Lessons from the Romans

In Chapter 23 of Share This, Dr. Mark Pack discusses how many of the "big changes" with social media are truly not so new. One of the concepts that really stood out to me was the section at the end of the chapter entitled "Lessons from the Romans". This section discussed a Roman idea called the Acta Diurna, which were daily public notices posted in public locations around Rome. Pack lists four "lessons" that still apply from the days of the Acta Diurna:

1. Put your information where the audience is.
2. Spice up the information with interesting human color.
3. Make it easy for people to share your information and it will spread far.
4. If you want to influence what people think about you, do not leave it to others to do all the communication.

These four concepts lay out most of what we see corporations doing on social media on a daily basis. The first "company" I can think of that uses these concepts is the Denver Broncos.

The Denver Broncos have many different target age groups, but overall, they target fans of the franchise. The average age of NFL viewers is 46, while the average Facebook and Twitter users are adults ages 18-29.  The Broncos have a large amount of followers on their Twitter, which they use to give updates throughout the game. Their tweets range from scores, plays, records broken, pictures and news about the team during the week. 

But the tweets are not just informational. The Broncos make their tweets conversational, almost like you could be talking to a friend about the game. It sounds like a person, maybe the biggest Broncos fan on the planet. They use all-caps, exclamation points, adjectives, verbs...Things that your average Twitter user would do, although I must admit the Broncos social media person has much better grammar and spelling than the average user. 

Twitter also makes information easy to share. Users can retweet tweets, use a quote retweet to add their own opinions to the tweets or favorite them to look at another time. By retweeting the information straight from the Broncos, fans can have the most accurate facts on their Twitter to use as they please. 

The constant updates allows the Broncos to influence their fans opinions on the team, because they tweet the positives and the negatives from the game. The Broncos reply to their fans on Twitter as well, replying to pictures and posts that fans tweet at the team for, encouraging good thoughst about the brand. They also allow fans to participate in a live, unmoderated discussion where they can talk about the game as it happens.

But, the Broncos are not the first or last to follow these basic principles of public relations communications to reach their publics. The Walt Disney Company uses their Facebook page to interact with fans of their products, which in turn Disney allows fans to share their favorite Disney memories and share the posts that Disney puts up.  

In a way, all companies use these tools to interact with their audiences. Now, more than ever, companies depend on direct communications with their consumers and target audiences to build relationships. By remembering to use these concepts, companies can experience success in communications no matter what the technology is. 

(2012) Share This. The social media handbook for professionals. United Kingdom. John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Thumbs Up If You're Reading This In 2013!

YouTube has became a very large part of many people's online lives. While it has many practical uses such as showing friends music they may not have heard before, "how to" videos to learn how to do a new hair style or craft and funny viral videos to turn your day around, there is one common thing throughout all of YouTube: terrible comments. 

These are the comments that are so offensive, you hope that your grandma doesn't know how to use the internet and somehow stumbles upon them. They insult entire groups of people, use offensive language, make comments about your mom or girlfriend and even manage to bring Justin Bieber insults to videos completely unrelated to the Canadian pop star. 

YouTube(or more accurately, YouTube's owner, Google) knows this is a problem. The thumbs up/down system has been abused since it's introduction. Comments that are witty or funny to people will be given a thumbs up and usually gets bumped up higher on the page. People that are trying to have actual conversations on a video are covered up by people wanting to post their opinions that are based on emotions, not facts, and usually have nothing to do with the subject material. Not all videos on YouTube are meant for intellectual conversation, but it's impossible for a lot of people to even discuss a song they like or a joke that was funny because of the spam or nonsense comments on the video.

However, Google has created a grand solution for the YouTube comment problem. Now, in order to participate in discussions and write comments on the website, you must have a Google+ account. The people behind YouTube say that this will encourage higher quality comments and allow for more features, such as privatizing comments to your Google+ circle and tools for the owners of the videos to moderate the comments posted. The most relevant comments will be pushed to the top through a three part system that judges comments:

1. Community engagement by the person commenting
2. Up-votes for a particular comment
3. The person commenting's reputation

But this could be a problem for the casual YouTube user. As of September 24, you must have a Google+ comment to be involved in page discussions and post comments. Google insists that this is not a problem due to the fact that Google+ is the second largest social networking platform behind Facebook. This is mainly due to the fact that anyone that uses a Gmail email account has Google+. But how many people actually use their Google+ accounts or know that they have one? 

Google+ has struggle to break into the "Big Four" of social media, even though Google has owned YouTube since 2006. While Google+ has a much slicker interface than Facebook, most people have not deserted their Facebook to jump on the Google+ band wagon. This transition is not forcing people to use their real names on YouTube. Users will still be allowed to have usernames completely unrelated to who they are that are connected to a pseudonym Google+ page that is still affiliated with the actual Google+ page of the user. 

YouTube may want the average user to think that this is a move they are making in order to help clean up the wasteland that is YouTube video comments, and in an ideal world this would be true. However, I believe this action is more rooted in trying to push Google+ to the front in a world dominated by Facebook and Twitter. By requiring users to have accounts to post videos, celebrities and brands may become more involved in the world of Google+. From a business stand point, this is an almost flawless way to attract more customers to your product. It creates a need for consumers to connect with your brand. But for a power house brand like Google, the move seems desperate. 

Do you think that forcing YouTube users to get Google+ accounts will help or hinder Google+ in the social media world? Does it change your opinion of YouTube? If you haven't already, is it possible you'll use Google+ more? Why or why not? How do you think YouTube users will respond? 

Loss In A Small Town

Once a week, we're supposed to blog about something related to our lives at Ohio Northern University. As many people in my class know, I commute from home. My life at Ohio Northern University revolves around my friends, class, my dogs, my parents, my sister and more, most of which have been a part of my life since high school. I graduated from Ada High School in May of 2011 with a class of 54 people. I knew everyone in my high school, a lot of people in junior high and even some elementary school students. We had classes in a kindergarten through twelfth grade building, competed in multiple varsity sports and extra-curricular activities and many of our parents had attended the school before us.

As a community, inside and outside of that school, we share joy and happiness, tears and sadness. Unfortunately, this past week we had tears.

(L to R) Austin and my sister, Caity

Sometime before my freshman year of high school, a family moved to Ada from Lima. They had four children: Kelsey, Holly, Alex (who was in my grade) and Austin (who was in my sister's grade). Some of you may know Austin, he worked in the dining hall his senior year of  high school. My sister became close friends with Austin from the beginning. I can remember him coming to my house with Caity and her friends and me yelling at them for being too loud, distracting me from a book or talking on the phone with one of my friends. I can remember him shooting a marshmallow gun at people at the Harvest and Herb Festival, but never getting in trouble for it because everyone loved him. I can remember him being friends with everyone, always being the first one to tell a joke or stick up for a younger kid at the pool who was being bullied. I can remember sitting with him when I was a lifeguard and he was stuck telling kids to go down the slide. I can remember talking to him this summer about all of the things he was doing at college, what he was going for and how his summer had been going. 

I can remember all of these things. But, as much as I can remember, Austin is gone.

My sister called me on Wednesday night, telling me that Austin had been in a longboarding accident. He had been put in the hospital and his brain was swelling. They had induced him into a coma. She was terrified. I remember telling her it would be okay, but I was wrong. Friday, his parents had to make the difficult decision of taking him off of life support. He was taken off that night. By Saturday afternoon, he was gone.

It's hard to imagine someone that had such an amazing life, one that really brightened those who were around them, being gone. It's hard to see my sister and my friends from high school be heart broken over the loss of such a beautiful person. It was so hard to call my best friend from high school who joined the military and is currently stationed in Pensacola that he was gone. 

As horrible as this situation is though, I've learned something. Appreciate every moment, every person, every blessing you've been given. Live your life as something to be proud of. Change people's days, be that person that can make someone smile when everything is going wrong. Be more like Austin. 

Tomorrow I'll be going to his viewing. Tomorrow, I'll have to face his family and my friends. Tomorrow, more tears will be shed than I could ever imagine. Tomorrow, just like I have every day since Friday, I'll ask myself again and again why it had to be him.

But today, I'll remember this kind boy who changed everyone's lives and made Ada a better place. 

Free Speech and Facebook

In chapter seven of "Share This", Robin Wilson discusses how Facebook can be used as a tool to engage with your audiences through socially enabling your business through the ability to share actions directly on a users news feed, build communities online with people who share an interest in a brand, Facebook offers and successfully using applications online. Users on Facebook will "like" fan pages, share posts and pictures that they want to comment on and unintentionally create engagement among their friends on the website. Occasionally, users will "like" or endorse a website or fan page that users within their network will not like. But can you get fired for this?

According to Chief Judge William B. Traxler Jr., no. Former deputy sheriff B.J. Roberts was fired for "liking" the page of an opponent of the current sheriff in an election for the new city sheriff. Traxler decided that "liking" the fan page on Facebook was no different than Roberts placing a sign in his front yard or a bumper sticker on his car. These actions, called substantive speech, are protected by the First Amendment. 

The First Amendment protects everyone's rights to express their opinions and beliefs in any way they choose to do so. If this includes newspaper editorials, signs in yards and protests, why would it not include our online interactions? If our Facebook posts, Tweets and YouTube videos are considered to be a digital extension of ourselves, they should be. Do you believe that all online interactions should be protected by the First Amendment? Why or why not?(2012) Share This. The social media handbook for professionals. United Kingdom. John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Deep In My Heart, I Love My A-Xi-D.

During my first semester at Ohio Northern University, I made the decision to go Greek. It wasn't something I did on a whim or because I thought it would be cool. For as long as I can remember, I could see the girls walking around Ada and ONU wearing the letters proudly, walking with their sisters and looking happy as can be. I wanted to be a part of that. I had to be a part of it. 

So I did. I joined Alpha Xi Delta, the oldest (and greatest, because I am biased) sorority on campus. I love my sorority, my big, my twin, my little, my nieces, my sisters. They have helped me define who I am since I have came to college and what I may become after I graduate.

Last year, right before finals week, I had to make the difficult decision to take Early Alumnae status. It wasn't an easy decision. I loved my sisters, I loved my sorority. I was afraid everyone would hate me. But, I wasn't able to really enjoy myself because of work, which I did a lot because I paid for my dues on my own. I'm not inactive, recently I've been as active as I was last year. But spring semester was hard. I didn't know where I fit in, I didn't think people wanted me around. I really only talked to a couple of sisters. I missed out on my twin getting her second little, philanthropy events, our second new member class that year, even just being around the house. 

Now, I'm starting to figure things out again. I've re-discovered the love I had for Alpha Xi Delta my freshman year, when everything was shiny and new. I helped with preference, the last round of formal recruitment before Bid Day. I went to Bid Day, took pictures, helped welcome our beautiful new members. I cried with Kaylee and Courtney when my little, Becca, made it into the top 15, top 10 and top 5 at Miss America. I screamed and shared the excitement of having our largest new member class in year with Courtney in the PAC lab. But, best of all, my sisters want me to be around just as much as I want to be around them. I have found that sense of security and home that I lost this winter. 

Alpha Xi Delta has helped me realize my potential over and over the past two years. Now, early alumnae or not, I hope that I can continue to be the best sister, twin, big, aunt, g-aunt, friend, woman and whatever else I may be through my absolutely amaXIng sorority. 

#ReinstallTheBall

Warning: the below video is slightly graphic, but blurred out as necessary.

Miley Cyrus has caused quite a stir in the news in the last month. From her twerking incident during the VMAs to her recent separation with her fiance of over one year, Liam Hemsworth, Miss Cyrus can't stop being in the limelight. Her newest single, "Wrecking Ball", has gained 120 million views on YouTube at the time of this blog, with more views almost guaranteed. The video, which features Cyrus licking a sledgehammer and riding a wrecking ball wearing nothing but a strange expression and boots, has gained attention as another of her many attempts at self-expression. 

As much as people love to see what Cyrus will do next, the biggest response to the video has been the Vine videos people have created in parody. Vine, the fledgling video app that allows user to create short videos, has been bombarded by responses to the video. 

The most extreme response has been from students at Grand Valley State University. GVSU, a college in Allendale, Mich., has a pendulum sculpture on the campus that resembles a wrecking ball. Once students caught wind of the video, the parodies of the music video began. Students made Vines of themselves riding the sculpture, took photos and even created a Twitter account called @GVSUWreckingBal.

While many students on campus have rode the ball as a sort of tradition in the past, the administration of the school found out about the amount of people riding the sculpture and removed it. This has caused massive outcry from the student body at GVSU, who have started using the Twitter hashtag #ReinstallTheBall and a protest where GVSU students sang "Wrecking Ball" at the former side of the pendulum. The videos and the removal of the ball have received national attention from traditional and digital news media, as well as other students around the country.
Before social media, an event like this would have been mentioned briefly on the news and forgotten. Now, social media lets students continue talking about the issue. Just like a select few ONU students appearing on Jerry Springer last year and the removal of ONU Confessions, students will voice their opinions online and they will be heard.

What do you think of the Wrecking Ball parody? Do you think that social media has changed how students protest issues? 

Ethics, Big Business and Twitter

In Share This, chapter six discusses open communication and public relations. One of the most important parts of the chapter to me was the section where it talks about ethics. Public relations professionals have to be aware of proper etiquette and ethics when using social media, especially when operating the social media of any large business or company. According to Becky McMichael, the author of the chapter, the easiest way to avoid this is proper campaign planning and these four simple steps:

1. No offensive content. 
2. Do not hijack the serious news agenda.
3. Do not misrepresent a brand or a person.
4. Do not take social content out of context, like editing or deleting comments. 

While this may seem easy to do, many companies have failed. Some mistakes, intentional or not, can be harmless while others can set back a company in the media and in the eyes of its consumers. For example, Chrysler's Twitter account, manned at the time by New Media Strategies, was victim to a rogue tweet by the person behind the account. While New Media Strategies responded quickly by firing the employee, the damage was done. Chrysler, based in the Detroit area, ended their relationships with New Media Strategies.

Other companies have had better luck with rogue tweets. The American Red Cross had an experience with a rogue tweet in 2011. Gloria Huang , the Red Cross social media specialist, accidentally tweeted a personal tweet on the Red Cross twitter.

The tweet was up for about an hour, but the Red Cross deleted and promptly recovered from it by responding "We've deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we've confiscated the keys."

While this could have been bad news for the Red Cross, it actually was turned into a positive situation for the company. Dogfish Head, the beer that was acknowledged in the Red Cross tweet, turned the accidental mention of their brand by the nonprofit into an opportunity for their followers to donate by using the hashtag #gettngslizzerd.

Not all companies are as lucky as the Red Cross. All mistakes on social media are not equal. Some situations can be quickly remedied through humor or a deeply felt apology, but other require more response and tact to be forgotten and move on. When a tweet can be screenshot and blogged about before a company has the chance to delete it, it is especially important for the employee running an account to make sure that they are first and foremost tweeting on the appropriate account.

These are only two of the (unfortunately) many mistakes made on company twitters to date. What are some other Twitter accidents that you can think of, and how did the company in question deal with it?

(2012) Share This. The social media handbook for professionals. United Kingdom. John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Abercrombie & Fitch Keeps Digging Itself Deeper

Abercrombie & Fitch-- the clothing retailer based out of New Albany, Ohio-- has been highly criticized in the last five months. In May, the retailer was bashed through out the media for comments its CEO Mike Jeffries made about the brand only carrying to a certain size (a men's size 34 and women's size 10 in jeans, no XL or XXL shirts) because  "We go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive, all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

This week, Abercrombie & Fitch's "Look Policy" was leaked on to BuzzFeed. This picture, along with other parts of the policy such as from the appearance section that states "Foundation, base or blush can only be worn if it is applied in such a way to look completely natural (i.e. to match natural skin tone)," has made many online people angry. A PR Daily article discussing the post and how it is part of the company's hiring process had many mixed responses: 

Abercrombie's woes do not end there. On top of a leaked Look Policy, a federal judge ruled that the retailer violated federal anti-discrimination guidelines when it fired a Muslim employee for not removing her hijab at work. When Umme-Hani Khan interviewed for a store in California she wore her hijab and accepted the Look Policy. A visiting district manager saw her at work with her headscarf on and a human resources manager informed her that she would not wear her hijab or she would no longer be employed. She sued and the courts ruled in her favor.

While once being a clothing retail giant among mall brands, the beating that Abercrombie has taken in digital and traditional media has taken has hurt the brand as a whole. Online users have made trending hashtags on Twitter like "#FitchTheHomeless" while YouTube users have created videos of their responses to Abercrombie's many mistakes online. Not only has A&F's image been damaged, their stocks have fell and some former customers have refused to shop at the store.

The days where Abercrombie & Fitch is name dropped in songs have been long gone. The brand is shamed on social media, blogs and news more than it is praised. Instead of changing its image in May when the first bomb dropped on the company, it has continued to contribute to people's dislike of the brand by alienating more potential customers through discrimination of general appearance or religious beliefs. 

Do you believe Abercrombie & Fitch needs to change how it handles itself in the public? What would you suggest that it does to change it's image? 

Week Three Jitters

When you start back at college, every thing seems to be all sunshine, rainbows and butterflies. Your friends are back in their rightful places (back at school with you), classes haven't really started yet (syllabus day, anyone?) and there's just SO much to do. All is right in world.

Then week three starts.

Ignore the fabulously outdated sweater.

The gravy train you have been choo-chooing away on gets swept away by the prospect of having real work to do.  This week alone, I have had two tests, two quizzes and multiple assignments due. "But," all the science majors say, "You're a pubic relations major! You guys don't have real work." Unfortunately, we do. And when we don't do our work, we feel the same stress as other majors. I'm looking at you, pharmacy students. But fortunately for myself, I have learned a couple of ways to deal with it.

1. Stay ahead in your classes. While this is the most obvious thing for anyone to think of, it's the hardest thing to actually do. Reading ahead, taking notes on your own outside of class, finishing assignments or whatever it is that I can do to get ahead and stay ahead. When I get behind, I have NO motivation to study because I'm overwhelmed. Staying ahead is the best way to prevent that.

2. Use a planner. I live and die by my planner, and I know I'm not the only one at Ohio Northern who uses it religiously. Planning out everything that I have going on helps me stay ahead. Living an organized life isn't always possible, but trying your best makes it a lot more manageable. 

3. Make time for fun! I've made the mistake in the past of being too worried about everything going on and burning myself out way too early in the semester. Now I plan for fun. Heck, this week I went and played volleyball even though I'm terrible at it just to get my nose out of the books for a while.

4. Take care of yourself. Exercise. Eat (somewhat) healthy. Make sure your getting sleep. How can you function and be the A-plus student we all know we are if we can't stay awake in class? Obviously, you can't. Get rid of the sleepy eyes and grumbling food baby belly and make yourself focus by maintaining a healthy life style!

You can't always do everything. College students aren't super heroes or demi-gods, even though I know some fellow students who would like to disagree. We can't live on coffee, energy drinks and caffeine pills. I know, I tried it. You will have weeks where you can barely function.

Kinda like this guy.

But, in the end, you will survive, get that diploma and, some day, grow up. Until then, keep yourself sane by doing what you can to not get behind in school and have a life.

A Little Bit of Old, A Little Bit of New

When reading Share This, one of the concepts that really stood out to me was the section on how traditional and digital channels can combine (p.40). Many mass media organizations have adopted digital channels to reach their target audiences, but I know I have taken this for granted as just a part of life. CNN, USA Today, The Associated Press and more of what I would consider to be top news sources not only have websites that can be quickly accessed from a computer, but smart phone apps that send push notifications directly to a user in real time. This was, and still is, revolutionary. 

But the interaction extends beyond instantaneous updates to your phone. Users can interact online with each other through comments about the posts. Users have the ability to tell their news source and others exactly how they feel about the article or editorial post that they have read. 

Online interaction doesn't just end at updates and the ability to comment. Public relations professionals can create campaigns online that extend into the "real world". Kellogg's Keebler, the cookie company known for its delicious products and elf employees, has implemented a (hopefully) viral campaign to draw more attention to their brand.

The campaign focuses on finding tiny doors that have been placed on trees throughout the country, all of which have the hashtag #TinyDoors on them. Kellogg has created a website through Tumblr, www.tinydoorproject.com, that allow people to submit pictures of the doors they have found or ones they have created and placed on their own trees. The website links to Instagram and Twitter, where you can see more posts about these tiny doors. The brand isn't pushed on to the person investigating what the Tiny Door Project is about. There are no cookies being shoved down your throat or little elves placing the stripes on your favorite Fudge Stripe cookies. But, it's gaining positive attention. Customers can become involved with the brand through the pursuit of these tiny doors without having to buy a single product, and that is amazing. Kellogg has combines two aspects of combining traditional and digital media, community development and brand participation. 

External relations is the final component of mixing traditional and digital media. Businesses are sharing more with the public every year. Apple holds special events to announce new products, inviting the media and streaming the conference online. Tomorrow, they'll be holding their first event since June where it is anticipated that new products will be given launch dates and the public is excited. Apple even sent out invitations online.

The everyday public is more involved with the media than ever before. The days of picking up a newspaper and grumbling under your breath about the articles, mindlessly walking through a grocery store and being impressed with colorful packaging and businesses being "untouchable" are over. As much as companies would like to still believe that we depend on them to guide us like sheep to the next big thing, the consumers determine what will or will not be the next big thing. Using traditional and digital media is key in enticing a consumer to look at your product, visit your website or become involved in your campaign.

What other companies have combined digital and traditional media to create a campaign that has impressed you? Do any other companies involve external relations like Apple does?

(2012) Share This. The social media handbook for professionals. United Kingdom. John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Clint Bowyer, "Spin Gate" and the Everyday NASCAR Fan

The field was set last night for NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup during the final regular race of the season at Richmond International Speedway. Who exactly is in the Chase, along with how they got there, is another story. 

If you watched the video above, Clint Bowyer, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing 15 car, spun out during the race. Unfortunately, this brought out a caution that ended Stewart Haas Racing's Ryan Newman's chances of getting into the Chase. Whether or not the spin out was intentional is a matter I would rather not voice my opinion on. But, the ability for the media-- like Nate Ryan and Bob Pockrass-- and NASCAR fans to voice their opinions is another thing all together.

Blake Shelton, NASCAR fan and friend of Clint Bowyer, made it obvious that he believes that Bowyer spun out in order to help MWR teammate Martin Truex Jr. make the Chase. The outrage on Twitter by NASCAR fans is obvious. 

While Patrick McDowell is obviously upset about the controversy from last night's race, NASCAR Twitter parody accounts like NASCAR Wonka, The Catch Fence and The Orange Cone have decided to take a more humorous approach to voice their opinions on the Clint Bowyer "Spin Gate". 

While we may never know for sure if Bowyer interpreted the code from his spotter as a signal to spin out or if NASCAR will look any further into it, social media has changed how fans respond to the sport. No longer do supporters of the sport-- or fans of any sport or celebrity, for that matter-- have to be content to sit by the water cooler and complain about the many injustices that they have witnessed. Instead, these fans can take to Twitter and voice their opinions among thousands of fellow fans, write blogs about what they think has really happened or even directly contact the person in question to tell them in real time exactly how they feel. 

While these Twitter users may not have actually tweeted at Clint Bowyer's account, a quick search of his name will bring these tweets up. While the grammar and spelling may not be the best, the message is still clear: the fans are not happy and they want somebody to know it. Fans expect a better explanation than the one Bowyer gave at Richmond. They want NASCAR to give a statement on how this will be prevented in the future. Simply, they want answers.

Do you believe that social media and technology has changed the way we interact with celebrities? Has it changed how we express our displeasure with them and the organizations they associate with? 

Junior year, starting...10 days ago?

My beautiful college campus.

My life has changed completely since this time year. The beginning of sophomore year, I entered Ohio Northern University as a pharmacy major with my entire life planned out. Or at least I had thought so. After that first semester, I became a public relations and communication studies double major and I haven't looked back.

Public relations is a great fit for me. I love the classes, the people, the concepts and the courses. But that does not in the slightest mean I was ready to start classes. Another week off of school with all of my friends on campus, just hanging out and playing catch up, would have been ideal. As reluctant as I was to start classes I know I'm excited to actually be doing work again. 

I have some big goals for this semester, mainly major related goals. I want to stay involved with my schools chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, or PRSSA. I want to grow professionally through interactions with people actively involved with in public relations as a career, take advantage of the opportunities I have available with internships and, of course, ace all of my classes. 

But you're wrong if you think I'm completely focused on school work this semester. I've made a point to make sure I'm more involved on campus by going to more events put on by different organizations on campus, spending more time with my friends and staying on top of things so I can relax and enjoy myself.

Junior year has began, that's true. But I'm ready for it and this is going to be the best year of my college career yet. Here's to one more year at the fabulous college I love.