My favorite commercial

Lowe's launched a new campaign and premiered this commercial last week! It definitely appeals to young women and is absolutely precious! Check it out- and don't stop doing what you're doing!

Facebook redesign

A letter of aggravation regarding the new Facebook redesign

Dear Facebook,

Sorry I already had a close friends list and that you won't let me see it because your targeting didn't make it. I was in the 5 percent of people using your lists, and you just lost my business because you deleted it and archived all of my old groups! I really appreciate you accommodating college student needs by finally letting us get adjusted to your website, and then forcing us to figure out something else. You're already at the top of the market share. PEOPLE DON'T NEED TO SPEND ANY MORE TIME ON YOUR WEBSITE.

You don't need to be like Twitter or Google +. I don't need to see my picture at the top of the screen, that's your competitor's thing. It's too late to do that. I don't want to see my Facebook friends' statuses in "real time," that's why I have Twitter. Please just take advantage of the billionaire platform you already have and stop trying to be the all-encompassing social media that nobody wants. That's why Tweet Deck's out there. You already have money, advertising and business; the more you change, the more you...get this...lose.

Thanks Zuckerberg!

Media news of the week

As most of you know, I have a Wordpress blog where I blog about social media phenomena and media issues. During these first few weeks of school, I have come across a lot of interesting articles, apps and studies that are worth sharing. Check out this news compilation!

31% of US adults prefer to be reached by text message- A study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project found that almost 1/3 of US adults prefer text message communication over voice calls. It is traumatizing that this many people would prefer typing on a screen over developing verbal skills.

Illinois among worst states to do business- Illinois was ranked one of the states with the worst business climates, along with Texas, North and South Carolina. Shocker there. Seems like the business world might have as much corruption as Illinois politics!

Forkly app matches your taste to nearby restaurants and bars- Why make your own decisions when technology does it for you? We’re robots anyway, right? Although I don’t condone applications that direct you to what you’re doing, it’s fascinating that they exist. Forkly for iPhone recommends restaurants and meal items based on your taste preferences.

UPS will now text you before your package is delivered- Such a simple service to resolve the issue of  home package delivery on the first attempt. UPS My Choice notifications will text message you free of charge before receiving your package! After taking my strategic communication classes, all I can think about is how UPS finally realized this consumer insight that people want to know when their package is coming, but find it tedious to wait for it at an assigned time. The service also allows you to pay extra to change the delivery time range.

Facebook friend lists- Facebook was disappointed that less than 5% of its users had taken advantage of its lists features, so it created “Smart Lists” based on networks, interests and other data. Pictures of the smart lists feature can be seen at this link, but as a user who DID have my own lists, I found it very aggravating. The targeting is sometimes off, the priorities of the smart groups it chose were not correct, and it made it more difficult to go to the lists that I already pre-made because they weren’t made in its “smart” manner.

Gift engine predicts what your friends want- The GiveEmThis app and website extracts information from your Facebook friends and Twitter followers’ profiles and helps you figure out what to buy them for their birthdays of for the holidays! It calculates likes, interests, status information and other things, let’s see if it works!

Yahoo CEO fired- A couple of weeks ago, former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz was fired. What fascinates me about the internet and story leakage is that almost immediately, the news and email she sent to her company was sent to the media. It’s a pretty embarrassing public relations move on her part to even have sent an email to the company, especially using the word “fired.” People need to think before they publish emails, statuses and tweets more often.

Privacy Tips for the Connected Student- This Mashable article outlines ten privacy tips for students in terms of what and what not to publish on the internet upon returning to school!

Social Media Citations- A company called Knock Knock created this “Social Media Citation” stationery outlining common aggravations and annoyances people have with published content. If only sororities, campus organizations and parents could use these daily.

83% of young people sleep next to their cell phones- This statistic tells us that more than 4 in 5 young adults sleep near their cell phone. In a previous blog post, I discussed how this proximity contributes to radiation and cancer, so hopefully teens will realize this, put their phones away and minimize this statistic.

Working from home- Working from home is something I learned about in Argentina after my office chose to do this on Fridays to create a more comfortable environment. It seems that it is a phenomenon, with this infographic outlining interesting statistics.

Volkswagen advertisement

In my Strategic Writing course today, we were learning about television advertising and how contrary to popular belief, TV is still on top. Social media presence and fast forwarding does not override the significance of a classic TV commercial.

The most important aspect to keep the audience intrigued is to tell a story. My professor showed the following video, Volkswagen's "Big Day" advertisement, as the epitome of a commercial that tells a story. Watch it yourself and feel the suspense!

Volkswagen's "Big Day" advertisement 

Homecoming Merchandise

As a member of the merchandise subcommittee of the Homecoming Steering Committee, my job was to help create and strategically sell shirts, ornaments and apparel for the Homecoming Centennial! This past week, Greek chapters and residence halls turned in their orders. My co-subcommittee member Andrew and I also sold over $2,000 of merchandise in an hour to Mizzou alumni in town for a leaders weekend training event. Check out some of the things we're selling, buy some from me and look forward to my excitement when we sell over $100,000 worth of merchandise! We're 80% of the way there already! 

Joplin

Over Labor Day weekend, Homecoming Steering Committee took a trip to Joplin, Mo. to clean up damaged properties from the tornado on May 22. One of our committee's student directors, Morgan, had the tragedy of losing her home to the natural disaster, with a vast amount of her family's belongings gone. Thus, everyone on committee was happy to go support a cause that was so close to home and help the Joplin aftermath. Morgan's family was kind enough to host all 27 of us in the new home they just purchased a couple of miles west of Joplin. 

Sunday morning, we caravanned the four-hour trip in five cars and met a 6th car in Joplin. Driving brings out my competitive side, resulting in our committee tweeting the trip under the hashtag #katiesaysno. The four-hour drive flew by and car rides really are a great experience--whether you're chatting, listening to music or playing games. I saw some of Jefferson City, Lake of the Ozarks and Springfield, Mo. for the first time. 

Taking a trip with 26 other friends is always a hilarious experience, especially with the smartphone and information age. Our committee was communicating via Twitter, GroupMe and texts simultaneously, always curious as to why we weren't using another outlet. We read about other cars' statuses and locations on Twitter, familiarized ourselves with each others' jokes and really did utilize technology for the better. GroupMe is a group conference calling and text messaging system, and the entire Homecoming Committee receives one phone number that you call or text to proceed to call or text the entire group. 

We were not aware of the conference calling feature, but Brandon reminded us of it when we arrived to Joplin and met in the Sam's Club parking lot. We used it to take a driving tour of Joplin and drive the perimeter of the tornado itself. Morgan's car led the caravan and each car called into the conference and plugged the smartphone into the car speakers. Essentially, Morgan gave us a guided tour of her demolished hometown via the conference system passing sites like the town hospital, public high school, trailer park where residents are staying and her old property. It was fascinating that we had the ability to see and hear about everything, and an eye-opening experience to see such tragedy in our very own state. 

Arriving in Joplin 

Driving tour of the tornado perimeter

Observing some of the damage from the car

After seeing everything firsthand, we went back to unpack at Morgan's house where her family had cooked us a nice dinner and barbecue for the night. Her family was very thankful for everyone's help, so much that they were willing to have 27 college students sleep in their new home so we could volunteer the following day. After some burgers and bonding time, one of our committee members suggested the idea of driving to the casino in Oklahoma since the gambling age there is 18. Oklahoma happens to be five miles away from Joplin, a geography lesson I was unaware of. The cars successfully continued the caravan and our entire committee spent two hours in the casino together.

The casino was rather busy since the band Kansas had just played at the hotel's stage, so naturally, the concert attendees emptied out into the casino. I felt like a child at Chuck E. Cheese's as all of us ran through the casino like it was a playground. It was some of our first time gambling, and others had more experience. Three of our committee members won over $100 to take home by the end of the night, and I can say myself that I ended up taking home more than I went in with. It literally felt like a movie, with a ton of old grumps upset at their "breaking even" as 27 college students happily ran through. Needless to say, I can't wait to be 21 and gamble every once in awhile.

We arose early at 7 a.m. the next morning (after some group conference calling in the middle of the night) to go to the sites where we would be picking up debris. Joplin's street names in the part of town where the tornado hit are mainly numbered or named after states, so we drove to 26th and Pennsylvania after checking in at the AmeriCorps office and signing contracts. A man named Wayne ("Rolla Wayne") accompanied us to provide instructions and assistance.

At the first site, our main objective was to pick up wood, cement, nails and other large items and put them at the end of the property so it could be removed. With so many volunteers, we created an assembly line to carry the heavy materials and then have others rake and smooth the ground. Wayne mentioned that the goal to strive for was so "a baby could walk barefoot on the property and be okay."

There were a few components that stood out making this experience so powerful.

• Joplin is not in a third-world country, it is right here in the United States, in the same state where we attend college. Heck, their taxpayers contribute to our university. Many of the people in Joplin affected by the tornado didn't have insurance and only have a few more months of help provided before they have to move out or decide whether to claim their property. The fact that this occurred to people we go to school with and that are in the US made it hit home that much more.
• The affected residents of Joplin have personal belongings flying everywhere. When we were on these properties cleaning up debris, birthday cards, kitchen materials, picture frames, CDs and even an engagement ring were right in front of us. Belonging to someone else, who could just never take it back because of poor condition or poor emotional memories with the item after its demolition. Seeing these personal items made me cry knowing that these possessions weren't and could never be claimed. I can't even envision what I and many of my friends and family members would do with all of their possessions flying around. 
• One key factor that is noticeable where the tornado hit is how empty this area of Joplin is. An area of town that used to have many businesses, homes, residential areas and restaurants was now silent and you can see so far into the distance because it is so empty. You go from a city and town environment to an area that looks like the homes I helped build in Tijuana, Mexico in less than a mile. The only difference was the paved roads, but Mexico's condition and Joplin's condition both allow a wide view of everything because of the emptiness and dirt & dust everywhere. I had some Project Mexico flashbacks, but we were completing the opposite: demolition and removal of items rather than providing them to a family. Putting this into perspective is upsetting once again- that such a service is necessary to help someone's life move on. 
• Our own friends volunteering together, for Joplin and for another friend and committee member. By completing such this clean-up work and powerful experience together, we learned a lot about each other, how we communicate as a group and how we can provide service to the community.  

Picking up debris on our first site

Debris at the end of the property to get picked up

 After a few hours removing rock and heavier material from the first site, we drove over to a second property to clean up. I took a little break to drive my friend Rachel to Walgreens to receive a tetanus shot, because she stepped in a nail and hadn't had this shot. We succeeded after using our assertiveness to call doctors across the state and get a prescription for the shot immediately, and she could walk out happy and able to work the rest of the day. With Joplin's emptiness, we found the other cars by overseeing them from a higher point and drove to the next property.

The second site had been a lot less touched and clean up than the first one. This family had chosen to let a lot of their materials disappear rather than pick some of them up to revive. The walls and floor boards were still up and needed to be demolished and taken to the end of the road. The whole experience was a challenge figuring out what we could safely do next without completely hurting someone else. The couch, toilet, television and other large items were in tact and had been laying out for months. Everything was covered in so much wood and dust that we actually wore face masks at this site. I would say that after 4 hours, we did a lot to the site and left it in a lot better place than what it was when we started.

The second work site

Homecoming committee members at the second site

Demolition

After finishing up at the second home, we signed some walls in a volunteer house that was started by a Joplin family. Wayne told us that the current plans are to take these walls and put them in a museum.

Signing the volunteer house

This two-day trip felt like a week with how much we accomplished. Thank you to Morgan's family, the appreciative Joplin residents the Homecoming committee members for such a powerful trip!

My life

Hello! I'm back! The past three weeks of school have been as busy as anticipated but so enjoyable!

My life is filled with commitments- for my classes, sorority, Homecoming, Relay For Life, job at the Maneater, church, and friends of course....but I feel on top of things and am getting sleep again!

In order to continue my blogging during the school year since I don't have as much time as last semester, my goal is to write a post a week about a lesson learned, but continue with social media posts as well. 

Here are a few photos describing what's going on here in Columbia!

Alex, me,  Laura and Amy at the first Mizzou football game
last Saturday against Miami-Ohio

Dinner at Houlihans with friends!
We ran into just about everyone we knew there!

An OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) barbecue
at Peace Park

Homecoming Steering Committee