This is a course blog for an upper-level class on Social Media and Public Relations taught at St. Edward's University. In this course, we explore emerging social media technologies and study their applications in contemporary PR practice.
St. Edward's University requires all Communications majors to have an internship before they can graduate. Last semester was my first attempt at making a resume, writing a cover letter, and searching for the internship that would be best for me. I did not really know how to go about doing any of those things except to search the internet for advice. I only applied for one internship and was unfortunately not called back. As I continue my search for an internship in the Spring 2009, I continue to seek advice. If anyone has any pointers for resume does and don'ts, cover letter writing, interview scores and flops, I am interested in hearing them all. I found an article, How to Avoid Common Resume Mistakes from wikihow.com. For those of us still "out of the loop" I hope this helps.
While scanning delicious.com I came across this article,The 50 Most Significant Moments of Internet History. After reading the list, I had a greater perspective of the happenings behind my computer screen and how it has affected the physical and web-based world that surrounds me. I was shocked to read that RSS was first introduced in 1997 seeing as how I had not even heard of it until September 2008 (I'm a little behind, wouldn't you say?). Go ahead and check out the list and gain some knowledge of our Internet history. Also, do not pass up the "Most Epic Fails" that follows.
When did customer service became a cost of technological advancement? This past weekend I flew with American Airlines and was very dissatisfied with their check-in process. As I strolled up to the ticket counter I was halted by the hand of an A.A. employee. With extreme attitude she asked me if I already had my boarding pass, I simply replied "No," and she ushered me outside of the ticket line to a row of kiosks. Apparently, American Airlines will have nothing to do with you until you have paid your bag fee and acquired your boarding pass through one of the kiosks. That is of course unless you are flying First Class. Also, please tell me why I have to check in through a kiosk, then get in another line to receive my luggage tags from an A.A. employee. Why couldn't the employee help me in the first place?
I love the generation in which I live and I am fortunate to have technology as such a large factor in my life, but that does not mean that I would choose to operate with machines rather than people.
The A.A. employee approached everyone after me with the same snooty attitude. That is no way to attract business or to keep business. Customer Service should not be lost in a time where machines are replacing people. Customer Service should be even stronger in that situation because of the lack of person-to-person interaction.
If it is my choice, I will not fly American Airlines in the future. I place a high importance on customer service and definitely did not receive that through their airline. I like to be comforted and assured that I am in the good hands of a good company when I am thousands of feet above ground. I like to be greeted with a smiling face and an optimistic attitude, and to depart with a sincere "thank you for flying with us today." I like receiving my in-flight instructions from a person over the intercom who will make the monotonous routine funny and interesting, rather than listen to a voice recording. I like not having to pay for the first bag I check-in. I like employees who are enthusiastic about their jobs, who want to make their company the best it can be.
Thanks to Facebook's obsession with what its users are doing at all times, I saw that one of my friends had updated her Facebook status to a YouTube link. Naturally curious, I clicked on the link and it brought me to the SNL opening skit from this past weekend. Tina Fey appeared as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton. The setting was a conference in which Palin and Clinton attacked sexism in politics.
I revisited Youtube today in hopes of viewing the clip again and it was no longer there. Instead there was a pink bar across the top of the screen stating "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NBC Universal." What? What's up with that? My next thought, "Google it." I chose to read the article NBC Zaps YouTube Uploads of SNL Skit on Sarah Palin, from Wired.com to get the scoop. Author of the article, Sarah Lai Stirland, explained that NBC demanded YouTube to take down the clip for the exact reason stated in the pink bar on the YouTube website, copyright infringement. The article mentioned that NBC had posted the clip on its' own website. That was my next destination.
Right there in the center of the page was the beyond hilarious clip. To brighten my day with some "funnies" I clicked on the video, watched the advertisement before (those advertisers, always looking for ways to trap us in) and got my good laughs in. What I saw below the clip was what brought me to blog about SNL's grandiose opener from this past weekend and the NBC Universal's response to the clip's popularity. The share tab brought up a screen that gave me numerous options. First, to email the link to a friend. Second, to Post to a Social Network. Third, to copy and paste to an email or IM. Lastly, to send the link to my NBCgroup/contact (something I do not have). It was the Second option that blew my socks off. I was amazed at the availability to post the video on every Social Network I have ever heard of. I just thought "this is so cool."
Within the three weeks of being in my Internet and Social Media for Public Relations course, my eyes have been opened to the world of connectivity. There are so many options with how we use the internet, so many inner-workings. I feel as though I was blind to the wonderment of the Internet and it's powers. Until this course I was never interested in blogging, I had never heard of Web 2.0, I had no idea that RSS even existed. Now, I am so eager to explore the world that rests behind the keys of my keyboard and the screen of my laptop.
Oh Apple, how I love you. Not only has Apple given the world the most useful multi-use phone ever created, it has put our world in our hands.Anyone who has an iPhone can access the Internet with the slide of the unlock key and a light press of the Safari button. That’s old news. Now with the App Store feature, iPhone owners can personalize their experience with their phone and the Internet on another level. As I was browsing through my App Store over the weekend something caught my eye. The App Store now contains an application called Feeds, created by Prime31 Web Design and a few other feeds pertaining to blogs. Also, there is a free application, TypePad that allows users to update their blog from their iPhones, it integrates with TypePad on their desktops, and if the users have a Twitter account, it automatically updates their Twitter alerting their friends of the recent updates. All-in-one features, who could ask for more?
Web 2.0 has created a new world within consumerism. Where will this new level of consumerism take us? As “new influencers” what effect will our choices of gadgets and applications have on Web 2.0? Due to the creation of multi-use phones such as the iPhone, the Blackberry, and the Instinct people can share their pictures and their thoughts with others at a much quicker rate than before. Oh the possibilities…
If an individual would like to have their world, their way, in the palm of their hand, the iPhone is the go-to gadget. Since having my iPhone I have gone through numerous stages of appreciation. At first my phone as something cool, then it was an obsession, my obsession grew into my phone being an extension of my body, and has now grown into an active agent of my Digital Profile.
