The Makings of a Facebook Contest- The Chamber of Commerce- Symone Grady

Nearly after one month of working with the  Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, specifically with the Young Professionals Program, I was made content creator of the organization’s Facebook page.  It is now my responsibility to research information about our audience including gender, when they are most active online, and what posts they enjoy, to get the most exposure when Facebook posts are made.

The Young Professionals Program was formed in response to a growing need to strengthen recruitment and retention of young talent in our region. Benefits of being part of this program include unique social and unique social and professional networking opportunities, participating in organizations and activities that contribute to community and business development, and taking active leadership roles in the community.

Moments after publishing my first Facebook post on behalf of the Young Professionals Program, I was given another exciting task. My supervisor explained to me that she is interested in raising awareness of the Young Professionals Facebook page.  The thought of a Facebook Contest really excited her, and she offered to give winner(s)  a free membership into the Greater Columbus Georgia Young Professionals Program. Ordinarily, the membership fee is $75. So, the winners(s) of the contest will obtain all of the listed benefits of being a Young Professional member for free!

After deciding on an outreach method, a Facebook contest, we needed to come up with a type of contest that would stir up the most interest in community members.  When thinking of contest ideas, I wanted to come up with something that people would enjoy doing. I also wanted to draw attention to the program’s Facebook page by involving the community somehow.

Below are my ideas:

1. Writing Prompt Contest

Participants would write one paragraph explaining why they deserved to win. These paragraphs would be posted on the YP Facebook page wall.

2. Video Contest

Participants would make  short video explaining why they should win. These videos would be posted on the YP Facebook page wall.

3. Fill in the Blank

We would post a sentence like , “Young Professionals are ____________, ______________, and _________________.” Participants would make a post including the written statement and fill in the blanks.

4. Caption Contest

We would post a photo and participants would post a creative caption to go along with the photo.

5. Q & A Contest

We would post a trivia question and the first person with the correct answer wins.

In order to get the community involved, I suggested that winners  be determined by the number of likes their post receives by other people. The person whose post receives the most likes will be the winner. Also, in order to be eligible to win the contest, I suggested that participants like / fan the Young Professionals Facebook page.

I have sent my supervisor this list of ideas and I am currently awaiting her opinions. Hopefully, one of my ideas will be used for the first Young Professionals Facebook Contest!

California King Snake: Conquering Fears-Tier Wootson-WLTZ

This week we had Mrs. Jan Kent from our very own CSU Oxbow Meadows. She brought some friends with her. She brought a shell of a tortoise and a California King Snake. If you want to go see the tortoises, you need to hurry up. They will only be here for a limited time. As she was on air she said the California King eats other snakes, particularly venomous. If you all didn’t know, I am highly scared of snakes, especially after watching movies like Anaconda and Snakes On a Plane. California King Snakes have teeth, but only bite when they feel threaten.

After the show, I wanted to semi-conquer my fear of snakes, so I decided to hold him.  DJ Chip was taking a video, which I didn’t know, of me conquering my fear. I felt so proud of myself to conquer my fear, especially in an atmosphere that is geared towards news and not wild life. I have experienced and learned a lot here, but I am most proud of this moment because it was a personal victory that I can check off my bucket list.

If you all would like to go to Oxbow Meadows to see some wild life, they are located at 3535 South Lumpkin. RD. They are open Tuesday-Friday 9:00am-4:00pm and Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm. Admission is free.

Hey everyone! My last few days are here and I’m feeling a little bittersweet. Especially since I passed my exit yesterday, things are finally starting to sink in. I was stressed over that for no reason. I’ve had to do presentations way harder than that, so this one felt like a piece of cake. I’ve been applying for “big girl” jobs and its definitely becoming apparent that I don’t have the experience that employers want. If I had been a little more gung-ho about NPACE, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem. So take my word….get involved as much as you can.

I’ve been taking a few photos for Matt this past week and working on things in photoshop. This one below is a possible cover photo for the NPACE facebook. It is simple, but alright for a cover photo, don’t ya think? The one I made for the comm dept. page is a bit more eccentric so I’ll wait and see if they decide to use it. Some people have seen me working on my computer in the conference room, and I promise that I’m not just playing around on Facebook or getting lost in the interwebs. I try to learn photoshop through tutorials online. Makes the process a bit easier if you aren’t  that great at photoshop.

R4R Wheels Rolling Forward-Jo Garrison

The old saying, it’s easier said than done,” comes to mind as we prepare for Red Cross Awareness month in March.  When one of the volunteers pitched the idea for us to put together a Poker Run, a voluntary group of motorcycle riders who will be starting from a gathered point and going along a two and a half hour pre-selected scenic route through west central Georgia and returning back to the American Red Cross Fort Benning location where we will provide food and beverages, I couldn’t wait.  I am still immensely excited, and cannot wait for March 22, to see the outcome of our hard-work and dedication.

Putting together a fundraiser requires a lot of communication with different organizations and groups, promotion by using different public relations avenues, and dissemination through mass media.  Last week I was able to complete the rough draft for our poster/flyers and the final editing has been done so we have started promotion and distribution.  I have been working on setting up the Facebook page along with all the other internet avenues.  We intend to have flyers sent out to all on-post and off-post media sources, i.e. newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations such as Benning T.V.  Below you can find the link for our Facebook Organization page that is still a work in-progress but up and ready.

https://www.facebook.com/REDCROSSR4RFtBenning

Jake Hall-Cleaning up Statistics in the S.I.D.

It was a slower week in the world of CSU athletics. Most of the teams had away games so neighboring departments ran the live feeds and gathered the stats. There was not much for us to do except to prepare for homecoming. I, on the other hand, was in charge of gathering the stats of current players on the CSU softball players.

I had to go all the way back to 2011 and 2012 and last season enter the offensive, defensive and pitching stats of current players into a spreadsheet. Statistics are a major part of all athletics and even more important to athletes. Athletes are identified by their statistics. The greatest have very high statistics and others not so high. It was pretty neat to see where the current players stand in terms of the athletes that fill the pages of the NCAA record book.

I am currently working on a feature story going in a future softball program book on players closing in on a few records. It is interesting to dig through the NCAA record book. It is even more interesting to see how impressive to see how great these players actually were during their collegiate career. Hopefully by next week I will be able to post my story.

Design Principles for Valentine’s Day – The Chamber – Symone Grady

With love filling everyone’s hearts as Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching, staff at the Chamber of Commerce decided to host a luncheon for all of their partners and sponsors. Utilizing the “Holiday”, Valentine’s Day, the staff decided to have this event on Valentine’s Day with an appropriate theme to show their appreciation for members.

Days before this joyful day, one of the coordinators for this event asked me to create gift tags that would accompany gift bags for guests. With this assignment, I was simply told that the labels must say “We love our members”, and incorporate the organization’s logo. That’s it. Without very much direction for  how to create these gift tags, I had to put my creative print media skills to the test. Not only did I need to  create labels that would capture one’s attention, but that also effectively communicates the desired message.  With only an hour to complete this task I knew that I needed to work diligently to create an exceptional finished product.

Before beginning this task, I immediately thought of the principles that I have learned in the Interactive Media Production course that I am currently taking. These basic design principles include proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast.  I wanted to be sure to incorporate each of these  principles into the design that I created.

Ultimately, I created three different gift tags and allowed my supervisor to select the one she thought was most appropriate. After she told me which she selected, I understood that the design she favored the most best utilized proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast. I was very proud to walk into the building during the luncheon to see the gift tags that I created being used and appreciated by all of the guests. I was also very excited to be able to use skills that I learned in class, and directly apply it to a task for my internship.

The gift tag that I created for the member appreciation luncheon.

BECOMING AN ASSET – Moe’s BBQ – Elizabeth Strickland

Although my days are long, and my commute to Columbus every week is tiring, I really enjoy my time in the class room. Each week brings a new topic of discussion. With each discussion, lightbulbs consistently are going off, making me eager to return the next week. This weeks lecture in my PR management class spoke of employee and consumer relations. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past week, thinking about my role in the restaurant. I not only want to be an asset, but I want to impact the employees and customers who enter the restaurant daily. I have always felt this way, but knew I could do more. I found 12 Most Marvelous Assets You Can Offer Your  Company extremely helpful in my quest to become a better intern and team member. Among the 12 assets listed, a few stuck out to me that we can all gain from during our intern experience. The first being, recognize you are always learning. As much as we all ‘know’ this, we as humans often forget there is something to learn in every situation, big to small. The second being, never say “I know.” Instead of telling my mentors, friends, and elders, “I know,” I will kindly say thank you, or just a simple, ok. Often, we don’t know as much as we think we do. Lastly, I want to become a better communicator, “A strong communicator”, as the article states. Taking time to listen and observe will most likely be more beneficial, rather than always rushing through conversations and situations.

Ultimately, were all here for the Que!

Rather than briefing you all on my responsibilities over the past week, which were the same as last, I thought I would share some of my research and thoughts. I can say, after months of preparations, Moe’s will be OPEN for business this coming week. As always, I must say how thrilled and thankful I am for being able to experience this journey.

Reference: http://12most.com/2012/04/18/marvelous-assets-to-offer-a-company/

CORY VEAL- Youth of the Year Interviews

In between the small preparations for YOY,  I have had the pleasure of interviewing our Hall of Fame Inductees for the ceremony. In addition to this being our first Corporate Youth of the Year, it is also the first year we will be inducting individuals and corporations into our Hall of Fame.  The first class of inductees will be honored for their willingness to give  to the organization regularly and more.

During my first interview, I experienced a small level of nervousness. I studied broadcast journalism heavily while in high school, but since I’ve been in college I haven’t utilized many of my skills. Once the interview started, my nervous mind set left me and I felt at home. Having a career in broadcast journalism was a dream of mine since I was a child. I worked hard to be on my high school’s news and entertainment program and I’m glad I have maintained the skills I worked so hard for five years ago. In doing so, I have been able to offer my non-profit organization an advantage.

I have two more interviews to complete next week and I’m beyond excited. I will be able to dip my feet back into the one part of the communication field that opened so many doors for me. And, with the mass media track in the Department of Communication I am prepared to learn so many new things that will help me in my future career.

Busy Week But So Worth It, Valerie Evermon, Easter Seals

This week has been a whirlwind! Every day has been busy and has gone by too fast. I have moved faster these past couple of days than I ever thought was possible, and to think that I’m only at Easter Seals for half the day. Tomorrow is the day that starts the re-accreditation process and everyone in the office is going crazy. My main task this week has been to help put together, verify, label, and make corrections on policy handbooks. I have made endless amounts of copies, hole punches, and tabs. I have removed and replaced tons of staples and paperclips. While all of these tasks may seem small,  and a lot like busy work, I am excited to help the directors at Easter Seals any way I can.

Helping the directors came in a different form this week, in between the copies and hole punches, I was sent to the adult wing to observe in one of the rooms. I had expressed the desire to learn more about what goes on in the adult wing, so one day the directors decided it would be a good day for me to do so and sent me down there. That short walk to the end of the hall proved to be the highlight of my day, week even. When I walked into the room, I instantly made eight new friends. Most of them greeted me with a quick wave and a high five, some made squeals of joy, but all of them introduced themselves by telling me their name in sign language. This amazed me. The teacher told me a story of why she decided to teach them sign language. Nine years ago when the teacher started working there, many of the students were unable to communicate. This caused them to become isolated. Seeing these adults so lonely, she decided to teach them a way to communicate so they could make friends. So nine years ago,  her entire class learned sign language together and now her students have friends and can communicate with each other. Her room was transformed from being quiet and cold into a warm, sociable place that her students love to come to. During the few short hours I was there, I learned how to sign most of the alphabet and the colors red, blue, green, and yellow. (We were playing Uno). It was such unforgettable experiences to watch these adults with different disabilities interact with each other, make each other laugh, and be able to communicate.

Although this short visit to the adult wing doesn’t exactly fit into the job description for my internship, it was an experience that will help me in my future career. I love interacting with the participants at Easter Seals and this confirms my desire to work for an organization that helps the disabled community. I wish I could share pictures of my new friends and all of the activities we did together, but due to confidentiality I am not able to. If you are interested in learning more about the adult services Easter Seals offers, visit their website today. This week may have been challenging at times, but the friends I made in the adult wing have been my sunshine. When I pass them in the hall, they get so excited and wave, they want so badly to get my attention. This makes my heart smile. Meeting these participants has made me even more excited to be a part of what Easter Seals West Georgia is doing for the disabled and their families in our community. Visit the blog next week to get an update on all the fundraising events coming up at Easter Seals.

Derek Bailey- NPACE Radio and CSU TV

Another Week, another Successful broadcast for NPACE Radio!  Last night me and Matt had to do a two man show because the “ladies man” Marky Mark had to leave to celebrate Valentines day!

 

We held it down with the two of us. Matt offered his thoughts on Jay Z’s spot in hip hop culture while I navigated picks about last weekends NBA ALL Star weekend!

Speaking of NBA All star weekend look for a wrap this week along with some headlines from the trade deadline this week, along with a description of how the NBA Dunk contest is NOT back and why Kyrie Irvine stood out amongst the NBA elite last weekend. Also be on the lookout for possible guest starts on this Friday nights broadcast!!