My Favorite Kentucky Derby Festival Events

Today in class we had the pleasure of talking with Robert Young, the VP of Public Relations for the Kentucky Derby Festival. kdf.org It was a great presentation and I feel I learned a lot from having the opportunity of listening to him. The Kentucky Derby Festival is a huge two week celebration leading up to the Kentucky Derby.

The first year I attended anything Derby related was in 2008. Even though I grew up about two hours away from Louisville, the Kentucky Derby Festival is something I had never heard about.  The exception to this was Thunder Over Louisville and that was only because my sister started dating her husband and he was from New Albany, Indiana. He was astonished that we had never heard of it before since it was the largest firework display in the country.  I was absolutely blown away the first time I actually witnessed Thunder Over Louisville.  I love firework, probably one of my favorites things, but I was mesmerized by this display. Amazing!  Since that first year and every year after, I have brought someone from my hometown that has never heard of it. http://on.fb.me/1dftdu6

 (Picture from Google Images)

Another event the Kentucky Derby Festival puts on that I love is the Pegasus Parade. My husband and I have brought our daughter to this since she was born. She loves the parade and so do I.  The parade does a great job recognizing local groups and highlights activities offered throughout the city. The only thing I wish was different with the parade is the time it is held. It is so difficult to get there because most people are still heading home from work so we have struggled with seeing the whole parade every year.

 (Pegasus Parade 2008)

The Chow Wagon that is held at the Waterfront Park is another one of my favorites to attend.  All year I look forward to the food, drinks, music, and atmosphere which is what the Chow Wagon is all about. I really like that it is family friendly and my daughter (age 4) apparently loves the corndogs since she talks about them all the time. There is something about a corndog from a festival that makes it absolutely delicious! Don't you think?

 

(Picture from Google Images)

Online Reputation

Often a person is judged on how they act in different situations. Back in the day, people only had to worry about their reputation locally, but now that online reputation is in existence you could be destroyed nationally if you are not smart about what you post. According to Google's definition, reputation the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. http://bit.ly/1jQ5LMg Of course, online reputation is the same, it just pertains to your online activity.  People that are not very active online usually don't have much to worry about, but there are some people that just don't understand that there should be limits when online.  They don't realize how much people are tracked while online and that nothing every really gets deleted. 

Anything you post online, especially through your social media sites, can make or break your online reputation.  If you post a bunch of pictures of you partying and drinking, people may be led to believe you have a drinking problem which can tarnish your reputation online. Potential employers may not hire you if you complain about your current employer because they may think that you are a pessimistic person. You also have to consider who your online friends are and what they post. You may monitor the stuff you post to maintain a good reputation, but one of your friends may post something inappropriate that could change your online reputation.  For example, I had a friend that posted that she was sick and apparently called into work.  The next day she returned she got fired because her employer didn't tolerate lying.  When she checked, her friend had tagged her in a picture that was the two of them at a concert the night she called in.  She really struggled finding a new job because of how she lost the one she had.

There are ways to "fix" you online reputation. People have hired companies that are designed to clean up your online reputation. The link is a story about an Army General that had his reputation damaged after he bullied his staff. http://nws.mx/MBrwlh While I am not sure how much something like this would cost, I would think that it is not cheap. I don't know about you, but I would rather spend my money on something different. There is also plenty of websites that help you discover what you need to do next if you noticed that your online reputation has fallen.  Searching online reputation on Pinterest pulled up many different charts, pictures, and websites that give you many ways to check, manage, and change your online reputation.  I will share my favorite I found on there even though it is designed for a corporation because I feel it is still filled with great information.

Think Before You Type

I am not one to turn to social media to talk about everything. While on Facebook I may update my status about once a week, if that. I keep up to date with friends and family and don't accept friendships I do not know.  I try to stay a relatively private person, but I know that as long as I am on social media my every moves are being watched.  However, there are some people that tell all on social media and that may not be the best idea.

Most people think of social media sites as being a safe place to share your true feelings, but that is not the case at all.  For one, Facebook is notorious for changing your privacy settings and not informing you about it. http://nyti.ms/1awS3Lm  I made it a rule for myself to check my privacy settings on all my social media sites every other week to make sure there is nothing different.  You can also change privacy as you post a status on Facebook by changing your audience.  No matter what you do while you are online, what you think is private really isn't and can be held against you.

Nowadays it is not uncommon for a person to look another up through their social media in order to get the true tale of that individual. It is honestly a place where thinking before speaking or typing should definitely apply. You have to be smart about what you post and who you share it with.  For example, do not post about a trip you a taking, post about a trip you took. I have seen articles about how a person posted they were going on vacation and while they were gone their house was broken into. http://aol.it/1aTRhTj  I have also heard of people losing their job or going to jail because of something they posted on social media sites. If you think about it, it really isn't worth it.  If you use your common sense staying safe on social media should not be a difficult task.  Make it a rule for yourself to put your phone away when you start drinking and do not post anything you wouldn't say to your grandma. 

I know this doesn't sound like much to do, but it really could change whether or not you get a specific job or even asked out by a special someone.  It can also help keep your family and belongings safe!  So next time you want to rant about something and share all with the world, ask yourself if it is really worth sharing or if it is something that could harm your reputation before posting.

 

 (Picture from Google Images)

The Kentucky Derby: The Beginning

     Since I moved to Louisville, KY I have grown to love the Kentucky Derby and all the festivities that come with it.  I enrolled in a class called The Kentucky Derby and the Media this semester and I couldn't be more excited.  My professor William "Billy" Reed, sports writer for Sports Illustrated and sports editor for The Courier Journal.  In this blog I am going to tell you what I have learned thus far.  The years we have covered are 1875-1910.

     The book Mr. Reed assigned for this class is titled, "The Kentucky Derby: How The Run for the Roses Became America's Premier Sporting Event." by James C. Nicholson.  http://amzn.to/1mNBHRj  He said it is the best book he has read on the Kentucky Derby and goes into great detail.

     The Kentucky Derby hasn't always been what it is today.  According to Wikipedia in 1872 Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. visited England to watch the Epsom Derby which is what the Kentucky Derby is modeled after. http://bit.ly/1hp4fwq  Lewis Clark eventually came back to Louisville, KY and created The Louisville Jockey Club.  Clark was able to purchase land, with help, from his uncles, John and Henry Churchill and The Louisville Jockey Club would eventually be known as Churchill Downs.  The first Kentucky Derby was in 1875.  The winner was Aristides, ridden by Oliver Lewis. 

     Gambling would end up being the reason the Kentucky Derby almost didn't survive.  The Louisville Jockey Club originally didn't allow gambling.  When a wealthy owner threatened to not come because he couldn't bet on his horse they changed their decision and allowed him to bring his own bookmaker.  Once they realized they were getting cheated they refused to allow bookmakers at Churchill Downs.  When this happened the wealthy owners stopped bringing their horses to the race.  That is why one of the races was ran with only 4 horses.  After new ownership and the closing of the competitor race, The American Derby, Churchill Downs adopted a pari-mutual way of wagering which is what is still used today.

     We also discussed a bit about the jockeys in class, but I will go into more detail about that in my next update on the Kentucky Derby.

 (From Wikipedia Churchill Downs 1901)

What is Social Media?

Social media is one of those things that means something different to every person.  I think the meaning also changes depending on the generation you are from.  My mother is bothered by it and didn't want to be involved until she realized she was missing out on pictures of her grandchildren.  I have to call her and let her know that I posted pictures so she can get on her computer.  My siblings, for the most part, are active on at least facebook, but don't really post much.  My nieces and nephews, who are all 22 years old and under are extremely active in social media and post quite a bit on different platforms. 

To me, social media is the best way to keep in touch with family and friends.  Since I live away from all of my family, facebook is the primary way we keep in contact.  I have also found family I didn't know through social media and have even met some of them. I love that I can chat with them no matter what I am doing.  People can't always talk on the phone, but I can usually find the time to glance at whether or not I have a notification from one of my social media sites, who that notification is from, and whether or not it is important enough to respond quickly. 

I am not going to lie though.  I do miss the times before social media and feel that my age is the main reason I am not very active on my social media sites.  I only signed up for twitter and instagram to familiarize myself with different social media platforms for my social media class.  It is definitely not a necessity and it drives me bonkers when people act like it is.  I also get annoyed with how some people use social media.  One girl I went to school with seriously asks for money, rides, and help with bills on her facebook.  That is way inappropriate to me.

Social media really is a great thing.  It is just a new, innovative way to keep up to date with anyone and everything you are interested in.  I can't wait to see how it will continue to change and what else may enter the social media world.

Hello!  My name is Jacklyn Mantooth.  I am a proud mommy to an amazing little 4 year old girl, Emily.  In October I will be celebrating my 5 year anniversary with my husband, Waylen.  I am originally from a small town, Poseyville, Indiana and grew up in a rather large family.  I have four sisters, three brothers, and fifteen nieces and nephews.  I miss small town living, but also love city living.  I moved to Louisville in 2007 when I was 23 years old and met my husband the same year. 

I am writing this blog primarily for the Social Media class I am taking at the University of Louisville, however, I hope to continue blogging after the class is over.  This is my first semester as a senior and plan to graduate in December.  I do plan on continuing my education, but I want to concentrate on my career and my family first.  Even though I am a proud student of U of L, I am a die hard Kentucky Wildcats fan.  I grew up watching Pitino coach the Wildcats and that is a big part of the reason I love sports so much.  also the reason I want to pursue a career in something that has to do with athletics.

I am currently working for a company called Aramark and I am located in the YUM! Corporate Headquarters in a store called The Company Store.  I work with and for amazing people and would love to figure out a way to get them into the social media world.  My absolute dream job would be working for a professional sports team (doesn't really matter which one) either in social media or crisis communications.  Really though, I am enjoying my degree choice so much I really don't think it would matter what area I end up in.  I'll be happy!

I hope you enjoy my blog, but please be patient with me as I am still new to this blogging thing.  I am eager to feel more comfortable and am hoping this class helps me open up online.  I liked to blame my generation for being just before the big technology boom, but then I met my professor who is pretty much my age.  For now, I'm signing off.