A Brighter Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is a day for love, for giving, and for showing those you care about just how much you care. On Monday February 14, 2011 love is exactly what I felt at Methodist Specialty Care Center. I had the chance to experience and be apart of a great event. It was very touching to see the smiles and to hear the laughs from the patients there.

Upon arriving at MSCC I didn't think I would enjoy myself. Honestly, I was tired from all the school work and was just ready to go take a nap. But once the patients rolled in to eat dinner things begin to change and my spirit was uplifted. As they ate I went around taking pictures and I met some nice people. Then the entertainment began and the place got live. I really enjoyed the show that MADDRAMA Performing Troupe put on and the patients did as well. That was a wonderful thing to know.

Once the event was over a few students from my Special Projects class went upstairs to give those who didn't make it to the show little Valentine's Day gifts and this is the moment where I really was touched and got teary-eyed as I begin to think about some of the things people including myself take for granted in life. To see some of the patients in a great mood inspite of their circumstances was an eye opener. Knowing there were patients at MSCC my age who still did/participated in things inspite of their disabilities was an eye opener for me as well. Life is not worth taking for granted.

It made me greatly happy that I had a chance to partake in something as heartfelt as that. To see those less fortunate than me smile was breathtaking. I loved every moment of my time at MSCC and I would love to attend regularly.

Social Networking/Marketing

To: All MBIC Members
Date: February 8, 2011
Re: Social Networking/Marketing Guidelines & Suggestions

Social networks, such as LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), Twitter (www.twitter.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com), are quickly becoming a very popular way for people to communicate, even in a business context. These social media giants have created a huge opportunity to share valuable information with potential and existing clients, referral sources, alliance partners and employees, while enhancing your credibility and subtly promoting your business. And the best part --- it’s free.

Here are some guidelines and suggestions to help start you on your way or optimize what you are currently doing:

Create a profile: Sign up for LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or a combination of all three and develop a profile about yourself. Include as much information as you are comfortable with people knowing about you. Focus on those aspects of your life and business that leave people reading your profile with a positive, favorable impression of who you are.

Search & listen: Search for and connect with individuals and groups of other business owners and self-employed professionals like yourself, who are interested in improving and growing their businesses. Key managers and decision makers in larger businesses are also worthy of your consideration. Read what they are writing and how they are communicating. Get to know their behaviors, preferences, methods of publishing and sharing information.

Define your objectives: Social networking is an additional “tool” that you can use in your marketing “toolbox”. It is not meant to either be or replace direct marketing. You may be hurting rather than helping yourself if you use this to overtly sell yourself or your business services. Instead, get familiar with your audience and their desires. Become involved in their discussions and share your knowledge. Supply links to relevant industry news, events, videos and websites. Your audience will appreciate that you are knowledgeable about such issues. This will continue to enhance your credibility, build trust and in some instances help you become a center of influence, a “go-to“ person, someone of value to others. It may eventually lead to new or additional business and referrals. One caveat to remember --- once you post something, it is out there for all to see. So before you post anything, proof-read it and be sure that you are indeed comfortable with the content.

As a reminder, use of trademarks, branding elements and intellectual property must be done in a professional and meaningful manner which represents our presence in today’s business communities.

In summary, please be very clear that Social Media SHOULD NOT replace face-to-face relationship building --- this is just an additional avenue that many of you may wish to pursue away from normal business hours. Just as your Office Web Page or website, a newsletter, a blog, etc. are nice credibility builders, they cannot substitute for personal relationship building and selling. Otherwise, it’s “fool’s gold”. Social Media, as a supplement to referral-based marketing can be a terrific, value-added approach --- as a replacement it can derail your business.

If anyone has additional questions or comments, please contact Jim Finley.

Thank you!

Stop the MERGER!!

Getting straight to the point I feel that the plans to merge Alcoren State and Mississippi Valley with Jackson State is totally unfair. I do not think that Haley Barbour thought this plan out clearly. It has been said that the idea has been brought up in order to save money but in actuality money will not be saved but instead more money will be needed to make the change happen and to keep it up. I feel that by doing this merge it takes away from the history of each school. It defeats the purpose of all the hard work it took for us to get where we are now. Why can't ways be thought of to make more money to separately add to each school to make it better individually?

If we merge then it truly takes away from the college experience, the rival games and most importantly the history behind each college. I love my school--Jackson State University and I am pretty sure all the students that attend Alcorn and Valley love their schools as well. When I first heard about it I could tell that many people for against this and some were even highly upset about the idea. Once again I agree that it is time to have an honest discussion about our HBCU's. The idea has been thrown around that some of the community colleges should be closed down or merged. On that thought I do not feel that is necessary. Although, they are community colleges they too have history. But the idea to close down a few branches of the same community college would not be such a bad decision.

My mother is an alumni of Jackson State University. She was a senior at JSU when they had the Gibbs-Green shooting on the campus so she was apart of history. When I asked her about her views on the idea she said, "I feel that it shouldn't happen." She is totally against this. She then went on to tell why she felt that way, "because Jackson State is a historically black college and if he [Barbour] wants to merge something...why not Ole Miss and Mississippi State." Even my aunt who did not attend JSU is against the idea and I totally agree with them as well.

Television & The Holidays!

Every morning around 2 A.M. me and my aunt sit in the chair to watch Cold Case. I love Cold Case, CSI: Miami and Without a Trace. Basically any kind of show like those. Is television still the center of family activities? I would say yes. If we go buy a new movie we will all get around the living room and watch it. Or if one of our favorite shows are on we'll all watch it. Right now, as I write this we are sitting in the living room watching The Closer on TNT. My family just likes to watch television shows about mystery and solving cases. We're not really a sports family so at this time we're not watching the football game but maybe later on tonight.

On Monday, in no particular order, we watched the News, then it was a TV show named The World's Strictest Parents, Click and then I got on the computer to do some work and network. Later on I came back for the early morning routine of watching Cold Case. After their two shows I went to bed. I guess I like those shows so much because of how they go by finding the killer. Its always a joy in trying to figure out who did it and why. If I wasn't going into Mass Communication Forsenic Science would have been my next choice. On Tuesday, beside watching my routine episode of Monica: Still Standing on BET it was about the same as Monday and Wednesday as well. My brother came over and we watched some basketball game on television. On Thanksgiving day we ended up not watching the game. After we ate we sat around and talked and watched whatever was on the television that caught our attention.


My folks are some what just like me. We like to watch the same things maybe except for reality shows. The only time they watch those are when I am around. On Friday morning I got up early enough to watch Bringing Home Baby on TLC. Its another one of my favorite shows beside A Baby Story or the documentaries they show on that channel. Today is Saturday and I have watched several different shows. I think I woke up and started watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Throughout the evening my family and I flipped back and forth through the channels until I came across my favorite show The Game. It was the last episode of season 3 where Melanie (Tia Mowry) was getting married to Derwin (Pooch Hall). After that, Diary of a Mad Black Woman came on but I did not want to see that so I changed the television to watch Click again.


As I conclude this blog, nothing seems to be catching me and my aunt's attention so I think we're just going to watch The Incredibles, the cartoon movie about the family of crimefighting superhero's.

MC Practical: Family & Communication!

As I have spent quality time with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday I have paid close attention to how they communicate and the new media that they use. Over the break I was around my aunt and my parents the most. Each person has their own cell phone but the house phone is used more than anything. My aunt only uses her phone when she is out of the house but she stays on the house phone quite a lot. She doesn't have texting on her phone so she talks more. My dad does not too much use his cell phone nor does he use the house phone. He is more of a interpersonal communicator. When it comes to communication he doesn't too much use phones. My mom on the other hand has learn to text. So she uses the cell phone every now and then to talk and text but is mostly on the house phone as well. When someone texts her phone she'll text back. So talking and texting is equal with her.


No one in my immediate family is on Twitter or Facebook. You could say that they are technologically declined. No social networking for them. One day this week though my father attempted to search the net to look for some information on something. My mom is a little more computer illiterate then my dad and aunt but they have not yet to make their way to social networking. There are no computers in house besides my laptop when I come home. On Thanksgiving day my aunts son came over to eat. He is 49 years old and he frequents the social networks from time to time and uses his phone to talk, text and download ringtones. He has a Myspace and Facebook page. He doesn't too much change his status or update his page too often though.


Everybody in my house reads the newspaper regular. Especially my auntie and my mom. My dad doesn't read the newspaper that often but you can mostly find him with his reading glasses on and his face in a Tradewind magazine. We use to get the local paper sent to our house but it only comes out on Monday and Wednesday so they stopped getting it sent to the house. My cousin on the other hand, my aunt's son, stays in Alabama and he reads the newspaper everyday. My parents get their intake on whats going on from the news on TV. Over the break my mother listened to the radio. It was a gospel station that had a preacher doing a sermon. But they are always listening to the radio. In my family on my mother and I have iPods. She hardly uses hers though. The last time she did it was over the summer when she went on her daily walks. I use mines more than her though. When it comes to listening to music in my immediate family it is in the car with the cd player or on the music channel on TV.


All in all, the members in my family that I am mostly around the most when I am home are 50 and above. So, they are not really too equipped with the new media. They have cell phones but are not fully using it to it full advantages. My mom and dad know how to text better than my aunt does but my mom knows how to text better than my dad. Like I stated earlier they kind of know how to use the computer but are not internet smart. The only media that is used around this house with them are the TV, the radio, and cell phones.

MC Practical: Chris Brown's Upcoming Concert Tour!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Jamilah Vaughn

Royal Phoenix PR Firm

662.888.0990

jamilah8828@yahoo.com

Chris Brown's Upcoming Concert Tour

R&B Sensation is Back At it Again

(MARKS, MS) -- November 26, 2009 --America's number one hearthrob, singer, actor and award winning Chris Brown is back at it again with his upcoming concert.The natural born entertainer is putting together The Fan Appreciation Tour-a 19-date trek that takes the "Forever" singer to intimate venues and clubs "conceptualized for and with 'fans only' in mind," starting in Houston on November 14th 2009 till December 15th 2009 at The Nokia's Theater in New York. Tickets will go on sale immediately.

Chris is no stranger to sold-out concerts and he is back to regain his title as arena's number one headliner. Chris wants to put on the tour for all his loving and supportive fans that stood by him during his time of absence due to the incident between him and his former girlfriend, Rihanna. A portion of the proceeds from the tour will be donated to Best Buddies International, a non-profit organization devoted to providing friendships, jobs and leadership opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales will also go to The Jenesse Center, another not-for-profit organization.

Besides rewarding his fans by playing intimate venues, Chris Brown plans to meet his fans by offering special meet and greet opportunities. His junior album is set to be release sometime this year towards the end of the month. Dates will be posted later on for that and tour dates will as well. For more information you can go check out Chris's official website, chrisbrownworld.com or mechanicaldummy.com. #####

Sarah Palin's New Book

Alaska Politician Releases a Book

(MARKS, MISS)--November 10, 2009--Alaskan Governor who was Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2008, Sarah Palin is releasing her first highly anticipated book titled, "Going Rogue: An American Life." It will be released on Tuesday, November 17th 2009. It will outline her path to presidency.

There will be interviews held. In a world exclusive, Oprah Winfrey will interview Sarah Palin for an episode on the Oprah Winfrey Show that is schedule to show Monday, November 16th 2009, a day before her book releases. This will their first time meeting and doing an interview. More information can be found on the oprah.com. ####

*Sending out press releases are one way to get information out about a celebrity or anybody who is trying to get promoted. Although this is one way there are other avenues to give your client the best possible media attention. A press kit is done, the publicist will book interviews for their client whether it is for a television show, for a magazine, or at a radio station. Clients can do public appearances such as book signings or meet and greets. Mostly anything that helps get the client none to the public. I am majoring in Mass Communication with a concentration in public relations so this is some of the things I will be doing for my clients. In this field I want to become a publicist who will work for a record label helping to perfect and promote the image's of artist (my clients). This is my dream job that I am so passionate about.

*Later on in life I want to be a public relations specialist and open up my own PR Firm. This is my dream job. Writing these press releases were kind of hard because I did not know what was actually suppose to go in them and what I was allowed to say or what was too much information. It was easier talking about Chris Brown because I am a fan and I know more information on hm than Sarah Palin. Hopefully as time passes and I get into my higher courses I will learn. It was interesting doing this assignment though.

MC Practical: Advertisement!

All day I have watched and paid attention to the advertisements on television. Lately all have seen were commercials on the upcoming sales different stores will be having on Black Friday. For example, everyday throughout the week each channel was showing Black Friday sales. Those stores include Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart and even car dealerships. The one I saw the most of was the one for a shoe and clothing store named Okuns. Their sale was buy one, get one half off for everything.

The only newspaper I was able to read while over the break was Monday and Friday--The Panolian, a local newspaper for the Panola County area. There was an advertisement for Treasurer Loans which is a loan company. Another was for Caldwell Insurance, Johnson's Furniture and The Dickins Funeral Home in the Monday paper. There were a lot of diverse ads and markets in the newspaper. From Serta Mattresses to Insurance and Furniture store ads in the Friday paper. Although there was a wide range of ads both newspapers had the same ones. Since I could not come across any other newspapers I went through some magazines like Seventeen and the Cosmopolitan. In the back of the magazines there were a whole two pages of different ads, from Shampoo that will grow your hair longer and thicker in thirty days to stores that sold lingerie.

As for Television commercials and advertisements there was one on the Downy product. Another was Cash4Gold which was offering 25% more cash if you sent in your old jewelry. All this was VH1 while watching Trading Spouses on Monday night. As I was watching Forrest Gump on Spike TV there were commercials advertising JC Penny's and Payless. Majority of the advertisements were for upcoming movies like Precious and Armour which I hear are two great and highly anticipated movies.

I feel that in order to understand and scrutinize media advertising you do not need to be a critical consumer. But I would not like to go into this area in Mass Communication. For the most part as I watched all the advertisements they begin to repeat themselves. Even when I changed the channels.