Lehigh Lacrosse Takes San Francisco/Alcatraz

The Lehigh Men's Lacrosse Team traveled this past weekend to California to play in the San Francisco Classic Presented by Levi's.  The Fall is considered our "off-season" compared to official competitions in the Spring.  This event was created to promote the sport of lacrosse in the West coast and the event brought a great number of spectators.  Prior to the game which took place on Sunday, we arrived in California Friday night and we took the day to travel and get to the hotel where a little gift bag was waiting for each of us which included a t-shirt and magazine as a thank you from Levi's.  Additionally, our coach had pizzas delivered to each of our rooms.  Saturday we had a walk-through practice just getting prepared for our game the next day, and then we went to the pier to travel to Alcatraz.  It was a tremendous experience and although I been to San Francisco before, I never made it to the island of Alcatraz.  It was truly fascinating and I learned a lot about the history of the infamous jail.  Also, our competitor Ohio State was also on the island and it was a great experience.  We got to see that we are out here to promote lacrosse, that this game is a "friendly" game although very competitive and we want to win, we are here to help with the growth of the game.  That night we had a combined dinner with our teams and it was a very friendly environment.  My friend is on Ohio State and it was great catching up with him and seeing his parents.  The following day, Sunday, we went to Kezar Stadium which is the old San Francisco 49'ers Stadium.  We began with a clinic for the children, which was great to see the kids smile and sign autographs.  Of course, I was chosen to shoot in front of the kids for the shooting demonstration, where the little kids were in goal and I shot on them.  I tried to shoot slowly so the kids can save the ball and be happy, but of course everyone wanted me to shoot fast and impress Ohio State who was behind me and watching my shooting demonstration.  A lot of the kids came up to me and asked for my autograph which really made me feel good about myself and happy to be out here in California promoting the sport and making these kids happy.  But ultimately we were out there for a mission, and that was to beat Ohio State.  After a slow start, we did end up beating Ohio State by a score of 15-13.  I had 2 assists on the evening.  Lacrosse is a brotherhood and even the Ohio State coach said that we are all part of a fraternity, and although we were competing against the other team, we are both on the same team and want to see our sport of lacrosse grow and reach new levels.  We took the red-eye back and after a long journey, I was happy to back at Lehigh and able to blog about my trip.

 

Organizations Don't Tweet..People Do. Reflection

First, I(@KSS213) would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Euan(@euan) Semple's Organizations Don't Tweet People Do.  It was very well constructed and provided an insight that is unique and modern.  The use of technology in today's world is enormous and necessary.  By not using and adapting technology, people and companies will be passed over and even forgotten.  Simply by using technology the benefits we can reap are numerous and plentiful.  Take for instance our in-class live Tweet.  We are communicating instantaneously with the author who was located in London.  Within seconds Euan would respond back to our questions, comments, and concerns.  It is truly amazing what technology can do.  In the book, it mentions that as we(people) mature, so does technology.  It seems as though technology has developed and matured so much over its life and I asked Evan "how much more can technology mature," he responded "We aren't even teenagers yet" touching on the fact that the internet and the supplemental technologies are very young and still have a long path of developing and becoming more sophisticated and even more helpful.  Furthermore, I asked Euan about using technology and social media in the finance world, and he said that with technology and social media we can use a intricate form of checks and balances and it could help with preventing "the next banking snafu."  Pulling directly from his book, Euan mentioned that "we build webs of meaning using these linked ideas and construct shared meaning in a way totally different from the heavy, disconnected documents of the past"(42).  When I read this, I thought of the social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter and how we have developed a "web" of relationships, knowledge, and "ideas" that have been formed in a internet space but feel so real.  This web is symbiotic and that we can learn from each other and teach each other.  There isn't only an inflow, but also an outflow.  In his book, he talks about organizations adopting social media.  He says a boss can prevent the use of social media.  I mentioned earlier that social media really isn't used in the financial world and he writes "disapproval is a very strong force especially if it is coming from the one who determines your salary"(64).  However, this is where my questions arise.  I don't believe the financial world is ready for the use of social media not because it can't adapt such technologies, but because in doing so, this would become groundbreaking and will not be accepted in the eyes of others.  We treat our social media as a representation of ourselves and now you will also be representing the company which will add a larger sense of representation.  I believe that it will take the actions of a few individuals and companies to adapt social media and be groundbreakers, and innovators, in order for others to take notice and have social media be part of every industry and see that by not using social media, companies aren't tapping into this area of unused resources.  Only time will tell, but those who don't use social media and technologies will be left behind and forgotten.  

I learned a lot from Euan's book and I recommend others to read his novel.  He provided a unique insight and really provoked thought, ideas, and reflection.  Prior to this class, I never participated in a live Tweet, and it was a really cool experience.  It shows that the world really isn't all that large, that it is a lot smaller and connected than we think.    

Avicii at Radio City Review

On September 27th, I had the privilege of attending Avicii at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  It was completely sold out and this was the first time a DJ headlined Radio City.  I was a little speculative on the event but it completely blew everything away.  Not only that, but Radio City had specials through social media such as Uber and FourSquare and by checking in I received free Diet Cokes and free rides through Uber.  It was awesome and I had an incredible time.  This marked the 3rd time I saw Avicii and this by far was the best show.  Cazzette a major DJ also opened up for Avicii and it was amazing show.  Cazzette played for 30 mins and Avicii played for 2 hours.  The energy was incredible and everyone had an amazing night.  Also, with such a unique venue Avicii used his signature projector "Head" which provided incredible visuals and was awesome to look at.  I will definitely not pass on another chance to see Avicii and I was glad I was able to attend the show at Radio City.  Such an incredible venue made for an incredible night.  Check out this video for a little look at what it was like

Weekend Reflections

While reading my fellow classmates' blog posts I developed an overall idea as to how people use Twitter and who they follow on Twitter.  In almost every instance, the other students would follow friends and classmates first, then follow what interests them.  The students follow news channels, local and global news, their favorite brands and companies, and celebrities.  An excellent point from Lindsay Hoskins in her blog, is that the more we use social media and tools like Twitter, over the years as we mature, so does our taste and she said as she matured she is more interested in global news and events and is following politicians and the news.  As I read her blog I took time to reflect on how I used social media, and I agree with Lindsay.  I too have seen a maturity in my tastes and interests and this is reflected through my social media and my Twitter followers.  

Avicii making history

Avicii, one of the world's most famous DJ's is making music history by being the first electronic DJ to headline Radio City Music Hall.  Rolling Stone wrote an article about the DJ who will be performing on Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th of this month.  In this article originally only 1 show was to be scheduled but they added the Wednesday show due to popular demand.  It would be an amazing experience to be part of music history and see one of Avicii's performances.  But it would be still be cool to see the next day YouTube videos and download the live sets from the performances.  Electronic music has really gained a lot of momentum and seeing Avicii perform at a historic and legendary venue means that electronic music is a world renown genre and DJ's are being taken seriously.

Twitter Followers

On Twitter I am following a wide array of people and organizations.  I am following friends, Dj's, concert venues.  I follow ticketmaster, and livenation for the most recent updates on tickets and presale ticket news.  Furthermore, I follow friends in class, friends from back home and different colleges.  Also, I follow local restaurants because they post daily specials and coupons.  I follow the Sands Event Center for local shows and ticket releases.  For local news, I follow the Morning Call.  For Lehigh sports updates, I follow Lehigh Athletics.    Twitter is an excellent tool for receiving and sending up-to-date news and send that information to friends and a large public audience.  

Music blog post

This is my first blog post outside of the assignments and I thought I would write about music which is what I am actively downloading at the moment.  I am a big music fan, a fan of almost all genres of music but in particular, house/electronic music and country music.  This semester thus far, I been to 2 country concerts and I have a house concert next week.  I love music, it enables people across cultures to express themselves through a universal language that is music/sound.  Swedish House Mafia arguably the top group in electronic music is breaking up with each of their 3 members going solo, they are finishing their final tour and final album together with their newest album song list being released today.  You can find more information about Swedish House Mafia's One Last Tour here.  

Creativity and Expression

After reading numerous blogs, everyone has their own opinion on what social networking means for them and how they use it.  Social networking is an incredible tool for an individual to express themselves, and also enables them to connect with their friends instantly.  As the days of printed paper become extinct, social media enables a message to reach a large audience at a few clicks on a computer or mobile device.  Robin Pertusi's blog states that "Facebook’s purpose is to maintain or foster both old and new friendships that are pre-existing to the physical act of 'accepting' a 'friend request' on Facebook. While Twitter’s purpose is to build new relationships with people that you may not even know but are interested in what they have to say."  I completely agree with Robin, and she brought up a great point. Smg314 has dived into her blog and has posted pictures that are incredible.  Kimmy Rae Goldberg in her blog posted that "blogs need character and a voice"and this is necessary for a blog to gain body and truly capture the reader.  Caroline Bucky fully customized her blog with a rain drop background and she raised a great concluding statement that since social media is public and information is released online, to always think prior to posting or releasing information.  Although you can set privacy settings, your posts really aren't that private, and you need to tweet and post on Facebook with the best of intentions and if anyone were to search through your social networking sites, that you have nothing to hide or be ashamed of.  

Twitter vs. Facebook

I have been an avid user of both Twitter and Facebook.  I believe both are great social networking tools and they both provide different ways of communicating to a large audience.  For Twitter, it is more "accepted" to post frequently than Facebook.  People who post in their profile on Facebook is seen by everyone on their newsfeed and people notice this.  However, Twitter is made for tweeting and constantly posting and it is more accepted to tweet frequently.  The user experience of both sites are very different.  With Facebook, there is a much more personal way of expression and communication.  Whereas with Twitter, I feel it is a more open and public form of communication.  For Facebook, the audience and primary consumers are people, but it is a great marketing tool to create a "page" for a company, whereas with Twitter, channels are extremely popular and products, news companies, and brands have accounts and it's just a massive flow of information and primarily text.  Facebook enables a lot of expression through pictures, albums, and statuses, whereas with Twitter you can do text, 1 picture, and location in a tweet.  Twitter is more limited in options and expression than Facebook.  I follow celebrities, news channels, venues, friends, teams, and artists.  I really check my Twitter a lot, as most venues and artists post their first presale ticket dates and links to tickets via twitter.  I really like Twitter as it allows for extremely quick communication to a fan/customer base and between friends.  My concerns with Twitter is that when I originally made a Twitter account, my account was public/unlocked and a lot of random-unknown people/bots would follow me and I had no way of preventing them from seeing my tweets, therefore I made my account locked so that I get to see who wants to follow me first and I get to accept them in order for them to read my tweets.        

I see social media in the news and athletes can respond to phenomena via Twitter or can also get in trouble with using their Twitter accounts and their choice of words.  I know athletes and people like Mark Cuban who have been fined for what they have said through social media and it is important for them to realize that what they say and tweet is seen and heard by everyone.  

Increasing Likes on Zoellner Arts Page

I have some ideas to increase the amount of Facebook Likes on the Zoellner arts page.  My ideas include posting in each of the Lehigh Facebook Classes forums and suggesting to "like" the Zoellner arts page to stay current with information and events.  Also, in the Lehigh Brown and White, having a Zoellner section or advertisement suggesting to "like" Zoellner arts page on Facebook could also increase activity on the page.  Also, being featured in the daily announcements in the chain emails that all students can see can also bring awareness and attention to the Zoellner arts page.

Zoellner Arts Administration Transition

I believe the Zoellner Arts administration transition took place on July 17th.  I saw a change in tone and also noted that prior to this date, most posts containing links did not include a detailed description in the textbook and provoke conversation.  But on July 17th, the texts were longer and the descriptions were more detailed to engage the audience and start up discussion.

Social Media Manager

The reading around the issue of age and social media managers raises the argument that every social media manager should be under the age of 25 and I believe that it is a very extreme argument.  If anything, having a social media manager who witnessed the transition of technology and the use and importance of social media would be an asset to any company or firm.  That someone who is older can be vital and just as up-to-date as one who was born into the generation of cell phones and Twitter and Facebook.  Someone who is competent and capable of being the best social media manager should get the job, and age should have no impact on the employment decision just as race and gender shouldn't either