Social Media Project (Clear)

I have to say that group work is not my favorite type of project, but I got lucky with the group I was with. They handled the situation professionally and got their parts submitted in a timely manner.

I enjoyed this project because I really enjoyed looking at the social media platforms in an in-depth way to see how a company like Chick-Fil-A used just about everyone of them in a competitive advantage.  Chick-Fil-A is a very popular restaurant that has an amazing brand image and awareness within the United States.  They had some issues a few years ago about gay rights, but used social media to reach their audience quickly to explain their situation.  They stated that they are a Christian company based on Christian values and when they donated to the so-called "hate group" they illustrated that they had no issues with who eats at Chick-Fil-A, they just liked what that organization was pushing.  They had no alliance with the organization and just supplied food for them.  I thought that they used their social media outlets very effectively and to this day, after researching with my group, I recognized why Chick-Fil-A has such a positive image in today's market.

It's pretty amazing how communicating through social media can make things a lot quicker.  I never met the people who I worked with personally, but we connected through those interfaces to get our point across about Chick-Fil-A.

We split the research rather evenly.  I took care of the Facebook and Twitter pages which were both very visual and were maintained by someone with Chick-Fil-A.  Those individuals would tweet back to customers and fans of the brand and even negative posts would be taken into consideration and the employees of the company were very good in catering to those individuals personally.  The sites also gave tons of information about the menu, showed where you can download coupons and made the brand image of Chick-Fil-A a more personal experience.  When individuals have the chance to get connected with a large company on an intimate level, it really improves the brand's image and market to a global audience.

Below are two snapshots of the company's Twitter and Facebook.  It's pretty amazing how they have come so far.

Database Project: Filemaker Pro (Clear)

I have to say I was a little afraid of this project, but after going through professor Olson's steps, it was a lot easier to understand.  I liked the hands-on approach from using Filemaker Pro and appreciated its simplicity after obtaining further knowledge through more usage.  I have heard that Filemaker is not as helpful or user friendly as Access, but I didn't see the huge issue in its services.

I liked how you could categorize all the people by their county in which they lived.  This was a lot more professional looking and I thought it was helpful in organizing all that data.  The find options were a little strange and I wish those would be more easy to work with.  The sort button has to be the best thing about Filemaker Pro.  You can analyze a lot of data by the simple click of the mouse.  Picking the way you want to organize it was also a really helpful factor.

Before I took ISM 3004, I had no idea that database software like this was even used or existed before.  I have heard of Access (but didn't know anything about it), but since becoming a proud macbook user last year, I knew I had to adapt to using a program I was unfamiliar with.  But that is indeed the reason we as students take courses like this.  I look forward to more hands on projects, considering I struggled with Excel as much as I did.  Being able to manage your employees, salaries, even the dates a customer quits using your facility, is really important information to know as a hopeful future business person.

After completing the scavenger hunt, I viewed this video.  It helped me get a quick understanding of how to operate through Filemaker Pro more effectively, and perhaps it can help you guys use this software more effectively in the future as well.

Thanks for reading everyone.  Have a great weekend.

Excel Project

I have to say, I'm not an Excel person.  I tried my best to make sure that I did that project correctly, and it took me about 4 hours to do.  I know that some people probably flew right through this, but I have to say it was a struggle.

The good part is that I did learn a lot.  I thought that the pivot tables section was going to be easier, but I was wrong.  I liked seeing how you can take such vast amounts of data and format them into an easier-to-see data package.  I found that roughly 90% of males and females obtained a total average from the start of their exercise to the highest heart rate point of the exercise.  It was also interesting to see how the ages, categorized by a decade, demonstrated a lower or higher performance.

I plan on using excel more often to get better at performing its strengths.  I think that if I become more familiar with it assets, I myself can further my strengths in performing at a higher level for my clients.  As a Public Relations student, I haven't had to use Excel that much, but after this assignment, it makes me want to learn more.  Even though this was not the funnest assignment to date, it was probably the most beneficial to my future.

Presentation Project: To Write Love on Her Arms

So this week I finished up my presentation on the organization "To Write Love on Her Arms" (TWLOHA).  I have to say that this presentation was something new to me.  As a Public Relations major, I usually have a lot more time to present and it was quite the challenge to engage an audience, but it was a fun challenge.  I used no bullet points and wanted to focus on the dark beauty of the organization.

If you haven't actually had a chance to check out this organization, I highly suggest that you do so.  I've been involved with their message and story since I was in high school and love the way that a small non-profit like TWLOHA is becoming so global.

The main focus I wanted to get across in my presentation was that this organization isn't just doing things that are beneficial to people and society, but their branding and overall message creates a solid business structure.  They have a trendy, cool aspect about them and that's one of the main reasons I wanted to get involved with this organization.  A successful organization or business should be able to sell itself on a daily basis.  TWLOHA focuses more on the younger generation and forces people to get involved with what they are doing.

When evaluating myself, I think that I met the requirements necessary in getting the message across through the usage of images and video media.  I think that music, if not used properly, adds way to much noise to a presentation, so I wanted to focus on that aspect.  I related the presentation to a company and demonstrated, very quickly, the importance of what the organization was doing and how a company should look at that message and run with it.  It's not stealing, it's an influence.

As the great Steven Tyler, frontman of Aerosmith, once said "Everyone steals from one another.  You just have to learn how to make it your own, so that person who you stole from wants to steal from you."

I also had the pleasure of viewing Samantha Mauder's powerpoint presentation on Disney.  She didn't really present it from a business standpoint, but I appreciated learning more about a company's diversity and how it branded itself as "a place where a kid, can be a kid."  If you think about it, Disney made being a kid okay at any age.  I personally think that Disney rips off the working class, but that is the business of making money I guess.  But we're getting off topic...

In conclusion,  I feel that my presentation was enjoyable and presented in a newer, modern approach.  It's definitely not to the standards of a TED performance, but I always look at myself as an improving character in the presentation world.

Here is the link to my presentation.  I hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you.
TWLOHA Presentation

Best,

David Cole