Exploring the blogosphere

The internet can be a big waste of time. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are blogs that are fun but allow you to learn, especially if you are a marketing professional.

Adfreak.com

People love ads. And no, that wasn’t a sarcastic statement. Super Bowl ads get all the attention but there are other a lot of interesting ads not aired during the big game.

Contributors write stories that intersect advertising with pop culture. They include insights on what made them effective or not. The posts are short, sometimes summaries that link to full articles in other sites.

The website is updated regularly and deal with various forms of media – from the Chrysler Twitter f-bomb to the Volkswagen test-drive print ad.  If that didn’t convince you to go to Adfreak now (or after reading this post), the “Jennifer Aniston sex tape” might. Before I get in trouble, the video is safe for viewing by all audiences. (Links are found at the end of the post.)

Adfreak.com is a blog published by Adweek, which is a weekly advertising trade publication.

Mashable.com

If you are at all interested in social media and technology, you are probably one of the 40 million monthly visitors of Mashable.com. The website provides breaking web news, analysis of trends, reviews of new websites and services, and social media resources and guides. This is why the site is popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users. The number of times an article is shared is prominently displayed beside the headline.

There is literally a mishmash of topics so the site can be a little bit overwhelming. There is, however, a way to customize your experience. You can follow specific topics through Twitter and Facebook. You might also be interested in just clicking on the viral topics link on the top of the page. It’s viral but does not download a virus (you’ll get the joke after you watch the Jen Aniston video).

Honorable mentions

The Engauge blog. Published by one of the largest independent advertising agency in the U.S., the blog provides good information and articles are interesting and creatively written. It is just not as active as the abovementioned blogs.

360⁰ Fresh Influence. If interested in social media and word of mouth marketing, this collaborative group blog by the Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is a good resource. Ogilvy PR Worldwide is a subsidiary of Ogilvy and Mather, an international advertising, marketing, and PR agency.

Seth’s blog. Seth Godin is “America’s greatest marketer” according to American Way Magazine. He is a best-selling author and his blog is one of the most popular in the world that is written by an individual. When you visit his site, you’ll learn why.

Links:

Chrysler throws down an F-bomb on Twitter

Test drive a Volkswagen … inside a print ad

Jennifer Aniston starring in ad, not sex tape

 

The internet can be a big waste of time. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are blogs that are fun but allow you to learn, especially if you are a marketing professional.

 

Adfreak.com

 

People love ads. And no, that wasn’t a sarcastic statement. Super Bowl ads get all the attention but there are other a lot of interesting ads not aired during the big game.

 

Contributors write stories that intersect advertising with pop culture. They include insights on what made them effective or not. The posts are short, sometimes summaries that link to full articles in other sites.

 

The website is updated regularly and deal with various forms of media – from the Chrysler Twitter f-bomb to the Volkswagen test-drive print ad.  If that didn’t convince you to go to Adfreak now (or after reading this post), the “Jennifer Aniston sex tape” might. Before I get in trouble, the video is safe for viewing by all audiences. (Links to the posts are found at the end of the post.)

 

Adfreak.com is a blog published by Adweek, which is a weekly advertising trade publication.

 

Mashable.com

 

If you are at all interested in social media and technology, you are probably one of the 40 million monthly visitors of Mashable.com. The website provides breaking web news, analysis of trends, reviews of new websites and services, and social media resources and guides. This is why the site is popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users. The number of times an article is shared is prominently displayed beside the headline.

 

There is literally a mishmash of topics so the site can be a little bit overwhelming. There is, however, a way to customize your experience. You can follow specific topics through Twitter and Facebook. You might also be interested in just clicking on the viral topics link on the top of the page. It’s viral but does not download a virus (you’ll get the joke after you watch the Jen Aniston video).

 

Honorable mentions

 

The Engauge blog. Published by one of the largest independent advertising agency in the U.S., the blog provides good information and articles are interesting and creatively written. It is just not as active as the abovementioned blogs.

 

360⁰ Fresh Influence. If interested in social media and word of mouth marketing, this collaborative group blog by the Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is a good resource. Ogilvy PR Worldwide is a subsidiary of Ogilvy and Mather, an international advertising, marketing, and PR agency.

 

Seth’s blog. Seth Godin is “America’s greatest marketer” according to American Way Magazine. He is a best-selling author and his blog is one of the most popular in the world that is written by an individual. When you visit his site, you’ll learn why.

 

Links:

Seven days later: A Twitter experiment

Seeing 51 messages in my phone after not checking for an hour is normally a sign that something is wrong. This week, it was expected.

For my creative message design class at The Ohio State University, I had to follow the Twitter accounts of at least 40 people. They were from a list composed of media organizations or personalities, local businesses and people, and marketing and PR resources.

I have never sent out a tweet before Feb. 24. I was in Twitter but just followed several accounts and looked at the trending topics. I recently allowed text alerts to get the “full experience”.

After a week in twitterverse, here are some of my observations.

News

Whether it be the tension in Libya, iPad 2 or Charlie “Tiger Blood and Adonis DNA” Sheen’s antics, news is breaking every minute. For news professionals, I’d imagine the quick and frequent updates are very useful. For everyone else, they are a little annoying. For instance, I would be perfectly fine reading about some of the news at the end of the day.

Local news, on the other hand, is a lot more relevant. I generally enjoyed all tweets from @thelantern. The Lantern is the student-published university newspaper at OSU.

Business tool

Tweets are teasers. They provide tidbits of information that may persuade you to click on the link to learn more. Some businesses also use it to let people know about specials or promotions that will hopefully lead them to their stores. Some also had contests for their followers. If used correctly, Twitter can be an effective tool for business.

Information resource

As a marketing student, I found the tweets of the marketing and PR agencies to be the most useful. I clicked on and bookmarked many of the links they sent out regarding marketing trends and tips. I may even use one of the articles as a talking point for a job I am applying to.

My first tweet was “day 1 in twitterverse. In the 7th day, will I rest?”

I think I will stay. Other than my phone blowing up every few minutes, my experience has been good and I think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. I’ll just have to limit the text notifications so I’m not overwhelmed.

If you have space for another tweep, follow me @erikraypalomar.

Future CAMP

Camping in the middle of winter, you say?  This is not just any camp – it’s Future CAMP.

The Fisher Association of Marketing Professionals will hold its second Columbus Advertising and Marketing Powwow (CAMP) on March 4, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Wexner Center for the Arts. This year’s CAMP is all about the future of marketing. Experts from Wexley School for Girls, Plan B Branding, Team Detroit, FITCH, Chute Gerdeman, and Scotts Miracle Gro will speak about “fresh marketing ideas, developing trends, ways to continue to engage the consumer, and where this ever-changing, industry is headed.”

To register and learn about speakers, sponsors and more, visit: www.fisheramp.com

So grab your space lasso, atomic robot compass and quantum canteen and join Future CAMP.

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Twitter: @FisherAMP

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fisher-AMP/142911225729799

Tumblr: http://CAMPFisher.tumblr.com

Stand out

In school and in job searches, we learned that it is very important to distinguish yourself from others, to highlight something that makes you stand out. However, make sure you’re noticed for the right reasons.

But what exactly are those? It could be an outstanding academic record, community involvement, or an impressive job experience. But sometimes, there is a “something extra” that is hard to explain. An intangible quality may draw the decision-maker towards one over another.

What is this? I have no idea.

>>>WARNING: BRAIN-NUMBING TRANSITION<<<

It is like certain lines of songs that, for some reason, become really memorable. Fergie singing the line “It’s Fergie Fergie” from The Black Eyed Peas’ Imma be ALWAYS makes me smile.

But, my current favorite is “Don’t you hear sincerity from my voice when I talk” from Love the way you lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna. Best.line.ever!

Speaking of that song, here’s the video. I hope it’s not too obvious that I just wanted to show this here. But, it’s awesome!

Blood saves lives

According to the American Red Cross, someone needs a blood transfusion EVERY 2 SECONDS. This is why it is so important to donate blood.

Throughout the year, I have always felt guilty about not donating blood especially with all the blood drives happening all over campus. I always had an excuse – I may have been drowsy because of lack of sleep or have an upcoming exam/event/activity.

So, when our church helped organize a summer blood drive, I jumped at the chance – even asking one of my friends to join me. No excuses this time. Spent the Saturday night at home to sleep early and not have a single drop of alcohol in my system. Even went over the website to see what I can and can’t do.

Turns out I did not read the eligibility requirements well enough. I was surprised that the information materials provided at the site always mentions European countries as regions that blood donors should not have been to recently. That list was definitely not complete. You can’t be in an area where malaria is found. Since the Philippines is one of those areas, I am not eligible to donate until after three years of not going home. I do not know if I would ever stay away from home for three years so I do not know if I could ever donate (in the US at least).

So, I decided to encourage others (you reading this) to donate.

The Ohio State University and the local American Red Cross partner will have their yearly special blood drive at the Jerome Schottenstein Center to “Give Someone a Schott at Life” on August 9 from 7 am to 7 pm. Sign up at BloodSavesLives.org (sponsor code: Buckeyes) or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.

If saving lives weren’t enough, everyone who donates blood at the event will receive a free Cedar Point ticket and be entered to win up to $1,000 in free gas from Marathon®, as well as treats from Panera Bread and Raising Cane’s.

Sign up now!

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For blood donor eligibility requirements, click here.

Finally legal (to drive)

“I have never driven in a place with traffic lights.”

That line has always gotten surprised reactions from people I tell – whether they be classmates, new acquaintances, or students of the class I am teaching. Coming from a country where personal vehicles are more of a luxury than a necessity, it didn’t seem like a big deal for me.

Since moving back to the Philippines from the US, my parents didn’t buy a car until my first year of undergrad. Also, I didn’t really get to drive a lot until my senior year. I only drove around the campus. The farthest I have driven the car was around 60 kilometers (~38 miles) to the nearest city. That city has one traffic light in the busiest intersection but we did not pass it.

Now, to get my Ohio driver’s license, I had to make the statement at the top of this page untrue. First session was a half day to practice maneuverability and then to drive around Columbus to apply what I learned from the BMV manual  re rules and stuff. The day before the test was for me to be comfortable with the car I would actually use for said test.

Driving with traffic lights and actual rules is so much easier than driving back home. Back home, you HAVE  to be extra careful because others are not. You try to overtake a bus – it speeds up since speed limits are just numbers on the sign. The horn is your bestfriend. You honk to say hello to someone you know. You honk to overtake. You see a person in the side of the road? You honk because he will probably cross the road without looking.

With that in mind, I was fairly confident with the BMV drive test but not so much with maneuverability. I needed more fine tuning. But good news (for me anyway), I nailed it! Not a single point deducted from my score in both tests.

I am very VERY excited to get my license – and I don’t even own a car yet. But when I do, clear the streets! Another Asian on the road.

NOTE: Old photo; does not really have anything to do with the article. :p

Promise to be better

Sorry to be MIA for so long. Promise to post more often.

from https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/gradlife/2010/02/09/ambition-definition/

I attended Winter Workshop no. 2 by Artie Isaac on Ambition Definition (See workshop 1 post here) and had a few (two) more “points to ponder” that I wanted to share with everyone.

Promises are reminders that I am trying to become better.

Although it does give an excuse for “breaking” promises (like new year’s resolution), it also gives one the motivation to pick oneself up and try again after every failure. It also gives a reason to have a promise in the first place, which leads us to the next quote.

When you don’t have a goal, you’re not even aiming at something. So, do not be surprised if you don’t achieve it.

Thankful…

I heard that it snowed early Thanksgiving and black Friday mornings – and I missed it. Darn it! Why did I have to be sleeping? My Facebook status would have been proudly exclaiming that I have seen snow for the first time.

Anyway, disregarding that slight hiccup, my first thanksgiving was great this year. And to keep with tradition, here are SOME of the things I am thankful for this year (in no particular order).

• School – that I am here now
• Health – that I have not caught any of the ‘bad diseases’ despite the cold weather and lack of sleep
• Friends – old and new
• Food – especially free food during thanksgiving
• Family – for still being there for me even if they are on the other side of the world (special shout-out to e-mail, chat, Facebook, and Skype)

Finally, I am thankful for all the experiences and opportunities, even the frustrating ones. Everything happens for a reason. And it’s great when you finally know the reason, right?

Where have all the leaves gone?

Back home, when a plant’s leaves turn red, brown, or yellow, it usually means that the plant is dying. Here, it means autumn.

For the past weeks, the campus has been exploding with these beautiful hues. And for someone experiencing autumn for the very first time, it is an amazing sight. I just wanted to spend a day to jump on the leaves and have a photo session with all the colors.

Unfortunately, I always forget to bring my camera with me. I keep telling myself that I’ll bring it with me “next time”. Now, the leaves are gone and the trees are almost bare (what song is this?) in my route to from dorm to school, at least. But, I don’t have good “my first autumn” photos yet. I think I’ll just have those next year.

Time just moves so fast. Just a moment ago, I was scared but excited for the start of classes. But in 4 short weeks, finals. Ganbatte kudasai!

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On a positive note, it’s my first winter soon. I will definitely have fun in the snow!

Fail…

Repost from: https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/gradlife/2009/10/02/fail/

“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you were born and doesn’t stop until you get called for oral recitation.”

I got the line, which is a George Jessel quotation with a twist, from my friend Kristine Malabanan. And it perfectly sums up what happened yesterday during MBA 812: Managerial Economics class.

When I went through the required reading for the class (which was almost a HUNDRED PAGES), I had a different understanding about marginal benefits and its impact on whether or not a consumer decided to buy more or not. During the discussion, I realized my error. While I was still trying to reconfigure everything (the key word being trying), I was called to say my piece about marginal costs and suppliers. As the professor was shooting questions at me, I was trying to say something using the new information I received earlier. That was, of course, unsuccessful. Although, the way the discussion was moving, you would believe that I was actually on the right track – until you hear the gibberish I was saying anyway. I am trying to remember what I said but all I remember are random numbers.

I felt really stupid after that. But it triggered something in me. I was suddenly very eager to say something else in class. In previous sessions, my heart would be pounding every time I raise my hand. It was actually a relief when somebody else was called. But now, it’s “I already made a big mistake, it wouldn’t hurt to make another one”. This mindset works in classes (with obvious exceptions) where making mistakes is just another opportunity to learn. It’s a cliché but it’s true. I am sure I will never forget the concept of marginal benefits and costs for a loooooooong time. When exams come, I am almost 100% certain that I will get this item right.