Blogging.

Blogging has taken the world by storm. In years past, the equivalent to the blogging we know today would have been either writing in a personal journal, letter, or in a print article. Now in modern times, literally every person with access to the internet can create a blog and share their thoughts, opinions, and information with the entire technological world. For better or for worse. This can be therapeutic for many.

In high school I found the blogging world and got quite a bit obsessed. With what type of blogs you ask? Mommy bloggers. Fashion bloggers. Lifestyle bloggers. These terms are now common knowledge in the blogging world. In particular, lifestyle bloggers were my kryptonite. They basically just blog about how they live their lives. What they do, what products they use, and what they love. It sounds a little silly now as I write this… being obsessed with someone else’s life like that. Hmm. Whatever floats your boat though I guess. It’s still entertainment.

These days, bloggers can use this as a lucrative tool to create profits. Some bloggers even use blogging as their main source of income. As long as you’ve got the ‘it’ factor, whatever that may be, you can become a major blogging mogul. According to this article, it states that “As many other creative workers struggle to find stable and fulfilling careers, bloggers and others with digital clout seem to have shaped their careers with ease.”

That’s the thing though… what exactly does someone need to become a paid creator in the blogging world? In my opinion, the fashion, lifestyle, and mommy bloggers always seem so put together. I think the internet favors the beautiful. But beauty isn’t everything that’s important. What makes a blog interesting? What keeps us coming back? In this article on entrepreneur.com, Jason R. Rich lists 6 keys factors to create and maintain a successful blog:

1.       Define the target audience for your blog and cater to that audience.

2.       Put a unique twist on your blog's topic and content.

3.       Add new content on a regular basis.

4.       Transform your blog into an interactive online community.

5.       Adopt a multifaceted approach to promoting your blog continuously.

6.       Keep the blog's look, overall design and content professional.

There you have it. Maybe I’ll try this one day... actually let’s be real. I probably won’t ever start a fashion blog. But maybe you should. Try these techniques out and see how far you can launch yourself into the coveted blogging stratosphere. I hope to see you there.

Social Media Case Reflection 1

The recent Kilroy’s incident is somewhat shocking in more ways than one. What happened on New Years Eve at this bar & grill in downtown Indianapolis has been heavily talked about over several social media outlets. This case brings up plenty of interesting questions involving social media and its supernatural way of engulfing the entire world into heated online conversations.

 

First of all, let’s briefly set the scene. Holly Jones posted a review of her dining experience at Kilroy’s on Facebook after her New Years Eve meal. A medical emergency occurred involving a 70-year-old woman experiencing a heart attack at the restaurant, consequently causing delays in service and the atmosphere of the restaurant. However, at the time, Holly thought it was a drug addict suffering from an overdose. Jones’ online responses to this event came out pretty spicy, bold, and negative. Later, a manager from Kilroy’s named Chris Burton commented on her post and defended the restaurant and employees all the while sassing it up and sort of ‘putting her in her place’, so to speak.

"I appreciate anyone who chooses to spend their money at Kilroy's until they act like you. You can take your money anywhere else after that, and I won't lose a second of sleep over it. Happy New Year!" Burton responded.

The internet had a hay-day and the post became viral. Facebook users united and the online mob-mentality spread like wildfire. According to wisegeek.com, mob-mentality is roughly defined as the ability for an individual to act in a certain way within a group and feel as though they won’t suffer the same consequences as if they were acting alone. Basically, you can say or do whatever the crap you want collectively as a group, and not feel the guilt of your consequences. In this case, the general public pounced on Holly Jones without thinking twice because they were behind a computer screen. Everyone else was doing it. Do I think that the things Jones said were ok? No. But she received death threats. DEATH TREATS PEOPLE. Over a paragraph she wrote on the internet. A few individuals with the same name as Holly Jones had to deactivate their Facebook accounts because of the amount of violent messages they were receiving about this. Danny Brown states my feelings perfectly in this article:

“Do insensitive and racist/bigoted comments need calling out? Yes. Does that mean any subsequent anger is okay to descend into bullying and mob mentality, though? A resounding no.”

“While we may feel it’s funny to latch onto a trending topic or viral event, it’s all too easy to forget in the heat of the moment what the eventual outcome may be.”

 With the recent popularity rise of social media in the past decade, the inherent ability to say whatever you want on the internet without consequence has been a confounding factor in the increase of cyber-bullying. As I said in a previous blog post, you can be whoever you want online. There is no fear of having to back up what you say in a face-to-face conversation. That’s the World Wide Web’s poison. Popular social media does however mean that people who have access to the internet now have a place to practice free speech and state their opinions. I think that’s a great benefit of our cyber world.

An additional fascinating point that this situation brings up is the power of information. Without the internet, Twitter, Facebook, etc., we likely would not have even heard about the near death experience at Kilroy’s on New Years Eve. I think that is the beauty of having the entire world at our finger tips. We can be updated on what’s happening around the world literally with a single click. Messages about national security, current events, maps, and even weather reports are now things that we all carry around in our pockets to use at our own will and pleasure. Imagine saying that to someone who grew up in the 20’s and they would probably have a heart attack or two.

Social media can be a great resource for society to create positive social change.

Although it has its downsides, the internet is a place that human kind can better themselves. According to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kilroys-heart-attack-response_us_568b1b42e4b014efe0db7953 , a GoFundMe account was created to raise money for the 70 year old woman’s hospital bills. Within the first day, the account had raised over $10,000.

It is incidents like Kilroy’s that create a discussion about our social media culture and how it effects our lives. Conversations like this need to continue to happen so that society can continue to evolve. I’m sure we’ll have plenty more examples like this one to learn from in the future.

 

Social Media Change

Considering how incredibly reliant my generation is upon social media, it would make sense that it has changed communication in more ways than one. So, exactly how has social media changed communication? There are two sides to this story. On the one hand it has become a wonderful tool to connect with loved ones through Facebook, express yourself through pictures in apps like VSCO and Instagram, and add funny one-liners to the internet through tweeting. I do all of those things. There are many more mediums to use the internet in positive ways. BUT, and it is a pretty big but, this tool that we have can also become one of our inner demons. In this Forbes article

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susantardanico/2012/04/30/is-social-media-sabotaging-real-communication/#2715e4857a0b45ed97844fd8

It states that only 7% of messages given through verbal and written word is communicated to the other person. The other 93% of what we absorb comes from body language and non-verbal cues like tone of voice, stance, and eye contact, etc. Considering this evidence, how we truly feel and what we really want to say is only 7% of what people actually see on the internet. You can be whoever you want online. For better or for worse.

                Not only is that a huge issue that can lead to things like depression, anxiety, etc., but we are also missing out on opportunities and experiences that will enrich our lives! Or the possibility of meeting someone that can change your life. There are countless times that I can remember saying to myself ‘I’d rather stay here and watch Netflix’ or going to an event with friends and spending 60% of the time on my phone; as do they. This video pretty much sums up my feelings about our obsession with social media:

 

(Excuse the swear and amount of cheese) Can you tell I’m a little bit biased about this topic? Because I am. Don’t get me wrong, enhancing technology and bettering our ways of communication in this day and age is an amazing, AMAZING thing we’ve got going. I would be a sad little gal if I couldn’t see pictures of my nephews on a weekly basis. Or Face-time friends that live far away. Or even find funny memes and tweets on twitter. I just think social media has become such a major aspect of our lives that our priority to live and have adventures are skewed. Many things I have read are either very pro-social media or very anti-social media. But you know what? It’s a balance. It NEEDS to be a balance of being able to use social media for its best attributes at the same that we still connect and experience our surroundings in the best way possible. I will, if you will.