Organizations on Twitter

For my Twitter assignment, I wanted to judge the effectiveness of organizations’ use of Twitter in 3 categories. I decided that I would name an organization “effective” if that organization tweeted about once a day or more, tweeted about something relevant, and linked more useful information in the tweets.

One organization I followed was @BarackObama. I counted Obama as an organization because I realize that others in his administration likely tweet for him. Starting on November 3, the beginning of the timeline that I was following for this assignment, the Obama administration tweeted almost every day, some days multiple times. November 6-8 tweets were all about the health reform act and voting. Some links were provided to followers to voice his/her opinion. This makes the Obama administration an “effective” organization on Twitter, in my opinion.

I also followed @ohionorthern. Ohio Northern University was significantly less prevalent during the week I was following the two organizations. ONU only tweeted 3 times from the beginning of my observations. I am certain that more tweetable activities are happening on campus, so I am a bit disappointed in ONU’s coverage. What about sporting events or school organizations who win awards (ahem…PRSSA)? Also, while ONU linked more useful information to the 3 tweets, the tweets themselves didn’t include much information and because of that, weren’t very interesting. So, I would say that ONU ranks somewhere in the middle of my spectrum of effectiveness, but closer to the lower half.

Twitter is still a new technology to many people and organizations. Some organizations are using Twitter to its fullest potential, but still others are not. Twitter is similar to a blog in the way that the author must keep up with the content to have effective material.

Back to Ada... Almost.

Here I am, 37,000feet in the air over Arkansas, writing a blog post. Technology is so cool. I am headed home from PRSSA National Conference in San Diego. I loved Conference and I fell in love with the city of San Diego too. Conference is now among my top greatest experiences. I learned so much more about the profession of public relations, and along the way, I met some great professionals and students. Oh, and the city of San Diego was pretty cool too. My group made sure to go sightseeing a bit in between our sessions and such. I am so excited to go to conference again next year in D.C.

I am really proud of the fact that the ONU PRSSA took 10 students, at least a third of our chapter, and that everyone attended all of the sessions. My fellow members of Ohio Northern University's PRSSA are an amazing group of students, and I am happy to be one of them. I am so impressed that PRSSA chapters from across the nation gathered over 1,000 students in San Diego. The talent of some of these aspiring professionals is baffling. The public relations profession is without doubt going to benefit and continue to grow in the hands of this generation of students.

Through PRSSA National Conference, I gained the experience of a lifetime. I took my first trip on an airplane, my farthest trip from home, I gained many new friends and contacts in PRSSA from across the country, I created contacts with professionals, and I absorbed information about the PR profession like a sponge. Students of ONU PRSSA and of PRSSA from all over the nation, listen to me when I say, GO TO CONFERENCE. I have earned so many benefits from my experience, I will definitely be going back next year. I hope to see you there!

Gillin's Guidance

Paul Gillin offers guidance to bloggers and future bloggers as well in chapter 11. Gillin is inspiring and authoritative in his advice, giving guidelines and warning to companies and individuals who are blogging or thinking about blogging. Through the chapter, appropriately entitled Next Steps, Gillin gives a few points to remember about the blogosphere.

Gillin uses Debbie Weil’s work and says to “blog or be blogged” basically what he is saying here is that even if you or your company chooses to stay away from blogging, someone is still likely going to talk about you online. When someone does talk about you, a blog is probably one of the best platforms to create a response. Also, if you don’t have a voice of you own in the blogosphere, you are likely to fade from peoples’ minds altogether. Beyond Weil’s advice, Gillin instructs asking a number of questions of the blogger before beginning a blog. I found myself answering the questions, too.
Gillin asks,
“Does my culture value transparency?
Are we good communicators?
Can we live with the commitment?
Do I believe that small markets are important?
Are you ready for a wild ride?”

I answered the questions as follows:
Yes! Transparency might be my favorite quality of social media!
I like to think that I am a good communicator, so I am going to say yes.
The commitment… honestly, I am not sure.
I don’t know very much about small markets, but I think that they are just as important as large ones.
A wild ride? I suppose… just let me buckle up?

I have a lot to think about and work on before I can have a successful blog. As this academic quarter comes to an end, I realize that I will now be completely and totally responsible for every topic I choose to blog about. In a way I am excited to explore all of my options, but then again, what if my blog just dies? Hopefully with all of the advice from the authors we have read this quarter and the instruction of my professor, I can be a great blogger.

YouTube Video Fail

So basically, for my sweet social media class, I was asked to create and post a YouTube video. I pretty much failed at this because I have no idea what I am doing. However, seeing as my life is a learning experience, here is my video that is not worthy of it's content. (ONU PRSSA)

Public Back in PR

Reading Gillin's The New Influencers this week, I read chapter 7 in which David Meerman Scott's electronic book, The New Rules of PR: How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly. I used the e-book as a source on a research paper once, so I was familiar with the content. Scott's idea is very forward-thinking and PR people should heed his advice.

Finding reasons to send press releases all the time rather than just when news happens is a novel idea, but don't take the "all the time" too seriously, or you could become annoying. Really, I think a good blog with keywords and tags and great content is more effective.

"Social media is PR's turn to shine."

I love this idea. I love that PR people are open and willing enough to be the users and the influencers and find out how we can really use these tools to better our field.

National Conference!

This week I'm not sure if there is much going on in the world of public relations. I mean, there's this little thing called PRSSA National Conference, but that's not really that big of a deal. Actually, yes, yes it is a big deal. Actually, seeing as my fellow travelers and I are leaving for said conference in San Diego this Thursday, National Conference is pretty much the most important thing on my list right now. (Yes, even trumping classes, GASP.)

For me, Conference is going to be a lot of firsts. For example, good ol' Ada is basically the most West I have ever traveled. I been South and East, but never West. I have also never flown, and some of my classmates seem to think that picking on me about that to make me nervous is funny (I think it's pretty funny, too.) San Diego will be the furthest from home I have ever traveled, which is cool. I am really glad for this opportunity to travel while I can, because something tells me I won't get to do much more traveling in the 'real world.'

Halloween and Identification

I am thinking to myself about the weekend as it comes to a close, and I realized that I don't want Halloween to be over. When I go to class on the fateful Monday that is upon us, I want to continue seeing people as "construction guy," "Raggedy Anne," "sombrero man," "toast," and "Little Bo Peep and all of her sheep." Real names and identities are just so normal, so mediocre, so easy to forget. When I can identify people as something other than a run-of-the-mill human being, I seem to really remember them. Or, at least, who they were dressed as. I am sure that in all of the festivities of Halloween weekend, someone identified me as "Lifeguard girl," and I am perfectly okay with that.

Actually, people trying to get my attention who do not know me did call me lifeguard, and I did the same to others who I didn't know. The whole idea of identifying people by what they are wearing or who they are is something that we as a society have been conditioned to avoid, but somehow, identifying, nicknaming, and possibly judging people on appearance is acceptable, no, encouraged during Halloween festivities. Perhaps judging a book by it's cover isn't such a bad thing. Of course one must dig deep enough to observe actions and base judgements off of those actions. Though, I often find that my observation of actions more often than not actually supports my theories based on looks.

Interesting to think about when dressing for everyday life. People are only human; they're probably judging your character and personality based on what you look like or what you are wearing. If you dress to impress often, then people will be more likely to judge you in a positive manner. Maybe your identity will be, "good-lookin,'" or maybe, "girl who dresses really cute all the time." So remember, what you wear affects who you are, whether you are ready for that or not.

My Very First Podcast

I created this podcast as an effort to educate others on the benefits of Greek life on college campuses. Feel free to listen in!

Focusing on the Goal

As I was reading chapter 10 in The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, I quickly came across the soccer comparison. Scott stresses the importance of remembering an organizations true goals, rather than the "to-do list" of smaller goals. For example, Scott reminds us that "leads," "clips" and "T-Shirts" will not be found in a company's mission statement. In this gentle reminder to focus on real goals, Scott uses young children playing soccer as an example.

I have a 6-year-old brother who plays soccer, so I got a laugh out of the comparison. Young kids playing soccer is very entertaining, sometimes in a painful way. Parents and coaches really do shout out instructions like, "Go to the goal!" Kids really still focus on the ball, too.

With this cute little comparison and my previous experience watching little ones play soccer, I think that keeping my focus on the goal rather than the ball will be just a bit easier. Listen up, PR and marketing people, and focus on the goal, not the ball.

So, How Was Your Weekend?

On Mondays, it seems to be customary to ask about others' weekends. When people asked me about my weekend, I reflected and recognized that I had a really great weekend at Ohio Northern.

On Friday, I stayed in and tried to get some homework done. I failed miserably at doing my homework and instead, went to Taco Bell and watched "Halloween" with some of my house mates. I had a great time getting into the Halloween mood, although, I had to comfort my friend Liz, who doesn't "do well" with scary movies.

Saturday was extra busy. I went to a pumpkin patch with the Alpha Xi's and our new members; we got to ride a cute little train! After returning to campus after the train ride, I started getting ready for Kappa Phi formals. I was my room mate's date. After we were dressed and ready, we went with some friends to Applebee's for pre-formals dinner. (Yeah, 2 for 20!) Finally, we headed to SoSerene, a banquet hall in Wapakoneta, Ohio. I had one look around and fell in love with this place. Not to mention how very helpful the owners are. After seeing this place, I honestly said that I wanted to have Alpha Xi formals there, too. The hall is a gorgeous pool house overlooking a pond, complete with amazing view and impressive patio space outside. Seriously, check this place out! http://www.soserene.net/index.html

When guests began arriving, the party really started. We had great music and great friends all around, and of course the beautiful surroundings. After a good long night of dancing, I caught up with some other friends to tell them about my night. More good times were had all around.

The next day my room mate, my house mates, and I all spent most of the day chatting about our nights and sharing inside jokes. No one really wanted to do anything but enjoy the company, you know? So Sunday night was when I finally got some work done, and some today too. All in all, a great weekend with my very best friends here at ONU.

What’s up in PR? ONU is!

Professionals and students in public relations are anxiously awaiting their respective International and National Conferences in San Diego, California (PRSSA http://www.prssa.org/conference/) (PRSA http://www.prsa.org/IC2009/) . In two weeks, we will all be headed to beautiful California to meet, greet and learn from one another about our awesome career paths. Because conferences are so quickly approaching, Public Relations Society of America has announced their award winners for this year. So at Ohio Northern, our Public Relations students have been glowing with pride over our beloved professor, Dr. Steve Iseman, APR, Fellow for his “Outstanding Educator of the Year” award. We have always known that he is outstanding, but seeing that he is being recognized through a prestigious award is pretty cool. Now, everyone knows how awesome Dr. Iseman is!

The Outstanding Educator Award is tough to earn. The Award recognizes a PRSA member who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of public relations education. Dr. Iseman makes the 39th educator to ever win the award. The criteria to receive Outstanding Educator is that the individual must be nominated and must show excellence in teaching, research, involvement with students and involvement in the profession of public relations. Congratulations, Dr. Iseman, your students appreciate all of your hard work!

Here are some articles about Dr. Iseman:
Faculty Focus
http://www-new.onu.edu/node/16530
PRSA Fellow
http://www-new.onu.edu/node/14951

Balloon Boy

Okay, I give in. I was trying to let this one settle without blogging about it, but I can no longer ignore the shenanigans of Balloon Boy. I remember seeing the first news of this story while sipping on some coffee, but because the volume is very low on the TV at Northern on Main, I wasn't listening. I saw the balloon (which was shaped like a UFO) and thought, is CNN really reporting on a UFO hoax? Wow.

Later I found out that the issue with the balloon was not its shape, but what it was (thought to be) carrying. Apparently, the Heene family (parents especially) created a hoax in order to get publicity. The family was previously on Wife Swap and must have wanted more of the limelight. According to CNN, the parents called the media before calling emergency services. People from all around the Colorado town were worried for the Balloon Boy, trying to help, being glad it was not them. Then, the Heene family began taking interviews. In one very telling interview, Falcon (Balloon Boy), says, "I thought we did this for the show," when asked why he did not come out of the garage after hearing his parents calling. Immediately the father is tense and has nothing to say. I actually laughed after I watched that interview, because I knew that the father must have been thinking, well crap, were caught.

Often times, we hear about good public relations and bad public relations. Mostly, we hear about the bad. Well this balloon incident was not just bad, it was downright awful. The Heene family did something that no decent public relations practitioner would do. They used their own child in a hoax that if were real, the child could have died, for publicity. How low are people willing to go for fame? I bet the Heenes are now wishing they had just hired a professional, since they could now be facing criminal charges. The one-liner wisdom I take from this story? Hire a public relations professional first, and you won't have to hire a lawyer later.

Here's the CNN article, be sure to watch the videos, too:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/colorado.balloon.investigation/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Weekend Away From ONU

Being back at ONU with week 7 in full swing, I have been telling many of my friends about my awesome weekend. This weekend I went home for the first time since I arrived on campus (7 weeks, considering that I came back early). For me, not being home in this long stretch of time is a record. I am quite the homebody, and my family is probably my most favorite thing in the world. When Friday came around, I was surprised when I didn't really feel like making the drive to my first stop, Kent State University. I had already made my plans though, so of course I was going; my Kent-Staters were excitedly waiting to see me.

Of course I wanted to see everyone from home who I love, I just didn't really want to make the 3 hour drive in the disgusting weather. Once I got to Kent, which is always an adventure because the buildings there all look the same to me, I Then Jimmy and I went to my friend Sami's room, because she is an RA and was on duty. At Kent, when an RA is on duty, they are not to leave their building, at ONU, residents are lucky to find said RA, just saying. Anyway, after picking up some Taco Bell, because no trip to Kent is complete without a TBell run, Jimmy and I went to Sami's room. We all caught up with each other and acted silly while we ate. Since Sami was on duty, we had to go on rounds with her. Rounds at Kent are intense if for no other reason than Sami's building, for example, has 8 floors. The most we have here are 3. Kent keeps me in check when it comes to how small and protected ONU really is. The next morning, I ate breakfast with Jimmy and Sami, packed up, and headed home.

I went to my mom's house, because we (mom, dad, and I) have an understanding that my mom misses me like crazy when I am gone, and she needs to see me as soon as I arrive. I said hello, hugged everyone, spent some time talking to mom, and headed to my dad's house for home made chili. My dad's chili is the BEST.

I spent a good 4 hours at my dads house, sitting by the fireplace and catching up. I then headed back to my moms where we had game night. Game night gets pretty intense around my house. All of my brothers and sisters were there (5 of them) as well as my aunt, uncle, and their 4 kids, plus 4 of friends. We had so much fun.

Sunday, I watched the Steelers beat the Browns (like we didn't see that one coming) and then headed to watch the kids play soccer. My 2 sisters and my youngest brother were playing. While all of the games were extremely entertaining, my favorite was Christopher's (he's 6). Watching kids in Kindergarten play soccer is one of the funniest experiences one could have. The field and the soccer ball are miniature, and the quarters are only 5 minutes long. Watching Christopher was especially hilarious; he is the kid that is doing everything but playing soccer. The ball could be right in front of him, and we felt lucky if he even noticed. I loved that if he did kick the ball, my family and I acted like he had made a goal. We were obnoxious, and every time we yelled his name, he looked to the sidelines and threw his hands in the air, saying, "WHAT?!?" Oh, man, do I love that kid.

My weekend ended with dinner at mom's house and hugs for everyone. I didn't get back to ONU until 11:30 at night, but I didn't care, I had an absolutely fantastic weekend.

Podcasting and Marketing Pitches

In "The New Influencers" by Paul Gillin, I have been reading about podcasting. Honestly, previous to my reading, I had very little knowledge on the subject. I had a general idea of what a podcast is, but I now have a better understanding. For example, I didn't know about all the different subjects of podcasting, or that Whirlpool has an "American Family" cast that has nothing to do with Whirlpool appliances! (Link to American Family podcast http://tinyurl.com/ygl7so7 ). I am now more interested in the world of podcasting thanks to the great examples and fun facts from Gillin.


As I my reading progressed, I found information about educating the customer, rather than preaching to the customer. Thinking about marketing flops on podcasts, my juvenile mind drifted to a show on Nickelodeon. The show in my mind is not a traditional podcast, it is actually a video cast.


iCarly is the mystery program I am thinking of. More specifically, I am thinking of an episode where the iCarly gang is approached by a company to promote shoes. The group of kids agrees, signs a contract, and gets paid as well as free shoes, of course. The night that the promotion happens, everything goes fine and iCarly viewers go ahead and buy the shoes. Here's a link to that clip http://www.icarly.com/iVideo/index.html#vid1441


Later, though, the group of kids discovers that TechFoots (the shoes) are terrible pieces of technology. Viewers quickly point out the same feelings toward the shoes. Being loyal to their viewers, the iCarly gang creates an episode that exposes the poor quality of the shoes. The episode script is careful not to violate the contract with TechFoot and mostly uses sarcasm and satire to bash the shoes. Here is an "after" clip http://www.icarly.com/iVideo/index.html#vid1439


While this example is not a serious one and is fictional, I believe that what happened on iCarly is realistic. The company that wanted endorsements was paying the cast to promote a new product rather than letting the casters experience the shoes for themselves and talking about them casually. Later, iCarly followers discover the bad quality of the shoes and revolt, much like real bloggers and podcast followers would do. Then, the cast of iCarly decides to be loyal to it's viewers and creates a response. To me, this kid's show gives a good example of transparency, my favorite reality of the blogosphere and apparently, podcasting.

Homecoming Weekend

Life at ONU has been pretty exciting for me lately. I just got some amazing new members in Alpha Xi Delta, funraising efforts for PRSSA National Conference are going well, and this weekend was homecoming! Of course alumnae and friends began filling campus and the surrounding areas on Friday, and the buzz of a busy campus had everyone excited. Students and alums blended together well this weekend from what I could see.

My homecoming weekend was pretty similar to the ones in my past. On Friday, I made sure to socialize, saw some old friends and reminised, and made some new friends too. Then I woke up early to help put together the Alpha Xi float (always a good time). This year Alpha Xi's float won second place! Later, I hung around with some Alpha Xi alumae at our Teddybear Tea. I had a really good time meeting old sisters and hearing their stories and looking at scrapbooks to see them point out a photograph and say, "Oh, I remember this!" Saturday evening, I enjoyed the spoils of a victory on homecoming weekend and socialized even more.

Today I mostly napped. I have had a head cold bubbling under the surface since formal recruitment, and today is the day the germs seem to be winning. I'm hoping that my immune system can get the defense together and go for a win soon.

I had my third ONU homecoming this weekend and I hope to have many more in the future. The excitment and the strange large amount of people in Ada makes me happy. All in all, I had a great weekend here at Ohio Northern.

What is Twitter?!?!?

I was just trying to think of a great topic for a 'what's up in PR' this evening, and so I began to type into Google.com, "what is new...." I didn't get past what, because Google finished my question with the number one search. That search is, "what is twitter." Here is the link to the search: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=what&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS343US343&q=what+is+twitter
I must say, as soon as I saw that come up, I smirked a bit. Actually, I laughed out loud.

As a user of Twitter, I sometimes get picked on by the non-believers. I talk about Twitter in public and I use Twitter from my phone. I am often the butt of Twitter jokes in social circles of people who are not familiar with Twitter. Here I am now, knowing a secret of the non-believers. It is not that the people who pick on me for using Twitter actually hate the site, they just don't know what Twitter is! Some may very easily know what Twitter is, but don't really like the idea of the site or would rather stick to other social media. HOWEVER, people are obviously curious.

Am I taking this Google search a little too far? Maybe, but in the world of public relations (my world), being the top search on Google is a HUGE deal. So good job, fellow tweets, I would say that we have been talking enough to make quite the impact.
In case you are not familiar with twitter, here is a link to check it out! http://twitter.com/

Bear-fighting Grandma?

Believe it or not, a grandmother from Colorado scared off a bear from her bedroom with nothing more than a decorative pillow. Must have been a pretty scary looking pillow! Seriously though, I was on Digg.com checking through some headlines when I saw this story. Here's the link
http://www.wesh.com/news/21170915/detail.html

Basically, a mama bear and one of her cubs entered a residence and began eating the food from said residence. The grandma scares the mama out of her room with the pillow. Enter owner of the house, the grandma's son. He planned to get rid of the bear, until he noticed the mama bear as well. I was entertained until the end of the story when sadly, the bears who did not show fear of humans lived and the others did not.

Thank you http://digg.com/ for the intriguing post. I will continue to enjoy them!

Bid Day

For women in Greek organizations, Bid Day is one of the best days EVER. This year, I got to experience my first Bid Day as a sister rather than a new member, and I loved every minute. The weather was cold, we were riding in trucks, we were soaked to the bone by the Fraternities but I couldn't have been more excited. Today, I felt like I had whiplash and couldn't turn to my left unless I turned at my waist, but after a great Alpha Xi sister let me use her heating pad and another warned me about my medicine taking, I am feeling a little better.

The very best part of Bid Day is getting new members. I am so ecstatic to be able to share the love and secrets of Alpha Xi Delta with these girls who of all the sororities, chose to join mine. I imagine that almost every Greek girl feels the same about her own chapter and new members. My new members seem so excited to be around and because of that, I am more and more excited the more I get to know them.

I wish that every woman could experience Greek life and find what I have found in A-XI-D. For now, I will focus on my new girls, but next, the world.

Viral Videos

In social media, viral videos are a great way to create a message and "infect" a large amount of people with said message. Sometimes though, viral videos are just for fun. For example, the other day, my cousin posted this video from YouTube to her Facebook status:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKNHmYu0wnE

I watched the video, had a good laugh, and then few days later, I was reading a small article on the viral video on a random page that my computer made "home" for my internet access. Search "Single Babies" on YouTube and pages beyond pages come up in the results. Apparently, everyone has viewed this video. If you haven't, get to it!

A few articles are out there in the internet talking about this little baby who doesn't even know she's famous.http://mashable.com/2009/09/24/baby-dancing-to-single-ladies/ I also found a cool site with a "top ten" viral video list as of late. Watch this fun little thing dance her heart out to Beyonce's "Single Ladies."

My Crazy College Life

So this entire week I feel that I have accomplished nothing, but truly I have accomplished a ton. Currently things to be concerned with on my life list are: schoolwork, Alpha Xi Delta, PRSSA, formal recruitment, voting meetings, round practices, fundraising for PRSSA National Conference, Joe Trahan account, trying to work out everyday, finding a loan that someone will actually give me so I can remain at school, constant concern that someone is going to buy my family's house because the owner went bankrupt, oh, and could I squeeze in a social life too please? I really just want to scream.

I talked to my mom for the first time in over 2 weeks today even though I have so much to do, but I didn't care; family always wins in my book. Schoolwork is taking a backseat to almost everything else because I just don't have the physical time to sit down and actually DO any of it because I am always in a meeting or doing something else. Should I prioritize? Yes, of course, but how do I prioritize when everything seems to be happening faster than I can even function?

When it rains, it pours; what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That's the familiar advice I have been reflecting on basicallly since the first week of school this quarter. My question is, just how strong do I have to be, and how many things do I need to learn how to balance, because whatever is coming in the future that I am "preparing" for now, is going to be a BOMBSHELL.

Hopefully after Bid Day this weekend, life will slow down a little and I can play some catch up. In the meantime, that's one blog down, two to go, a 15-page research paper due Friday that I haven't been able to start yet, two journal entries to write, over 300 pages of reading between my classes and a graphic design project to draw and matt by Tuesday; all in between meetings every single night this week. Awesome.

Go, Millenials, go!

“Citizenship was not a political concept. It was the culture of everyday life.” As I read this statement in chapter two of “Citizen Marketers,” I realized why I find the blogosphere so amazing. The blogosphere consists greatly of my generation, and my generation in itself impresses me.

I know that my Millenials are going to change the world, and through social media, we are already starting the transformation. We are taking personal responsibility to reveal truths and to be genuine without any compensation except personal satisfaction. My generation feels happy enough to just do the right thing; we don’t need money or material things for motivation. Our willingness to do right by each other is not political; we are not driven to be honest because someone passed a law that said we had to. Millenials are morally structured. We feel a need to help others because we were raised on “Sesame Street” where everyone is kind and helpful to their neighbors.

The online world has not yet fallen apart because the people who maintain it answer to something more powerful than any structured system or laws. Those involved in social media answer to their own set of morals and social norms. If someone steps out of these norms and violates the blogosphere, he/she is quickly dealt with by other bloggers and contributors. I am ready for my generation to apply our rules and norms in social media to the rest of the world. With the way society is looking right now, I think everyone else needs to be ready or not, here we come.

Gym Class All Over Again

Weird basketball games and falling down; seems like gym class all over again. Looks that way, smells that way, so, this must be the reality. However, I am not an awkward child who gets picked last for dodge ball in middle school, nor am I slightly less awkward and in high school. No, I am a junior at a private university and I would like to think that my awkward phase is over. A class I am enrolled in, however, has me seriously doubting myself.
I am enrolled in a fitness class this quarter to fulfill a credit needed to graduate; I understand that, though I don’t really accept the idea with open arms. My previous knowledge of the class came from other students who took the class before. Apparently, I did not sign up with the same instructor as these students had. From my previous knowledge, this class was going to be a tour of the workout facilities, instruction on the use of different exercise machines, and a twice a week workout that I would earn credit for. Just sign in and work out for at least twenty minutes, and the class is over.

I was pretty excited to take that class. I knew that some general instruction on how to use machines properly and the promise of a credit hour would help me overcome my fear of the gym. Yes, I fear the gym; I am a gym-o-phobe. Why? Low self-confidence in my physical fitness and a lack of gym knowledge, of course! How do you solve low confidence in your physical fitness and lack of gym knowledge? You take a class that shows you how to work out, makes you come to work out so you become more fit, and gets you familiar with the facilities so that you feel comfortable there.

However, this is not the class that I am taking. No, I am taking a class that makes me play basketball (which I despise playing) in a creative way. Creative enough for me to do a 5 foot power slide across a gymnasium floor when a basketball was thrown my way. Not to worry, though, the volleyball pole I ran into stopped me from sliding any further. My right knee is currently disgusting. I would love to tell you about it, but I thought, “A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?”

So here is my gorgeous knee:

(actually quite hideous)

So, I just went on a whiny little (okay big) rant about my fitness class, but, I do really like my professor and I think he is going to teach me something very valuable this quarter. As much as I would like to blame the professor for my smile-shaped bruise and clown-nose floor burn, he is not at fault. I simply get way too competitive when it comes to sports and so, I dove for the ball and caused my own demise. I actually enjoyed gym class in high school because I am competitive and I like to have fun while playing games like numbers basketball, I just wasn’t expecting a class like this in college. So, kudos to my professor for throwing me a curveball, but he had better duck, because I’m a great hitter.

VMAs 2009

So, shame on me for not watching the MTV Video Music Awards, but, EXTRA shame on Kanye West for being so rude to Taylor Swift. I mean, come on! This is not proper behavior for award shows, or even everyday life for that matter. Sure, maybe West was angry that his favorite didn't win, but there is no excuse for souring someone elses moment of glory. I agree that Beyonce had an amazing video, really I do, but I didn't jump on a stage and express those feelings.

Poor Taylor Swift had one of her happiest moments ruined by the rudeness of West. I am not really a fan of either artist, but in basic human policy, Kanye acted terribly. Even Kanye's apology was terrible. He posted the apology on his blog, but I think a medium similar to the VMAs is more appropriate because really, West owes an honest apology to Swift, not just his blog readers. His blog, according to The New York Times, stated that he felt "like Ben stiller in 'Meet the Parents' when he messed up everything and Robert DiNero asked him to leave." Somehow, I don't think relating to a Ben Stiller movie makes everything okay.

Honestly, all I could think about was the movie Carrie. Prom night, Carrie gets crowned queen but tragically gets blood dumped on her. Then, she freaks out. Ms. Swift gets a VMA, and Kanye ruins the moment, but Taylor has no freakish powers. If she does, Kanye better watch out.

Here are links to the VMA clip and the news article.
(Links are in order)

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

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/performers-criticize-kayne-west-for-mtv-outburst/

Into the Swing of Things

My junior year of college is in full swing with one week down, 32 to go until I am a senior. The thought of being where I am today has kind of crept up on me.

I recall being a freshman, doing not much other than homework and sitting around. I can’t believe I ever wasted time like that. Last year, I joined Alpha Xi Delta (AXD), became more active in Public Relations Student Society of America, and made the Dean’s list. All the while, I was holding two officer positions in AXD and getting into an exercise routine. I now am experiencing all of these, plus an enriched social life and preparing for sorority formal recruitment in my junior year. College is strange in the way of getting involved. We must build up and tear down a few times to find where we really fit.

I think this year will be my favorite, much like in high school. Juniors or third years have a type of advantage that other classes really do not have. Juniors usually know where they are comfortable on campus, usually have a core group of associations to take part in, have the status of an upperclassman, but do not have the stresses of capstone projects and job searching like seniors have. I will hopefully be traveling to San Diego, California to participate in PRSA International Conference http://www.prsa.org/ic2009/index.html, which will be the trip of a lifetime for me. I also plan to run for vice president of PRSSA soon. Toward the end of the school year I will be running for the office of president in AXD or firm director in PRSSA, or maybe both. I have a lot in store for myself this year, and I cannot wait to get started. I am excited and ready to tackle this year and come out on top.

Go, me!

Flash Mob!!!

So, yesterday, September 12, some of my ONU PRSSA buddies and I went to THE Ohio State University to take part in a flash mob for Donatos Pizza http://www.donatos.com/. Flash mobs are a fresh, new, mini campaign strategy. YouTube has a fantastic array of examples of flash mobs to check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7aI6zhbVtM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

Our group met behind the football stadium and organized. We then split into two groups. The idea was for the two groups to walk toward each other, one group shouting “DONATOS!” while the other group (my group) shouted, “HAND-TOSSED.” We walked through a crowded tail-gating community of sorts, all the while, tossing pizza dough in the air. After the two groups met, we kept shouting and tossing and suddenly, we stopped, handed out coupons, and quickly dispersed. The entire show took minutes, but the amount of people who were thinking about Donatos hand-tossed pizza were at least in the mid-hundreds if not tipping the thousands scale.

I, being the little public relations nerd I am, was super-excited to be taking part in something this cool. I could feel people watching the group even when we were just walking to our destination. Peoples’ mouths moved as they read our t-shirts, “I knead dough, then I toss it.” I had a great time, learned a little something and got a free shirt and a free pizza! I think flash mobs are going to catch on faster and faster, and soon, we will live in a world similar to a musical. Think about it, people breaking out in random singing/dancing/tossing pizza dough? Yep, musical world is coming, and I'm ready!

The 5 Commandments of Blogging

As I was reading my assignment for social media, I came across a section that really made me think, The 5 commandments of Blogging in chapter 2 of The New Influencers by Paul Gillin. The commandments are: Thou shalt link, Thou shalt not diss, Thou shalt be transparent, Thou shalt comment, and Thou shalt not blather. So basically, if you are writing about something interesting, give people more information. If you have a differing opinion, which is likely, be civil. Be honest. Give bloggers feedback! How else will anyone know how his/her blog is going? Finally, keep the blog interesting and to the point!

The Internet is a free-flowing tool that is not controlled or censored in any way. No rules can be found telling the proper way to do anything, really. Yet, Internet users, mostly bloggers, do follow certain norms and proper social etiquette. Person to person contact is sometimes less civil than the thoughts and ideas of bloggers in the sense of living without rules. Theories out there say that without rules, large groups will eventually become unmanageable. This trend, however, has yet to emerge in the blogosphere. So, perhaps if the 5 commandments of blogging were applied to offline living, the world would be a better place. (I might be stretching a bit, but bear with me!)

My idea is a bit of “I learned everything I need to know in Kindergarten/Dr. Seuss”-esque. Basic childhood ideas such as kindness, truth, and responsibility are ever-present in the blogosphere. Why? Not because someone made up some rules and set up consequences, but because in the blogosphere, the audience, the blogger and the subject are put on equal footing. Power on the Internet belongs to all, rather than few, and so corruption is easily destroyed by people keeping other people of the same influence in check. So, kudos, bloggers and readers!

Also:
I think this blog by Megan at Media Maven gave some good insight on the 5 commandments and really helps to explain them in a short and sweet way:

http://prmediamaven.blogspot.com/2007/09/five-commandments-of-blogging.html

First day in social media

Hip-hip-hooray! I am creating my very first blog today! Social Media is probably going to be my most favorite class ever.