Not social media, social...everything.

I sat down with my slightly delayed, yet beloved laptop to write my first blog post since Feb. 21, immediately summoning iTunes for inspirational melodies.
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Since my last post, much has changed in my life. I was hired by the Orlando office of Edelman, one of the largest P.R. firms in the world, as an Assistant Account Executive. Today, I met Edelman's head of digital practices for the U.S,. and as I drove him back to the airport we chatted about "social media." This short, enlightening conversation really made me start thinking about what communications has become and where it may go in the future. It inspired me enough to get my fingers twitching for the keyboard.
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I clicked "play" on iTunes for the mood music, and out of my speakers came the song "Technologic" by Daft Punk. To give you a sense of the eerie coincidence, the following is an excerpt of the song's lyrics: "Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch - update it, name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax - rename it, touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start - format it." The lyrics aren't eloquent or overtly brilliant, but they make a point. You can always count on iTunes for reading your mind [insert government conspiracy here].

On to the subject of this post...while I was driving Dave to the airport, trying my very best not to scare him with my unfortunate Colombian driving, I brought up a question that has been on my mind for a very long time. "Why don't tech-savvy people like using the term 'social media?'" Dave gave me a pretty straightforward answer: who's to define "media?" To media relations professionals, social "media" may mean print, TV, and radio. To advertising professionals, social "media" may mean commercials and ads. To me, social "media" means Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and all other social networking communities online. There is no wrong answer. Dave and his peers are bothered by the term "social media" because it's not accurate. He suggested using the term "social technologies" instead, which makes much more sense to me.

If you really think about the big picture, you'll realize how absurd it is that there is just one specific term ("media") to define an unimaginable number of categories and subcategories. Can we really consider Facebook and Skype to be the same? Can we consider Myspace and Flickr to be the same? How about digg and Blogger? There are similarities with all of these, but it would be like calling humans and chimps by the same name because they both have thumbs and chew with their teeth.

I am by no means an expert on the topic of social technologies, although I feel a very special right to call myself an inherent connoisseur since I am a member of the first generation to be born into homes with personal computers (think black screen, orange letters). And even as a self-proclaimed "inherent connoisseur," I am still intrigued by the rapid and ever-changing landscape of the web. I remember watching a few episodes of "The Universe" series on the History Channel. I was awed by the vastness and mystery of space. That same feeling washes over me when I try to even grasp the possibilities for the future of this "World Wide Web" thing.

Where will Twitter be in five years, how will Facebook evolve in the next two, will MySpace even exist in the next six months? It's almost as if the online space has morphed into this hyperspeed, roid-driven virtual world where a year in Internet time is seven years in human time. It's really a vicious cycle...social technologies are driven by users' lack of attention spans, users' attention spans become shorter with every new social technology. It's a vicious, rabid little cycle, but oh, do I love it.

At the end of this post, I am left with no answers. But, that's ok...I like the mystery of it all, I'm not searching for answers. As with space, I respect the Internet for all of its complexity, even though I don't fully understand it (and never really will).

Can I speak with a manager, please?

It's a dreaded question for every employee in a retail or food environment. Most times, there's a disgruntled customer with a mouthful of "I will never give this place my money again," or "I'll be writing to corporate about this." But, it doesn't always have to be a scary question. I have found that, all too often, people only recognize flaws and mistakes. Things like fantastic customer service should also be recognized.

My sister is a firm believer in rewarding the good just as much as chastising the bad. She and I recently went to Linens N' Things as it was ending its final liquidation sales. We walked in, and immediately an employee greeted us with a smile and a sincere "Welcome to Linens N' Things!" As we walked around the store gawking at kitchen accessories, bed linens, and super high quality air mattresses, two other employees, on separate occasions, greeted us and asked us if we needed assistance. It was impressive, especially for a store that was in the midst of going out of business. We went to the register, and even the man ringing us up was cheerfully cracking jokes. We took our knick-knacks, and before we walked out, my sister, not being able to hold herself back, walked up to the initial greeter and uttered the evil words, "Can I speak with a manager, please?" His entire demeanor changed as he stared blankly at her smiling face. "I'm the manager. How can I help you?" he says. She tells him about the wonders of customer service we encountered on our tiny retail journey, expressing how much it improved the overall tone of our visit. He was ecstatic, and told us to please fill out a customer comment card, which then apparently gets sent to corporate, who then reward the store and its employees for their excellence in customer service. My point: it makes a difference!

Don't get me wrong, there have been times when I have made it a point to approach a manager about just one magnificent employee, and the manager didn't really seem to care. That's ok, too. It's become some kind of unwritten rule in our society that we only recognize things done badly (which under some circumstances do need recognition), but we all need to remember that there's another side to the equation. Behind those moments at a restaurant or a store that leave us smiling because of great customer service, there's a person just like you and me that woke up and went to work, just like you and I do. Standing there, they have made a consious effort to make your day and my day just a little better. If that's not worth appreciating, I don't know what is.

Oh s***, we're in a RECESSION!

Hindsight is a painful thing, especially for a student like me, who only until January 2009 got slapped in the face with the reality of the state of the U.S. economy. Take, for example, an article I found from the U.S. News and World Report which appeared in the July 24, 2006 print edition. The article, titled "Muttering the 'R' Word " (how apropo), speaks of the spooky predictions starting to sprout from the mouths of economists. The opening sentence of the article reads, "A discouraging word is beginning to be heard on Wall Street: the "R" word, as in recession. For months, brokers and bond traders have marveled at how the U.S. economy has been hot enough to goose the stock and labor markets but not so hot as to ignite inflation." The irony is overwhelming.

A year later, the whispers about a possible turmoiled economy, became loud-mouthed conversations. Take the first sentence from this USA Today article, appearing about a year after the aforementioned article on August 13, 2007: "Markets have the shakes. The housing sector is searching for a bottom. Consumers look fatigued. Oil prices are volatile." The change in tone is palpable. Still however, the "R" word is never mentioned throughout the entire article.

Around December 2008, the loud-mouthed conversations became a nation screaming, "Help!" This time, it's an article from CNN International titled, "It's official: U.S. in a recession since Dec. '07." This time, it isn't so subtle, or politically correct. The opening sentence reads: "The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy." No more beating around the bush, so to speak. Let's cut the crap, and face the nightmare.

Flash forward to January 2009, when, all of a sudden, it hit me. Why hadn't it hit me until then? What rock have I been living under? My big glorious rock is called the University of Central Florida. The truth is, I'm a typical college student. I'm sheltered in the beautiful bubble of the school system. I'm focused on my schoolwork, on my internship, on my relationships, on everything BUT the economy. It seems ignorant to most, but it's the truth. That's not to say I didn't know what was happening. I knew every detail. At my past internship working at a law firm, I read articles every day about the subprime mortgage market, the issues with greedy lenders and hurried bankers (and super bankers ::ahem:: Fannie and Freddie) wanting to make a quick buck, about the domino affect it was having on different industries, and in turn consumers. I was knowledgeable, but that doesn't mean I was ever touched by it. I didn't understand it, I knew it.

In December 2008, my good friend graduated. It was a happy occassion, when finally the four years of focusing on schoolwork, internships, and relationships gets to pay off. Let me also make clear that I have very intelligent, driven friends. We all take pride in our work as P.R. students and young professionals (some take pride in other work as well), and we hope that our hard work and dedication to this field will pay off as soon as we put on that cap and gown. That being said, he was on the job hunt (and already had been pre-graduation). He had an impressive resume in hand, and a willingness to grow and put his skills to good use. I wish I could tell you he's found a job, because he deserves it. But the economy doesn't care how many networking events you've attended, and it certainly doesn't care about how many internships you've had. My friend is still looking for a job.

Gradually things have started happening around me that make me feel like the economy isn't only touching me now, it's grabbing me by the throat. As a student, it makes me nervous, but all the same, I graduate in a year and a half -- I feel safe. I don't have a 401k, I'm not graduating in May, and I don't have a salaried position.

So, I finally get it. I feel it. But, I'm hopeful. I do also feel like this is the downhill slop. We hit the peak and it's time to very slowly get down from this mountainous economic burden. The only way we're going to do it is by being a unified and responsible nation. We need to spend moderately and save for the long term, so that our children, grandchildren, and ourselves can live more comfortably in the FUTURE.

My father's passing

Last week on Saturday, November 15 at 3:15 p.m. my father passed away. He had been struggling with cirrhosis of the liver (non alcohol related) for five years now, so it was a final moment of rest for him. He went without struggle or pain, and simply took one last breath as the people he loved most watched him enter into Eternal Life. Needless to say, the past week has been one of mixed emotions for me, sometimes agony and pain, other times joy found through photos and happy memories.

How innovative marketing played a role in making HISTORY

I was laying on my stomach in bed watching CNN when it was announced. I had seen Barack H. Obama all over the news for the past 6 months, and had never really thought about it. "CNN PROJECTED WINNER: BARACK OBAMA" stared me straight in the eyes as I digested it. "Oh my God. OH MY GOD. We have a black president." I didn't think it would have the effect on me that it did, but I couldn't help the tears fill my eyes as I smiled and thought, "We finally did it, America, we're finally THERE."

It was the realization that in who knows how many years I will be telling the story above to my children and then to their children. They won't be able to understand how I feel -- it will be as if someone told me a story now about how women gained suffrage so many years ago. Both generations will have grown up with a new norm, a new set of ideals, and I will be the old lady retelling a history to which they could never relate.

I don't care if you were for McCain, Obama, or neither, this is history. President-Elect Obama has made history in so many ways: from the color of his skin, which differs from that of every other president since the founding of this nation, to the overwhelming majority that voted for him, and finally to his campaign.

His innovative campaign, run by campaign manager David Plouffe and political strategist David Axelrod, changed the face of campaigning by making it Web 2.0 centric. His logo and colors, circular and vibrant, strayed from the square (in more meaning than one) and dull norm. His down-to-earth portrayal of his family life and open discussion of his history reassured voters who were being thrown fear-filling stories by his opponents. In a brilliantly, and near-flawless, campaign that won Obama this presidency. It is his and his team's tact and savvy for marketing that brought a somewhat unknown Illinois Senator to the Oval Office in record-breaking time.

I could never truly pinpoint the perfection and innovation displayed in his campaign, so if you would like to read a wonderful article doing just that, click here for the International Herald Tribune.

What's your opinion about the campaign?

We all know politics can get personal and offensive, please be courteous and respectful in your comments, as I will be deleting inappropriate ones. Thank you!

Great marketing in the most unexpected of places...

This past weekend I woke up to a lazy Saturday, my boyfriend and I coming to the consensus that no, we were definitely not making breakfast. In those given circumstances, it is pretty much an unspoken agreement that we will make our way over to First Watch, a delicious and homie chain right past I-4 on SR 436. We walk in, and as always, the manager greets us with genuine warmth and seats us. We see the same funny waiter as always, who says hi to us as he passes, and then our waitress comes to kindly take our drink orders.

As I sit waiting for my orange juice (with pulp...mmmm!), I turn my menu every which way, like people always do. Dan and I seem to be on the same page about checking the menu out in the first 5 to 10 minutes of arriving at a restaurant: we don't. He spends his time people watching, and I'm usually reading up and criticizing all of the promotional material on and around the table. Menu in hand, I open it, check out the images, then turn it around. "Wow, that's a lot of verbage," I think. But being a curious specimen, I start reading the copy on the back of the menu...BRILLIANT.

On the back of their menu they have every reason why you should eat at First Watch instead of its competitors (think Denny's or Perkins). This copy is crafted beautifully, in a personal, down-home tone that makes you feel as if someone was hugging you while you were reading it. Dan is an engineer, so he doesn't really appreciate the things that I do (like awesome marketing), but this was so convincing, I drew his attention to it. He turned the menu around. "Wow," he moans about the amount of copy. Within a minute of reading it, though, Dan starts the symphony of the impressed: "Cool!" "Wow, that's awesome," "Humph, I didn't know that."

Here's a taste of it, with my favorite bullet point: "You wouldn’t expect your 5-year-old to enjoy War And Peace. Children need their own literature. Here, that means their own menu, with fun activities to keep them busy."

It's effective and it taught me an important lesson: I was always told to avoid heavy copy, but everything has an exception. In this case, the target markets are families and the elderly who stroll in for a long, relaxed homestyle meal -- they don't mind reading that copy because they have the time. Two big thumbs up for First Watch!

What do YOU think of the copy??

Why I chose Public Relations

I was about 17 and had dropped my lifelong dream/goal of being an actress a year before. Between the ages of 16 and 17 I tried a few different hobbies out, in the hopes of finding the right career path for myself. I always thought the right career would choose me more than anything. As if one day I would wake up and it would call to me, "Michelle, I am your future career calling, choose ME and you will experience infinite happiness and wealth." Turns out, that doesn't happen. I know, it's almost like finding out Santa isn't real (sorry if I just blew that for you, but you had to find out eventually).

I was Cinematic Director of the class of 2006 at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, and dabbled in anchoring the school news as well as producing, directing, and editing short film and music video projects. It was all very fun, but it didn't make me want to do it forever.

One night I sat down to watch MTV -- when reality TV was just starting to take over -- and I found "PoweR Girls" showing. I watched the show once. It was a show about Lizzie Grubman and her P.R. practice in New York. She dealt in entertainment, and while it may not have been verbatum, the career spoke to me. P.R. and I, we had chemistry from the get-go. We didn't know each other very well, but something inside of me said, "This is it."

It seems as if, like everything else (and like many other people have), I just fell into this business of representing entities. I have never been so passionate about anything. In P.R. I found an outlet through which I could develop and use all of my skills -- writing, public speaking, design, networking, and marketing.

I am a double major in Adveritsing/Public Relations and English Literature, minoring in German at the Univeresity of Central Florida. I've never been happier.

So, now that I wrote a book -- what do you think about P.R.? (be honest!)