Thing 9: Google Reader

This tool was really easy to get started since I already had a gmail account; plus I’m sure the entire planet uses Google, so becoming familiar with Google Reader should be fairly easy.  Immediately I signed up for the Cedar Rapids Gazette to be sent to my Google Reader.  After that, I wasn’t sure which sites provided RSS feeds and which didn’t.  I searched to see if Fitness Magazine provided RSS feeds, and I found that they didn’t.  The New York Times provided some interesting topics, so I subscribed to a few health related feeds. 

Now that I know about Google Reader, I’ll be looking for that little orange symbol on all the sites I visit.  As for now, I’m having a difficult time trying to think of which sites I frequently visit or which to subscribe too.  This being said, I’m excited that I know about this new tool. 

Similar to Delicious, this site makes life easier.  Instead of going to multiple sites for information, the information can be sent to one spot, Google Reader.  To those in the public relations professions, this could be a life saver.  I like the idea of staying on top of what’s going on in the world, my hometown, or silly celebrity life.  Anything that I find interesting can be sent to Google Reader. 

Thing 8: Social Bookmarking

My Delicious Page
Username:  Katie Ricklefs

Although Delicious is a site knock-off of yahoo, I was able to create a Delicous account with my gmail username.  This was nice because I didn’t have to create an entire new yahoo email, which I didn’t want to take the time to do. 

Social bookmarking sites ,like delicious, are handy because the sites I save can be found from any computer.  What’s more, the saved sites can be categorized into groups of like bookmarks.  In this way, I don’t have to search through a long list of websites (which was the old way of doing things).  I can save the pop cultures bookmarking sites in one place, the book lover sites in another, and on and on and on… I’m a bit organizer so I especially liked the tag feature.

I added Jane, Jason, and Pranav to my network.  This was simple enough, although you have to know their username in order to add them, which could be tricky.  It was fun to see what other people bookmarked.  After that, I searched around the types of sites I could bookmark and tag.  I looked through various food sites, hoping to find some good recipes and tagged a few of those.  It’s nice because although I don’t have time to look through everything right now, I can simply tag the site and come back to it later to look through whatever interests me when I have more time. 

Thing 7: Twitter

I’ve had a Twitter account for the past year, and use it about once a week to update my friends on what I’m doing.  The tweets that are sent by my “real-life” friends, like friends from high school or whatever, are sent to my phone.  My friend, Michelle, sends multiple tweets daily, which can be a bit much for me.  I’ve changed my settings so that tweets are not sent to my phone from the hours of 12-10 a.m. so that they never wake me up. 

For this assignment, I created another Twitter account just for this class.  My personal Twitter account is personal and I must accept friends in order for them to follow me.  For this class, I’ve made my account public for simplicity purposes.  

The only “professionals” I’ve seen or heard about using Twitter are celebrities.  Most often, these tweets are inappropriate or unnecessary (I’m thinking Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen).  That being said, I can most certainly see how PR professionals could use Twitter in a more effective way.  Event planning could be one of the most prominent ways that Twitter updates could be used.  Reminding the public about events could help increase revenue, participation, or raise awareness for whatever the PR person wants.

I like tweeting to personal friends, and have not used it in a professional manner.  I’m sure I’ll have to get more comfortable using social networking sites in the future, but right now I feel like a sales person when I try to urge people to do something through Facebook or twitter. 

Thing 6: Following Blogs

This assignment was surprisingly easy, mostly because I was able to sit back and watch videos that my classmates had posted.  Jason, MJ, and Garrett all had really entertaining videos so it was no problem to comment on them.  I think that’s usually the way it is, commenting doesn’t have to be a chore if it’s something you’re interesting in. 

Commenting embodies a connection, a connection between two parties.  Because I commented on my classmates blogs, they are now more likely to check up on my blog in the future.  That’s what it’s like in the real world.  It’s flattering to know that someone is reading what you’ve written, which then leads you to spread the joy and the comradery.  However, in the business world this could mean dollar signs.  Building relationships and putting your business out there, in the form of social networking is absolutely key. 

Thing 2: Here's the Deal Link

Here's the Deal

Maybe it’s the 40-year-old soccer mom in me, but I love coupons.  Coupons make me feel like I know a secret that no one else does, it's silly but true.  I most likely end up spending more money that I would have had I not seen the “deal” in the first place.  Either way, I’ve subscribed to “Here’s the deal,” and the website sends me these deals every day for free.  It’s true, most of the time the deals are unappealing to me, but every once in a while I’ll find a real gem of savings.  The last one I bought was a $20 gift card to Blue Strawberry Coffee Company, which only cost me $10.  It's like ten dollars of coffee for free! That's how I think of it anyway...