My Reflections of Social Media

(Image from Pinterest)

I cannot believe this semester is almost over.  Where did the time go?  I am pretty sure this semester went by so quickly because I have really enjoyed my classes, especially social media.  This is a class that is not like any other class and I actually have people question me when I tell them I am working on something for social media.  The looks I get from people are priceless because so many of them had no clue that social media could be a class and is a class at the University of Louisville.

I have learned so much from this class, not just about social media, but about myself as well.  We spent time learning about online reputation and had a paper to write about what we found. I learned that I am pretty responsible about what I share online. I also learned about many other aspects of social media like how brands use it to their benefit and are able to pull data to be able to tell if a campaign they are running is successful.  We had to keep a blog throughout the semester which is good for me because I am interested in pursuing a career in this field. I am not going to lie, I was a little stressed about it starting out because it was something I wasn't comfortable doing, but now I am comfortable blogging and plan to continue a personal one. This is the class that Hootsuite University was assigned in as well.  I have learned so much through that program. You can read the blog I posted about it if you are interested in learning more. I was clueless before this class at the potential social media had and what was all capable with it, but the possibilities are endless and ever-changing.

The big project we have for this class is a social media campaign for a client that we have worked on all semester in groups. My group consists of 5 girls, including myself and our client is Glow Go! 5K race that is being held in July.  Through this project I have learned hands-on how to set up a proposal for clients on how to reach more people while improving their social media presence.  It has really been an interesting adventure with these girls and it is not over yet.  The end of the semester we have to present our proposal to the clients, but we are learning more about that next week.  This is definitely a class that I would recommend to anybody enrolled at the University of Louisville.

(Image from @GlowGo5K twitter profile)

My Thoughts on Hootsuite University

Before this semester I was pretty clueless about the potential of social media for businesses.  My professor assigned the class Hootsuite University as one of the projects and I am so happy she did.  Hootsuite University is a place anybody can go to learn more about social media.  They offer a social media course that once completed you become a Certified Social Media Consultant which is what my professor assigned us to complete.  I have been working on my certification and am so close to being done.  I cannot wait until I can add this to my resume.

 While working on Hootsuite University I have found that is a little difficult to keep your interest.  It is compiled of short videos ranging from 1 minute to 25 minutes and are so full of information it is hard to retain it all.  It really isn't at all interactive which is something I consider valuable to learning, but it is a pretty easy course so far. Since the videos are short it is easier to watch one a couple times without taking too much time which is what I have been doing.  The exams are set up so you can take them more than once and you have to score a 100% before it is considered complete. The only thing I would change about this course is making it more interactive.  I once took a computer class that before you could move on to the next video you had to complete a mock version of what the video taught you.  It wasn't until you completed this so many times did it unlock the next video.  I think it would be beneficial for Hootsuite to implement some form of interactivity to give you more of a reason to pay attention. I am one that learns from interactive hands-on tools, especially when it is an online course.

I have learned a lot from Hootsuite University also.  I like how they break down every section for the top social media sites, like Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  Some of these social media sites I was unfamiliar with, but because of Hootsuite's class I am learning more about social media than I ever thought possible. It is because of the class and this course that I am excited about social media and excited about what this certification will bring my way. 

How to Prepare for the Big Game

Every team has their rivalry that when they meet in the season that is considered the big game. The University of Kentucky has the University of Louisville, Purdue University has Indiana University, just to name a couple.  If you are anything like me, the big game means a reason to party.  I am going to give my tips on how to prepare for the big game and party.

Image found on Pinterest

Food: So food is very important during any sporting event, but it is especially important with college basketball and football.  The favorite in our house is queso and chips.  I usually make a spicy one with sausage in it and a mild one that has no meat in it.  My best tip would be to stick with finger foods during games.  I have discovered that people don't want to hold plates with food on them during intense games that arms are flailing. 


Drinks:  Make sure you stock up on drinks before people start arriving.  I always forget to get ice, so somebody always has to run to the store and get a bag. Oops. You need to decide if your night of enjoying the game is going to be a BYOB, bring your own beer, or if you are willing to share your alcohol with them. I am usually a person that doesn't mind sharing, but my house is a BYOB kind of place.


Gear:  Every team needs to have their gear ready by game time and that includes their fans. One of the first things I do the week of the game is make sure our team apparel is washed and ready for game day.  My husband makes sure he has his lucky hat on before every game because he feels it really helps the team.

Image from JD Becker website

Friends and Family: Make sure you invite your favorite people over to enjoy the game with.  It really stinks to be so busy preparing for the game that you forget to invite people out to watch the game. Personally, my favorite way to watch the game is with a ton of friends having a great time. It is usually a night of laughter and yelling at the television, which is always awesome!

Now, enjoy your game!

March Madness

     March is that time of year that people start getting antsy.  The weather is changing and becoming warmer and college basketball is down to the final tournament, March Madness.  This is my favorite time of year for both of these reasons. College basketball is something I remember watching with my dad when I was growing up.  I loved when the Kentucky Wildcats played with Coach Pitino by their side.  I believe those were the years it was instilled in me that I was born to be a Cats fan.

March Madness has always been a huge event and something that many people talk about around the water cooler at work, but it is turning into so much more with social media.  People are able to communicate to anyone during the games through Twitter and there are many hashtags based on March Madness alone. You can follow all of the happenings of March Madness through social media and not really worry about what you are going to miss.  Every team has a hashtag now, but the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky have many to represent different aspects of the team and their fans including #tweak, #BBN, #L1C4, #LouisvilleHateWeek. There are also people you can follow to get in depth detail of the game and get a behind the scene look at what is going on. Nick Stover (@ULFlyingCard) is a great example of this for University of Louisville fans.

This week is the most exciting game of the season for both University of Kentucky and University of Louisville since they are meeting in the Sweet 16 (#Sweet16).  This has sparked many conversations and friendly rivalry trash talking on social media about who's team is going to win.  I think social media is great for this and really adds to the excitement and experience of the game.  I know I look forward to it because of all the hype this game is receiving.  After all, it is the biggest game of the year!

Barry's Cheesesteaks

One day my husband came home and told me about a new cheesesteak place that opened on Preston Hwy in Louisville called Barry's Cheesesteaks. Ever since our favorite cheesesteak place moved out of Louisville, we had been searching for something even close to it. We googled it and found a WHAS 11 interview with Barry Washington.  We watched the interview and had to visit this place. I am sure you will too.

Barry Washington grew up in a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia and lost his way as a young teenager and started selling drugs like cocaine and heroine.  He had hit rock bottom after years in and out of jail and was stabbed multiple times after people he robbed retaliated. It wasn't until he was living on the streets that he asked two men walking if they could help him get something to eat that things changed.  The gentlemen that helped invited him to church that evening and he went, which ended up being one of the best decisions he made.  Since then he has earned his GED, went to school for ministry,  and became a pastor at a church called Redeemed Christian Church located in the West end of Louisville. His story was featured on the 700 Club.

As a pastor he began to notice that the church didn't off many activities for their teenagers and young adults.  That is when he decided  he needed to find something to keep them off the streets.  They decided to open Barry's Cheesesteaks, but he made the youth prepare everything from finding the location and renovating it to running most of the everyday operations of the business.



While it was the back story that led us to this place, it is the food and people that keeps up coming back almost weekly.  They have a basic menu that includes, or course, chicken and steak cheesesteaks sandwiches, burgers, wings, fries, etc. The philly cheesesteak (#2 on the menu) is my absolute favorite and because it is so good I have not tried anything else. This restaurant is one of my daughter's favorite place to go.  The people there just adore her and make her feel so special. You can tell they are loving what they are doing.  I look forward to seeing their smiling faces when we walk through the door.  I am telling everyone they must go and check this place out because they will not be disappointed.  Everyone we know that has tried Barry's Cheesesteaks has been back multiple times.  In other words, if you come to Louisville, KY go to Barry's Cheesesteaks, get some amazing food, and witness yourself what he is doing for these kids.  He is keeping them from making the same mistakes he did growing up and giving them something to be proud of.  They ALL have every right to be proud.

Social Media Monitoring

If you are anything like me, you have no clue what is all possible through social media.  Before my social media class I was clueless about monitoring and analytics, but I am catching on to all the possibilities. It is something I would definitely recommend, especially if you are a business and are trying to use social media to get your name out there.

Social media monitoring  is something every company or brand should implement in order to take full advantage of the different platforms. Through this class we are becoming familiar with Hootsuite and will become a certified Hootsuite consultant by the time this semester is over.

Even though there are many tools to use, like Bottlenose, Klout, and Sprout Social, Hootsuite is the one I am familiar with. It is a website where you can monitor all of your social media platforms in one place. You can even monitor specific topics or hashtags.  There is also an app function that allows you to monitor other platforms that are available like YouTube. While you are monitoring you can also pull up analytics to see what works and what doesn't.  You can see how many people were able to see your posts and how many responded. Adding social media monitoring to your business plan will definitely benefit you in more ways than not.

My Best Friend

While I was pondering on what to write my blog about I decided to Google ideas to blog about.  From the results I choose a blog titled Sweet ideas: 50 things to blog about which gave me some great ideas. One idea (#6) is the hardest thing you've ever been through so that is what I have decided to write about.

I met my best friend, Amber, when we were 3 years old. She took dance classes at the same studio I was at. We went to school together from kindergarten until we graduated high school.  We were inseparable most of the time and became closer after we graduated.  When we turned 21 year old we went out every chance we could and were able to experience many different things together.  Since her birthday was on Halloween we always went all out. My favorite Halloween with her was the night we went out with a big group of friends as bunnies and our good friend, Larry, went as Hugh Hefner. All night we rode around in a 1957 Chevy Bel Air Limo and were treated like royalty.

Ever since I could remember Amber was sick. She was diabetic and it really took a toll on her body. Shortly after she turned 22 she started experiencing pain in her kidneys.  The doctors couldn't find anything so they treated her for her pain and sent her home. By October 2006, Amber couldn't stay out of the hospital. She would be in for two weeks and home for one. The following March the doctors finally figured what was going on and diagnosed her with Addison's disease. This disease is very rare and it occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones. You can live with Addison's disease with treatment, however, Amber had already gone so long without it. Amber left us on June 21, 2007.

My last visit with Amber was extremely special. She spent the majority of her time trying to convince me to move back to the Louisville area so we could go to 4th Street Live. She passed before we ever got the chance to come here together, but she is the reason I am here. She is also the reason I met my husband. We met the night of the 1 month anniversary of her death at 4th Street Live and have been together since.

Amber Sandlin 10-31-83/6-21-07