Whatshouldwecallme

Well this semester has come to an end. I can honestly say without a doubt that this has been the hardest semester of my entire time in college. Taking 4 Advertising classes, a Psychology class and an Accounting class, it was a lot of work. Although I only had classes on Tuesday and Thursday, I was working everyday on homework and other projects due for all of these classes. There was not much free time I had, especially towards the end of the semester, but when I would take a break from studying at the library or the Scripps Lab in Circle Park, I would find myself on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and a blog that a friend introduced to me called, "#whatshouldwecallme." This blog has various pictures that people have added commentary to make it a humorous image. Throughout the semester, I could relate directly with a lot of the blog posts and i always found myself laughing at each and everyone of them. Here is a link to the blog, just in case you can find one that you find humorous or that you can relate to, especially during stressful times. Enjoy!

whatshouldwecallme

Volapalooza

I had a good start to this weekend. One thing that I have really enjoyed over the four years I have been at UTK is the end of the year concert, Volapalooza. I love music and I love concerts so it is a great way to finish off the school year. I've seen Gym Class Heroes, Girl Talk, Asher Roth, Passion Pit, Flogging Molly, Three 6 Mafia, Ziggy Marley and many other bands. The reason I enjoy Volapalooza so much is because it's a time, besides classes and sports events that the entire school has the opportunity to come together and enjoy similar things. Usually it is outside but this year, because of the weather, it had to be held at Thompson Boling Arena, which kind of disappointed me. Although it was indoors, it was a fun time with my friends and it makes me sad to know I will be leaving this school in a year. Here is a video of Volapalooza from 2010 with Passion Pit that I found on Youtube. 

Passion Pit

Thumbprint cookies

Because I have so many posts on my blog about all different sorts of things, I figured i would just add another random post that you might find enjoyable. One of my favorite desserts of all time is thumbprint cookies, if you have not had one, get one NOW. There are all sorts of thumbprint cookies that come from different recipes and I'm always trying to find the perfect one. I never have been able to find one that I can make that tastes as good as one from a bakery, but I guess that's what you have to expect from professionals. Although I cannot seem to make a cookie as good as my favorite bakery, I found a recipe from www.cooks.com that is pretty close. Please go make these....you have never lived without trying a thumbprint cookie! If this recipe is not satisfying, there are countless other thumbprint cookie recipes found on Pinterest that you might enjoy better. 

Thumbprint cookies

Somebody that I used to Know

About a month ago, my sister showed me a video on YouTube that amazed me. Many people have probably heard of the band "Walk off the Earth." Their cover songs have been played on the radio and have become very popular but many people may have not seen their video of the song "Somebody that I used to Know." I love the song in general but the video makes it even more entertaining to see what talent some people can have. Youtube makes it possible for videos like this to get out. I'm posting about it now so everyone can watch it....I, along with my mom, have watched it over and over again at least 10 times. I hope you enjoy!

Somebody that I used to KNow

Aflac!

Today in my Advertising 350 class, we were discussing advertising campaigns. For a lot of successful advertising campaigns, character representatives or a spokesperson has been used. Many people, when seeing these characters or spokesperson, they immediately know what company is being represented. This automatic recognition of characters proves that an advertising campaign has been successful. Some examples of companies that have used characters are Geico Car Insurance, Allstate Car Insurance, Progressive Insurance, and Aflac Insurance. Obviously, you can see a pattern within Insurance agencies in using a character or a spokesperson. There are other companies that use characters also but these specific Insurance companies are some of the most recognizable. Every time a Geico Insurance commercial comes on the TV, I look forward to seeing what they have come up with for the commercial. Commercials that use humor to appeal to their audience are the ones that catch my attention the most, if the humor is actually successful. One commercial that made me laugh out loud was, of course, a Geico one using the well-known Geico Gecko. Many people may pay attention the the dancers in the background of the commercial but my favorite part in the commercial is when the Gecko is dancing at the end. My dad actually pointed it out to me and now every time I see this commercial, I can't help but watch him and laugh out loud. Take a look at the commercial from Youtube and see if you find it has funny as I did. Characters and spokespersons can really help make a brand stand out, if good repetition of the character is used. If good repetition is used with a character, usually you will never forget the character, and therefore, never forget the brand.

Geico Gecko Dances

-Sorrell

Like Chocolate?

At my age, many individuals are still questioning what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many people expect us to know exactly what we want to do for our career...at age 22?? I found an interest in Graphic Design during 8th grade. I continued this passion until Sophomore year of college, when I decided to change my college major from Graphic Design to Advertising. Throughout college, I have changed my major only once but I can name a countless number of others that have changed what they want to do more than once. While many people know exactly what they want to do after college, I don't blame those that just can't figure it out. One day, I logged on to Yahoo and came across an article entitled "8 Easiest Jobs on the Planet." I found it so interesting that there are jobs in the world like these 8. Everyday life, through your career, can be stressful, whether you love your job or not. But what if you had one of these jobs? Did the people that hold these jobs know exactly what they wanted to do at age 22? Did they ever think that they would be a "Professional Sleeper" later in life? My step mother graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy but ended up an insurance agent and then later went on to own a car body shop. The point I am trying to make is....Life can be stressful at 22 when trying to decide what you want to do but don't let it get the best of you. You may use your major, you may not, either way, you never know where you will end up 5 or 10 years down the road. You could eventually be a "mansion sitter" or a "professional TV watcher", you just never know. Check out these 8 jobs and see which one would best fit your lifestyle.

8 Easiest Jobs on the Planet

The Lucky One

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4e/The_Lucky_One_Poster.jpg/220px-The_Lucky_One_Poster.jpg

Even though you have probably heard it before, The Notebook is one of the best created movies. Many girls and guys, although they won't admit it, will agree with me. Well, here you go everyone, the new Nicolas Sparks movie, The Lucky One, will be out in theaters on April 20th. I am a fan of most types of movies and sappy love movies are included. I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since I saw the preview over a month ago. Many people know Zac Efron only from Disney movies but he has now stepped out of his shell and he looks to have done a good job from the preview. No matter what kind of movies you are in to, here is the preview of The Lucky One to take a look at and see if you will be at the theater on opening day, waiting in line beside me. Enjoy!

The Lucky One

-Sorrell

Rough day?

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The past two weeks have been tough. I have had two big group projects due, 3 exams, and a never ending list of other homework due. All of this is on top of being a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding. It has all been overwhelming but I have made it through. As I was taking a break on Facebook from studying, I noticed a post that a friend of my put on his Facebook wall. It was an article titled, "13 Simple Steps to get you through a rough day." Immediately I knew I needed to look at this post. So if you're drowning in work or stressed and having a bad day, this will make it better...For at least a little while. Enjoy! 

13 Simple Steps to get you through a rough day

-Sorrell 

I do

http://images.weddingclipart.com/images/1/1175122511496_112/img_large_watermarked.jpg

Well, I can’t believe it. My best friend since infant stage is getting married this coming Sunday. Tomorrow starts all the wedding activities. We have bridal showers, a bachelorette party, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and finally, the big day! I have been in 5 weddings in 22 years but they have always been family members. Not only am I a bridesmaid in her wedding but also I have my other best friend’s wedding coming up in June. I can’t believe the time has come where my closest friends are tying the knot. Through all the wedding planning for both of my best friends, I have done my share of research on weddings. A lot of ideas for their weddings came from Pinterest. Here are a few ideas that they have actually put into play from Pinterest for each of their big days.

Spring

Spring has sprung. Flowers, warm weather, and spring clothes are the current topic everyone is talking about. As I sat in a class today, I noticed 3 different girls on Pinterest. Each one of them was browsing through items that had to do with Spring time. One was looking at all the bathing suits that were found on Pinterest, one was looking through beach bathing suit cover-ups and one was looking at Easter brunch ideas. Ever since the warm weather has appeared, I have been in a good mood. There's something about Spring that everyone loves. Whether it is the sun shining after a long winter or putting on flip flops, Spring is a much loved season. Here are a few images that I found on Pinterest that I enjoyed. 

Super Bass

            

I was browsing through YouTube Videos and I came across one that I had watched a while ago. When this video came out, I was amazed. I couldn’t believe the talent that this little girl has. I don’t think I can say how many times I watched this video and shared it with my friends. There are celebrities today that everyone knows of but it is amazing to see how many talented people you can find just by watching videos on Youtube. Take, for example, Justin Bieber who became famous through a video posted on Youtube. I enjoyed the following video and although the little girl is only 8 years old in this video, it is amazing how entertaining and talented she is. Click below for the link to Youtube. 

Super Bass Sophia Grace Brownlee

Who are you?

    
           When someone asks me to explain myself, I always have trouble. I always feel like I know who I am but I have trouble putting it into words for another person. After doing an assignment for my Ad/PR class, I discovered more about myself than I thought I would. The project was a reflection paper on our "online reputation." For the assignment, we had to reflect on how we spent our time on our personal social media sites and how much interaction we had with other individuals. I found it very interesting to actually take a step back and see what I have been doing online. One page that kept my attention for a long time was my Pinterest profile. While I am on Pinterest, I very simply "re-pin" things that I find interesting and they are automatically posted on my personal page. While doing the research for my Ad/PR assignment, I started browsing through all the things on my Pinterest boards. Whether it is artwork, wedding ideas, fashion ideas, places around the world, future home ideas, or just humorous quotes, I have a numerous amount of pictures that I have reposted on my Pinterest boards that can really reflect who I am as a person. I thought maybe others had the same items on their Pinterest boards but after browsing through several other peoples' boards, I realized even my closest friends had totally different pictures on theirs. So, If someone asks me who I am, this doesn't mean I'm going to say "Oh, just go look at my Pinterest page." This just means I can better reflect who I am by looking at all my interests and things that make me smile that I have posted on my own page.

-Sorrell

Warning

            While I was lying in my warm bed this morning, I realized how happy I am to be safe in my home after the storms last night. Yesterday, I was doing homework at my apartment when I got a text from a friend that said a tornado had touched down on Signal Mountain, which is where my family lives back in Chattanooga. I immediately called my dad, who was at work, and he said the winds were terrible but he hadn’t heard if the tornado had hit our home. I then called my mom, who was safe in the basement of the Target store by her work. I knew my little brother and sister were at school up on the mountain but my mom could not get in touch with anyone at the school to find out if the tornado had hit anywhere around it. I immediately panicked. Even though it was sunny in Knoxville, my whole family was taking shelter in Chattanooga and no one could really give me any answers about any damage the tornado might have caused. After speaking with everyone, I found out that my whole family and home was safe. But that wasn’t the end of it, the storms that had hit Chattanooga were headed North to me in Knoxville. Once the weather channel issued a tornado warning for my area, my roommate and I created a safe area in her bathtub, just in case a tornado was to come our way. After several hours, thankfully we were in the clear. All I could think about last night were the people that were actually harmed by these terrible storms. I can wake up in my bed this morning but many people cannot. Because Chattanooga is so close to Ringgold, I had to see the damage that the last set of storms caused on the people living there. It is heartbreaking to see, especially so close to my home. Below is a video of the tornado from a distance that hit my hometown yesterday. I am so thankful that no one was harmed that I knew but I am sad for those that were. I hope that people can come together and help those that had tornado damage and get them back on their feet.

Signal Mountain Tornado

Beautiful Every Time

I am a huge fan of country music. Lately while watching TV, I have found myself stuck on the GMC channel watching music videos. Usually when I want to watch a video, I just simply type the song into YouTube and poof, there it is. While watching music videos on TV, I realized how easy YouTube and other social media sites make it easy for us. I don’t have to wait it out through a song I don’t like just to hear the next one that I do like. Even though I am a fan of most country songs, when one comes on that you really don’t care to hear but are forced to listen to it, it can really be annoying. Whatever mood a person is in, they can find the song of their choice very quickly and easily online. So, although I enjoy watching all the videos on TV, many people may not choose to because of how easy Youtube makes it to find videos that they really want to see.  Below is a link to the video “Beautiful Every Time” by Lee Brice. This is one of the songs I listen to in the morning to put me in a good mood. It never fails.  


Beautiful Every Time (Lee Brice)

Re-tweet

I have blogged a lot about Twitter but it is only because I have just now become an active user of Twitter. When you look at my Twitter page, it is pretty pitiful. I have only 8 followers and I am following only 16 people. Going into an Advertising career, I know that Twitter can be a high source of connections through businesses and individual people. One thing that people want to do on Twitter is stand out. Without good connections, it can be hard to sell products, create brand awareness for clients, and have interaction with people you have things in common with in the business world. After browsing through Media Bistro, I discovered an article on how to really stand out on Twitter. By following these five steps, you can work to build your Twitter connections. So don’t just get lost in the crowd, let yourself be heard.  To view the article, click the link below. 

5 ways to stand out on Twitter

Addicted?

I was sitting at home the other night watching TV. In the show I was watching, the girl had to go to a drug rehabilitation center. While she was there, the doctors and nurses made her give up any form of technological devices she had with her, just so she could focus on herself and recovering. She explained later that she felt incomplete without her phone or computer to talk to people or to surf the Internet. As I sat there with the TV on, my laptop open, and my phone beside me, I realized how much I was constantly relying on my technology to stay busy. I really thought about how many hours a day I spend on the Internet, mostly on social media sites. I could probably say, on average, I spend about 5 hours on the Internet a day. Like I stated in a previous post, I don’t have a Smartphone so all of this Internet activity is on my laptop. I know many people spend that much time online and even more but I began to wonder if I, along with my generation, has some sort of an Internet addiction. I was browsing through Mashable and came across the perfect Blog post that was relating to my question. On the post, there are statistics shown that really shocked me. I realized I wasn’t the only one feeling like I have an addiction to the Internet. Out of a survey of 602 people, 61% stated that they feel addicted to the Internet while only 39% think they could quit if they wanted. I know a few people that are hardly ever on the computer, except for schoolwork, and have NEVER created a social media site. I have spoken with them and they never have been able to understand the addictive nature of the Internet. Looking at my generation and at these statistics, these few people I know are very rare during this time. Going into the Advertising field, Internet and social media will play a large role in my career and probably even more in the future. Even though I enjoy being outside and participating in activities outside the Internet, I don’t find it odd that people say they spend countless number of hours online. Social media is a big part of today’s society and it establishes many connections between people and businesses. So do you consider yourself an addict of the Internet? Check out this Blog post to see how you compare to the statistics.

Addicted to the Internet? 

Uh, Oh Tim Tebow

Funny story. My roommate’s cousin is an excellent user of Adobe Photoshop. One day, she decided it would be funny to take an image of her sister and one of Tim Tebow and put them together into one picture, as if they were posing together. She then posted the picture on her Facebook page and it got a lot of attention from her Facebook friends. Even though she had posted the picture only for her friends' entertainment, she found the picture a few days later on various other websites. Someone had gotten a hold of the picture and had placed it on a national website with the title, “Tim Tebow’s Secret Girlfriend.” This girl had only created this picture as a joke for her sister and her friends but when the wrong person got a hold of it, it turned into much more. Now, if you type “Tim Tebow’s secret girlfriend” into Google, this fake picture is the first image that appears. The article that includes this picture mentions that Tim Tebow and this mystery woman have been hiding their relationship for a few months. Because I know the girl involved, I know this information is not true but many people may not. This is a perfect example of how fast and easy it is to spread news and gossip through Social Media, whether it is true or not. This example really makes people think about how many things they may read in the tabloids that are probably not true. Many people believe anything they read on the Internet, especially when it comes to celebrities, but they don’t realize how easy it is for something like this to happen. This joke turned into worldwide known gossip in less than a week; imagine how much information is out there that just started as a joke? If you want to read the article about “Tim Tebow’s Secret Girlfriend”, the link is found below. 

Tim Tebow's Secret Girlfriend 

-Sorrell

Reflection

            On Thursday afternoon, Mark Schaefer, author of the Tao of Twitter, came to speak to our class. One thing that he said that really caught my attention was that, “everyone can have a voice, everyone can publish, and everyone can have power.” After he said this, it really made me realize how true that statement is. Before the use of the Internet, it was much harder for people to have their voice be heard. While people could post stuff in newspapers, write a book, or join a protest, it was much harder for people to stand up for things they believed in or state their opinion on specific topics. As the use of social media has increased, more and more people realize how much they can have an impact in the world about anything they are interested in speaking about. Whether it’s posting a status on Facebook, posting a tweet on Twitter, or starting your own Blog, anyone can have his or her thoughts out there for the public to see in less than 5 seconds. Today, people use the Internet and social media to promote their business, stay connected with old friends, and write about their lives. Because the Internet makes it so easy to let your voice be heard, Mark Schaefer is right when he says that anyone can have power. Being a political figure or a celebrity, your voice can be heard by almost anyone. Being just an average citizen, it is much harder to have the power to have people listen to what you have to say. If you get enough people to read into your Facebook, Twitter, Blog, or any other social networking site, you can be just as powerful as anyone else. After writing a book on the uses of Twitter, Mark Schaefer is an expert when it comes to getting his voice heard. With 36,068 followers and 26,205 tweets on Twitter, Mark Schaefer has really learned the techniques of making people listen to him. Being an Advertising student, I would really like to have my name out there for people to know me. This statement from Mark Schaefer really made me realize how easy it is to do that. 

-Sorrell

Pin it!

          I have always loved arts and crafts. Ever since I was little, my favorite things to do were “color” and draw pictures. Because of my love of art, I decided I wanted to major in Graphic design. I took countless numbers of art classes in high school and continued in to college. Even though I switched my major to Advertising, I still found myself drawn to the “creative” side of Advertising. After creating my Pinterest account, I found myself overwhelmed with the amount of art projects I wanted to do. No matter if you are creative or not, Pinterest teaches anyone to be creative. Pinterest has anything for anyone to be interested in. Whether you want to design your wedding, your children’s bedroom, or your garden, there is always something artistic and easy for you to do. I find myself on Pinterest almost everyday and could spend hours browsing through everything it has to offer. Below are a few links to some of the items I was drawn to, but it is only a few out of many!

http://pinterest.com/pin/63543044712052094/

http://pinterest.com/pin/63543044712031314/

http://pinterest.com/pin/63543044711992689/

http://pinterest.com/pin/63543044711992093/

http://pinterest.com/pin/63543044711991168/

-Sorrell 

To tweet, or not to tweet

Well it’s begun. My twitter “habit.” I woke up this morning, turned on the light, turned off my alarm, and tweeted. The tweet read, “Accounting at 8am. Worst decision ever. #iwantmybed.” Never in a million years would I have thought that the first thing I do in the morning is post to Twitter. I would have paid money for that extra minute of sleep but now I’m using it to Tweet? The powers of social media…

I never have kept a steady journal in my life, although I tried. Getting up this morning, I wanted to express to someone how badly I did not want to leave my bed and Twitter made that easy. It’s a way for me to write about my day and the things that go on without having to remember it all and write it all down in a journal at the end of the day. I am no expert at Twitter yet and I have only had about 15 tweets but hey, it’s a start! So far, I have enjoyed posting about things that have happened and truly enjoy reading posts from the people I follow. It is slowly but surely becoming a habit. The link below is a video perfect for demonstrating how Twitter can be a large part of an individual’s daily life. I enjoyed the creativity behind it...hope you enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIpD7hfffQo

-Sorrell 

Iwhat?

As I sit here on my laptop, I realize one reason I have never gotten very involved with the social media site, Twitter. Today, looking around my class, I noticed almost every single classmate of mine was on their Iphone, or other smart phone. As I took a glimpse around the room and then back at my own desk, I noticed my LG enV2 cell phone. As the use of social media has increased more and more, especially through cell phones, I have found that my phone cannot keep up with all the smart phones. Don't get me wrong, I love my phone but it just isn't for me if I'm interested in cellphone social network use. In today’s world, all a person has to do, if they want to post anything on their social media site, is take out their smart phone and simply post it. My sister has the same phone as me and although she has a way of posting her “tweets” through the non-smart phone, I find it way too difficult. In order for me to view Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media site, I have to actually take out my laptop, turn it on, and go through the process of logging into the social media sites. Now, this may seem easy and take very little energy but as I see others very simply using their phones, that they can carry and take out almost anywhere, it makes taking my laptop out seem very difficult. I used to tell people, “I don’t need an Iphone, it’s totally pointless and I would never use all the “stuff” that comes on it”, but now I couldn’t disagree more. I enjoy using my Facebook and Twitter just as much as the next person but let’s just say It’s not as easy for me to “tweet” every second of the day if I wanted to. So, until I get my very own smart phone, looks like I’ll be laptop “tweeting.” Maybe one day that will change...

-Sorrell 

Keepin' it private

Because this is my very first experience with a blog, I am a little hesitant. After doing research, I have learned that there is NO “right way” to blog. Everyone has their own unique way of posting words, whether it’s from gathered information or their own thoughts. I’m not sure why I had trouble getting this second blog post out there but I did and now, here it is. I used to see a blog as just an online casual journal but the more it is stressed that it is used in a business sense, the more it gives me anxiety that I put the right information and “stuff” on my Blog.

This brings me to my next thought…the other day in my Ad/Pr 490 Class, we discussed the privacy of Social Media. I have always been very careful with “who” sees my Facebook account and “what” has been put up on my Facebook page. The reason I only mention Facebook is because although I have a Twitter, MySpace, Pinterest, etc. account, Facebook is the one social network that I use most often. Although I am as careful as I can be, I always feel like there still are ways for anyone to see my information. Dr. Childers, from my 490 Class, mentioned a blog post on Facebook Privacy. The post is entitled “10 settings Every user needs to know.” In order to view this blog, go to http://mashable.com/2011/02/07/facebook-privacy-guide/. When updating your privacy settings on Facebook, you may feel like you’re forgetting something, or at least I do, and not all your information is blocked. This blog really helped me to feel confident that all of my information was hidden and hopefully this will help others.

-Sorrell 

Meeting Sorrell Miller

Hello all!
My name is Sorrell Miller. I am originally from Chattanooga, TN but have been studying at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for about three and a half years now. I plan to graduate from the university with a degree in Advertising and a minor in Business. After graduation, I hope to gain a job in an Advertising agency or a company with a strong Advertising objective. Although I know a little bit about Social Media, just through my personal use of Facebook and Twitter, I hope to gain more knowledge on the subject in this Social Media class this semester. I would like to learn the basics of using Social Media, especially as an Advertising tool. Although this is my first time blogging, I really hope to quickly catch on to the blogging techniques and be able to use this blog to its greatest extent, now and later in my career. Being able to connect myself with other bloggers on Social Media, Advertising, and Public Relations will help me to become a more educated blogger, advertiser, and user of online media. I plan on teaching others of the advantages of blogging and I hope that eventually, readers can learn from my own personal blog on Social Media.
Thank you!
Sorrell