Week #7: Social Media, Spring Break, Winning?

This week marks the beginning of the second half of our semester. Thus far, I’ve learned more about the Internet and social media than I’ve learned in my entire life. I’ve realized there is much more to social media than what meets the eye, and it takes a lot of time and energy to master such a complex topic. While taking in all this new information at such a rapid pace has been exhausting, it continues to intrigue and fascinate me.

However, I must admit I was pretty excited when I heard we would be a having short break from classes this past week (a Spring Break if you will?)

Over the break I took a weekend adventure back to my hometown, followed by a road trip to the Poconos in Central Pennsylvania, with some of my close DC friends. Talk about two very different places! My weekend in Miami consisted of running around town, fitting in as many activities with friends and family as humanly possible, all while trying desperately lay out in the sun and attempt to get a tan.

Highlight of my weekend in Miami, this little Asian girl practicing golf with her Mother!

The Poconos, on the other hand, was cold as ever. It started snowing half way through our drive up and the lake outside our house was still frozen. Nevertheless, the scenery was beautiful and Central PA’s rolling hills did not disappoint. Highlight?  I got to exercise my second amendment right and shot a gun for the first time!

 

As a result, I can't stop listening to country music or wearing flannel shirts.

Last class we reviewed different search engines, looking a little closer into not just how they function, but their significance in the corporate world. To be successful, companies must strategically position their website’s content in order to increase visibility on search engines and reach target audiences. As we learned in class, businesses sometimes go to great lengths to achieve this. The ultimate goal? Be the first search result on Google, of course.

After class, I decided it might be a good idea to go through my own blog and tag each of my entries, using keywords that might direct someone to my site. I didn’t think much of it at the time. To be completely honest, I did it mostly because blogging is a part of our grade and hey, I want to get an A! 🙂 So you can imagine my surprise after checking my blog’s stats today, only to find that people had been actually visiting my blog, on their own, just by searching for the terms I has tagged under my post! I was a little shocked, but mostly excited. I never thought doing something so simple would have such a large impact. The Internet is truly amazing, let me tell you!

Haha- In conclusion, as we enter into part two of the semester, I am definitely feeling more confident about this whole “blogging” thing. Now that I’ve tagged all my entries, it might be time kick things up a notch. Ultimately, my goal is to keep on blogging, post about cool things, and kick some serious social media ass!

Week #6: Is ‘niche’ just another word for obsessed?

It was only a matter of time before I let this one out.

deadmau5 @ the 9:30 Club (photo courtesy of Jeff Martin / http://www.jeffreydmartin.com)

This week, we were asked to look at smaller “niche” communities, and explore how they relate and integrate into our blogs. One of the greatest things about the internet is its ability to bring people together with interests that don’t necessary appeal to the general public. I found this to be readily apparent when I learned about my favorite musician, deadmau5, in the summer of 2009.

 

"dead mouse" @ the 2010 VMAs

Joel Zimmerman, better known by his stage name deadmau5, is currently one of the biggest names in house music. However, it was not always this way. Almost two years ago, Annette, my best friend from high school, sent me one of deadmau5’s most popular songs, Ghost n Stuff, when we he was still relatively unknown. I remember she actually called me to tell me about this song, it was THAT good. At first I was skeptical but after listening to his music on repeat for days, I realized I was hooked.  Later that summer I flew home for a weekend to visit my family. As fate would have it, it was also the same weekend as a deadmau5 concert at Mansion, a nightclub on South Beach. Since he wasn’t as well known back then, the concert was only $30 and he played till 5 a.m. It was honestly one of the best nights of my life.

Amanda, Annette, and BLS @ Mansion, Aug 2009

My fixation only escalated from there.  Next thing I knew I was checking deadmau5’s fan page on Facebook every day and buying all his albums on iTunes.  You see, the best thing about deadmau5 isn’t just his amazing music; it’s his connection with his fans. Being an electronica/techno artist, he is extremely tech savvy and basically lives and breathes the internet.

Joel Zimerman, aka deadmau5, uses several different online platforms to communicate with his adoring fans.

For example, before he got too popular to properly maintain it, deadmau5 used to frequently interact with his fans using Facebook’s discussion board feature on his fan page. He used to keep up and comment frequently, responding to fans with his usual snarky and witty remarks. Unfortunately, once his career began to take off, Joel had to remove the discussion board and began directing fans to a separate forum.

Now Joel is more frequently seen on Ustream, a website were users broadcast live content, as well as Twitter. My personal favorite however has to be Joel’s interactions on Minecraft, a “sandbox” video game focused on creativity and building. Basically, Minecraft allows players to create their own world by using these 3D textured cubes.

Speaking of niche communities...

I don’t play, but as far as I can tell there’s no real point. People just kind of hang out and build things. Anyway, deadmau5 LOVES this game (being the nerd that he is) and has even set up a server were a select number of fans can come and basically chill out in his 3D world.

BLS @ Ultra Music Festival 2010 in Miami, FL

deadmau5 posing with Danny Devito and his infamous #trollfoot @ Coachella 2010

Special shout out deadmau5's girlfriend, Lindsey Gayle. Follow her @TheLindseyGayle. Hi Cat!

Joel and Lindsey, just because!

Ok, I think that’s enough deadmau5 for one day. Trust me I could go on for ages. However, for as much as my friends tease me for being “OBSESSED” with deadmau5, my love for him don’t even scratch the surface of the intense fandom this man has accumulated.

I hope you guys have enjoyed my little foray into the world of deadmau5. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite deadmau5 fan videos. Enjoy!

My 3yo son asked to be Deadmau5 for Halloween after seeing him live at the Treasure Island Music Festival. How could I turn that opportunity down?

Mini-Deadmau5 from Michael Cobra on Vimeo.

Week #5: The “Real” Housewives of Miami

This week we were asked to consider how we will be integrating unique content into our blogs, as well as the use of other complementary tools, such as Facebook and Twitter. I personally enjoy using Twitter over blogging. Ideally, I picture my blog as a supplement to my Twitter. As for unique content, I suppose I would quantify that as my original opinions and personal rants about Miami and DC.

Now, on to tonight’s topic: The Real Housewives of Miami.

The season premier of Real Housewives of Miami was, in a word, disappointing. I typically don’t watch “Real Housewives” of anything. However, I was willing to make an exception for Miami, not only because it’s my hometown, but because I heard two of the housewives went to my alma mater, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, your quintessential predominantly Hispanic, private, Catholic, all-girl Miami high school.

I was fully anticipating this show to be filled with thick accents and Latina sass. I had high hopes, but I fear this show may end up falling short of my expectations. Thus far, the most exciting part has been recognizing familiar sights and locations around Miami.

The show’s only saving grace is housewife Marysol’s mother, Elsa. This woman is just hilarious. I thought my Cuban Grandmother had some great one-liners, but this woman definitely take the cake. Not to mention her face is priceless. This Huffington Post article puts it best, “When we first lay our eyes upon Elsa, it is like looking at the lovechild of Cat Lady Jocelyn Wildenstein and a pudgy Marlon Brando in ‘The Godfather,’ dressed up in an exciting and festive floral print, giant near-empty wine goblet in hand.”

It’s only the first episode, and there are many more to come. Okay Real Housewives of Miami, I’ll give you another chance. I mean, lets be real, I’m going to watch this pointless show from start to finish no matter what. Why is reality TV so addicting?

Week #4: When Worlds Collide

Our focus this week was to consider ways we can allow our personalities to come through in our blogs, while still staying on topic.

When I first started writing, I wanted this blog to be about my experiences living in DC and how they relate to my upbringing. I’m originally from Miami, Florida and as you can imagine, life in DC is much different than my life back in Miami. I can only describe Miami as an alternative, perhaps even parallel universe. In many ways it’s just like any other American city. Much like New York, Miami is a melting pot of cultures and ideas. For many Spanish is the language of choice, and for second-generation children like myself, speaking a mixture between English and Spanish is the norm.  Growing up I was blissfully unaware of how unique my childhood truly was. It wasn’t until I moved to the Northeast for college that I realized how different my life had been.

Trying to describe Miami to someone who has never been there is next to impossible. Trying to explain growing up in Miami is just out of the question.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about home. It’s a love/hate relationship really. And while I miss my friends and family desperately, I know moving back at this point in my life would be absolute misery.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Miami more than any other place in the world, but there are also aspects of living there that are just intolerable.

Many times when I think about myself, it’s almost as though I lead a double life. I have DC Brittany on one side and Miami Brittany on the other.  I want this blog to be a place where those two worlds can come together, perhaps one day even co-exist.

Returning to this week’s discussion, given the fact that this blog is essentially about my life and personal experiences in Washington DC, I feel my personality will shine through pretty easily. And hey, if anyone is looking for places party over Spring Break, just let me know!

Week #3: BLS and the Internet, a love story (Part 2)

My friends when they discuss social media.

 

The next major milestone in my love affair with the Internet was Livejournal (please disregard the use of ❤ after EVERY blessed thing I say).

Livejournal was my first experience with blogging/ social media. Unlike modern blogs, Livejournal encouraged users to post entries about their personal lives, much like a diary. My friends and I got into Livejournal because we liked being able to share pictures, change our profiles, and just generally stalking other people’s lives. I definitely spent more time customizing my Livejounral layout every couple of weeks than actually writing in it.  Livejournal used CSS coding, which I never really got a hang of (at least not as well as HTML) but I was able to do basic things with it. The concept of writing a public blog about my personal life never realize struck a cord with me and  after a while I started making all my entries “friends only,” then eventually “private.”

I still write in my Livejournal every so often, but it’s just not the same.

After Livejournal, the Internet exploded. Myspace, Facebook, Youtube, now Twitter. Every time something new came out I immediately needed to try it out. Unfortunately, these sites don’t allow users to format their own profiles through code and slowly I lost interest. Looking back, I guess I regret not perusing website design. However to be fair, I really had no direction and almost no access to the proper tools or education. My high school’s computer class was once or twice a week and focused mainly on teaching Microsoft Office.

In all seriousness though, I’m mildly obsessed with the Internet. I love all the knowledge it provides. I love all the dumb memes and cute animals. I love all the hours of endless entertainment. It may surprise some, entertain a few, and downright annoy others. But alas, Internet:

I love you.

Week #3: BLS and the Internet, a love story (Part 1)

I can vividly recall the day my family bought our first computer.  It was Christmas morning, 1997. I was ten years old.  It was giant, it was new, it was… The Internet! Shortly after getting it all set up, my mother signed us all up for AOL. I, of course, was still very young and back then it was no secret that the Internet posed a serious threat to the minds and safety of America’s children. My mother opened me an account. My screen name was PEKKLE87 (Sanrio reference, yes), with highest amount of parental restriction. I’m talking the bare bones of the Internet. I couldn’t even add people to my Buddy List without first getting it approved my mother.

Life was dismal indeed.

Of course, none of my friends had the same parental controls as me. This led to a epic war against my mother, and a daily struggle to obtain Internet freedom. I was always sneaking past the barrier: Hacking into my Mom’s account, using other people’s accounts and passwords. But alas, eventually I would get caught, and was sent right back to the dudgeon: “zero trust.” I can only imagine the nightmarish ordeal this must have been for my Mother. But, you know what they say; tell someone they can’t do something and it only makes them want it more. Sorry Mom!

And so, my love for the Internet was born.

It was sometime in middle school that I began using Geocities to create my own websites. Granted it grew out of an obsession of Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z (embarrassing) but they were websites nonetheless. I would spend hours a day making these websites. I started out using the basic ‘site builder tools’ but then quickly learned about HTML coding. After that I began asking my Dad to buy me books like, “HTML for Dummies”, in an effort to teach myself more. I was fixated customizing, organizing, and linking each page.  I can recall trying to figure out how to create tables, forms, and buttons. I also remember fruitlessly trying to generate traffic, and bring people to my site. I really had no idea what I was doing and without the proper direction, my site counter remained at a stand still.

(To Be Continued…)

Week #2: Finding My Muse

The past couple of weeks have been an absolute whirlwind! A new job and a new semester of grad school, not to mention last week’s snow storm (please see Thundersnow 2011.) Needless to say, I’ve had my hands full.

When first asked pick a topic for my blog, I was stumped. I’ve considered starting my own blog for years but I could never find a subject that I wanted to stick with. I knew taking this class would require me to write and maintain a blog, as a part of our grade. I’m hoping that over the next weeks of the semester, this blog will encourage me to find my voice.

The idea of blogging is overwhelming to me. I started off thinking I would write about movies. I got the idea after stumbling upon a hilarious blog http://lawrenceandjulieandjulia.blogspot.com/. Lawrence, some random college bro, decided he would watch Julie & Julia on his Netflix account everyday for 365 days, and blog about it, much like the movie’s main character Julie who decides to write blog about cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, over the course of a year.  The blog started out as a joke until Julie Powell, author of the book Julie & Julia, commented on the first post. Now this poor guy has to sit in front of his computer everyday for the next year and watch this terrible movie, over and over and over again.

May God have mercy on his soul.

Anyway, I signed up for Netflix about a month ago and my idea was to blog about any interesting movies I came across and talk about how they related to my life. At first I was really excited about the idea, but after thinking about it for a couple weeks I think the novelty might be fading. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I haven’t scrapped the idea all together; I’m just not convinced it’s something that will capture my attention for a full semester.

In addition, the snow did more than just mess with our class schedule. The Netflix movie I was going to write my first blog on, Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino, was delayed for three days. I had planned it out perfectly- I would watch the movie over the weekend, then blog about it on Monday. Much to my dismay, the DVD didn’t appear in my mailbox until Monday evening and I was left with even more doubt as to the state of my blog.

Then it occurred to me, writing a blog should not be this hard. Any Tom, Dick, or Harry with a computer and can write a couple of dumb ideas down and call it a blog. I was over thinking the entire situation way too much. I just needed to relax, write, and the inspiration would come to me.

So it is with great pleasure that I announce, the moment has arrived!  It appears the answer was in front of me all along. When I first registered for Social Media I created a new twitter account, in preparation. I didn’t create the account so much because I was worried about having to censor my tweets. It was more because I want a fresh start. And so, @BLSinDC was born.

I think the title speaks for itself, BLS (me) in DC (our nation’s Capitol). I can sleep well tonight knowing I’ve finally found my muse. 🙂

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