Reflections

Summer is almost over. In some ways I am ready. I need my own room back, and the friends that I love, and excitement. My summer internship on campus has been rather enjoyable and I've improved my writing skills. Hopefully.
This summer I've strayed from the person I always used to be. I stopped trying in many aspects and I've really adopted a go-with-the-flow, do-what-feels-good-now attitude (goes along with my attempt to be a bohemian hippy.) I'm having fun and that's what matters to me now. I know what's right and where I should be, but I'm just tired of trying so hard and always feeling guilty because I fall short. So I've stopped the comparing and striving. And I like it. For now.

I am so excited for the different organizations I'm involved with. I thrive when I'm busy and stressed. Executive board for PRSSA will bring me great experience and professional contacts...looking forward to the PRSSA National Conference in San Diego!!! Also, I will be very active in Student Senate still, we're revamping Senate's image and attempting to make it an organization that is useful and cool. I designed our t-shirt this summer and have already been working on a newsletter that needs to go out the second week of school. Senate Awareness Week is Week 2 so I've already started preparing for that. We'll see how aware we can make people, ha.

Living in a quad will be interesting. I have no doubts that we'll all respect each other and have a blast. Most of us are very easy-going and we all love people so we plan to have visitors 24/7 and big potlucks often. The only downside is having to walk a MILLION miles to get to civilization aka the center of campus.

I've acquired a new boyfriend-character in the past month and we'll see how that plays out... It's been awhile since I've had someone and I've gotten really comfortable with being single so it's definitely a transition. He's a football player so I'll actually be attending fball games this year and attempting to learn how the game works. ha, wish me luck.

Annd..I'm looking forward to the end of winter quarter when I will be traveling to Madrid, Spain for a few months of studying abroad. It is a dream come true for me to live in Europe. But I can also see that it is going to be extremely difficult. Not only speaking the language and adapting to city life, but also the homesickness and knowing that my friends are all having fun together. And missing the graduation of all of my close friends considering most of them are P6s and seniors. Rough time ahead. But also rewarding I'm sure.

Summer '09

I haven't written in ages. I contemplated deleting this account, but decided to keep it in case a moment of divine inspiration strikes. This isn't it. But please, don't let that deter you from reading.

I am currently "working" at my internship in ONU's Office of Communication and Marketing. Writing feature stories has been the bulk of my responsibility. I've interviewed a few people, crafted several press releases, delivered many things and photographed various camps. I am learning that summer at a university is as easy as you think it would be.

Not being an English or writing major, I was a little intimidated to be working alongside the other interns who are in creative writing, journalism and literature. But I know that I am a decent writer and I enjoy doing it, so I take every story that comes my way and give it my best shot. Here are two features that have gone up on ONU's Web site:
Learning Law in London
Saving the Whales


As for my future...I am very excited to see what plays out. I am planning on studying abroad in Spain come February 2010-May 2010 and I would like to take a few weeks after classes to tour other parts of Europe. Hopefully a few friends will fly over to meet me and we can backpack around and stay in hostels (I refuse to see the movie Hostel).

I also need another public relations internship, hopefully one that incorporates the Spanish skills that I will obtain while studying abroad. I am researching non-profit organizations around Washington D.C. because I have guaranteed housing in that area. And since most internships seem to be unpaid...I need to choose one where I can get free housing. And I will not be living at home again next summer. Having four teenage kids in a small house is not my idea of fun.

Politics Schmolitics

I would not consider myself a political person. Politics are too involved and complex for me to spend time trying to understand. I would rather use my time doing something I feel I can individually make an impact in. There are many, many other reasons.

Nevertheless, I found myself feeling exhilarated and excited as I watched the inauguration today. It was a first for me to be remotely emotional about anything political. I did not root for one person over the other in the election but I am happy with the results. I am excited for change and anxious to see how and when it will occur.

For some reason, the entire country just seemed awestruck and overwhelmed at the ceremony today. I can't imagine anyone not feeling just a bit curious and excited for what is to come, no matter their political preferences or lack thereof...

Bacon & Eggs

Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Colorado
How fun is this?! Anyone want to fly to Denver and play on some bacon with me?

Influenced

I've been addicted to this book since I received it for Christmas



If you like fashion, art, photography, or inspirational people...READ IT!

My FAV blog

So I found my new favorite blog --- urban outfitters
Their stuff is crazy unique and artsy. ...So I'll probably be mostly linking to their blog and posting the sweet stuff I see on it.
Like this-



http://www.mikerea.com/instruments.html

Wow. Check out this fiasco. An awful awful case of a baby's murder in Britain was followed by a humongous backlash on the web. It involved bloggers and Facebook users who just went crazy with the story.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/170087

Yay! Seventh Avenue in Ybor City -Tampa, FL was named one of the Top 10 Streets in the USA! I spent a good deal of time there this summer. :)

Also a good place to get your nose pierced. :P

A+ class

After our little PR presentation to the orientation class, a friend of mine texted me. He is a freshman broadcasting major and heard our spiel. He was super excited and said he really wants to add a PR minor now. He said we were very convincing (well, the people that talked anyway).
So, great job everyone! We're already putting those persuasive PR tactics to use. ha

TOMS shoes Week 10

If you haven't heard of TOMS shoes, you need to pay attention.

There are so many varieties of TOMS shoes, but it's not the look of the shoe that is appealing, it is the concept behind it. For every pair of shoes that is sold, TOMS shoes donates a pair of shoes to a child in need. The creator of the company uses word of mouth as his advertisement because of its personal interaction. He markets the shoes through his story and his cause. He says it is the "intimacy of his message" that matters. TOMS shoes communicates to customers via YouTube, their Web site, and word of mouth. Their hope is that people will get asked by others about the shoes and then have the opportunity to share the message behind TOMS. It is brilliant and beautiful and I'm getting a pair for Christmas! (Which also means I'm giving a pair to a child who needs it.)

The End Week 10

In a way, it is sad to read the final chapters of our 'textbooks'. I would never normally use that sentence. But it is true, like most people in our class agree, these books were thought-provoking, insightful, and intriguing. With social media being a new topic to study, I was excited to read each week and learn what the knowledgeable, experienced authors had to say--especially since all of their ideas can be applied directly to PR and where the profession is headed.

In the conclusion of New Influencers, Gillin says, "Social media is simply an electronic version of interactions that have been going on for a long time." I completely agree with his statement. The concepts and ideas behind social media aren't fabulously new and innovative. At its core, social media is communication and interaction between people. What has changed is that people now know how to communicate/interact electronically and instantaneously. This allows companies, organizations, and individual people to interact with the public in a more effective manner; a manner that follows the evolution of technology in our culture and uses it.

Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba stress the importance of loyalty and transparency in this social media phenomenon. Loyalty is the goal and the backbone of citizen-created content. People blog and share because of their passion and desire to do so. It isn't (normally) out of monetary motivation. Self-motivation is what makes the communication credible, honest, and transparent. Investing time and thought into people and engaging in transparent communication is social media at its finest.

Wonder Woman Week 10

I hate that people can't be trusted, especially on the internet. Nobody likes being fooled. Yet another story of a lying blogger/Web site recently ocurred.
On the site Wonder-Who.com, fans have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of who will play Wonder Woman in the upcoming film adaptation.

In the article by Matt McDaniel that I read on Yahoo, it said, "The Wonder-Who.com site appeared with an image of the Wonder Woman logo over an American flag with the words "The Truth Will Be Revealed!" Every day they would reveal a little more of the picture of the actress until finally the picture was revealed and the actress was Megan Fox, dressed in Wonder Woman garb. Megan Fox fans were ecstatic! As were fans of the comic Wonder Woman--they were excited that apparently a cast had been chosen and filming was soon taking place.

However, it was all a hoax. Other Web sites had started stating that Fox was the lead, but after some bloggers' investigation, Warner Bros. was contacted and they said that the Wonder-Who.com site was "complete B.S." What a downfall. The site built up hype for the revealment of Wonder Woman, and it wasn't true it all.

How can any Web sites information be fully trusted? The creators of Wonder-Who.com disgust me. Why put useless, false information out there that people latch on to? This story is another example proving that before trusting online information, people need to do their own research. I know I will in the future.

Singers tour Week 10

Is there a life management tool someone could sell me out there? K, thanks.

From last Wednesday till Sunday night I was on tour with University Singers. We performed at various high schools and churches around northern and eastern Ohio. It really was a blast--despite the missing class and not having time to get work done part. I wasn't smart like Evan who brought his computer into a mall to work. Then again, I don't know if I could've handled the people harassing me for money like they did him. We were in Cleveland.

My favorite part of the trip was staying with host families. My roommate and I, Amanda Quintrell, were overly excited to meet our host "mom"s and "dad"s every evening. It is just a unique experience to invade a random family's home for the night. Albeit awkward, there are bound to be stories that arise from the situation. Amanda and I had great hosts every night (by the end we were hoping for a bad one so we could have an exciting story to tell). Our first host mom gave up her master bedroom for us. She threw us a nacho party and invited all of her friends over so we could meet them. In the morning, we received a breakfast smorgasbord too. The second night, Amanda and I stayed with a nice old couple in Mansfield. The lady bought us Starbucks and let us browse a Barnes and Noble for an hour before heading to their home. Despite not having a shower, we slept well and were grateful. The third family experience was also pleasant. It was another old couple who fed us and basically left us on our own. Their cat loved me(I named it Buttons) and their dog didn't love me. Anyway, they took us out to a local diner for breakfast and we conversed about all kinds of things.

I'm glad that during our tour, we stayed with families instead of in hotels, because it really helped us to connect with people. I'm not a big talker, but I am always interested in other people's lives. I love to hear their stories and see from where people come. Because of the way our tour was set up, we could do that.
Bonding with choir members was also a huge positive that resulted from our tour. I feel much more comfortable around them now considering I spent several hours squished on a bus with them, swapping stories and sharing everything.
The tour was more fun than I expected, but it is causing me to breakdown now, after the fact. I'll be astonished if I don't drown under my workload this week...

Kidney Caper--Video Project

Kidney Caper



Evan and I wanted to come up with an unconventional, creative way to endorse organ donation. We're funny people, so we wanted to do something comedic and different. Although organ donation is a serious matter, comedy appeals to college-age students and we figured we could find a way to mesh the two. Most people are aware of the urban legend where a person is drugged or kidnapped and that person wakes up hours later in a tub full of ice with a missing kidney. Well, we figured we could incorporate this legend into organ donation. With the help of the brave actors, Trent Dorner, Kyle Roby, and Tim Smith, our vision became reality. We hope the message comes across through the video and leaves the impression that organ donation is hip but also important.

GPS underwear Week 9

In our high-tech day when everything and everyone is connected, I'm still flabbergasted at some of the insane things people think they can do with new technology. They twist useful tools and incorporate them into idiotic products. Like this newest product I found online--lingerie fitted with a GPS tracking system. ...see what I mean about idiotic? Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks this is weird and ridiculous; most women, especially feminists, are "reacting with horror to what they call the 'chastity belt'." I've read the article over and over but I still can't find the real purpose for this invention. Lucia Lorio, the Brazilian designer, says it's a "wink to women and a challenge to men because even if she gives him the password to her GPS, she can always turn it off." Still, I don't see why? Especially since it ranges from 500-700 euros. She also said women want to use it for protection reasons when they go out in big cities. Whatever the reason, it is plain weird to buy underwear with a built-in GPS tracking system.

As long as the technology keeps evolving, there are going to be people who exploit it for strange uses. Some of the uses may catch on, but others are only going to be mentioned in a few articles and bought by a small group of people. I have a strong feeling this is going to be one of those 'firecracker'inventions. It will fizzle out soon enough.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1082707/Outrage-chastity-belt-lingerie-fitted-GPS-tracking-system.html?ITO=1490

New Rules Week 9

While reading this week, I didn't have any grand epiphanies or interesting realizations. The three chapters in The New Rules book basically outlined and briefly explained the basis for marketing and PR and their shift to the new rules of conducting business and relating to customers through social media. It further reinforced the importance of why we should care and what we should be doing.

A few quotes from David Meerman Scott stood out to me and seemed right on with the changing direction that PR is taking. In chapter 2 he says, "Unlike in the days of the old rules of interruption marketing with a mainstream message, today's consumers are looking for just the right product or service to satisfy their unique desires at the precise moment they are online." The word unique is important. PR needs to find ways to reach unique, targeted groups of people on a more personal level. The mass messages are useless and "try to reach everybody, but speak to nobody" as Scott says. Specifically targeting people that are most likely to use your product or sign up for your service is a no-brainer. And you have to use ways to reach them that are creative, direct, and easy to relate to. It takes work and research, but is worth it.

Scott's statement that "content drives action" is also very impacting. He says that, "Great content brands an organization as a trusted resource and calls people to action--to buy, subscribe, apply, or donate." I agree that what a company decides to portray and how they portray it affect how the consumer responds...obviously. But more isn't necessarily better. I hate visiting a site that overwhelms me. I'll tend to skip over those for sites that are cleaner and simpler but with meaningful content nonetheless. Instead of obnoxious flashy advertisements and pages jam-packed with links, pictures, and videos, organizations should strive for direct and classy. Of course their own style needs to be incorporated, but the disturbing flashiness needs to go.

Reverse Trick-or-Treating Week 9

This Tuesday, a group of friends and I did something unique and rewarding that tied in with the Halloween spirit. We dressed up in costumes and drove to St. Rita's and Lima Memorial hospitals in order to reverse trick-or-treat. Our group consisisted of a fencer, vacationer, lumberjack, bunny, nerdy weatherman, hippie, bubblegum, and a sleepwalker. The looks we received were priceless. At least I had called ahead to warn the hospitals we were arriving-I didn't feel it would be right to burst in all masked and weird looking.

We took candy and coloring books to the pediatric wards. There weren't many kids in the wards though, which is a good thing for sure. So we trampsed down to the cancer and rehab wards. It was a good thing we did, because they loved it! Most of the patients were older and they enjoyed looking at our costumes as we 'trick-or-treated'. Although most of them couldn't eat the candy we had, they were more than happy to work on some Halloween word searches or crosswords. The nurses loved us too because they got glow-in-the dark stickers and our leftover candy.

The best part involved all of us standing at the entrance of the elevator, waiting for it to open when a man walked out and jumped, completely bewildered. Also, since I'm from this area, I saw at least four people I knew working/visiting someone in the hospital. They should be used to me wearing weird outfits. Whatever, it was a great time. The patients and nurses were ecstatic to see us come and hopefully we brightened their evening just a little bit.

Corn Week 8

Corn is amazing. I've grown up with corn all around me; it's really hard not to considering I live in northwest Ohio. Occasionally though, I'll look out at a cornfield with fresh eyes and realize how beautiful it can be. Despite their creepy reputation thanks to the movie industry, corn fields are something to enjoy. And there are so many ways to enjoy a corn field. Let me list a few.

1. Corn on the cob - Delicious, buttery sweetcorn is a highlight of late summer/early fall. I remember always husking the corn before dinner so my mom could have it ready(somehow my siblings never had to do any labor.) Anyway, Mmmm...

2. Getting purposefully lost/hours of solitary entertainment - If you get angry and don't want to be around people, find the nearest tall corn field and just blindly run into the center. Turn around in a few circles, and there you go, no people!

3. Corn mazes - Great fun for family and friends. Carry a jug of cider and wander around in a maze yelling at friends for leading you to dead-ends. If you want to make it even more fun, when you get somewhere near the center, tear up the map. I can't promise your group won't attack you, but it sure promotes a good bonding experience.

4. Haunted corn fields - Oh man, it isn't Halloween if my friends and I don't get chased by a masked man carrying a chainsaw. In my opinion, my county (Putnam County) puts on one of the best haunted corn fields around. For a few bucks, I get a cheap thrill in the crisp night air, latched onto my friend's arm screaming bloody murder.

These are my top four ways to experience corn fields. If you can't check off this list, I suggest you hurry up and get out there before the farmers harvest it all. And if you have any interesting corn field stories/different uses for corn, let me know and I'll add it to my list!

Buyer Profiling Week 8

The whole buyer persona profiling sounds very effective, but also very creepy. I never realized how much thought goes into every marketing campaign, every commercial, every Web site... If companies or organizations are doing it right, they spend hours and hours researching every little detail about their target customers. I find it weird that before I even visit a Web site, an organization has looked up where "I" go online, what television shows "I" watch, and what phrases "I" use in search engines. "I" refers to myself and the buyer profile that I fit into. I never thought about it before, but I can see how some companies and organizations really do use this strategy in marketing, especially in the US Presidential Elections of 2004 example where marketers targeted groups of people like "NASCAR dads" and "Security moms".

In the New Rules book, David Meerman Scott suggested even naming the persona. He wrote, "This should be an internal name only that helps you and your colleaguees to develop sympathy with and a deep understanding of the real people to whom you market. Rather than a nameless, faceless "prospect," your buyer persona will come to life." I'm not sure about his use of the word sympathy, I would lean towards the word empathy. Sympathy makes me think of feelings of pity while empathy is more of an identification with and desire to understand.

Scott's example of UGOBE's toy dinosaur, called Pleo, that they created seems almost superflous in the amount of work they put into correctly marketing the toy. I had never even heard of Pleo until reading this book. If it was supposed to be such an amazing invention, why doesn't anybody know what it is? Sure, there are probably Pleo fanatics out there, but shouldn't a goal of the company be to gain more publicity for their product after reaching the target groups? Anyway, they must not have finished the job because I never heard a thing.

Negative Feedback Week 8

Maybe free speech isn't guaranteed online...

After perusing Digg, the site where I get all of my news information, I found an article described a legal case involving libel. Chris Reed bought a phone through eBay recently and when the package arrived, the phone that was claimed to be in "good condition", was chipped and damaged. It was also a different model than he had paid for. Reed, disappointed and perturbed, sent the phone back and logged in to eBay to leave negative feedback on the seller's site. It only seems right that Reed would honestly write about the interaction in his feedback. That is why the feedback option is on eBay in the first place.

Nevertheless, the seller took offense and is now suing Reed with libel action. Give me a break. Reed said: 'I can't believe someone can be so petty. All I had done was left an honest opinion and everything I said was true. I thought that was why the feedback service was there. It's not like I wrote anything malicious or called him a conman.'

The seller is complaining that the negative feedback significantly hurt his business and he is not sure he can bounce back from the remark. Though it's true that the remark probably did lower him on the search engines and undermine his credibility, it is for good reason. He lied online about the condition of the product he sold, he should reap the consequences of his actions.

I don't see how the seller will have a chance if the case makes it to court. If, for some reason, the courts rule in favor of the seller, there will be an uproar in online communities. The court should not be allowed to punish a person for honestly and transparently recording his/her opinions online.