Social media has become the new way of communication, however there are still some questions that surround how it is affecting our society. Throughout this course we have examined the phenomenon of the emergence of social media life and the real world and essentially has shaped our everyday lives, business practices, and global expansion.  What of the questions or arguments that stems from this phenomenon is has technology and networking websites actually brought us closer in personal relationships or farther apart? As that question still remains unanswered, I will be focusing on how businesses have used social media platforms to their advantage. As business, social media also build that relationship with the customers, which is result builds trust. The more customers trust a business and mission of that company, the more likely they will become loyal customers. This is the ultimate goal to have and maintain a successful business.

TED TALK-The Power of

Twenty years ago, the way of business marketing was completely different. The reason being, social media had not yet been invented. Social media and other networking websites are now a main platform for businesses to market their product or service, as well as have more control on who is seeing it. Twenty years ago the only way for businesses to communicate and market to potential customers or get the word out about your business, was by purchasing ads, billboards, commercials, and radio. One of the problems with the old marketing strategies practices, it was hard for business owners to calculate results of their marketing campaigns and if it was actually reaching the intended target audience. Why is that? If a business buys a billboard, the only audience that will see that add are people that physically drive or walk by. Depending on where the add is placed, there could be limited number of potential customers seeing that add and this is difficult to calculate. Social media websites and with the help of Google Analytics, it gives businesses the opportunity to directly market to their intended target audience, reaching a much larger number.

As a result of the birth of social media and networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn--- businesses have been able to grow more rapidly, have more access to communicate with customers, integrate marketing strategies through all forms of media, and able to get direct feedback from customers through programs like Google Analytics. These are all components of how social media has become the main marketing platform, and a way to build a business more affordably than twenty years ago.

As a new business owner, you must strategically use social media and networking websites as a communication platform. Why? The majority of businesses and competition will have social media--- if you fail to use these communication mediums, your business will essentially be behind your competition. The first step is understanding the businesses brand and mission completely, and being able to communicate that message clearly. Once that is decided, then integrate all marketing techniques and strategies with social media, blog, and company’s own website. All information, brand, and message should correlate within all communication platforms to get the best results, and essentially gain more revenue.  There is no question that social media has changed the way businesses market, and has proven to be a successful communication platform for that purpose.

Mete cognitive Reflection

Hannah Cooper

Personal Journalism 339 –W 9:00am

Summer Quarter 2015

Personal Journalism has taught me many new ways of thinking about writing in a lot of ways. This course has shaped my perspective on writing by increasing my skills in creative writing and more formal, as well as learning from other students through our class blog posts and concepts from our class.

One component of this personal journalism course I especially enjoyed was the process of writing in our journals itself. I generally like to write but don’t always make the time for it unless there is a deadline. However, this course gave me the desire to make time because for one, there was freedom with guidelines. In other words some written content was only read by a small audience which was less pressure. Second, I felt I could write down even small details that stood out to me without having a specific format, as far as the personal journal goes. The concepts from class and readings provoked a lot of thought.

One concept that stood out to that we discussed in class was identifying patterns in our writing. Some of the patterns that I noticed in my own writing in this time frame was, I used words that associated a feeling (genuine, love, relax) are some of the words. I went to the beach or other nature spots to write, that’s where I found most inspiration. However, sometimes it was hard to begin writing sometimes. I swear, I would think of something I wanted to write down at the most random times and then when I sat down, I would draw a blank. One of the tips you talked about in class Z, was to just set a time for yourself to write, and don’t stop until that time is up. I found this helpful because I didn’t feel so much pressure to write a master piece in the first two lines ‘haha.’ I usually didn’t write straight 30 minutes, but I’d spend a time frame of about two or whatever hours and take breaks in between writing sessions. The first five minutes of the writing sessions, I practiced the first order thinking qualities and thoughts that I would jot down. These thoughts would be random and sometimes the spelling would be incorrect or super just--- out there. Then I would be ‘warmed up’ and actually write with more a purpose in mind or theme.

At times I would write multiple pages with different topics, and other times just a page or rant.  I found it impossible to write in my own house, expect on the patio. The personal journal is easily transported and accessible anywhere, which worked well for me. I could leave my house and still have the opportunity to write and escape. A personal journal is my own. Someone could read the journal, but they can’t change those words on the paper. That fact is sort of scary, but at the same time liberating. On a computer for example, content and text can be deleted by a quick button.

The journal provoked questions I thought of. For instances if I looked back at a week old journal entry I would ask myself why did I feel that way? Was it the feeling temporary? What did I focus on? Why?

A process means there are steps and growth along the way, the journal helped me in the writing process through routine and practice of the art of writing itself. Each week it was interesting to identify patterns or ‘unpatterns.’ Either way, I discovered there are reasons for mostly everything and its’ important to ask questions like why?

 Writing things down helped with my memory and paying more attention to specific small details that I may not have kept note in my mind. When I went back and read my journal entries when organizing my final journal project, it brought me back to the moment when I was writing and the feelings I had at that time. It was a way to reflect and see if there was any progression made, or if the feeling I had then was temporary or still lingering.

Creating and maintaining the blog was super cool too-----!!!. It definitely peaks my interest—style---blog---writing---I eventually want to add more to my blog and start another one. It got me more comfortable formatting blog posts, and familiar with that writing style.
As far as the blog responses go, it was a little more difficult to get in that habit, but it is super important to engage with your audience for a couple of reasons. One, is I love getting read back on what people liked/disliked because it helped coordinate my next blog post. If the audience responds more to one blog post than another, I would take that into consideration and able to adjust and be more cognitive of the content I’m writing about.

Communication as we have learned is a two-way process, meaning it is extremely important to read feedback from who ever are reading and respond to them. I find it very helpful when people reply back because it lets me know there is someone ‘behind the computer,’ which makes it feel more personal.  The feedback provokes thought and allows me to go back and reflect like I mentioned earlier. Someone may respond to a post I made and ask a question that I had not thought of prior which helps me really dip deep as to the message I was trying to convey and if that message got understood.

One of the assignments from class where we had to analysis another person’s journal opened up my perspective on the process of writing. For one, I was looking for an article to write about which is part the beginning process, and I personally find articles I wasn’t planning on coming across but really spoke to me! It was neat to read other people’s personal thoughts because it made we realize we are all a little crazy.

Art and Distance section was interesting also because after I felt freer to write the content not so essay-like with more hidden meanings. I think I meant home after the art analysis class and wrote and poem and was like, “Oh yeah that’s art.” Haha. Like an art piece, a piece of writing can have many meanings and symbols. I find that particularly interesting about both (art and writing pieces).

I am definitely going to continue keeping a handwritten journal. Its’ helped me in a lot of ways especially with being more aware to detail. Writing down my thoughts is like therapy, I always feel better and more accomplished after. I have found that most feelings or emotions are temporary in terms of a reaction towards a situation. For example, one bad day at work doesn’t mean the next day will have the same outcome. In fact it has a greater chance of being better because I was able to acknowledge the feeling by writing it down and then figuring out a solution to make the next time a better experience! Of course not all of my journal entries were rants; many were writing down the little things that made me feel good like a new recipe I want to try or documenting moments that stood out to me.

To sum it all up, I want to highlight a few--- for me was our class discussions and blog posts, the art analysis, the journal project, listening to music during class during our free writes, and readings from the book Project Happiness, which all provided me with a desire well to, ‘never to stop thinking about thinking and writing.’

Sincerely,

Hannah Cooper

Journal Project

Hey you all!

I really enjoyed seeing your final journal projects, we sure have a creative bunch of people J!

Through journaling this quarter I have been able to reflect on past days, make plans for the future, and just write all the silly thoughts that come around…

I wanted to share my short story I wrote, along with a few of my journal entries and summer playlist. The short story does have a total of two curse words, but it’s done tastefully and with humor. The story has a twist and again uses satire along with real experiences. I hope you enjoy and again it is somewhat personal and would only share with a cool, chill crew aka YOU GUYS!  I am submitting this before work and plan on adding more later today/tomorrow just an FYI. Also this post doesn't contain every journal entry either but maybe we can get together (anyone is class) and swap projects so we can see them up and personal!

                                                   There is this girl. I have gotten to know her. I’ve watched her.

                                                                       She likes bright things, like flowers.

                    Although this one time she bought a bouquet of fake black roses and put them in her room.

                                                                                She loves sarcasm

                                                                      Some humans don’t get hers.

                                                                                     That’s okay

                                                         Some may think she is well, an asshole at times

                                           That’s because she’s pretty direct with how she is feeling

                                                               But then sometimes she isn’t

                                                              So it may be confusing to some

                                         She cares though about people, and wants them to be okay

Sometimes she just roams around the house looking for things.

I’m not even convinced she even knows what she is looking for

But she always has a plan

And a lot of goals

Her sleep schedule is fucked up too

                                                          Maybe it’s because she’s always thinking

                                                          Or maybe it’s because she cuts limes and

Pours drinks for drunks and works late hours for a living for now

At least that’s how she jokes

She can take a joke also and loves to laugh

She prefers to be around people who can make her laugh

And she’ll do her best to do the make sure you are laughing

She likes to surprise people with interesting things

She can be perceived sometimes as being distant

But it’s because she is observing her surroundings.

                                                     

Soft things make her happy, that’s why we get along so well

She loves to converse about new ideas

But she doesn’t share with everyone

Maybe because she has some fears

Also she has been writing in these journals too

Actually she has a few different journals

And books and clothes all over her room

                                                          Yet she still seems organized. Somehow

                                           She describes this ‘bullshit’ and doesn’t seem to care of it much

                                                                     She’s like an optimistic cynic

                         But it doesn’t mean she isn’t sensitive. She’s actually pretty sensitive in a lot of ways.

                                                                She’ll hold me for hours if I let her.                                            

                                                    She wants to listen. Not to respond, but to hear.

                                                                  At least that’s what I think.

                                                         She worries about the future sometimes.

                                      But also likes the most simple of moments, she gives me love

                                       Sincerely,

                                                    Her furry dog bestfriend, MJ

Summer 2015 Quarter Playlist

1. Talking Body- Tove Lo (Gryffin Remix)

2. American Pie- Don McLean

3. Tiny Dancer- Elton John

4. Hold my Hand- The Beatles

5. Someone to Lean On- Major Lazers

6. You and Me- Flume

7.  I mean it- G-Eazy aka Gerald Gillum 

Jobs Should Get a Pat on the Back.

Jobs. We all have them or have had them at one time or another. A job provides experience in both that field and other areas. It builds confidence, improves communication skills, self-control not to punch people in the face because you would have a lawsuit against you, and interacting with co-workers is just part of the job description whether you like it or not. A job gives purpose, and oh yeah, it requires money well to, survive. Some jobs can be argued to be better than others, obviously. On the bright side, there is always an upside to perceive things and positives to every job. I am going to throw it back and recap a blurb from one of our readings in, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, that got my mind thinking…  

This a quote stood out to me which stated, “There are few jobs that in which years worth of labour that can be scanned in a quick scan of four walls and fewer opportunities granted to us to gather all our intelligence and sensitivity in a single place” (pg.182). From the context behind this passage, there are a few important pieces of advice that I interpreted relating to work, which is one can work his heart away at a job and can quickly be replaced for an unfair reason---(few jobs that in which years worth of labour that can be scanned in a quick scan of four walls) The second part could be interpreted to appreciate the moment in work specifically. I’m not saying to be scared that you will be treated unfairly at all, but look at improving your skill at something while you are there in that moment.  

Another way to view work, and how I interoperated that quote was just appreciate. The benefits that stem from a job could include new relationships (work friend colleagues) also known as the wing-man/woman. These people can be a huge support and ‘shoot’ you’re with them for enough hours, so why not have some fun with your wing-coworkers.    

I enjoy learning where ever I am. If I am at work I try to pay attention to details, be aware in general, be present, and again learn what I can whether that is learning from another employee or a boss.  DeBotton explains the benefits that stem from work in, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. It influenced me to make a goal to focus on the upsides of having a ‘money flow’ to buy electricity, and take the opportunity to learn in any situation I am in.

--Journal Project Proposal(s)

What makes me happy?

Sun

Music

Ocean

Family

Quiet

Friends

My dog

Flowers

Sports

Art

People laughing

Spiritual enlightenment

Dancing with no rhythm

Journal Project Proposals

A personal journal to me is filled with treasures of the soul, heart, and mind. Some treasures are meant to be shared with others, and some are not. In this personal journal assignment, I want to share some of my inner thoughts with you.

In our last class meeting, gratitude was the main focus. Writing down on paper what I am thankful for and who I am thankful for really did make me feel well, happier. Sometimes I get caught up in the daily trials of life (which could be a lot worse) and forgot to stop and just say THANK YOU for being alive! Life is a beautiful mess that is far from perfect, but somehow the imperfections make life that much more perfect.

Idea 1: In my personal journal project I want to use song lyrics that I feel correlate with some of my journal entries because it’s one of things that makes me happy. I have been keeping my ears open for songs that have specific meaning to me; you know the ones that give you the chills when you listen to them. For me, a song can promote many different emotions through either the lyrics or the sound or both. I also realized certain songs that gave me chills at a prior time in my life, may not anymore. I suppose that is because we are always changing.

According to The Happiness Project, gratitude connects you to the natural world. I couldn’t agree more! For one, there is the perception out there that money will make you happy. Well, that’s a bunch of Oscar Myers Bologna. One piece of evidence that can back that up is the fact that there wasn’t always paper money in the world, yet people were still capable of being happy.

So, I am ending this post by saying I am going to include music in my personal journal project, but still searching for which songs and how to put it together. I am open for suggestions.

P.S. Feel free to comment with a song that speaks to you in some way I would love to take a listen! ;)

Idea 2:
I was thinking of reviewing my journal entries and seeing if I can spot any common themes or patterns. For example, highlighting words that appear more than once, or a common idea. Then use the common word(s) or theme, and make it into a rap lol.  I would use the common word I found or theme and make that into the chorus, and the other part of the song would still be lines from my journals, but more as the background. I'm far from a rapper bahaha...although I did just see Straight Outta Compton the movie and highly recommend it!

Idea 3:
I think this is the idea I am going with which is to write a short story. I am going to throw a few unexpected 'curve balls' in the story. The story is from a different perspective than my own. You will find out at the end of the story. Anyways, I am creating a book with the short story, printed pictures of my journal entries which go with the short story, include images, a poem, and a song playlist or correlating to the entries and concepts from class. I want to get it laminated so I can look back and be able to reflect on this time period taking this class, the different experiences, and just the random ass thoughts that came out in my journal.

-Coop

“Putting Ethnographic Writing in Context.”

Practicing ethnography can help improve the writing process. It requires collecting data, analyzing it, synthesizing, and reflection or a conclusion. According to our article, ethnography highlights human relationships, such as the relationships between a researcher and participates or a teacher and student. The article points out that in learning ethnography writing, there isn’t one set formula The article further discusses how there isn’t one set formula because ethnography is writing requires experimentation, personal voice, style, structure, and a purpose, which can vary depending on who is writing, who the audience is, and the relationship between the sender and receiver (pg 176).

In order to write with a stance there needs to be knowledge and understanding of that particular culture one is writing about or to. This includes knowledge of the values, habits, relationship dynamics, norms, and rituals of that particular culture. As we’ve learned, not everyone is the same, so sometimes generalizing can occur when making a claim about a particular culture that may exclude certain members of that group.   

One important aspect that stood out to me was an important part of ethnography writing is acknowledging the fact that it can affect the lives of those described in that writing piece. One cliché example I can think of is the reality television show, Jersey Shore, a popular show that portrayed Italian Americans living in the Jersey Shore. The show only took a very small population of six Italian Americans, who were loud, obnoxious; by the opinions of most, tan, liked to party, and identified themselves as ‘guidos.’ After the show was aired and gained popularity, there was an uproar response by many Italians in America because they believed the show displayed a false sense of their culture and the people in it. I come from an Italian family, and as I can say yes we are loud, we have far set values of the members on the show Jersey Shore. On a few different occasions 

I ran into some people shortly after the show aired that were from Jersey Shore. Instead of saying where they were from proudly, they felt they had to explain that their culture is nothing like the show and felt they were misrepresented. They almost seemed embarrassed from my observation. This is a shame because obviously MTV did not care or take into consideration that producing this show had the potential to affect other members of the Italian culture in a negative way.  

Understanding different dynamics of other cultures can be done by practicing ethnographic writing as well as improve one’s writing. Research, spending enough time in that culture interacting, learning their values, habits, and asking questions are all techniques used in ethnographic writing, which allows a writer to have a valid stance when writing. 

Some perspective...dangit---Psychical Distance

 ‘Psychical Distance’

My thoughts, reaction, and connections

Temporal distance= according to our reading, “Psychical Distance,” is the metaphorical meaning represented by that art piece, which often leads to misconception. Why? We’re about to dig a little deeper as to why there are many misconception in both art and in life!

To summarize the illustration of experiencing ‘fog’ at sea as humans, there are two possibly feelings of emotion or perspectives we can have. The article describes the first reaction to the fog as fear, anxiety, and nervousness. The second feeling is joy, where the body and senses take in every unknown dynamic of the fog’s outcome and the possibilities. I thought this was a unique way to describe “Psychical distance” in how people interpret or see art. The lesson that I took from the illustration is that one painting can have multiple meanings partly due to how people perceive the meaning of the painting. Maybe the artist does this on purpose, or maybe it’s just in our own head. Is the main theme of this illustration that no perspective is more correct than the other?

                The fog illustration in “Psychical Distance,” is similar to the activity we did last class in terms of multiple perspectives being demonstrated from the same setting and time of observation. Our group had four members and although we were at the coffee shop at the same time, we are reported our observation a little differently from one another. One of the members in our group reported more about the noises they heard, while I reported more observation of facial expressions and body. This brings me to a question---why do we choose to focus our attention on certain dynamics of our surrounding? I don’t really know the answer to that question.

The article goes on to say that putting one’s own initial thought aside about what the meaning is of a piece of art, and then objectively observe it again. A way to exercise this alternate way of thinking, is you could pretend to be someone else---someone opposite of you. What would they see? How do you think they would perceive that art piece? The funny thing about this exercise is, no one ever really knows what another person is thinking or feeling, but can collect evidence to support it and make a conclusion. The conclusion can most definitely be wrong though! But it could also be right…

The United States is known as an individualistic society and culture--- I think sometimes seeing alternate perspectives from our own doesn’t come as natural as we like to admit. Why do I say this?  I am linking back to the word individualistic. An example which demonstrates this mentality is in the United States generally one is more likely to get praise and accolades by a personal accomplishment then one who’s standard of accomplishment is defined by bettering the whole (the meaning of what accomplishment looks like can vary between different cultures, society’s norms, and other factors).

The main point that I took away from this article it is impossible to know what exactly someone else is feeling, thinking, ect. Acknowledging that there are multiple perspectives that can stem from one scene, interaction, or observation is important in becoming a mindful and aware person.