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!

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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!

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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.

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