Not Your Father’s Ruler

The next book on the list to read is “Measure what Matters” by Katie Delahaye Paine. The main goal of the books is to teach how to measure what you need to make the decisions that are crucial to your business. Date is becoming cheaper and easier to come across. Getting the right data is key. All organizations have key publics that they need to build relationships with stakeholders. In the first chapter one of the book they discuss the myths of measurement, so I would like to share some of those myths with you all.

1.       Measurement = Punishment

It is often seen as a way to check up on a person or department. People often stay away from accountability in fear that it will reveal weaknesses. People are afraid to get bad news. If something is not working then it is wasting time, money, and resources.

2.       Measurement Will Only Create More Work for Me

It can often be just another thing added to the list of tasks that need to be done. When a measurement system is in place, it makes other things easier. The data can ensure the company with have maximum impact.

3.       Measurement is Expensive

You cannot afford not to measure. Measuring is a way to know if you are spending your budget in the best way. It leads to efficiency so it inevitably pays for itself.

4.       Measurement is Strictly Quantitative

“If all you look at are sales and not the relationships your organization has with its publics, you’ll never be able to accurately understand why those sales go up or down.” Revenue and relationships both need looked at.

5.       Measurement is Something You Do When a Program is Over

Measurement should start at the start of a program.

So now that you know the truth behind measurement, go out there and start measuring! Also, keep checking back for more tips behind “Measuring What Matters.” 

A Sophomore's Worst Dream

Few people know what goes on in the art department at Ohio Northern University. Sophomore Review is a presentation for design majors to present to the faculty. It consists of a huge compilation of art work from the first two years. One of the required PDF’s contains all the images of art works along with short blurbs about each project. The second required PDF consists of images taken from our “thinking journals” or our sketchbooks.

Many, many, many hours of work went into bringing these portfolios together. It was a challenge trying to pick the best projects to include. My best friend and I worked eight hours in the student lounge and computer lab putting it all together. We will find out if hard work really does work out in the end.

Wish us luck with the final presentation to faculty!

Inside Wilson

I spend countless hours in the Wilson Art Center. The inspiration for my promotional video came while I was working on my Sophomore Review, but you will learn more about that in another post. I decided to show my life and the experiences that I have had in the art department. Few people on campus are familiar with Wilson, so I wanted to make it known. I also wanted an inspirational video for upcoming students that may be thinking about going to Ohio Northern University. I want people to know that we do exist and great things can come from such a small community.

Here is the link to my video, please check it out and let me know what you think. You can also check out the link on my Twitter, and Facebook accounts.

Student Choice Bingo

Earlier this semester the Ohio Northern SPC group sent out a survey asking what event the students wanted most. The result was BINGO! I had the opportunity to go to the event and even live-tweet it. The event was held in HP (pharmacy) and the prizes were based on the clever spring theme. I have found that bingo is a popular event for students to go to. Bingo is just that perfect mix of fun and stress that gets your mind off all the things college is throwing your way. I did not win, sadly, but I had a great time with some of my friends and learned that there is a large amount of tension in the air when it comes to college kids and bingo. To say the least, we are all a little competitive! Check out my Storify to learn exactly what happened during the event!

The start to an Internship

In eighth grade teachers start pressuring students to figure out what they want to do with their lives after high school. Every year it is the same question just a different teacher asking it. At the end of my sophomore year, I visited my great uncle’s museum in Illinois. He runs the Pontiac Oakland Museum in Pontiac, Illinois.

From talking with my grandfather, I learned that my great uncle used to work for the State of Oklahoma on graphic design. So, it makes sense that he designs all the graphics for the museum. This is when I decided what I wanted to do with my life.

I love the idea of working in a small town, building businesses through public relations and graphics. I decided last year that I wanted to do an internship with my great uncle and learn how he does what he does. This summer I get the opportunity to spend two months in Illinois working on my internship.

It is stressful and exciting at the same time. I have been in contact with my great uncle about this summer and he wants me to design some t-shirts to sell in the museum. Over spring break, I had the opportunity to sit down and start some very rough sketches for the designs. The idea was to get the basic designs down on paper. I wanted to share with you all what I have come up with so far.

I am excited to get to Illinois and learn an unthinkable number of things that will change my life. So, I ask you all, what brought you to your major? Have you done an internship that seemed to be life changing? Please share your experiences in the comments below. 

Recap of the Workbook

It has come time again to recap the book I have been reading for class. The “Social Media Marketing Workbook” by Jason McDonald clearly defines what the different social platforms are and how they are used. I just want to share some of the key points I found important for each platform.

Facebook

1.       The largest social platform that requires skills that can be transferred to other platforms.

2.       When a person likes a business, it creates a relationship between profile and page. Interactivity is key. You want people to like or share your posts. This creates a greater flow of ideas. Edgerank measures this interactivity.

LinkedIn

1.       Company pages are only as good as employee pages. The employees are contacts, experts, and credible.

2.       Schmoozing is the major aspect of LinkedIn marketing. With schmoozing, you have a first level connection with a person you know. You then can go through the first level connection and ask to connect with one of their first level connections.

Twitter

1.       Twitter is the most open network with lots of news content. It is shorter, faster, and noisier than Facebook.

2.       When creating your account, you can pin a tweet to the top of your Twitter account. This makes it so that tweet appears first when users open your Twitter page.  

YouTube

1.       Videos act as the content that you share with other social media, including your website. They also serve as a discovery mechanism via Search Engine Optimization. This helps you promote the company, products, or services via search.

2.       Look for content that is popular in your industry. As a company, you also want to find your niche audiences. These are the people that are the most likely to be interested in your company or product.

Pinterest

1.       The target audience for Pinterest includes females and consumer retail. They also promote do-it-yourself building, constructing, crafting, and more.

2.       Pinterest acts as visual bookmarking. It includes an idea board system that can be social or private. This also makes online shopping easier.

I hope these facts help you to better understand some of the social platforms that many use on a day to day basis. Feel free to add any facts or tips that you find useful while using social platforms in the comments below. 

The Power of Photography

I know for many spring break means traveling down south and spending a week on the beach. As much as I would love going down to Florida, I did not get that opportunity. I did do something that I love though, take pictures.

One thing you all will learn about me is the strong love I have for nature and exploring. Any chance I get, I like to go out and find somewhere new. This means having my camera by my side. I wanted to share some of the reasons I find photography important along with some of my favorite images from this week.

1.      Capture the moment

We all know that pictures are an amazing way to capture the essence of a moment. They are a great way to remember any moment in time. The good or the bad. The joyful or the sad. No matter the feeling of the moment a photograph can capture it all.

2.      The photographer’s eye

One of the most amazing things about photography is the fact that what you see in the image is just a glimpse of a whole. Also, what you see is what the artist is choosing for you to see. The photographer has the chance to crop the image however they want. This makes the meaning behind an image so much stronger.

3.      The meaning of the image

There is great beauty in the idea that any image can be interpreted in any way. The meaning can be influenced by the way the image was taken, but in the end the viewer decides their own meaning behind the image. As the viewer, you get to create your own story that goes along with the photograph. It is all about how you interpret the image.

Photography can be something different for each person. For me, photography is a major stress reliever and it allows me to explore new things. I could easily spend hours out in nature taking pictures of everything around me and that is exactly what I did over spring break.

Feel free to share some of your experiences with photography or even share your spring break adventures in the comments below.

YouTube- the two-for-one punch

The next chapter in the “Social Media Marketing Workbook” deals with YouTube. YouTube can be defined by its two aspects, video as content for social media and YouTube as social media. I would like to share with you all some of the basic uses for YouTube.

1.      Supportive Use of Video

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth ten thousand.” Video is the essence of YouTube. Videos allow the opportunity for a quick introduction on a website. They also introduce emotional intelligence and allow you to pitch to a potential customer. It is important that companies are using video as support of their websites content. Posting these videos to YouTube then allows you to link the video to other forms of social media. This then supports a company’s marketing efforts.

2.      Search Discovery or SEO Use of Video

A major part of YouTube is the “how to” searches. As soon as you type in “how to” a long list of common searches appears. You can SEO-optimize videos if your company has “how to” content that is best described in visual form. By doing this your video will show up in a search. Before doing this though, you want to do a keyword search to find what potential customers are searching for. With this you need to pay attention to specific brand searches. From here you can create your video optimizing every aspect.

I hope you have learned a little bit about the ways YouTube can be used. Remember that using a video is a powerful thing. It is a quick way to introduce you or your company and by doing preliminary searching you can create the best video to display to your customers. You can share your thoughts about YouTube in the comments below. 

Being a part of something more

I have recently made the decision of pledging Kappa Phi, a Christian club at Ohio Northern University. There comes a time in life when you feel the desire to be part of something bigger. I am at that point in my life.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about who I am and where I am in life. Religion has always been a part of my life that I have struggled with. Recently I made the decision to join Kappa Phi. Just in a short amount of time I have realized that no matter how broken my life may feel, there is always going to be someone there for me. Being involved in this group has taught me that I am never alone. I have gained a large support group and friends that care about me, even though I just met most of them.

Going into this new experience was scary and nerve racking. Would I fit in? Would I make friends? Would this be worth the nerves? The answer to these questions is yes! You never know what will happen if you don’t try. You must take the first step to make a change in your life. Making the decision I did is probably the best decision I have make in a long time.

So, I would like to ask you a few questions. Have you made the decision to be a part of something more? Have you ever been in a situation where you were scared to join a new group or club? I would love to hear about your experiences in a similar situation. 

Facebook's move to prevent suicide

While searching for new information about social media, I found an article on Regan’s PR Daily that I find very important. The topic of suicide hits hard to home with me, so learning that Facebook is making a move to improve suicide prevention is an amazing thing.

Facebook is using their live video program to improve prevention outreach. There seems to be an alarming number of people taking their lives while broadcasting live.

Suicide facts:

1.      Every 40 seconds one person dies due to suicide.

2.      Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people 15-29 years old.

It has been proven that one of the best ways to prevent suicide is to show that person that they are cared about. Facebook is in a great position because of their “friendships” on the sight. They are now adding features that can put a person in contact with other people who can help them. The new tools will include:

1.      A reporting function

This will call for a response from Facebook and enables the company to contact emergency services.

2.      Tools

The tools are in set in place to connect a person with people who can help them.

3.      Facebook’s new collaborates

Facebook has collaborated with the Crisis Text Line, the National Eating Disorder Association, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Facebook now has teams working 24/7 reviewing crisis reports and prioritizing the most serious suicide reports. They are working to get people to reach out to a friend, contact a help line, and offer tips and resources that can help.

I have been in the situation where I have known people whom have attempted suicide or have committed suicide. I think that Facebook’s move to improve suicide prevention is a great movement. People tend not to understand those that slip into a dark place or they think that a person who talks about suicide is just seeking attention, but it is a very serious manor. So, what are your thoughts on this new Facebook movement? I would love to hear your thoughts on this serious topic.