major. I learned how to become a leader, a scholar, a mentor, a sister, and a better person. When my sister's are spending the night studying, it makes me want to study. They make me want to be a better person and I feel that is something no one understands. Greeks aren't just people who hang out. We are a group of friends that are so close, we call each other sisters and brothers. We don't stop at anything to help a fellow member out. When one of our sisters passed away last year, not only did our entire sorority attend her memorial, but the Greek community as a whole went and was there for us. When one of our sister's mother passed away, we all drove two hours to go to the viewing and be there for her.

So this blog is kinda long, but I really want everyone to see the other side of Greek life. I want the public to know that it's not all crafting and partying, but there is substance to sororities. That we may be stereotyped, but that doesn't make those stereotypes true. My sorority is so much more than just a group of friends that I pay for. It is a home away from home, a safe haven. I can cry with these girls or I can laugh with them. A trip to wal-mart turns into a night of fun. But not because we are airheads who drink, party, and get naked. But because we are all individuals who have goals and who study and study hard. We are more than just a sorority ... we are a sisterhood. And i couldn't ask for a better group of friends. And if people want to continue to stereotype and bad mouth Greek life, go right ahead. Because it's not something I can really explain. It can't be written on paper or in a blog. But it's something that needs to be felt and experienced. I could go on for hours, but you still won't understand it until you're a part of it.

Only One Chapter In

Read The New Influencers chapter one. It was no where near as boring as I expected. I like that it's not a text book, but an actual book. Makes reading it seem less like school work. I didn't know what a blog was or anything until I opened the book. I guess I had a general understanding, but hadn't grasped the concept until the chapter progressed. I realized that blogs aren't just something my generation does in their spare time, but blogs are useful to companies, businesses, and even mainstream media. It's interesting to know that the two media worlds interact, and that it is in a complementary way. Although the chapter discussed many incidents where blogs released vital information to the public, such as the Sony cd issue and the AOL customer service fiasco, but the most interesting was definitely the one about George W. Bush and the draft. I think blogs really do give people a voice. I mean, most people who blog aren't some big wig on TV or a movie star. They are just the average person with an opinion and a voice. The fact that these average people can exploit information given to the public by such a major news source as 60 Minutes is astonishing. It really makes me understand that social media as a whole is on the rise and making a difference in more than just the PR world. Honestly, I used to think that social media was a bunch of fluff. I assumed that it was all computer geeks and people who had nothing better to do with their time then write about their life and post silly videos of their friends on youtube. But after just studying this topic for one day and reading one chapter, I am just beginning to grasp the impact social media is having on the professional world. I am beginning to like blogging and having an outlet for my opinions, ideas, and thoughts. Now I see why social media is such an interesting way to communicate.

Hello Junior Year

Today began my junior year of college. I can not believe I have been in college for three years. Jeez. I spent around 7 hours in the same classroom for just two classes. I had a break in between for lunch in the Mac and the line was insane. I guess there are a lot of freshman this year because it was packed. Seven sisters had to cram into a table for 5. But we did wear our recruitment shirts for Delta Zeta since it's Tuesday. They are a candy pink with white writing. I was really iffy about the shirts at first, but once I saw them, I pretty much fell in love. Sisters also sported our new fleeces. Everyone seems to be talking about them :) I am really proud of myself that they were completed and free. Now, if I can only get everything together for our recruitment practices. That takes a little more time and thought though.

Stressing Out

Wow. I just set this up and am starting to stress out. I am so technologically impaired. Hopefully, this gets easier since I need it for a whole quarter.