Paper and Digital--a Match Made in Heaven

When it comes to pop culture and social media, I couldn’t love two things more.

Recently Mashable posted a story about how magazines are reaching out to social media sites in order to give their readers more of what they want and to learn more about who their readers are and what they love.

This blending of paper and digital is ultimately becoming my and many others’ guilty pleasure—not that it already wasn't, I’m just beginning to realize it.

My love of magazines goes way back to the toddler days of the annual JCPenney Christmas magazine and the American Girl magazine. Today you can find a five-foot stack of every Cosmopolitan, Cosmo Girl, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Food Network Magazine and Glamour  in the corner of my room (plus many other magazines adding to that collection). My bond with all of these magazines is so strong that I can’t bear to throw one away. For some spice, I like to throw in a few international versions of the magazines that I buy while traveling.

The feeling of buying a new magazine brings joy and excitement to my day. Whether I’m learning about 50 new ways to make pesto or what dress is right for my shape, it’s always something new and interesting.

Social media’s relatively new found relationship to magazines only adds to that excitement. ‘Liking’ a magazine on Facebook allows their news and feature articles to pop up on my news feed. Participating in their polls and sending in pictures for things like “send us a picture of you on your favorite vacation and you can win a trip to Vegas!” only makes me more interested in what they have to offer. It’s almost as if I’m part of a little magazine community.

Following a magazine on Twitter is also very similar. Glamour Magazine offers challenges, exclusive interview questions and even personal pictures from their staff. It allows you to have a conversation that you can’t have with paper.

Overall, the blending of these two mediums brings a whole new experience and feel to the magazine world. Let me know how your favorite magazine has connected to you beyond the pages!

For Best Results...

Twitter is a wonderful social media tool that allows us to give real time updates in our lives, stay connected to celebrities, and even create politic uprisings. But how can we assure that we are using Twitter to its full potential?

One of Twitter’s most effective aspects is the installment of its hashtag. Created close to two years ago, the hashtag was a tool put in place to allow the tweeter to see how many other people were chatting about a certain topic.

However, more and more I am noticing people coming up with random hashtags that only they could think of. Because of that, it’s time for a little Twitter lesson.

First of all, hashtags are like buzz words. People are actually talking about them. They can be things such as #Egypt, #Yemen, or #BritneySpears. Hashtags are usually associated with what a mass amount of people are talking about, they are trending topics.

Second of all, random made-up hashtags are not going to get results. For instance, #iparkedinthefarthestparkingspotawaymydaysucks is not going to work. How many people would honestly hashtag that topic too?

Make it simple. Hashtags as the above rule are not long and detailed.  They are short and to the point. They are usually associated with things such as people, current events and even trending phrases like #longday.

Most importantly, do not overuse hashtags. Overuse can make some of your tweets seem cluttered and spammy.  

Twitter in its full potential can be a very entertaining as well as informational tool as long as you use its resources correctly.  

I'm FINALLY Getting Used To This!

It’s that time again kids. Long gone are the days of twinkling lights and bells and “HELLO!” to massive piles of books and papers. Joyous, right?

I’d like to think so at least.

Spring Semester at Bonaventure is in full blast two-and-a-half weeks in and heading straight towards May. For me Winter Break was a relief, a new beginning, and a complete chaotic mess all at the same time. Bonas brings me back to a somewhat steady schedule filled with fast moving days and many sleepless nights.

As you may have read in some of my previous blogs, in October I started my journey towards obtaining my Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications. With a great success in my first two classes, I am now onto Financial Tools for the IMC Campaign.

It may sound like a dry subject, but being the math geek I am, I love it. Who knew I would love putting a cash flow projection sheet together?

Apart from my masters classes I am taking a few undergrad as well. My senior forum class is discussing and learning about the reconciliation in Ireland. To experience it firsthand we will be traveling to Ireland on February 25. My American Advertising Federation (AAF) class is putting together a fully integrated campaign for JCPenney. My position in the agency is the art director. So far I am enjoying it. In May we will be presenting our campaign at the World Series of Advertising in New York City. My last class is sociology. It was a required Clare course, so not something I would have picked out of personal interest (even though it will probably be good for me).

Although I have tons of work put on my agenda for this semester, I am looking forward to the ways it will benefit me. Every semester I somehow end up coming out alive with more excitement about what lies ahead!

Social Hostages

It’s like clockwork, every morning I wake up, pick up my phone, check Facebook, Twitter and my emails and basically go on to do the same thing on my computer.

It’s time to face the truth; I’m addicted to social media, particularly Facebook.

It wasn’t until last Friday night as I was watching ABC World News with my Grandma that I realized this. As she sat by the TV huffing and puffing because she finds social media to be an overall disgrace (I think she's mad her grandkids are basically mutes now), I stood there wondering why and when I let all of this take hold of my life.

As I listened to the story about a high school teacher conducting a study in his class that involved the students disconnecting themselves from any social media sites AND texting, I wondered if I could do the same (for personal purposes however). I mean if a bunch of high schoolers can do it, can’t I?

With that said, I plan on attempting to do so from December 20-December 26. Should be easy, right? One week is a short amount of time, but considering how that week is meant for family, I think it’s perfect timing. With mom’s birthday on the 23^rd, Christmas Eve and Christmas following, I think I need to focus on family more and not my Facebook “friend’s” petty problems.  On top of that I only have dial-up Internet. Mobile Facebook and Twitter is what will really tempt me.

After the experience, I hope to realize what social media really means to me. Is it just a form of entertainment when I’m bored? Is it a distraction from something else I’m supposed to be doing? Hopefully a week of technology withdrawal and self induced isolationism will bring me back to the days when my life was private and Grandma liked the way we communicated. We will see…

Behind the Tweets

We knew who used MySpace. We know who uses Facebook. But, do we know who the average Tweeter is?

Thanks to an exclusive first-time-ever report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, we now have an idea of where the wonderful world of tweets hatches from.

With 8% of America’s online population signed onto Twitter, surprisingly the Millennial Generation is the top bird in the Twitter nest.  14% of the Twitter population is 18-29 years-old. As age increases, the likeliness of being on Twitter decreases.

When it comes to gender, females have claimed power. But who are these women, anyway? According to the survey, most women have some college education or have graduated college, live in urban areas and have a salary bracket of either $30,000 and under or $50,000-$74,999. Don't let the numbers fool you though, the men who are on Twitter also have many of the same qualities.

Attitudes, race and life style also play a huge part of who tweets. Users are mainly politically savvy, have a higher education and are very interested in current events. The study also revealed that minority races like African Americans and Latinos “are more than twice as likely to use Twitter as are white Internet users” (Pew Internet). Also, if you live in urban areas you are twice more likely to tweet than your rural neighbors.  

Mashable also analyzed Twitter’s top trends of 2010 to see what the population was tweeting about. The results were:

Gulf Oil Spill
FIFA World Cup
Inception
Haiti Earthquake
Vuvuzela
Apple iPad
Google Android
Justin Bieber
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
Pulpo Paul

(Mashable.com)

Of the top ten trends, three were associated with the FIFA World Cup, two were disasters, two were movies, two were top technological innovations and one was a teenage heart-throb.

Overall we have a clear outline of who is tweeting, but that doesn’t mean that change isn’t approaching. With the constant advancements and changes in the social media world, the numbers and demographics may also see a change. Since 2008 Twitter has seen political campaigns conducted on its site, newspapers updating readers on current events, movie stars keeping followers up-to-date and even companies using Twitter to hire.

With no doubt, we can say that our lives are online today. More specifically, the sites we use say a huge part of the person we have become.

To see Pew Internet’s entire survey, visit http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Twitter-Update-2010/Findings/Overview.aspx.

Social Security--Not So Secure

**This may be a dry subject to some, but it's important!

As a twenty-year-old college student I’m honestly not really sure what social security is and what that unique ten digit number means to me. However, after reading MSNBC’s recent post on SSN’s and how vulnerable they are to fraud, I figured I had better learn.

For those of you who are a little weary on what social security is just as I am, I decided to look up some facts. First of all, social security was started in 1935 as part of the New Deal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Social Security Act “created a system of Federal old-age benefits for workers and their families” because much of the nation was left in severe poverty after the Depression. Eventually in 1956 the law was modified to provide benefits to people with disabilities.

Basically the Social Security fund is like a huge bank account that all workers pay into. Every time a worker receives a paycheck, part of their check is poured into this fund.

Social security is very important to the soon-to-be retirees and the already retired; however it is causing much controversy among younger workers who are not so close to packing their bags and heading south. They fear that once they need the money from the fund, it may no longer be there for them to collect from.

So why is it so important to protect your social security number? MSNBC’s report on social security reported that 1 in 7 Americans have two OR more names attached to their social security number. That’s over 5 million SSN numbers. Don’t go screaming fraud or identity theft though. Such things happen easily in situations such as typos. Illegal immigrants may also play into the cause. Since they are required to give their employer a SSN, they may just randomly and unfortunately name yours off.

In the case that someone is using your number though, there are signs that point to the dirty deed of identity theft. For instance, when a fraud artist is trying to use your SSN for a credit card and they want to avoid any bad credit flaws, they might take your address and change it up a bit or even alter your name.  If they are really tricky they might apply to ten different banks with ten different SSN’s that are one digit off from one other. It seems to me like someone has a little too much time on their hands.

The part I left out is the whole secret of this controversy. Many American’s are not notified when they are victims of identity theft. The government usually notices fraud when a SSN is connected to three people. The government then puts the imposter’s records into a sub-file once they recognize something is not right. That means once you receive your credit report you still may not know someone has your number.

There are preventative actions you can take into your own hands to ensure you aren’t baiting in imposters.

1.       First of all ladies, keep track of that purse and how you’re flashing that plastic money! An imposter could potentially be standing behind you in line and take a shot of your credit card number. Know where your purse and wallet are at all times too.

2.       Store your bank statements, credit card statements, mail and unused checks in a confidential place. Your account number is something that may lead an imposter to your SSN.

3.       If you are typing in personal information on an unsecure website, you’re not making such a smart move. Make sure the site is secure and that you know 100% for sure who and what you are giving information to.

4.       Make sure your email or even the people you are talking to on the phone aren’t posing as someone else like your employer. They may be trying to pry personal information from you. Probably better to leave personal information for face-to-face conversations.

Protection from fraud can be a haulted by smart actions. Keep your identity unique and the way it is supposed to be; YOURS!

Facebook Rule Book

Since when did social media sites become the universal destination for complaining? In order to keep your reputation, and perhaps your updates on your friends’ feeds, steer clear from these Facebook mishaps:

(Brittany Davies Likes This!)

Posting Statuses about personal information:

Not to be mean, but I’m sure the Facebook world doesn’t want to know about your ongoing divorce with your husband or wife. That’s a little too personal for the Facebook world. People start asking questions, talk behind your back, and then you’re left with a huge rumor going around that has absolutely no relevance to what is actually going on. Better yet, if you don’t want people asking about what’s going on, don’t post things! It’s absolutely ridiculous when your status says, “Had the worst night ever” and then you refuse to tell your friends why if they ask. If it’s secret, don’t put it in the most social place ever.

Petty fights that mean absolutely nothing:

Recently my 13-year-old cousin tried “breaking up” with her best friend over Facebook in front of hundreds of other friends. The reason? Her friend hadn’t texted her all day. That night she posted, “Best friends don’t last forever. Good bye.” Of course my tolerance for this annoying post made me lash out in wiser older cousin advice. I told her and all of her friends one Facebook no-no: NEVER fight over Facebook. It’s going to be on there forever and you’re going to look back at yourself when you’re older and think "what was I doing?!"

Posting pictures of your obnoxious night out:

This isn’t just for you college girls and boys. This one is out to everyone on Facebook. I know how much I love waking up every morning and seeing pictures of you with your undergarments hanging out or a massive mountain of beer cans. You’re cool…NOT.

If you want to keep your reputation (or perhaps change it), I’d be careful of what pictures you post. Your boss, teachers, potential employers and family members can see these. I have heard some bosses say they do like to see you having fun, but some pictures are just too risky. Like they usually say, if one of your family members would be ashamed when they see it, or if your pictures could double as ads for beer or Girls Gone Wild, I probably wouldn’t post it.

Posting Every 2 minutes on someone’s wall:

Dear boyfriend and girlfriend/best friends forever,

We get that you love one another, but isn’t seeing each other face-to-face the point of dating or having a best friend? Facebook PDA is becoming way too disgusting and I don’t enjoy seeing your 5 hour long exchanges on my newsfeed about how much you love one another. This is only going to leave me thinking you’re highly annoying, immature and socially inept. Don’t be surprised if I unfriend you or block you from my newsfeed.

Annoyed and Disgusted,

Me

Bragging:

There are some friends who are going to be very proud of their accomplishments and want to let the whole world know, but we don’t want to feel like you are looking down upon us. Facebook shouldn’t be a stomping ground for you to make all of your friends feel bad about themselves. Facebook should be a place where you share experiences, connect and highlight the good parts of your life, always keeping in mind that other people will see it.

Horrible Grammar:

Well, well, well. My favorite don’t ever.

Recently I was on Facebook and noticed a post. In this conversation a discussion came up about scholarships and college. The reason I was so annoyed was because scholarship was spelled incorrectly and the school of attendance was misspelled.  Imagine if your pending school saw this post and saw that you could not spell the name of the school OR scholarship. Isn’t your new school supposed to be your pride and joy AND didn’t you just spend kindergarten through 12^th grade learning how to spell? Hmmm…America, I think we have a problem on our hands.

Constant Complaining:

I get that you’re in high school and want to get out. As Dave Letterman says, “Been there, done that.” However, because I’ve been through that, I’m blatantly going to tell you how it is. You’re complaining on Facebook, so I’m going to put my two cents in.

Backlashing:

I have to admit, and as you’ve probably noticed, I get annoyed at many Facebook etiquette flaws. However, I’d probably save myself a lot of time by just ignoring these people. If you are going to give advice to someone, don’t look mean or sarcastic doing it. Tell the truth in the nicest, most optimistic way possible. Don’t make it look like your life is an upset, too.

Let me know what your Facebook rules are!