Sandy - The Storm that Shook Seaside

Growing up my grandparents owned a second house in Long Beach Island and many of my friends resided in vacation homes at the Jersey Shore. Living only an hour away from the beach myself, I often made day trips with my boyfriend and sister. As a little girl I recall spending weekends at the beach with my family enjoying lobster dinners and watching the sun set. My friends and I would spend our days tanning on the beach and our nights roaming the boardwalk riding the roller coasters. Bike riding to the local ice cream shop was commonplace, and no trip to the beach was complete without an outdoor shower to rinse off after a dip in the ocean.

Everything changed with Hurricane Sandy. Childhood memories were erased and buildings and houses were broken and washed away with the waves. I never expected such destruction to hit so close to home. Many people lost their houses and businesses have tremendous costs in repairs laying ahead of them. Though recently the Jersey Shore has gained some scrutiny in the media due to shows like MTV’s Jersey Shore that feature “guidos,” “bump-its” and the phrase “GTL,” its true beauty is undeniable. Million-dollar beach properties look out onto ocean views and a beautiful bay. Happy children playing in the streets reflect the carefree energy that fills the air. You can’t help but fall in love with the Jersey Shore. The devastation of Sandy seems to have finally gained it the love and respect it has always deserved.

Fortunately Lehigh did not get the brunt of the storm. High winds and heavy rains led to fallen trees and an ultimate power loss across campus, but caused no serious damage. With regards to crisis communications, I felt the administration acted fast and smart. They informed students immediately that an ultimate decision about Monday and Tuesday classes would be announced at 5pm on Sunday. Then on Tuesday morning students were promptly alerted via texts, e-mail and Lehigh’s website that classes would be canceled for the remainder of the week. I was very impressed with the effective system the school employed to ensure student safety. With last year’s “Snowpocalypse” and this year’s “Frankenstorm” students and administration may want to prepare ahead of time for another episode of freak October weather in 2013!

ENT 195 campaign: BCEC

This past Thursday, Business Careers in Entertainment Club hosted its annual Student Internship Panel, As President of the club, I have previously expressed my frustration with garnering high student attendance at club events/meetings! You've heard my schpiel by now: myself and the rest of BCEC exec board spend copious amounts of time planning an event, marketing it around campus and making sure we deliver what we promise... only for a few members of the club to show up. Frustrating!!! For this month's event I invited six Lehigh students (who I know either by referral, personal relationship, etc.) with previous impressive internships in the entertainment industry, to join our panel. The companies included A&E, Spike TV, Madison Square Garden, Gilt Groupe, Universal Pictures and FOX News. I acted as the moderator of the event and prepared several questions to ask the panel:

- Where did you work this summer? What was your job title? What were your responsibilities?
- How did you get your internship (career services, family/friend connections, general application, etc.)? What techniques would you recommend to those looking for an internship (start early, update your resume, impressive interview skills, etc.)?
- Describe a typical day on the job
- What were you able to contribute at your job? Did you feel like you were an asset to your company or were you mostly running errands and getting coffee?
- What was the best/worst part of your internship?
- What were your favorite/least favorite tasks to perform?
- Did you meet any famous people in the industry?
- What important piece of advice can you give to our budding student interns to prepare them for the entertainment industry?
- What are your plans after school? Do you have jobs yet? Would you go back to the same company? Why or why not?
- What do you think the prospects are for the job market in the entertainment industry?

The event was scheduled to begin at 4:10pm, and at 4:00pm I counted a measly five members of our student audience. I had a huge knot in my stomach worrying that there would be more students on the panel than in our actual audience - terrible! But then, by some miracle chance, more and more people began to pour in. At 4:05, with a count of 15 I was perfectly pleased. Come 4:10 I almost could not believe my eyes (I even took a picture to document!) as another 10 students had filled the room. By 4:15, with a total of 45 BCEC members in attendance, we began the event. I was so thrilled and pleased at the turnout - it was our highest of any event since the club's start in 2009. It seems silly but when you put together an event through an organization that you are passionate about, you start to take it a little personally. I really believed in this event and the networking benefits for which it lent itself. Seeing other students eager to learn and help one another made me very happy.

The event ran smoothly, with all of the panelists actively participating and provding great advice/recommendations/feedback to the students. We allowed time for questions from the audience and an exchange of contact information as well. Afterward I wondered what made this event more successful than the rest, and thought about the PR/marketing strategies and techniques we had implemented. Our VP of Public Relations was in charge of submitting advertisements through the HUB, Lehigh Events Calendar, University Announcements, and Career Services Announcements. She also manages our Twitter account (although our ratio of Followers to Following is not something to be proud of!). Our VP of Marketing designed the flyers for which our exec board distributed to each of their respective locations. Beyond that we also sent mass e-mails to all BCEC members, practiced word-of-mouth marketing, and for the first time also created a Facebook event. I decided to take the idea after seeing how effective it worked for Sophia when she was promoting "Take Back the Night."
In the end I think it contributed to our spike in attendance by reaching students through a new platform.

The success of the Student Internship Panel inspired me to want to achieve that same level of success at all BCEC events moving forward. I have decide to do my ENT 195 campaign on BCEC and ways to better market it around campus, improve club awareness, increase student attendance and develop new ways to advertise. I look forward to seeing what great ideas my group and I come up with!

Vote or DIE

This morning I sent in my electoral ballot. It is the first year that I have been eligible to vote. Up until now I never became too involved with politics or controversial debates and issues because I never felt my opinion mattered. Now that I can, I’ve taken a serious interest in this year’s election following the campaigns and positions of Romney-Ryan and Obama-Biden. I’ve grown particularly passionate about the issue of abortion. A man (you my have heard of him) by the name of P.Diddy aka Puff Daddy aka Sean Combs -- ok whatever you want to call him -- started a viral campaign leading up to the Obama-Bush election taglined “Vote or Die.” At the time I thought it sounded completely ridiculous; how could I die from an election? Well, many ways actually: war, healthcare, and most pertinent to this year's election, abortion.

“Whoever is elected in November may have the rare chance to reinforce or alter the courts balance,” said Clint Bolick, author of “Two-Fer: Electing a President and a Supreme Court.” Although nobody can predict when a Supreme Court justice will retire, heading into this next presidential term, three of the nine Supreme Court justices will be entering their eighties. There is a decent chance that one of three will retire within the next four years, and an even greater chance that all three will retire by the end of the next eight years if the electee serves two terms. Whoever is elected -- Obama or Romney -- will have a huge impact on the future of the Supreme Court and the future of our country. How involved in our lives and invasive with our bodies do you feel the government should be?

            In watching last week’s vice presidential debates I became alarmed during the topic of abortion. Ryan’s views on abortion are so conservative and so strong. Biden, a Catholic himself who personally believes in the value of life and that a baby is a baby at the point of conception, still supports a woman's right to opt to have an abortion. He does not impose his personal views on the rest of the world, nor should he. Ryan, on the other hand, wants to illegalize abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother might die during child labor. Personally he would illegalize abortion in ALL of these cases. However, as far as the views of the country, he would make these last few exceptions. My belief is that in the 21st century, with all of the education and information we have, we should not be banning such advances in technology. It is a crime and a huge setback for women's rights. Abortion should not become a religious issue. Our country was NOT founded on the Bible but rather the Constitution.

            I think that students my age, particulary women, need to think long and hard about who they vote for this November. Not who their parents or there friends are voting for, but who they think as a woman has their best interests at heart. I know I am.

Organizations Don't Tweet, People Do

Euan Semple’s “Organization’s Don’t Tweet, People Do” delves into many of the topics and issues we have been covering in class. He presents a lot of interesting theories and scenarios that I can relate to my own experiences in the work force as well as in my personal/social life. Three of the chapters in the first half of the book really resonated with me.

Chapter 5: Evolution on Steroids

Semple explains how people nowadays are more likely to trust information from peers than from authorities. I could not agree more. If I want to find a good restaurant I will ask my friends or search the Internet for customer reviews. Beforehand I would read the Zagaat book or flip through the New York Times to read articles written by professional food critiques. Recently I have also resorted to crowdsourcing on Twitter as a way to get feedback and suggestions on topics such as the next bestseller I should buy! Semple asks, “How do you make the most of this shift in trust from authorities to individuals and networks?” My answer is through hearing about real experiences from real people. People tend to associate the word “authorities” with having greater knowledge and expertise than individuals and networks. This no longer holds true the more and more people share their stories, ideas, beliefs, opinions and skills.

Chapter 12: The More You Give, The More You Get

I really enjoyed this chapter because I felt I could relate to what I have witnessed at my past internships. Semple asserts that it is no longer acceptable to do merely what is asked/expected of us at work. With the vast supply of knowledge and information at our fingertips, we should all be bringing our A-Game to work. This might include questioning the norm and presenting creative/innovative ideas. The truth of the matter is, if we don’t, our peers and co-workers will. Semple elaborates on the importance of not only being knowledgeable, but also being willing to share our knowledge with others. Transparency can be a scary thing, but it is the future of today’s society. If everyone keeps to themselves about what they know then nobody is learning from each other. Would the web be as effective if no one was willing to post/search/share? No. We are all students and the web is our teacher. Semple says sharing what you know doesn’t diminish its worth but instead increases its value. Writing this book is technically giving away his knowledge. At the same time, however, he is informing his audience and leveraging their future careers. In return he will receive praise, potential future book offers and public appearances invites.

Chapter 17: Too Much of a Good Thing

In this chapter Semple discusses the limitlessness of social media “friends,” “followers” and “connections” we can have. I agree with Semple in that the Dunbar theory holds true for face-to-face meaningful relationships, but not for online ones. The more people you follow on Twitter, for instance, the more information, news and ideas you can receive and share with your network. The same holds true for LinkedIn. I tend to use a little more discretion when it comes to Facebook. I feel it is one of the most personal social platforms out there, and that you should have somewhat of a relationship with a person before you take the leap to “friend” them. It is easy to hide behind your computer screen and abuse your Facebook privileges by going on a rampage of “friending” every person who Facebook ”suggests” you know. But people who do so are not using social media in its intended way.

Who Do You Follow on Twitter?

I enjoyed reading about which Twitter accounts students follow, from athletes to actors to artists to... authors? I was very impressed! Anna talked about how Twitter allows her to combine her interests for young adult writers and social media. She can follow many people in both industries to stay informed on the newest apps/services/technologies and the latest releases in the publishing industry. Then there are others like Sophia who are still adjusting to the idea of letting down their digital guards. A common theme that I noticed throughout many of the blogs, including hers, was that students first began by only following friends or people with whom they are in close contact. The more they used Twitter, however, the more they branched out to follow politicians, celebrities, CEOs and other newsworthy people/organizations. Twitter's full potential is not realized until a user opens the conversation up to a vast majority of people.

After reading who everyone follows I actually went and followed a few of the ones mentioned! It really amazes me how connected Twitter keep all of us at all times. It gathers all of the information I need into one place and dictates my thoughts and behaviors. In the morning I check The Weather Channel news feed to help me pick out what I will wear that day. Later I check the specials of the menus offered at my favorite eateries in town to determine where I will eat lunch. Then at night I will keep tabs on all of my Real Housewives of New Jersey cast mates who are live-tweeting the episode so I can more easily decide whose side of the latest Jersey drama cat fight I am on. I can do all of this by scrolling down a single web page, a web page I have tailored to my personal interests. Sheer genius!

Who Do I Follow on Twitter?

I use Twitter to follow people/organizations whose whereabouts/thoughts/activities I care to know about. Celebrities, athletes and comedians are fun to follow for entertainment purposes. Politicians and news agencies keep me up-to-date and informed about current events. Lehigh programs let me know what's going on around campus and remind me about upcoming meetings, speakers, sporting events, etc. I may want to attend. I mainly started following non-profits as part of the assignment; I do not follow any non-profits on my private Twitter account. Other than that I follow friends and professors, several local Bethlehem businesses and a few other accounts such as Web MD (in case of an emergency!) and The Weather Channel.

Celebrities:
Ashton Kutcher
Mariah Carey
Britney Spears
Kim Kardashian
Beyonce Knowles
Oprah Winfrey
Justin Timberlake
Katy Perry
Steve Carell

Political:
Joe Biden
Paul Ryan
Barack Obama
Mitt Romney
Bill Clinton
POLITICO

Non-profits:
ArtsQuest
Penn State University THON
American Heart Association
Habitat for Humanity
Clinton Foundation

News sources:
Lehigh U News
Wall Street Journal
The New York Times
The Morning Call
The Brown and White
PBS
BBC
Reuters
FOX News
ABC News
Political Zap

Lehigh programs:
Lehigh Greek Life
Lehigh Business Careers in Entertainment Club
Lehigh Athletics
Lehigh Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
Lehigh Lacrosse

Other:
Loose Threads
Horns
LV with Love
Students
Professors
WebMD
The Weather Channel

PBS - Tempo InDepth

As the President of the Business Careers in Entertainment Club, I am always trying to plan new and exciting speakers, networking opportunities and field trips for our club members. This morning we took a field trip to the local PBS station at the Steel Stacks to sit in as the live studio audience at the filming of the Emmy Award-winning news program, Tempo InDepth. Students from several schools in the area were also in attendance for the segment, which was a 60-minute special on Diabetes. Upon arriving at PBS we took a tour of the facilities led by a Lehigh student interning at the company. It was interesting to see all of the high-tech and brand new equipment used to film and produce the show. Then it came time for the taping of the program and we got to witness all of the behind-the-scenes action.

I often struggle with how to increase attendance and participation at BCEC events. BCEC is how I scored two out of my three internships, and has helped me improve my resume, fine-tune my interviewing skills and kick-start my professional career. We provide students with so many unique opportunities that I can never understand why one would pass up a chance to expand their minds and try something new. It irks me that students will include BCEC on their resumes without ever having gone to an event. I guess that's what happens when I spend so much time and effort trying to help other students and get nothing in return! But this is just me venting (sigh). The trip to PBS was extremely fun and a great way to connect with a local business. I'm thankful that PBS was willing to partner with us and I will continue to reach out to the community to find ways to connect students to the entertainment industry.

Happy New Year

Yesterday at sundown marked the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Ever since I can remember my entire familywould congregate at my cousin's house in Westfield, New Jersey - grandparents, aunts, uncles, girlfriends, boyfriends, neighbors - come one come all, the more the merrier. The moment I walked through the door the smell of brisket and matzah ball soup warmed my soul. The magnificent table was filled with Jewish delicacies: lox and cream cheese, chopped liver, Manischewitz wine, gefilte fish, kugel, just to name a few. My aunt always outdid herself when it came to feeding our family.

Sitting down at the dinner table was the first time many of our family members had seen each other in months and months, and boy did it show. There was anything and everything to talk about from school to friends to work, and always that heated (and dreaded) conversation about politics. Then came time for the prayers, and each person would take a turn reading both the Hebrew prayer and English transliteration. It was always gratifying to see the proud look on my father’s face knowing I had transformed from a little girl staring blindly at the Hebrew alphabet to effortlessly reciting prayers and reading passages.

Growing up, Rosh Hashanah and all of the Jewish holidays were a common thread that linked my entire family together. Rosh Hashanah in particular is one of the more uplifting Jewish holidays that wishes us a sweet new year, symbolized by the dipping of apples into honey. Relatives from all different walks of life would fly in from across the country to be together on this special night. As we got older, one by one, the dinner table became smaller. A cousin would graduate, an aunt would move away, a grandparent would pass on. My sister Madeline, the youngest of all the cousins, is now a freshman at Syracuse University. She was the last one of us to sit at the dinner table. As I spoke to my parents on the phone this morning, I could tell in their voice that Rosh Hashanah was not the same as it used to be without all of us there to share in the festivities. Having what was once such a big part of my life, now become a part of my past, pulls at my heartstrings. It is a grave reality that I am getting older, but also a hopeful promise that in the not so far future I will be sitting around the dinner table once again celebrating the Jewish holidays with a family of my own enjoying good food, good friends, good family and good memories.

Getting into the Swing of Things

My first observation when reading everyone’s blogs was that many students have already formatted their pages with background pictures, designs, fonts, etc. I seem to be a little behind the times… But hey, I'm still learning!

I liked reading Loulou's blog and hearing her analogy equating Facebook to a reunion in which you can check up on a long lost friend or family member’s photos and see what they are up to. I also agree with her assertion that Twitter is better for gathering information and crowd sourcing. Ask a question, and you receive feedback in minutes. Want to know the score of a game? Scroll up on your feed for the latest ESPN play-by-play tweets.

I can also appreciate Kyle's concerns about privacy and transparency in this day and age. He mentions that his Twitter was originally public, but due to random friend requests and spam alerts he made it private. He also references how celebrities have faced criticism and backlash for offensive tweets on their pages. This teaches the important lesson of using discretion when utilizing social media today. Whether you are posting a picture on Facebook containing alcohol or are tweeting about your inappropriate happenings from the night before, you must always remember that anything and everything you put out on the web is there for all to see.

Many of the other blogs brought up similar points as I made, as far as students sharing their experiences of using Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to continuing to read other students’ blogs and giving and receiving feedback about our pages.

Facebook vs. Twitter: Battle of the Social Media Moguls

Facebook and Twitter are undoubtedly two of the most widely used forms of communicating and sharing information in society today. Despite their many similarities, however, the two social media platforms differ in many ways.

I have come to find that Twitter is my place to dabble and have some fun. I can make a funny joke or post about what kind of mood I’m in without worrying if anyone is going to take what I’m saying too seriously or if my grammar is perfectly correct. The people I follow on Twitter reflect this mentality, most of who are friends, family members, comedians, etc. I find that my Facebook usage differs slightly. Anything I post on Facebook, be it a comment on a friend’s wall or a tagged picture, I know will stay there forever. It is a timeless page that now, thanks to Timeline, allows you to check back on your high school days when I still had braces and was being carpooled around by my parents. In other words, I am much more careful and mindful of my Facebook content than I am my Twitter.

My experience using Twitter is mostly on my phone in on-the-go situations. Rarely am I sitting at my desktop reading my Twitter feed. This changed when I studied abroad in London last semester and had next-to-no cell service, and was forced to use the computer as my main consumption of Twitter. In doing so, however, I mastered many of Twitter’s features, primarily the hashtag. This came into play during the Lehigh vs. Duke game when #Lehigh and #LehighbeatDuke trended. Never before had I felt so connected to what was going on around the world on an international level. Even though I was on a different continent I felt like I was in the streets of Bethlehem chanting Lehigh’s name with the rest of the student body. In my experience, Facebook does not have that same affect. It would not have allowed me to see what all of the NCAA viewers were saying about the Lehigh vs. Duke game, only what my friends on Facebook were saying. Twitter has no bounds for dialogue and conversation. Facebook does.

Recently I’ve noticed how Facebook and Twitter have become interchangeable and impact each other’s usage. Shortly after Facebook introduced the “like” button, Twitter came out with a “Favorite” option. Many of my friends also utilize the hashtag on Facebook (a feature introduced by Twitter) when it comes to a picture or wall post. Not to mention the entire creation of Twitter made obsolete the need to make status updates on Facebook. And both allow you to link to friends, companies and other accounts with the “@....” option in order to expand your network and get others involved in the conversation. Clearly Facebook and Twitter play off of each other’s strengths based on their audience’s wants and needs.

Professionally, Facebook and Twitter have done wonders for companies trying to expand their business. Twitter allows companies to quickly and directly respond to customers’ requests, questions, suggestions, etc. It also allows them to advertise promotions, post photos and retweet. If managed right, Twitter can increase participation and engagement of its followers to get feedback that helps them improve their business and potentially increase sales. In a similar and possibly more effective way, companies on Facebook can reel in customers by posting pictures of new merchandise and advertising a current sale going on. Also, the ability to “like” and “comment” on Facebook content allows viewers of a company’s Facebook page to see a certain post that may be receiving a lot of activity and jump on the bandwagon and “like” or “comment” on it as well. Overall, Facebook and Twitter have changed the way businesses do business these days by adding an entire new dimension to the field. Whether you like it or not, Facebook and Twitter are here to stay so we might as well take advantage of all they have to offer.

Tackling the Beast that is Social Media

1) I agree with Cathryn Sloane’s argument that our generation is most familiar and better equipped at using social media than those that came before us. However, as supported by the opposing articles, the need for true leadership and not just social media expertise remains. In the same way, a recent college graduate with a business degree from Harvard doesn’t necessarily mean they are immediately qualified to become CEO of a company. It takes experience, practice and guidance to help develop any company’s business strategy. Not to mention many of today’s social media users have run into trouble when it comes to censorship and discretion. Just because we grew up in a world enveloped by social media does not mean we know it all. Those who are older and wiser know a thing or two about how to build a brand and the fundamentals behind any business strategy, including social media strategy.

2) I believe the Zoellner Arts Center's Facebook page adminstrator changed on July 17. The posts appear to get shorter and more concise, and the content of the posts assume a humorous tone. The posts also become more interactive with its users by asking questions, linking to articles, hastagging, etc.

3) One way to get more “likes” on the Zoellner Facebook page posts would be to increase interaction with the audience (e.g. ask questions, give a poll). Another way is to tag specific people and organizations so that the Zoellner page’s post shows up on that person/organization’s wall for others to see. Posting quotes and pictures as opposed to videos and long articles is also a strategy to increase likes and command attention. Other ways could be to promote the Facebook fan page on Zoellner website, Twitter, etc. Monitoring when you are posting on the Zoellner Facebook page can also affect likes: very early or very late in the day is better than in the middle of the day while people are at work or in school.