I dk my bff, Jill?

In 2007, the cell phone carrier, AT & T, advertised unlimited text messaging and a LG cell phone in this specific advertisement. GSD&M was AT & T’s former lead advertising agency, but in July of 2007 BBDO took over and became the lead agency.




I really enjoy this ad, because it makes me laugh and it shows how texting is taking over in the world of communication. It grabs my attention by the acronyms used in the commercial like people really use when they text. It is very memorable because many teenagers can relate to the argument that the mother and daughter are having in the commercial. I do not know how many times I have had my mom call me upstairs to yell at me for the high phone bill. Then our family finally got unlimited text messaging to avoid the high bills. The commercial is memorable to me because I can relate to it and usually if I think something is funny I will remember it.

While many people use acronyms while sending text messages, most people do not use them in every day conversations. Puffery is shown in this commercial because the girl exaggerates while she is talking by using only acronyms to communicate with her mom. I think AT & T does a good job of selling what they are trying to sell. In today’s society people are constantly texting, so it is almost necessary to have unlimited text messaging. AT & T uses humor to try and get more people to add unlimited texting to their monthly bill. By now almost everyone has a cell phone, whether they text or not the ad also is trying to promote an LG cell phone at the end of the commercial. This ad could be placed anywhere on TV and be effective in reaching out to people. The target market could be leaning towards parents, since many parents are still paying for their kid’s cell phone bill. Most parents have probably opened the bill at least once and been surprised by how high it is, so this ad is trying to promote the low price of unlimited texting for only five dollars more per month. When I saw this ad I already had unlimited texting, so in a way I was already sucked in. My entire family has AT & T for our cell phone carrier and we are very satisfied with the company. AT & T should continue with their entertaining advertisements and maybe they can get more people to become part of the network.

We're the Dancers!

I am a huge fan of Justin Timberlake so my friend sent me this video from Saturday Night Live, and I could not stop laughing!

Click here to watch

"The Hardest Thing about Writing is Writing"

In class last Friday we had the delight of hearing Rift Fournier tell us about his life and experiences with the constantly changing media. Mr. Fournier is a writer, but that was not always the case. He led a busy life in his college years – going from New York to California, from law school to no school at all. He has worked many jobs throughout his life, which he says is very good for you. Having a variety of different jobs makes people more experienced and exposed.

Mr. Fournier started his writing career by writing jokes for five dollars a piece in California. As his career evolved, he wrote children’s television shows and his favorite genre to write, drama. Many of the stories he told us about his writing dealt with cops, which was entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the story he told us about his experience over seas. The way he described the cops was humorous. I also thought that the way he writes a script was fascinating. I did not realize how long of a process it was and how much time and effort went into it. He almost convinced me into wanting to become a writer because of all the amazing experiences he has encountered during his lifetime. I would be interested in taking a class that he teaches and think that I would learn a lot from him. I already learned many new things from the fifty minutes he talked to us during class.

As for his opinions on Media, he said that because of the internet the whole world of media has changed. Media is on a constant continuum and professionals that work in the industry always have to keep up with the change. The one thing that Mr. Fournier said would always stay the same is content. And I could not agree more. The information put out in the world will always be there, but the way it is put out for the world to receive is constantly changing. No matter how things are changing we need to be open to new ideas. As Mr. Fournier said, “Being open is key to success.”

Here is the Dr. Horrible video Mr. Fournier mentioned.

Blogging about blogs

As a Mass Communications major I am very interested in emphasizing in Public Relations, so I chose to follow a blog called Life Before Noon: A Millennial’s Manual. I found this blog fascinating, aside from the lack of multimedia components. But I think the valuable information in the blog made up for it. In a specific entry titled All About Intentions the author, Marilyn Coates, focuses on networking – which is something my dad has taught me is extremely valuable in communications or any job for that matter. Networking provides outlets to step up in the world when looking for a job. But, as the author notes, if you don’t have good intentions then networking will not get you anywhere. I believe that she brings up a great point. It is important to know people and “have the inside scoop,” but if you are just getting to know people just to put yourself out there how far will that take you in life? I think this is important to everyone, especially us – Gen Y – and all of the students not only at Lindenwood, but colleges across the country. For me, in four short years I will be out of school and, ready or not, destined to find my “dream job.” With the people I already have made close relationships, I will be able to enter the spider web of networking, with great intentions.

This blog reminded me of something I already knew, but don’t think about every day. It was effective to me, and I will continue to check this blog for beneficial information towards my future.

Television and Internet Convergence

Like many other high school and college girls, and some guys, I am a die hard One Tree Hill fan. I own all five seasons on DVD, I watch every episode on Monday nights, and if there is that slight chance that I miss an episode – things could get ugly. Maybe it is the constant drama that captures my attention or the attractive actors like Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty, but whatever it is, I am hooked. I did, however, miss one episode last spring during season 5. At first, I panicked. But with the easy access on the internet to download already aired episodes, I was comforted. I simply went onto iTunes and purchased the full episode that I had missed, and watched it with NO commercials! (This was before you could watch full episodes on One Tree Hill’s website)

Every so often I check the CW website for new updates or any new news going on with One Tree Hill and the characters. And of course while I’m already there, I have to check out the ever so popular Gossip Girls and 90210. On the website there are interviews with the actors and actresses, information on upcoming episodes, Podcasts, and pictures. For people who just can not get enough of One Tree Hill, the CW website is great for extra information. Not only with One Tree Hill, but most television shows have their own website with inside information. It is very rare today to have a popular TV show with out a website to go along. TV show’s websites provide more reasons to get attached and add something to talk about. Now it is not a big deal if you miss a television episode and forgot to TiVo it. With convergence, there are many different ways to download episodes on the internet. Maybe one day we will be watching all of our favorite episodes on the internet…

"Hey can I call you Joe?"

Recently, on October 2, 2008 I tuned into NBC to watch the Vice Presidential Debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. This is the first ever political debate that I have watched, so it was a good learning experience for me. It shocked me that Governor Palin asked the question, “Hey can I call you Joe?” I think she did it to be humorous or folksy, but it came off to me as unprofessional.

I thought that Gwen Ifill, the moderator of the debate, did a good job and was fair and equitable on both sides. It was interesting to me that she was the only person that knew any of the subjects and questions, and that they were not shared with anyone dealing with the campaign or the commission on debates.

As for the specific questions that were asked, those brought up were good, but there were a lot of issues that were not even touched on. I would have liked to hear from the vice presidential candidates on issues concerning social security and more about solving the gas prices. Given the time constraints, I am sure Gwen Ifill had to think carefully and prioritize the list of questions. The first question asked was a good one to start on though. Gwen Ifill asked Senator Biden about the bail out bill, which was still currently being dealt with that night in the House of Representatives. Many people would ask what does this have to do with me, or how does this effect me? For years, some think that because the government has not regulated the amount of loans given out or who can receive loans, we are now being affected and punished for this not being watched more closely. Senator Biden responded with a good point that, “it’s neither the best or worst of Washington, but it’s evidence of the fact that the economic policies of the last eight years have been the worst economic policies we’ve ever had.”

This Vice Presidential Debate helped me realize how the media impacts our opinions on politics as well. I had not directly seen or heard anything from Governor Palin until I watched this debate. The only impression I had from her was the hype about her glasses and Tina Fay’s impressions of her on Saturday Night Live. After having an opinion put in my head from the media, it changed how I viewed her while I was watching the debate. Instead of having all biases put aside, I saw her as the soccer mom.

I do not believe that there was a clear winner or loser in this debate. Although Governor Palin often dodged the questions and did not directly answer them, I thought both sides made great points and responded well. I went into watching this debate with an open mind; I had an idea who I wanted to vote for, but was not sure. This Vice Presidential Debate taught me a lot and cleared many issues up, but it all comes down to the Presidential Candidates. After all, we are voting for our next President of the United States, not Vice President.

A Word from Bob Wigginton

On Monday, September 22 we had a guest speaker, Bob Wigginton, come talk to our Survey of Profession Media class about the print industry. Mr. Wigginton worked in Little Rock, Kansas, and now works here at Lindenwood University. He started out talking about the importance of diversity in the news room. Where he worked there were more women reporters than men. There was also only one black reporter on the news side of the news room, even though Little Rock was a very diverse town, with many Hispanic Americans and about fifty percent of the population being African American. The controversy of diversity in the news room is: Should they choose the best person for the job, no matter what the race of that person is? I believe that a news room should not hire someone for a job just because of the color or their skin or their ethnicity. But I do believe that a news room should also be diverse. Where do we draw the line? It is a hard decision to make, and everyone is out there with their own opinion. Mr. Wigginton stated that, “it portrays to the community that you aren’t interested,” referring to diversity in the news room. Which I think is a good point to bring up, if the news room puts off an image that they don’t care then why would people want to receive news from them?

Another point that Mr. Wigginton talked about was how 1,600 people are losing jobs in the newspaper industry, because people just are not reading newspapers anymore. I have to admit, I do not remember the last time I picked up a newspaper and read the entire thing. Sure, I would look at the front page occasionally if there was an interesting story or look to check a movie time. But with everything you need to know on the internet, what’s the point in picking up a newspaper anymore? I have e-mails sent to my phone with important information. I can check my home page of Yahoo for any exciting stories for the day. Now, I can even check my Blackberry for movie times, so I don’t have to find a newspaper anymore. This is the sad truth about the newspaper industry, but I can see eventually the newspaper fading out and someday all of the news will be electronic. But as Mr. Wigginton pointed out, the purpose of the newspaper is to connect us to our community. No matter how we do that today, whether it be an actual newspaper or the internet, we still need to stay connected to the news to stay up to date with what is happening day to day.

The last subject that Mr. Wigginton touched on was censorship, which I wish we could have talked more about, and I could tell he did too. He brought up a local issue, dealing with the recent threat of a student in Flowers Hall at Lindenwood University. I read the article in The Legacy after we talked about it, and if I had not heard the more detailed story from Mr. Wigginton and other students in class I would have thought completely different about what had happened. This is all an affect from censorship. Even though in America we have “free press” the public still doesn’t always get the full story. It is up to editors and publishers what is left out for the public to read or hear, and this is not always a good thing. It is almost like we are being babied, and they think that we can’t handle the truth. I believe that full stories should be published and not edited to change the image of someone of something.





All in all, I enjoyed listening to Mr. Wigginton talk about print industries and his experiences. I learned a lot and he really got me thinking. I would enjoy it if he came back and talked to us again.

A Look at Media in Brazil

The Presidential Election is coming up. It's all over the T.V., radio, even facebook. It's got everyone talking, even people in... Brazil? That's right, with the access of media around the world it has everyone talking. After interviewing a student here at Lindenwood, who is originally from Brazil, he said that most people from his country are for the Democratic party and really like Barack Obama. Like the United States, media has a huge impact on their country. Barack Obama is using media to reach out to the younger generations by using media. He sends out text messages and puts up advertisments on facebook, he is in a way like a celebrity.

In Brazil, facebook and myspace are well known, but the most popular website is orkut. Orkut is accessible to anyone and was created to help people keep in contact with friends and family. It is a networking website where you can upload pictures, send messages and find people who share the same interests as you.

Gossip Girls, The Hills, One Tree Hill, Entourage, Heroes are all popular in the United States, but in Brazil the shows to watch are Soap Operas. Although American shows like Sex in the City and That 70's Show are popular in Brazil, Beleza Pura and Malhação are two of the most watched television shows.

There are many popular celebrities in the media today. The paparazzi is constantly snapping pictures of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Brad Pitt, and Matthew Mcconaughey. Even celebrities in Brazil are popular here in the United States, like Victoria's Secret models Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen.


As for "free press" in Brazil, it is also much like it is here. Anyone can publish anything, but it has to be ethical. A well known scandal that abused "free press" in Brazil was the false publication that Jose Sarney wrote "lies" in his articles. Jose Sarney was the president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. The state government accused him of lying and sued him. In Brazil it is very important to be respectful and not publish false information. This is a little bit of a difference from here in America, take a look at all of the magazine and newspapers published and most of the rumors about celebrities are not true. We are always reading about who is pregnant now, who had an affair with who, and what couple broke up this week. In the United States scandals and lies attract attention and the public wants to read about it, but in reality it is not morally right. I think that sometimes the media takes it too far, and we need to be more like other countries, such as Brazil, and pay more attention to things that matter.

Everyone has a different view on media and how it affects us as individuals, but it does affect everyone in one way or another. Whether it is opening up the local newspaper, checking the internet for weather, or turning on the news to see the top story of the day, people are constantly keeping up with the media no matter where you are in the world.

Generation Gap

In today's generation, life is based on technology. Texting, e-mails, facebook, myspace, iPhones: without our vast array of communication we are lost.

Every morning when I wake up the first thing I do is check my phone for any missed calls, texts, or voice mails. Then I turn on the radio. And before I leave to go anywhere I have to check my facebook, duh.



Generation Y thrives on modern technology. But is it a good thing or a bad thing? Earlier generations would say it's a bad thing. But me? I would say it's a good thing, in moderation.

I believe that when other generations say that the Millennials have the upper hand they are right. We know what we want for the most part, and we do our best to get it. We are motivated and won't take no for an answer. This possibly comes from our upbringing. Our parents pushed us as kids to be the best that we can be. Today, anyone can do anything; we have no limitations, as there were during the baby boomer's prime. Women are equally accepted in the workplace and the race issues that once existed are diminishing. Our generation is expected to do many great things and I have confidence that we will prosper.

As for advice to older generations, just keep up to date! Our lifestyles are upbeat and are constantly changing.

Twilight

The Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyers, is an unexpected phenomenon. Twilight is the first book in a series of four. The latest book, Breaking Dawn, came out August 2, 2008 and the movie is premiering November 21, 2008. The Twilight series shares many of the same fans as Harry Potter.

Twilight is a fictional novel about a teenage girl named Isabella Swan. She moves from Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. She dreads moving to the small town of Forks where it rains seventy-five percent of the time and everyone knows everyone. She attends her first day of school where she receives a lot of attention from other students, which she does not like. She soon meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious boy in her Biology class that is abnormally attractive. At first he avoids her completely and acts extremely strange around Bella, but after a few days he sends her mixed signals. After a night on the beach, a friend of Bella's, Jacob Black, tells her a story about Edward and his family. She cannot believe what he tells her, but is soon assured that Edward Cullen is a vampire. Edward and Bella fall in love and throughout the novel Bella faces the dangers of being with a vampire.


I am passionate about these books because I enjoy reading a lot. This series of books is unlike any other and makes you feel like you are part of the love story. The way Edward treats Bella models how all men should treat women. The Twilight series is an unbelievably well written series of books that I would suggest anyone to read!