Social Media is Everywhere!

Social Media in a Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVXKI506w-E

No, it's not a Disney character.

A small blue bird entered our lives three years ago whether we liked it or not.
"The working name was just "Status" for a while," said Jack Dorsey, Twitter chairman. "It actually didn’t have a name. We were trying to name it, and mobile was a big aspect of the product early on ... We liked the SMS aspect, and how you could update from anywhere and receive from anywhere. We wanted to capture that in the name — we wanted to capture that feeling: the physical sensation that you’re buzzing your friend’s pocket. It’s like buzzing all over the world. So we did a bunch of name the dictionary for words around it, and we came across the word "twitter," and it was just perfect. The definition was "a short burst of inconsequential information," and "chirps -storming, and we came up with the word "twitch," because the phone kind of vibrates when it moves. But "twitch" is not a good product name because it doesn’t bring up the right imagery. So we looked in from birds. And that’s exactly what the product was."

Twitter has took the world by storm just like other social media such as Myspace and Facebook. However Twitter is unique. Myspace and Facebook allows its users to write text, add many pictures as well as movies. Twitter only allows its users 140 characters which means including spaces there can only be 140. It sounds like a lot but isn't. Here is an example from my Twitter page. "Did anyone know Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day comes out October 30???? It is only showing in select theatres. Not good news for me. :( "= 140 Characters.

*Check out this Youtube video about Twitter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

Ashton Kusher, Hugh Hefner, Oprah, Ellen Degeneres all have one, what about you?

In the past three years you hear about Twitter from celebrities and now companies using social media to gain customers, talk to customers and share new ideas with them. For instance H&R Block uses Facebook to give their customers advice. While some companies try to sell a product through social media, H&R Block gives tax advice. Comcast cable company, is on Twitter giving advice but in a different way then H&R Block. They find tweeters who are talking about Comcast and talk to them offering assistance. I tried an experiment to see if Comcast would answer me back on Twitter, but I never received a response. So what makes them talk to one person over another?

Social Media in Businesses. There are no more pages in the yellow pages. Just watch. It's shocking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I10UGl15nYU

Today, business leaders are teaching other businesses how to use social media and why they should.

Four steps to social media success:
1. Find interested people
2. Deliver quality content
3. Capture information
4. Stay in touch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gza8dvN8Hkc&feature=related

Social Media Marketing-"Get direct traffic to your site."

This is another video featuring Vanessa Cooper who talks about using social media in businesses and gain attention. She suggests YouTube, because people love to watch videos. Also, she says most people believe Facebook and Twitter are what most people think of when they hear social media. However, there are other types of social media such as forums, message boards and blogs to get involved and communicate with your customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJ1FGWRtQY&feature=related

Are customers responding? A personal opinion.

From my personal opinion I believe if Comcast tweeted to me on Twitter I might have mixed feelings. I don't like that they can find me because I am talking about Comcast, but also, it might be an advantage to me if I am struggling. However, when I have had issues I just pick up the phone and call. I am still trying to "wrap my head around" social media. We are surrounded by advertising on tv, malls, billboards and now even more when we are searching the web. With companies taking over social media I find it over whelming.

If you're working for a company, they will see you using social media.

When Facebook first came out, it was only for college students. In just a few years, my grandfather is on it. In other words, a large majority of people are on social media sites and can see everything you write, pictures and movies you post. Companies have hired employees to find out if other employees are putting the company in a negative light. That is scary. Where does free speech come into play. That is another blog to write.



Social media has come into our lives in a short amount of time, like the first video said it took 50 years to get radio to everyone, well it didn't work that way with social media. Companies and advertisers can find out what you are doing, and create things just for you. Where is it going? Only time will tell.

Smelly Cat

"Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you?"


Does anyone remember a simplistic song that began with "smelly cat, smelly cat what are they feeding you?"


Recently two stars of the hit tv show Friends reunited. Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow were on stage at the "Rock A Little, Feed A Lot" Benefit Concert at Club Nokia on Tuesday night in LA when fans cheered to have one of their favorite characters Phoebe Buffay play the song that her fans loved to hear. Although it wasn't being played at Central Perk, the friends favorite coffee house, it was unplanned at the event. But, what made fans love the song "Smelly Cat?" What made people love the show Friends and feel like they were one of them?


Recently in my media class we watch a short film shown on TLC called "The Life of a Sitcom." Later that day I went home and couldn't stop talking about the production and behind the scenes secret information. Then on TBS Friends was on syndication, two back to back episodes. When the show began I was only 6 years old and was more interested in Full House, Family Matters and who can forget Power Rangers but now I can watch it whenever I want. It is so funny! Why?
There are some things about the show which was different to others at the time. It was about 20 something year olds, living in NYC while beginning their lives as adults played by unknown actors.


The women...

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) was the fun loving friend on Monica Geller's from high school. She was a buyer for stores and fell in love with Monica's brother Ross throughout all the shows seasons.
Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) was the friend with the most common sense. She wanted to protect everyone but had a competitiveness in her. The friends made fun of her weight in high school and never let her live it down. Eventually she falls for Chandler and has a child with him.

Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is a free flowing, musician, hippy, masseuse who is somewhat ditzy with the most eccentric ideas of the bunch.


The men…

Ross (David Schwimmer) was the “nerd” paleontologist. At one point he is married to a woman who divorces him because she is gay.

Chandler (Matthew Perry) is the sarcastic one.

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is an actor on Days of Our Lives and loves to eat.

Although my descriptions might not be the best, they just hint at what the show is like. To give a better idea these are some clips


Each episode which was about 22 minutes had the perfect beginning, characters which everyone could relate to and comedy that is roll on the floor laughing kind.

Recently I watched Community in NBC the same station that produced Friends and it was completely different in maybe not a good way. Shows as Friends, Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond were shot in front of a live audience with several different cameras. Shooting in front of a live audience allows the viewer to hear the joke while the multiple cameras give it a casual feeling versus on the Community it looks like a movie. I believe that shows like Friends need to come back on the air with stand out comedy.

Journalism changing for the good or worse.

Changes...
Isn't it amazing how in just a few years technology, the economy, government, television, communication etc. can change so drastically? We could spend hours, days, months talking how much all of these changed but I would specifically like to focus on journalism.
Journalism...
At one time the career of a journalist was a busy, adventurous and a timely profession. The men and women spend all of their time trying to find the best stories to take back to their boss so he might publish it. A muckraker during the Progressive era made it their life to expose corruption. It was who you knew that you would hear about a story. Maybe a police officer called your office to let you know of a homicide or break-in. A journalist needed connections-with everyone.
To be a journalist is an extremely important profession. A journalist is the person who delivers the good news of announcing a new president, sports events, fashion, etc. but is also the person who delivers the bad news. But people don't know the writers anymore, they know the broadcasters.
2009...
In 2009 things have changed slightly. How many people can honestly say they get a newspaper..and honest paper-newspaper? Not many. We have laptops and cell phones where we can read any newspaper in the whole WORLD! And another question is-do we even read those? My generation 18-22-not so much. We turn on our computers and look at Yahoo! or Google to find out what is going on in the world. Few listen to the world news on at 6:30 but watch gossip news on the E! channel or ESPN for a single type of news. But is that really journalism? Well, it is actually broadcast news, but not many are reading the news anymore.
Tomorrow and the next day.
Is journalism going to last, is the question that goes through my mind. Blogging has been around for several years now and many young people are getting their news from bloggers who let me state for the record are not journalists. They are writing purely to get their opinion out on specific events or topics. Journalism according to dictionary.com "the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business." Blogging on the other hand "To write entries in, add material to, or maintain a weblog." There is a difference.
Journalism doesn't use happy faces, lols and ttyls. Some good can come from blogging-the people can have a voice and learn new things but in my opinion one needs to know when to use blogging and when not too. However, I believe that blogging might take over journalism which is not the best thing when one is looking for the facts.