A Modern Engagement

Hey everyone! Today I will be talking about a trend that I have been noticing in my own life: weddings. It doesn't apply to me yet, and most likely doesn't to many of you either, the digitizing of much of the wedding process has caught my attention. My cousin got engaged over winter break, and I was recently invited to view the happy couple's website. Some may find this conceited, but I think it's great.

Weddings are traditionally very costly and elaborate affairs, but some of that cost can be cut out by digitizing part of the process. For instance, I've always though save-the-dates were a waste of paper, but having a website with the wedding's information eliminates that need. Even if physical invitations are sent, the website cuts down the information that needs to be included, thus saving money.

But even more than the monetary benefits, I love the idea of a wedding website because it allows guests to get to know more about what they're actually celebrating. My cousin's site includes small bios for each of the wedding party, explaining how fit into the life of the bride and groom. There are also extensive bios for both bride and groom, which is great for getting to know the side of the bridal party you've never met. It's a lot more pleasant to attend a party when you're not completely ignorant of half the guests.

The site also includes details about the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and honeymoon, as well as providing helpful lodging and travel information. The bride was even able to contact several hotels and other lodging options and secure reduced rates for guests, making it easier for all the people the couple wants to be there to be able to.

Although marriage seems veryveryvery far away for me, I hope this digitizing trend continues. God knows I have enough expenses to deal with as it is!

~Morgen~

iTV!?

Just when you think Apple cannot possibly come out with anything more, they can and do. Rumor has it Apple is coming out with their very own television. Yes they have their " Apply TV" but this my fellow readers is an actual TV.  According to Forbes.com, Apple is taking the Television where no other company has taken it before.Taken from the article on Fobes, " Apple is working on a television set with an iTunes-integrated touch screen remote and Siri-like voice command technology." In addition, the TV will come with an Apple- branded game console that is similar to Microsoft's Kinect video game console.  The Apple television set is supposed to come out at the end of 2012. I believe this  TV will set the new  standard for all future televisions. I mean, who are kidding, it was only a matter of time some company comes out with a television set like this. There was a point in time where "touch-screen" devices were  simply too good to be true. Now a days, if a technology company doesn't carry a touch-screen device, they might as well consider themselves passe! I think this new Apple TV could be really cool and models as such will become the new norm of watching television. However, this just seems like a huge Ipad that you can hang in your living room. Television can be watched from almost any technological medium these days so realistically, how different is Apple's television set going to be from anything else that is out on the market?! What are you thoughts on Apple's rumored television set?!
Here is where I got the article from:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/04/15/rumor-apple-working-on-tv-with-integrated-voicemotion-controller/

Unknown Knowledge

   

This week I've realized a lot of things about our generation and how lucky we are.  I'm in a class for my major where once a week we hear from different managers/executives from all different types of retail companies.  And every week we hear about how right now there are more and more jobs opening up based off of the knowledge that the people of our generation possess.  Jobs that don't even have a title yet, or a description, or a base pay.  But the thing is, they are willing to pay.  To pay for the knowledge of how people connect, new media ideas, our predictions for what is going to be the next big thing, and most of all our unmatchable skills in technology and social media.
     To us, social media is an everyday, all day thing.  Through our computers, ipads, and smart phones we have access to social media all the time and are constantly using it.  Through this use we gain a set of skills unlike any other generation has had before.  And for a lot of companies, those skills are crucial to selling and connecting with their target market.  Connecting with your target market is number one on the list of what successful companies have to do throughout their business lives.  For anyone who has studied retail, and many who haven't, you can tell who a company's target market is based off how they advertise and connect with their customer.  If a company doesn't have any use for a Facebook or Twitter then they are clearly not targeting a younger generation.  But, those that are trying to target a younger generation will suffer horribly if they do not keep up with social media and all its demands.
     This is where we, as a generation, come into play.  We are the target market, not just as consumers but as employees as well.  We have the knowledge and ability to take a company to the next step with the kind of knowledge we possess.  So, this is my advice to everyone in college right now.  When looking for companies and jobs after graduation, remember that they might need you as much as you need them.  You can help each other to gain more knowledge and move ahead both in business and life.

Remakes, Tons of Them!

Alright so this is post is kind of cynical, and it's going to be a lot of me complaining about the amount of movie remakes. Although I feel like my complaint is at least somewhat warranted, I'm sorry if it doesn't come off really upbeat. I just can't help but notice all of the remakes that are hitting the box office. I mean Titanic in 3D, 21 Jump Street, The Three Stooges, Mirror Mirror, along with a few coming in the Summer like Total Recall and The Amazing Spider-Man. Admittedly, I'm pretty excited to see Andrew Garfield swinging on web and spitting snarky comments at bad guys. However, I still think I'm seeing too many remakes. Why can't the original be good enough? When I saw the trailer for the Three Stooges I thought that it looked ridiculous. Because everyone knows that a remake of the Three Stooges will hit it out of the park with a compelling story and great characters. Or just maybe it won't.

When you decide to make a remake you are instantly entering the movie into comparison with the original. Nostalgia can be very powerful and hard to overcome at times. There will always be fans who criticize it for not being like the original. Right now, I kind of agree with the nostalgic fans for a lot of these remakes. It's not exactly easy to come up with an original idea that will capture audiences, but we all know it's been done a lot. So I think filmmakers should cut back on the remakes. I don't mind if the universe of the movie is based off of an older movie. That can actually turn out pretty sweet. But they need to stop trying to recapture the success of the original with the same version, just with better CGI. What about you guys? Are you getting annoyed with all the remakes or do you want more?

Tweets All Around

     So, this school year has opened my eyes to a bunch of connections between new media and technologies and education.  The most surprising connection I have been affected by is education and Twitter. 
     One of my professors first semester made the first connection I've seen between education and Twitter by setting up a Twitter for the class itself.  As he instructed lectures he had his Twitter feed rolling and every once in awhile we would see little tweets pop up in the top, left hand corner.  This was so weird to me at first and I didn't really understand what the point was.  But, now that I have a Twitter and am literally on it ALL the time (because of the Twitter app on my phone obviously) I completely understand why he did this.  What an easy way to keep students updated and get them the information that they need.  I check my Twitter way more than I check my e-mail and if someone wants to remind me of something or tell me something really quicky there is no easier way than tweeting at me.  Like I said, this was the first connection I was introduced to.
     Second, I have found that for anything that one is trying to publicize, Twitter is the way to go.  Making a Twitter page for student orgs, class projects, and anything else you are trying to get the word out for is an amazing idea.  For the two student orgs that I'm in there are Twitter pages for both of them and are very active.  Whenever we have any events coming up that we want people to know about, tweeting is the best way to go about it!  I know that people on this campus are very connected in thousands of ways and they might not even know it themselves, so one tweet can do a lot.
     When I finally got a Twitter this year I had no idea what I was getting into.  Now, I have been submerged into this world of online connections that have never existed before.  I think it's awesome that education has found its way into the world of Twitter.  Professors that really want to stay in touch with their students and keep them updated are geniuses to use Titter as their means of doing so.  I commend organizations and professors for figuring out that Twitter is an amazing way to connect with people around campus before I did.  Bravo!

Lessons from 'Texts from Hillary'

This past week while perusing political blogs for a J176 assignment, I came across the recent phenomenon that is a little website called Texts from Hillary in an article from The Huffington Post. The site is naught but a simple meme Tumblr that takes images of celebrities texting and imagines the dry, humorous, badass response from Hillary. What started as a joke between two buddies had turned into a global obsession-of-the-moment when Hillz herself entered a submission to the site and invited its creators to meet her.

The reason this story caught my eye is that I appreciated the good natured humor Hillary exuded regarding the meme. Having just written about the benefits of utilizing new media in political campaigns for a class, I loved the way that she embraced the meme rather than ignoring it or treating it as if it wasn't worth her time. This acknowledgement of the people's cleverness is an action that I believe sets politicians of today apart from those of the past, or at least sets apart those I approve of from their faceless competitors.

Sadly, while researching for this blog post, I came across the news that the Texts from Hillary page is now dead, and that no new posts will be added. According to its creators, the huge influx of attention, especially the recognition from Clinton, has become too much. For them, there is no possible way that they could top Hillary's own submission, and would prefer to just let the meme lie. While this is an unfortunate development, I am still impressed by the way Hillary responded, and hope other politicians take a cue from her media fluency in their own public relations.

Have a great week!

~Morgen~

Texts from Hillary:
http://textsfromhillaryclinton.tumblr.com/

The Huffington Post article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/texts-from-hillary-clinton_n_1415551.html

"'Texts from Hillary' calls it quits":
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-57412692-52/texts-from-hillary-calls-it-quits/

Instabucks!!

For all of those who have had iPhones ( and now available for Androids) are familiar with one of the most popular apps: Instagram. Before I had the iPhone, I used to have an Android and was quite envious of all the Instagram users. As for those who are unfamiliar with Instagram, Instagram is kind of like Twitter but for pictures. It allows you to take pictures or upload other pictures from your phone, edit them in several different filters and post them for others to see.  Like Twitter, you can follow your friends' or celebrities' Instagram accounts and they can follow you back. You can leave comments on pictures as well. With Instagram, you are given the option to save the Instagram to your smartphone, upload it to Facebook or Twitter, E-mail it etc. I personally love Instagram and addicted to it. Every time I am out somewhere and I see something "Instagram Worthy," I whip out my iPhone, take a snapshot, go to Instgram, choose the best looking effect and wait for at least one of my friends to like the photo.

Recently, Facebook just bought Instagram for a whopping $1 BILLION BUCKS!! Some critics think this will be a great way to keep enhancing the photo sharing phenomena  that Facebook is notorious for. While others fear that this is another way for Facebook to keep building their dominance. For starters, Instagram is free to download,  so $1 billion is huge amount of money for something that is free for all users.  What do you all think about this investment? Is this going to make the app even better for users or do you think Facebook is just conquering a competitive app so that they can to remain on top?!