Come Alive

9/30: 

• I have been working my tail off this week. When I posted last week that classes have been picking up, I was wrong. This week they have PICKED up. 
• We had our President’s Ambassador dinner, picture taking, and meet and greet last Friday. It was fun not only to meet all the other ambassadors but to practice my fancy eating skills. 
• I showed the Cambodia Documentary, Shedding Ignorance, to the President of WT, donors, and Kelsey Timmerman on Wednesday. It went so well! They liked it a lot and it spurred great conversation after it premiered. 
• I’m running for Homecoming King at WTAMU! Don’t be a Weeny and vote Tyler Sweeney! The competition is fierce, but I’m looking to at least be in the top 3! Go buffs! 
• On to another busy week and having a lot of fun! 

9/24: 

• Another week of classes is down the drain. Weird to think that we are 20% through the semester already. I found out my client for my pr campaigns class is Parking Services…oh boy, this should be a tough one. 
• Working out sorting out underwriting issues with KWTS, trying to teach the new guys the difference between identification and sponsorship. 
• Facebook has changed, and I’ve been writing a lot about it. Pretty pumped for all the changes in the social media world that has been going on. 
• I’m still trying to nail down a date and venue for the Shedding Ignorance screening. It will be played at the President’s House on Wednesday to donors and Kelsey Timmerman. 
• Football game today! Go Buffs! 

I’m absolutly excited for what is to come. The above video, provided from Facebook, shows the newest installment of changes that go along with what I’ve been talking about the past two days on my blog:  5 changes and It’s changed again. The video shows that social media has become so ingrained in everyone of our lives that it literally can be a showcase for your life.

The launch of the timeline in the next few weeks, allows you to back track on your Facebook profile through the years without hitting the pesky little “older posts” button on the bottom of every profile. Instead you can click on the year you want to see. You will be even able to add things BEFORE you had a Facebook, like baby pictures etc. 

Photos will be the notches on your timeline as they become the viewfinder of your social media life. They will be larger and be displayed in a more prominent way. There will also be what they are calling a “cover photo” at the top of your profile which will show your personality and who you are. Sort of like your own personal brand. 

One of the biggest alterations with the launch of the new profile will be the use of media. New applications with Netflix and Hulu will bring movies and TV shows to you on Facebook. Music will be integrated as well with brands like Spotify. Let your friends know what you are watching, listening, and feeling all in one place. 

Oh yeah, and all of those times you’ve checked in on Facebook Places, a map will be created that tracks how you’ve moved along the years. 

It’s great. I’m excited. What else is to come? 

So I made a post about the previous Facebook change, but I thought in light of the recent events I should post again about it. 

1. Your news feed is different. Facebook is now a personalized “newspaper” for you. Some people, obviously not me, don’t log into Facebook every day or every hour for that matter. So this new news feed will allow you to see the highlights or headlines if you will of what has become most prominent in your own social network. It will also update chronologically as well. 
2. You can control what things you see most often. That little blue highlight button that you see whenever you hover over something in your news feed will allow you to select what type of stories are most important to you further customizing your own news feed. Pretty neat huh? 
3. If you get tired of the same news in your own social network at the top of your page you can simply click on the arrow that says see new stories. Always keeping you up-to-date on what your friends are doing. 
4. Notice the constant moving thing in your chat window? Yes Facebook has become not only like newspaper but like a news station. You will now stay on top of what all of your friends are doing in real time. For me, it just makes me comment on EVERYTHING that I see. What do you think? 
5. Pictures are bigger! You’ve probably noticed this one I’m sure, but the sizing of pictures have been shown larger on your news feed to allow for easier viewing. 

Overall, I say I enjoy the new changes. It is A LOT to look at, but once I adjusted it was a cool experience. Facebook is wanting to become more of a social platform than anything. A place that you customize and can go to view things your social network is doing, saying, thinking, and feeling. There are reports that it will continue to change and develop throughout the week - so we will see what else is brought about. 

9/16: 

• September 11th memorial with KWTS and Student Government went well. I was a littler nervous to speak, but I think the message hit home and was a success overall. 
• KWTS went on-air! It’s been a big hit listening to all of our special programming and seeing the new students’ faces light up as they go on-air for the first time. Glad I can be a part of that. 
• Classes are picking up and are going in full swing. It’s already the 3rd week of school and papers are being assigned, research is being done, and quizzes are getting graded. 
• The Amarillo Bulls have kicked off their season with the NAHL showcase this week, and so far are 2-0! Go Bulls! 
• Last but not least, the cambodian documentary: Shedding Ignorance is complete! It received the final stamp of approval and is in the process of getting DVD copies made as well as artwork. 

It has changed again. If you are just now noticing the lists located on your left hand side of your Facebook homepage, then you my friend missed out on Facebook’s big change on Wednesday. 

Essentially the big change has turned Facebook into a subscribing feature, much like Twitter or Google+. But what exactly does this mean for you? Well those fancy little lists are a start. 

At first glance, I was a little thrown off by the lists and annoyed that I had so many “notifications” on each one. But then I dove in. What I found that my level of Facebook creeping has intensified. I now no longer have to look at people’s individual pages, but instead can place them in a list and see pretty much EVERY activity they have done. What things they have liked, commented on, friends added, everything under the world of Facebook…well that is unless they have their privacy settings set differently. 

Essentially, let me break this down for you. Whenever someone subscribes to you (and you have to tell Facebook you want to allow others to do so) they can see anything that you post “publicly” see picture below. 

I know this all may seem confusing, but I’m hoping all my links can help explain it. My thoughts on all of this? Well, I love social media and I think it just simplifies everything. It allows you to take control and put what you want to see first rather than Facebook telling you what to see. It’s self designing. 

As for Facebook fan pages…well what is the point of having one for a person if you can now have subscribers instead? They can become your subscribers. I can still see the point in having one for a business (they aren’t allowed to have a friend page and therefore subscribers). 

Facebook and the world of social media is constantly changing. In a world where people are changing though, it makes sense. Customization and having a sense of individuality have allowed a company like Facebook to succeed in the past - let’s hope it continues. 

Yesterday, KWTS had a memorial in celebration for it’s birthday and in honor of the 10 year anniversary of September 11th. Here is what I said:

First off I would like to thank everyone in attendance today. Without the help of Student Government, KWTS students, and West Texas A&M University today would not have been possible. A little history about KWTS and the freedom tree: In 1971 KWTS went on air operating at 10 watts. WT students would crowd around in a parking lot on campus and listen to broadcasts of football games, their friend’s voices and more importantly music that brought them together.

            Being 91.1 The One, our broadcasting alumni thought, although as corny as it seemed at the time, to go on-air on September 11^th at 9:11am. This since then has marked the birthday of KWTS and every year since 1971 we have celebrated another year of broadcast radio. In 2001, the attacks took place on September 11^th – our birthday. Alumni have told me that it was a strange time to be on campus. That it felt like everyone was coming together to watch the day’s events unfold. Broadcasting students were unsure of whether or not to celebrate the station’s birthday on this date anymore. Do we honor those that have fallen or celebrate what has become our station’s history?

            It was decided in a sense to do both. That to not celebrate our history would be exactly what the terrorists wanted, and to not honor those on September 11^th 2001 would be unjust. On the one year anniversary a lacebark elm, donated by KWTS would be planted on campus and be known as the Freedom Tree. A symbol of the freedom that we are able to express in a country that we all are very fortunate to live in.

            The best way to fight hatred is to be kind. In my three years here at WT, we have paid homage to those who have come and gone at the Freedom Tree. We’ve planted flags, had cupcakes, and made memories. To celebrate KWTS’ 40^th year and the 10 year anniversary of Sept 11 I invite all of you to grab a piece of red, white or blue yarn and tie it around a tree on the Pedestrian Mall. Honor the past, the present, and what is to come. Celebrate the future and the freedom we share.

9/9: 

• Had a great Labor Day weekend. A good three day weekend is always the best. 
• Things with KWTS are improving, we have grown our staff with the incoming class a ton. The news team has had an increase of about 400% in membership. Special Shows are preparing for their big debut starting on September 12th
• Classes went well this week. I’m finding the research part of advertising to not be THAT boring. Nissan is actually an interesting company. I also really enjoy my Gender Comm class - yay for finding out that I’m a Feminist! 
• We showcased the Cambodia Doc to my advisor and trip advisor and they had a few corrections to make on it. But, with just small corrections comes a lot of time so Sheryl and I have started on that. We will be re showing them sometime next week for final approval. 
• We had our first Amarillo Bulls Exhibition game for the blue team last night. Even though we lost the game (most of the starters weren’t playing…it’s an exhibition), it was still fun to have a preview of the atmosphere to come in the ‘bull pen’. 

Wow, I feel like I’ve been running around this past week like a mad man. But I have to say that I love it. It’s the first week of school! It’s also my last first week of school. 

Things are going to be running smoothly this week. Eric and myself ran staff and practicum, and I think that we did a great job representing KWTS. I want to take this program into another gear. A place that we have been in the past, but it’s been awhile since we’ve set those goals and met them. I want to continue the friendship and family atmosphere (hey we go to football games together now!). I want us to find our passion. That is one thing that I feel like our broadcasting program has lost at times. I came into it wanting to do news and I have found myself more wanting to do things along the social media, advertising, and management side of things. I love what Eric and I can create and shape for the future. 

Sheryl and myself finished the Cambodia Documentary! It’s done! Shedding Ignorance will be coming to a screen near you very soon. I have to say it’s by far my best work as far as anything visual. It’s been my baby and I’m excited to share it with the world. We both watched it again once it was said and done and we still go chills and teary eyed, and we’ve been working on it all summer long! 

I’ll admit I may have been slacking on my internship with the Amarillo Bulls lately, but I’m excited to pick it up again and get the competition running. I wonder who will be eliminated first? 

Seeing my friends and family in the school hallways is always a blast. I can’t imagine my life in any other place right now than WT. Things are moving and it was great to see each and everyone this week. Classes are harder, friends are true, but I’m ready for what the semester holds. Go Buffs!