Trust and Crisis

Chapters 11 and 12 of "Measure What Matters" discusses crises, reputation and relationships between a company its partners and salespeople. A company's reputation defines everything, and if the reputation is not good, people will not trust the company and it will be more difficult to handle a crisis. 

When a crisis breaks out, a company must be quick to calm down worried customers. Paine talks about how measurement can play a role in maintaining control in a crisis situation. She states that you must constantly monitor your audience and what they are saying about your brand to try to catch a crisis before it is out of control. Measuring crises involves following what people are saying about your brand, but also what people believe about your company. 

Reputation is everything. Trust is the basis of any reputation and relationships are the basis of all trust. A company is responsible for making its customers believe the right messages. Consistency is important to build a strong, healthy reputation. 

Everyone is Watching

If you have logged in with any of your social media networks, you know the Grand Jury decision on the Mike Brown case. Everyone was tweeting their opinions and news updates about the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri. Social media allows everyone to have instant access to any information they want.

Many of the tweets and posts last night expressed the despair and disappointment of the users everywhere when it was announced that the Grand Jury decided to not charge Officer Darren Wilson. Although most of the posts were geared toward the decision, a single tweet from a local TV station caused thousands of users to reply in disgust and anger.

This tweet and the announced decision is a bad combination. The rioting in the streets in Ferguson and all around the country is an explosion of emotions and opinions, and this tweet seems extremely disrespectful of the Brown family. After the criticism, Channel 9 responded by deleting the original message and posting two additional tweets apologizing for the insensitivity.

The importance of thinking before you speak is exponentially higher when you post something onto social media. Once a post is published, it's too late to completely delete it. Someone has already seen it, shared it, taken a picture of it and told everyone else about it. Everyone is watching you and one wrong move can cause immediate reaction in this real-time world. 

Home Sweet Home

The anticipation of going home tomorrow might be killing me because I can't wait to see my family, my dog and my friends. Although I have about 30 hours left to wait, I can't help thinking that I am going home right now to relax curled up on the couch with Buster. 

I'll admit it, this semester has been pretty hard on me and I feel distant from my family and friends. I'm hoping all bad feelings are relieved after being home for a little over a week. I haven't seen any of my friends, or even my family, since Fall Break. Now, that was only about a month ago, but it feels like eternity. It's safe to say going home will be a much needed break from classes and busy schedules, and there is always the added bonus of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There's just something about the warm welcome of family and the smell of pumpkin pie and turkey. I have a lot to be thankful for, but I know sometimes I forget to stop and remember those things. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here is what I am thankful for this year.

• My mom because she has always been my role model. I know I don't call or talk to her as much as I should, but I know being home this week will be good for both of us, and I am so excited to see her.
• Nolan, my boyfriend, because he honestly treats me with more respect and care than I ever could have imagined. I can't wait to spend this holiday and many other holidays with him!
• My step dad, Tom, because he is a great guy and I know he does a lot for me, even when I don't ask. 
• My roommate, Michelle, because she brings so much light to my life. I know I can always count on her to be silly with me and I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to be her roommate this year.
• Devan and Jordan because I know I can always count on them to have my back. These girls have been such a major part of my life and I know they will be lifelong friends. Thank you, formal sorority recruitment last year, for bringing these two crazy cats into my life.
• My Little, Hannah, because she has truly shown me what it means to be a big sister. We always have fun together and she has helped me grow so much in the short few months since we met. I wouldn't trade her for anything, and I am thankful that she loves me as much as I love her.
• My Big, Ashley, because she is always there if I need her. We don't see each other as much as I wish we could, but her texts and posts on my Facebook page always brighten my day. I'm thankful for having a Big as amazing as Ashley.
• Mathematics because, well, I wouldn't know what I was doing at ONU if I wasn't studying mathematics. I can always count on math to stump me and then brighten my day when I finally understand what I'm doing.
• Don't laugh at me for this one! I truly hope you could say the same for your major or profession because you should probably change if you don't feel the same,

I truly can't wait to go home and celebrate Thanksgiving with the people who make the biggest impact in my life. I am thankful to be going home tomorrow. I hope you all have a safe and thankful Thanksgiving!

PRSSA Mentors

For Social Media Principles, we were assigned a topic of the PRSSA program at Ohio Northern University to create a video on to promote the program. My topic is PRSSA mentors and I was able to learn a lot from creating this video. I'm warning you all now, my video making skills are not strong and this is the first video I have ever made! 

I had the opportunity to interview Rachael McKee and Hannah Peterson, and they both gave me wonderful information about the mentor program and how it helps students grow. A special thanks to both of them for allowing me to record our interviews to use the audio in the video.

Please enjoy!

Employees Matter

This week in Social Media Principles, we discussed chapters 9 and 10 from "Measure What Matters." Chapter 10 brings measurement back to home base and talks about how employees play a major part in improving a company. I found particulate interest in this chapter because we have mainly discussed the customers or the audience, rather than the workers behind the magic.

There are six steps to measure relationships with different communities: measurable goals, understand the environment, who and what are your benchmarks, audience priorities, choose measurement tools and analyze data to improve business. Chapter 10 explains these six steps in terms of the employees of a company. These steps are essential to growth in any company.

Conducting a base measurement is essential to see what changes need to be made and the information is used in the future to determine if changes have occurred. A company must find out what channels its employees are using and what is important to them. The employees are necessary for a company to be successful and if employees are not buying into the idea, neither will the customers.

Success needs to be defined for all measurement tools. Defining a goal is a good way to make sure everyone is on board and committed to work toward improvement. Once data is collected, it must be analyzed and a plan needs to be set to make a change in the company. If you ask your employees to answer some survey questions, they will expect to hear the results and for change to happen.

Chapter 10 hits on a topic that is usually not covered: the employees. You can't forget about the people that help your company run smoothly and increase sales from within the company's walls!

Wear Your Letters in Your Heart

This past weekend was Greek Leadership Day, and even though I did not get the opportunity to go to all of the presentations, the main speaker was absolutely wonderful to listen to. We all have certain events we must attend to receive different chapter ratings at the end of the year. Theses events are called Standards of Excellence (SOE) and they are typically educational type programs to help us grow as people and students. This weekend, the speaker was brought to ONU by the Panhellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council and Phi Mu Delta, and he taught us what our letters should mean for each and every one of us in Greek life.

David Stollman speaks to college Greek life students all around the country and spreads an important message that we often forget about during our time in school. During his presentation, he taught us what it truly means to me a member of a Greek organization and he shed some light on stereotypes and why there is a negative association with Greek life.

Stollman explained the original values all Greek organizations were founded on and asked us why ideas have changed. He asked why hazing was part of 'tradition' when our founders were focused on emphasizing love and acceptance. Being a figurative cow and being upfront with friends who need help but might not necessarily want it is an important part to effective brotherhood or sisterhood.

The most important part of the presentation was his discussion on hallow letters. Stollman explained that someone who is wearing hallow letters only wants to be a part of the Greek organization for the typical "frat boy image" or the social aspect of Greek life. They are present, but not for the true, right reasons. As an active member of Alpha Xi Delta, hallow letters are the most disappointing part of Greek life. I honestly love my sorority and all of my sisters, and it genuinely hurts for someone to wear the letters that so many generations have worked to maintain. I know people in other organizations who wear hallow letters and I can see the toll it is taking on the rest of the organization.

Stollman left by advising us to take our letters off our chests and put them into our hearts. By putting the letters in your heart, you are swearing to live up to the standards set forth by your founders and to live the ideals of your chapter in every day of your life.

If you are a member of any Greek organization, I highly encourage you to check out David Stollman because he is absolutely inspiring.  

Engagement is Key

This week for Social Media Principles, Chapter 5 was included in part of the reading assignment for "Measure What Matters." This chapter was full of a lot of important information about how social media and PR have changed to fit more advanced technology and the need for news quickly. A major subject in Chapter 5 is the levels of engagement between users and a brand .

The different levels explain the relationship between the audience and the company on social media and can help plan projects to increase engagement.

The first level, lurking, is the most simple and probably the most common of the other four. The user that 'lurks' scrolls through social media news feeds liking posts without putting much effort in. This is usually the first step in any relationship. I am definitely guilty of liking and scrolling on Facebook, sometimes without even reading what the post is.

The next step in the relationship is casual. This involves Twitter follows, blog subscriptions, downloading a video from YouTube and suggesting a page to a friend on Facebook. This relationship needs to be accessed after checking how many times a user returns to the site. Analytics can be used to measure the interactions of users to the brand. This step is often where the relationship ends.

Next, the relationship moves to active. In this step, users actively participate on Facebook and retweet news on Twitter. Both parties benefit in this relationship. This step is important for the company to ask what they did to cause users to improve their relationship.

The fourth step is the committed relationship. The users are beginning to trust the company enough to provide their identity for membership. Positive expectations about the relationship are being enforced and both parties feel favorable toward each other. New registrations should be measured for increase over time.

The final level of engagement is a loyal relationship. This is the most advanced of all the levels. Surveys should be used to determine the true feelings of the organization. More accurate results would be obtained by taking a survey before and after to see if there are any changes in the perception of the company throughout a period of time.

The different levels of engagement are vital for the success of an organization. Getting users to start with lurking and make their way up to loyalty could be a difficult task, but it is definitely worth the time.

Brand Yourself!

Social media has completely changed how people interact with one another. Instead of picking up the phone and calling someone, you can simply instant message them on Facebook or send them a direct message on Twitter. Equivalently, many people turn to reviews online to find out if a product is worth buying. Many people have turned to shopping online for just about anything because it is quick and you can buy necessary items from the comfort of your home. How does this major change in communication affect those trying to make a name for themselves? Is it easier for them or does the readily available information allow everyone to being their own business, meaning more competition?

I found an interesting article, written by Yohana Desta, that describes 10 tips for the 'lazy person' to help create a personal brand. Creatively titled "The Lazy Person's Guide to Personal Branding," this article gives some good advice for anyone beginning their journey of creating their own brand. While I will not go through all 10 points, because I want you to click the link above and go check it out yourself, I will discuss some of my favorites. 

The first bit of advice Desta gives is to stop and think about what you actually want your brand to be. Many people skip this important first step because they are too excited to begin their personal brand. Slow down and look at what your expertise includes, that way you can exactly pinpoint what your brand should be.

The next bits of advice that caught my attention go hand-in-hand. You need to find your niche and label your expertise. Join the group that works with what you want your brand to be and label your brand as such. You need to make your labels specific and unique. Tell your audience exactly what you stand for and what your brand is.

The final topic I want to address is one of the most important. Desta says it is important to check all of your current social media sites to make sure the messages portrayed through posts on social media are consistent with the messages and values you want others to see. If your company wants to be family friendly, posting images of alcohol and partying probably is not the best option for you. 

If you're looking to begin a your personal brand, I encourage you to check out the article! These tips can be used to simply clean up your personal social media profiles. Even if you aren't trying to sell a product, you're selling yourself to friends and possible future employers!

It's Just Life

While scrolling through Facebook one day, I came across an article that is scarily relevant to my life right now. The title of the article is "19 Things Every 19-Year-Old Girl Needs to Hear Right Now." I realized that I exaggerate everything bad that happens to me, but I fail to see the good, productive things. Although the article is targeted toward 19 year old girls, the true audience should be everyone. The messages shared are important for everyone to hear, regardless of age and gender.

I highly recommend reading the linked article, but here are the main themes the author discusses: you are human, you do not need to force improvement, improvement will come naturally, the sophomore slump is not real, let go of your emotions, relationships take two people, not everything needs to be extravagant, you can only control your feelings and others will feel whatever they want, disappointment is ok, you have the power to be everything you want to be and you are already everything you need to be. I am definitely guilty of breaking these 'rules,' but I am still alive and I am still paving the way for my own success. Before coming to ONU, I spent 18 years building up my life, my credentials, my experiences and my GPA, but now I'm in college and everything is different and that is perfectly ok.

I'd like to add a couple of ideas to this article. First, quality is more important than quantity (in most cases). Classes, friends and extracurricular activities are often reasons for stress to all college students. I might not be able to say I have 20 friends, but I have about six of the most wonderful friends I could ever ask for. I could be involved in 10 organizations on campus, but it's more meaningful for me to participate and gain valuable experience from a few.

Second, laugh at yourself. I find that too many people in this society take their mistakes and faults too seriously. If you make a mistake, you should be able to laugh at that mistake. The laughing does not need to occur immediately following, sometimes you need time to find humor in your mistakes, but it should come eventually. Laughter is the best medicine.

Finally, admit when you are wrong. It takes a lot for a person to admit their own fault. If you know you have hurt someone or done a bad thing, take the blame and let it go.

Sometimes we all need to step back and reevaluate the situation at hand. Everything will be ok, even if it takes a year or two. All you can do is keep living your life to the fullest and make every second count. Do the things that make you happy because no one else is living your life.

The Life of a Poor College Student

My mother has always told me I have expensive taste. Well, that is a difficult thing to deal with when you are stuck in college with an on campus job where you only make about $100 over the course of two weeks. Although I am extremely lucky to have a campus job, saving money is not my strongest skill. I recently received my Little in my sorority, and that cost me the majority of my checking account. I am beginning to feel low on money, but there are so many things I want to buy. 

I have a closet full of clothes, but I only want more. My favorite pair of boots is falling apart, so I need to replace those. I am not eating like I should because I have no food in my dorm. I guess I never realized how difficult living on my own would be for me. 

I am now done blowing my paycheck on craft supplies and I can sit and actually evaluate my budget for the remainder of the semester and year. 

There will always be new things for me to buy, but I'm hoping to improve my self-control so I can leave school with a decent amount of money saved. I don't think my expensive tastes will ever change, but I can learn how to wait for the day I have a career and am bringing home a paycheck big enough to support myself and a family. There is not a sports car in my near future, but if I can start saving now, maybe somewhere down the road you will see me rolling around town in my sky blue, convertible mustang.

If you have any tips for saving money, please feel free to comment below! I need all the help I can get. 

Measurement Matters

My final reading assignment for Social Media Principles is "Measure What Matters" by Katie Delahaye Paine. This book gives insight to what businesses should be looking for in measuring ROI and analyzing consumer use of social media. The first two chapters give an idea of how measurement is important and explains common misconceptions about measurement.

The first chapter discusses how measurement helps a company improve its relationships with customers and increase its sales. Measurement allows a company to compare its performance with its competition quickly and easily. The economy is all about competition, that's why it is important to be able to see where you fall on the totem pole, so you can improve if needed. Measurement also reveals your strengths and weaknesses. A company can't grow without understanding what they need to change and what needs to be updated. A large number of companies do not measure their ROI at all, especially on social, which will only hurt them in the long run.

There are a handful of myths that "Measure What Matters" debunks, which give reasons for why more companies are using measurement programs. Being a mathematics major with a statistics minor, I laughed at a few of these ideas because these measurement tools use statistics. The first is that measurement is punishment. This idea stems from employees worrying that their plans are not gaining a positive result. There is fear in failure, but the only way for someone to learn and improve their ideas is by making a few mistakes along the way. Getting a negative result should push a company to move forward and make the necessary adjustments in order to gain a positive result. Another myth is that measurement is too expensive. This idea is contradictory because measurement allows you to see if your money is being well budgeted and if you are wasting money on tools that are not resulting in the desired response. If measurement is not used in a company, it might never know if its money is being used in the most effective way possible.

There are five other major myths that include measurement creates more work, measurement is only quantitative, ROI is impossible to measure, measurement can only be done after a project is finished and 'we know what's happening, we don't need research.'

Too many people shy away from numbers for various reasons. I promise numbers are not as scary as they seem. Measuring what your company is accomplishing -- or not accomplishing-- is the best way to improve current projects and methods to create the most profit. In the end, measurement is worth crunching the numbers and analyzing the statistics.