Linked In

          I have officially had my first REAL encounter with Linked In!! I have always had a somewhat negative outlook on this site, maybe because I could never figure out how to work it, or I just didn't care to figure it out because whenever i hear "Linked In", I'm reminded of growing up and moving into the big girl world of finding a career and paying bills. However, I was forced to give this website an actual try for my Research in PR and Advertising class.
          I was assigned a project that required me to create a survey and post it to Linked In groups so I could get answers from professionals already in the industry. The industry I chose was sports marketing. I honestly have nooo idea if that is even what I want to do with the rest of my life, so I had a negative outlook toward this project. I joined sports marketing specific groups and posted my survey as a discussion topic and included a short note about my project. I thought to myself, "This is dumb. No one is going to take time to fill out my survey, especially since most of the questions are open-ended."
          The very night I posted, I received an email saying that someone had responded and filled out my survey. There's something so rewarding about interacting with others, especially when you don't expect it! Ten other responses followed, and I quickly learned how Linked In can be helpful. The people there really want to help. They are obviously there to gain something, but I quickly realized that it's a two-way street. After my survey, they even posted comments asking me to share the results so they too could learn more about the industry.
          Even today, long after my project was due, I still receive emails all the time from these groups about different discussions about job openings or opportunities to go on talk shows. I now see why people are saying that written resumes will soon be a thing of the past!

Social Media in Campaigns

Everyone seems to be catching on to the social media phenomenon. I’ve already discussed how Hollywood and entrepreneurs utilize it, but politicians are in the mix now, too. An article I read from Toronto, Canada stated that they are just now breaking into it, but the benefits have not beat out the benefits from traditional methods, such as door-to-door. A major problem with their methods, though, is that many politicians are simply posting a Tweet or making an announcement, instead of actually engaging followers. Social media analysts of this campaign also said that the social media polls don’t translate over to the real polls because social media represents only a specific group of people, and they do not reach out to different groups.

I believe that in the near future, social media will definitely have a bigger impact on voters and elections. Even if an election candidate uses only the Facebook platform, it would be so easy to invite all kinds of people to events or post pictures of yourself helping out in the community. We’ve already learned that more and more people are getting their news from social media, so why not put yourself in the direct view of voters? This would be a great way to get younger people to be politically active.

Personally, I change the TV/radio channel anytime an election commercial comes on. It seems like all they do is bash the opposing candidate, which gives me no information about how they are actually going to help my community. With social media, I would have the opportunity to ask questions and get to know the candidate from the comfort of my own home, without having to go to a press conference or debate, which I would probably not do. I think social media can provide an outlet that will help take the “annoying” out of campaigning. Thoughts??

Social Media is Dead...?

          I recently read an article about James Franco in which he declared that social media is dead and he sees no future for the Twitters and Facebooks of the world. He said, "My thought was 'this is my Twitter. I can do whatever I want.' But certain companies I work with contacted me about what I was saying." He encouragegd everyone to make the time to actually write.
          I have to disagree with Mr. Franco. Social media is huge and it only keeps growing. More and more people are catching on, and companies are finding more ways to use social media to their advantage. I can see where Franco is coming from, because speaking our minds can sometimes be inappropriate or unneccessary for the internet. This kind of thing can get people in a ton of trouble, as I discussed in an earlier blog.
          I am concerned, however, that several celebrities may follow in his footsteps and realize that it's not worth it, just another way for them to get themselves in trouble and start rumors in the public eye. What's so great about it if you're so restricted? Another thought that's crossed my mind is whether celebrities do this kind of thing because they WANT to, or because their publicists told them to. What are your thoughts?
          Something else to realize is that celebrities are role models. If they start bashing social media, everyone else may follow suit. My question here is, do celebritites have the power to significantly downsize social media?