Advice to the Future Blogger

Dear future bloggers,

I’m here to give you some advice that is going to make your blogging experience a little more fun, interesting, and easier for you. I have complied a a few main points that you should be aware of when you begin blogging.

1. Be creative.

Include as many pictures, gifs, videos, links, jokes, quotes, etc. as possible. It is so much more entertaining to your viewers when they have plenty of media to look at.

2. Be yourself.

Blogging is about expressing YOUR thoughts. Have fun with this part. This is how you get the viewers that you do. Be original, and people will be sure to enjoy your blog. Let me tell you, it is so much more enjoyable to read a blog that has its own personal “touch”. People are going to be turned away if your blog is exactly like your friend’s.

3. Don’t think of it as an assignment (even though it is).

The problem I struggled with at the beginning of the semester was that I treated blogging like an assignment. As I began to personalize more, and I added my own taste to the blogs, it felt like it more so became an opportunity. Thinking of it as an opportunity will help you to realize that blogging will help you develop your creativity and communication skills. You are allowed so much freedom throughout blogging, so take advantage of it. It will feel as if it is a hobby if you think of it this way!

4. Don’t Procrastinate

Get into a groove, and set a schedule of when you’re going to do your blog. Time can get away from you, and before you know it, you’re five blogs behind (I pray this doesn’t happen to you). If you plan to do it at the last minute, YOU WILL FORGET.

HAPPY BLOGGING!

GIF Galore

After a few days of using the app, “Gif Keyboard,” I have to say I am very impressed. You can simply type in any emotion, action, or person into the keyboard, and it will automatically generate a Gif for you to send to your friends. The Gif Keyboard connects to your iPhone keyboard, so it comes up as an option when you are typing a regular message, tweet, or post. This makes it very convenient and easily accessible. I really like that you don’t have to go open the app to use it.

I had a very positive experience using this app. The gifs make communicating so much more interesting and funny. I use them all the time now when I’m texting, Facebook messaging, and even in my tweets. I have noticed that my friends have the app now, and even a lot of big brands are using them on their social media pages. I think the purpose of the gif is for the humor. It engages the reader much more. It really spices up texting between you and your friends too. I have kept way too many pointless conversations going just because I wanted an excuse to use more gifs.

Also, who doesn’t love the word “free”?! Yes, this gif app allows for free endless entertainment. Overall, the creator of this app did a fabulous job with mixing up the way we communicate in texting and through social media.

A+     5 Stars

 

Twitter Scavenger Hunt

1. Extracurricular extravaganza. Photo and/or quote that exemplifies the variety of clubs, organizations, and activities available to students at our university.

Dance Marathon, one of the many organizations here on campus! #stambrose pic.twitter.com/TYiojCUZpi

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) April 3, 2016

2. Academic excellence. Photo and/or quote that reveals how your school contributes to cutting edge research and/or learning (ask opinions, see if you can find a meaningful photo).

SAU has allowed me to combine my two majors (Psych and Strat. Comm.) to conduct a research project about social media feedback! #stambrose

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) April 3, 2016

3. Little-known fact. Photo and/or quote of something you think many people might not know about your school or campus.

Did you know that Ambrose Hall is one of the most haunted places in Davenport? #stambrose pic.twitter.com/WJAvY7kdQ1

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) April 3, 2016

4. School spirit! Photo and/or quote from someone (not you) revealing school spirit.

Junior, Katie Nelson, is always supporting the bees!🐝🐝🐝 #stambrose pic.twitter.com/2AqFXpYiRk

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) March 31, 2016

5. Scenic spot. Photo of your favorite scenic spot on campus.

Every place on campus is scenic in the fall😌 #favoritetimeoncampus #stambrose pic.twitter.com/darb9hWhkG

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) March 31, 2016

6. Fanatic fans. Photo and/or quote from somebody about their thoughts on the upcoming season for a specific sport (which specific sport is up to you).

"After coming off of the indoor season, outdoor track will be very fun and exciting!" -Junior sprinter, Matt Ferris🐝 pic.twitter.com/IBbMhAfr1h

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) March 31, 2016

7. Photo and/or quote (not from you) from your favorite eating spot or hangout spot on campus.

"On rainy days like today, this is my favorite place to hang out and eat." -Sophomore, Kaitlin #stambrose pic.twitter.com/y8VUJYSl1b

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) March 31, 2016

8. Professor on the street. Post a photo/video and/or quote from a professor on campus. Ask them what role they think social media play in our society today. Be sure you include the professor’s title and department (and twitter name, if they have one).

"Social media distracts people from reading their books." Alan Sivell, Communications professor pic.twitter.com/dNGc6k5r2o

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) March 31, 2016

9. Student on the street. Photo/video and/or quote from a student. Ask them where they get their news and if they use social media to keep up on the news. Be sure to include their name (if they give permission), year in school, and major (and twitter name, if they have one).

Jack, a sophomore at St.Ambrose says, "I get my news from the Internet on websites such as Yahoo." #stambrose pic.twitter.com/kLYF8zbeCR

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) March 31, 2016

10. Your very own final unique tidbit of information/photo about our campus. Be creative.

We have 2 SAU track athletes, Anthony Peters and Jenny Lopez, going to the Olympic Trials for racewalking!#stambrose pic.twitter.com/cDsaSTtSVc

— Ann Froeschle (@froeschle_ann) April 3, 2016

The Pros of Twitter

One of my favorite parts of having a Twitter account is that I am able to follow some of my favorite big brands and companies. More and more companies have gotten a Twitter so that they can communicate quickly and efficiently in a short amount of time. It is an easy way to solve problems, share news, and promote specific products and services. A close friend of mine was recently telling me a story of how her Netflix was down, and she simply tweeted at the Netflix account to get the problem resolved. What I really like about Netflix is that they have two different accounts; one for simple interactions with their customers (@netflix) and one for customer service (@netflixhelps). This allows them to keep those two different interactions separate. In my opinion, more companies should do this because it keeps the communication more organized.

Another reason why I love when big companies have Twitter is because they often use them for humor. This has to be one of my personal favorites (and no, not just because I am a ginger).

Twitter has become a very important tool for companies to communicate with their customers and keep them satisfied. Though Twitter is more popular among the younger adults, I know many older adults that have also started to make their way into the Twitter world as well. For example, I know my mom has used Twitter to follow things such as sports when news stations tweet play-by-play. Twitter is getting bigger and bigger each year, and I think that more adults are going to get accounts when they realize that they will be able to get customer service just by a simple tweet.

 

Top 10 Funniest SAU-Related Tweets

Students are what make the Ambrose experience a great one. I have compiled some of the funniest tweets of the first couple months of second semester made by SAU students. ENJOY!

10. When a student was asked why he was Ambrosian, this is how he responded…

9. We can’t forget about when Moira walked around the cafeteria on Midnight Breakfast in a bee costume…

8. That time a few weeks ago when there was a campus-wide power outage #ambroseadvantage

7. Head track coach, Dan Tomlin, is one of the most school-spirited staff member on this campus. This tweet by one of his athletes is self-explanatory.

6. No judgement, Kelly. I think we all would have done it.

5. One minute you’re relaxing, and within two seconds, you see your life flash before your eyes. We’ve all been there.

4. This is not only funny, but also one of the many perks of going to a small school.

3. This was the first year of pep band on SAU’s campus. I can’t tell if the basketball season was a fail or success for the band members…

2. That week where we all regretted cutting through Timmerman Field because all of the snow finally melted. I had to put two pairs of shoes in the wash that week.

1. We can all relate to this. Receiving at least twenty emails a day hoping that one might be a class cancellation.

Being Social Behind a Screen

This next sentence pains me to type. I am a social media addict. But come on, aren’t we all in this generation? I use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. I can easily access these through apps on my iPhone (though I do prefer to do my Pinterest pinning on my laptop). I use social media to retrieve news, for the social aspect with my friends and family, humor, and for future ideas. I use Facebook for more of “life updates” since I have a lot more friends on it, which also consists of relatives and family friends.  For example, I will post pictures of my college experience, wish people Happy Birthday, congratulate friends who may have just gotten engaged or had a baby, etc. I use Twitter to share what I am thinking. Don’t worry, I am not one of those people that have to tell you every time I went for a run or to the grocery store. There is always that joke of your “Facebook life” vs. your “Twitter life.” People often portray themselves as more professional on Facebook. I am slightly guilty of this because some of the things I retweet, I would not post to Facebook.

I use Snapchat mostly for the humor aspect. My new thing is to check the new Snapchat filters that are updated every day (screenshots of these also make for great blackmail). It is also great for quick communication with my friends.

I rest my case on why Snapchat is one of the greatest apps.

I use Instagram because I love looking at people’s pictures. I probably post a picture once every two weeks or so. I like Instagram because it gives people a feel for who you are by just the pictures you post.

Pinterest is a whole different story. I could browse around on Pinterest all day. I can go from looking at ideas for my dream wedding to the best beverages to make this summer. I love it because it gives me so many good ideas. I have boards for style, food, dream house, dream wedding, etc. The only downfall to this is that if I pin something I want to buy, I can’t always find the link that will take me to the website to purchase it. I wish this portion of Pinterest was easier, and it had the function to take me straight to the website to buy the product. Instead, I can’t find half the things I would like to buy because it just gives you a link to a blog where the picture of the product was used.

Overall, I have to say that my favorite social media is Facebook. I feel like I can connect with more people on it, especially my family. I can share pictures, videos, and use over 140 characters when I post. Facebook allows me to stay up to date with birthdays, pregnancy announcements, engagements, graduations, weddings, etc. Within the last month, I have found out that my cousin had a baby boy, my coach is expecting a baby boy, and that my friend is engaged. Without Facebook, I think I would still be out of the loop on all of these announcements.

Comments

1. “Beyond PR”

February 11, 2016

Social media has become ingrained in our every day lives, so I think it is important that we begin to focus on it more. Like you said, our generation is so focused on it, whether it be Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, etc. I think it that this is a perfect opportunity for companies to enter our daily routines and make their mark on us. How the big companies handle their consumers on social media plays a huge factor on how their company is portrayed. You found an awesome blog! Great response!

2. “Social Media”

February 23, 2016

I liked the point you made about not losing pictures on Facebook. This is a very big advantage to using social media. If I were to somehow lose all of my pictures on my phone, I would still have them all on Facebook. I also liked how you said, “I also believe that when social media companies make changes to their sites, they take into account what the public has said about their sites and make the necessary changes before too many people complain.” A lot of people use social media as an opportunity to complain not only about the social media apps, but also other  companies as well. Social media allows companies to get easy feedback, and this feedback lets companies adapt and make changes in order to please their public. Great response!

3. Top 10 Superbowl Ads of All Time

March 3, 2016

These were hilarious! This was a very creative Top 10 List! I have not seen a majority of these commercials, so it was fun to go through them all and watch. Your comments about the commercials were also very enjoy to read. It kept me interested and wanting to see the next! You found some great commercials that really kept me attentive! Awesome list!

4.It’s Time to Stop Blaming Millennials

March 24, 2016

Moira, wow, you preached to the choir. Although sometimes I am annoyed with myself for using technology too much, it is what we grew up with. Everything has become so technology based such as turning in papers online, checking grades online, the social aspect, shopping, etc. Technology has took off within the last few years, and we are the generation that was right in the mix of it all. I personally thought your post was hilarious, and it spoke a lot of truth. Loved the passion as well.

5.What’s Up at SAU

April 3, 2016

Very creative and interesting tweets, Abbey! I liked how you thought outside of the box, and that you included pictures almost all of your tweets. I felt like this kept me more interested in all of them. In my opinion, you promoted SAU very well through all of your tweets!

6. Pinterest Pinned Me

April 15, 2016

Kasey, I’m so glad you decided to download Pinterest! I go on it at least once a day, and I might be addicted. I agree that it’s for the inner planner in us girls. I am constantly pinning things for my dream wedding and dream house. I also love to find fun food recipes on there as well. There are so many fun ideas you can get from it, and I owe the little creativity I have in me to it. I’m very glad that you enjoy the app!

7. Future Bloggers

April 26th, 2016

Kara, I think my favorite part of your blog was that you advised them to keep their word count to a minimum. Blogs start to get boring when people continue to drag them on and on. I also do agree that it became so much easier to write blogs as time went on, and I rarely even noticed the word count towards the end of the semester. Reaching the word minimum becomes so much easier once you get into a groove with your blogs. I also really liked how you said, “Blogging is a new way for us to get our voice out in the media.” You can choose how you want to express yourself, so make sure you do it effectively! Great advice!!

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

I found the LT Public Relations Blog very interesting, informative, and creative. The specific post that I found title, “Know Yourself Before You Share Yourself” dealt with knowing yourself (meaning the company you are representing) before you post to your audience. This was being aimed towards companies, but I think this could also be used by personal blogs too. The LTPR blog focuses on tips that are going to make your company more marketable and personal. By knowing who you are and what you stand for, blogging is going to come much easier to you, and it is going to make the blog more personal. It is also going to make you sound “real” and not hypocritical. I really liked the comment that blog made saying, “When we’re young, we’re carefree and maybe willing to be friends with whomever on the jungle gym. This is the excitement of many early entrepreneurs or nonprofits. After that “fun” self-discovery period known as junior high, if you’ve zeroed in on your brand identity, you can overcome those business pimples and cracked voices and own your brand.” Bloggers are in charge of how they portray themselves to their viewers. In my opinion, the key is to be consistent. Though giving off many images in your blog may give you a wider audience, it may cause you to lose viewers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I think that this blog was very insightful in that it is not only talking about the PR business, but it is also giving other bloggers advice in how to give off a successful image. I was very impressed, and I might even check this blog out in the future when I get further into my PR path. The advice that this blog gave should be used by all companies in order to be successful.

 

 

Blog Talk

This year, I have become an adamant reader of the “Her Campus SAU” blog. I love it because the writers are people that I am familiar with and see walking around campus, and they write about things that are actually relatable for me. To me, it isn’t just some random blog I found on the Internet going on about who knows what. The writers cover topics that interest me from “Midterm Stress Relievers” to “Homecoming Survival Guides.” The blogs are interesting and funny because they mention people, places, and things that I encounter every day. It isn’t every day that you find a blog talking about Rookies Sports Bar or “the 10 thoughts you have while walking to McCarthy.”They blog about the thoughts all of us students at St. Ambrose have at some point, though it is mostly aimed at the female population of students. Not only do they blog about a lot the student’s common thoughts, but they also give the students advice and tips. For example, one of there more recent post was titled, “Buzz Beauty: Don’t Turn Into the Krusty Krab this Winter”

I do wish these bloggers would post more often. They are very talented in what they do, and it would be nice to see a post at least once a day. Also, it seems as if their posts are short at times. This is understandable, because I know the bloggers have a lot going on, but it would be nice to get to read a bit more for each post. After reading this blog, I am going to try to incorporate the intimate relationship with my readers like “Her Campus SAU” did. I want to try to mention people and places that my classmates may be familiar with, so that it will hit them on a more personal level. By doing this, I think I will attract more readers and get an overall better feedback!

Click the link below to get a look for yourself!

Her Campus SAU