Social Media

Busting at the seams of my earphones: Amsterdam - Imagine Dragons.

I just got back from the awesome city of San Francisco! The PRSSA National Conference was amazing, and the speakers chosen for the event were crazy knowledgeable and "living legends."

There was a lot of talk about social media. Mostly about how it is effecting and can effect public relations. There was one speaker, Social Media Manager of Disneyland Resort Matt Prince, who spoke about branding. Brand You - The Secrets of Personal Branding was about syncing all your social media tools into one personality - yours - so that you can promote yourself to the world around you.

I took a lot of good tips from the speech, but it also brought up questions. Should my employer be able to view my social media sites? Is it rude to deny a request from a boss? Does social media break down the wall of laws that keep personal interests, like religion and politics, from the work space? 

I realize some professions allow employees to keep social media out of their work lives pretty easily. But for my major, which is public relations, I'll be using Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and so much more (especially as our technological world advances) in my day-to-day work life. Tweeting, hash tagging, posting things about my business will link my business posts back to my personal sites. Some people make separate pages. One page for business. One page for personal. C'mon...no one is dumb enough to not Google or Bing you. We live in the most creepy, stalker-like online world. People will find you. So, what do we do now that the businesses we work for or will work for are creeping on us? 

1. My personal take on all of this is that you should conduct yourself in any part of your life, social media included, the way you would want to be portrayed. Stick true to who you are. Think about how you want to be viewed. Do you want to be taken seriously or professionally? Do you want to stay simply kind? Maybe you want to be comedic, political or religious. Personally, I like to just be me and take it a day at a time. It's simple, though, don't post something if it gives you an identity you don't want to be associated with. 

2. No one wants to see your grilled cheese sandwich or the face that just ate the grilled cheese sandwich. Be cautious of the content you're posting. Do not post content that brings you down. News flash: posting pictures of your grilled cheese dumbs you down. Refer back to number one. If you want to be viewed as someone who has all the new grilled cheese recipes, then by all means post that cheesy goodness. If you don't, then rethink using Instagram for only the lunch menu. I don't know if some people have figured this out yet, but what we're posting has the potential to be viewed by the WORLD. So, post things that are interesting, life-changing, inquisitive, compelling, educational, hilarious and engaging. So, if and when the time comes that a professional views your profile, they will take you seriously and consider you to be a genuine person. 

3. This one goes out to the boss or HR person looking up their employees or future interns just to be creepy. Congrats, you're human. We all do it! Especially my generation (millennials) who grew up in technology. All I ask is that you consider the humanity of the people you're creepin' on. Yes, we should all be genuine and cautious with our social media, but that doesn't mean it's all going to be pretty. I strongly think if you're a person who looks at a colleague's profile page, then you should keep in mind that you're entering their personal life. Don't let social media pages influence business transactions. Businesses should value their employees based on education, experience, etc. (the good ole resume) not based on their current Facebook status'. 

So, be genuine, be cautious with your content, and if you're the creeping boss, don't judge someone in the office based on the status you read the night before. 

Back to San Fran! The food was awesome. I have bland taste buds, but I opened up to Indian food. I actually liked it! I didn't make it down to the Hate area, but I did some touristy things. I saw the Bay area and visited the Fisherman's Wharf. There was a lot going on at PRSSA National Conference. My favorite speaker was Co-founder of Twitter Biz Stone. Very inspirational. Stone gave the advice to only put time and devotion into the things you're emotionally tied to. LOVE that. People, do things you love doing! That way it's not work, haha.

Thanks for reading, you guys! 

Love, knowledge, character - Mix well. Apply liberally. 

Update!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. I guess I got busy with finals and trying to find a job. Good news... I did both, haha. My semester is over, and I am the public relations intern for Norman Arts Council. I've only been there for about a week, and I'm just getting familiar with everything. I really enjoy it though! The people are cool. The work is productive. The art is awesome. In a bundle, I'm really glad I found the job!

I was at dinner with three friends. One of my friends mentioned her workplace, NAC, could use a PR intern. I went by the next day, and I talked to the associate director about what they needed and what I was looking for. Hey, it was a match! A week prior to all this, I had an interview with another non-profit organization in OKC. I actually had to turn down the job with them to take the job with NAC. Not that I'm some wanted intern, but it was nice to feel wanted.

Lately, I've been wondering about what I'm going to do after graduation. I know I want to be in California, but having no idea of what my first "real world" PR job will be creates uncertainty, which I don't always do well with because I'm a very planned person. But finding my internship with NAC gives me something to do, helps me begin my real experience and gives me some direction.

Life is a gamble. I'm just taking it day by day, more like semester by semester, and I've decided to always have purpose in my decisions. I have until December 2013 to graduate. Although I can't wait to graduate, I'm going to enjoy and take advantage of my time left at OU.

Anyway, that's what is going on with me. I will try my best to post soon!

: )

Looking Into My Future...

So, I'm a public relations major and minor in enterprise studies. I'd love to follow PR into an exciting field or company for a good, few years, but something that is a dream in the back of my mind is to own a wedding & event venue. I frequently keep up with wedding blogs like SMP, and I've worked at two venues with really different creative atmospheres. Today, I fell in love with this beautiful, luxury camping venue!

It's the sweetest, yet massive piece of land with wonderful sights to see. I love the open spaces and the simplistic decorations. It all makes a wedding day less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone involved. Plus, it is a bonus to get away for a weekend! 

If I own a venue one day, I'd like something similar to this concept. A place so free makes the wedding party and guests feel secluded, away from civilization. Give me wide-open spaces in a grand setting with somewhere to put a ceremony and dance floor and I'll give you a celebration! 

The best part of owning a venue is meeting different types of people in such a joyous time in their lives. You get to help nurture, inspire, encourage and support moments that will last a lifetime. I truly would be working my dream job waking up everyday to be apart of such kinds of fun! Who knows when this will happen for me, but I believe hard work and passion won't let this dream slip from my hands. 

The New Normal

My History of Journalism class has been talking about the KKK for the past few weeks. The learning part of it is to be aware of how crucial journalism was in bringing down the klansmen. Even though I've been learning, I can't get over how cruel the American South once was and to a large degree still is!

Below I have provided a link. Once you click on it, you will see a map of the U.S. The number inside each state represents the number of hate groups in each state. Texas has 45 and Wyoming has 2. While California has a whopping 84. Click on a state, then scroll down to see a list of the hate groups and see who they hate. Also, click on the hate group titles to see what they do and what they believe. 

If you're like me, then you'll be very surprised and outraged at all the hate!

Go here. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map

Really?! Really people?! From Anti-Gay, Racist Skinhead, Holocaust Denial, to General Hate! All this hate renders me speechless....yeah, right! Just the opposite! 

When will people realize that we're all people just trying to get from one place in life to the next? I know people have strong beliefs and inflexible ideas, but should those drive a person to kill or wish harm on another person? 

Klansmen killed men in the streets simply because they were black men. Laws have been passed to keep same sex marriages from legitimacy. People have been beaten because of their religion. All of this is ridiculous! You guys, we all have beliefs, but don't stop someone else from having their own beliefs or for simply being born a certain way. Nothing pisses me off more when someone, who lives a healthy, worry-free lifestyle, discriminates someone else who is already under other discriminations from other people of hate.

There is one simple thing we can all do to make a positive change. ACCEPTANCE. Accept that there are people that are different from you. Religion, race, sexual orientation, the list goes on. Isn't the beautiful thing that we are all different? Live your life with purpose and be a positive influence for others by accepting the differences in the people around you. If you can take it a step further, then STAND UP for the oppressed when you see discrimination taking place, whether in a small way or a grand way. How about one step even further? Extend unconditional LOVE to people in your daily life. Be the example that people of hate need to see. 

Accept. Stand up. Extend the love. 

Together, we can make this the new normal. 

Buried Treasure

This weekend me, my sister's, their husbands and my parents cleaned out the WHOLE house! You know all the drawers, attics, closets, etc. that store all the pointless, forgotten stuff? Yeah, we cleaned it all. My dad started a new job in Midland, Texas, and my parents needed us to help clean/pack up the house. My almost 2-year-old niece wasn't much help, but she sure did make a cute reason to take a break! : )

Going through the house, we found some great stuff! A lot of it from the early days of my parent's marriage. It made me think about how their 33 years of marriage began. Mom and Dad were married at the age of 19! Here's some pics of their sweet wedding invites:

Honestly, it would scare the crap out of me to be married that young, but they made it work! My dad went to OU, worked, then received his degree and first job. Mom worked and helped support my dad through his degree, and she kept to her passions at the same time.

 My dad as a senior at OU. His year book and textbooks. Boomer! Sooner! 

 My mom made custom stain glass pieces. This one she made soon after her and dad got married. 

It's a testament of their love that they chose to begin and build their lives together from the start. Isn't that how it should be? Sharing our lives, good and bad, with the people we love. That's what I want. I think it's best when people fall in love with their best friend. I know my parents did. : ) 

Fresh Flowers

So, today is rainy and muggy outside, but that doesn't mean you have to imitate that into your attitude. I made a stop at Birdie's floral shop on campus corner to gather some fresh flowers to brighten my day! 

Lately, I've really recognized my own ability to turn a bland experience into something purposeful. Tough situations happen, yet it is up to us to take them in to strengthen our characters and be the better person.

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."
- Mother Teresa

First Post!

Hey everyone! If you don't know me I'm a junior at The University of Oklahoma studying public relations and minoring in enterprise studies. I work at a wedding & event venue cause I'm a romantic nerd, ha. Other than the typical introduction, I love life, my friends and family are the best, I believe you should take your passions and make them your everyday work and inspire people to be their best. Cheesy. I know, ha.

I'm starting this blog because I've always wanted to keep a blog, but I don't know how often I'll be posting. I'm sure the content and subjects will be constantly changing. I've got plenty of opinions. I may be in a good mood one day, a brash mood the next, then an ecstatic mood the third day. That's life though, right? Although, I am very excited I'm finally doing this! I want to share so many things! If you want to leave a funny/honest/supportive/cool comment, then go for it. I'd love to hear feedback!

Okay, it's Sunday night approaching 1 a.m. this means I'm off to watch Chelsea Lately reruns and work on my Temple Run high score. G'night!