Bob Evans event

Today we had our first event for the Bob Evans ImPRessions account. Three of us from the account went to Chillicothe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Bob Evans in town.

It was such a neat experience. All day we helped hand out prizes to those who attempted a game of corn hole and we gave away a gift card every hour. The local country station, 94.3, was at Bob Evans and I had my first experience doing a radio spot to draw people to our event.

I got to meet the VP of the marketing department for the company and I was very impressed with her. She seemed really excited about the event and passionate about her company.

We also got our picture taken with Biscuit and Gravy, Bob Evan's mascot dogs. The event was mostly outside and the wind was freezing but we kept warm with coffee and hot chocolate.

We learned some great tips about the correct way to give out promotional items and the importance of wording when publicizing an event. I am so excited to keep working on this account. We're even going to get to present to the Marketing department in Columbus sometime soon. Overall this is turning out to be a great experience.

A new "digital divide"

We had a very interesting discussion in my Intro to Public Relations class today. Our topic was Public Relations and the Internet and we discussed how e-mail, blogs and other forms of internet media relations are coming more and more into the forefront.

One thing that really struck me during the lecture was the idea of this "digital divide" that is supposedly present in our society. I started thinking about it, and I came to the conclusion that the digital divide has changed to mean something else besides it's original connotation. Almost anyone who wants it has access to the Internet, at least in this country. Most libraries offer free Internet during operating hours, so even those who cannot afford computers or Internet access still can keep up with the new medium.

My thinking is that the new "digital divide" is defined by the different ways that people use the internet to communicate. Most people in my parents' generation are proficient in email, search engines, and online shopping, but probably are not involved in a whole lot of social media. My grandparents barely even know how to turn on a computer, let alone surf the web.

As more and more internet media venues develop, there is a fight to keep up with it all. So this digital divide becomes an issue of who is using what kind of media and for what purposes. Many companies are starting to use social media, but many more are still lagging behind in that area. Some are not even willing to try to use the new mediums to communicate and are satisfied with the ways with which everyone is familiar, such as print media. But as companies are striving to attract a younger generation, they are going to have to step over the digital divide and get their feet wet in this new phenomenon.

Stress and a fast-paced society

This has been a very stressful week.

I'm still trying to learn how to balance homework, studying, classes and my other activities. I'm actually having a difficulty finding time to eat.

I was in line at Boyd Grab n Go a few weeks ago and I overheard some (obviously) freshmen talking about classes. One started talking about how she really liked college except for the fact that there's not many grades besides exams and papers.

I was thinking to myself: are you kidding me? Did she expect worksheets from her professors to boost her grades?

This brings me to the point of how our generation expects things to come so easily and that everything will be done for us. I admit that I'm guilty of this at times, complaining that I have to read 50 pages before the next day. I constantly get the lecture from my parents about how easy I have it with the search tools on the internet and how they used to go to the library and read books to do research for papers.

So I can't help but wondering: is the internet affecting the younger generation in a negative way?

We are so used to having everything at the tip of our fingers with the advent of the internet that when something can't be instantly obtained, we freak out or don't know how to handle ourselves. This fast-paced lifestyle definitely causes a more stressful environment for everyone, but I think we can adapt over time.

I'm still learning that adapting process and I'm trying to stay afloat in this crazy world of new media, but it can be a little daunting.

Social media/creating my blog

I'm creating this blog in the hope that eventually I'll have something interesting or worth while to say. I'm trying to get the hang of the new social media that is becoming such an integral part of our society, especially in the PR industry. For me, the changing landscape of media is slightly frightening, but anything that causes change is going to be that way. In all my journalism classes one of the most frequently asked questions is what the future will hold for print publications. Gen Y grew up knowing mostly print media and the thought that it might possibly be eliminated in our lifetime is mind-numbing. I'll just continue to do my part in subscribing to magazines I don't need and picking up my daily copies of the Post and hope that print and online media will come to some sort of coexistence that works for both industries.