Collegiate Student-Athletes Need Protection From the NCAA

The NCAA has been receiving a lot of negative press throughout the past three years, mostly due to its official procedures as well as their lack of following them.  This first came to the public’s attention in 2010 with the antitrust case O’Bannon v. NCAA. More recently, the NCAA investigation involving the University of Miami has received numerous headlines not only for rule breaking on the Hurricanes’ part but on the NCAA’s part as well.

The University of Miami received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA this past week. The documents were extremely bad press for both parties involved. Several recruiting violations by the Hurricanes were highlighted, and the NCAA outlined several of their major mistakes in the investigation process as well. While these mistakes in collecting evidence of Miami violations are likely to help the Hurricanes in their official hearing this summer, University of Miami President Donna Shalala seems to be preparing to take athletic association’s case to the next level in a real courtroom by using her former connections on Capitol Hill from when she served as the Secretary of Health and Human Services under former President Bill Clinton. And because the University of Miami is a private college and not public so as to be considered a part of the government, it could bring up multiple charges that public schools would otherwise not be able to, such as defamation of the entire athletic association or school that otherwise would have to be brought up by individuals within the case.

Due to the fact that the courts have been favoring the plaintiffs’ side in the O’Bannon case, especially by not issuing a summary judgment at the request of the NCAA, collegiate sports and legal experts are saying a possible trial involving Miami as well could lead to the demise and power of the NCAA. Multiple collegiate athletic directors are rumored to have been thinking about leaving the NCAA already and are simply waiting for a major catastrophic event, which could possibly happen in a trial involving Miami, where they can successfully propose the idea of leaving to their university president. Once one major athletic association does this, experts believe that other major programs will do the same, resulting in not only loss of respect and power of the NCAA but possibly the demise of the entire organization as well.

Although the NCAA has experienced scrutiny amongst programs and college sports fans for not following proper investigative and enforcement procedures in violations cases for years, there is a statement on the NCAA’s main website highlighting its “immunity to due-process standards,” which would be a very strong defense in the courtroom. However, the enforcement staff for the NCAA disregarded the majority of advice given to them by their legal team in the Miami investigations. If Miami did bring their case to trial and a summary judgment was not granted, legal and sports experts predict that numerous other illegal, unethical and corrupt activities committed by the NCAA’s investigators and enforcement staff will be brought to the public’s attention during the discovery process, leading to further scrutiny and possible demise.

The NCAA is currently reviewing and editing all of its policies that member athletic associations will vote upon in the upcoming months. This has occurred at a time when NCAA President Mark Emmert has been questioned by member schools on his effectiveness in the organization, although NCAA committees say that they continue to support him.

I've never been too fond of Mr. Emmert myself, especially after the recent shenanigans involving the University of Georgia's Kolton Houston. Houston was interviewed last weekend by ESPN about being injected with a banned substance unknowingly in high school due to a shoulder injury. He is currently ruled ineligible to play, even though he has said that he has not used any banned substance since. (For the full story, click here. To sign or view the online petition, click here.) After hearing Mr. Emmert ramble on and on at the Atlanta Sports Summit in April about how the NCAA's job was to "protect all student-athletes on the collegiate level," it seems to me that the the main evil monster that the student-athletes need protection from is the NCAA itself.

Social Media and the 2013 Boston Marathon

What a crazy past couple of weeks it has been... Before I even begin this post, I want to express how truly sorry I am for everyone affected by the tragedy that occurred Boston recently. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you, and I hope that justice is brought to those who caused it. According to Twitter, it looks like my wish will be fulfilled, which brings me to the idea of this post...

According to recent polls, over a quarter of Americans said that they received news of the bombings via social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While this isn't surprising since many of us get our news through these social media platforms these days, it's a little crazy thinking about how the social community affected the rest of that day's happenings:

• Many people around the world used social to check on family members and friends who were in Boston that day.
• Although many users first heard about the news through social, a lot of the information was incorrect. Even traditional news outlets misinformed their social community.
• Several posts contained graphic images that some considered inappropriate to share.
• Over 60 percent of Americans stayed up-to-date on the day's developments through social sites since not everyone was near a television that day.
• The FBI posted messages on Facebook and Twitter asking Americans for any information they had on who may have been behind the bombings.

The thing that stuck out the most to me was the first point that I mentioned above. So many people around the world were worried to death about their loved ones and were looking everywhere for assurance that they were safe. News stories and personal posts immediately popped up on social sites of lists of people that had survived, had not or were injured. I witnessed this myself when I saw someone that I follow on Instagram tag several of her friends who competed in the race in a picture she posted of Boston asking if they were safe. (Thankfully, all of them responded saying that they were okay.)

I was also very impressed with how proactive the FBI was in looking for the potential suspects and asking everyone with any information to contact them via social, rather than keeping the investigation solely internal. You know Facebook and Twitter are legitimate media sources when the FBI uses it in a situation like this.

While all the people who were affected by this will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers for a long time, there are two people who got overlooked as a result of this tragedy. Lelisa Desisa and Rita Jeptoo: Congratulations! Your hard work and diligence in training and the race are not forgotten. You deserved to win, and you definitely deserve recognition for it as well amidst all of this chaos.

The Masters and Social Media

Since its first tournament in 1934, The Masters has done everything with “a standard of excellence that has never waivered through time.” Everything from advertising to etiquette rules for attendees to vendors and sponsors has been held to its high standards and strict rules, going against what other major sporting events have revolutionized: The Super Bowl is often remembered more for its commercial advertisements aired instead of the game itself; the Major League Baseball’s National League Wild Card game in 2012 resulted in game delays due to fans’ misconduct of throwing trash onto the field; sponsors at this year’s Final Four made more of a splash with the concerts and events they produced than the actual winner. None of this would ever happen at the Masters. All of these other popular sporting events have also vamped up their social media game. This is one promotional activity that the tournament has jumped on the bandwagon for, but, of course, in only their traditional and exclusive way.

There are many people who argue that the Masters has no social media presence whatsoever. This is entirely untrue, but I do see where they may get this impression. We all know that the Masters is the most exclusive sporting event in the nation, if not the world. That being the case, why would they be sharing posts through such common, non-exclusive social media platforms such as Facebook or YouTube? This goes completely against their style.

They do, however, have a Twitter feed, but this is probably about as mainstream as they will get. Followers often complain that the messages they tweet often lead them immediately back to their website by providing a link, but this is what they should be doing. Social media is all about sharing relevant and interesting content, and you can’t be that relevant or interesting in 140 characters or less. Leading users back to the Masters website also allows them to be exclusive on such a popular social media platform since most people who check Twitter on their mobile devices aren’t as likely to click on links in tweets as those who check it on their tablets or laptops. Because laptops and tablets are more expensive than the average smartphone, they are remaining exclusive.

The Masters has also created their own mobile app for their most passionate fans. There is no clutter or advertising on the app, just as it is at Augusta National. Users have access to eight live video feeds, the Leaderboard where you can click on your favorite player to view where he is and what is doing, course, pairings, a news center and plenty of stats. Once again, this app was made more for a tablet than a mobile device.

The Masters will always remain true to their traditional values, but that does not mean that they are fearful of advancing technologically. However, they will always be very selective as they do this. Many other sporting events are attempting to become as popular and receive as much hype as the Super Bowl, but the Masters is the exception. They do not want the huge audience of sports fans getting as excited about their tournament as they do for the Final Four or the World Series; they only want their “exclusive” audience of white-collar professionals giving a timid smile and polite golf clap as they cheer on their favorite player either at the course, Gallery or while watching at home, not as they’re watching with a group of friends at the local bar and sharing their thoughts about it on Facebook.

Brian Banks Signs With the Atlanta Falcons

On April 3, 2013, I was told via the Atlanta Falcons mobile alert system that they have signed Brian Banks, a former prisoner that was recently exonerated.

During his senior year of high school in 2001 at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California, Banks was accused by a childhood friend of kidnapping and raping her at their school campus amidst a time when he was being heavily recruited by top football programs throughout the nation such as the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. He has been quoted as saying that his mother was the only person who believed him when he told her that the story that his friend, Wanetta Gibson, reported to authorities was a lie. In 2002, a California courtroom found Banks guilty, and the judge sentenced him to five years in prison, ruining his dreams of becoming a college and later professional football star. Before the hearings, Banks had verbally committed to play for USC on a football scholarship.

While his dreams of becoming a college football star will never be fulfilled, Banks has recently found that his dream of becoming an NFL player is not over. Banks was released from prison a few years ago. Last year, Gibson surprisingly sent Banks a message via Facebook saying that she would like to talk to him in person. Banks said he was skeptical of meeting with her, but finally agreed to after speaking with a investigator and hoping that she would help clear his record since her confession would be the only way to do that according to attorneys that Banks had consulted with.

In the first meeting, she confessed to Banks that she had falsely accused him. The second meeting was videotaped unbeknownst to Gibson where she again verbally confessed to both Banks and defense investigator, Freddie Parish, that she had falsely accused him of kidnapping and raping her. She offered to help clear his record by confessing that he had never kidnapped or raped her, but she did not want to tell prosecutors since Gibson and her mother had also won a $1.5 million lawsuit against Long Beach schools over a decade ago and did not want to have to pay it back. (It is unlikely that Gibson will have to repay the money since the accusation was made when she was only 15 years old, but recent stories regarding the school district's attempt to have her pay the money that have surfaced are saying otherwise.)

Banks’ record was cleared almost a year ago because of Gibson coming forward with her confession. She has not commented to the media regarding the situation. Up until the hearing last year that exonerated him, Banks’ name was on the list of registered sex offenders and was required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet while on probation.

Since the hearing in 2012, Banks has played football in Las Vegas for the United Football League but has never been through an NFL offseason program. He will have the chance return to his star role as a football linebacker now that he has signed with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons as of April 9. While he has worked out with other NFL teams before (including the Falcons) and attended minicamps with teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, he has never signed with any team or participated in an offseason program.

As a longtime, die-hard Atlanta Falcons fan and strong believer in second chances, I am beyond excited that my favorite NFL team has given Banks this opportunity.  The only major press coverage that the Falcons have received since the Michael Vick crisis a few years ago has been about their performance on the field and their appearance in the NFC Championship. While I believe that their record and statistics this past season were very impressive, they are using their talent as the only means to hold onto their fair weather fans. With their signing of Banks, a large amount of positive press coverage has occurred, and the entire Atlanta community seems to be behind Banks and the team. I am hoping that Banks will be able to prove himself during the offseason and make the Falcons roster not only for himself but for the Falcons’ community as well.

It seems that I'm not the only person who is cheering on Banks' return to football according to social media. This story may have gone viral initially through traditional media (which is somewhat untraditional these days), but the response on social networks is what has kept the conversation about the story going. A variety of Twitter, Facebook and blog posts have all been dedicated to Banks over the past several weeks, and his name was even trending at one point. Once again, this proves that inspirational stories are popular shares amongst social communities. Everyone loves a good comeback story, especially in sports. (On a side note, it looks like the Braves have caught on to this comeback train going through Atlanta as well with their great ninth inning comeback win over the Nationals last week!)

Deal offers social insights to Learfield clients - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global

Deal offers social insights to Learfield clients - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global

Social Media Referee

I have been visiting several social media pages and accounts lately belonging to teams and other sports organizations. Expecting to see a professionally created page, I was surprised to find accounts worthy of my teenage MySpace account. As I am learning about proper social media etiquette, editing and content, I find it necessary to share a few rules that my professor (my own "social media referee) has taught me that hopefully some of these page administrators will come across...

1. Use your official logo for all profile pictures. This will help visitors know that this is the official account and will associate the team with the logo and accounts.

2. Update often and consistently. You don't necessarily have to update your Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, blog, YouTube, etc. several times a day every day, but make sure that you are consistent.

3. Make sure that whatever message you are posting sounds like it is coming from the same person. This will help create your brand identity and personality through social media.

4. Don't post something that someone could easily find on the Internet. Statistics get really old really quickly, so don't post boring numbers that anyone could look up if they actually wanted to read about it. Create content that generates conversation, not just facts that no one would want to share.

5. Respond! Respond! Respond! The goal of any social media administrator is to generate engagement amongst their social community. If they do engage by commenting on what you or someone else has shared, respond to them with a message that will further the conversation.

For a great example of a sports brand doing social correctly with few whistles blown at them by social refs, I recommend checking out Nike's social media accounts.

LinkedIn's March Madness Bracket

Some of my friends and family that I least expected to create a March Madness bracket this year made one, as well as a social media site that never would have made my top three list of sites to have a bracket: LinkedIn. That's right. The site used "only for professional connections and communication" took time out of its schedule of reminding its soon-to-be college graduate users which of their acquaintances have awesome jobs and that they don't. Of course, they did it in their own LinkedIn way.

In order to make the placements on its bracket (shown below), LinkedIn came up with a "dedication score" using the different alumni groups:

Dedication Score = (# of current students and alumni with the word “basketball” in their profile) / (total # of current students and alumni)

Their prediction of who was going to take it all home? Gonzaga University! That obviously means that they are no longer in the running since the Bulldogs lost to Wichita State. Why am I so happy about this? I can't help that my head gets slightly bigger whenever someone claims that their bracket is bulletproof because of all of the science they made up and used to make it. (You'd think they'd learn by now that there is no science behind March Madness.) My heart is still set on my first favorite college team, the Michigan Wolverines (thanks to my dad), even though everyone told me that I didn't have a chance!*

*Because I work for the University of Georgia Athletic Association and am required to follow all NCAA rules and regulations, I am not allowed to officially participate in the actual March Madness bracket. However, I do print out my own bracket every year just for fun personal use.

Majoring in March Madness

I'll be honest, it has been extremely difficult for me to focus on my academics lately. No, this isn't necessarily because I'm a senior or spring break is over; it's because it's March Madness, ladies and gents. I'm the world's biggest football fan, but when March comes around every year, I start wishing I wasn't only 5'6" and that I had gotten the basketball gene that all of my siblings got but I didn't.

This year, I have an additional wish: to be a part of Sports Link. Sports Link is the group that handles all of the social media behind March Madness, which is actually called "Coke Zero Social Arena." The group is also comprised of undergraduate students along with their graduate assistant and professor from Ball State University. If you've only been paying attention to Twitter lately for #MarchMadness updates like me, you're probably just as surprised.

As a soon-to-be graduate from a school with a top five athletic association and top two journalism school (which I am both a part of), I am beyond jealous of these Ball State kids. I'll be honest, I've never even heard of the school until I started researching March Madness social media this past month. After reading an article about them, I learned that they are fully equipped with a social media monitoring center on campus identical to Turner Broadcasting's digital Event Operations Center. (By the way, my school is also a little over than an hour away from Turner Broadcasting's headquarters in Atlanta.)

I truly believe this setup I've discovered recently proves that social media and sports may be constantly changing and advancing, but both are here to stay; and, when done correctly, both of them combined have a huge effect on current events and our overall culture, which is why both should be carefully studied. Because social media is something that our generation has grown up with (I myself have had at least one social media account since I was 15, and I got it way after all of my other friends), I am not surprised at all that Coke Zero and the NCAA put their trust in a group of college students to conduct their social media activity for this month-long event that draws in so many fans from around the world. What I am surprised about is the fact that so many colleges do not have media, marketing, etc. programs or departments that specialize in sports, which is why I am beyond excited for my journalism school and their new sports media program that will officially open next year (that I will not be able to be a part of since I'm graduating). I may be green in the face with jealousy from all of these programs that I won't be able to participate in as a student, but I am very excited that all of these advancements in sports studies will one day make the world of sports business as competitive as the sports on the court/field/etc. themselves.

Social Media at the NFL Combine

At the NFL Combine, football skills and talent are not the only things that college players are judged on by the professional teams and coaches through tests such as the 40-yard dash. Game strategy and knowledge are tested through an actual pencil and paper exam. Media presence and composure are examined through several press conferences and intense interviews. And character is assessed through not only the effort exemplified by the players throughout the entire grueling process including the personal interviews, but by social media as well.

Because of several scandals caused and/or revealed by social media involving several of these players the past couple of years, including the most noteworthy story involving the catfishing hoax with former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, many NFL coaches and team personnel agree that social media has never been such an important part of the combine process as it is this year. One coach even noted in an interview with USA Today that he has several members of his staff whose jobs are to keep track of every potential players' social media accounts in order to get a better look at who this person really is on and off the field.

While pictures of illegal paraphernalia and activities will obviously contribute to ruining the chances an athlete has of being recruited, coaches have commented that too many "goody-goody" posts can be somewhat annoying as well, such as tweets about getting up at 3 a.m. to work out when the typical combine day doesn't start until later in the morning. Overall, coaches are saying that they want to recruit guys who show that they have a good balance in all acts of their life and that the media will be publishing stories more about what they're doing on the field rather than what they're tweeting about.

Harlem Shake Craze at UGA

As a student at the University of Georgia, I've been caught up in the Harlem Shake craze that has been sweeping the nation the past couple of weeks. Everyone throughout campus from the football team to freshman dormitories to our now famous swimming and diving "Harlem Shakers" have been creating tons of buzz on both social media and traditional news media.

I'm sure many of you have seen the UGA swimming and diving teams on major news outlets such as the Today Show and Good Morning America. Here's a little more insight into how it all started...

Originally, the UGA men's swimming and diving teams simply wanted to make a better Harlem Shake video than the one the University of Tennessee men's swimming and diving teams made. The Tennessee swimmers and divers made their Harlem Shake video in their locker room, so the Dawgs decided to kick it up a notch by filming it underwater in their 18-foot deep diving well after practice on Monday night. Their coaches thought it was silly when they saw them doing this, but allowed them to do it anyway.

Neither the athletes nor the coaches thought that the video was going to make headlines within 24 hours of one of the team members posting it. Here's a little timeline to get a better gist of the attention it received:

-Sunday, Feb. 10: The UGA men's swimming and diving team decided they wanted to "beat" Tennessee's Harlem Shake video, so they started planning their own video on Sunday night through a Facebook message.
-Monday, Feb. 11: After their evening practice, the UGA men's swimming and diving team filmed their video.
-Tuesday, Feb. 12: The video was posted early in the morning.
-Wednesday, Feb. 13: The video had received over two million views and had been featured on Good Morning America and the Today Show.
-Friday, Feb. 15: The video had received over eight million views.
-Sunday, Feb. 17: The video had received over 16 million views.

After all of the media attention the video received as well as the craze it's started not only at UGA but at college campuses throughout the U.S., I'd say the UGA Men's Swimming and Diving Team's Harlem Shake video definitely beat the Vols'.

GO DAWGS!

Here is the video originally posted by one of the swimmers as well as some other noteworthy UGA Harlem Shake videos.

Think Like Your Audience

I have recently been reading several articles and blog posts regarding how selfish millennials are. As a member of this generation, I assume after reading these that those belonging to previous generations view me as stressed out, too reliant on my parents, and, the most recurring theme, selfish. While these articles do pose some strong arguments about that last view, I can't help but propose a counter-argument  to that regarding social media.

Just like in economics, there is an 80/20 rule in social media marketing: The content that you share should contain 80 percent of what your target audience wants to hear, and the other 20 percent should be what your company wants to share. It seems like the majority of companies that are failing with their social media marketing initiatives these days are not applying this rule to their campaigns. Also, the majority of social media directors for companies, such as CMO's, usually belong to generations other than the millennials, so they are therefore displaying one of the same flaws that they are accusing my generation of.

I receive a weekly email from my journalism school every Monday that is filled with announcements from companies' marketing directors seeking interns, especially social media interns. One description specifically stated that the company wants "to drive Facebook and Twitter followers and activity." I cannot help but #smh (shake my head) at some of these posts, because a description of their company that follows those posts are usually obvious evidence that Facebook and Twitter are not the channels that they need to be targeting their audiences. You must put yourself in your target audience's shoes! For example, if your company is a law firm, why would a potential client go directly to Facebook or Twitter to look for an attorney? Unless your target audience consists of college students who need a lawyer to represent them when they get arrested for underage possession, DUI, etc., this is not the medium where you want to drive engagement.

The description of the internship will also usually say that they want to drive company revenue directly through these social media accounts, such as selling their products by posting a picture and the price on their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Once again, think like your audience! When was the last time you got on any of your social media accounts and it was flooded with posts from companies trying to sell you something? If you're like me, it was probably the last time you got on that account. And the time before that. And the time before that. And the time before that. You don't want your audience to consider your account "junk mail." Just as your audience can immediately throw away direct mail advertisements and messages in their trash at home without glancing at them, they can immediately "un-like" or "unfollow" you on social media.

The best and simplest way to avoid this absolute disengagement is by easily looking at what your target audience is talking about. When national tragedies happen and your followers/fans are expressing their sympathy via social media, express your company's as well. If there is a major event like the Super Bowl coming up, talk about how it relates to your company. For example, if the president of your company was born in Boston and the vice-president went to college on the west coast, talk about the rivalry between them leading up to Ravens vs. 49ers game. You have to remember that you're considered part of the target audience of multiple companies, and even you, as a marketer, are not going to think about one particular company all the time.

If all else fails and you can't think of something interesting to share with your audience, you can always ask them a question. We're all experts on our own opinions, and we all like to be heard. Not only will this drive engagement for your company's social media, it can also grant some valuable, in-depth, and low-cost information about your customers and target audience.

The adults in your life told you when you were younger to not be selfish. Your target audience on social media is telling you that too by their clicks; you just have to listen!

For more information on using the right channels and content for your messages, I highly recommend this great article by Nate Goodman on Social Media Today.

New Networking

Over the past three to four months, I've become very serious about my job search since I will be graduating this May. I've been extremely fortunate to have landed nearly 10 interviews and three job offers (which I had to reluctantly turn down for various reasons) since I began this journey. Because I'm hoping to enter the very competitive sports industry and all of my interviews and offers have come from a sports organization, I've had several of my friends ask me how I made this happen. The answer is two words: social media.

Before I begin going into more depth about my experiences with my personal job search, I do want to offer one disclaimer: I am extremely new to this, obviously. If anyone reading this blog post has any other advice they'd like to share with me and my readers, please do so! I need all of the help I can get!

Now onto social media and the job search... Basically, social media is the new networking tool, and I know that I'm not the only person who believes this after reading the article How Social Media Could Land You Your Next Job by Sam Laird. I've had a LinkedIn since my freshman year of college, but I never paid much attention to it until I was a junior. Young professionals - you should be getting on LinkedIn as much as you get on Facebook. Download the LinkedIn app on your phone just like you did for Facebook and Twitter. And don't only log on and look at job postings; interact and engage with people as well! Ask friends (or "connections") to endorse you, update your status with a great quote or a short story about where you've recently volunteered, congratulate friends on new jobs they've landed, and read and share articles about industries and companies that you're interested in. By reading some of these articles, I learned about a new online community where sports-specific organizations post job openings, which in turn landed me all of my interviews.

The online community I'm referring to is Teamwork Online. Immediately after signing up for it, I received an email notifying me of a sports career fair in Atlanta. This is where I met so many great potential employers and handed out my resume. While this isn't necessarily considered "networking via social media," my resume took care of that. Instead of simply putting the address to my LinkedIn profile at the top of my resume, I put the address to my About Me profile. The reason I did this was because About Me allows you to create a profile that provides links to all of your other social media accounts (or at least the ones you want to appear). I have a link to my LinkedIn, of course, and then various others such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Blogger, etc. This doesn't allow people to see your full profiles on all of these sites, but it does allow them to see your most recent posts. This allows potential employers to get a better idea of who you are as a person. There are millions of other soon-to-be college graduates who studied marketing and/or public relations, held leadership positions in numerous campus organizations, had internship experience, volunteer frequently, etc. In short, there are tons of people who have the same qualifications, knowledge, experience, and expertise as you, so employers want to know how well you will fit into their company. In the sports industry, more importantly, they want to know who you know and if you can be a player in their organization that will benefit the entire team and not hold them back.

This is where social media comes in handy for them. If they decide to click on my Facebook button on my About Me profile, they'll most likely see some of my favorite quotes or read about an experience I had that day that inspired me. If they click on my Twitter button, they're more likely to see some of my witty comments about various stories taking place in the news or cheering on my favorite sports teams. If they click on Foursquare, they're going to see that school takes up the majority of my time right now because I'm always in a building on campus. These are the kind of things that employers want to know in order to figure out if interviewing you is even worth their time.

How do I know that employers actually took my social media accounts into consideration? One of the great things about About Me is that you can see how many people have viewed your profile in the past week, month, year, etc. Unlike LinkedIn, you can't actually see which individuals viewed it though. However, after handing out my resume at the career fair, I saw a huge increase in the amount of views that I'm accustomed to getting on my About Me profile. I had not given out my About Me link to anyone else, so I assume it was from those potential employers.

One important thing that I'd like to point out though, is that these potential employers decided to take additional time to look at my social media accounts. That being said, you have to SELL YOURSELF to them in order for them to even glance at your resume. Whether you're a marketing major or a sociology major, you're going to have to learn how to sell yourself, because you'll have to do it for the rest of your life. You can't just sell yourself in person either. You have to sell yourself in those follow-up emails after you meet someone, the thank you notes you send after your interview, and, of course, your social media accounts.

Happy selling, tweeting, Facebooking, pinning, photographing, checking in, etc.!

Is there such a thing as brand loyalty with today's social media?

After reading The Most Powerful Brand Ambassadors In The World May Not Be Brand Loyal from Social Media Today by Steven Olenski, it seems that brand loyalty is a thing of the past.

What caused this? Experts say things such as too many brand options available to choose from, the recession, and, of course, social media like apps that offer real-time coupons. My opinion is that today's consumer is becoming more intelligent about their spending habits, mostly due to all of the information that is available to us.

When I'm planning my menu for the upcoming week and making my grocery store list, I immediately go to Pinterest to find some good recipes. I then make a list of everything I need from the grocery store, and then research online what stores offer the products I need at the lowest price. From there, I print coupons that I find on stores' websites, coupon websites, and coupon apps on my phone for the products and stores that I need. As a college student with a very limited budget and three grocery stores within a mile of my apartment, I take full advantage of this. There have been times when I have saved up to $30 on my weekly grocery list, and I'm not even considered an "extreme couponer" who spent hours looking up deals!

When I'm looking up all of this information, I rarely pay special attention to the brands that I find coupons for. If a recipe calls for chicken that I find on Tyson's website, I may end up buying an entirely different brand simply because it was cheaper. If I need cheese to put on my sandwiches for the week, I'm not going to buy Kraft simply because my mother always bought it. I buy the cheapest brand (with or without coupons) that meets my personal quality standard (which at this time in my life, is rather minimal).

As a marketing major, I've learned in many of my marketing classes that there are different levels of customers ranging from those that aren't even aware of your brand to those that are loyal and always buy your product when they need it. I'm starting to believe that loyal customers are a dying breed. Even my own mother is starting to buy different brands that she's never bought before, simply because of price. Because of this change in consumer habits, marketers are going to have to find more unique ways to increase their returning customers without sacrificing profit. This cannot simply be done by posting a coupon a Facebook, but rather engaging customers in a more creative way via social media (since contacting them one-on-one would greatly increase costs) in order to create their own brand community.