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.