My podcast was on research and how much and what you need to research and why before you start writing. Here are some of the main points from what I heard:
Basic Idea Behind Their Research:
Howard: Do just enough research to get by. Sci-fi takes a lot of research. Use Doctor Google!
Dan: Most research done at the beginning, front load everything.
Brandon: Fantasy does get things wrong. Yeah you're right, maybe we should do more research. I write fantasy is so that you can write most of the time and not research.
Other Points Made:
- Research keeps you from knocking people out of the story with glaring errors.
- More believability from people who know more than you do on the subject.
- Know what is wrong with your writing if you research.
- Use smoke and mirrors to hide errors, but don't cut corners.
- Everyone is an expert on something, someone will know way more about your topic than you do.
- You cannot learn everything, so learn how to use smoke and mirrors. Hand off problems to another character, have characters that don't know anything about the subject other than what you know.
- Fantasy does not need hyper-detailed and specific. You can get away with things like that unlike Sci-fi where they desire hyperrealism.
- Get a couple of details right and then have the characters move the story forward.
- Too much research pulls you out, it might cause the author to put all research in.
Main Point:
Use smoke and mirrors to hide things that you just cannot research, but never cut corners. Do as much research that you need, but don't go overboard, don't do too little. Remember to do your research!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Civil Life Involvement
How can a person's education predict his/her level of involvement in civil life?
I've heard before that the more education that you have, the more involved you are in civil life, because generally, the more education a person has, the higher their income. I forget where it came from, but I read somewhere that people with higher incomes are more invested in groups such as PTA or other service opportunities because they want to give back or are invested in making sure that their children have the same success as they did.
Honestly, in my own life I do not see a correlation. As a person almost done with college, I should be starting to become more involved in civil life, but I feel like my life is going to take the opposite turn. Right now I'm barely involved in anything. I have a church calling, but I haven't really done anything yet, and that's really it. I spend the majority of my time trying to save enough money so that my husband and I can live comfortably and eventually buy a second car and a house. Weekends are for catching up, I don't really think about serving in the community because I'm trying to establish my life right now.
You can argue that since I haven't graduated yet that the question does not really apply to me, but I look at my parents and I see a similar pattern. My parents both work, and they spend most of their free time trying to catch up on things that are not work related or spending time with my sister and I, or relaxing.
I don't think that education level determines how involved a person is in civil life. I think it is determined by how their current work and financial situation is and then if that is pretty stable, then they might become more involved. Maybe if that person is more connected to a specific issue, like multiple children in school convinces parents to serve on the PTA, would be a better way to determine if a person will be more involved in civil life.
I've heard before that the more education that you have, the more involved you are in civil life, because generally, the more education a person has, the higher their income. I forget where it came from, but I read somewhere that people with higher incomes are more invested in groups such as PTA or other service opportunities because they want to give back or are invested in making sure that their children have the same success as they did.
Honestly, in my own life I do not see a correlation. As a person almost done with college, I should be starting to become more involved in civil life, but I feel like my life is going to take the opposite turn. Right now I'm barely involved in anything. I have a church calling, but I haven't really done anything yet, and that's really it. I spend the majority of my time trying to save enough money so that my husband and I can live comfortably and eventually buy a second car and a house. Weekends are for catching up, I don't really think about serving in the community because I'm trying to establish my life right now.
You can argue that since I haven't graduated yet that the question does not really apply to me, but I look at my parents and I see a similar pattern. My parents both work, and they spend most of their free time trying to catch up on things that are not work related or spending time with my sister and I, or relaxing.
I don't think that education level determines how involved a person is in civil life. I think it is determined by how their current work and financial situation is and then if that is pretty stable, then they might become more involved. Maybe if that person is more connected to a specific issue, like multiple children in school convinces parents to serve on the PTA, would be a better way to determine if a person will be more involved in civil life.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Keywords and Influencers
My group has had a very interesting experience with trying to come up with our ideas for contacting and leveraging podcasters. Since podcasters do not seem to be the best market to leverage, we have switched to focusing on writers and that online community. We've discovered that some of the best keywords to use to access our target would be the following:
- Writing workshop
- Creative writing exercises
- Writing prompts
- Creative writing exercises daily
For possible people or accounts to leverage I found the following:
- Writing workshop
- Creative writing exercises
- Writing prompts
- Creative writing exercises daily
For possible people or accounts to leverage I found the following:
@writingprompt
Would be great accounts to use on Twitter.
Online we could use:
http://www.writersdigest.com/
and
http://www.writingforward.com/
Out of these sources though, the twitter examples might be the best place to start as each account has over a thousand followers with @NaNoWriMo with well over ten thousand.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Computers in Our Lives
How has the introduction of the ‘personal computer’ and ‘the World Wide Web’ changed our way of life?
Well, how hasn't it changed our way of life? I honestly cannot think of a single way that the computer and web has not changed our way of life. From how we shop to how we can interact with people anywhere, technology has changed everything. Even now, most people have cell phones that are connected to the web that allow for these interactions to happen where ever they are, even if their isn't WiFi or an ethernet connection.
I can remember when my family got our first computer and how weird it was. It would make a horrible sound when it connected to the web, (you know, that lovely dial-up connecting sound) and would load each page very slowly. I can remember playing computer games on that computer and creating my first AOL account on it.
Well, how hasn't it changed our way of life? I honestly cannot think of a single way that the computer and web has not changed our way of life. From how we shop to how we can interact with people anywhere, technology has changed everything. Even now, most people have cell phones that are connected to the web that allow for these interactions to happen where ever they are, even if their isn't WiFi or an ethernet connection.
I can remember when my family got our first computer and how weird it was. It would make a horrible sound when it connected to the web, (you know, that lovely dial-up connecting sound) and would load each page very slowly. I can remember playing computer games on that computer and creating my first AOL account on it.
Oh my gosh, THIS SCREEN. I hated being stuck on this screen.
Ever since then it feels like I've always had a computer close by. When I turned 14 I got my own laptop and when I turned 16 I got my first phone that would allow me to access the internet wherever and whenever I wanted. Of course, this technology has changed every aspect of our lives because now we have it with us wherever we go. Trying to find a good place to eat? Yelp. Lost? Google Maps. Take a cool picture and post it to Instagram. I even used the internet while I was learning how to cook. My job requires that I use my own computer, and look at what I'm doing right now, I'm on my own computer writing this post up on the web for class.
Trying to identify specific ways that the internet and computers have changed our lives is impossible, it's just happened, and in my opinion, computers have made things pretty dang cool.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Podcast Connections
I'm going to be honest, I know nothing about podcasts. I don't understand them and I've been having a difficult time trying to understand who these people are and who listens to and watches podcasts. After looking at Google Adwords, I am even more confused. It does not seem like many people search for these podcasts at all. Most terms, even very general terms, had under 100 searches a month. Only a couple had more than a hundred and all of them were under 200 a month. All of the keywords had low competition and only one had the ability to even put a bid on it. (That term started at $2.00 a click, and for a term that only gets 170 clicks a month, I thought that sounded a bit pricy.)
After looking at all of the options, I realized that using Google Adwords and looking at podcasters would not help us find our potential customers. I honestly do not think that they have a large enough audience to make a noticeable mark on Westercon attendance and I think that focusing on other areas would be more beneficial in the long run. If Westercon decides to host a couple of workshops that are specifically designed for Podcasters or if Podcasters would decide to make Westercon a gathering point for their fans, then maybe we would have something. However, that is not the case at the moment.
After reviewing the very small numbers returned by Google, I figured that I would focus on building the Westercon brand and use very general podcast terms, including the terms that turned up the most clicks per month. As I stated before though, I do not think that we should pursue podcasters unless the podcasters receive something from Westercon, such as a class or workshop. If we target these fans without some specific draw for them, I believe it will not work out in the end.
My Ideas:
Facebook:
After looking at all of the options, I realized that using Google Adwords and looking at podcasters would not help us find our potential customers. I honestly do not think that they have a large enough audience to make a noticeable mark on Westercon attendance and I think that focusing on other areas would be more beneficial in the long run. If Westercon decides to host a couple of workshops that are specifically designed for Podcasters or if Podcasters would decide to make Westercon a gathering point for their fans, then maybe we would have something. However, that is not the case at the moment.
After reviewing the very small numbers returned by Google, I figured that I would focus on building the Westercon brand and use very general podcast terms, including the terms that turned up the most clicks per month. As I stated before though, I do not think that we should pursue podcasters unless the podcasters receive something from Westercon, such as a class or workshop. If we target these fans without some specific draw for them, I believe it will not work out in the end.
My Ideas:
Facebook:
Have you always wanted to write a fantasy fiction podcast? Come learn how at Westercon 67 this July in Salt Lake City. Click here for more!
Do you always come up with excuses for not writing? Kick that writer’s block to the curb and check out Westercon 67.
Learn how to write a podcast this summer at Westercon 67. Click here for more.
Become the writer for the best horror podcast. Learn how to write the best scripts and more at Westercon 67.
Do you often listen to horror story podcasts? Meet those podcasters and learn how to write your own at Westercon 67.
Twitter:
Want to start a fantasy fiction podcast? Come learn how to start at @westercon67.
No more excuses for not writing! Kick that writer's block once and for all at @Westercon67
Are you writing a podcast and want to make it better? Come learn how to become a better writer at @Westercon67
Become the best horror podcaster by sharpening your skills at @Westercon67
Podcasters unite to write and discuss their favorite episodes at @Westercon67
Meet other people who love horror fiction podcasts at @Westercon67 and learn to write your own.
Are you a bloody good horror podcaster? Come meet fans and writers at @Westercon67 and learn how to write your own podcast.
Are you a follower of creative writing podcasts? Come meet other fans and podcasters and even learn to write your own at @Westercon67
Are you always writing podcasts that you never host? Come learn how to put a podcast together and meet other podcasters at @Westercon67
Create the best fantasy fiction podcast of them all with the help of many other writers and fans at @Westercon67
****So we are supposed to attach a spreadsheet to the post but here's my problem, I'm supposed to be working until class and I have class until late tonight and no way to access a computer that will allow me to insert a working spreadsheet by 7. So this is it. This is all I can do today because there is no way I can finish this assignment by the deadline with work and school. Sorry.
****So we are supposed to attach a spreadsheet to the post but here's my problem, I'm supposed to be working until class and I have class until late tonight and no way to access a computer that will allow me to insert a working spreadsheet by 7. So this is it. This is all I can do today because there is no way I can finish this assignment by the deadline with work and school. Sorry.
Google Keyword Planner
bloody good horror podcast
50
Low
-
0%
horror story podcasts
50
Low
-
0%
best horror podcast
30
Low
-
0%
the horror podcast
20
Low
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0%
horror stories podcast
70
Low
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0%
house of horror podcast
40
Low
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0%
horror story podcast
40
Low
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0%
best horror podcasts
90
Low
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0%
horror etc podcast
70
Low
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horror podcasts
140
Low
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0%
arkham horror podcast
10
Low
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0%
podcast horror
10
Low
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podcast horror stories
10
Low
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horror podcast stories
10
Low
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tales of horror podcast
10
Low
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best horror story podcasts
-
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fearshop horror podcast
20
Low
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0%
horror fiction podcast
30
Low
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creative writing podcasts
20
Low
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0%
writers on writing podcast
20
Low
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fiction writing podcast
10
Low
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best writing podcast
-
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0%
reading and writing podcast
30
Low
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0%
creative writing podcast
30
Low
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0%
writing podcasts
170
Low
$2.00
0%
i should be writing podcast
70
Low
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0%
writing excuses podcast
140
Low
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0%
fantasy podcasts
40
Low
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0%
fantasy fiction podcast
170
Low
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0%
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Story Immersion
Is there a point in which a story (deep media) can become too immersive? Can fans become too involved?
Uh, no way!
That would be the short answer in my opinion. I don't think that there is a way for people to become too immersed in deep media. As a rather fanatic fan of quite a few "fandoms" I don't think that there is a way for people to be too involved. In addition to that, as an advertising student, I think that it is the goal of any thing that is being consumed to have people become so immersed in that culture that they bring other people to that culture.
If you really think that people can be so immersed in a story, then you are probably a person that does not understand Comic-Con. The people who go to Comic-Con are so immersed in their stories that they spend hundreds of dollars on passes and sometimes dress up while they talk to the stars and creators of their favorite stories.
Comic-Con crowds.
Those people who are so immersed in the stories are the love group of that story. Studying those people will help advertisers understand how to bring more people to that story. In addition to advertisers learning how to bring people to a specific story, those people who are often immersed in specific story bring their connections into that story too. I have many friends that have introduced me to stories that they love and I in turn have passed those stories along to others and expanded that immersion.
I don't think it is a bad thing to be immersed in a story, it pretty much becomes a part of your culture.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Remembering Those Hilarious Times
Is humor simply a matter of taste or is it a vehicle?
Think of your favorite ad. Got it? Now tell me, how did that ad make you feel? Did you laugh? Groan? Cry? Time and time again, I hear similar ads mentioned as people's favorite ad. Old Spice. Snickers. Evian. E*Trade. M&Ms. Do you remember any of these advertisements? Do you remember why you liked them? I say, it's because they are funny.
Before you disregard this post and say that an ad does not need to be funny for it to be memorable or effective, I agree. An ad does not necessarily need to be funny to stick. Didn't everyone hear about the Budweiser puppy ad?
Think of your favorite ad. Got it? Now tell me, how did that ad make you feel? Did you laugh? Groan? Cry? Time and time again, I hear similar ads mentioned as people's favorite ad. Old Spice. Snickers. Evian. E*Trade. M&Ms. Do you remember any of these advertisements? Do you remember why you liked them? I say, it's because they are funny.
Before you disregard this post and say that an ad does not need to be funny for it to be memorable or effective, I agree. An ad does not necessarily need to be funny to stick. Didn't everyone hear about the Budweiser puppy ad?
Stop messing with my feelings! Be right back, crying.
However, you cannot deny the success of hilarious ads. One of the most widely successful ads of this past Super Bowl was the Radio Shack ad, and that was hilarious. Since it used humor as a vehicle to capture and keep our attention, it was very memorable and successful.
One CBS article reads, "Super Bowl 2014: Boring game, safe ads, transit nightmare". Many people that I spoke to said that they were bored by this years Super Bowl because the ads were not that funny. They didn't remember because they didn't connect, and that is humors strong point. (You can read the article here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-bowl-2014-boring-game-safe-ads-transit-nightmare/)
Humor is a successful vehicle because it connects to so many people. Sometimes sentimental ads do not resonate because not that many people care about them. Informative ads might be interesting to those people who need to hear about a specific product, but let's be honest, how many of us would really be interested or remember an ad for UVU or Utah State? We aren't that target audience, and so we don't care. Humor can be more universal. It doesn't matter if you are not a part of the target audience, humor can still grab your attention and keep it. I'm well outside of Old Spice's target market, as an adult female, but I've seen and enjoyed their advertising campaigns. Honestly, one of my favorite ads is for Bud Light and as I do not drink, I am very much outside of that target market.
Humor is a vehicle to bring more brand awareness and eventual success. Some people might not find humor funny and some might even find it tasteless, but you cannot argue with the success and popularity of humorous ads.
Just for fun, my favorite ad:
Yes I know it's for beer, but I can still like the ad!
Friday, February 7, 2014
Social Media Certified
How has social media changed our perception of who is a professional/expert in a given field? ex. photographer?
In today's crazy social media obsessed world, I believe that there are two types of experts in various fields: the Certified and the Popular
The Certified
The Certified is an actual professional in some way. Social media sites give them this recognition because they have really earned this professional or expert status in real life. You can recognize a Certified a couple of different ways. Let's use Taylor Swift as an example.
On Twitter, Swift's been certified by the Twitter check mark. This is a badge given to anyone famous enough to signify that they are the one and only. So this account belongs to the real Taylor Swift.
The popular can often be spotted with massive amounts of likes and comments on their posts that you start to wonder if perhaps that quick snap that they took on the beach was professionally done since so many people are raving about it. The popular seems to be that social media star, the one that wants to use social media to get them places or that person that accidentally stumbled upon social media fame. We look to these people as professionals in their respective social media platforms even though they are not professional photographers on Instagram, professional writers on Twitter, or professional videographers on Youtube.
Like this video:
In today's crazy social media obsessed world, I believe that there are two types of experts in various fields: the Certified and the Popular
The Certified
The Certified is an actual professional in some way. Social media sites give them this recognition because they have really earned this professional or expert status in real life. You can recognize a Certified a couple of different ways. Let's use Taylor Swift as an example.
On Twitter, Swift's been certified by the Twitter check mark. This is a badge given to anyone famous enough to signify that they are the one and only. So this account belongs to the real Taylor Swift.
This account does not, notice that it is not certified?
Other social media websites are more difficult to distinguish who is officially certified, but usually by looking around you can tell who is a professional and not just a parody or fan account. Like Taylor Swift's Instagram:
This account is obviously linked to Swift.
While looking on social media, I am more inclined to believe that someone is a professional if they are certified in some way or are a name that I can recognize. However, there is another kind of social media person that sometimes is regarded as an expert even though they might not be deserving of it.
The Popular
The popular can often be spotted with massive amounts of likes and comments on their posts that you start to wonder if perhaps that quick snap that they took on the beach was professionally done since so many people are raving about it. The popular seems to be that social media star, the one that wants to use social media to get them places or that person that accidentally stumbled upon social media fame. We look to these people as professionals in their respective social media platforms even though they are not professional photographers on Instagram, professional writers on Twitter, or professional videographers on Youtube.
Like this video:
THERE IS NO POINT TO THIS VIDEO. Why then has it been viewed this many times?!
Then you look at how many people subscribe to her channel:
My actual reaction to the number of subscribers.
Well, that picture sums up my feelings enough I think. Populars are people who do not have any professional experience and for some reason, end up being considered an expert in some form of entertainment, such as the millions of views on Youtube videos that are extremely stupid. People actually use these videos as a form of entertainment and then share them with others, giving the original poster some credibility as an entertaining film maker.
BONUS QUESTION:
What is your birthday?
The day I was born. It's next Saturday so I'm currently accepting birthday presents and treats.
*Please note that watching the above mentioned Youtube video is NOT recommended.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Class Questions Round 2
Book report questions, part two! Forgive me, but this post can also be entitled, Emily rants about group projects. Oh. Well.
Also, apparently on the day that I missed class it was decided that we are only supposed to answer one of these questions. Once again, I will say, oh well.
Also, apparently on the day that I missed class it was decided that we are only supposed to answer one of these questions. Once again, I will say, oh well.
- How can incentives impact the dynamics of a group or community?
First off, I think that incentives always impact the dynamics of a group or community. If there is some incentive, people will think about what will be the most beneficial for themselves. For example, let's say there is a competition, whoever gets the highest grade in this class will earn a full ride scholarship for the next year. Would you be more willing to help people out? If there was not a chance that you could obtain that incentive, you might be more willing to help out your friends to help them reach that goal, but if you had the chance to win that incentive yourself, I doubt many of us would be helping out our competition.
The opposite is true though, if we were told that if everyone in class got an A, we would all receive a full ride scholarship, wouldn't you believe that we would all work together? I would be all over these blog posts correcting grammar and giving ideas so that we were all successful in the end.
- What are some the costs and benefits of group participation (compare that to individual action)?
Oh gosh group projects. Can I bring up group projects here? Please forgive me as I get up on a soapbox here. Groups have the potential to do so much good. The concept of being able to work together with other people to create things and come up with ideas that one person couldn't come up with on their own sounds wonderful. That would be the benefit, doing things that one person cannot do on their own either because they haven't come up with the idea or they cannot complete the idea on their own.
Quite often though, I've encountered the major cost of group participation, not being able to finish that idea due to someone in the group who doesn't do their work. I am not the kind of person who waits until the last minute to put something together, but in college I've come across so many people who believe that there is nothing wrong with putting off projects until the last minute.
In my Comms 230 class my freshman year, the end of the year was rapidly approaching along with the deadline for our final project. I asked for everyone to submit their portion of the project by Saturday night so that I could put our entire book together by Tuesday morning. I received the last piece of that project on Monday night at 1:30 AM. My group brought me donuts the next day because they felt bad. All of them slept that night, but the group participation forced me to take a hit for the team. Honestly, I could have done better on that project but by 5 AM I just didn't care anymore. That is my main hang up with group work. People put things off, and then it hurts another person in the group in the end.
Okay, that's it. End soapbox rant.
- What are the effects of consensus in a group?
Communication! If there isn't a consensus in a group, I feel that it can dramatically decrease successful communication between group members. If people are not able to agree on the details of what the group should be doing it will make it more difficult for things to get done and will create tension in the group. In one class that I took my group decided to not agree on when to meet to complete a group project. When they finally did decide on a time to meet, they chose to meet while I was at work and would not change the time no matter what I said. We did not do that well on that project due to that poor decision. Which goes back to my idea that sometimes waiting until the last minute to do a project is not a good idea.
- Is it better to be apart of a large group/community or a small group/community?
Well, it depends on what group you are talking about. I love having a large group of friends. I used to have a group of about 20 people that I always would hang out with. This large community meant that someone was always there for me and I was always there for someone. I loved that community. However, if we are still talking about group workings, I think a smaller group is better. If you are trying to assign tasks for people to accomplish in a group, it is more difficult to work in a larger group or community. It's easier to keep track of only a few people.
I guess I would summarize that statement by saying that large groups or communities are best for making sure that everyone has a connection to the group while smaller groups provide a tighter group that is better for making sure that things get done.
- How do social pressures effect the dynamics of a group?
This question is so broad that I don't even know how to begin to answer it. Social pressures influence everything about how groups interact. It's unlikely that one person will push against the social pressures of the world, it is more likely that a group of people will fight against those established social pressures and establish their own group with new social pressures.
Really though, how am I supposed to summarize that? Social pressures are EVERYTHING. They keep groups working smoothly.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Time for Some Q and A
As I write this I am so sick that the computer screen is bouncing around, the room is spinning, and I'm running a fever so who knows if this will even make any sense, but here we go, my answers:
Why would cooperation between a business and their customers be so important?
If a business doesn't listen to their customers, then eventually they will go out of business.
How can you promote cooperation on social media?
Keep a discussion going. If you know what both sides want then cooperation can be accomplished much easier.
When should a person cooperate and when should they be selfish?
If the demands of another person are so very selfish themselves or extremely detremental to the other party then maybe selfishness will be okay.
How does the Prisoners' Dilemma apply to the social media world?
If someone stays silent on social media, such as a a business, and their competitors stay silent too then I guess they both benefit from less exposure instead of one of them constantly promoting and taking the business away from the other company, but if both are active in the social media world as in both of them confess, then people can easily ignore both.
Should a Facebook friend keep providing favors to another friend who never reciprocates?
Yes, because it's the nice thing to do, and I'm assuming that if you are using the word friend in this case it's because you actually are friends in real life and not just friends because you do things for each other.
If a business doesn't listen to their customers, then eventually they will go out of business.
How can you promote cooperation on social media?
Keep a discussion going. If you know what both sides want then cooperation can be accomplished much easier.
When should a person cooperate and when should they be selfish?
If the demands of another person are so very selfish themselves or extremely detremental to the other party then maybe selfishness will be okay.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Wester-what?
If you take a look at the social media channels for Westercon 67, it looks more like they are currently promoting Westeryawn. The posts are uninteresting and only show limited interaction because they are so dull. Who would want to interact with plain text posts on Facebook that don't say anything that interesting? I wouldn't.
I propose that before we start trying to expand Westercon's network, we need to overhaul their content. It doesn't matter if we contact a ton of people and try and get them to interact with the current postings, we will not be successful. We need to rebrand Westercon first by having them understand who their customers are.
I believe that the people that would enjoy Westercon could be divided into a few distinct groups:
1. Those who are current fantasy, sci-fi, or horror writers.
2. Those who are interested in becoming fantasy, sci-fi, or horror writers.
3. Lastly, the segment that I believe has been wrongfully ignored, FANS.
We need content that appeals to all three groups in order to start driving more people to the event, but however, my post is not supposed to be on how to build content that would bring these people to the Westercon page, it needs to be on expanding their current network.
In all the posts that I've read about Westercon, they hardly mention who will be at the event or what will be happening. That is a horrible thing to do. People are not going to go to an event if there's nothing to be excited about, so the first channels that should be used to reach out to people need to be the central pieces, the main attraction, the popular writers that are going to be appearing and speaking at Westercon. These authors are the heart of the network. People follow these authors and would probably pay to see them and talk to them, if they knew that they were even going to be at Westercon.
Think about this for a second, Christopher Paolini, the author of the very successful Eragon books came to Provo a couple of years ago. I, along with hundreds of other people, lined up outside of the Provo library to hear him talk about writing the books, and then had our books signed. This event was only promoted a couple of weeks before it actually happened, and it sold out. This is just for one author in Provo, UT. Why can't Westercon be the same way? It can be, if we can get the authors on board with publicizing the event.
Authors need to start mentioning now that they are going to be at Westercon. If they are presenting, they need to mention what they will be talking about and what day they are going to be there. For now, once every two weeks should be good with posts increasing as the date grows closer. We don't want to overwhelm people with posts as they might get annoyed, we want to spread awareness, not drive people away. It really depends on the author as to where they will post. Are they active on Twitter? They should post there. Do they have a million Tumblr followers? That should be the best platform. The main headliner, Christopher J. Garcia, has almost 800 followers on Twitter and has tweeted almost 15,000 times. He should be mentioning Westercon at least once a week now that we are six months away from the event.
As I said before, I think that Westercon's idea of being a professional conference is hurting their attendance. If they want to interact with the younger generation, they need to be more open and accepting of people who don't see themselves as writers yet, but just as a fan. This is a key segment to helping build up the convention's attendance while also accomplishing the goal of hooking a younger audience, after all, all writers most likely start out as a fan.
To reach these fans, we need to utilize current media channels on Facebook and Twitter to help diversify the network. Take the BYU Doctor Who Club, on Facebook, they have 357 members and might be interested in fantasy or sci-fi writers. Their Facebook page is very active with posts about everything Doctor Who, but if they would be willing to discuss something that isn't related to the show, they might be a good local market to utilize. I do not think that they would be willing to post super often however unless they could come up with a tie-in to the show.
I think that these two ideas are a good place to start as they will help us build customer relationships by reaching a number of different segments of our market. Overall, utilizing these networks will help us create a more centralized and connected network that will strengthen Westercon's relationship with its target market.
I propose that before we start trying to expand Westercon's network, we need to overhaul their content. It doesn't matter if we contact a ton of people and try and get them to interact with the current postings, we will not be successful. We need to rebrand Westercon first by having them understand who their customers are.
I believe that the people that would enjoy Westercon could be divided into a few distinct groups:
1. Those who are current fantasy, sci-fi, or horror writers.
2. Those who are interested in becoming fantasy, sci-fi, or horror writers.
3. Lastly, the segment that I believe has been wrongfully ignored, FANS.
We need content that appeals to all three groups in order to start driving more people to the event, but however, my post is not supposed to be on how to build content that would bring these people to the Westercon page, it needs to be on expanding their current network.
In all the posts that I've read about Westercon, they hardly mention who will be at the event or what will be happening. That is a horrible thing to do. People are not going to go to an event if there's nothing to be excited about, so the first channels that should be used to reach out to people need to be the central pieces, the main attraction, the popular writers that are going to be appearing and speaking at Westercon. These authors are the heart of the network. People follow these authors and would probably pay to see them and talk to them, if they knew that they were even going to be at Westercon.
Think about this for a second, Christopher Paolini, the author of the very successful Eragon books came to Provo a couple of years ago. I, along with hundreds of other people, lined up outside of the Provo library to hear him talk about writing the books, and then had our books signed. This event was only promoted a couple of weeks before it actually happened, and it sold out. This is just for one author in Provo, UT. Why can't Westercon be the same way? It can be, if we can get the authors on board with publicizing the event.
Authors need to start mentioning now that they are going to be at Westercon. If they are presenting, they need to mention what they will be talking about and what day they are going to be there. For now, once every two weeks should be good with posts increasing as the date grows closer. We don't want to overwhelm people with posts as they might get annoyed, we want to spread awareness, not drive people away. It really depends on the author as to where they will post. Are they active on Twitter? They should post there. Do they have a million Tumblr followers? That should be the best platform. The main headliner, Christopher J. Garcia, has almost 800 followers on Twitter and has tweeted almost 15,000 times. He should be mentioning Westercon at least once a week now that we are six months away from the event.
As I said before, I think that Westercon's idea of being a professional conference is hurting their attendance. If they want to interact with the younger generation, they need to be more open and accepting of people who don't see themselves as writers yet, but just as a fan. This is a key segment to helping build up the convention's attendance while also accomplishing the goal of hooking a younger audience, after all, all writers most likely start out as a fan.
To reach these fans, we need to utilize current media channels on Facebook and Twitter to help diversify the network. Take the BYU Doctor Who Club, on Facebook, they have 357 members and might be interested in fantasy or sci-fi writers. Their Facebook page is very active with posts about everything Doctor Who, but if they would be willing to discuss something that isn't related to the show, they might be a good local market to utilize. I do not think that they would be willing to post super often however unless they could come up with a tie-in to the show.
I think that these two ideas are a good place to start as they will help us build customer relationships by reaching a number of different segments of our market. Overall, utilizing these networks will help us create a more centralized and connected network that will strengthen Westercon's relationship with its target market.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Your Computer is Not a Mirror
Your online self is not your true self, it's just a small piece of yourself. Actually being your true self online in today's world is more dangerous than it would seem at first. The reading discusses the story of Stacy Snyder, a student teacher who posted pictures of her drinking online. She was subsequently fired from her job because of those pictures. Stacy's story serves as a warning to all of us, be careful of what you post online because you do not know who is looking.
However, most people today know that anyone can see what you post online, so there is a continuing trend towards regulating and building an online persona so that instead of your true self, just your online self, your best self is showing. The study that we read this week says that people with low self esteem often build up their online profiles so that they feel better about themselves which continues to tie in with the idea that only your best self is on display.
I decided to do an experiment to see if I change myself online and build this better version of myself. Honestly, before I even start to see if I do this, I'm pretty sure that I do.
This is my Twitter profile:
These two social media outlets show that there is some thought that goes into how I portray myself online. Facebook is for everyone and so I try to seem like a normal person. Who knows who will come across my page. Twitter is for the real me, but is that really safe? Can I really keep people from seeing those tweets by making my account private?
Sometimes I pull the webcam up on my computer and use it as a mirror, but even then the quality of the picture is not as clear as it would be if I looked in a real mirror. Social media online is like the webcam, it portrays a poor quality reflection of who you really are. Your computer is not a mirror, and yet we all think that it can be used that way.
However, most people today know that anyone can see what you post online, so there is a continuing trend towards regulating and building an online persona so that instead of your true self, just your online self, your best self is showing. The study that we read this week says that people with low self esteem often build up their online profiles so that they feel better about themselves which continues to tie in with the idea that only your best self is on display.
I decided to do an experiment to see if I change myself online and build this better version of myself. Honestly, before I even start to see if I do this, I'm pretty sure that I do.
This is my Twitter profile:
I only interact with my good friends on Twitter, and do you see that lock next to my name? I keep my Twitter private. No one can retweet me and I monitor who can see my 140 character rants.
Honestly, I do a fair share of ranting on Twitter. I feel that I can be more of myself because I can regulate who sees what I post. I sound much more like myself on Twitter than on any other social media outlets that I have.
This is how I sound to my friends. Slightly crazy? Yes, but the people that follow me on Twitter know that about me already. They know that I can be overly emotional, goofy and sometimes passionate about weird things like finding the perfect apartment.
However on Facebook with over 400 people that could look at my profile, I portray a different Emily.
Well, maybe not that different, but still, slightly different. I still appear to be my same, odd self, but there is one huge difference, I show myself to be a kind person here. The reason for my misfortune that day was because I was doing something kind and it didn't turn out. The comments all point out how nice I was to try and do something nice for Brandon.
These two social media outlets show that there is some thought that goes into how I portray myself online. Facebook is for everyone and so I try to seem like a normal person. Who knows who will come across my page. Twitter is for the real me, but is that really safe? Can I really keep people from seeing those tweets by making my account private?
Sometimes I pull the webcam up on my computer and use it as a mirror, but even then the quality of the picture is not as clear as it would be if I looked in a real mirror. Social media online is like the webcam, it portrays a poor quality reflection of who you really are. Your computer is not a mirror, and yet we all think that it can be used that way.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Broke Movie Fanatic
I love movies. While I was in high school I went and saw at least one movie each weekend. Well, if anything good was out. The summer and Christmas were the absolute best. There was always something to see and I in my younger years did not really care that I was shelling out around $11 a week to fund my obsession.
Over a year ago, I started hanging out with this cute boy who also loved movies. We saw everything together. Monday night for FHE was a movie, Tuesday was movie night, Wednesday was ward movie night, Thursday was TV night because The Office was on and I would not miss that, Friday was date night which involved going to the movies and then it was the weekend which involved more movies.
Then, I got engaged.
I've been told that it's important to have some sort of outlet, and unfortunately I picked a rather expensive outlet. The summer passed and I only saw a couple of movies that came out because my family took me to see them. Gone were the days of jumping in my car and frivolously spending money on days out with my friends. Gone were the days where my fiancé and I would splurge to make sure that we were caught up on the latest and greatest films. Christmas and my wedding came and I watched my list of movies that I wanted to see grow longer and longer, but married life leaves little money for movies.
What can a couple of poor married college students do to keep funding their obsession? Thankfully, new technology has helped cut the cost of watching movies with a little patience of course.
When I was little, my mom would take me to Blockbuster on Friday nights to pick up movies to watch during the weekend. I can remember wandering the shelves and finding VHS tapes to bring over to my mom who was always looking at all of the boring adult movies. As I grew older, I'd head straight to the new release section where I'd catch up on the movies that my family didn't go see, and finally I reached high school where I was allowed to go see movies all by myself.
Now as a true adult, I've had to come up with another way to watch my movies and that answer has come due to the miracle that is Redbox. I love Redbox. Now I can run a block or two to find recently released movies that I've been dying to see for months. This technology has completely changed my life, and it has changed the movie industry as well.
According to McLuhan's Tetrad, new technology has four impacts on society. It enhances, obsolesces, retrieves, and reverses. In the case of the introduction of Redbox, it has enhanced my ability to see movies. Yes, I do have to wait to see movies until they come out, but when they do come out those movies are just a short walk away from my apartment and just over a dollar, and sometimes free, to rent. For a broke college student, that has enhanced my movie obsession just as it has enhanced the ability for many other people to see movies because it is now less expensive and with so many kiosks, easier to access.
However, the days that I would spend wandering Blockbuster are now over. Redbox, with a little help from Netflix, destroyed the idea of the traditional video rental store. Two of the largest video rental stores, Hollywood Video and Blockbuster are both officially out of business as of the end of 2013. These stores have been completely obsolesced by the introduction of a cheaper alternative.
Now that I among many other people wait to watch movies once they come out on DVD because they are so much cheaper, one type of business is starting to become more relevant again, the dollar theater. There wasn't a reason to go to the dollar theater before I stopped going to the theaters and paying full price because I had already seen everything. The dollar theater was for repeat watches, that's it. Now that theater has been retrieved because it offers the inexpensive prices that Redbox offers along with the theater experience. If I go to the movies now, it's the dollar theater. Thank goodness for that dollar theater or else I would never be able to see Gravity in 3D for $4.
Lastly when pushed to the extreme, Redbox becomes those old video rental stores. If you keep a movie longer than 24 hours, charges begin to add up. A three day rental at Blockbuster was around the same price as a three day rental at Redbox. You still have to return your movie at a specific time to avoid those overcharges, but if you think about it, Redbox is Blockbuster with a smaller selection and a much, much smaller staff.
Even though waiting for movies to come out on DVD is tough, I still adore Redbox. Thanks to them, I can still be a movie fanatic during these financially tight times.
Sometimes the movies were not that great...
Over a year ago, I started hanging out with this cute boy who also loved movies. We saw everything together. Monday night for FHE was a movie, Tuesday was movie night, Wednesday was ward movie night, Thursday was TV night because The Office was on and I would not miss that, Friday was date night which involved going to the movies and then it was the weekend which involved more movies.
Then, I got engaged.
I've been told that it's important to have some sort of outlet, and unfortunately I picked a rather expensive outlet. The summer passed and I only saw a couple of movies that came out because my family took me to see them. Gone were the days of jumping in my car and frivolously spending money on days out with my friends. Gone were the days where my fiancé and I would splurge to make sure that we were caught up on the latest and greatest films. Christmas and my wedding came and I watched my list of movies that I wanted to see grow longer and longer, but married life leaves little money for movies.
What can a couple of poor married college students do to keep funding their obsession? Thankfully, new technology has helped cut the cost of watching movies with a little patience of course.
When I was little, my mom would take me to Blockbuster on Friday nights to pick up movies to watch during the weekend. I can remember wandering the shelves and finding VHS tapes to bring over to my mom who was always looking at all of the boring adult movies. As I grew older, I'd head straight to the new release section where I'd catch up on the movies that my family didn't go see, and finally I reached high school where I was allowed to go see movies all by myself.
Now as a true adult, I've had to come up with another way to watch my movies and that answer has come due to the miracle that is Redbox. I love Redbox. Now I can run a block or two to find recently released movies that I've been dying to see for months. This technology has completely changed my life, and it has changed the movie industry as well.
According to McLuhan's Tetrad, new technology has four impacts on society. It enhances, obsolesces, retrieves, and reverses. In the case of the introduction of Redbox, it has enhanced my ability to see movies. Yes, I do have to wait to see movies until they come out, but when they do come out those movies are just a short walk away from my apartment and just over a dollar, and sometimes free, to rent. For a broke college student, that has enhanced my movie obsession just as it has enhanced the ability for many other people to see movies because it is now less expensive and with so many kiosks, easier to access.
However, the days that I would spend wandering Blockbuster are now over. Redbox, with a little help from Netflix, destroyed the idea of the traditional video rental store. Two of the largest video rental stores, Hollywood Video and Blockbuster are both officially out of business as of the end of 2013. These stores have been completely obsolesced by the introduction of a cheaper alternative.
Now that I among many other people wait to watch movies once they come out on DVD because they are so much cheaper, one type of business is starting to become more relevant again, the dollar theater. There wasn't a reason to go to the dollar theater before I stopped going to the theaters and paying full price because I had already seen everything. The dollar theater was for repeat watches, that's it. Now that theater has been retrieved because it offers the inexpensive prices that Redbox offers along with the theater experience. If I go to the movies now, it's the dollar theater. Thank goodness for that dollar theater or else I would never be able to see Gravity in 3D for $4.
Lastly when pushed to the extreme, Redbox becomes those old video rental stores. If you keep a movie longer than 24 hours, charges begin to add up. A three day rental at Blockbuster was around the same price as a three day rental at Redbox. You still have to return your movie at a specific time to avoid those overcharges, but if you think about it, Redbox is Blockbuster with a smaller selection and a much, much smaller staff.
Even though waiting for movies to come out on DVD is tough, I still adore Redbox. Thanks to them, I can still be a movie fanatic during these financially tight times.
Monday, January 13, 2014
On Again Off Again Friendship
During junior high school, everyone I knew had at least one on again off again friend. That one person where they are BFFs one minute and the next second they can't stand each other. Now that I am an adult I've encountered a different kind of on again off again friend, the kind of friendship that is on only when the internet is on.
There's been plenty of debate whether or not online friendships and ties are just as strong as real life ties and there's been even more debate that the internet is taking away from our real world ties. Sometimes, it does seem like this is true.
It seems that the internet might possibly be a distraction from the relationships and people around us and sometimes that is true. My friends made fun of me so much for the above picture, but for the most part, at least in my life, social media has been the most important way for me to keep social ties strong, and yes, most of that social interaction occurs online, and yet, these people that I interact with only online are some of my best friends.
The article states that the internet is not a separate reality.
Let me say that again, THE INTERNET IS NOT A SEPARATE REALITY.
No matter how many studies are done on the internet and its influence on people and relationships, I feel that there's this disconnect where people believe that those people you only interact with online have a significantly different relationship with you than the people that you talk to in real life.
I say, that's ridiculous. The people that I am closest to do not live anywhere near here. My best friends are all over the world right now and most of our interactions occur online. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time that I hung out in person with my best friends, but they are still the people that I am closest to even though I haven't seen them in person for at least three years.
Don't believe me? Let's dive into my Facebook.
Do you see how many friends that I have?
There's been plenty of debate whether or not online friendships and ties are just as strong as real life ties and there's been even more debate that the internet is taking away from our real world ties. Sometimes, it does seem like this is true.
Me heading to prom, on my phone instead of interacting with people.
The article states that the internet is not a separate reality.
Let me say that again, THE INTERNET IS NOT A SEPARATE REALITY.
No matter how many studies are done on the internet and its influence on people and relationships, I feel that there's this disconnect where people believe that those people you only interact with online have a significantly different relationship with you than the people that you talk to in real life.
I say, that's ridiculous. The people that I am closest to do not live anywhere near here. My best friends are all over the world right now and most of our interactions occur online. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time that I hung out in person with my best friends, but they are still the people that I am closest to even though I haven't seen them in person for at least three years.
Don't believe me? Let's dive into my Facebook.
I know a lot of people. Now let's analyze some of these people, the top nine people that come up on my Facebook page. One of them is my husband, two of them are directly related to me and the other six are friends. One of them was my high school best friend and roommate up at school and the other five are best friends from high school that I've barely seen since I graduated three years ago. If Facebook is going to choose these people as a sample of my friends, why would it pick people that I haven't seen in years?
Because of this group:
One of my friends created this group for the specific reason for us to stay in touch even though we were heading all over the world to go to school. We tell each other EVERYTHING here. As the article says, the way for strong internet ties to exist is for those ties to somewhat resemble ties that we have with people in person, they are "frequent, companionable contact and are voluntary." My relationship with my friends online definitely follows that pattern. Sometimes I would contact everyone as a group and sometimes just by using private messages, but either way, we keep in touch so that when this happened:
I had a moment like this:
I haven't seen these girls in person for years, but through plenty of online conversation and planning, the six girls that I was closest to in high school managed to be there for my wedding. My answer the question posed by the reading, are strong, intimate ties possible online is an emphatic, YES. I was so excited to see these girls even though I haven't spent time with them in years and we have all changed so much.
Of course, this is just my experience with internet ties with people that I had previously established a relationship with. I might be just a little biased in that respect, so the article brings up another good point, can these weak ties be useful and are they reciprocated? The article mentions that "some analysts have suggested that the greater the social and physical distance between the support seeker and provider, the less likely that the reciprocity will take place." Later the article says that, "nevertheless, many Net members do reciprocate support even to weak ties." It seems that the author is still not quite sure whether or not the norm is for people to help these weak ties or not. In my own personal experience, I'd say that these ties are actually supported and sometimes in amazing ways.
One of my friends posted this on Facebook and my heart hurt for this family that lost their daughter during what is usually such a happy season. I told my friends about it even though I did not know the family, and 48 hours after the original fund had been set up, the goal of $10,000 was surpassed. The latest total shows that over $60,000 has been raised to help this family.
The number of backers is astounding and the number of comments that read something like this are even more astonishing:
People who don't know this family reached out, donated, and left comments for them during this difficult time. This fund was not widely advertised, it was spread around on Facebook and by word of mouth. People did not know who they were helping they just knew that a friend of a friend was hurting and they could help. These weak ties became a little stronger and I know that this family was in the thoughts and prayers of many people that they didn't even know.
How can you see things like that and not think that the internet has brought people together and built a stronger and more connected social network? These ties do not magically disappear when the computer is turned off just like real friendship still exists while people are apart. The internet is the builder of social ties, weak and strong, not a creator of on again off again friendships like those that exist in junior high.
Sometimes you can't even replicate those unique internet experiences in real life. I'll bet you've never had a moment like this have you? I'm sure glad I did.
The caption on Facebook reads, "I can't believe I brought a duck to our Google+ hangout..."
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