Digital Digital Magazine Get Down

I hope at least a few people reading this got my *NSYNC reference there. Although I've already blogged about the awesomeness of the flashmob, I felt like further showcasing this in the form of a digital magazine.  Ok, so this may have been an assignment, but that's not important. What is important is that all of you go and check it out here. 

This project was so much fun to work on from start to finish. Not only did I get to actually boogie for a class but I got to see all the hark work and planning that goes into planning an event like this. It was a great learning experience for everyone involved and really let the students get as creative as they wanted to be. 

OSU Students having a ball at the Flashmob

Creating a digital magazine was a bit harder than I thought it would be. Although I consider myself a pretty creative person, sometimes it can be hard to tailor my ideas and get them all to work together and not just look like a cluster. I hope you enjoy taking a gander at my digital magazine and I also hope this inspires you to bust out your "No Strings Attached" CD from the back of your closet and boogie to some throwback jams.

What Blogging Has Taught Me

From the time I started blogging many a moon ago, I feel like I've learned quite a bit. I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means but I am definitely more learned than I was when I began. Before this assignment came about I honestly thought the only people who blogged were 13 year old Justin Bieber fans and passive aggressive guys in their mom's basement. But little did I know, blogging can actually be useful!

There are some really great bloggers out there who really know what they're talking about. Cough...Cough. But there are still a lot of bloggers out there giving blogging a bad name.

I've also decided that Blogspot is the way to go if you're creating a blog. It's so easy to use and makes blogging really simple. From what I've seen from other websites like WordPress, they seem much more complicated and harder to use and understand. Especially if you're an amateur trying to get started getting your blog on, Blogspot is the way to go!

Overall I'd say blogging has been a great experience and I've learned a lot. I would recommend blogging to anyone who has something meaningful to say to the Internet world. If not, then I'd say don't do it. There are already way too many people out there blogging without saying anything that any reasonable person would care to read.

People to Watch (not in a creepy way)

Up until a couple months ago, I didn't have a Twitter and frankly didn't get what all the fuss was about. To me it seemed like the same thing as Facebook status, and I already had a Facebook so it seemed redundant. But when I was forced to get a Twitter for one of my classes it opened my eyes to something. I could now creep on famous people. That's what all of the fuss was about!

In our celebrity-obsessed culture, Twitter makes average people think they are actually somewhat connected with celebrities. While in some ways this is creepy, it has its benefits. And if you think about it, if the celebrity in question has chose to let the world know exactly what they've eaten that day, (I'm calling you out Kevin Durant), then they're actually encouraging the creeping.

This is Aziz. A.k.a  RAAANNYYY

While I rarely use my Twitter, there are a few people that I really enjoy following because their updates are actually funny. Comedian Aziz Ansari is one of these people. This is his Twitter page. Go ahead, get your giggle on.

Tosh

Probably my favorite person to "watch" on Twitter is Daniel Tosh. If you don't know who that is consider yourself as missing out on life-changing laughter. This is his Twitter page. When I'm in need of a good laugh I just check out @danieltosh and it usually does the trick.

Video Blogging. Aka, Vlogging

If you were expecting this blog post to be about a vlog that I absolutely love and I wanted to share with all of you, you were wrong. I've decided to take this post in a totally new direction. Let me start by saying I think the Internet is a great thing. I love social media and all that it has changed in our culture. But it has its side effects. One of which being, it feeds the egos of millions of not funny people out there and has even convinced these people that they are somewhat "famous". Don't get me wrong, if people want to upload stupid videos of themselves talking into a camera for 15 minute increments, who am I to say they can't? But when you're uploading a new video about nothing at all every single day it just becomes a little self indulgent.

For example, when i went to search for interesting vlogs to blog about this week I was overloaded with millions of videos of ordinary people, with nothing of value to say, talking into their handicams. Why should anyone care what these people have to say? Yet, for some reason, they do. Youtube vlogger, "Shane", has over a half million subscribers and over 55 million upload views.



This video, for example, is totally pointless. And in my opinion, not funny at all. Just the ramblings of a guy who didn't get enough attention as a kid.

I guess if people want to waste their time watching these pointless videos, then that's their decision. But if anyone who actually watches this garbage could tell me what about these sorts of videos is enjoyable I would greatly appreciate it.

Podcast Palooza

If you're like me, then you probably enjoy a good chuckle or two. That's why I'm constantly surrounding myself with funny people and watching funny things. All of my favorite movies are comedies and I think a day without laughter is a day wasted. So in search for my next source of laughter I turned to collegehumor.com to fulfill this need. Not only does College Humor have funny videos, pictures and articles, but to my surprise it also has podcasts that can be downloaded for free.

I'm not very familiar with podcasts. I kind of thought they were all boring, long and pointless. You know kinda like talk radio for people who own a computer. But I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I was totally wrong. Podcasts can be fun! College Humor has hundreds of funny podcasts but my favorite was the Photo Bomb Feature on Photoshop. If you are not familiar with what "photo bombing" is, here is an example.

It was a contest to see who could photo bomb better. Winner.

This funny podcast shows a pretend Photoshop application which can actually add in a photo bomber to a picture that just didn't have enough of that something special. This will take you to that video, but it can also be downloaded as a podcast to your iTunes.

Unfortunately this is not a real application of Photoshop, so until it is, it is up to you to keep photo bombing alive! Bomb on!

Swagging at its finest

Have you ever seen something that literally made your jaw drop? But in a totally awesome way? This has only happened to me a handful of times in my life. One of the causes of this was witnessing the awesomeness that is, Luam.



Luam, getting her swag on.

Luam is a choreographer in New York who has done everything from commercials campaigns with Mastercard to choreography with just about every big name in hip-hop. Her list of employers include Kanye West, Ludacris, Ciara, Fergie and Rihanna. She's doing big things. But her passion lies in teaching her craft. She offers classes four days a week at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City, that is, if you think you can hang.

After a friend introduced me to her mesmerizing dance videos on Youtube I was hooked. Luam is the epitome of swagger. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so. She has over 22,000 subscribers and over 7.5 million views on Youtube, according to her profile.

This video is just one of many example of Luam being the best thing since sliced bread.



So the next time you find yourself down in the dumps or just not feeling as fresh as you'd like, watch a Luam video or two. They're sure to put an extra swag in your day.

Social Media Shenanigans

My name is Rachel Martin, and I'm a Facebookaholic. Like many of you, I am a self-proclaimed addict of social media, facebook being my drug of choice. If you find yourself using social media language in your daily conversation, then you might be a social media addict too. Do you ever see things and wish you could "like" them? Have you noticed when you see a couple you refer to them being "facebook official"? Can you compact your ideas into just 140 characters a piece? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you too might have a problem.

But the question is, is it an actual problem? Can social media have a real impact on your life? The truth is, it may. Especially if you're one of those crazy people who have or are wanting a job. Social media can impact your job search both negatively or positively. This link is to a podcast that I did with my fellow PR students about this topic. In a nutshell, here is a quick recap of what we learned:

The 10 commandments of social media usage
1 –Add value first, and sell LAST
2 –Listen twice as much as you talk
3 – Do not spam all your contacts
4 – Do not act like a stuck up jerk
5 – Do not steal all your friends contacts
6 – Do personalize every invitation you make to join any network
7 – Do remember that 10 can be more powerful than 10000
8 – Do not beg (for anything)
9 – Do be authentic and transparent in all you do
10 – Do not forget the power of face to face conversation

In closing, social media, if used correctly and in moderation, can be a wonderful thing. Which I was glad to hear, considering I couldn't quit even if I wanted.