My Emma Lou is growing up!

Hello friends,

As promised last week, I'm blogging about my baby sister Emma. There is no way she would let me get away with posting a blog about my brother Logan and leave her out.

Emma and I have a very close bond despite the eight years between us. There is no doubt that she is my mini me. I can't tell you how many people tell us we look alike. People that knew me when I was younger that also know Emma, say that she acts just like me. We are both very mature but we can be extremely silly. When we are together we are always laughing, singing and having a great time.

My baby sister is no longer the little Emma Lou that used to only wear basketball shorts and Under Armour shirts. She has grown into a beautiful young woman and I can't stand it. Emma now cares about her appearance,wears make up and likes boys. We have even had a few arguments over "borrowing" each others clothes. She just turned 14 this month and it dawned on me that she is no longer a little girl. Every time I see a new picture of her I cringe because she looks so old. My poor dad is going to have to find a way to keep the boys away from her.

This year has been an adjustment for Emma because she is now the only Jones kid left at our house. My brother lives in Ada with me, so she is like an only child now. I hate how little I get to see her, but she just recently joined the world of Facebook so I can keep in touch with her much easier. My mom wouldn't let her have a Facebook account for the longest time, but she finally broke down and gave her the go ahead. I love that she chose a picture of us to be her profile picture.

I am so proud of the person Emma has turned into and I never hesitate to brag to my friends about what a great athlete she is. Basketball has always been my sport, but Emma is the volleyball player in the family. Emma grew up in the gym, always following Logan and me to games and practices. She is creating her own path now and has become a beast on the volleyball court. She just recently won her second championship as a Gibsonburg Golden Bear, which has even more meaningful for me because I also won back to back volleyball championships in middle school. I could not have been more proud of her!

I love my baby sister and I cannot wait to watch her grow and succeed at whatever she chooses to do.

Until next time,

Katie

Emma and I celebrating our 14th and 22nd birthdays 

My Freshman year for Lil' Sibs Weekend
(she looks like a baby!)

Katie Bug & Emma Lou

Try and tell me we don't look alike

Brother Sister Time

Hello friends,

Logan and I at his high school graduation

Last night I was sitting with my brother Logan doing homework and watching Netflix. This doesn't sound like a thrilling evening, but it meant a lot to me.

My brother is a Freshman in college this year at the Ohio State Lima branch. Instead of living in Lima, he decided to live in Ada and commute. Now I know that Ada Ohio is not a thriving metropolis and he may not love it the way that I do, but I absolutely love having him here.

Logan and I have always been very close and I was so excited that he was going to be living in the same town as me. Not only does he live in Ada, but he also happens to be my neighbor. We live just down the street from one another. He had been home for the weekend, so my mom sent down my favorite Chinese food for my birthday.

We sat in his living room and ate while we watched the show Blue Mountain State on Netflix. I enjoy the little moments like that because even though we live down the street, we don't always see each other as much as I would like. Last night we made a pact to make an effort to spend more time together because there is no reason why we should go a week without seeing each other.

I am so thankful that I get to spend more time with Logan my senior year of college because after this year, I'm not sure where I will end up. Most siblings don't get the opportunity go to school in the same town at the same time. We are half way through the first semester and we will definitely make the most of the rest of the year together.

In order to prevent sibling jealousy or hurt feelings, I want to give a shout out to I my baby sister Emma. I absolutely adore her and I will blog about her another time.

Until next time,

Katie

Beware of what you post...they are watching!

Hello friends,


I was surfing the world wide web today and I stumbled across a wonderful article on Ragan's PR Daily that I thought would be perfect to share with everyone. The title of the article was "5 Types of Social Media Posts that Recruiters Hate."

The article discussed how recruiters do use social media to research prospective candidates. A Jobvite survey was conducted to determine the top five types of content shared on social networks that created negative reactions among hiring managers. I will share the results, but while you read them, try and think if any apply to you.

References to doing illegal drugs- 78 percent of recruiters reacted negatively.

Posts/tweets of a sexual nature- 66 percent reacted negatively.

Profanity in posts/tweets- 61 percent of recruiters reacted negatively.

Spelling/grammar errors in posts/tweets- 54 percent reacted negatively.

Pictures of consumption of alcohol- 47 percent reacted negatively.

As a college student about to graduate in May, this article really resonated with me. Some times I don't think about the impact my social media activity can have on my future. I don't normally post super inappropriate things on my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, but they are not bullet proof. My mom has been after me for a while to take down some pictures that I have up on Facebook, and I think that it's probably time to do a clean sweep. I don't know why the thought of this makes me sad. I think it is because that cleaning up my social media means that I'm officially a grown up and can no longer afford to literally be "young, wild and free." (I will always be at heart though).

So next time you go to post pictures from your crazy weekend or rant about something that made you mad, think about if it is worth losing a job opportunity over.

Thankfully I don't have to worry about poor spelling or grammar because my grandmas are always looking out for me :)

Until next time,

Katie

Myth Busters

Hello friends,

My social media class has now moved on to the most important book of the semester. Everything we have read up until this point has stressed the importance of social media and how to successfully utilize the tools. "Measure What Matters" by Katie Delahaye Paine teaches us how to measure the effectiveness of social media. What we learn from this book will help us to determine if any of the social media tools and tricks we use actually worked for a particular project.

Katie Paine hits home her point of the importance of measuring your social media efforts in the first  two chapters. Chapter one highlights reasons why companies shy away from measurement. She claims that most of the so-called reasons people give stem from common myths about measurement. So Paine precedes to debunkify some of these myths. I'm only going to talk about a few of them for my readers sake.

Myth #1: Measurement = Punishment
Professionals associate measurement as a way to check on what they are doing and potentially pick out their flaws. I think that this is ridiculous. God forbid you are accountable for your work. Isn't that what having a job is all about? People are also afraid that measurement will conclude with bad news, resulting in cancelling projects that aren't working.

Truth: If something isn't working, you shouldn't continue to pump time and money into it. Measurement can help prevent the waste of money and resources for a business.

Myth # 3: Measurement is too expensive
This may be one of the biggest reasons why people ignore measurement.

Truth: Paine says you cannot afford not to implement (duh!) If you don't measure what you have done, how do you know what is working, what is not and what needs to be changed.Your company could be spending the budget ineffectively, but measurement allows for increased efficiency.

Myth #5: Measurement is something you do when a program is over.
Many people make the mistake of thinking you can only gauge the effectiveness of a program after it is complete. Therefore, measurement is deemed unnecessary.

Truth: Silly people, measurement should be implemented at the very beginning of a program. Checkpoints should be in place throughout the life of a program to measure what has worked up until that point. If you only measure the effectiveness at the end of a program, you eliminate any opportunity to make changes to improve the outcome.

I really like this book so far. We have only read two chapters, but I think that the information provided is probably the most useful to my career after college. Hopefully I will retain what I learn from this book and use it in the future.

   

Until next time,

Katie

I'm Trying!!

Hello friends,


This week we stayed away from our normal text book and read a small section of PR 2.0: New Media,New Tools, New Technologies by Deirdre K. Breakenridge and Brian Solis. I really enjoyed this change of pace because the topics discussed by Breakenridge and Solis were extremely relevant to the ever changing world of PR. They really emphasized communicating with the target audience and engaging in conversation through several different mediums.

An excerpt from the chapter stated,

Solis stressed the importance of how PR professionals need to embrace social media- including blogs, podacsts, livestreaming, livecasts, social networking, social bookmarking and several other social tools to join the conversation- not as marketers, but as people. It all starts with listening and reading. You need to hear what's going on out there before you can participate.

It's week eight of my social media class and my professor has beat into my brain the importance of    using different mediums to communicate with your target audience. Thank God for this class, because prior to this semester, I was behind in the social media category. I'm still trying to keep up with all of the new social tools, but I'm beginning to feel more up to speed. 

I completely agree with what Solis had to say about listening. Sometimes professionals are too quick to push information. You have to know what your customers are saying and what they want before you can participate. Listening and reading is just as important as your message.

I'm learning so much about all the different social tools and how to effectively utilize them. I feel like I am embracing social media, and eventually it will all just become second nature to me.

Until next time,

Katie

Facebook Has the Power to Influence and Raise Awareness

Hello friends,

I was watching the news this morning and I saw a story that was very inspiring. The story was also a great social media example and I thought it would be perfect to blog about this week.

"Battling Bare" is a wonderful campaign for a worthy cause. The website provides readers with the mission statement. It states,

The mission of Battling Bare, Inc. is to provide a network of support for the spouses, children and family and members who silently struggle to carry the burden of PTSD with beloved Service Members. By creating a safe place to band together and share our stories, we will raise awareness about PTSD and create positive programs of true healing for families

Battling Bare Inc. was born on Facebook. The idea for the campaign came from women that wanted to unite army wives and build awareness for soldiers with PTSD. The CEO Ashley Wise, first started the Facebook page after she realized what an issue PTSD was for returning soldiers. She submitted the first photo displaying her naked back with the saying that has created a national movement. Army wives and family members from all over the U.S have joined together to support their soldiers. Each picture features the women with the Battling Bare pledge.   

"Broken by battle,

Wounded by war,

I love you forever,

To you this I swore:

I will quiet your silent screams,

Help heal your shattered soul

Until once again, my love, you are whole."

I was so moved by this campaign and I believe that these women are making such a difference. Prior to watching the story on the news, I had never heard of Battling Bare. The reason why this story is relevant to my PR social media class, is because the campaign owes its success to social media. The organization has such a brave and inspiring message and they have been able to share that message with millions of people through Facebook. Battling Bare's Facebook page has allowed people to connect and share their important stories. This is a cause that is worth fighting for, and social media has provided a platform to influence others and raise awareness.

Not only does Battling Bare have a Facebook page, they also have a Twitter account, a Pinterest board, a blog, and a beautiful website. I would say this campaign is effectively using social media!

You should check out the website, the images and stories are so powerful.

Until next time,

Katie

I Love Pinterest!

Hello again friends,

Technically I'm not supposed to submit two posts on the same day, but today is a special occasional. My classmate, Jake Schwerer and I created a wonderful podcast for your listening pleasures. We discussed all things Pinterest. I was really excited about this subject because I'm absolutely obsessed, but I had to try and convince Jake of how great it is.

We explored the male vs. female perspective of Pinterest and went into detail about all of the features and advantages of using the social networking site.

I've attached a link to the podcast bellow. Enjoy!


Jake and Katie's Pinterest Podcast