This week's post is in response to Fast Company's Article on "What We Can't Live Without" by Robert Safian. In this article he is basically discussing things common to society now that weren't really thought of a short time ago. He brings up the compelling fact that there are many things like the digital camera, Facebook, and Twitter that a few years ago, we didn't know we needed , now we can't live without. I have to agree with this observation. Fads can come so easily. The next big thing tends to automatically become the next necessity. I was doing just fine living without a Facebook account a few years ago, now it is so relevant in my life. I check it several times a day, for meeting information, social events, and other extra cirruicular activities. Now, I don't know what I would do if it were to somehow go away. Safian brought up a good point and it made me evaluate what I really do need and what I think I need. To all of my followers, I propose a challenge. Try to go a complete 24 hours without your most needed vice, whether it be Facebook, or your favorite television show. Try and go without it simply to see if you can! You'll be amazed at what you discover. Until next time... :)

Facebook Changes

As a Facebook user and fan, I was aggrivated by yet another change in the design of the website. Things were completely changed around and moved, I could barely find the things I needed to. I had been wondering why they would change this website when it appeared to be working fine, and now my inquiries have been laid to rest. In reading Fastcompany's article: Facebook Does Some Science, Concludes Redesign is good for Ads, I have discovered that this new change is due to an advertising move. Facebook designers have attempted to design the website to look like Twitter, a new fad that is taking the World Wide Web by storm. Although I do not like the change, I understand the new move. Facebook does not want to loose any of their many followers to Twitter.

Today I am writing in response to an article FastCompany.com entitled "25-Foot Junk Food Pyramid to Raise Awareness and Hunger." I found it very interesting that this unidentified group of people decided to make this huge pyramid in to get people's attention regarding the junk they eat. Reading this article made me evaluate my own eating habits and I realized just how much junk I actually intake. Being a college student, its not common to come home and be able to cook a full course meal with two vegetables and a meat. It is often much faster to just pick up something on the way to class or when class is over. And the places to eat on campus are limited health wise and otherwise. Us students are surrounded by pizza, burgers, fries and other things that probably arent the healthiest for us. Im worried that these eating habits will become a life pattern and that in my career when I don't have time, I will always turn to the quick McDonald's or Burger King. Or when Im overwhelmed with work, I don't want to force my children to eat pizza because I had no time to cook. This article has made me consider healthier eating habits, for now and for my future.

Response to Ad Week's article

I am writing in response to Anthony McMain's Ad Week article entitled "NAACP Writes Big Advertisers in Diversity Push." In this article, the NAACP has sent a complaint to big advertising companies saying that their needs to be a more diverse representation in commercials and other advertising techniques. I cannot help but to agree with this claim. America is far too diverse for the faces in most advertising to look the same all the time. On almost every commercial there are white people representing a product. Not to say that there is a problem with whites representing brands and other things, but it would be nice to see other races displayed just as much. Along with the lack of black culture and representation in ads, I must mention the context that blacks and other races are displayed in. It seems to be that blacks are represented more in a commercial dealing with theft, abuse of any kind, and other corrupt situations. Blacks are represented more in ads with a negative connotations than whites are and that is disturbing. I hope companies take heed to the claim made by the NAACP and change some things.

Today I am writing about Joseph Jeffe's Adweek article entitled "Who Owns Social Media?" This is a very interesting article about how the social world has evolved over the years. He mentions that we live in three different worlds: the physical world, the digital world and the virtual world. The virtual and digital world seems to winning the most people right now because of all the social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Sure it is fun to have a friendly conversation via Facebook chat or even web cam, but are we loosing sight of the old fashion days? Now even simple courting is done by these techniques. If a guy is interested in a girl, he's not going to go over and speak to her anymore. Now-a-days, its more likely that he will look her up on Myspace or Facebook and send her a message. This seems funny, but it is the reality of how much we are becoming dependant on these things. The article mentions that other means of communication like PR are suffering. How can they compete when their audiences are being contacted every which way? I only see the virtual and digital world continuing to grow from here, I just wonder what will be next.

This blog is in response to the Adweek's article on t.v. being more effective than ever. I definately agree that t.v. has become extremely effective. Advertisers are definately stepping up their game so to speak when it comes pushing their product. One advertisement that sticks out to me the most is the Axe commercials. They are so funny, and ridiculous, yet I know that there's some boy out there thinking that if he can just spray on that cologne, he can get girls just like the guys in the commercial. Television will never loose it's audience pull.

Response to "Playboy Would Consider Sale"

I'm a firm believer thateverything happens for a reason. I think it's funny that the Playboy company is suffering financially right now. I have never agreed with the soft porn that this magazine has put out for years. I have always hated the way Playboy has displayed the women in the magazine so it doesn't hurt my heart to see their business in some sort of trouble. The Adweek article stated that the company recently suffered a 145.7 million dollar loss. I hope this company doesn't continue to produce that filth.