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Laura Kunzelman
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I have had Facebook for a few years but only just created a Twitter account when I entered CreComm as a requirement. I started thinking about how I use them differently, then I started thinking about how other people use them.
I use my Twitter page to see what is going on in Winnipeg, to see what famous people are doing, and to let my friends know when I have a new blog post posted. The people I follow are people that I share interests with, and don’t necessarily have a personal relationship with them. Although I would love to be close friends with Steve Martin.
I use Facebook to keep in contact with the people I have some sort of relationship with. It is a place I feel I can be more myself, maybe because I know my instructors aren’t looking at it. Though, even if they did, they wouldn’t see anything displeasing.
What I use social media for pales in comparison to what other people use it for. Social media can get things done because social networks have the best coverage. Before news stories come out here are tweets and photos all over Twitter and Facebook; messages go viral and mainstream media has to catch up. Also, journalists aren’t always on the scene, and when they are, sometimes they can’t get their message out in any other way than to tweet it.
What crossed my mind when thinking about the way I use social media compared to people around the world:
1.) The role social media played getting rid of Hosni Mubarek is priceless. If there are any skeptics of Facebook and Twitter, just look what new media has done in Egypt, it has mobilized the people. One Facebook page dedicated to a protest, for instance, had over 80,000 followers. Late last month, the people of Egypt took to the streets protesting the rampant poverty, unemployment, and government corruption seen throughout the country. NYU professor, Clay Shirky is an author, professor, and guru of new media. Shirky says that social media tools can aid the revolutionaries with coordination. He has argued that Twitter helps to keep in touch regarding protests, meeting, and just keeping in touch.
"Social media is no longer simply about allowing your friends to see what you are thinking or for posting photos of your family vacation to Aruba. Social media is quickly staking claim as one of the most influential factors in grassroots socio-political organization. The January 25 revolution in Egypt gained a major foothold as a result of social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. Since the existence of media, individuals have used it to increase governmental transparency and mobilize liked minded individuals."
Read more: http://fastgush.com/socialmedia/upheaval-and-revolution-in-egypt-and-the-powerful-effects-of-social-media.html#ixzz1EL3pDOxu 2.) To access the important information, you have to be able to navigate through all the junk on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and similar sites to find out the important things. On an episode of Empire Professor Emily Bell, the director of digital journalism at Columbia University says, “Information will come to you in ugly big chunks, and you have to be able to make sense of it and you have to be able to make people care about it.”
3.) It would be neat to send a viral tweet. With a statistic like social media taking over porn as the number one activity on the web, it is no wonder why tweets get so much attention.
4.) Some more fun facts:
Years to reach 50 million users:
Radio – 38 years
TV – 13 years
Internet – 4 years
iPod – 3 years
Facebook – added 100 millions users in less than 9 months
5.) If used correctly, social media can hold people in power accountable.
If you have time, watch the video on this website:
How can Twitter and Facebook be used as a public relations tool? They are both useful tools in promotion and publicizing. If you use them right, you will be able to reach a large audience and influence large groups of people. It is a little effort for a huge payoff.
Posted by
Laura Kunzelman
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The relationship between a writer and their book is a deep one; you spend years of your life writing it, thinking it is a masterpiece, and it becomes your baby. You love it, look after it, and protect it. And if it is criticized, you would be pretty pissed off.
After all, it's your baby. You might not even consider that your baby is the ugly baby. Mine wouldn't be ugly. My book that is. Any who.
If I spent two years writing a book I would be pretty jazzed to get it out there and let the world read it. If I ever want people to read my book or have that Oprah Book Club sticker on it, I know what I would have to do.
After all, it's your baby. You might not even consider that your baby is the ugly baby. Mine wouldn't be ugly. My book that is. Any who.
If I spent two years writing a book I would be pretty jazzed to get it out there and let the world read it. If I ever want people to read my book or have that Oprah Book Club sticker on it, I know what I would have to do.
With your heart and your baby on the line, I wouldn’t chance a traditional publisher shooting my baby down. If it was shot down, I would most likely fall into a deep depression and begin to only write dark poems, and the only time I would leave the house was to replenish my wine supply. I don’t want that to happen, so this is what I would do. I would print one copy and, and one copy only of my book and send it to the one person that really matters.
Ellen.
Yes, Ellen.
Let Ellen do it.
I poured my heart and soul into this book and I want it to be in the right hands and I want it done right the first time. Besides, everything Ellen touches turns into gold.
Ellen DeGeneres is one of the most influential people in North America I can think of, next to Oprah, Justin Bieber, or maybe Obama. And if anyone could get my book published, Ellen could.
There are only two things I can think of that Ellen was bad at: liking men and being a judge on American Idol. The way I see it, I don’t think these will have a negative affect on my book.
This is what I would do. I would write Ellen a letter telling her how ridiculously amazing my book is, and she should give it a look. She will no doubt be just as jazzed about it as I am and will be so dazzled, she will talk about it on the show. At this point Ellen will be sufficiently jazzled and ask me on the show. Bada bing, bada boom, I’m on Ellen and my book is published. Unrealistic? Perhaps. Doable? Stranger things have happened.
Things that would cross my mind (and Dave’s), if in fact I were sending Ellen my book:
1.) I like to consider myself a literary voyeur. I am sure Ellen will too.
2.) Imagining what the Oprah Book Club sticker would look like on the cover of my book.
2.) Imagining what the Oprah Book Club sticker would look like on the cover of my book.
3.) It worked for Bieber, why not for me? Ellen saw the video of him, had him on the show and he exploded. Granted, he was already partnered with Usher, and his video already was popular before the show, but he made his debut on her show and so will I. My book will speak for itself. As long as I get the attention of Ellen, she will fly me to L.A. to be on her show. The rest will be history.
4.) I hope she doesn’t dance while reading this.5.) And look at Greyson Chance. Ellen signed him to her label, why would she not publish my book? She’d be crazy not to. Well, he isn’t famous yet, but he could be.
6.) What if Ellen likes the book and Portia hates it? Maybe I will cause a marital squabble and become known as that girl who broke up the world’s most famous gay couple. Then I could write a book about that.
7.) If the book thing doesn’t work, I will just make a video, then Ellen will sign me then. She loves music and loves dancing.
Some samples of the greatness showcased on Ellen I mentioned above, in the form of prepubescent boys. This is Greyson Chance’s new video. He isn’t as cute as Justin Bieber, but he is legit a good singer, not for his age, just in general. Both of their music isn’t my cup of tea (which is Earl Grey by the way), but I can acknowledge that they are talented. And so am I, and that is why my book will be published by Ellen. That is if I wrote one.
Posted by
Laura Kunzelman
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Things that I have learnt and that have crossed my mind the first week I have had sweet little Edgar:
1) He thinks he owns the place. Eddie has developed a strut that only Kanye West's cat could have.
2) Face attack! For seemingly no reason at all, Edgar will stalk you. He will do this by walking really slow towards your face with eyes wide open. He will then lunge at your face then act as though nothing has happened. Very sly.
3) That he is picky about what he eats. He still won't eat crunchies, only canned food and the meat from my sandwiches.
4) That he will not be quite unless he is sleeping, eating, or face attacking.
5) Whatever I am eating, Edgar wants. Even my freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Not my pork chops though. Not even my cat would have eaten those.
6) Cats like ice cubes in their water too. If Eddie isn't satisfied with the temperature of the water in his dish, he won't think twice about drinking out of my glass.
7) I scrunched up all that paper for you Edgar. Stop chewing on my feet, hands, shoes, scarves, book bag, coat, phone, iPod cord, couch, homework, hair, and my breakfast that I just put down for a second.
8) The easiest way to not get ankle bites is to wear my booty slippers. Thank you Wal-Mart.
9) My kitten is extremely naughty and the only logically explanation I can come up with is that he can only be the spawn of Satan. But I always forgive him because after he does something naughty, he gives me the eyes (see video below).
10) Edgar isn’t all that into cat massage. When she said, “he’ll either like this or he won’t,” I found out he doesn’t. And when I do, he launches into face attack mode.
Stay tuned for my next blog post.
There may be a free kitty ad. If he lives that long.
