What's on My Mind

Well this week has been so crazy for me. I had a few group meetings and then went home for the weekend to hold a garage sale to raise money for my trip to Ireland this summer...All in all the garage sale was a great success and we raised enough to cover a plane ticket! how exciting! I am getting more and more excited to get out and see the world and I can only hope this year ends well and leaves me ready to take on the world!

In chapter 77 in Brogans book, he gives some interesting insights about the use of social media in businesses.  I do agree that consistency is important and reflects positively on the business.  He gives some interesting points that I would like to expand on...

1. Using the blog as a home base for all your efforts.  I believe this is a useful point because blogs seem to work as an informal way to communicate with customers.  Using it as an outlet for what you are moving towards or trying to accomplish as a company, only shows your customers that you are actively trying to improve your business.

2. build an editorial calendar.  This is good advice because when you are blogging it is good to have some sort of agenda and time schedule for your posts.  This way you can time your posts in order to go along with whats going on in your business or outside the business, further showing your followers that you are up to date on your blog

3. update other social media every 3 weeks.  This is smart because it is likely that your facebook or twitter will be linked up to your blog.  You don't want your followers seeing that you only update your blog and neglect the rest of your media outlets, this can cause you to lose some credibility.

4. use social media as hiring outlets.  I like this idea because it reminds me of my friends sister who got hired by a company due to her twitter account dealing with a business she was involved at the time.  It is also a good way to find people through blogs and active social media stes.

5. revist a month of posts and see what you've covered the least.  This will help you to cover the things you have touched on the least and recover those things so that you are not repeating yourself and that you are not leaving empty spaces in what you are blogging about.

After watching the TED talk about moving objects with your mind, I have been thinking more about where technology is going. I think that it is a cool concept and that it is truly amazing where people have gone in terms of technology, but I am also skeptical about the practicality and necessity of some of it.  When I think about it in terms the human connection, I see it going in the ways of video games, bringing on more interactivity.  I can see it being an advantage for the gaming industry because it can help bring its game closer to its players.  I can also see a disadvantage when people are not wanting to put so much physical effort into playing a game.  I think it will help people to participate more with different technologies but I also think it can turn people away due to inexperience and it being too far fetched.

What's Is On My Mind...

So this weeks assignment is to blog about what is on my mind.  Well, I have a lot going on these days but in relation to this class I have been thinking about starting my own "out of class" blog.  I have recently been accepted into a study abroad program in Ireland this summer, and I thought it would be a cool idea to keep a blog starting with the preparations this spring and ending with the actual trip.  The program is really cool, it's a documentary, storytelling, production class in which we will write shoot and produce our own series of short documentaries.  I am really excited about getting out to see the world, seeing as though I want to one day work for the travel or discovery channel.  I see endless opportunities with this experience.

The trip will be help in Letterkenny, Ireland, which is pretty far north.  It is a small town much like Athens, with a big art and "hip" presence.  If my intentions to start the blog come through I will make sure to attatch a link to this blog as well for whomever might be interested in following my adventures.  In the mean time here is a little sneak peak to where I will be living for 10 weeks this summer....

Thus Far,

So far in this class I have really enjoyed getting more involved in the creation and usefulness of social media. Having had to create my own blog and update it on a weekly basis has really caused me to care more about how I am portrayed on the net. Before I was not always sure how to incorporate my personality into social media. I also have gotten more comfortable with my writing and net surfing. I haven't really found anything too boring or nor important so far in the class.

This information is helpful in the real world because, entering into the Media industry is directly related to the information being learned in this class. I understand that it is likely that I will be responsible for social media operations in an entry level job. I hope to continue learning how to apply social media both in the business world as well as my personal life.

Commenting

In chapter 73 Brogan brings up the importance of commenting on blogs. He brings up the good point that when you comment or "like" something on a social network, you help to reinforce the author to put out more content that you enjoy. I guess the same idea can go for more negative comments as well, so long as it is constructive.

So in the spirit of commenting I left a few comments on some friends blogs:

Eric's Blog

Adrian's Blog

Mary's Blog

Blog Critique

Well since entering into this quarter and learning more about blogging I had never really taken much of a critical eye to blogs. I liked what I like. When I started looking a little deeper into the blogs I was looking at and why I seemed to like them I discovered a few things about myself as well as the blogger I was following. My first realization was that I liked blogs that had a lot of pictures, with funny or clever captions, and did not have a lot of text. I also quickly discovered that I really had no idea who these people were who were keeping me entertained and providing me with different photographs that I then would print out or share with my friends. An example of this would be one of my favorite blogs by one of my favorite and most fabulous celebrities, Beyonce. I was introduced to her "I Am" blog by a friend and immediately felt like I had a special source into the life of one of my "favorite people." It was not really until this blog assignment that I realized, it didn't take much to convince me it was Beyonce herself sharing her photos and thoughts with me. After looking at the blog closer I really could only find a little note in hand-writing-style font that is signed and hearted by Beyonce. Now is it really her posting all the fabulous pictures of herself living a fabulous life? (Only she could do this and it would be seen as a favor to all as opposed to a vain cry or glory) Well who/whatever it might be I love this blog because it is a giant album of exclusive photos and videos that are not only to highlight Beyonce but the art and beauty that seems to follow her around so naturally. For me, a picture says 1,000 words and I take her or whoever sharing their photos as a more believe approach than actually being lead to believe that she sits in front of the computer, spilling her innermost thoughts out to the entire world.

As for the design and structure of the blog, it is one of the most functional yet modern and unique blogs I have seen. My brother who is a web designer at UC even commented on the flow and design of the page. (I mean its Beyonce, c'mon). It is attached to her web site (Beyonce.com) under the I Am tab. After clicking I Am, you are then directed to her tumblr which maintains the same design without even noticing you are in a different web site. The site is then just a montage of her, what seem to be, personal photos. I haven't visited many other celebrity blogs, but if I were to say this has to be one of the best. (Jim Carrey actually has a surprisingly interactive and cool web page so check that out if you want to see a close second). So as I leave you with these thoughts, check out her blog at I AM and enjoy the video below, if you have not already been so lucky to have seen it 1094820 times already.

And for all you loyal Beyonce fans....