A Day in the Life...Social Media; Good or Bad?

July 17, 2018
A Day in the Life…

Social media is so ingrained in our lives’ that it is almost impossible to think about how we stayed connected before. I am still trying to decide if I think that is a good or bad thing.

There are so many positives and we cannot discount that. It is so convenient to stay in touch with family and friends. We can share photos and videos instantly instead of taking the film to the drugstore to be developed. If you were really lucky the one-hour service was available and it was awesome! Most of you probably do not remember that but it was really a thing! I can find out about the latest sale online and get my discount codes before purchasing. We know what is happening across the world in record time! I can pay my bills online, saving money on stamps. How can the post office stay in operation? I wonder about that often.

Here is where I struggle. I am not so sure that all of the exposure to everything is such a good thing. Perhaps I am just the kind of person that sticks her head in the sand, but I believe so much information coming in on a daily basis is a bit mind blowing. School shooters, for instance, get so much media coverage that you would have to live in a box to not know every detail of the situation. Do not get me wrong, I think it is a horrific experience and we do need to know about this to protect our children. However, do we need to have it on every television channel and every social media platform all day, every day for weeks? Most times it is the same information over and over. Could the extreme amount of exposure have any negative effects? I think so. 

What about children who see this? I know we say parents can control what their children are exposed to but is becoming more and more difficult due to the limitless modes of technology available. Some children develop anxiety over hearing about these incidents. The drills they have to do in schools can make young minds think about things they should never have to think about. There are children who have anxiety about going to school because they are afraid of the risk and that is very sad to me. School should be a safe and happy place for young people.

What about the mentally ill people that watch this over and over again and decide they want to be noticed in the same way? It is their ticket to become famous! Sometimes I think we give them so many details that they don’t even have to think very hard about how to pull this off.

Somewhere in all of this media sharing we have lost an innocence. I am not debating whether social media should stay or go. I think we all know that media is here to stay and it has some very positive benefits. However, I do think we have a responsibility to use our platforms carefully. Sensationalizing horrific incidents and over-exposure are a real concern for me. I am all in when it comes to turning off your electronic devices for dinners or social time, and getting back to some face- to- face conversation. We are raising a generation that value virtual relationships and are not even comfortable with real-life relationships. Do you think that will have any impact on society?

And that is my two cents’ worth.  Have a great day!

A Day in the Life...Let's talk summer

July 19, 2018

A Day in the Life…

Let’s talk about summer.

In my job at Ohio Northern University I work with schools and students, and just like them I do not attend school in the summer. That is not meant to say I do not work in the summer because I typically do. This summer is very different because of my surgery. It is difficult to be slowed down but I am trying every day to count my blessings and enjoy a slower pace.

In the past, I have worked with at-risk youth supervising them on job sites during the summer. I would say that most, if not all, were somehow involved with the court system and had little to no support system at home. What a frustrating and rewarding job!

I remember one summer in particular. We were working on a horse ranch. Guys were picking stalls and girls were cleaning the living quarters. My role was to teach them employable soft-skills and make sure that the owners of the ranch were happy with their performance. Believe me when I tell you that most did not have a clue how to really work. I know there were days when they wanted to walk away and never look back as I would make them repeat the same job multiple times. For them, getting close was good enough. I had to help them see that good enough was not necessarily what we were going for. And, YES, they got it by the end of the summer!

I would pick them up in the morning to take them to work. I always gave them a time I was leaving as I was trying to teach them that punctuality is important. I only left someone one time and they knew I was serious. Cussing was another issue. These kids were from the streets and I heard all kinds of colorful language that first week. I would gently remind them that swearing was not acceptable in the job place or very respectful to me. Soon, I would hear one slip and just as quickly hear an apology.

They were a special group and we grew into quite a family that summer. They grew to trust that I was on their side and they shared stories that will always stay with me. As hard as that summer was, I will cherish those memories forever. It reminded me that everyone needs someone to care. Sometimes, that is ALL we need. How often do we judge from outside appearances and assume that someone is a lost cause? We write them off without a second thought. Perhaps that person you are judging is fighting a battle we could never imagine. I have learned to not assume and I try to be kind.

At the end of that summer we took a family photo. I love that picture and wish I could share it here. However, many of them did not want their photo made public and I will respect that. I keep it for myself. I am not sure that their lives were changed forever but I do believe they were changed for that summer. I know mine was truly changed forever and I will always think of them as my kids.

Thanks for letting me share that memory…have a great day!

A Day in the Life...Let's Talk About Facebook

A Day in the Life…

Let’s talk about Facebook. I know some of us are so over it but, it is by far the largest social media platform. Facebook is all about friends, family, and fun. Facebook is also often fake as it is a snapshot of our life and we are going to make it look good. Who is going to post all negative material about their own life? We share what we want our life to be and not always about what it actually is. Facebook is also all about photos! We share photos about our friends, our family, and our fun, right? On Facebook Live you can even post videos in real-time.

Even though we almost all have a Facebook profile, companies are becoming more involved by opening Facebook pages to promote themselves as well. For businesses, encouraging interactivity is the number 1 goal of their marketing. If I like a company’s page, we now have a connection and I will see their posts on my daily feed. If I share their post, that is yet another connection for them.  

See the method to the madness?

In order for Facebook posts to create this interactivity they must have one of three things.

 1). They must create an emotional connection. You want people to click that “like” button or make a comment about how this post touches them. 

2). Utility is important. Give us some hints about how to do something new like, “the secret to giving your dog a bath without getting soaked” will catch some attention (if you own a dog anyway.) 

3). It needs to be counterintuitive- tell me how I have been doing something wrong all my life – that will catch my attention!

You want to be careful when posting on Facebook that you are not always trying to sell your stuff. Remember one of the big F’s – FUN.  You should post about 80 percent about “fun” stuff and then sneak in about 20 percent of “buy my stuff” stuff. Well, it’s not really sneaking but your audience is going to quickly tune out if all you are doing is trying to get them to purchase. They want fun, then they might remember you when they need to purchase what you are selling.

Check out Hootsuite at http://jimlinks.com/29k to get help on how to manage your social postings on Facebook as well as other social media platforms.

As always, have a great day!  

A Day in the Life...Facebook/SnapChat Mutation

 A Day in the Life…Facebook/SnapChat Mutation

I have a new appreciation of how different platforms of social media can be combined and used together effectively. I think there is one person who does this extremely well. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and she even has her own blog. You can find her live on stage as well and she uses her social media presence to promote these shows. Heather Land is an online personality that has gone viral with her “I Ain’t Doin It” posts. Her story is quite interesting and encouraging. 

Heather was a single mom of two boys when she determined that she had to be a good example and provider. She found her strength, gathered her muster, and is now a household name. Residing in Nashville, TN, Heather is a comedian, author, and singer. I like most her videos made with SnapChat that have gone viral.

Check this out…I Ain't Doin It...The Duck-Face Selfie

Heather takes truth and mixes it with some sarcasm to lighten up those everyday frustrations we all have. By using the Snapchat filter, she creates a face that is hard to look at without laughing. The huge eyes that roll when she is disgusted and that mouth that is just huge! The exaggeration of the face goes well with the exaggeration of the simple topics she discusses.  But seriously, how many of us have not had the same thoughts about duck faces?!  Come on now.

Heather is a great example of how people can use social media to change their lives. I not only respect her but can’t help to giggle every time I hear “I Ain’t Doin’ It.”  Check out her blog at https://heatherland.blog and her videos on YouTube. I hope she makes you smile too.

Have a great day.

A Day in the Life...How to Avoid Looking Clueless

A Day in the Life… How to Avoid Looking Clueless

I am not talking about looking clueless about math, science, or the stock market. Let’s talk about how to not look clueless when it comes to social media.

This was one of my favorite sections of the book.  There are so many platforms! Do I use hashtags in all of them? Do I look like I know what I am doing if I comment? Well, this chapter helps you to look like you know how to navigate social media in many forms. (h/t Guy Kawaski, Peg Fitzptrick)

101: Don’t be an Orifice (I loved this title).  If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.  Remember Bambi?!

102 Don’t Tell People What to Share - The Internet does not revolve around you. It is not your place to change opinions. If you don’t like the content of the post, don’t follow it!

103: Don’t Buy Followers.  People really do that? I guess some companies do but it doesn’t work. Just don’t!

104: Don’t Ask People to Follow You.  Would you go ask someone on the street to be your friend? It’s not cool-don’t!

105: Don’t Ask People to Share Your Post.  Come on- unless it is philanthropic in nature, just don’t!

106: Don’t Announce Your Unfollows. No one cares- get over it!

107: Don’t Ask Why People Unfollowed You.  Do you really want to advertise that you lost followers? Peoples’ interests change all the time. It is not necessarily personal.

108: Don’t Be a Pimp (another favorite). Don’t beg every day. Of course it is important to promote yourself or your product, but not every day!

109: Don’t Swear. Remember, swearing is bullshit! Hahahaha.  Pretty clever but seriously, swearing makes you sound inarticulate.

110: Don’t Call yourself a Guru or Expert.  People will know by your work if you get it or you don’t.

111: Don’t Abdicate to an Agency. So, you aren’t a guru or expert.  Experiment, practice- you got this!

112: Don’t Delegate Your Social Media to an Intern. Take your social media seriously. Work with an intern but don’t turn them loose right away.  Social media plays an important part of what you are promoting.  Don’t give it to the newbies. 

Simple, straight forward steps to help us not “look clueless” on social media.  You are on your own when  it comes to math, science, and  the stock market J Have a great day!

A Day in the Life...Peace and Chaos

A Day in the Life…

 I live out in the country because I just love the quiet and the wildlife. This year I have a mama deer and her twin babies that play in my back yard almost every morning. (It doesn’t hurt that there is a corn field right beside me where mama can eat while the babies play.) This morning was no different.  They were there when I walked to the back deck and they are just beautiful.  One is very inquisitive and tries to get closer to the house.  He or she is also the bigger one of the two.  The other one is a bit more reserved and tends to hang a little closer to mom. This particular morning, they were running like they were playing tag.  Then they would stand up on their back legs and hit their front legs together like they were playing one of those hand rythm games and then take off again.  I was amazed and could have sat there all day long!

 It was so peaceful and quiet until…the geese on the pond decided to have a turf war.  I had to walk through the row of trees to see the geese on the other side of the pond who were screeching, honking, and going crazy! A new flock had arrived and the old flock was not having it.  They squared off like something out of West Side Story(probably again showing my age.)  I assume the honking meant they were calling each other names then they would square off, drop their beaks to the ground, and run towards each other flapping their wings.  I was in awe as I sat and watched the commotion.

My peace

My chaos

There is a pair of geese that come back to the pond each year to hatch their young. This year they hatched out eight babies and they were so fun to watch growing up. I know some people hate having geese around (they are a bit dirty) but they are so amazing to watch. I believe we could learn a bit from watching them. You know, they mate for life!  I actually witnessed one goose mourning when his/her spouse was killed.  It was painful to watch, so pitiful.  It just cried and cried. 
This goose knew that she was alone forever because she lost the one she was committed to.  It just broke my heart.

  It really made me think... what if we had that kind of commitment to each other? We say we do when we get married but let’s face it, we certainly have some ways of making sure we have a way out if necessary. I am not saying there is never a time when people should divorce, (I’ve been there), but society today is so disposable that many walk away at the first real sign of trouble. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence, right? Well, sometimes it just takes some TLC to bring your own lawn back to that beautiful green. We sometimes do the same thing with friends or family.  Something comes between us and we hold on to that anger which turns into hate. Some never speak again. Is anything really worth that?

I will never forget that forlorn sound as the goose mourned her loss.  It is a reminder to me always that relationships are important and precious.  Cherish them and don’t sweat the small stuff!

A Day in the Life...Hootsuite #SOCIALROIBootcamp

A Day in the Life…

Today I joined a webinar from Hootsuite(##SocialROIBootcamp). This webinar was directed towards those that are interested in the business impact of their social media marketing. One of the first comments was concerning the social maturity it takes to truly be able to investigate this process thoroughly. I appreciated the sharing of the social maturity assessment and context map and realized right away that I was probably in over my head! Although I understood the SWOT analysis and the setting of goal sections of this webinar, I will be honest, there were points in the conversation that I got lost.

 I certainly understand the importance of understanding the impact of your social media actions on your business bottom lines. It also makes sense that this process is much easier for ecommerce businesses.  Being able to convert the business impact into dollar figures that can be analyzed is much easier for those that can study the correlation between clicks on a product and the follow through to a purchase.  The B2B and B2C businesses have a more difficult task.

I appreciate how these professionals show you how you can align your social media accounts to many business objectives.  The challenge seems to be turning your information into numerical values so that businesses can set goals that can be tangibly met.  There is also a difference in the measuring of organic and paid performance.  The organic performance is more directed toward building brand loyalty and marketing. The paid performance is more directed toward revenue and actual sales.  Understanding the difference between the two and assessing the performance of each can help a business determine where their money is giving them the best return.

As I stated earlier, some of this requires a certain level of social maturity and is the reason businesses hire professionals to do this all day long.  Hootsuite did give a shameless plug during the webinar promoting how they can do all of this for your business. They have access to data that the average company does not and they have the professionals to do the job. In case this is your field of interest, I will also give a shameless shout out to #Hootsuite (check them out on Twitter). 

And, check out my Twitter account @PenFieb as well!  Have a great day…you won’t get this one back. Make the most of it!

A Day in the Life...

While reading the required text “The Art of Social Media” (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Social-Media-Power-Users-ebook/dp/B00O4RHN8M)  I especially liked the many links provided that we were directed to for more information. Especially interesting to me was the many sites you could use to schedule and manage posts.  My department has a Facebook page that is not well managed because 1) No one has the time to stay on top of it and, 2) No one in my office truly understands the many aspects of social media. There have been discussions about how we would like to have student organization input and “fun facts” about our students displayed on the page. I am very interested in learning more about how we could connect the students. Is it possible to have students schedule posts and then have it reviewed by us before it is posted? It seems this would be a great way to get student input without giving up the reins of the page. I am wondering if the HubSpot editorial calendar would work for this process. Help, who knows?

I am also very interested in the sites that help you integrate your social media pages. Sprout Social looks great but there is a fee of $59 per month.  I do not believe a cost for social media would be approved by my department at this time. I am thinking that Friends+Me looks like something that I would like to try.  Has anyone done that and, if so, are you happy with it?

Another thing that I had not thought of before reading this book is how important it is to be a “mensch”. What a funny word! When I first read it I thought, “what a horrible name to call someone.” Then I read the definition; A kind and honorable person who does the right thing the right way.  Well, then I wanted to be a mensch! I never thought about how much it helps someone to share their information. There are many organizations and people trying to really do the right thing. I plan to share those that I really believe in. I will certainly try to be careful to not be that annoying person that shares EVERYTHING! 

I have so many ideas for our department after reading this book. I am going to be speaking with my director about the possibility of using more social media to share the many things our students are involved in.  Think I can get another title added to my position?  Like I don’t have enough to do already BUT you never know.

A Day in the Life... I would first like to introduce myself to you.

I am not only a student at ONU but I am also an employee. I work in the education department and love what I do. I work with the education students placing them in schools for their field experiences and clinicals. My official title is coordinator of partnership development which means that I work with the local schools to develop the partnerships that allow our students to have quality experiences in the field.

I also complete the background checks on campus so if you are a student that is in need of this service, you have probably met me. I typically see pharmacy, nursing, athletic training, and medical laboratory science students in addition to the education students. I enjoy the interaction with the college aged student.

Before I began my second career, here at ONU, (yes, now you know I am old), I was a dance instructor for many years. I worked with those that just enjoyed dance for recreation and I also had students go on to find careers in dance.  I have always worked with young people and feel that it helps to keep you young.  I love to stay in touch with the latest trends and young people help you do that. It is true (though you probably won’t believe me now) that you really don’t feel older on the inside as you age. Your body just keeps reminding you (over and over).

 I also enjoy staying very active. This rotator cuff surgery is slowing me down a bit and I can honestly say that I hate it.  Yes, I know hate is a very strong word and not one I use much but I do HATE the limitations of wearing a sling 24/7. I am typically not working much in the summer so it is my time to work in the yard, enjoy the water, and travel a little. Well, not this summer. So, I am taking some online classes to help me fulfill a goal that I started years ago.  I am at true believer that you never stop learning.  I no longer take dance classes but I take “classes”. I will graduate with a sociology degree in May.

Someday I will bore you with the details of my children and grandchildren (told you I was old).  They are the light of my life and give me joy every day. Even though this summer isn’t what I had planned I can’t complain. Life is good and I am blessed.

Day 1

Today is the day I begin my new journey. Meet my best friend... 
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Chloe