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.