Social Media Classics

I have found this Social Media class to to fun and creative in many ways. I am happy I chose to take this course and that my fellow classmates were cool people. Through class lessons, readings, and projects I have created my own "Top 10 Best Social Media Practices" :

1. Facebook- I find this to be one of my favorites. It brings me together with my friends through pictures, status updates, and being able to comment on anything my little heart desires. I use this the most for my social networking.
2. Twitter- I like how this is easy to use and you can hashtag things. It helps collaborate with people on the same subjects and allows for further though/discussion.
3. Blogger- This is a great way to share your thoughts with others and vent about anything you want. Businesses have been able to learn how to use it as an advantage to gain popularity.

4. YouTube- I could spend hours on this social site. With so many videos to watch such as viral videos and music, it is easy access to entertainment. Without YouTube the world would be a little less exciting.
5. Skype- I still use Skpye on my laptop. It is easy to just see a friend from far away and brings long distance relationships close. I find Skype as a big innovation to where we are today.
6. Google- I live on this site. It is my starting point to all information. I use it for papers and my personal use to find facts and fun stuff. I see this site staying around for a very long time.
7. Instagram- I do not personally have this app but I still love it when I play with it on my friend's phones. It is fun and everyone loves pictures. It allows us to keep memories and share them with friends.

Instagram Picture!

8. ITunes- This is my favorite music program. I can use gift cards for it which makes it easy and every song, movie, show is available for me to buy and put easily on my ipod.
9. Picasa- I love this Google picture program. It allows me not only to buy pictures but lets me edit them ius crazy ways and then share them on social media sites like Facebook.
10. Rotten Tomatoes- this is a social media site for movies that I am on everyday learning about upcoming movies and how well they did in the box office. you get to give your own rating a comment about anything you want. Very interactive.

Virtal Reaity

I agree with Rhonda that we can create an identity based on our social profiles and pages. Often based on what you write and talk about, people can have an image of what you look like in their heads, but really you are so different from that! She showed an example of this by holding up a picture of her virtual self to the audience. What you get in the virtual world, may not be what reality is.

In the quarter we talked about being able to create a "false" identities through what you post on you social networks. For example, we discussed how someone can look so gorgeous on their Facebook page but once you see them in real life, they look beyond normal and totally normal. That is because some people only put up the best pictures of them to give others a certain "image" of who they are. Sometimes it can be positive and other times negative. Another thing we have discussed is connecting with others. Through this virtual world people can connect with so many more people and companies. You can gain connections and exposure from this world and not even have to be there. You can be in the comfort of your own home while presenting yourself virtually in various parts of the world. Another concept is how to build your social networking. This is another way to get your business heard and relate to others. Virtual applications can come from this making it bigger than ever. Being able to see yourself virtual on you IPhone could be very fun and really get everyone interesting. 

Through all of this I understand so much more from our class. I understand that social media is always growing and will continue to grow because new ideas are always being generated. I feel that I now know how influential social media can be and how important it is to present it positively and creatively in order for it to catch on in the public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9LU0hJc7zVc

Twitter App!

Sadly, I am one of those people who have yet to have a smartphone. The things my cell is capable of is extremely limited. I have never been one to enjoy apps like so many other people do. Since my phone can not do anything with applications, I use my Ipod. The only app I have on it is Twitter. I find it to be a very useful app for me to use because I am some one who likes to vent. So I can just write a quick little "tweet" and feel much better about myself. Its quick, convenient, and fun. It keeps me very social and connected with my friends and family. I can tweet to my friends and they can tweet right back! I feel the purpose of this app is keep everyone using Twitter as much as possible and staying interactive with it. I love it and am glad they have it!

 

 By March 2010, the company recorded over 70,000 registered applications and by June over 65 million tweets were being sent per day and March 2011 140 million per day, proving that this app as become very successful. The creators are the same people who created the Twitter page online which include the founders Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone. As of March of this year Twitter had 140 million registered followers. To promote the app it is seen on TV shows such as American Idol where you can tweet your favorite contestant through a twitter account that comes across the screen, magazines, phone commercials, and online ads.

What's Happening?? 9 Fest!!

Weekends at OU can be repetitive. Being that there is not much to do within walking distance, our options for weekend activities are limited to mostly drinking. While it can be fun to just let loose and leave the stress of the week behind, sometimes being with the same people everyday of the week can get boring.  This past weekend of 9 Fest however, was the best time I have had in a long while. My sister came to visit me and it could not have been more fun. We are twins so everyone we hung out with was the same age and had similar things in common. Here are some highlights of the weekend:

1. PigSkin for dinner Friday night
2. Oatmeal Cookie Shots
3. Prime time 8pm-9pm
4. Chocolate cake
5. J-BAR!!! (The Junction)
6. 9 Fest!!!
7. Walk home from 9 Fest...
8. Subway for Lunch
9. Smacking some Goofballs around
10. Kardashian TV marathon

 Twin sister Taylor!

I am so happy the last real party weekend of the year happened to of been one of my favorites! I got to try some new foods (including Insomnia Cookies) and enjoy the company of my sister by my side. I wouldn't have changed a thing about this weekend!!! Now it is study time for the rest of the year. I will have officially left my Junior year in a bang though!

Last party at Milliron :(

Social Innovation

Brogan has numerous and insightful suggestions about consistency in social media practice. I agree with him that creating a social media account, such as Twitter, for your organization or self needs to be more than just a page with you name and information on it. It has to have goals too. He provides fifty steps in Chapter 77 of his book that include ideas for starting out, augmenting your efforts, and writing your next steps.

One point he made is #5. Get a second person in the company to build accounts on these places just so you have backups in case you get busy. This allows you to share the responsibility of maintaining these sites, but it also will serve as an innovator. The audience you are trying to reach will get the view of the company from multiple perspectives and reach more people because each person can have a different but large group of followers which can result in doubling the size of the audience that hears about and follows the company. Another point is #6. Build an editorial calendar to think about your posting schedule and subject matter. This is very important because if you do not keep up consistently with your social media postings, people will lose the urge to go to your site and read new things because they feel you yourself are not putting in the effort to report information. You need to see your networks as a huge marketing opportunity and therefore you need to keep the audience involved and interested.

Another big point is #19. Continue building relationships beyond your specific need. Don't try to build relationships only with customers. Building relationships is the most important thing in getting your company out there. You never know what one person could do for you or when favors will be asked. The more relationships you build, the more well known you will become and the more others will market your business and help innovate your products through partnerships. Another good point he makes is #21. To create consistent content, read daily, and not just within your industry. Skim, synthesize, and post. This is crucial in order to stay up to date with what is going on in the world and businesses like yours. You need to know what consumers want and how your competitors are competing in the market. This for instance, could let you know if you need to change your marketing techniques. The more you read the more you will know. The last point I like is #32. Branch out your blogging into video and audio where appropriate. Adding videos and sounds is one of the best innovations in social networking because it involves the consumers more and keeps them more intrigued because they get to see products and people of them company rather than only reading plain boring text on a page.

TED Gone Bad

I personally am not on board with this new technology. Having an object or system that can connect the brain with real life actions seems like it should be cool, but I have an opposite opinion. I do not feel that this technology is good for the future of people. It will make us beyond lazy. People think that our American culture is lazy now just wait! There will be no need to leave the couch and we will all end up weighing about 300 pounds a piece. I also found it to be a very slow technology that I would have zero patients for.

 Comfy?

This is a social age of FAST FAST FAST and this to me is nothing but SLOW SLOW SLOW. This is a huge disadvantage of the product. Everyone wants things done five minutes before we even realize we need something done. I find it to be time consuming and annoying to have that head set on my head. It is uncomfortable and unnecessary when I have two perfectly working legs that can get something instead of me just visualizing it and it happening ten minutes later. I see this as something that would be an "isolating" feature. We would stop getting up and moving therefore feeling that everything we need can just come to you instead of you making an effort. We will participate more in personal awareness, but greatly decline in our social lives. I would not be surprised if some people would choose to stay home with this technology verses hanging and going out with friends or family. However, looking at advantages of this technology, one could say it has potential. Yes it has been able to accomplish something nothing else has. It challenges the brain in a whole new way and it is very cool to see in the moment. The thing about this, is that it can be developed more and can eventually be turned into something that is fast and accurate in command.This is the potential advantage it could have.

      Our Future

What is On My Mind

Well now, I am overly angry at Blogger because this is now going to be my third attempt of doing this blog post. Every time I went to put a picture on it would freeze and not let me do anything. So here I go again. It will only be writing which I love anyway. What else is on my mind is summer. I am so excited to not be doing any homework and just enjoy getting tan, relaxing, and working. Only fave weeks away! I do love being at school too though because I have so many friends here and I have the freedom to live my life the way I want it. Being with my family though and away from my roommates will be a dream come true. I need a break from them for sure!

Another thing on my mind is the engagement announcement of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Angelina has always been my favorite actress and I admire so much of what she does for communities around the world. If I ever became a celebrity stalker it would be for her! Brad Pitt is also a hottie but professionally, I have to say she takes the cake for me. I will be waiting impatiently to see wedding pictures in the magazine for this wedding of the year.

The last thing that has been taking up my mind space is my internship with PromoWest Productions this summer. I just found out that I was accepted last week and could not be more excited. I find it hilarious somewhat too because my passion in life are movies. To be working for a music industry blows my mind! It is out of my element but I am more excited than I ever thought I would be. Another reason why I can't wait for summer!

 Ahhhh Summertime :)