10

1. Make insightful, yet critical comments on a blog. A lot of the time people will post random or mean comments that don't benefit the blog or anyone reading. Hate comments can lead people to shut down their blog or readers to stop coming the blog. By providing your thoughts in a positive way, you're providing your opinions and helping progress the blog.
2.  Follow a lot of different people/blogs. There are endless amounts of social networks out there--Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn... In order to make your profile or blog more appealing, you need to be in tune with what other people are saying, doing, posting, etc. You can learn a lot about what you like/don't like, what you need to improve upon, and even how to seem professional online. You become a more well-rounded person by absorbing all this different content. 
3. Find a wiki you like and use it. Wikis can be used for all types of things. There are wikis about guitar playing, french cuisine, and even superheroes. Find your niche and delve into it. Wikipedia is, of course, the most well-known wiki out there, but since almost anyone can edit it, it's not always credible. Most wikis are a reliable source of information put together by people from all over that have "expert" knowledge in that field. This knowledge can come from experience, obsession, or just interest in the topic.
4. Try open sourcing. Open sourcing is a way to allow a large group of people share ideas and collaborate together. Solutions, innovation, transparency, and diversity can all stem from open sourcing. A downfall of this can be that the initial intent is lost as a wider audience takes hold. Depending on your project, open sourcing may be a good idea. 
5. Utilize tag clouds and cloud computing. With the advanced notion of the "cloud," our society has raised expectations of technology, accessibility, and availability. We are more focused on service, and not the hardware or software behind it. Tag clouds provide insights into the interests of the community and can be accessed from anywhere. Gone are the days of not being able to access your stuff because you're not at your computer. 
6. Employ good blogging practices. Your blog is a digital space that you make your own. It should have a personality and a style. If your followers don't think you're being authentic, they'll lose interest quickly. Make sure you know what they like, but also how to put your own spin on things. Consistent updates keep readers hooked and coming back for more, but just because they don't comment doesn't mean they're not reading. Make your blog stand out with a unique theme or color palette. With so many other blogs out there, you have to distinguish yourself from the rest. 
7. Do social bookmarking. This is a digital bulletin board, a system of saving links you want to remember. Sites like Pinterest have capitalized on this. Social bookmarking allows you to save something you may have stumbled across and go back and look at it later. It is a good way to discover new things, see what your friends are bookmarking, as well as share your interests with others. It also allows you to have a space where all of your bookmarks are stored in one place. No more do you have to have go to several different sites to find it all. 
8. Capitalize on tacit knowledge. Perhaps you have no idea how to do something. Chances are, someone somewhere knows how to. By taking advantage of this collective, experiential knowledge, you allow yourself to learn, discover, and do things you never could before. Maybe you even have a specific knowledge about something that could be beneficial to someone else. Share what you know!
9. Use hashtags. Hashtags allow you to find very specific interests. On Twitter, you click on a hashtag and everything about the subject pops up. It is a good way to spread news and get the word out. Hashtags have morphed our language into shorter words. Maybe this is a good thing, maybe it's not. Either way, you must adjust to these ever-changing practices to keep up with the Internet. 
10. Collaborate. These days, no one can get anything done alone. We use Wikipedia to write papers, we get our news from Twitter, and we make gifs of things we saw on Tumblr. More and more employers are expecting us to know how to use all different kinds of social media sites and be able to interact with the people on them. Knowing how to collaborate with your peers, colleagues, and superiors could be a key to your creative and professional success.

Big Mamma's "Mega Mamma Challenge"

Watch Joe crush Big Mamma's "Mega Mamma Challenge" as he eats a burrito 3x the size of a normal one!

Click here!

9-2

In this post, I will discuss the mobile app Angry Birds. Angry Birds is a mobile game that was developed in 2009 by Rovio Mobile, a Finnish game developing company. At first, it was just for Apple iPhones, but because of it's instant popularity it soon became available on all touch screen smartphones. It is the most downloaded app ever. The characters have been featured in various television ads and referenced in everything from talk shows to sitcoms. Merchandise from shirts to hats have been made, and there are even special stores that sell them. China is said to have over 200 of the Angry Birds stores. In 2011, China opened an Angry Birds theme park attraction in which you could play a real life version of the game. There is even talk of a television show being created from the Angry Birds characters. We'll see if it actually happens.

Some of the reasons why Angry Birds has been so successful is the simplicity of the game, the cuteness of the characters, and the low price it comes at. The game is played by using your finger to slingshot birds to try to knock down pigs. It can be played minutes at a time and resumed later. It's something you can do when you're bored, during your train commute, or as competition between friends. The characters are amusing and creative, featuring bright colors and interesting landscapes. The app is very cheap, only $1, and upgrades and add-ons are usually free. The app was promoted heavily by Apple because it was the only phone it could be downloaded to, at first. After it took off, it spread via social media, word of mouth, and TV references. 

9-1

I thought Rhonda Lowry's TED talk was a little bit over the top. She made things seem too deep, when in reality they could be simple concepts. I do agree that many people form their identity based on current culture and trends, including social media, but I think there is much more to someone's identity than that. We are shaped by how we've been raised, our peers, our nature, etc. Some people may be too stuck in their ways to accept the idea of virtual realities like Second Life, but most people eventually adjust to change. It's like how people are outraged when Facebook changes their layout, but then after awhile they can't even remember what it looked like before. I don't think this video really helped me other than realizing that I might be accepting to virtual realities like Second Life, but only for certain things. I can see that it is what we are gearing towards for the future, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. I like doing things in the real world, like going to business meetings, having coffee with my friends, going hiking... Why would I trade that in for sitting in front of my computer and having an avatar do them? Although I think it could help reveal some people's true identity, it could also cause some to lose their identities. 


Concepts that we've discussed in class that relate to the topics discussed in this video include convergence, the Industrial Age, and networking. Convergence is relevant because I think a lot of different sites and platforms will start incorporating virtual reality into their purpose or mission. It is appealing because you can be whoever you want and have skills that you don't possess-it is like video games in that sense. The Industrial Age relates to Lowry's talk because she mentioned that many people are still hardwired to think in terms of making and producing things instead of delving into other methods of doing things. The final topic that relates to this video is networking. Networking is creating a web of connections that you can access at any time and follow, or ask for advice. I believe that your unique network influences what you do, what you see, how you think, etc. If people in your network start hopping on the idea of virtual reality and things like it, you might want to check it out too. Many people try things simply because their friends are trying them-they don't want to be left out. 


Watch the video here. 

8

I've been sick lately, so what's mainly been on my mind is making sure that I'm feeling better in time for the Nelsonville Music Festival this weekend. There are a lot of great bands coming like Iron & Wine, M.Ward, and Horse Feathers. I get to go for free because I'm volunteering for 2 shifts. A lot of my friends will be volunteering as well, so I'm sure that I'll have a good time. I can't wait!

M. Ward

Some friends of mine are coming into town to attend 9fest and they'll be crashing at my apartment. I'm excited to hang out with them for a little bit this weekend because I haven't seen them since my last visit home. I'm also preparing for my graduation day by making sure that I get my cap and gown, and I have to make lunch reservations for my family members that are coming into town. I'm stoked to be graduating, but nervous about going out into the "real world," especially without a job lined up after my internship this summer. I'd really like to move to some big city, but I don't have to funds for that yet. Maybe in a few years.

After the summer is over I'll have to find a job, and if I can't find one I'll do all the things I'd been putting off throughout school and life, like doing pilates, learning sign language, taking tai chi. I'll try to write a screenplay and novel. I might make my own website. Maybe I'll do a bit of traveling. There are endless possibilities.

7-2

Tip #3 - Pick 3 social networks to join based on where your customers might be. 3 might sound like too few, but it probably will be too many. Social networks are the key to reaching the people that might be interested in your blog. On these social networks, you don't have to necessarily know someone to connect with them, but it still gives you a platform to talk, interact, and network with them.

Tip #7 - Subscribe to 50 or more blogs in a similar space as yours, including competitors, and any industry blogs. By subscribing to other blogs, you get a taste of what the competition is doing, as well as what they aren't doing. You can read the comments their readers are posting and find a way to address that feedback on your own blog.

Tip #15 - Consider a nice clean theme for your blog’s design. There are many free themes for different blogs, and some inexpensive ones that are worth every penny. Nothing sucks worse than going to a blog that is disorderly and trying to navigate your way through it. A simple, unique theme can make the difference in attracting readers or scaring them away. Popping colors can be useful to capture people's attention, but too much color can overwhelm them.

Tip #22 - Use notepad files to jot post ideas down when you don’t have a moment to write. Return frequently. This is the most useful idea, one that I use all the time. You never know when you're going to get a great idea- maybe you're in class, maybe you're in the middle of sleeping. You should always have a notepad nearby to capture those random ideas.

Tip #29 - Check your stats to see what people are searching for, and address it. Talking about what people want to hear is the best way to get people to your blog. If you aren't talking about something they're interested in, why would they read what you're writing? Make sure you know your audience's likes and dislikes, and talk about them. 

7-1

After watching the TED talk about the "brain computer," I will reflect on the questions below:

• What do you think of this latest development in communication technology with respect to human connection? Does it help it? Hinder it? This technology might be able to help human technology by allowing people with disabilities to speak. It could also be used as sort of a pictionary between people who speak different languages. In some aspects, it may hinder communication because we might all be absorbed in our own little worlds. We wouldn't really need anyone else's help if we could just use our brains to do everything.  
• What are some of the advantages of technology like this? What about disadvantages?  I think that this type of technology has many advantages-it could help people with physical and mental disabilities perform tasks they wouldn't otherwise be able to do. It is interesting to think that it can actually form what you're thinking. It could be helpful for actually visualizing the ideas you have in your mind. The disadvantage is that we might become completely reliant on this type of technology and not be able to actually do anything without wearing it. 
• Explain whether you think it will help us connect MORE and participate MORE or if it's just another "isolating" feature of our technical world.I believe this could help certain people to connect more, like I said above, those with disabilities. However, this could become a type of "virtual world" situation where we become jaded to what is reality and what isn't.  
 

Is this the future?

 

6

TED Talk's Howard Rheingold says that humans are prone to sharing. In experiments, people were willing to do a 50-50 split of $100 because the money was divided equally. This emphasizes people's willingness to cooperate with each other. He also goes on to urge businesses to try open source collaborating. He says that it is a way to come up with unique ideas and progress old ones. His talk relates to the open-source movement because it is about sharing information among a group of collaborators to come up with the best possible solution to an idea or problem.

I think the open-source movement is a good idea, however, I believe a lot of people will run into copyright issues because others will "steal" their ideas and profit from them. Although I think this type of collaboration can be good for think-tanks and non-profit businesses, I myself would be wary about sharing my ideas because so many people could steal or warp them. Some businesses could definitely gain success from this type of strategy. I know that video game designers often share their code with gamers to see what type of modifications they come up with. Software companies have beta testing for this exact reason--to hear what people's opinions are and their solutions for progressing the software.

5

"What's on your mind?"

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do after graduation. I have a paid internship on campus until the end of the summer, but after that it's just... open. Unlike a lot of my friends, I still have no idea what I want to do. I have a general idea of what I like to do- writing scripts, editing video, and making designs- but no specific career path. I find I have a general knowledge of a lot of things, but not much technical knowledge that is required of specific media jobs. I may end up going to grad school or travel abroad before deciding what to do next.

4-2

I've learned that collaboration is very important when it comes to social media. I think it is interesting the blogs are starting to become professional and some are regarded as legitimate sources of news. Anyone can be a journalists these days. Also, I am fascinated with what makes one social media site popular rather than another. People are very particular about their loyalties to one or another (Facebook v. Twitter) and I always wonder what makes this loyalty so strong.

Battle Royale! Google + vs. Facebook showdown!

Something that I find boring is reading the book. Although Brogan has good insights, I think you can learn the most about social media by actually observing and using it. We also need to get a whiteboard marker that works!

 Textbooks are a snore...zzz...

I can take what I'm learning and apply it to the real world because employers are often looking to see if you know how to market yourself on the internet. This can reflect your ability to market products, make pitches, etc. A blog can also be a peek into your personality, and employers want to see who you truly are so that they can assess if you're a good fit for that company.  

Watch your step! Your future employer may be looking at your Facebook profile!

4-1

In chapter 73 of Brogan's book he talks about the importance of comments on a blog. Although comments can be used to critique a blog and make it better, people often write something just to start an argument. Voicing your opinion is great, but its better to post nothing than something unhelpful. With the amount of blogs people read, it's hard to comment on each one. People simply don't have the time, forget, or are too lazy to post something. If you're in one of those categories, you can pass the content along by sharing it on other social networks.

My comments on other people's blogs:
Amanda
Carolyn
Chris

3-2

For this post, I reviewed the blog Pop Culture Brain that I follow on Tumblr. I have provided a screen shot of the blog below.

• The primary blogger is a guy named Alex. He is an editor in NYC, who studied Film and TV in Syracuse. He said someone told him he had an insane knowledge of pop culture and to start a blog, so he did just that. His goal, he says, is to put that knowledge to use. 
• This blog is in the gossip, pop culture, and entertainment categories. 
• It is organized in a top-down flow format, where posts are ordered by the date they were posted. It is a jumble of pictures, text, links, and videos. It is clear and easy to follow. 

I looked the blog over again according to Brogan's nitpicky things to consider. One thing I noticed is that he uses a very small array of colors, mostly black, white, and red. Although this does the trick and is clear and easy to read, it makes the blog look bland. The sidebar on the right is short and sweet. It has basic information about the blogger, his photo, and where you can go to ask questions, post comments, or follow him on other social media sites. It isn't artistic, but it gets the job done. There is clear division between where one post ends and another begins, so it isn't confusing or frustrating. Overall, I enjoy this blog and am never disappointed in what he posts. To take a look click here. 

3-1

Brogan Book

From reading through chapter 21 it seems obvious that social media is an essential part of any business or organization. He says that social media and blogging can be used professionally, as a fast and efficient way to connect to your customers. In print, it can take days, even weeks, to address customer complaints. Through a blog, you can do that immediately, and avoid answering the same questions multiple times. Another useful thing about blog is that you can  customize the web space, allowing for creativity and a more apparent online personality. By establishing a professional online presence, you can become a trusted resource on the Internet. 

Wikis

I find wikis to be extremely useful, especially when conducting research or searching for something very specific. Often times, I'll try to remember something vague, and just by typing in a few key descriptive words about it, the wiki will be able to find what I'm thinking of. Although it can be a good source for information, like my high school teachers said, I don't always trust how reliable it is. I know that almost anyone can change or update a wiki, but usually they are edited and fact checked. I believe wikis are worth the investment, however, now that they are becoming more popular, there will be more and more to choose from. Investing in one at a company you work for or are really interested in would be a better idea. 

Wikia

Some of the topics on the homepage of Wikia are:

• Pixar
• Twilight Saga
• Academic Jobs
• Hot Wheels
• The Walking Dead

Twilight, of course, is prominent because the third movie just came out and they are working on a fourth. The Walking Dead is a popular show that has a huge cult following. The others came up when I hit the "remix" button, which jumbled the topics shown on the homepage. This is a good idea because it shows off things that might not be as popular. From the homepage I clicked on the Disney wiki. It is organized well, but lots of color and pictures. It has a slideshow of all of the shows of Disney right now. It also has a search option with lists of movies, TV shows, and characters. The wiki promotes other Disney related resources in its main paragraph, linking to the Disney twitter and theme park website. 

As you can see when clicking on the screen shot above, there is a header for each topic: characters, movies, TV, and TV episodes. This makes it easier to initially narrow down a search. There is also a search box in the top right to go directly to a specific page. The picture of Phineas and Ferb is part of a slideshow highlighting Disney shows. Directly above that is also a little blurb about the wiki, featuring links to its other social media sites. 

Post 2-2

Use frequently—Tumblr

1. Why do you use it? I use Tumblr because it holds every type of content there is. I can scroll through posts from the over 300 blogs I follow all at once. Anything and everything is on there from photography, science facts, political cartoons, and breaking news articles.
2. What makes it functional for your use? The scrolling dashboard makes it a one-stop-shop of sorts instead of having to keep clicking on different links.
3. What would you add to make it better? A better search function.
4. Is there anything that you don’t like about it? I don’t like that you can’t look up particular blogs. It is difficult to find specific people if you don’t know their URL.
5. How is it collaborative? It combines every type of media from audio clips, gifs, photography, illustration, etc. You aren’t limited to just a word post. 

 

My Tumblr Dashboard

Use sometimes—Twitter

1. Why did you stop using it/why do you use this site less frequently than the other? To me, Twitter is exactly like a Facebook status. I got bored with only reading short tidbits of information, then being directed to another site via a link.
2. What makes it different? It is different because information is shared so quickly and so far. In a matter of minutes, news can travel around the globe.
3. What could be changed about this site in order to make it better? If this site hosted video directly on the interface it would be better.
4. Would you consider going back and using it again ever or are you done-zo? I use it occasionally, but I will never be addicted like most people are. 

 

My Twitter Homepage

Post 2-1

As I said in my first post, some of my reasons for taking this class are to effectively use social media to infiltrate the job market and establish a social presence, as well as understand how information spreads (via social media) and discover new social networking sites.

The goal of my blog is to produce interesting content as well as a creative form. I would like to be able to make it fun to consume and look at. I would also like to see what each of the gadgets do, and use them to aid my audience in navigating my blog. 

The two gadgets I added are the search box and pageviews counter. The search box will make it easier for readers to find specific posts and the counter will allow myself and others to see how many people visit my blog. 

470B-Post 1

Prompt: You should "creatively" tell me who you are, why you're in this class, what you expect (your goals for the quarter, etc.) in this class, and why you chose media as a major.

I'm Mary Swick, a media studies major at Ohio University. I chose media studies because I wanted to get a general overview of all types of media instead of focusing on just one specific medium. This way, I will be able to have at least some knowledge of everything, and can go into more depth if I wish. I've lived in the same house in Loveland, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati) for 22 years. I love writing songs and one of my life ambitions is to be a famous songwriter. My favorite artists include The Eagles, Nickel Creek, and Jack Johnson. I play several instruments including piano, guitar, ukulele, and mandolin. Drums is another one I'd like to learn, although my attempts have proven unsuccessful so far. Unlike most, I'm a cat person. I love how independent they can be, but also how cuddly. When I graduate, my dream is to move to a big city such as New York or Chicago, although I may end up moving back to Cincinnati for awhile to save up some money. The reason I love big cities is that there is always a new and exciting opportunity or event going on--basically, anything can happen.

I chose to take this Social Media Management course because I believe it is an essential part of any job I'll be looking for in the future. The world is more and more technologically focused, and being proficient in technology is a skill most students should possess if they want to be competitive in the job search. Selling yourself to employers through various forms of social media is not something many people know how to do or do well, so by learning those skills I will be above the rest. Understanding how information is spread through social media and why is fascinating to me and I hope to gain an understanding of it. Another reason for taking this course is that I would like to learn about social networking sites that I may not have heard of yet, and become adept at those. Although some people fear advances in technology and try to resist them, I know that it is where media is headed, so I may as well embrace them and try to become proficient.

 Me in NYC

My cat Bobbin