& Just like that, it’s over.

As the semester comes to a close and commencement looms just days away, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on my last few months in this social media course.

The highlights of this course were definitely the guest speakers. I loved Hal and Bill from Noble Mouse. They were hilarious and motivational. I learned quite a bit about crisis communication and social media postings for a business from Leopold Ice-cream’s Carey Ferrara (not to mention the fact that I loved getting free coupons from here!). The speakers were interesting and showcased a range of positions and skills available to PR majors.

I sometimes wish we had talked more about how to use specific platforms. With my launch of the Snapchat campaign for Auxiliary Services and our Aux. team’s subsequent use of the platform, I would liked to have had more helpful advice to share (although the textbook was a great resource for doing this!). As Dr. Groover has said before, though, social media is truly a beast, and it’s impossible to tame. In just one short semester, a hybrid course could not possibly have taught us everything we needed to know about social media.

I actually really liked doing the corporate reports. I felt liked  I learned a lot from monitoring Chick-fil-a and Zaxby’s on social media for a semester and studying how they run their platforms. Interestingly enough, I accepted a marketing position with Chick-fil-a upon graduation, so my studies will literally be helpful in my job.

I liked the weekly reports least. I thought they became redundant and were really just one more thing to worry about throughout the semester.

If I could add one assignment to the course, I would probably add a Snapchat assignment. I’ve done quite a bit of research on the platform lately, and I think it’s important that PR majors know how to use it as a tool for a company or business. Perhaps we could make a Snapchat story of an event or topic and write about how each piece of the story was helpful to our company.

I learned so much about analytics and monitoring social media. I took so much of what we learned in the book (the kinds of complainers, for example) to my job at Auxiliary Services, and I’m sure that information will carry over into my marketing positions in the future.

It’s been a great semester, and I wouldn’t have wanted to finish out my undergrad any other way.

 

 

Why “The Office” is amazing

The Office is easily, without a doubt, the best program that was ever on television. Although it no longer airs (the series finished after nine seasons), all of the episodes are currently on Netflix.

The series follows the daily operations of a small paper company, Dunder Mifflin, and the stereotypical employees that work there. The mockumentary-style show satirically narrates typical work conflicts, employee relations and the life of small town businesses in the midst of a technologically-driven world.

I originally started the series on DVD in high school. Most of my friends had been watching it on television for a few years, so I definitely felt behind. I always heard people quoting the half-witted boss, Michael Scott, the suck-up assistant (to) the regional manager, the sarcastic salesman and the crazy old man.

I immediately fell in love with the characters. They were all so relatable. I dare you to watch the show and not make instant connections to people you know in real life.

I love the writing. It’s dry and witty with a subtle humor in every line. I love the characters. I love the hilarious way it makes you look at the world. The show definitely takes a particular sense of humor- one that appreciates satire and sarcasm- to enjoy.

Regardless of your sense of humor, you’re sure to fall in love with the story. The way acting is phenomenal, the cast just perfect. The stories and the character interactions are great.

Go on Netflix, and binge watch it today. Then watch it again. Then buy the DVD trivia game and watch it some more. You’ll never get tired of it. That’s what she said.

 

Social Celebs

I’ve got to say, when it comes to social media I am more inclined to follow a PR professional than I am a celebrity; however, there are a few actors and musicians that I will check up on social media with on occasion.

I follow country singer Thomas Rhett on Twitter, for example. I originally started following him after I saw a video People Magazine had tweeted of him describing how he wrote “Happy Man” for his wife, Lauren. I wanted to learn more and soon found myself scrolling through his tweets, most of which involved Lauren. I fell in love with their love story, started following Lauren on Instagram and haven’t looked back. I feel like I know them personally.

I suppose that’s what I want when I follow of a celebrity. I don’t want to know about everything I can see in a commercial or hear in a radio ad. I want to feel a personal connection that shows who the star is behind cameras. Even still, I have to really want to know more about a celebrity before I’ll follow. I just don’t care that much.

I like the Rhetts because they are famous and still have humility and personality. They often use their social media to attract attention to their mission work and volunteerism. They show school spirit and raise awareness for causes they believe in. These are the kinds of things I’ll gladly re-tweet. I would say Thomas definitely gets an “A” for social media, and so does his wife!

I’ve got to be honest though, even with seeing all of the good Thomas and Lauren do, I still haven’t necessarily been inspired to work for any specific cause they’ve supported. It’s great to promote causes, but I don’t think a celebrity endorsement on social media is enough to make me change my lifestyle or behavior. Perhaps that does work for some people, though.

Another celebrity I follow is Billy Eichner, a crazy comedian with an equally crazy social media presence. He doesn’t typically promote anything seriously on Twitter… I follow him solely for his ridiculous posts and fellow comedian cameos. For these purposes, I give him an “A” as well.

I recently un-followed Luke Bryan because his Twitter was becoming solely promotional- and subsequently boring. Everything tweeted was about his tour, a contest or sweepstakes or his latest albums. He rarely interacted with fans or re-tweeted others. I got tired of seeing that on my timeline because it felt like I’d signed up to follow an advertisement. I’d give his publicist a “C” for social media right now.

 

 

Anti-Social

This week our professor challenged us to give up all social media for 24 consecutive hours. What did I learn? Not much. What did I feel? Everything.

Upon giving up on the digital world, I assumed correctly what my results might be. I figured I’d cut myself off for a day, be pretty productive and move on knowing that it was only temporary (and that I could schedule anything important ahead of time).

I got so much done when I put my phone aside. I finished homework, cleaned my room, took out the trash, took a walk, etc. It was refreshing, but I know it’s not a feasible way to live right now for any length of time.

I felt lost at about hour 20. I wanted to know what was going on in the world, at my school, with my friends, with people I don’t even care about. I just wanted to know. I felt so disconnected, not just from social media, but from my surroundings.

I was surprised at how upset being away from my phone made me. I knew I’d be irritated, but I didn’t expect any sort of emotional connection. I felt outcast, and I didn’t like it.

I think this was an enlightening experiment; it showed me how reliant I am on social media to communicate with my friends, and that’s a shame. I definitely wanted to make a phone call or go out to lunch with my girlfriends when I wasn’t able to just shoot them a funny Snapchat.

Would I do this again? No. I enjoyed being disconnected for the first bit; as I said, I was very productive in my time away from social media. But I need to be able to connect at least once a day, or I feel like I wouldn’t know about anything going on around me. It’s pitiful, I know, but it’s reality.

Self Censored

I wish I could be more care-free. I really do. I wish I could go out with my friends and not worry about what pictures might be posted, say a funny joke in the car without fear it might be tweeted and speak freely about my political views at dinner without worrying a video might surface. But that’s not reality.

The reality is that “social media scrutiny is spilling over into people’s offline lives,” and if we don’t self-censor we run the risk of being fired, losing friends, getting lectured and not getting accepted into college. It’s awful but true.

I absolutely self-censor. I monitor my social media constantly not only for things that I’ve posted, but for things that have been posted about me. All of my photo tags require approval. My privacy settings are always up-to-date. Even still, I make sure I am never doing anything that could be misconstrued online and put into a negative context. It’s a sort of paranoia, but in my opinion, a very valid one.

I’ve known too many people who have lost jobs, positions in organizations, their dignity, from social media posts-gone-wrong, and I try my hardest to ensure I won’t be one of those statistics. As hard as I try, there are still times when I’ve had opinions turn many to hate me, photos make people angry, etc. Try as we might, we’ll never be fully able to not offend someone on social media, but we still have to make sure we are deliberately trying to…

It’s complicated, a delicate balance.

Our Guiding Principles: PR

 

Per the article “11 Social Media Principles to Guide PR Agencies,” I definitely think some great points are made. It’s absolutely crucial to actively listen to users, effectively communicate through content, provide education, practice what you preach, be a second pair of eyes, offer authentic customer service, increase the value of clients and make returns on investments happen.

I particularly liked Moncur’s point of adopting social media across the company, something I hadn’t yet considered before. Just as it’s important to have friendly customer service, recruiting, sales, internal communications, etc., it’s important for those entities to be active on social media, where many users are engaging in conversations that are relevant to those divisions.

I wouldn’t necessarily have included rule #9, “Stop being vague with your social media language-” at least not in the way Moncur describes it. I agree that the use of complicated or vague phrases can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunications and even missed readership; however, I also think it’s important to consider the audience. For a PR firm that focuses on STEM-related fields, for example, using certain scientific phrases may be best suited for that target audience. For audiences less familiar with the world of social media, I think it’s perfectly fine to use “social media buzzwords” to illustrate ideas and convey those ideas to the audience.

I might also have included some advice Carey Ferrara, a guest lecturer in our course today, gave us today- respond to comments! Engagement is the only way to build effective communication (rule #2) and increase the value of your clients (rule #10), but engagement works both ways. If people are commenting on or sharing content, it’s important for an agency to not only monitor that but to interact with it as well.

I definitely think Chick-fil-a and Mary Kay are following these rules well, even though they aren’t necessarily agencies. Chick-fil-a definitely listens to its users and customers. They value their customers’ opinions and make that very apparent in the content they share and the interactions they have throughout their social media. Mary Kay also does a great job of this as well as adopting social media across the company (there’s a Mary Kay newsroom, products page, foundation page, etc.).

I do think Zaxby’s could improve in some of these areas. Rule #8, “Robots are out; humans are in,” is one Zaxby’s should focus on. The generic, automated responses on Twitter, for example, to negative comments make the company feel distant, impersonal and cold.

Spring Busy

Several months ago I dreamed about my final spring break. “I’m a senior,” I thought. “I’m going to live it up!”

But once again I’ve packed every moment of my week “off” with something.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining. I’m actually very excited about my plans! Although I do wish I had planned some time for a nap…

I’ll kick off my spring break with some fundraising! My sister and I are working with the local fire department to promote our new project- Ride Along Pups. We aim to put special stuffed Pups on every Life Squad vehicle by summer. These Pups will comfort children during their ambulance rides (which can often be such a scary time for children). Our project will begin with a fundraising launch on Saturday, and we’re really pumped about it. Dad will be grilling lunch. Mom will be face-painting. Shelby and I will be running around making sure everything is in order. All the while we’ll be raising money for the children in our community, and I couldn’t be happier.

Then I plan to do my taxes. Reality check.

After that, my fiance’ and I are heading to good ole’ Tennessee. We’ll be up and down the road visiting brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and asking flower girls, wedding officiants and bands to be part of our wedding along the way.

On our way back down south, we’re popping in to the Satilla preserve for a final weekend of camping with friends and family.

And then it’s back to work!

Wish me luck, and pray for my sanity. I’m going to need a break after this break!

Social engagement: So much to keep up with

Data has recently shown that ESPN is leading in social engagement in terms of big broadcast and cable networks.

The findings seem a bit far-fetched, and I have to wonder how the research took into account the many platforms ESPN is over; I know that skimming through my channels, I pass at least seven that are ESPN-run.

Also, this article was published in February, right after the Super Bowl. Of course people were talking about and sharing sports-related content in the wake of the big game.

Nonetheless, I see the importance in studying social engagement. I’ve been following Chick-fil-a and Zaxby’s corporate entities on multiple social media platforms this semester. Chick-fil-a does a great job of social engagement (unique videos, professional pictures, personalized interaction with customers/users, etc.). Zaxby’s hasn’t quite reached the level of Chick-fil-a, and certainly not the level of ESPN.

My social engagement is pretty high. I blog, tweet and Instagram on my own- not just for class. I also utilize Facebook, LinkedIn, and manage my own website regularly. I follow corporations, peers, professionals, celebrities, news outlets and organizations on multiple platforms, and I try to post feedback and engaging comments often.

 

If it makes you happy…

I work several jobs. I take a full course-load and am a teaching assistant. I’m preparing for graduation and planning a wedding. I get overwhelmed OFTEN, and I find there are certain things that can help me unwind- certain things that just make me happy.

Things that make me happy:

1. Sipping on a large, iced, fountain Coca-Cola.
2. Cuddling with my fiance’ while we watch “Reign.”
3. Having a full conversation in “Office” quotes with my family.
4. Listening to my Kacey Musgraves Pandora station.
5. Giving myself a Mary Kay facial before bed.
6. Walking around campus on a beautiful, warm day.
7. Being told I’ve made someone’s day brighter.
8. Scrolling aimlessly through Pinterest boards.
9. Playing guitar on my bed by the window.
10. Spending time with my family and friends, doing absolutely whatever.

Sometimes it’s just the little things that can turn my day around.

True happiness: goofing off with my mom and sister. 

Social Media Recs Not Relevant

Typically when I make purchases, especially higher dollar purchases, I do a little bit of research. I’ll Google a product name and reviews, and I’ll sift through until I feel that I’ve got an accurate depiction of how this device/product is going to work for me.

The root of my search, however, doesn’t usually come from social media. On occasion I’ll see a business promoted on Facebook or Twitter, and I’ll click to learn more. But I usually ignore the specific product ads or suggestions, unless a (trusted) friend directly sends it to me.

If a trusted professional or friend recommends something on Facebook/Twitter, etc. I might quickly look it over, but I still am not likely to open the link and read further. I just don’t use my personal time on social media to look for product information.

If a product is recommended to me in person, whether by a friend, co-worker or salesperson, I am more likely to take the bait than I am on social media. I keep my business and my personal social media time separate, and I like it that way.

Overall, I can see why “they are not a major factor in direct referrals and conversions.” I feel like most people my age are so inundated with product information throughout the day that when we’re scrolling through social media on our personal time, unless we’re specifically looking for product information, we’re likely to scroll right past. We recognize an ad, but we rarely follow through just based on a social media.