We're Almost There!

After reading chapter 13 of, 'The New Media University', I thought this would be a great chapter to reflect on for my last blog. The chapter discusses how society today is becoming digital introverts. We are now becoming more engaged with our audience through social media and the computer isn't just a one-way communication channel. They define our society as "The Verizon Network."

I would have to say that I definitely fit the mold of the "The Verizon Network." I really enjoy communicating with other people via social media sites. I really like talking about recent sports stories and about music with different audiences via social media. I also like that you can share information between one another. However, what I think is most unique about online relationships is that you can discuss information and build relationships with people from all over the country.

The chapter also discussed that e-mail was outdated and never to return. However, this is something I disagree with. I feel that e-mail will always exist no matter how popular social media sites become. I use e-mail to communicate with professors, students and my mentor. I feel e-mails are much more formal and believe social media isn't as personal as an e-mail.

This chapter has really made me realize that we are in an era of online communicators and that we are able to build relationships easily via the web. After reading this chapter and taking this social media course, I am ready to build relationships and share my ideas with others. I really can't wait to start my travel blog after finals week and I will be able to discuss what I'm actually passionate about. Only three more days!

Italian Sausages and Social Media.

After reading Chris Brogan's recent blog post, 'Why Measuring Success Using Social Media Tools Isn't Always Cut and Dried,' I really feel that society today is creating a new way to build relationships. Brogan talks about how he met a woman who wanted to promote her dried Italian sausages via social media. However, Brogan didn't feel that advertising this product via Facebook or Twitter would be an effective way of doing so. Instead, he felt Twitter or Facebook would be beneficial for her to just build relationships with people who would fit her niche market.

I feel that Brogan is onto something. Advertising a product like Italian sausages via Facebook or Twitter isn't going to drive people to the woman's business. Social media sites like these really need to promote relationship building. After reading this I feel that I should take a few lessons from Brogan. I think I need to start interacting more with my audience to build relationships. Sometimes I see an interesting article on Twitter or Facebook but fail to give any feedback. To build relationships I need to start engaging with my followers.

I am really glad I saw this article because I feel like now I can just jump into conversations on social media sites and build relationships. I really feel that people also appreciate that someone is reading and responding to their posts. I bet the lady and her Italian sausage business is doing fabulous after speaking with Brogan. I know he has influenced me to want to become active in social media conversations.

Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh My!

Working at The Great Movie Ride

Finals week is finally here! I honestly feel like I  have been waiting for this week to come for so long. Each day I honestly felt was dragging, but now I'm finally in the home stretch. I don't have to feel like the Grinch anymore and will be going home to see my family and celebrate the holidays in exactly three days. I really don't think I've ever been so excited to get finals week over because I have never been this exhausted and stressed before. Oh, and I'm excited because in two weeks I will be back in Orlando working my seasonal hours at the most magical place on Earth. Disney!

At Walt Disney World Resort I am an attractions host at The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios. This is the most relaxing and laid back job I have ever worked. Each day that I work I take guests on a 22 minute slow-moving tram ride through scenes of classic movies. I am also high-jacked by a 1940s gangster, get held up by a bandit in the Wild West who threatens to blow up a bank and I get to see Dorothy follow the Yellow Brick Road. If you think this sounds exciting these are only half the scenes that I go through. Other scenes include Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, Indiana Jones, Tarzan and Casablanca.

As you can see I am definitely excited about going back to Orlando and getting my finals out of the way. I really hope that one day I will be working for this company in a job related to my major. I think the public relations sector of Disney would be fabulous, creative and innovative. I can't wait to start applying for big kid jobs. Only three more days of school work and I will be working and applying for jobs for the company I always dreamed of working for.

Virtual CV. Tapping into Creativity.

After mass amounts of editing, constructing and designing I have created my first virtual online portfolio. I think that a virtual portfolio is beneficial to PR professionals because this lets you hone creativity and also gets your name out to a larger audience. I really feel that everything is going to the web, and think that websites like these are going to be popular for upcoming generations. So, here is my first shot at creating a virtual portfolio. Enjoy!

Companies need to listen to the Groundswell.

In part one of the Groundswell, there are three main points triggering the groundswell.

1. People's desire to connect

2. New interactive technologies

3. Online economics

I really feel that these three points are essential for companies to know if they want to be successful in pursuing the groundswell mentality of "getting your message out their quickly and effectively." People want to spread messages. They rely on word of mouth. Companies need to realize that the people are now becoming the voice of advertising of a company online. Through social media, people get opinions and news spread instantaneously.

Technology is also driving the groundswell because this is the main way people connect today. We are able to spread messages like wildfire through social media and the Internet, and  the news and television are becoming secondary sources to retrieve information.

Lastly, we have online economics. Since so many people use the Internet, online ads have been able to generate sales for many companies. In conclusion, companies really need to focus on their consumers, technology and online promotions. If they take advantage of these resources they should be increasing sales and also getting their messages across to consumers more quickly and effectively. Newspapers are old news and the groundswell has now taken over.

Dear Forbes: How Can You Determine These to Be Top 10 Influencers?

In a recent blog on Forbes, Haydn Shaughnessy explains how the 10 most important influencers use their followers to get more people to follow them. Honestly, I think Chris Brogan (who is listed as the top influencer) has so much beneficial information on his Twitter and his blog (I do follow him on Twitter and he was a speaker at PRSSA's national conference). However, I don't believe that he should be considered a social media influencer because of the number of followers he has. Nor do I believe he should be measured by his tweet's retweets. Just because someone retweets someone's tweet and gains followers for that person does not make that person an influencer.

I feel that influencers should be measured by the quality, not quantity, of their content/followers. They could have 10,000 followers but if the followers aren't engaging with them what's the point of tweeting or blogging? The pull method that Shaughnessy uses (which was developed by PeekYou) is explained in these terms:

"In other words, if someone with a pull of 10x posted a tweet, it would receive the same audience coverage as 10 average people tweeting the same message" 

Yes, someone with a pull of 10x posts a tweet and they receive the same number of coverage as 10 average people, but how does this reflect the quality of an influencer's work? People may start following them because they had a great tweet. However, are these followers going to start engaging with them? 

In conclusion, I feel influencers should not be measured by their audience but by the quality of their work and how followers are engaging with them. Just because they are reaching people does not mean that they're having an effect on them. An influencer's work and the feedback that they receive is what matters, not 'people'. 

Dead Week Begins.

Dead week. We could consider this the most wonderful time of the year considering this is the last week before finals. However, I would say this is the most stressful week I've had in a long time. Why I blame this week for being so stressful is ONU's transition from quarters to semesters.

Right now, I have to split my time between four projects. I was told that every professor must now require a project in their lesson plan. Well, for some reason every professor decided to make their due dates for projects on the exact same day. Gah. I know they are trying to transition to semesters as well, but I just feel like everyone just waited until the last minute to set deadlines.

In the end I know that these projects will be beneficial. I really am not handling this transition well, nor are other students. I really hope that professors and students will be able to get on track and make this transition a little smoother, because right now I should be in the Christmas spirit. Instead I'm feeling like the Grinch because the lack of sleep I've acquired. However, only 12 more days!