History from our era

I mentioned Hannah and I went to a history museum yesterday, and as we walked through, one large question continued to linger in my mind.

What will history about our era cover?

There are issues and events like 9-11, privacy and security in persona and online, the technology age, device growth, but what else will be discussed? Have its story told in a future museum exhibit?

As we explored an exhibit on controversial issues in U.S. history, we continued to be shocked at the timing of some movements. Women's suffrage was not legalized until 1919. Slavery still existed in the 1960s, when our parents were young children or just born.

Yet another story arose in the news today where the timing was a surprise. Mizzou football player Michael Sam admitted to news outlets that he was openly gay, and it was a story across platforms and publications. The New York Times, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and many more covered Michael Sam coming out.

When we consider that this even is a story to be released, it shows how the gay rights movement has progressed as our generation has opened up the conversation toward gay marriage and acceptance overall. I'm happy to be part of a generation where these topics can be discussed, and look forward to seeing how history books portray this.

College summers- Can online college courses make them more fulfilling?

The dreaded question to any college student: what are your plans for this summer?

The judgment is at its maximum. Thankfully, the past two years, I have had pretty good answers to this question. Freshman year, I followed it by explaining how I was volunteering and interning at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, making money beforehand & traveling afterward. Last year I got to say how I had a marketing internship through the J-School in Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of the largest cities in the world, while gaining credit for four college classes. And this year? I don't know yet. Absolutely no idea.

Summer is supposed to be all about relaxing, having fun and partying. But to some people, it's a chance to catch up on learning they couldn't get around to during the traditional school year. They can take online college courses for example. Online programs have courses to fit any stage of your education. Students can also apply for summer jobs, or internships. This government internship website is one of many you'll find online. There seems to be increasing pressure on students to do something with their vacation time.

There is is a lot of pressure in college to obtain the best summer job or internship. Gaining job-related experience (paid or unpaid) is vital in today's market to receive any type of employment post-graduating. But the one underrated idea I have come to realize about summers is that for the most part, it is the one time in life before entering the work force that you have to do whatever you choose.

Taking internships and jobs are obviously investments in the future, but what happened to living in the present? You could choose to take up a hobby you really like, travel the world, be with family, make money by waitressing or working at a camp; overall, follow through on something you really love. But we forget about what we want and conform to what the world (professors, employers, our own friends) tells us we should do. And in a lot of cases, that is work.

I am trying to embrace this idea of limited time by only applying to an internships that I would love to have the opportunity to complete and never even look back on. But unfortunately, I am a conformist; my mind can barely grasp taking a few weeks off and waitressing like I did in high school to get some money, flying across the country to visit friends or see places, or be a camp counselor. Would all of these be incredibly fun? Of course, but in a world of validation, too many people get shunned rather than respected for doing what they love rather than getting another resume builder.

If there's anything I've learned in the past few days, it's to make investments in the present. Take the trip. Take the unpaid job if you like it better than the paid one. You don't need an internship because it's what your friends are doing, do it because it's where YOU want to work. Use these summers to your advantage because one day, you'll be fighting for days off to go on vacations with your kids. And don't be afraid of what others think!

Turning points

My friend Alex and I are inspirational quote nerds. We love finding amazing words whether they are from Audrey Hepburn, Proverbs, quote books or other inspiring messages. Today, she emailed me this one:

"I found that every single successful person I've ever spoken to had a turning point and the turning point was where they made a clear, specific, unequivocal decision that they were not going to live like this anymore. Some people make that decision at 15 and some people make it at 50 and most never make it at all."

Mine was junior year of high school. I made the decision to get myself organized. I cleaned my room, wrote things down in a planner, decided to work a part-time job in my "free time" and grew up. I worked as an editor for the school newspaper, took my section and myself seriously and continued to work hard at school while doing so. I made an active decision to no longer be a procrastinator who remembers everything in my head. I pursued scrapbooking to keep track of all my high school and life memories from that stage on. It's also when I truly identified the Type A in me and acted upon those ambitious qualities. 

But I urge you to think, what is YOUR clear decision that caused a turning point in your way of life? Have you had it yet? Are you happy with the changes made after that? If not, it's not too late to change that. It requires strength and determination. You have that in you, now let it shine to find your successful qualities.

It's important to note that just because you make that revolutionary decision does not mean you are set up for success. It's all about the attitude you have as a result of the decision. You have to actively pursue things, they don't just come to you. Every successful person was not God's gift to Earth and doesn't go around thinking that. They decided what they wanted, kept a positive mindset and lived with assertiveness. So think about it!

Polychronicity Research

In my management course, we learned and took a quiz on polychronicity research. The term polychronic is a word for multi-taskers and people that try doing many things at the same time. The questionnaire has you rank between 1 and 7 to your agreement with various phrases, and add up the scores to see if you are monochronic or polychronic.

Naturally, I am polychronic. I'm constantly checking my email while in meetings or classes, texting one person when I'm with someone else or doing work for one activity while working on another. Polychronic people live life continuously, in a cyclical repeating loop, just trying to get things done. But what wasn't determined was whether this was a good or bad thing.

I was pretty flattered while reading the traits summary of polychronic people. Some included:

• Consider time commitments an objective to be achieved
• project-driven
• loyal to customers and coworkers
• high-context and already have information
• are more concerned with those who are family, friends, close business associates than privacy
• borrow and lend things often and easily
• strong tendency to build lifetime relationships 
• friend for life

But on the other hand, I was legitimately upset when I read these traits:

• distractible and subject to interruptions
• change plans often and easily
• negatively correlated with puncutality: the more polychronic you are, the less likely you are to e on time or on schedule.

I immediately tried rationalizing with these to prove them not true. I stay true to my plans! Always try being on time and live under the philosophy that early is on time and on time is late! I live on a schedule and overprogram just about every little thing in! I have some sort of focus...right? 

But no. The test is 100 percent accurate. The research is...RIGHT. You can't do it all, perfection is not an option. You can strive for it as much as you want to but as much as I hate to say it, your best will never be perfect. Not everyone even has the same definition of phrases like "perfect" and "your best." 

I let my friends distract me from my projects so I can remain social. I've had to reschedule meeting up with lunch for a friend for two weeks now because our schedules collide, so we still haven't seen each other. I have become averse to my alarm clock (yes, all eight alarms, and yes, I have tried changing the settings and putting it across the room) and am sleeping through meetings and plans left and right. 

It's not okay. But it's what a polychronic person does. You have to accept your strengths and your weaknesses, and this test taught me that I can't just rationalize with these truths just to make myself happy, but rather, try and fix them. And I can begin to accept that my project-driven, information-needy and lifelong friend personality is okay with being late once in awhile. 

Brain Freeze!

My dad copied a Mar. 7 Newsweek Article titled BRAIN FREEZE- I can't think! for me to read when I came home!

The subtitle and the article: "The Twitterization of our culture has revolutionized our lives, but with an unintended consequence-our overloaded brains freeze when we have to make decisions," accurately describe our society and provide a lot of relevant information.

The most important point I recognized was how our information overload actually inhibits us from making decisions--as our frustration and anxiety increases when the "flow of facts and opinion never stops." Sharon Begley writes- "The booming science of decision making has shown that more information can lead to objectively poorer choices, and to choices that people come to regret."

One observation the article makes that is evident in every experience I have dealt with is that the greater amount of choices people have, the more they are more prone to making no decision at all. I have been in numerous meetings this year with an agenda, and upon leaving the meeting and looking back, realize how nothing was actually decided. We spent an hour discussing every choice, but never having a concrete answer. That's what our world has become. The recency effect of decision making then becomes clear--because the person of authority lets the most recent choice discussed become the so-called "decision" of the group.

The brain's working memory "can hold roughly seven items...anything more must be processed in long-term memory." Ever wonder why you can memorize phone numbers? That's why! So when you are having serious conversations with friends, holding meetings or creating to-do lists, remember not to go over more than seven important things! Unless you have a strategy of implanting them in someone's long-term memory. Also, in the end, people who decide things unconsciously end up being more satisfied. Therefore, rather than providing someone with multiple choices and giving them the possibilities, let them choose. For the record, we are all individuals.

What is a solution to all of this? How can we make indecisive people start to make decisions? Telling them to do so in itself has not and will not just work. The article offers that we be aware of overusing smart phones and outlets that give us the information.

"Experts advise dealing with emails and texts in batches, rather than in real time; that should let your unconscious decision-making system kick in. ...You will do better, and regret less, if you let your unconscious turn it over by removing yourself from the info influx-set priorities."

Thus, set a time to check your phone and laptop for messages. Don't do it sporadically. Go with your gut when you make decisions. Be sure when you walk out of a meeting or end a conversation that a decision has actually been made. And let people be themselves.

My First Surprise

Tuesday morning, I was surprised for the first time in my life. As a naturally curious (or nosy) person...and a journalism major, it's hard to be surprised at things when you're constantly trying to discover them.

Four people stormed up the stairs around 5 in the morning, but I had no idea what time it was, where my phone or glasses were or what to wear. They screamed "CONGRATULATIONS KATIE, YOU MADE HOMECOMING STEERING COMMITTEE!!!" as they dragged me out of bed...literally. Kidnapping is the thing to do at Mizzou for campus activities, so the rest of the morning was surreal.

After spending the morning with the new and former steering committees, it took going to class, 45 wall posts, 12 texts and two phone calls to realize that this was it. It was such an accomplishment to receive something I applied and went through two rounds of interviews for. To have the opportunity to serve on the Centennial Homecoming Steering Committee--I still don't believe it.

For future reference, here is the Mizzou Homecoming blog and here is the website. If you click steering committee, you'll see the names and some bios!

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, but more importantly....buying a whole new wardrobe of black and gold business attire :)!

News of the week

Live from the University of Illinois- here are my discoveries from the week! I got to U of I yesterday evening and had dinner with some of Meredith's friends, and am off to have lunch with various GBN people throughout the day.

Naturally, I had to catch up on Google Reader, where I found these shocking articles of the week:

Wild Brad Chase: Tweets spark campuswide search for Brad Pitt-

Disclaimer: THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Read this article to get the full story, but it started with Shaina and I sitting on the deck at the back of my sorority house. We both saw some Tweets that said BRAD PITT IS HERE?! Within 10 minutes of those, three groups of girls left "Greektown" and when I asked where they were going, they said they were looking for Brad Pitt. And they weren't kidding.

Even J-School Buzz (a forum type site for journalism majors) investigated such, and tweeted that Brad Pitt was in between the Student Center and Greektown. After this, I had to go see what was going on, so Shaina and I walked to the student center to go to the Maneater (newspaper) office. Not much to my surprise, journalism students were guarding every door of the student center. Girls were running all over campus to find him, literally, pacing down the street.

This was by far the worst, with a huge crowd of students thinking Brad Pitt had just driven by in a white Sedan. What were they going to do if it actually was Brad Pitt? I don't know....tweet about it more? A variety of rumors were spread...one that he was here with Oprah, one that he was making a donation to his fraternity house for their philanthropy, and my favorite, that he was being 'interviewed' to be the Grand Marshall for the centennial Homecoming (even though he never graduated Mizzou).

This experience definitely taught Mizzou, once again, how quickly things spread over social media and how you need to find an accurate source for things. Just like earlier this year when a shooting two counties away and a man coming to the hospital signified from Twitter that four people had been shot in a university parking garage, we need to be careful what we Tweet, post as statuses and insinuate, because a campus can easily go crazy.

Confession: A Roman Catholic App- This happened earlier last week, and I'm sure you've heard about it by now, but is an iPhone application with guidelines for confession. Although it's not supposed to replace confession, I think some people will take that the wrong way. And what I dislike most about it...you have to PAY for these confession guidelines. Really Catholic church?

Highland Park man charged with Taliban weapons deal- People never think things like this happen in the Chicago suburbs. But they do.

Connections can make a difference when times get tough- Another reminder about how we constantly need to be networking, or our lives will fail and we won't have jobs.

Giordanos Files for Bankruptcy- Although this is mostly for real estate since Giordanos owes 45.7 million to the bank, this is still disappointing news. Restaurants will be staying open, but I'm in awe.

I hope you enjoyed my commentary for the day and enjoy the lovely weather this weekend!

Facebook rant, part 1

Every minute on Facebook....

• 510,404 comments are written
• 382,861 posts are liked
• 231,605 messages are sent
• 135,849 photos are added
• 98,604 friendships are approved
• 82,557 statuses are updated
• 79,364 wall posts are written
• 74,204 event invites are received
• 72,816 pages are liked
• 66,168 photos are tagged
• 55,304 links are shared

(Source: TIME Magazine graphic with information courtesy of Facebook)

Mark Zuckerberg fascinates me. It started with seeing The Social Network and learning some background information in fiction-movie form, and continued with a TIME Magazine article published in December. Zuckerberg was named TIME's "Person of the Year," so practically a novel was written about him as an article. He did, for the record, make probably the largest contribution to social media and society this decade, if not century. His invention did not even need to be advertised to spread the word in terms of popularity. My earliest memory of Facebook was being a 7th grader at my friend Michelle's house, watching her older brother who was a freshman at American University use the site. He said we could look forward to our college e-mail accounts for the sole purpose of using Facebook. And we did. Obviously, part of Mark's success.

Imagine creating something and watching every minute decision you make affect the entire world. It makes me cry of joy to see ideas I brought to the organizations I was in at GBN be carried on, but to see 550 million people discuss the ramifications of your decisions? It's phenomenal. One in every dozen people on the planet Earth has a Facebook. Seven hundred billion minutes are spent on Facebook each month. Two million websites are integrated with Facebook, and 10,000 new websites integrate with it each day. To be part of the team behind this massive societal shift would be amazing.

Mark is portrayed as a smart little boy throughout his Facebook article, for the most part on the nerdy rungs of the social ladder. His bar mitzvah was Star Wars themed, and for fun in his young years he performed some interesting computer tricks. He set his sister's computer saying that if she didn't come pick something up in 4 seconds, her computer would self-destruct. But he is the one whose decisions and daily work have been engrained in our heads throughout the past 7 years. I myself have had a Facebook profile since the summer before my sophomore year of high school, when Facebook was opened up to high school networks. As a centerspread for the Torch, my high school newspaper, I designed Facebook profiles for the graduating seniors and tried my hardest to mock the logo and the font. These small things have an effect on our everyday lives; we remember these decisions. Mark's thoughtless decision to create a blue and white logo was due to his color blindness to green and red, and now the world associates the faded shade of blue with Facebook. That's pretty impressive.

His most intelligent idea that has contributed to today's changes is as follows: "The fact that people yearned not to be liberated from their daily lives but to be more deeply embedded them is an extraordinary insight." Think about this statement. People are obsessed with themselves and their personal image. Instead of being free from stressful thoughts and relaxing, we would rather stress over placing emphasis and efforts on making ourselves appear great to others. It makes sense, because stressors can arise from being looked at the wrong way. But who thinks this much? Mark Zuckerberg. It is not the idea that he thinks this much, but that he did something about it by letting people control so many aspects of their "profiles." On today's Facebook (or at least the one I have right now, until the next change comes up), you can choose which of your information is on the side box on the left right when people click on your profile, and what only shows when they go out of their way to click "Info." For example, as a single lady (thanks Beyonce for forever keeping that song stuck in people's heads), I can choose to have Single on my front page in addition to a tab so people see it on their first quick glance. It sounds like a little, but can mean a lot in the long run. So it was a lot for Mark to think (even collaboratively) of such ideas of why people care about themselves so much.

The most photo uploads Facebook has had in one day so far was Halloween 2010 with 339 million photos. The day after, 305 million photos were uploaded. Why Halloween? This allows part of Facebook's target market, the YAYAs (MOJO advertising group's terms for youth and young adults) to show off their costumes, beauty, friends and social lives. So uploading these photos is a manner of investing time into making yourself look good to your network. I'm sure if you could count the number of times people just glance over their own profile, it would be infinite. People have endless options of to give off a very specific image about themselves, from the pages they like, to the photos they upload, to their status updates, to what they write on someone's wall to broadcast it rather than in a message.

Therefore, we as individuals are all contributing to these statistics. Facebook accounts for 10 percent of all internet visits and 25 percent of pageviews in the US (Source: USA Today), so we obviously care this much about how we appear to everyone else. Next time you log on Facebook, thing of your intent for signing in, its purpose. Are you checking information on someone's profile, using it for communication or impatiently waiting to tell the world something cool you did with a status? Maybe thinking of its purpose will help you get over this insane habit.

(More to come in Facebook rant, part 2)

The downer of deaths

Earlier this week, my father informed me someone had passed away. Nick Figaro, a 35-year-old Greek Orthodox man, died of heart complications that he was unaware he had in his bed, in his parents' house.

I know of him because a GBN physical education and health teacher, Beth, married him at my church and my father performed the wedding. I never had Beth (called Ms. O before she was married/to most of my class at GBN) as a teacher, but we became very friendly with each other after she got to know my dad through her pre-marriage classes and Chrismation. When I was home in October, I even met their daughter Sloan, who is a little shy of one year old, and Nick's mom at the Homecoming parade.

Hence, when I received this call, I still got the chills that such things happen. Imagine being the parents of a 35-year-old and hearing your son died. Imagine marrying the love of your life, envisioning a future, and that person dying just two years later. Imagine thinking of how to raise a child of one year who will now live without her father living and raising her. It makes me cry to even think about it.

I attended the wake with my family, and came across a lot of my former GBN teachers. I saw the entire GBN physical education department and a lot of district administrators who I haven't seen in awhile. But the awkward thing about visitations and wakes is that you don't go greet these people as you would in a normal setting. You might exchange a glance of sadness, but there is no chatting or catching up. That is put aside out of respect for the person who passed away. It doesn't matter how school is going, someone's class is or how things are with their family, what matters is that both of you are paying respects to the family of someone who just died.

And that is how life goes. You live, watch all of your neighbors, family, friends, old acquaintances and classmates do the same, and then they die. Some early, some late, some past the time you are living. And you have to live knowing that you don't know the last time you will ever see some of these people. Or one of the only places you'll run into those people you never see and never expected to see is at such depressing events. I didn't quite realize this until I was there that day. I have to sadly think that the next time I will see some of those teachers is at another funeral. But I can fulfill my thoughts knowing that I am on good enough terms with them to exchange a glance and empathize with what they are thinking, without even needing to speak to express our feelings.

What can be deduced from this is that you have to live every day to its fullest and maintain positive relationships with the people you know and love, so this is always the case where and whenever you see them. It could be at Walgreens or at a store, at a restaurant, walking by them in a mall or at a park, in a classroom, or at their funeral. You never know when that last day will come. So always say hi, always be pleasant, don't hesitate to be nice....because you don't know what the future will bring.

People will die, unfortunate things will happen, and life has to move on. Beth will have to be a single mother, the daughter will have to grow up without her father and the family will always miss their beloved brother and son. But all we can do is remember that the last time I saw Beth before this tragedy, we had a great conversation and were happy to see each other and talk. So when I saw her at the wake, a hug of comfort was exchanged. And that feeling of comfort is what will mean the world to someone someday.

I have experienced at this at many funerals and wakes in the past couple of years, as well as Nick's this past week. Some would say that my high school and middle school graduating class was not the lucky one. In middle school, Marco DeVito and Tommy Whang passed away; at GBN- Jenny Snyder passed away; just a few months ago, Lizzy Seeberg committed suicide after being sexually assaulted by a Notre Dame football player, and her parents cannot even charge that player with anything due to insufficient evidence that will prove something.

So remember to be positive and don't be afraid to demonstrate your care for others, because you don't know what will come next.

My 100th Blog Post

I feel unfortunate to say that although this is my 100th blog post, it won't be incredibly exciting. Why? Because my life is not very thrilling right now. I survived my first semester of sophomore year! Classes are officially over. I am in Columbia until next Thursday with absolutely no agenda besides studying for three non-cumulative tests, and going out to dinner with various groups of people every night.

Being in Columbia, or any college town for that matter, without having a strict schedule of classes, homework and activity meetings is one of the weirdest feelings ever. I feel like when you're at school, you're at school to work, so when I'm not working I feel like I have a problem. I watched an entire season of Gilmore Girls in less than a week. I had one evening without a meeting or plan for the night, and I got so impatient just staying around the house that I went Christmas shopping at 10:30 pm just to be productive. I have a problem...it's fine.

But cool enough....I have kept up with this blog. For all of you who doubted my ability to blog after returning to Facebook, I did it. And I love it. So much that I created another blog. And update them both very often (once or twice a week is considered often to me in the collegiate world). And nothing makes my day more than when my friends comment (verbally and in writing) on my blogs. I'm happy to have enough people I love that somewhat care about what's going on in my life to even skim this for pictures, read my revelations and process what I say. It's an outlet for journalists to practice writing opinion-style without being published in print, and I like that.

One of my theoretical goals to add to that list is to categorize my blog in a more organized manner. I've seen cute ideas like Sara's "Wish List Wednesday" and more, and have the categories of updates and revelations. But sometimes, I just have something to complain about that I've learned something from, which I call rants. But I hate how unprofessional the word 'rant' sounds. Complaint is not much better. And sometimes, they are just lessons that have sprung from a so-called 'complaint' or 'rant,' but what word describes that?

For lack of terminology, here's my rant of the day: I hate it when people ask for notes from a class they do not attend. I always have, because who am I to give you notes. Here's a mythical conversation that describes my perspective on people that ask for notes.

Desperate one: Hey! Oh my gosh I've just been so busy and everything that I didn't have time to get to that class the other day....you take really good notes, can you just e-mail them all to me?

Person that attends class: So you want ME, who didn't have time either but actually got out of bed and WENT to class, to send YOU what I processed from class, because that's fair how? I take my time and effort to try and learn material, and you want me to just hand it over to you?

Person making lame excuse: I'll bribe you though!

*Side note: this has actually happened to me. I received an e-mail offering me gourmet chocolate and candy for giving her notes for a class. People can get pretty ridiculous.

Ethical person: Well this is getting even more ethical! Now you realized that you made a mistake, and just won't own up to it!

Bad note-taker: I guess I can just ask someone else....*thinking remorse will somehow come of this*

Class attendant: That's a good idea. *the bad note-taker gets disappointed.*

The only circumstance in which I will now trade notes is with my best friends, who honestly know when we were sick (I get it now, I can say I've had pneumonia and had to miss class) or attending something more important (like a Missourian tour for another class...good planning J-School) that forced them not to come to class. This is new criteria for me, but for the best. You would think that college students get more responsible as life progresses, but sometimes it's the opposite. They try getting around things as much as possible. They don't prioritize their obligations. And the people that are considered responsible in one aspect of their lives must suffer the consequences of other people's poor decision making? I don't think so.

This is one part of my "learning to say no" life lesson in terms of unnecessary remorse, as I have started realizing that people who don't care about class don't deserve help. And if I've learned anything in life, people try to pick at and get around your morals. One person joked about how they take bad notes and if I could just e-mail them all of mine, that would be great. When I laughed, they became concerned and realized I wasn't stupid. Sorry hun! Another person just came in my room while I was asleep to get my notes. Tricky tricky. I hope later in life, everyone realizes they can't just depend on other people to do things for them. We are all people with brains, power and our own work ethics, and if you don't apply you full potential of those attributes, then you will not succeed. The end.

Airport Travel

My privacy has officially been violated. It was bound to happen. After flying three times in one week, it was almost guaranteed that I would be scanned by one of the new TSA scanners.

These scanners, a new security measure, scan your body for 10 seconds as you stand in a box with your legs a foot apart and your arms raised above your head. It projects a naked image of your body toward a security official watching the screen, who then looks for anything you might be sneaking onto a flight. From my understanding, the scanners make “pat-downs” unnecessary since technology does everything for us. They have created an ethical issue by potentially causing discomfort in some individuals at the idea of a random stranger examining your nude body.

TSA and newspaper articles suggest that it is not unethical because “the person monitoring the image does not know your identity.” A friend in Boston raised an interesting point refuting this measure. People don’t know someone’s identity when they are looking at pornography magazines, do they? So why is this ethical?

In a world where technology takes more prevalence by the day, we are undoubtedly increasing our safety. I have no question that these machines were created with good intent, to ensure that people are not sneaking illegal items onto plane. But where do we draw the line between what is too much? The technology and amount of interactive devices are keeping us safe by increasing stalking abilities and not considering human thought and ramifications of such decisions. Privacy does not exist…ever. The scan takes 10 seconds, and I don’t believe it would take a security official any more than 10 seconds to pat down someone who sets the alarm off at the gate.

Thus, I foresee an interesting future with this new invention. If nude scanners are acceptable in airports, where will they be acceptable next? School buildings? Ellis Island? Museums? Essentially, my generation must be prepared to lose our definition of privacy and acknowledge the impact of the Information Age. By the time I have kids, security measures and inventions will probably have exploded.

Let’s just accept the fact that we were always being watched. Between these, security cameras in department stores and easily-available devices sold in stores, machines will be aware of what is going on. But do the people who own or control them? Despite my father’s jokes about these “TSA regulation and stimulation stations,” the people monitoring these machines are still Americans getting paid to do a job. In fact, they probably did not request that position, and if they did, I have hope that airport security is intelligent enough not to hire them. In an age of technological innovation, we must remain aware of our surroundings as we lose this privacy, because while we might be being watched, we are not necessarily being judged.

Judgment and appearance is ultimately what many humans care about, and a machine cannot do that. It can witness things but not really understand personality, therefore, admitting the creepiness of these TSA scanners, they do fulfill their goal of promoting security and safety. Once Americans recognize this, press coverage will diminish and these measures will become habitual, just as security has been in the past.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been a lovely and relaxing break in Northbrook and I am thankful for everyone I have gotten to see whether it was for five minutes or five hours!

Although this seems incredibly generic, I'm going to continue my list-making fetish and describe what I am thankful for!

What Katie is thankful for

• My family: I have to give my family some credit, because they still love me even though I am rarely home. I have not been with my family for more than a week since May (where I had a month), and cannot foresee a time where I will be at home for an incredibly long period of time. But I am thankful that when I do return, we can all sacrifice our time to have family dinners, catch up, spend time together doing completely random things, make jokes, laugh together and so much more. I can ramble on about absolutely nothing and they will listen. I can call members of my extended family like my Yiayias (who don't know enough about the Internet to know that this blog exists) on walks to class just to smile, and always feel loved. Thanks Artemi!
• Friends from high school: I am thankful to have close-knit relationships from high school so when I come home, I don't only have automatic plans, but I also never feel awkward or forced. I want to see everyone that I hang out with, and each one of these people can start off just where we left off. I can wear my glasses and no makeup for three days straight and not feel any bit of guilt. Hanging out with friends can constitute going to the bank, Costco, and running other errands and it's not about what we're doing...it's about valuing the time we have together. No one knows where we will all end up living after graduation, so I am thankful to have friends that take advantage of every minute we have together and home to continue our bond :).
• People that value communication: Both of the above categories fall in this realm, but I could not survive without my constant communication with the people in my life. Whether this is through phone calls everywhere I walk, Skyping when I'm stressed, or random texts throughout the day, I thank everyone who makes time to communicate with me by choice. I love having people to talk to, hear from and discuss anything from school to current events with, and not just one-sided relationships. Thank you to anyone who keeps in touch with me!!
• My college experience: Choosing the University of Missouri was never where I would have anticipated myself as a young teenager, and to this day I envy people who attend college in gorgeous U.S. cities and study abroad or do great work in amazing places. But I'm thankful that I attend Mizzou every day. Not just for our beautiful and simple campus, welcoming environment or Journalism School, but for the way the system works. FIGS (Freshman Interest Groups) and Learning Communities determine where you live as a freshman, and allow you to meet students in your major and with similar interests. While promoting competition, it allowed me to click with the university quicker than anywhere else I would have gone and oddly enough, I will always feel a strong attachment to Mizzou and "CoMo," the town of Columbia. I will be dressing my kids in Tiger-spirited items, have mugs and trinkets around my house as an adult and am happy that this is the case.
• College friends: Both living in Mark Twain Hall and my experience in Phi Mu have had a very strong impact on who my friends are and I can't envision things turning out any other way. My FIG and learning community gave me the best friends I could ask for- my own family at school. We're oddly obsessed with the same things and each other so much that I feel like we can read each other's minds, make each other's decisions and mock ourselves perfectly. We're insane enough to all leave our hometowns early to spend more time with each other...when we see each other on a daily basis at school. Kathryn, Sherman, Andrew, Laura, Kate, Shaina and Amy- thank you for keeping me sane on a daily basis. Phi Mu contributed as well by allowing me to meet a diverse community of girls who participate in various things on campus and come from a variety of backgrounds. Shelley- thank you for being the best pledge mom/big sister ever. And thank you to all of my friends from Mizzou for being my friend :)
• Involvement with the Greek Orthodox Church: After my trip to Boston this weekend, I realized how many activities and how much of my life has been influenced by having connections and more through church. Although I was visiting two friends from Project Mexico, I practically knew half of the school I was at (Holy Cross/Hellenic College) from Ionian Village, Fanari, St. Nicholas Camp or being a PK (priest's kid). We could all go to Divine Liturgy and Paraklesis together without questioning why we were there, and comfortably hang out with anyone and share the common bond of our faith. I'm very glad that I have this and look forward to pursuing it in the future through Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) and College Conference at Antiochian Village this December!

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday, weekend and I hope that you can reflect on being thankful for some of these things too!

The cell-phone-less life: learning to say no

I have a problem. I am attached to my cell phone. It does not leave my side. I have never once left it in my room, put it on silent of even turned it off this semester.

The idea sparked into my head that I should just go a day without my phone and see how things differ. In a plea to start saying no to more things in life and not trying to accomplish everything and more, I left my phone at home in my room, on silent, on top of my desk and will not check it until I return home for the day around 7:30 p.m. Twelve hours without a phone to contact the world. What would you do?

A quick disclaimer- I do have my computer with me and have been replying to e-mails, but this was not part of the experiment. The mission per se was that anything I am doing, I am always in contact with someone else via text or calling. I have a break in between 1:45 and 3:30 p.m. on this day in my schedule, and reflected upon what I usually get done during this hour. Even if I set an agenda and to-do list of things to accomplish, I realize they do not get done to the extent I want them to. Why? Because I am either calling people to catch up (something I value), texting someone I will see in a few minutes or hours, or running errands and favors that probably never would have even needed to be done if I wouldn't have said yes.

I cannot say no. This is a current issue I am working on with my friends, acquaintances and co-members of organizations, but people know this about me and take full advantage of it. I have spent hours driving people to places I don't even know to go because I feel bad that they have no other way of getting there. Gone to various buildings on campus to print assignments for group members because I am under the impression my grade will suffer if they do not complete their part. Helped people with quizzes when I should be writing a Spanish paper. Making documents and schedules for people who whine about not being able to organize their lives. Meeting up for coffee when I should be preparing for an exam.

And when I think about it, this sounds selfish, but I could probably finish my work and maybe have a little more free time if I toned those other errands down and focused on what I need to do. Do I regret helping my friends? Not in the least. Do I get aggravated at these errands and last minute wants sometimes? Yes. But I fulfill them anyway. Because I have an empathy problem and think that if I was in their position, I would take advantage of me too. But people barely return the favor and I continue to live. It's just how my life functions.

I've had some time to get ahead this afternoon and I've written two analytical blog posts, ran some errands on my own and achieved more than I thought I would. Potential things that could have happened with a phone include spontaneous calls and texts that inhibit me from paying attention in class or cause me to stress out about what needs to be done next. Or texts from people asking for help on a project or a paper that would cause me to immediately stop what I'm doing and go meet up with them. The thought of saying I have something else to do does not even cross my mind. Thus, the lack of cell phone usage this afternoon is a test in saying no to things that if really needed to be done, should have been contacted earlier. To warn my acquaintances, I posted my Facebook status that I was going phoneless for the day. I have already been questioned by three people in my classes how it's going. Note: these are not people I talk to on a regular basis. Goodness.

I am halfway through the day. There are several alarming reasons informing me that this problem persists in my life and it's even making me depressed that this is even the case. Examples include:

• During one of my lecture classes, I envisioned that my phone was ringing and I got really embarrassed that it interrupted class. But that didn't happen. I guess I just wish my phone was ringing/maybe it was ringing back at home and my cell phone and I have that sixth sense with each other. Yes, I just personified my cell phone. But without even having possession of the phone, I believe it rang because that's what I'm used to. Sad story #1.
• I am wearing a jacket with pockets and have these moments where I feel my phone vibrating and dig in my pocket to get it (one of its usual locations). But the phone is on my desk in my room....and there is no vibration I am actually feeling. I am just so adjusted to getting text messages at this time of day that it's instinctual to take my phone out.
• After proposing an argument at a TA's office hours, I received five points back on a test. My first feeling was to text my friends in that class about my excitement. But there was no phone in my pocket. Upon reflection, I thought...maybe if I eliminated the ability to do this, they don't actually need to know. In fact, they probably don't care. With unlimited texting, messages have lost their value and become so pointless. So, I got a few points back, the world continues.
• I'm sure more will come since it is only 3 p.m.

I encourage you all to participate because I feel so relaxed. As I acknowledged before, I did not cut of all contact due to e-mail and this blog obviously, but I hope you look forward to hearing the results of this experiment!

Networking, networking, networking...

I am a 19-year-old college sophomore who has two more years of undergraduate schooling. But we live in America so it's never too late to start thinking about where I'm getting a job in two (or three) years, right?

I don't know whether to attribute it to being at the University of Missouri or just being a young adult in the United States, but everything revolves around networking. It's all about the future. If I don't go meet the Associated Press recruiter when he is at MU now and today, the impression is given that I will just not get a job. If one of my parents or grandparents' best friends from who knows where does not own, manage or work as a CEO of a major agency, I won't get hired!

We do not have time to focus on the here and now. The perfect job opportunity, mentor to meet, or professor could be right in front of our eyes in a specific course but we would not even realize it. Students are too busy seeing what else they can sign up for 'networking'-wise that I don't think I don't think many would discover the opportunities right in front of their faces. If they are following Arik Hanson's blog (a popular blogger in America) or seeing who one can find on LinkedIn or Twitter during class, how are those professors supposed to write recommendations?

I advocate futuristic thinking, but sometimes it gets to be a little too much. I learned the value this summer of recognizing what's right in front of you and appreciating it. But now I am back at school and revert back to the norm (note: the norm for Type A personalities and my friends)- going after every opportunity. I enjoy those opportunities, but I need to define my limits. I took advantage of two opportunities in the past week that were beneficial to my college career and 100 percent networking, but remember not to go too overboard.

Friday, Nov. 5, I went to Kansas City with AAF Mizzou (Advertising Club, American Advertising Federation = AAF) to tour three agencies. We went to Two West, VML and Barkley & Associates. They were all prominent advertising agencies in the KC area and potential employers. The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed than one would anticipate, and the students in attendance did everything from listen to employees speak and give us their job descriptions, brainstorm about potential client campaigns and watch and analyze promotional videos.

But one way I applied the networking lessons I advocate is that while I saved every business card and the contact information of the associates, I have to remember...I am only a sophomore. Most of these agencies aren't even taking people my age as interns. One might call me an 'overachiever,' but that is not the case. I'm learning what interests me and how to apply it to what I do now. Last year I could not have told you what media planning or being a public relations account executive was, and now I can say that I am considering them for potential careers. The more I hear about what these people do and what you can do in college to prepare you for that, the more excited I get to enter the work force. So my idea of networking is to learn about myself and what I want out of my future in the process. I also met a variety of great individuals that I never would have met if I did not go on this trip. I was in the car for four hours with four people I had never met, and we had great conversation about the agencies, jobs and life at Mizzou right now. Plus, we had an awesome lunch with carne asada at an authentic Mexican restaurant called Manny's in KC. Bonus! Thus, this trip was a worthwhile experience and I look forward to more AAF trips in the future!

This past weekend fully encompassed networking as Saturday, I attended Mizzou's 1st Annual Leadership Academy. The schedule of events for the day consisted of two speakers and a closing address by Chancellor Brady Deaton, the opportunity to attend four breakout workshop sessions in a variety of topics, and a nice lunch and networking reception in the New Student Center. It was hard to decide which sessions to attend since there were a multitude of options, but I went to one on event planning (typical), Leadership Leverage- how to apply your college experiences with organizations to your future, leading effective meetings (what I will be doing as Phi Mu's vice president) and networking & connections.

Me, Susan, Katie and Stephanie at the reception.

Six Phi Mu women were in attendance!

While learning a lot of information from these four sessions, the last value I learned about networking is not only the value of knowing adults in the professional field, but people on your own campus. The networking and connecting session ended with a speed-dating atmosphere of getting to know the people in the room, and I met students from a variety of campus organizations. Not only will I appreciate their kindness and friendship, but there is a two-way benefit in networking. We can acknowledge each other and participate in each other's events. I may or may not have recruited Relay For Life teams and Maneater advertisements in these conversations. But I also learned about how I can help one of the hall councils with not even too much effort. It was an excellent opportunity to attend the first time the university held this event and meet so many leaders from around campus, and I look forward to attending the Academy in the future!

To conclude, I encourage you to see all the benefits of networking, while also living in the present. Be professional in what you do, but keep your eyes open and appreciate the wonderful experiences and people you meet by doing it.

Now I need some more business professional attire, huh? With all these interviews, events and elections in the past week, my suit outfits, collared shirts and high waisted skirts are exhausted!

Crossing borders

One topic that has sparked my interests lately more than I thought it ever would is the United States-Mexico border, in terms of illegal immigration as well as identity. I used to be very adamant about my view; it seems like a cut and dry topic. If you are born in Mexico (or Canada, Greece, any country for that matter), you are not a U.S. citizen and thus, do not deserve to enter the country we fund. End of story. That should be ethical, right? But it's not.

When I think about the issue, I see it as one of induced self-esteem of Americans for monetary and economic purposes. Even if it is better to not overpopulate our country, the U.S. feels a sense of power and torture over immigrants such as Mexicans. In the long run, it is not just a problem of our country's size and money, it's about our egos, selfishness and disrespect toward other cultures. There are huge race and generation fault lines present through our biases toward immigrants. Thus, I came to the conclusion that is is the norm in American culture to uphold a sense of empowerment against a group of individuals when really, the ethical thing to do would be to stop torturing them and look out for the best interests of a group.

For example, when a Mexican who was born in the U.S. is crossing the border, it is the norm to be incredibly tough while letting him over. Checking multiple forms of identification (I personally had to show two IDs when I crossed the border and I am a blonde, Greek-American girl), questioning and evil stares are typical. The employees, regardless of who they are at home or outside of their job, exert this unnecessary power that shows that they are better because they have all say as to who enters the country. But what else makes them any better than us? NOTHING.

While not quite as extreme examples, there are small things that happen on life's daily basis, as well as laws, that prove this unnecessary exertion of power. Last week, I spent an hour and a half waiting to pick up my MU basketball tickets outside Mizzou Arena. About 500 students waited outside in the cold, and in these experiences last year, people were getting frostbitten. But the arena employees won't just open the door and let you sit in the heated building while you wait for your tickets. Or let you in to use the bathroom. That door does not open a minute too early; it's firsthand torture. Would it be unethical to unlock the door and let people inside for their health's sake as they wait? Apparently so.

There's a different type of torture by the law like when I am right outside of a popular Columbia bar "canning" for Relay, but can't walk into the bar because of one number that adds to my identity--my age. While this is a different type of example and I do believe the drinking age should be 21, it's the premise of the fact that one 'bouncer' is holding me back from stepping foot on that territory when in reality, who is he to be in that position? Another individual empowering others of equal, lesser or even greater value than himself.

Ilyse, Jackie and I outside of Harpo's collecting money for Relay.

We fundraised over $500 that night!

As a strict person, I'm saying that America needs to tone down its relationships with its rules and evaluate whether the rules are upheld for ethical or empowering reasons. If I were the Mizzou Arena employee who watched someone outside go to the hospital for frostbite, would I feel good about myself? The bartender that watched someone go away in an ambulance outside because they weren't allowed in a bar to use the bathroom? Watched the immigrant that was shot because he or she wasn't allowed across the border when in reality, met all standards? Think about it.

Another eventful week

The start of "Halloweek" (a term describing Halloween week in a college atmosphere) has been ultra-busy and eventful! It started off with sleeping in after an exhausting Homecoming weekend, and if anything, has been a week of a lot of journalism, business and ethics realizations.

Wednesday afternoon, I received a text message to go to the New Student Center. A coke vending machine was crowded with probably 50 students, and I couldn't tell what they were staring at. Coke was doing a promotional event for happiness at this one machine where there was a man in the vending machine. You inserted $1, chose which Coke-brand soda you wanted, and it fell out of the machine per usual. But then, a surprise came after. Some of these surprises were cookies, candy, free t-shirts and Mizzou and Coke merchandise, a two-liter bottle of a Coke product, a Polaroid image of your face as you received the second gift, and Kansas State football game tickets!

I obviously was incredibly excited and went to the machine twice. I got Sprite both times, with candy as my first surprise gift and a two-liter Sprite as my second. But as happens with State Farm Insurance promotions earlier this semester and more, why is Coke spending their money branding us when they already have business? What was their goal while instigating happiness? As much as I hate to say it, no business just wants to throw away a ton of money getting some University of Missouri students who were in the right place at the right time to favor their brand. It bugs me that I could not discover their intent. It would have been cool if the dollars (since mine was given back the first time) were donated to a cause to promote happiness, or if the gifts were donated, but I realized by asking and that was not the case. So if you happen to be a business owner or large company reading this or campaigning on a college campus, inform students of your mission so it actually comes across!

I sat in the Student Center for a few more hours studying and chatting with Kate and Sherman, when I got a call (which ended up being a rumor, but) four people were shot in Mizzou's Virginia Avenue Parking Structure. The University Hospital was on lockdown, which is on campus, and people began to freak out. There was no alert sent by the university but MU Alert and the Columbia Daily Tribune, as well as KOMU News (our NBC affiliate TV station) began to post live updates by the minute. No other campus buildings went on lockdown, but this was the first news event where I followed the entire story on Twitter. The term "University Hospital" became a popular trend on Twitter, with Mizzou and its plethora of news outlets and journalism students on Twitter taking over the world with both this and Mizzou College Gameday becoming a trend last week. That's pretty cool that we have so many people informing the world that we're being trended!

It was a great way to follow the updates and it was discovered that what really happened was a gunman shot four people in Callaway County, who were sent to University Hospital in mid-Missouri. The gunman was on the loose and since only three of the four had died, rumor had it he was around to "finish off the job." The parking garage came nowhere into this besides its proximity to the hospital, but KOMU and some other news outlets refuted this by serving their duty to the news and driving through the garage and around the locked down hospital to discover and share the truth. That evening, my journalism news class had our tour of the KOMU news station where we watch the live 6 p.m. broadcast and see all the equipment, and it was a great night to attend because of all the breaking news. It was an awesome experience to see the studio and part of me made me wish I worked there, although I am glad with my choice of going the strategic communication sequence.

The next morning, for the same journalism class, I had to attend one of Missouri's Master Honor Medal speakers. This is an award given to exemplary publications, editors and more, each of whom gave a presentation about their career of publication. I attended ZETA Weekly News Magazine's presentation, which is a magazine published in Tijuana, where Adela Navarro, one of its directors, discussed drug-trafficking. ZETA is known for giving in-depth coverage and does not have many competitors due to fear of covering such topics in Baja California, Mexico, but has a strong presence both there and in southern California.

Her presentation was actually given in Spanish, so I understood most of it, but a translator was present with a thick British accent, making it almost equally difficult to understand him. She discussed the ramifications of covering the truth in such a dangerous area, and said that 44 journalists have been killed on the job in the past four years. Wow. Imagine following your passion so much that murder is a prevalent daily consequence. I was interested in working for ZETA while I was at Project Mexico (this was the ideal life situation for summer 2011), but feel that my parents would never let me pursue this risk even if I could. I interviewed Adela after her presentation and asked her a few questions in Spanish. Since I feel I'm invincible, I asked if they offered internships, but that would only be possible if I enrolled at one of Mexico's universities. Their passion and in-depth reporting still amazes me, and with a vote on the legalization of marijuana next Tuesday in California, the future of drug trafficking has a lot to hold. After attending this event, I will be following the story and interested in its outcome!

With two exams in marketing and accounting this week, time to go study!

Perfection

Here's an interesting and applicable article I found in Glamour magazine's health section (Credit: Sarah Jio)!

It is inspirational because although I wouldn't label myself a perfectionist, I feel that some of these qualities fit me and a lot of my friends. And here comes the news telling us we have a 51 percent increased risk of death. Read it and tell me what you think!

The Best Health News We've Heard All Year:

Are you a perfectionist?

Many women are, but we might want to rethink our demanding ways. Researchers recently found that self-described perfectionists--those who placed the highest expectations on themselves--had a 51 percent increased risk of premature death compared with their more chill peers. "People who are motivated by perfectionism carry around more anxiety as a result of being too hard on themselves," says the study's lead researcher, Prem S. Fry, Ph.D., Western University in Langley, British Columbia. "That anxiety makes the body more susceptible to physiological stress and even physical ailments, and the result can be a health disaster." How can you silence your inner perfectionist?

FIND YOUR FOCUS.

"Instead of trying to do everything exactly right, prioritize the areas of your life where you really want to excel," suggests Fry. That might mean accepting that you'll never be a tech wiz--or even giving up some activities altogether.

LEARN TO MOVE ON.

Case in point: Many artists, architects and Olympic champions strive to be flawless, but they can do it in a Zen-like way--working to perfect their art or craft, yet having the critically important ability to move on after a bad race or an uninspired painting. "The key isn't whether or not you're perfect, but whether you berate yourself internally about it, says Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., a psychotherapist and author of It Ends With You: Grow Up and Out of Dysfunction.

DO SOMETHING THAT SCARES YOU.

Ever tried salsa dancing? Public speaking? If it freaks you out, do it, says Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., a psychologist in Wexford, Pennsylvania and author of A Happy You: our Ultimate Prescription for Happiness. "Perfectionists tend not to try new endeavors for fear of failure," she says. But here's the thing: "Doing something out of your comfort zone lets you give yourself permission not to be perfect, and you'll be healthier for doing it," she says. "Getting out of a rut can boost your physical health, research shows, not to mention your happiness."

Distracted in class

Laptops really can be distracting in class. I'm writing this from my TAM class right now, so I'm feeding into the statement, but that's okay. It's a risk I'm willing to take.

But where I truly learned this lesson was Monday in my marketing class. The boy in front of me in class was playing a popular game on MiniClip called "Red Beard," which I would compare to watching a Super Mario Bros. type game. The kid playing had to be on the same level where he jumped up numerous logs and would finally be at the top of the hill, and would just fall back down. I was dying. Thankfully, his computer battery died in the middle of class. And he didn't pass the level. Darn! Then, if the distracting game was not enough, he didn't have anything to take notes on so he took photos of the Powerpoint slides on the screen with his iPhone. Wow...the world we live in. Sherman and I approached him at the end and made sarcastic comments about how much it took off of our focus, better than saying nothing.

Then I wondered, should I have felt weird approaching him and saying something? During J1100 last year, a girl sitting behind me asked if I was a member of Phi Mu. When I replied yes, she said, "Yeah...I've seen you updating its website during class! It's so cool!" Did I take this as a compliment or as creepy? A little of both. But what I learned to realize is that when you're doing something in public, it becomes other people's business. If you're Facebook stalking someone....people see it. If you're checking My Greek Gossip, people see it, and if you're reading e-mails...people see them.

Is that fair? No. My J2000 class has come to the conclusion that nothing is fair. So we must get over it and realize that people are nosy. Because I am usually with my friends who are journalism majors, we feed into this stereotype. Journalists are nosy, but on the other hand, it's natural to observe your surroundings.

So the lesson learned here? Observe surroundings....and if they seem distracting, then move yourself to avoid it. It's not fair, but it must be done. And if it's not...I might be googling Red Beard and furthermore, wasting my time. Thanks curiosity.

Incentive to friendship

One thing that has come up a lot lately and been on my mind are the concepts, small things, incentives, benefits, give-and-take atmosphere and the idea of friendship. As I continue to keep in touch with friends from home, see my friends from freshman year of college that I might not live with anymore and meet new people and become acquainted with them, I wonder why we develop friendships.

What is the incentive to friendships, and applying it further, relationships in general? What does an individual get out of being a loyal friend? Should they deserve to get anything? Is it intrinsic feeling or actions that pay off in the future? Does the feeling of mutual understanding or having similar interests with someone pay off for being a good friend to them?

I don't know. I know that society reinforces the idea that you "do unto others as you would like them to do to you," but I personally believe that selfishness has skewed some perspectives on this. People have begun to think with more of a mindset that "no one would do this for me....so why should I do it for them?" That's not a reasonable way to flip the question. I could and have gathered Biblical evidence, inspirational quotes and more that note completing actions out of your own humility and more, but you can realize those on your own; it will affect you more if you find it yourself.

So in my personal experience, if I had to define the main reason I maintain friendships, it would be because I like to know that the people I love are safe, healthy and happy. Is it nice to have people you are connected with to discuss issues with? Yes. Does social interaction make people excited and give them things to look forward to? Yes.

Friendship by definition encompasses relations or intimacy, feelings and dispositions and association. Let not the idea of association make you happy, but the fact that you chose and intrinsically care about the people you associate yourselves with provide the fulfillment friendship should give us all.

Marketing in the everyday world

I now have great respect for State Farm Insurance. In the past week on Mizzou's campus, this company has provided me with a new pair of headphones, a free 15 minute massage, a car wash and an oxygen mood booster.

State Farm had a tent set up on Carnahan Quad/Tiger Plaza, which is the front part of our quad, all week. Earlier in the week, they were giving students rides to class on bicycle carriages for free (no tips accepted) as part of their Random Acts of Kindness campaign.

Quick pause: imagine being an insurance company and having the funding to give away two laptop computers, free massages all day, carriage rides, car washes, oxygen liquid and supplies, and people to staff this event for an entire week....all for your company's name. This was a PR campaign. They were not advertising anything new, they weren't retrieving student e-mail addresses (which if I were them, I would regret)..they were just spreading their name around through these random acts of kindness. And can pay the cost of 'getting your name out' by doing not one, but all of the above featured things. That's semi-ridiculous.

As a journalism (strategic communication) major, business minor and current marketing student, I was very interested in this campaign, and two core questions.

• Why all of these random acts of kindness?
• And why US? Why the University of Missouri in Columbia?

So I asked. The representatives that I asked wouldn't really get into detail and said "we're just doing random acts of kindness!"

My response- I see that. I'm wondering WHY. Are you trying to get your name out? Where else are you doing this? What's the deal? Why the big promotion?

Someone of more authority walked over and could finally hold a mature conversation. She said that it was a one-week plan to complete random acts of kindness (with State Farm paraphernalia everywhere, of course) at University of Missouri for one week and Oklahoma State University for another, as a branding event. As if I was dumb, she explained that they were branding the name so when our students think of a large company or brand, they'll think of State Farm Insurance. And maybe get insurance from there in the future.

Now hold on State Farm woman...I agree with you that we as students will think of your name and probably even forever remember this...but that doesn't mean I'm going to use your insurance or even talk the actual spending part up. From advertising and PR, that's a pretty big jump to make that causation will occur. Might there be a correlation? Possibly. But thinking that State Farm is good and reputable for being kind on campus one day won't make me choose them over other insurance firms. Maybe for some people, it will....but if I was your strategist wasting a ton of money trying to appease college students, I wouldn't assume that this will CAUSE them to provide you business.

What are advertisers thinking sometimes? With coupons, e-mail listservs and more, there's more of an inference that you can track if and how more business was received. But here, you can't. I'd love to see what percentage of University of Missouri and Oklahoma State students insure with State Farm in the next couple of years and see if this causation effect worked.

As an advertising representative whose job it is to convince local businesses to purchase advertisements on a daily basis, I am guilty of these tactics. I tell managers and owners the circulation and distribution information and whatever else they want to know, but I wonder if business owners acknowledge the balance one must find between buying customers over (State Farm) and giving yourself a positive name in more money-savvy/philanthropic ways to earn business. Which would you choose?

Well, thanks State Farm for not only the variety of free goods, but the marketing thoughts and ideas for the future. If you didn't learn from my last post...they're not copyrighted, so we'll see what type of ideas spawn in the future :).

Irrelevant memo of the day:

I love how efficient my friends are. After getting home from apple picking, I got a text message inviting me to dinner. A few calls and five minutes later, all of us and Shaina enjoyed a lovely dinner at Plaza 900 (Mizzou's most grand dining hall, for those of you who don't know). I had to make us take a picture, because I love how even with our busy schedules, we can still round each other up that quickly. *Happiness!*