Reflecting back at the semester, I’ve learned so many things that I could use for both my Multimedia and Advertising degrees in the future. I learned how to utilize social media websites (like blogging, Twitter, and LinkedIn) the best ways possible in order to network for jobs and positively express myself. I had no idea what LinkedIn was and I’m glad I now have a page for future employers to look me up and see my accomplishments in just a click of a mouse. And although I’ve had a Facebook for three years now, I didn’t know that there were so many helpful features to it before taking this class. I had no idea that I could put certain people in lists or that any information I load would be on the internet forever.
Networking is very helpful for both my degrees, along with other assignments we've done in class. I'm sure I'll be doing PSA's (especially video editing) for my Multimedia degree and blogging or social networking to get the word out for Advertising. My favorite assignment from Writing for Multimedia was the Facebook Fanpage I created with Kelly Ambrose. This was my favorite because I’m used to being on Facebook all the time and this assignment didn’t feel like homework to me. I chose an event I thought would be a big hit amongst college students, which was the First United Methodist Church’s Free Lunch Tuesdays. I knew that college kids love free things (especially food!) and a lot of people would want to become fans of my fanpage. I was right in that assumption, as it has over 200 fans and I couldn’t be more proud. :) Though I was pleased with all the fun homework throughout the semester, I really wish we got to do more advertisement-related assignments in class (like print layouts). This is because I’m a new Advertising major and I suppose I’m a little biased.
Out of this whole semester of blogging, my favorite blog was Braden Grimord’s (especially his Who Am I blog), because he made it humorous and fun to read. I especially enjoyed him writing to it like a diary, as he started the majority of his blogs with “Dear Bloggy.” LOL! Although this appears to be our last blog of the semester, I’m sure I won’t be leaving it at that. You’ll be reading more from me the next time I have something interesting to share!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Comet Branding
Sarah Meaney, from Comet Branding, emphasized ways to write for social media; and the differences between it and AP writing throughout her presentation tonight. There were some points in particular I felt stood out to me the most to use in the future. She mentioned that it was important for writers to highlight key words to keep readers on page because they don’t read. She explained that this is because social media readers scan more than anything. People also decide to read more meaningful headlines than clever ones so they don’t have to think about what the article’s all about.
The inverted pyramid is also used in social media, like news stories, as people don’t spend much time reading on a page. This was appealing as I thought social media was a lot like editorials, but they use the normal pyramid. She said that it’s important to boil it down to the “who” and “what” as soon as possible in order to get the point across. Moreover, it’s imperative to use numerals over spelling out numbers (unlike what we've learned in AP writing). This is because it’s proven to be more appealing to the eye and psychologically make more sense. However, if it’s not a specific fact, it is acceptable to spell out numbers like “thousands.”
So what exactly is “Comet Branding?” I learned that it helps clients connect with their customers as well as possible. One particular aspect I’ll especially remember from her presentation to help a writer connect with his/her audience was a guideline of things to think about when writing online. This guideline consisted of tone, voice, flow, content, format, and length. I thought this was a good guideline to think about in order to keep your target audience as interested as possible.
Overall, I thought her presentation was very compelling, as I’m used to writing formal papers for classes in college. It resembled my Writing for Multimedia class very well as our homework includes writing for social media, such as blogs and Twitter updates. Her helpful tips and information will make it easier for me to write for social media in the future, as I want to connect with my audience as much as possible.
Comet Branding Website
What is Comet Branding?
Who does Comet Branding help?
Story behind Comet Branding
The inverted pyramid is also used in social media, like news stories, as people don’t spend much time reading on a page. This was appealing as I thought social media was a lot like editorials, but they use the normal pyramid. She said that it’s important to boil it down to the “who” and “what” as soon as possible in order to get the point across. Moreover, it’s imperative to use numerals over spelling out numbers (unlike what we've learned in AP writing). This is because it’s proven to be more appealing to the eye and psychologically make more sense. However, if it’s not a specific fact, it is acceptable to spell out numbers like “thousands.”
So what exactly is “Comet Branding?” I learned that it helps clients connect with their customers as well as possible. One particular aspect I’ll especially remember from her presentation to help a writer connect with his/her audience was a guideline of things to think about when writing online. This guideline consisted of tone, voice, flow, content, format, and length. I thought this was a good guideline to think about in order to keep your target audience as interested as possible.
Overall, I thought her presentation was very compelling, as I’m used to writing formal papers for classes in college. It resembled my Writing for Multimedia class very well as our homework includes writing for social media, such as blogs and Twitter updates. Her helpful tips and information will make it easier for me to write for social media in the future, as I want to connect with my audience as much as possible.
Comet Branding Website
What is Comet Branding?
Who does Comet Branding help?
Story behind Comet Branding
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Nestle vs. Greenpeace
Nestle's latest social media outburst all started when protesters of Greenpeace (an environmental protection group) disagreed with their choice of purchasing palm oil (which aids in destructing rainforests) as an ingredient for Kit Kat bars. The protesters took their frustrations out to YouTube by creating a parady video of how Nestle is a killer. In return, Nestle responded by simply asking YouTube to take the video down. However, the video continued to spread on numerous accounts and the protesters made an additional parady video of the Nestle workers' reaction. Nestle made the mistake of worrying too much about the video and not letting it go. Because they were defensive, the video spread into a worse manner than it initially was.
That's not the only thing Nestle was defensive about. Greenpeace also took their frustration to Facebook by creating Nestle logos with the word "Killer" in liu of "Kit Kit." Therefore, Nestle responded on their Facebook page by saying that they welcome comments, but if someone was too negative or had this type of logo as their picture, the comment will get deleted. There were some unconventional comments left and apparently, a Nestle rep moderating their Facebook page was leaving rude responses to the commenters. This was a no-no, as like my previous blog with the VP of the movie theatre, what you say can't be taken back.
Honestly, I don't think anybody was in the right in this situation. Greenpeace reminded me of PETA with the harsh lashing coming with not agreeing with something. I feel like they acted out too immaturely, and were just straight up bullies to Nestle. Then again, it's not right for Nestle for use palm oil as an ingredient for their product and social networking is a great way to get the word out. I'm not sure if this was a responsible use of Facebook or not. I think the situation could have been handled differently in a more civil way. While taking out frustrations online is effective, I hate to see negativity on my precious Facebook, as it's meant to be a fun social networking site.
Nestle's Reaction Backfiring
More info on protester's actions to Nestle
Nestle's backlash on Facebook
Nestle's bad use of PR on Facebook
Nestle's Facebook page
That's not the only thing Nestle was defensive about. Greenpeace also took their frustration to Facebook by creating Nestle logos with the word "Killer" in liu of "Kit Kit." Therefore, Nestle responded on their Facebook page by saying that they welcome comments, but if someone was too negative or had this type of logo as their picture, the comment will get deleted. There were some unconventional comments left and apparently, a Nestle rep moderating their Facebook page was leaving rude responses to the commenters. This was a no-no, as like my previous blog with the VP of the movie theatre, what you say can't be taken back.
Honestly, I don't think anybody was in the right in this situation. Greenpeace reminded me of PETA with the harsh lashing coming with not agreeing with something. I feel like they acted out too immaturely, and were just straight up bullies to Nestle. Then again, it's not right for Nestle for use palm oil as an ingredient for their product and social networking is a great way to get the word out. I'm not sure if this was a responsible use of Facebook or not. I think the situation could have been handled differently in a more civil way. While taking out frustrations online is effective, I hate to see negativity on my precious Facebook, as it's meant to be a fun social networking site.
Nestle's Reaction Backfiring
More info on protester's actions to Nestle
Nestle's backlash on Facebook
Nestle's bad use of PR on Facebook
Nestle's Facebook page
Sunday, March 14, 2010
"What Happens In Vegas Stays On Facebook"
I was very excited to attend the presentation "What Happens In Vegas Stays On Facebook" for my Writing for Multimedia Class. The name of the seminar interested me as I'm a very active user of social media and thought that it was a clever way to sum up how public our digital second lives can be. I not only learned about the precautions of exposing too much or little of yourself, but also found out features within websites I had no idea about. The first presenter Emily Lenard, Associate Director of WiredWI, explained how I could limit a certain group to seeing certain parts of my Facebook profile and pictures without eliminating every detail. I can still load pictures up for my friends to see, yet ban people who may not appreciate the pictures so much by grouping them into a list. I also learned that having more than one account on Facebook could result in being permanently deleted from the Facebook world. This concerned me as I know people who have made a second account containing clean information for potential employers. I was relieved, however, when Emily said that your Facebook account IS as private as you make it and employers can absolutely not pay to see past the privacy settings. Phew!
The second presenter Katie Felten, President of MKE Live, explained how to use the features in LinkedIn and told us that it is almost unnecessary to pay for a premium account as the free account allows you to do anything that is vital for an impressive profile. She also taught us the ways in how to grow networks and how to keep your internet profile as professional as possible, as LinkedIn is a professional website. Her presentation helped me learn the ways of this site as I’m a very new member and am still getting used to the features. I also hope to get a job out of college and think that employers definitely check out social media for each potential employee. All in all, I learned a lot from these presentors and am very glad I attended.
Check out MKE Live: http://www.mkelive.com/
Check out WiredWI: http://www.wiredwisconsin.org/
Follow MKE Live on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mkelive
Follow WiredWI on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WiredWI
The second presenter Katie Felten, President of MKE Live, explained how to use the features in LinkedIn and told us that it is almost unnecessary to pay for a premium account as the free account allows you to do anything that is vital for an impressive profile. She also taught us the ways in how to grow networks and how to keep your internet profile as professional as possible, as LinkedIn is a professional website. Her presentation helped me learn the ways of this site as I’m a very new member and am still getting used to the features. I also hope to get a job out of college and think that employers definitely check out social media for each potential employee. All in all, I learned a lot from these presentors and am very glad I attended.
Check out MKE Live: http://www.mkelive.com/
Check out WiredWI: http://www.wiredwisconsin.org/
Follow MKE Live on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mkelive
Follow WiredWI on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WiredWI
Friday, March 5, 2010
BAD Customer Service!
An unsatisfied customer, Sarah, received a nasty letter in response to her complaint to a movie theatre from the Vice President of the entertainment business, Steven Payne. This email he enclosed consisted of him rudely telling her off and “to go f*** herself.” I was deeply appalled by how unprofessional and rude this comment was. I don’t understand how anybody could possibly think it would be okay to respond to a customer, no matter how rude they may come off to be, in such an immature way and get away with it. Within his response, he considered her email a joke, but if her email was such a joke, why not just ignore it and move on? Why not sit on it instead of speaking out so inappropriately? Once he realized the damaged he had done, he tried to apologize in a following email but it was too late to take it back.
Nobody in their right mind would let the entire situation go after receiving a vulgar and degrading email from such a higher authority of a company. Therefore, I think it's completely acceptable that the customer lashed back by creating a Facebook group, called BOYCOTT St. Croix Falls Cinema 8, to spread awareness to the public about how unprofessional both the movie theatre and the V.P. are. Facebook is one of the most popular social networking websites, and is a great way to get the word out fast through viral marketing.
I recently came across a similar fan page like this, called “I Hate Bronze Body & Brew and Want My Money Back!” The owner of this tanning salon scammed hundreds of customers in Whitewater out of their money as they were encouraged to stock up on tans just days before he up and left town. I don’t think Facebook executives would have any reason to disapprove of fan pages like these. Such poor customer service deserves to be broadcasted to spread awareness of how unprofessional these businesses are and what people should avoid.
BOYCOTT St. Croix Falls Cinema 8 (Evergreen Entertainment LLC) Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=335606723728
We Support Steven Payne Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Support-Steven-Payne-VP-of-St-Croix-Falls-Cinema-8-Evergreen-Enterta/369249815728?ref=share#!/pages/We-Support-Steven-Payne-VP-of-St-Croix-Falls-Cinema-8-Evergreen-Enterta/369249815728?v=info&ref=share
Emails between Sarah and Steven Payne: http://consumerist.com/2010/02/theater-vp-go-f-yourself-here-are-directions-to-another-theater.html
I Hate Bronze Body & Brew and Want My Money Back! Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/I-HATE-Bronze-Body-Brew-and-I-Want-My-Money-Back/334337084565?ref=ts
Nobody in their right mind would let the entire situation go after receiving a vulgar and degrading email from such a higher authority of a company. Therefore, I think it's completely acceptable that the customer lashed back by creating a Facebook group, called BOYCOTT St. Croix Falls Cinema 8, to spread awareness to the public about how unprofessional both the movie theatre and the V.P. are. Facebook is one of the most popular social networking websites, and is a great way to get the word out fast through viral marketing.
I recently came across a similar fan page like this, called “I Hate Bronze Body & Brew and Want My Money Back!” The owner of this tanning salon scammed hundreds of customers in Whitewater out of their money as they were encouraged to stock up on tans just days before he up and left town. I don’t think Facebook executives would have any reason to disapprove of fan pages like these. Such poor customer service deserves to be broadcasted to spread awareness of how unprofessional these businesses are and what people should avoid.
BOYCOTT St. Croix Falls Cinema 8 (Evergreen Entertainment LLC) Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=335606723728
We Support Steven Payne Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Support-Steven-Payne-VP-of-St-Croix-Falls-Cinema-8-Evergreen-Enterta/369249815728?ref=share#!/pages/We-Support-Steven-Payne-VP-of-St-Croix-Falls-Cinema-8-Evergreen-Enterta/369249815728?v=info&ref=share
Emails between Sarah and Steven Payne: http://consumerist.com/2010/02/theater-vp-go-f-yourself-here-are-directions-to-another-theater.html
I Hate Bronze Body & Brew and Want My Money Back! Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/I-HATE-Bronze-Body-Brew-and-I-Want-My-Money-Back/334337084565?ref=ts
Sunday, February 28, 2010
BMA Lightning Round
Last Tuesday, I, along with many other UW-Whitewater students, went to the BMA Lightning Round Interviews and Networking event at the Eisner Museum in Milwaukee. Reflecting back on my experience, it was a lot more fun and informational than I expected. I was impressed with how professional and helpful the mentors were, as they reviewed my resume and prepared me for real-life interviews I will have to face once I graduate college. The mentors also opened my eyes to the many social networking websites employers visit before they decide on hiring a certain person. I was surprised to learn that they discourage private and non-informational profiles on websites like Facebook and Twitter. The woman who guided me through the "social networking station," I think that's what it was called, told me that employers want to see the real you. Furthermore, many don't believe that someone wouldn't have a Facebook or wouldn't put every detail of his or her life into Twitter. I thought keeping a clean and private site would work to my advantage, as my life is my own personal life and none of any outsiders' business. Did anyone else receive the same information I did within this subject?
Aside from learning how to carry myself for interviews, I met some very interesting professionals I could relate to. The first woman I spoke to was very interested in what field I was going into and gave me her card right away, which put me in a great mood to start off the night. Her name is Luci Klebar and she's a placement solutions specialist for C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions. The other two people I met also related to my Multimedia major: Jim Bernthal, President of Top Floor Technologies and Laura Rodman Huaracha, Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Media for Carthage College.
All in all, after starting the night off nervous, I was very much at ease with how nice and helpful everybody was at the event.
Check out the links below!
Top Floor Technologies - www.topfloortech.com
C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions - www.c2gps.com
BMA Milwaukee - http://www.bma-milwaukee.org/
Eisner Museum - http://www.eisnermuseum.org/
Aside from learning how to carry myself for interviews, I met some very interesting professionals I could relate to. The first woman I spoke to was very interested in what field I was going into and gave me her card right away, which put me in a great mood to start off the night. Her name is Luci Klebar and she's a placement solutions specialist for C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions. The other two people I met also related to my Multimedia major: Jim Bernthal, President of Top Floor Technologies and Laura Rodman Huaracha, Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Media for Carthage College.
All in all, after starting the night off nervous, I was very much at ease with how nice and helpful everybody was at the event.
Check out the links below!
Top Floor Technologies - www.topfloortech.com
C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions - www.c2gps.com
BMA Milwaukee - http://www.bma-milwaukee.org/
Eisner Museum - http://www.eisnermuseum.org/
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Mashable
Facebook Meltdown:
I don't know about you, but I've been getting extremely frustrated with Facebook lately. This article let me know that I'm not alone and there are other people out there who have been having issues. It mentioned how there have been problems within the website with "site load time, 404 errors, issues with image uploading, CSS load time, and mobile accessibility." Many times I have a pop-up window forcing me to click "ok" or "x" which result in me refreshing the page numerous times to even navigate. It also doesn't let me upload pictures at the speedy rate I was once able to. Now I have to wait at least 5-10 minutes to know if pictures uploaded successfully, and if not (which is about half the time), I have to start all over again. Sometimes I'd even wonder if it was my computer or the website itself.
Do you think Facebook updating has anything to do with the lagging? Are there just too many people a part of the Facebook world?
Article: Facebook Problems Today: Photo Uploads Broken and Other Issues
http://mashable.com/2010/02/20/facebook-problems-photo-uploads/
Free Music Monday:
This article lists ten songs for those who are interested to download for free in honor of the “Twitter tradition #musicmonday.” I found it very interesting since I had no idea there was such a thing. Being a music lover myself, I felt like I found gold when I read about this. I think it’s a great way to promote new music, artists, and happiness to those who enjoy receiving free things. J If you’re interested in seeing what songs were available, check out the full article below.
Article: Free Music Monday: This Week’s 10 Free Downloads
http://mashable.com/2010/02/22/free-music-monday-this-weeks-10-free-downloads/
Using Social Media for Black Friday Deals:
This article explains how to use social media to find black Friday deals. It states that because of the economy, stores are doing whatever it takes to reel shoppers into their stores; and exposes websites, blogs, and applications to find the best deals at the right places. Stores using social media also play up interaction between the shoppers by utilizing blogs and picture sharing features. Although Black Friday was a few months ago, I think anytime’s a good time to learn about this. I found it very useful because I was one of those people who would rely on word of mouth or newspapers to know where to go and what was going on sale on this special day. Now all I have to do is click to find exactly what I’m looking for or come across an awesome deal from fellow shoppers worldwide.
HOW TO: Use Social Media to Find Black Friday Deals
http://mashable.com/2009/11/20/black-friday-social-media/
I don't know about you, but I've been getting extremely frustrated with Facebook lately. This article let me know that I'm not alone and there are other people out there who have been having issues. It mentioned how there have been problems within the website with "site load time, 404 errors, issues with image uploading, CSS load time, and mobile accessibility." Many times I have a pop-up window forcing me to click "ok" or "x" which result in me refreshing the page numerous times to even navigate. It also doesn't let me upload pictures at the speedy rate I was once able to. Now I have to wait at least 5-10 minutes to know if pictures uploaded successfully, and if not (which is about half the time), I have to start all over again. Sometimes I'd even wonder if it was my computer or the website itself.
Do you think Facebook updating has anything to do with the lagging? Are there just too many people a part of the Facebook world?
Article: Facebook Problems Today: Photo Uploads Broken and Other Issues
http://mashable.com/2010/02/20/facebook-problems-photo-uploads/
Free Music Monday:
This article lists ten songs for those who are interested to download for free in honor of the “Twitter tradition #musicmonday.” I found it very interesting since I had no idea there was such a thing. Being a music lover myself, I felt like I found gold when I read about this. I think it’s a great way to promote new music, artists, and happiness to those who enjoy receiving free things. J If you’re interested in seeing what songs were available, check out the full article below.
Article: Free Music Monday: This Week’s 10 Free Downloads
http://mashable.com/2010/02/22/free-music-monday-this-weeks-10-free-downloads/
Using Social Media for Black Friday Deals:
This article explains how to use social media to find black Friday deals. It states that because of the economy, stores are doing whatever it takes to reel shoppers into their stores; and exposes websites, blogs, and applications to find the best deals at the right places. Stores using social media also play up interaction between the shoppers by utilizing blogs and picture sharing features. Although Black Friday was a few months ago, I think anytime’s a good time to learn about this. I found it very useful because I was one of those people who would rely on word of mouth or newspapers to know where to go and what was going on sale on this special day. Now all I have to do is click to find exactly what I’m looking for or come across an awesome deal from fellow shoppers worldwide.
HOW TO: Use Social Media to Find Black Friday Deals
http://mashable.com/2009/11/20/black-friday-social-media/
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