Weekly Post

Blogging: It’s Actually Fun!

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

Hello there! If you are reading this, then hopefully you are a new Public Relations student and you are new to blogging! I know blogging may seem like this boring, pointless thing that you don’t understand, but it is actually interesting and fun to do. I am making this blog to give you some advice about blogging and to help you feel more comfortable with it.

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The first thing you need to know about blogging is that it is not hard. Blogging is one of the easiest things you can do. If you can make a post on Facebook, or tweet something on Twitter, then you can make a blog! Find an easy blogging site like this one, and you are on your way! Just make an account and start blogging!

The next thing you need to do is find something to blog about. This is also really easy because you can blog about literally anything. You can review something, you can make an opinion about something, and you can even blog about someone else’s blog. The sky is the limit when it comes to blogging! You just have to get out there and do it.

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The last piece of advice I can give to you is this: make it your own. Your blog should be yours and yours alone. It should represent who you are as a person. Don’t try and make your blog a copy of someone else’s. If you do that then your blog isn’t something original or a part of you. You should feel good about what your blog looks like and what it becomes. If your blog gets really good and a lot of people start reading it, you could become famous. You would be amazed how much good blogs get shared throughout the internet.

Good luck and happy blogging!

 

 

Do You Even Rop Bro?

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

This past week I download the #2 free app on the iTunes store. The app is called Rop. The description of the app according to the iTunes store says “Give your brain a workout with this smart, superbly satisfying spatial puzzler. You’ll need sharp wits and nimble fingers to arrange overlapping bands on a hexagonal grid and match increasingly complex shapes. Packed with clever variety, rubbery physics, and a learning curve that feels just right. Rop is an instantly accessible challenge you’ll want to pick up again and again.”

This game has 198 levels. 198 levels of dragging hexagonal shapes with lines attached to make a specific pattern. I have owned a lot of games for my iPhone in the past, but this game is one of the hardest I have ever played. The first few levels are very straightforward and very easy, but the farther you go, the harder the levels become. Out of 198 levels, I am on level 22 and I am stuck. The level I am on is crazy hard. I currently have to make a pattern that looks like a roman numeral number two. I have been on this level for more than two days and I cannot beat it. I will probably look up how to beat this level pretty soon because it is very frustrating.

I think this app is very fun for people who want to give their brain a challenge. I would elaborate more on how the different levels are creative and interesting, but I haven’t gotten far enough in the levels to see how difficult and creative they are. I think this app is very creative and interesting. However, I think the app is somewhat difficult for the average mind. I am an average mind and I feel like this app is too difficult. That being said, I’m sure the brighter minds will have no problem playing with this app.

Jurassic World: *Yawn* Do Something Different

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

For the blog this week, I decided to find a critique of a movie. I decided to see how people critiqued “Jurassic World” since it is the 4th movie in it’s franchise and the first movie to come out in its franchise since 2001 (Jurassic Park III). The review is located here.

The review starts out by listing everything a generic monster movie has for its plot. From the main characters wanting to play God, to some of the main characters not wanting to mess with the natural order of things. The review goes on to say how you don’t need your brain to watch this movie because it is so painfully simple. It goes on to explain the plot of the movie describing the park, the things you can do at the park, and the characters in the movie. The review uses some comedy because the point of the movie is a group of scientists creating a super dinosaur. The review says something about how creating a new dinosaur is a great idea and then sarcastically says what could possibly go wrong. The last half of the review goes on to list the main characters and the actors who play them. It then lists how good their character was in the movie.

Why you shouldn’t create a new dinosaur

I thought this movie critique was good and it was fair. I have seen the movie myself and I agree with most of the things said in it. The movie had a lot of action and excitement, but its not anything super special. It’s just your basic monster movie that happens to be a Jurassic Park movie. However I do like the use of sarcasm in the critique. Especially when they said creating a new dinosaur was a great idea.

Critique plays a vital role when it comes to public relations. People who use public relations would never know if they are crossing any lines without critiques. People who critique keep public relations people in check. Although sometimes, people who critique are just people who like finding the bad in everything.

Communication: The Good and The Bad

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

Communication, according to Wikipedia, is the purposeful activity of information exchange between two or more participants in order to convey or receive the intended meaning through a shared system of signs and semiotic rules.

Communication is important. We use it everyday. In order to get along with the people you know, love, work with, etc., you have to be able to have good communication skills. Some people in the world completely ignore this and communicate however they want. This causes arguments, fights, wars, etc. There are many different ways you can communicate in a good way. There are also a lot of different ways you can communicate in a bad way.

According to this website, there are a lot of different ways you can communicate in a good way in the workplace. The list includes: open meetings, emails, one on one talks, the use of presentations, the use of small words, listening, positive body language, and more. These ways are all good in their own way. Some of them are even better than others. Listening is very important because it shows the person who is talking to you that you are interested in what they have to say. It will make them feel like their ideas matter.

Good communication can be great, but bad communication can lead to disaster. This website provides a list of different forms of bad communication. Some of them are as follows:

  • lying
  • blame
  • put downs
  • giving up
  • demanding
  • in denial
  • sarcasm
  • defensiveness
  • counterattack

Everyone deals with bad communication sometime in their life. Whether it be at home, school, work, or somewhere else, bad communication is unavoidable. You have to use your skills of good communication to overcome the bad communication being used against you. Just make sure you never use bad communication back towards that person because it could lead to an argument or something worse.

St. Ambrose University: Behind The Scenes….On Twitter

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

Welcome.

It’s lovely here.

Squirrels roam here.

We have chicken strips.

We study hard.

We have football.

We stay busy.

Bowling is life.

Blake talks news.

Hailey knows us.

Social ME-dia

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

Almost everyone you meet in today’s world uses social media in some way. I am definitely one of those people. I use social media every day and I am almost on it constantly to stay updated. The types of social media I use are the ones to stay connected with friends and family (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat). I also use the type of social media to stay connected with the sports world (ESPN app). I even use a social media app to stay involved with the world through videos (YouTube).

All of these types of social media are on my phone on an app. I use them by simply opening them and reading the new stuff that appears. Sometimes the new stuff is stuff posted by my friends and family, or it is trending news. I use them to stay connected to the world because I do not watch the news or read the newspaper. I get all my news off of these apps. I like using them because I like how easy it is to just open an app and the information you are looking for appears right in front of you.

One of my favorite social media apps is Facebook. Facebook has almost everything you can imagine, but it has one big weakness. There is no dislike button. Ever since Facebook was created, people who use it have been asking for a dislike button. They have yet to create it even though there is a like button. Like I stated previously, they have every feature imaginable, including a like button, but not a dislike button. What are you supposed to do if you want to express that you don’t like someone’s post? Apparently nothing.

I unfortunately use all of my social media apps equally. I actually open them all in a specific order and repeat that order countless times throughout the day. When I am bored, I am always scrolling through the apps on my phone. I will even sometimes check my social media apps even if I just checked them 5-10 minutes ago. I guess you could say I am a social media addict.

Social media addicts?

Comments

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment
  1. “The BEST feeling in the world.”

September 16, 2015

I agree with this post completely. I really like the list about why people make lists! Your comment about how your grocery list is always longer than your homework list was very funny. I enjoyed it! I wish making a list would make you famous because then I would be very famous. I make lists all the time and they help me out a lot. Your design for your blog is very colorful and creative and very pleasant to the eye. I will definitely be looking at more of your posts!

2. “Unsocial Media”

September 30, 2015

I think it is pretty cool you aren’t in to social media very much. It seems like today it is very rare to meet someone that doesn’t use social media. I like what you said about following people who are into outdoor recreation on Instagram. Seeing what people do all over the world would be really cool. You make a very good point about the drama and problems social media causes. It gives people a reason to not confront people face to face. Lots of people like to hide behind their computer screens and talk smack that way. I think Facebook needs the dislike button. I’m not saying I’d use it, but I’d like to see how popular it would become.

3. “Social Media for Me”

October 7, 2015

I also use Snapchat and Instagram very frequently. I like your description of how Snapchat works. I also like how you emphasized that you receive snaps constantly during the day. The crossing out of one word, and bolding of another was very effective. I like your idea on what you think Snapchat should do. It would like to see Snapchat have it so anyone from the state of Iowa could put their snaps on the story. But I guess that would also mean there would be a lot of inappropriate stuff on there. Maybe that is why they don’t allow for everyone to put something on there.

4. “How Social Network Allow Me to Stay In Touch With My Loved Ones!”

October 22, 2015

I did not know that the average person has 5 social media accounts. But now that I know that, I’m guessing those 5 accounts are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. You have a very good description of the app WhatsApp. I have heard of it before, but I never knew exactly what it did. Now I do! I would agree that a streaming app like Netflix needs an option to change the language. Not everyone speaks English and subtitles aren’t the best option most of the time.

5. “The NFL and Domestic Violence.”

October 29, 2015

I really like your post. The NFL and the way it deals with domestic violence is a joke. Ray Rice hit his fiancée in an elevator and knocked her out cold. There was video evidence that he did it. The NFL decides to suspend him for 2 games. 2 GAMES? Are you kidding me? As soon as that became public, he should have been off the Ravens and out of the league. The way the NFL handles any legal case is terrible. The way they handle it makes themselves look bad. I personally believe Roger Goodell is to blame. He doesn’t know how to handle anything. Remove him and bring someone else in.

6. “Yik Yak Review”

November 11, 2015

I think Yik Yak is a very fun app. It has its pros and cons, but it I think it is worthwhile to get. I agree with you when you say the anonymous part of the app is its greatest strength, but also its greatest weakness. Yik Yak is banned on some college campuses like you said and honestly I’m surprised it hasn’t been banned on our campus yet. The things that get posted about some students and some professors is crazy. I guess that’s why the anonymous feature is in place.

10 Things You Should Do In An Interview

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

Interviews are important. Everyone knows that. Here is a list I composed of 10 things you should definitely do the next time you have an interview!

10. Dress nice

9. Smile

8. Shake their hand

7. Use good eye contact

6. Use proper grammar

5. Control your nervous habits

4. Answer the questions honestly

3. Be straight and to the point with your answers; don’t ramble

2. After the interview is over, shake their hand again

  1. Say thank you

Pop Music and Fast Food Burgers

~ iowabowler4 ~ Leave a comment

The blog post I read was called “You’re Not Getting Older: Pop “Music” Was Always Awful” and it was written by Adam Singer. Adam Singer is the owner/creator of The Future Buzz, #12 on the list of 60 best public relations blogs. To visit the blog, click here. In the blog post, Singer starts by showing a graph that relates the popularity of music to the quality of the music. The graph is quite humorous. He goes on to talk about how pop music has always been terrible and people who say it’s good are like people who go to Burger King and say their burgers are 5 star quality. He also says people who listen to pop music and like it only like it because they haven’t been introduced to culture yet. I thought that was funny. Singer either really doesn’t like pop music or Taylor Swift, because he takes a shot at both of them by saying “First of all, majority of independent artists would not consider anything Swift makes even close to art (her music is popular music, not serious music — yes, there is a difference….)”. I thought this was funny because I also don’t care for Taylor Swift. Almost all of her songs have the same basic idea/base. He ends his blog post by bitterly saying how the internet doesn’t allow you to upload any music anywhere except to YouTube and SoundCloud. If you try to put upload your music anywhere else, you have to go through a process that usually ends with your music getting taken down. Worth it right?

I enjoyed this blog. It is the perfect balance of information and humor. There was enough information that you learned something, yet enough humor to keep you interested. He included the funny graph, a tweet from Chris Sacca, a video featuring Mark Cuban, and a couple other funny items. It was a very funny and interesting blog. You should check it out!

Justin Bieber: The “artist” of the current #1 pop song.