Social Media Platforms are Becoming Shopping Sites

According to a Wall Street Journal article by Resty Woro Yuniar, in Southeast Asia, 30% of online sales were through social media platforms in 2016. Companies are saying that there is easy revenue through this plan. I have seen many advertisements for different clothing options and I know there are clothing brands that post pictures of all of their new releases, but I still shop through the store's website or a third-party site. In Southeast Asia, different social media companies have launched shopping features on their apps. Also, customer assistance is right at the push of a button through the Facebook messaging app.

This a great use of social media for companies to expand and create different channels for consumers to get to their product. I don't know how I feel about this though. I kind of want my social media and shopping separate for the most part but I understand how convenient it would be to have shopping outlets on sites that you visit every day. I do foresee America going to this style eventually. It's just a matter of when and whether it will be as effective here as it is in Southeast Asia right now.

2016 Year in Review

This year was crazy. Like seriously, what happened? It seemed like it flew by quicker than any other year I've experienced. It started with a new Star Wars movie and took twists and turns all the way to one of the most talked about elections in the history of the world. I'm in college, which is weird and exciting, my life is moving at a fast pace and the world seems like it trying to out-pace me. Seriously, what is going  on? Then there was the Olympics, a gorilla, R.I.P. Harambe, like so much stuff happened this year. Looking back on this year, it's pretty crazy to say the world is still standing.

I am thankful that we are all alive though. I am thankful for all of the friendships that I have made this year and continued to foster. No matter how messed up this world is now, we are still here and we do have to graduate eventually. Finals is upon us and we are almost halfway through the year. I'm ready for the school year to be over and all of this nonsense that was pop culture in 2016 to be over as well. Unfortunately, I do not foresee a calm and peaceful 2017. It might be even crazier than 2016 for all I know. Let's go into it with open minds and try to minimize our mental breakdowns. Feliz Navidad.

Measure What Matters

Our class just finished the book we were reading, "Measure What Matters." I think the book was very effective in teaching how social media measurement is a very important part of running a business. Not only is it an important part of the business, but measuring it can increase profits greatly. I think the book discussed many important details of how to measure your social media efforts. The book can be easily applied to the workplace. 

Running different social media accounts for organizations on campus can be difficult and you don't always know if you are posting in an effective way. Reading this book helped me right now, even with the smaller accounts that I am doing. In the future, if I am still working with social media, it will be even more helpful. For anyone in public relations, I would definitely recommend reading it.

Traveling is a Good Thing

Just recently, I traveled to the Dominican Republic for a mission/education trip. I have never traveled outside of the country before. I went to the other side of Niagara Falls once when I was younger, but I don't think that counts. I honestly don't travel outside of Ohio very much either, so this was a big experience for me. After returning safe and sound, I found out that it is fun to travel. The whole week was a great learning experience.

We went through my class, International Projects. In the class, we have learned about many different types of poverty and the ways to fix it, both the good and bad. In the DR, we worked with an organization called Solid Rock International. They are one of the highest ranked charities on Charity Navigator and are built around helping Dominicans. We set up health clinics in different villages, painted a school and learned about the culture of the Dominicans. I met great people and learned things I would have normally not learned if I stayed in my small town forever.

I haven't been really scared of traveling, just really never felt the need for it. This trip has shown me that it is okay to expand your horizons a little bit and try new things. I loved Dominican food and even though I didn't speak Spanish, I made some great relationships with the locals. I would definitely leave the country again to explore other cultures. Never as a basic tourist though, that is not the kind of stuff that interests me. Going to the country side of the Dominican was much more fun that going to the beaches. I encourage everyone to go and travel and help. Solid Rock is a great organization to work with if you ever wanted to visit the Dominican and help others while you are doing it
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The Importance of Having Events and Measuring Them

In chapter 7 of "Measure What Matters" by Katie Paine, she discussed the impacts of events, sponsorships and speaking engagements. There are many reasons to plan out events for your business. Introducing new products to the market is a great reason to hold events or use other events like trade shows to showcase the new product. Reaching new markets and customers and driving affinity between customers and the brand. Events are great for a business to reach customers that they may not have reached through their regular advertising and build their brand.

After the event is over, you should measure your results. Data needs to support every decision you make in the workplace. Measuring results of events like the total attendees in the audience is a great start. Total views of your speech page of the conference's website is an efficient way to view how your speech made people take initiative to visit your page. The number of business of cards, site visits, total contacts you made and the costs of being at the conference are all data that can easily be acquired and help you measure your ROI.

Why Do Students Walk on the Sidewalks?

I just happened to cut across the grass on my way to work today with my subway and I started to wonder to myself, "Why did I do this?" Then I started to wonder why do people walk on the sidewalks? Why don't we all just take the most direct path to our classes? I'm sure Dr. Carrothers or Dr. Durkin in the sociology department would be more than happy to figure out why this happens but I did take Dr. Carrothers' intro class so I think I am very qualified to make a great assumption of it. I'm just kidding but I do have some theories for it.

Maybe it's because it rained the day before and we don't want to get our shoes wet. Maybe we are dreading class so much that we want to take the longest way possible. Maybe our heads are hung so low because of the exam we are going to that we know we're going to fail even though you studied for twelve hours that we just follow the path that will lead us to class. Maybe we hang our head and follow the path to avoid eye contact with that kid from your freshman intro to bio class that you feel obligated to say hi to. Maybe it's because people who walk on the grass are judged extremely by the rest of the student population. Maybe it is some sociological thing that is well above my head, but I prefer to think that I'm smart enough to figure it out myself. No matter what it may be, it's very weird that is something I think about. Well everyone, have a great day.

New Update from Twitter Leads to Less Hatred, Supposedly

If you haven't heard about this yet, there was an update for Twitter with a cool, new feature. If you are tired of this election, just like everyone else, or maybe you really don't want to see any tweets on your timeline about Tom Cruise because you don't like Scientologists, then this feature is for you. You can now filter out hate from your notifications and block tweets containing specific words. The only problem with this is that the tweets containing the "muted" words will still appear on your timeline but just not in your mentions. Twitter has been known for a place that is for free-speech and many take this to be a place for hatred.

Well people on Twitter can filter out any words that they want to it won't work. People are always going to be spewing hatred in any way. I understand why Twitter would implement this new update, so that they can say they are trying to help the people feeling attacked by tweets. I just think it is ridiculous that people feel attacked by cowards on social media. In my opinion, which this my blog so I am allowed to post my opinion, people are big babies on both sides of that argument. Someone who is putting hatred behind a phone screen is a coward and you for listening to it are. You are a strong person and anyone who puts hate on you like that doesn't deserve your time so just block them if you want or if you see a tweet that you didn't want to see, ignore it. Congratulations Twitter on taking a stand and filtering out words that could hurt people, I guess.

Why I Love Movies

Watching movies is just like escaping your real life for two or three hours at a time. No matter what movie you are watching, whether it is good or bad, you kind of forget about all the things going on in your life. For many people, watching movies is a way to escape. I've been a huge movie fan my whole life and have always enjoyed being able to sit down and relax for a couple hours and enjoy mindless entertainment as well as thought-provoking movies. Over the years, I have developed a larger taste of movies, from Harry Potter to Se7en. Movies are a great part of my life and are for many other people, as well. 

While being in Film Club in high school or just in general watching a lot of movies, you get to see a different aspect of people's opinions on things. I like some movies that others don't and vice versa. I think it's great when people can come together to enjoy a piece of art. Movies also allow for directors and actors to show off their creative juices and the audience gets to see all of their hard work pay off. Movies get friends together for "movie nights" like the ones my friends and I had back in high school and enjoy each others' company. They also allow for a reason to stay inside on a Friday night and avoid all human contact. I enjoy movies because I get to escape to a different world for a short-time and forget the stresses of college. So, if you are having a stressful day, maybe put in a movie and try to escape for a short while.

How a Business Should Respond to Their Consumers

If a business is on any social media platform, they should be active in responding to their consumers. In the book we are reading, "Measure What Matters," the author discusses the different levels of engagement that consumers interact with a business on social media. The five types of engagement that the author lists include: lurking, casual, active, committed and loyalist.

Lurking is when a consumer likes posts or bookmarks the web page. There is no brand loyalty involved and little benefits are given. A casual consumer subscribes to blogs, follows you on Twitter and might even suggest a page to a friend. This is where most relationships end between a consumer and a business. An active consumer retweets news, uses Twitter hashtags and actively participates in Facebook and on the blog. Both parties provide benefits because they are concerned for the welfare of the other. Committed consumers trust the relationship enough to provide identity for membership or registration. Loyalists are 100% committed to the relationship and strictly buy from the company.

Businesses can be successful on social media if they understand what kind of consumers they have and how to promote to them. An organization can measure how these customers affect their business as well. Keeping updated on your social media and the type of consumers you have is an effective way to continue your business's success.

You Can Measure Anything

We are reading a new book in class this week called "Measure What Matters" by Katie Paine. It again is a book about social media and how to effectively use different kinds of platforms. The first chapter in this book discusses why it is important to measure statistics of a business. First off, measurement takes totals from inventory, profits, ads and stories that they are mentioned in and analyze what they mean and use that meaning to improve business practices. The author discusses that it is very easy to measure how a company is doing on social media and it is a cheap and quick way to improve your business.

Businesses that measure what matters are more likely to grow and thrive. Once you measure where your business is being effective, then you get plan on the best areas to allocate your resources. You can rely on your gut as long as you want, but if you provide data and facts, everybody is more likely to come to a consensus around the ideas instead of just trusting your gut. Organizations that measure their marketing efforts do better than those that don't. Measure your results and your business will receive the benefits.

How the Media Influences the Election

This election has been a huge mess, let's be real. It has been a firestorm of angry people yelling at one another, shoving "facts" down the nation's throats. It's just crazy, really. The media has played a huge role in this election during all the chaos. Whether it be national news stations like CNN, Fox News, or NBC, they each have their own coverage of the debates, campaigns and race. The national news is supposedly unbiased but everyone has their opinions about who is biased towards who. I am honestly tired of seeing news coverage of this election.

Both campaigns have used social media to promote themselves as well. You can't go a couple minutes on your news feed without seeing a new campaign ad. Both candidates are using it very well, promoting videos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It's just very annoying. Congratulations candidates on being very annoying, you are doing your job. I can't wait for the election to end.

Why Greek Life is a Good Thing

Social Greek organizations have a bad reputation all across the United States. National news covers stories about hazing and alcohol poisoning every year about a different chapter across the nation. I'm here to tell you that Greek life is not all parties and hookups. Greek organizations are a place for people to better themselves. Here a few examples of why Greek life is actually a good thing.

1. Better Grades

You may think that joining a Greek organization may cause lower grades but that is not true. Many chapters have scholarship plans in place where you are required to study and submit your grades to the scholarship chair to ensure that you can continue to improve.

2. Philanthropy 

All Greek organizations have a charitable organization that they are required to hold a philanthropy events. Many chapters have two philanthropy events as well. Depending on the size of the university, chapters can raise thousands of dollars for their charity.

3. Social

When young students join a fraternity or sorority, they gain friends for life. Many students who struggle to find a place in college, find it with Greek life. They find their home and feel like they belong somewhere.

4. Leadership

When young adults join a Greek organization, they get the chance to better themselves. There are many opportunities for leadership within the fraternities and sororities. They learn how to lead and can learn from great leaders that are already a part of the exec boards and cabinet positions.

Greek life is actually a good thing and gives great opportunities to young Americans. As a brother of Delta Sigma Phi, I love being a part of Greek life and I see many young students taking advantage of the opportunities that chapters offer.

Social Media Marketing Workbook

We just finished reading our second book for Social Media Principles, "Social Media Marketing Workbook." Overall, it was another helpful book from author Jason McDonald. It taught us a number of ways to use different social media platforms for a business. Now, this may not apply to many of us now because we still need to get into the workforce, but once you're there, it will help tremendously. Whether it's running a small business doing many different things, being the PR person for a business or just trying to help out where you can, this book has been very helpful.

I thought the most helpful chapter was the Facebook chapter. It discussed using Insights and how to improve the platform for your business. That is applicable to me currently because I do run a Facebook page where I use Insights often. Thanks to Jason McDonald and Dr. Aggie for the helpful advice.

I'm Sorry I Don't Like Melted Cheese

Call me un-American or whatever you wish, but I can't help myself, I don't like melted cheese. You may be thinking, "Oh my gosh, what is wrong with you?" Well there are many things wrong with me but that is not one of them. Don't get me wrong, I wish I liked cheese because it is literally on everything. It's on hamburgers, any sort of pasta dish, on chicken, on anything that you order at a restaurant, I mean everything. Seriously people, what is so great about cheese that you must put it on every dish?

The reason I don't like melted cheese is because of the texture of the food product. It makes me gag horribly, then resulting in puke if I eat more than two bites. I try to stay away from the intestine killer but it certain situations, it would be rude not to eat it. I do like other cheese and dairy products though, so I'm not all evil. Melted cheese though gives me the willies and I wish I could do something about it. I'm sure that everyone has that one thing that is weird about them, unfortunately for me, it's hard to hide it. Continue on, cheese lovers, and try to keep your jokes original because I've heard them all.

How to Run a Philanthropy Event

We were tasked with creating a "How to" video for class this week. Currently I am planning a philanthropy event, the Delt Dinger Derby, so I thought that would be a great idea to focus the video on. Check it out and listen to some tips that I have on making a great philanthropy event for your organization.

Reviews Can Make Or Break Your Business

If you own a local business, you understand that reviews can really help your business or harm it. Whether you provide services or a product, it is very easy to find reviews on companies with the technology that is out today. Websites like Yelp.com, Facebook and basically any site that sells your product can provide reviews for customers to see.

Reviews can be anywhere from very helpful for your business or not helpful. Many times, its mostly unhappy customers that write reviews anyway. If you provide a great service or product, there is really nothing motivating you to write a good review. But, if you give a poor performance they are motivated to get back at you by writing a terrible review. You can counter this by nudging some customers to give a review of your business. If a customer is happy, ask them to review their business and you can swamp out some of those negative comments. Keep up to date on your reviews and you will be your company should ace the review game.

The World Series is Here

Baseball is at its most exciting time of the year, October. October baseball is where the best of the best face each other. The playoffs are almost over with though, except for one final series, the World Series. As an avid baseball fan, I watch the world series every year but this year my favorite team is playing in it. The Cubs and the Indians square off in this year's series and it has been a long time since either team has won. The Cubs have the longest drought in the Major Leagues, since 1908. The Indians haven't one since 1948. I am so excited to watch the game on Tuesday night and through out the rest of the week.

The Cubs are the best team in the Major League, hands down. They are dangerous in their lineup the entire way through and have some of the best starting pitching the league has seen in a while. Under manager Joe Maddon, they have progressed into a great team. Rookie Kyle Schwarber can make a possible appearance in the series as well after suffering what was thought to be a season-ending injury earlier this year. With his power as a hitter added to the already dangerous lineup, the Cubs are not to be taken lightly.

The Indians are really struggling to get over the injuries that have faced them this year. With starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco out for the year and Danny Salazar struggling to return in time from a forearm injury, it has been tough since the playoffs have started to get good innings out of the starters. Luckily, the Indians have had huge contributions from their bullpen and rookie Ryan Merritt, who threw 4.1 innings in game 5. The Cubs may be the best team in the league, but the Indians are the hottest. It will be interesting to see how the series plays out. On the final note, Roll Tribe.

ONU Homecoming Parade

An assignment we had this week was to live tweet an event at this year's ONU Homecoming. I decided to live tweet the parade. It was an awesome parade and I put the tweets together on a Storify page. Look at the page and check it out some of the highlights from the parade this year.

3 Reasons College is Better Than High School

Going to college from high school is a scary transition that thousands of young adults make every August. The anxiousness of going from something you have been comfortable with for four years and then being the oldest ones and running the school to not having a clue what is going on. After finally settling in to your campus, you are still scared and have no idea what is going on and you really hate your 8 o'clock bio class. But, after the first month you are getting used to things and realizing that this isn't so bad. By fall break you are a pro and you completely forget about high school. That's because high school is terrible compared to college. College is the best time of your life and high school doesn't even compare. Don't get me wrong, I loved high school and won't forget it but I would never go back. Here are some reasons why I believe college is better than high school.

1. Freedom

You can make all the stupid decisions you want and nobody can stop you. In college, you schedule your own classes, you can be up until 4 watching Gossip Girl and nobody will say a word. Your parents aren't hovering over your life. College gives you the opportunity to make you responsible for your actions and teach you that nobody is their to hold your hand in the real world, even your parents. You can go out on the weekends and be irresponsible and nobody from your hometown even knows what you are doing.College allows you freedoms that the prison walls of high school never even dreamed of. 

2. Opportunities 

The amount of opportunities that you get from attending college is exponential. Whether it is just the fact that you could possibly get a higher education degree and better job opportunities because of that or the connections you make in college. As a business student, I personally have many opportunities for jobs because of the connections that my professors and staff have. In any department, the faculty and staff have connections in the work force that you are looking to go into and possibly get you a career. 

3. Relationships

College is where most people make the friends that will be beside them on their wedding day. College is where many people find the person that they will marry in 5 years. College gives you an opportunity to make friends with people that have similar interests to you, where high school you are often stuck with your friends just because of your location. On welcome weekend or your junior year, people make friendships that last a lifetime and you would have not met these people if it weren't for college. 

"I Love College" is a very inappropriate song with a very true title. Going to college is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I found my home at Ohio Northern. Just because I like college more doesn't mean I don't cherish my days at Ada High School. I'm still best friends with my buddies from Ada and they will be in my wedding one day but college has opened my eyes to what the world has to offer. If you are in college right now, keep on keeping on and living the life. If you are in high school, fight out those last moments you have and enjoy them, but be ready for the fun stuff. 

Updating Your Apps

If you have a smart phone, which is basically everyone that I know, then you are constantly getting reminders that your applications need updated. I know that most automatically update by themselves, which is great that I don't have to worry about doing it myself, but there are some that don't. It is very important to update your apps because sometimes they stop working if you don't update them. I recently did not update my messaging app for a number of weeks and it finally stopped working this weekend. I thought that I had to go to the Verizon store and ask them to fix my phone and pay a large sum of money, but no, all I had to do was update my app. It saved me a headache and unneeded stress.

Another great part about making sure that all of your apps are updated are the new features you get with the updated apps. Sometimes it is scary when you hear news about an app being updated and different than what you used to operate. But change is not bad, especially in the technology and social media world. There are always new innovations and programs that better your experience. Just recently there was a Snapchat update and I didn't like it to start, but now after a week of getting used to the new version, I can say it is better than the other versions. Change is scary but necessary in a fast moving world. So next time you are bored, look in your app store and see if there are any apps that need to be updated. 

Read This If You're Not Creative

The sixth chapter of Jason McDonald's "Social Media Marketing Workbook" discusses Pinterest. Pinterest is a social media that shares ideas on a multitude of topics like food, crafts and so many more. Honestly, I don't know much about Pinterest and how to use it. McDonald, however describes how to effectively use it. He states that once you understand the idea of idea boards, then you basically have Pinterest figured out.

Pinterest holds people's fantastic ideas and are accessible to anyone. So if you are not very creative and want to do something crafty to your front porch, you can search on Pinterest for helpful ideas to use. You can also search for ideas on Google and it will often link you to Pinterest boards that are useful to your search. Once you find something that you find helpful, you can pin it to your own personal board and save it for late. Pinterest is a very helpful place. If you can't think of great ideas for your social gathering or that new addition to your garage, Pinterest is the place to go.

Youtube Can Actually be Useful

Many people across the world use YouTube everyday, but usually not for helpful purposes. Myself and many other users usually use YouTube to watch videos of cats falling down or of videos that are really not relevant with current events and are just time-wasters when laying down for bed. Jason McDonald writes in his book "Social Media Marketing Workbook" on how to effectively use YouTube as a social media platform either as a consumer or as a administrator for your company.

As a consumer, you can get a lot of information from a company's YouTube. Most companies have informational videos on many of their products and on their company in general. Also, it's easy to use Google to search for information and videos. If you are looking for organic foods or which brand of truck is the best, Google provides you with information on the most viewed videos on YouTube right on the results. As a producer, this attribute from Google can work to your advantage. On YouTube, add keywords to your channel and videos to optimize your traffic. Understanding how your consumers search and what words they are searching for is very important to a business.

McDonald also discusses that the keys to success for a professional YouTube account. As a business you should obviously upload quality videos to start. Without videos on your page, there is really no point to have an account as a business. "How to" videos are one of the most searched throughout YouTube, so if you are a service company, this is a great opportunity to reach customers looking for help. Another reason to reach more customers through advertising on YouTube is to make your video emotional. I know that I am much more likely to share an emotional video that hits closer to home. I could continue to discuss how to properly use YouTube but there are many options that I still haven't touched. Using YouTube can either be a very helpful and insightful experience or a great time-waster. However you use it, just make remember it can be a helpful tool.

NFL is the No Fun League

The National Football League has recently made a new rule for all of their 32 teams. They will not allow for teams to post any unapproved gifs or pictures from their social media accounts. With the growing popularity of Twitter and all social media platforms, many companies have been posting much more frequently, especially on Twitter where there is a high producing content of posts. Many NFL organizations have been trying to keep with today's young teenagers by posting funny videos and pictures. The NFL apparently has a problem with the teams posting.

Roger Goodell and his team of fun ruiners have recently said that teams will be fined up to $500,000 for posting pictures and videos that are unapproved by the NFL. I want to ask why the NFL feels the need to take all of the fun out of the league. Teams are using social media in a great way to relate to a younger audience and correctly use social media platforms and now they are going to be punished if they do. Why, Roger Goodell? Why do you take a good use of PR and marketing for teams and make it a punishment? I don't understand why the NFL would take the fun out of social media for the fans and for the teams. Hopefully this rule changes and teams and fans can interact with fun posts on social media again.

Music is Good for Your Soul

Music can be many things for a person. Music can be an escape to a different world when it times of struggle. Music can be a motivator while working out, lifting or even to do homework. Music can be a time killer while doing laundry and other tasks. There is a song or a genre for every task and every person has their own favorites and preferences. Me personally, I love country music. I could listen to different types of country at all times of day. Even though country music is my favorite, I enjoy most types of music. Whether it be classical like Bach or Mozart to Snoop Dogg and other rap and hip-hop artists, I enjoy listening to the various genres.

Music has been a part of history since the beginning of man. Cavemen used to shake rocks for entertainment and now with today's current pop music, if a star like Justin Bieber did the same thing, the fans would go crazy. Music has evolved over time and we are blessed to be able to listen to current music or music from the 500's if we want. Music can change a person's feelings and mood. Music can change a movie's tone in the blink of an eye. The sounds and songs of any generation have been one of the biggest influences since the beginning of time. Love your favorite and do not let anyone tell you that your favorite sucks because different kinds of music can do different things to different people. Continue to love your music and sit back and appreciate it from time to time and the impact it has had on your life.

Twitter is Odd yet Useful

In "Social Media Marketing Workbook" by Jason McDonald, he discusses how we can effectively use Twitter, for business and for personal use. I have been on Twitter for some time now and I wouldn't consider myself an expert by any means but I do know how to operate the social media platform for myself. Where I run into problems, like I'm sure many of us do, is how to run an account from a professional viewpoint. I honestly wouldn't know where to start and I need to learn because hopefully getting an internship or job after graduation will put me in a position to help a company run their own Twitter.

If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, I'll give you a quick rundown of how it works from McDonald's perspective and from mine. Twitter is just basically this big mess of memes, political advertisements, people's complaining and just overall nonsense. Even though that this may be true from what I see, there are many opportunities for business's to have success. McDonald talks about how Twitter is a fast-paced culture and is a noisy stream of news and gossip. He suggests that some companies may not even be good to be on Twitter. With the noise and the strong relation to pop culture on Twitter, if you sell Life Alerts, it may not be the platform for your business. If your business is right for Twitter though, take advantage of the opportunities it gives to your business. Market by tweeting to celebrities who have lots of followers to get more traffic on your page. Share links to new products and good deals on them. Use a hashtag to get a conversation going with your followers. There are many ways for a business to stay active and fresh.

If you are not on Twitter, I would suggest trying it out and watching the chaos unfold. Whether it be a personal account or a professional one. Get on there to catch up with your favorite celebrity or business or your friends, as well. It is a nice platform to be on and very helpful to you no matter what kind of user you are. Just try not to get addicted.

3 Reasons to Stay Updated in What is Going On in the World and How to Do It

I have said this many times before on this blog but I think it is very relevant information; this world is a wild and crazy place. Laws are changing, people are born, celebrities break up with each other and it is almost impossible to keep up with these events while they are happening. But, we must try because it is very important to know what is going on in the world. Here are 3 reasons to keep up and how to do it.

1. Things are Always Changing 

The world is a very fast-moving place. The stock market changes every second. Hundreds of thousands of babies are born. A political official will say something stupid. Having news applications on your phone like Fox News or CNN will give you a great update and notify you if something important in the world happens. I have Fox News and they send me push notifications, so my phone vibrates every time a major event comes to their attention.

 2. It's a Great Conversation Starter 

If you work in a cubicle and need to escape your section of home for 9 hours out of the day to go to the water cooler, new topics are always a need. Quit gossiping about how Becky hasn't slept at her place all week and talk about the latest Vice Presidential Debate tonight and if you are going to watch it or not. You can find out what the newest programs or key events on television like the debate by watching TV or just getting on Facebook while you are behind your computer screen. The amount of advertisements and sponsored promotions are actually annoying, but they can be helpful on letting you know what is going on. 

3. You Don't Want to Look Stupid 

Whether it be talking to your boss in the office or talking to your spouse in your pajamas in the comfort of your home, there is always the possibility of someone bringing up current events. Especially when you are trying to sweet talk your boss because of that big promotion that could be headed your way. If your boss asks you what you think about that current buyout of Cabela's by Bass Pro Shops and you have no idea what he is talking about, that might make you seem less like the candidate he wants and the position might go to that guy Ted in sales who is always cracking those corny jokes. How does that make you feel? 

In general, it's pretty easy to stay somewhat up to date on current news. Unless your profession is journalism, it's okay to be a little behind. Try to stay current though because it is important to know what is going on. Look at your phone, watch the news and even get on Facebook because with this high-flying society, you never know what you might miss. 

Growing Up in a Small Town

I love Ada with all my heart. Ada has made me who I am. No matter where you have grown up, the town or city will shape your personality, either in a big way or a small way. My small town has affected me in a big way. It has had a huge influence on my life. I love being able to walk into Little Mexico and saying hello to everybody in there. I love working at the grocery store and talking to all the people going through my line. There are so many aspects of growing up in Ada that I am very thankful for.

I had sixty one people in my graduating class at Ada High School and I knew everyone of my classmates names and mostly everybody in the high school. I understand that there are benefits to bigger schools but I think the benefits of going to a smaller school outweigh larger schools. Going to a school where the students are in the same building for thirteen years is a great experience to build friendships that last a lifetime. Sitting at a lunch table with your best friends everyday and sitting in class with teachers that you see at the Harvest and Herb are memories that I'll never forget.

Growing up around here, there is nothing to do, so you have to make your own fun. Having bonfires was the thing to do on a Saturday or Friday night. Going to the football games on Fridays where the whole town was there cheering on the team then heading over to the Wilcox's afterwards to watch the highlights from around the area and eat as much food as possible. Those are some of the memories that I got from growing up in Ada. I would love to live here my whole life and have my kids have the same teachers that I did.

Use the Internet to Master the Internet

We are now reading a new book for our social media class, "Social Media Marketing Workbook" written by Jason McDonald, so I will be posting once a week from reactions from this book now. In one tiny subheading of the introduction, it is titled 'Use the Internet to Master the Internet'. Now in the subheading, he actually only talks about getting his students connected to the online version of his book and how to take advantage of that, but I really enjoyed the title because it's very true. You can use the internet to make yourself better at using the internet. That may sound weird right now, but if you are having issues getting involved on the internet or on social media, you can literally just google how to do it. The internet is a great source to learn a multitude of subjects.

I know many of the baby boomers still have issues getting a hold of how to use the internet well and many people younger than them as well. But, if you know how to google something, then you can master anything. I think many people of the older generations that have not grown up with smartphones and the internet like my generation has forget that they have the answer to almost anything at their fingertips. Even if they don't have a smartphone, everybody has access to the internet one way or another. If you want to get linked up with social media, you can google how to do it. If you need to learn how to build a tool shed, you can google it. Literally anything that you could possibly think of is on the internet. It is crazy how the world is connected and you access to anything you could dream of at the click of a button. The world is a very large place and a small place at the same time, take advantage of the time that we live in.

Social Media and the Presidential Race

This presidential race has been a very interesting one. With yesterday's debate, it's getting closer and closer to election time. We all know that these presidential candidates are not perfect in any way, shape or form, but they are using social media to help get there message across. I'm not here to discuss my political views but to put light on how they are using different social media platforms and the message they are trying to send.

While the debate was happening, both presidential candidates had part of their campaign crew live tweeting to keep people up to date that were not watching the debate and also tweeting out the facts to defend whatever the candidate had said during the debate. This is a great idea because it keeps their twitter feeds active even when they are not able to tweet. Now, if I had to put my money on it, I would guess that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are not the ones typing out their tweets even when they are available to. Even if they aren't, both candidates are using Twitter very well to continue to promote themselves and tweet articles and information that are relevant to the race and provide evidence that their campaign is the best.

Whether it be promotion on Facebook, posts on Instagram, or tweeting, these candidates' campaign staff know how to use social media to appeal to a broad range of audiences. With the use of social media, they are able to reach a younger audience that may not be exposed to regular platforms for politics, i.e. Fox News, CNN, etc. With the use of social media, both candidates are exposing themselves to more voters and are promoting themselves better.

Family is Everything

We can't pick our family. No matter how often we get frustrated with our family, whether it be brothers and sisters or aunts, cousins or grandparents, we are stuck with them. Fortunately for myself, I love my family. This weekend I spent almost the entire weekend with my family members, which is a rarity anymore because of the responsibilities of being a full-time college student. I went to a golf outing with my dad Saturday morning, had my grandma's 70th surprise birthday party in the evening, went to lunch with my dad on Sunday, then got to sit down and chat with my mom and her mom and dad, whom I call Nana and Papa, after that. It has been a very long time since I have spent that much time with my family and it really made me thankful that I have an awesome family.

The Short (my mom's maiden name) grandkids
 with Nana and Papa

One of my favorite family traditions is going up north to my nana and papa's on Christmas Eve. They live in the middle of Wauseon and Napoleon. Driving up there for dinner with my mom and dad, eating with all of my cousins, aunts and uncles, then going to their church for their Christmas Eve service is something we have done ever since I can remember. After the service is over we come back to nana and papa's to open up Christmas gifts. The memories from those Christmas Eves have been some of the fondest that I've had. There are only boy grandchildren on that side of the family. There are seven of us, one just graduated college, two are currently in college, two in high school and one that is just starting first grade and another that is in kindergarten. Growing up, the older boys would always have ping pong tournaments or play with Lincoln Logs in the basement. Now that we're all older, we usually spend time catching up because we are all so busy and don't get to talk to each other as much. It's amazing to be talking about my oldest cousin's job and many of the other things that we are all doing now, watching all these kids become adults, including myself. I don't get to see my mom's side of the family as much as I would like to, but I cherish every moment that we are together.

An old picture of the Fleming (my granpa's last name) grandkids.
I'm pictured the third from the left. 

Most of my dad's side of the family still lives in Ada or close to it, so I get to see them quite frequently. It's nice being able to go over to my grandma and grandpa's anytime and see what they are eating to dinner or watch the Indians game with my grandpa. When I was younger, two of my cousins and myself would go over to their house on every Thursday. The three of us lived in Ada and it was a nice way to spend time with one another and spend time with grandma and grandpa as well. As we got older, we couldn't make as many Thursday and eventually we were all too busy to go but the years that we were able to definitely hold a big place in my memory bank. There are eight us grandchildren on my dad's side, four girls and four boys. Any time my dad's side gets together, we are always laughing and making fun of each other. It's actually quite vulgar sometimes, or most of the time, but it is always fun to be around them.

I could probably write an entire book about my entire family and the dysfunctional people that make me feel lucky to be a part of them. I'll keep it short for this blog though and give just a hint of how my family acts. I love them all and couldn't have asked for anything better. I understand this is not how everyone feels about their family and it is very unfortunate if that is the case. I just wanted to share with you that I am one of the lucky ones and I do enjoy spending time with my family. I'm thankful for them everyday so hopefully they read this post so I don't have to be all sappy in person with them.
  

How Professional Athletes are Using Their Power for Good

Professional athletes are some of the most influential people in today's society. They are the people who get endorsements from companies and the people little kids want to be like when they grow up. Professional athletes are front and center when it comes to paparazzi and media in general. Just like the rest of us, they make many mistakes and mishandle situations. Unlike the rest of us, they are criticized for it nationally. If they tweet an opinion that people don't agree with, they are more than likely forced to delete the post because somebody who makes less money than they do in the front office thinks it reflects negatively on the organization. Along with the tweets and endorsements, athletes have a strong impression on today's culture, in America and across the world. They use the cultural power for very positive reasons many times. Here are two reasons how athletes are using their power in culture and the money they make for the greater good of society:

1. Social Movements 

Social movements are happening 24/7 in America and globally. The one that I'm focusing on is the social movement going on currently in America. "Black Lives Matter" is very prominent today in sports because of Collin Kaepernick and many other professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem. Whether you agree or disagree with this, I don't care, but the athletes who are taking a knee are using their influence as a star who are on national television every single week to bring light to a situation that they deem fit. Then, not only are they promoting this social movement, but many of them are donating to organizations that work directly with the cause. 

2. Charity Work

Professional sport organizations have many ways that athletes can get involved with charity and service work. The NBA (National Basketball Association) has its own organization called "NBA Cares," where the athletes and teams work give back to communities and kids. The NFL has Play 60, where they encourage everyone to get outside and stay active. Many athletes partake in these organizations and many others to give back to children. I actually follow Russel Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks quaterback, on Instagram and he posts pictures of his visits to a children's cancer hospital. Visits like the ones that Russel Wilson makes, making children dealing with a traumatic illness a little happier. 

With the media and how it portrays athletes sometimes, it is nice to see the goods acts the athletes do for communities and kids being posted on the media. I think we forget that they do great deeds and that they are actually humans. With the amount of stress and pressure that is on professional athletes in the U.S. it is nice that they can take time out of their schedules to give back.

College is the Best Nightmare You've Ever Had

College is a very stressful time in many young students' lives. Whether it be dealing with studies, having a social life, remembering to eat or anything that is jumbling up your brain. Freshmen to super seniors, being a college student can be exhausting every single minute of every day. Students have exams every week, deadlines that are past due, significant others who need attention, social events that are required to be attended through one of the many organizations that you are a member and a Netflix series that needs to be binge-watched. Now, I understand that those things may not seem necessary or you may be saying, "Why don't they just get a planner?", or "Why do they need to watch Netflix? They are wasting their time in college doing stupid things, they should be focusing on their education." I am here to tell the angry parents and grandparents to calm down. College is about gaining experience in every aspect of life. College is about growing as a person, learning from your failures, staying up until 3 o'clock in the morning watching "Stranger Things" and going out with your friends on the weekend. The lives that all of us 18- to 24 year-olds are living are wild and crazy, but that is okay because we would not want it any other way.

Everyone always talks about the "college experience" and it is a great one, at least with my experience. Staying up late while writing a paper that is due the next day in your freshman year writing course or cramming for an exam in a class that you haven't even been to in two weeks, that is part of the experience. It may be scary and stressful at the time but I wouldn't take instances like those back. It may sound weird for those people who have never experienced it but staying up late being a procrastinator with your friends is an amazing experience. All college students have some sort of homework that they could be doing at all point in times during the school year. There are assignments that are due later on during the school year that we could be working on, but we won't. We will wait until the last minute just like we always do. In my opinion, there are better things a student could be doing than focusing on homework. They should be getting involved with organizations, going to meetings and philanthropy events, hanging out with friends getting ice cream from the local Dairy Queen or just not focusing on school. College is not just about education, it's about much more than that. 

If you are a student, take some time for yourself and watch Netflix, take a breath, close your laptop. This time is for you to find yourself and enjoy things that are interesting to you. Don't worry about your microeconomics assignment due next week. Live your life however you want to live it. Drop out and join a rock band for all I care. As long as your happy. Don't be afraid to tell people how you really feel. Stay up late, go out and party, procrastinate, be a menace to society, do whatever you want. Enjoy college while it lasts. Hey, make it last longer if you want, take a few victory laps. Live it up because being a grown up is terrible.

Add Some Eye Candy to Your Post

Would you like it if people liked your posts more often? Would you enjoy it if people actually take time to stop and read your post on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform? You spend time working hard to try to find the perfect combination of funny, clever and informative on your tweet. Well if you want people to read your post or at least stop to look at it, then apply some sort of "eye candy". Whether it be a picture, a graphic, gif or a video, each can add some spice to your post. This is another excerpt from "The Art of Social Media". Now I did a review of it last week because I thought that I was going to be done writing about it but I forgot I have one more week. I thought I would share this information because it is nice to know and can help your post get more views.

Guy Kawasaki states in his book that content that has a relevant picture or graphic gets 94% views than other posts about the same topic. I understand that some of you don't care whether people view your posts, but you're lying. Why else would you post if you didn't want anybody to read about how terrible day your is or why you really dislike how your significant other doesn't listen to you? The reason to have social media platforms is to connect to people and let your voice be heard. Post stories and information with some color to it. I know that I am much more likely to stop and at least look at a picture, even if I don't read the post, I will stop if I'm scrolling. "Pictures are worth a thousand words", so why not put another thousand words on the 140 character limit on Twitter and not clutter everyone's timeline with a long, wordy post. Instead, just use a picture or graphic to draw the eye of your friends and followers. I'm not saying that you have to go out and learn photography and take the best pictures that anybody has ever seen. If you want to take a unique picture then go right ahead, but stock pictures that relate to the topic work just as well, i.e. the picture posted here. Take this information and do with it however you may be pleased. Have a great morning, day, night, whatever time you're reading this post and live the life however you want to live it. 

Interview With My Dad, Who Happens To Be the Sheriff

Growing up with your dad as the sheriff of the county you live in has benefits and downsides. That being said, I would never change his profession. He loves his job, even with all the drawbacks and long nights, he loves every minute of it. I got the chance to interview him for my podcast assignment this week about the different aspects of his work with social media and public relations. It was an honor to interview him and ask questions on how the Hardin County Sheriff's Office operates and what he thinks of the national news on cops and peoples' views of them. Give the interview a listen and listen to his experiences.

The old man and I at the Indians game this summer

Being Professional on Social Media

So, we are done reading "The Art of Social Media" for our class and many of the topics covered in the last two chapters we read were better suited for business pages. Since I do not run any business pages to the level of the authors descriptions, I'm just going to share my thoughts on the book as a whole. I was not very excited to read this book to be honest with you. Actually, I did not even have the book until last week; I was just borrowing it to read the chapters from other people in my class. I am not connoisseur of social media but I do know more now because of Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick (the authors of the book). I can now better manage my own personal accounts and the accounts that I help operate.

Thanks to "The Art of Social Media" and Dr. Aggie, who is my professor for the class, I know how to use Google+, which I had no previous knowledge that it even existed. I know how to operate a blog correctly and somewhat efficiently. Whenever I do get into the business world, I can be a great help to my company by running Google+ Hangouts, Twitter Chats, respond to comments from consumers and different companies, promote products and services through social media and in general, be a better employee for my future company. So if any employers are reading this currently or in the future, my email can be found on LinkedIn.

If I could leave the readers of my blog with one main point from the book, it would be to take yourself seriously on all platforms of social media. Hold yourself somewhat professionally because you never know who will be looking at your profiles. Your grandchildren could be looking at your posts about cats and think that their grandmother or grandfather is weird and they will be able to hold that over your head. You want power over your grand-babies, not the opposite. If you are not on social media already, join, because it is a helpful to connect with people throughout the entire world. Unless you're a hermit, then continue to live your life. In conclusion, if you need any help with your social media, I can help now because of this book. I would recommend the book to anyone that helps with their business's public relations in social media. If you are an average social media user like myself though, reading my blog updates about the book would be just fine.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It is football season. I'm writing this post as I'm watching the Packers take on the Jaguars and I could not be more excited. The Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl this year and the Buckeyes are winning the National Championship, ONU and Ada are both making the playoffs, so just letting you all know that right now. Whether it be college football or NFL, Saturdays and Sundays are for sitting in front of a TV and yelling at the screen. I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan and a huge Ohio State football fan. There is something about hearing the National Anthem and watching the jets fly across your screen that makes you thankful that you were born in the best country in all the land.

Football brings people together or tears them apart. I was raised in a Browns household but somehow I turned out to be a Steelers fan but my dad and I still get along on Sundays. We enjoy watching the games together still and root for our respective teams. I have a friend named Randall and we argue constantly about everything football. We have very different opinions about things and it is not fun for other friends to be around us when we start talking about football. What I'm getting at is that football can spark conversations, bring people from different parts of the nation together and is very quickly becoming America's pastime.

I love football. I love watching the Buckeyes on Saturdays and the Steelers on Sundays. I love how football brings together small towns all across America on Friday nights. Even if you're not a fan of football, you have to admit that it has a huge influence on today's American culture. People revolve their whole lives around football, on any level, professionally, in college, or in high school. Football is the epitome of American culture. I'm glad that football is back.

Making an Event Better in Social Media

In "The Art of Social Media" the authors talk about how to make an event you are hosting more social media friendly and how it can affect your gathering better. This was nice information because I have been in charge of hosting my fraternity's formals and am in charge of two philanthropy events that are coming up this school year, so I enjoyed reading this chapter from the book. Many of the things that were discussed are a little bit too high scale for the events that I'll be hosting in the near future but they may come in handy eventually. One of those is the use of an Evergreen hashtag that can be used for multiple events that an organization holds or a hashtag that can be easily associated with an organization like Nike's #JustDoIt. It is a great idea to use, just not applicable to me right now.

Some things that the authors Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick mentioned in the chapter that are much more helpful tips to me now are using social media during your event is happening and not just before and after to keep your event more visible to whomever your audience may be. They also recommend designating one person for the event's social media. I am the Public Relations Chair for my fraternity as well so I think it would probably be best if I were to let someone else run the social media accounts that I normally do during the events that I'm hosting because it is a big responsibility to run all of the social media accounts that we have; Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. They also mention providing a backdrop for people to take pictures in front of during your event and even hiring a professional photographer. I don't think that I will be hiring any professional photographer but the University does have an awesome photographer named Trevor that takes pictures at almost every University event so who helps.

ONU's mascot Klondike wearing the Polar Plunge 2016 t-shirt.

I may not be organizing events that require a live Twitter stream of tweets with my organizations hashtag because that may be a little too large scale right now. But I can definitely use the tips to better promote next year's Polar Plunge and this year's home run derby. I enjoy being in charge of the social media for a couple different organizations on campus as well and this book is helping me become a better one. Hopefully I can use this book's ideas to apply to my life right now.

Life is Good, Appreciate It

You could die reading this blog post. A huge bomb that was sent from North Korea could be coming your way right now and you would have no idea. So since these are your last moments on earth, I have a few questions for you. Are you happy with the way you have been living your life to this point? Have you lived most of the moments of your life doing things that are enjoyable to you? Have you left positive impressions on strangers and friends? Are you content with your life currently? If not, why aren't you changing it? I understand it's hard to change your daily pattern of being zombie and doing your routine, but it's possible to change it. The point I'm trying to make is that your life could literally end at any point in time and I just want to plead with you readers that I care about you and I want you to live your life to the fullest while you're still here on this planet.

Living your life to the fullest can have different meanings to every individual. Some people may think that living your life to the fullest requires you to go out and be adventurous and discover the world. Some people may think that it means to be happy every single second of everyday. You have should have your own idea of what living your life to the fullest means and try to it to the best of your ability. I'm going to tell you what my own personal thoughts on the subject are because this is my blog and I can do that. I think that living your life to the fullest means that you have ups and downs, there is good and bad in your life, you take the bad with a grain of salt and continue to live your life. If you don't cry, laugh, hate, love, feel, smell, taste, want, or need, then what are you doing? Why aren't you feeling those things? Part of life is actually living it. Events are going to happen that make you sad, somebody is going to die, your significant other will break up with you, you won't get the job that you really wanted. I'm sorry that life is unfair and those things are going to happen, but continue to live your life after that. There are still amazing things happening in your life that you can get you through it. Also, losing things is a part of life, people leave, opportunities don't always pan out, but you tried and you lived. You tried to get that job and put your best effort in. That is what living your life to the fullest is, putting in good effort to things that matter to you and even for some things that do not. People dying is always one of the hardest things in life, but unfortunately, it's a part of it. Enjoy every moment you spend with everyone because we don't know when that bomb from North Korea is coming. I've always said that when my dad dies that I'm not going to be sad. He's always been a big picture guy, so when he dies, which hopefully isn't for a long time, he's going to Heaven and that is what every Christian wants, so in the big picture, he's getting what he wants. It would be selfish of me to want him to be on this earth forever, when there is a place better than here. Now obviously, I'm going to be sad when he dies, but I know that I have lived life to the fullest with him while he's here. I know that I live my life to the fullest with everyone. I have confidence in that and I want you to have confidence in that, too.

On a different note, there are times when life can be rough. Life sucks sometimes and there are days that you're going to hate your life on occasion. In general though, make the most out of the time that you have here. Life is beautiful, a baby's laugh, a puppy's yelp, or the feeling you get after helping someone, those are just a few examples that make life beautiful. The days that you are sad or feeling down, just remember that life is good. I feel like people can get so run-down from the things that the media puts on every single day, whether it's another terrorism attack or a natural disaster, I just feel that the good things in life aren't highlighted enough. I just want to remind readers that life can be amazing. There are beautiful things that happen every day and sometimes we don't open our eyes to everyday occurrences. So my final thought for this post, is to your life the way you want to live it and don't forget to take a second and realize that it is a blessing that you woke up alive.

It's Okay to Brag

Personally, when I see someone on my Twitter feed boasting about something that they've done, I initially judge them and ask myself why these people are putting their personal lives on this site. 'Don't brag about things, keep your personal life personal and succeed in silence.' is what I usually start out thinking, but then I calm down from my initial tirade and I realize that it's okay. It's okay to use social media to let people know that you're doing great today and that you kicked ass in a workout or you did awesome on your bio exam. We all have our own personal brand and we build it every single day by the actions that we do and how we interact with people. Social media has made it much easier for people to build their brand, so don't hate on people who are doing better at it than you.

Like I said, I am just as guilty as everyone else for judging people that post about how great that lift they had was or that life is going well for them right now, but we shouldn't. For one, if you have a problem with them posting that, you probably aren't very good friends with them anyway, so why are you following them on social media? Second, let them live their lives how they want to live it. Third, they are using social media correctly. They are building up their profile or their timeline and status so people can stay up to date on them and see how they are doing. I don't care if it's on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or Instagram, self promotion is awesome. People are actually proud of themselves and in today's society, especially with teenagers, anything that is not depressing is a positive to me. If you are happy with yourself, then why not post about it and let the people that you're connected with know. Try not to give minute-to-minute updates on how well your life is, because that can just be flat-out annoying, but a nice update every once in a while is welcomed onto my timeline.

So the next time you see somebody posting a workout that they've been doing, a transformation photo, or a tweet about how they just got an A on the exam they've been worrying about, don't get annoyed and keep scrolling. Give it a like, or a retweet, or even comment on it and congratulate them. There is nothing wrong with them letting the social media world what's going on in their life. And also, if you're afraid to post something that you're proud of, don't be. Live your life the way you want to live it and then post about it on Facebook, because that is the reason that it's for. Use social media for the good, not just videos of cats.

Social Media Isn't Always Scary

So, we're reading this book for class called The Art of Social Media, and there is actually a lot of cool stuff that you can do online and with social media. I'm not going to give you the entire details of the book, but social media is much more than just Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. There is many different sites that specialize in different arts of getting people quality information. I encourage everyone to actually go out and explore new things on the internet. I understand I've mostly talked about how the internet is a dark, scary place; but, if you use it correctly, it could expand your mind and your network.

Another thing that the author of the book, Guy Kawasaki, focuses on in the first two chapters is the importance of a good profile. Okay, yes that's obvious, but you really need to focus on the fine details as well, like making sure that your profile is complete, having a good profile picture, and having the same one throughout all of your social media. The most important thing though is to promote yourself. That is what a good social media page is, the promotion of yourself. Now, honestly, I'm not going to listen to every single thing that Guy has written in this book; unless I have to do it for this class. But he has very helpful advice, especially when I am going into the professional world at any point in time now. Also, it's never too late to get on to social media and have quality accounts.

Smart phones are not meant for kids

KIDS SHOULD NOT HAVE SMART PHONES. Don't give me some lame excuse on how you can reach them easier, or that it gives them something to do and they can be very educational. No, incorrect-sorry to burst your bubble. No, I have no factual evidence of this, but you're the one that's reading my opinions for no reason anyway, so just hear me out. I've never understood 10 year-olds having smart phones. The amount of inappropriate sites and apps that are out there on the World Wide Web are insane. How can parents be sure that there kid will not come across that stuff whenever they are messing around their phone? This world we're living in is a very weird and demented place; why give your adolescent easier access to that?

One of the reasons I'm against kids getting a smart phone is because of social media. Sometimes, social media can be a glorious place where former classmates can reconnect and stay updated on peoples' lives. Social media is also a place where a little kid accidentally see something vulgar and then ask their parents and then that leads to a terribly uncomfortable talk that was meant for a later date. I didn't get a phone until I was in 7th grade, so I was about 12 years old if I'm doing my math correctly. I didn't have a smart phone until I was a senior in high school. I know that sounds pretty late, and it was, but I turned out fine. Now-a-days everybody has a smart phone and they are pretty necessary in today's fast paced society, but why do pre-teens need to be caught up in that crap. Honestly, wouldn't we all want to go back to the days before social media every now and then. I understand that even if kids don't have smart phones, that they can still get on social media, but having that smart phone gives them such easier access to it. Kids are going to be exposed to society eventually, but why do it so early? Let their innocence live on for as long as possible.

Another reason I despise kids having smart phones is because there is literally thousands of kid activities to do outside or inside or whatever that do not require technology. Go run outside and break your arm falling out of a tree, ride your bike, play with neighborhood kids, literally anything else than play a game on your phone. Parents, how could you look at your kid sitting on the couch with their face buried into that 6 inch screen and not feel disappointed. Smack that thing out of their hand and then smack yourself for letting them have it. Replace it with a dumb flip phone so you can call and text them when needed, put your phone down and then get back to having nice family conversations.

Here I am

Hi guys, I don't know how to start a blog, but this is for a class that I'm getting graded in, so I guess that I have to at least try. My name is Cort Everhart, some call me Cortland, which is my full name, but I usually just introduce myself as Cort because I'm lazy and don't like to add that extra syllable. I am a sophomore at Ohio Northern University studying Business Management. I'm already noticing I'm saying "I" a lot during this, which I'm not a big fan of, but it will probably happen because this is a blog. Just a warning, if you're going to follow this blog, I will ramble because I just type what I'm thinking and my brain can wander. Anyway, I grew up in Ada, Ohio, where ONU is located. I love sports, most foods, spending time with friends and just overall, enjoying life. Welcome to my blog, I'll be talking about a textbook we'll be reading for this class, talking about current events, and things that are happening in my life, too.

Here's me in Jackson, Mississippi working with
 Habitat for Humanity over spring break.

I just finished with my first week of my second year here at Ohio Northern and I couldn't be happier with my life right now and where I'm at. I stayed in the same town that I grew up in for college and many people would think I'm crazy for that but I love being a "townie." Ada is a small town, with 3,000 residents. It's one of those places where you walk down main street and wave at every other car driving by. I walk into the local bar on a Saturday morning for breakfast, Little Mexico, and say hi to the people in there, calling them by their first name. On campus, it's basically the same thing, about 3,000 students walking to class calling each other by their first name. The small town atmosphere is something I truly love. After I graduate, I realize I probably can't live in Ada the rest of my life, I'll need to get a job somewhere, but I want to move back to my small little town eventually.

While I'm still here though, going through the college experience in the same place where I have lived my entire life, I'm going to make the most of it. I will live every minute being thankful for where I'm at and every experience that has got me to this point. Thanks for joining me on this journey and hopefully you'll enjoy the stuff that I'm going to talk about.