Social Media

Technology is advancing at an incredible rate, and with technology comes social media. There are so many different types of social media that to know and frequently use them would have to be your full-time job! The social media that I use include my student email, personal email, Facebook, Pinterest, this blog, and an e-Portfolio. And these alone are difficult for me to keep up with! But I barely use any social media compared to others. Some also use Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube to list a few.

However, for the younger generations, social media is a main means of communication and has become a popular pastime for them. This means that going into the field of Recreation and Leisure, or any career, knowing how to use and utilize the most current social media tools is vital! Not only that, but you have to use them well. And to do so, you have to be willing to learn and accept change because what's popular today can easily be different tomorrow.

enjoy life and be happy

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I could have posted this blog a full month ago,

but here I am on October 19th, about to talk about Christmas!

Not Halloween which is less than 2 weeks away, but yes, Christmas.

It's everywhere!

The dollarstores already have an aisle of ornaments and decorations up, Smart Set has begun to receive their holiday collection, and crafters keep pinning winter craft ideas on Pinterest! A friend asked me earlier this week what I was planning to get everyone for Christmas. How am I supposed to know that when I can't even get my head wrapped around Halloween yet? And my youngest brother sits next to me starring at my laptop, just awaiting the day that I get a new one so that he can have mine. This day he is waiting for is none other than Christmas!

Marketing is most often used to promote places and events to attract people to them, or to sell products. Is Christmas going to be forgotten without all of the advanced warning of decorations in the stores? And does commercializing the day take away from it's meaning?

I understand that people like to decorate their houses for the season, of which some are much more extravagant than others. And many people will spend a lot of money on gifts for their friends and family. Christmas is the time of year that people spend the most money. I'm not surprised. There are decorations, big meals, gifts, outfits, parties, photo ops and so on. In the excitement of Christmas and planning and shopping, marketing that can easily go unnoticed are those for charities.

"Tis the season for giving"

Charities do not have a lot of money to put towards marketing, and competing with Christmas commercializing means that what they do have is not enough.

Taking the time to remember what the season is all about, reminding others about the opportunities to give to those in need, and providing the assistance that you can will make a difference. Do your best not to get caught up in the sparkle and glitter of the season, and remember the reason for it!



enjoy life and be happy

Blogs

I never really understood blogging until I started doing it myself

(and I'm still learning and perfecting it).

And I never knew that blogs were like a marketing tool!

A good blog, as my teacher says, includes pictures, hyperlinks, labels, and has a topic.  And most often, when blogging about a certain topic, the blogger will use or refer to other resources. If you're reading that blog, you may be apt to follow the links to other sites; Voila! Free marketing!

Shell Design Weddings has a blog. Although the blogs are about weddings or events, you can see that there are links to other professionals in the wedding planning business. Also there are links to the places she's gone, which are nice places to hold a wedding or wedding events, or even just general events. This provides free marketing for the people and places that they are linking as well as advertising their own business by creating a diverse and interactive blog.

Another type of blog that has recently peaked my interest through Pinterest are craft blogs! Not that I have started following any craft blogs in particular, one that I stumbled upon is named MADE. This blogger posts about crafts, the wedding she had just attended, as well as shows that she attends. She links the shows and places that she goes, and includes many pictures of each. Again, free marketing for others!

 Including links in a blog that are relevant aren't only free marketing, but proper blogging ettiquette. So if you've got something that people are buzzing about, creating a website can be a dual marketing technique if it gets into some blogs!

enjoy life and be happy