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.