To hold or not to hold.....

I heard about this website on 102.3 Clear FM a few minutes ago and thought I would share it.

It's called runpee.com.  The point of the website is to tell you the best times in a movie to head to the bathroom.  I'm sure you've all come across this problem, myself included.  You're sitting in the movie theatre and suddenly, the beverage you just consumed has caught up with you: can you hold it until the end of the movie, or should you go now and risk missing an important part of the movie?

Well, thanks to runpee.com, you never have to miss an important part of your movie again.  You just choose your movie, and it tells you all of the points (in minutes) that would be the best time to use the washroom.

I think it's a great idea.  You can even check it out before you head to the theatre, so you know ahead of time when you can go to the washroom, if needed.

So next time you head to the theatre, keep runpee.com in mind so you can consume all the beverage you want and never miss an important part in a movie again!

www.runpee.com

Elizabeth and Andrew

Here is a link to my most favourite commercial on TV right now. It's Andrew and Elizabeth from Robin Hood flour. The links shows three commercials that they have, but my favourite one is "memories".

I don't know what it is about them, but they are just so darn cute, especially Andrew. In the "memories" commercial, when his lip quivers at the end, it gets me every time!

http://www.robinhood.ca/elizabeth.and.andrew/tvc_popup.asp

Hallmark's two-hour commercial

I watched the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie tonight....yes I know, sap city.  But they always tear at my heartstrings. 

Since the movie is from the Hallmark Hall of Fame, every break (except for one) showed commercials from Hallmark.  Each commercial is different and has a little story behind it, which also works to pull on people's heartstrings.  They are always so sappy, with the music and happy endings, but also very effective.  They work at reaching a person through emotion, which is a very powerful tool.  Now these commercials are only seen by a particular target market, as not everyone is interested in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.  But I also think that the commercials work so well because the target market of the movie is exactly the target market of the commercials.

So in the end, I essentially just watched a two hour commercial for Hallmark, and will remember Hallmark for my next card purchase.

A job well done Hallmark.

Here is my favourite commercial that they showed throughout the duration of the movie.  It takes a bit of an unconventional path compared to most of the other Hallmark commercials, but it made me laugh.

Message of hope achieved

I've fallen behind on my blog posts a little bit over the last couple weeks, due to other assignments that were moved to the front burner.

Since my last post about the Grey's Anatomy "Message of Hope" campaign, there have been three more mini episodes which completed the series.  

It wouldn't let me post the last 3 webisodes, so here is the link to watch the rest of them. 

I think it was a valuable web series in PR.  I observed that when you want to get your message across to your public, keeping it simple can be exactly what is needed.

 http://abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy/seattle-grace-message-of-hope/ThemeGallery/586658?playlistId=PL5590842&clipId=VD5592998

The place I thought I knew - but didn't know much to begin with

I've noticed over the last few weeks the increase in commercials advertising Mexico.  I also noticed that its tagline is different than it used to be.  When I looked it up online, it says that they launched this new ad campaign back in August, although I seemed to have just noticed it now. 

The main goal of the campaign is to attract North American visitors to Mexico amidst everything that is happening and happened there (violence, Swine Flu, etc.).  The new tagline that they chose is "The Place You Thought You Knew".  Now I am not sure how I feel about that.  I guess the point of the tagline is to showcase that there is more to Mexico than what people think, which is usually all-inclusive resorts.  The campaign focuses on activities that you should do off your resort to get to know Mexico a little better.

I was trying to remember what Mexico's tagline was before and I think it was Vive Mexico.  If I had to choose between the two, I would choose the new one because at least it tries a little harder to attract people. 

However, I read that the target market for this campaign is 35-65 years old with incomes greater than $75,000, which I am not. 

But despite the negative exposure Mexico is receiving in the media, Canadians are still traveling to Mexico.  The question is, are they stepping out of their resorts to experience the rest of Mexico?

I went to Mexico in Feb of 2009 where I went off-resort and did zip-lining and took a bus for an hour to go surfing, which was all worth it.  So I would have to agree that exploring Mexico is worth it, but I don't think I would feel as safe now as I did when I went.

Here are a few pieces from their campaign.  I will admit that I do like their posters and commercials.  I think it showcases Mexico in an interesting and positive light.

How do you feel about it?

 

Photos taken from google

Odd apps

This clip is from The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week. 
She showcases two odd apps.  I thought they were funny!
I could just imagine how many other odd apps are out there.

video from ellen.warnerbros.com

Does attractiveness rise above knowledge?

Here is the third webisode in the "Seattle Grace: Message of Hope" series.  This one is called "The Face".  In it, the PR woman decides to demote Dr. Kepner (the woman doctor), even though she knows everything that she needs to say, without any assistance.  The PR woman decides to go with Dr. Avery instead, because he has a prettier face to represent the hospital. 

My question: does the key message really get across to the audience in a better and more influential way if the subject is more attractive?  It seems a bit vain to me.  If the "prettier" subject doesn't know his or her information, then I think the message has the threat of getting lost or seem forced if you can tell it's read from cue cards.  I think that as long as you look and act professional and know your message, then people will listen to what you have to say, hopefully.

On a side note, they fit the sponsor Carmex, into the webisode quite nicely.  I always find it funny how blatantly obvious product placement is.  But I guess it works, because I remembered it!

pseudo-event at its finest

Image and caption in black taken from the Winnipeg Free Press

Joan Rettie, 77, participates in a Flash Mob to raise awareness for 1Hope Winnipeg. The event took place at Portage Place Shopping Centre over the lunch hour Tuesday and featured local hip-hop artists Sadie and Bubba B. Hundreds of people flocked to centre court to watch and, in some cases, join in.

Who says hip hop is just for the younger generation?  I do not see one young

person taking part in this event (based on the picture), which is fabulous!  I would have loved to see this.  And by the way, Joan Rettie looks like she can bust a move!  She seems like someone who would tear up the dance floor at a wedding.  And the guy in the suit seems to be really getting into it as well!

security blanket in PR

A couple posts back, I posted a clip from a mini-webisode series on the Grey's Anatomy website.  I've decided to post all six as they become available over the weeks.  Week 2 is actually very timely. 

This past week in our PR class, we practiced giving a 5-7 second message in front of a camera.  And for those of you who think it's easy to make a message that short, think again!  It's also very nerve-racking to be in front of the camera and remember what you have to say without a paper.  Needless to say, I used my paper as a security blanket. I still need some practice.

This week's Grey's Anatomy webisode is about finding the right person to make an important interview.  Doctor Hunt has a bit of trouble getting his message across, lucky for him he was able to stop and start again, and had cue cards.  If only we could use cue cards in real life situations where no one would notice, except us.

I wonder how many of us would have got fired from their duties on Monday, like Dr. Hunt did haha!

New Disney campaign makes me smile

Disney Parks launched a new campaign last month called "Let the Memories Begin".  Guests who visited the parks can upload their videos and photos from their trips to Disney.  The photos and videos will then be used in television ads, print, and online. 

I really like this campaign.  It connects everyday people, the guests, with the parks.  It helps to show how excited people of all ages can get when they find out they are going to experience a Disney park.  I never went as a child, but got the chance to go about three years ago.  And even though I was in my 20s, I was still extremely excited and had a blast. 

So the point is that you don't have to make a campaign flashy and expensive to be effective.  My first experience with this campaign was the commercial that I saw.  Every time I see it, it always make me smile because it's real people showing their real emotions.  I think it's very cute and effective. 

Grey's Anatomy & PR?

I enjoy certain TV shows that I watch every week. One of those shows is Grey's Anatomy. I have it on my Facebook feed because I had it as one of my favourite TV shows and then when things changed on Facebook, the group was added to my profile.

Anyways, I saw this new webisode series that started this week and will run for 6 consecutive weeks.

The reason I am posting it is because it's all about PR! A little background for those of you who don't watch. On the season finale last year, there was an irate husband of a woman who died in the hospital a few episodes back who opened fire in the hospital.  Let me tell you, it was an intense season finale!

Anyways, the hospital is dealing with the backlash and loss of credibility for the hospital. Though this is all fictitious, it is highly possible in everyday events, as we've seen through the media.

I watched the first webisode and it sort of highlights what we are going to be learning in the near future; media interviews. Dr. Webber (the doctor in this webisode) does not feel he needs any PR help and says "no comment" (GASP!) many times. The PR lady tries to help him by saying there needs to be a message sent out to the public.

I just thought it was a timely webisode series for all my PR classmates!

  

P.S - the video didn't work for me right away, so try a couple times if it doesn't

Grover impersonates Old Spice

I thought this was too cute!

Because I care to send the very best...

I have a love for greetings cards.  It's a sickness really.  I can stand in the card aisle for way too long choosing a card for someone.  But I take my card picking seriously.  I have to find the exact right card that reflects the person I am giving it to.  My friends and family know of my sickness, and in result, appreciate the cards I give them.  My one friend hates receiving cards because she feels they are useless.  But from me?  She appreciates them because she knows the time I put into picking it out.  Some may call it crazy or obsessive.  Me? I call it normal.

That brings me to the point of this blog.  I was at Superstore on the weekend in the card aisle (of course) choosing three! birthday cards for my friends, which I can tell you took a little long.  Anyways, I came upon a section celebrating Hallmark's 100 years in the business.  They brought back some really old greeting cards that once were out (I'm talking 1940s old).  They just looked so different from the cards we have today.  Some were over-the-top, some were kinda creepily designed, but they were all absolutely fantastic.  They even had a little description on the back explaining the year the card came out and the reason behind the design.

I went to the Hallmark 100 years website and it is really neat.  It shows you some retro cards and a timeline from the past 100 years of Hallmark.  I tried to embed the slideshow of the cards through the years, but it was too big and I couldn't adjust the size.  So I definitely suggest that you visit the site.

http://www.hallmark100years.com/Cards-Reflect-Our-Culture

I leave you with one of the cards that I chose for my friend.  I find it hilariously cheesy and perfect.

PS - it even played Hawaiian music!

We're both enjoying fall

It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon with the warm weather, sunshine, and golden leaves falling from the trees.

Shelby also felt that it was a perfect afternoon to enjoy a piece of watermelon on the deck.

She can't get enough, and it's fun to watch her eat it!

"Use your front teeth Shelbs...."  <--- that's what we always remind her.

Coming soon to a computer near you...

I saw this information on the accesswinnipeg.com blog.  It seems that Twitter will be coming out with a new format soon.  It actually looks like it will make things a little more user friendly.  I remember when Facebook changed its format, I was a bit annoyed because it was hard to navigate around.  But this new Twitter experience looks like it will make things a little easier when navigating around your account. 

What do you think?

For more info about the new changes, click here.

Have you noticed?

I received these logos and captions in an email today

from my sister.  It was interesting to read and look at
because I've never noticed some of these observations
before.  Which makes me wonder, how much time is
spent adding an extra element to a company's logo if the
majority of people aren't going to notice it?  However,
when someone points it out, it makes the logo more
unique, to me anyways.  What do you think?

If you look at the center of this logo, you can see two people enjoying a Tostito chip with a bowl of salsa.  This logo conveys the idea of people connecting with each other.

At first, this logo might not make much sense. But if you look closely, you'll see the number 1 in the negative space between the F and the red stripes.



Toblerone is a chocolate-company from Bern, Switzerland.   Bern is sometimes called 'The City Of Bears '.  They have incorporated this idea in the Toblerone logo, because if you look closely, you'll see the silhouette of a bear.



This logo doesn't seem to hide much at first sight, but it gives you a little insight in the philosophy behind the brand. First of all, the yellow swoosh looks like a smile: Amazon wants to have the best customer satisfaction. The swoosh also connects the letters a and z, meaning that this store has everything from a to z.


The old logo of Baskin Robbins had the number 31 with an arc above it.  The new logo took this idea to the next level.  The pink parts of the BR still form the number 31, a reference to the 31 flavours.




Do you see any arrow on FedEx's logo? The clue is that the arrow is located in between the alphabet E and X, and the arrow is white, acting as a background.

Sunday Smile

I was browsing through a photo gallery on the website of the Ellen DeGeneres Show titled "Unlikely Animal Pairs" and this was my favourite picture.  Being a big animal lover, it melted my heart a little.

Just thought I'd share it.

Taken from the Ellen DeGeneres Show

The SPC App - discounts at your fingertips

In my PR class this past week we talked about different apps that you can download for your mobile device.  We did a fun activity where our teacher, Melanie, gave us a company and, in groups of three, we had to think of a free app that the company could offer to consumers.  We are presenting our ideas next week in class, which I'm excited to hear.

We also received another assignment for our blog post this week.  We had to browse the different apps and find a free app that a company or business already has and explain how it fits within the principles of persuasion.  Here is what I found....

The company I found creates the SPC.  SPC stands for "Student Price Card" and by its definition off its website the card "is your pass to exclusive student deals on fashion, food, entertainment, lifestyle, travel and more".

You can save from 10-15% at participating locations and you can buy the card for $9.00 at various retailers.  However, I was given a free SPC when I did my taxes with H&R Block this past year.  The card comes with a little booklet detailing the stores which accept the card, however, I never carry it with me because it is too big. 

Here is where the SPC app comes into play.

By downloading this free app you can see all of the stores that accept the SPC and how much of a discount you can receive.  I think this is a great app for anyone who has the SPC, because you can instantly find out which stores accept the card.  Now even if you don't have the booklet with you, you are still able to take advantage of your SPC.  And who doesn't like a discount?  Especially a student!

Here is how the app fits into the principles of persuasion.

Identification: The "what's in it for me" for the person who has the SPC is the discounts it offers.  By knowing who accepts the SPC, it saves you money and allows you to remember for the future that the store accepts the SPC.

Familiarity & Trust:  Many students know what the SPC is because it is advertised at various educational institutions, including high schools.  I've known about the SPC since I entered high school.

Clarity: The app is simple and easy to use.  It's broken down into various categories so it is easy to find what you are looking for.

Action: With the tap of a finger you have access to all of the discounts the SPC offers.  You don't have to worry about searching for your booklet that came with the card or asking every retailer if they accept the SPC.

All in all, I think this app is a great idea for anyone who has the SPC. 
I would definitely use it.

For more info on the SPC, visit www.spccard.ca

For more info on the SPC app, visit this link

image credit here

Summer is officially over

With the start of a new school year comes new clothes, new school supplies, and a new blog! 

I am now officially a second year CreComm student, more than halfway through the first week!  I am happy to say that the weather isn't as nice as it was last year during the first week back.  I remember it being super hot everyday and it was very difficult to spend all day inside the college while the sun was shining on the outside.  But so far this year it's been mildly sunny with quite a bit of rain.  But I digress...

Many of the second years decided to change the theme of their blogs this year, me included.  I think some people may have found it difficult to keep up with a themed blog that had a narrow scope which seemed like a good idea at the time.  This year I have revamped my design and decided to keep it general.  This way, I can write about whatever I like without any specific topic limitations, within reason.

I am majoring in public relations this year, which I think will be a lot of fun.  I am also liking the flow of the schedule this year.  I like the fact that we only have each subject once a week on one day of the week, except for our major.  My schedule also isn't as jam packed as it was last year, which is nice.  But that also means that it leaves time for working on my IPP, which I guess is the whole idea haha.

We don't have too much work as of yet, since it's only the first week.  But by the looks of the course outlines we have received so far, the work will come along very soon.  I am still adjusting to doing homework, so I'm happy with slowly easing into it.  Plus I am in a wedding this Saturday, so I have rehearsal dinner tomorrow night, bridesmaid sleepover Friday night, the wedding Saturday night, and an after-wedding dinner on Sunday night.  So that basically takes up my whole weekend.  But I'm excited and it will be super fun!  So there's not really any room for homework this weekend. 

Well, I think I've rambled on enough for this blog.

Happy Labour Day weekend!

7 weeks of editing is almost done

This week is our last week of our seven week intersession course for Editing Print and Online Media.   It seems as though the weeks have flown by, but it made me look back.  Though seven weeks is not that long, it got me thinking as to what I have learned within that time frame.  I tried to think of what I knew about editing before I began this course compared to what I know now.  I would like to think that I have learned tips and tricks to use in the future.  The main thing I’ve learned though is how appreciative we should all be for editors.  Here are a list of items that I learned throughout this course:

• Steps to editing a story
• Spotting screwups
• Working with poll writing
• Writing headlines properly
• Laying out a website for readability
• Dangers in legal writing
• Spotting urban legends

Although I like to think I am a better editor now, it’s definitely not an easy task.  It takes a trained eye to carefully edit letter after letter, word after word, sentence after sentence, and so on.  I am ashamed to admit that even after everything I’ve learned, I still managed to send an email with a spelling mistake.  I only caught it when it was too late, right after I hit the send button. 

I have a new found appreciation for editing, as I never really thought of the mechanics and hard work that lay behind it.  Editing takes time, precison, and a good eye to catch things that other people may not have noticed.  Though I’m still working on my editing skills, I am happy to have taken the course and am now more aware of editing.

With whatever position I end up working in after my second year of CreComm, I know editing will come about at some point.  When it does, I can look at the piece and know I have backup, such as the info stored in my head, hand-outs, Caps and Spelling and the trusty CP Stylebook on my side.

Pictures need editing as well

In my Editing Print and Online Media class, we often discuss grammatical and spelling errors in various pieces of writing.  

However, what about errors that are made when trying to alter a photo in Photoshop?  Here is a website with some examples of Photoshop editing gone wrong.

http://photoshopmistakes.com/

Mad Libs: oh the fun we had

Today's blog post has a similar feel to my last post. The reason being is an experience that I had this past week at Chapters. I was browsing the fantastic gift section, just looking at all the neat gifts. I then came across a table of toys which is where I saw it.

Mad Libs.

I haven't seen a Mad Libs book since I was a "tween", as the kids call it nowadays. I remember looking through the Scholastic catalogue that we would get in school and then ask my Mom to buy it for me. I used to love filling in the spaces in the Mad Libs book with my friends and then read the story out loud to everyone, while laughing at how much it didn't make sense. But what really got me thinking was that among the hilarity, I was actually learning English grammar.

For anyone that has never seen a Mad Libs, it is a series of short stories with various word omitted. You then fill in the blank based on it asking for a noun, adverb, verb, or adjective. Once you have filled in all of the empty spaces, you then read your creation out loud.
So obviously you must know what a noun, adverb, verb, and adjective is or you wouldn't be able to play properly. And since I played it as a younger child, it definitely helped with my learning and understanding, while having fun!

Now I'm not even sure if kids still play with Mad Libs, because it's probably not "cool" anymore. But I think it's fun for all ages. So I searched the internet and found a couple sites that are all about Mad Libs. So here they are....happy playing!

www.madlibs.com

www.itsamadlibsworld.com

                                                              image credit

Grammar Games: Not Only for Children!

Over the last couple of weeks in my intersession course, we have been talking about text shorthands.  We were discussing that people, especially the younger generation, use abbreviated words thanks to texting, Facebook, and Twitter.  That made me think about how I learned grammar growing up.  That thought then drifted to Sesame Street, which I remember watching all the time.  Now Sesame Street really only teaches numbers and the alphabet, but that is definitely a good foundation for grammar.  So it made me realize how much more enjoyable it is to learn something when fun is involved. 

I'm sure many people do not think of fun when it comes to grammar.  So here are a couple of sites which help learning about grammar a little more enjoyable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/

http://www.yourdictionary.com/dictionary-articles/interactive-grammar-games.html


No matter how old you are, games are always fun.  And just think, you're not wasting time while playing these grammar games.  Instead, you're learning something you never knew or refreshing your memory!

So happy playing!

The Wonderful World of Websites

Editing is obviously an important part of any piece of writing to ensure everything looks, sounds, and is spelled right.  However, what about when it comes to creating domain names?  A company's name may be spelled correctly on paper, but what happens when the company name is put all together?  There are many website names that create an unfortunate alternate meaning when spaces are removed.  Here are a few examples of what I mean:

Spanish Holiday Rentals

choosespain.com

Who Represents?

whorepresents.com

Pen Island
penisland.net

Lake Tahoe

gotahoe.com

Mole Station Native Plant Nursery

molestationnursery.com

So even though the company's name may be spelled correctly, when editing for a domain name, it doesn't mean it transfers well.

Once you click on a website, that can make all the difference as well.  Even if a company has a normal domain name, and everything is spelled correctly, design also plays an important role.  If a company has a poorly designed website, it can be hard to ignore.  There are many examples at www.webpagesthatsuck.com.  Here, you will find many examples of how companies make it difficult to pay attention to anything except how bad the websites are.

All in all, if a company doesn't have a proper domain name or website design, good editing can mean little.  People have to be able to make it past the aesthetics to reach the carefully edited "meat and potatoes" of a company .  

So Not Everyone is Crazy About Spelling Mistakes?

I am currently taking an intersession course at RRC called Editing Print and Online Media.  It's a seven week course, twice a week for two hours a class.  Even though it's summer break, I figured it was totally doable and would be advantageous for 2nd year CreComm.  So here I am about to begin the second week of the course, along with a handful of fellow CreComms.  We have been instructed to make a weekly blog entry about anything that relates to the course. 

Yesterday I was at my sister's house.  I was reading an invitation that she had attached to the side of her fridge and I noticed a spelling mistake.  I mentioned it to her and she said that she doesn't notice those things like I do.  That got me thinking about my hate for simple spelling mistakes.  Now I'm not saying that I never make spelling mistakes because obviously I do.  However, whenever I notice a spelling mistake it makes me wince a little bit.  

This brings me to my next thought.  Do I notice spelling mistakes more often now that I have gone through my first year of CreComm?  Has spending the last year agonizing over correctly spelling all kinds of words made other people's mistakes more noticeable to me?  I can safely say that the people I know do not care about spelling the way I do.  However, I think that it's a good radar to have when it comes to incorrect spelling.  As I will be entering the communications field in about a year, spelling something incorrectly can be damaging to one's credibility.

So I'm proud to say I don't mind noticing spelling mistakes and am happy to point them out, even though my friends and family may find it annoying.  Having this detailed eye will only help me in the future.

A New Tenant

It's that time of year again for the city wildlife to emerge (i.e squirrels and rabbits).  It's always guaranteed that we have a rabbit living in our backyard for the summer. 

I like them.  They don't really eat the flowers and they usually have babies, which are so darn cute!

I think they always keep coming back because of the amazing bunny digs we have for them.  We have a deck with a gazebo around it in our backyard.  Under the deck is, I would imagine, a bunny condo full of I'm not sure what.  The bunny also made a front door and back door.  Large warm covered house, what more could a bunny want?  It seems like she would be the envy of all her bunny friends. 

So anyways I saw her a few days ago and she is a big bunny, so I'm hoping for some little ones soon!  But anyways, I tried to leave leftover pancakes for her on Sunday, but she doesn't seem to be a fancy bunny.  She didn't eat any of it.  So today I left her a lettuce leaf.  A few hours later I looked outside and she was happily munching on it!  So needless to say, the bunny has it pretty good. 

Oh and I named her Wilma, just seemed to fit. 

Our Furry Friends Find it Fascinating Too!

It appears that humans aren't the only ones who are fascinated by the new iPad.

= )

glee makes my heart happy.

That is all.

                                 image credit

The End is Near

The final two weeks of first year CreComm starts tomorrow.  It's crazy to think of how fast this year has gone by.  Knowing there are only two weeks left is a bit intimidating, because there are still quite a few assignments left to complete, plus exams.  

But needless to say I completed my video montage this weekend, even though I had a few setbacks to deal with.  The accomplishment of finishing it was a great feeling.  Watching the movie back and thinking that I shot, directed, and edited the movie is a bit surreal.

There are quite a few things that I can do now that I never knew how to do before CreComm (ie - operate a video camera, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, Creative Suite). 

So i just want to say good luck to my fellow first years during these next two weeks of final assignments, exams, possible meltdowns, late nights, and early mornings. 

We're almost there!

                                                                     image credit

Zzzz...

I don't really have anything exciting to blog about this week.
It's Friday and I'm super sleepy today.
So I will just wish everyone a weekend full of glorious sleep.

And just for fun, here is a picture that wraps up our week of chilly weather.

Poor thing looks heartbroken...

A Canada goose stands on a frozen section of the Red River in Winnipeg
Thursday, perhaps wondering where the water went. Environment
Canada's forecast of sunny skies and a high of 6 C today should help melt the ice.

(image and caption from winnipegfreepress.com)

ENG Cam. = Reason I'm Not A Media Production Major

This weekend I took home an ENG camera to do shooting for my video montage.  To begin, this was my first time actually using the camera on my own, without anyone's help, which was the first problem....

I tried to do filming on Friday night but for some reason I couldn't get the camera to focus properly.  And to add more irritation, it was brutally cold out and the sun was quickly setting.  So I told my subject to forget about it and we would try it Saturday.  I brought the camera inside and realized that the focus was on automatic when it should be on manual.  Once I switched it, the focusing was fine. 

I spent all day Saturday shooting various scenes with my subjects inside and outside.  If I rememebered to do one thing, then I forgot something else.  Whether it be white balancing, balancing the camera, adjusting the iris, or having the correct setting on for indoors and outdoors, I always seemed to forget to do one of those.  And I usually realized I forgot to do one of those when I was done shooting, which made me angry because I couldn't fix it.  I am very thankful for my patient "actors". 

So needless to say, I am still not done filming.  Filming all day defintiely tired me out and I was quite sore from lugging the camera equipment around all over the place.  Now I have to find time to take the camera out again and finish my last couple scenes this coming week. 

My big fear is going into the edit suite this week, pressing play, and finding out some shots will be unusable, which will create problems with finding time to reshoot.  I have a story to my montage, so I can't just eliminate bad looking scenes.

But this is my first experience using ENG cameras, so I can't expect to be amazing at it the first time.  Hopefully it I get better with time. 

I just hope I can produce a reasonable video montage that won't look like a five-year-old made it....unless you're this girl from the PC commercial...she seems like she can maybe make a better montage than me...haha.

Follow the North Star and You'll Reach the Burger Bar

For the last five years I have been driving past the North Star Drive-In.  These days, I drive past it everyday on my way to and from school.  I've never really thought twice about the place and have never been. 

It's a cute looking establishment though.  It's exterior walls are a dark blue and it has yellow stars painted on the sides, including a large star sticking out of the top of the roof.  You can only order from a window and then either eat at the picnic tables or take it away to eat.  It is only open in the warmer months, obviously, due to weather conditions. 

Recently a couple weeks back, Ace Burpee was talking about how you know it's warming up because the North Star Drive-In is opening.  It opened this week and yesterday when I drove by around 4 pm, there was about ten people getting food.  It always seems busy when I drive by. 

I googled it and there are a few reviews and blog posts that people have made regarding the good food they serve there.  I never knew this little place on McGregor St. was so popular.  They sell the staple fast food, such as burgers and fries, but it must be good. 

So my goal in these next few months is to stop by there one day and taste it for myself.

Hopefully the next few days of cold weather doesn't affect business.  But that's Winnipeg weather and I'm sure people wouldn't even mind eating a burger outside with some mittens; we're used to the crazy weather by now. 

Image credit: winnipegfreepress.com

Best Part of the Oscars?

In my opinion, this part!

This performance (Legion of Extraordinary Dancers along with some So You Think You Can Dance Alumni) is soooo amazing!

They performed on SYTYCD also, and were fantastic there as well.

Makes me wish I still danced...*tear*
The video is not the greatest quality, but it's definitely something that needs to be viewed to understand its true greatness!

It's Back!

RRROLL UP THE RIM TO WIN!

And I thought I had a caffeine addiction before, now there's an added bonus!  I bought two cups today cause it was just that kinda day and.....

I won once!  A free coffee!

It says odds are 1 in 9, so it seemed to work for me!  Though a coffee is a nice win, the $10,000 or Rav4 would be much nicer....so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

 Always a great contest - yet not so great for RRC who is trying to decrease the amount of paper cup consumption.....

(image credit here)

Manitoba Madness

Today at lunchtime all first-year CreComms had to pick their destination that they will be packing into a vehicle and traveling to for group field trips next Friday for a Manitoba Travel Assignment for Journalism class.  We are all in groups of three or four and all got to choose our destination, but not everyone got their first pick.  My group had about three destinations in mind, and ended up getting one of them. 

We are heading southwest to the little town of Morden, Manitoba!  

After looking at the different things they have in their tiny town, we actually found some pretty interesting places.  I think it's going to be a lot of fun and hope the weather cooperates.  I think the Manitoba Travel Assignment is a great assignment and it gets us out there to discover our province, which we may not always think is the greatest, but you can't judge if you haven't explored it!

So look out Manitoba, 75ish CreComms will be on the highways next friday in search of excitement, stories, and new adventures!

(image credit found here)

Social Media Showdown - Facebook vs. Twitter

Throughout the course of this year in PR, we have been discussing the many uses of Facebook and Twitter.  They are both forms of social media, and yet they can and are used in very different ways. 
        

Facebook (image credit)
Almost everyone I know, including myself, has a Facebook account.  It's interesting how it came along and basically swept MSN Messenger off the board.  My friends and I used to use MSN Messenger all the time and then once Facebook came around, no one chats via MSN messenger anymore; it's all Facebook.  MySpace also seemed to disappear off the radar once Facebook came around as well.  It's so interesting that social media is fairly new to society and yet, the expiration date on certain ways of communication over the internet can be short-lived. 

I often go on Facebook to see what everyone else is up to and to post updates and pictures I feel are important in my life and to chat with people.  It's also a great way to see what people you may not have talked to for a while have been up to.  Now I'll admit, all the friends that I have on my friends list, I do not talk with.  But they are all people who I have come in contact with at some point in my life and it's interesting to have them available, even though I may not talk with them. 

I think Facebook is also a great way to reach people.  Especially at this time in my life when people are getting married, creating a wedding social event page or even a birthday event page can reach many people that you otherwise may not have been able to reach without the internet. 

My friends also use Facebook a similar way.  They use it as a social medium to connect and chat with friends and family.  It can also be a great tool to connect with people you have lost touch with.  I have a friend who actually reconnected with two family members she had lost touch with over the years and they have rebuilt their relationship, which I think is an amazing thing and all thanks to Facebook.  Most of my friends keep limited profiles so not everyone can see their profile.  This is not so that they can post inappropriate content, but as a safety precaution.  Facebook is still used via internet where many sketchy people can be lurking.  I myself keep a limited profile to protect myself because you never know what people are capable of doing.  I also understand that everything on the internet is public and nothing is ever really safe.  But it is safer to have a limited profile than to have one that everyone in the world can see.  I only add people that I know as my "friends".  Again, the security issue arises, why would I add someone that can see everything about me if I do not know them.  And that has happened before where people have requested to be my "friend", but I had no idea who they were, it makes me wonder why they chose me as a "friend". 

I think that Facebook is a great tool to use strategically.  It has great potential to offer two-way communication by the use of chat, wall postings, messaging, event pages, and group pages.  It allows people to feel connected to a particular group or person and can interact when it suits them best.

Twitter (image credit)

Twitter is a completely different story than Facebook.  I actually just signed up for Twitter this past year because we had to in PR class.  I never really thought twice about it before and never really understood it.  Even now that I am part of the twitterverse, I still don't use it really.  I sometimes log onto my account to see what everyone else is saying, but other than that I don't really update.  On a personal level, I don't really see the advantages to Twitter for myself.  I would much rather use Facebook where I feel more connected to people.  

All of my non-CreComm friends do not use Twitter.  I don't think they have ever really looked into it, or never gave it a second thought.  My friends are content with just using Facebook and don't find a need to have two communication tools going at once.

From a strategic point of view, I can definitely see how Twitter can help.  If your business has a Twitter account, you can use it to your advantage.  You can tweet anything that you feel is important that you want people to know.  If offers an extra option to get the word out and reach people who are tapped into this form of social media.

The Results?

All in all, Twitter and Facebook are both social media, yet are used in very different ways.  From a strategic point of view, I wouldn't say one is better than the other.  I would say that they both have their advantages based on the results you are trying to achieve. 

On a personal level, I would say it's a matter of choice.  Some people use one, both, or none at all.  No matter what category you fall into, the evolution of social media will continue to evolve as long as people stay logged in, which doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.