Finale

Heather Mansfield did a wonderful job in teaching this old dog some new tricks. Coming into this class, the only social media I used was Facebook. Now, however, I have Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, and Snapchat. On pages 60-68, Mansfield describes 11 attributes of an effective social media manager:

1. Has a Passion for His Cause and For Social Media

2. Is Friendly, Patient, and Responsive

3. Is Creative and Detail-Oriented

4. Has Experience in Online Communications

5. Reads Blogs about Social Media and Mobile Technology

6. Is an Early Adopter

7. Is Not Overly Confident about Her Social Media Skills

8. Thinks like a Journalist

9. Is Mobile

10. Is Willing to Mesh His Personal Life with His Professional Life Online

11. Takes Steps to Prevent Social Media Burnout – this part was especially helpful, as it gives tips to prevent you from becoming tired of always being on social media. Tips include leaving the smartphone at home, breathing deep, and not working more than 10 minutes on a weekend.

It was interesting to read this and think to myself, “Hey, I think I possess a lot of these qualities.” It makes me extremely glad that I took this course! In fact, that’s why I chose to review Social Media for Social Good. Mansfield (and of course, @kab13) did an excellent job of explaining the logistics of each social media platform, including how often to post and what type of content to post.

I also think that Mansfield may be obsessed with the number 11, as she seems to have a lot of headings that say “11 Tips for…” or “11 best practices for…” Why 11?

 

Anyway!

Overall, I came to this book the most when I needed help with what to post on what social media platform. I learned the basics of each platform without becoming overwhelmed or frustrated. The book was overall very informative and came to my rescue multiple times over the course of English 457.

Almost there!

As the semester winds down, and finals are wrapping up, it’s given me time to reflect on the past couple months of course work and am realizing how much has changed, including myself.

At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I had just dropped out of Pharmacy School and was unsure of what to do with my life. l found it to be a strange feeling; thinking your future is going to go one way and then that gets completely taken out from underneath you and all of the sudden you’re forced to deal with the now. Life doesn’t always go as planned.

So, as I sit here, I reflect on the past couple months. I’ve been working 50+ hours a week at work and then keeping up with 15 credits of course work. From taking these classes, I learned to revamp my resume and cover letter and learned where to look for jobs. I began applying in different areas around the country – because let’s face it – North Dakota isn’t the best place to be. I managed to get not one, but two interviews with COBB Tuning based out of Austin, Texas. These interviews were conducted via Google Meet, which I had never used before. This was a fantastic opportunity for me, as COBB Tuning would be a great company to work for. The only downside would be relocating. I am such a momma’s girl! It would be hard for me to move away from her.

My mother and I at a Bruno Mars concert!

So now, I feel like I am stuck around here, which I don’t mind now that the cold has gone away for the most part. I am hoping to advance into a management position at my current place of employment. I would love to help run the social media for my work, as they don’t have anyone dedicated to that right now. Right now, it’s limited to  posts that salesmen make. I would love to be able to expand on this, adding to our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts as well.

I would also like to create events to draw more people into the dealership, such as car meets and open houses. This would give customers a great opportunity to look over the store without feeling pressured into buying anything. Our dealership has always been very good to their customers and I would love for everyone in the Fargo-Moorhead area to know that. Using tools and knowledge I’ve learned from this class, I feel confident that I would be able to help manage the social media portion for the dealership!

 

 

Bloosti

Remember way back when, when I posted about my dad and his car, Precious? I have my own “Precious.” Her name is Bloosti. Some of you may know exactly what that means, others may not even know how to pronounce it.

Bloosti (blue-STEE) is my World Rally Blue 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. I went with “Bloosti” because it reminded me of “boost” and how can you think of boost and not smile?

I met her in March 2015. I had just gotten over a short relationship with a 2015 Subaru WRX when I saw her sitting there, freshly traded in.

“That’s mine,” I said and immediately went to my salesman.

Look how stock she was! 

Since then, things have changed quite a bit. I have an aftermarket intake, downpipe, exhaust, and it is custom tuned on 91 octane thanks to Sandback Race Development in West Fargo, North Dakota. It’s not a scary fast race car by any means, but rather an extremely peppy daily.

Here is a short clip from the trip to the dyno!

I’ve also changed up her look a little bit. I purchased Rays Gram Lights 57DR in “Winning Blue” for my 2015 WRX, but unfortunately our time was cut short. Thankfully, the 2015 WRX has the same bolt pattern as Bloosti, so I was able to use these wheels! At first, I was worried that the two blues would clash, but I’ve realized I can’t keep them clean enough to keep them looking blue. 🙂

In addition to new shoes, I also had the STi tinted, added a strut tower brace, installed a Perrin ring riser kit, and have done some minor body work to achieve a more even flow.

Much better! 

Now, if you’ve noticed, my tag is usually “bloostie85”. I made that username in hopes that one day I will tune it on E-85. Of course, doing that requires some other purchases like a COBB Accessport and different fuel injectors. While we’re at it,  I might as well get the other $5,000 worth of car parts on my wish list!  My heart says yes, my bank account laughs. #collegekidproblems

One day..,.

But for now, she runs and drives and handles amazing so I am happy! When people ask me what my dream car is, I tell them I already have it. I absolutely love this year for the Subaru STIs and love the color. I can’t help but imagine this is how my Dad felt about Precious… 🙂

 

 

 

A Wedding Story

Brendon could hardly sleep. Within the next 24 hours he would be married to the love of his life. He finally became fed up with being unable to fall asleep, so he swung his legs over the side of the hotel bed and sat up with an exaggerated exhale. He fumbled to find the switch to turn the light on. Once he could see where he was reaching, he pulled open the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and cleared his throat. He quietly read:

 

“I love you unconditionally and without hesitation. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life’s adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life.”

He smiled down at the paper as his fingers fumbled with the weathered edges. He folded the piece of paper back up and put it away in the drawer once again. He slid back into bed and put his head back on the pillow.

He greeted the sun in the morning already bathed and cleanly shaven. He gathered his suitcase and headed down to the church with his groomsmen and best man. When they arrived, the church was already buzzing with friends and family eagerly helping set up for the ceremony. His mother rushed him off to a room in the church where he was to get ready for the big day.

As he got ready, he couldn’t help but think of her. He looked in the mirror but only saw her.  He fiddled with the buttons on his tuxedo and turned around to exit the room. He needed some air. He went outside to the church corridor, where he anxiously circled a pillar before he heard someone’s voice. He hid behind the pillar and listened in:

“What a beautiful wedding!
What a beautiful wedding,” says a bridesmaid to a waiter.
“And, yes, but what a shame
What a shame the poor groom’s bride is a-”

 

 

I was suffering again from writers block and simply Googled “Writing Prompts”. I hate to admit it, but I clicked on a BuzzFeed link and stumbled upon…

 

Which kind of gave me the idea to write a short story based off of song lyrics! 

Here is the article in case you are also struggling to come up with some ideas!

 

 

Sources:

https://apracticalwedding.com/wedding-vow-examples/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/21-clever-writing-prompts-that-will-unleash-your-students-cr?utm_term=.saDdmEA3m#.sxKndGQPd

 

Static

 

I have really been struggling to come up with anything to write as of late. Therefore, I figured I would write about something that is easy for me to talk about.

DISCLAIMER: I usually like to keep my updates full of sunshine and rainbows, but buckle up and grab a tissue or two. This one could make your eyes spring a leak.

May 2009: I was getting ready for my high school graduation party and I get a phone call from the local police department asking if I would like to accept a collect call from an inmate in their facility. It was my boyfriend of one week (Let’s call him Shrek.) He got picked up for possession of marijuana and got sent to jail. Oh, and he violated his probation. He asked me if I could bail him out and I said I would. I used the money I had received as a gift for graduating to bail him out of jail.

My parents were quick to express their disapproval. Understandably. Not to 17 year old me, apparently. I couldn’t wait to turn 18 and move out. (I’m not really sure why, though. My parents are the coolest beings on the face of the earth. Teenage angst, man.)

And that’s precisely what I did. The day I turned 18, I packed up all my things and I moved into an apartment he had.

At the time, I worked full time at a local fast food restaurant and was considering going to school for Pharmacy Technology at the tech college. My best friend lived in the apartments upstairs and we worked at the same place. Things were going pretty swell.

As a nice gesture, I decided to purchase a guitar for Shrek because he had fallen in love with it when he saw it at the store. Within a week, he had pawned it off. My father was nice enough to get it back out, but guess where it ended up?

I started realizing a trend. Shrek couldn’t keep a job and couldn’t pay his bills. He would demand money for cigarettes and other things. His mood was all over the place and I wasn’t sure how to respond to him most of the time. I immediately grew terrified when I saw that his eyes were black, surrounded by a very thin ring of hazel iris. His nostrils would flare and his jaw would tense. I surrounded myself with work and in the fall of 2010 decided to go back to school just to escape my home.

After I was done with class, I would go right to work. I would come home from work late at night, hoping to just fall right into bed. Some nights this would work, other nights not so much. Shrek would want to fight about how I hadn’t cleaned the apartment lately or gone to do laundry. He’d demand more money from me and I would tell him that I cannot afford to give him any more and that wasn’t acceptable. I remember one night, he backed me into the corner in the kitchen and pulled out the knife drawer. “Which one do you want me to stab you with?” He had that look in his eyes.

All I could do was scream.

One night, I had invited my beloved friend over (not the gal upstairs). I hadn’t seen her for a few years, but she was in town and had time to come see me. Before she arrived, Shrek came storming in the front door of the apartment and threw a lighter, some cash, a syringe, and some pills on the kitchen table. He walked right passed me into the bathroom and grabbed some cotton. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a spoon and a cup of water. He sat down at the table and began making a tourniquet for his arm.

“I’m going to make you watch what I have to go through.”

I insisted that I would rather not, but that didn’t fly. I watched as he took the pills from a cellophane package and went through the process of making them into a liquid and drawing the contents up into a syringe. He proceeded to inject the solution into the vein in his arm.

I sat there in shock and he some what slumped over in his chair. Drugs? Duh, Heather. How did you not see that coming?  I reached for my phone and then there was a knock at the door.

It was my friend. Shrek had slowly come back up to attention, but started to harass my friend and me as we tried to catch up. His words didn’t make sense. They were slurred and mixed with manic laughter. She asked me what was wrong with him and I told her. She told me that I needed to leave. Shrek didn’t like that.

He started threatening my life and so my friend tried to leave with me. He started threatening her life. We panicked to get to the door. He grabbed my arm. She got to her car, left, and immediately called the cops. In the mean time, I had to put up with the ogre.

Episodes like this continued to occur until one glorious day in 2011. Shrek was about to start his first day at his new job. I had the evening off and so did my friend upstairs. He went on his way and I grabbed my phone and called my mom. I sobbed and begged to come home. They quickly arrived with the truck and helped me and my friend move all of my belongings out of the apartment while Shrek was at work.

It took me nearly three years to realize my self worth and leave that relationship. It took the support of my family and greatest friends. And it sure as hell took a whole lot of strength.

Fast forward to 2018, and here I am. Still in college (last semester!)

I won’t lie  – the past few years have been rough. I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2014. The symptoms started before then, but I didn’t have any idea what was going on. I would have nightmares that he was trying to kill me. I would freeze up and panic if I saw him or someone who looked like him. I was hyper-alert – meaning, I was constantly scanning my environment to make sure he wasn’t anywhere near me.

But since then, life is only getting better. I am thankful for a lot more in my life. And I am forever grateful for my friend for being over that day. She saved my life. Had she not called the cops…

So, please, if you see something, say something. A lot of the times, victims are afraid to come forward. Some feel guilt, others are just terrified of the consequences. Domestic abuse is not okay.

I want to let my readers know that they can come to me with any issues they may have. I am not here to judge you. I’m here to help you – whether that be by listening or providing useful resources and contact information.

 

http://fargond.gov/city-government/departments/police/safety-prevention/victim-support-services/domestic-violence

 

http://www.raccfm.com

24 HOUR CRISIS PHONE LINE
701-293-7273 or 1-800-344-7273

 

 

 

 

 

Like Father, Like… Daughter?

One of my earliest memories is of my neighbor and her husband coming to our door. She held her head in her hands and just sobbed. Her husband proceeded to tell my dad that his wife had side swiped my father’s gorgeous blue 1977 Chevrolet Caprice that was parked on the street.

I don’t remember exactly what happened directly afterwards, but I do know that my dad loved that car. He always joked that he loved it more than he loves my mom and that the car has been around longer than my mom. And so, the caprice was dubbed Precious.

My dad spent the next several years tearing down Precious and putting it back together in my grandmother’s garage all while he was going to college and working full time. I remember walking out to the garage to check in and just being amazed by all the parts and pieces lying around. It was peculiar to me to see the car in pieces, and satisfying to watch the whole car come together again.

So here I am, going to college and working full time thanks to the work ethic instilled by my father. In my garage sits a 1977 Chevrolet Impala (again, thanks to my dad) and a 2010 Subaru STi (I bought that one). Fortunately, neither of them are in pieces and both are drive-able. But I can’t help but notice the need to tinker… The STi could certainly use a few more horsepower, right?

That sounds expensive. Instead, I’ll do some minor work that will keep me amused until nice weather hits and my car will stick to the road.

With some luck, I will be uploading videos within the next couple weeks of minor repairs or customization on my car. I have a sub-woofer on the way and I also have some old “Clear-Bra” that needs to be taken off the front end!

 

Stay ‘tuned’!

 

Top 5

There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to social media, especially if you want to successfully convey your message and get your users to act. Mahoney and Tang take a different approach to social media in their book Strategic Social Media to see how to your audience more involved in your shared cause.

The most important, and perhaps foundation, of social media is creating a sense of community. Readers will continue to read and be more involved if they can relate to the story. According to Mahoney and Tang, there are four dimensions to building community (p. 47). “It is imperative that you meet each of these dimensions for your audiences when trying to promote a space for community, as they allow individuals to share in an identity, the conditions and constraints of power, and a set of social representation, as well as allow participation from members.”

Secondly, you want to get your audience moving. The whole objective for your organization is to get animals adopted. You want your audience to act by either adopting animals, donating toys and food, or by contributing monetarily. One great advantage to social media is that people are able to connect with each other based on their point of views, beliefs, and interests. Create events on Facebook and invite people to attend. Make your posts shareable and asks your followers to share. Create a contest or poll. Reply to comments left of your page and make sure to keep it friendly. A Social Media Advisor’s job is never over, as users are constantly posting all over the world.

This video does a great job of tugging at the heart-strings. Do you feel the need to pick up the phone and call to donate?

Another thing to consider is the role of structure. According to Mahoney and Tang, there are at least 10 structures  that can help engage your audience which include:

• Search bar – This puts users in charge of finding the information they are looking for quickly.
• User profiles – This allows the user to create a unique personal profile with pictures, interests, and other personal information.
• Recommendation – People often seek advice before making a decision on whether or not to purchase a service or product. There are two different types of recommendation systems. Implicit recommendation is “based on observation, such as times viewed, the number of ‘likes’, times shared, and the ‘favorites’ list”. Explicit recommendation is “based on numerical ratings such as average ratings, ‘one to five stars,’ and scales ranging from 1 to 100 (e.g. Yelp)”.
• Messaging/Chat – This gives you the opportunity to speak to a customer one-on-one, without having to play phone tag.
• Hyperlink – This allows the users to go to leave your website and go to another website.
• Catalog of content – This helps organize content and information.
• Connection to groups/people – This allows you to connect with other groups based off similar interests.

The fourth important principle is Chapter 7, Gest Practices for Social Media Engagement. This chapter covers the goals of online nonprofit organizations. You want to achieve dialogic communication, where people are free to voice their opinion and can agree to disagree. You want to keep your customers happy and one way to help do so is by utilizing the Dialogic Loop. This basically rewards customers for their royalty. It gives the customer an incentive to keep coming back. While we are not so much focused on people coming back to spend money, we do want people to have a good experience at the shelter so that they will go and tell their colleagues about the fantastic experience and frustration-free time they had!

Number five on my list of principles is Social Media for Social Behavior Change. Ultimately, our goal is to get people to act. Whether it be through adoption, donations, or by spreading the word. As a nonprofit organization, you can use your status to demonstrate a “We First” movement, where we can encourage people to change for the better by leading by example.

 

 

Facebook… A Blog???

When one hears the word blogging, they immediately think of girls in Starbucks, rapidly picking at their keyboard, expressing to their readers all the frustrations of their day. However, blogging has many forms, one being Facebook. While users are free to post about their daily happenings, nonprofit organizations can also take advantage of the many useful resources Facebook has to offer. It’s important to understand how to utilize these resources to gain (and maintain) followers.

Heather Mansfield, author of Social Media for Social Good, recommends asking your staff to help run your Facebook page (p. 77). However, running social media has become a full time job for some organizations and you want someone fully dedicated to the job, not just when an employee has time. Assign (or hire) a person to watch your Facebook page. This person should stay up to date on latest news and trends, be well organized, and have attention to detail. This person has a passion for what they do and has experience in communication.

Once you’ve got the right person, let them know that they are free to express their “voice” over their social media. You want a post to catch someone’s eye. Don’t get stuck rolling past your viewer’s eyes as they’re in a scrolling trance. Add a picture or video to the post to liven it up a bit. The great thing about your organization is that people have a big heart for animals. If you post an update saying “mixed breed $150 adoption fee” – that tells your readers nothing. But if you post up a picture…

Look at those puppy dog eyes!!

Heather Mansfield, thinks that bloggers shall not post more than two status updates per day (p. 76). I agree to an extent. Your followers care about what you have to say. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t follow you. This does not mean, however, to post all willy-nilly and get on your followers nerves to the point where they click “Unfollow”. With an organization such as yours, I would recommend posting PICTURE or VIDEO updates of new animals that have arrived at the shelter. Some days you may have 6 new pets and other days you may have none.  Text updates, however, I would agree with Mansfield and limit to two post maximum per day, unless there are major announcements to be made. When you do post, make sure to be kind and involved with your audience. Reply to their questions or comments to let them know that there is someone behind the computer. Make sure your posts are shareable so that your followers may spread the word to their followers, and their followers to their fo- okay.

Heather Mansfield suggests not syncing your Facebook with other social media sites. I don’t necessarily agree with that. There are some people that just don’t use Facebook, so replicating your content over several social media sites won’t hurt any. If anything, it may reach a broader audience. That being said, remember that other social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram may require more time and posts per week. So while you may only post twice per week on Facebook, make sure to tweet twice a day on Twitter.

Mansfield also recommends sending updates to your readers once or twice a month. Let your readers know what’s been going on in the shelter. What have their donations help build? How many pets have been adopted this month? What’s your goals for next month? Are there any major events coming up? Make sure to link your Facebook and other social media in any e-mails sent out. Also let your readers know of any events coming up around the area and where they can find more information on Facebook.

 

Public Narrative

 

I sat in the back of the classroom, where I was supposed to be taking notes for the class. Instead, I was looking up parts for my car. I didn’t have any one to sit with at lunch because all they wanted to talk about was class and notes and how much the professor sucks. I wanted to talk about some neat cars I saw over the weekend. When I talked to classmates, I was actually embarrassed to talk about my STi…

While they thought I had something funky going on with my downstairs, I was actually talking about my Subaru.

So, I had some thinking to do. Do I:

A): Stay in Pharmacy School and continue to be miserable and unable to connect with the material due to the lack of interest, or

B): Rethink my career path and find something more suitable for me?

Well, let’s see. I’ve always been a tomboy. There’s always dirt under my fingernails and my head always turns when I hear the nice low rumble of a nice exhaust system. The choice seemed clear now that I had stepped back and thought about it…

It just so happened that my favorite dealership was hiring and so I made sure to be in contact with the Human Resource associate and hand in all the proper application paperwork. I was definitely… persistent. 🙂 but, hey! I knew where I wanted to be…

Eventually, I obtained a job in the shop area of the dealership and can’t imagine leaving. I wake up every morning and don’t think twice about getting out of bed and getting ready for work. I can relate to the people I work with and just love being there. All in all, my decision to completely drop out of pharmacy school* to work around cars has lead to my mood becoming more positive! I constantly get compliments from peers and family about how happy I seem to be and how well I do my job. It’s easy to do when you love doing it!

 

*Don’t worry, I am still working on obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree. All that school won’t be a waste. 😉

Giving Hearts Day Aftermath

Homeward Animal Shelter is known for promoting Giving Hearts Day in Fargo-Moorhead. In fact, this year they helped raise over $100k in donations for Giving Hearts Day!

How’d they do that??

Well, if you take a look at their Facebook page, you’ll see that Homeward Animal Shelter was extremely active with their updates for weeks leading up to Giving Hearts Day. Every day you would see pictures of local contributors, each smiling and holding a giant check. It was so heart warming to see all of those who could help out in any way they could. In addition to contributor photos, the organization posted up pictures of shelter animals to promote Giving Hearts Day.

With each post, the organization successfully utilized tags and share-ability to maximize their audience. The point is to draw as much attention to your cause as possible, right?

Their Twitter page was less informative. The organization hasn’t tweeted since Giving Hearts Day. And before that, they only tweeted once more to promote the upcoming event.

They did use successful tactics like using tags and an image in their post. This helps grab readers attention!

Tweets by HomewardAS

However, as we discussed earlier,it may be just that Twitter isn’t as effective in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

 

Taking a look at another local organization, I found that they, seemed to use Twitter more than Facebook. This organization, the K9 Crew, first posted about Giving Hearts Day on Facebook on January 29th, encouraging followers to vote for their organization to receive $2,500 from Gate City Bank. They posted a similar update a few days later and then a few days before Giving Hearts Day, they thanked their sponsors and used tags and tagged people in their post, which increased the likelihood of their post being seen, which resulted in more likes.

On the other hand, the K9 Crew retweeted multiple tweets about Giving Hearts Day weeks in advance. They also used their images to grab viewers attention. While they seemed to be more active on Twitter, they did not receive as much response as Homeward Animal Shelter overall, which could be for various random reasons.

In general, the more consistent posting and usage of media in posts lead to greater response from followers, as Mansfield indicated. Homeward Animal Shelter generally posts consistently throughout the year, whereas K9 Crew’s posts are more infrequent and random.