Week #10: The Final Post.

Well, I must admit I thought the day would NEVER come and now it’s here at last! Our last day of class and my last blog post for BLSinDC. It has been a wild and crazy trip. I remember coming into this class so excited to begin. I have always loved Social Media and figured this class would be a piece of cake.

BOY was I wrong!

This class has taught me that there is way more to Social Media than meets the eye. It takes countless hours of work and planning. At the start of the semester, I definitely didn’t realize how much time and dedication would go into updating and maintaining this blog. I also didn’t realize how hard it would be to keep thinking of fresh material, and making sure I kept consistently writing about topics that were relevant and interesting to my readers.

Not only is it hard work, you have to be very focused. I sometimes found it difficult to find topics that were inline with my blog’s theme while meeting our class subject requirements.

I also discovered that no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can’t fake it. The best blogs out there are written by people who are passionate about what they write about. Their passion comes through in their work, that’s why readers go to their sites and follow their posts.

For me, that post was Week #6: Is ‘niche’ just another word for obsessed?

Throughout this semester, I’ve been keeping track of my blog’s daily page views with the WordPress “Site Stats” feature. Usually, my blog will get more views after I post a link to a new post on Twitter, or on my GChat status.

In addition to just counting page views, this WordPress feature also shows me how many users are finding my blog via search engines, along with the terms they used to find it.

Week after week, my blog post on deadmau5 has received hits without my promotion. People are finding my blog on their own, just by searching for the terms “deadmau5” or “deadmau5 girlfriend” HA!

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that this post has been so popular. My friends all make fun of me for being so obsessed with deadmau5. Ok, so I’ve actually had dreams (yes, plural) that Joel and I were friends. And one time I dreamt that I was introducing him to my friend’s Mom.. But regardless, my deadmau5 post is bringing joy to fans, all over the internets!

Anyway, what does it all mean??! The heck if I know. Maybe it means I should start a deadmau5 blog? Or maybe it means that I should sign myself up for some serious deadmau5 shock aversion therapy. Whatever it means, it makes me happy!

The final conclusion? EPIC WIN!

Response Blog #6: DC versus Miami.

I’ve been saving this response blog post for last.

This post goes out to my classmate Nicki of “Fabulous-N-Favored,” in response to a post she wrote back in February titled “DC > Miami.”

Now, before I begin, I would like to say that I obviously love DC. I don’t think I would ever go as far as to say that it’s better than Miami. They’re two very different cities.

Yah won't find one of these guys in Miami, that's for darn sure!

Anyway, where was I.. oh yes. So being from Miami, I was definitely a little taken aback by many of the claims made in this post. So I thought I would take a little time here and clear some things up.

I know I know don’t tell me… I’m SO Miami 😉

Ok so, first and foremost Nicki, why on earth would you want to live on South Beach? That’s like living in Las Vegas and saying you want to live right on the strip. No one from Miami actually lives there! Unless they work there… or have like a gajillion dollars lying around. It’s super expensive and full of tourists.

If you actually lived in Miami, you would probably only go to Miami Beach for a day trip or a crazy night on the town.

When people say they grew up in Miami, or lived in Miami, chances are about 8 times out of 10 they didn’t live anywhere remotely close to South Beach. Miami has several beautiful areas, much like DC has its own unique neighborhoods.

South Miami -- Sunset Place Mall

Coconut Grove -- Coco Walk Shops

Coral Gables -- The Biltmore Hotel

Obviously, at the end of the day every city has its pros and cons. However, if there’s anything you should know about Miami, it’s that only people from Miami are allowed to hate on Miami!!

Response Blog #5: BLS does fashion (sorta.)

I was just reading through my classmate Damaris’ post about outfit shopping for special occasions on her blog, Her Name is Feliz. In the post she specifically talks about weddings and Rent the Runway, a website that allows girls to rent dresses for special occasions online, much like men rent tuxedos.

I obviously LOVE this concept. There is nothing worse than buying a really expensive dress, only to wear it once and then have it sit in your closet for the rest of eternity.  I’ve actually never tried the service myself, however my friends have used it before and have been quite happy with the results. However, as Damaris points out, the sizing can be a bit tricky. Even though one of my friends opted to get a dress in two sizes for New Years Eve, she had a tough time choosing the dress that “looked” best.

Haha, so silly. The things girls go through in the name of fashion!

This why I’ve recently decided to never buy anything expensive ever again! (I mean, unless it’s absolutely worth it of course.) I came to this realization a few months ago, after buying a pair of skinny jeans at Forever21 for $9.99.

Dark Skinny Ankle Jean -- $10.50 (Forever21)

Honest to God, it’s the best purchase I’ve even made. They are way more durable than designer jeans and look and feel exactly the same. Call me cheap, or whatever you’d like, but this girl is on a budget!

Ever since I made this discovery I’ve been buying their clothes online. It’s way better than going to the mall and sifting through endless clutter and piles of clothes. I always end up finding tons of great things and can buy them without feeling like a complete idiot afterwards!

I’m not a fashionista by any means, but here are a couple cute things I’ve picked out as examples. All can be purchased at Forever21.com.

Belted Geometric Print Dress -- $22.80 (Forever21)

Lovely Floral Dress -- $22.80 (Forever21)

Chantilly Lace Dress -- $29.80 (Forever21)

Little Black Bandage Dress -- $15.80 (Forever21)

Response Blog #4: Angel Babyy.

Right from the start, one of my favorite class blogs was Jenna’s “My Grey Obsession,” a blog about her Greyhound Janie. I’ve always been a dog lover, however two summers ago while I was working as a hostess for Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, my heart was stolen by two Italian Greyhounds. They were sitting with their owner out on the patio one Sunday morning. I remember being taken aback by how sweet and friendly they were.

I’ve been intrigued with them every since.

Come to me little greyhound puppeh! (Flickr)

Ennh (Cute Overload)

Greyhound couch potato.

However, as much as I love Italian greyhounds, there is one mutt that will always own my heart. That’s my loyal, lovable pooch in Miami, Angel.

Now, I know that everyone thinks their dog is the “BEST,” however you couldn’t be more mistaken. Anyone that has met my dog will tell you he is the most charming little guy they’ve ever met.

My family was fortunate enough to stumble upon Angel about seven years ago. My brother was in middle school, and reaching the age where he was trying desperately to get my parents to buy a dog. After months of fruitless pestering, a puppy was found wandering around my brother’s middle school.  Long story short, the puppy was taken into the school’s main office and by the end of the school day, Angel was ours.

These were taken just seconds after I walked in the door last time I was home.

By the time I get into my room, Angel has already sprung up onto my bed!

We think Angel is a mix between a Dachshund and Chihuahua, or a "Chiweenie" -- Lol, I'm not making that word up.

OK well, I’ll wrap it up there before I continue on with my gushing. Seeing Angel is one of my favorite part about being home in Miami. I miss him and can’t wait to see him next time I go home!

Response Blog #3: BLS Bakes.

In honor of Abby’s baking blog, AbbyBakes, I thought I would whip up some tasty treats for my friends. However, since I clearly possess minimal baking abilities I thought I would simplify my life and purchase some premade dough.

Warning: Do not consume raw dough. Just kidding, it’s delicious! #nomnomnom

What you will need:

One Bag of Toll House cookie dough. Or Pillsbury, if that’s more your style.

One Pan -- Directions recommend using a cookie sheet, but I clearly didn’t have that on hand so I just put it directly on the glass.

While you’re prepping your ingredients, set the oven to 350 degrees. The directions said to leave them in there for 9 to 12 minutes. That being said, I overcooked the first batch so be sure to keep an eye on them.

I made sure to leave the second batch in the oven for less time. I like my cookies to be on the soft side.  🙂

Here's a picture of the second batch. First ones were a little on the toasty side...

Fun side note: Chocolate and red wine, might seem like unlikely combo however they complement each other extremely well! I highly recommend experimenting with these two flavors.

And there you go! Fresh homemade(ish) chocolate chip cookies, warm and gooey straight out of the oven.  Perhaps not what some baking bloggers would call legitimate, but delicious nonetheless!

Week #9: Crowdsourcing.

Last week in Social Media we learned about crowdsourcing.

(Flickr)

The term crowdsourcing was first coined by Jeff Howe in a June 2006 Wired magazine article titled, “The Rise of Crowdsourcing”. In the article, Howe explains that technological advances have closed the gap between professionals and amateurs, allowing businesses to take advantage of the talent of the public. By doing this, Howe comes to the conclusion that companies aren’t “outsourcing,” instead they are “crowdsourcing.”

The idea behind crowdsourcing is that there is strength in numbers — the larger the crowd, the higher quality of knowledge, and the better the results will be. Nowadays, many companies are use crowdsourcing to engage their audiences and improve their businesses.

Listening to your audience adds value to your companys brand (Flickr)

One great example is Threadless.com, an online community that has built an entire business by crowdsourcing.

Need a funny shirt idea? Just ask the crowd!

Members of the Threadless community submit t-shirt designs online, which are then put to a public vote. The winning designs are then sold online, and their creators are awarded prizes up to $2,000.

This week, I’m going to try and do a little crowdsourcing experiment. Since I started this blog many of my friends have come to me with suggestions for topics they would like me to blog about.  So, I thought I would get you all to participate a bit and ask everyone to leave a comment with something they would like me to write about. It can be anything Miami or DC related: Cool places in Dupont Circle, My favorite places to go in Miami, Chongas, Spanglish– Anything!

Okay ready set GO! I’m looking forward to seeing what turns up!

Week #8: Exhausted.

Exhaustion – it’s a feeling all too familiar for us PR students here at Georgetown. Obviously, most of us do to this graduate program part-time, while working at our full-time jobs during the day. Generally, balancing the work load is fairly manageable. However, as we’ve started reaching the end of the semester, I’m definitely feeling like the stressful days and long hours are finally catching up to me.

Story of my life...

Oh, but not to worry! Last week we received an email from Georgetown announcing they will be increasing the amount of hours necessary to award credits to students. Now, instead of 14 weeks, classes will be required to meet for 15 weeks. And wait – it gets better – each class will now have to meet for an additional 30 minutes each week.

Basically, this translates into two choices:

Option 1: Class from 5:20-7:50pm

This would be nice, except, the chances of me ever making it to class by 5:20pm are slim to none.

Option 2: Class from 8:00-10:15pm, and then scheduling the remaining 4 contact hours required either in one 4-hour block or in two 2-hour class meetings.

Ahh yes, isn’t this lovely? Who wouldn’t want to spend their Saturdays going to class?? Hmm.. I can think of a couple people that wouldn’t. *Sigh* Oh well, what can you do?

Humph. More school me no lieky. (Flickr)

Not to worry. Nothing a strong cup of coffee and some good music can’t fix!

Response Blog #2: Meatless Monday

In her blog, Chameleon, my classmate (and fellow Bucknellian!) Allison has been doing a lot of blogging about her experiences with veganism. Being a quasi-vegetarian myself, veganism has always been something that peaks my interest.

I decided to become a vegetarian about 6 years ago, after watching PETA’s “Meet your Meat” video online. I really wouldn’t suggest watching it unless you are seriously considering becoming a vegetarian.

Being vegetarian means dealing the haters. But as they say -- Haters gonna hate!

However, even if you aren’t considering a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, it’s a good idea to cut back on meat, for a number of reasons. Typically, most people incorrectly assume vegetarians don’t eat meat because they’re against animal cruelty. However, there is much more to the argument. Not only is a meatless diet better for your health, it’s also good for the environment.

This is what sparked Meatless Monday – a non-profit initiative that provides free education and recipes for living a life with less meat. Their goal is to help you reduce your meat consumption, in order to improve personal health and the health of the planet.

I thought about this last night, as I was trying out a new spaghetti squash recipe.

For those who are unfamiliar, spaghetti squash is super cool. When you cook this squash its insides string apart in a way that makes it look like spaghetti. Except it’s NOT spaghetti. Which is awesome because that means you can eat as much as you want, and still be healthy!

I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com, and decided to make it because had a close to 5-star rating. It does have feta cheese in it, so it’s not completely vegan. However, if you are looking to try a yummy vegetarian meal, I would highly recommend giving this one a shot!

 

One step closer to a meat-free life

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons sliced black olives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled. (Side note: You can also microwave spaghetti squash and achieve the same results. Just don’t forget to poke some holes in it before cooking)

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.

4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

Voila! Fast, simple, and delicious meal. Only 147 calories per serving!

Week #8: Word-of-Mouth

While everyone else in the city was off enjoying this year’s mildly disappointing Cherry Blossoms, I decided to meet a group of my friends over at DC’s newest beer garden, Standard.

One of Standard's promo shots by Leo Schmid

On the corner of 14th and S, Standard was basically packed to the gills when I got there.

No frills, straight forward menu — just an all around great place to hang out outside, eat some home style BBQ favorites, and drink German beer.

Photo by Prince of Petworth

Photo by Prince of Petworth

FOOD! Photo by Alla G. (Yelp!)

Weihenstephaner! aka a delicious German beer who's name I cannot pronounce. Photo by Cameron B. (Yelp!)

While I was waiting in line for a beer I actually overheard some interesting conversation (major creep alert, I know.)  According to these two bros, Standard has done little to no advertising — news of its opening has been spread largely by word-of-mouth.

Well, who knows how true that is, all I know is that I heard about Standard from friends, so perhaps there is some truth behind this. After all, word-of-mouth is the most effective form of marketing (after that is Coupons, learned that in IMC. Thanks Professor Neal!)

Anyway, I got so caught up in all the excitement I forgot to take pictures (thus all the borrowed pictures above) HOWEVER, I did remember to check in on Foursquare! WOOHOO! I have to say, Foursquare is quickly becoming one of my favorite social media tools, especially after their latest software update.

I like Foursquare for a lot of reasons. For one, it’s really great for looking up cool places in the area. I also really like that you can leave tips, or read tips people have left, about what’s good or what to avoid. However, I think what really draws me in is the competition aspect of Foursquare. After this latest update, each week Foursquare puts you in a competition against the rest of your friends, to see who can have the “best week.” A different amount of points are awarded depending on: location, whether or not your friends have checked in there before, etc etc.

It kind of hard to explain, and my friends make fun of me all the time for loving Foursquare, but it’s AWESOME so download it!

And ok, I take back the Cherry Blossoms comment earlier. Even the ones that haven’t really been able to fully open are still quite beautiful. I’m just being bitter about the cold weather. Hello spring?? Where are you??

Some beautiful little buds 🙂 Photo by the lovely Ruchika Gupta (Flickr)

 

Photo by Ruchika Gupta (Flickr)

Blog Response #1: Summer Versus Winter

Over the past few weeks one of my fellow classmates over at Gold Rushed has been posting about one of my favorite topics, spring!

It would appear I’m not the only one that’s looking forward to the warm weather. Of all the class response posts I’ve read, a significant portion have been about Dyanne’s recent posts. And who can blame them? Spring is undoubtedly the most exciting of the four seasons!

Now, for some bizarre reason, while most of the world avoids the cold weather, I’ve managed to become friends with some of the few people on this earth that actually prefer the dark days of winter to the sunny days of summer.  This has sparked some pretty heated debates over which of the months are better, Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter.

I really just can’t understand the logic. Winter is the time of year when every other living thing on this planet either hides or withers away and dies. How is it then that someone can enjoy such misery? Heavy coats, dry skin, not to mention being completely frozen anytime you need to walk outside.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do occasionally enjoy the chilly weather. For instance, during the holidays, a little snow definitely puts me in the Christmas spirit.  And who doesn’t love coming in from the bitter cold and enjoying a hot beverage (Kramer Books, Irish coffee? Yes please!) But lets be real, once mid-February hits and the snow gets black with car exhaust, everyone is more than ready for winter to be over.

So, just out of general curiosity, I’ve decided to put it up to a vote: