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.