IM BLOGGING FROM MY PHONE!!

Ok I think this is really cool. Blogging from my cell phone?! 10 years ago the most I could have hoped to do was break my high score in snake on my moms Nokia. If that isn’t evolution on steroids I don’t know what is.

I thought our live conversation with Euan (sorry, I’m not on the hyperlink level on my phone yet) was great. Not only was the speediness of his responses impressive, but it also got me thinking about all of this technology surrounding us. Euan talks about how important it is to learn about the tools people now use to communicate. “People learn best from each other and access to the real experiences of real people is one of the most effective ways to learn” (p 32).
I think he makes a VERY important point by stressing the necessity to learn about the tools we use. I am personally very scared of the future of our society with all of the technology that surrounds us. I feel like people are not learning about the tools, and simply use them to connect with their peers. People are connecting more than ever, but on a much less intimate level. Face to face interactions can be uncomfortable, and it is common that when people do actually spend time together, they all end up on their phones on who knows what apps.
Since beginning ent195 I’ve realized how social media can be used for so much more than avoiding face to face interactions. I have been a part of a conversation with someone in another country, I’ve been able to express my thoughts and feelings to new people, and learn about what they think on similar topics. Social media CAN do great things, (like allow me to make up my late blog assignment on the bus to New York… Thanks trans bridge wifi! ) but understanding how and why to use the tools is a huge part of their success. I’m excited to read more from “Organizations don’t tweet, people do” to take in more about what Euan has to say about this.

This was too easy!!

#friend or #fan?

I’m not quite sure how I feel about who I follow on twitter yet.  I know that sounds weird, but until this semester I have pretty much only followed people I know. I used twitter to see what my friends had to say, and to share my thoughts with them. I thought twitter was an opportunity for me to be witty, and didn’t use it for much else.

For class I started another twitter- on it I follow news sites like Wall Street Journal, and Fox News. I also followed twitter accounts from my hometown like the SF Giants. I think it’s really cool to have a feed that keeps me up to date with so many different interests of mine.  It makes me wonder about the intended purpose of twitter.  Are we updating people on a personal level, or trying to reach a wider audience?

I’m not sure what I like better- following people I actually interact with, outside of social media, or being one of a million followers on a popular news page.  I also don’t know if there is a happy medium.  If I give up some of my news pages or sports pages, which ones do I have to sacrifice? Or do I have to sacrifice any at all?  I get overwhelmed when my twitter feed is too long (aka I haven’t checked it in a day or so). I want to read everyones tweets, but don’t want to check twitter every five minutes. I think I can use twitter to stay updated with sources outside of my personal circle- I just need to learn how to manage who I want to follow better. Is that okay? Or does being an active user mean I click follow on any page that seems interesting faster than I can hashtag #thissandwichrocks…

I’ve got a lot to learn!

Ok, so I am definitely not as tech savvy as I thought.  After looking at everyone’s different blogs, I am realizing how much I still have to learn about using different types of social media. I mean, Emma attached every single one of our blogs to her site! That is not only really cool that she knows how to do something like that, but also really helpful for her and her classmates. I’m still working on understanding hyperlinks over here (hopefully that one above worked).

Viewing my classmates’ blogs today has been really interesting.  Not just looking at the fun layouts, but actually taking in their thoughts and comparing them to my own. I like seeing how other people react to the same topics that I am reacting to. Kimmy actually wrote about her emotions towards using Facebook or Twitter, rather than just explaining how she uses them; whereas I just wrote about the way I use these social platforms. Every time I read someone else’s blog, I learn something new about the way others think and how they express those thoughts.  My blogging style is definitely going to be influenced by my classmates this semester, and I think that is great. I want to grow as a blogger, because whether I like it or not, social media is changing all the time and if I want to immerse myself in my culture, I have to keep up.

Twitter v. Facebook

My experiences with Facebook and Twitter have been very different.  I have always used Facebook to connect with others; to share bigger parts of my life with my personal circle of friends.  Facebook has been a place to post pictures telling a story of my family vacation, or my experiences at college while away from my home friends. I use Facebook to contact friends/family that live across the country. Whereas I have used Twitter to update people with small happenings in my life.  Things I normally would not post on Facebook.  I also use Twitter to keep up with sources that are outside of my personal circle of friends, such as celebrities or news stations. I couldn’t say I like Facebook more than Twitter, or vice versa; the two have different functions for me as a social media user. 

Both of these social platforms seem to be great for businesses.  I actually hope to learn more about how companies use social media for marketing.  Facebook is a great way to get support from a large audience- anyone can make a page marketing themselves or their products.  While Facebook seems to contact the general user, I feel like Twitter comes across in a more personal way to the viewer.  Although a company may be tweeting to millions, the person reading the tweet sees it on their own personal feed. 

I feel like I know how to use both of these platforms, but not as well as I possibly could. There are so many ways to reach a large group of people on Facebook or Twitter, not necessarily just for business purposes.  People could use Facebook and Twitter to send a message to a larger audience.  I hope that one day, when I have something I would like to share with the social media world, that I have the knowledge and tools to use Facebook/Twitter to get it out there.

entp 195 post #1

1. In response to Cathryn Sloane’s article about social media managers, I have to say that her argument lacked critical support.  Just as the rising generations are growing with social media, so is everyone else in the world.  However, while we were off learning how to use social media to post pictures from a high school outing, adults were learning how to use social media for marketing and business growth. They know how all the uses of social media, whereas teenagers know social media as something fun and not necessarily serious. To us, social media is just another part of our daily lives.

I understand this is simply her opinion yet if she wants people to take it more seriously she needs solid evidence in her article showing how generations above mine lack the ability to serve as a social media managers.  I believe that if anything, they are MORE qualified to do so. Their experiences in the “real world” can help them use social media in more efficient ways than my generation.

2. After looking over the Zoellner Facebook page, I have decided think there was a change in administration on July 9th.  I say so because of the change in content on the page that started with this post. “You” posted an interesting article that related to Zoellner ( 10 greatest pianists…) that related to the page’s viewers, yet didnt directly apply to Zoellner.  I thought this was interesting because in the past all of the posts were about events on campus.

3. I think the Zoellner Facebook page should really channel the networking options Facebook continues to develop to gain as many likes as possible.  Promoting their page in [relevant] Lehigh groups on Facebook would help reach a larger audience one could not do within their own social circle. By reaching out to groups that are within the Lehigh community on Facebook the Zoellner Facebook page would create a diverse community, which would give it more opportunity to expand.